Let’s make a toast! ET Canada celebrates its 10th season

August 13, 2014 Greg David

From a media release:

ET Canada, Canada’s most influential newsmagazine entertainment program celebrates its 10th season beginning Tuesday, September 2 at 7:30pm ET/PT on Global. The 10th season anniversary is chock-full of more exclusives, more specials and even more celebrity. Powerhouse hosts from the very beginning, Cheryl Hickey, Rick Campanelli and Roz Weston continue to serve up entertainment’s latest scoop along with entertainment reporters Sangita Patel, Erin Cebula, Natasha Gargiulo and Matte Babel.

“This iconic brand has flourished by delivering a uniquely Canadian perspective on pop culture, making ET Canada a top destination for entertainment news,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media. “Boasting a charismatic roster of talent, our audience has embraced us since the show’s inception and will continue to rely on ET Canada for seasons to come.”

ET Canada visits the vault for a collection of Season 10 specials including the most memorable celebrity interviews, blooper moments from behind the scenes, and “Star Evolutions” featuring Hollywood’s biggest names from their humble beginnings to superstardom. Fridays will host “The Ten List” covering a countdown of various topics including host’s fashion faux pas, celebrity mug shots, best New Year’s Eve moments and more.

Part of the world’s largest entertainment news brand, ET Canada has been the go-to destination for A-list entertainment news and reporting since the show premiered on September 12, 2005. From the ET Canada Beach Hop to ET Canada Live; the unforgettable TIFF rooftops parties and Cannes Festival coverage; to New Year’s Eve events and Orange Lounge music exclusives, ET Canada has proven itself as a tastemaker of the Canadian entertainment industry.

“We’re elated to be celebrating 10 seasons, which is a testament to the passion and dedication of our production team, the loyalty of our viewers and the trust of our industry partners,” said Sholeh Fabbri, Executive Producer of ET Canada. “With an extremely talented and imaginative group, we look forward to creating 10 more seasons of distinctly conversational television.”

Viewers can count on ET Canada to let them in on the celebration both on-air and online with countless opportunities to be announced throughout the year. With a robust online following, ET Canada has the leading Twitter and Facebook accounts for entertainment news with 135,000* and 7,400* followers respectively. Generating stories and exclusives that are picked up internationally by some of the most notable outlets, ETCanada.com is the most trusted online source in Canada for breaking entertainment news.

Amazing Race Canada, Featured

Review: ‘Amazing Race’ missteps in Winnipeg

August 13, 2014 Greg David 3 Comments

Darn it! My second favourite Amazing Race Canada team has been eliminated. Yup, former ballet superstar Rex Harrington and partner Bob Hope were jettisoned from Tuesday’s Leg after they arrived last in front of Jon Montgomery in Winnipeg’s Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

The two admitted to being shocked at their final placing–they somehow believed they might have been in third place because they saw just two other teams at the dreaded Roadblock, where one had to dress up like a rock star and belt out a tune none of them (or myself) had ever heard. I was a little surprised show producers didn’t select a tune by the Guess Who for everyone to perform–you can’t get more Canadian or Winnipeg-focused than that–but maybe licensing issues put the kibosh on it.

As for my favourite pair, Meaghan and Natalie, they’re still in the thick of it. Barely. They were the first team to arrive at the Detour box after matching world coins to their corresponding flags at the Royal Canadian Mint (I had no clue that A) the Mint made coins for other countries, and B) the Mint was located in Winnipeg.), but made a stupid–and arrogant–move by bypassing the Fast Forward. Yup, instead of finding missing words in antique painted advertising on the sides of downtown buildings and skipping forward to the Pit Stop, they opted for the Detour challenging them to shoot hockey pucks through five different targets on a goal net. I understand them wanting to show off the prowess that won them Olympic gold medals, but they should have been thinking of the Race. Rubbing their hands with glee, Meaghan and Natalie plowed through the first four targets before getting stuck hitting the target between the goalie’s legs. They could only look on in shock as brothers Pierre and Michel, siblings Sukhi and Jinder and buddies Mickey and Pete completed the challenge and departed ahead of the hockey champs.

Alain and Audrey, meanwhile, had their game faces on. Realizing the Fast Forward was still up for grabs, the went for it. The test proved to be more challenging than they initially thought, but they still placed a respectable second behind brothers Michel and Pierre, who used the Express Pass to skip the singing on the way to a first-place finish.

Next week the teams fly to the Normandy coast of France, where they take some time out to remember the Canadians lost during world wars. I’m really enjoying the producers’ decision to use Canada as the main focus of Season 2 while spending time in other countries too. It’s brought a nice mix to the season so far and I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS tried something similar to keep their own version of the Race fresh.

The Amazing Race Canada airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

What did you think of this latest Leg of the Race? Will you miss Rex and Bob? Comment below to let me know! Follow Greg on Twitter!

Orphan Black

Link: Toronto transforms for Orphan Black

August 12, 2014 Diane Wild

From Guy Dixon of the Globe and Mail:

Toronto lends sense of place to Orphan Black
Every summer, as Toronto construction crews systematically tear up the city, there are certain black-clad workers who are the exception. They commandeer the sidewalk. They disrupt businesses. They spend a lot of time standing around. They give off hints of cool. They are the various film crews shooting on location around Toronto, turning selected properties into highly desired film sites for a number of productions and helping to make the city the third-largest film production centre in North America. Continue reading.

The Listener

Link: A run-of-the-mill The Listener

August 12, 2014 Diane Wild

From Amber Dowling of The TV Junkies:

The Listener hits the slammer in penultimate
Well, we always knew Toby would end up in jail somehow, right? After all, when you read minds for a living youâ€™re bound to come across an unpleasant situation or two. Itâ€™s hard to believe that Monday night was the second-to-last episode ofÂ The Listener, because it certainly felt like just another run-of-the-mill night over at the IIB. Â Continue reading.Â

Uncategorized

Mike’s Ultimate Garage airs September 1 on HGTV

August 12, 2014 Diane Wild

From a media release:

TOOLBELT TAKEOVER: MIKE HOLMES JR. BUILDS MIKEâ€™S ULTIMATE GARAGE

Mike Holmes Hands Over the Reins in the One-Night Television Event Mikeâ€™s Ultimate Garage September 1st at 8pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada

Canadaâ€™s Most Trusted Contractor, Mike Holmes (Holmes on Homes and Holmes Makes It Right) trusts his son Mike Jr. to build his dream garage in Mikeâ€™s Ultimate Garage, premiering Monday, September 1st at 8pm ET/PT on HGTV Canada. This two-hour special follows the father and son duo through every tough lesson and hard-earned victory, as Mike Jr. learns thereâ€™s no blueprint when it comes to working with family.

Mike has envisioned his state-of-the-art man cave for years and is ready to make it a reality. With the foundation and block frame in place, Mike turns the jobsite over to Mike Jr., but that doesnâ€™t mean he wonâ€™t be around to scrutinize every nail and screw. This is Mike Jr.â€™s biggest challenge yet as he manages both an intricate build and the growing expectations of his father, an all-star contractor who has made a career out of doing it right the first time.

With the support of the Holmes crew and sister Sherry, Mike Jr. races against mother nature to complete the garage before winter. In the final days, Mike Jr. bans his father from the garage to add a few personal touches and some seriously cool technology. For the first time in his career, Mike must wait on the sidelines for the final reveal.

To watch Mikeâ€™s Ultimate Garage, new episodes of Holmes Makes It Right and other behind-the-scenes exclusives, visit www.hgtv.ca.