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Finding Her Edge expands Season 2 cast

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From a media release:

Netflix and WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, today announced new cast members joining the returning stars from Season 1 for Season 2 of Netflix’s hit global teen drama series Finding Her Edge. The series is currently filming on location in Southern Ontario through December.

Joining the returning cast as new series regulars are newcomer Nikita J Olechko (Snowpiercer) as ‘Andrej,’ Voltage Academy’s star singles skater; British actress Niamh Blackshaw (The Jetty) as ‘Freya,’ a rival ice dancer at Voltage Academy; Matthew Finlan (Sheriff Country) as ‘David,’ Freya’s partner and a rival ice dancer at the Academy; Canadian singer-songwriter Johnny Orlando (3 x MTV EMA Winner and 2 x JUNO Nominee) as charismatic local ‘Jesse,’; and Canadian Olympic medal-winning figure skater Elvis Stojko (Murdoch Mysteries, Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story), who returns as a series regular playing ‘Kevin,’ the owner of Voltage Academy.

New cast joining as recurring characters include Justine Nelson (Mind Fudge) as ‘Lucy Grant,’ Voltage Academy’s lead choreographer; CSA and ACTRA Award-winning actor Saara Chaudry (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Holly Hobbie) as ‘Zoie,’ Brayden’s former skating partner and ex; and Matt Wells (Who’s Yer Father?, North of North) as ‘Mason Guilbart,’ Adriana and Brayden’s new coach at Voltage Academy.

In Season 2, the Russo sisters trade their family rink for the cutthroat pressure of Voltage Academy, where every skate could make or break their National Team ambitions. As the pressure mounts on and off the ice, Adriana finds herself torn between her loyal boyfriend, Freddie, and Brayden, the former skating partner she never truly left behind.

The new cast joins returning stars Madelyn Keys (A Mother’s Life, The Exchange), Harmon Walsh (Gossip Girl, Murdoch Mysteries), Alexandra Beaton (Overcompensating, Luckiest Girl Alive), Cale Ambrozic (Hotel Cocaine, We Were Liars), Olly Atkins (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Casket Girls), Meredith Florenza (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Blindspot), Alice Malakhov (Anne With an E, Reverse 1999), Millie Davis (The Umbrella Academy, Wonder), and Yona Epstein Roth (The Boys).

Season 2 also welcomes directors Paolo Barzman (Wynonna Earp, Sky Med), Melanie Orr (Mistletoe Murders, Hardy Boys), James Genn (Wild Cards, You’re Killing Me), and Jacqueline Pepall (Horrible Histories, Goldies Oldies), who returns after directing Season 1.

Executive Producers for WildBrain include Josh Scherba, President & CEO; Stephanie Betts, Chief Content Officer; and Angela Boudreault, Vice President, Live-Action. Award-winning Canadian author and Executive Producer Jeff Norton (Geek Girl, Crew Girl) returns as showrunner, alongside Executive Producer and Head Writer Shelley Scarrow (Wynonna Earp, Degrassi: The Next Generation). Season 2 writers also include Sabrina Sherif (The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Hardy Boys), Jeff Norton, and Jacqueline Pepall.

“It’s a true privilege to hit the ice for a second season with this incredible cast, and to further the stories of our inspirational characters in a juicy, soapy sophomore season of Finding Her Edge,” said series showrunner, executive producer and writer Jeff Norton.

Image courtesy of Ian Watson.

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Canada's Drag Race, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Uncategorized

Crave announces Canada’s Drag Race: All Stars with Brooke Lynn Hytes, Priyanka and Jimbo

From a media release:

Hold on to your beavers! Crave announced today that it is expanding the Drag Race universe in Canada with the all-new Crave Original series, CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS. Brooke Lynn Hytes serves as host and resident judge, alongside judges Priyanka and Jimbo, forming the first all-drag judging panel in Drag Race her-story. The full cast is set to be announced at a later date.  

“CANADA’S DRAG RACE is a proven hit with Crave audiences, and we’re excited to build on its momentum with this new series,” said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. “Together with our partners at Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, we’ve cultivated a vibrant, successful, and distinctly Canadian chapter of a global franchise and can’t wait to see the queens who helped define it return to the main stage.”  

The six-episode, one-hour spin-off of Crave’s award-winning original series CANADA’S DRAG RACE welcomes back queens with unfinished business to compete for the chance to be crowned “Canada’s Ultimate All-Star,” and win a cash prize of $100,000.  

CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is Crave’s fourth original series collaboration with Blue Ant Studios and World of Wonder, in a list that includes Canadian Screen Award-winning series CANADA’S DRAG RACE and CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD, and SLAYCATION. 

CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is set to premiere on Crave later this year and will air day-and-date on WOW Presents Plus globally. 

Seasons 1-6 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE, and Seasons 1-2 of CANADA’S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD and SLAYCATION are available to stream on Crave and WOW Presents Plus.  

In association with Crave, CANADA’S DRAG RACE: ALL STARS is produced by Blue Ant Studios with World of Wonder. Executive Producers for Blue Ant Studios are Matthew Hornburg, Mark Bishop, Donna Luke, and Laura Michalchyshyn. Trevor Boris is Executive Producer/Showrunner, Shivani Srivastava is Supervising Producer. Executive Producers for World of Wonder are Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell, and RuPaul Charles. 

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Links: SkyMed, Season 1

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Showrunner Julie Puckrin previews CBC’s SkyMed
“There was a lot of discussion because while it is a medical show, it’s really a first responder show, more than it is like a typical hospital show.” Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: Aaron Ashmore talks CBC’s SkyMed
“When I was doing Killjoys, I was kind of playing the fun-loving guy, but that was into my late thirties, too. So this is sort of a natural transition, I think, and the direction that my career is going to start taking now is playing more experienced characters.” Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: SkyMed creator Julie Puckrin preview the ambitious new drama
The job performed by young nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in northern Manitoba makes it quite the dangerous profession set in an unforgiving setting, but that drama also makes for some pretty great television as well. Continue reading.

From Mia Jensen of The Sudbury Star:

Link: Sudbury-born actor takes to the sky
When actor Aason “Ace” Nadjiwan got the call that he’d been cast in a leading role for a new CBC original series, he was in the middle of insulating a ceiling. Continue reading.

From Eden Suh at Timmins Today:

Link: Northern Ontario-born actor takes on role in ‘steamy’ new series
“One of my favourite things (about the production process) was just honestly getting to know and spending time with my cast and crew. But as far as filming, there’s so many parts I loved about it.” Continue reading.

From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:

Link: In CBC’s ‘SkyMed,’ young pilots and nurses save lives and pursue love in Canada’s North
“You have this really young group of people at the beginning of their career, and they’re in the middle of the North and there’s no safety net. And they’re often experiencing things for the first time on the job, these very, very intense situations where it’s literally just you and the patient in the back of a plane.” Continue reading.

From Heather M. of The Televixen:

Link: SkyMed showrunner Julie Puckrin talks building the world of Season 1
“Hearing everything that they were doing on a daily basis and seeing their pictures, it always felt to me like something that should be a television show, because there are these incredibly high built-in stakes. It’s literally just you in the back of a plane with a patient and you have to keep them alive.” Continue reading.

From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:

Link: Calgary-raised actor Praneet Akilla flying high as heroic pilot in TV drama SkyMed
“For this character, from the audition process to the last day on set, there was never a doubt in my mind about who this character was. I understood him backwards and forwards. I like to say that the universe dropped this role in my lap. For the first time, I got to be myself. Not only is he an engineer, but it is also the first time I’m playing an Indian on-screen.” Continue reading.

From Randall King of The Winnipeg Free Press:

Link: Medical drama puts local actor in perilous position
Befitting the star of the new made-in-Manitoba drama series SkyMed, Winnipeg-born actress Morgan Holmstrom is taking flight. Continue reading.

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Link: SkyMed creator Julie Puckrin on building out her writing team
For SkyMed creator Julie Puckrin, the idea for the big, ambitious new medical drama came from a very real and personal place. Continue reading.

From Lora Lynn Fanning of The List:

Link: Natasha Calis is born for adventure in SkyMed
“I had the privilege of working with Vanessa Piazza and Julie Puckrin again from “Nurses.” Vanessa was an executive producer on Season 1. They’re two of my favourite people in the world. They’re the best boss ladies, incredible humans. It was such an honour to be on another one of their shows.” Continue reading.

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Uncategorized

CBC’s hit original drama Coroner begins production on Season 4

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From a media release:

Muse Entertainment, Cineflix Studios, and Back Alley Films are thrilled to announce that production has started in Toronto and Ontario on season four (12×60) of the CBC original series and audience favourite CORONER, starring Serinda Swan (Inhumans, Ballers) as coroner Dr. Jenny Cooper with Roger Cross (Dark Matter, Caught) as Detective Donovan McAvoy. Inspired by the best-selling series of books by M.R. Hall and created for television by Morwyn Brebner (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue), the new season will debut on CBC and the CBC Gem streaming service in Winter 2022. 

This season, Serinda Swan will feature her talents behind the camera for her television series directorial debut. Swan joins a dynamic and acclaimed group of directors including Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County, Bellevue), Ruba Nadda (Frankie Drake Mysteries), Farhad Mann (Murdoch Mysteries), Samir Rehem (Tiny Pretty Things), Cory Bowles (Pretty Hard Cases) and Liz Farrer (Coroner). Award-winning writer/producer Adriana Maggs (Caught, Grown Up Movie Star) will lead the series as Showrunner with a celebrated and illustrious writing team including Noelle Carbone (Wynonna Earp), Shannon Masters (Cardinal), Laura Good (Burden of Truth), Nathalie Younglai (Super Zee), Seneca Aaron (Nurses), Wendy ‘Motion’ Brathwaite (Akilla’s Escape), JP Larocque (Another Life), Mazi Khalighi (Foraldraskap) and Lindsey Addawoo (Promise Me). 

CORONER stars Serinda Swan as Dr. Jenny Cooper with Roger Cross as Detective Donovan McAvoy; Ehren Kassam (Degrassi, Next Class) as Ross; Nicholas Campbell (Da Vinci’s Inquest, Bad Blood) as Gordon Cooper; Jennifer Dale (SurrealEstate) as Margaret ‘Peggy’; Andy McQueen (Station Eleven) as Malik Abed; Kiley May (It Chapter Two) as River Baitz; Shawn Ahmed (Awake) as Alphonse; and Jon de Leon (Downsizing) as Dennis Garcia. Thom Allison (Killjoys) joins the cast this season in the recurring role as the highly competitive and commanding Dr. Elijah Thompson. 

CORONER was the highest-rated new drama series premiere on CBC in 2019. Following that, NBCUniversal International Networks (NBCUIN) acquired the rights to all three seasons of the series for multiple territories from global distributor Cineflix Rights. The third season premiered across NBCUIN’s channel portfolio in Sub-Saharan Africa, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Latin America and Brazil. In Germany, season three premiered on 13TH Street. CORONER airs in the U.S. on The CW network and is available on their digital platforms including the CW app. Season three will premiere on Thursday, August 19th at 8pm. CORONER premiered on Sky Witness in the UK, with season three currently on air. Cineflix Rights has also sold the series to the UK’s Channel 4 for its More 4 channel. Most recently CORONER is slated to air on Nine Network (Australia), Sky (UK), Paramount+ (Nordics), SBS (Belgium), Sky Italia, Globoplay (Brazil), and Stöð 2 (Iceland). The series also launched on Netflix Canada in 2020.

A CBC original series, CORONER is produced by Muse Entertainment, Cineflix Studios, and Back Alley Films with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Bell Fund, the IPF’s COGECO Television Production Fund, TVA, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. Adrienne Mitchell is executive producer for Back Alley Films, Aren Prupas and Jonas Prupas are executive producers for Muse Entertainment with Peter Emerson and Brett Burlock as executive producers for Cineflix Studios. Serinda Swan is also Executive Producer with Showrunner Adriana Maggs, writer Noelle Carbone as well as Morwyn Brebner and Suzanne Colvin-Goulding.

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Amazon Prime Video announces Jay Baruchel as host of the Canadian edition of the global Amazon original Lol: Last One Laughing Canada

From a media release:

Amazon Prime Video announces Jay Baruchel as host of the Canadian edition of the global Amazon original Lol: Last One Laughing Canada

Prime Video today announced that Canadian actor and director Jay Baruchel (Goon, This Is the End, How To Train Your Dragon) has signed on to host the new Canadian Amazon Original series, LOL: Last One Laughing Canada. The series is the third Canadian Amazon Original announced following Kids In The Hall and All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs. The comedy-variety series, produced by Insight Productions, will be shot in Toronto and feature a diverse cast of popular Canadian comedic actors and stand-ups competing to make each other laugh first. The final comedian left standing will win the grand prize for the charity of their choice.

The six-part Amazon Original series will use dozens of cameras to catch all of the hilarious action during the unpredictable six hour competition, and follow the select group of established comedy stars and up-and-coming talent, who bring various styles to the table, including stand-up, character, improvisational and physical comedy, among others.

LOL: Last One Laughing Canada follows the format of the successful Amazon Original series from Japan, HITOSHI MATSUMOTO Presents Documental, produced by and starring comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto who leads ten comedians betting their own money in an anything goes “battle of laughter behind closed doors”. The fan favourite format includes multiple seasons in Japan and Mexico; recent seasons in Australia, Germany and Italy; and upcoming editions in France and Spain. Local celebrity hosts include Eugenio Derbez, Fedez, Michael Bully Herbig and Rebel Wilson.

LOL: Last One Laughing Canada comes from Amazon Studios, produced in association with Insight Productions. Executive Producers are John Brunton, Erin Brock, and Shannon Farr. As part of Prime Video’s continued investment in Canada, LOL: Last One Laughing Canada is the third announced Canadian Amazon Original series following The Kids in the Hall and All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs. Since 2015, Amazon Studios has filmed 22 Amazon Original series and films in Canada, including The Man in the High Castle and Upload in Vancouver, The Boys and The Expanse in Toronto, Tales from the Loop in Winnipeg, as well as parts of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Voyeurs in Montreal.

LOL: Last One Laughing Canada will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and worldwide in the Prime Video catalog including award-winning and critically acclaimed Amazon Originals like Coming 2 America, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Emmy and Golden Globe award winners Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

About Insight Production Company, Ltd.
Insight Productions, celebrated for its award-winning ratings juggernauts, is Canada’s most established content producer. Headed by John Brunton, Insight is an industry leader in the development and production of hit content, and renowned for its comedy programming and live events. Insight’s showrunners include Erin Brock, Lindsay Cox, Mark Lysakowski, and Eric Abboud. Brock serves as the showrunner on Big Brother Canada, the highest rated Canadian series of 2020. Insight also produces The Amazing Race Canada, the most watched Canadian show on record, and The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration, a live concert special watched by one in three Canadians. Memorable comedy shows include The Jon Dore Television Show; A Russell Peters Christmas; and But I’m Chris Jericho. Insight Productions was founded in 1979 and has since created thousands of hours of groundbreaking content.

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