In light of the recent shenanigans with King Gyanendra, it seems fitting that History Channel’s new series, Monarchy, will premiere Sunday, February 13 at 8 p.m. Hosted by renowned British royal historian David Starkey, Monarchy chronicles the drama and turmoil of Europe’s oldest surviving political institution. Beginning with England’s emergence from the dark ages, the six part series brings to life a few of social and religious injustice’s greatest hits including, the Crusades, the Norman Conquest and the plague.

Bathroom Divas, Bravo’s new stab at reality television currently in production, is out to discover Canada’s newest opera star. The show will conduct a cross-country audition tour with a select few chosen to enter the show’s ‘intensive training phase’ that ultimately be whittled down to just one person who will be given the chance to perform live on-stage. Bathroom Divas is scheduled to air later this year.

For a list of the top 20 TV shows for the week of Jan. 24 to Jan. 30, according to BBM, click the links below:
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20050201/nat01242005.pdf
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20050201/ont01242005.pdf
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20050201/que01242005.pdf
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20050201/tor01242005.pdf
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20050201/van01242005.pdf

Thanks to Joseph Manley of Ottawa, Bell ExpressVu’s subscriber numbers have now topped the 1.5 million mark. ExpressVu president Robert Odendaal credits the satellite service’s accomplishment to new simplified programming packages and the successes of varied Bell service bundles. Odendaal also made reference to new innovative hardware and additional HDTV content being available for subscribers in the not-too-distant future. ExpressVu, Canada’s leading direct-to-home satellite company for almost a decade, broadcasts more than 400 digital video and audio channels.

The CRTC has ruled that Spike TV can stay on Canada’s cable menus. The hearing was initiated last May when the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) lodged a complaint on behalf of association member, Global TV. The CAB contended that when the former Nashville Network rebranded as male-targeted Spike TV in 2003, it represented unfair competition to Canadian channels such as Global-owned diginet Men TV and should be removed.
More than 219 letters and comments were received by the CRTC on this matter, 184 of them against the CAB’s contention, including one from the Canadian Cable Telecommunication Association (CCTA). The CCTA said that Spike TV had evolved in response to audience preferences and does not compete with Canadian services.
The CRTC found there was insufficient evidence to support the complaint and will amend the list of approved analog services to include the former TNN as its new entity Spike TV.

CTV’s broadcast of One World: The Concert for Tsunami Relief reached over four million viewers on Saturday. The event, which was held in Vancouver and hosted by Brent Butt and Rick Mercer, featured Canadian recording artists such as The Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan and Sum 41 (as well as a special appearance by Robin Williams). The combined totals of Saturday’s event and last night’s follow up concert in Calgary are expected to generate over $3 million for charities doing relief work in the disaster areas across South Asia.

Last year’s hotly debated Greatest Canadian series named social justice advocate Tommy Douglas as our country’s most outstanding citizen of all-time. Though rumor has it that Roch Voisine is still demanding a recount, the CBC has green lighted The Tommy Douglas Story, a four-hour mini series set to air next season. Filming will commence February 16 in Saskatchewan with Michael Therriault (who played Leo Bloom in the Canadian version of The Producers) playing the role of Douglas.

Beginning February 12, Star! will be airing ‘Hollywood Sweethearts Weekend’, a two-day Valentine’s extravaganza that will bring you so close to the love lives of the stars, you can practically smell the silicone. Saturday’s lineup will begin at 3:00 p.m. with a three-hour Love Chain marathon that will chronicle the promiscuous escapades of stars like Carmen Electra, George Clooney and Ashton Kutcher. Back-to-back episodes of Hollywood Love Story follow, and Saturday concludes with 25 Couples We Love at 8 p.m. and Hollywood Wives Tales at 9 p.m. Sunday will air all five episodes of 101 Juiciest Hollywood Hookups starting at 1 p.m.

Sex, Truth and Videotape, a six-part doc from Francine Pelletier beginning Monday, February 14 at 10 p.m. on CBC Newsworld, brings the new era of female sexuality to the small screen. Each hour-long episode features interviews with six women from varying ages, races, sexual preferences, and socioeconomic backgrounds as they reflect on their experiences with love, lust and everything in between.