Tag Archives: CBC

Frankie Drake Mysteries explores faith in Episode 4

Well, last week’s episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries certainly ended in a memorable way. After assuming I’d see Frankie and Ernest Hemingway canoodling before long, it was Moses Page who she shared a liplock with. I applaud the writing room for throwing that twist in and am excited to see where that storyline goes from here.

As for this week, here’s the CBC’s official word on “Healing Hands,” written by Andrew Burrows-Trotman and directed by Sudz Sutherland:

When Trudy (Chantel Riley) gives shelter to a faith-healing preacher’s daughter, she and Frankie (Lauren Lee Smith) find themselves investigating Toronto’s jazz scene.

And here’s some more scoop after watching a screener.

Frankie and Trudy are equals in every way
It may say Drake Private Detectives on the door, but Trudy and Frankie are equal partners in this business. That means working together and a constant support system. Neither is more important than the other and we love it.

Karen Robinson returns
Yes, Karen Robinson is back on Monday as Mildred Clarke, critiquing Trudy’s driving and career choice. And just because she attends church with her mother doesn’t mean Trudy necessarily believes in a higher power. We’re getting some very interesting character backstory on Trudy so far, especially when she and Frankie get into the topic of faith.

Killjoys‘ Prince Amponsah guest-stars
Last seen in Season 3 of Canadian sci-fi hit Killjoys, Prince Amponsah drops by Frankie Drake to portray a wounded soldier who is healed at the hands of Elsie (guest star Greta Onieogou). Fellow Killjoys, Alias Grace and Murdoch Mysteries guest actor John Tench also appears as Lyle, a shady sort.

Robert Carli rules
Fans of Murdoch Mysteries already know Robert Carli is the man behind that incredible theme music as well as the weekly soundtrack. Well, Carli ups the ante with Frankie Drake‘s soundtrack, a wonderful homage to the 1920s jazz scene jam-packed with trumpet, percussion and, I’m pretty sure, some oboe too.

Frankie Drake Mysteries airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

 

 

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Anne begins principal photography on Season 2 for CBC and Netflix

From a media release:

Northwood Entertainment is delighted to announce that principal photography has commenced for season two of the universally acclaimed series ANNE (WITH AN E). The series, currently shooting in various locations in Ontario and PEI, will return for 10 episodes on CBC in Canada and globally – everywhere outside of Canada – on Netflix in 2018.

Inspired by the timeless Canadian young adult novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the second season of ANNE (WITH AN E) will continue to chart bold new territory, adding new characters and storylines while continuing to explore themes of identity, prejudice, feminism, bullying, gender parity and empowerment through the lens of its fierce, starry-eyed, irrepressible 14-year-old protagonist.

Creator and executive producer/showrunner, Moira Walley-Beckett (Breaking Bad, Flesh and Bone) is excited about this groundbreaking season, stating, “Exploring modern topical issues in the world of this beloved character is a thrilling endeavor, and I hope this season ignites, unites, and inspires young people around the world.”

ANNE (WITH AN E) stars returning fan favorites Amybeth McNulty (Anne Shirley-Cuthbert), Geraldine James (Marilla Cuthbert), R.H. Thomson (Matthew Cuthbert), Corrine Koslo (Rachel Lynde), Dalila Bela (Diana Barry), Aymeric Jett Montaz (Jerry Baynard), Lucas Zumann (Gilbert Blythe) and Kyla Matthews (Ruby Gillis). This season will also introduce audiences to new characters including Dalmar Abuzeid (Sebastian) and Cory Grüter-Andrew (Cole).

A CBC and Netflix original series, ANNE (WITH AN E) is produced by Northwood Entertainment and created by Moira Walley-Beckett. The executive producers are Miranda de Pencier, Moira Walley-Beckett, Sally Catto, Elizabeth Bradley, Alex Sapot, Debra Hayward, Alison Owen and Ken Girotti. John Calvert serves as producer.

 

 

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Link: Dan Levy Won’t Turn His Pansexual Schitt’s Creek Character Into a ‘Caricature’

From Taylor Ferber of Vulture:

Link: Dan Levy Won’t Turn His Pansexual Schitt’s Creek Character Into a ‘Caricature’
“Hopefully we get to a place where this kind of conversation is just: We picked a person and we created a character and we told a love story. It was who he was. The pansexuality just felt like something that was so him and so part of his world.” Continue reading.

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Link: Interview: Simu Liu, Kim’s Convenience Actor

From JF Garrard of Ricepaper:

Link: Interview: Simu Liu, Kim’s Convenience Actor
“Being a part of this show is the single greatest experience of my life. It’s been everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more – it’s made my career, given me a platform, and allowed me to be a part of a very positive movement in the industry. But on the day-to-day, it’s also just a fun place to work. When your coworkers are Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Andrew Phung and Nicole Power, you’re never going to have a bad day on set.” Continue reading.

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‘Tis the season for CBC’s holiday programming, including Murdoch Mysteries: Home for the Holidays

From a media release:

Canada’s national public broadcaster celebrates the 2017–18 festive season with holiday programming across all platforms including CBC, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, CBC Music and CBC.ca. Throughout December, CBC will offer new original movies and specials including the return of Newfoundland’s most dysfunctional family as the Hatching, Matching and Dispatching saga continues in new holiday movie A CHRISTMAS FURY (Dec. 3) starring Mary Walsh; animated special THE GREAT NORTHERN CANDY DROP (Dec. 17), starring Lorne Cardinal and Tantoo Cardinal, which tells the true story of Inuk bush pilot Johnny May; and an all-new two-hour MURDOCH MYSTERIES special: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (Dec. 18), filmed on location in Victoria, BC. Additionally, viewers can catch holiday episodes from THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Dec. 6), DRAGONS’ DEN (Dec. 7), THE GOODS (starting Dec. 11) and CBC ARTS: EXHIBITIONISTS (Dec. 22); classic movie hits including Home Alone, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, Scrooge, White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street; and time-honoured animated family favourites Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Frosty the Snowman.

CBC rings in the new year with a fresh lineup of comedy specials on Dec. 31 including an all-new AIR FARCE NEW YEAR’S EVE 2017 and RON JAMES: THE HIGH ROAD, followed by a cross-Canada musical celebration hosted by Rick Mercer, CANADA’S NEW YEAR’S EVE, building on the success of the public broadcaster’s 2017 countdown special, which reached 5.7 million viewers across the country with an average minute audience of 1.8 million.* And on Jan. 3, CBC exclusively broadcasts the star-studded Leonard Cohen tribute concert that took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal this fall.

New Original Holiday Movies & Specials:

A CHRISTMAS FURY (new two-hour comedy movie) – Sunday, December 3 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
Newfoundland’s most dysfunctional family returns to CBC as the Hatching Matching and Dispatching story continues with an outrageously funny TV movie, A CHRISTMAS FURY. Starring comedy icon Mary Walsh, A CHRISTMAS FURY begins with matriarch Mamie Lou (Walsh) about to make a big life change. Her plans are derailed, however, by the arrival of a child who puts the chaos back in Christmas and sends everyone reeling. With the family business up for grabs, the siblings are at each other’s throats. Meanwhile, there’s a wedding and a funeral to plan. What could possibly go wrong? Co-starring Mark McKinney, Susan Kent, Shaun Majumder, Jonny Harris, Sherry White, Joel Thomas Hynes, Adriana Maggs, and Rick Boland.

DREAMING OF A JEWISH CHRISTMAS (new one-hour documentary) – Thursday, December 7 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT)
Where would our modern Christmas season be without songs like Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Have A Holly Jolly Christmas, Do You Hear What I Hear?, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) and, of course, White Christmas? DREAMING OF A JEWISH CHRISTMAS is an offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday. It’s an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture’s mainstream — a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe in it.

THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES: STATE OF THE WORLD (new one-hour special) — Tuesday, December 12 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
In this one-hour special, THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES turns its satirical eye to how the world sees Canada, with some surprising answers. One year into the Trump administration, what role do we play in the world, and what does the world think of us? Heroes to some, villains to others, you won’t ever look at Canada the same way again.

THE GREAT NORTHERN CANDY DROP (new half-hour animated special) – Sunday, December 17 at 7:30 p.m. (8 NT) and Thursday, December 21 at 7 p.m. (7:30 NT)
Featuring the voices of Tantoo Cardinal and Lorne Cardinal and based on a children’s book published in 2015 by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, THE GREAT NORTHERN CANDY DROP tells the true story of Inuk bush pilot Johnny May, who has flown over Kuujjuaq in the Nunavik region of Northern Quebec to drop candy, toys and warm clothing to the children and residents of the community each holiday season for more than 50 years.

MURDOCH MYSTERIES: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (new two-hour special) – Monday, December 18 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) and Monday, December 25 at 6 p.m. (6:30 NT)
Murdoch  (Yannick Bisson) and Ogden (Hélène Joy) travel to Victoria, B.C. to visit Murdoch’s brother, RCMP officer Jasper Linney (Dylan Neal). There, they investigate a murder connected to an archaeologist (Megan Follows) who has uncovered an ancient Indigenous settlement, leading to a trek through the rugged beauty of British Columbia and encounters with the Songhees and Haida nations. Meanwhile, the Brackenreids are offered a surefire investment opportunity that may not be all it seems, and Crabtree and Higgins plan a ski-chalet holiday with their girlfriends Nina and Ruth, but learn it may be more dangerous than expected.

JFL GALA – MONTREAL: AN INTERVENTION (BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU) – Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT)
This no-holds-barred celebration of Montreal features affectionate jabs and playful mischief by Jimmy Carr, Alonzo Bodden, Mark Critch, DeAnne Smith and more.

AIR FARCE NEW YEAR’S EVE 2017  – Sunday, December 31 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT), Monday, January 1 at 12:05 a.m. (12:35 NT)
Air Farce is back with an all new New Year’s Eve special, satirizing the insanity that was 2017. This year, Wonder Woman battles America’s biggest threat, President Trump; The Handmaid’s Tale gets a musical treatment with Taylor Swift; special guest David Suzuki gets schooled on climate change; and the dropping of the annual F-Bomb on the most deserving targets of the year. Cast members include Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, Craig Lauzon, Jessica Holmes, Darryl Hinds, Chris Wilson, Isabel Kanaan.

RON JAMES: THE HIGH ROAD – Sunday, December 31 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) and Thursday, January 4 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
Ron James and his poetically charged brand of funny return to CBC for his 9th stand-up special. He will weigh in on a surreal year, where Ringling Brothers was forced to fold up their tent because they couldn’t compete with the full-time circus going on at the White House. He will look at the pros and pros of legalized marijuana, and will also go to town on the hunky hijinks of our world-famous Prime Minister, a man who will happily give you the shirt off his back if he thinks it’ll make for a sexier selfie.

CANADA’S NEW YEAR’S EVE – Sunday, December 31 at 11 p.m. (11:30 NT)
Hosted by Rick Mercer, this countdown will ring in 2018 with musical performances, special guests and fireworks across the country. More details to come.

JFL GALA – JANE KRAKOWSKI: GET HAPPY– Tuesday, January 2 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT)
Tony Award-winning and Emmy nominated actress and singer Jane Krakowski graces the Just For Laughs stage to host a night of uproarious stand-up comedy. Starring the hilarious Chris D’Elia, Steve Simeon, Randy, Sean Emeny, Eman El-Husseini and with a special appearance by Tituss Burgess.

TOWER OF SONG: A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO LEONARD COHEN – Wednesday, January 3 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
CBC broadcasts the star-studded Leonard Cohen tribute concert that took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal this past fall. The commemorative event was held one year after Cohen’s death and features renowned artists including Sting, BØRNS, Basia Bulat, Elvis Costello, Coeur de Pirate, Lana Del Rey, Feist, k.d. lang, Courtney Love, Damien Rice, Seth Rogen, Ron Sexsmith, Patrick Watson and Adam Cohen.

New Holiday-themed Episodes:

THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW: HOLIDAY BAKING WEEK – Wednesday, December 6 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
During Holiday Baking Week, the top five bakers celebrate and commemorate the season with three delectable holiday-themed challenges.

DRAGONS` DEN HOLIDAY SPECIAL – Thursday, December 7 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)
The halls of the Den are decked and every entrepreneur who enters has a deal on their wish list. Holiday-themed businesses face the Dragons with great gifts, stocking stuffers, and some shocking proposals, all with hopes of getting the Dragons to channel their inner Santas.

THE GOODS SEASON 2 HOLIDAY SPECIALS – Monday, December 11 through Friday, December 15 and Wednesday, December 20 at 2 p.m. (2:30 NT)
Get THE GOODS this holiday season! Join co-hosts Steven Sabados, Jessi Cruickshank, Shahir Massoud and Andrea Bain as they share entertaining tips, hot holiday fashions, gift guides, and a whole lot of fun! Special guests include designer Jillian Harris, singer Matt Dusk, and an extra-special gift wrapping tutorial by Red Green.

CBC ARTS: EXHIBITIONISTS HOLIDAY SPECIAL – Friday night, December 22 at 12:30 (1 NT)
Host Amanda Parris presents intriguing holiday-themed art from creators across the country.

 

 

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