TV Guide put out a list of the top 10 most successful Canadian TV series, and Degrassi is among the series listed. Other Canadian shows on the list include Due South, SCTV, and Flashpoint. The article notes that generations of Canadians have grown up watching Degrassi.

Macleans Magazine did an article on Drake recently and they discussed his time on Degrassi a lot. Linda Schuyler and Stefan Brogren were interviewed, and they talked about his reaction to rapping on the show (for the episode “It’s Tricky”), his rumoured relationship with Rihanna, the new cast’s reaction to his success, and his charisma that they saw in him at an early age. It’s a worthwhile read! Click here to check it out.

A new trailer has now appeared online Melinda Shankar’s new TV series “How to be Indie.” Melinda plays the title character “Indie,” who is a girl trying to fit in at school, but with traditional parents. Decode Entertainment (the production company) posted the trailer at their official website along with this description:

So you’re different. Your name is Indie (“Indira” to your parents), you’re 13 and your only job is to grow up. Sounds simple enough, but things get tricky when you’re trying to blend in at school but your traditional parents are pretty fond of their old-school values … So what’s a girl to do? Try to make it work in her own unique way.

A new article in the Toronto Star describes Drake’s rise to fame, and includes quotes from Linda Schuyler. Drake’s level of success has been blowing our minds for the last few months, and this article is no different. It describes Drake as “rap’s hottest property” and states that he is searched online even more than Eminem, who just released a new album. Here’s an interesting excerpt in which they describe his time on Degrassi and growing up as a racial minority:

Degrassi co-creater Linda Schuyler remembers Drake (it’s his middle name) as “very charismatic, even as a rather awkward 13-year-old when he started here. He had a way of connecting with people. We would do these mall tours, 3,000 to 4,000 teens screaming for the Degrassi kids, and you could see that Aubrey set off that energy.”
Wilson said the offspring of a Memphis-based black musician dad and white Jewish educator in Forest Hill is a border-hopping barrier-crosser. “He’s Canadian, he’s half-Jewish, that’s a novelty,” he explained. “Stereotypes of region and race are being challenged, yet he has no credibility issues and he’s comfortable in his own skin.”
It wasn’t always that way. In 2006, Drake spoke with the Star about being a racial minority at Forest Hill Collegiate. “It was very awkward,” he said. “I never had a girlfriend. Not one of those girls would bring me home. It would be too risky.”
“His parents represented two different sides of life,” said Schuyler. “As he got older, he needed to find ways to reconcile those two different influences. Music was a wonderful outlet for him and he turned out to be extraordinarily talented.”
Read the full article right here.

The N put out another Degrassi Goes Hollywood mini music video that was put on YT by the ACES. This one is for the song “Life is a Show” performed by Cassie Steele. The video features clips from the movie including some Manny/Jay scenes, several dancing scenes, and shots of Cassie singing with the boys from Studz.

Take this with a grain of salt but this article is reporting that Chris Brown is apparently “furious” that Rihanna is seeing Drake, because he thought that he and Rihanna were just taking a break until the court case was settled. The “source” says that “Drake may catch something when Chris sees him next.”

We think Aubrey can totally take him on.

Just announced today, Drake will be appearing at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto this Sunday! He recently shot a music video for his song “Best I Ever Had,” it seems only natural that he make an appearance at the awards show in his hometown. We also expect other Degrassi cast members to attend the MMVAs this Sunday, so hopefully we’ll get some new pictures!

Stacie and Amanda (or DJ Demanda and DJ Mistylicious as they are now called lol) have been doing very well DJing their 80’s parties across Canada. They’re hosting a party in Whistler this weekend and did an interview discussing their DJing skills, their connection to Degrassi, and their surprise at how successful their parties have been. Here’s an excerpt from this article:

“DJing isn’t all we’re doing right now, it’s just kind of a hobby that we’ve just gotten more and more into as it’s developed because it’s so fun,” Mistysyn said with a laugh. “…The DJing just kind of grew out of our love for ’80s music.”
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CTV sent out a press release confirming that Degrassi Goes Hollywood will indeed be airing on Sunday, Aug. 30th at 8pm in Canada. It also included a new summary of the special:

Gotta love Twitter…

Stephen says that the season 8 DVD (with the movie) will be released shortly after the movie airs in the US. So that will be sometime in August. Hopefully we’ll get some cover art and info about the special features soon!