CTV Celebrates THE 84th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS(R) on Feb. 26 With Extensive Coverage

- Leah Miller joins ETALK's Ben Mulroney to host Canada's official red carpet special CTV AT THE OSCARS^® -
- Billy Crystal returns to the OSCAR^® stage for his ninth appearance as host -
- Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas and Halle Berry among the A-list presenters -
- ETALK's Lainey live blogs exclusively at OSCARS.CTV.CA from backstage at the Kodak Theatre -
- InFashion's Glen Baxter and MTV's Johnny Hockin join viewers for CTV's most popular social chat of the year, only on The CTV iPad App Social Screen and OSCARS.CTV.CA -
- Canada's Cirque du Soleil^® presents an exclusive performance with largest ensemble cast ever in one act -

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TORONTO, Feb. 22, 2012 /CNW/ - From winner predictions, the fashion, the parties and of course, the awards themselves, CTV, CTV Two, CTV.ca, and E! are the destinations viewers can turn to for non-stop OSCAR^® coverage. CTV announced today its broadcast plans for THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS^®, last year's most-watched entertainment broadcast, airing live Sunday, Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET exclusively on CTV. Before the awards kick off, Canada's official red carpet special CTV AT THE OSCARS airs at 6 p.m. ET on CTV, CTV.ca, and CTV Mobile (visit ctv.ca to confirm local broadcast times). ETALK anchor Ben Mulroney is joined by Leah Miller for her first OSCAR appearance, as Ben delivers the celebrity interviews and Leah talks red carpet arrivals and celebrity fashion. CTV AT THE OSCARS is followed by OSCARS RED CARPET LIVE at 7 p.m. ET on CTV Two.

** Media Note ** - Download photos for THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS at BellMediaPR.ca

** Click here for a detailed list and synopses of key CTV, CTV Two and E! programs and specials celebrating THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS **

"Whether it's the fashion, celebrity gossip or the movies themselves that our viewers love - The Academy Awards is a not-to-be-missed television event," said Phil King, President, CTV Programming & Sports. "And kicking it all off Sunday night is ETALK's Ben Mulroney and Leah Miller, who are coming together for CTV AT THE OSCARS, delivering exceptional red carpet coverage from a truly Canadian perspective."

As the only Canadian outlet on the OSCAR red carpet, Canada's official red carpet show CTV AT THE OSCARS kicks off Sundays festivities. Hosted by ETALK anchor Ben Mulroney positioned on the carpet, he is joined by Leah Miller from an exclusive position on the balcony with a birds-eye view of all the arrivals and red carpet action. ELLE magazine creative director, and Canadian, Joe Zee joins Leah on the balcony to dish on all the red carpet fashion.

Always the most social night of the year, fans who want to dissect the dresses, hairdos, cheer for winners and spot loser-faces, the CTV iPad App Social Screen and OSCARS.CTV.CA is where Canadians gather online to revel in the glitz and glamour of THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS. Film buffs can begin the night with the live-stream of CTV AT THE OSCARS, and can then mingle with fashion expert Glen Baxter, MTV's Movie Night host Johnny Hockin, and other celebrities from across Bell Media properties on the popular CTV.ca OSCAR night Live Chat. Viewers can also go behind-the-scenes like never before with ETALK's gossip maven Lainey's live blog from inside the press room.

OSCAR Day Coverage (all times ET)

• 1:30 p.m. on E! - COUNTDOWN TO THE RED CARPET: THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS
• 4 p.m. on CTV and CTV Mobile - FASHION TELEVISION
• 4:30 p.m. on CTV and CTV Mobile - etalk Fashion Fix: A DECADE AT THE OSCARS
• 5:30 p.m. on E! - LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET: THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS
• 6 p.m. Live chat on the CTV iPad App Social Screen and on OSCARS.CTV.CA throughout red carpet programming, and THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS
• 6 p.m. on CTV, CTV.ca and CTV Mobile and 8:30 p.m. on E! - CTV AT THE OSCARS
• 7 p.m. on CTV Two - OSCARS RED CARPET LIVE hosted by Robin Roberts, Tim Gunn, Louise Roe, Jess Cagle and Nina Garcia
• 8:30 p.m. on CTV - THE 84^th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS hosted by Billy Crystal
• 11:30 p.m. on E! - E! AFTER PARTY: THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS

Pre-OSCAR Coverage (all times ET)

• Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 a.m. on CTV - CANADA AM gets a round-up of celebrity gossip from the queen of gossip, ETALK's Lainey. Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. on CTV and 6 p.m. on E! - ETALK kicks off OSCAR weekend and reporting from the middle of all the action in Los Angeles.
• Friday, Feb. 24 at 6 a.m. on CTV - CANADA AM gets a behind the scenes look at Autodesk, a Canadian special effects company that created the software used by every nominee in the special effects category.
• Friday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. on CTV, 1:30 p.m. on CTV Two and 6:30 p.m. on E! - ETALK FASHION FIX: A DECADE AT THE OSCARS looks back at the fashion highs and lows from the last decade of the OSCARS.
• Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. on CTV and 6 p.m. on E! - While reporting from Los Angeles, ETALK anchors Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim, along with Lainey, weigh in on their favourites to win the golden statue.
• Saturday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. on CTV - ETALK PRESENTS: OSCARS 2012 gets viewers prepped for the big night with winner and fashion predictions and a look at what to expect from host Billy Crystal for the big night.

Post-OSCAR Coverage (all times ET)

• Monday, Feb. 27 at 6 a.m. on CTV - ETALK's Ben Mulroney joins CANADA AM live from Los Angeles to recap all the highs and lows from Oscar night.
• Monday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. on CTV - Live! With Kelly'S after oscar show is broadcast from the Kodak Theatre, and Kelly Ripa is joined by Neil Patrick Harris as they get the low-down about the festivities from the winners and presenters.
• Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. on CTV and 6 p.m. on E! - ETALK recaps the most buzzed-about after parties, and the moments viewers didn't get to see from the red carpet and OSCARS broadcast, and also has an exclusive announcement from the legendary Elton John.
• Monday, Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. ET on E! - FASHION POLICE: THE 2012 ACADEMY AWARDS is an honest critique of OSCAR night fashion with always outspoken host Joan Rivers
• Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 1 p.m. on CTV and 1:30 p.m. on CTV Two - ETALK FASHION FIX: OSCARS 2012 highlights the best and worst dressed celebrities who graced the red carpet.

Handing out OSCAR this year are some of Hollywood's elite, with Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Michael Douglas, Halle Berry, Bradley Cooper, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Tina Fey, Emma Stone, Chris Rock and Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy all confirmed as presenters. The entire cast of the hit film Bridesmaids - Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, and MIKE & MOLLY's Melissa McCarthy, who received her first OSCAR nomination this year for the film, will also present together. More than 50 international artists from Cirque du Soleil^® will also come together for an exclusive, one-time-only performance event, featuring the largest cast ever assembled for a single act.

OSCARS.CTV.CA features everything movie lovers need leading up to the big day including a list of the nominees, exclusive video from ETALK, CANADA AM, and CTV NEWS, as well as editorial, quizzes, film trailers, and more.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: Twitter
CTV - @CTV_Television
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - @TheAcademy
ETALK - @etalkCTV
ETALK's Ben Mulroney - @BenMulroney1976
ETALK's Tanya Kim - @Tanya_Kim
ETALK's Lainey - @LaineyGossip
Leah Miller - @LeahMiller
Joe Zee - @mrjoezee
E! - @EOnlineCanada
Facebook
facebook.com/ctv
facebook.com/TheAcademy

About E!
E! Entertainment Television is Canada's ultimate destination for the latest news and information on celebrities, entertainment and pop culture. Available in more than 6 million Canadian homes, E! features a dynamic lineup of entertainment news programming, hit reality series, candid profiles of the world's biggest stars, and the best live red carpet coverage from Canada and around the world. E! is a division of Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about E! can be found at eonline.ca.

About CTV
CTV, Canada's Olympic Network, is also Canada's largest private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV is Canada's most-watched television network and lead broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca.

Source: BBM Canada, broadcast year 2010-2011

Christy Sullivan, CTV and CTV Two, 416.384.3624 or [email protected]
Shannon Hall, E!, 416.384.2056 or [email protected]