After months of uncertainty and posturing in Canadian media circles, CBC finally announced Tuesday morning their pickups for the 2009-10 season. Among the new orders is one that sounds like an old SCTV sketch: BATTLE OF THE BLADES, according to the release, “is an elimination-style challenge that teams up Canada ’s top figure skaters with
Wondering how things went at that Canadian Film Centre salute to Norman Jewison in Los Angeles Friday night? Host Leonard Maltin reports that it all went very well indeed. With A-List story tellers Jewison, Carl Reiner and Cher in the house, how could if fail? Go to Getty Images, type “Norman Jewison” in the search
CTV’s Spectacle has a more re-spectacle showing last Friday, but still far from spectacular. The third episode of the Elvis Costello-hosted music and talk series, featuring Kris Kristofferson and Norah Jones, drew 593,000 viewers Friday (according to BBM Canada “commercial” overnight estimates. CTV says they counted 650,000 on their supersized “Total” tally, which is quite
Always love talking to Dave Thomas. Besides his certified, Canadian comedy icon status, the SCTV firebrand has an informed opinion on just about any subject.Spoke with him recently about his latest venture, Bob & Doug, which premiered Sunday night at 7:30 on Global. The 22 half hours reintroduce lovable hoseheads Bob & Doug McKenzie to
Are you like me? Waiting 19 bloody months for a new episode of Rescue Me? Denis Leary‘s NYFD saga returns tonight at 10 p.m. on Showcase with the first of 22 brand new episodes. Blame, once again, the writers strike for the delay, although the good news is we get a nice, broadcast-length season (followed
Drew Barrymore says a dreary Winter shoot in Toronto helped her get into character for the HBO drama Grey Gardens (premiering tonight on HBO Canada, 9 p.m.). “I had to change everything about myself,” says Barrymore, who plays real life socialite-turned pauper Little Edie Beale opposite Jessica Lange’s “Big Edie.”The mother-daughter duo made headlines in
When I was talking to my old pal Slawko Klymkiw the other week he was excited about a deal the Canadian Film Centre was working on with NBC Universal. The CFC sent out this release about it yesterday:“CFC ANNOUNCES THE CREATION OF THE NBC UNIVERSAL CONTENT CREATOR PROGRAMINNOVATIVE PROGRAM TO BRING ORIGINAL CANADIAN MADE CONTENT
I get Carla Collins. She is very much in the Hollywood showbiz tradition. Larger than life and just as loud, she’s a girl who works hard, hits her mark and can always sell a joke–and looks great doing it.Collins burned through the Toronto scene for about a decade, making a name for herself on radio