TV makers are optimistic that a federal review of the embattled Canadian Television Fund will pay off in the long run

Early ratings on Canuck sitcoms Jeff Ltd. and The Jane Show have dropped sharply from last season, while Robson Arms rings in close, but still down from its previous numbers

The network and its broadband site are mounting a massive promotional push for the Sunday night awards gala — including a Friday night sit-down with Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres on eTalk Daily

Wounded by the ACTRA strike and spooked by the recent crisis at CTF, producers arrive in Ottawa with axes to grind, while CFTPA boss Mayson hints of ‘encouraging’ news

Filmmakers play their latest for Toronto-area high school kids as the second annual Reel Canada festival looks to hook them on homemade movies

Former Portfolio Entertainment sales man steps into international department at CBC

When you first picked up the latest issue of Playback, no doubt you noticed something new.

In a year that finds no less than three veterans vying for the best actress Oscar – Streep, Mirren and Dench – it’s only fitting that after nearly 100 television and film credits, as well as four Gemini Awards, our very own grand dame Wendy Crewson will be honored with the ACTRA Toronto award of excellence at an industry fete two nights earlier on Feb. 23.

The 27th Annual Genie Awards was a night of celebration for Charles Binamé, but he couldn’t help fretting over the state of the production industry.

It’s been nearly six years since Canucks were first exposed to the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking trio from Nova Scotia on their upstart hit TV series on Showcase, and since then, Ricky, Bubbles and Julian have successfully conquered not only the tube, but now the big screen as well.

As of Playback press time, producers and actors had not yet reached an agreement on a new Independent Production Agreement – compensation for work distributed via new media being the sticking point. With the ACTRA strike into its second month even after court-ordered arbitration, we asked various industry members, ‘How would you resolve the ACTRA/producers dispute?’

If Barbara Williams is a great mentor, she says it’s because she had some incredible teachers herself.