Yearly Archives: 2012

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Big Brother Canada coming to Slice

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From a media release:

THE BIG BROTHER PHENOMENON IS COMING TO CANADA

  • First Ever Canadian Edition of Endemol’s Worldwide Hit Franchise
    Comes Exclusively to Slice

Shaw Media has sealed a deal with Endemol to produce the first ever Canadian instalment of the wildly popular international sensation Big Brother and has teamed up with Canadian production heavyweight Insight Productions on the production of the series. The inaugural season of Big Brother Canada will air during the 2012/13 broadcast season exclusively on Sliceâ„¢.

The hugely successful Big Brother franchise aired 25 formats in 87 countries in 2011 and continues to roll out in new territories. Big Brother U.S. has consistently been a top ranked staple on Global’s schedule for 13 seasons.

True to the U.S. format, Big Brother Canada will hand pick a diverse group of competitive contestants in the Big Brother house outfitted wall to wall with cameras and microphones to capture the house guests’ every move. Week to week the house guests compete in a series of challenges and vote each other out until one claims victory and takes home the grand prize. Fans of Big Brother can connect with the series outside of the 3-day-a-week broadcast through a myriad of digital extensions including live streaming and social engagement opportunities that allow online users to impact decisions in the house.

Details on casting and production will be revealed at a later date.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Over The Rainbow starts cross-country auditions

From a media release:

CBC’S OVER THE RAINBOW LIVE AUDITIONS KICK OFF IN VANCOUVER IN SEARCH OF A DOROTHY

  • CBC launches nationwide search for Dorothy on June 1, to appear on CBC Television’s OVER THE RAINBOW and star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Canadian production of The Wizard of Oz

Live auditions will open for aspiring performers this Friday, June 1st in Vancouver for the role of Dorothy in the upcoming exciting CBC live competition series, OVER THE RAINBOW, produced by Temple Street Productions. The winning Dorothy will star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz, opening at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto this December.

The live nationwide auditions open starting Friday, June 1 in Vancouver, followed by stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax and Toronto.

For those unable to attend the live auditions, there’s also a unique opportunity to submit your performance online until June 6 at cbc.ca/overtherainbow. with the Ticket to Oz contest, which will offer one talented individual a place in the Top 100.

Starting in September, host Daryn Jones will introduce the 10 finalists who will compete live on OVER THE RAINBOW Sunday nights on CBC Television, singing a mixture of Broadway and pop songs each week. Then, in half-hour results episodes on Monday nights, the bottom two Dorothys (as determined by an online public vote) will face-off and one participant will be saved from elimination by the judges. The competition will culminate in a showdown between the final three, with Lord Lloyd Webber himself in attendance, and Canada choosing the winner.

For further details, visit cbc.ca/overtherainbow.

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The Listener

New tonight: The Listener season premiere on CTV

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TheListener

The Listener, CTV – “The Bank Job”
Due to the mental strain of his telepathic abilities, and the continued warnings from Dr. Olivia Fawcett (Mylène Dinh-Robic, STARGATE ATLANTIS) about the toll they are taking on his health, Toby (Craig Olejnik) decides to ignore them and live a normal life. But his good intentions are tested when he’s taken hostage during a bank heist, and the only way to ensure the safety of the other hostages is to risk his own. While Toby’s efforts help Sgt. McCluskey (Lauren Lee Smith) with the bank heist investigation, they also land him in another precarious situation when she’s forced to reveal the truth about his abilities to her boss Alvin Klein (Peter Stebbings, MURDOCH MYSTERIES).

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Dramas and Comedies, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Shaw announces 2012/13 specialty lineup

From a media release:

Shaw announces 2012/13 lineup

  • Slice™’s #1 Series The Real Housewives of Vancouver Renewed
    for Second Season
  • Showcase Debuts Massive New Dramas Copper and
    Beauty and the Beast
  • HGTV’s Mike Holmes Returns with a Brand-New Series
  • Broadcaster Commissions Over 650 Hours of Canadian Original Programming

On the heels of its highest performing season ever, Sliceâ„¢, the ultimate entertainment fix for women, has renewed its number one ranked series to date, The Real Housewives of Vancouver.

Jump starting the year on a high, Slice™’s fall schedule boasts the brand-new Canadian series Keasha’s Perfect Dress (WT), featuring renowned Kleinfeld’s bridal consultant Keasha Rigsby (Say Yes to the Dress), as well as The Mistress, a dramatic new series featuring self-proclaimed former mistress to Chef Gordon Ramsay and Lord Jeffrey Archer, Sarah Symonds. Returning for a new season this winter is the much-loved matrimonial showdown, Four Weddings Canada.

Showcase continues to be the top destination for the best in dramatic entertainment with a slew of new and returning hit series coming this fall. Starring Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) and produced in Canada by Take 5 and Whizbang Productions in partnership with CBS Studios, the brand-new series Beauty and the Beast will infuse Showcase with a fresh take on the fairytale classic. Other new series include the USA hit Common Law, which premiered to impressive audience numbers in the U.S., and the much-anticipated debut of the original series Copper, from creative dream team Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson (Good Morning Vietnam, Oz) and Emmy® Award-winner Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Borgias). In addition, Showcase will be the exclusive home to the original series World Without End, the bold follow-up to Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth starring Miranda Richardson (Rubicon, Merlin), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Ben Chaplin (Mad Dogs) and Canadians Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method) and Meghan Follows. Viewers can also look forward to new seasons of Showcase’s top-rated series Lost Girl, as well as Warehouse 13, Royal Pains, and the channel’s megahit series Covert Affairs.

As the number one entertainment specialty channel, freshly revamped HISTORY offers the most robust collection of authentic characters and programming showcasing history being made every day. In addition to premiering the captivating new Canadian series Bomb Hunters, the network is set to launch the gripping new series about navigating and transporting materials across one of history’s most treacherous bodies of water in Great Lake Warriors. HISTORY is home to the worldwide television event of the fall with Mankind: The Story of All of Us, the epic tale of the global rise of civilization, complete with danger, action, heroism and adrenaline. Returning shows include massively successful series like Swamp People, Ice Pilots NWT, American Restoration, Ice Road Truckers, Canadian Pickers and the channel’s top-rated series from last fall, Pawn Stars.

On HGTV this fall, Canada’s most trusted contractor Mike Holmes is back with bigger renovations and storylines in the brand-new Canadian series Holmes Makes It Right. Also on the fall schedule is the first ever Canadian edition of the UK hit series May The Best House Win, the ultimate open house experience where proud homeowners open their doors to each other to judge and be judged.

With the hugely successful second season of Top Chef Canada wrapping up, Food Network has announced that its number one series will return for another season. The network’s fall lineup of delicious entertainment includes the launch of the brand-new Canadian series SugarStars and a second season of innovative Recipe to Riches. The long-standing and hugely popular series Restaurant Makeover returns as Restaurant Takeover, showcasing new and exciting twists.

As the number one digital channel in the country and the top-ranking digital channel in the top 20 across all specialty channels, National Geographic Channel continues to inspire Canadians with the most innovative content about science, technology and human endeavors. Brand new series on the fall schedule are the cutthroat, bluefin tuna fishing business series Wicked Tuna and docu-series American Chainsaw, following chainsaw sculptor and hard rock star Jesse “The Machine” Green and his unusual crew as they create art out of wood. Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? pits civilians against each other in a bid for merit badges.
Continue reading Shaw announces 2012/13 specialty lineup →

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Bomb Girls

Global announces 2012/13 lineup

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From a media release:

Global is proud to offer a wealth of new and returning Canadian original programming on the schedule this fall. Award-winning newsmagazine series 16×9 will move into a primetime slot on Friday nights while Saturday evenings gain a new documentary series, Close Up. Close Up is a series of one-off POV documentaries that chronicle the extraordinary and unusual world outside our door – remarkable people on the outskirts of what is deemed normal, hidden worlds, personal obsessions and unique subcultures.

Also on the originals slate is the much anticipated 2012 Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards which will be broadcast this fall from Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre. The annual star-studded gala event will feature top tier talents being honoured by their colleagues with inspirational performances and heartfelt words. A list of inductees will be announced in the coming weeks.

Reality series Recipe to Riches is back with a new crop of Canadian home cooks competing to have their original recipes become a President’s Choice product.

Finally, Bomb Girls, the drama profiling the Canadian women who risked everything to build bombs for the Allied forces fighting on the European front, returns with all-new episodes in 2013. Shot on location in Toronto, Bomb Girls stars Meg Tilly (Caprica), Jodi Balfour (Supernatural), Charlotte Hegele (Murdoch Mysteries) and Ali Liebert (Health Nutz).

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