It’s an exciting time for Gemini Award-winning editor Allan Novak (The Newsroom, Foolish Heart, Kids in the Hall). On the heels of the premiere of his first self created and -produced tv series, Loving Spoonfuls, he’s headed down to l.a. to join longtime teammate Ken Finkleman in the editing of Finkleman’s latest series pilot, No Dinner No Dessert (working title).

Coproduced with Imagine Entertainment for abc, and written and directed by Finkleman, the pilot, which is set to be delivered in May, is about a dysfunctional family, its adult siblings and all their problems.

While Finkleman is not committed to appear in the potential series, the recent casting of Hank Azaria (The Bird Cage, The Simpsons) might solidify a 13-episode order.

Meantime, Novak’s Loving Spoonfuls made its debut April 3 on the Women’s Television Network.

The 13-part series, budgeted at roughly $20,000 an episode, is an irreverent and comical doc-style cooking show, celebrating grandma’s home cooking.

Each episode focuses on a grandmother from a different culture, in her home, cooking up her signature recipe with host David Gale.

‘The series borrows a lot of elements from the editing rhythm of The Newsroom except it’s with real people, which in some ways makes the comedy even sharper,’ says producer Novak, who directed six episodes, edited the entire series, and designed its accompanying website.

Having worked as Finkleman’s editor for so many years, Novak says his ‘Mr. Everything’ approach has rubbed off, ‘only I can do more because of my technical background,’ he says, partly in jest.

Gail Singer directed six episodes and associate producer Jennifer McAuley directed one.

The series, which was pitched and sold at the Banff Television Festival last year, was shot on mini-digital video camera to create a verite style and keep the budget down.

Spin Productions’ Joe Sherman, along with Inferno artist Craig Small, designed the opening animation.

Although an international distributor has yet to be attached, Novak says, ‘Our goal is to take the show global, shooting grandmas in Thailand and India, as well as Great Britain and the u.s.’

*Connery, Van Sant are Finding Forrester in T.O.

Great Scot star Sean Connery recently arrived in Toronto with uber director Gus Van Sant to shoot the Columbia Pictures feature Finding Forrester.

Produced by Connery, along with Laurence Mark and Rhonda Tollefson, and coproduced by Dany Wolf, the drama shoots April 3-28 at Toronto’s Cinespace, moving to New York from the beginning of May until June 10.

Scripted by u.s.-based Mike Rich, Finding Forrester is the story of a young black kid from the Bronx who is recruited to a prep school in Manhattan where he develops a unique friendship with an eccentric novelist (played by Connery). The film also stars newcomer Robert Brown, F. Murray Abraham (Name of the Rose, Amadeus) and world-renowned rapper Busta Rhyme.

Jonathan King is exec producing.

*A Monkees revival on the horizon

After an extensive casting search that spanned North America, one that almost mimicked the casting process that formed the short-lived 1960s entertainment phenomenon called The Monkees, Pebblehut Productions recently started shooting Daydream Believers: The Monkees’ Story for TMN-The Movie Network and Superchannel in Canada and vhi in the u.s.

The tv movie, budgeted at $5 million, is produced by Susan Murdoch, directed by Neill Fearnley and exec produced by Howard Braunstein.

Based on Harold Bronson’s book Hey Hey We’re the Monkees, which was adapted by Ron McGee, it tells the story of how the Monkees were created by a Hollywood tv studio and a record company in 1965 to star as an ‘American Beatles’ group in a comedic tv series. It documents the three years in which the group rose to stardom and flopped to has-been status because they began to take themselves too seriously.

Shooting began in Toronto on March 20 for a four-week run.

George Stanchev plays Davy Jones, Jeff Geddis plays Mike Nesmith, L.B. Fisher plays Peter Tork and Aaron Lohr plays Micky Dolenz. Stanchev and Geddis are both Toronto-based actors.

More than 600 aspiring actors and musicians waited in lines in Toronto, New York and l.a. to audition for the parts. The film was extraordinarily challenging to cast because the young men had to act and look like the original Monkees, says Toronto casting director Jon Comerford.

The film includes master recordings of the Monkees’ most famous hits, acquired from Rhino Records.

The film is set to air on tmn and Superchannel this summer. Citytv has second window and will air the film in fall 2001.

*Collins hams it up on Chez Carla

Entertainment Now’s Carla Collins returns to her comedic roots as the host of Chez Carla, a new comedy/variety series to premier on The Comedy Network April 23.

The 10-part, weekly, half-hour series is an original Comedy production, incorporating topical monologues, live sketches, big-name celebrity guests, and musical comedy and variety performances. It takes place in a nightclub setting, equipped with candlelit tables, a licensed bar, guest bartender and pianist.

Writers on the show include Glenn Foster and Terry McGurrin. Kevin White is producing.

Collins is making her feature film debut in Universal Pictures’ Caveman’s Valentine, which wraps in Toronto April 24. She will also appear as a dominatrix in an upcoming episode of ctv’s The City.

Speaking of ctv, the national network is on the brink of launching its new murder mystery slot, CTV Mystery, featuring two-hour murder-mystery movies based on the works of some of Canada’s most celebrated authors.

The new slot kicks off on April 9 with The Bookfair Murders, a coproduction from Toronto-based Triptych Media, Halifax’s Second Wave Productions and Germany’s TiMe Film und TV Produktion. It stars Canadian actor Saul Rubinek (Dick, Nixon), Samantha Bond (Golden Eye) and Linda Cash (Go Girl!). Directed by Wolfgang Panzer of Germany, the mow is an adaptation of author Anna Porter’s book of the same name.