News

Former Huffington Post Canada exec Brodie Fenlon has been promoted to head up CBC News as general manager and editor in chief, replacing Susan Marjetti as she retires after 35 years at the Canadian public broadcaster.

Fenlon joined CBC News in 2013 after having helped launch HuffPo Canada. He most recently served as editor in chief and executive director of programs and standards since 2020. In 2017, Fenlon was tapped to oversee daily news and domestic and foreign bureaus at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. as it faced increased U.S. digital competition.

Fenlon succeeds Marjetti, who is stepping down from her role as general manager of CBC News.

“With Susan’s retirement, there is no one better suited and prepared to take the helm of CBC News than Brodie. He is a seasoned journalist and an empathetic leader who will continue to shape the strategic direction of CBC News, guiding the news team through...

CBC, the #1 Canadian podcaster, today announced a new channel on YouTube that sees a diverse collection of CBC podcasts available through the digital platform. Audiences can now stream more than a dozen CBC Podcasts on YouTube, including: investigative juggernauts Someone Knows Something and Uncover; acclaimed hits Let’S Not Be Kidding and Run, Hide, Repeat; and daily essential series Front Burner (news) and Commotion With Elamin Abdelmahmoud (arts and entertainment). The selection of premium audio content is now available on the newly developed YouTube channel, CBC Podcasts, which will continue to grow in the coming months with the addition of video podcasts.

"The launch of CBC Podcasts on YouTube furthers a commitment to making our amazing catalogue of podcast content available to audiences on the platform of their choice," said Barbara Williams, Executive Vice-President, CBC. "CBC now has more than eight million subscribers to our video channels on YouTube and...

As the online landscape continues to shift and evolve in the screen sector, so too do the conversations surrounding streaming legislation in Canada. The current iteration of that dialogue, Bill C-11, is in the final stages of voting at the Senate this week. It is expected to be passed back to the Commons for a final vote and eventual passage into law in the coming days.

Just as decision-makers wrapped that bill’s third reading on Feb. 2, Canadian screen leaders took the stage at the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (Cmpa) annual Prime Time event in Ottawa. There, they discussed media policy and potential changes to the industry in the years ahead.

Unsurprisingly, most of that discussion revolved around the concerns some of the 26 amendments to the 56-page bill have raised. (The bill is the longest study ever conducted at a Senate committee.) While the heart of the bill is...

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Top Canadian Broadcasting Corp. programmer Barbara Williams didn’t flinch from touching Canada’s third rail — acceptance of the country’s increasing cultural diversity and inclusivity — when she pitched local advertisers at her Winter Upfront presentation on a “reset” so the public broadcaster can remain relevant to audiences.

“We need to re-introduce ourselves to those who already know us and then to make an introduction to those who currently don’t have a relationship with us. We want you to see CBC as your thing … as a Canada thing. Because it’s not how Canadian you are or aren’t. It’s who you are in Canada,” Williams, CBC’s executive vp of English services, told media agencies and marketers in Toronto on Nov. 30.

Williams, who oversees the CBC’s English language TV, radio and digital services, later told The Hollywood Reporter that...

Canadian public broadcaster CBC has pulled back the curtain on its new strategic direction, detailing its diverse new content, an entertainment consolidation and rebrand, and a new Fast channel in conjunction with its news division.

At the Nov. 30 event at Toronto’s Massey Hall, hosted by “Kim’s Convenience” and “Run the Burbs” star Andrew Phung, the broadcaster explained that all entertainment content, including streaming, linear and podcasts, now lives under the CBC Entertains umbrella. Combined, CBC Entertains and CBC News is the company’s two-pronged approach designed to engage and amplify new voices in Canada — for all Canadians.

“Everybody knows CBC News, it’s where Canadians turn whenever there’s a big story,” CBC’s executive VP Barbara Williams tells Variety. “We do an amazing amount of entertaining content across TV, CBC Gem, [radio app] Listen, podcasts. And somehow that collection of entertainment content wasn’t quite as clearly understood. So we...

World-renowned environmentalist David Suzuki is retiring from CBC series “The Nature of Things” after 43 years. The 86-year-old science host confirmed the news during an interview on Sunday night’s broadcast of “The National.”

“I have been fortunate to have been endowed with good health which has enabled me to remain the host of the series long after my ‘best before date’,” Suzuki said.

“Ageing is a natural biological process that creates opportunity for fresher, more imaginative input from younger people and for years, I have warned that to ensure the continuation of ‘The Nature of Things,’ we must prepare for the transition when I leave. That moment is now.”

Suzuki returns for the show’s 62nd season launch on Jan. 6, 2023, before stepping down next spring. CBC has confirmed it will announce new hosting plans in the coming weeks.

“I am so grateful to Canadians who have kept us on air...

The moody mountainscape surrounding the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel may have been tailor-made for the British Columbia-shot thriller “Yellowjackets,” which was honored at this week’s Banff World Media Festival, but the real survival drama was raging between Canadian broadcasters and the streaming giants.

The tension was palpable among the country’s legacy broadcasters and the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, both of which were prominent at the 43rd edition of the festival. While this fraught dynamic — which has ramped up as the digital platforms launch originals divisions in Canada — is nothing new, relations are coming to a head as the much-ballyhooed Bill C-11, the proposed update to Canada’s dated Broadcasting Act, is fiercely debated in Parliament.

The bill, which is also referred to as the Online Streaming Act, allows Canada’s media watchdog, the Crtc, to regulate streaming services, which will need to meet Canadian content...

Netflix Canada is open for business, and they don’t need to wait around for their American colleagues to move forward on green lights.

That message was loud and clear on the final day of the Banff World Media Festival, where the streaming service has been at the heart of several tense conversations around the country’s rumbling drive to regulate digital platforms.

While the three Netflix executives on stage Wednesday didn’t directly address the ongoing regulation machinations in the background, what’s abundantly clear is that they’re getting ahead of regulation and pre-emptively moving forward on Canadian originals — before their hand is forced.

The panel featured the team’s newest recruit, Winnipeg native Tara Woodbury, manager for Canadian series; Danielle Woodrow, director of Canadian series; and Peter Friedlander, head of scripted series for the U.S. and Canada, who was moderating the session.

The latter executive, while...

”Another Life”, the science fiction drama TV series starring Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Ludlow, Blu Hunt, A.J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Lina Renna, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, Parveen Dosanjh, Greg Hovanessian, Chanelle Peloso and Tyler Hoechlin has been canceled at Netflix after two seasons:

“…an unidentified flying object shaped like a large ‘Möbius’ strip lands on Earth and grows a crystalline tower above it. ‘Erik Wallace’, a scientist employed by the ‘United States Interstellar Command’ (‘Usic’), attempts to communicate with the alien structure.

“Meanwhile, Wallace's wife, veteran ‘Captain Niko Breckinridge’, takes the spaceship ‘Salvare’ and its young crew to determine the origin of the artifact and establish contact with the aliens who sent it.

“The Salvare is capable of ‘faster-than-light’ (‘Ftl’) travel, and carries most of its crew asleep in hibernation pods to be awakened when needed…

Click the images to enlarge…...

”Another Life”, the science fiction drama TV streaming series created by Aaron Martin, starring Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Ludlow, Blu Hunt, A.J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Lina Renna, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, Parveen Dosanjh, Greg Hovanessian, Chanelle Peloso and Tyler Hoechlin has been canceled at Netflix after two seasons:

“…an unidentified flying object shaped like a large ‘Möbius’ strip lands on Earth and grows a crystalline tower above it. ‘Erik Wallace’, a scientist employed by the ‘United States Interstellar Command’ (‘Usic’), attempts to communicate with the alien structure.

“Meanwhile, Wallace's wife, veteran ‘Captain Niko Breckinridge’, takes the spaceship ‘Salvare’ and its young crew to determine the origin of the artifact and establish contact with the aliens who sent it.

“The Salvare is capable of ‘faster-than-light’ (‘Ftl’) travel, and carries most of its crew asleep in hibernation pods to be awakened when needed…...

Network: Netflix.

Episodes: 20 (hour).

Seasons: Two.

TV show dates: July 25, 2019 — October 14, 2021.

Series status: Cancelled.

Performers include: Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Tyler Hoechlin, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, A. J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Blu Hunt, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, and Lina Renna.

TV show description:

From creator Aaron Martin, the Another Life TV show is a science-fiction drama. The series centers on Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff), an astronaut on a quest for alien intelligence.

As commander of the Salvare space exploration ship, Niko leads her young crew to discover the origins of an alien artifact, which has been sending signals to Pi Canis Majoris.

”Another Life”, the science fiction drama TV streaming series created by Aaron Martin, starring Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Ludlow, Blu Hunt, A.J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Lina Renna, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, Parveen Dosanjh, Greg Hovanessian, Chanelle Peloso and Tyler Hoechlin has been canceled at Netflix after two seasons:

“…an unidentified flying object shaped like a large ‘Möbius’ strip lands on Earth and grows a crystalline tower above it. ‘Erik Wallace’, a scientist employed by the ‘United States Interstellar Command’ (‘Usic’), attempts to communicate with the alien structure.

“Meanwhile, Wallace's wife, veteran ‘Captain Niko Breckinridge’, takes the spaceship ‘Salvare’ and its young crew to determine the origin of the artifact and establish contact with the aliens who sent it.

“The Salvare is capable of ‘faster-than-light’ (‘Ftl’) travel, and carries most of its crew asleep in hibernation pods to be awakened when needed…...

The Trial of the Chicago 7 includes the story of activist Tom Hayden, who was famously married to Jane Fonda. Although their relationship doesn't appear in the movie, since it didn't start until a few years after the Chicago 7 trial, it was a huge part of their public life in the decades following.

Both Hayden and Fonda were serious activists, which is how they eventually met and fell in love. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they first crossed paths in 1971, after Fonda joined the activist world that Hayden had already been working in for several years. In 1972, Fonda gave a memorable antiwar speech at a Vietnam War protest, and they began dating soon after that.

Hayden and Fonda married in January 1973, and they had been dating for some time before that, although Fonda's divorce from her first husband, French director Roger Vadim, was technically only finalized three days before her wedding to Hayden.

Wildly uneven but sporadically affecting, Bobby Roth’s “Pearl” is . A few abrupt narrative transitions indicate that some scenes, for whatever reason, must have been discarded during the editing process. But what remains on screen is enough to hold attention and generate rooting interest, especially if you’re amused by inside-baseball allusions to the film and TV industry.

There is an unmistakable air of autobiography to “Pearl,” along with the distinct flavor of a labor of love. Writer-director Roth first attracted notice with two well-received indie films, “The Boss’ Son” (1978) and “Heartbreakers” (a 1984 Sundance Festival prize-winner) before concentrating almost exclusively (and prolifically) on TV movies and series television. Jack Wolf, Lapaglia’s character, is a filmmaker who evidently has made some very bad, maybe unforgivable career moves, but still sells the occasional TV script.

At one point, he lands a gig teaching filmmaking to college students — which Roth has successfully...

Canadian broadcaster CBC has launched a Creative Relief Fund for indie content makers amid the Covid-19 crisis, with a $2 million pot.

The fund will offer "immediate" development and production financing for producers of original content across all genres. That includes scripted comedies and dramas, unscripted entertainment, kids and young adult programming, podcasts, play adaptations and short documentaries.

"In this time of challenge and change, we are working as quickly as we can to provide much-needed support to Canadian creators with this initiative that will immediately open up new funding across a range of storytelling,” Barbara Williams,...

Is the first season of the Another Life TV show on Netflix worth a second? Usually, the Nielsen ratings play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Another Life is cancelled or renewed for season two. Netflix and other streaming platforms, however, collect their own data. If you've been watching this TV series, we'd love to know how you feel about the Another Life season one episodes. We invite you to rate them for us here. *Status update below.

A Netflix sci-fi drama, Another Life stars Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Tyler Hoechlin, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, A. J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Blu Hunt, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, and Lina Renna. The space opera centers on astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff), commander of the Salvare space exploration ship, who leads...

Vulture Watch

Are the Salvare and her crew doomed? Has the Another Life TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on Netflix? The television vulture is watching all the latest TV cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Another Life, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?   

What's This TV Show About?

A Netflix science fiction drama, Another Life stars Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Tyler Hoechlin, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, A. J. Rivera, Alexander Eling, Blu Hunt, Alex Ozerov, Jake Abel, JayR Tinaco, Jessica Camacho, Barbara Williams, and Lina Renna. The space opera centers on astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff), commander of the Salvare space exploration ship, who leads her young crew on a perilous mission, in...

Netflix’s new series “Another Life” brings Katee Sackhoff back into space, a decade after the conclusion of “Battlestar Galactica,” the beloved series on which she starred. But her new series looks more like the rest of the fare on the SyFy network — it’s inelegantly made and operates less in the realm of ideas than in pure scares. It’s not ineffective, but little in “Another Life” connects to do much more than the purely visceral.

Which is too bad, not least because the show starts from a point that suggests it has big things on its mind. The arrival (to borrow the title of the 2016 film the plot seems to ape a bit) of a UFO hovering above Earth prompts Sackhoff, an astronaut, to join a mission seeking its origin and its motives. She’s faced first with a mutinous blowhard among her crew and then by a...

Bursts of insubordination from her crew is arguably the least of Commander Niko Breckinridge’s worries in this brand-new trailer for Netflix’s Another Life — the first such teaser to hint at what the upcoming sci-fi thriller is truly about.

Set for a Thursday, July 25 launch date and hailing from from Aaron Martin (Killjoys), Another Life follows Niko (played by Katee Sackhoff) as she and the crew of her space exploration ship, the Solvare, face unimaginable dangers — on what might very well be a one-way mission — as they seek out an alien world that has deposited a mysterious structure on Earth.

From VancouverFilm.Net, take a look at the new science fiction drama series "Another Life", starring Katee Sackhoff ("Battlestar Galactica") and Selma Blair ("Hellboy"), streaming Season 1 exclusively July 25, 2019 on Netflix:

"...when a mysterious alien 'Artifact' lands on Earth, 'Commander Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff) has to lead humanity’s first

interstellar mission to its planet of origin, while her husband 'Erik Wallace ((Justin Chatwin) tries to make first contact with the artifact back on earth.

"Explore the miracle of life, how precious life is in a universe mostly empty of it, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love..."

Cast also includes Tyler Hoechlin as 'Ian Yerxa', Samuel Anderson as 'William', Elizabeth Ludlow as 'Cas Isakovic', Blu Hunt as 'August', A.J. Rivera as 'Bernie Martinez', Alexander Eling as 'Javier Almanzar', Alex Ozerov as 'Oliver Sokolov', Jake Abel as 'Sasha Harrison', JayR Tinaco as 'Zayn Petrossian',...

Netflix will go in search of Another Life when its Kate Sackhoff-led sci-fi drama premieres on Thursday, July 25.

Hailing from from creator/showunner Aaron Martin (Killjoys) and executive producer Noreen Halpern (Haven), Another Life centers on astronaut Niko Breckinridge (played by Sackhoff) who is focused on searching for alien intelligence. As she leads a young crew on a mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact, they face unimaginable danger on what might very well be a one-way mission.

Among the cast, Selma Blair will play Harper Glass, a 21st-century influencer who uses journalism, social media and keen intelligence...

Something you should know about me for this month’s installment of Catalog From the Beyond is that as a kid, I was a huge fan of The Two Coreys. I could not get enough from Coreys Feldman or Haim, and of course much of this love springs from The Lost Boys, a pivotal movie in many of our collective horror educations. But I loved anything the Coreys put out, either together or on their own. And while everyone knows about Feldman’s hot streak of ’80s staples, I don’t think Haim gets nearly enough credit for his own contributions. He brought an earnest charm in early work like Silver Bullet and Lucas that later gave way to a mischievous streak in movies such as License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. We get a dash of both personas in this month’s featured flick, the 1988 monster movie Watchers.

Gypsy is hanging with Amunet Black, what?

The Flash fave Jessica Camacho is among the latest batch of actors to board Another Life, Netflix’s sci-fi drama about an astronaut (played by fellow Flash alum Katee Sackhoff) who is focused on searching for alien intelligence.

Camacho will play the exploratory spacecraft’s brutally honest communications expert, our sister site Deadline reports.

Other additions include Alex Ozerov (Orphan Black, The Americans), Jake Abel (Supernatural) and Barbara Williams (Rookie Blue).

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Maria Sten (Channel Zero) has joined DC Universe’s Swamp Thing as Liz Tremayne,...

A. J. Rivera (Grandfathered), Alexander Eling (Shadowhunters: Mortal Instruments), Alex Ozerov (The Americans), Jake Abel (Dirty John), JayR Tinaco (Rake), Jessica Camacho (The Flash), Barbara Williams (Mayans Mc) and Lina Renna (The 100) have been cast in Another Life, Netflix’s sci-fi drama series, from Alias Grace producer Halfire Entertainment. They join previously announced Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Tyler Hoechlin, Samuel Anderson, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow and Blu Hunt in the 10-episode series, which Netflix picked up last April.

Created by Aaron Martin, who also serves as showrunner, Another Life centers on astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff) who is focused on searching for alien intelligence. She leads a crew on a mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact. As Niko and her young crew investigate, they face unimaginable danger on what might very well be a one-way mission.

Rivera will play Bernie Martinez,...

This story first appeared in the Oct. 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. The executives on THR's list of the 25 most powerful Women in Global TV are the tastemakers of the global TV industry. Sophie Turner Laing, the new CEO of the as-yet-unnamed reality TV giant that will emerge from the Shine/Endemol/Core Group merger, will shape what the world watches. Dominique Jubin of CanalPlus and TF1's Marie Guillaumond Tenet determine what the French tune into every night. Shaw Media president Barbara Williams does the same in Canada, while Germany's Liz Mohn oversees an empire worth almost

read more...

According to TorontoFilm.Net, Canada's Showcase has greenlit a fifth season of the Toronto-lensed supernatural series "Lost Girl" for 13 episodes. Starring Anna Silk, production starts on Season Five Spring 2014, set to air Fall 2014.

"Rooted in folklore and mythology, 'Lost Girl' has inspired a passionate and dedicated fan following with its deeply engaging characters, richly imagined universe and boundary-pushing storylines," said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media.

"We’re looking forward to season five building on the exciting and fantastical plotlines."

"...'Lost Girl' follows supernatural seductress 'Bo' (Silk), a tough yet loveable 'Succubus' who feeds off sexual energy. Since realizing she is part of the 'Fae', creatures of legend and folklore who live among humans, Bo has resisted choosing an allegiance to either the 'Dark' or 'Light' Fae clans.

"Instead, she has forged her own path between the human and Fae worlds, while embarking on...

Continuum is another Canadian sci-fi success story.

Showcase has announced that the second season of its internationally popular sci-fi series Continuum will premiere on Sunday April 21. Fans can watch an announcement about the second season by star Rachel Nichols on showcase.ca.

Continuum stars Nichols as Kiera Cameron, a cop from the future who inadvertently gets sent back in time in pursuit of a group of convicted terrorists. The group, called Liber8, escapes its future fate with the aid of a time travel device. In present day Vancouver Kiera joins forces with detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster; Castle) to track down the terrorists before they change the course of history. In the process she is helped by teen tech genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen; Scream 4), who comes to realize that his future self has an instrumental role in the time travel incident that will bring the terrorists and Kiera back through time.

Kris Holden-Ried and Anna Silk star in Lost Girl.

The Canadian channel Showcase has ordered a fourth season of its supernatural series Lost Girl. The show has consistently been Showcase’s number one scripted series and is an international hit.

“Lost Girl remains an anchor series for Showcase, and with its sharp writing and palpable cast chemistry, it has amassed a fan following second-to-none,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media. “We are delighted to bring fans another season of the series and can’t wait to see where the creative team takes the story next.”

Currently halfway through its third season on Showcase, Lost Girl is centered on sexy succubus Bo (Anna Silk). Bo is a strong-willed and independent member of a community of creatures of legend and folklore called Fae that exists in our modern world. Bo refuses to choose an allegiance to either the Dark or Light Fae clans,...

Specialty channel Showcase has announced that sci-fi television show "Continuum" has been renewed for a second season.

The phenomenally successful series, which performed very well over the usually slow summer season, will begin production on the 13-episode season 2 in Vancouver in 2013. Ratings for the show shattered all previous Showcase premiere records, and dominated its Sunday night 9-10 p.m. timeslot.

"'Continuum' was a tremendous success for the channel," said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media, in a press release. "We are proud to green-light such a prolific ratings hit and original series for a second season, and to continue Kiera's journey through time for our dedicated viewers."

A one-hour police drama centered on Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols), a cop from the year 2077 who finds herself trapped in present-day Vancouver, "Continuum" follows Cameron as she searches for a group of convicted criminals from the future, known as...

Double good news for Rookie Blue fans this week:

After a couple Thursdays off the air, this police drama returns with a new episode, one titled "Girls' Night Out" that will focus on Traci's first day as detective and on a bachelorette party gone terribly wrong.

Oh, the show has also been renewed for Season 4! Both on Global Television in Canada and ABC in the United States!

Rookie Blue Promo: "Girls' Night Out"

“Rookie Blue’s fourth season renewal in simulcast is unprecedented territory for any Canadian original series, and we’re excited to lead the way,” said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media. “From its very first episode, we had no doubt that this show would resonate with viewers and today’s announcement proves it remains a dominant force in our program schedule. This is amazing news for Rookie Blue fans and the television industry.”...

Toronto - If you thought transgendered beauty queen Jenna Talackova had finished her 15 minutes of fame, think again.

Shaw Media revealed Wednesday that it has picked up a reality show featuring the leggy Vancouver beauty queen.

Talackova made headlines around the world when she was initially prohibited from competing in the Miss Universe Canada pageant because she was born male.

Pageant boss Donald Trump ultimately allowed Talackova to compete in the Toronto pageant earlier this month, where she was cut after making the top 12.

Talackova has said her future goals included modelling for Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated.

Barbara Williams, senior vice president of content, said Talackova's show was picked up for a Canadian version of the Lifetime channel. Shaw Media expects to bring the female-focused channel north of the border in September.

Talackova underwent a sex change operation four years ago.

She brought cameras backstage with her to the...

Missy Peregrym, who plays the idealist Officer Andy McNally on the hit show "Rookie Blue," is joking around with her co-star Matt Gordon (Oliver Shaw) on a rare day off. The cast of everybody's favorite summer cop drama is so tight-knit, they actually want to hang out together when they're not shooting.

This season, the affable cast welcomes a new rookie into its fold: Peter Mooney ("Camelot"), who plays Nick Collins, a newly-minted cop with an army background. Nick isn't the only new cast member shaking up the group -- this season also marks the introduction of Andy's estranged mother (Barbara Williams) as well as a guest spot by William Shatner.

With Season 3 set to premiere this week, we grilled Peregrym about everything there is to know about the Sam (Ben Bass) & Andy saga, Andy's suspension and how the new rookie fits into everything. She was pretty tight-lipped, but we...

Okay, the last round of updates for the week.

Snowmageddon, Syfy's Christmas movie with Magda Apanowicz and Michael Hogan saving the world, premieres tonight at 9 pm Et.

You can also catch Magda on Robot Chicken tomorrow at 11:30 pm on Adult Swim. She will be voicing Gladys/Mother/Herman's Wife according to the IMDb. And, speaking of Michael Hogan, he will be playing a "lethal werewolf hunter" in the second season of Teen Wolf. TV Guide reported the news earlier this month.

Press release, teaser and sneak peeks from Snowmageddon:

To usher in the holiday season, Syfy will present a snow globe with the power to destroy the world in the Saturday Original Movie Snowmageddon, airing Saturday, December 10 at 9Pm (Et/Pt) during the channel’s second annual Countdown to Christmas Week.

Starring Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), David Cubitt (Medium) and Magda Apanowicz (Caprica), the Christmas-themed Snowmageddon is about...

I have to applaud Magnolia Pictures for not including a major plot point in the first trailer for Angels Crest. I saw Gaby Dellal‘s indie drama at Tribeca earlier this year, and while I won’t spoil it here, I went into details with my full review. While Thomas Dekker (last seen in Kaboom) is the lead here, the most prominent actor in the ensemble is Jeremy Priven, who is taking on more dramatic roles in a post-Entourage career, including another festival film coming out later this year from the same distributor, I Melt With You.

I was impressed at the atmosphere Dellal creates, but cramming in so many characters from this small town in 90 minutes proves difficult. The cast also includes Lynn Collins, Elizabeth McGovern, Mira Sorvino, Kate Walsh, Joseph Morgan and Barbara Williams. Check out the trailer below via Apple.

Synopsis:

The small working-class town of...

Part I: Brooklyn Film Festival

Two film festivals just wrapped-up in New York City, the Brooklyn Film Festival which screened more than 100 narratives and documentaries — 36 by New York City based directors, and over a dozen shot in Brooklyn — and the DocPoint NYC which featured 47 Finnish documentaries in celebration of the Helsinki festival’s 10th anniversary. I ping-ponged between the two festivals, between Brooklyn the mecca of American independent film and Manhattan the site of the Finnish event, Finland being part of Scandinavia a powerhouse of European filmmaking. Good cinematic bloodlines for both fests.

First, three films that screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival.

Mann V. Ford

What does it take to give voice to the voiceless? For a Ringwood, New Jersey community of Native Americans it took one resident, one reporter, one attorney, and two filmmakers.

The resident, Wayne Mann, a member of the Ramapough Mountain Indians, spoke out against the injustice.

Author John Grisham’s best-seller "The Firm" has been commissioned by Global, NBC Universal and Entertainment One for an original 22-episode x 60-minute series, premiering midseason 2012 in tandem on Global and NBC as part of the networks’ fall TV seasons.

"This series is an exciting extension of the popular Grisham brand and a key addition to Global’s new fall midseason primetime lineup," said Barbara Williams, Svp, Content, Shaw Media, "...an excellent opportunity to steadily build upon our growing number of high-profile network partnerships, joining the likes of 'Titanic', 'Combat Hospital' and 'Rookie Blue'."

Executive produced by Lukas Reiter ("Law & Order") and Grisham, "The Firm" continues the story of 'Mitchell Y. McDeere' and his family, 10 years after the events of the feature film and novel.

"...As a young associate, 'Mitchell Y. McDeere' brought down 'Bendini, Lambert & Locke', a prestigious Memphis law firm operating as a front for the underworld.

Toronto, Canada (X17online) - Canadian broadcaster Shaw Media is standing behind the controversial eight-part mini-series, awaiting confirmation of a U.S. deal from co-producers Muse Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment, before scheduling The Kennedys for a spring 2011 premiere. Shaw Media is also undecided on whether to air The Kennedys on its main Global Television network, or on one of it’s cable channels. Barbara Williams, senior vp of content at the broadcaster, said in a statement: "Shaw Media is committed to the production of The Kennedys and will broadcast the production in Canada as planned, in Spring 2011." Muse president Michael Prupas said of the series: "All who worked on the production made every effort to faithfully and honestly tell the Kennedy family story. We meticulously researched all story points and made sure they were supported by multiple respected and objective sources. We are confident that we accurately and authentically recreated...

Canada's Canwest and the Us ABC network report the renewal of Toronto-lensed cop series "Rookie Blue", greenlit for a second season, three weeks following the show's premiere on Global Television and ABC.

"Rookie Blue", originally titled "Copper", has hooked a combined weekly average of 8.5 million viewers on both sides of the border, with the second season gearing up for another start in Toronto before the end of the summer.

"We are so proud of Rookie Blue’s amazing success and are thrilled to announce its renewal alongside ABC," said Barbara Williams, Executive Vice-President of Content, Canwest Broadcasting.

In Canada, the series premiere garnered 2.1 million viewers on Global.

"We're very pleased that the show has connected with viewers, especially considering the challenge of finding an audience in the summer," said Quinn Taylor, Senior Vice-President, Movies, Miniseries and Acquisitions, ABC Entertainment Group.

"Rookie Blue" was developed by Thump Inc. and produced in partnership indie studio and distributor,...

Toronto -- The big reveal will come next week, as Canadian broadcasters get set to make rookie and returning U.S. series purchases at the Los Angeles Screenings.

The way the Canucks tell it, they'll be a frugal lot during their annual Hollywood shopping expedition, which officially get under way Monday with rotating screenings of new pilots on studio lots.

They claim few holes to fill as they look to welcome back the bulk of their U.S. series-heavy primetime schedules.

Given their industry challenges, they don't expect bidding wars. They'll screen all the new U.S. series before prudently buying on May 21.

"We are, once again, in a really wonderfully solid place, heading into next fall with a stable schedule," said Barbara Williams, senior vp of programming and production at Canwest Global Communications Corp.

But as ever with Canadians during the La Screenings, things are not always what they seem.

In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly now on newsstands, you’ll find a story written by yours truly in which I geek out on my new TV obsession, the ABC sci-fi drama FlashForward. If you’re new to the show, here’s what you need to know: On Oct. 6, the planet blacked out and for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, and everyone on earth saw a brief vision of their respective futures. The saga’s center is FBI agent Mark Benford (Shakespeare In Love’s Joseph Fiennes), who during his brief quantum leap saw himself investigating an elaborate conspiracy behind mankind’s perplexing power nap.

(S01E05) FlashForward took us to Washington, DC to see the political ramifications of the blackouts, as well as some of the maneuverings that the city is made of, at least in this reality. Also in this reality, Peter Coyote is President. I've always liked him, and I like how he plays the characters as a very regular and relatable guy.

We were introduced to a new character in Senator Joyce Clemente (Barbara Williams), and she's definitely set up to be a major thorn in the side of the ongoing investigation. There was always something a little wacky about the La office taking Mark's vision and building an entire investigative force around it just because they felt like it. And now, they have to face the music and justify their very existence.

It made for some pretty intense television. That and the bullets flying at the heads of our intrepid heroes.

Toronto -- Expect another fast closing market for Canadian broadcasters at the upcoming Los Angeles Screenings.

The Canadians don't plan to huddle round the bar or lounge poolside at the annual TV market as their broadcast business continues in crisis. They're scheduled to screen pilots on studio lots even before the Upfronts wrap, from May 21 to 25, and to finish their deal-making and be back home by Sunday.

"This will be a condensed market. Everyone's being fiscally responsible," Don Gaudet, general manager of programming at SunTV, said.

Last year, market leaders CTV and Canwest Global Communications completed their buying in record time owing to a dearth of pilots after the Hollywood writers strike.

This year, the Canadians welcome the return of pilots they can screen, rather than having to rely on scripts and storylines as they did last year.

"We're retreating back to what we used to see. We're seeing robust development slates,...

NEW YORK -- Running Bull Pictures and Glenwood Prods. have merged to launch the privately financed feature production unit Spiderwood Entertainment. The first project under the new venture is The Inner Circle, a drama centering on a couple coping with breast cancer, starring Michael O'Keefe (The Great Santini, ABC's Roseanne), Beth Broderick, Barbara Williams, Patrick Bristow, Wendy Benson-Landes and Ned Vaughn. Circle was helmed by Goran Gajic (HBO's Oz) and penned by Aleks Lyons, Tommy G. Warren and Danielle Durini. Lyons and Warren are Spiderwood principals, along with Mark Vancil. The Los Angeles-based company said Monday that it has four other projects in development, including the upcoming Final Justice. The new shingle aims "to create and produce original, character-driven feature films based on universal themes" in the $5 million-$10 million range. "We want to have a very good business plan and work that very hard," Warren said. "We're interested in projects that are about real life experiences and that tell real stories in an enlightening way."...