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Kunis goes Straight for Nomadic and CD
Calgary – The psychological thriller Straight Edge has ended five weeks of shooting in Fiji and relocated to Calgary, just in time for winter. The $15-million feature by Nomadic Pictures (The Mermaid Chair) and CD Films (Lies My Mother Told Me) of Montreal stars Mila Kunis (That ’70s Show), Gregory Smith (Everwood) and Peter Stormare (Fargo) – recounting the somewhat true story of troubled teens sent to a hellish rehab clinic in the tropics.
Copperheart gets F*!@-ed
Toronto – The cheekily titled Young People F*!@ing is, no surprise, a comedy about ‘four couples, one threesome and a crazy night of sex’ and marks the feature directing debut of Martin Gero, better known as the writer and co-exec producer of Stargate: Atlantis.
Insight eyes sci-fi
Vancouver – Insight Film Studios wants to expand its client base and is hoping an ogre will help them do it. The Vancouver company is moving on from its recent spate of MOWs for Lifetime (Mind Games, Family in Hiding) to shoot a monster project for the Sci Fi Channel.
Blueprint signs Waters
Toronto – Expect laughs but no happy endings on Love You To Death, the ‘provocative, yet humorous’ true crime series that will act out blissful marriages that unraveled into bloody murder. The 13 x 30 is shooting in Toronto until January for Global and Court TV, brought together by Blueprint Entertainment (Whistler, The Best Years) and hosted by John Waters.
Briefly
* Laurie Lynd (Noah’s Arc) is directing the feature comedy Breakfast with Scott, shooting this month for Miracle Pictures and Capri Releasing. Tom Cavanagh (Scrubs) and Ben Shenkman (Just Like Heaven) star.
Ivan Fecan the creative dealmaker
Apart from the dozen television screens broadcasting CTV content, the first thing you notice in Ivan Fecan’s office is his desk. It’s oval – and there’s enough room around the marble tabletop for a small platoon. The typical oak coffin separating the leader from his minions is definitely not Fecan’s style.
BGM and CHUM: The art of the deal
Ivan Fecan’s multimedia clan will have to wait a while for the arrival of CHUM, the latest addition to its fast-growing family, as the CRTC and the Competition Bureau analyze their way through two regulatory processes geared around media concentration that might be the most complex broadcast deal either has yet faced.
Leading the way on the small screen(s)
CTV remains Canada’s dominant network after its fall campaign, bolstered primarily by returning hits including the CSIs, ER and Desperate Housewives. The net yielded eight of the Top 10 and 16 of the Top 20 shows, according to BBM Nielsen numbers from Sept. 18 to Nov. 26. Here are six more reasons why 2006 was another milestone year for CTV and its sister stations:
Fecanisms
In Ivan Fecan’s recent one-on-one with Playback, he addressed a wide-ranging number of topics, including the future of digital distribution, the CBC, and the matter of Cancon. Below are some excerpts.
Weighing in on The Deal
Ad agencies, a media buyer and an academic weigh in on Bell Globemedia’s acquisition of CHUM Limited.
Les Boys suits up for TV
Montreal: The Les Boys franchise is gearing up to score more points with its adoring fans – by expanding to TV.
Industry income trusts weigh options
Income trusts from across Canada are facing an uncertain future following the recent crackdown by Ottawa – prompting entertainment-related outlets such as Rainmaker, Cineplex and Cinram to rethink their tax planning and corporate structure, while giants including BCE and Telus backpedal from plans to convert to the formerly popular tax dodges.
Actors strike looms
When the CFTPA, APFTQ and ACTRA sit down on Nov. 28 and 29 in Montreal to continue bargaining towards a new contract, members of the actors union will already be marking mail-in ballots for a possible strike.
Go fish
Katie Crown stars in The Big One, a sitcom about a cable fishing show for CTV and The Comedy Network, and one of two pilots recently shown off by the Canadian Film Centre. The Nov. 15 screening in Toronto also featured the vampire drama Involuntary Muscles, in the works for CBC.
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