TV, eh?

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Battles on Without Blades
  “FRIDAY saw 1,575,000 show for the season finale of Flashpoint (with Hugh Dillon and Michael Cram, left), which tried to steal a little Blade glory by training its sights on Maple Leaf Gardens.” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Holiday Road” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Emma (Miriam MacDonald) and Kelly (Evan Williams) make a pit stop at Degrassi while on their Cross Country Bike Adventure raising awareness for their Re-Cycle project. Combining the great outdoors with her sexy boyfriend, Emma’s convinced she’s destined for the best summer ever. Meanwhile, Chantay (Jajube Mandiela) and Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid) have the best first date ever. But the next day, Chantay posts a “Date Ethics” blind item on her blog, and word spreads fast that Danny’s cheap. Ouch!

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Start Me Up” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

It’s been a tough year for Peter (Jamie Johnston). He has a severe need for some good news and, lo and behold, Peter’s been accepted to Toronto University. In need of a summer job, Peter opens a club above The Dot and gets hot new band Fritz Helder and the Phantoms to perform live! Meanwhile, the students are assigned to present autobiographical short stories and Clare (Aislynn Paul) thinks she has nothing interesting to share. Desperate, she appropriates a story she overhears from Declan (Landon Liboiron) in order to be considered cool by her classmates.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Heart Like Mine, Part 1” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

KC’s (Sam Earle) living the high school dream as the basketball team made it to the provincial finals and he finally has a mentor who gets him – Coach Carson (Damon Runyan, Cheaper by the Dozen 2). The only person raining on his parade is Clare (Aislynn Paul), and since they’ve been growing apart, KC’s really confused. Meanwhile, Marco’s (Adamo Ruggiero) back at Degrassi completing a teacher’s placement. When Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) begins to walk all over the “buddy teacher”, Marco struggles to be seen as the ultimate cool teacher – only to learn something about teacher-student boundaries.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Heart Like Mine, Part 2” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

With the final basketball game approaching, pressure is at an all-time high and Coach Carson has really taken KC (Sam Earle) under his wing. After spending some one-on-one time with Carson going over plays, KC begins to question if their relationship is inappropriate. Meanwhile, Declan (Landon Liboiron) has become Mr. High School – producing the musical, dating student council president Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) – and Fiona (Annie Clarke) can’t help but make fun of him. To Declan’s surprise, Fiona takes his advice to get involved and auditions for the musical. Sav (Raymond Ablack) and Anya (Samantha Munro) don’t think Fiona has the chops for it, but Declan won’t hear it. Will protecting Fiona only hurt her more in the long run?

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

It’s Matchmaker week at Degrassi and Declan’s (Landon Liboiron) not interested in a serious relationship. But when he sets his sights on Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) as his next romantic victim, he is surprised to find she’s immune to his charms. Meanwhile, when Leia (Judy Jiao) corners Chantay (Jajube Mandiela) about her rocky relationship with Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid), Chantay is torn because she’s secretly liked him forever.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Somebody” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Against all odds, Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) has fallen for Declan (Landon Liboiron). Suddenly she gets what everyone’s been so excited about for so long. Feeling this way about a boy, who feels the same way, gets Holly J to act outside of her comfort zone. Will Holly J’s relationship jeopardize her ‘Type A’ life?

From Sara Liss of CBC:

• Essential viewing: The 10 most important television shows of the 2000s
  “Degrassi: The Next Generation: Yeah, it’s soapy and frequently corny, but this teen angst-fest has become one of the most successful domestic television shows Canada has seen to date.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family:

• Canuck TV Scores With Flash, Blades, Heart
  “What’s this? Canadians watching Canadian TV shows? It was true all weekend as these made-in-Canada favourites pulled mass audiences across the nation.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Gives Thanks As Blades Stays Sharp
  “Heartland drew 709,000 at 7 p.m. … CT’s double pump of Degrassi, drawing 245,000 and 230,000 at 7.” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Close to Me” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

Jane (Paula Brancati) and Spinner (Shane Kippel) have been through so much together. Jane’s just come out of a difficult year at home, so hanging out with Spinner is safe and… easy. But when a challenge arises for Jane at school to work on the year-end production, not only does she have to come up with a concept to pitch to the class, she also has to work with the smart, poised and gorgeous Declan (Landon Liboiron, pictured). Jane tries to resist his charm, but eventually gives in to a little flirtation.

7:30 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”– ALL-NEW EPISODE

Holly J’s (Charlotte Arnold) friendship with Jane (Paula Brancati) is put to the test when she finds out that Jane is cheating on Spinner (Shane Kippel).

From Brian Gorman of the Sudbury Star:

• Smiling through the generation gap
  “Melinda Shankar has quickly established herself as something of a queen of generational conflicts. Last year, she joined the cast of CTV’s “Degrassi: The Next Generation” in the dramatic and somewhat dark role of Alli, a high-spirited teenager clashing with conservative South Asian parents. Now Shankar is getting to play the sunnier side of this sort of thing in “How to Be Indie,” airing Fridays on YTV. ” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• 2 Million Catch Battle of the Blades Debut
  “Flashpoint scored 1,575,000 commercial on Friday, besting both CTV imported lead ins, Ghost Whisperer (1,513,000) and Medium (1,395,000).” Read more.

7 p.m. – DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION – “Just Can’t Get Enough Part 1 and 2” – SEASON PREMIERE

The special, back-to-back two-part season premiere features Nina Dobrev (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES) in her final episode of DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION. When Mia (Nina Dobrev) is offered a major modeling contract in Paris, Peter (Jamie Johnston) decides he’ll go with her. But he soon realizes he doesn’t fit into her sophisticated world. At a posh party, feeling frustrated and insecure, Peter takes meth to escape the pressure. Back at Degrassi, Alli (Melinda Shankar) is concerned when new girl Jenna (Jessica Tyler) focuses on becoming Clare’s (Aislynn Paul) friend and Holly J (Charlotte Arnold) quickly becomes overwhelmed trying to please everyone when she takes on the role of the people’s president.

From a media release – Canadian shows only:

Catch Up to Canada’s Most-Watched TV Programs Online:  CTV.ca Announces Fall Lineup

• Canada’s beloved THE LITTLEST HOBO now available on demand along with other retro classics

Responding to an outpouring of support from fans across Canada, CTV’s own THE LITTLEST HOBO returns home exclusively online with all six seasons to be rolled out over the course of the season.

CTV.ca’s 2009/10 Online Lineup:

Primetime

• THE BRIDGE **New**
• DEFYING GRAVITY **New**
• COMEDY NOW!
• CORNER GAS
• DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION
• FLASHPOINT
• THE LISTENER
• ROBSON ARMS
• SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA (highlights)

Online Exclusive **New**

• THE LITTLEST HOBO

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

• Degrassi takes Tinseltown
  “It was inevitable, really, that Degrassi would finally ‘go Hollywood’ – as the title of tonight’s premiere TV movie (CTV at 8), Paradise City: Degrassi goes Hollywood would clearly seem to indicate.” Read more.

• Degrassi love affair all started at the quick stop…
  “Unlike Silent Bob, his cinematic alter-ego, once Kevin Smith starts talking about Degrassi, it is very difficult to get him to stop.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of Sun Media:

• MTV’s Levy breaks new ground
  “Dan Levy admitted he felt like a bespectacled fish out of water on the set of Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood.” Read more.

8 p.m. – PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD – TWO-HOUR MOVIE

In PARADISE CITY, hopes are realized, dreams are dashed and relationships are changed forever. Manny (Cassie Steele) and the Degrassi gang including Mia (Nina Dobrev), Sav (Raymond Ablack), Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid) and Peter (Jamie Johnston) venture to L.A. on a cross-continent road trip with Manny’s past love Jay (Mike Lobel) at the wheel. Everyone is hoping to score parts in Mewesical High, a big-budget movie musical directed by Jason Mewes (Clerks) under the mentorship of Kevin Smith (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks). But, it’s not all limo rides and personal assistants. The Hollywood experience leads to the rekindling of old flings, a lot of heartache and deep soul searching as the aspiring stars are reminded that the rise to the top isn’t always smooth sailing. Meanwhile, as personal assistant to reality television star Hailey Montel (DAN FOR MAYOR’s Mary Ashton), Paige (Lauren Collins) is reluctantly accepting that in life you work from the ground up. So when Hollywood hands Paige a shortcut to fame and fortune, she jumps at the opportunity and takes Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) and Ellie (Stacey Farber) along for the ride. Guest stars include Jason Mewes, Pete Wentz, Kevin Smith, Perez Hilton, Kelly Carlson, Michael Seater, Vivica A. Fox, and Dan Levy.

From Catherine Dawson March of the Globe and Mail:

• ‘A sort of Degrassi fairy tale’
  “No one gets stabbed, no one is bullied, no one contemplates an abortion or suicide and no one ends up in a wheelchair. Not in this Degrassi special. This time, the usually angst-ridden cast gets to have some fun.” Read more.

From Kat Angus of Canwest News Service

• Degrassi heads to Hollywood hills
  “In the freezing of the Great White North, there is not a single Canadian who hasn’t dreamed of ditching the cold, wet snow for sunnier climates down south. So it was really just a matter of time before the Canadian institution of Degrassi actually went for it with their new TV movie, Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood, in which the Next Generation kids trade in their Toronto drama for the beaches, shopping and show business glitz of Los Angeles.” Read more.

From a media release – Canadian series only:

Please note: all times listed are Eastern. All dates and times are subject to change.

PREMIERE DATES

• SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA – Tues., Aug. 25, 8 p.m., Top 20 Performance Show
• SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA – Wed., Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m., Top 20 Results Show
• PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD – Sun. Aug. 30, 8 p.m.
• FLASHPOINT – Fri., Sept., 25, 10 p.m.
• DEGRASSI: TNG – Sun. Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Canadian shows currently on iTunes:

6TEEN

Air Farce

Being Erica

The Border

Chilly Beach

Corner Gas

Degrassi: TNG

Dragons’ Den

Flashpoint

Heartland

Instant Star

jPod

The Jon Dore Television Show

Life’s a Zoo

Little Mosque on the Prairie

The Listener

No Opportunity Wasted

Odd Job Jack

Rick Mercer

Robson Arms

Sophie

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate SG-1

Stargate Universe

Stratusphere

This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Total Drama Action

Total Drama Island

The Tudors

The Week The Women Went

Wild Roses

From a media release:

CTV Sends DEGRASSI Fans to Hollywood at Red Carpet Premiere of PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD

• Exclusive Screening Aug. 26 at Toronto’s Bloor Cinema

Get ready for some glitz, glamour and sunshine, as CTV is sending DEGRASSI fans on a trip to Hollywood in honour of the movie event of the summer: PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD! The Canadian premiere screening for the highly anticipated, first-ever DEGRASSI: TNG movie PARADISE CITY: DEGRASSI GOES HOLLYWOOD takes place on Wednesday, August 26 at 8 p.m. ET in Toronto, at the infamous and historic Bloor Cinema at 506 Bloor St. W. To attend the exclusive screening and be entered to win the grand-prize trip, fans need to secure wristbands in advance, which can be picked up at 299 Queen Street W. (John Street entrance) on Friday, August 21 from 12 – 1 p.m. ET. Wristband holders who attend the screening will automatically be entered to win a fabulous trip for two to Hollywood for a three night stay plus spending money.

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