Programming
The Outdoor Channel goes HD for "Wings to Adventure," a show featuring aviation adventure, equipment and personalities with host/producer and pilot Tom Gresham (3Q ’05 debut). — Fox Sports World will offer a free preview to MSOs July 24-26, giving them access to coverage of ChampionsWorld Series soccer. — Early this morning (7am), Cartoon debuted "Rescue Heroes," based on the Fisher-Price preschool toys. — Fuse will be the exclusive home of this weekend’s "Hot 97’s Summer Jam," billed as the biggest hip-hop concert of the year. The taped broadcast premieres June 25, 7pm and features Alicia Keyes, Ludakris and G-Unit with 50 Cent. — Sundance Channel could be in play. Robert Redford recently said he was not planning to sell his Sundance resort in UT, but didn’t deny/confirm a report that he’s looking to sell the cable net to partners Viacom [VIA] and NBC Universal. — TCM gets Looney Fri, showcasing 10 "Looney Tunes" cartoons with classic films that inspired them. The 20-hr marathon kicks off at 6am with "Acrobatty Bunny,"as Bugs imitates Lon Chaney in "Laugh Clown Laugh," which immediately follows. — HDNet premieres "Rumbles," in which pro athletes, comedians and media types give comedic commentary on pro sports fights from around the world, Sat, 9:30pm ET. — Biography Channel pays tribute to Ray Charles tonight with "Bio Remembers: Ray Charles" (8pm). — Discovery Health Channel widens the "Body Challenge" franchise in ’05 with "Body Challenge Heavyweights," which puts folks more than 100 lbs overweight on a 12-month program to change their lifestyle. — Rainbow and Miramax Films followed last year’s licensing agreement with another pact; this one includes TV rights to show 86 films (12 broadcast premieres) beginning in ’06, with "Cold Mountain" available in 2010. AMC gets "Chicago," Cold Mt, "Cider House Rules" and "Good Will Hunting." WE receives "Bridget Jones’ Diary," "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love" among others; IFC has "Reservoir Dogs," "The Barbarian Invasions" (’03 Acad Award best foreign film) and "The Quiet American" among others. — GSN’s not content building the world’s largest bobblehead last year (of Chuck Woolery). To push "Extreme Dodgeball" (debuts tomorrow, 10pm), it’s built the largest inflatable dodgeball arena (40’x20′) and placed it in NY’s TImes Sq for its debut on ABC’s "Good Morning America."
