New in-house production “Celebrity Soapbox” provides a forum for Hollywood stars, recording artists and the like to elaborate upon causes for which they are both well informed and dedicated.  Early scheduled guests include Ted Danson, Chantal Kreviazuk, Wyclef Jean and Indigo Girls.

Ted Danson’s concerns lie with saving oceans, so the former Cheers star’s Celebrity Soapbox episode fits right in with another prominent topic on ichannel’s 2009-2010 program roster:  our embattled environment.  A new ichannel in-house production, slated for premiere in January 2010, is Green Diaries.  The program features Candice Batista, host of “Pet Central” on The Pet Network and known for her work as a veteran environmental reporter; Batista travels across Canada assessing regional planet preservation efforts, with appropriate congratulatory or reproachful evaluations.  Green Diaries will be followed by the Robert Redford hosted Global Focus, profiling initiators of ecological directives across our planet. 

The “idoc” documentary series returns with themes that include a brothel-eye-view of larger-than-life working girl Xavier Hollander in Happy Hooker: Portrait of a Sexual Revolutionary, the self-explanatory title We Love Cigarettes, the heart-wrenching Breast Cancer Diaries, a portrait of gender-based genocide called India’s Missing Girls, an eye-opening profile of Nigeria’s religion-infused legal system Inside a Shari’ah Court, along with several short series including the works of award-winning documentarian Louis Theroux, and the nail-biting real event dramatization series Special Forces Heroes.  Undoubtedly the most notable milestone for ichannel this season is the introduction of the network’s first self-produced feature documentary; Milk War follows impassioned Durham, Ontario dairy farmer Michael Schmidt’s battle to legalize the sale of unpasteurized milk.      

ichannel’s flagship debate and discussion forum @issue is back to challenge and explore headlines through the assertions and insights of opinionated authoritative guests; this season promises to be the most explosively controversial series of programs in the franchise’s history.    The Film is back this Fall season, with new award winning films and major marquee stars.   Another star-packed entry into the ichannel lineup is St. Elsewhere; the Emmy and Peabody award-winning drama features the early work of Denzel Washington, Mark Harmon, Howie Mandel, Bruce Greenwood, Alfre Woodard, Helen Hunt, and Ed Begley, Jr.  Other favourites like MSI, Helen Help Us! and Drug Class return with new episodes. 

For a complete listing and schedule of ichannel’s fall shows, visit www.ichannel.ca.  ichannel – Intelligent Television - is available by subscription through local cable and satellite television providers across Canada.  The digital cable network is owned and operated by Stornoway Communications.   

For further information, contact:  Rosemary Fusca, (416) 756-5523, rfusca@stornoway.com

Danson says that one of the catalysts of his oceanic interest was an epiphanic moment when he had to explain to his daughter why she couldn’t swim at the beach.  The water was deemed unsafe, because of pollution.

He helped found the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, originally established to challenge offshore drilling in coastal California.  In 2002, American Oceans Campaign merged with Oceana, the largest conservation organization in the world.  Danson sits on the board of directors of Oceana, often serving as spokesperson.  In 2007, he addressed the World Trade Organization in Geneva concerning the issues of subsidizing and over-fishing.

One key factor identified by Oceana that precipitates over-fishing is governmental subsidies for the industry.  These subsidies enable large commercial fisheries to afford bigger boats and fleets that trawl giant expanses of the ocean floor, causing considerable damage to the ecosystem. 

Quoting U.N. figures, he says one-third of the earth’s fisheries have already collapsed, with “seventy five percent of fisheries either fully over-fished or right at the brink”.  He indicates that “according to science coming out of Canada”, in fifty…sixty…seventy years we will fish out our oceans. 

Overall, Danson gives Canada kudos on its subsidy and commercial fishing policies.  However, he encourages citizens to engage the government and close loopholes that allow too much freedom to the global fishing industry, “This is not about ‘don’t catch fish’.  This is about making sure we take care of that resource, so it’ll be there for everybody.”

The world premiere of Celebrity Soapbox is on Monday, June 8^th, at 9:00pm ET.  ichannel – Intelligent Television - is available by subscription through local cable and satellite television providers across Canada.  The digital cable network is owned and operated by Stornoway Communications.

For more information, contact:

Kevin O’Keefe, Celebrity Soapbox Producer, (416) 756-5505, kokeefe@ichannel.ca 

Rosemary Fusca, Head of Programming, (416) 756-5523, rfusca@stornoway.com