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THE NEXT STAR PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA

May 8, 2008

TORONTO (RUSHPRNEWS) May 8, 2008- Leading Toronto-based producer and distributor Tricon Films & Television and Corus Entertainment’s YTV announces that Universal Music Canada (UMC) has become the exclusive music partner for the new original series, The Next Star premiering on Friday July 18 at 6 pm ET/PT.The Next Star is Canada’s first youth-oriented series focused on showcasing Canadian talent. Six participants, selected from thousands of auditioners, will be trained and mentored throughout all 13 episodes of the series, striving to be named The Next Star and receive a recording contract with Canada’s leading music company Universal Music Canada. The call is open to applicants aged 15 and under as of May 1, 2008

Partnering with UMC, The Next Star will enjoy access to the country’s leading music company’s expertise and artistic vision. UMC has fostered some of the best in Canadian talent and the six-featured performers will receive the ultimate guidance in how to navigate the modern music industry.

All six featured performers will receive guidance from a panel of industry professionals on how to tackle the music industry as they are challenged in every aspect of the biz -- from vocal exercises to participating in media interviews to perfecting a signature look.

The hopefuls will get to polish their talent and eventually, the viewers at home will select one candidate to have their single released shortly after the live finale in September, which will be supported by a music video. The appeal of The Next Star is that all of the selected candidates will have a music single that will be included on The Next Star EP, to be released shortly after the live finale.

“We are just thrilled to be working with Universal Music Canada on this venture,” says series producer Phil Hutchins. “Universal has a proven track record of turning great local singers into phenomenal world-renowned artists, so needless to say, we’re really excited about the mentorship they’ll give to The Next Star.”

Also announced today, The Next Star and Universal Music Canada have agreed to use the hot new single “Let’s Go” by Universal recording artist Suzy McNeil as the opening theme song. “Let’s Go” is set to be released this summer to promote McNeil’s upcoming album due out this fall.

“Universal Music Canada is looking forward to working closely with Tricon & YTV to find and nurture another new music star”, said Randy Lennox, President & CEO Universal Music Canada. “Canada has a rich musical tradition and The Next Star will help bring new talent to our nation’s music lovers.”
Universal Music is the country’s largest music company and is home to some of Canada’s biggest recording artists such as: Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, Diana Krall, Nelly Furtado, Sam Roberts, Jann Arden, The Tragically Hip, Paul Anka, Jully Black, Hawksley Workman, Hedley and Kardinal Offishall.

The search for participants will include open casting calls starting in Halifax on Saturday, May 17 followed by Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Calgary. For further information about the audition process check out YTV.com.

ABOUT UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA

Universal Music Canada, a unit of Universal Music Group, is Canada's leading music organization maintaining an overall 38.5% year-to-date market share. For further information on Universal Music Canada, please visit www.umusic.ca.

ABOUT TRICON

Tricon Films & Television is a full-service production and distribution company focused on producing and representing contemporary, progressive and internationally viable television programming. Tricon represents an extensive catalogue of lifestyle, reality and magazine series - as well as shorts, documentaries, and dramatic programs. We continue to acquire third-party material for international distribution. Tricon’s successes over the years have included distribution of popular in-house shows such as Matchmaker and Restaurant Makeover.

ABOUT YTV

YTV, now in its 20th year, is a leading entertainment brand for kids in Canada. The network is seen in over eight million homes. As a major force in kids’ entertainment, YTV has triggered over $1 billion in Canadian independent production; has a highly interactive website that averages over 90 million monthly page views; publishes a successful kids’ magazine, Whoa!; and conducts a highly respected annual survey, The YTV Tween Report.

YTV is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising and digital audio services, television broadcasting, children’s book publishing and children’s animation. The company’s multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, Movie Central, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

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For more information, please contact:

Jacqueline Nuwame

Eventide Media

(416) 533-0149 or (416) 554-4348

jacqueline@eventidemedia.com

Molly Merrick

YTV Publicist

Corus Entertainment

(416) 530-2247

molly.merrick@corusent.com
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