E! to Expand Programming and Specials

E! Entertainment Television is expanding its original programming, rolling out pilots for five new series and planning more than 100 specials over the next year.

This programming will join the cable network’s signature series, all of which have been renewed for another season: “E! News Daily/Weekend,” “Talk Soup,” “The Gossip Show” and “Howard Stern.”

Upcoming E! specials will include coverage of international film festivals, film premieres and fashion specials hosted by Joan Rivers. The channel, which provided gavel-to-gavel coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, also will air a daily hour recapping the proceedings in Simpson’s upcoming civil case.

The network’s new series pilots are:

* “The E! True Hollywood Story,” a proposed semi-monthly program about murders, mysteries and news events involving celebrities.

* “WannabE!s”, a daily program about regular folks displaying their talents.

* “The Sunday Show,” a preview of the upcoming week’s entertainment events.

* “The E! Game Show,” with celebrity, entertainment and pop culture trivia.

* “The Model Show,” a weekly half-hour looking at “a day in the life of the world’s most famous supermodels and hottest up-and-comers.”