development

Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, the creators of the ABC drama October Road, which was recently renewed for a second season, have singed an overall development deal with ABC, according to Variety.

The article doesn't go into much detail about the deal, except that ABC had essentially negotiated with Appelbaum and Nemec about developing new shows before October Road's renewal was set in stone.

People enjoy rap, and people enjoy reality television. So: why not combine them?

That seems to be the thought process behind Rapping with the Stars, a new reality series that could be popping up on MTV that, according to Variety, "features teams squaring off in [a] range of rap-oriented musical challenges."

Those "teams" consist of, naturally, a rapper and a celebrity. I wonder, though, how many rap-oriented challenges can there be? Other than freestyle, performing someone else's rap, or doing your own rap, what's left? Is there some kind of rap endurance race in which rappers must perform Run-DMC tunes while sprinting and pole vaulting cross country? Because there should be, I'd totally watch that.

If this show does become as popular as Dancing with the Stars, perhaps we'll start seeing more and more with the Stars-style shows, none of which I will watch.

According to Monsters and Critics, singer, video vixen and popular MySpace personality Tila Tequila (real name Tila Nguyen) may soon have her own series on VH1. Nguyen says she plans to "push the envelope," with her new series, which, based on her YouTube videos, I assume means she'll be half-dressed through most of the show to distract people from her singing. There are no real details on the series just yet, and no official word when or if it will debut.

The History Channel has five new weekly series currently in development and set to premiere in 2007 and 2008.

The first series, Ice Road Truckers, is a documentary series focusing on long haul truck drivers in northern North America who drive their rigs across frozen lakes and risk falling through the ice, therefore having to keep one hand on the door at all times in case they need to bail out. The series will focus both on the truckers and on the miners who rely on them. If you're into shows like Deadliest Catch on the Discovery, this show may also be right up your alley.

USA is developing some new series. Here's what's on the menu:

The Negotiator, a show about a hostage negotiator who becomes a relationship counselor, is being developed by film producer Donald De Line (The Stepford Wives, The Italian Job).

Meanwhile, Battlestar Galactica co-executive producer Toni Graphia is developing American Girl, about a Wal-Mart employee whose personality changes after she witnesses a robbery. I was hoping for a show either based on the line of dolls, or possibly the Tom Petty song of the same name, but I guess this works, too.

A few weeks ago, National Geographic aired a two-hour special titled In the Womb: Animals that showed the development of dogs, elephants and dolphins while in utero through ultra sound imagery, CGI and visual effects. The special focused on, among other things, how these animals develop skills for survival while still inside their mothers.

On January 14 at 8pm, National Geographic will return to the womb with In the Womb: Multiples. The special will use 4d imagery to and CGI effects to show how twins and other muliple birth siblings develop bonds while in utero, and how those bonds continue after they're born.

Denys Cowan is a comic book artist who worked on comics for such DC characters as Spider-Man, Batman, The Question, and Steel, but lately he's been holding down a job as Vice President of Animation at BET. Newsarama's Daniel Robert Epstein recently spoke to Cowan about what exactly BET has in store as far as animated offerings, and what might be expected down the road. Cowan, as some of you may know, was also a producer for Boondocks during the show's first season, and was largely responsible for getting it on the air. Apparently, however, things did not end smoothly and Cowan refuses to speak about his time on the show. At least, he refuses to go into it with any great detail. Cowan hopes BET is able to use animation the way MTV used it in the 90s, and considering his background in comic books, I could definitely see that happening.

[via ToonZone]

While it remains to be seen if the show will ever see the light of day, animators Jessica Borutski and Chris Dainty, who met while working at Spumco, are developing a cartoon series called The Constellations, and you can track their progress on their awesome new blog. The cartoon appears to be about a group of little mythical girls who take human form whenever they come to Earth. I won't pretend to know if there's a market for such a show, but I do know that Bortuski's animated short,  I Like Pandas, is one of my favorite recent animated shorts. You can definitely see the Spumco influence in the design of the characters, and based on the drawings alone the show looks like it could be something kids could really get into.

[via Cartoon Brew]