MyNetwork Rolls a '10'

Zap2It.com | March 29, 2006

Bo Derek

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Bo Derek to star in new net's novela

LOS ANGELES -- Actress/sex symbol Bo Derek ("10") is about to get mean, signing on to star in an English-language telenovela at fledgling network MyNetworkTV.

Derek, whose last regular TV acting gig was on NBC's "Wind on Water" in 1998, will play a fashion mogul in "Secret Obsessions," a five-night-per-week, prime-time soap that will help launch MyNetwork in September. The show (formerly just "Secrets") centers on a takeover bid for the fashion house controlled by her "ruthless" character, Maria Zianni.

"In casting this key character, we wanted an actress who exudes sophistication, sensuality, mass appeal and intensity, and Bo Derek is a perfect fit for Maria Zianni," says Paul Buccieri, head of programming at Twentieth Television, which is producing "Secret Obsessions" and companion show "Desire."

Derek herself adds that she "can't wait to play Maria Zianni, such a compellingly ambitious and treacherous woman."

"Secret Obsessions" will also star Natalie Martinez, Mike Begovich, Taylor Kinney and Donna Feldman.

MyNetworkTV is a new network owned by FOX and Twentieth TV parent News Corp. and made up largely of stations left in the cold by the UPN-WB merger to form The CW, which is also launching in the fall. It will air both novelas five nights a week for 13 weeks, with a recap show for each series on Saturdays. As things currently stand, MyNetwork will reach a little more than half of the country's TV households.

Derek shot to stardom as the title character in the 1979 movie "10" and has also starred in such films as "Bolero" and "Tarzan, the Ape Man." More recent credits include "Malibu's Most Wanted," guest turns on "7th Heaven" and "Lucky" and hosting the show "I Can't Believe I Wore That" on cable network WE.