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Children's Programming

DHX Television announces casting details for Season 2 of Backstage

From a media release:

DHX Television’s Family Channel and Fresh TV Inc. announced today that production has begun on season two of the tween drama series Backstage. Following a group of elite teen performers at Keaton School of the Arts, the second season is filming in Toronto and will bring 30 new half-hour episodes of the drama, which airs internationally. The sophomore season will introduce a variety of new characters to each of the arts streams, with seven talented young actors joining the cast.

Making their mark in the new season of Backstage are:

  • Thomas L. Colford (Center Stage: On Pointe); plays Beckett, a strong and technically superior dancer who possesses a natural rebel-without-a-cause persona
  • Joshua Kilimnik (Odd Squad, Bruno & Boots: Go Jump in the Pool); plays George, a grade nine graphic design student with a wickedly smart intellect that shines through in his art
  • Stephanie La Rochelle (Heartland); plays Frances, a charismatic senior music student who becomes a mentor to the younger musicians
  • Sydney Kuhne (Dino Dan); plays Azadeh, a new student in the fashion design program who is determined to make her mark at Keaton
  • Robert Bazzocchi; plays Aidan, the epitome of heartthrob, chasing the spotlight on his quest to become a famous actor via Keaton’s drama program
  • Corteon Moore; plays Matteo, a senior art student who believes creativity comes directly from the soul and proves to rival Keaton’s resident art star student
  • Hailey Fauchere; plays Mindy, a freshman dancer who is eager to please and succeed, while leaving it all on the dance floor.

Faced with new challenges, friendships, and seven new students, the second season of Backstage opens on a new year at Keaton School of the Arts where the talented performers and artists will find themselves in fierce competition with other schools… and each other. With a huge multi-arts school competition on the horizon, will the pressure tear the students apart? Or bring them closer?

In addition to the new faces joining Backstage, returning cast members include: Josh Bogert (Miles), Aviva Mongillo (Alya), Mckenzie Small (Scarlett), Devyn Nekoda (Vanessa), Alyssa Trask (Carly), Colin Petierre (Sasha), Matthew Isen (Jax), Julia Tomasone (Bianca Blackwell), Romy Weltman (Kit), Kyal Legend (Julie) and Adrianna Di Liello (Jenna).

Backstage was commissioned by DHX Television, and is created by Fresh TV. The series’ Executive Producers are Brian Irving, who also serves as producer; Lara Azzopardi, the series’ co-creator, show runner, writer and director; Jennifer Pertsch, also co-creator; Tom McGillis and George Elliott. Directors for the series include top music video directors RT! (Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Shane Harte), Director X (Iggy Azalea, T.I., Drake), Wendy Morgan (Dragonette, Janelle Monáe) and Warren Sonoda (Johnny Reid, George Canyon), as well as Mario Azzopardi (Stargate SG-1, The Outer Limits, Degrassi) and Lara Azzopardi (I Am an Apartment Building, Rewind). Backstage is internationally distributed by DHX Media.

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Children's Programming, Featured

Gisèle Corinthios exits TVO’s Big Backyard

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Sad news for fans of Gisèle Corinthios: the host of Gisèle’s Big Backyard is no longer with TVO. As reported back in April, the publicly funded provincial channel had cancelled production of program block, impacting six employees.

TVO confirmed on Friday that Corinthios was one of those impacted.

“TVO receives a fixed transfer from the province. Every year, our $40 million transfer gets relatively smaller as inflation allows it to buy less and less. With limited resources that effectively decline each year, TVO has to reduce costs regularly,” the channel said in a statement.

“With 14 years of production and 800 segments of Gisèle’s Big Backyard in our archive, the two-to-four year old pre-school audience will continue to enjoy GBB’s interstitial content for years to come. Since the pre-school audience turns over every two years, there is a large enough catalogue to maintain high quality service without producing new episodes. Older children require a more interactive experience to engage them, which is why TVO offers a live call-in experience with The Space weekday afternoons.”

The network is touting new original content, including mPower, a new math online in-class resource for kindergarten to Grade 6 and Climate Watch, a look at how climate change is becoming an increasing local issue.

Corinthios had been with TVO since 1998, when she became host of The Nook, which evolved into Gisèle’s Big Backyard.

 

 

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Children's Programming

Link: Kids’ CBC to rebrand

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From Jeremy Dickson of Kidscreen:

Link: Kids’ CBC to rebrand
With a sharpened focus on interactivity across platforms, Canadian pubcaster Kids’ CBC will rebrand to CBC Kids this winter and introduce new content, hosts, puppet characters and a revamped set.

As part of the changes, this fall will be the last season on the network for longtime Kids’ CBC host and associate producer/writer Patty Sullivan.

The award-winning television presenter joined Kids’ CBC in 2003 after a nine-year stint as the host of Canadian provincial pubcaster TVO Kids. Continue reading.

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Children's Programming

Link: Jason Priestley has daddy issues on Raising Expectations

From Melissa Hank of O.Canada.com:

Link: Jason Priestley has daddy issues on Raising Expectations
The young actors on Jason Priestley’s new TV show Raising Expectations have no idea who he is.

Well, sure, they know him in the way you’d know your dentist — he’s a guy who gets the job done yet probably hasn’t seen Kylie Jenner’s latest Instagram post that, OMG you guys, is like totes adorbs.

But if you mention the fact that the 46-year-old actor was once Teen Beat cover bait for his role on Beverly Hills, 90210? Someone emulated in hair, clothing and eyebrow lift? Crickets. Continue reading. 

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Children's Programming

Production on Season 5 of The Next Step begins

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From a media release:

DHX Television’s Family Channel and Radical Sheep Productions, a division of Boat Rocker Studios, announced today that principal photography has begun on the fifth season of the award-winning global tween series, The Next Step. The fan-favourite series, which follows the lives of an elite group of dancers that train at the Next Step studio, has become a worldwide phenomenon, sparking three Canadian tours, international tours through Europe, the UK and Australia, a feature film, and spin-off series. Production on the 20-episode order begins this summer in Toronto, with the fifth season slated to premiere on Family Channel in 2017.

Season five opens a new chapter for The Next Step dance studio. The studio is expanding and attracting a lot of fresh faces and the dancers are looking to step up their game. The dance world is a tight family, but competition will put old friendships and new relationships to the test, as the dancers try to strike a balance between individual talent and dedicated teamwork. This season asks the question: How far would you go to make it to the top?

In addition to returning fan-favourites from previous seasons of the show, season five of The Next Step will introduce fans to a new group of talented young dancers including: Dylan Ratzlaff as Jacquie; Jessica Lord as Lola; Milaina Robinson as Zara; Julian Lombardi as Ozzy; Hanna Miller as Heather; Noah Zulfikar as Kingston; Dawson Handy as Josh; and Julian Elia as Elliot.

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