From a media release:

RICK MERCER, KIM CATTRALL, MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN and ALLAN HAWCO TO PRESENT AT THE 2012 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE

• The 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize will be broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.

CBC is thrilled to announce the roster of esteemed presenters that will participate in the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. The five finalists Will Ferguson, Alix Ohlin, Nancy Richler, Kim Thúy and Russell Wangersky will be introduced by the following special presenters: CBC Television’s host of The Rick Mercer Report, Canadian comedian, political satirist and blogger, Rick Mercer; Golden Globe Award winning actress Kim Cattrall; Juno Award winner Canadian soprano, Measha Brueggergosman; Television writer, producer and lead actor in CBC Television’s Republic of Doyle, Allan Hawco. A fifth presenter is still to be announced, as well as the musical performance for the evening, more details will follow shortly.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize gala will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (CBC Radio One and TV’s arts and culture program, Q), and be broadcast at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Television from the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto. It will also be live-streamed on CBC Books with a concurrent live chat, so that many more Canadians can be part of the Giller experience. With a winner being crowned and awarded the prize that night, the presenters will join the authors on stage to celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in Canadian arts and letters. The winner’s interview on Q the following morning will be the first national broadcast feature interview for this year’s winner.

“The CBC has outdone itself again. I can’t think of a more fitting way of celebrating the Giller finalists and their books than pairing them with true fans that also happen to be Canadian icons”, says Jack Rabinovitch, founder of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. “I think they and Canadian audiences everywhere are in for quite a treat on October 30th.”

“It is an honour to be a part of such a prestigious celebration of the arts,” says Kim Cattrall. “It is so important to give recognition and praise to these talented writers and their gift of storytelling.”

The five presenters will introduce:

• Rick Mercer will introduce Will Ferguson and his novel, 419
• TBA will introduce Alix Ohlin and her novel, INSIDE
• Kim Cattrall will introduce Nancy Richler and her novel, THE IMPOSTER BRIDE
• Measha Brueggergosman will introduce Kim Thúy and her novel, RU
• Allan Hawco will introduce Russell Wangersky and his collection of short stories, WHIRL AWAY

With a chance to win the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, the five authors were selected by a uniquely pedigreed jury made up of some of the finest writers in Europe and North America including: Irish author and screenwriter Roddy Doyle; writer and essayist Anna Porter; and American author and satirist Gary Shteyngart.

From a media release:

COPPER GREENLIT FOR SEASON TWO

• Shaw Media and BBC AMERICA Announce 13 Episode Order

Ahead of the much-anticipated season one finale, Shaw Media, BBC AMERICA and Cineflix Studios have renewed the breakout hit series Copper, for a second season with an increased order of 13 episodes. Canadians can watch the season one finale on November 4 on Showcase.

“Copper clearly resonates with Canadians and is a welcomed addition to Showcase’s roster of outstanding dramatic series. It’s a thrill to be part of season two and we can’t wait to see how this exceptional creative team continues to tackle conflict, corruption and class like only they could,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media.

“We are excited to renew our partnership with Shaw Media and work with the very talented creative community in Canada on a second season of Copper,” said Glen Salzman, Co-CEO of Cineflix Media.

From executive producers Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson, Emmy®-winner Tom Fontana, Academy Award®-nominee Will Rokos and Cineflix Studios President, Christina Wayne, Copper follows Detective Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), a rugged Irish immigrant cop, as he seeks justice for the powerless in 1864 New York City. The series has been building to this Sunday’s explosive finale that will change lives and the city forever. With Confederate terrorists threatening to destroy the city as they know it, unexpected traitors will be revealed and once air-tight bonds will be broken beyond repair.

Since its premiere, Copper has been a strong performer for Showcase, averaging nearly 300,000 viewers each week (2+). The series premiere was the #1 specialty program of the night across numerous demos, with nearly half a million viewers tuning in (2+).*

The first season of Copper is a Cineflix (Copper) Inc. production in association with BBC AMERICA, Shaw Media, and TVA. Copper is created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos. Season one executive producers include Levinson, Fontana, Rokos, Wayne, Jim Finnerty, Sherri Rufh, Sam Berliner, Sally Catto and Katherine Buck. The production was shot in-studio and on location in Toronto, Canada.

From a media release:

Splatalot Catapults into Season 2 with YTV’s Celebrity Splatdown Special

• New Season Premieres Saturday, November 3 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on YTV

YTV’s popular physical game show Splatalot is kicking off its second season (26 x 30′) on Saturday, November 3 at 6 p.m. ET/PT with YTV’s Celebrity Splatdown, a one-hour special featuring an epic battle between the casts of Life with Boys and Mr. Young. YTV on-air personality Andy (Crunch) provides colour commentary as the roaming reporter, a.ka. “Man on the Moat” interviewing celebrity contestants during this hilarious, high adrenaline premiere. Fans can follow and live tweet with cast members using the #splatdown hashtag leading up to and during the 6 p.m. East Coast and West Coast telecasts. Click here for a sneak peek.

Filmed for the first time in front of a live audience, each team will be competing and providing support on behalf of a charity. The Life with Boys team comprised of Torri Webster, Madison Pettis, Nathan McLeod, Michael Murphy and Jake Goodman will be competing on behalf of ONEXONE’s First Nations School Breakfast Programs and the Mr. Young team, including Brendan Meyer, Matreya Fedor, Gig Morton, Kurt Ostlund and Emily Tennant, will be competing on behalf of YMCA of Canada’s food programs.

Season 2 promises more spills and laughs than ever, with an expanded set, new splat-inducing obstacles and new Defenders. Each episode features a different group of thrill-seeking teen contestants, dubbed Attackers, competing in three hilarious rounds: Cross the Moat, Ditch the Dungeon and Capture the Crown. All six of the Defenders of Splatalot do their best to protect the castle from the Attackers – leaving only one in each episode to be crowned King or Queen of the kingdom.

Viewers can also look forward to more themed episodes this season including Teachers vs. Students, Parents vs. Kids and Night Assault. Matt Chin and Jason Agnew, return as co-hosts of the series.

Splatalot returns to its regular time slot at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT beginning Saturday, November 10.

From Nellie Andreeva of Deadline:

• ABC & Canada’s Shaw To Develop Comedy Project From Bob Martin & Noreen Halpern
  In a rare cross-border network collaboration at the development stage, the U.S.’ ABC and Canada’s Shaw Media have bought a half-hour comedy from Canadian writer-actor-comedian Bob Martin and former EntertainmentOne executive-turned-producer Noreen Halpern. The untitled project, a co-production between ABC and Shaw, is about a cartoonist who struggles to reconcile the idealized married life depicted in his comic strip with his own life — one that is populated by ex-spouses, children from three different marriages, and a wife who earns far more money than he does. Martin will write the script and executive produce with Halpern. Read more.

From the Writers Guild of Canada:

• L.A. Complex – Sept 25, 2012. Denis McGrath talks with creator and showrunner Martin Gero (mp3 file)

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