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FRIENDS comments on an application by Corus for a broadcasting licence to operate a regional specialty television channel.

From a media release:

READY? SET? YTV’S “IN REAL LIFE” RETURNS FOR SEASON TWO WITH 18 NEW KIDS, 10 NEW EPISODES AND AN ONLINE GAME

Cooler experiences, more drama, crazier twists and a unique online game make for an exciting second season of the popular YTV reality series “In Real Life” (10 x 60′). In season two, 18 new kids, aged 12-14 and from 15 different Canadian cities, race across North America to compete in heart-pounding, real world challenges – from high-tech espionage and video gaming to lobster fishing – for a chance to win the amazing ultimate prize – college tuition money and an all-expense paid family vacation. This season also includes the never-before-seen online companion game “Race to the Finish.” While playing the game, kids at home accumulate points that they can then put toward their favourite TV challenger. The two challengers with the most points in the online game are actually brought back to compete again in a bonus webisode after the show’s finale. Comedian and Gemini-nominated host Sabrina Jalees returns to guide the challengers. Season two of the 10 episode series “In Real Life” season two (10 x 60′) premieres Mon., Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on YTV. The series is produced by Montreal-based Apartment 11 Productions.

In each episode, the challengers race to complete a series of tasks related to an occupation – from dolphin training in Key Largo, FL to rescue missions in Ontario’s bush country. Each challenger’s objective? Avoid elimination by crossing the finish line as quickly – and as correctly – as possible. At the end of each race, the first team to arrive chooses between one of two prizes: an actual physical prize (The Big Reward), or a strategic prize that lets the team thwart another team’s efforts in the next race (The Wrench). There is also a ‘Shield’ hidden on each racecourse that, if presented by a last place team, can save them from elimination. The first person to cross the last finish line wins the ultimate prize.

New this year, the series introduces “Race to the Finish,” an online gaming extension of the show, which debuts on the same day as the season premiere on October 4. In the game, kids at home can create an avatar and then play and accumulate virtual points for their favourite TV challenger. The two TV challengers who have the most online points at the end of the run – no matter when they were eliminated from the TV series – have the chance to compete in an exclusive “In Real Life” bonus webisode finale for a new prize. Players can access the game through http://www.YTV.com and at http://inreallife.ytv.com. The webisode finale airs after the TV finale. A sneak peak of the game launches on Monday, September 20 at http://inreallife.ytv.com where viewers can get acquainted with the new challengers.

The contestants come from fifteen different cities including Vancouver, BC; St. John’s, NF; Mississauga, ON; Guelph, ON; Thornhill, ON; Regina, SK; Niagara Falls, ON; Sainte-Thérèse, QC; Toronto, ON; Newmarket, ON; London, ON; Edmonton, AB; Inuvik, NWT; Weston, ON and Alberton, PEI.

Episode 1: Wilderness Rescuers
Mon., October 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT
Challengers become wilderness rescue specialists with the help of the experts at Equinox Adventures. Working at dizzyingly high altitudes and in swift water rapids, teams race against the clock to rescue accident victims in Elora, Ontario. Every second counts as our teams battle extreme conditions and dangerous situations.

Episode 2: Spies
Mon., October 11 at 7 p.m. ET/PT
Challengers train like real spies in high stakes scenarios in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec. They compete against each other to set up a surveillance operation, locate a dropped package, bypass a super high-tech security system and decipher secret codes – which team will be the fastest and sneakiest?

Sabrina Jalees returns as the host of “In Real Life,” for which she was a Gemini Award nominee. At only 16, Sabrina began honing her comedic skills to become one of the most recognizable faces on the Canadian comedy scene. Early on, she broke Mike Meyer’s record for being the youngest artist hired by Second City. She was also the youngest stand-up comic to perform at Yuk Yuk’s. Sabrina is popular for her blunt and unique sensibility on Much Music’s “Video On Trial” and also appears in the network’s “Stars Gone Wild.” Most recently, Sabrina can be seen in CBS’ “Flashpoint” in the role of Cassaundra. Other television credits include leading roles in YTV’s “System Crash,” Slice Network’s “Plastic Makes Perfect,” Animal Planet’s “The A List” and an appearance on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”

Actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg is mourning the death of her mother, who tragically passed away last month after suffering a stroke.

When Jo Koy was last in Toronto, it was as an opener for his friend Russell Peters, playing in front of 20,000-plus people in a free show at Dundas Square.

From CBC:

• Russian skaters join Battle of the Blades
  “This year, there’s a new twist to the CBC series that asks former NHL players to don figure skates and take up pairs skating — the Russians.” Read more.

From the Toronto Star:

• So You Think You Can Dance: Hustle and Flow
  “There were thrills, there were chills, thank goodness there weren’t spills on So You Think You Can Dance Canada on Monday night. There seemed to be two watchwords for the third performance show of the season: fast and lifts.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun:

• Fleury ready for CBC’s ‘Blades’
  “Battle of the Blades is just another way to break the ice in what Theoren Fleury considers the battle of his life. ‘This is a difficult subject that no one wants to talk about, from (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper to the people who have been abused,’ said Theory, an ex-NHL player who has identified himself as a former victim of sexual crimes.” Read more.

Battle of the Blades is just another way to break the ice in what Theoren Fleury considers the battle of his life.

Google Inc will launch its service to bring the Web to TV screens in the United States this autumn and worldwide next year, its chief executive said, as it extends its reach from the desktop to the living room.

From a media release:

CBC REVEALS STAR-STUDDED BATTLE OF THE BLADES CAST

• NHL veterans and champion figure skaters pair up for a hot new season premiering Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.

The hit series BATTLE OF THE BLADES is back on CBC Television for another season that promises more drama, blood, sweat, tears and, for the first time, world-class international competitors from Russia and the United States. With a fresh crop of eight ex-NHL hockey players including Theo Fleury and Patrice Brisebois, as well as four returning and four new champion figure skaters including the legendary Ekaterina Gordeeva, the competition will be fierce for the top prize of $100,000, donated to the winners’ charity of choice.

The season begins Sunday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. local with BATTLE OF THE BLADES: GAME ON, a one-hour, behind-the-scenes training camp episode that follows the contestants as they prepare for the fierce competition ahead and reveals the eight pairs. The pressure-packed live competition begins the following Sunday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. local.

More than 1.7 million viewers on average watched BATTLE OF THE BLADES last season, making the series one of CBC’s most successful shows.

This season, fans can expect to see additional behind-the-scenes footage, candid interviews and an in-depth look at the skaters’ journeys – from learning to collaborate with their partners to overcoming obstacles as they face possible elimination. Each week, the pairs perform a new routine on a live Sunday night telecast. Viewers vote for their favourite pairs and the bottom two return the following night (Monday) for a skate-off. The judging panel decides which of the pairs gets to continue. The eliminated team gets $25,000 to give to their charity of choice.

This year’s cast includes:

Hockey Players

* Patrice Brisebois: Brisebois played defense for the Montreal Canadiens for 15 years in a 17-year NHL career, winning one Stanley Cup and later becoming a NASCAR Canada racecar driver.
* Valeri Bure: Known as the Russian Pocket Rocket for his world-class speed, Valeri played for five teams and collected over 400 points throughout his 10-year NHL career.
* Kelly Chase: A hardnosed NHLer, Chase in 1998 earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for helping those with developmental disabilities participate in organized hockey.
* Russ Courtnall: A former Olympian, the speedy right winger is known as much for his style and flair as for the 300 goals he scored in 15 NHL seasons.
* Theo Fleury: A gritty forward who collected more than 1,000 points during a 15-year career in the NHL, Fleury also twice represented Canada at the Olympics, winning a gold medal in 2002.
* Georges Laraque: One of the toughest players in the NHL, Laraque is also known for his charitable efforts, notably for the victims of the Haiti earthquake earlier this year.
* PJ Stock: Never one to shy away from the rough stuff, Stock played 235 games in the NHL and is currently a sports broadcaster on CBC’S HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA.
* Todd Warriner: A first-round draft choice in 1992 by the Quebec Nordiques, Warriner was a hard-working NHL winger who scored the Leaf’s first goal at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Figure Skaters

* Violetta Afanasieva: Afanasieva joined the Bolshoi Moscow Circus on Ice at the age of 14 and won the first-ever Extreme Ice Skating World Championship with Canadian partner/husband Peter Dack.
* Shae-Lynn Bourne: The 10-time Canadian Dance Champion returns for her second season on BATTLE OF THE BLADES. Bourne and her partner Victor Kraatz were the first North American ice dance team to capture the World Figure Skating Championship.
* Isabelle Brasseur: Another of four returning skaters, she won five Canadian pairs championships and the World Title with partner Lloyd Eisler, as well as bronze medals at the 1992 and 1994 Olympic Games.
* Ekaterina Gordeeva: Two-time Olympic Gold medalist and four-time World Champion, this internationally renowned Russian native is considered by many to be the world’s best pairs figure skater.
* Christine Hough-Sweeney: Another return performer, she represented Canada, along with her partner Doug Ladret, at two Olympic Games and enjoyed a prolific professional career.
* Kyoko Ina: A Japanese-American pairs skater, she competed in three Olympic Games and won the U.S. Championships five times with two different partners.
* Anabelle Langlois: Competed at her second Olympic Games in Vancouver, making a remarkable comeback from a near-career-ending foot injury during the 2008-09 season.
* Jamie Salé: This reigning BATTLE OF THE BLADES champion won a gold medal at the 2002 Olympics with partner David Pelletier and the World Championships in 2001.

For more information about the competitors, visit www.cbc.ca/battle, the official online portal of BATTLE OF THE BLADES. In addition to videos and behind-the-scenes photos, the site offers viewers the opportunity to become fans of their favourite pair and track each participant’s activities as they strive to win the competition.

BATTLE OF THE BLADES is the brainchild of Kevin Albrecht, with development by Sandra Bezic. BATTLE OF THE BLADES executive producers are John Brunton, Barbara Bowlby and Kevin Albrecht. It is produced by Insight Productions in association with CBC Television. BATTLE OF THE BLADES airs live on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 p.m. on CBC Television.

Episode 10: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed

Anna Silk, the “sexy succubus” of Lost Girl, is this week’s special guest, talking about her new Showcase series and her return appearance on the upcoming season three of CBC’s Being Erica.

Anthony and I are exhausted just looking at the list of Gemini nominees (there are eleventy billion, as the wise Bill Brioux says) and I’m exasperated by the demonstration, yet again, of how little the Canadian TV industry thinks about their audience. (I was wrong in that nominees who are voting members of the Academy get one free ticket to the gala.)

Shattered‘s premiere ratings were better than I expected and worse than I hoped. Translation: they were pretty bad.

Before I call Anthony a jerk, we close the show with our favourite 10 Canadian shows, in honour of the Geminis inviting Canadians to vote on their faves of the last 25 years, and Toronto Life compiling their own top 10.

Spoiler alert!

Anthony’s Top 10
(in no particular order except the first 2)

• Hockey Night in Canada
• SCTV
• Slings and Arrows
• Kids in the Hall
• King of Kensington
• Hilarious House of Frightenstein
• The Friendly Giant
• Hammy Hamster
• The New Music
• The Red Fisher Show

Diane’s Top 10

(in no particular order except the first 1)

• Slings and Arrows
• Intelligence
• The Newsroom
• Durham County
• Twitch City
• Call Me Fitz (yeah, I know, pre-air – call me crazy)
• Anne of Green Gables
• Made in Canada
• Rick Mercer Report
• Some years of This Hour Has 22 Minutes

Your hosts

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

Columnist says if there were a big demand for a right-wing news outfit from consumers, it would be a success without the special cable status it is manoeuvring to achieve.

8:30 p.m. – SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA – RESULTS EPISODE

The eliminations continue during Canada’s quest to find a new favourite dancer .

Miley Cyrus' mother has followed in her famous daughter's footsteps - she wants to legally change her name.

Actress AnnaLynne McCord was left feeling exposed after an angry motorist allegedly posted her number on a social networking site.

Jennifer Aniston has a new reason to smile after she was spotted on a romantic dinner date with her Cougar Town co-star Josh Hopkins.

From Kristin Rushowy of the Toronto Star:

• New caboose chugs into Kids’ CBC
  “They thought of a bowling alley, possibly an arena. But then the team at Kids’ CBC came up with an idea for a new set that they hope will chug into the hearts of children across Canada: a caboose.” Read more.

From Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star:

• Meet the new Battle of the Blades teams
  “A phenomenal ratings success in its first season last year, Battle of the Blades’s unlikely pairing of hockey players and figure skaters was a reality TV slam dunk for the CBC. This year, the Star got an exclusive look at most of the new season’s participants, many of whom were meeting for the first time that day in May.” Read more.

Scandal-plagued socialite Paris Hilton has been voted the worst celebrity role model in a new online poll.