The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period May 6-12 and television ratings for the period May 9-15.

Fog machines don’t just make it hard to see, they might also make it hard to breathe, according to a new study that says exposure to special effects fog may lead to a number of different ailments including wheezing, tightness in the chest, runny nose and headaches.

CRTC approves RAI

Alliance Atlantis Communications’ senior executive vice-president and chief financial officer, W. Judson Martin, will leave the company by September, citing health reasons.

* The Toronto International Film Festival has appointed Giulia Filippelli as senior international advisor to the OMDC Sales Office, where she will advise TIFF on expanding its sales operations, starting with Cannes.

An ongoing conflict between Shaw Cable and the owners of PrideVision TV and OUTtv may be settled sooner than expected, following a CRTC hearing set for July 8, after which the commission will have one week to make a ruling. The ‘expatiated’ hearing is the first to be held over a broadcast matter.

The Alliance for Children and Television has announced the recipients of its Outstanding Achievement Award and Emerging Talent Award.

Seven programs with interactive elements have been approved by Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. Production grants for the most recent round of funding go to: season two of Dragon Booster, season two of Homebiz.tv, the teen travel series KO129, season two of ReGenesis, season three of Les Découvertes de Shanipiap, season two of This is Daniel Cook and the one-off Ullumi for APTN.

If the number of one-hour dramas produced by a nation is some sort of benchmark for the overall health of a domestic TV industry, then 2006 stands to be a hale and hearty year in Canada.

Funding policies ‘devastating’ for docmakers

Montreal: Muse Entertainment is bringing together top Hollywood names with Quebec’s leading on-screen talent to tackle the disturbing topic of the underground sex trade in a $15-million miniseries for Lifetime Television in the U.S.
Principal photography on Human Trafficking started in Montreal April 17, and will continue until June 6. The production then moves to Prague for one week, followed by 10 days in Thailand, wrapping at the end of June.

Ciccoritti shoots Murder