Amazing Race Canada, CTV
It’s the semi-finals (Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and CTV GO) as four teams race to New Brunswick to fight for a spot in the finale. It’s an uphill battle as Racers claw their way through a gruelling Roadblock. Teams face a blizzard of a time at an Acadian birthday party, but a complicated coastal Detour leaves teams desperately waving a white flag.
From Guy MacPherson of the Georgia Straight:
Comedian Darcy Michael stays down to earth
AH, CANADIAN SHOW biz! Where else can you be a regular on a prime-time network sitcom as well as a regular transit rider? Such is the life of Darcy Michael, who stars as the lovable simpleton Gordon on CTV’s Spun Out, which starts production of its second season in October. The Ladner-based standup comic lives in Toronto for the three months of filming, then comes back to reality for the off-season. Since closing the first season of production in August 2013, that reality has lasted 14 months. Continue reading.
Dennis Heaton was part of the writing team on season one of Motive, and moved up to co-showrunner for season two. So taking over the reins for season three must have been a thrill, right?
“The first thought that goes through my head when they say we’re going to do another season is usually ‘shit … OK, I can do this … 13 people have to die … uhhhhh,” he told Anthony Marco in a recent TV Eh-B-Cs podcast interview. “That’s the first week. It’s me and six other writers going ‘uhhhhhh.’â€
The series was pitched by creator Daniel Cerone as a whydunnit – the killer and victim are revealed at the beginning, and it’s the motive that’s the mystery. “Within that it’s a series of overlapping stories,†Heaton explains. “We have our investigator story, killer story, flashback story.â€
“I mean this in the best possible way but these are hideous little Jenga puzzles that kill me every time we go to put one together.”
He calls that first week in the writers room – which for season three convened at the end of May – “bad idea week†as they find ways to be creative within the formula of the show without getting into a “Find/Replace†mentality.
“The trick is to not let the formula become a format, and to find ways – and this is the creative stamp I get to bring to a show (as showrunner) – to not just do the same thing week after week.”
“We’ve had killers you can identify with, we’ve had killers you can’t identify with. We’ve had victims who are tragically innocent, we’ve had victims who had it coming.â€
He sees character development as the primary task. “You want the audience invested in the characters’ lives. If you can’t get them to do that, they’re going to invest somewhere else.â€
“There’s always that conversation about likeability but I’m more interested in the character that’s compelling,†he says. “That can be either a truly heroic character, a flawed character, or the antihero — as long as that character is compelling you’re going to be along for the ride. Casting is such a huge part of that.â€
After about four months in the writers room, they should start filming this month. Given season one premiered after the Super Bowl in February and season two in March of last year, he assumes season three will begin sometime between January to March of 2015.
Listen to the full interview here, where he and Anthony Marco talk about what being a showrunner is all about, the creative process behind the camera, planning a season’s worth of episodes, how the characters are the thing, animation writing, Tarzan, Sid and Marty Krofft, and the elusive Gold Monkey.
From a media release:
Global’s breakout original drama Remedy starts production on Season 2
Shaw Media and Indian Grove Productions announced today that production has begun on Global Television’s powerhouse drama Remedy. Commissioned by Shaw Media’s original content team and produced by Indian Grove Productions, the series films in Toronto and Hamilton from September 14 until January 2015.
A critically acclaimed, proven performer, the high stakes, prime-time medical drama from creator and showrunner Greg Spottiswood (King), follows the Conner family’s trials and tribulations, while zeroing in on the distinct “upstairs/downstairs” dynamic of a downtown hospital. Season two kicks off nine months after the finale with each member of the Conner family pulled out of their comfort zones and Bethune Hospital in the midst of a colossal shake up. Griffin Conner (Dillon Casey) seems to finally be getting his life on track with plans to return to medical school and a serious girlfriend, but his dark and troubled past continues to haunt him. Meanwhile, Allen (Enrico Colantoni) must re-adjust following his demotion from Chief-of-Staff, while his daughters –surgeon Mel (Sara Canning) and new mom Sandy (Sarah Allen) – search to balance co-parenting baby Toby with work and play.
New to this season is heartthrob ER resident Dr. Cutler (Niall Matter, Primeval: New World, Watchmen)Â who shamelessly ruffles feathers and turns heads throughout the halls of Beth-H.
“Brimming with emotionally charged storylines, stand-out performances by an electric ensemble cast and a dynamic production team, Remedy captured the hearts of viewers last year and kept them on the edge of their seats all season long,” said Barb Williams, SVP Content, Shaw Media. “With the addition of new characters and a top-secret shakeup at Bethune Hospital,Remedy’s momentum shows no sign of slowing down.”
“I am thrilled that the Remedy family is coming back for a second season. As proud as all of us were of the first season, our plans for this new season will create even more compelling television,” said Bernie Zukerman, Executive Producer of Remedy and President of Indian Grove Productions.
Playing the former Chief of Staff and family patriarch is award-winning actor Enrico Colantoni, (Flashpoint, Galaxy Quest, Just Shoot Me!). Dillon Casey, (Nikita, The Vow, MVP) stars as the charismatic, med school dropout and prodigal son Griffin, Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries, Primeval: New World) plays Melissa, a General Surgeon, with her own set of complex issues andSarah Allen, (Jozi-H, Murdoch Mysteries) plays Sandy, the eldest daughter, ICU Nurse and new mom.
Rounding out the stellar cast are Genelle Williams (Warehouse 13, Bitten) as Zoe Rivera, Dillon’s girlfriend and a PSA at Beth-H, and Patrick McKenna (Hard Rock Medical, The Red Green Show) as Frank Kanaskie, Griff’s Supervisor in charge of Transport and Housekeeping. Award-winning actress Martha Burns (Slings and Arrows, Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays) returns asRebecca Baker, the absentee mom, high functioning family drunk and power attorney.
Remedy is produced by Indian Grove Productions in association with Shaw Media with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Ontario Film & Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Red Arrow International holds international distribution rights. Bernie Zukerman (King, This is Wonderland) and Greg Spottiswood (King, Shattered) serve as executive producers with Jan Peter Meyboom (Murdoch Mysteries, Listener) producing.
From a media release:
-From doctors to teachers, an electrician to a fighter pilot, CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON will show the nation a new way to look at ‘smart’-
-Tune-in to the special two-hour season premiere on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT)-
CBC’s new competition series CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON has narrowed down the field to 32 remarkable Canadians who will put themselves to the test, squaring off every episode for their chance to take home the title of “Canada’s Smartest Person.†Each week, Jessi Cruickshank, along with co-host Jeff Douglas, will guide viewers through the hour-long competition series, which explores how Canadians are smart, based on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. In each episode four competitors go head-to-head in a series of entertaining and revealing challenges that test six areas of intelligence: linguistic, physical, musical, visual, social and logical, with one winner advancing to the championship finale. Then, in the climactic season finale, the eight weekly finalists will battle it out to claim the title of CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON. Audiences can join the fun and take on every challenge from home by downloading the CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON app or playing along online at cbc.ca/smarterstperson.
Hailing from the east to the west coast and everywhere in between, this diverse group of Canadians range from 16 to 71 years old and includes an artist, scientist, fire fighter and musician to name a few, each demonstrating that intelligence is about much more than IQ.
Introducing the competitors who will compete for the chance to become CANADA’S SMARTEST PERSON:
· Yahaya Baruwa, 26, author and entrepreneur from Toronto, ON
· Alisia Bonnick, 20, novelist and psychology student from Stouffville,ON
· Max Cameron, 31, fighter pilot from Calgary, AB
· Brian Charbonneau, 33, drag artist and screenwriter from Sainte-Geneviève, QC
· Alea Ciecko, 23, psychiatric nursing student from Winnipeg, MB
· Mith Das, 29, copywriter from Toronto, ON
· Daryl Dillman, 24, orthopedic surgery resident from Cole Harbour, N.S.
· JP Doiron, 30, cheese salesman from North Rustico, P.E.I.
· Brent Hayden, 30, Olympian, private swim coach, and photographer from Vancouver, B.C
· Dipna Horra, 39, audio-visual artist from Ottawa, ON
· Jennifer Hurd, 21, doctorate student from Ottawa, ON
· Cat Jahnke, 33, musician from Winnipeg, MB
· Rhiannon Jones, 30, stay-at-home mom from Chilliwack, B.C.
· Kaveh Kavoosi, 27, doctor from Aurora, ON
· Roselyn Kelada-Sedra, 30, actor and law student from Toronto, ON
· Kate LaFrance, 28, middle school teacher from Fredericton, N.B.
· Braden Lauer, 22, law student from Vancouver, B.C.
· Victoria Leenders-Cheng, 33, magazine editor from Montreal, QC
· Kiel Lemmen, 31, high school teacher from Port Coquitlam, B.C.
· Johnny MacRae, 27, poet from North Vancouver, B.C.
· Melanie Martin, 40, physicist and associate professor of physics and, radiology from Winnipeg, MB
· George Millar, 71, teacher from Edmonton, AB
· Nader Nadernejad, 16, high school student from Peterborough, ON
· Nick Nickerson, 49, retired naval communicator and cryptographer from Merrickville,ON
· Norm Odjick, 42, Algonquin Nation tribal council director general from Anishinabeg, QC
· Lisa Preston, 39, radio host from Mississauga, ON
· Mary Rose, 39, Ayurvedic cleaner from Victoria, B.C.
· Chris Sensenig, 37, master electrician from Welland, ON
· Tova Sherman, 52, CEO from Bedford, N.S.
· Ellen Snider, 48, executive director from Quispamsis, N.B.
· Albert Tam, 25, MBA candidate and arts administrator from Woodbridge, ON
· Chris Tessaro, 51, firefighter and poker player from Mississauga, ON
