Series adds some drama to summer viewing

The wait is finally over!
Kids can kick off their summer vacation with "Total Drama World Tour," which builds on the popular Cartoon Network series' "Total Drama Island" and "Total Drama Action."
Airing Monday, June 21, the series takes the show's 17 contestants, some old faves and some new, around the world to compete in the painful and embarrassing challenges for a chance to win $1 million. The new series will be hosted by Chris McLean and Chef, as the group travels the world in the Total Drama Jumbo Jet.
The contestants can be followed online at www.TotalDramaWorldTour.com. Games like “Splat Oberfest” and “Drop of Shame,” will debut throughout the season, and four aftermath specials, presented by new guest host Blainely and past contestants, Geoff and Bridgett, will premiere exclusively on the site.

Things that Go Bump

Kids can tune in to their favorite episodes of The Mr. Men Show when "Mr. Bump Presents: Planes, Trains and Dillymobiles!"heads to store shelves on May 18. The six episode DVD includes "Car Wash," "Flying," "Trains," "Cars," "Boats" and "Inventions."
Some bonus features include Meet the Character, a montage of character highlights; Learn to Draw the Character, a step-by-step look at how to draw the characters; Find the Character, a game to find the character hidden in a picture and Dance Sequence, a montage of musical segments.

Kids to say iWant iTunes

Preschoolers can see even more of their Sesame Street faves as new TV episodes, movies, apps, music and podcasts are available at www.iTunes.com.
Brand new are three apps in the “Count with Sesame” series for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users including “Rosita’s Jump Count,” in which Rosita jumps rope and counts in English and Spanish as you jump from uno to 100. In “Bert’s Bag,” Bert’s collections are kept in brown paper bags. What’s inside? You must open the bag and shake out the contents to find out. “Count TV” features nine classic Sesame Street videos such as “Queen of 6” and Alistair Cookie in “1 Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Choose a number on The Count’s remote control to start counting the objects featured in the video.
“Rosita’s Jump Count” is available for $1.99, while “Bert’s Bag” and “Count TV” are available for $2.99, from the App Store or at www.itunes.com/sesamestreet.
Twelve titles are also available for permanent download including “Elmo Loves You,” “Abby in Wonderland” and “Being Green.” In addition, the “Learn Along with Sesame” series, a collection of online educational resource videos and podcasts, are available as free downloads to all iTunes customers. Episodes of the TV series, available in English and Spanish, are also available on iTunes. All Sesame Street content can be found directly at www.itunes.com/sesamestreet.
Also premiering on iTunes is the first season of "Fat Albert and the Cosby kids" the popular television series created by and starring Bill Cosby.
The shows can be found under “TV Shows” within both the “Animation” and “Classic” genres. Season 1 (36 episodes) is currently available for $29.99 and each individual episode can be purchased for $1.99 at the iTunes Store at www.iTunes.com.

BEYBLADE to roll out to audiences

BEYBLADE is taking another spin on TV this summer with "BEYBLADE: Metal Fusion" premiering on Cartoon Network on Saturday, June 26 at 7:30 am. Canadian audiences will be able to see four back-to-back episodes starting on Saturday, May 15 at 12 pm.
The 51 new episodes offer a fresh take on the original series with new characters competing for dominance with their spinning BEYBLADE tops, battling against an evil organization, The Dark Nebula. Staying true to the Japanese version of BEYBLADE, it features a new storyline brought to life in a unique mix of 2D animation and battle scenes with the tops spinning in CGI animation.
A new line of toys with an innovative metal gear system and an online virtual battle component will be rolling out this fall as well in the US.