From Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette:

• Comedy Network kicks off Just for Laughs series with the Muppets
  “The Muppets are among the most incredible gala hosts we’ve ever landed,” trumpeted Robbie Praw, head of JFL’s English programming, after inking the critters. “It’s a dream come true for us. Is there a better known ensemble in the world? Their appeal is across the age-map, too.” Read more.

Horses of McBride, CTV
Inspired by real-life events, in THE HORSES OF MCBRIDE, cowboy-outfitter Matt Davidson (Aidan Quinn, Unknown) has decided to sell his family ranch and find work in the city. His wife Avril (Kari Matchett, COVERT AFFAIRS, 24) and son Kenny (Edward Ruttle, HELLCATS) have embraced the move, but his daughter Nicki (MacKenzie Porter, R.L. Stine’s THE HAUNTING HOUR), who dreams of being an outfitter and mountain guide like her dad, is shocked and angry. It’s late December 2008, when two starving horses are discovered high up on the Rockies, trapped in a six foot-deep prison of snow more than 30 miles from any road. After seeing the spirit in their eyes, Nicki commits to getting them off the mountain – somehow. With no other options, she picks up a shovel and starts to dig out the mile-long path in deep snow to a groomed snowmobile trail, inspiring her father, family, and an entire community to pitch in. Encore presentation airs Friday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two

From Bill Brioux of the Canadian Press:

• How a Hamilton summer was just right for “A Christmas Song”
  It was just as hot around Hamilton last June when crews rolled carpets of white cotton batting onto the green lawns and bushes at the Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre in nearby Ancaster. The winter scene was for “A Christmas Song,” one of three holiday-themed TV movies on which Hallmark and CTV teamed up on. Read more.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

• An answer to the CBC’s prayers: the Ikea monkey fella
  Fact is, if Hockey Night in Canada doesn’t return soon, CBC’s new “winter season” will be lacking a major promotional platform, one that’s needed to promote the new crazy-cop drama Cracked, the return of Mr. D and the fact that Republic of Doyle moves to Sundays, starting Jan. 6. Listen, the monkey is internationally renowned now, and who better to promote CBC’s new and returning shows? An issue might be the fee, since the monkey fella is way more famous than anyone on CBC right now. That news will come as a shock to Kevin O’Leary, but while O’Leary might be said to have more money than sense or good grace on TV, the monkey fella has more sense than money. Read more.

From Glen Schaefer of The Province:

• Good graces return Thandie Newton to Vancouver
  “We were down at the docks this morning and it’s bloody freezing,” says writer-creator Matthew Parkhill, a Brit with a resumé of novels, film, TV and poetry. The four months of filming in Vancouver that wrapped in November mark the culmination of a four-year history with his biggest project yet, a story that started, oddly enough, in Vancouver. Read more.