TV, eh?

From the WGC:

• Finalists Announced: The Writers Guild of Canada congratulates the 2010 Finalists

From Bill Harris of QMI Agency:

• ACTRA awards held in Toronto
  “Performers in Guns, Flashpoint and Spliced were honoured Friday at the 2010 ACTRA Toronto Awards.” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top Programs – Total Canada
  #13 Dragons’ Den (1.529 million)
  #25 Flashpoint (1.046 million)
  #29 Heartland (1.028 million)
  #30 Rick Mercer Report (1.009 million)

From the Air Farce New Year’s Eve Special:

From Bill Brioux of the Canadian Press:

• No sign of Toronto-shot police drama ‘Flashpoint’ in CBS’s lineup
  “Canadians waiting for CBS to finally add Toronto-lensed dramas The Bridge and Flashpoint to its schedule will have to wait a little longer.” Read more.

From Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

• TV series shows Canada in a dark, new light
  “Ah, our friends to the north. Rosy cheeks, cute toques, friendly and cooperative. Durham County, returning Sunday on the hard-to-find ION Network, will erase those stereotypes forever. It might be the grimmest thing on TV, and that includes HBO and Showtime.” Read more.

From Cassandra Szklarski of the Canadian Press:

• Variety, cable, single-camera sitcoms mark decade of flux and creative risks
  “TV rediscovered variety, premium cable transformed the serial drama, and sitcoms overtly broke the fourth wall in the 2000s as the small screen shifted into new territory in a bid to keep eyeballs glued to the tube. Meanwhile, audiences splintered as they embraced an increasing number of specialty and pay channels, PVR viewing and on-demand entertainment, raising the bar for all shows seeking viewer loyalty.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Amazing Race Tops 3 Million at Finish Line

From Michael Simpson of CinemaSpy:

• ‘Flashpoint’ Follows the Right Procedure: But fans won’t be arrested by the Season 1 DVD extras
  “The Toronto-shot procedural Flashpoint has been an outstanding success in the annals of Canadian television. The series is a big hit with viewers in its native country and the 19 Gemini nominations that it received this year testify to the high regard Canada’s industry professionals have for the show. Even more impressive, perhaps, has been the success Flashpoint has achieved in the United States. During its summer run on CBS, the first season w was the network’s top original scripted series. Not since Due South has a Canadian show achieved that sort of success in a TV landscape where procedurals breed like proverbial rabbits.” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top programs – Total Canada
  #18 Dragons’ Den (1.746 million)
  #19 Battle of the Blades (1.736 million)
  #22 Flashpoint (1.589 million)
  #30 Heartland (1.210 million)

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• CBC Battles on Without Blades
  “FRIDAY saw 1,575,000 show for the season finale of Flashpoint (with Hugh Dillon and Michael Cram, left), which tried to steal a little Blade glory by training its sights on Maple Leaf Gardens.” Read more.

From BBM Canada:

• Top programs – Total Canada
  #15 Dragons’ Den (2.075 million)
  #16 Battle of the Blades (1.878 million)
  #20 Flashpoint (1.771 million)
  #28 Heartland (1.278 million)

From Alex Strachan of Canwest:

• Fine Tuning for Friday, Nov. 20.
  “Enrico Colantoni and Hugh Dillon – both Gemini winners last weekend – are only part of the reason the opening moments of tonight’s season finale of Flashpoint are so, well, flashy.” Read more.

10 p.m. – FLASHPOINT – “Behind the Blue Line” – ALL-NEW EPISODE

The Godwin Coliseum’s the pride of a city – an arena rich with the memories and dreams of millions of people. But when it’s slated for demolition, Darren Kovacs (guest star Shawn Roberts, WILD ROSES) decides to fight back. As Ed (Hugh Dillon) contains the vast arena, riddled with booby traps and occupied by an active shooter, Parker (Enrico Colantoni) and Jules (Amy Jo Johnson) discover that Darren is doing more than defending a stadium. He’s a soldier, recently returned from war and fighting the guilt of losing his best friend in combat. Sam (David Paetkau), haunted by his own ghosts of a military past, reaches out to Darren. Will the connection between the two men lead to a safe resolution or will Darren turn the tables on the team and gain the upper hand?

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Millions Ignore Canadian TV Awards
  “Apparently there was some sort of Canadian TV awards show on Saturday night. It drew 303,000 viewers on Global according to BBM Canada overnight estimates. Word is it was held in Calgary. Another 50,000 caught it on Showcase.” Read more.

From a media release:

Sniper in Maple Leaf Gardens: Gripping FLASHPOINT Fall Finale Airs Nov. 20 on CTV

• Gunman goes to the extreme to save one of hockey’s greatest shrines from demolition
• FLASHPOINT wins seven Gemini Awards, including Best Dramatic Series –

Hot on the on the heals of three more Gemini Award wins Saturday night, including Best Dramatic series, Canada’s most-watched original drama series FLASHPOINT wraps its Fall season this Friday, November 20 at 10 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). Shot from inside one of hockey’s greatest temples, historic Maple Leaf Gardens comes back to life, guest-starring as “Godwin Coliseum” when the SRU attempts to disarm a highly-trained and passionate sniper who will to do anything to save the famed arena from demolition. With unprecedented access, viewers get a never-before seen look at the bowels of Maple Leaf Gardens, including hidden corridors, the Foster Hewitt Gondola, and the announcer’s booth used by former house-announcer Paul Morris, as the SRU tracks down their target in one of the series’ most riveting episodes ever.

(more…)

From Lisa Wilton of Sun Media:

• ‘Flashpoint’ shines at Gemini Awards
  “Flashpoint proved it’s more than a flash in the pan after walking away with three major awards at last night’s Geminis gala. CTV’s popular cop drama received the most gongs of any nominated program during the 90-minute televised event.” Read more.

From Shannon Montgomery of the Canadian Press:

• Flashpoint’ takes top honours at 2009 Gemini Awards celebrating top Canadian TV
  “The cross-border hit cop drama “Flashpoint” was the big winner at Saturday’s Gemini Awards as it snagged three of the night’s top honours in Canadian television, including best drama.” Read more.

From CBC:

• Flashpoint triumphs at Gemini gala
  “The police drama nabbed a trio of trophies at the annual celebration of Canadian English-language TV: best drama, best director for Kelly Makin, and best actor in a continuing drama for Enrico Colantoni, who stars as the leader of the show’s elite police tactical unit. Producer Anne Marie La Traverse thanked the show’s growing fan base.” Read more.

From a media release:

The 24th Annual Gemini Awards concluded this evening with the Broadcast Gala, a glitzy event held at the historic BMO Centre, Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta. Hosted by award-winning comedian Ron James, a total of 17 awards were presented including those for Best Comedy Program or Series and Best Dramatic Series. The gala, broadcast on Global and Showcase, also included special tributes to Corner Gas, Royal Canadian Air Farce, and Trailer Park Boys for their outstanding and enduring contributions to the Canadian television industry.

The following categories were announced:

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From BBM Canada:

• Top Programs – Total Canada
  #16 Dragons’ Den (1.820 million)
  #17 Flashpoint (1.816 million)
  #18 Battle of the Blades performance (1.810 million)
  #26 Heartland (1.282 million)
  #29 Battle of the Blades results (1.143 million)

10 p.m.

The SRU is called in when a gun is fired in a local bar and two local drug dealers have been beaten up. The team quickly learns that the drug dealers were terrorizing the owner of the bar (guest star Fulvio Cecere, INTELLIGENCE) and that a good citizen came to his rescue. The team identifies the good citizen as Robert Cooper (guest star Alex Carter, CSI), the president of the neighborhood guard association. When Cooper goes after and shoots one of the dealers, the team fear that Cooper is taking the law into his own hands and becoming a vigilante. The team must race to protect the dealers and save Cooper from himself.