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Interview: Dr. Carin Bondar of Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World

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Dr. Carin Bondar in a Faraday cage at the Boston Museum of Science

She didn’t get to meet Stephen Hawking, but in the Discovery World series Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World, Dr. Carin Bondar did get to explore how Nikola Tesla’s dream of wireless power is being realized, how biomechatronic prosthetic limbs can create enhanced human beings, was embedded with a virtual SWAT team, and drove one of the fastest accelerating electric cars.

“This was a dream job for me, probably one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever had,” she said in a recent interview.

With the second season premiere “Inspired by Nature” airing tonight in Canada, viewers can oooh and ahhh along with the team of scientists who investigate breakthroughs in science, technology, medicine, engineering and robotics, and their implications for the future.

Tonight’s segments include an adhesive modeled after gecko skin and all-terrain robots. The investigative scientists are assigned story topics based on logistics more than their particular areas of expertise, lending them the same sense of wonder as their audience in discovering these cool new technologies.

Plus, “we’re doing jobs like this because we genuinely are blown away by stuff like this, and we want to learn more about it,” said Bondar, whose wireless power segment had her driving a wireless electric BMW (“I’m glad they didn’t tell me how much it was worth of I’d have been way too nervous to drive it”) and charging a phone and various electronics without those pesky cords.

An evolutionary biologist from Chilliwack, BC, Bondar is an online and TV host for Scientific American, PBS Digital Studios and Earth Touch Productions, as well as her own independent web series and various shows.

She gravitated toward video and short-form writing as working with her greatest strengths. Since promoting scientific literacy and wonder among the public is a goal, she balances the need to be accurate and the need to be understandable.

“Shows like The Big Bang Theory have made it ok to include a lot of that geekspeak, as long as you’re clear about it and your audience understands,” she explained.

Part of her work at Scientific American includes reviewing popular media for scientific accuracy, and she pointed to Rise of the Planet of the Apes as a particularly egregious example of the opposite. Yes, she realizes much of it was meant to be ridiculous, “but even the science was ridiculous and I felt they were mocking what scientists do.”

With Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World, she’s thrilled to be part of a show that celebrates rather than fears new technology.

“I’m a mom of four who lives in Chilliwack, so for me to be involved with an international show of this calibre, I’m just so happy.”

Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World is a six-part documentary series airing Fridays on Discovery World.

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Interview: Colin Ferguson of Haven

HavenShowcase’s original production Haven returns for its fourth season tonight at 9pm ET/6pm PT with a premiere packed with action, revelations, and new Troubles. Season four picks up six months after the devastating events of the season finale in which the town was pummelled by a violent meteor storm.

TV, eh?’s Martha Marcin, along with several other bloggers, interviewed new cast member Colin Ferguson, who portrays William, a handsome and mysterious stranger whose secret agenda leads him to Audrey Parker (Emily Rose).

Stephanie (geekchicelite.com): Just wondering what your first impressions you had of William and how is your perceptions – your first perceptions of him since changed?

Colin Ferguson: I guess when it all started was I was in Los Angeles and I’ve been friends with Shawn Piller for many, many years. And for years he’d say, we’d love to have you on the show…great, I’d love to be on the show, but you’re never sure if that continues. So this year he said, “We have a real character for a season on Haven, are you interested? And I said, yes, what’s the character about? And he said, I can’t tell you, you’ve got to come to the writers room. So, I go to the writers room and my first impression of William was that he was going to be fun to play.

They said, “What we’re going to try to do is write him so you don’t know if he’s good or bad. And for every time that you think you know he’s good, you’re going to go, wow! Or is he really bad? And I have to say they’ve succeeded brilliantly.

Stephanie Mernagh: So William is described as a very enigmatic stranger as it were, throughout the season are we going to see his past unravel?

Colin Ferguson: Yes, absolutely. We’re going to learn everything about William, yet at the end it doesn’t completely tie-up, there’s still questions, there’s still things you want to know. This is a big season of Haven this year. I think it’s the best one.

Martha Marcin (TV, eh?): We got a BIG question for you. There’s a few love interest floating around Haven, particularly around Audrey, soooooooo what about William? Are you going to get in on that action?

Colin Ferguson: Hopefully! Yes, I would say that there is affection for William at some point by some of the characters. Maybe all the characters secretly they harbour a few affections for William, I can’t speak for them. But there’s definitely something that happens with William and – I wish I could tell you more, right? But I would start spoiling things if I did, so I can’t.

Martha Marcin: Too bad.

Andrew Powell (the GATE): Hi, there. I’m really curious what it was like working with a cast because, you know, it’s a bit of an established cast that you’re coming into and I’m wondering how that works with them.

Colin Ferguson: It was great, short answer. Longer answer, I’ve known Emily (Rose) for years because of all the sci-fi stuff we’ve done. I’ve done a movie with Lucas (Bryant) in the past. I knew Shawn (Piller) obviously from years before. I’ve known Eric for years. I didn’t know Adam (Copeland), but what a phenomenal guy. He toes the line amazingly, he plays his role great and he knows exactly what he’s doing.

So you show up in this town, and even though you’re friends with everybody you’re never really sure how it’s going to go. You know, people’s bugaboos come out when they work.

So I show up on set and they were so welcoming. There’s not a ton to do in Chester so at night you end up having dinner with each other, and you end up playing cards in someone’s house. So it’s a real family sort of feel.

Natasha Dunkley: Is there anything else that you want to add in general about Season 4, what Canadians can look forward to you being a Canadian filming in Canada…

Colin Ferguson: Just little stuff I’d love to say. The crew in Halifax was phenomenal. It’s a Canadian show, it’s really nice to see the Maritimes portrayed and it’s a beautiful part of the world. From an entertainment perspective, this is the best season that they’ve done and we’re really proud of it and it gets bigger and bigger as the season goes along so I hope people tune in, I hope they enjoy it.

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Canadian International Television Festival adds sessions, opens box office

From a media release:

The Inaugural Canadian International Television Festival Announces Additional Programming and Box Office Opening

  • World Premiere Screening of Spun Out
  • Free Tickets Available Today, Thursday, November 7 at noon.
  • Visit www.CITF13.tv for More Information & Ticket Details and Follow CITF at @CITF13

Canada’s first and only public television festival, the Canadian International Television Festival (CITF), is pleased to announce the opening of their box office. As of noon today, tickets are free (small handling charge applies) and available to the public. Visit www.CITF13.tv for all the details and order tickets here.

Additionally, CITF announced the following programming:

Spun Out will have its World Premiere screening at the festival. The hilarious new CTV half-hour Canadian scripted comedy series Spun Out stars Dave Foley, Rebecca Dalton, Al Mukadam, and Holly Deveaux, all of whom are set to be on hand for the 8 p.m. screening on Saturday, November 16. Spun Out also stars Paul Campbell, Darcy Michael and J.P. Manoux.

FRANCHISES AND FORMATS Screenings and Seminars – The World Premiere of the English adaptation of hit Quebec police drama 19-2 with Executive Producer Jocelyn Deschênes and Writer Bruce Smith, as well as a screening of the original French version (subtitled), (Saturday, November 16 at 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.); a talk with the producers and talent behind the Degrassi franchise, including actors Aislinn Paul, Munro Chambers, and Luke Bilyk, as well as Sarah Glinski (Executive Producer, Head Writer) and Matt Huether (Co-Executive Producer, Writer); and The Amazing Race Canada, including racers Jet and Dave and Supervising Producer Mark Lysakowski.

Orphan Black binge screening of the first five hours from the first season (Saturday, November 16 at 6 p.m.)

Royal Air Farce 40th Anniversary Celebration. TV columnist Bill Brioux chats with the current Air Farce cast — Don Ferguson, Luba Goy, Craig Lauzon, Alan Park, Penelope Corrin, and Arnold Pinnock — about making Canadians laugh for the past 40 years, and continuing to entertain in record numbers on their annual New Year’s Eve specials. (Saturday, November 16 at 2 p.m.).

The Best of bravoFACT, hosted by Richard Crouse. CITF celebrates short form films with a screening of 10 best bravoFACT-funded shorts including Winter Garden, an official selection at this year’s TIFF ‘Stage to Screen’ series, starring Enrico Colantoni. (Saturday, November 16 at 4 p.m.)

Bitten cast members Greg Bryk, Joel Keller, Michael Xavier, Paulino Nunes, and Steve Lund are on hand with a sneak peek and discussion of their hotly anticipated new series, hosted by INNERSPACE’s Ajay Fry and Morgan Hoffman (Saturday, November 16 at 10 p.m.).

Bill Brioux’s TV on Film Project – TV columnist Bill Brioux presents a fascinating look at TV’s past. He screens and discusses NBC’s “Fall Preview” reel from 1966 which features guests introducing NBC’s new fall lineup which includes “The Monkees,” “Tarzan,” “The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.” and a crazy little sci-fi series called “Star Trek.” Bill then screens a network print of a comedy series from the same season, complete with the commercials you would have seen the night it first aired. (Sunday, November 17 at 1 p.m.)

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Saving Hope renewed for third season

SavingHope

From a media release:

CTV Orders Third Season of Hit Canadian Drama SAVING HOPE

  • Network orders 18 new episodes from ICF Films and Entertainment One

CTV announced today the order of a third season of hit original drama series, SAVING HOPE from Ilana Frank’s ICF Films and leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne). The broadcaster has ordered 18 new episodes bringing the series total to 49 episodes. With the production of Season 3 set to begin in the spring, the announcement comes ahead of the winter season premiere coming in January. A Top 15 program among total viewers and all key adult demos when Season 2 aired last summer, SAVING HOPE averaged an impressive 1.3 million viewers each week.

SAVING HOPE stars 2013 Canadian Screen Award-nominee Erica Durance (SMALLVILLE), Michael Shanks (STARGATE ATLANTIS), Daniel Gillies (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), 2013 Canadian Screen Award-winner Wendy Crewson (REVENGE), Huse Madhavji (CALL ME FITZ), Julia Taylor-Ross (ROOKIE BLUE), Kristopher Turner (THE LISTENER), Michelle Nolden (REPUBLIC OF DOYLE), and Benjamin Ayres (LESS THAN KIND).

Viewers can catch up on the doctors of Hope Zion Hospital in the exclusive, digital companion series LAST CALL available on CTV.ca/SavingHopeLastCall. LAST CALL examines the more personal and less explored stories of the doctors, as they confess their problems and share secrets over drinks after their rounds.

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Industry Update – Canadian International Television Festival

CITF-LogoThe Canadian International Television Festival debuts on November 15, 2013.  Perhaps TV, eh? readers forgot it existed.  Diane Wild – whose site I infrequently publish articles to – forgot it existed until I mentioned the CITF to her earlier this month.  CITF promotion will hit full force in the next few days, but then, it has to – there’s a press conference scheduled for November 5, after all.  As of the date I finish this article (November 3, 2013), the CITF confirms three things about itself – it’s real, there’s a Murdoch Mysteries-related event, and it promotes the #EyeOnCanada initiative.  Quite a feat, for a public festival that debuts in less than two weeks.

While I don’t know the CITF’s behind-the-scenes happenings, the festival cuts things close with its launch.  The CITF’s first Twitter posts were made on October 24, 2013.  The Canada Media Fund website has dates and times for certain parts of the festival, and the CITF’s first day is set aside for industry.  Murdoch Mysteries is the subject of the first announced screening and Q&A session.

Continue reading Industry Update – Canadian International Television Festival

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