Thug Life Army

A new action motion picture is coming to theaters everywhere on Friday, April 29, 2005.  The creators of the sequel to the 2002 hit XXX, along with builders from TLC's RIDES, will be building one-off models of cars the moviemakers can crash, high-speed models they can race, stunt models they can blow up and picture-perfect models that can pose with movie stars during close-ups.  And RIDES will be there as to document these souped-up cars for the action-packed flick XXX: State of the Union.

RIDES, the revved-up series from TLC that details the process of car fabrication, kicks off its fourth season with a special episode on Tuesday, April 19, 2005, at 10 PM (ET/PT) and features behind-the-scenes clips and content around the anticipated film XXX: State of the Union.

Actor/Hip-Hop Rap artist Ice Cube stars in the sequel and hosts the RIDES special, which showcases the builds of the cars used in the film and catches them in action once they get to their Hollywood locations.

TLC teamed up with Ice Cube to shoot special hosted tags and sneak peeks of the blockbuster film to air during the world premiere broadcast of the RIDES special.  The special is a major portion and natural integration of the marketing campaign for the film.  The Shelby Cobra featured in the promotion is the same that the RIDES team built for XXX: State of the Union.

"Car enthusiasts and action fans will come together to enjoy both RIDES and XXX: State of the Union," noted Derek Koenig, senior vice president for marketing at TLC.  "This movie tie-in is a merging of two strong brands with two strong and loyal audiences.  It's a custom fit for both TLC and Sony Pictures."

In XXX: State of the Union, national security agent Samuel L. Jackson, fresh off the success of his renegade recruitment, once again finds himself in need of an outsider. Jackson and his new agent, Ice Cube, must track a dangerous military splinter group, led by Willem Dafoe, which is conspiring to overthrow the U.S. government in the nation's capital.

RIDES is both high-speed and in-depth, looking into the world of extraordinary cars, hot rods, customized autos and vehicles that zoom through our dreams. The series features handmade, one-of-a-kind hot rods that take years to design and build.