New PBS Series and more

Slavery And The Making Of America, a new series, airs Wednesdays, February 9-16, 2005, 9 to 11 p.m. ET on PBS. This groundbreaking series chronicles the institution of American slavery from its origins in 1619 - when English settlers in Virginia purchased 20 Africans from Dutch traders - through the arrival of the first 11 slaves in the northern colonies (in Dutch New Amsterdam), the American Revolution, the Civil War, the adoption of the 13th Amendment and Reconstruction. With such unprecedented breadth come entirely new perspectives on and facts about slavery. These new perspectives challenge many long-held notions (such as the idea that slavery was strictly a southern institution; it was, in fact, a national institution) and highlight the contradictions of a country that was founded on the principle of “liberty and justice for all,” but embraced slavery. Morgan Freeman narrates.



Hair Raising Prospect: The Fantastic Friends Bracelet, an electric blue bracelet made of silicone rubber and engraved with the words “Fantastic Friends” go on sale in Fantastic Sams salons across the country on Valentine’s Day to raise money and awareness for Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides custom-fitted hairpieces to children who suffer from long-term medical hair loss. They cost $1, all of which is donated to Locks of Love. You can go to the salon locator at www.fantasticsams.com to find the Fantastic Sams nearest you. In the three years since Fantastic Sams has partnered with Locks of Love, more than $20,000 and 6,000 ponytails have been donated. This year, Fantastic Sams with more than 1,300 franchises worldwide, will pull together as “Fantastic Friends” to try to bring that total to more than $250,000 and thousands of ponytails for Locks of Love.

Get Personal: Astroglide Personal Lubricants introduces the new Sensual Strawberry Astroglide, long-lasting, never sticky or gritty. Sensual Strawberry Astroglide retails for $9.99 and can be purchased at www.astroglide.com. Original Astroglide can be found at most major drug stores, mass merchandisers and food stores. For more information, www.astroglide.com.

New Series: Discovery Channel launches three new series: Party Planner With David Tutera (2 p.m.), Dude Room (3 p.m.) and Garage Takeover (6 p.m.) , starting, Monday, December 27, 2004, airing weekdays on Discovery Channel.

Florence Holway Fights Back

On Easter Eve 1991, 75-year-old Florence Holway was brutally raped in her rural New Hampshire home by a 25-year-old intruder. A grandmother with a love of life, Holway promised herself during the assault that if she survived, she would make sure her attacker could never do the same thing to another woman. A Rape In A Small Town: The Florence Holway Story recounts the horrific details of Holway's ordeal, and chronicles her 12-year struggle to bring a criminal to justice - as well as change a flawed legal system when the America Undercover documentary debuts Tuesday, January 11, 2005 at 8 p.m. on HBO. A Film by Jeffrey Chapman (70 mins)

New Masterpiece Theater Series

On January 23, 2005 at 9 p.m., Masterpiece Theater will air “Island at War” -- a family drama focusing on a group of Channel Islanders adjusting to life under Nazi occupation during WWII. The occupation is on a scale unsurpassed during the war, with soldiers living side by side with the islanders. The cast includes James Wilby (“Bertie & Elizabeth”), Clare Holman (“Prime Suspect 6”), Julia Ford, Saskia Reeves and Philip Glenister. On PBS. For more info, see the show's "homepage:" http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=1744


Ring Ring Bling Bling: BlingTones, a division of Lagardere Active North America (U.S. branch of Lagardere Active Broadband - a Leading content provider in Europe), announces the world's first wireless record label. BlingTones features original content. BlingTones has signed hip-hop producers/artists Q-Tip, Rockwilder (Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, DMX), Denuan Porter (50 Cent, Eminem), Salaam Remi (Nas), Hi-Tek (Talib Kweli, Snoop Dogg), and more to create original 30-second "songs" available only through BlingTones. Cellphone carriers Sprint, Cingular/ATTW, Nextel, and Boost Mobile are on board, artists are BlingTones will also provide BlingPix - screen savers/wallpaper with contemporary urban themes.

Kumars Return

New shows of The Kumars at No. 42 begin Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET/PT, January 12, 2005 on BBC America. Part scripted comedy, part improvisation, part genuine interview, The Kumars at No. 42 is a talk show. The premise is that The Kumars have indulged their spoilt son's (Sanjeev Bhaskar) dream of being a talk show host by bulldozing their back garden and building a state-of-the art studio at the back of their house. Each week Sanjeev attempts to interview two celebrity guests, while fending off interruptions from his parents, Madhuri (Indira Joshi) and Ashwin (Vincent Ebrahim), and his grandmother Sushila (Meera Syal, Bombay Dreams, Goodness Gracious Me) affectionately known as Ummi.

Who's Wearing Hot Pink

Arielle Kebbel attended the Meet the Fockers premiere in a dress by David Rodriguez. She chose a bright bouganvillea satin dress with silk black flowers and watteau back. She carried a Daniel Swarovski black box bag with crystal handle, Swarovski black teardrop earrings and Kenneth Cole black suede pumps with satin strap.

A Long JOURNEY

They’ve sold seventy-five million records since 1973. Journey gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m., January 21, 2005, in front of the Muscian’s Institute at 6750 Hollywood Boulevard. Neal Schon (guitar), Ross Valory (bass), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Steve Augeri (vocals) and Deen Castronovo (drums)-will perform at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, CA. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and other usual outlets.

Surf Divas

Twin sisters Izzy and Coco Tihanyi opened Surf Diva, the world’s first surf school for women and girls in 1996, and launched a successful clothing line, surfboard brand, and surf boutique in La Jolla, California (surfdiva.com). They were the official surfing school for the “Blue Crush” movie and have run surf camps for the likes of OP, Vans, Spy, O’Neill, Billabong, and Roxy. Surf Diva has doubled sales annually for the past several years. Staff size has grown from three in 1996, to fifty-five instructors in 2004. “We have outgrown all of the surf schools catering to men,” said Izzy Tihanyi, in an MTV interview this September.

Surf entrepreneurs Izzy and Coco Tihanyi have written a new book: Surf Diva: A Girl’s Guide To Getting Good Waves (A Harvest Original, Harcourt February 7, 2005; $14) geared towards both women and girls who want to learn more about the world’s fastest growing sport.

The Facts: Between 1999 and 2001, the number of women reported to surf daily, rose 120%. And, it’s just continuing to grow. As of the latest survey, the number has grown an additional 160%. (From Board-Trac, the action sports industry’s leading marketing research firm.) According to SIMA (Surf Industry Manufacturers Association), women’s surf apparel is by far the fastest growing segment in the surf industry. Quiksilver saw sales of its Roxy women’s surf apparel line jump by a staggering 40% last year. Moreover, big brands are acknowledging surfing as a growing sport, for both men and women. Majors such as Billabong, Rip Curl, Pac/Sun, O’Neill, Body Glove, Roxy/Quiksilver, Vans, etc. are increasing their monetary support of major women’s surfing competitions, attracting worldwide attention. Orly, the well-known beauty brand, is coming out with a new nail color honoring surfing, and the ad campaign will feature surfboards from SURF DIVA.

Surfing is also taking Hollywood by storm with major celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Nick Lachey, and Minnie Driver, to name but a few, taking the plunge. Every day, expert surfers like Layne Beachley, Sofia Mulanovich, Lisa Anderson, Rochelle Ballard and Kate Skarratt are competing like the big boys, and succeeding.