From the Toronto Star:

• Tucker: Tough guy to TV star in five takes
  “With his penchant for rough stuff, Darcy Tucker has been called a bad actor more than once in his NHL career. Yesterday, the popular Toronto Maple Leafs forward was trying to be a good actor. He did a pretty good job, too.”

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

• ‘Little Mosque on Prairie’ puts Muslims in a sitcom
  “The show’s Minnesota connections run deeper than its playful reference to the “Little House on the Prairie” in Walnut Grove, Minn., made famous by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and the TV show starring Michael Landon. “Little Mosque” executive producer Mary Darling grew up in Minnetonka and came up with the show’s name years after she made frequent trips through Walnut Grove to visit her grandparents in southwestern Minnesota.”
• Sidebar
  “Can you see it here? Not yet, but producers are in negotiations with U.S. networks and say chances are “extremely high” it will be shown here as soon as this fall.”

From a media release:

Little Mosque on the Prairie Wins Big at International TV Industry Awards’ Roma Fiction Fest

• Hit Canadian television sitcom brings back `Best Series’ and `Best Writing’ awards from prestigious international television festival

Little Mosque On The Prairie, the WestWind Pictures-produced breakout hit comedy which airs in Canada on the CBC was presented with two of the most prestigious awards handed out at the this year’s Roma Fiction Fest, announced Mary Darling, the show’s Executive Producer.

Roma Fiction Fest is a major international television industry festival that takes place annually in Rome, Italy.

The awards bestowed upon the sitcom included Best Series, which beat out such powerhouse programming as West Wing and Torchwood. The decision was unanimous by all 30 judges who voted for Little Mosque On The Prairie. The show also took home the award for Best Writing. Little Mosque On The Prairie was the only show to receive multiple awards at this year’s festival.

According to Rome Fiction Fest Deputy Director, Marco Spagnoli, “There was never a better time in this world for a show like Little Mosque On The Prairie…and no show did a better job of addressing some of our most pressing social concerns, yet with a sense of humour.”

Little Mosque On The Prairie averaged one million viewers per episode in its first season and is currently in production on season two where 20 new episodes are being shot. The show’s second season is scheduled to begin airing in October 2007 on the CBC.

“The CBC is so proud to be a part of a show that speaks across borders, and to win awards with such steep competition is further proof of the greatness of Canadian talent,” said Kirstine Layfield, executive director, network programming, CBC Television.

The show recently made international headlines when it was announced that WestWind Pictures signed its first international distribution deal for the show with French broadcasting giant Canal Plus.

“This show has tremendous appeal to people globally and it is now being recognized for what it truly is, a little sitcom with a big heart,” said Darling.

Photo: Michael Kennedy, director of Little Mosque On The Prairie receiving the Roma Fiction Fest awards from ABC’s `Lost’ cast member, Terry O’Quinn

From a VisionTV media release:

VisionTV, Canada’s multi-faith and multicultural television network, will broadcast the complete first season of the hit comedy
series Little Mosque on the Prairie.

The eight half-hours will air on VisionTV Monday nights, starting Aug. 6, at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

An international sensation even before its launch, Little Mosque on the Prairie drew stellar ratings when it premiered on CBC Television in January 2007, attracting an average of more than a million viewers per episode. A second season will premiere Oct. 3 on CBC.

Created by writer, broadcaster and filmmaker Zarqa Nawaz, Little Mosque on the Prairie tells the story of a small Muslim community in a prairie town where the locals are wary of their “exotic” new neighbours.

Mark Prasuhn, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Programming for VisionTV, said the acquisition of Little Mosque on the Prairie demonstrates the network’s renewed commitment to becoming a viewer destination for top-notch comedy and drama in prime time.

Said Mr. Prasuhn: “VisionTV is delighted to give Canadians another opportunity to enjoy this groundbreaking and original series. Its essential themes – learning to accept our differences and understand what we have in common – make it a perfect fit for our multi-faith and multicultural service.”

VisionTV has actively supported the career of series creator Zarqa Nawaz. In November 2005, the network broadcast the national television premiere of Nawaz’s acclaimed documentary Me and the Mosque, which was produced through the National Film Board of Canada’s Reel Diversity program. This hour-long film examined the role of women in Islam, and the strict separation of the
sexes that is enforced to this day in many mosques.

Little Mosque on the Prairie stars Sheila McCarthy, Carlo Rota, Zaib Shaikh, Sitara Hewitt, Debra McGrath and Manoj Sood. The executive producers are Mary Darling and Clark Donnelly of WestWind Pictures. Michael Snook and Susan Flanders-Alexander are the series producers. The writing team members are Rebecca Schechter, Alan Rae, Jackie May, Susan Flanders-Alexander, Dan Redican and Zarqa Nawaz. The director is Michael Kennedy.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

• ‘Parents’ perfect at RomaFictionFest
  “Canada’s “Little Mosque on the Prairie” from Michael Kennedy won the award for the best series.”