Tag Archives: Rogers

Bad Blood: Enrico Colantoni on Bruno Bonsignori and his love affair with Kim Coates

After decades playing other characters in feature films, the theatre and television, Enrico Colantoni is the closest to playing himself in City’s miniseries Bad Blood. To play Bruno Bonsignori, advisor to Vito Rizzuto (Anthony LaPaglia), Colantoni called on his Italian roots and a childhood that inspired his take on Bruno.

In our latest interview—done from the set of Bad Blood in Sudbury, Ont., last year—Colantoni outlines how he became part of the Bad Blood cast and how his past helped define the character.

How did you get involved in Bad Blood in the first place?
Enrico Colantoni: I’ve had an admiration for Kim Coates since Waterworld, and then seeing him on with George Stroumboulopoulos and realizing he was Canadian and from Saskatoon. And then, I won a Canadian Screen Award and he presented it to me. The hug I received … it was like two star-crossed lovers. I just love him and get him on so many levels and I think it’s mutual.

I was in Vancouver directing an episode of iZombie and I was having such a great time. I said, ‘If I can do this for the rest of my life I’ll never act again.’ Directing, even episodic for just two weeks, uses all my faculties. I got to act all the roles and have the final word on things. It was so exciting.

And then the phone rings and the script comes and I say, ‘Oh no, a mobster. I don’t want to do this.’ Then I read the first episode and, not only is the writing fantastic, but this character. I’ve never gotten to play an Italian mobster in my whole career. And this guy’s energy is so different from all of the other heavies. He’s sort of buffoonish, clownish. And I realize, ‘For the first time in my career, I can play me as an homage to the goofs I grew up with.’ And then when I realized this was with Kim, and Mr. LaPaglia and Mr. Sorvino … I gotta go. There hasn’t been a disappointing moment yet.

Bruno Bonsignori is a fictional character.
Kinda. He’s based on a real character, but the story I was told is that the reason they changed his name is because of the liberties that the script takes. He was based on a real guy and they share the same nickname, ‘Peacemaker.’

For Bruno, bloodshed is a last resort in this violent world.
Right. There’s gotta be that guy who is just the business-minded guy, who is good with the money. Who is good with talking. He is that guy.

I find it interesting that, when you dig down and really research some of these people, there are heroes. Not everyone is a villain.
Some of these guys just want to make a living. It’s so funny that the guys who I grew up with … their attitudes toward life walked such a fine line between legal and illegal. Objectively, I could see the difference, but they really couldn’t. If they got away with something, they were applauded for it and congratulated for it inside the family. My father would have beaten the shit out of me, but there were some Italians who thought that was appropriate behaviour and it was encouraged.

And Bad Blood is a Canadian story.
Isn’t that beautiful? I took such pride in that. We had our own version of the Cosa Nostra. I always thought that the famous names in Toronto were the Toronto version of something, never imagining that their ties to the bigger animal were so connected. And the guys in Montreal were even more so. When you hear the name Bonanno mentioned, you realize [the Canadians] were playing in the major leagues.

Bad Blood airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on City.

Look for more coverage of Bad Blood from our set visit late last year in the coming days, including exclusive interviews with director Alain Desrochers, and Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War authors Antonio Nicaso and Peter Edwards.

Image courtesy of Rogers Media.

 

 

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City original Bad Blood gets September debut date; plus teaser trailer

From a media release:

Honour. Betrayal. Revenge… Ghosts? No matter your tastes, City is serving up something for everyone this fall, and it all kicks off with two exclusive premiere screenings at Fan Expo Canada on September 1 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Seated on a first-come, first-served basis, Fan Expo fans will get a sneak peek of City’s critically acclaimed, six-part event series at the world premiere screening of Bad Blood, produced in partnership with New Metric Media and Sphère Média Plus in association with DHX Media and Skyvision. While imprisoned in Colorado’s Supermax Prison for the murders of three Bonanno family members, Montreal mobster Vito Rizzuto (Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace) relies heavily on his right-hand man, Declan Gardiner (Kim Coates, Sons of Anarchy) to be his eyes and ears on the outside. But as the thriving empire he built is dismantled, Rizzuto watches helplessly as his closest friends and family members are mysteriously murdered one by one – ultimately culminating in a Shakesperean-level revenge mission upon his release.

Hosted by Entertainment City’s Devo Brown, the live Q&A following the screening will feature Executive Producer Mark Montefiore (NMM, Letterkenny), series stars Tony Nappo (Saw franchise) and Maxim Roy (Shadow Hunters), and authors of the best-selling book and inspiration for the series, “Business or Blood: Mafia Boss Vito Rizzuto’s Last War,” Peter Edwards and Antonio Nicaso. Plus, fans can enjoy a fun photo opp and take home their own copy of the book, with the newly reprinted “Bad Blood” cover.

Part of Fan Expo Canada, the Bad Blood screening and panel will be held on Friday, Sept. 1 at 3:30 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Room 701A.

But before all the drama, explore the paranormal with the exclusive Canadian premiere of City’s new, live-action comedy, Ghosted. Taking place on Friday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. in Room 701A, Ghosted follows the partnership between two polar opposites – a cynical skeptic (Craig Robinson, Mr. Robot, Hot Tub Time Machine franchise) and a genius “true believer” (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies, Parks and Recreation) in the paranormal – who are recruited by a secret government agency, known as ‘The Bureau Underground’, to save the human race from aliens.

Following the screening, don’t miss a live Q&A, moderated by Entertainment City’s Devo Brown, and photo opps with star Craig Robinson. Opening the show, fans will also be the first in Canada to see an exclusive, extended clip of City’s new comedy, The Orville, starring Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted franchise). A live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future, the series follows The U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the problems of everyday life.

Fans who can’t make it to the screenings can catch up on all of the action with the broadcast series premiere of The Orville on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT; Bad Blood on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT; and Ghosted on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, on City.

 

 

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Tanya Kim let go from BreakfastTelevision Toronto

Tanya Kim’s tenure has come to an end at Rogers in Toronto. The longtime entertainment reporter made the announcement via social media on Thursday, explaining she was the victim of restructuring at the company.

“They say when one door closes, so many more open,” she posted on her Instagram page. “Trust me when I say I believe this wholeheartedly. After two years of bringing you, loyal fans, and viewers the latest in entertainment news on Entertainment City, Breakfast Television Toronto, and Your World This Week, I was officially let go of by the network due to restructuring. They deemed my position to be unnecessary.

“More importantly, I want to take this time to thank from the bottom of my heart a couple of OGs who’ve had my back since day one – Jordan & Sandy, I’ll forever be grateful for you two,” she continued. “And to my incredible BT, Entertainment City, and Your World This Week families, thank you so much for making these past couple of years such a fun and memorable time. The constant love, encouragement, laughs, and support mean the world to me and all of you made my days brighter. I can’t wait to see each one of you continue to shine.”

Adam Wylde, Kim’s former co-worker, was quick to make his feelings known on Thursday via Twitter.

Back in September 2015, BT Toronto made the announcement that Kim had joined their team as the new face of Entertainment City and Rogers Your World This Week.

“Tanya Kim is synonymous with entertainment news in Canada,” Jordan Schwartz, vice-president of in-house productions at Rogers said in a press release at the time. “Over the past 14 years, Tanya has cultivated a strong personal brand that resonates with fans from coast-to-coast. She’s a great addition to our Rogers family.”

Prior to her move to Rogers, Kim was employed by Bell Media as a special correspondent for Canadian Idol before co-hosting etalk with Ben Mulroney in 2003.

 

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Link: Rogers Community TV suspends some Toronto production, lays off 10

From Greg O’Brien of Cartt.ca:

Link: Rogers Community TV suspends some Toronto production, lays off 10
Rogers Media today told employees it will cease community cable TV production at its Toronto facility at 855 York Mills Road.

A total of 10 positions have been eliminated with the move and all programming produced there has been cancelled. Continue reading.

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Vice Studio Canada and Rogers Media announce start of production on FUBAR

From a media release:

VICE Studio Canada and Rogers Media today announced the start of production on their second original scripted series for VICELAND – FUBAR. Taking the beloved film franchise and hurtling it into the modern age, the eight-part, half-hour series, currently filming in Montreal, reunites director Michael Dowse and stars David Lawrence and Paul Spence in their original roles as Terry and Dean. FUBAR is slated to premiere in 2017 on VICELAND, with full broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

The series opens with Terry (Lawrence) and Dean (Spence) fleeing from the wildfires of Fort McMurray, in a desperate retreat to Calgary, with nothing but emergency government debit cards to their names. Discovering high-speed Internet for the first time, Terry is exposed to a world of commerce and social media and attempts to harness the web to make a profit. Meanwhile, Dean embarks on a journey to record a triple-concept album, using his burnt bass guitar and no-nuts falsetto voice.

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