Keshia Chanté, Tara Oram and Mark Spicoluk join Season 5 of YTV'S Hit Talent Series The Next Star

Cross-Canada audition tour begins Saturday, April 28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Detailed audition information available at YTV.com

For high-resolution images, please visit http://www.corusent.com/home/MediaCentre/Television

TORONTO, April 5, 2012 /CNW/ - Rev up your vocals, kids! Corus Entertainment's YTV is pleased to announce that Season 5 of the network's top-rated series The Next Star will once again embark on a nationwide, six-city search for Canada's next young singing sensation. Auditions begin Saturday, April 28 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and continue throughout the month of May. Gemini-nominated host Adamo Ruggiero returns and welcomes JUNO Award-winning R&B/pop sensation Keshia Chanté, country sweetheart and TV personality Tara Oram, and A&R extraordinaire and label exec Mark Spicoluk as this year's judges and mentors.

"The Next Star is one of YTV's most popular series and over the past 5 years, it has discovered and nurtured some of Canada's hottest talent, including rising stars Alyssa Reid and Victoria Duffield," said Jocelyn Hamilton, Vice President, Original Programming, Kids, Comedy, Drama, Corus Entertainment. "We are very proud of this series and the fact that kids and families across the country are able to watch and truly participate in the process of finding Canada's Next Star."

"The Next Star continues to captivate young audiences and parents alike by not only taking the finalists on a journey of a lifetime, but also the viewers at home," said Andrea Gorfolova, President of Tricon Films and Television. "We are delighted to continue working with Corus Entertainment's YTV on this one-of-a-kind project, and to provide young Canadians with a much-deserved platform to shine."

With alumni like JUNO Award nominee Alyssa Reid and Platinum-selling artist Victoria Duffield heating up the charts, The Next Star is anticipating another huge year of talent discovery! Auditions are open to kids aged 15 and under and will focus on finding Canada's next singing sensation. The series will premiere this summer on YTV and follow the finalists as they master their sound, style and stage presence, culminating in a live finale in September to crown the finalist with the most viewer votes as The Next Star.

Below is a complete list of cities and locations:

Saturday, April 28
World Trade and Convention Centre, 1800 Argyle Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Tuesday, May 1
Plaza Volare at Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport, 6600 Cote-de-Liesse, Saint-Laurent, Quebec.

Saturday, May 5
Winnipeg Convention Centre (York Ave. Entrance), 375 York Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Tuesday, May 8
Ramada Conference Centre, 11834 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta.

Saturday, May 12
Vancouver Convention Centre (East building), 999 Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St W (North Building), Toronto, Ontario.

For more information about the audition process, rules and procedures, please visit the official website at YTV.com

Tricon Films & Television is one of North America's strongest independent production and distribution companies dedicated to producing and representing groundbreaking television. Tricon has fast emerged as a leading supplier of high quality factual and scripted content that continues to perform successfully both domestically and around the world. Launched in 2002, Tricon's distribution arm has an impressive track record of selling a broad mix of award winning programming from primetime scripted comedy and dramatic series, to reality, lifestyle, factual and documentary series. www.triconfilms.com.

Seen in over 11 million homes across Canada, YTV is a leading entertainment brand for kids. YTV offers quality entertainment for kids and families with hit Nickelodeon series, nighttime drama for teens, blockbuster movies and original Canadian programming. YTV reaches its viewers online at YTV.com and in local communities with the traveling road show WOW!. Visit www.ytv.com.

YTV is owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., 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. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country 105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter -
@TheNextStar_5

Facebook -
Facebook.com/TheNextStarYTV

For high-resolution images, please visit http://www.corusent.com/home/MediaCentre/Television

Follow Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR

Judy Lung        
Corus Entertainment      
416.479.6757       
[email protected]     

Anne Vranic
Holmes Creative Communications
416.628.5606
[email protected]m