TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 888
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Uncategorized

City greenlights Second Jen and Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story

1 Comment

From a media release:

City Greenlights Two Original Scripted Series,
Second Jen and Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story

  • Coming-of-age, digital-first comedy Second Jen stars co-creators Samantha Wan and Amanda Joy
  • Inspired by true events, series Bad Blood follows the life and death of notorious underworld figure, Vito Rizzuto

City adds two new original scripted series to its lineup with millennial-focused, digital-first comedy Second Jen, and limited event drama Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story.  Currently in pre-production, these new original series join the City 2016/2017 prime-time schedule alongside fan-favourite survivalist thriller, Between. Broadcast details to be announced in the coming months.

Created by and starring Samantha Wan (Sudden Master) and Amanda Joy (Trapped in Terra),Second Jen is a coming-of-age comedy about two second-generation Chinese and Filipino-Canadian millennials and best friends experiencing all of life’s “firsts”.  Produced by Don Ferguson Productions, the new digital-first comedy is set to begin shooting this summer with showrunner Jeff Biederman helming the project, who also acts as an executive producer alongside Don Ferguson, Lucy Stewart and Kevin Wallis of Don Ferguson Productions.  Romeo Candido is slated to direct. This six-part, 30-minute, digital-first scripted series will premiere on Citytv.com in fall 2016, and will air on City and OMNI Television at a later date.

Inspired by reputed mobster Vito Rizzuto, and based on the best-selling book, Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War by Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards, Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story is a six-part, 60-minute scripted limited event series debuting on City and FX in 2017. While imprisoned in Colorado’s Supermax Prison for the murders of three Bonanno family members, Rizzuto watches helplessly as the thriving empire he built is dismantled, and his closest friends and family members are mysteriously murdered one by one. When Rizzuto is finally released from prison, a Shakespearean-level revenge tale plays out – leading to the brutal murders of his closest companions, and ultimately the death of Rizzuto himself. Bad Blood: The Vito Rizzuto Story is produced by New Metric Media, Sphere Media and DHX Media. Writers and Executive Producers are Michael Konyves (Barney’s Version) and Simon Barry (Van Helsing).

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Uncategorized

Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake to co-host CTV’s new morning show

1 Comment

From a media release:

Welcome to YOUR MORNING: CTV’s New Morning Show to Premiere this Summer

  • Trusted news veteran Anne-Marie Mediwake (CBC TORONTO NEWS) and ETALK anchor Ben Mulroney announced as Hosts, along with Co-Anchors Melissa Grelo (THE SOCIAL), Lindsey Deluce (CP24 BREAKFAST), and Kelsey McEwen (CTV MORNING LIVE) –

CTV reaffirmed its commitment to original daytime television with the announcement today of a new, daily, morning program. From Bell Media In-House Productions, the live, three-hour program YOUR MORNING will premiere at the end of the summer. The network also confirmed that trusted news veteran Anne-Marie Mediwake (CBC TORONTO NEWS) and entertainment journalist Ben Mulroney (ETALK) will host the series.

YOUR MORNING is a new approach to morning television. The series will deliver an original perspective and unique insight into the stories of the day, while showcasing lifestyle topics of interests to Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast. News on the program will be delivered by CTV News, Canada’s most-watched news organization.

YOUR MORNING will air weekday mornings on CTV (Ontario, Québec, and Eastern Canada) and nationally on CTV News Channel from 6-9 a.m., kicking off CTV’s leading original daytime lineup.

To be broadcast from Bell Media’s downtown broadcast centre at 299 Queen St. West in Toronto, the series comes from the same production team as the top two Canadian daytime series, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW and THE SOCIAL, and will be helmed by the same executive producer, Michelle Crespi. With a Masters in Journalism from Western University, Crespi returns to her roots in morning television, after starting her career on CANADA AM.

 

Joining hosts Mediwake and Mulroney on YOUR MORNING are dynamic co-anchors Melissa Grelo (THE SOCIAL) as Late Morning Anchor, Lindsey Deluce (CP24 BREAKFAST) as News Anchor, and Kelsey McEwen (CTV MORNING LIVE CALGARY) as Weather Anchor.

CTV will introduce a member of the YOUR MORNING team every day this week on THE SOCIAL, as they guest host in celebration of the new series.

In addition to their roles on YOUR MORNING, Mulroney will continue as anchor of ETALK, while Grelo will continue as co-host on THE SOCIAL. Deluce and McEwen will continue their current roles with CP24 and CTV MORNING LIVE CALGARY respectively through the end of June.

Meet YOUR MORNING Personalities:

Anne-Marie Mediwake, Host (@AnneMarieYYZ)
Anne-Marie Mediwake is an accomplished journalist who brings almost two decades of news and current affairs experience back home to CTV where she began her network career as the host of the Gemini Award-winning investigative program 21C, and reporter for CTV National News. Previously, the six-time Canadian Screen Award (CSA) nominee was the highly respected co-anchor of CBC TORONTO NEWS and GLOBAL NEWS TORONTO. During her expansive career, the Alberta-raised Mediwake has provided award winning coverage of some of Canada and the world’s biggest news stories, including the 2014 Ottawa Terror Attacks and the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. Smart and compassionate, the multi-faceted journalist has co-anchored the last six municipal, provincial, and federal elections, reported from London during the Royal Wedding and Queen’s Jubilee, and hosted a documentary from her native Sri Lanka on the 2004 South Asian Tsunami. A mother of triplets, she is a passionate advocate for women and children’s issues, which saw her named Toronto Woman of the Year 2011.

Ben Mulroney, Host (@BenMulroney)
With a history degree from Duke University and a law degree from Laval University, Ben Mulroney is a veteran journalist with more than 16 years of experience at Bell Media. No stranger to live television, Mulroney got his start on talktv’s THE CHATROOM in 2000, and for six seasons, hosted CANADIAN IDOL, at the time the most-watched English language Canadian television show on record. Canada’s premiere entertainment journalist, Mulroney is now in his 14th year with ETALK, a series he has helped develop into Canada’s most-watched entertainment newsmagazine. As Anchor, Mulroney delivers entertainment news daily from the ETALK studio in Toronto, but also travels across the globe to interview the world’s biggest stars. He is a veteran of the industry’s biggest red carpet events, including the OSCARS®, GOLDEN GLOBES®, and THE JUNO AWARDS. Mulroney has also appeared on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, guest hosted LIVE! WITH KELLY, and was a member of the broadcast team for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Mulroney works closely with a number of charitable organizations including The Brain Project and Cystic Fibrosis Canada. He is most proud of his family: his wife Jessica and his twin boys and young daughter.

Melissa Grelo, Late Morning Anchor (@melissagrelo)
Smart, opinionated, and informed, Melissa Grelo is co-host of THE SOCIAL, and also acts as the show’s moderator. Previously, Grelo was the long-time co-host of the most-watched morning news program in the Greater Toronto Area, CP24 BREAKFAST, and has anchored and reported on the biggest stories in Canada’s largest news market. The mother of an adventurous young daughter, she is active in the community, specifically with the GTA’s youth, and is the Celebrity Ambassador in Canada for The Prince of Wales’s Campaign for Wool.

Lindsey Deluce, News Anchor (@LindseyDeluce)
Lindsey Deluce is currently the News Anchor for CP24 BREAKFAST. She joined CP24 in June 2009, as a Remote Host and Anchor. Deluce has demonstrated her keen ability to get the story. She covered the Federal Election 2011 live from Michael Ignatieff’s campaign headquarters, captured the mayhem of the G20 protests on the streets of Toronto in 2010, and got the dirt on the City of Toronto garbage strike in 2009. A volunteer with several events in the community and a mother of two young children, she has also hosted charity events throughout the year including The Walk So Kids Can Talk.

Kelsey McEwen, Weather Anchor (@KelseyMcEwen)
Currently the Meteorologist on CTV MORNING LIVE and CTV NEWS AT NOON in Calgary, Kelsey McEwen’s weather career began as a young girl in Alberta, where she would watch thunderstorms with her parents on the front step of their Calgary home. Since her career in journalism began, Kelsey has covered avalanche control in the Kootenay Pass in British Columbia, the 2011 and 2013 floods in Saskatchewan, the record breaking #skstorm tornado season in 2012, and the June 2013 floods in her home province of Alberta. An active volunteer in her community and mother of a young son, McEwen is passionate about science education, and proud to be part of the SkyWatch ‘Weather in the Classroom’ program with CTV.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Ransom

Global partners with CBS on suspense drama Ransom

1 Comment

From a media release:

GLOBAL AND TF1 GREEN LIGHT NEW ORIGINAL SUSPENSE DRAMA, RANSOM

  • CBS joins as broadcast partner for the new series from Entertainment One
  • The Canada/France Co-Production from Entertainment One, Sienna Films (Canada), and Wildcats Productions (France) is set to Premiere in 2017
  • Rising Star Luke Roberts Cast as Lead Character Eric Beaumont
  • Ransom is Executive Produced by Frank Spotnitz and his Company Big Light Productions, and Created by Canadian David Vainola

Global, in partnership with France’s TF1, announced today that they have green lit 13-episode original suspense drama Ransom, with CBS (US) joining as a broadcast partner. Starring the talented Luke Roberts (Black Sails, Game of Thrones), Ransom is a Canada/France treaty co-production from global studio Entertainment One (eOne), Big Light Productions and producers Sienna Films and Wildcats Productions. Filming in both Europe and Canada in the coming months, Ransom is set to premiere in 2017.

Through his company Big Light Productions, Golden Globe® winning and Emmy® nominated screenwriter Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files, The Man in the High Castle) serves as an executive producer on the series. Created by David Vainola (Diamonds, Combat Hospital) and Spotnitz, Ransom is inspired by the professional experiences of distinguished crisis negotiator Laurent Combalbert. Laurent Combalbert and his partner, Marwan Mery, are considered to be among the top negotiators in the world. Today, they travel around the globe to help multinational corporations and governmental agencies with complex negotiations and conflict resolution.

Ransom follows crisis and hostage negotiator Eric Beaumont (Luke Roberts), whose team is brought in to save lives when no one else can. Eric understands criminals better than they do, and uses his insight into human behaviour to resolve the most difficult kidnap and ransom cases. Despite the stakes, Eric refuses to resort to violence, even when confronted by some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. While Eric’s considerable powers of manipulation make him the best at what he does professionally, they often complicate his relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Is Eric being himself, or who he needs to be in order to get what he wants? The difference is often hard to tell. The series begins with Eric taking on Maxine Carlson, a new member of the team eager to prove herself. But a dangerous secret from Maxine’s past may pose a threat that even the great Eric Beaumont is unable to resolve.

Ransom is a Canada-France treaty co-production and will be co-produced by eOne; Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny via their Sienna Films banner; and Valerie Pechels and Odile McDonald of Wildcats Productions; while Spotnitz via his Big Light Productions banner will executive produce. Ransom has been co-developed by TF1 and Corus Entertainment Inc., with the participation of the Centre National du Cinema et de l’Image Animé in France as well as Canada Media Fund, and will be produced with the financial assistance of the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

eOne controls worldwide rights to the series, excluding French-speaking territories.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Masterchef Canada

Final three cooks revealed on Masterchef Canada

From a media release:
The Final Three Home Cooks are Revealed on CTV’s MASTERCHEF CANADA

  • Veronica Cham, a lawyer from Toronto, left the competition on tonight’s MASTERCHEF CANADA
  • An all-new episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA airs next Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and the CTV GO app, as the Top 3 battle it out for a place in the finale and cook for 13 of Canada’s most influential chefs using ingredients from the nation’s 10 provinces and three territories
  • The next Canadian MasterChef will be revealed during the MASTERCHEF CANADA Season 3 finale on Sunday, June 19 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV –

A salt water Pressure Test featuring fresh sea scallops on tonight’s MASTERCHEF CANADA led judges Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung, and Claudio Aprile to send Veronica Cham, a lawyer from Toronto, home from the competition.MASTERCHEF CANADA returns next Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and the CTV GO app as the Top 3 cook for 13 ofCanada’s most influential chefs.

On tonight’s episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA, the Top 4 home cooks got a taste of home when they were surprised in the kitchen by their families, who also joined them for a trip to Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. With the help of their family members, the home cooks each decided on an entrée they felt showcased their culture and background, and selected the necessary ingredients at the market.

With their family members cheering them on, the home cooks had 60 minutes to create a dish the judges and their families would be proud of. With each home cook presenting their dish to the judges, Matthew Astorga was up first with his quail adobo with puffed wild rice and quail egg. This marked the first time Matthew prepared a Filipino dish on MASTERCHEF CANADA, and he drew inspiration from meals his mom has prepared for him. Mary Berg presented her plate next, pan-seared quail and cornmeal sweet potato waffle, which was inspired by her family vacations to South Carolina. Next, Veronica brought up her braised brisket with hand-pulled noodles and pickled cucumber. Knowing her dad wouldn’t want her to lie to the judges, Veronica let them know that her brisket might be underdone. Lastly, Jeremy Senaris served up his kare-kare, oxtail stew with peanut butter and rice cake, which is a favourite of his two nieces. In the end, the judges crowned Mary the winner of the challenge – automatically advancing her to the Top 3.

With Mary safe from elimination, the remaining three home cooks faced a difficult Pressure Test involving fresh scallops. With only 60 minutes, they were challenged to replicate three mouth-watering dishes: scallop crudo, thinly sliced raw scallops in a citrus dressing; pan-seared scallops with a pea and mint puree and passionfruit coulis; and coquilles St-Jacques. The home cooks were given the exact number of scallops they needed to replicate each dish, and were further challenged by having to open each sea scallop from its shell. With their 60 minutes up, the home cooks presented their dishes to the judges and in the end, Jeremy was revealed as the winner of the Pressure Test moving him into the Top 3. With Matthew and Veronica left standing, the judges made the difficult decision to send Veronica home from MASTERCHEF CANADA.

On an all-new episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA (Sunday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV and the CTV GO app), the season’s penultimate episode finds the home cooks battling it out for a place in the finale by creating beautifully-composed plates for 13 ofCanada’s most influential chefs. Their pantry consists of the same 13 ingredients – one from each province and territory – that they received in their first Mystery Box Challenge at the start of the season. The winner advances immediately to the finale, while the two remaining home cooks go head-to-head in a difficult dessert challenge.

The remaining Top 3 home cooks vying for the title of MASTERCHEF CANADA and the $100,000 cash prize are:

 

For more on MASTERCHEF CANADA, fans can visit CTV.ca/MasterChefCanada for exclusive content, including must-see videos with the home cooks and the judges, bios, full episodes, sneak peeks, and extras.

New episodes of MASTERCHEF CANADA are available following their broadcast premiere on demand at CTV.ca and on the CTV GO app, and encore Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on M3, Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV Two, and Sundays at 5 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Viewers can watch Veronica Cham live on CTV MORNING LIVE ATLANTIC (Weekdays 7:00 a.m. AT), CP24 BREAKFAST(Weekdays 5:30 a.m. ET), CTV News Channel (8:45 a.m. ET/PT), and THE SOCIAL (Weekdays at 1 p.m. ET/PT) on Monday, June 6 as she discusses her experience on MASTERCHEF CANADA.

The MASTERCHEF format and finished programmes are represented internationally by Endemol Shine Group, and is based on a format originally created by Franc Roddam.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail