BET Steps to new lows... A gold chain emphasis

	Game on for "Ultimate Hustler" by Julie Keller Apr 5, 2005, 9:55 AM PT What happens when The Apprentice goes hip-hop? It becomes The Ultimate Hustler. a d v e r t i s e m e n t document.write(''); BET has announced the launch of a new series that The Hollywood Reporter calls a "hip-hop version of The Apprentice." Hustler is a cut-throat competition between would-be business people that will hosted by Roc-A-Fella Records C.E.O. Damon Dash. In the now-infamous Donald Trump role, Dash will create his own version of the famed "You’re fired" line by yanking Roc-A Fella gold chains off the necks of the losers. The show will debut later this year. Hustler is one of several new shows being launched by the network, marking the first time the 25-year-old cable channel has introduced original programming. According to the Reporter, the network plans to introduce a new series every three months. Also on tap is Remixed, a makeover series featuring guest stylists and life coaches with a hip-hop flavor. Remixed will be the lead-in to Hustler. And, starting April 21 is Blowin' Up!: Fatty Koo, a show that follows the development of a new band signed by Sony Music. "We realized if we're going to make our mark, it's in original programming," Executive VP of Entertainment and Music Programming Stephen Hill said in a statement. "We know it's ambitious, but it's a long time coming." Network execs say that with these changes, they hope to make BET a network for all ethnicities, particularly those in the coveted 18- to 34-year-old demographic, not just the African American community. "Hip-hop crosses all ethnicities," Robyn Lattaker-Johnson, vice president of programming development, told the Reporter. "We are talking about the black community, but we all know there are a lot of urban white kids who are watching what we're doing."