MTV's "Unplugged" reborn with Police, Bon Jovi

MTV's "Unplugged" reborn with Police, Bon Jovi


NEW YORK (Billboard) - MTV's on-again, off-again "Unplugged" program will return in a big way this summer, with new episodes featuring the Police, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Mary J. Blige and John Mayer.

This time around, however, the show will be rolled out on a variety of related channels and platforms, including VH1, CMT and MTV.com.

Bon Jovi will usher in the 2007 edition of the series beginning June 22 on MTV. The next two evenings, VH1 and CMT will air a version of "Unplugged" specifically tailored to those channels' audiences.

Bon Jovi is credited with inspiring the "Unplugged" format after its stripped-down performance on the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. The group's appearance coincides with its new country-tinged album, "Lost Highway," due in stores June 19.

No information has yet been unveiled about the other tapings, although the Police will reportedly hold their "Unplugged" show in mid-July in Miami.