Beverly Hills, U.S.A. — TV’s most superbly dysfunctional family, the Bluths, are returning next year for an all new season of “Arrested Development,” entertaining, if not exactly edifying, Netflix members in Canada.

“Arrested Development” centers around Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and his eccentric family comprised of his son George Michael (Michael Cera), his father George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), his mother Lucille (Jessica Walter), his brothers George Oscar Bluth II (Will Arnett), Buster Bluth (Tony Hale) and sister Lindsay Funke (Portia de Rossi), and Lindsay’s husband Tobias (David Cross) and their daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat).

Netflix members in Canada can catch up with their adventures anytime by watching the first three seasons of the critically-acclaimed Fox show, which went off air in 2006 and are available exclusively on Netflix.

Since launching in Canada in September of 2010, Netflix has continued to increase the scope and quality of content available to its members. In recent months additions have included TV series like the supernatural drama “The Vampire Diaries;” mystery thriller “Pretty Little Liars;” comedy “Community” and Judd Apatow’s cult favorite “Freaks & Geeks;” as well as features like global blockbuster smash ‘The Hunger Games’ (starting on December 31); Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Network;’ ‘We Bought a Zoo’ with Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, and the Academy Award winning ‘The Descendants’ with George Clooney.

Netflix Canada has also continued to add great Canadian content, including hit family drama “La Galere;” comedy mockumentary “Trailer Park Boys;” acclaimed documentary ‘Amour Haine et Propagande’ as well as long-running series such as “Dragon’s Den” and “Being Erica.”

“With the excitement surrounding the return of “Arrested Development,” we are thrilled to premiere the new season of the show in Canada at the same time as we launch it in the US,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer at Netflix. “Our Canadian members have welcomed us since our arrival and we are proud to be able to continue adding a great mix of Canadian, Hollywood and international shows and movies to our Canadian service.”

Mitch Hurwitz, Troy Miller, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo are executive producers on the upcoming fourth season of “Arrested Development,” and it is produced by Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox Television for Netflix

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Matt Damon won’t appear, but still, if you are a fan of Bourne movies, you should not miss the new movie of the famous saga,’ The Bourne Legacy’, which will be on theaters this August.

The movie trailer promises a lot of action, shootings, and persecutions. But this is not a surprise; you can’t expect anything less from a Bourne movie. ‘The Bourne Legacy’’s director is Tony Gilroy, who has been the screenwriter of the last three Bourne movies, but this is his first time as director. The protagonist, Aaron Cross, is played by Jeremy Renner, who has appeared in movies like ‘The Avengers’ and ‘The Town.’

Some rumors said that Matt Damon absence in the movie is explained by the fact that Paul Greengrass is not the movie director any more. Paul Grengrass quit as director after doing ‘The Bourne Ultimatum.’ After that Damon stated: “I’ll just wait for him and when (Greengrass) wants to do one, we’ll do it.” So maybe we will see Matt Damon again in future Bourne movies, but in this new movie it’s Renner time to shine.

The official movie website explains that in the new movie the “narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: ‘The Bourne Legacy’. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films.”

The new movie has a lot of new faces that have not appeared in the saga, but it still include some franchise veterans. The new faces are: Jeremy Renner (Aaron Cross), Edward Norton (Byer), Stacy Keach (Turso), and Oscar Isaac.  On the other hand Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn repeat their roles.

Renner is trying to avoid any comparison with Matt Damon, he clearly stated to the Star from Los Angeles that there is only one Jason Bourne, and it’s not him, Matt Damon will always be Jason Bourne.  The author has not given details about the movie plot, but he assured the fans that the movie is loyal to the Bourne Style.

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Water.org is the charitable organization co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White in 2009. The organization has worked in many developing nations including Haiti, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Honduras, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, and India. They work to not only provide the communities they help with potable water but also better sanitation; however, the power of these projects is put in the hands of the communities themselves.

While working in Haiti, water.org tries to work with local non-profit organizations that know the local, usually rural communities and can better understand their cultural, political, and environmental needs. The local partner will also know what the best technologies to use for that region are based on the environmental needs of the community and whether or not the parts for repair are easily obtained in that region or country.

Additionally, water.org does its best to work with the Haitian government and DINEPA, the organization responsible for water regulations in Haiti. Recently DINEPA has been addressing the cholera epidemic that began in October 2010 after the earthquake, monitoring water quality throughout the country, and decentralizing water and sanitation so that there are regional representatives. This decentralization works well with the water.org system

Water.org has been in Haiti since 2009 and has helped to sustainably provide 18.000 people – mainly in the Pignon region of Saint-Raphael – with potable water; their goal is to reach 50.000 by March of 2014.

In addition to providing drinkable water, water.org does its best to encourage better sanitation practices. They will analyze what sanitation barriers are in place and what the needs of the community are. Currently in most of Haiti only fifty-one percent of individuals are using some kind of latrine as opposed to the eighty-three percent of people who have and use these sanitation measures in communities aided by water.org. However, Laura Ralston, International Programs Manager, states, “you will always find people who are not necessarily going to be on board [with sanitation measures] for whatever reason.” Unfortunately these seventeen percent of people are still affecting the health of the rest of the community.

Ralston stated that in one community she visited recently, the water sanitation committee put together by water.org was “at their wit’s end” trying to get the last few households to get latrines. The families did not have financial difficulty, but simply did not see the need. According to Ralston, some individuals do not see a need for the latrines even after they are given presentations and explanations.

Perhaps the most important aspect of water.org’s work is the community involvement. Water.org is, of course, essential for the projects, but they only get involved with communities who reach out to them through their local non-governmental organizations or charities. Then the community forms a committee to oversee the water and sanitation projects and to collect the maintenance fees for the well. The communities will also decide the rules and regulations regarding the wells and what kind of savings threshold they want to meet every month as a community. Only when these communities have trouble does water.org intervene with advice and as a facilitator of conversations. Ralston claims that “it’s [the communities] prerogative to meet those thresholds.”

As of now all of the communities in Haiti are meeting their savings goals. Some communities are even saving enough money to consider getting a solar panel for their well or another well for the purposes of irrigation. It is very important to water.org, according to Ralston, that these projects are sustainable for the community financially and technically so that when water.org leaves the community will not have to worry about the well breaking and the funds or parts not being there to fix it.

Most of the projects in Haiti use wells but there are some that capture water from springs. Before determining which type of construction needs to be done, water.org and the local partner will do hydrological and sometimes geological assessments. It is also important for them and the community to know if the spring they are using is in a delicate watershed.

The community is also responsible for the water quality treatments from the wells and springs. Most of these water supplies will require chlorine treatments before human use and the community can decide whether they want some kind of automatic dispenser or if they would prefer to do the treatments manually.

Since the devasting Haiti earthquake in 2010, over 4500 people have died from cholera. The main source of this contamination was the Artibonite River. The journal Nature published an article that claimed Haiti’s limited resources should be spent not on vaccinations but on sanitation and access to clean water. Obviously, water.org has been working towards these goals and begin their projects with surveys and assessments. After the communities have taken over the responsibilities of sanitation and clean water some have continued to do surveys and gather data on how many are sick and they are seeing improvements in fewer numbers of cholera cases.

Some projects are not always successful. Although water.org may start a project in a location, the project can be halted for several reasons such as a lack of any kind of water resource, or human interference. Human reasons are the main reason for the cancellation of projects such as social reasons, rivaling groups, or political disputes. According to Ralston the problem boils down to “money always complicates things.”

Water.org will continue its work in Haiti until it hopefully reaches its 2014 goal of 50000 people with potable water. Although water.org has other projects elsewhere around the globe Ralston claims the direst situations at this time are in Haiti so this is where they will focus.

Find out more on how to get involved and support the Water.Org project by visiting Water.Org or Facebook.

Image Courtesy of  Water.Org

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California, U.S.A - Nick at Nite adds sizzle to summer weeknights with the debut of the original primetime drama Hollywood Heights on June 18, at 9p.m. (ET/PT).

Adapted for a U.S. audience from the wildly popular Mexican telenovela Alcanzar una Estrella, Hollywood Heights follows the journey of a teenage girl whose life changes drastically when she becomes a star and wins the love of her rock and roll idol, and both are tested by setbacks, heartbreak and deception. The first season of the 80-episode series, co-produced with Televisa in association with Sony Pictures Television, will air weeknights at 9p.m. through October 2012.

“Hollywood Heights, in the great tradition of telenovelas, serves up relatable characters and compelling storylines that hook you and keep you coming back to see what happens next,” said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s President, Development and Original Programming. “The stories are about love, family and following your dreams and summertime offers a great window for this kind of viewing commitment.”

The series centers on Loren Tate (Brittany Underwood, One Life to Live), a shy teen whose musical aspirations inch closer to reality when she wins a songwriting contest sponsored by Eddie Duran (Cody Longo, Fame), and a rock star at the top of his game.  Although Loren and Eddie’s budding partnership – on-stage and off – faces obstacles, their strong family bonds inspire them to keep going.

Actor James Franco will star in a multi-episode arc as Osborne “Oz” Silver, an eccentric movie mogul who lives life to the fullest, often outrageously.  Offbeat, seductive and ruthless when he has to be, Oz adores making movies and does whatever it takes to make the films he wants.

Cody Longo landed his first feature film role on Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. Shortly after, he starred in MGM’s widely acclaimed film Fame, a popular movie remake of the popular television series. His undeniable talent on-screen led to recurring roles on Brothers and Sisters, CSI: NY and Make It or Break It. This summer, he will share the big screen with James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Jeffrey Tambor in the highly anticipated film For the Love of Money and will show audiences his comedic chops in the indie film High School (Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis).

Brittany Underwood is best known for the five years she spent playing the role of Langston Wilde on the popular daytime drama, One Life to Live. She has also made appearances in Margaret with Matt Damon, The Big C and Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit.

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BabyCenter, a pregnancy and parenting mobile and Web destination, announced its list of the most and least favorite celebrity baby names of 2011. BabyCenter surveyed its audience to see which celebrity baby names made the A-list and which fell short. Based on responses from nearly 3,000 moms, Victoria and David Beckham did the best job in naming their little girl, Harper Seven.

The name Harper has already jumped an impressive 34 spots and is clearly parents’ favorite celebrity name of the year. Also topping the list are Willow Sage, the daughter of new parents Pink and Carey Hart, and Aiden, son of Rod and Penny Lancaster Stewart.

“Celebrities are creative, and their baby name choices are no exception,” says Linda Murray, BabyCenter Global Editor-in-Chief. “Love them, or hate them, celebrity baby names are always a hot topic, so it’s no surprise that nearly 50 percent of expecting moms trying to decide on a name find inspiration from celebrities.”

Top 5 Favorite Celebrity Baby Names

Harper Seven (David & Victoria Beckham)
Aiden (Rod & Penny Lancaster Stewart)
Liam James (Craig & Megan Ferguson)
Willow Sage (Pink & Carey Hart)
Arabella Rose (Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner)

Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner. According to BabyCenter moms, topping the list of least favorite celebrity baby names is Bear Blu, son of Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki. Also high on the list is the name of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s son, Moroccan Scott, as well as Mike Myers and Kelly Tisdale’s son, Spike.

Top 5 Least Favorite Celebrity Baby Names

Bear Blu (Alicia Silverstone & Christopher Jarecki)
Moroccan Scott (Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon)
Agnes Lark (Jennifer Connelly & Paul Bettany)
Spike (Mike Myers & Kelly Tisdale)
Declan George (Danny & Gia McBride)

With all the unusual baby names out there, BabyCenter celebrity contributors, The MOMS (Denise Albert and Melissa Gerstein, formerly of Moms and the City), caught up with some of our favorite superstars to find out if they suffer from baby name regret and if they’ve ever considered changing their own name.

For answers from Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, and other stars, check out the video at http://blogs.babycenter.com/celebrities/would-you-change-your-name-matt-damon-would/.

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The release of the movie ‘We Bought a Zoo’ has prompted the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to caution the public that buying zoo animals for private ownership is not only a dangerous idea, but it is often illegal as well.

Zoos are important institutions in every community where they exist and help in global conservation efforts.  Zoo animals deserve and require appropriate care provided by professionals.

“The human-animal bond is a heartwarming thing to witness both in real life and in movies, but the challenges of owning and caring for wild animals makes private ownership of zoo animals dangerous for people and the animals,” explains Dr. Rene Carlson, president of the AVMA. “We want to remind everyone that zoo animals are wild and have very specific needs. Owning and caring for wild animals at home is dangerous not only for you and your family but also for the animals.”

In the movie, based on an autobiography written by Benjamin Mee and starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, John Michael Higgins, the family buys a zoo, but they also employ a veterinarian and trained staff to care for the animals. Without the help of veterinarians and experienced zoo keepers, animal health technicians or other qualified individuals, care of wild animals should not be attempted.

The issue became national news two months ago when the owner of a wildlife reserve in Ohio freed his wild animals before killing himself. Forty-eight animals were killed by the sheriff’s department to protect the public.

The AVMA advises lawmakers across the country to severely restrict or prohibit private ownership of indigenous and non-native wild animals that pose a significant risk to public health, domestic animal health or the ecosystem, as well as those species whose welfare is unacceptably compromised.

The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world, with more than 81,500 member veterinarians worldwide are engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. The year 2011 is being celebrated by veterinarians around the world as Vet2011, the 250th anniversary of the birth of veterinary medicine and education.

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Brad Pitt has been voted the Top Money-Making Star of 2011 in Quigley Publishing Company’s 80th Annual Poll of Motion Picture Exhibitors. This is Pitt’s sixth appearance in the Poll, but his first win. Exhibitors felt Pitt was responsible for more traffic to theatres than any other Hollywood star based on his performances this year in “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life,” and “Happy Feet Two.”

The Quigley Poll, conducted each year since 1932, is an annual survey of motion picture theatre owners and film buyers, which asks them to vote for the ten stars that they believe generated the most box-office revenue for their theatres during the year. It has been long regarded as one of the most reliable indicators of a star’s real box office draw because the selections are made by professionals whose livelihood depends on choosing the films and actors that will bring audiences to their theatres. The Quigley Poll lists the results of all the Polls since Marie Dressler, Janet Gaynor, and Joan Crawford took the top three places in 1932.

George Clooney placed second this year based on “The Ides of March,” where he was also the director, producer, and co-writer, and “The Descendants.” Johnny Depp, last year’s winner, made it to number three this year with 2011 roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” and “The Rum Diary.”  Depp has placed in the poll seven times, as has this year’s number four, Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in “J. Edgar.” Matt Damon, number five, had a very busy year with “Contagion,” “The Adjustment Bureau,” “Margaret,” and “We Bought a Zoo.”

Sandra Bullock, winner of 2009, placed number six, which marks her fifth appearance in the poll. She first placed in the survey in 1995. There were two first-timers this year, Bradley Cooper number seven and Ben Stiller number ten. Bradley Cooper was in “The Hangover Part II,” and Ben Stiller was in “Tower Heist.” Robert Downey, Jr. was number eight on the strength of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” and Meryl Streep was number nine as ‘The Iron Lady” and is in the Top Ten for the fourth time.

Tom Cruise has not placed in the Poll since 2006, but he has been in the Top Ten 20 times since 1983 and has been voted number one the most of any actor – seven times. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, and Bing Crosby have all won five times. Clint Eastwood has been in the poll 21 times starting in 1968. Currently, exhibitors appreciate him more as a director that brings audiences to their theatres. John Wayne, Doris Day, and Shirley Temple each finished first four times, but John Wayne was voted one of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars an astounding 25 times from 1949 to 1974.

Exhibitors were also asked to name the Stars of Tomorrow for 2011, one actor and one actress who they feel will be Top Money-Makers in the years to come. The 2011 winners are Rooney Mara, who played Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and Jonah Hill, who had a breakthrough performance in “Moneyball” and starred in “The Sitter.”

Top Ten Money-Making Stars of 2011

1. Brad Pitt
2. George Clooney
3. Johnny Depp
4. Leonardo Di Caprio
5. Matt Damon
6. Sandra Bullock
7. Bradley Cooper
8. Robert Downey, Jr.
9. Meryl Streep
10. Ben Stiller

Stars of Tomorrow:

Rooney Mara
Jonah Hill

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It’s been more than two years since the film about the life of Liberace was announced but now there should be official movement in the production. Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh will direct Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as they explore the stormy relationship between the legendary entertainer and his younger lover, Scott Thorson.

Douglas will play Liberace and Damon Scott Thorson while Emmy Award winning producer Jerry Weintraub will help get this movie to the screen on HBO.

The film Behind the Candelabra was announced by Len Amato, the president of HBO Films last week. With Soderberg, who we know from Contagion, Traffic and Ocean’s Eleven, comes a script by Oscar nominee Richard Lagravenese (Water for Elephants) and producers Gregory Jacobs (Contagion, The Informant!) and Susan Ekins (Ocean’s Eleven, The Karate Kid series) while Weintraub will be the executive producer.

“This is a story that’s going to surprise a lot of people,” said Amato in a press release. “It’s funny, heartbreaking and always fascinating, and we are delighted that Jerry and Steven brought the film to HBO. With Steven at the helm, directing such accomplished actors as Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, this is a dream project for us.”

Weintraub continues “I’ve wanted to make a film about Liberace for a very long time, and after the amazing experience I had with HBO on ‘His Way,’ I knew that they were absolutely the right place for this movie. I am thrilled that we have the incomparable Michael Douglas to inhabit the role of Liberace, as well as the exceptional Matt Damon to play the pivotal part of Scott Thorson.

Putting these two fine actors in the creative hands of Steven Soderbergh – it doesn’t get better than that!” It has come a surprise to many that the behind-the-scenes feature will hit TV rather than cinemas. The flamboyant Liberace made a name for himself as the highest paid entertainer in the world between the 1950s and 1970s, according to Wikipedia.com

“From the inception of this project, we’ve had two priorities: getting it right creatively, and getting as many people as possible to see it,” says Soderbergh. “HBO’s fearless approach to original programming and their unparalleled ability to pull in viewers make them the perfect fit for us. Apart from my hair growing back, I couldn’t be happier.”

Behind The Candelabra will start production in 2012, with locations in Los Angeles, Palm Springs and of course, Las Vegas.

Peter Albrektsen / Shutterstock.com

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