CBS Brings Back ‘Flashpoint’ June 4

Disney Channel orders buddy comedy “Shake It Up,” Nicktoons renews “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” and ESPN Deportes investigates

CBS will launch the third season of Canadian import "Flashpoint" on Friday, June 4, at 9 p.m.

That will be followed by new episodes of "Miami Medical" at 10 p.m., according to the Futon Critic.

Five episodes of the short-lived medical series have yet to air.

Still to be announced are start dates for the Eye’s other potential summer offerings: "Arranged Marriage," "Big Brother," "The Bridge" and "Got to Dance."

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Disney Channel has ordered "Shake It Up!," a multicamera buddy comedy centered around a teen dance show, starring 12-year-old Bella Thorne ("Big Love") and 13-year-old Zendaya.

It’s created by Chris Thompson ("Laverne and Shirley," "Bosom Buddies," "The Naked Truth," "Action") and executive produced by Thompson and Rob Lotterstein ("The War at Home," "Ellen").

“Shake” centers on best friends CeCe Jones and Raquel "Rocky" Blue, whose dreams of becoming professional dancers are realized when they become background dancers on the most popular teen dance show, "Shake it Up, Chicago."

The show starts shooting in Hollywood in July for a scheduled fall premiere on Disney Channel.

Gary Marsh, president of entertainment and chief creative officer of Disney Channels Worldwide, said: "Newcomers Bella Thorne and Zendaya make for one of the most likable and engaging BFF duos we’ve ever seen. And while buddy comedies have been around since the start of television, what makes ‘Shake It Up’ unique is that this is the first time anyone has incorporated dancing into the underlying premise of a sitcom."

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With “Iron Man 2” going strong in movie theaters, Nicktoons announced it will roll out a second season of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” in 2011.

The new season of 26 episodes will tell the story of Tony Stark’s teen years, weaving in such iconic Marvel characters as Nick Fury, Whiplash, Dr. Doom and Magneto. It also will feature the epic resolution of the Makluan Ring saga.

"From the mega-successful feature films to the timeless comic books, fans can’t get enough of the Iron Man character," said Keith Dawkins, Nicktoons’ general manager/senior VP, Nickelodeon Programming Partnerships.

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ESPN Deportes announced several studio shows, following the announcement during the upfronts of its first studio show, to be produced from Los Angeles.

The Spanish-language cable sports network also highlighted the acquisition of marquee soccer programming and the introduction of a new primetime newsmagazine.

“ESPN-Investiga” (working title), modeled after “E:60,” ESPN’s Emmy-winning newsmagazine, is the first primetime newsmagazine sports program exclusively dedicated to long-form journalism on Spanish-language television. It will combine investigative reporting, in-depth profiles of intriguing sports personalities and features on emerging star athletes. Its team of award-winning journalists includes ESPN Deportes personalities Jorge Ramos, Jose Ramon Fernandez and David Faitelson.

Also, ESPN has acquired Spanish-language radio rights to Copa America, the South American Football Confederation’s main national team soccer tournament.. ESPN Deportes’ agreement grants ESPN Deportes Radio, the only 24/7 Spanish-language sports radio network in the U.S., exclusive rights to the event and it will broadcast live and on location all 26 matches.

ESPN Deportes also will air exclusive, Spanish-language telecasts of Jungle Fight Championship, one of the top Mixed Martial Arts competitions in the world, taking place in Brazil, the birthplace of MMA. Under the terms of the agreement, ESPN Deportes will air Jungle Fight Championship events as two-hour shows starting Saturday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET.
 

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