Vancouver: A leading immigration lawyer in Vancouver says the number of inquiries from Americans in the entertainment business seeking resident status in Canada has doubled in the past two years….

The fish on the butcher’s block didn’t get a supporting actor nod, but you could say the scaly narrator of Denis Villeneuve’s Maelstrom took this year’s Genie Awards hook, line and sinker. …

One of the best kept secrets on the West Coast commercial production scene is ready to emerge into the wider public eye and become a major player in the Canadian spot trade. Says who? Actually – Sezwho. …

In what is reportedly his only songwriting credit, Al Waxman wrote, ‘I am Canada/ I’m a lover of life/ I’m a dreamer of dreams’ in a 1978 song called Gotta Hear You Say It Too….

Two Toronto-based commercial production companies are taking chances on a pair of new, virtually untested directors, as Kyle Davison signs with Sparks Productions and Park Bench signs with The Big Film Company….

There was a time, not too long ago, when the word culture was easily defined. Besides being a main ingredient in yogurt, culture included such sophisticated pastimes as the opera, the theatre and on a good day, Canadian film and television….

Pass the milk: Hello again, misfits and mini-smacks. Can’t fool Ricketts. I know that beneath your sugary frosting you’re filled with whole-wheat goodness. I know you’re a source of seven essential nutrients. And I’ll tell ya – if I could eat…

The 2001 Bessie Awards will be handed out May 24 at the Sheridan Hotel in Toronto. Among Canada’s top prizes for commercial production, Bessie is celebrating its 38th year after a huge show last year that saw ads for Lever Pond’s…

Avion Films executive producer Andria Minott produced the lcbo stills/live-action spots reported on in the Jan. 8 of On The Spot….

Montreal: Telescene Film Group and Corporation CineGroupe have announced an agreement to form a joint-venture development, production and distribution company for live-action programming. The still-to-be-named company will be based in Montreal with offices in Los Angeles, with 80% of the ownership…

Montreal: The 16-month-old crisis at Cinar Corp. lurched a step forward last week as management prepared to release new and revised financial reporting information for periods covering fiscal 1997 through to May 31, 2000, and announced it had begun legal proceedings…

Twenty-five years is a long time in any line of work, but for a commercial director it is an eternity. Director Alan Marr is celebrating his first quarter century as a director with a significant move – from Toronto production house…