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Awards, Industry News

Academy Announces Host for Canadian Screen Awards

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From a media release:

Comedian Norm Macdonald will host the Academy’s 2016 Canadian Screen Awards, live on CBC prime time on Sunday March 13, 2016, it was announced today by Helga Stephenson, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

“Comedian Norm Macdonald has done brilliant stand-up comedy everywhere and on every show from Saturday Night Live to Just for Laughs, so we know how lucky we are to have him host our 2016 Canadian Screen Awards,” says Stephenson.

Norm Macdonald is perhaps best known for his five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (SNL). For three years Macdonald anchored Weekend Update, SNL’s longest running recurring sketch. Macdonald also wrote for the popular ABC sitcom Roseanne and starred in The Norm Show.

For the first time, the Canadian Screen Awards will be broadcast LIVE on CBC in the Eastern Time Zone, and live-to-tape across the country. The 2016 CSAs will return to the prestigious Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Review: Murdoch Mysteries frees Crabtree

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All right Murdoch Mysteries fans. I think we all knew Constable Crabtree wasn’t really guilty of killing Archibald Brooks, but who did it and why were the questions I had bugging me all summer long. And, judging by the tweets I read with #freeCrabtree attached, I wasn’t the only one.

Those questions were answered during “Nolo Contendere,” Monday’s Season 9 premiere where Crabtree was exonerated, Murdoch got hit on the head and Emily planned her exit from Toronto in favour of London with Lillian. Turns out it was Simon who’d shot Archie, and he and Edna escaped Toronto for parts unknown, breaking Crabtree’s heart in the process.

“Nolo Contendere,” which is Latin for “I do not wish to contend,” began dourly, with Crabtree and former Chief Constable Giles wiling their day away in the prison yard. The murder of a fellow inmate named Foster who’d warned Crabtree people were looking for Edna got the copper’s mind racing. Who was looking for Edna and why? (I’m always amazed the way TV shows can transform a space to suit their needs, and MM is no exception, turning an old mill site in Guelph, Ont., into the Don Jail Crabtree and Giles rotted away in.)

Peter Mitchell and Paul Aiken’s script quickly shifted to the city as Murdoch and Higgins visited Edna’s old apartment, the site of a burglary. That visit, a chat with Crabtree and a slug to the back of the head later and Murdoch was untying a knot of evidence involving a raw diamond, assumed identities, bicycle grease, roquefort cheese and murderous army buddies.

I wondered how the writers would return Crabtree from a detective—and leaving Station House No. 4—to a constable, and they did it in an ingenious way. As Giles stated, Crabtree’s “Nolo Contendere” plea meant he wasn’t guilty of the crime and it closed the books on the case. Sure, he’s got to work his way back up to being a detective, but at least he’s allowed to be a copper.

And, really, that’s all fans care about, right? What did you think of the episode? Comment below or via @tv_eh.

Notes and quotes

  • It only took Murdoch and Julia one scene to get smoochy with each other, something Hélène Joy told me would be a common occurrence in Season 9.
  • I got a distinct Red and Andy vibe from Giles and Crabtree, didn’t you?
  • “I knew there was a reason I married you!” Judging by the way Hélène Joy reacted, I’m pretty sure that line was ad-libbed by Yannick Bisson.
  • I loved how Crabtree used his fellow inmates’ against one another to find out who killed Foster.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Sensitive Skin

Link: Sensitive Skin nominated for International Emmy

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Sensitive Skin nominated for International Emmy
Toronto-shot comedy Sensitive Skin has earned an International Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Series. It’s up against shows from Brazil, France, Colombia and South Africa. The winners in 10 categories will be announced Nov. 23 at a gala at the Hilton New York Hotel, hosted by Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef. Continue reading.

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Blackstone

The fifth and final season of APTN’s Blackstone premieres on Nov. 3

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From a media release:

Prairie Dog Film + Television announces that the fifth and final season of the award-winning prime time drama Blackstone will feature the characters moving towards hope, healing and retribution – and will conclude with a dramatic finale on Dec. 22. Blackstone season five (8 x 60’) airs Tuesdays starting November 3 on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) (check below for exact times per region).

In the new season of Blackstone, there is hope in the midst of adversity as the Blackstone First Nation strives toward a better life by building a stronger community. Panicked and grief-stricken, the Stoneys fight for the authorities to expand the search for Wendy.  Meanwhile, Andy tries to work his usual channels to stay out of jail. Chief Victor’s lack of leadership has left the Blackstone community struggling. Leona gets close to a foster child, but is left seeking justice when tragedy strikes. A sober Gail searches for a new identity and a new path while coping with Wilma’s failing health. Smokey moves back to Blackstone to serve the community, and Daryl makes a business decision that pulls him and Gina deeper into a criminal world.

Blackstone airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on APTN HD and APTN East starting Nov. 3; Tuesdays at 10 p.m. MT on APTN West starting Nov. 3, and Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. CT on APTN North starting Nov. 7.

The award-winning predominately Aboriginal cast has roots across Canada including Carmen Moore (Arctic Air, Godiva’s), Eric Schweig (Last of the Mohicans), Michelle Thrush (Arctic Air, Jimmy P.), Steven Cree Molison (Brokeback Mountain, Fifty Shades of Gray), Ashley Callingbull (the newly crowned, Mrs. Universe), Jennifer Podemski (Degrassi), Glen Gould (Mohawk Girls) and Tantoo Cardinal (Legends of the Fall, Dances with Wolves).

Canadians can catch-up on seasons one, two, three, and four on http://aptn.ca/blackstone/. In the US, viewers can watch season one, two, and three on Hulu.com and Hulu Plus. Season one and two are also available for purchase on iTunes Canada and will soon be available on iTunes in the U.S.

Blackstone is produced by Prairie Dog Film + Television, with Ron E. Scott as executive producer, writer and director, Jesse Szymanski as co-executive producer, and Damon Vignale as writer/producer. The series currently broadcasts in Canada on APTN, in the United States on Hulu and HuluPlus, in New Zealand on Maori Television, and in Australia on SBS/NITV.  Blackstone has been nominated for 86 awards including Best Dramatic Series, and Best Dramatic Writing at the Canadian Screen Awards.

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Industry News

BNN’s The Disruptors returns for Season 2

From a media release:

Uber creating cabbie riots. Facebook and Google redefining the advertising market. Over-the-top services that turn every device into a TV. And apps that turn every home into a hotel. The pace of disruption is accelerating at breakneck speed, and the only way to stay on top of it is to know what’s next before it hits. Airing Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. ET beginning Oct. 8, THE DISRUPTORS returns to BNN for its second season, charting the latest emerging technology trends and tracking game-changing innovations like no other television program in Canada. BNN Anchor and Reporter Amber Kanwar, along with digital pioneer and entrepreneur Bruce Croxon, return to helm the weekly, half-hour program.

Each week, the duo reviews pitches from Canadian start-ups, providing expert advice, insight, and analysis. In addition to identifying the big tech trends rocking the worlds of information, transportation, finance, and workplace, THE DISRUPTORS introduces an exciting new interactive component, allowing viewers to vote for Top Disruptor. The start-up that is chosen will get a chance to be spotlighted on the program and given the opportunity to pitch Croxon’s investment company, Round 13.

Each week, THE DISRUPTORS speaks with CEOs of Canadian and international technology companies who share their own success stories, along with their thoughts on the risks faced by start-ups fighting for traction.

Long before social networking became an underpinning of modern society, Croxon was making his mark as a digital pioneer, co-founding the dating website Lavalife in 1987, consequently revolutionizing how people connect. Under his direction, Croxon grew this early tech start-up from four to 600 employees, creating a marquee brand of online dating with more than 200 million users and nearly $100 million in revenue. Since then, Croxon has earned success as an investor and advisor in early-stage companies in the technology and hospital sectors. A familiar face to Canadian viewers, Croxon was a judge on the hit television program DRAGONS’ DEN from 2011 to 2014. His latest endeavor is as Principal in Round 13 Capital, a firm investing in the Canadian high-tech field looking to find and create the next wave of disruptors.

BNN’s Kanwar specializes in equity markets and is constantly digging for stocks flying under the radar, recognizing trends that are about to emerge, and curating research to make it accessible to viewers. Kanwar has interviewed CEOs from across the continent, from BlackBerry’s John Chen to Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, and brings the day’s biggest business stories to viewers on BNN, CP24, and CTV News Channel. She’s an expert at finding the big deals before they are announced and bringing those scoops to viewers.

THE DISRUPTORS is produced by BNN, with additional research provided by BetaKit, the nation’s foremost source for Canadian start-up news and tech innovation.

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