At one time jokingly self-billed as “The World’s Slowest-rising Comedian,” Ronnie Schell is rising no more. The actor/comedian passed away Friday in Los Angeles. He was 94. A native of northern California, Schell played semi-pro baseball and then served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He first caught the showbiz bug at iconic Bay-area
Did Canadian hockey fans stop watching the Stanley Cup playoffs with the elimination of the last remaining Canadian team at the end of the Third Round? That would be a resounding yes/oui. In Game 1 of the finals, played on Tuesday, June 2, the game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes drew
While indulging in my awful habit of endless TV watching, I suddenly recognized that I turn on subtitles for almost everything I watch. It has nothing to do with my hearing (which admittedly is lousy), but everything to do with the befuddling world of British accents. All of my favourite viewing right now comes from
First, here is what I liked best about the 2026-27 Bell Media Upfront that took place Thursday in Toronto at Meridian Place: that it still happens. These big, showy, ad agency programming-paloozas are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Some networks, including what’s left of CBS, have gotten out of the rent-a-hall business and
You have to feel for the folks at Corus Entertainment and Global Television. Ratings-wise, even as broadcast numbers continue to tumble, they had a pretty good year last year. At Bell, they boast that this is the 25th consecutive year where CTV has emerged as No. 1 overall in prime time network ratings, but they
Let me be upfront about the upfronts. They aren’t what they used to be. Those of us who cover them have been saying that for years, but this June feels different. CBS, for example, didn’t even host a big, gala, upfront presentation to advertisers last month in New York. Of course, CBS has some other
After handing out eleventy million-billion trophies over the past week, the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards also registered some impressive viewership numbers for Sunday’s televised gala. The two-hour, film and television industry awards was carried by CTV (with 199,000 viewers), Global (166,000) and CBC (138,000) for a combined average minute audience of a little over half
At one time jokingly self-billed as “The World’s Slowest-rising Comedian,” Ronnie Schell is rising no more. The actor/comedian passed away Friday in Los Angeles. He was 94. A native of northern California, Schell played semi-pro baseball and then served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He first caught the showbiz bug at iconic Bay-area
If all he ever did was create Turner Classic Movies that would be reason enough to celebrate Ted Turner. There was so much more, however, to the maverick entrepreneur, adventurer, sports team owner, conservationalist and philanthropist, as captured in the TCM Remembers video, above. Jane Fonda’s favourite ex-husband (as she characterizes Turner) passed away Wednesday
One of the shining stars of Canadian television in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s was Dinah Christie. The This Hour Has Seven Days and Party Game performer died Friday, April 10 at 85. The London-born actress-singer came to Toronto with her actor parents at the age of two. In the “born out of a trunk”
I only met him one time, but it was quickly apparent that you never had to guess what Robert Duvall was really thinking. Other reporters have similar stories. He once grumbled publicly about having to go to Canada to shoot great American stories, dismissing Canadian actors as “not good.” The Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and
James Van Der Beek is best remembered for his role as Dawson Leery in the teen drama Dawson’s Creek (1998-2003). The Austin, Texas native, however, who passed away February 11 at 48, also has the rare distinction of playing a version of himself as a character on TV. That was on the ABC sitcom Don’t
One of the emotional highlights of the recent documentary “John Candy: I Like Me” is a scene where Catherine O’Hara is delivering the eulogy at Candy’s funeral. O’Hara stood at the podium at St. Basil’s church at St. Michael’s College on the University of Toronto campus and delivered a heartfelt remembrance of her friend. Candy
