IRREVERENT AND OUTRAGEOUS COMEDY COMES TO HBO CANADA WITH THE RETURN OF BORED
TO DEATH AND EASTBOUND & DOWN

• Hit, half-hour HBO comedies return for sophomore seasons beginning Sunday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/MT, day-and-date with HBO in the US
• Bored To Death and Eastbound & Down join HBO Canada's Sunday night line-up alongside the buzz-heavy Prohibition-era drama, Boardwalk Empire

TORONTO, Sept. 1 /CNW/ - HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Astral's The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (Western Canada), welcomes back unlicensed private detective and noir-fiction obsessed writer Jonathan Ames, and endearingly arrogant former major-league pitcher Kenny Powers. Bored To Death (Season 2) premieres Sunday, September 26 at 10 p.m ET/MT, followed by Eastbound & Down (Season 2) at 10:30 p.m. ET/MT.

Starring Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ames - New York writer and wannabe private detective - the second season of Bored To Death begins as Jonathan decides to teach creative writing night classes to help make ends meet. While moonlighting as a teacher, Jonathan continues to put his amateur sleuthing skills to use by taking on some new desperate clients ranging from a kinky politician to the publishing rival of his sexagenarian pal, George Christopher (Ted Danson). Bored To Death also stars Zach Galifianakis as Jonathan's laconic, hen-pecked cartoonist friend Ray Heuston.

The half-hour series is based on the semi-autobiographical musings of real-life eclectic author Jonathan Ames. Season 2 guest stars include Oliver Platt, Laila Robins, John Hodgman, Kristen Wiig, Kristen Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Olympia Dukakis, and Ames himself.

From several of Hollywood's top comedy minds, including Will Ferrell and Adam MacKay (Funny or Die Presents), HBO's no-holds-barred, half-hour comedy series Eastbound & Down returns to follow the exploits of arrogant, burned-out, former big league ball player Kenny Powers (Danny McBride). After learning in the Season 1 finale that an offer to pitch in Tampa Bay was bogus, Kenny dumped his then girlfriend April Buchanon at a local gas station, then headed south in his SUV alone with his humiliation.

As the second season begins, Kenny has landed in a small Mexican town where he's taken up residence with his lackey Steve Janowski (Steve Little) - who's tracked Kenny down using a credit card trail - and a new love interest, sultry lounge singer Vida (Ana de la Reguera). Together with his crew, Kenny fashions a comeback scenario that involves a local baseball team, the Charros, and its filthy-rich owner, Sebastian Cisneros (Michael Peña).

Bored To Death and Eastbound & Down will be simulcast on HBO Canada HD, and new episodes will be available on demand. Episodes will also be available on The Movie Network OnLine with Bell TV following their network premieres.

HBO Canada is a multiplex channel offered by Astral's The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (Western Canada). HBO Canada brings Canadians the current slate of signature dramatic programs for which HBO is known, together with new and never-before-seen programming including comedy series, live specials, sporting events, behind-the-scenes content and titles from HBO's extensive library - all in an uncut and commercial-free environment. HBO Canada is offered in high definition on HBO Canada HD and programming is accessible on demand where available by service provider. For more information, please visit www.hbocanada.com.

The Movie Network is a member of the Astral family. Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates over 100 of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

Movie Central is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc. (CJR.B/CJR), a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com. 

For access to The Movie Network's media room or Movie Central's press site, please visit http://tv.astral.com or http://mediacentre.corusent.com.

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