Yearly Archives: 2016

Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls sparkle at Powwow!

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Love lost, love found, love decisions and SPARKLES! Co-creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight jam it all in as we tied up the loose ends in the season finale of Mohawk Girls.

First I will deal with the Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) storyline as that moved to its natural conclusion. Zoe finally hit rock bottom after last week’s scandal; her father (Erland Campbell) came to her home and delivered the election results. Not only did Zoe lose the election, she was also responsible for her mother’s (Tantoo Cardinal) loss too.  And it also appeared #Zohserase may be finished: Ohserase (Shawn Youngchief) took his leave of “sick and twisted” Zoe with fondue pot in hand! And, to top things off,  the Band Council fired Zoe as their legal counsel. Zoe has lost her entire world and has to admit the truth to her friends: she is a sex addict. The last we saw of Zoe this season, she was checking herself in for treatment.

The rest of the episode revolved around Kahnawa:ke’s annual Powwow Weekend. We caught up with Caitlin (Heather White) and Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) discussing the election when Anna (Maika Harper) rode up on her bicycle begging Caitlin’s forgiveness for sleeping with Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother). Caitlin wasn’t having any of that and instead helped Bailey prepare for the powwow. Bailey confided in Caitlin, revealing she slept with James (Jeffrey Wetsch). Caitlin has to wonder if Bailey is trying to sabotage the good thing she has with Watio (Jimmy Blais).

Maika Harper (Anna) taking direction from co-writer, co-producer Tracey Deer

Finally, powwow arrived and  Elijah (Gregory Odjig) witnessed Anna’s bullying and called her out on it. He reminded her that being a Mohawk isn’t about being an angry bully. These two kindred spirits spent the remainder of their time exploring Mohawk traditions together; the very thing Anna has been craving all this time.

Meanwhile, Butterhead caught up with Caitlin—OK, he actually photobombed Caitlin in a selfie she was sending to Leon—and once again he was putting the moves on her. He confessed the entire time he was with Anna he was thinking about Caitlin instead. Their fierce battle set tongues wagging and everyone was assuming Caitlin and Butterhead were back together. Caitlin had a heart-to-heart with her father (Lawrence Bayne) and she was again reminded that the future of her people depends on her settling for a Mohawk man. When she heard Butterhead singing on the powwow grounds, Caitlin decided it was time to give him one more chance. Say goodbye to #Cailon!

Caitlin (Heather White), her father (Lawrence Bayne) and Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) talking with co-creator, co-producer Cynthia Knight
Caitlin (Heather White) and her father (Lawrence Bayne). [That would be me wearing the jean jacket, standing to the right of the woman in red]

In the meantime, James arrived, as promised, to catch Bailey dancing at powwow. Feeling guilty about their afternoon together, she tried to turn him away but Auntie Velma (Ashley Michaels) spotted them. Unlike all of the other non-Mohawks that Bailey has dated, Velma noticed something very different about James. Bailey is sparkling! Velma has never seen any man cause Bailey to sparkle, not even Watio (Jimmy Blais). Later, the two were questioning all of the unlikely couples: Anna is with Midas (Tanner Novlan) and Caitlin and Butterhead have reunited. A confused Bailey just didn’t understand why her friends were settling for men who don’t make them happy. And then she realized marrying Watio was settling too. Goodbye Boring #Batio and Hello Sparkling #Jailey … but it seems Watio isn’t letting go without a fight!

And that is a wrap on Season 4! Thanks to Tracey Deer, Cynthia Knight, and the entire cast and crew of Mohawk Girls for another great season! You have all set the bar pretty high and we all look forward to a #BEAST Season 5!

If you missed the season finale, you can catch it here.

What did you think of this season of Mohawk Girls? Comment below!

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Featured, Ransom

Photo gallery: First look at Global’s Ransom

January is shaping up to be one of the busiest and most exciting in Canadian television, and Global’s Ransom is a part of that.

The Canadian co-production—from executive producer Frank Spotnitz—stars Luke Roberts (Black Sails) as Eric Beaumont, a hostage negotiator who jets to locales around the world talking criminals out of dire situations. The hook? Eric doesn’t carry a gun, preferring to use his gift of patter to disarm the bad guys.

Rounding out Ransom‘s cast is Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful) as Maxine Carlson, a girl with a secret; Brandon Jay McLaren (Slasher) as Oliver Yates, a psychological profiler; and Nazneen Contractor (Covert Affairs) as ex-cop Zara Hallam. After filming in Toronto for several months—the city stood in for North American locations—the series decamped for the south of France, with the area representing European spots.

Take a look at these gallery images and let us know what you think of Ransom!

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Ransom debuts Sunday, Jan. 1, at 8:30 p.m ET on Global before moving to Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning on Jan. 7.

Images courtesy of Global.

 

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Cardinal, Featured

Photo gallery: First look at CTV’s Cardinal

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At long last, Cardinal has got a debut date. And some pretty kick-ass images too. CTV announced Season 1 of the drama starring Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse debuts Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the network.

Based on the Giles Blunt’s award-winning novel, Forty Words for Sorrow, the cast also includes Brendan Fletcher as Eric Fraser; Allie MacDonald as Edie Soames; Deborah Hay as Cardinal’s wife, Catherine; Glen Gould as fellow officer Jerry Commanda; Kristen Thomson as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal’s commanding officer; David Richmond Peck as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Alanna Bale as Cardinal’s daughter Kelly; and Robert Naylor as Keith.

Take a look at the gorgeous photos and let us know what you think!

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Season 1 of Cardinal debuts Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Cardinal

CTV’s Cardinal anchors mid-season lineup with Jan. 25 premiere

From a media release:

A harsh winter is in store for Canadians, as CTV’s gripping new original series CARDINAL arrives on Jan. 25, it was announced today. Strategically scheduled in the same timeslot as this fall’s most-watched new series DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, CARDINAL airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO, following a CraveTV FIRST LOOK on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The series also airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET beginning Jan. 26 on Super Écran.

From Entertainment One (eOne) and Sienna Films, CARDINAL is directed by award-winning Montréal director Daniel Grou, aka Podz (19-2, MINUIT LE SOIR), CARDINAL was adapted for television by Canadian Screen Award-winner Aubrey Nealon (ORPHAN BLACK, SAVING HOPE) from award-winning author Giles Blunt’s John Cardinal Mysteries series. The six-part, bone-chilling drama follows Detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell, THE KILLING) on a deadly hunt for a vicious killer in small Northern Ontario town.

Headlining CTV’s action-packed midseason schedule that also includes the return of MASTERCHEF CANADA, the final season of SAVING HOPE, and the series premieres of big-buzz new series TRAINING DAY and TIME AFTER TIME, CARDINAL is squarely positioned to kick off the year as one of the most-anticipated drama debuts of the season.

Additional midseason programming and premiere dates will announced in the coming weeks.

Featuring Golden Globe® nominee Billy Campbell (THE KILLING) in the title role, CARDINAL also stars multiple Genie Award-winning actress Karine Vanasse (REVENGE) as his rookie partner, Detective Lise Delorme. The series also stars Brendan Fletcher (The Revenant) as Eric Fraser and Allie MacDonald (YOUNG DRUNK PUNK) as Edie Soames, a young couple in the town. Also appearing are Deborah Hay (The Anniversary) as Cardinal’s wife Catherine; Glen Gould (Rhymes for Young Ghouls) as fellow officer Jerry Commanda; Kristen Thomson (Away from Her) as Sergeant Noelle Dyson, Cardinal’s commanding officer; David Richmond Peck (ORPHAN BLACK) as Corporal Musgrave, an officer in charge of a tightly guarded investigation; Alanna Bale (PRIME RADICALS) as Cardinal’s daughter Kelly; and Robert Naylor (19-2) as Keith.

In the premiere episode (available for media review here), entitled “Cardinal” (Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV GO and Thursday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on Super Écran), viewers first meet Cardinal (Billy Campbell) after he’s been demoted for a hunch about a case that he wouldn’t let go. But he is brought back to the Homicide Unit when the body of missing 13-year-old Katie Pine is discovered, proving his instincts correct. As the series unfolds, back on the case, Cardinal’s search for her murderer soon becomes an all-consuming race to stay ahead of a serial killer. Meanwhile, he must manage his own precarious family issues and secrets, and keep a watchful eye on his new partner, Detective Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), who he believes may have her own secret agenda.

CARDINAL is adapted from the award-winning novel Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries, a series of six, best-selling crime novels written by Ontario native and award-winning author Giles Blunt. The gripping murder mystery was shot in Winter 2016 in Sudbury, Ont., North Bay, Ont., Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in Northern Ontario, and Toronto.

CARDINAL is produced by Sienna Films and eOne in association with CTV, and commissioned for French-language Canadian broadcast by Super Écran. CARDINAL is distributed worldwide by eOne. Executive Producers are Julia Sereny and Jennifer Kawaja (COMBAT HOSPITAL) for Sienna Films. The series is also executive produced by Showrunner Aubrey Nealon, who adapted the series for television, and Director Daniel Grou, aka Podz.

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