MTV Pockets 50 Cent

Zap2It.com | May 29, 2008

Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson

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Wilmer Valderrama comedy, teen-pregnancy show on tap too

Rapper-entrepreneur 50 Cent wants to give an aspiring mogul a leg up on success -- presumably without having to get shot nine times in the process.

The hip-hop star (real name: Curtis Jackson) will topline and executive produce an MTV series in which 16 contestants vie for a business-school scholarship to further their dreams of "ultimate mogul status," as the channel puts it. It's one of several series projects MTV has in the pipeline for the rest of the year.

Other projects include a scripted comedy called "Baby Dolls" from actor-producer Wilmer Valderrama; "Making the Rock Band," a "Making the Band" spinoff; and "16 and Pregnant," which chronicles teenage girls who are about to become mothers.

Of the latter show, MTV has this unfortunately worded bit to say: "Building on success of 'Juno' and the tabloid furor over Jamie Lynn Spears, MTV will explore the touching and scary phenomenon of young girls who are faced with expecting, and how the choices they make affect their relationships, dating life and friendships."

"Baby Dolls" is about the simultaneously "naive and jaded" personal assistant to a Hollywood starlet and the humiliations and triumphs that come with the job. It continues the relationship between MTV and "That '70s Show" star Valderrama, who created and hosted the network's series "Yo Momma."

Also on tap at MTV are "Buzzin'," a comedic look at hip-hop artist Shwayze and his crew as they try to climb the charts; "Busted," about teens who break the law; and "Teen Dream," in which aspiring female singers are paired with their mother/managers.