When Dimitrios Koussioulas, whose name I will one day learn how to write without having to copy and paste it, started his Mile End online talk show Parc Avenue Tonight, I thought to myself: This looks dirt cheap, but promising. This should be on actual TV.

Well, despite what can be said about our Toronto-controlled television networks that seem to have all but abandoned local programming, Koussioulas is being given his chance to be on Montreal television. In fact, he’s getting two, on two different stations.

A week after City announced that Koussioulas would be one of three hosts of a new weekly magazine show on local culture and lifestyle, CBC announced on Friday that it will be taping a special episode of his Parc Avenue Tonight show in front of a live audience and airing it this summer as part of its Absolutely Quebec regional series.

Absolutely Quebec is a summer series of (usually) one-hour specials that air Saturdays at 7pm during the summer (during hockey’s off-season). It is, for now at least, the only regional programming that airs on CBC television outside of the local newscasts. You can get an idea of what it’s like from last year’s shows.

Parc Avenue Tonight is an interview show in which Koussioulas speaks with fellow Mile Enders. Aside from its glorification of smoking, its canned audience applause and its strange love of bananas, it’s worth watching when it has a good guest. The episode above is an interview with Marianne Ackerman, an author, freelance writer and the person behind the Rover arts website. It showcases the solid (though modest) production values and Koussioulas’s warm and inviting personality.

The show’s live taping will happen May 15 at the Cabaret du Mile End (naturally), and will air on CBMT TV two months later, on July 13th. Ticket information and a copy of the press release are below:

PARC AVENUE TONIGHT TO GO LIVE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 15th

Popular web series will feature music and comedy before studio audience at Cabaret du Mile End

Montreal – April 12th, 2013 – Until now, Dimitrios Koussioulas has hosted his spartan web series, Parc Avenue Tonight from his Mile End apartment but on Wednesday May 15th, Koussioulas will bring his show on the road – or rather, down the road– to Cabaret du Mile End, where he will stage Parc Avenue Tonight before a live studio audience for his Television debut. Slated to air Saturday, July 13th at 7 p.m. on CBC Television as part of the summer series Absolutely Quebec, this one-of-a-kind Montreal variety show will feature guests in music, comedy, food, film and fashion.

Guests include:

AroarA – AroarA is a ghost science faux folk duo from the Plateau. Married couple Ariel Engle and Andrew Whiteman (Broken Social Scene) released their debut EP, In The Pines this year, culminating a North American tour accompanying and supporting Martha Wainwright with several performances at SXSW in March. www.aroara.com

Doldrums Doldrums is a musical venture produced by androgynous voiced Canadian artist Eric Woodhead. Floating in a sea of chopped up samples, disembodied vocals and tribal percussion Doldrums manage to elevate classic pop melodies above a sample saturated sound collage http://endlessdoldrums.com/

DeAnne Smith – The fresh-faced local comedian has been an international juggernaut, garnering awards at numerous comedy festivals worldwide and performing sets on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Canada’s The Comedy Network, Good News Week on Australia’s Channel 10, Australia’s SBS, HBO Canada, UK’s Sky TV. http://www.deannesmith.com

Cadence Weapon – Three-time Polaris Music Prize nominee Rollie Pemberton has rapped his way into the hearts of Montrealers in his adopted home.

Also featuring: Tony Ezzy House Band, Monday Night Choir; more cameos and surprise guests TBA

 

Parc Avenue Tonight LIVE from Cabaret du Mile End

Doors 7:30 show 8 p.m.

Tickets are $15 taxes incl. /$18 at the door

Available online through GTN Network http://gtn.ticketabc.com/promoter/gtn/

OR at Phonopolis: 207 rue Bernard O.

Cabaret du Mile End is located at 5240 Park Ave Tel. (514) 563-1395