JERI DUTY

The con is back on as Nate (Timothy Hutton) and his crew of do-gooding thieves return for six more episodes, with a new twist: Jeri Ryan’s scammer Tara is filling in for Gina Bellma’s Sophie, who’s on sabbatical. (In real life, Bellman is on maternity leave.) “It’s a perfect job as an actor,” says Ryan. “You get to play so many different people.” In tonight’s episode, she’ll pose as an Italian fashion designer—and on the February 3 show, she’ll channel her inner Miss Cleo, pretending to be a psychic to bring down a swindler (Luke Perry!). But playing Tara herself may be the most fun for the ex-Shark star. “I’ve been a lot of ball-buster lawyers and suit-wearing women—Tara’s a ball-buster in a very different way,” says Ryan. “She’s smart, tough and has that sarcastic sense of humor—you don’t get to see that side of me very much.” And how about her romantic side—will we see that come out, perhaps with Nate? “I don’t want to give anything away,” she says “But there are things there to make people wonder.” Sounds like a long grift.—Megan Walsh-Boyle

Leverage Soundtrack now Available

Presenting the original music score to the hit TNT television series Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton. Emmy winning composer Joseph LoDuca (Legend Of The Seeker, The Librarian, Xena, Evil Dead Trilogy) creates a wonderful listening experience with a jazz and pop-tinged music score that captures all the mystery, action and flat-out fun of this popular TV series. Currently airing on TNT in its second season, the first season of Leverage is available on DVD in stores everywhere. Second season hits DVD in 2010.

Click here to order!

PRINCIPAL CAST OF TNT’S ‘LEVERAGE’ WILL BE ON HAND FOR

THREE DAY CON-VENTION

“LEVERAGE” Returns to TNT in January 2010

LOS ANGELES (November 10, 2009) – On March 19-21, 2010 in Portland, OR, “Leverage” fans from around the world will have an opportunity to meet the team behind TNT’s hit series at CON-Con: An Official Leverage Event. The 3 day con-vention will feature appearances by the principal cast including Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People, The Good Shepherd), Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge (Supernatural), Christian Kane (Angel, Friday Night Lights) and Gina Bellman (Coupling, Jekyll). Additionally the creative minds behind the series including Executive Producer Dean Devlin (producer of Independence Day, The Patriot, The Librarian trilogy) and Creators/Executive Producers John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens) will be on hand to take part in panel discussions and Q&As with the fans.

The CON-con will be held in the gorgeous Governor Hotel, which was used for two of “Leverage’s” episodes. Events throughout the weekend will include Q&As with the cast, autograph and meet and greet sessions, a cocktail party and an official banquet, to name a few.

The CON-con: An Official Leverage Event is brought to you by Dean Devlin and Electric Entertainment, in cooperation with MBL Entertainment, LLC. and FED CON GmbH.

For more details and to purchase tickets please visit www.conthecon.com.

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About Electric Entertainment

Electric Entertainment is a full service film, television, and new media production company headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Over the last fifteen years, Devlin has co-written and produced some of the most successful feature films of all time.  He co-wrote and produced Stargate and Independence Day, which has grossed over $800 million worldwide. He co-wrote and produced Godzilla, and produced The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. Electric is currently in pre-production on the third season of “Leverage,” the 1-hour drama series airing on TNT, and is in pre-production on the science-fiction thriller feature Ghosting, which Devlin will direct.

Electric’s most recent film projects include MGM’s Flyboys; Sony Pictures Classics’ politically-charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Documentary Feature; New Line’s Fall 2004 release Cellular starring Kim Basinger; and Eight Legged Freaks, released by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow in July 2002. Electric’s television credits include “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear,” starring Noah Wyle which aired on TNT network in December 2004 and was the highest rated movie on cable that year and its sequel, “The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines,” which aired last December on TNT and won an Emmy award for best music composition; and the Sci Fi Channel’s “The Triangle,” which won an Emmy for its Visual Effects, and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since “Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN (2002).” The company also produced the third installment of the Librarian franchise, “Curse of the Judas Chalice,” which premiered on TNT in December 2008 along with the first season of “Leverage,” which has been renewed for a third season. Additionally, Electric Entertainment owns and runs iF Magazine (www.ifmagazine.com), an online pop culture entertainment site that features Movie and TV news, reviews and interviews.

Popular Series, Starring Oscar® Winner Timothy Hutton, Averages 4.1 Million Viewers
And Ranks as Ad-Supported Cable’s #1 Wednesday Program among Adults 25-54

Television’s hottest team of con artists, grifters, hackers and thieves will be back again as TNT lines up a third season of its fast-paced drama series LEVERAGE, starring Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), Gina Bellman (Coupling), Christian Kane (TNT’s Into the West), Beth Riesgraf (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights). The network has ordered 15 episodes of the series, which is currently in its second season, airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). The show’s summer finale will air Wednesday, Sept. 9. It will then return to complete the second season in winter, with the third season slated to air in summer 2010.

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“Thanks in large part to its engaging cast and clever storytelling, LEVERAGE has proven itself to be one of the most exciting and fun hours on television,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “The producers, cast and crew have been incredible to work with, and we anticipate another wonderful season.”

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LEVERAGE is executive-produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT’s The Librarian) and creators John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens). It comes to the network from Devlin’s Electric Entertainment and is one of six high-profile original dramas that have populated TNT’s Monday-Wednesday lineup this summer. The six series, which include The Closer, Raising the Bar, HawthoRNe, Saving Grace and Dark Blue, are part of an aggressive TNT strategy to build a slate of quality original programming in primetime.

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LEVERAGE scored big in its first season, ranking as ad-supported cable’s #1 show in its timeslot with an average of 3.9 million viewers. The second season has averaged 4.1 million viewers* and ranks as ad-supported cable’s #1 Wednesday program in delivery of adults 25-54 and #1 Wednesday drama among viewers and households. The show is enjoying solid growth when compared to its first season, with viewers up 5% and households up 7%.

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LEVERAGE scores tremendously well with DVR users, garnering an extraordinary 66% growth among adults 25-54 when comparing Live to Live + 7 viewing.

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In LEVERAGE, Hutton stars as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator determined to bring down the kind of corrupt bigwigs whose neglect led to the death of his son. His highly skilled team includes Sophie Devereaux (Bellman), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Kane), a “retrieval specialist” with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team connected and informed; and Parker (Riesgraf), a slightly off-center thief adept at rappelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places.

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Electric Entertainment is a full-service film, television and new media production company and studio, established in 2001 by veteran writer/producer Dean Devlin (Independence Day, Stargate, The Patriot) and led by Devlin along with partners Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Dec. 7, 2008, marked the TNT premiere of Leverage, the new action-packed series from Electric Entertainment executive produced by Devlin, who made his directorial debut on the pilot, and the debut of The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice, the third installment of the company’s popular Librarian franchise, starring Noah Wyle (ER). Electric is in pre-production on the animated feature film Tikis and the feature film Ghosting, a supernatural thriller which Devlin will produce and direct.

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Electric’s previous films include the World War I action/adventure Flyboys; the politically charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?; Cellular, starring Kim Basinger, Chris Evans and Jessica Biel; and Eight Legged Freaks, with David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson. The company’s television credits include The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT in December 2004 and was the highest-rated movie on cable that year; its sequel, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines; and The Sci Fi Channel’s (now SyFy) The Triangle, which won a Visual Effects Emmy® and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since Steven Spielberg Presents Taken. Electric Entertainment recently teamed with TNT for the crime thriller Blank Slate, starring Eric Stoltz, a microseries that debuted last fall on the network, as well as on tnt.tv. Additionally, Electric Entertainment owns and operates the online pop-culture and entertainment magazine IF (www.IFmagazine.com), which reports the entertainment industry’s daily news.

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TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott. TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, CSI: NY, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

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Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

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* Blended average using most recent available data: Live + 7 through Aug. 5; Live + Same Day for Aug. 12 and Aug. 19.

This information can also be accessed on TBS, Inc.’s press site at news.turner.com.

Follow TNT public relations on Twitter at twitter.com/TNTPR

The television series LEVERAGE follows a team of thieves, hackers and con artists who act as modern-day Robin Hoods, standing up for the little guy who has been victimized by the rich and powerful. In LEVERAGE, Timothy Hutton plays NATE FORD, a former insurance investigator and once-loyal employee who had recovered millions of dollars in stolen goods. But when Nate’s company refused to pay for his young son’s medical treatment – claiming it was “experimental” – the boy died and Nate’s world fell apart. Now, two years later, divorced and descending into alcoholism, Nate is approached by an aeronautics executive to recover airplane designs that he claims were stolen by a rival corporation. Nate is hired to be the one honest man to keep tabs on the members of his highly skilled team of criminals: ALEC HARDISON (Aldis Hodge – Friday Night Lights), a specialist in internet and computer fraud; ELIOT SPENCER (Christian Kane – Into the West), a high-octane “retrieval specialist” who can take out a gang of henchmen without breaking a sweat; and PARKER (Beth Riesgraf – Alvin and the Chipmunks), an expert thief. At first, the newly formed team is hesitant to trust one another after years of working alone, but being double-crossed changes the dynamic, forcing them to unite to get revenge on the back-stabbing executive. Enter SOPHIE DEVEREAUX (Gina Bellman – Coupling), a high-society grifter and wannabe actress Nate hires to complete the team. They emerge from the job realizing they’re much better together than apart. The group decides to work more cons targeting the richest, the greediest and the most unjust… and discovers trust along the way.

THE LIBRARIAN: THE CURSE OF THE JUDAS CHALICE nabbed three nominations to for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards.

The action-adventure film from Electric Entertainment and TNT stars Noah Wyle as a reluctant action hero who uncovers vampires in the third installment of the popular franchise.

The Emmy Nominees for THE LIBRARIAN include:

–Bob Newhart Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie

–Kim Martinez and Jennifer Kamrath for Best Costumes in A Mini-Series or Movie

–Best Sound Editing For A Mini-Series or Movie or Special

The Emmy’s will be handed out on September 12.

TNT’s Successful Three-Night Strategy of Original Programming Continues

With 3.9 Million Viewers Tuning in to the Season Premiere of LEVERAGE

And 3.5 Million Viewers for the Series Premiere of DARK BLUE

LEVERAGE Outperforms First Season Average

23.5 Million Viewers Watch TNT’s Monday-Wednesday Originals this Week

Last night, TNT launched its third successful night of original programming as 3.9 million viewers tuned in for the second-season premiere of LEVERAGE, from executive producer Dean Devlin and starring Oscar^® winner Timothy Hutton, and 3.5 million viewers watched DARK BLUE, the new series from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer and featuring Golden Globe^® winner Dylan McDermott.  LEVERAGE also outdelivered its first-season average among viewers and households.

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The success of TNT’s Wednesday night lineup is the latest step in the network’s plan to create three nights of outstanding original programming, which this week was watched by a combined 23.5 million viewers.  TNT’s Monday night original series lineup features THE CLOSER and RAISING THE BAR, while Tuesday night pairs HAWTHORNE with SAVING GRACE.

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“Last year, we laid out a strategy to create three nights of high-quality, original programming on TNT,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president, head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM).  “The success of LEVERAGE and DARK BLUE proves once again what can happen when you work with the very best talent in the industry.”

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Last night’s second-season premiere of LEVERAGE was watched by 3,890,000 viewers and 2,724,000 households.  It also scored a 2.8 coverage household rating/2.4 national household rating.  The episode outdelivered its first-season Live + Same Day average, with viewers up 24% and households up 20%.  It also elevated TNT’s Wednesday 9-10 p.m. time period over the same night last year, with viewers up 113% and households up 70%.

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DARK BLUE continued the success of its LEVERAGE lead-in by delivering 3,542,000 viewers and 2,717,000 households.  It also garnered a 2.8 coverage household rating/2.4 national household rating.  When compared to the same night last year, DARK BLUE raised TNT’s Wednesday 10-11 p.m. time period deliveries by 129% among viewers and 104% among households.

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On Mondays, TNT’s THE CLOSER continues to rank as ad-supported cable’s #1 series, averaging 6.5 million viewers and 4.8 million households for its fifth season.  The second season of RAISING THE BAR has been the #1 entertainment program in its time slot among viewers (3.3 million, +7% vs. last season) and households (2.6 million, +5% vs. last season).

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TNT’s successful Tuesday night lineup of originals kicks off with HAWTHORNE, which in its first season is averaging 3.3 million viewers and 2.6 million households.  HAWTHORNE is followed by SAVING GRACE, which is averaging 3 million viewers and 2.3 million households in its third season.

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Sponsors for the premiere of LEVERAGE included Hyundai and Sprint, while premiere sponsors for DARK BLUE included The Weinstein Group, which presented speacial footage from Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Inglourious Basterds.

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TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; Hawthorne, with Jada Pinkett Smith; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott.  TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards^®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA.  TNT is available in high-definition.

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Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.