ET CANADA FESTIVAL CENTRAL 2010 HOSTS FOUR DAZZLING NIGHTS

    
               Exclusive After Party Events for TIFF Gala Films
                   "BARNEY'S VERSION" and "GOOD NEIGHBOURS"

                       Talent in Attendance to Include:
        Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Scott Speedman, Minnie Driver,
     Rachelle Lefevre, Rosamund Pike, Emily Hampshire, Jay Baruchel and
                                  Many More

      Plus, 'Dipdive Nights' Hosted by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas

                 ET Canada Festival Central Coverage Begins
               Thursday, September 9 - 7:30pm ET/PT on Global
    

For photography and media accreditation materials, please visit: www.canwesttvmedia.com

TORONTO, Sept. 1 /CNW/ - Global's Entertainment Tonight Canada revealed this evening the details surrounding their exclusive red carpet Festival Central gala events in celebration of the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). As the only entertainment show to officially sponsor the Festival, ET Canada will feature wall-to-wall coverage of all things TIFF every night for 11 days beginning Thursday, September 9th.

"TIFF is a landmark event for film worldwide and after five years going strong, Festival Central parties have become renowned among the top tier talent that walk our red carpet," said Tamara Simoneau, Sr. Executive Producer, ET Canada. "ET Canada is pulling out all the stops for our exclusive gala nights and fans can catch the evening's best moments every night on the show."

Returning to the city's most coveted rooftop real-estate, Festival Central headquarters will once again be located in the heart of Yorkville. Under the stars and overlooking the crowds below, ET Canada will host four consecutive nights of glamour, including the official celebrations for "BARNEY'S VERSION" and "GOOD NEIGHBOURS." Plus, ET Canada is celebrating will.i.am's new media network DIPDIVE as well as teaming up with celebrity-endorsed charity, The Creative Coalition, to present the SPOTLIGHT AWARDS and official after party.

    
    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
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will.i.am and ET CANADA present "DIPDIVE NIGHTS" brought to you by Blackberry

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am gets it started and mans the turntables for tastemakers, trendsetters and his famous friends. Celebrity guest DJs are expected throughout the evening for a body rocking, beat pumping, rooftop dance party.

    
    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
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"BARNEY'S VERSION" - Entertainment One

Starring Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Scott Speedman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre.

From producer Robert Lantos, Barney's Version is a film based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel. Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney's candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman) and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman). Directed by Richard J. Lewis.

    
    MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
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THE SPOTLIGHT AWARDS & OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY

For the first time ever, ET Canada will exclusively partner with not-for-profit New York City based organization, The Creative Coalition for the Spotlight Awards. The Awards pay homage to actors, directors and producers who support independent films with messages that make a positive difference in the world. Past winners and presenters include Natalie Portman, Harvey & Bob Weinstein, Elijah Wood, Adrien Grenier and Precious director, Lee Daniels.

    
    TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
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"GOOD NEIGHBOURS" - Alliance Films

Starring Scott Speedman, Emily Hampshire and Jay Baruchel.

Director Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) returns with an innovative and unsettling thriller about some very strange people living in the same apartment building in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. The film follows some three usual inhabitants - Victor (Jay Baruchel), an overly friendly elementary school teacher who's desperate for human contact; Louise (Emily Hampshire), a waitress with an unhealthy attachment to her cats; and Spencer (Scott Speedman), a widower who's confined to a wheelchair.

Also, for the second year in a row, ET Canada will partner with Playback for the magazine's fourth annual Canadian Film & Television Hall of Fame awards ceremony taking place on Monday, September 13. The awards are a celebration of film and television heavyweights including actor Donald Sutherland; writer/director/producer Paul Haggis; host/scientist David Suzuki; film producer Don Carmody; and the late actor John Candy.

Each night guests of Festival Central will be given the VIP treatment with special party features including a GUESS branded photo booth stationed at the end of the red carpet and the return of the hugely popular ET Canada branded golf carts that will whisk partygoers from street level to the excitement on the roof. ET Canada is proud to partner with some of Canada's top advertisers this Festival. Platinum sponsors L'Oreal Paris and The Bay will be creatively integrated into the Festival Central events and coverage, and Gold sponsors Energizer Canada, Stella Artois and GUESS will have a unique presence at each of the parties as well. Silver sponsors include Grand Marnier and Fuze. ET Canada will once again bring Festival Central to life with the help of Liberty Entertainment Group.

"We are very excited to once again partner with ET Canada to produce Festival Central during this year's TIFF. We have seen the event grow over the past five years to truly become one of the highlights of the Festival," said Nick Di Donato, President & CEO, Liberty Entertainment Group. "This year's events will be our best yet and we look forward to toasting another successful year with our friends at ET Canada."

ET Canada's Studio Lounge will be based next door at Toronto's Four Seasons Hotel where stars will stop by for interviews with show hosts Cheryl Hickey and Rick Campanelli. VIP guests will sip on Moët et Chandon and autograph a custom Magnum to be auctioned off for charity. The ET Canada exclusive gift suite will feature Thomas Sabo fine jewelry and the newest fall lingerie and beauty collections from Victoria's Secret, which just opened its first stores in Canada.

For daily Festival coverage viewers can tune in to ET Canada starting Thursday, September 9th - 7:30pm ET/PT, following Entertainment Tonight at 7pm ET/PT on Global. Regular show highlights and behind the scenes access at www.ETCanada.com.

About Entertainment Tonight Canada:

Entertainment Tonight Canada is the country's most trusted entertainment newsmagazine, delivering in depth and breaking up-to-the minute celebrity, film, television and music news. Together with trusted global powerhouse, Entertainment Tonight, ET Canada delivers the Most Watched Hour of Entertainment News to Canadians every night, every week, coast to coast. Hosted by Cheryl Hickey, ET Canada is produced by Canwest for Global Television in association with Paramount Domestic Television. Tamara Simoneau serves as Senior Executive Producer.

About Canwest Broadcasting

Canwest Broadcasting operates Global Television and 19 of the country's most popular specialty channels, including HGTV, Mystery TV, National Geographic Channel, Showcase, History Television, Food Network and TVtropolis. Canwest Broadcasting is a division of Canwest Media Inc.

About Canwest Originals

Canwest is the proud home of the most diverse slate of Canadian Original programs across the Dramatic, Lifestyle and Entertainment genres. As a steadfast supporter of the Canadian production community, Canwest is dedicated to bringing the best of the country to audiences nationwide - including shows such as: Rookie Blue, Family Restaurant, Holmes Inspection, Ice Pilots: NWT, 16:9, Re-Vamped and Canada's most trusted entertainment news show Entertainment Tonight Canada.

About Canwest Media Inc.

Canwest Media Inc. is a subsidiary of Canwest Global Communications Corp. (www.canwest.com) (TSX-V; CGS and CGS.A), one of Canada's largest broadcasting companies. In addition to owning the Global Television Network, Canwest operates 19 industry-leading specialty channels and more than 20 online properties.

For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Jacqueline Kendall, Global Television, [phone], [email protected]; Grace Park, Global Television, [phone], [email protected]; For media accreditation, please contact: Tatiana Read, [phone], [email protected]