*Showcase adds 100 Aussie hours from Ellis

Showcase Television has picked up 100 hours of Australian drama from Ellis Enterprises.

Five new drama series will premier on Showcase in January. Adrenalin Junkies tracks rescues by helicopter, evacuations from disaster areas, etc., and stars a crack medical team. Good Guys, Bad Guys features an ex-cop navigating a quirky world and was one of Nine Network’s slot-winning series.

Halifax f.p. is the latest tv product based on a series of mystery thrillers about forensic psychiatry. Mercury is a fast-paced series on the cut-throat world of print journalism. The series stars Jeffery Rush, wi nner of the 1997 Oscar for best actor in Shine. raw-fm is a brand-new series set in a youth community radio station. The program targets the younger demographic and is airing on abc Australia this season.

*Telefest fetes industry patrons

TVOntario inducted a host of film and television executives into the first Honorary Patrons of Telefest at this year’s Telefest awards Oct. 16. Patrons lend their support to the annual film and video competition for Ontario post-secondary students for three years.

tvo chairman Peter Herrndorf says the honorary patrons enhance the intrinsic value of the awards and foster a greater sense of industry support and community for young filmmakers.

Honorary patrons from 1997 to 2000 are filmmakers Atom Egoyan and Norman Jewison; Baton Broadcasting president Ivan Fecan; Trina McQueen, president and gm of Discovery Channel; Helga Stephenson, chair of Viacom Canada; Piers Handling, executive director of Cinematheque Canada; and Slawko Klymkiw, executive director of network programming for cbc.

Other honorary patrons are Robert Lantos, chair of Alliance Communications; Michael MacMillan, chairman of Atlantis Communications; Niv Fichman, president of Rhombus Media; cbc anchor Peter Mansbridge; Global news anchor Peter Kent; broadcast journalist Ann Medina; Howard Lichtman, executive vp of Cineplex Odeon; Alexandra Raffe, ceo of the Ontario Film Development Corporation; Linda Schuyler, president of Epitome Pictures; and Maria Topalovich, executive director of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.