William Shatner to Host New ABC Reality Game Show "Show Me the Money"  10/10/06

WILLIAM SHATNER TO HOST NEW ABC REALITY GAME SHOW, "SHOW ME THE MONEY"

Emmy-winning actor and television legend William Shatner will host "Show Me the Money," a new game show series for ABC, it was announced today. "Show Me the Money" is the latest game show that Endemol USA, producers of NBC's smash hit "Deal or No Deal," will bring to air.

In "Show Me the Money," players will answer trivia questions, taking chances to accumulate prize money. They also must contend with a never-before-seen mechanism that can cut contestants' winnings to nothing or instantly catapult them into the millions.

"Bill was the guy we wanted from day one to host 'Show Me the Money,'" said David Goldberg, president of Endemol USA. "More than anything, we were looking for a great showman, and in addition to being an instantly recognizable entertainer to audiences of all ages, Bill's got a naturally warm and witty presence that is simply perfect for the material."

Shatner has cultivated a career that spans some 50 years. He is well known for originating the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" television series, and has remained a pop culture icon whose stature seems to grow with each passing year. He will continue to play Denny Crane, his back-to-back Emmy Award-winning role on ABC's hit series, "Boston Legal."

"Show Me the Money" will be produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is the president of Endemol USA. The series is executive-produced by Mike Nichols.

Endemol USA is a leading producer of television programming specializing in reality and non-scripted genres for network and cable television. The company produces the break-out hits "Deal or No Deal," "Fear Factor," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Big Brother." Endemol USA is a division of Endemol Holding, a prominent international content developer, producer and distributor of television and online programming. The company, headquartered in the Netherlands, has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 21 countries, including the major European markets, the U.S., South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Endemol Entertainment is a fully owned subsidiary of telecommunications giant Telefsnica S.A., one of the largest companies in Spain.

ABC Entertainment offers quality, award-winning programming that includes many of the most popular series, specials and movies. Primetime Entertainment on ABC crosses various programming genres with hit series like "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy," Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Boston Legal," "According to Jim," "George Lopez," "Dancing with the Stars," "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap." In Late-Night, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" celebrated its third anniversary in January, 2006. ABC Entertainment is part of the ABC Television Network and is managed by Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company.

Source: ABC Press Release