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Mr. Meaty, a new kids' TV show, is raising a few eyebrows. "It brainwashes children that animals were meant to be eaten," states one online petition, which currently has 585 [...]

THERE'S A CHANCE that this fall nearly every cast member of Beverly Hills, 90210will have their own TV show--and that James Van Der Beek (Dawson of Dawson's Creek) will return [...]

Raising Tennis Aces, The Williams Story (available) Much has been written about tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams and their coach/ manager/father, Richard. But this DVD offers fascinating, exclusive interviews […]

The article focuses on Ryan Malcolm who would like to see his face on the front of Maclean's. His CTV publicist mentions that all the TV guides in Canada will be putting Malcolm on the cover for World Idol--except Vancouver's TV Week, which is featuring American Idol's Kelly Clarkson. Malcolm does seem to be buckling under the pressure of instant celebrity and constant scrutiny. He isn't smiling, he looks anxious, and his stomach has been hurting for two weeks. Since his audition for Canadian Idol in April, his life has been one constant competition -- he triumphed over 16,000 singers at home, and now he faces 10 other victors abroad. On top of that, the Dec. 9 release of his debut CD, Home, has him fighting for a spot on the charts. INSET: The Would-Be World Idols And Their Odds.

The article focuses on Canadian chef Susur Lee, who competes against American chef Bobby Flay in New York for the television show Iron Chef. Lee mixes Asian cuisine with European styles, and is known for his unorthodox method of serving richer dishes first, followed by increasingly lighter dishes after. Lee has three tennis-playing sons, is 49, and sought less popular New York restaurants to eat in while visiting.

The article reports that NBC is producing two new shows about backstage machinations at programs that look remarkably similar to Saturday Night Live. The first is a Lorne Michaels-produced untitled sitcom created by and starring Tina Fey as the head writer of a sketch comedy show (the same job she currently holds on SNL) called Friday Night Bits. Aaron Sorkin's Studio 7 is the second show of its kind that NBC says it has in the works.

Reviews the Canadian television program "Hatching, Matching & Dispatching," starring Mary Walsh and Rick Boland, and how the show makes fun of Newfoundlanders.

This article focuses on director Kevin Smith and his guest appearance on the television program "Degrassi: The Next Generation." Kevin Smith swears he could have got Ben Affleck to play a high school principal on Degrassi: The Next Generation. After all, it's well-known film geek lore that, back when Smith was a Jersey convenience store clerk in the early '90s, he became obsessed with CBC's original series Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which ran in the States on PBS. Last week, Smith, 34, made out with his Degrassi babe of choice, Caitlin Ryan (played by Stacie Mistysyn, one of four original cast members who have reprised their roles on The Next Generation). Last year, The N edited three episodes that featured a date rape storyline, and this season it shelved two shows that deal with an abortion, saying they were too heavy for summer viewing. When it aired on PBS, they actually cut the last few seconds, so you don't ever see them walk through the protesters and into the clinic.

Reviews the television reality program "The Princes of Malibu," featuring David Foster and his relationship with his family.

This is an article that reviews two new television series, "Desperate Housewives," and "Jack & Bobby." If television genres were members of a family, then pesky reality TV would definitely be the baby, with its look-at-me shenanigans and juvenile humour. With their dutifully superior acting, meanwhile, workplace dramas like Law and Order, ER, The West Wing and this year's new CSI: NY (starring Gary Sinise) fit into the role of the eldest. But when it comes to mainstream network fare that's fun for the whole family, scores of good shows are prematurely cancelled (Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life) or languish at the bottom of the ratings (Everwood, Gilmore Girls). Two new series that stand out this fall -- the adult-centred suburban soap Desperate Housewives and the teen/political drama Jack & Bobby -- use similar ploys. Jack & Bobby could have made it to air as straight teen drama. It's hard to figure out why crime scenes and ousted reality contestants outdraw shows with insight into family dynamics.

Highlights the premiere of the Canadian television series 'Degrassi: The Next Generation,' based on the popular 1980s series 'Degrassi Junior High.' Comments of actors from the original series, including Stacie Mistysyn, Amanda Stepto and Pat Mastroianni; Popularity of the original series; How the shows focus on the lives of junior high school students.

This article reviews the television program pilot "Underfunded," which focuses on the Canadian secret service, co-created by Ross Abrash and David Breckman.

Reviews the television program "How I Met Your Mother," created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

Focuses on singer Melissa O'Neil, who was selected as the new Canadian Idol. How she got lost trying to find her way to a victory party; Description of her performances on the reality television program; How she comes from a nonmusical family.

Discusses how the majority of people who watch the television program "The L Word," are straight, as opposed to being gay or lesbian. Assertion that most viewers recognize the love in the relationships on the show and are curious about the sex; Way that most lesbians at one point in their lives have identified themselves as straight women.

Focuses on the career of actor David Julian Hirsh, who appears on the television program "Naked Josh." Description of his character on the show; How he got the lead role on the pilot "Crazy."

Reviews the television reality program "My Fabulous Gay Wedding," hosted by comedian Scott Thompson.

This article discusses the way that celebrity women fight amongst one another. Brigitte Bako has a few words for the bickering stars of Desperate Housewives. Bako, creator/star of G-Spot, a Canadian TV show about girlfriends in L.A., is reacting to the recent Vanity Fair article that airs some of the housewives' dirty laundry: apparently Teri Hatcher is hogging most of the attention, magazine covers and awards, and other members of the cast -- specifically Marcia Cross -- want some of that love to be spread around. So while Bako and her co-stars, Heather Hanson, Kristin Lehman and Kimberly Huie, want the success of those who've come before them, they'll try to avoid the competition and jealousy that the media would have us believe is inevitable with predominantly female casts. When business consultant Susan Murphy and co-author Pat Heim were researching In the Company of Women: Indirect Aggression Among Women, Why We Hurt Each Other and How to Stop, they found 95 per cent of females will be sabotaged by another woman on the job. Leora Tanenbaum, author of Catfight: Rivalries Among Women -- from Diets to Dating, from the Boardroom to the Delivery Room, points out that interest in the catty-women stereotype has strong historical precedent. So it would seem that cat fights aren't just a media obsession, however much they're exaggerated to boost sales or audience.

Reviews the television documentary "Runaway Grooms."

Reviews two television programs. "Fat Actress," starring Kirstie Alley; "College Days, College Nights," a documentary by John Zaritsky.

This article presents the comments of Toronto filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa on three television programs he's currently working on for HBO. Toronto filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa (right, on Rome set) is currently readying an adaptation of the CanLit bestseller Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels--but for the past five years, he's been moonlighting at HBO, as a TV director. (Season 2 starts on The Movie Network and Movie Central Jan. 9):. We had huge sets and were shooting in Cinecittà, where Fellini's movies were made and Gangs of New York was made. (currently shooting its fifth and final season):.It also has the biggest tonal range of any of the shows--and probably the strongest cast in television.

This article focuses on several comedic television programs that are being aired by CBC in Canada, and how viewers will ultimately decide which program to keep. In CBC's Getting Along Famously, Debra McGrath plays Ruby, a middle-aged 1960s variety show host--who's a bit like Debbie Reynolds, with Judy Garland's backside. McGrath's unique and corny show, co-starring her husband Colin Mochrie, is being launched with two other comedies this month. The dry-witted Walter Ego stars Peter Keleghan as a comic-strip writer inspired by the antics of his oddball friends. Hatching, Matching & Dispatching is pure silliness, as Mary Walsh plays a Newfoundland matriarch and owner of a wedding hall/ funeral parlour/ambulance service.

Reviews the television series "The Tournament," which focuses on a fictional children's hockey team and their parents.

This article presents a list of the top five cop television programs according to actor Jeremy Ratchford, who stars on the television show "Cold Case." Homicide: Life on the Street. Barney Miller. Cops. Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. Miami Vice.

This article focuses on the extras that are included in the DVD of the television program "Arrested Development." Jason Bateman's never really been in a great TV show or movie--until now. In the DVD extras for Fox's Arrested Development, Bateman mocks his resumé of lame sitcoms and '80s movies like Teen Wolf Too, while relishing his good fortune at being cast in Arrested, this year's Emmy-winner for best comedy series. Executive producer/narrator Ron Howard asked his childhood babysitter, Liza Minelli, to guest star. David Cross (Mr. Show) didn't have to audition and in fact got to pick the role he'd play. And the party boat from the pilot episode is the same one Bateman had his prom on.

This is an article that focuses on new television programs for the Fall 2004 season. Every year there's a slew of new medical dramas, and every year they flatline. Thanks to the guilty-pleasure hotel drama North Shore and the new eye-candy cop show Hawaii, Honolulu is the new Vegas. Blame The Donald for bringing more big shots out of the boardroom (Virgin's Richard Branson in The Billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in The Benefactor) and onto the boob tube. John Goodman, Jason Alexander and Keith Carradine are this year's contestants in the race to see which known actor's sitcom tanks first. Goodman's a veteran loser, Alexander's saddled with the Seinfeld curse and Carradine's… well, Keith Carradine.

This article focuses on television news anchor Anderson Cooper and how has signed on to be a special commentator for a new MuchMoreMusic series called "Back in..." Anderson Cooper gets obsessed with food dishes and TV shows. It's very glitzy and there's a daily astrological forecast by a guy named Walter Mercado that I tune in for regularly. The host of Anderson Cooper 360& deg; doesn't exactly speak Canadian either--he hasn't spent much time up here, he says--but the 37-year-old New Yorker and son of designer/socialite Gloria Vanderbilt has signed on as a special commentator for a new MuchMoreMusic series, Back In. Each episode looks back at the fads, music, fashion, personalities and news events of a particular year, covering 1980 to 1994. While Cooper's role is to give witty sound bites on the year's biggest news story--be it the discovery of the Titanic wreckage, John Lennon's murder or the Iran-Iraq war--he takes a few jabs at pop culture obsessions past and present.

The author mentions three Canadian Idol contestants who were misjudged by the public. ANDREW BRODERICK, 17: The Sharon, Ont., high-schooler is the closest thing Canada has to a young Stevie Wonder or an Usher--the one idol whose style and dance moves are already music video friendly. LIZ TITAN, 17: Voters didn't go for any Quebecois contestants, including this Montreal beauty, who has the diva style of a Whitney or an Aretha. MOHANZA KELLY, 20: As soulful as they come, this Torontonian cites Percy Sledge as an inspiration and had an ease on stage that the other idols couldn't match.

This article focuses on new television programs that will be broadcast in the summer of 2004. Forget evening walks and long nights by the campfire, TV networks now want you glued to the tube even in the summer. Andy Richter (Late Night with Conan O' Brien, Andy Richter Controls the Universe) takes a second kick at the sitcom can in Quintuplets (June 16), playing the father of four 15-year-olds. Showcase premieres Naked Josh (June 15), about a sexual anthropology professor in Montreal who takes his work home with him. Not sure how the bit characters with the Québécois accents and Josh's penchant for big wool sweaters will play in the U.S. (the show is also running on Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen network), but here Naked Josh makes sense. The History channel's four-part documentary series, They Built the Railway (June 28 to July 1), may be reminiscent of those Grade 8 educational films, with actors dressed up as historical figures, but its detailed account of the surveying and construction of the CPR line across Canada is undeniably fascinating.

This article looks at Rachel Griffiths, star of the series "Six Feet Under." Rachel Griffiths plays one of the most fascinating, complex women on TV--on a show that surpasses almost all others for depth, dark humour and emotional impact. But just try getting her to talk about that. Sitting in the leafy courtyard of Hollywood's famous Chateau Marmont, eating a salad and what she calls the "best fries in America," the 36-year-old Australian is chatty and forthcoming about life in general. While the critically acclaimed, much-loved series starts its fourth season on the Movie Network and Movie Central on June 13, many Canadians have seen only the first 13 episodes on the Showcase network or on DVD (season two is being released on July 6). Since the series began, Ambrose, Michael C. Hall (David Fisher) and Griffiths have all gotten married, while Peter Krause (Nate Fisher) and Griffiths have both had children.

This article focuses on actor Dean Armstrong, who appears on the television show "Queer As Folk." After three years of callbacks and auditions for the musical Rent, Toronto actor landed a lead part in the Broadway hit in 2000. But just as he sat down to negotiate the contract, he was offered a recurring part in the TV series Queer as Folk. Somehow Armstrong fit both high-profile gigs into his schedule--as well as running an acting school. After a year and a half, the Owen Sound, Ont.-born performer left Broadway. But four seasons in, he's still a key player on Queer as Folk--in fact, the Washington Post raved, after season one, that Armstrong gave the strongest performance of the series. For Armstrong, who also has a teaching degree, speaking up for gay youth may be his most important role to date.

The article focuses on a 1999 television series, Freaks and Geeks. It's finally here, is the collective sigh of relief from 40,000 fans. On April 6, six discs, featuring all 18 episodes and hours of bonus material, will be available for diehard fans as well as anyone who missed this critically adored masterpiece the first time around. The dad, played by Canadian SCTV alum Joe Flaherty, runs a sporting goods store, mom (Becky Ann Baker) stays home, older daughter Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) is a brain who's being drawn into the slacker crowd, and son Sam (John Francis Daley) is an adorable shrimp who loves Star Wars and sketch comedy and is trying to navigate Grade 9. Much ink has been spilled on why the show never found a wider audience: it was too weird, NBC mishandled the promotion.

This article profiles the actress Molly Parker's role in the new western television show "Deadwood". "On the surface it's this macho western," says Parker, 31, "and yet as you watch the whole season you realize all these characters are in some kind of spiritual crisis and have come to this place because maybe here they can find redemption." When talking about the role, Parker is completely rapt. Even after seven long months filming in constricting wardrobe, she's anxiously awaiting getting started on the second season.

The article profiles Canadian Kelly Rowan, an actress on the television program, The O.C., the TV drama about Orange County, California on CTV/Fox. The Ottawa-born, Toronto-raised actress has always kept busy with theatre, TV and film work, but this role is her choicest gig to date.

The article profiles Michael J. Anderson, a computer electronics technician from Denver, who left his job at Martin Marietta, troubleshooting the ground controls for the space shuttle, in the 1980s to enter show business. It was a 1984 student documentary entitled "Little Mike," that hooked him on being in front of the camera. In the new HBO series, "Carniv&x2c6le," (premiering on The Movie Network on Sept. 16), about a travelling freak show in the 1930s, Anderson plays Samson, supervisor of a group of carnies. He was the backwards-talking dwarf in Agent Cooper's dreams on "Twin Peaks," and the creepy Mr. Roque in Lynch's 2001 film, "Mulholland Drive.".

This new series, "Family Secrets," is without a doubt, haunting. Directed by Toronto-based Maureen Judge, "Family Secrets" is exactly as the title suggests -- each episode focuses on one person or family, peeling back the layers from a secret they've kept. There's an infertile wife, a cross-dressing father and an S&M mother. The emotions of these Canadians are laid bare on film, transfixing viewers and drawing them into the stories. For example, in one episode, three brothers talk about the night that their father brutally murdered their mother -- visiting her grave and looking at old family photographs. But while the rawness of the series is fascinating, there are no resolutions, which is frustrating.

Reviews the television show 'The Osbournes' on CTV in Canada.

Focuses on singer Chris Isaak. Mention of his television program 'The Chris Isaak Show'; How parts of the show are based on his life; Possibility that Isaak will do nude scenes for the show.

Offers quotations about Canada which appeared on the television programs 'That 70s Show' and 'The Daily Show.'

Focuses on a Vancouver, British Columbia-based Eco-Challenge team. How the team competed in an Eco-Challenge in Malaysian Borneo; Decision of a United States television network to drop the team from their broadcast.

Reviews the television movie 'Scorn' which recounts the life of Darren Huenemann.

Focuses on actress Aida Turturro. Discussion of her role in the television program 'The Sopranos'; Career Highlights; Biographical information.

Reviews the Canadian television movie `After the Harvest,' an adaptation of Martha Ostenso's book `Wild Geese,' staring Sam Shepard and Nadia Litz.

Describes the author's visit to the set of U8TV, a Canadian reality-based television program. Fears of being interviewed by the cast for an Internet broadcast; Characters which have been assigned to the cast; Description of several cast mates and their reasons for participating on the program, including the desire to be famous.

Focuses on the Canadian television program 'Big Sound.' How the show pokes fun at the music industry; Musicians who appear in the show, including Jann Arden, Matthew Good and Melissa Etheridge; Comments of the show's star Greg Evigan regarding the music industry.

Focuses on the number of gay characters on television as of October, 2000. Premiere of the theme show 'Normal, Ohio' in which actor John Goodman plays a homosexual man; Opinion that Ellen DeGeneres paved the way for gay lead roles on television; Impact of the show 'Will & Grace,' which has a leading gay male character, played by Eric McCormack.

Offers views on `The Sopranos,' an American cable television drama about the Mafia which will premier in Canada September 17, 2000. Complaints against the show by The National Congress of Italian-Canadians; Awards won by the show; Structure of the show; View that the casting is one of the series' strengths.

Profiles actor Sean Hayes of the television show 'Will & Grace.' Decision by NBC to move the sitcom to a coveted time slot; Description of Hayes' character, Jack; Past acting experiences as an elf in the Kenny Rogers' Christmas Show and in the independent film 'Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss.'