• Fandom Friday: Favorite ‘Degrassi’ openings
  “With the end of Degrassi: The Boiling Point and looking ahead to the crazy changes coming in the fall, I recalled how often Degrassi switched things around when it came to its iconic opening sequence. So, we’ve chosen five Degrassi opening credits from the past 10 seasons that show how far our favorite Canadian kids have come.” Read more.

DISCOVERED (formerly known as DISBAND)
Season 3 premieres in November
MuchMusic’s Gemini-nominated breakout series DISCOVERED (formerly known as DISBAND) may have a new name but still delivers the same rock ‘n roll goods. Each episode puts aspiring bands through a rock star boot camp and teaches them the ins and outs of the music biz. A panel of industry experts hold each artists fate in their hands and determines if they have what it takes to be DISCOVERED. Past seasons have catapulted bands such as San Sebastian, Stereos, These Kids Wear Crowns, and Abandon All Ships to stardom. The slate of 10 new artists chosen for Season 3 to be announced soon.

VIDEO ON TRIAL – **New Episodes **
Mondays at 10 p.m. ET
The most brutally honest judges in pop culture are back to discuss, dissect, and degrade today’s hottest music videos in an all-new season of VIDEO ON TRIAL. This no holds barred MuchOriginal series features comedian guest jurors who give scathing reviews of five music videos each episode. No celebrity is safe from these tough critics. Beware Britney Spears.

It’s a Lockdown at DEGRASSI on the Summer Finale of MuchMusic’s Hit Series, Aug. 23-26

• New episodes of DEGRASSI return in October, airing once a week, exclusively on MuchMusic

It’s been a semester of hot hook-ups and delicious drama for the students of DEGRASSI. And as things heat up, MuchMusic’s hit show is going on lockdown. During the school’s biggest social event, an ongoing feud escalates to a point where lives are put in danger and a lockdown threatens to change Degrassi Community School forever. Don’t miss the action on DEGRASSI’s mid-season summer finale week airing Monday, Aug. 23 – Thursday, Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. ET.

From the summer telenovela format to its groundbreaking storylines, DEGRASSI has kept fans coming back day after day and week after week, making it one of MuchMusic’s most watched shows of the year. Fans can catch DEGRASSI when it returns in October, airing once a week, exclusively on MuchMusic.

Finale Week Episodes

DEGRASSI – “Purple Pills” (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2)
Monday, August 23 and Tuesday August 24 at 9 p.m. ET
Fiona has been seeing a therapist to deal with the trauma of Bobby’s abuse, but overwhelmed with anxiety she turns to the next best thing – champagne. Riley is ready to make his relationship with Zane public but when a university football recruiter shows interest, Riley starts having second thoughts. When Eli cancels guy’s night with Adam to hang out with Clare, Adam makes a new friend, Fitz. But after a humiliating incident Adam is ready to take on Fitz and the bullies all by himself.

DEGRASSI – “All Falls Down” (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2)
Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday August 26 at 9 p.m. ET
Holly J and Sav manage to convince Mr. Simpson to ignore the PTA ruling to cancel the Night in Vegas dance by promising to keep the event trouble free. Drew is suppose to go with his girlfriend Alli, but when Bianca steps in with a proposition he can’t refuse, his relationship with Alli is put to the test. Meanwhile, Fitz promises to end his fight with Eli on one condition – Clare must to go to the dance with him. But when Eli refuses to back down things get out of hand putting the fate of Degrassi Community School in jeopardy.

Degrassi switches to the RED digital camera to set a Canadian television milestone

Stephen Stohn, president of Epitome Pictures Inc. and executive producer of Degrassi, credits the PS Production Services Ltd. (PS) supplied RED digital camera as a key reason his company is able to produce the largest single season episode order of a drama series in Canadian television history.

While most viewers won’t notice the change to digital, behind-the-scenes the RED digital camera has made a significant difference. With the RED’s streamlined workflow and film quality digital output, Epitome Pictures Inc. has been able to produce a new episode of Degrassi every 2 ¾ days.

“After 30 years of shooting on 16mm, the switch to the RED digital camera for this season of Degrassi is a huge milestone,” said Stohn. “Without making the switch to RED we would have had a hard time shooting so many episodes. PS was instrumental in helping us make this transition and the resulting picture quality that we are seeing is way beyond our wildest dreams!”

With a tight production schedule and 48 episodes to shoot, the RED digital camera has been a welcome addition on Degrassi’s Toronto set for director of photography Alwyn J Kumst.

“Because of the volume of footage we shoot each day – the equivalent of maybe 24 to 30 rolls of 16mm – the RED has meant less loading time and waste and not generating short ends,” said Kumst. “PS has been very helpful and knowledgeable with the RED technology we have on set. They have served me very well in the past on other productions so it was comforting to take on Degrassi with its challenging shooting schedule knowing that PS could back up all our camera needs.”

PS has been proud to support this iconic Canadian series since its inception over 30 years ago. The Degrassi brand has since become a worldwide phenomenon. Degrassi is now licensed in over 150 countries around the world and is the top-rated show on TeenNick in the United States.

“I can still remember loading the gear for The Kids of Degrassi Street into a VW van,” recalled Doug Dales, founder and chairman of PS Production Services. “To see the show evolve from where it began three decades ago has been remarkable, and to have helped them take the next step to digital has been a great honour for our company.”

The new “shot on RED” season of Degrassi premiered Monday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET and won its 9-9:30 p.m. timeslot for teens amongst all Canadian and US specialty networks. The series airs Monday-Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on MuchMusic with a two-hour marathon repeating on Fridays from 6-8 p.m. ET.

• Degrassi seamlessly incorporates transgendered character
  “Degrassi (MuchMusic, 9 p.m.) is three weeks into its telenovela format, and this week saw the introduction of Adam, the teen drama’s first transgendered character. And, to Degrassi’s credit, the show has seamlessly incorporated Adam into its existing storylines instead of awkwardly introducing him as transgendered.” Read more.

• Degrassi’s New Next Generation Is More Addictive Than Ever
  “However, with “The Boiling Point” (the moniker for this nightly-serialized run) has really upped the ante and renewed my interest in the show. Here’s why….” Read more.

Anthony and I mock Global’s upcoming show Canada Sings, the producers of The Bridge for thinking CBS is still on board, Degrassi ratings information, and each other. I praise The Movie Network/Movie Central/HBO Canada and Call Me Fitz but we mock their “terrible branding problem” and the vagueness of The Yard‘s premise.

We don’t mock Flashpoint but discuss the season three premiere, and I talk to Enrico Colantoni about his role as Greg Parker and how Flashpoint is a great example of Canadian storytelling. As we say during the podcast, the interview doesn’t have great sound quality and strict spoilerphobes should beware.

Your links

• Canada Sings – I am excited at how much Anthony is going to hate this Glee-like reality show, even if I’m not excited about the show itself
• The Bridge is cancelled on CBS, despite what the producers want to believe
• Flashpoint season 3 premieres August 6
• Degrassi is doing well. I think. If I’m parsing the media release correctly.
• Haven and The Pillars of The Earth are in our rotation
• The Movie Network/Movie Central/HBO Canada schedule
• Enrico Colantoni is a very cool dude
• For information on specific shows, check out the sidebar of TV, eh? under Categories, or search for the show title in that little search box

Your hosts

• Anthony can be found at Dyscultured and lovehatethings, and on Twitter here and here.
• Diane can be found here at TV, eh? and here, and on Twitter here and here.

DEGRASSI Wins Timeslot with Key Demo of P12-34 in Its First Week on MuchMusic

• DEGRASSI is MuchMusic’s second most-watched series this BYTD
• More Than 1 Million DEGRASSI Lovers Watch Season 10 on MuchMusic in First Week
• New episodes air Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. ET all summer long

It’s official. DEGRASSI ’s new format is a hit with audiences! During its first week of its new telenovela format, DEGRASSI won its timeslot (9 – 9:30 p.m. ET) Monday to Thursday with MuchMusic’s key demo of P12 – 34 amongst all Canadian and US Speciality Networks. Within its first week, DEGRASSI also became the station’s second most-watched series this broadcast year to date with P12 – 34 audiences and in overall viewership. And more than one million viewers tuned in to watch the first week of DEGRASSI on its new, exclusive home, MuchMusic.

New episodes air Monday through Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET. This new daily format continues all summer long on MuchMusic. Viewers can get caught up on episodes by going to muchmusic.com.

Source: BBM Canada

From Maddy Pumilia of Blogcritics:

• An Interview with Degrassi’s Charlotte Arnold
  “Holly J is a bit witty and a bit sassy, but that’s what makes her so lovable. Charlotte Arnold has played Holly J. Sinclair for the past four seasons of Degrassi. Back in season seven, she was mean, snarky, and insecure. Definitely the villain you’d love to hate, she made enemies for fun, like treating her best friend Anya (Samantha Munro) horribly by exposing Anya’s learning disability. Degrassi’s now entering its tenth season and Holly J has grown more mature, although she still has that spark of edginess that captures viewers’ attention.” Read more.

• Spotlight on Ben Lewis: DEGRASSI’s Latest Bad Boy
  “Lucky for this TV Addict, Bobby’s portrayer, Ben Lewis, is nothing like the abusive boyfriend he plays on the wildly-addictive teen sudser. In fact, it turns out he’s a downright nice guy who was thrilled — and maybe even a little surprised — to finally land a role on the show that has become something of a right of passage for young Canadian thespians.” Read more.