From a media release:

Last night, the premiere of the CTV Original Movie Mayerthorpe marked the latest CTV film to break the one million viewer mark when an average audience of 1.3 million viewers watched the broadcast, data from BBM Nielsen Media Research confirmed today.* Against The Grammy Awards (1.65 million, CBS/Global), the film peaked at 1.5 million viewers to become the No. 2 program of the night.

Mayerthorpe was watched in whole or in part by almost three million viewers across the country. The most-watched original Canadian drama of the year, Mayerthorpe is a testament to the strength and dedication of the families of four slain RCMP officers who lost their lives at the hands of heavily-armed, habitual criminal James Roszko, who ambushed them on his farm near Mayerthorpe, AB.

The producers and CTV thank the courageous family members for their valuable input during the production process, which helped set the tone for the movie and allowed it to be as accurate as possible, both historically and emotionally.

Continue reading Mayerthorpe movie reaches 1.3 million viewers →

From Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun:

• ‘Huge sense of loss’
  “Mayerthorpe obviously was a tough TV movie to make. ‘And very tough to decide to make,’ said Tom Cox, the executive producer of Mayerthorpe, which premieres tonight on CTV. Mayerthorpe focuses on the chain of events that led to the tragic incident in 2005 when four RCMP officers were ambushed, shot and killed in rural Alberta. The killer, James Roszko, then killed himself.” Read more.

From Ryan Cormier of the Edmonton Journal:

• Mayerthorpe movie highlights failings of justice system
  “If the made-for-television movie Mayerthorpe doesn’t stress the viewpoint enough that the Canadian justice system is seriously flawed, its tagline underlines it: ‘When the system fails, can justice prevail?'” Read more.

From Andrew Chung of the Toronto Star:

• CTV’s Mayerthorpe films rips justice system
  “But the film, a docudrama (airing tonight at 9) about what many have called the ‘darkest day’ in RCMP history – when four of its young officers were murdered in a tiny Alberta town after which the film is named – says virtually nothing about the failings of the RCMP itself. That’s perhaps not so surprising, given that the script was handed over to the force for its scrutiny, though co-executive producer Jordy Randall says the RCMP only ensured the facts were correct, not the movie’s tone.” Read more.

From Alexandra Burroughs of Canwest News Service:

• Mayerthorpe film revisits tragic story
  “Like other family members, Myrol was invited to take part in an unprecedented collaboration with the creators of the film, which involved reading scripts, visiting the set and previewing the final film. It was an emotionally painful process from all those involved, including writers, filmmakers, producers and family members.” Read more.

From Dean Lisk of the Halifax Daily News:

• Maria wannabes warble for reality show
  “It’s possible: An amateur singer – an unknown – could become one of the most recognizable characters in musical theatre. That possibility brought Mary-Beth Brooks to Halifax. “This show offers people a chance,” the Thessalon, Ont., native said. “I think it would be amazing to become Maria von Trapp.” Brooks was among more than 50 women at an open casting call for the new CBC Television reality series, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” Read more.

From a media release:

Actor Sofia Milos of The Border and CSI Miami is to receive the Award of Excellence at the 29th edition of the Banff World Television Festival, which takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, in Alberta, Canada, June 8 – 11, 2008.

The Award of Excellence acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time. The award will be presented to Milos at the Alberta Film Awards Lunch on Monday June 9, 2008.

Continue reading Award of Excellence to be given to THE BORDER and CSI:Miami’s Sofia Milos at 2008 Banff World Television Festival →

From Jill Golick at Running with my Eyes Closed, an interview with Cal Coons:

• More Murdoch
  “What we did when we developed the show was to make Murdoch a man of the future, a polymath who is exploring the boundaries between science and policing. He is ahead of his time. In doing so, we thought how would people react to a man that was advanced beyond them. We worked very hard to craft Murdoch. We did a lot of homework and were influenced by great — and even not so great — sources.” Read more.