All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Entertainment brings three new lifestyle series to MIPCOM

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment today announced three unscripted, lifestyle series for international sale at MIPCOM. The company continues to grow its slate of outstanding original unscripted series developed for its portfolio of Women and Lifestyle channels and this season debuts Home to Win (10×60), Backyard Builds (8×30) and $ave My Reno (14×30) to the international market.

Unscripted series being sold at MIPCOM include:

Home to Win (10×60)
The hit series Home to Win brings 20 of its HGTV Canada celebrities under the same roof to pool their extraordinary expertise, creativity, and reno know-how. Celebrity builders and designers include Scott McGillivray (Income Property, Moving the McGillivrays), Bryan Baeumler (Leave it to Bryan, Bryan Inc.), Mike Holmes (Holmes on Holmes, Holmes and Holmes), and Sarah Richardson (Sarah’s Rental Cottage, Sarah 101). Together they will completely remodel an average, run-of-the-mill house into a dramatic, inspirational dream home. Home to Win will culminate in a one-hour challenge episode where home-winning hopefuls will compete to win this spectacular house. Produced by Architect Films in association with Corus Entertainment.

Backyard Builds (8×30) – In Production
When indoor space isn’t enough, Backyard Builds showcases the endless opportunities outdoor areas can provide. The series stars contractor Brian McCourtand design expert Sarah Keenleyside who work with homeowners to maximize their backyard potential to create tailored, one-of-a-kind structures. Whether it’s a converted shipping container, cake studio, treehouse village, or poolside oasis, this contractor and designer duo can extend any living space on a budget. Produced by Frantic Films in association with Corus Entertainment.

$ave My Reno (14×30) – In Production 
In the upbeat new series $ave My Reno, cash-conscious homeowners finally catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, the savvy contractor with contagious energy, and Sabrina Smelko, the resourceful DIY designer, toss out overpriced reno quotes and make dreams come true with a slashed budget and spectacular renovation. Sebastian and Sabrina save by putting homeowners to work and hunting for salvaged goods. Sabrina is a wiz at finding restored pieces at great prices while creating amazing designs and crafted items. Sebastian is the master at smart spends for breakout builds and custom surprises. Together, they give homeowners the reno they want on a budget they can afford. Produced by Great Pacific Mediain association with Corus Entertainment.

Corus Entertainment has a longstanding history of international success in the Kids programming category through its production and distribution giant Nelvana, and in more recent years the company has expanded its content offering into the unscripted Women and Lifestyle genre. As commissioning broadcaster and distributor of Canadian series that have achieved international success, withMasters of Flip now available in more than 90 territories worldwide and Buying the View in more than 60 territories, Corus brings its production, broadcast and distribution expertise to this new slate of internationally appealing series. Corus’ Women and Lifestyle networks include: Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, Sliceâ„¢, Lifetime, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CMT (Canada) and Cosmo TV.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Awards

The 2016 UBCP/ACTRA Awards nominees are announced

From a media release:

With a mission to build the BC star system, each year the UBCP/ACTRA Awards gala honours five members for work done in the past year. This awards show is the only peer-adjudicated performer awards show in BC, lending a strong sense of professional pride to the nominees and winners. The red carpet gala will take place at the Vancouver Playhouse on November 12, 2016.“We are extremely proud to showcase our homegrown talent at the fifth annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards. Each year has been special in its own way and we know that this year we will, once again, experience the feeling of pride we get when we honour the talent here in BC,” says Alvin Sanders, President of UBCP/ACTRA.
The nominees are:

BEST ACTOR

  • Steven Cree Molison: Blackstone (Retribution)
  • Eli Goree: Race
  • Brandon Jay McLaren: Slasher (In the Pride of His Face)
  • Ty Olsson: UnREAL (Savior)
  • Aleks Paunovic: Numb
  • Juan Riedinger: The Romeo Section (Mandate of Heaven)

BEST ACTRESS

  • Priscilla Faia: You Me Her (Cigarettes and Funions and Crap)
  • Crystal Lowe: Signed Sealed Delivered (From Paris with Love)
  • Carmen Moore: Blackstone (Flat Line)
  • Christina Sicoli: Paranormal Solutions Inc. (Happy Endings and New Beginnings)
  • Camille Sullivan: The Birdwatcher

BEST EMERGING PERFORMER

  • Emily Haine: Fargo (The Gift of the Magi)
  • Dejan Loyola: Saving Hope (Goodbye Girl)
  • Julie Lynn Mortensen: Drawing Home
  • Jacob Tremblay: Room
  • Jonathan Whitesell: The 100 (Terms and Conditions)
  • Mayumi Yoshida: The Man in the High Castle (The Illustrated Woman)

BEST VOICE

  • Peter Kelamis: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (The Hooffields and McColts: Big Daddy McColt)
  • Andrea Libman: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic (The One Where
  • Pinkie Pie Knows Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy)
  • Peter New: Littlest Pet Shop (Petnapped!; Sunil)
  • Lee Tockar: Slugterra (Get Pronto!; Pronto)
  • Vincent Tong: Nerds and Monsters (Tickle Stick/Monstarrrghs!; Irwin)

BEST STUNT

  • Leif Havdale: Arrow (Code of Silence)
  • Leif Havdale: The Flash (Legends of Today)
  • Adrian Hein: Arrow (Schism)
  • Stunt Ensemble (Rhys Williams, Leif Havdale): The Candidate
  • Stunt Ensemble (Mike Mitchell, Lauro Chartrand, Dean Choe, Scott Nicholson, Crystal Dalman): X Files (Babylon)

In addition to the five performance awards, two UBCP/ACTRA industry awards will be presented: the Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award and the John Juliani Award of Excellence.

The UBCP/ACTRA Awards will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at the Vancouver Playhouse with over 600 industry professionals including UBCP/ACTRA members, press and politicians in attendance.

The Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP/ACTRA) is an autonomous branch of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 22,000 members across Canada – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Bachelorette Canada, Featured

Bachelorette Canada gets jammin’ in Jamaica

The second episode in this dating franchise is one of the most entertaining. The gowns and suits are gone, and the need to act out in a crowd—for the most part—has given way to focusing on the person looking for a relationship.

So it was with The Bachelorette Canada, as Jasmine and her suitors stripped off their finery and headed to Ocho Rio, Jamaica, in a bid to not only foster some relationships but show off their beach bods. Usain Bolt was not involved in Tuesday’s episode, but I did spot something I need to add to my daily routine pronto: being handed a hot towel upon my arrival home to freshen up. It’s so refined.

Kevin, over his raging bout of stomach flu and still carrying that damned ekuele, was ready to connect with Jasmine and Wale spouted off a bunch of clichés to express how excited he was to be at the Sandals resort. But it wasn’t all fun and games and drinks by the pool. Party crasher Noah Cappe had serious business to attend to: delivering the first date information of the budding season. (While we’re by the pool, does anyone know why Mikhel has a nipple ring? I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just curious.) First solo date went to Thomas, a.k.a. Sexual Tongue; he and his man bun were thrilled to score some alone time with Jasmine. After tooling around the grounds in an ATV, the pair let their hair down (he, literally, and she into a bikini) for a beach picnic. Thomas’ near-death experience turned modelling career was enough to get Jasmine enthusiastic about what the future holds and he snagged a rose. (The rose, stuck to his muscle shirt, cracked me up for some reason.)

Meanwhile, back at the resort, Chris described the rift between two groups of men. On one side was Drew (the supposed bully of this season and guy who is there “for the wrong reasons”) and the Toronto party guys, and on the other Chris and the sensitive out-of-towners. According to Drew, you have to have balls to live in Toronto, and guys like Chris just don’t have them. (I’m not sure why Drew thinks living in Toronto equals having guts. It’s not like New York City of the 1970s here. Since when did living in a clean, metropolitan city equal being tough?) After calling Chris a dork to the Toronto guys, Drew then head-faked the inventor into thinking he’d been selected for a one-on-one date with Jasmine. Jerk.

bachelorette2

Instead, it was a group date where Drew and Chris would be competing for personal time alongside other guys. After arriving at Tuff Gong Recording Studios, where Bob Marley used to record and inhaling some of the history (pot), the fellows were divided into two groups to write a reggae song for Jasmine. Seth was stressed, Chris was excited and Jasmine had eyes for Seth and his “Trudeau hair.” The Jaz-men, consisting of Chris, Seth, Kyle and Kevin P. were victorious (when can I download their song from iTunes?) and snagged personal time with Jasmine. Chris was the first to make a move, grabbing Jasmine and pulling her onto the dance floor, but it was Seth that made the first move by kissing her. Sadly, his tongue and teeth kept getting in the way. Kevin P. showed up and witnessed their liplock but to his credit shook it off and asked Jasmine why she was there and what she was looking for. That netted him a rose.

Andrew, Mikhel, JP, Wale and Kevin, meanwhile, landed the episode’s second group date and it was an intensely physical affair. Sand, wrestling and trying to win precious moments with Jasmine meant these dudes were all business. High school wrestling served JP well and he triumphed over Captain Canada, Kevin W. for extra time with the bachelorette. An impromptu game of Truth or Dare revealed the following: Mikhel has had his heart broken and vowed never to let it happen again and Kevin W. has been cheated on but has never cheated. Kevin W. and Jasmine both traded stories of their personal lives; I think he should have held her hand, but that’s just me. Regardless, he was given a rose.

By the end of the rose ceremony, the guys who were sticking around alongside the Kevins and Thomas were Mikhel, Benoit, Kyle, Andrew, David, Drew, JP, Scott, Mike and Chris. That left Seth and Wale on the outs, and exiting the series.

What did you think of Jasmine’s decision? Comment below or via Twitter @tv_eh.

The Bachelorette Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Anne of Green Gables

Corus greenlights second and third instalments of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

From a media release:

Corus Entertainment announced today it has commissioned Good Stars and Fire & Dew, the second and third instalments of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series of films produced by Breakthrough Entertainment. Ella Ballentine (Anne Shirley), Martin Sheen (Matthew Cuthbert), and Sara Botsford (Marilla Cuthbert) return for the sequels. L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables: Good Stars and Fire & Dew have begun production and will premiere on Corus Entertainment’s YTV, the #1 Kids channel in Canada (K6-11)*, in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Following the successful world broadcast premiere of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables on YTV, Breakthrough Entertainment’s Joan Lambur, Peter Williamson, and Ira Levy are back to executive produce the next two movies, along with Lucy Maud Montgomery’s granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler. Award-winning director John Kent Harrison, who also wrote Good Stars returns, as well as Susan Coyne who wrote Fire & Dew.

In Good Stars; our beloved Anne Shirley turns thirteen and faces a host of new milestones: first sleepovers, culinary misadventures, and shifting relationships with her bosom friend Diana and academic rival Gilbert Blythe. Through all this, Anne strives to strike a balance between becoming an upstanding, sensible young woman, and embracing her inquisitive and free-spirited nature.

In Fire & Dew; Anne heads to Charlottetown to attend accelerated classes as she continues to work towards her dream of being a school teacher. While there, she is forced to adapt quickly to her new surroundings and classmates as she navigates her way through her first school experience outside of her beloved Green Gables. Anne finds herself facing daunting choices for her future, the stirrings of romance, and tragedy unlike anything she’s ever known. Meanwhile, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert contend with advancing age as they deal with financial challenges and creeping ailments.

Originally published back in 1908 by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the tale of Anne Shirley and her adventures in Green Gables span over 8 novels and has reached readers in over 20 languages.The first film in the series has been watched by families worldwide through broadcasters Corus Entertainment in Canada, PBS in the United States, ITV in the UK, ARD in Germany, and a recent theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand.

The first film in the series has been watched by families worldwide through broadcasters Corus Entertainment in Canada, PBS in the United States, ITV in the UK, ARD in Germany, and a recent theatrical release in Australia and New Zealand.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Bellevue

Production begins on CBC’s Bellevue, starring Anna Paquin

From a media release:

Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions have begun production in Montreal on the TV drama BELLEVUE, starring Academy® and Golden Globe® award-winning actress Anna Paquin (True Blood, Roots, Margaret, Alias Grace), Allen Leech (Downton Abbey, The Imitation Game, Rome) and Shawn Doyle (House of Cards, Big Love, Fargo). The new 8×60 series will premiere in winter 2017 on CBC.

Thrilling and eerie, BELLEVUE is a mystery set in a small blue-collar town with a lot of ‘good people’ who ‘live right’ and take it upon themselves to make sure the neighbours do too.  Driving the series is Detective Annie Ryder (Paquin), a cop whose intense and brazen personality has always been at odds with her hometown. When a transgender teen goes missing, Annie dives in to unravel the disappearance that suggests foul play, despite finding herself in a difficult position as she must cast suspicion on people she has known all her life. As the case pulls her further away from her family, she is also confronted by a mysterious person from her past with disturbing answers and a terrifying need to get inside her head. Leech stars as Annie’s on again, off again ex, Eddie, while Doyle takes on the role of Annie’s superior, Police Chief Peter Welland.

Commissioned by CBC, BELLEVUE is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. The series was created by Jane Maggs and Adrienne Mitchell, with Maggs serving as senior writer, executive producer and co-showrunner with Mitchell, who is pilot director and executive producer. Executive producers are Janis Lundman, Michael Prupas, Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue) and Jesse Prupas.

Muse Distribution International and TMG’s world sales arm TM International are handling the series’ international distribution.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail