MTV to Offer Viewers a Cell Block Saturday! Series Premiere of 'Celebrity Busts: Ranked' at 5:30pm ET/PT and Live 'Busted' Programming Event to Air October 4 From 7:00pm-10:00pm ET/PT

MTV to Offer Viewers a Cell Block Saturday! Series Premiere of 'Celebrity Busts: Ranked' at 5:30pm ET/PT and Live 'Busted' Programming Event to Air October 4 From 7:00pm-10:00pm ET/PT

Rapper Tony Yayo to Host Live Programming Event With Real-Time Police Patrols

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In a programming event sure to be so outrageous it should be illegal, on Saturday, October 4 MTV will offer viewers a cell block Saturday with the series premiere of "MTV Ranked" and a LIVE "BUSTED" special. Beginning at 5:30pm ET/6pm C, viewers can tune-in for "Celebrity Busts: Ranked," the first installment of "MTV Ranked" and a one-hour special devoted to the most memorable moments when celebrities were left red in the face. Then at 6:30 pm ET/6pm C, "BUSTED" fans everywhere will be treated to a half-hour "BUSTED" yearbook special followed by "BUSTED: LIVE," the ultimate real-time event hosted by rapper Tony Yayo (G-Unit), in which the "BUSTED" cameras will patrol with law enforcement across the country from 7:00-10:00pm ET as they catch the knuckleheaded misdemeanors in real time.

There are plenty of memorable celebrity busts but whose bust is the biggest? "Celebrity Busts: Ranked" will put the question to rest by ranking the all time best celebrity scandal-filled occurrences. MTV will rack up the points for all the moments that left your favorite stars highly embarrassed and in some situations arrested. From Paris Hilton's sex tape to Kid Rock fighting at a Waffle House, to Ashlee Simpson's sort-of performance on "Saturday Night Live," and more, the network will break down Tinseltown's most talked about infractions until there is one reigning, iconic celebrity bust.

Viewers will then be treated to a half-hour "BUSTED" compilation special dedicated to honoring some of season one's most notable offenders with a variety of MTV yearbook awards. The most outlandish "BUSTED" behavior will feature a variety of honors: the best humor in the face of a misdemeanor earns "Class Clown" and "Most Athletic" goes to the person who displayed the most agility while trying to outrun the law on foot.

Cell Block Saturday will then culminate in "BUSTED: LIVE," a programming event fraught with so much illegal possibility, someone might just wind up busted live on-air before the night is over. Rapper Tony Yayo (G-Unit) will host from the MTV Times Square studio as comedian Ryan Belleville and Sarah Karges broadcast live from Calvert County, Maryland and the city of Akron, OH. The "BUSTED" cameras will go on real-time police ride-a-longs to bring fans of the series the crazy misdemeanors and infractions they tune-in daily for the moment they take place. During the live event, intercut with a look back at the most notorious bust of the season, we will break in on the action if/when a live bust is taking place so viewers can witness as all the drama unfolds.

Busted fans will have even more opportunities to watch as the laws of cause and effect unfold before their eyes on mtv.com. Viewers will be able to log onto Busted.mtv.com for full episodes, a behind the "glass" look at the busts as they happen, read blog posts from the shoots for the series and watch exclusive online shows -- "Busted Moments" and "Behind the Badge."

"MTV Ranked" is a series that will put a new spin on countdown specials with a ratings system as only MTV could develop. Hosted by comedian Ryan Stout ("A Shot at Love: The Hangover"), the series will assign point values based on the details involved until one bust takes the top spot and is formally "Ranked." "Celebrity Busts: Ranked" will be the first installment in the series to be followed by specials that will rank a variety of popular culture's favorite topics including "Celebrity Meltdowns: Ranked," "Bromances: Ranked," and "Crap Tattoos: Ranked."

"BUSTED" offers viewers an action-packed and high stakes look at crazy misdemeanors and illegal transgressions through real police footage and not only the perspective of the law enforcers involved in the busts but also that of the young people featured themselves. Season One of "BUSTED" ranges the spectrum of knuckleheaded misconduct from skinny-dipping to underage drinking and backyard wrestling to marijuana possession. No matter what the infraction, one thing is for certain: you can run and you can hide but when the police catch up with you, you'd better have your story straight.

Tony Yayo, making up 1/3 of the hip hop group G Unit, exploded on the mixtape scene in early 2000 with a barrage of cataclysmic NY centric mixtapes. The group redoubled its lock step in 2003 and released its unflinching opening salvo -- "Beg for Mercy." Tony Yayo has since gone on to release a successful 2005 solo album, "Thoughts of a Predicate Felon," as well as "T.O.S. -- Terminate On Sight" which was released by the collective earlier this year.

"Celebrity Busts: MTV Ranked" is executive produced by Dave Sirulnick, Tony DiBari, Tim Healy, and Nancy McDonald for MTV. Gina Glickman also serves as Executive Producer for the series.

"BUSTED" is a co-production with ZOO Productions and One Louder Productions. Barry Poznick and John Stevens serve as executive producers for ZOO Productions. Bob Kusbit and Francis Lyons are executive producers for One Louder. ZOO Productions is producing "BUSTED" the series (producers of "Speeders," "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader," and "Redneck Dreams"). Sean Olsen serves as Co-Executive Producer. George McTeague executive produces the series for MTV and Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Valerie Elustondo and Alexis Reiner serve as the executives in charge of development for the network. The Executive In Charge of Production of series for MTV is Lisa Litter.

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched 15 dynamic online communities and eight new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space -- delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE: VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in... www.mtvpress.com.

Source: MTV

CONTACT: Noelle Llewellyn, +1-212-846-7166,
Noelle.Llewellyn@mtvstaff.com or Lameka Lucas, +1-212-846-4835,
Lameka.Lucas@mtvstaff.com, both of MTV Press

Web Site: http://www.busted.mtv.com/
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