Toronto, ON (February 21, 2008) – CTV and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) announced today that Calgary native and national darling Jann Arden and international sensation Sarah Brightman have been added to the performance line-up for The 2008 JUNO Awards broadcast on CTV. Arden and Brightman will each share the stage with Canadian icon Anne Murray for duet performances during the broadcast. Hosted by Russell Peters, The 2008 JUNO Awards airs Sunday, April 6 on CTV from Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome.
Both Arden and Brightman are featured guest performers on Anne Murray’s most recent album, Duets: Friends & Legends – a collection of Murray’s greatest hits re-recorded as duets with some of her favourite women of song. The album, Murray’s 35th to-date, went double platinum in just six weeks and debuted at No. 4 on the Top 200 SoundScan Chart in Canada, making it her highest debut in over 20 years.
Genre-defying Sarah Brightman has achieved spectacular crossover success and established herself as the world’s best-selling soprano of all time. Her newest album, Symphony, brought Brightman her highest chart debuts ever in both Canada (No. 4) and the U.S. (No. 13) this year. Symphony offers an enchanting and exhilarating experience for the senses. Many first fell in love with Brightman during her successful stage career, when she starred in hit musical productions like The Phantom of the Opera. She has since released several gold and platinum albums, such as Time to Say Goodbye (which included the title’s best-selling duet with tenor Andrea Bocelli), La Luna, Classics and Harem. Her exquisite voice and undeniably electrifying stage presence have resulted in massive record-breaking tours and sales of more than 26 million albums and two million DVDs. Brightman is one of the most trailblazing entertainers, effortlessly transcending and blending musical styles from pop, rock, and Broadway show-stoppers, to operatic and classical arias.
About Anne Murray
Anne Murray's most recent album, Duets: Friends & Legends, is a collection of her hits re-recorded as duets with some of her favourite women of song including; Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Nelly Furtado, Jann Arden, Sarah Brightman, k.d. lang, and Anne's daughter, Dawn Langstroth. Duets: Friends & Legends, Anne’s 35th album to-date, went double platinum in just six weeks and debuted at No. 4 on the Top 200 Soundscan Chart in Canada, making it her highest debut in over 20 years.
Recognized worldwide as one of Canada's most enduring national treasures, Anne's signature voice has graced the airwaves with a catalogue of hits, such as "A Little Good News", "You Needed Me", "Love Song", "Could I Have This Dance" and of course, "Snowbird". Anne Murray has garnered countless accolades and awards over the course of her illustrious career, including four Grammy Awards and numerous Country Music Association Awards. With 24 JUNO Awards, Anne still holds the record for the most Juno's awarded to an artist. Over her forty-year career Anne has sold in excess of 50 million albums.
Hosted by Russell Peters, The 2008 JUNO Awards, Canada’s Music Awards, will air on CTV on Sunday, April 6 from the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. It is the seventh year in a row that The JUNO Awards will air on CTV, the official broadcast partner of the JUNO Awards. Since CTV joined forces with CARAS in 2002, The JUNO Awards has travelled across Canada, bringing a live, electrifiying stadium show to million of Canadians. Since going live from St. John’s in 2002, CTV has broadcast The JUNO Awards from Ottawa (2003), Edmonton (2004), Winnipeg (2005), Halifax (2006) and Saskatoon (2007). Previous hosts of The JUNO Awards on CTV include Nelly Furtado (2007), Pamela Anderson (2006), Brent Butt (2005), Alanis Morissette (2004), Shania Twain (2003) and Barenaked Ladies (2002).
The 2008 JUNO Awards is produced by Insight Productions in association with CTV and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Executive producers are John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby for Insight Productions and Melanie Berry and Stephen Stohn for CARAS. Louise Wood is Producer and Donna Luke is
Line Producer. Ed Robinson is Executive Vice-President, Programming, CTV. Susanne Boyce is President, Creative, Content and Channels, CTV Inc.
Sponsors of the 2008 JUNO Awards include FACTOR, Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters and the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage’s “Canada Music Fund”, The Government of Alberta, The City of Calgary, Tourism Calgary, Calgary Arts Development and Radio Starmaker Fund.
Broadcast sponsors for The 2008 JUNO Awards are Pontiac, Doritos, TD Canada Trust and Rogers.
About CARAS:
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L’academie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l’enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music and recording industries and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through television vehicles such as The JUNO Awards. For more information on the 37th Annual JUNO Awards, visit the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ (CARAS) website at www.junoawards.ca.
About CTV:
CTV, Canada's largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It has the number-one national newscast, CTV National News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTVglobemedia Inc. is Canada's premier multi-media company which owns CTV Inc. and The Globe and Mail. CTV Inc. also owns radio stations across the country, and leading national specialty channels. Other CTVglobemedia investments include an interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and in Dome Productions, a North American leader in the provision of mobile high definition production facilities. More information about CTV may be found on the company website at www.ctv.ca.
