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Spiral, Anne, Letterkenny and Cardinal top 22nd Annual WGC Screenwriting Awards

Writers for Spiral, Anne, Letterkenny and Cardinal were among the winners at the 22nd Annual Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards in Toronto on Monday night.

The event, held at the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning’s Koerner Hall, celebrated the country’s screenwriting talent in television, web series and film. Spiral writer Karen McClellan (pictured above) won in the Shorts & Webseries category for her script “The Girl in the Dream.”

“Writers don’t get here on their own,” McClellan said. “I want to say a special shout-out to some writers who have taken a chance on me in the past: Susin Nielsen, Shelley Eriksen, Bruce Smith and a dear friend who is not here tonight but always in my heart, Denis McGrath.”

Letterkenny‘s Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney won the TV Comedy category for their Season 2 script, “Relationships,” while Cardinal‘s Aubrey Nealon took home the TV Drama trophy for the Season 1 episode, “John Cardinal.”

Gavin Crawford, comedian, writer and host of CBC Radio’s Because News hosted, starting the night off with a surprise appearance by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne a.k.a. Crawford. As Wynne, Crawford extolled the virtues of Canadian television and film writers while taking a jab at recent adaptations of Anne of Green Gables and Alias Grace.

“I’m particularly excited about Kale & Prune, a six-hour CBC miniseries adapted from a Margaret Atwood’s Whole Foods receipt,” he joked.

Alison Lea Bingeman, Marsha Greene, Rachel Langer, Joseph Kay, Cynthia Knight, Adriana Maggs, Elize Morgan, Jiro Okada and Sugith Varughese presented the night’s categories.

Mark Ellis was the recipient of The Denis McGrath Award for his service to the Writers Guild of Canada, Michael MacLennan was given The WGC Showrunner Award, Sarah Dodd the Sondra Kelly Award and Sherry White the Alex Barris Mentorship Award. WGC president Jill Golick, whose term has ended after eight years, had the final say of the night with an impassioned plea to the group’s members.

“Stories are the best way to change hearts and minds,” Golick said. “Keep writing my friends. Keep finding ways to bring truth to light. ”

The category winners are:

Shorts & Webseries
Spiral, Episode 101 “The Girl in the Dream,” written by Karen McClellan

Children’s
Mysticons, Season 1 “Sisters in Arms,” written by Sean Jara

Movie of the Week & Miniseries
Alias Grace, written by Sarah Polley

Best Script from Season 1
Anne, Season 1 “I Am No Bird, And No Net Ensnares Me,” written by Moira Walley-Beckett

TV Comedy
Letterkenny, Season 2 “Relationships,” written by Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney

TV Drama
Cardinal, Season 1 “John Cardinal,” written by Aubrey Nealon

Tweens & Teens
The Stanley Dynamic, Season 2 “The Stanley Cheer,” written by Matt Kippen

Feature Film
Entanglement, written by Jason Filiatrault

Documentary
The Hundred-Year-Old Whale, written by Mark Leiren-Young

 

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Season 2 of CBC’s My 90-Year-Old Roommate is a buddy comedy worth seeing

Mall walking is back and cooler than ever.

CBC’s My 90-Year-Old Roommate—all 12 episodes of Season 2 are available now on the network’s website—is a comedy series created by Ethan Cole (he also plays Ethan in the series). Based on the viral web series starring Ethan and Joe Cole, Explaining Things to My Grandfather, Season 1 oaired in 2016 (catch up on Season 1 here).

If you are a newcomer to My 90-Year-Old Roommate, here’s a little flashback to what happened in the first season. Ethan (Ethan Cole) moved in with his grandpa Joe (Paul Soles). Jobless, slacker Ethan is always seeking love via dating apps. The one thing he wants to do for sure is get laid and have fun. On the other hand, his grandfather is more traditional. He tries to teach his grandson how to be a well-mannered man in modern society. The combination of watching these two worlds, modern and old-fashioned, through the lens of My 90-Year-Old Roommate is truly addictive. But there is more than just a relationship between a grandson and grandpa. It’s a mirror of two generations that try to coexist.

The first season was lively, bright and unfortunately ended really quickly. I’m thrilled CBC greenlit a second season.

Season 2 starts with an episode about live streaming when Joe learns what it is and its potential. And Ethan, the wonderful grandson that he is, makes live videos from all the important occasions Joe doesn’t want to attend, whether it’s a funeral (if you’re watching from home you can eat candy!) or a circumcision ceremony. One of the live streams doesn’t end very well, but it’s for you to find out which one! Upcoming storylines see Ethan and Paul double date, transform a knitting club into an e-commerce venture and explore self-diagnosis via Web MD.

Season 2 of My 90-Year-Old Roommate is available on CBC’s website now.

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The Detail’s David Cubitt on Kyle’s “burning” feelings for Stevie

Over the first five episodes of CTV detective series The Detail, Detective Kyle Price (David Cubitt) has had his eye on two people: former girlfriend Stevie (Angela Griffin) and long-time murder suspect Alvin Flowers (Hume Baugh).

Though Kyle loves one and hates the other, he is focused on both because he feels they each got away. Stevie left him without explanation to marry her husband Jono (Matthew Edison), and Flowers eluded arrest for a series of brutal murders—a situation that drove Stevie’s dad, Kyle’s mentor, to take his own life.

Both of these situations come to a head in Sunday’s new episode, “When One Door Closes,” when the body of a woman thought to be Flowers’ latest victim washes up on a local beach. To get us ready for the big episode, veteran actor David Cubitt (Van Helsing, Bates Motel, Medium) joined us by phone to give us some insight into his character and preview where Kyle and Stevie’s relationship may be headed.

How did you become involved with The Detail?
David Cubitt: I had been a fan of the original British show, Scott & Bailey. I loved it. And then I heard that CTV was casting for a show inspired by it, and I was really excited about that. But in the original show, really all the interesting characters were women. All the primary characters were female. But in the Canadian version—I think being sort of the apologists that we are in Canada—we wouldn’t fully do that. So, I had the good fortune of getting one of the male parts that they beefed up a little bit for the Canadian version. And Kyle is a really interesting character, so it’s worked out well.

Was there something about Kyle that you particularly related to or were drawn to right off the bat?
First of all, the show deals with the personal lives of the characters in a way that a lot of procedurals don’t, so that was interesting in and of itself. But Kyle himself has an interesting history that goes back to working with Stevie’s father and a case that was very devastating for the father and for Kyle, who left homicide altogether because of it. And he also has a romantic past with Stevie, and his coming back to her place of work at this homicide division is very complicated.

Kyle and Stevie’s relationship is definitely complex, and he still seems to be pining for her. Is he ever going to be able to move on?
He alludes to the fact that part of the reason he came back was to resolve that flame that’s still sort of burning in him for her. So even though she’s married, he seems to be willing to confront his feelings from the past and to figure out what that is.

As you mentioned, Kyle is also haunted by the Alvin Flowers case. He’s been watching the guy even though he’s been told to stay away from him. Why is that case eating at him so much?
Because he was a serial killer and strung the police along, and they just were never able to pin him down and figure out who it was. And it drove Stevie’s father to suicide, and he was very close with Kyle, so that just wrecked Kyle’s life there for a while. So now when this Brooke Dodson case shows up, with a similar M.O. to the murder scenes from the Alvin Flowers case of the past, it brings all the history back to him.

And all that comes up again in this Sunday’s new episode. What can you hint about that?
I can say that there’s a nice twist at the end as well as going further into Kyle and Stevie’s romantic situation. We go a little deeper there and learn a little bit more about that relationship.

What else can viewers expect in the second half of the season?
We go very deeply into Jack’s [Shenae Grimes-Beech] personal life, which is an absolute mess, a total disaster. And I think it’s really refreshing television to see a cop who has such a complicated personal life holding it together at work and falling apart at home.

What do you look for in an acting role? What piques your interest the most?
Personal storyline mostly. So many roles, especially in a lot of the stuff that I do, are purely procedural where you’re basically just moving the plot along. So, as soon as there’s a serious interest in a personal storyline, then there’s actually something to do as an actor.

TV revivals are everywhere right now. Looking back at all the series you’ve worked on, what one would you most like to see brought back?
I did this really fantastic pilot in New York—well, it probably wasn’t a fantastic pilot because it never got picked up—called Mysteries of 71st Street. It was a Woody Allen-ish quirky couple solving crime kind of inadvertently, and it was really fun. And I also did a show in London called The American Embassy, and that was fantastic, with shooting in London and the political intrigue. Those are two good ones.

The Detail airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

Images courtesy of Bell Media.

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Home to Win: Bryan and Sarah Baeumler and Sangita Patel preview Season 3

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler are no strangers to working together. The pair, in addition to being married and with a passel of kids, the home builder and interior designer are business partners too. Viewers have seen that both in House of Bryan and most recently in Bryan Inc. But the pair is still getting used to working with the massive group of HGTV Canada talent assembled for Season 3 of Home to Win.

Returning Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada, Home to Win once again reunites 26 of this country’s biggest names in builders and designers with host Sangita Patel to renovate one piece of property for one deserving Canadian. But unlike the last two seasons of Home to Win, the home is only up for grabs for a first-time homebuyer (get details on how to audition). And, in the bursting Southern Ontario real estate market, that’s huge.

“It was a great concept, a great idea,” Sarah Baeumler says alongside Bryan and Patel during a press junket at Corus Entertainment headquarters. “When we’re talking to people that want to buy a house and what to look for, the idea and cost right now is a very difficult thing to talk about because it’s out of most people’s realm. To be able to do this and have somebody win their first-time home is spectacular.”

As with last season, Sunday’s return follows Bryan Baeumler and Scott McGillivray as they walk through a trio of homes that are potential projects. The show’s producers hit a home run when they paired the veteran builders together for the task; as contributor Tanya writes in her preview, Baeumler and McGillivray share a similar sense of humour and get on like gangbusters.

“We show up, have fun and have a laugh,” Bryan Baeumler says. “I’ll be honest, nobody laughs at me as hard as I laugh at me. Scott’s the same. We don’t get a lot of time to hang out when we’re not [filming] because we’re both very busy with family, kids and work, so it’s nice to just hang out with the brother I never wanted and have some fun.”

We won’t give away which of the three homes Baeumler and McGillivray choose as the one to be made over (well, that, and we’re not allowed to say), but it’s a great choice. And one with plenty of challenges. Still, folks like Brian McCourt, Sarah Keenleyside, Kortney and Dave Wilson, Drew and Jonathan Scott, Sabrina Smelko, Jo Alcorn, Carson Arthur, Danielle Bryk, Kate Campbell, Sebastian Clovis, Mike Holmes, Mike Holmes Jr., Paul LaFrance, Tiffany Pratt and Samantha Pynn are up to the test. With Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe coming up with the overall design style of the home, the over two dozen-strong team gets to work.

“This is one of the most important things about this season and what we learned from [making] the last two seasons,” Sarah says. “We didn’t take the time to come up with a cohesive plan, we went off and were creating all of these things. Being able to stand together and say, ‘OK, what does everyone feel?’ You pick something that is sort of neutral ground. Somebody like me, who is into neutral colours and white, can wrap my head around it. We all came to a consensus on the overall feel and then go off on our own little tangents.”

Are you hoping to be one of the Canadians in the running to win the home? Patel has some advice when it comes to the audition process and making your video.

“Just be real,” she advises. “Be yourself in your audition tape. Don’t do anything crazy. Tell us why you need this house and why you want to get this house.”

Home to Win airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Images courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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Comments and queries for the week of April 27

Someone has to tell this new host she needs to stop interrupting her guests. This is off-putting in the extreme. I watch Power and Politics regularly, record it daily, however, I am considering stopping recording and watching as Vassy Kapelos’ constant interruptions makes her interviews more frustrating than the benefit of the political discussions. —Janet


I do wish Hollywood would go back to good stories, mysteries and subjects. They rely too much on scandalous sex, crude language and violence as well as fantasy and just weird content. Most of the U.S. detective shows are corny or dumb except for Law & Order: SVU. Or, they just do reality TV, which is getting old. Although the actors on Murdoch Mysteries are attractive, the show doesn’t just rely on over-plasticized, fake beauty like Hollywood does. It is about the characters, the plot and the excellent writing. I am so glad other countries like Canada, the UK and Australia to keep these kinds of mysteries coming. —Makeup Girl

I live in the U.S. and am a Murdoch addict. I don’t really like Julia. I wish Murdoch had stayed with Anna. So happy about Season 12 that I can hardly wait! —Patricia

I live in the U.S. (Mississippi) and I am really, really, really glad to hear that Murdoch will be back for Season 12. Words can not express how much I love this show and there is nothing on the air in the States, right now, that is as great as MM, in my opinion. While the show is set in Canada, the themes and societal issues it tackles are universal. Gender equality, abortion, civil rights, issues of racism, classism, religion, homophobia, etc. These are universal to people living around the world and MM examines these without judgment or taking sides, leaving the concluding analysis to the viewer. All of that, in addition to, a really great mystery. This is something that is rarely found in a lot of TV shows today. My hat’s off to the writers, producers, cast and crew for the blood, sweat, tears and HANDIWORK that you put into every episode. Believe me, it shows. Impatiently waiting for Season 12. Oh, Shaftesbury and AcornTV please don’t make me wait toooooo long. :-) —Daphne

Although we in the U.S. and are about two months behind with current airing via AcornTV, still happy to know Murdoch and team will be coming back for Season 12, just hope their holiday special is as good as their first in Season 9—didn’t really like holiday episodes for 10 & 11. Also, while I love Murdoch and Julia, there has been way too much focus on their relationship and not enough on the actual crimes, let’s go back to what worked in Season 1–9. —Lisa

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg.david@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

 

 

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