The Final and Most Anticipated Episodes of HBO's The Sopranos Premiere Exclusively on The Movie Network and Movie Central

    The last nine episodes begin on Sunday, April 8 at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT

    TORONTO, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - Astral Media's The Movie Network (eastern
Canada) and Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (western Canada) present the
highly-anticipated final nine episodes of HBO's landmark drama series The
Sopranos. The episodes will premiere exclusively day-and-date with HBO on
Sunday, April 8 at 9 p.m. ET on The Movie Network and 8 p.m. PT on Movie
Central.
    In the new episodes of this darkly humourous look at a New Jersey crime
family, allegiances are tested, decisions are made and the heat turns up. Mob
boss Tony Soprano, who cheated death last year when he was shot by his
now-institutionalized Uncle Junior, continues to ponder his second chance at
life while facing myriad crises at home, at work and from the law. Tony's wife
Carmela, son AJ and daughter Meadow each make choices that promise to change
the face of the Sopranos' domestic life. At work, Tony comes to doubt the
allegiances of many of those closest to him and no one - including Paulie,
Bobby Bacala, Silvio or even Christopher - is above suspicion.
    "The Movie Network and Movie Central brought The Sopranos to Canada and
the series has since become a television and pop culture phenomenon
worldwide," said Kevin Wright, Senior Vice-President, Programming, Astral
Television Networks. "As the first home of HBO in Canada, we're thrilled to be
able to offer our subscribers exclusive access to the concluding episodes of
one of television's greatest series of all time. This is truly a momentous
event in television and one that any Sopranos fan should not miss."
    "The Sopranos has become the benchmark by which television drama is
measured and the season finale promises to continue this groundbreaking
tradition," said Andrew Eddy, Vice-President, Program Strategy and Investment
at Movie Central. "We're also looking forward this year to more superb HBO
programming, including Deadwood creator David Milchs' 'surf noir' series John
from Cincinnati."
    The Sopranos will conclude its nine-year run with a one-hour finale
episode, specially written and directed by creator and executive producer,
David Chase. The finale is scheduled to air on Sunday, June 10 at 9 p.m. ET on
The Movie Network and 8 p.m. PT on Movie Central.
    Series regulars reprising their roles for the last episodes are Emmy(R)
and Golden Globe(R)-award winner James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), Emmy(R) and
Golden Globe(R)-award winner Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano), Emmy(R)-award
winner Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Tony Sirico (Paulie
Walnuts), Steven R. Schirripa (Bobby Baccilieri), Steven Van Zandt (Silvio
Dante), Robert Iler (AJ Soprano), Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano), Dominic
Chianese (Junior Soprano), Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Jennifer Melfi), Aida Turturro
(Janice Soprano), John Ventimiglia (Artie Bucco), and Vincent Curatola (Johnny
Sack). Special guest appearances will include: Sydney Pollack, Daniel Baldwin,
Nancy Sinatra, Julianna Margulies, Jonathan Lapaglia, David Margulies, Tim
Daly, Geraldo Rivera, Ken Leung, and Frank John Hughes.
    Since debuting in January 1999, David Chase's ground-breaking crime
family drama has garnered rave reviews and acclaim from critics and fans
alike. Throughout six emotionally powerful seasons, The Sopranos has won
numerous awards, including 18 Emmy(R) Awards in the acting, writing, art
direction, casting and editing categories.
    New episodes of The Sopranos will be simulcast on The Movie Network and
Movie Central's High Definition channels, and will also be accessible
on-demand each Tuesday after the premiere. The Sunday night premiere of The
Sopranos will be followed by new episodes of HBO's hit series Entourage
starring Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier.

    The Movie Network is an Astral Media network available in eastern Canada.
With premiere access to blockbuster movies, critically-acclaimed HBO and
Showtime series, and first-rate Canadian programming, this pay-television
service presents Canadians with some of the best television entertainment
available. The Movie Network service includes five 24-hour multiplex  
channels - M, MMore, MExcess, MFun! and MFest - which deliver diverse and
entertaining programs in an uncut and commercial-free television environment.
The Movie Network also offers The Movie Network HD and MMore HD, two dedicated
high-definition channels providing hundreds of titles in HD; and The Movie
Network OnDemand, a Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service, available in
select areas across eastern Canada. For more information, please visit
www.themovienetwork.ca.

    Astral Media is one of Canada's leading media companies, active in
specialty, pay and pay-per- view television, radio and outdoor advertising.
Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests
on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted
media for all its audiences. www.astralmedia.com.

    Movie Central is a 24-hour-a-day, commercial-free premium pay-TV service
available to Western Canadians. Exclusive multi-year output agreements with
major Hollywood studios ensure that Movie Central is the preferred destination
for box office titles. In addition to being the first window, Canadian home to
the best of HBO and Showtime, through its investments, pre-buys and licence
fees for Canadian feature films and original series, Movie Central is
recognized as a major force in the Canadian independent film and television
production industry. The launch of Movie Central On Demand and Movie Central
High Definition demonstrates that Movie Central remains committed to being
first with innovations that enhance the viewing experience. Visit the Movie
Central website at www.moviecentral.ca.
    Movie Central 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, advertising and
digital audio services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing
and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment brands
include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, Movie Central, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and
radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded
entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A
publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York
(CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

For further information: The Movie Network (Eastern Canada), Nicolle
Balen, [phone], [e-mail]; Movie Central (Western Canada),
Alex Chapple, [phone], [e-mail]