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Preview: CBC Gem goes small with Best in Miniature

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We have a dollhouse in our home. It’s an antique passed down to my girlfriend from family before her. Delicate, its walls have threadbare patterns, curtains are a little worse for wear and I’m afraid to touch it for fear something will crumble. Still, it’s cool to look at and admire the skill that went into building it and the wee furniture held within.

The history of dollhouses, and the ingenuity behind them and their creators, are on display in Best in Miniature.

Available now on CBC Gem, marblemedia’s latest creation—they’re the production company behind the ingenious Blown Away, Race Against the Tide and Landscape Artist of the Year—pits 11 artists against one another as they create the ultimate miniature house. Hosted by Aba Amuquandoh and judged by Emma Waddell and Michael Lambie, Best in Miniature showcases something that may not be appreciated, or known, by many.

In the debut episode, “Open House,” Amuquandoh introduces the competitors, as well as judges Waddell, who is recognized as the “world’s only interior designer for miniature houses,” and Lambie, a design artist. Then it’s right to work as the participants have just hours to create a miniature home from scratch. Competitors like Tom, Phillip and Susette make an immediate impression with their designs, vision and confidence. Others? Well, let’s just say time management becomes an issue.

Subsequent episodes track the dwindling pool of participants as they fill the bath, living, dining and bedrooms of their homes with furniture while competing in side projects that showcase their ingenuity.

Like Blown Away (glass blowing), Race Against the Tide (sand sculptures) and Landscape Artist of the Year, Best in Miniature pulls back the (little) curtain on a unique art form and celebrates it.

Season 1 of Best in Miniature is available on CBC Gem.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant Media greenlights two new original productions and orders four renewals for its Canadian TV platforms

From a media release:

Producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media announced today from Prime Time two new greenlights and four renewals set to debut in 2022 and 2023 across its Canadian specialty TV platforms: Cottage Life, T+E and Love Nature. The new additions reinforce Blue Ant Media’s commitment to create compelling, diverse and scalable series that offer a unique voice and perspective. Overseen by Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media, the originals lineup includes a mix of Canadian and world broadcast premieres with several series available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International.

To mark Cottage Life’s 35th anniversary this year, Blue Ant Media has greenlit the new documentary special Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt)(World Broadcast Premiere), which chronicles a year in the life of the common loon. The beloved Canadian bird, synonymous with cottage country, has been the long-standing icon for the Cottage Life brand. Returning to Cottage Life is Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet (Season 2), a Blue Ant and APTN co-production that has been renewed for a second season. The series profiles rural Alberta-based veterinarian Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith as she rescues and rehabilitates animals while also exploring her newly-discovered Métis heritage.

On T+E, Canada’s home to paranormal programming, the horror anthology series Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life (Season 2; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) has been renewed for a second season. Executive produced by the award-winning film director, producer, writer and actor Eli Roth (Inglourious Basterds, Hostel, The Last Exorcism) and Cream Productions, the Blue Ant Media and discovery+ co-production debuted to much success on T+E last October. To keep up with the paranormal demand, T+E’s original hit series, Haunted Hospitals (Season 4; Canadian Broadcast Premiere), returns for a fourth installment this fall 2022. The hit franchise saw Season 3 wrap as a top 10 primetime series on T+E. Finally, the all-new T+E eight-part docu-series Mission: Unexplained (Season 1; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) follows military veterans as they share the terrifying, unexplained events they witnessed on the front lines. The greenlight is part of the Blue Ant Media and Content Catalyst Fund (CCF) joint venture that backs women-led creatives in unscripted content, from development to production and distribution, for the Canadian and global marketplaces.

Returning to Love Nature, the 12-part documentary series Battle of the Alphas (Season 2; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) offers audiences an in-depth look at animal conflict, competition and the battle for supremacy. Season 2 of Battle of the Alphas is a Love Nature global commission, slated to air in Canada and roll out worldwide on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms in 2023.

Alongside the new original commissions, Blue Ant Media announced from Prime Time two current projects in development for Blue Ant Media’s Canadian broadcast channels, with the potential for licensing both series to other content companies via Blue Ant International. The projects, Haunted Goldrush (working title) and Expedition Great White, are unscripted, original documentaries that span the paranormal, wildlife and nature genres. Haunted Goldrush, executive produced by Sean De Vries, follows paranormal investigators Corine Carey, Leanne Sallenback and Kelly Ireland as they make their way up British Columbia’s historic and mysterious Gold Rush Trail. The route which runs through the famed Fraser Canyon up to the gold rush town of Barkerville was a bustling, wild and often violent place in the 1800s. But as soon as the gold was gone, so were the people. However, many locals believe some never left. On the east coast, Expedition Great White examines the dramatic rise of great white sharks spotted in Nova Scotia waters during the fall and summer months. The documentary is produced by Edward Peill, Tell Tale Productions (The Curse of Oak Island) and Ken MacDonald, former Vice President and General Manager for Discovery Channel in Canada. Overseen by Sam Linton, both development projects underpin Blue Ant Media’s commitment to work with regional producers across Canada and invest in high-quality, distinctive programming that resonate with audiences coast to coast.

For a full list of original programming highlights, please see below.

COTTAGE LIFE

Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt) (1×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Yap Films
Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt) chronicles a year in the life of Canada’s iconic bird, the common loon. Through the lens of cottagers, citizen scientists and bird experts, the documentary special examines the perils impacting the loon population—from global warming to boat traffic and big wakes disturbing their habitat. The special spotlights how Canada’s beloved loon is under threat. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet, Season 2 (13×30’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023
A Blue Ant Media and APTN Co-production • Producer: Wapanatahk Media in partnership with Great Pacific Media
The series picks right back up at Alberta’s Rocky Rapids Veterinary Service, where mixed animal practitioner, Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith, rescues and rehabilitates a wide range of household pets and exotic wildlife. Dr. Savannah oversees new animal emergencies everyday at work, while also trying to learn more about her recently-discovered Métis heritage in her personal life.

T+E

Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life, Season 2 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
A Blue Ant Media and discovery+ Co-production • Producer: Cream Productions
Executive produced by award-winning film director, producer, writer and actor Eli Roth, the original horror anthology series unveils shocking stories of real-life hauntings that have left emotional (and sometimes physical) scars on those unlucky enough to have experienced them. Horrific and evocative, each hour-long episode exposes viewers to the stories of survivors who have been dragged through hell and back and now struggle to rebuild their shattered lives.

Haunted Hospitals, Season 4 (10×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: BGM Inc., a Sphere Media company
Haunted Hospitals recounts the chilling stories of paranormal activity inside hospitals, nursing homes and morgues. In each episode, nurses, medical support workers and patients give first-hand accounts of the supernatural, such as deceased patients who return from the grave, ghost children who stalk medical staff and territorial spirits who lay claim to hospital hallways. As these personal testimonies unfold, the mysteries behind the troubled souls and hauntings become more alive than ever.

Mission: Unexplained, Season 1 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Blue Ant Media and Content Catalyst Fund (CCF) joint venture • Producer: Blue Ant Studios
Mission: Unexplained follows military veterans as they share the terrifying, unexplained events they witnessed on the front lines. From mystifying lights to vanishing civilians, frightful apparitions to mechanical mysteries and more, the series gives audiences a front row seat to the action as veterans recount their harrowing experiences. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

LOVE NATURE

Battle of the Alphas, Season 2 (12×30’; HD)
Scheduled for 2023 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Yap Films
The battle of the alphas happens across the planet every day: babies compete for their mother’s milk, adolescents play-fight and adults become aggressive when their leadership is challenged or when they’re in search of a mate. From friendly competition to territorial battles, the all new season delves into the science behind animal conflict. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Rock Solid Builds returns for more jobs in Season 2

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Last year at around this time, I previewed Season 1 of Rock Solid Builds. I praised the storytelling, setting and projects featured. I wasn’t alone in liking it. Rock Solid Builds was second only to Murdoch Mysteries for the positive comments it received here at TV, Eh?

Season 2—kicking off Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada—sticks with its winning formula of spotlighting Randy Spracklin of Newfound Builders and his team of equally entertaining folks renovating and building homes on The Rock. Supported by a sprightly soundtrack, Randy, Scott, Nikki, Paul and Josh jump between jobs in the spring, juggling projects in St. John’s and their homeport of Brigus, working on old and new homes, with a few quirky projects thrown in. Aside from new additions to the Newfound Builders family in the form of canines, there are new responsibilities too as Nikki wants to add more to her plate.

The first project to visit is in St. John’s, where homeowners Ros and Katie want to make changes to their 100-year-old abode. The plan? To demo the existing kitchen and turn it into a music room while moving the existing music room in favour of a massive kitchen. Also on tap are updating two bathrooms. It’s a big job, but Randy is confident it will all look great in the end.

Meanwhile, across Conception Bay in Carbonear is a 19th-century root cellar that needs attention. The owners want theirs repaired and Randy is happy to oblige, first doing some demolition and then, alongside his father Scott, showing the traditional way of building a rock wall.

And, aside from the work, there is plenty of play … and laughs. Rock Solid Builds showcases the beauty of Newfoundland and its people with episode-ending opportunities to step ‘er down and reinforce that feeling of family Randy has instilled in the company.

Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Documentary Channel delves into a decades-old mystery in SkyMaster Down

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I’m fascinated with stories of people and/or things that disappear without a trace. I think it all started back when I watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind with my dad in the movie theatre. That lead me to UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle and other mysteries. It’s never stopped, which was why I was intrigued by Skymaster Down.

Debuting Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on documentary Channel, filmmaker Andrew Gregg heads north to uncover a headscratcher case that hasn’t been solved in over 70 years.

Here are the facts. U.S. Air Force Douglas Skymaster #2469 departed Anchorage, Alaska, for Great Falls, Nebraska, on January 26, 1950, with 44 passengers—members of the U.S. military, and a pregnant woman and her child—on board. After checking in with Snag Airport over the radio, it suddenly disappeared over the Yukon without a trace. A massive search—where four rescue planes crashed—ensued, with no results.

Did it hurtle into a lake? Why wasn’t an SOS sent? Did it slam into a mountain? Become buried in a glacier? Gregg and others, like the late Gerry Whitley of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association in Whitehorse, attempt to find out, tracing the route #2469 took—a route still travelled today, it should be noted—and bring closure to the families who were left behind. Gregg is a master storyteller, giving an extensive history of the region at the time, including how and why the route #2469 flew was established in the first place, how an intensive military exercise may have played a part in the disappearance and why reports of an incident by an Indigenous man were ignored.

What sets Skymaster Down apart—aside from buggy visits in the north—from other docs in this vein are the interviews with the families of those lost. These chats paint a picture of the people in the images flashed on-screen, adding another layer of sorrow to an already devastating tale.

Skymaster Down airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on documentary Channel.

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