Tag Archives: CBC

Review: Heartland’s beary scary situation

There was a bear in the woods—and an elephant in the room—when Heartland returned for its first episode of Season 9. “Brave New World,” written by Heather Conkie and directed by Bruce McDonald, was a big change from the Season 8 finale. In those final moments, Ty and Amy finally tied the knot in front of family and friends.

This Sunday certainly found the wedded couple stronger than ever relationship-wise, but Lou and Peter are falling apart. Things looked too good to be true when the pair were sharing a coffee as they watched Georgie ride Trouble and Phoenix Roman-style; by episode end Lou had filled out a separation agreement. The document was secreted away by Georgie—putting off the inevitable for the time being—but the couple isn’t coming back from this precipice. Kudos to Michelle Morgan for portraying the pain Lou’s feeling and for the fierce mama bear instinct she’s got when it comes to her kids. Peter may think everything will be hunky-dory, but Lou knows that’s not true.

Speaking of bears, I’m glad Sunday’s furry co-star didn’t stick around for long. The fatalist in me pictured the beast going on a rampage at Heartland; that didn’t happen, but the injured horse did help Georgie and Amy understand what happens when you let something free. Not only did Bear direct them to an abandoned horse suffering from rain rot, but showed the girls (and viewers) what friendship, support and trust will bring when you show a little faith.

With such a heavy main story, it was nice to have lighter moments when Jack showed up to kick Tim’s butt into gear on the loft renovations. Tim was indeed in over his head with the school, Casey and life in general; good on Jack for calling him out and then taking control of the situation. With him in charge, Ty and Amy may be moved in by Christmas.

What did you think of Sunday’s return? Do you think Lou and Peter will get back together?

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Added bonus: Sunday’s closing music, “Carry On,” was performed by Fortunate Ones

 

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Interview: Torri Higginson embraces life in CBC’s This Life

Don’t tell This Life‘s producers, but Torri Higginson would have worked on the show for free. The Burlington, Ont., born actress loved the humanity of Natalie Lawson, a single mom who discovers the cancer she beat has returned to take her life, so much she would have bypassed a cheque to participate.

Adapted  from Radio Canada’s Nouvelle Adresse by Joseph Kay (Bomb Girls), This Life—debuting Monday at 9 p.m. on CBC—not only deals with how the dire prognosis affects Natalie, but her family too. Sister Maggie (Lauren Lee Smith) and brothers Oliver (Kristopher Turner) and Matthew (Rick Roberts) all struggle to cope, as do Natalie’s children Emma (Stephanie Janusauskas), Caleb (James Wotherspoon) and Romy (Julia Scarlett Dan).

Far from being a pity party, This Life boasts many light-hearted and laugh out loud moments, something we discussed with Higginson days before Monday’s debut.

Had you seen Nouvelle Adresse before or after you were cast as Natalie Lawson?
Torri Higginson: I was actually down in the States when I did the audition and immediately went online to get a sense of the tone. But, because I was out of the country, I was geo-blocked. I watched a two-minute trailer, and it was in French and I don’t speak French very well. I was moved to tears and loved the tone of it. If I don’t understand a language I’ll often watch something with the sound turned off so that I get to read the body language and see the acting more clearly, and I was blown away. I did the audition and was cast and I’m really glad I didn’t watch it because it’s very hard to separate and not be intimidated or second-guessing your instincts.

And, also, we’re doing a very different show. Joseph has been working very closely with Richard Blaimert, who created the original, and has been anglicizing it. I really look forward to watching their show, but I’m going to have to wait until we’re done ours.


I love the humanity of it. We don’t talk about death in our culture enough and I think it’s tragic that we don’t.


You said you were down in the U.S. at the time of your audition. What was it about this role and show that grabbed your attention
I have two answers to that, and my first, more artistic one is this. I loved the writing. I love the humanity of it. We don’t talk about death in our culture enough and I think it’s tragic that we don’t. Most religions, in their purest forms, were created to help us live in the moment but they haven’t. They make us live in fear. Until you truly accept the finiteness of life, it really is when you start living and really being in the present and understanding gratitude on a deep level. I read this script and thought, ‘How fabulous that we’re going to do a show that opens up that dialogue,’ and I hope that it does.

And the less artistic side is, we never make choices! [Laughs.] You’re offered something and you say, ‘Yes, thank you, I’ll take it!’ A lot of times you take things because you’re insecure about work and this year every single job this year—and this being the pinnacle—I would have done for free. Don’t tell the producers! [Laughs.]

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This Life could have gone the pity party route but I’m not getting the sense from the first several episodes that it will. There is a surprising light-heartedness and humour. Does that continue?
Yes, it does and I’m glad you got that. I think some people are frightened about the subject because we don’t want to talk about it. Natalie is holding onto normal and wants that to last for as long as possible. And you want to laugh. You have to have that light and dark. The writing is wonderful and that’s because of Joseph and Rachel Langer. It’s funny and it’s human and we’re hoping that comes across.

You have a lot of moments when you’re by yourself as Natalie, absorbing what her doctor has told her. Was it hard to get into that headspace without people to play off of?
I did a one-woman play once and vowed I’d never do it again because I love to interact with people, having that energy. I find what she’s going through touches me very deeply. What’s hard isn’t accessing it. What’s hard it letting it go when you’re not there.

It seems as though Natalie is the rock among her siblings. Is that true?
I think so, yeah. Everybody ends up having a lot of plates spinning and some of that is upon hearing that someone they love is going to die. Some of them are a result of life choices they’ve made. I didn’t realize until about three episodes in that this is a soap opera and everybody has got these crazy story arcs. But yeah, she does seem to be the most grounded of the bunch.

Natalie’s kids have a lot going on as well; now we add Mom’s cancer has returned to the mix.
I love how they cast the kids. I think all three are wonderful. They way they have written Romy is the most honest of all the characters on the show. She is so wonderful and grounded … the character is 13 but the actress, Julia Scarlett Dan, is only 11. This girl is so present and so beautiful. Stephanie Janusauskas is a wonderful young actress from Montreal who is very strong, and Emma is going through a ton as well. And then Caleb, who is played by James Wotherspoon, is sort of new to acting. Caleb is sort of the man of the house and I think there is a weight to him that he expresses very wonderfully.

How much time passes within these 10 episodes?
Only about a month. I said to Joseph, ‘Keep that up and we can go 12 seasons!’ That would be awesome.

This Life airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

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Heartland star lands Canada’s Smartest Person return

I competed in Canada’s Smartest Person, and I won. OK, I didn’t compete in a full instalment of the intelligence test, but I did come in first in a head-to-head special journalist edition matchup against my buddy Denette Wilford in The Gauntlet. (For proof, check out the video below.)

Meanwhile, contestants from across the country once again descended on Toronto to compete in Season 2 of CBC’s mind-bender, returning Sunday at 8 p.m. with 16-year-old wunderkind Maya Burhanpurkar of Barrie, Ont., rapper Anthony Craparotta (a.k.a. iLLvibe) of Toronto, diversity executive Richard Pinnock from Montreal, and new mom Jessica Joy of Golden, B.C., facing off.

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With the title of Canada’s Smartest Person up for grabs, the four competitors test the theory of multiple intelligence in six categories: linguistic, logical, physical, musical, visual and social before the top two scorers race through The Gauntlet to determine a winner.

“In Season 2, you really want to go bigger and better and we have,” says host Jessi Cruickshank. “The challenges in every episode are unreal, the new challenges are so spectacular and we have fantastic guest stars appearing.” Among them is Heartland lead Amber Marshall, who pops by for Human Lie Detector, telling a mixture of truth and fiction to test social skills. (One unforgettable story recounts a memorable Christmas involving a puppy and an ex-girlfriend; tune in to see if it’s true or not.) Upcoming celebrity guests include Mary Walsh, Steve Patterson, Perez Hilton and Alan Thicke.

“All of Alan Thicke’s stories were so over-the-top for Human Lie Detector,” Cruickshank says with a laugh, noting just one person read Thicke perfectly.

Canadians will once again have the chance to compete at home via the show’s app and—new this season—compete with friends and family in Head2Head. Jeff Douglas, who explained the app and noted test result trends across the country, is not back for Season 2, meaning Cruickshank is doing all of the heavy lifting, juggling hosting with challenge explanations and playing cheerleader to the weekly players.

“As much as I’m running the challenges, it’s my job to bring out the personalities of the competitors,” she says. “We have smart and incredibly charismatic people this season with a wide range of abilities and it’s my job to make them shine.”

Canada’s Smartest Person airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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Crash Gallery kicks off CBC’s evocative, inventive arts brand

One of the most interesting segments of CBC’s spring upfront announcement was the network’s return to spotlighting the arts. What began earlier this month with televised HD performances of The Stratford Festival’s King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra and King John continues in October with the high-intensity Crash Gallery, evocative Exhibitionists and, in November, the inventive Interrupt This Program.

The trio of televised entries—along with online series in The Collective, Canada in the Frame and The Re-Education of Eddy Rogo—represent a re-focussing on something the CBC was known for years ago, but had dropped from schedules because of eroding ratings. Viewers’ tastes were changing, and a one-shot aimed at a ballet dancer on-stage just wasn’t cutting it. Those cyclical tastes have evolved yet again, and CBC is jumping in with both feet.

“As niche broadcasting has grown and as more arts online have exploded, it’s a natural place for us to come back,” says Grazyna Krupa, executive in charge of programming, Arts, CBC Television. “It makes complete sense for us to say, ‘Let’s figure out what works on television and expand what we do online as well. Let’s experiment a little bit and explore how audiences celebrate art in a new way.'”

That all begins Friday with Crash Gallery, a unique twist on the competition reality series. Shot in Vancouver and hosted Sean O’Neill, the Art Gallery of Ontario’s associate director of adult programming and partnerships, Crash Gallery pits three homegrown artists from diverse backgrounds in 30-minute head-to-head competitions. Their task? Create fresh art based on a theme in front of a live audience who vote their favourite work onto the next round. Friday’s debut pits puppeteer Jeny, illustrator (and past Top Chef Canada finalist) Pierre and painter Leilani, who—in the first round—are tasked with creating the theme of love onto a large canvas using paint-filled toy water pistols. After one artist is eliminated, the final two battle for supremacy by crafting a sculpture constructed of glow sticks.

Crash Gallery felt fresh and new, and it’s immersive,” Krupa says. “We found we enjoyed being drawn into it like our children with Art Attack. The Crash Gallery artists get this immediate good vibe from the crowd. It’s more like an experience than a reality show. You’re not going to walk away from this psychologically damaged.”

Exhibitionists

Exhibitionists—hosted by artist, educator, actor and playwright Amanda Parris—consists of segments that currently exist on CBC.ca and introduces viewers to emerging and established Canadian artists from across the country and what they’re up to. Grupa says anything is game, from GIFs to Stephen Dunn, whose Closet Monster won Best Canadian Feature Film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

World art is brought to Canada via Interrupt This Program, which Krupa describes as having an Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown feel in telling the stories of street, spoken word, writers and performance art in such cities as Beirut, Athens, Port-au-Prince and Kiev.

Krupa isn’t peering at this plan through rose-coloured glasses, acknowledging that—like anything else on television—ratings will be the final word on this programming stream. The Canadian arts community is excited for the opportunity to be showcased by the public broadcaster, especially less-celebrated works by costume designers, architects and set designers beyond the traditional art categories.

“I want viewers to feel odd, amazed, proud and engaged,” Krupa says. “I want them to get something out if each program, whether it’s knowledge of art or a sense of adventure, and a celebration. These are, for the most part, joyous programs that lift your spirit and that’s what the arts do.”

Crash Gallery airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m., Exhibitionists airs Sundays at 4:30 p.m., and Interrupt This Program airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (beginning Nov. 6) on CBC.

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Poll: Which new Canadian fall TV programs will you be watching?

Earlier this month, we asked which three Canadian television series you were most excited about returning—congratulations Murdoch Mysteries fans—and now it’s time to gauge interest in the rookies stepping up to bat over the next two months.

From Canadian comfort food to spies, from Tornado Hunters to Ice Racers, which three (3) new programs are you planning to watch? We’ve included summaries of each series below the choices to help you decide; check out our handy calendars to see when they debut.

(Vote by clicking the box next to your three choices and then selecting the Vote box to the right of Tornado Hunters.)

Which new Canadian fall TV shows are you planning to watch?

  • Tornado Hunters, CMT (54%, 344 Votes)
  • Crash Gallery, CBC (10%, 66 Votes)
  • The Romeo Section, CBC (8%, 48 Votes)
  • Ice Racer Showdown, CMT (7%, 42 Votes)
  • This Life, CBC (6%, 41 Votes)
  • Keeping Canada Alive, CBC (6%, 38 Votes)
  • Great Canadian Cookbook, Food Network (5%, 33 Votes)
  • Incredible Food Race, Food Network (4%, 24 Votes)

Total Voters: 482

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Crash Gallery
In this competition program, a trio of Canadian artists have just minutes to create an original piece of art using outrageous mediums in front of an audience who vote for the best piece. Hosted by the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Sean O’Neill.

Great Canadian Cookbook
Celebrity chef Lynn Crawford and Carnival Eats host Noah Cappe travel across the country, meeting Canadians who are passionate about the local dishes they prepare and celebrating the cultural mosaic of those recipes.

Ice Racer Showdown
Five drivers risk life and limb race vehicles through an icy obstacle course. Hosted by The Road Hammers’ Clayton Bellamy.

The Incredible Food Race
ET Canada‘s Rick Campanelli and celebrity chef Corbin Tomaszeski star in this culinary competition where two Canadian families compete to create a kid-approved meal.

Keeping Canada Alive
Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, this documentary series spotlights a 24-hour period in Canada’s health care system.

The Romeo Section
Created by Chris Haddock (Intelligence, Da Vinci’s Inquest), The Romeo Section explores the life of Wolfgang McGee (Andrew Airlie), a professor who secretly manages a group of spies. Jemmy Chen, Juan Riedinger, Stephanie Bennett and Eugene Lipinski also star.

This Life
Adapted from the French series, Nouvelle Adresse, This Life stars Torri Higginson as Natalie Lawson, a lifestyle columnist and single mother whose cancer diagnosis affects her and her family. Lauren Lee Smith, Christopher Turner, Rick Roberts, Rachael Crawford and Peter MacNeill also star.

Tornado Hunters
Cameras capture Greg Johnson, Chris Chittick and Ricky Forbes as their put their lives in danger to capture study North America’s tornadoes.

Vote above and comment below!

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