A few years ago, my son Dan was shocked to learn that there really was a John Madden. To many under 30, Madden — who died Dec. 28 at 85 — is more likely thought of as Col. Saunders or Ronald McDonald, a corporate brand ambassador. If you are closer to 50-plus, you remember the
Shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of Jean-Marc Vallée. The Emmy Award winning Montreal-born director passed away Dec. 26 at his cabin near Quebec City. No cause of death has been given at this time. Early in 2017, at a conference I attended, the stars of HBO’s Big Little Lies raved about
This festive Larry Fritz illustration graced the cover of TV Guide for the week of December 24, 1955. That was back when signals were pulled in from all over on rooftop antennas–for free. Back when there were TV listings magazines–which sold for 15 cents. Back when binging only took place at the dinner table, and movies
Some of these I’ve listed before, but I try to change it up a bit every December. You’ll find some vintage Christmas episodes free to stream at CTV’s Throwback channel. Hamilton’s CHCH is also holding a daylone Christmas sitcom marathon Dc. 24 and 25th. Here, in chronological order (and heavy on the ’60s) is my
Some of the best podcast conversations I’ve had in 2021 were with authors. The six listed below seized this pandemic predicament by hunkering down and writing great books either about their own life experiences or, in one case, a biography about one of Canada’s best storytellers. I thank them all for helping me to read
The 2021 Grey Cup was the show of the week across Canada with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the 108th CFL championship. In an era of declining broadcast numbers, the Canadian football season ender came back strong after two seasons on the sidelines dues to the COVID pandemic. Imported crime and
Way back in July of 1960, TV Guide ran its 10th cover story on Lucille Ball. The headline was terse: “Humiliated and Unhappy.” Writer Dan Jenkins caught up with TV’s “zany redhead” two months after her divorce from Desi Arnaz and right before a career misstep in a Broadway musical called “Wildcat.” Jenkins wrote that
We all know Anne Murray was an adult contemporary, pop and country music super star, selling more than 55 million records. Her impact on television, however, was also tremendous. As she relates in this special Christmas Week episode of brioux.tv the podcast, Murray got her TV start on CBC’s Singalong Jubilee. Spun off from the