Toronto – Portfolio Entertainment has brought noted animator John Kricfalusi onboard to turn an astrology-themed website into a series, and is now developing The Zodiacs for Teletoon.

Vancouver – X-Men: The Last Stand’s Halle Berry will return to Vancouver forthe DreamWorks feature drama Things We Lost in the Fire, about a woman who loses her husband and opens her home to his best friend, beginning in mid-August. The film will also star another Academy Award winner, Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), and be directed by Susanne Bier (Open Hearts). Sam Mendes (Jarhead) and Sam Mercer (Lady in the Water) are producing, with writer Allan Loeb (21) among the executive producers. Shooting is scheduled to run into October.

* Director Michael Damian and star Don Johnson have wrapped the indie feature Moondance Alexander, after shooting near Calgary.

Montreal’s Muse Entertainment has water, lots of water, on its mind this summer as it works on three similarly themed disaster miniseries ­- Flood, Superstorm and Killer Wave, the latter under the direction of Bruce McDonald.

* Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon channels in eight territories including the U.K., Latin America and Scandinavia have picked up Ricky Sprocket – Showbiz Boy (26 x 30), a copro by Studio B Productions and Snowden Fine Productions, handled by Bejuba! Entertainment.

While the Saskatchewan industry hopes a rise in indigenous projects will offset a soft 2005, B.C. remains Western Canada’s Hollywood hot spot, and Manitoba and Alberta are basking in an Oscar glow that is making for a busy summer of offshore activity.

TV work in British Columbia has bounced back – after taking a heavy hit in 2004 – according to recent stats from the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts and the B.C. Film Commission.

TV titles currently shooting in B.C. include season three of BattlestarGalactica for the Sci-Fi Channel, season 10 of Stargate SG-1 for the same network, and a fourth run of Showtime’s The L Word. Stargate Atlantis and USA Network’s The 4400 are both working on their third seasons, while second go-rounds are underway for Showtime’s Masters of Horror and The CW’s Supernatural.

The economy of the Yukon was sparked by the Klondike gold rush at the end of the 19th century, and Margarita Ramon now hopes to script a new economic rush with celluloid.

It’s been a long wait for a megastudio in Toronto, and the city’s production community will have to hang on at least two more years, according to the head of the proposed FilmPort studio, who alludes to more news forthcoming about the project.

Soundstages in B.C. unsurprisingly report the most business this summer shooting season, buoyed by a rejuventation in dramatic programming, while a pair of large features highlight a sub-par summer in Toronto, and volume in Montreal is finally picking up with film work from both U.S. majors and indie producers.

After years of steady industry growth, Calgary could finally see ground broken for its first purpose-built film studio as early as spring 2007.