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| MTV Announces Flagship Series, MTV Live |
| Posted
on Monday, February 20, 2006 - 05:57 AM |
MTV Senior Vice-President and General Manager Brad Schwartz announced today the flagship original series that will anchor the MTV schedule. MTV Live, a socially engaging, live and interactive talk show about issues of interest to all Canadians, will air Monday-Friday on MTV. The all-Canadian series will be produced and broadcast from its new state-of-the-art studios housed in Toronto's legendary Masonic Temple, today named the new and permanent home of MTV in Canada. Today's announcements are timed to coincide with the official transformation of the Masonic Temple, happening on-site today as construction crews begin erecting the world-famous MTV signature sign on the downtown landmark.
The highly-anticipated launch date of MTV will be made public in the coming weeks. Today's news is the first since CTV Inc. and MTV Networks International announced a strategic alliance to build the MTV brand in Canada in September of 2005.
The evolution of the talktv series The Chatroom, MTV Live will premiere on Day One of MTV. Broadcast live from The Masonic Temple in front of a studio audience, MTV Live is fresh, frenzied and completely unpredictable. Hosted by a (yet-to-be-named) diverse group of talented Canadians, MTV Live is an innovative, interactive television experience that makes everyday life go "pop" with interviews, debates, surprise guests and roving reporters at home and from far-flung places around the world. From relationships, fashion and celebrity to politics, the environment, technology, entertainment, sex and important social issues, MTV Live covers the conversational gamut. The original MTV series invites Canadians from across the country and around the globe to speak their minds - in person, on the phone and by e-mail and live online via webcams, instant messaging and blogging.
"MTV Live aims to make stars out of real people and real people out of stars," said Schwartz. "We're creating Canada's interactive social network for television. Viewers' opinions count: it's not our network, it's theirs."
Other elements of the series include irreverent animation, clips from MTV networks around the world, contests, field pieces, live performances and live remotes from outside the MTV studios and across the country.
"Not only the flagship show, but also the cornerstone of the network, MTV Live is the essence of what MTV will become in Canada: bold, unorthodox and thoroughly entertaining," said Susanne Boyce, CTV's President of Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group. "Re-inventing the talk format, MTV Live is an interactive, multi-media platform that will unite Canadians from coast to coast."
Plans for MTV Live are in full swing, including the design and construction of a new set in The Masonic Temple's original Concert Hall. The transformation creates an intimate setting for MTV Live, while capturing the energy of the original space. Over the last century, the legendary room has hosted concerts from the likes of Frank Sinatra, B.B. King, R.E.M, David Bowie, The Pogues, Pearl Jam, Ike and Tina Turner, The Pixies, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, The Tragically Hip and Public Enemy, among others. Most recently, it has been used as a rehearsal space for The Rolling Stones.
"The Temple has an incredible history as both a Masonic Lodge that brought people together and a concert hall that promoted creative expression," said Schwartz. "Could there possibly be a better home for MTV in Canada?"
Today, The Masonic Temple will be christened as the home of MTV in Canada when one of the world's most recognized logos is affixed to the front of the building. The 10-foot-high sign will instantly announce the presence of MTV in the heart of Toronto.
While the entire studio space is being enhanced, the rest of The Masonic Temple is undergoing technical upgrades that will allow it to house and support MTV's staff. The redesign of both the studio and the building is being led by acclaimed Toronto-based design firm 3rd Uncle, renowned for the design of Toronto's Drake Hotel.
The MTV Live set in The Concert Hall still has many of the original architectural elements including the original spiral staircase and the cornices in the ceiling and around the balcony. A new proscenium surrounding the stage is being built with a nod to the Art Nouveau styles of the 1920s. The stage itself has been raised to its original height and widened to make it more effective for television. A new "pod" that will act as the actual set for MTV Live has been designed to fit in the centre of the room allowing MTV Live to be shot in 360 degrees with the Concert Hall as its backdrop.
"The Concert hall is such an amazing venue full of history and spatial beauty that we wanted to ensure that the viewers are able to enjoy and experience it," said John Tong from 3rd Uncle. "We've worked hard in creating a design which maintains and reinforces the architectural character of the original space while bringing it into the twenty-first century. It's the coolest television studio in North America."
MTV Live is produced by MTV Productions, a division of CTV Inc. Alex Sopinka is the Senior Producer and Co-Creator. Mark McInnis is the Vice-President of Production and Co-Creator. Sam Dynes is Director of Production. Brad Schwartz is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager. Susanne Boyce is President, CTV Programming and Chair of the CTV Media Group.
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