22 Minutes with audience favorites Mark Critch, Gavin Crawford, Geri Hall, Shaun Majumder and Cathy Jones airs on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 at 8:30 pm on CBC Television.

Unfair and unbalanced. The news will never look the same. Armed with political satire, sketch comedy and parody in this 17th season beloved characters return and new characters emerge to share the spotlight.

AUDITION STOPS IN RECORD NUMBER OF CANADIAN CITIES

• Attention budding entrepreneurs! Auditions start March 2

Fresh off the highest-rated season yet, CBC Television’s DRAGONS’ DEN is embarking on an epic audition tour. Due to overwhelming demand, producers are expanding the search to over 40 stops. From the Great White North to the edges of every coast, DRAGONS’ DEN is seeking Canadians with creative ideas and money-making savvy to make the case for cash. Successful candidates will make their way to the Den for a chance to appear in front of the Dragons in the new season.

With five seasons under her belt, host Dianne Buckner has seen it all. Here are her tips for local entrepreneurs who want to triumph on DRAGONS’ DEN:

• Sell it! – “We want to see confident, well-rehearsed and convincing pitches. And remember, it’s a TV show, not a boardroom.”
• Know your numbers – “The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is over-estimating the value of their businesses. Know your numbers and be realistic.”
• Show them the money – “It’s no secret that the Dragons love money, so be explicit about how your business will turn a profit.”

DRAGONS’ DEN Audition Schedule 2010*:

ALBERTA

Calgary – Friday, March 19

– Saturday, March 20

Edmonton – Tuesday, March 16

– Wednesday, March 17

Grande Prairie – Monday, March 22

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Abbotsford – Monday, March 29

Campbell River – Wednesday, March 10

Kelowna – Monday, March 15

Nanaimo – Thursday, March 11

Nelson – Wednesday, March 17

Prince George – Thursday, March 11

Prince Rupert – Wednesday, March 31

Vancouver – Saturday, March 13

– Saturday, March 27

Victoria – Monday, March 8

MANITOBA

Winnipeg – Saturday, March 6

NEW BRUNSWICK

Fredericton – Tuesday, March 23

Saint John – Wednesday, March 24

NEWFOUNDLAND

St. John’s – Tuesday, March 30

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Yellowknife – TBC

NOVA SCOTIA

Halifax – Sunday, March 28

ONTARIO

Barrie – Tuesday, March 30

Hamilton – Thursday, April 1

Kingston – Friday, April 16

London – Tuesday, March 9

North Bay – Wednesday, April 7

Oshawa – Thursday, March 18

Ottawa – Saturday, April 17

St. Catharines – Friday, March 26

Sudbury – Thursday, April 8

Thunder Bay – Thursday, April 8

Toronto – Saturday, March 6

– Saturday, April 10

Waterloo – Monday, March 22

Windsor – Monday, March 8

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Charlottetown – Friday, March 26

QUEBEC

Montreal – Saturday, March 20

Québec City – Monday, March 22

SASKATCHEWAN

Regina – Thursday, March 4

Saskatoon – Tuesday, March 2

YUKON

Whitehorse – Thursday, April 1

*All dates are subject to change. Full details and updates will be posted online at http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden.

This season, SunChips is celebrating the launch of new, 100 per cent compostable packaging by searching for the best DRAGONS’ DEN Greenvention. Eco-preneurs can pitch their green inventions at local auditions or online starting Monday, March 1 until Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day), for the chance to win $100,000.

DRAGONS’ DEN currently airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. on CBC Television with host Dianne Buckner and Dragons Arlene Dickinson, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary, Jim Treliving and W. Brett Wilson. DRAGONS’ DEN took home the 2009 Gemini for Best Reality Program or Series and is one of the top-rated Canadian-produced reality television shows in the country. The executive producer of DRAGONS’ DEN is Tracie Tighe and the senior producer is Lisa Gabriele. Throughout the season, viewers can go to http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden to find out more about pitchers and updates on their progress.

• Second Look: 18 to Life. Mazel tov!
  “Tonight’s sixth episode (8 p.m., CBC) is a big leap forward, a funny, smart, speedy half hour. In fact, if you like Modern Family–the darling of this season’s new comedies–you’ll like 18 to Life.” Read more.

• CBC picks up ‘Men With Brooms’ series
  “The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. has picked up a sitcom from E1 Television based on the popular Canadian curling movie Men With Brooms. The TV adaptation follows an earlier pilot written by Paul Mather (Corner Gas) about four regular joes who hang out at the local curling rink. ” Read more.

TELETOON SALUTES 6TEEN WITH ON AIR AND ONLINE SEND OFF

The finale of the hit TELETOON Original Production, 6TEEN, airs on Thursday, February 11 at 8 pm with a two-part episode of Fresh TV’s award-winning tween comedy series. Following the regularly scheduled 6 pm episode of 6TEEN, fans of the show can catch the last five episodes of the season back-to-back starting at 6:30 pm. Viewers will have a second chance to catch this special 6TEEN marathon from 6:30 pm on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14.

Across 93 episodes and four seasons, 6TEEN has followed Nikki, Jude, Wyatt, Jen, Caitlin and Jonesy as they have made the most of crushes, humiliating part-time jobs, friends, frenemies and more. The fourth season has delivered a new baby sibling for Jonesy and Jen as well as a surprising kiss between two members of the gang. But the biggest change of all is yet to come as Nikki’s father is offered a job in Iqaluit, meaning the group might be separated for good. The final episode features a special version of the 6TEEN theme song recorded by Canadian Idol winner, Brian Melo. After the finale, 6TEEN will remain an integral part of the 3 Hours of Awesome lineup, with classic episodes airing on TELETOON every Sunday through Thursday at 8:30 pm.

On teletoon.com 6TEEN fans have been leaving messages for their favourite characters on the special 6TEEN microsite as well as watching bonus videos and playing 6TEEN games. Fans can also download exclusive 6TEEN Valentine’s cards to send to their friends and, from February 4, can take over the fictional store, Albatross and Finch, in the new 6TEEN game, 6TEEN Mall Rush. On February 11, kids will be able to test their skill behind the coffee counter with new 6TEEN game, Barista Star.

A hit with critics as well as audiences, Fresh TV’s 6TEEN has been recognized by multiple industry awards including the Pulcinella Award for Best TV Series for the Tween Generation (2009) and the Daytime Emmy® for Best Original Song – Main Title and Promo (2009). The show also garnered two Gemini nominations in 2008 (Best Writing in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series and Ensemble Performance in an Animated Program or Series) and was awarded the Alliance for Children and Television Award of Excellence for Animation Age 9-14 two years running (2006, 2007).

Since its debut on November 7, 2004, 6TEEN’s frank and funny approach to tween storytelling has been embraced by viewers the world over. In addition to its successful run in Canada, it has aired in over 35 territories.

6TEEN on TELETOON marked the beginning of a new trend in Canadian animation for tweens. A Nelvana Studio production, 6TEEN was created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis, the team who went on to establish Toronto-based production company Fresh TV. Following the success of 6TEEN, Fresh TV has produced several popular TELETOON Original Productions including the Total Drama series of shows and Stoked as well as the upcoming My Babysitter’s a Vampire, which will feature a mix of live-action and animation.

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