andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Former O.C. star Mischa Barton has accepted a plea deal in her DUI case.

The deal will save the young star from spending any time in jail, People magazine reports. Barton is set to plead no contest and accept three years of unsupervised probation at her arraignment on Thursday.

Barton’s other charges will also be lessened. The marijuana possession charge will be dropped and the “charge of driving without a license will be reduced to an infraction,” according to the magazine’s source.

The 22-year-old will also have to go to alcohol education classes for three months.

She was arrested on Dec. 27 after she was found weaving between traffic.

If you’re a fan of Degrassi: The Next Generation and live south of the 49th parallel, you’re about to enjoy more of the hit TV series.

Thunderbirds Films and its U.S. distribution partners, Program Partners, announced Tuesday that beginning in the fall of 2007, Degrassi will air Monday to Friday in top U.S. markets.

“Degrassi in the major U.S. markets; it’s another great Canadian success story,” said Susanne Boyce, President of Programming for CTV and Chair of the CTV Media Group. “We’re extremely proud of the series and the creative team that continues to push new boundaries.”

Currently, American fans can watch Degrassi on N channel; a cable network only available in some U.S. markets.

Degrassi airs on CTV and draws in an impressive 1 million viewers every week.