From Joe Belanger of The London Free Press:
London native Mike McLeod grateful for role as Priest in TV’s Forgive Me
McLeod stars in the lead role of Priest in Sunday’s season premiere of Forgive Me, a hit show on Super Channel that got rave reviews, earning McLeod an ACTRA Maritimes award and nomination for best actor in a drama at the Canadian Screen Awards earlier this year. Continue reading.
Food Network Canada’s Great Canadian Cookbook is a multi-platform project designed to celebrate and inspire with recipes reflecting this country’s diversity, and Noah Cappe knows exactly which family recipes he’d share with viewers.
“Growing up, my mom was famous for her chocolate chip mandel bread,” Cappe says during a break in filming Season 3 of Carnival Eats. “And for my dad, to this day I still think he makes the best French toast with McCutcheon’s maple syrup. Everybody has something in their family someone makes that transports you to growing up and those are it for me.”
Cappe and celebrity chef Lynn Crawford co-host Food’s ambitious Great Canadian Cookbook, part docu-series, part recipe source, part celebration of Canada. Launching Monday with four back-to-back episodes, the television segment of Cookbook finds the foodie duo hitting the East Coast, Ontario, Prairies and West Coast in search of tasty recipes, touching stories and interesting characters. You don’t get more interesting than Episode 1 in St. John’s, where Crawford experiences brunch at Mallard Cottage, a Jigg’s Dinner hosted by firemen and a music-infused house party fuelled by cod tongues and scrunchions. Cappe, meanwhile, visits Lunenburg and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, sampling lobster rolls, lobster-topped burgers and to-die-for homemade bacon.
“A show like this is as much about the people as it is about their recipes,” the Toronto-born actor says. “It’s really nice to see how each story is built through the landscape, the person, their story and then through the food.” He likens Cookbook to chef-author Anthony Bourdain’s CNN series Parts Unknown, that uses food as a stepping stone to learning about other cultures and peoples. Over 20 nationalities contribute to the four-part Cookbook.
The series serves as a path to FoodNetwork.ca, where recipes from the episodes are combined with extra video content of Crawford cooking with celebrities, making sausage in Saskatoon and foraging  for mushrooms and Cappe icing cakes in Winnipeg and sampling Nanaimo bars in B.C.
Cappe spent two days in each locale, filming for the television show and website, eating, talking and gathering some of his favourite recipes to re-create at home, though he won’t be the one making them.
“I don’t cook, but I’ve given all of my favourite recipes to my dad, ” Cappe says. “He loves cooking and I love eating. It’s a win-win for me!”
All four episodes of Great Canadian Cookbook air Monday, Oct. 11, beginning at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT on Food Network Canada.
From Emily Gagne of Cinefilles:
Lost Girl Talk: Michael Grassi on “Family Portraitâ€
“This story, including that portrait sequence, was something we knew we needed to tell from Day 1 in Season 5. Bo grappling with different narratives of her past. And when she makes a choice and decides to cut her father out of her life, quite literally, he takes action against her in the most horrifying way possible (using the ancient dagger from the emancipation in Episode 108). He knows family is important to Bo. The family she chooses. And he’ll do anything to take it all away.” Continue reading.
Academy announces host for Canadian Screen Awards
It’s interesting that many think that Andrea Martin is Canadian and Norm Macdonald is not. The reason: she works in Canada and can be seen doing Canadian talk shows, etc. Norm certainly doesn’t celebrate his nationality and only came back to work in Canada (a voice that could have been recorded from his sofa in L.A.) when his career dried up in the U.S. It seems all these Canadian-born people only come back to their home and native land when they can’t get work in their adopted country. Andrea Martin is more “Canadian†than many of these Canadian-born people. —Denis C.
Murdoch Mysteries frees Crabtree
The premiere episode was skillfully written with all the attention to detail that we have come to expect from this amazing show. The writers continue to keep us guessing as the plot unwinds. The characters continue to enthrall us and keep us so involved in their lives both on and off screen. Tonight’s episode kept us on the edge of our seats, smiling at the witty remarks and outright laughing at the “stupidity†as Giles put it of some of the criminals and sighing with contentment with Jilliam’s loving relationship. All in all, it was wonderful!! —Karen
Stellar Keeping Canada Alive brings depth and breadth to medical reality genre
In addition to a close-up look at our health care system, I thought it was a great show with a beautiful snapshot of humanity dealing with adversity. That being said, I found it almost too much at times and if that baby had died, I would have been out of there, fast!
I expected, but did not see, any analysis of what things cost or if we were meeting goals of wait times, etc. Did all that therapy, surgery and out patient stuff shown on the program cost the users anything? I’d like to know. I know there are big issues about the cost of medicine. For some people, drug costs can be a choice between life with poverty, or death.
Technical note: the “slide show” device, clicking between locations with the picture sliding out was annoying and over done. Whenever they did it, I heard myself say to the TV, “please stop that.”
Overall, though, it was an excellent program and I’ll tune in again. —Gary
Continuum blasts into its final season
I have always loved sci-fi movies and series, and Continuum is one of those TV shows or might as well be on the big screen that when you first see it your jaw drops! The sets in the future were so well done, the future cities, the traveling on air vehicles, every single detail has been given proper attention. I just picked up the series on Netflix, not sure why I never heard of it until now, on the shows’ final season year but I am glad I did. I think the show should have been more promoted; after all it’s rated five stars on Netflix. —Yodi
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Sound off greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.
From a media release:
Tara Ellis returns to CBC as Executive Director, Scripted Content
Starting October 19, Tara Ellis will become Executive Director, Scripted Content. Ellis will lead CBC’s scripted content teams as they continue to raise the bar in comedy and drama, kids programming and digital originals.
“Tara is one of Canada’s leading media executives and her incredible reputation, creative expertise, relationships with the independent community and leadership experience will undoubtedly serve her well in this role.”, says Sally Catto, General Manager Programming. “Not only will she bring a fresh new perspective, but also an impressive track record to CBC’s already stellar scripted lineup.”
Most recently Senior Director of Original Drama Content for Shaw Media, Tara Ellis oversaw original scripted drama and comedy programming for Shaw Media’s conventional network Global and specialty channels including Showcase and History Channel. In her prior role as Alliance Atlantis’s VP of Content for Showcase, Tara led acquisitions, original production, and scheduling for the premiere specialty drama service. Prior to that, Tara was Executive in Charge of Production for CBC, overseeing long-form development and production of movies, mini-series and feature films. She also programmed Canadian short films and feature films for the public network.
The Globe & Mail has named Tara as one of the 40 Most Influential People in Canadian television for her efforts in bringing new talent to Canadian airwaves. In December 2012, Tara was honoured with the Women In Film & Television Crystal Award for Creative Excellence. She has served as board member and co-chair of WIFT-T, and as industry advisor to the Banff Media Festival, Strategic Partners, and others.
Tara will report to Sally Catto and reporting to her will be the Senior Directors of drama, comedy and children’s content. The digital originals team will report to Tara with respect to all scripted digital content.
“I am delighted to be returning to CBC where I started my career in TV drama. The scripted team under Sally have been developing and commissioning exciting, entertaining and relevant work at a time when the role of the national broadcaster has never been more crucial.”, says Ellis. “I’m thrilled at the prospect of working with the independent community to continue to make the CBC the go-to home for great creative talent and projects in Canada.”
