John Doyle of the Globe and Mail recounts the “decidedly weird” CBC season launch event:

• The CBC’s fall season sure is impressive – to the CBC
  “You want an impression of CBC’s new season in a nutshell? Okay, one word: cornball.”

Bill Harris of Sun Media talks to Debbie Travis:

• Debbie Travis reality show returns
  “This is a network show and I want it to be clever. It’s basically about seeing the wheels turning, and also about having the viewer playing along. When you watch Deal or No Deal, people are saying, ‘Choose that one.’ That’s what good TV is.”

Gayle MacDonald of the Globe and Mail talks to Garth Drabinsky about his new reality show:

• Garth Drabinsky’s latest really big adventure
  “Triple Sensation – aimed at performers aged 16 to 26 – will run on CBC this fall for three nights in the coveted 8-to-10 Sunday-evening time slot. The winner will take home a $150,000 Indigo-Chapters Books-sponsored scholarship that can be used for any theatrical training institution in the world (pending acceptance).”

Gudrun Schultz of LifeSite talks to the Canadian Television Fund about Richard Stursberg of the CBC’s claim that they were obligated to run The Altar Boys pilot:

• CBC Caught in Lie Trying to Squirm out of Charges of Anti-Catholic Bigotry
  “Unfortunately, because the pilot was financed with public funding, including tax credits and Canadian Television Fund (CTF) monies, we were required to put it on air,” Stursberg wrote. …
  CTF, however, said broadcasters were not required to air programs against their discretion. Communications director MaryBeth McKenzie said CBC would have been fully aware of what was in the program and would have approved the script prior to production, in an interview published on CanadianChristianity.ca.

A media release from the Designer Guys:

HGTV’s Designer Guys, Matt Davis, Allen Chan and Anwar Mukhayesh, have been tapped as featured home design columnists for the Toronto Star’s new weekend Living section, announced Mary Darling, Executive Producer/ President of WestWind Pictures, the film and television production company behind the successful series.

“This column is a great opportunity to share our design ideas with Toronto Star’s readers. Each week we will cover a new design or decor topic that will serve to guide and inspire people who are tackling their own home renovation or design projects,” said Anwar.

As part of the new weekend Living section which premieres June 2, 2007, the Designer Guys’ column will address design challenges ranging from advice for do-it-yourself projects and renovation do’s and don’ts, to timely, trend-based ideas for homes and condos. Each week, the guys will offer readers tips and options on interior design, architecture, landscaping and decor.

“The Designer Guys are tremendous sources for our new weekend Living section. We are confident that the Designer Guys’ column will become the go-to source for our readers who are always searching for practical solutions to their design projects and who are interested in cutting-edge ideas and trends,” said Lesley Ciarula Taylor, editor of Toronto Star’s Living section.