From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:
On dreamboats, dimwits and The Bachelor Canada. What larks!
To paraphrase Miss Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Canadian man in possession of an acre of stubble on his face must be in want of a wife. Continue reading.
Haven, Showcase – 2-Hour Premiere
Season five of Haven finds the town’s protectors caught up in the shocking aftermath of the season four finale. With Duke fighting to contain the Troubles within him, Nathan faces his greatest fear that Audrey – the woman he’s fought so desperately to save – may be gone forever. The stakes are raised as Audrey’s “original†persona Mara proceeds to unleash a wave of chaos on Haven. Laura Mennell (The Watchmen) joins the cast as Dr. Charlotte Cross, a brilliant CDC epidemiologist who fears the town of Haven is on the verge of a deadly viral outbreak. Check out Greg’s interview with star Lucas Bryant.
The Bachelor Canada, City – Two-hour Season Premiere
Bachelor Tim Warmels begins his quest for love at the stunning Bachelor Canada mansion, where he comes face-to-face with 25 of the country’s most eligible bachelorettes for the first time. It doesn’t take long before emotions start to rage out of control during the first cocktail party of the season, as the bachelorettes find themselves struggling to gain coveted one-on-one time with Tim. In the wake of intense connections, tears, and tension, Tim must make the difficult decision to choose which 15 bachelorettes will continue on in their journey for love. Greg spoke with Tim about Season 2.
As part of Haven‘s cast, Lucas Bryant has to deal with a lot of unsurety contained in every script. What mysterious Trouble will befall another person living in town? What evil will his character, Nathan Wuornos, face? Will he and Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour) get along? And will Nathan and Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) ever become the couple he yearns them to be?
With all of that hanging over his head for the past four seasons–a super-sized Season 5 returns to Showcase tonight–Bryant is taking control of the situation in one small way, albeit one behind the cameras instead of in front.
“I’m going to be directing my first episode of Haven this year, at the end of September,” he reveals. The Elmira, Ont., native has been shadowing directors and sitting in on pre- and post-production meetings as he could since Day 1 on the fantasy series. As an actor he finds it illuminating and helpful to understanding the minutiae of a television shoot, like how taking three steps outside of a predetermined spot on the set can affect production for hours.
“That is why I should just stand on my spot, shut up and say my words!” he jokes. Bryant will be in control for one episode as a director, but Haven‘s scripts continue to offer disarray and confusion. The Season 4 finale concluded with bad boy William (Colin Ferguson) going through a mystical doorway, Duke bleeding from his eyes, Jennifer (Emma Lahana) in distress and Audrey’s original persona, Mara, taking control over Nathan’s lady love. Haven‘s writers and producers continue to throw up road blocks in the budding relationship between Nathan and Audrey and you can’t help but wonder why the former just doesn’t cut ties with the latter and move on. The thought has certainly crossed Bryant’s mind more than once.
“Sometimes I get frustrated and I think, ‘Really?? This guy is just going to keep doing this? He’s not going to decide he’s going to try something else?'” he says. “However, I love Nathan for that. One of the great joys is that he has such dunderheaded conviction that there is nothing that can stop his faith in this woman and their love.”
Haven‘s two-hour return airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase. Haven‘s regular timeslot resumes next Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on Showcase.
From a media release:
Bristow Global Media’s New Documentary Series Focusing on the Life of Hockey Wives is Greenlit for Corus Entertainment’s W Network
Toronto, Canada – September 17, 2014 – Bristow Global Media (BGM) announce the production of a yet to be named, new original documentary series following the lives of hockey wives (8×10’) to air on Corus Entertainment’s W Network, for an anticipated February 2015 launch. The deep access documentary series follows the wives and girlfriends of some of professional hockey’s most celebrated and up-and-coming players over the course of an NHL season. Confirmed for the series are Nicole Brown, wife of Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown and Noureen DeWulf wife of Vancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller.
There may be some incredible perks to being a hockey wife, but make no mistake, balancing the grind of the regular season, injuries, long periods of separation, and the formidable threat of being traded, all while raising families, and building their own careers pose extraordinary challenges. Although they are based in cities all over North America, during the course of the NHL regular season their lives intersect and deeply affect one another’s. From wives who are new to the league, those whose partners are Stanley Cup winning superstars, and those nearing retirement, the women form a team of their own to support and encourage each other through personal and professional highs and lows.
“Having spent last season shooting with NHL families all over North America and in Sochi, we discovered so many fascinating and powerful woman with compelling stories of their own. We’re excited to tell a deeper, more layered story against the always dramatic backdrop of our national sport,†said Julie Bristow, President & CEO Bristow Global Media.
The series is produced by BGM in association with W Network. Executive Producers are Julie Bristow President & CEO Bristow Global Media and Claire Adams, Executive Producer, Content, Bristow Global Media. Production Executive for W Network is John MacDonald is Vice President, Head of Women’s and Family Television, Corus Entertainment.
This series follows on the recent success of BGM’s debut production, the multi-platform series NHL Revealed: A Season Like No Other, created in partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA). This seven-part multi-platform series for NBCSN and CBC was the first of its kind for the NHL and NHLPA and debuted to critical acclaim on January 22, 2014. The series followed more than two dozen top players before, during a and after their participation in the NHL Stadium Series Games, XXII Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia, and NHL Heritage Classic™
Tim Warmels can’t tell me who he chose from any of the 25 bachelorettes to be his betrothed. He can’t even tell me if he picked a lass to be his lucky lady at the end of his Bachelor Canada journey. But he’s quick to explain why he didn’t do it.
“I don’t plan on having a career in TV after this,” the 28-year-old entrepreneur says matter-of-factly. “I’m not planning on using this as a springboard to anything. I was there to find love.” Thursday’s Season 2 return finds the Cambellville, Ont., native welcoming over two dozen women to a top-secret location where he’ll begin the process of whittling the girls down to a few precious finalists via dates (group and one-on-ones) set against the backdrop of luxurious locations. That hasn’t changed in The Bachelor franchise formula. What has changed is the role of host Tyler Harcott, who served as sounding board and confidante for Season 1’s Brad Smith.
“The show was a slightly different format,” Warmels divulges. “A lot of that was actually my decision. You’ll have to wait and see. This is supposed to be an odyssey and it’s a journey that you take very solo.”
Unlike the ladies and who answered a cross-country casting call to participate in the sophomore season, Warmels skipped the line thanks to a friend of the show’s producers, Good Human Productions, who suggested he give them a call. Presented with the opportunity to take part, Warmels explains he had a decision to make: continue the search for a mate like he’d done for the last six years or “try this amazingly different thing.”
And, at times, amazingly difficult. The premise, of course, is to eliminate ladies each week, leading to heartbreak and tears. The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario Honours grad never liked that part of his odyssey.
“The timeline is so constricted that you’re always second-guessing yourself,” he admits. “You’re expected to be this all-knowing god-like man and the only way that you can really connect on the show is when you’re willing to show them your faults and be vulnerable. You have to be open and willing to show everything about yourself to these women. And they need to be willing to do the same.”
The Bachelor Canada returns Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on City.
