And now, for the sentence you never figured you”d hear – 50 Cent is launching a variety show on A&E.
The network announced that the rapper/actor/producer best known for songs like “P.I.M.P” and “In Da Club” is about to join the resurgence in TV variety shows with 50 Cent Presents. In a press release, A&E explained that Fiddy (a.k.a. Curtis Jackson) will use the show to showcase “new talent, [give] his A-list friends a chance to show off some of their lesser known skills.”
In a statement, Jackson said, “I grew up watching variety shows and am excited to put my own spin on the format.”
A&E”s programming head Elaine Fronton Bryant added, “We”re setting out to redefine the traditional variety show.”
There”s certainly been an increase in variety shows in recent years. NBC”s Little Big Shots is a huge success and has already received an order for season two. Also, Spike TV”s Lip Sync Battle, where celebs lip sync to their favorite tunes, has also done extremely well. However Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris suffered in the ratings and got cancelled after eight episodes.
This is not Jackson”s first foray into TV production. He is currently EPing the Starz series Power about a night club owner/drug kingpin.