Investigation Discovery's REEL CRIME/REAL STORY Reveals The True Stories Behind Hollywood's Biggest Films

SILVER SPRING, Md., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Investigation Discovery's new series REEL CRIME/REAL STORY, hosted by legal champion and biopic subject Erin Brockovich, uncovers the true facts and real personalities behind iconic crime-and-justice movies that have become a part of our pop culture. Featuring the headline-stealing homicides that inspired Hollywood hits, REEL CRIME/REAL STORY reveals the true tales on which award-winning films Selena, Monster, and To Die For were based, with never-before-seen interviews, crime scene reconstructions, and footage gathered from the actual investigations. REEL CRIME/REAL STORY premieres as a three-part series on Tuesday, May 29 at 10 PM E/P on Investigation Discovery.

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"Box office numbers and industry accolades are a testament to the fact that Hollywood continues to be fascinated by true-life crimes," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. "Our new series, REEL CRIME/REAL STORY is further evidence of what Investigation Discovery's growing audience already knows: truth is often stranger and more interesting than fiction!"

Each episode of REEL CRIME/REAL STORY reveals how art imitated life in some of the world's most notorious cases:

Monster premieres Tuesday, May 29 at 10 PM E/P
The media dubbed her the "Damsel of Death" and Hollywood immortalized her as "Monster." This episode explores the life and crimes of Aileen Wuornos, America's first female serial killer. Though executed in 2002, her story was immortalized by actress Charlize Theron, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of the prostitute turned femme fatale in 2003's Monster. In a never-before-seen interview shot before Wuornos became one of only 11 women executed in the past two decades, she comes clean and reveals intimate details of the lesbian love affair that led her to kill seven men. This episode also includes the first ever on-screen interview with the undercover detective who brought Wuornos into custody.

Selena premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 10 PM E/P
Latin music sensation Selena Quintanilla Perez found new life in a posthumous biopic starring Jennifer Lopez in her career-launching role. Lovingly nicknamed the "Mexican Madonna," Selena was just 23 years old when her personal assistant and the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, gunned her down in a cheap motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas. The 1997 film, Selena, tracks the star's meteoric rise to chart-topping stardom and her whirlwind romance with band member and husband Chris Perez. Through interviews with Perez, law enforcement, and the hotel manager in whose arms Selena died, REEL CRIME/REAL STORY explores the story beyond the movie: a shocking and senseless crime that snuffed out a bright young star's life and career.

To Die For premieres Tuesday, June 12 at 10 PM E/P
Pamela Smart lives on in Hollywood history as the woman whose salacious story inspired Nicole Kidman to win her first Golden Globe®. The real-life scandal of a teacher who used sex to entice her 15-year-old student boyfriend to murder her husband rocked the small town of Derry, N.H. before exploding into a national media frenzy. The 1995 film To Die For parodies Smart as an ambitious, cold-hearted seductress out for her husband's blood, but who is the real Pamela Smart? Family members, local law enforcement, lawyers, and media who followed the case from day one attempt to piece together the profile of a woman who thought murder was the only answer to an unhappy marriage.

REEL CRIME/REAL STORY is produced by ITV Studios America for Investigation Discovery. For ITV Studios, John X. Kim is executive producer. For Investigation Discovery, Eugenie Vink is executive producer, Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.

About Erin Brockovich
Brockovich became a household name following the groundbreaking courtroom battle she won against California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and her triumph gave rise to the eponymous 2000 feature film starring Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts. Continuing to spread the message of personal empowerment and providing a voice for those facing adversity, Brockovich hosted the 2003 cable series Final Justice with Erin Brockovich and is the author of the New York Times best-selling business book Take It From Me: Life's A Struggle, But You Can Win. 

About Investigation Discovery
Investigation Discovery (ID) is America's leading investigation network and the fastest-growing network in television. As the source for fact-based analytical content and compelling human stories, ID probes factors that challenge our everyday understanding of culture, society and the human condition. ID delivers the highest-quality programming to more than 77.8 million U.S. households with viewer favorites that include On the Case with Paula Zahn, Disappeared, Unusual Suspects and Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets. For more information, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com, facebook.com/InvestigationDiscovery, or twitter.com/DiscoveryID.  Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 210 countries and territories.

Please visit the Press Website at http://press.discovery.com/us/id/programs/reel-crimereal-story/ 
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SOURCE Investigation Discovery