Back in January I attended a TCA press tour dinner in Pasadena presented by the Hallmark Channel. The cable network likes to mix the press in with the stars from their upcoming family movie offerings. There at one table sat the great Ed Asner. I walked over and said hello to the TV legend. He’s
Andrea Martin is a very funny and very brave woman. She brought her anything-for-a-laugh shtick to The Canadian Screen Awards Sunday night, spilling out of a limo at the start and exposing her blurred “lady parts” for all the world (or, at least, hundreds of viewers) to see. Martin is 68 but was rolling around
I was snowed under with print deadlines yesterday so a day late with this but still wanted to draw attention to a fine show: X Company. It premiered Wednesday night sat 9 p.m. on CBC. The World War II spy drama hails from Flashpoint showrunners Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern. They’ve kept this idea simmering
Politicians were called on the (red) carpet last week in Ottawa as This Hour Has 22 Minutes performed for the first time outside of Halifax. I worked the carpet and caught opposition leader Thomas Mulcair and MP Scott Brison among the Parliamentarians who braved the performance. The show was taped before a packed crowd of
In space, no one can hear you scream, “Change the channel!” Earthlings should listen for that sound shortly after 9 p.m. Monday as Ascension lifts off on CBC. The six-part space opera has already aired Stateside on the SyFy cable network. Episodes were shot last summer in Montreal with Lionsgate and Canadian partners Sea to
OTTAWA–Folks worried the recent shootings in Ottawa might lead to a severe crackdown on access to the Parliament buildings should rest easy,or so says Mark Critch. The This Hour Has 22 Minutes satirist scrambled all over the Peace Tower and Centre Block this week shooting sketches for next Tuesday’s show. The entire cast and many
PASADENA, Calif.–The preliminary overnight numbers are in, and the new Eugene Levy/Catherine O’Hara comedy Schitt’s Creek opened strong, premiering to 1,359,000 estimated viewers. More encouraging for CBC, a second episode at 9:30 drew 1,366,000. Even Guy Caballero would be impressed. That was opposite some stiff import competition in Canada Tuesday night: Global led the 9 p.m. hour
Remember how September came and went and there were hardly any new Canadian TV shows in the mix? Global decided long ago not to throw a raw Canadian series into the wood chipper that is the fall TV season. Other broadcasters now also hold their Canadian brownie points until the beginning of a new calendar year.