* Magnolia Pictures (Jesus Camp) has bought the U.S. rights to Weirdsville, closing the deal with Darius Films and sales agent Shoreline Entertainment shortly after the black comedy's turn at Slamdance. The picture remains in limbo in Canada, having been dropped by ThinkFilm.

* CTV has snapped up Pirate Master: The Adventure Begins, for its summer schedule. The new reality series from Mark "Survivor" Burnett puts 16 people on a pirate ship in the Caribbean to compete for a cash prize of US$1 million. The deal follows CTV's purchase of Burnett's On The Lot, also slated for summer.

* Just For Laughs has secured the U.S. distribution rights for the new animated series My Adventures with Cloe, in the works at New Brunswick's Fatkat Animation Studios.