Muse News

This is the second year Bomb Girls has been nominated for the Leo Awards. In 2012, the series was nominated for two Leos. Meg Tilly brought home the award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series.

The Leo Awards are the awards program for the BC film and television industry. “A Celebration of Excellence in Film and Television in British Columbia”

The Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the achievements of the British Columbia film and television industry through the presentation of an annual awards program – the Leo Awards.

The winners of the 2013 Leo Awards will be announced at the Gala Awards Ceremony Saturday, June 8th in Vancouver.

http://leoawards.com/2013/nominees_by_program_2013.html

The Banff World Media Festival announced today the full list of nominees for its annual Rockies Program Competition. The internationally-recognized Award program celebrates nominees in 26 categories, spanning multiple genres including Fiction, Non-Fiction, Kids & Animation and Interactive.

The series Bomb Girls, produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions, was nominated in the Continuing Series Drama category alongside House of Cards, The Big C and The Following.

http://banffmediafestival.com/content/984/2013+Rockies+Nominees

Muse Distribution International, the international distributor of PLAYED, is pleased to announce that principal photography began this week in Toronto. The 13-part, one-hour, scripted, episodic, drama series, set to debut on CTV for the upcoming 2013/2014 broadcast season, is being produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises (The Kennedys, Being Human) and Back Alley Film Productions (Bomb Girls, Durham County) in association with CTV. PLAYED tracks an undercover police unit as it infiltrates criminal organizations through different case stories or “plays”.

The series stars Vincent Walsh (Deception, Lost Girl) along with Chandra West (NYPD Blue, John from Cincinnati). Also starring are Lisa Marcos (The Listener, Flashpoint), Dwain Murphy (Nikita), Agam Darshi (Sanctuary) and Adam Butcher (Bomb Girls). They work in the CIU (Covert Investigations Unit), going undercover to infiltrate and bring down criminal organizations.

In this new style of short-term, high-intensity undercover work, each covert “play” is crafted quickly and executed at an even faster pace. Placed into various worlds of crime without a safety net, the cops are in constant danger, as they repeatedly go off the grid. Wearing wires, coaxing confessions, and setting up stings, the cops of the CIU must think quickly, talk smoothly, and rely on pure instinct. They slip in and out of characters so often that, sometimes, they lose track of who they really are.

Muse Entertainment’s Emmy®–Award nominated Michael Prupas is executive producer along with Gemini Award winning Adrienne Mitchell and Janis Lundman of Back Alley Film Productions. PLAYED is a creation of Greg Nelson (Saving Hope, Rookie Blue) who is also an executive producer as well as co-showrunner with Adrienne Mitchell. The director of photography is Thom Best (The Bridge) and the production designer is Aidan Leroux (Bomb Girls). Episode directors are Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County), Charles Binamé (Cyberbully), Jerry Ciccoritti (Bomb Girls), Kelly Makin (Flashpoint), Rachel Talalay (The Wind in the Willows), Lee Rose (Lost Girl) and Paul Fox (Haven).

Muse Entertainment is filming the television movie Star Spangled Banners (titled Banner 4th of July in the U.S.), starring Christian Campbell (Big Love), Brooke White (American Idol), Michael Barbuto (An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving) and Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King), in North Bay, Ontario. The film will have its World Premiere on Saturday, June 29^th at 9 pm ET/PT, 8C on Hallmark Channel and will also air in Canada on Bell Media’s Bravo channel.

Executive Producers of Star Spangled Banners are Michael Vickerman (Impact), Jonas Prupas (Home Again), Greg Gugliotta (Impact), Michael Prupas (The Kennedys), Joel S. Rice (Cyberbully) and David Anselmo (Be My Valentine). Steve Solomos (John A: Birth of a Country) is producer. Don McBrearty (Bomb Girls) directs from a script written by Michael Vickerman.

In Star Spangled Banners, Brooke White plays Desiree Banner, a record company owner who has struggled to find happiness since leaving the band she once headlined with her brothers Mitchell (Campbell) and Johnny (Barbuto). When her mother Rosalind (Ruehl) suddenly has a heart attack, Desiree returns to her hometown of Pinewood Hills and learns the town will face bankruptcy if it can’t make a bond repayment by the July 4th Holiday.  Confined to bed and hating every minute of it, Rosalind, who also happens to be Mayor of Pinewood Hills, has secretly hatched a plan to repay the town’s debt.  Rosalind has booked The Banners Project in a reunion concert at the town’s annual Fourth of July festival.  The reunion concert will be a big deal, bringing in people from all over the country.  The ticket sales alone will cover the debt. 

As Desiree attempts to work with her brothers to conjure up a long-term solution to Pinewood’s financial crisis, she must face her past mistakes head on, including the bad blood with Mitchell.  As the Fourth of July approaches, it is up to Desiree and her siblings to put their family feud aside and help their beloved hometown recover from hard financial times.

We are very proud of the remarkable work done on this series by our writers, cast and crew. Together we told stories that were proudly Canadian, that illuminated fascinating aspects of our history and celebrated the astonishing women and men who fought so hard for our freedom.

Moving forward, we are planning to produce a television movie for Global Television this year that will allow our characters to continue their journeys and allow our audience to engage with the Bomb Girls’ stories.

We are deeply moved by the embrace that viewers of all ages and demographics have given to the show and by the spontaneous support we are receiving from thousands of Bomb Girls fans across North America and Europe.

This markes the second year that both Bomb Girls and Meg Tilly have been nominated for the awards. 

The critically acclaimed series stars Academy Award® nominee Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill) and Jodi Balfour (The Sinking of the Laconia). Gemini award-winner Michael Seater (Life with Derek) is joining the cast as Ivan, a gregarious factory worker and object of interest of the girls working the assembly line at Victory Munitions.

The series Bomb Girls is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions Limited in association with Shaw Media. The executive producers are Janis Lundman (Durham County, Bliss), Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County, Bliss), Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth) and Michael MacLennan (Flashpoint, Queer as Folk). Mitchell is also director on the first two episodes and is co-showrunner and co-creator of the series along with Michael MacLennan who is also head writer. The show is distributed worldwide by Muse Distribution International.

The Monte Carlo Television Festival is an international festival and competition focusing on productions for television, founded 1961 and based in Monaco.

The Kennedy family saga continues to fascinate people from North America to Europe. Following The Kennedys miniseries, Muse Entertainment will produce After Camelot with Euro Media Group. The project is inspired from the book of the same title by J. Randy Taraborrelli. We met Michael Prupas, Muse’s president and CEO at MIPTV‘s Espace Québec, and asked him about the story behind this upcoming production. 

“The first series ended with Robert Kennedy’s assassination. The second series will also look at the family aspect as opposed to the political and economic ones. It will start with the new generation as Ted Kennedy finds himself with the weight of the world on his shoulders. The expectations of the American people were enormous and the hope for change appeared to have faded with the death of Robert, especially for African Americans. Ted was the only man left in the family and had to care for fifteen children. Part of him was very courageous but he was also afraid of responsibility at times.” After Camelot will also cover the relationship between Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis, as well as the plane crash that took the life of John Jr. near Martha's Vineyard on July 16^th, 1999. The series will end with Ted Kennedy’s speech supporting Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign. 

As some may remember, History Channel decided not to broadcast the first series directed by Jon Cassar.  The cable network ReelzChannel ended up purchasing the rights. The Kennedys was also broadcast in Canada on Super Écran and History Television, and in Belgium and France on France 3 and Arte. “ReelzChannel obtained fantastic ratings so they decided to support the sequel,” says Prupas. “It will be a co-production, mostly Canadian with French minority partner Euro Media. Filming will take place in Canada and post production will be done in France.”

Muse is also planning another big television project:  Played (13 x 60 minutes), co-produced with Canada’s Back Alley Film Productions. The series will follow undercover police officers. “CTV has agreed to broadcast it during primetime starting in September,” says Prupas. “It will be a high-end production written by Greg Nelson and directed by Adrienne Mitchell. It’s worth mentioning that this will mark the first time ever that a mainstream Canadian network will broadcast a Canadian series during primetime to compete with the big American shows. We are under a lot of pressure to meet big expectations. Fortunately, we are happy to have the financial support of the FTQ Fund since January 2013.” 

Of course, we cannot talk about Muse Entertainment without mentioning its biggest success of the past year, Bomb Girls. The series’ broadcast began in Canada in January 2012 on Global. ReelzChannel started to air it in the U.S. in September, and then Great Britain followed via ITV3 in November and Ireland with TG4 in January 2013. “The Netherlands also bought it and we just finalized a broadcast deal covering Turkey, Greece, Russia and Finland,” Michael Prupas tells us. Bomb Girls has been a very successful series and received a Gracie Award last February for Outstanding Drama. Gracie Awards are attributed by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and honor outstanding writing and production. The series Revenge was last year’s Gracie winner. Will there be a third season of Bomb Girls? The head of Muse would not confirm at the time of our meeting. 

By Sophie Bernard, Qui Fait Quoi

The announcement comes on the heels of the Season 3 finale which aired Monday, April 8 and in time for Syfy’s Upfront presentation this evening in New York City.

Being Human stars Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager as vampire Aidan, ghost Sally and werewolves Josh and Nora. Together they struggle to suppress their supernatural secrets and temptations and live their lives as close to normal as possible.

“‘Being Human’ really hit its stride creatively this year,” said Mark Stern. “This show has become a signature series for Syfy and we are thrilled to have it return in 2014.”

Being Human has been an all-around performer for Syfy both on-air and via digital distribution as well as in the social media space. It remains one of Syfy’s youngest and most female-skewing scripted dramas.

Inclusive of Live +7 data, Season 3 of Being Human is averaging 1.8 million total viewers, including 1.1 million Adults 18-49 and 1.1 million Adults 25-54, and is a top ten cable program in its time period among both key demos.

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production and is based on the acclaimed series created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper. Executive producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who is both writer and showrunner, and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky (Human Trafficking, The Phantom) is series producer. 

Veteran Police Detective Colin McLaren spent four years on the forensic cold case investigation of JFK’s assassination. What he had, and other investigators did not, was modern technology and access to all the evidence, facts and eye-witness testimony. He claims to have solved a crime that is every bit as shocking and incredible today as it was when it happened 50 years ago. McLaren believes he has found the “smoking gun” that killed JFK.

McLaren’s findings are a far cry from the fanciful conspiracy theories that surround the world’s most famous assassination. His case is methodically constructed from simple logic and available evidence

This special investigative documentary with dramatic re-creations takes audiences back to that tragic day in Dallas at Dealey Plaza, to Parkland Hospital where the president was pronounced dead, to the Bethesda Naval Hospital where the autopsy was conducted and to the conclusions of the Warren Commission that have remained controversial to this day. It uses time-tested investigative techniques to solve the crime.

The documentary special is produced by Muse Entertainment (The Kennedys) and Cordell/Jigsaw/Zapruder (Go Back Where You Came From) for Discovery Canada, SBS Australia and ReelzChannel in the US. It is written by Steve Lucas (Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science), directed by Malcolm McDonald (On the Trail of Genghis Khan) and produced by Jesse Prupas (March to the Top) and Michael Cordell (Anatomy of a Massacre). Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (Pillars of the Earth) and Simon Egan (The King’s Speech).

The documentary is shooting this summer and will be ready for delivery in early October to mark the anniversary of JFK’s death on November 22, 1963.

Muse Distribution International, Cordell/Jigsaw/Zapruder and Zodiak Rights are sharing world distribution rights to the documentary.

I believe that stories work best when they are rooted. That if you watch a movie set in New York...you want to be believe the filmmakers know New York. If you watch a TV show set in England, you appreciate dialogue peppered with a few English colloquialisms.

I tend to revisit a theme about Canadian identity in pop culture, usually in the context of criticizing Canadian movies and TV shows for either blatantly pretending they aren't Canadian, or for admitting they are Canadian but in an indistinct, vague sort of way.

But there are those that buck the trend, unselfconsciously rooting their stories in the world their characters live. I'm not actually a big fan of the private eye dramedy, Republic of Doyle (CBC) -- but I'm the first to say that what gives it a flavour and tone all its own is its Newfoundland setting.

And a series can embrace its cultural idiosyncracy without losing universality. It's easy enough for those of us not on the east coast to infer that when the characters refer to the "RNC" they mean the police...even if it might take us a bit to realize it stands for "Royal Newfoundland Constabulary."

I was thinking about this catching a recent episode of Bomb Girls (Global) after it came back from a mini-hiatus.

Bomb Girls is the World War II drama-cum-soap opera focusing on the Canadian homefront and the gals (and guys) working at a munitions factory. And I'll stick my neck out and say Bomb Girls is probably the best Canadian series being made right now, at least when you consider its different elements.

It works as simple pulp entertainment -- it's got a diversity of almost archetypal characters you like and can get caught up in their dramas. But it's also a little bit offbeat from most of the stuff on the dial...even as it falls within a familiar period drama niche (shared by Mad Men and Downton Abbey). And despite being called Bomb "Girls" a guy can get just as involved in the drama (this ain't, say, Sex and the City which, so I understand, counted the majority of its fanbase as female).

And it pulls it all off with a certain deliberate style -- but not to the point of camp. So it conjures old movies in cinematography, colour schemes, fashions, colloquialisms, and scenes of guys wandering around kitchens in undershirts and suspenders -- while grafting on very contemporary, provocative themes of race, gender, and sex.

The shame of it is that Canadian producers are quick to try and shop internationally series that are fairly generic -- such as CTV's cop drama Motive (which will apparently be airing on ABC in the States) and the sitcom Seed (City TV). Yet Bomb Girls is a series I could easily see developing a true cult following abroad, precisely because of the way it straddles being familiar and accessible (many nations shared similar homefront experiences) while being a little offbeat and atypical.

And part of the formula is how they work in period details with the soap opera drama.

In the recent episode, a sub-plot involves Lorna (Meg Tilly) trying to get a phone at a time when a home telephone was almost a luxury. Yet instead of seeming like a frivolous B-plot with gags about "party lines" (where different homes share a single line), they were smart enough to tie it into an actual human drama aspect of the story. Lorna secures a phone even as she worries about the fate of her sons overseas...the phone going from being a treasured prestige to a nightmarish shriek every time it rings, as Lorna fears it will be the call telling her her boys are dead.

Cleverly handled.

Likewise, the use of the Dieppe landing serves as an effective backdrop to the episode. Dieppe being a notoriously ill-fated assault (though some cited it as an important learning step to victory). Canadian troops did much of the fighting and suffered most of the losses (I'm guessing an American war time drama wouldn't use Dieppe as the backdrop for an episode).

But it's also cleverly handled because we see the story from the POV of the people at home, initially excited about this major invasion, then getting a bit more uncomfortable when reports seem to be sketchy, until finally, by episode's end, it is confirmed that the invasion failed.

There was another intriguing reference in the episode that probably a few viewers missed. At one point, Lorna chides the pessimism of her husband (Peter Outerbridge) by suggesting he is the "Voice of Doom." To a modern viewer the line makes enough sense: he says things that seem gloomy.

But to Canadians in the 1940s, the Voice of Doom had a specific meaning...and identity. Namely, broadcaster and actor, Lorne Greene.

The man who to later generations would be a cowboy in Bonanza, a space man in Battlestar Galactica, and our guide to the New Wilderness, started out as a news reader for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. And during the dark war years became known as the "Voice of Doom."

Knowing that, the line in Bomb Girls takes on an extra resonance as a historical "pop cultural" reference.

I suspect the makers of Bomb Girls had to be a bit coy using the reference. Canadian networks are somewhat notorious for their territorialism -- refusing to acknowledge each other's existence in their dramas. I'm cynical enough to think the makers of Bomb Girls were only able to slip in the "Voice of Doom" (and CBC) reference because they knew no one at Global TV would catch on to it.

Part of the strength of Bomb Girls is the fact that it seems un-selfconscious and unapologetic about its Canadian setting. It isn't like the writers are struggling to cram in some awkward Canadianism just to say they could...but because they're trying to be true to these characters and their world.

And that's what storytelling is all about.

"Bomb Girls,” titled after women who work in a Canadian munitions factory at the dawn of World War II, succeeds for the same satisfying reasons as cable dramas like “White Collar” and “Rizzoli & Isles.”

It focuses on stories we can understand and characters we like. Nothing trendy, nothing exotically obscure, no apologies for making jokes we get and generating soap suds we’ve seen before.

Originally envisioned as a six-episode miniseries, “Bomb Girls” is now launching a 12-episode second season, and you wouldn’t even call it a guilty pleasure. It’s just an entertaining story.

As we return to Victory Munitions, floor matron Lorna Corbett (Meg Tilly) must cope with the distressing fact that her night with rogueish Marco Moretti (Antonio Cupo) has left her in a family way.

Rich girl Glady Witham (Jodi Balfour) has to decide whether to follow her heart and hang out with the factory girls, or stick with her tedious and cold family.

Kate Andrews (Charlotte Hegele) must escape, again, from her scary father, and Betty McRae (Ali Liebert) has sexuality issues.

Catalogued that way, it sounds flat. On the screen, it comes alive, as the women deal with sons and boyfriends going off to war, their own emerging liberation, and a free world that must make both large and small sacrifices to maintain that freedom.

There are small dramas, like Kate’s halting path toward music, and big dramas, like the resistance of the old guard to almost every change the war is accelerating.

And if you want to catch up on the first season, it airs in its entirety starting Wednesday at noon.

By: David Hinckley, New York Daily News

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/tv-review-bomb-girls-article-1.1299421#ixzz2PbXrOFOg

Muse Entertainment is filming the holiday television movie Christmas with Tucker, about a young boy who learns about love and friendship while caring for an abandoned dog on his grandparents' farm during Christmas. James Brolin (Castle, The West Wing) stars as Bo, the grandfather of 13 year-old George (Gage Munroe), who is struggling with the recent passing of his father. Josie Bissett (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Melrose Place) plays George’s mother Jill.

Christmas with Tucker is filming in North Bay, Ontario and will have its World Premiere during the 2013 Christmas holiday season on Hallmark Movie Channel. The film will also air in Canada on Bell Media’s Bravo channel.

Executive Producers of Christmas with Tucker are Joel S. Rice (Cyberbully), Michael Prupas (The Kennedys), Jonas Prupas (Home Again) and Writer Dave Alan Johnson (Sue Thomas F.B.Eye). David Anselmo (Be My Valentine) is co-executive producer, Steve Solomos (Reviving Ophelia) is producer and Director is Larry Mclean (Republic of Doyle).

Bomb Girls, now in its second season, garnered three awards including:  Best Performance by An Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Meg Tilly), Best Costume Design (Joanne Hansen) and Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series (Aidan Leroux). Bomb Girls was also awarded the prestigious Gracie Award in the U.S.  for Best Dramatic Series. The Gracie Awards are presented by the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM). Bomb Girls is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films.

The 13-part series Being Human, now in its third season, received one award for Best Achievement in Make-Up (Emilie Gauthier & Erik Gosselin).  The series is produced by Muse Entertainment in association with ZODIAK USA.

The television movie Cyberbully, the tragic and triumphant story of one teen's experience with online bullies, won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (Emily Osment). Cyberbully is a Muse Entertainment production.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s new Canadian Screen Awards recognize excellence in film, television and digital media productions.

Bomb Girls along with other national and grand award winners will be honored at the 38^th Annual Gracie Awards® Gala to be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. The Gracies, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and named in honor of the legendary Gracie Allen, recognize the realistic and faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programs. Bomb Girls takes place during WWII and tells the stories of women who risk their lives in a munitions factory in support of the European front.

“What a fantastic achievement for Bomb Girls,” said Michael Prupas, President and CEO of Muse Entertainment. “To be recognized with a Gracie Award^® is a particularly special honor considering that the awards recognize remarkable women and that’s exactly what’s at the core of Bomb Girls—the stories of fearless women who pushed societal boundaries and stepped into power like nobody before them.”

“We’re delighted to be recognized by the Alliance for Women in Media,” said Adrienne Mitchell, co-creator of Bomb Girls and Executive Producer at Back Alley Film Productions. “This series honors the incredible stories of the sacrifices made by women working on the home front during World War II and we’re proud to bring these stories to life for younger generations.”

“We’re thrilled Bomb Girls received this award from the Alliance for Women in Media,” said Janis Lundman, co-owner and Executive Producer at Back Alley Film Productions. “The series depicts a very challenging and rewarding period for these women where the dangers from working with bombs went hand in hand with the pride of supporting their family for the first time while also answering the call of duty for their country.”

Bomb Girls returns on Reelz for a second season with the first episode of the season premiering on Wednesday, March 27 at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT followed by episode two at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT.

Taking place just after the attack on Pearl Harbor,Bomb Girls season two draws viewers deep into 1942 with its music, fashion, romances and the thrill of being alive in dangerous times. While The Allies begin to deeply feel the price of combat, the women and men of Victory Munitions continue to find ways to flourish under adversity forging unexpected bonds of friendship and love. Starring Oscar-nominee and Golden Globe winner Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill), season two also features a guest star appearance by multiple Emmy Award winner Rosie O’Donnell.

Reelz will also air two catch-up marathons of Bomb Girls for those who may have missed season one. All six episodes will air back to back on Saturday, March 2 starting at 11am ET/ 8am PT and again on Wednesday, March 27 starting 12pm ET/ 9am PT.

At the award's presentation event on Feb 6th, hosted By The Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee, the year’s best work in children’s television was singled out and celebrated by the Global Kids’ Entertainment Industry at the Kidscreen Summit in New York.

The made-in-Montreal series will soon air on U.K. entertainment channel Watch.

Based on the BBC series of the same name, Being Human follows three roommates -- a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf -- living in Boston. It stars Sam Witmer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington.

The show's third season is currently airing on the U.S. cable channel SyFy and the Canadian channel SPACE. 

Muse brought in a whopping 13 nominations today for the Canadian Screen Awards, which honors exceptional achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media.

The dramatic series Bomb Girls garnered six nominations including: Best Dramatic Series, Best Costume Design, Best Direction in a Dramatic Series (Adrienne Mitchell - Jumping Tracks), Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series, Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series, Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Meg Tilly) as well as one nomination for Best Cross-Platform Project Fiction (Bomb Girls Interactive).

The television movie Cyberbully brought in five nominations including: Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie, Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series (Kelly Rowan) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (Emily Osment).

The supernatural television series Being Human was nominated for two awards including: Best Achievement in Make-Up and Best Visual Effects.

Muse would like to congratulate all the cast and crew nominated for this year's Canadian Screen Awards! Best of luck!

“The Fonds de solidarité FTQ is pleased to add Muse Entertainment to its cultural investment portfolio,” said Janie Béïque, the Fonds’ senior vice-president of natural resources, industries and consumer goods. “A Canadian leader in TV production, Muse is a growing company with expertise in international coproduction and a well-established worldwide distribution network.”

“Muse is fortunate to have the Fonds de solidarité back its growth,” said Muse president and CEO Michael Prupas. “Our Canadian and Québec teams have a bright future ahead of them in international TV production.”

The Fonds de solidarité  FTQ and the Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ have invested over $111.9 million in the last 30 years to back Québec's cultural enterprises. Investments made in the Fonds’s current 46 partners in the cultural sector have helped create, maintain and protect almost 900 jobs. 

About the Fonds de solidarité FTQ 

Created in 1983, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ has been driving our economy for 30 years. With net assets of $8.8 billion as of November 30, 2012, the Fonds is a development capital investment fund that channels the savings of Quebecers into investments in all sectors of the economy to help further Québec's economic growth. Its investments contribute to the creation and maintenance of jobs in Quebec businesses and favour economic development. The Fonds is a partner, either directly or through its network, of more than 2,000 companies. With its close to 600,000 owner-shareholders, it has helped, on its own or with other financial partners, to create, maintain and protect close to 170,000 jobs. For more information, visit www.FondsFTQ.com.

Welcome to the world of highly skilled and brave detectives who give the word "undercover" a whole new meaning. Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports, announced today from the Television Critics Association tour in Pasadena, CA that CTV has ordered a new Canadian drama series from critically acclaimed Muse Entertainment Enterprises and award-winning Back Alley Film Productions. CTV has ordered thirteen, one-hour episodes of PLAYED (working title), an ensemble, procedural police drama that follows the activities of the CIU (Covert Investigations Unit), a Toronto-based police unit that goes undercover to infiltrate criminal organizations. In each episode, the detectives perform a high-wire, nerve-wracking act that requires a serious confidence game as they go undercover and convince the bad guys that, they too, are criminals - all the while trying to prevent their jobs from corroding their own lives.

The announcement follows CTV's pick-up today of the new Canadian comedy series SATISFACTION. The two programs join CTV's burgeoning lineup of original scripted series including MOTIVE, SAVING HOPE, and THE LISTENER.

PLAYED is developed for television by Gemini Award winning executive producers Adrienne Mitchell and Janis Lundman (BOMB GIRLS, DURHAM COUNTY), Emmy®-Award nominated Michael Prupas (THE KENNEDYS, BEING HUMAN), and Greg Nelson (SAVING HOPE), who is creator and co-showrunner with Mitchell. PLAYED is set to begin production in Toronto this spring.

"PLAYED is a suspenseful, adrenaline-filled ride," said Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports "This ensemble series will show viewers a gritty and modern take on the gruelling life of undercover cops."

"PLAYED is a contest of wits between undercover cops and their targets. It's about selling yourself as authentic, the anticipation of whether or not the target buys you, and the threat of what they'll do to you if they don't," said executive producers Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell of Back Alley Films.

"PLAYED will bring audiences into the world of undercover cops in a way that they have never seen before. It is completely original and explosive. We are extremely appreciative of the enthusiastic support of CTV in launching this series in a very competitive scheduling environment," said Michael Prupas, President and CEO of Muse Entertainment.

PLAYED sees the CIU (Covert Investigations Unit) take on a new case and target each week. The unit designs the operation and executes each case undercover as they infiltrate criminal worlds, collect evidence, and make arrests. The undercover CIU detectives build relationships with bad guys, whether coaxing confessions, buying drugs and guns in covert sting operations, infiltrating high finance scams, or immersing themselves with a crew of bank robbers. Today's fast-paced times demand equally rapid detective work: these cops work quickly, plunging into the deep end and into high stakes scenarios with short, intense timeframes. Then, after posing as various criminals, the members of the CIU flip the switch and try and go home to their "normal" lives as spouses and parents.

PLAYED is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and Back Alley Film Productions in association with Bell Media. Executive producers are Adrienne Mitchell, Janis Lundman, Michael Prupas, and Greg Nelson, who is also creator of the series. Adrienne Mitchell and Greg Nelson are co-showrunners. Tom Hastings is production executive for Bell Media. Trish Williams is Director, Independent Production, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

Ann Harbron has come on board to lead Muse Entertainment’s entry into non-fiction programming and becomes Managing Director of Factual Programming, a new executive position at the production company’s brand new Toronto office that opened four months ago in Liberty Village.

Harbron is the former director of commissioning and production at Discovery Channel Canada and is known for leading the channel’s original programming slate to record ratings and acting as network Executive Producer on factual and reality hits such as Canada’s Worst Driver, Canada’s Greatest Know It All, Last Day of the Dinosaurs and How William Shatner Changed the World.  Programs under her supervision generated numerous awards and industry recognition.

“We are delighted that Ann, with her extensive network experience, production knowledge and relationships in Canada and internationally, will be leading Muse’s launch into the exciting and popular world of factual entertainment,” says Michael Prupas, Muse Entertainment’s president and CEO.

“I am thrilled to be joining such an esteemed Canadian production company.

Muse is already internationally acclaimed for delivering dynamic, high-quality drama programming.  Being tapped to build its non-fiction division is an outstanding opportunity,” says Harbron.

Muse Entertainment, in association with ABC Family, will begin production this week on the new original Thanksgiving movie “Home Again” (working title).  Jennie Garth (“Beverly Hills, 90210,” “What I Like About You”) and Cameron Mathison (“Dancing with the Stars,” “All My Children,” “Good Morning America”) will star in the movie, which is set to premiere as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas” programming event in November, 2013.  Also cast in the movie is Mary Kay Place (“The Big Chill,” “The West Wing,” “Big Love”).

In the movie, Melody (Garth), a high powered corporate workaholic for a retail conglomerate, is happy to spend the holidays jet-setting with her girlfriends.  However, she’s in for an unpleasant surprise when her boss sends her to her sleepy hometown to convince the reluctant townspeople to allow them to build a new discount store.  Now, forced to reconnect with her family and her childhood sweetheart Carter (Mathison), her task is not so simple, as all are vehemently opposed to everything Melody’s company stands for.  Desperate to get out of town and back to her “real” life, Melody takes a spill and wakes up in an alternate universe where she never left home and is married to Carter!  Once determined to leave her small town life behind, Melody must make sense of her new life and decide if you truly can go home again. 

Executive Producers of “Home Again” are Michael Prupas, Jonas Prupas and Greg Gugliotta and Producer is Steve Solomos.  Teleplay is by Michael Vickerman, and Story by Michael Vickerman & Ann Gunder, and directed by Jerry Ciccoritti. 

Muse Entertainment is thrilled to announce that the rights to J. Randy Taraborrelli’s bestselling book After Camelot, which is a personal history of the Kennedy family from 1968 to the present, have been acquired by Muse and that REELZ has entered into a co-development agreement with Muse to produce a miniseries. Muse Entertainment will be responsible for production of the miniseries and for international distribution. Keri Selig of Intuition Productions brought the project to REELZ and will serve as an executive producer. The miniseries based on After Camelot marks the third collaboration between Muse Entertainment Enterprises and REELZ including the Emmy Award® winning The Kennedys and the WWII-era drama series Bomb Girls.    

“With The Kennedys miniseries we saw tremendous response to powerful storytelling along with an intense interest in this remarkable family. In his book, J. Randy Taraborrelli tells the incredible true story of the Kennedys from 1968 to today,” said Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of REELZCHANNEL. “The Kennedy family is truly a part of the fabric of America and we’re thrilled to once again work with our partners at Muse Entertainment Enterprises to bring our viewers this fascinating and continuing story.” 

“The Kennedy family continued to make an indelible mark on the life of America and the world after Robert Kennedy’s assassination, including universal healthcare and the creation of the Special Olympics,” said Michael Prupas, President and CEO of Muse Entertainment Enterprises. “We are privileged to collaborate with REELZ, with J. Randy Taraborrelli and with Keri Selig to bring After Camelot to television audiences.”

“J. Randy Taraborrelli is one of the great biographers of our time and I’m proud to be working with him on this project,” said Keri Selig, Owner and Founder of Intuition Productions. “As soon as I read After Camelot, I knew that REELZ, with their dedication to high-quality television and respectful handling of The Kennedys miniseries, was the perfect home for this modern epic. I’m thrilled to continue my collaboration with Muse having worked with them on the movie It Must Be Love and I look forward to forming a new relationship with REELZ on this miniseries  for After Camelot.”

After Camelot – A Personal History of the Kennedy Family 1968 to the Present is based on J. Randy Taraborrelli’s extensive research, including hundreds of exclusive interviews and captures the wealth, glamour and fortitude for which the Kennedys are so well known.  Like the book takes its readers, the miniseries will take its viewers on an epic journey of the ongoing saga of the nation’s most famous – and controversial – family.

After Camelot is the most recent of J. Randy Taraborrelli’s 13 New York Times best-sellers. He is also the author of Jackie, Ethel, Joan - Women of Camelot, another New York Times bestseller for him in hard cover and paperback, as well as a highly-rated miniseries for NBC starring Jill Hennessey as Jackie Kennedy and Lauren Holly as Ethel Kennedy. Moreover, he is the author of Michael Jackson - The Magic and the Madness (also nominated for a W.H. Smith award in England) as well as Call Her Miss Ross; The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe; Madonna – An Intimate Biography and Elizabeth Taylor, all New York Times bestsellers.

When The Kennedys made its world premiere on REELZ, the miniseries  brought in record viewership for the network, reaching 17.5 million viewers* in its premiere month and grossing more than 35 million viewers since debuting in April 2011. (*Source: Nielsen Media Research data 4/3-5/1/2011. Reflects Live+7 P2+). Reach based on a 1-minute qualifier. This Thanksgiving, viewers can see where it all began when REELZ airs two marathons of The Kennedys miniseries. On Thursday, November 22, 2012, all eight hours of The Kennedys air back-to-back starting at 8am ET/ 5am PT.

Episode 1- “Joe’s Revenge” at 8am ET/ 5am PT

Episode 2- “The First Campaign” at 9am ET/ 6am PT

Episode 3- “Bay of Pigs” at 10am ET/ 7am PT

Episode 4- “Bobby’s War” at 11am ET/ 8am PT

Episode 5- “Life Sentences” at 12pm ET/ 9am PT

Episode 6- “Cuban Missiles” at 1pm ET/ 10am PT

Episode 7- “Lancer and Lace” at 2pm ET/ 11am PT

Episode 8- “My Brother’s Keeper” at 3pm ET/ 12pm PT

Then, Oliver Stone’s Academy Award® winning JFK will air at 4pm ET/ 1pm PT, followed by another marathon starting at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT giving viewers a second chance to see all eight hours of The Kennedys airing back to back.

Episode 1- “Joe’s Revenge” at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT

Episode 2- “The First Campaign” at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT

Episode 3- “Bay of Pigs” at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT

Episode 4- “Bobby’s War” at 11pm ET/ 8pm PT

Episode 5- “Life Sentences” at 12am ET/ 9pm PT

Episode 6- “Cuban Missiles” at 1am ET/ 10pm PT

Episode 7- “Lancer and Lace” at 2 am ET/ 11pm PT

Episode 8- “My Brother’s Keeper” at 3am ET/ 12am PT

The Kennedys relives the public and private joys and tragedies of the most influential family in the world including fraternal rivalries, mob associations, the drugs and the women. The miniseries recreates the political crises that John F. Kennedy dealt with in the early days of his presidency including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and the Civil Rights Movement.  Viewers will see every twist and turn of this family’s extraordinary story up to and including the assassinations of JFK and RFK.

Boasting an all-star cast led by Emmy®-nominee Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Barry Pepper who won the Emmy Award for Lead Actor in a Miniseries  or Movie for his portrayal of Robert F. Kennedy, The Kennedys also features powerful performances from Katie Holmes as Jacqueline Kennedy and Emmy-nominated Tom Wilkinson OBE as Joseph Kennedy, Sr. Nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, the miniseries  won a total of four as well as three Gemini Awards, five Directors Guild of Canada Awards, a History Makers International Award, a Directors Guild of America Award  and a New York Festivals International TV & Film Grand Trophy Award. The Kennedys is a Muse Entertainment Enterprises production in association with Asylum Entertainment.

With a new season of Bomb Girls in the works and fans already brimming with anticipation, Muse Entertainment is thrilled to announce the addition of the talented and incomparable Rosie O’Donnell as a special guest star in Episode 209, currently shooting in Toronto.
 
For six years, Rosie O’Donnell was America’s best friend. For an hour each day she served as host and executive producer of the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award winning nationally syndicated talk/variety series “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” In her first season on the air, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host.  She continued her success for five consecutive seasons by winning Daytime Emmy’s for both Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Talk Show. Rosie was also seen on daytime television as moderator on the tenth season of ABC’s “The View,” and hosted the satellite radio show, “Rosie Radio” on SiriusXM. She returned to television hosting in the fall of 2011 with “The Rosie Show” on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network through spring 2012.
 
Bomb Girls, starring Oscar®-nominee and Golden Globe®-winner Meg Tilly, takes place during World War II and captures a period when society was experiencing fundamental changes in the workplace and at home. At the heart of Bomb Girls are the stories of women who risk their lives in a munitions factory in support of the European front. Liberated from social and cultural restrictions, they embrace their newfound freedom, changing their lives—and the world around them—forever. Season two of Bomb Girls begins just after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Bomb Girls airs on Global TV in Canada, Reelz Channel in the U.S. and ITV3 in the UK.

Bomb Girls is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions Limited in association with Shaw Media.

ReelzChannel has announced that they have picked up the exclusive US rights to the 12 episode second season of Bomb Girls. The move to pick up the second season of the World War II drama series comes shortly after the successful launch of the series on Reelz back in September. The show’s second season, which picks up just after the attack on Pearl Harbour, features special guest star Rosie O’Donnell (The Rosie O’Donnell Show) and is set to premiere on ReelzChannel in Spring 2013.

Speaking of the pick up, Stan E. Hubbard, CEO of ReelzChannel, said: “Based on the enthusiastic response to Bomb Girls from our viewers, we’re thrilled to partner with Global TV, Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions for a second season with 12 new episodes. The second season is full of surprises, including one episode with guest star Rosie O’Donnell.”

source: TV Wise

The six episode first season of the Canadian World War II drama series Bomb Girls will receive its UK premiere on ITV3 on Saturday November 10th at 10pm, it has been announced.

Michael Prupas, CEO of Muse Entertainment, negotiated the deal with Sasha Breslau, head of acquired series for ITV.

Bomb Girls originally aired on Canadian network Global earlier this year and has been picked up for a second season. It has also been sold to Dutch pay-TV net Cello and US cable network Reelz.

The drama focuses on women working in a munitions factor and stars Jodi Balfour, Charlotte Hegele, Ali Liebert and Meg Tilly. Michael MacLennan is the head writer of the show, which is executive produced by Michael Prupas (Muse Entertainment), Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell (Back Alley Films) and Michael MacLennan.

BEST DIRECTION - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Jon Cassar - The Kennedys - Episode 7  

BEST TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

The Kennedys - Episode 4 - Jon Cassar, Director; Libby Hodgson, 1^st Assistant Director;Tim Singh, 2^nd Assistant Director; Kathryn Hughes, 3^rd Assistant Director; Travis McConnell, 3^rd Assistant Director; Don Cassidy, Picture Editing; Michael England, 1^st Assistant Picture Editor; Jill Purdy, ADR Editor; Katie Halliday, Sound Editor; Mark Gingras, Supervising Sound Editor; Rocco Matteo, Production Designer; Mun Ying Kwun, Art Director; Rudy Braun, Set Designer; Itsuko Kurono, 1^st Assistant Art Director; Timothy Peel, Graphic Designer; Brian Gibson, Production Manager; Andrew O'Sullivan, Location Manager; Catherine Currie, Production Accountant; Hope Faith White, 1^st Assistant Accountant; Christopher Comrie, Payroll Accountant; and Derek Ursacki, 2^nd Assistant Accountant.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Rocco Matteo - The Kennedys - Episode 5

BEST PICTURE EDITING -TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Don Cassidy - The Kennedys - Episode 4

BEST SOUND EDITING - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Mark Gingras, Jill Purdy, Katie Halliday, John Laing, James Robb - The Kennedys - Episode 7 

The 8-hour historical drama stars Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Barry Pepper and Tom Wilkinson and is a production of Muse Entertainment in association with Asylum Entertainment.

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 3,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing.

**photo credit: Sean Bourdeau 

 The third season of Syfy’s hit drama series Being Human will premiere on Monday, January 14 at 9PM, it was announced today. Being Human stars Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, and Sam Huntington with Kristen Hager, joining this year as a series regular. The season will consist of 13 episodes.

Season 2 ended with Aidan (Sam Witwer) buried alive as punishment from vampire leader Mother, Sally (Meaghan Rath) lost in a state of limbo, and Josh’s (Sam Huntington) plot to kill his Maker Ray, endangering Nora instead.

The new season also features a stellar lineup of new and returning guest stars including:
Mark Pellegrino (Lost, Revolution) as Aidan’s vampire mentor Bishop; Amy Aquino (Harry’s Law, ER) as Donna, a witch whose supernatural spells are sought out to help find Sally; Xander Berkeley (Nikita) as Liam, father of purebred werewolf twins who is intent on locating his missing children; Bobby Campo (Final Destination) as Max a young mortician who develops a connection with Sally; and Kyle Schmid (Copper/The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) returning as Aidan’s vampire protégé/”son” Henry.

Season 2 of Syfy’s Being Human delighted both fans and new viewers seeing its audience increase over its first season. This year the show averaged 2.115 million viewers per week (10% over Season 1) and also increased double digits in key demos: 1.27 million Adults 18-49 (+19%) and 1.28 million Adults 25-54 (+23%).

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with ZODIAK USA and is based on the acclaimed series created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper. Executive producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who is both writer and showrunner, Jeremy Carver and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky (Human Trafficking, The Phantom) is series producer.

If you like the kind of drama that USA does so well — not a lot of fancy production touches, just characters whose stories you want to follow — you can sample a hidden gem next week when the Reelz Channel launches “Bomb Girls.”

Set in the early days of World War II, it centers on the women who work in a munitions factory.

Since war has a way of creating unlikely communities, Victory Munitions brings together working girls, society girls, idealistic young men, cynical old men and a black man.

There’s a lot of soap here, with the characters falling in and out of love and creating an unending web of personal minidramas.

It also tackles the larger, thornier issues of the time, like the mistrust of immigrants, the resentment of blacks and, mainly, the “role” of women.

With subtlety more than hammers, it illustrates the hurdles women had to clear to be taken seriously, or even to be heard.

Meg Tilly plays Lorna Corbett, shift supervisor at the factory. She intuitively understands that things are changing and must change, but at the same time she knows the practical advantage of playing by the rules.

Jodi Balfour has the glamour role as Gladys Witham, the daughter of rich, cold and calculating parents who see her as a chip they will marry off to enhance their financial and social standing.

She wants more, so she fights to work on “the line” at the factory, where cordite turns everyone’s skin yellow.

She’s an object of suspicion there, but gradually befriends girls including Kate Andrews (Charlotte Hegele), daughter of a psychotic street preacher, and Betty McRae (Ali Liebart), who has sexuality issues.

We also meet a dozen other characters, all of whom fit well into a drama that’s simultaneously small and expansive.

“Bomb Girls,” a Canadian production conceived as a six-episode miniseries and now set for a second 12-episode season, isn’t a fancy show. It’s just a whole bunch of good stories. As USA has proven, less can sometimes be more.

source: NY Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bomb-girls-meg-tilly-explosive-good-stories-article-1.1153308

Shaw Media announced the start of production on Season 2 of Bomb Girls, currently shooting 12 X 1-hour episodes in Toronto now until mid-December 2012. Last season, Bomb Girls made its indelible mark as the #1 new Canadian series, and the program will return to Global Television in the new year (date to be announced).

The critically acclaimed series stars Academy Award® nominee Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill) and Jodi Balfour (The Sinking of the Laconia). Gemini award-winner Michael Seater (Life with Derek) is joining the cast as Ivan, a gregarious factory worker and object of interest of the girls working the assembly line at Victory Munitions.

This season Bomb Girls takes us back to 1942 - the war is in full swing, and it seems the Axis forces are winning every battle. With the demand from the Allies increased due to bombed-out factories abroad, folks at Victory Munitions are busier than ever - both inside the plant and out of it.

For shift matron Lorna Corbet (Tilly), something has got to give. The demands of her job, family and her own burgeoning need to define herself stirs things up at home and at work. Meanwhile, Gladys Witham (Balfour) is tiring of living under the shadow of her powerful family. Working at Vic Mu has fed her desire for independence, but she learns that making her own decisions doesn't guarantee she'll get what she wants.

Marco Moretti, played by Antonio Cupo (L'Ombra del destino), faces the challenges of his Italian heritage at a time when Canada is at war with Italy. He wants to do his part for the war effort, but confronts hostility from the powers-that-be. Betty McRae, played by Ali Liebert (Hellcats), searches for home both literally and figuratively, grappling with her identity, working to feel safe in her world. And what of Kate Andrews? Played by Charlotte Hegele (Murdoch Mysteries), can she return to the world and its promise of freedom, or will the shackles of her past overwhelm her? Still learning to live a life where her beauty is no longer the most outstanding asset, Vera Burr, played by Anastasia Philips (Skins), braves a world-view where her smarts can be just as important as her looks.

Bomb Girls is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions Limited in association with Shaw Media. The executive producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Janis Lundman(Durham County), Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County) and Michael MacLennan (Flashpoint, Queer as Folk). Mitchell is director on the first two episodes and is co-showrunner of the series along with Michael MacLennan who is also head writer. The show is distributed worldwide by Muse Distribution International.

Set in a city called Bruteville, which is neither American nor European but vaguely both, Bullet in the Face is a grim and violent study of modern film noir in explicit graphic novel style. Far darker and more brutal than most comedies, Bullet in the Face utilizes a sleazy cast of characters covering the tropes of crime stories: the tough-as-nails, brassy female police commissioner; the true-blue cop mourning the death of his partner; the eccentric and fabulously wealthy crime lord; the mysterious, deceitful femme fatale.

And yet it is a comedy. Career criminal Gunter Vogler is shot in the face by his girlfriend, hitman (hitwoman?) Martine during a heist gone wrong. In addition, he shoots and kills a cop, only to wake up in the hospital with his victim's face transplanted onto his own and a shady deal offered by the Bruteville police department: work for the good guys and help rid the city of crime lords Tannheuser and Racken (Eddie Izzard and Eric Roberts), or spend the rest of his life in prison (or worse).

Anti-hero Vogler’s tragic life and sordid past are a lark to him, as is the dead cop he shot and the horrific violence that erupts all over the city around him. The police commissioner is a tacky, under (or over?) sexed cougar with a quirky set of morals, long plastic nails and over-coiffed hair. The crime lords are alternately incredibly stupid and incredibly mentally ill. It’s funny. There’s no ‘straight man’ in Bullet in the Face; everyone is a terrible person and everyone gets what they deserve. It’s cartoonish and melodramatic, but also intense and riveting.

The six episodes that make up season one are fantastical; Bullet in the Face exists in that nether world of Sin City, where realistic characters would end up in mental institutions, prison, or dead, but where Spencer’s characters are larger-than-life and pulsating with charisma and energy. They live in a city that is devoid of law and order despite the trappings of law and order. The series toys with the concepts of good and evil and how to choose between the two, as Vogler must decide whether to truly help the police rid Bruteville of crime because it is the right thing to do, or if he will do so because he wants revenge on his former boss Tannheuser. Or if he will do anything at all except laugh at crime scenes. Vogler is completely unpredictable and is not the morally changed man the police department had hoped he would become. But as Lt. Hagerman (Vogler’s new partner) says to the commissioner, “When you fight evil with evil, evil still wins.” And everyone on this show is evil, more or less.

The cast takes dangerous material and shapes it well; Eddie Izzard’s comedic timing, for instance, makes Tannheuser a lovable, insolently intelligent, and almost sympathetic creature. Eric Roberts plays the brutish American Racken as almost childishly naïve about love. And Max Williams brings the magnetism and attraction necessary to the role of Vogler to keep him from being a purely detestable creation. Vogler is vile, sociopathic, and completely untrustworthy, but he’s the star of the story and the character with which audiences with identify despite his atrocious corruption.

Spencer seems to enjoy German accents and German names for his creations; just another example of his quirky, offbeat humor, along with racial puns and sexual harassment jokes. The show takes jabs at just about everyone, but in a sly, underhanded and bizarre manner instead of the sarcastic and blatant ways shows like Family Guy or Futurama do. This is not a lighthearted comedy – it’s extremely dark, Adam Rifkin’s-Dark Backward-dark.

The aggressive level of violence is refreshing; there are serious advantages to having a series like this air on cable rather than network television. Definitely gory, ridiculously vicious, and so wonderfully unpredictable, Bullet in the Face has original charm in a time when television comedy is woefully, painfully unfunny and dumb. It crosses genres successfully, appealing top people with a sick sense of humor as well as those who love unrelenting action and gunfire in their entertainment. It isn’t like anything else out there.

SOURCE: http://www.planetfury.com/content/bullet-in-the-face-review

The DGC congratulates the 2012 DGC Awards nominees announced today in Toronto. Selected from close to 180 submissions, the nominees in 19 categories represent a cross section of the industry's outstanding talent working in the screen-based industry.

The Awards will be presented at the annual Gala on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at the prestigious Royal York Hotel. Hosted by multi-talented comedian, actor and musician Séan Cullen, the 2012 edition of the DGC Awards marks the 50^th anniversary of the DGC.

BEST DIRECTION - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Charles Biname - Cyberbully 

Jon Cassar - The Kennedys - Episode 7 

BEST TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

The Kennedys - Episode 4

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Rocco Matteo - The Kennedys - Episode 5

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - TELEVISION SERIES

Zoe Sakellaropoulo - Being Human - Episode 110 - Dog Eat Dog

BEST PICTURE EDITING -TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Don Cassidy - The Kennedys - Episode 4

David B. Thompson - The Kennedys - Episode 8

BEST SOUND EDITING - TELEVISION MOVIE/MINI-SERIES

Mark Gingras, Jill Purdy, Katrijn Halliday, John Laing, James Robb - The Kennedys - Episode 7

Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) is Executive Producer/Showrunner with Muse Entertainment producing thirteen 1-hour episodes for Syfy.

In Being Human, vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer) ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington) share the creature comforts of their Boston brownstone while struggling to keep their supernatural secrets from the outside world. Together they strive to resist the temptations of their true paranormal natures and live lives that are as near to “normal” as possible.

 As the new season unfolds, Aidan resurfaces from being “grounded” and finds the vampire community vastly changed; he must find a new approach to feeding that will change his life forever. Sally fights to return from limbo and Josh must deal with an ominous visitor who comes to Boston looking for him and Nora.

Kristen Hager, who recurred throughout the first 2 seasons of Being Human playing Josh’s (Sam Huntington) girlfriend Nora, will return this season as a regular series cast member. Nora, it was revealed in the Season 2 opener, had been turned into a werewolf by Josh and plays a significant role in the drama’s tense Season 2 cliffhanger. Kristen Hager previously appeared in supporting roles in the features Wanted with Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy and Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There with Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere. On television she has recurred on CSI: Miami and guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles.

This year, in its second season, Being Human experienced impressive double-digit growth in key demos as well as total viewers season over season.  Premiere episodes for Season 2 averaged 2.1 million total viewers per episode (+10% vs. Season 1), 1.3 million Adults 18-49 (+19%) and 1.3 million Adults 25-54 (+23%). It remains Syfy’s youngest and most female skewing scripted series.

Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural), Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who is also writer/showrunner, and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Stefan Pleszczynski is Supervising Producer and Irene Litinsky (Human Trafficking, The Phantom) is series Producer.

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with Zodiak USA. It is based on the acclaimed series, Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper Television, part of Zodiak Media.

Zodiak Rights hold worldwide rights to the series.

The actress couldn't be in Vancouver because of theatrical commitments. Her award was accepted by Bomb Girls costar Ali Liebert.

But Tilly, who is a BC mainstay sent a note. "I am in Toronto raging around the stage in my second show of the day in a restricting garment getting a bit pungent," she wrote before going on to praise this province's film and television community.

The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry, celebrating excellence in artistic achievement.

The gripping 6-episode dramatic series profiles the life-altering experiences of five brave women who risk their lives working in a Canadian munitions factory during the Second World War.

Bomb Girls, has already been greenlit for 12 new episodes, bringing the total to 18 episodes. Its premiere on Global Television drew 1.6 million viewers (Ind. 2+ National, confirmed data) making it the #1 new Canadian original drama premiere for the Fall 2011/2012 lineup with 2+ and A18-49 viewers. Bomb Girls has seen continued success with more than 1.2 million viewers tuning in on average during the five-week period since its launch, becoming the #1 new Canadian program average this season.

Produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films, executive producers include Michael MacLennan, Michael Prupas (Muse Entertainment), Janis Lundman (Back Alley Films) and Adrienne Mitchell (Back Alley Films). Adrienne Mitchell is also the co showrunner along with Michael MacLennan, who serves as the series’ head writer. Bomb Girls is directed by Adrienne Mitchell, Ken Girotti (Rescue Me, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Anne Wheeler (Da Vinci’s Inquest, Cra$h and Burn).

The PRISM Awards, which is produced by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) in collaboration with FX , honors the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction, as well as mental health issues in movies, television, music, DVD, and comic book entertainment.

"This year’s PRISM Awards honorees made the most of their rights to free creative expression, while at the same time showing the reality of these health issues,” said President and CEO of EIC Brian Dyak. “Such authenticity leads to engaging and entertaining productions and performances.”

Cyberbully was also nominated for Best TV Movie or Miniseries.

The 55th New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards™, announced this year’s winning entries at the 2012 awards ceremony Tuesday, April 17th at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The Grand Jury honored the World’s Best TV Programs & Films™ and awarded three prestigious Grand Trophies to the following companies: ESPN, USA; Temolo Productions for BIO, The Biography Channel, USA; and ReelzChannel, USA.

The ReelzChannel, USA was recognized with the Grand Trophy for The Kennedys in the Television –Entertainment Special category. The mini-series, a Muse Entertainment Production in association Asylum Entertainment, relives the public and private triumphs and tragedies of the Kennedy clan.

“Having had the privilege of being home to The Kennedys, one of the most extraordinary mini-series ever televised, everyone at REELZ tips their hat once again to the cast, crew and creators who brought to life the story of one of America’s most iconic families,” said Stan E. Hubbard REELZCHANNEL CEO. “The Grand Trophy from New York Festivals is a particularly prestigious honor for our partners Muse, Asylum Entertainment and Joel Surnow, who together set the bar for our continued pursuit of excellence in all that we do.”

Each award segment was presented by prominent industry executives, including: Chris Brown, Executive Vice President of Conventions & Business Operations for NAB, USA; Sharon Burden, Senior Advisor/Cybersmart Programs with Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australia; CheeK, creator/ writer of The Kitchen Musical, executive Vice President and Creative Director of Group Entertainment, Singapore; Rob Howell, Supervising Producer, CNN Productions, USA; Maribel Martinez, Creative Director, Televisa S.A. de C.V. Mexico; Jodain Massad, Producer, Kansas City Chiefs, USA; and Simon Witter, Director for ZDF German Television, Germany.

The 2012 New York Festivals Television & Film Awards received entries from forty countries around the globe. All winning entries were selected by our Grand Jury comprised of award winning Television and Film professionals.

NYF’s Television & Film Award Presentation and all acceptance speeches will soon be available for viewing on the International Television & Film Awards website. For a complete list of this year’s award winners go to: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com

CMT has signed an order for 13 episodes of its first-ever animated project BOUNTY HUNTERS to be produced by Muse Entertainment and Parallel Entertainment, it was announced today by Jayson Dinsmore, EVP, Programming and Development at the network’s annual upfront presentation in New York. Executive producers Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy will voice the animated series, along with series regular Lisa Lampanelli. BOUNTY HUNTERS will be produced by Muse Entertainment and Parallel Entertainment, and is set to debut on CMT in 2013.

The animated comedy stars the voices of Foxworthy, Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy as they track down fugitives for their own two-bit bounty hunting business in each half-hour episode. The team will do their best to chase down fugitives, while pleasing the tough-as-nails bondwoman who throws them cases, voiced by Lampanelli. Without fail, the Chief of Police who wants to shut down their operation and a long list of personal faults always seem to interfere.

BOUNTY HUNTERS, co-created by Glenn Clements, Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, is executive produced by Foxworthy, Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy, as well as Joel Rice, Michael Prupas and Jesse Prupas for Muse Entertainment. JP Williams and Jennifer Novak executive produce for Parallel Entertainment; along with Jayson Dinsmore, Eliot Goldberg and Melanie Moreau for CMT.

Director of Photography on The Kennedys, David Moxness, brought home the CSC Award for "Best TV Drama Cinematography" March 31st.

The purpose of the CSC is to promote the art and craft of cinematography and to provide tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and video professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

One week, two renewals! Muse Entertainment’s wartime drama Bomb Girls and the supernatural hit Being Human, have both been re-ordered this week by networks for brand new seasons.

“Our success is not stopping with The Kennedys,” says Muse President Michael Prupas. “These high caliber series have superb acting talent, inspired storylines and first-class production design. The shows’ audiences are committed and captivated. The networks appreciate that.”

The original 6-episode Bomb Girls, has been greenlit for 12 new episodes, bringing the total to 18 episodes. Its premiere on Global Television drew 1.6 million viewers (Ind. 2+ National, confirmed data) making it the #1 new Canadian original drama premiere for the Fall 2011/2012 lineup with 2+ and A18-49 viewers. Bomb Girls has seen continued success with more than 1.2 million viewers tuning in on average during the five-week period since its launch, becoming the #1 new Canadian program average this season.

Also this week, Syfy in the U.S., has ordered a third season (13 episodes) of Being Human, just four episodes into the 13-episode second season, which premiered on Monday, January 16. To date, viewership for the second season has increased by an impressive +27% in Adults 18-49, +35% in Adults 25-54 and +15% in total viewers. With newly-released Live +7 data factored in, the season two premiere of Being Human (January 16, 2012 at 9PM ET/PT) delivered a 1.7 HH rating representing 1.4 million Adults 25-54 (a series high for the demo and +18% over the first season premiere), 1.4 million Adults 18-49 (second highest ranking in the demo and +12% over the season one premiere) and 2.4 million total viewers (the second most-watched episode of any season and +3% over the season one premiere). With women comprising 52% of the total audience for premiere episodes this season, Being Human remains Syfy’s most female-skewing scripted series ever.

The Entertainment Industries Council (EIC) announced Thursday the television nominees for the 16^th Annual Prism Awards.

Winners will be announced during the ceremony on April 19 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. FX will air the awards on Sept. 16.

Among the TV networks, ABC led the way with 14 nods, while Showtime (9), NBC (7) and HBO/CW (5 each) were right behind.

n the TV Movie or Miniseries category, Bringing Ashley Home (Lifetime), Cyberbully (ABC Family), (Dis)Connected (MTV), Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith (ABC), and The Sunset Limited (HBO) earned nominations.

Nominated TV movie performances were A.J. Cook and Jennifer Morrison (Bringing Ashley Home), Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones (The Sunset Limited) and Emily Osment (Cyberbully).

The Prism Awards is a nationally-televised awards show recognizing the accurate depiction of substance abuse and mental illness: prevention, treatment and recovery in film, television, interactive, music, DVD, and comic book entertainment

Syfy is ordering a third season (13 episodes) of the hit drama series Being Human, it was announced today by Mark Stern, President of Original Content, Syfy and Co-Head of Original Content, Universal Cable Productions. The announcement comes just four episodes into the 13-episode second season, which premiered on Monday, January 16.

To date, viewership for the second season has increased by an impressive +27% in Adults 18-49, +35% in Adults 25-54 and +15% in total viewers.

With newly-released Live +7 data factored in, the season two premiere of Being Human (January 16, 2012 at 9PM ET/PT) delivered a 1.7 HH rating representing 1.4 million Adults 25-54 (a series high for the demo and +18% over the first season premiere), 1.4 million Adults 18-49 (second highest ranking in the demo and +12% over the season one premiere) and 2.4 million total viewers (the second most-watched episode of any season and +3% over the season one premiere).

With women comprising 52% of the total audience for premiere episodes this season, Being Human remains Syfy’s most female-skewing scripted series ever.

“With the success of season two, ‘Being Human’ has become a premier destination for Syfy viewers,” said Stern.  “Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke have taken this series to new heights this year and we’re excited to see where the third season will go.”

Being Human stars Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington as vampire Aidan, ghost Sally and werewolf Josh who share the creature comforts of home in a Boston brownstone.  Together the three roommates struggle to keep their supernatural secrets and resist individual temptations as they strive to live lives that are as near to normal as possible.

Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who are both writers/showrunners, Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes), and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky (Human Trafficking, The Phantom) is series Producer.

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with Zodiak USA. It is based on the acclaimed series, Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper Television, part of Zodiak Media.

Zodiak Rights hold worldwide rights to the new series.

Today, Shaw Media announced the renewal of the country's breakout original hit, Bomb Girls. With the initial six-part miniseries concluding tomorrow on Global at 8pm ET/PT, the Canadian wartime drama has been green lit for 12 new episodes. Development on the additional episodes will begin shortly and start of production will be announced at a later date.

The series premiere drew 1.6 million viewers on Global (Ind. 2+ National, confirmed data) making it the #1 new Canadian original drama premiere for the Fall 2011/2012 lineup with 2+ and A18-49 viewers. Bomb Girls has seen continued success with more than 1.2 million viewers tuning in on average during the five-week period since its launch, becoming the #1 new Canadian program average this season.

"With six powerful episodes, Bomb Girls has struck a chord with Canadians and we're thrilled with the grassroots initiatives and overwhelming support this original series has generated," said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice-President, Content, Shaw Media. "As we work with our production partners at Muse and Back Alley, viewers will have the opportunity to continue the journey with these brave women facing a new reality during this fascinating time in Canadian history."

In tomorrow night's explosive finale, "Element of Surprise," the season culminates with dramatic twists for all of the characters set against the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gladys's (Jodi Balfour) secret job is exposed, while Lorna (Meg Tilly) grapples with a possible pregnancy and Kate (Charlotte Hegele) struggles to stand up to the return of her manipulative father.

Bomb Girls profiles the life-altering experiences of five brave Canadian women who risk their lives working in a munitions factory during the Second World War. Shot entirely on location in Toronto, Bomb Girls stars Academy Award® nominee Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill) alongside a talented cast featuring Jodi Balfour (The Sinking of the Laconia), Charlotte Hegele (Murdoch Mysteries), Ali Liebert (Hellcats), Antonio Cupo (L'Ombra del destino), Anastasia Philips (Skins), Sebastian Pigott (Being Erica) and Peter Outerbridge (ReGenesis).

Commissioned by Shaw Media's original content team, Bomb Girls is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films. Muse Entertainment's Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth) serves as executive producer, along with Back Alley Films' Janis Lundman (Durham County) and Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County). Mitchell is also the series' co-showrunner alongside Michael MacLennan (Flashpoint, Queer as Folk), who is also an executive producer and serves as head writer.

Viewers can take a behind-the-scenes tour and catch up on the entire first season of Bomb Girls at http://www.globaltv.com/bombgirls.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/576402#ixzz1liEJrq8x

The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2011, were announced January 28th during the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles

The prize for best TV miniseries went to Jon Cassar, the Canadian who directed the Montreal-backed series The Kennedys.

Cassar, whose other Hollywood credits include 24 and Terra Nova, was born in Malta and went to college in Ottawa.

Just a year ago, it looked like The Kennedys — which tells the story of the Kennedy family, including political disasters and their personal troubles — might not find a home on U.S. television when the History Channel abruptly cancelled it.

"You just try to tell the best story you can and if people recognize it and think it's your time to come to this event, then it is an honour," Cassar said ahead of the DGA ceremony.

This was Mr. Cassar’s third DGA Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series in 2006 for 24 - “7:00 AM-8:00 AM" and was nominated in this category in 2003 for the episode of 24 also titled “7:00 AM-8:00 AM."

The Kennedys mini-series has won Best Historical Drama Production at the 2012 History Makers International Awards. History Makers Awards recognize the very best in history, current affairs and non-fiction programming from around the world, across digital and TV platforms.

The History Makers Award is the most recent award The Kennedys has won. The mini-series began its awards streak last September with 10 Primetime Emmy Award®-nominations and four wins, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a mini-series for Barry Pepper’s portrayal of RFK. Additionally, The Kennedys earned 10 Gemini Awards nominations and four wins, and more recently the mini-series earned industry recognition with nominations from the Screen Actors Guild Awards® for Greg Kinnear’s portrayal of JFK and the Directors Guild of America for Director Jon Cassar. Both the DGA Awards and the SAG Awards will be decided this weekend, Saturday, January 28 and Sunday, January 29. The Kennedys has also been recognized with nominations for the Producers Guild Awards, the American Society of Cinematographers, the Costume Designers Guild Awards and the Cinema Audio Society Awards.

The revealing drama starring Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Katie Holmes and Tom Wilkinson premiered last April on History Television in Canada and Reelz Channel in the US, since then The Kennedys has aired in over 140 countries around the world including the UK, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Isreal.

The Kennedys is a Muse Entertainment Enterprises production in association with Asylum Entertainment. From the Emmy Award-winning team behind the groundbreaking series 24, the creators are Stephen Kronish and Joel Surnow. The series is directed by Jon Cassar and the executive producers are Joel Surnow, Michael Prupas, Jonathan Koch, Steve Michaels, Stephen Kronish, Jon Cassar and Jamie Paul Rock.

Syfy continued its red-hot January with the premieres of Being Human and Lost Girl, marking the return of the channel’s "Powerful Mondays" (Monday night 9-11PM) programming block.

From 9-10PM (ET/PT), the second season return of Being Human was up 14% in Adults 25-54 (1.1 million), nine percent among Adults 18-34 (458,000) and eight percent in Adults 18-49 (1.1 million) versus the January 17, 2011 series premiere. Being Human also averaged 1.8 million total viewers with a 1.3 household rating.

This constituted Being Human’s second best performance ever among Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

Executive producers of Being Human are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who are both writers/showrunners, Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes), and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky is series producer. Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with Zodiak USA and is based on Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper Television, part of Zodiak Media Group. Zodiak Rights hold worldwide rights to the new series.

Bomb Girls made a huge impression January 4th garnering over 1.4 million viewers (2+, national) for its premiere broadcast. The first episode of the six-part miniseries won its timeslot nationally, 2+ and in the key Adults 18-49 (455,400) demographic, marking a triumphant start to the New Year.

Fans can also visit the show's comprehensive website GlobalTV.com/bombgirls - the specially designed interface allows visitors to easily navigate through the site's content including a behind-the-scenes tour of the set and show props, plus, exclusive interviews with the cast, producers as well as a real life bomb girl. Additionally, fans can also share their comments or word of thanks on the "Memory Wall" page to those who served and are serving our country today. Bomb Girls premiere episode is already available for viewing online with subsequent episodes also to be made available the day after broadcast.

This gripping dramatic series profiles the life-altering experiences of five brave women who risk their lives working in a Canadian munitions factory during the Second World War.

Viewers can tune in for an all-new episode of Bomb Girls next Wednesday, January 11 - 8pm ET/PT. In "Misfires," the women at Victory Munitions must band together when the blame for an accidental explosion is laid at their feet. 

It's a key indicator of an emerging trend among content producers and distributors, as they move top-rated TV shows and movies onto multiple media screens, along with socially-integrated, content-savvy smart TV and portable media applications.

Alberta-based Mobovivo is partnering with Muse Entertainment to release the award-winning The Kennedys mini-series as an app for iPad and other devices. The Kennedys app includes Previiw, which clips and shares the viewer's favourite scenes on Facebook, Twitter and blog sites, letting fans hold a community conversation on their favourite TV shows and movies.

"Muse Entertainment understands that engaging fans of their TV programming is key to having people spend more time with their content," Mobovivo founder and CEO, Trevor Doerksen described. "The direct relationship and feedback that the producers of The Kennedys receive from this app goes beyond any other marketing or distribution strategy."

The Kennedys app is developed with Mobovivo StayTuned video app platform. StayTuned apps allow producers to stay tuned to consumers and consumers to tune in to their content. The app will include Previiw, Miscreens and analytics features from StayTuned. Previiw, Miscreens allows users to add videos to their digital locker and watch via 3G, Wi-Fi, AirPlay, or securely download to view without an Internet connection.

"Without Mobovivo's analytics, producers don't know if consumers are actually watching. We measure every touch in real time," Doerksen added.

The Kennedys, nominated for 10 Emmy Awards (and the winner of 4) and nominated for 10 Gemini Awards, tells the intimate story of the illustrious Kennedy family and brings to life this prolific piece of American history. Featuring an outstanding cast, this revealing eight-hour drama spotlights one of America's most legendary families as they have never been seen before.

"Our saga of the Kennedy family has riveted audiences around the world," said Michael Prupas, Muse Entertainment CEO. "We are delighted that Mobovivo is making it available to the fast developing app audience."

Mobovivo's cloud based media system is used by producers, broadcasters and media companies to distribute and market branded video apps for a range of devices, including: iOS, Android, PlayBook, Roku and Samsung Smart TVs. 

source: Mediacastermagazine.com

New vampires, new werewolves and new supernatural beings are cropping up on the new season of Syfy's Being Human -- and one of them is no other than Dollhouse favorite Dichen Lachman.

The Hollywood Reporter has the exclusive first look of Lachman (see above) as vampire royal Suren, who is revealed to have a complicated past with fellow bloodsucker Aidan (Sam Witwer). Her unexpected return causes Aidan and Boston's vampire society to go into disarray.

Executive producer Jeremy Carver emphasized the importance of maintaining the series' focus on the three leads Aidan, Sally and Josh (Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington, respectively), but acknowledged that as it progresses, the Being Human world must expand.

"We're always looking to expand to deepen their respective monster worlds," Carver tells THR, "which we've done in spades this year."

Carver spoke in more detail about Lachman's role ("the seeds of the character were put in place last season amongst the writers," he says) and what her presence means for Aidan especially.

"She's been away for a very long time and her reappearance on the scene, for Aidan -- a guy who is always trying desperately to divorce himself from vampires and vampire-ism -- she's the worst temptation to come down the pike," he says. "Part of it is the romantic past that they share."

But when viewers first see Lachman, it may be a shock to the system, though the image above takes place following her reveal. "You've got this incredibly beautiful actress who commands the screen and when you're introduced to her, she's all but unrecognizable and that plays very much into the old past she has and it speaks directly to her troubled nature," Carver explains.

Flashbacks to the 1930s will "unpack this explosive history between Aidan and Suren," Carver teases, adding that the pair's past entanglements will be "explored in great detail." "Past events are very much exploding into the present now," he reveals.

Season 2 will see the three main characters inching closer to darkness.

"Each, in their own way, are heading down a dark path of temptation, which ultimately for them is a valiant but almost desperate struggle to become more human," Carver says. "But in their attempt, they're becoming more and more monstrous."

Being Human premieres Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 p.m. on Syfy.

source: The Hollywood Reporter

Bomb Girls blasts away all the negative cliches that exist about Canadian television. Ambitious, intelligent and rewarding, the miniseries is exactly what our original TV should strive for: high-end production values, great storytelling, sharp casting, and the exploration of something that is definitively our own.

The six-part series, premiering Wednesday, offers a fictionalized account of an important, often overlooked, part of Canadian history: when Canadian women took over the work in our munitions factories during the Second World War. Not only did they replace the men who went off to serve, but they provided them - and Canada's allies -with the vital weaponry needed to sustain the war effort. While Canadian men were risking life and limb overseas, Canadian women faced their own hazards -- and risked their own limbs -- working in bomb factories.

Bomb Girls offers all the requisite fireworks. The music, fashion and cultural trappings of 1940s are all on fine display here. While far from the world of Mad Men's Don Draper and New York City, Bomb Girls accomplishes similar feats as that heralded series: It brings to life an era; offers complex, intriguing characters; and provides an often shocking window into the gender dynamics of the not-so-distant past.

Meg Tilly anchors the ensemble cast as fierce factory shift matron, Lorna Corbett. Walking a fine line between serving as the factory girls' guardian and being a stern authority figure, Tilly's nuanced character is the co-heart of the show. Norma has two sons on the battlefields of Europe and an empty, loveless marriage at home, so her work in the munitions factory has become almost a fanatical crusade. Empathetic, conflicted and occasionally overbearing, Tilly's performance as Corbett is a scene-stealer.

The other co-heart of the show is South Africa's Jodi Balfour, who plays rich socialite Gladys Witham, a young woman whose world view is altered forever by her decision to seek work in a bomb factory. Gladys' lust for life and occasionally reckless decisions offer a linchpin on which much of the series' drama revolves. The striking Balfour has made Vancouver her home, with stints on other Canadian-shot series, such as Supernatural and Sanctuary. Bomb Girls could bring a new sheen to her rising star. At the very least, Balfour and Tilly will likely both contend for Geminis.

In tonight's opening episode, Gladys takes an office job at Victory Munitions, the factory at the heart of the series' action. Her world is blown wide open by the unlikely sisterhood she finds there, but she soon finds herself faced with a big decision: whether to defy her family and societal expectations and join the working girls on the dangerous floor of the factory.

Exploring everything from sexism and racism to class warfare, Bomb Girls offers us a glimpse into an important part of our past -- and an entertaining drama in the process. Drop in tonight and watch the series launch.

(Global, Wednesday 8 p.m. ET/PT)

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced today the motion picture and long-form television nominations for the 23^rd Annual Producers Guild Awards. The categories include: The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures; The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures; and The David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were already announced by the Guild in December 2011.

The 2012 Producers Guild nominanees in the category of Long-Form Television are:

“Cinema Verite” (HBO)
Producers: Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy

“Downton Abbey” (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame

“The Kennedys” (ReelzChannel)
Producers: Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow

“Mildred Pierce” (HBO)
Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon

“Too Big To Fail” (HBO)
Producers: Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein

*The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.

All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Premiering Wednesday, January 4 – 8pm ET/PT, on Global TV, Bomb Girls profiles the life-altering experiences of five brave Canadian women who risk their lives working in a munitions factory during the Second World War.

The series entertains viewers with a wartime persona that is rarely acknowledged yet played an integral role in the country’s rich history; it reveals the necessity of the ‘bomb girl’ along with her significance. Leading the ensemble cast is legendary Oscar® nominee Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill), who makes her return to network television after 18 years, taking on the role of Lorna Corbett, the Victory Munitions factory supervisor.

Joining Meg Tilly are Jodi Balfour (The Sinking of the Laconia) as free-wheeling socialite-turned-bomb girl Gladys Witham; Charlotte Hegele (Murdoch Mysteries) as wide-eyed preacher’s daughter Kate Andrews; Ali Liebert (Hellcats) as tough-talking Prairie girl Betty McRae; and Anastasia Philips (Skins) as kind-natured Vera Burr. Commissioned by Shaw Media’s original content team, the series is produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films.

The series also stars Antonio Cupo (L’Ombra del destino) as Italian-born factory worker Marco Moretti; Sebastian Pigott (Being Erica) as Gladys’ fiancé James Dunn; and Peter Outerbridge (ReGenesis) as Lorna’s husband Bob Corbett.

This gripping dramatic series set on the Canadian home front tells the remarkable stories of the women who risked everything building bombs for the Allied forces fighting on the European front. Bomb Girls delves into the lives of these exceptional women from all walks of life – peers, friends and rivals – who find themselves changed profoundly as they are liberated from their home and social restrictions to join the work force for the first time and face previously unimaginable risks in the process.

Shot on location in Toronto, Bomb Girls is executive produced by Muse Entertainment’s Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), along with Back Alley Films’ Janis Lundman (Durham County) and Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County). Mitchell also serves as co-showrunner along with Michael MacLennan (Flashpoint, Queer as Folk) who is executive producer and serves as the series’ head writer.

A mini-series screened in Ottawa last night will tell the stories of the bomb girls, who worked in munitions factories during the Second World War.

“It’s a fascinating time in our history, when we came into our own as a country and women came into their own as understanding the power that they wielded in society,” said producer and head writer Michael MacLennan.

“We have measures of freedom and equality that they didn’t have back then, so you can tell stories where the conflicts are writ large.”

War propaganda told the Canadian women “to go from baking apple pies to making bombs” said executive producer Adrienne Mitchell.

“They were told to take on a man’s work and still look like a women, all of those paradoxes.”

The producers interviewed real Canadian bomb girls, now in their 70s, who said that despite the horrors of the war, it was an “exuberant, joyful time” and “the best time of their lives” because of the freedom and camaraderie that working gave them, said MacLennan.

“They were told they were just filler to when the men came home,” said Mitchell.

“But when the war ended, a lot of them didn’t go home and it was the beginning of a change for women.”

Bomb Girls will air on Global, beginning in January.

Source: JESSICA SMITH

METRO OTTAWA

Helen Rapp was just 15 when she moved from the small, northern Ontario town of Schumacher to work at the General Electric production factory in Hamilton. It was 1940, and Rapp had just finished high school and decided to enrol in a military drafting course.

She spent the next year and a half working in the factory, helping to produce the barrel portion of the Bofors antiaircraft gun.

“It was exciting and we felt like we were really doing something for the war effort,” she says.

It is this excitement and the atmosphere in a factory filled with young women that a new six-part television series is hoping to capture.

Bomb Girls is a fictional look at the lives of female factory workers during the Second World War. When the first episode was screened at the Canadian War Museum on Tuesday evening, Rapp was an honoured guest.

The action takes place in East Toronto’s Victory Munitions Factory, a fictional amalgamation of two wartime production plants.

Rapp, 86, now lives in Ottawa and has fond recollections of her factory life.

“The place was really a huge, huge barn,” she says. “They had this crane up on the ceiling that we had to bring over by whistling. My foreman taught me to whistle and he would get me to call the crane. I still think that’s hilarious.”

Rapp says there was never a shortage of noise and laughter. The factory was also a diverse work environment that brought where women from all over the country.

Her best friends were a group of five women who had moved to Hamilton from Prince Albert, Sask.

Rapp described the relationships she formed while working in the factory as “really something” and hoped the miniseries will emphasize this sense of camaraderie.

It wasn’t just female friendships that were made, either. Since there was a Commonwealth Air Training Centre in the city, there was never a shortage of men to date, Rapp says with a mischievous smile.

Regardless of the fun that was had, there was always an underlying, sombre tone.

“War touched everyone and there was no avoiding it. It was a sad, sad time.”

Rapp remembers when five young men from her small hometown died in one incident.

“When you had a soldier that died, you’d put a black wreath on your door so people would know you were in mourning. After this accident, everyone in the town had a wreath outside their house,” she says.

The War Museum has sections of its permanent display dedicated to honouring the role women played in war, says Yasmine Mingay, the museum’s manager of public affairs with the museum. Mingay’s own grandmother was a bomb girl and says she thinks the story will resonate with a lot of Canadians.

She also thinks the project is a good match with the ideals of the museum.

“We take a look at the human dimension of war in all its elements,” she says. “We hope this series will help people learn more about their military and cultural history and we think it’s a wonderful endeavour to bring to the forefront of Canadian minds.”

Two Canadian production companies, Back Alley Films and Muse Entertainment Enterprises, co-produced the series with Shaw Media. Muse Entertainment was the studio responsible for creating the The Kennedys. The episodes are directed by Ken Girotti and Anne Wheeler and the series stars Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly as the munitions factory supervisor. The first episode of Bomb Girls is set to air Jan. 4 on Global Television.

The second season of the hit drama BEING HUMAN picks up where the explosive season finale left off.  Aidan tries to steer a leaderless Boston while resisting his deadlier vampire instincts, as he finds himself tempted and tormented by a figure from his past. Sally must face the consequences of missing her door, while figuring out how to navigate life on earth as a ghost. Werewolf Josh searches for a cure for his condition while struggling to maintain his relationship with Nora and, like the rest of his roommates, trying to build a future for himself beyond simply being a monster. 

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with ZODIAK USA. It is based on the acclaimed UK series, Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper. Executive producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who are both writers/showrunners, Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes), and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky is series Producer.

BEING HUMAN will premiere Jan 16th at 9 pm on SYFY (USA) & 10 pm on SPACE (CANADA)

Production begins this week in Montreal on IFC’s newest original scripted series, Bullet in the Face, a six-part, half-hour comedic action thriller.  Creator and executive producer Alan Spencer (Sledge Hammer!) developed the series with producers and executive producers Jesse Prupas and Evi Regev of Muse Entertainment and Just For Laughs Television. The cast includes Max Williams as Gunter Vogler, Neil Napier as Lieutenant Karl Hagerman, Jessica Steen as Commissioner Eva Braden, and Kate Kelton as Martine Mahler, alongside guest stars Eddie Izzard (Valkyrie, Ocean’s Thirteen) and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) as notorious crime lords. The series is directed and co-executive produced by Erik Canuel (Barrymore, Bon Cop, Bad Cop) and will debut on IFC in summer 2012.

“Bullet in the Face melds the best of the action/thriller genre with IFC’s comedic sensibility,” said Debbie DeMontreux, senior vice president of original programming, IFC.  “This is television like viewers have never seen before and Alan Spencer is the perfect ‘slightly off’ talent to help us bring this new format to audiences.”

“Just for Laughs and Muse Entertainment have long been searching for a unique and edgy comedy to produce together and we were thrilled to find a fantastic and supportive broadcast partner in IFC. We are proud to say that Bullet in the Face is unlike anything else out there, combining hilarity, thrills and non-stop action,” say Executive Producers Michael Prupas (Muse Entertainment) and Bruce Hills (Just for Laughs).

“I am very happy to be doing this show for a network that is 'slightly off' as I have been off my whole life,” commented Alan Spencer.

Following a botched jewel heist, sociopath criminal Gunter Vogler awakens in a hospital, surrounded by cops, his head wrapped in bandages. When the bandages come off Gunter’s new face is revealed and police force him to work undercover to take down the city’s crime lords.

Bullet in the Face is produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises and Just For Laughs Television. Executive producers for IFC are Debbie DeMontreux, Dan Pasternack, Jennifer Caserta and Evan Shapiro.

Barry Pepper won an Emmy Award Sunday night, but wasn’t there to pick it up. He had a previous commitment — a family vacation.

“We’re in the mountains,” he said by cellphone Monday. “It’s an annual trip that I plan, so I didn’t want to break that commitment.”

As it turned out, he got the best of both worlds: a great day in the foothills of the B.C. Rockies, plus the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie.

He didn’t watch the Emmys on TV, but got the news soon enough.

“We were watching a herd of elk that had just crossed us on the road,” he relates.

“We were out hiking and when I got back to the vehicle I saw a message on the phone. It was about eight or nine at night; it was a nice way to cap the day, for sure. Seeing some Rocky Mountain elk, having a glorious day in the mountains, and then to get that message, that was pretty nice.”

The 41-year-old Campbell River native received the Emmy for his portrayal of Bobby Kennedy in The Kennedys, a miniseries that stirred up a lot of controversy in the U.S. The series drew flack from the Kennedy family, was dropped by the History Channel in the States, then was alternately praised and savaged in the American press.

“It was understandable that the critics were as polarized as they were in the United States, because politically the U.S. is totally polarized,” said Pepper.

“So the critics were either Democratic or Republican in their views, and they either loved it or they hated it. ... Some of the reviews said things like ‘ham-fisted hatchet job,’ and other reviews said ‘the best thing ever put on television.’

“At that point I just stopped reading,” he laughs. “There’s just no winning that one.”

Pepper sees his win as a vindication for the production.

“It’s such a cool validation for so many people that worked on that production,” he says.

“It was a gruelling, challenging project: to have it recognized this way, with the Canadian Geminis and now with the Emmys, it makes me feel very, very good for all the people who were involved, that worked so hard.”

Pepper may not be as famous as Tom Cruise, but he has quietly assembled quite a resume. He burst onto the Hollywood scene in 1998 as the God-fearing sniper in Stephen Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of baseball great Roger Maris in 61, then was cast by Clint Eastwood in another Second World War film, Flags of Our Fathers.

He landed a role in the Coen Brothers remake of True Grit by making them a demo reel of his character Ned Pepper; made a great bad guy in Casino Jack; and appears in an upcoming film by the legendary director Terrence Malick.

He is quite proud of The Kennedys. He spent months getting Bobby’s accent down, and brought in Oscar-winning makeup artist Christien Tinsley to help him transform into a reasonable facsimile of the iconic politician.

“We sat down and went through all the photos we could find of Bobby, analyzed his face and figured out how we could adjust my features prosthetically,” he said.

“And then hired a tremendous dialect coach by the name of John Nelles. You bring in the right people and they make you look great.”

Pepper hasn’t had any feedback from the Kennedy clan about his performance, and probably won’t. But he came out of the experience with tremendous respect for Bobby Kennedy.

“I admire the fact that he spoke from his heart,” he said.

“He was one of the very few politicians I’ve ever heard speak with such genuine emotion and honesty about subjects of love and compassion, freedom and equality. It was such a difficult time in America ... [and] he spoke about compassion, not only for Americans but people all over the world. He really stood by those values, and lived and died fighting for them.

“It was such a refreshing thing to study, and to hear those speeches, and to understand who the inner man was. He was a really remarkable human being, and I think he would have made an extraordinary president, had he lived.”

Not a standard Hollywood answer, but Pepper is not a standard Hollywood actor. He may have a house in L.A., but he’s a British Columbian to the core.

His family has been in B.C. for generations: his great-grandfather built the first log cabin and log schoolhouse on Denman Island in the 1870s. His family spent five years sailing around the South Pacific when he was a child, then returned to Denman, where he grew up.

“It was sort of a mixture of hippies and farmers and artists,” he said.

“It was a really interesting place, very eclectic. One of those neighbourly kind of places where nobody locks their doors. There’s no police, no dogs with collars, everybody’s kids are welcome in everybody’s house. There’s barefoot dances and farmers markets, very Canadian west coast.”

After high school he moved to Vancouver and studied acting. He eventually moved down to L.A., but also keeps a place in B.C.

“I’m a bit of a hippie gentleman farmer,” he said.

“I have an orchard and a big organic garden, and I live on the ocean, so I fish and I hunt and just raise my family the way I was raised. It’s a real striking contrast to Los Angeles.”

Raising his family the way he was raised means bypassing an awards show for a family vacation.

“We woke up today, and some of the higher mountains around us are all kissed with snow, capped with snow,” he said.

“It’s beautiful — the elk are bugling, the coyotes are howling at night. It’s just beautiful. We camped on an alpine lake and there’s ducks and geese flying in here ... it’s just really just spectacular. We’re so blessed to live in B.C., aren’t we?”

By JOHN MACKIE, Vancouver Sun

Muse Entertainment is proud to announce that its productions The Kennedys and The Pillars of the Earth have won a total of 5 Emmy Awards.

The 8-hour historical drama, The Kennedys, produced by Muse in association with Asylum Entertainment, brought home 4 Emmy Awards including: Outstanding Lead Actor for Barry Pepper, Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie.

The critically-acclaimed 8 part series The Pillars of the Earth, co-produced with Germany’s Tandem Communications garnered 1 Emmy win for Outstanding Sound Editing for A Miniseries, Movie or a Special.

"Winning 4 Emmys for The Kennedys and 1 for The Pillars of the Earth has been a very special moment for Muse, particularly since all 5 winners were Canadian. Barry Pepper's win is especially sweet since he put so much of himself into the role,” says Executive Producer & Muse Entertainment President Michael Prupas.

The Primetime Emmy® Awards celebrate excellence in national primetime programming, awarding top honors at the annual creative arts and primetime awards ceremonies.

Muse Entertainment’s hit sci-fi series Being Human continues to make its way around the world, most recently being picked up in Australia on Network 10-owned Eleven. The 13 episode series has already been sold by Zodiak Rights to Antena 3 in Spain, TVNZ in New Zealand, MNet in South Africa as well as to networks in France, Poland, Romania, the Balkans, Russia, Benelux, Germany, Israel and Italy.

Season 2 of Being Human is in production in Montreal, starring Sam Witwer (Smallville, CSI), Meaghan Rath (Prom Wars, 18 to Life) and Sam Huntington (Fanboys, Superman Returns) as three paranormal roommates struggling with their double lives, while trying to appear normal. The show became an instant hit for US network Syfy when it premiered in January 2011, averaging 1.8 million viewers, and making it Syfy’s most successful, winter-season, scripted series launch in 6 years.  In Canada, the debut was the most successful new series launch in winter/spring for SPACE since 2005.

Muse would like to congratulate actress Emily Van Camp on winning the ACTRA award for Outstanding Female Performance for her portrayal of Esther in Muse's epic 4-hour event series BEN HUR.

The stellar international cast also includes Joseph Morgan (Alexander, Master and Commander) and Stephen Campbell Moore (Amazing Grace, The History Boys) as Judah Ben Hur and Octavius Messala, life-long friends on the opposite sides of a war for Judaea’s national identity that tests their characters to the maximum.

BEN HUR is written by Alan Sharp and directed by Steve Shill. One of the executive producers is David Wyler, son of William Wyler—the director of the original 1959 classic. The other executive producers are Michael Prupas, Manuel Corby, Frank Konigsberg, Dirk Beinhold and Steve Shill. BEN HUR is a Muse Entertainment (Canada)/Drimtim Entertainment (Spain) production in association with Zak Productions (Morocco), Akkord Film (Germany) and FishCorbFilms.

Muse would like to congratulate the casts and crews of The Kennedys and The Pillars of the Earth on winning 4 Creative Arts Emmy Awards!

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE (NON-PROSTHETIC)

THE KENNEDYS

JORDAN SAMUEL, Department Head Makeup Artist

COLIN PENMAN, Key Makeup Artist

AMANDA TERRY, Additional Makeup Artist

LINDA DOWDS, Personal Makeup Artist

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

THE KENNEDYS

JENNY FIFIELD-ARBOUR, Department Head Hairstylist

JUDI COOPER SEALY, Key Hairstylist

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE

THE KENNEDYS

HENRY EMBRY, Production Sound Mixer

FRANK MORRONE, Re-Recording Mixer

STEPHEN TRAUB, Re-Recording Mixer

LAROLD REBHUN, Music Score Mixer

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH

MARCEL POTHIER, Supervising Sound Editor STARZ

CHRISTIAN RIVEST, Sound Designer

ANTOINE MORIN, Sound Effects Editor

DOMINIK PAGACZ, Sound Effects Editor

GUY PELLETIER, Music and Dialogue Editor

TOM TRAFALSKI, Music Editor

GUY FRANCOEUR, Foley Artist

Muse Entertainment has always kept a low profile, but the busy Montreal TV production company has been thrust into the spotlight this year.

Muse's mini "The Kennedys," which it produced in association with Asylum Entertainment, was picked up by ReelzChannel in the U.S. after being dropped by the History channel.

The Montreal company has been happily trumpeting its 34 Gemini noms and 17 Emmy nominations, led by "The Kennedys" and "Pillars of the Earth," which Muse co-produced with Germany's Tandem Communications.

Muse CEO Michael Prupas sees the Emmy noms for "The Kennedys" as vindication for the show -- and his company.

"It proves there's still freedom of speech in the U.S.," says Prupas. "It hurt me personally. The research we'd done was accurate and the kind of things we were disclosing were not new to anybody."

Muse, which was founded by entertainment lawyer Prupas in 1998, occupies a unique place in the Canuck TV landscape. It whipped off $87 million worth of production last year, the second-largest volume after E1, and it succeeds with a mix of co-productions (often with European partners), U.S.-focused series and miniseries and projects more targeted to the indigenous Canadian marketplace.

"Pillars of the Earth" is an example of one Muse model. The eight-hour, $40 million series is a 80%-20% Germany-Canada co-production but the Muse coin was essential to get the project off the ground. The show was pre-sold in Germany, Canada, Italy and Spain, but only sold in the key markets of the U.S. and the U.K. after completion. It aired on Starz in the U.S.

Next up, Muse is busy with a mix of international hits and locally targeted programs.

source: Variety.com

MONTREAL - It's been a roller-coaster of a year for Muse Entertainment and its president Michael Prupas, and the good news for Prupas and his booming Montreal TV production company is that he is in the middle of the fun part of that roller-coaster ride right now.

Things were anything but fun last year and early in 2011 when the Muse-produced miniseries The Kennedys came under fire from Kennedy defenders, who launched a public campaign slamming the show and suggesting it was a deliberate attempt to smear the legacy of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

Under pressure from the Kennedy boosters, the History Channel, which was supposed to air the miniseries in the U.S., shocked Prupas by telling him in January that the network was dropping the show. It ended up airing on the much smaller Reelzchannel in the U.S. In Canada, it played on History Television Canada in April and then on Global in July.

Those were dark times for Prupas, who, as one of the show's producers, took the accusations personally. That's why he was so excited when The Kennedys nabbed a bunch of Emmy nominations in the U.S. and Gemini nods here in Canada. The eight-hour miniseries is up for 10 Emmy Awards - which will be doled out Sept. 18 - and the miniseries was also nominated for 10 Geminis, the Canadian TV awards. Muse nabbed 34 Gemini nominations in total and 17 Emmy nods.

On Wednesday night, at a non-broadcast Gemini Awards Industry Gala in Toronto, The Kennedys won three trophies, including two in key acting categories. Canadian actor Barry Pepper won as best lead actor in a dramatic program or miniseries for his role as Bobby Kennedy and Diana Hardcastle won as best supporting actress in a miniseries for her portrayal of family matriarch Rose Kennedy.

The Muse co-produced Pillars of the Earth, a German-Canadian production, also won the Gemini as best miniseries or TV movie. In all, Muse came home from T.O. Wednesday with seven Gemini statuettes and it also has two nominations going into the final Gemini Awards Gala on Wednesday, with Hugh Dillon from the Muse drama Durham County and Sam Witwer from the Museproduced sci-fi show Being Human both up for best actor in a drama.

Prupas says the Gemini and Emmy nominations, and the Gemini wins the other night, are mighty sweet for his company after all the attacks.

"I was really blown away, for want of a better term," said Prupas, a former entertainment lawyer who founded Muse 13 years ago.

"Particularly with respect to what happened on The Kennedys, it was a vindication," Prupas said. "With the Gemini Awards, we got them on (several) different pictures and it shows there's a breadth and quality to the production we're doing that's being noticed and respected. I don't know if we'll ever be able to match this number (of nominations). It may end up being our 15 minutes of fame."

That's not likely to be the case. Muse has quietly become one of the country's leading TV producers. Last year, the company - which has its headquarters in St. Henri - produced $86 million worth of shows, making it the second biggest producer in Canada, behind the Torontobased multinational Entertainment One. Muse shoots a wide variety of fare, from shows like The Kennedys - made first and foremost for the U.S. market - to international co-productions like Pillars of the Earth to more Canadian-targeted fare like Durham County.

The Kennedys became Muse's highest-profile show ever - for all the wrong reasons. There was an online petition to get The History Channel to dump the show, with the show's detractors arguing it was a politically motivated attempt to tarnish the Kennedy name.

Prupas says he has no regrets about making the show.

"It was a tremendous learning experience for us," Prupas said. "I think we got a raw deal in that it was dropped. But I think in some ways they shot themselves in the foot. By dropping us, they enhanced the awareness of the show. We were also subjected to some very harsh critiques from U.S. critics and it made me feel there was a herd mentality that was created by the dropping of our show. A lot of people jumped on the bandwagon. When you're perceived as being a failure, there will be a lot of people out there kicking you in the teeth."

And he continues to stand by The Kennedys.

"We showed the details of what actually happened. Yes it was an eye-opener for some people. It was tough to be criticized in that way and the implications were quite hurtful. The fact that the members of the Academy (of Television Arts and Sciences) voted in favour of giving it these (Emmy) nominations is a clear indication that we were right all along and that the show is not a hatchet job."

The Gemini Awards airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBC. The Emmy Awards airs Sept. 18 on Fox and CTV.

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Muse service production, John A: Birth of a Country, will premiere this month on CBC. The riveting political thriller follows John A. Macdonald, a charismatic and brilliant leader whose charm, force of personality and vision almost single-handedly forge the country, from election day in 1854 through the events leading up to Confederation in 1867.

Starring Shawn Doyle (Big Love), Peter Outerbridge (Reviving Ophelia) and David LaHaye (Mirador), the television movie, filmed in Toronto, will air September 19th at 8:00 pm on CBC-TV.

For more information visit the Official Website

Muse would like to congratulate the casts and crews of The Pillars of the Earth, The Kennedys and Durham County on winning 7 Gemini awards!

Best Achievement in Casting
Marissa Richmond, Libby Goldstein, Andrea Kenyon, Suzanne Smith, Randi Wells - Durham County - Distance, Hunting and Home

Best Achievement in Make-Up
Colleen Quinton - The Pillars of the Earth

Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie
The Pillars of the Earth
Ridley Scott, Rola Bauer, Jonas Bauer, Tim Halkin, Michael Prupas, David Rosemont, John Ryan, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or MiniSeries Barry Pepper - The Kennedys - In Love With Night

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series Diana Hardcastle - The Kennedys - Life Sentences

Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series David Moxness csc - The Kennedys - Life Sentences

Best Sound in a Dramatic Program
Marcel Pothier, Jo Caron, Gavin Fernandes, Guy Francoeur, Louis Gignac, Antoine Morin, Guy Pelletier, Christian Rivest - The Pillars of the Earth – Anarchy

The six-part drama about women at work in a Second World War bomb factory comes from "The Kennedys" producer Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films.

Listen for the boom: Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly (Agnes of God, The Big Chill) is starring in Bomb Girls, the Canadian drama from Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films to shoot in Toronto this Fall.

The 6-part drama about women at work in a Second World War bomb factory will see Tilly in the lead role of a supervisor with two sons on the war front.

Also joining the Bomb Girls cast is Jodi Balfour, Charlotte Hegele, Ali Liebert (Hellcats), Anastasia Philips (Skins), Lisa Norton and Antonio Cupo, who plays an Italian-born factory worker banned from the army owing to his ethnic background.

Bomb Girls will shoot in Toronto from September 12 to November 16, 2011, ahead of a debut on Global Television in January.

Series showrunners Michael MacLennan and Adrienne Mitchell jointly created Bomb Girls, and share executive producer credits with Muse’s Michael Prupas (The Kennedys) and Janis Lundman of Back Alley Films.

The series will be directed by Mitchell, Ken Girotti (Rescue Me, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Anne Wheeler.

Muse Distribution International is selling Bomb Girls internationally.

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter

The mini-series The Kennedys and The Pillars of the Earth, the series Durham County (season 3) and Being Human, and the television movies Reviving Ophelia and Jack of Diamonds, all produced or co-produced by Muse Entertainment, received a total of 34 Gemini Award nominations today. The Gemini Awards honour outstanding achievement in television.

“Muse has been blessed this year to have worked on some remarkable projects with some of the most talented people in Canada and internationally,” says President of Muse Entertainment, Michael Prupas. “We are grateful to see these talented people honoured by their peers through these many Gemini nominations.”

The Kennedys, which also received 10 prestigious Emmy Award nominations in the United States last month, is produced by Muse Entertainment in association with Asylum Entertainment. The 8-episode historical drama is up for 10 Gemini Awards.

The Pillars of the Earth, an epic 8-episode drama adapted from Ken Follett’s bestselling novel, received 7 Emmy Award nominations last month. Produced by Tandem Communications and Muse Entertainment, in association with Scott Free Films, it was also honoured with 10 nominations.

The riveting 6-episode crime series Durham County, produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films, received 6 nominations. In 2009, the series brought home 5 Gemini Awards and in 2010 it garnered 4 nominations and 2 wins.

Based on the highly popular UK series, the 13-part series Being Human, produced by Muse Entertainment in association with Zodiak Media Group, received 5 nominations. The second season is currently in production in Montreal.

Other Muse Entertainment titles that received nominations are Reviving Ophelia, a television movie about an abusive teenage relationship, and Jack of Diamonds, about an unlikely team of thieves that join forces to help those cheated by a corrupt insurance company.

See below for a full list of Muse’s 2011 Gemini Nominations:

THE KENNEDYS:

Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie

(Muse Entertainment in association with Asylum Entertainment)

Best Achievement in Make-Up

Jordan Samuel, Jenny Arbour, Linda Dowd, Colin Penman

Best Costume Design

Christopher Hargadon

Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Jon Cassar

Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Program, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Sean Callery

Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series

David Moxness

Best Production Design in a Fiction Program or Series

Rocco Matteo

Best Sound in a Dramatic Program

Frank Morrone, Henry Embry, Mark Gingras, Katie Halliday, John Laing, Jill Purdy, Stephen Traub, Marilee Yorston

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Barry Pepper

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Diana Hardcastle

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH:

Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie

(Tandem Communications and Muse Entertainment, in association with Scott Free Films)

Best Achievement in Make-Up

Colleen Quinton

Best Costume Design

Mario Davignon

Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Program, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Trevor Morris

Best Sound in a Dramatic Program

Marcel Pothier, Jo Caron, Gavin Fernandes, Guy Francoeur, Louis Gignac, Antoine Morin, Guy Pelletier, Christian Rivest

Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

John Pielmeier

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Rufus Sewell

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Ian McShane

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Alison Pill

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Hayley Atwell

DURHAM COUNTY:

Best Direction in a Dramatic Series

Charles Binamé (The World Ends)

Best Sound in a Dramatic Series

Steve Moore, Alex Bullick, Yann Cleary, Christian Cooke, Andrea Higgins, Jill Purdy, Marilee Yorston

Best Achievement in Casting

Marissa Richmond, Libby Goldstein, Andrea Kenyon, Suzanne Smith, Randi Wells

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role

Hugh Dillon

Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series

Michael Nardone

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series

Bénédicte Decary

BEING HUMAN:

Best Achievement in Make-Up

Emilie Gauthier, Erik Gosselin

Best Direction in a Dramatic Series

Paolo Barzman (Dog Eats Dog)

Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series

Simon Webb

Best Visual Effects

Mario Rachiele, Marie-Ève Bédard-Tremblay, Benoît Brière, Carl Gagnon, Catherine Hébert, Raphaël Hubert, Jonathan Laborde, Jean-Francois Lafleur, Pierre-Simon Lebrun-Chaput, Philippe Sylvain

Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role

Sam Witwer

JACK OF DIAMONDS:

Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Peter Hume

REVIVING OPHELIA:

Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Teena Booth

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series

Rebecca Williams

Cast members Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath and Sam Huntington entertained the crowd at Saturday's panel, discussing upcoming changes.

The original Being Human already has a solid fanbase and when the North American version debuted earlier this year, it was clear the franchise was securing its hold.

Season 2 of Syfy's Being Human, which launches next January, sees Aidan, Sally and Josh all going through significant characer changes, so what should viewers be expecting? "Werewolf babies!," joked Sam Huntington, who plays werewolf Josh. "We had this seven-month break and the whole time I was looking forward to picking up where we left off."

Josh is "stronger and he's more in tune with who he is. His relationship with Norah has developed in very interesting ways," Huntington continued.

Sally, played by Meaghan Rath, said her character (a ghost) has learned "more about who she is in her death than she's ever had in her life. We leave off three weeks after we stopped."

Sam Witwer's Aidan, whose "father figure" Bishop is no longer around, "has been strugglign with going clean," Witwer said. "He had this father figure [for 200-plus years and] at the end of the season, Aidan frees himself from that. If youre trying to get off what is essentially a drug habit," which means staying away from the vampires, it proves to be difficult.

When asked if Witwer took from other vampire shows or movies to ready himself for Aidan, the actor revealed that he hadn't "seen True Blood or Vampire Diaries or Twilight."

"I actually don't know if it's actually original or done what a lot of other people have done," Witwer added of his portrayal of Aidan.

In the upcoming Season 2 premiere, however, the cast revealed some minor spoilers. "I snuck a Star Wars reference in the first episode," Witwer revealed, citing his work on Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game as Galen Marek/Starkiller.

Executive producer Jeremy Carver, who along with wife and fellow EP Anna Fricke, developed Being Human for North America, discussed how they went about adapting the hugely popular BBC version to theirs. "It's always challenging ... the way we sort of blended the BBC version and ours," Carver said. "This year, we'll see that we're striking on a way farly different path. We're laying down our own framework here."

Carver teased that there will be "new types of werewolves, vampires and ghosts" in the upcoming season, which just began shooting two weeks ago.

But it was clear throughout the panel the great rapport Rath, Witwer and Huntington have with each other. At several points, Witwer impersonated Arnold Schwarzenegger and poked fun of his own dimple chin. During one of the highlights, Rath and Witwer went on a two-minute run pretending to have high-pitched voices and funny accents, a gag that Huntington shared could go on forever.

As always, things aren't fine and dandy in the Being Human household. With Aidan in particular, Witwer said, "He always tried to play it like he was on his game [even though he's not]. He's completely off the rails this season because Bishop is not around. .. It's a huge deal for Bishop to be gone."

Witwer continued: "First episode, he kills a girl, oops. This is a guy who isn't ready to be on his own yet. He's trying to be more open with his roommates but we see that that's not [what he's used to doing]."

Huntington told the crowd to rewatch Season 1 because his "voice gets a little more husky" as the season progresses.

SOURCE: Philiana Ng, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Last night, ABC Family debuted its original movie Cyberbully and if you didn't see it, you probably should. And if you have kids, ya definitely should. Because it turns out that those Kardashian sex tapes and sad Live Journal fanfic forums aren't the Internet's biggest problems. Online bullying is.

Charting one teen's nightmarish run-in with cyber taunts from bitchy classmates and strangers alike (including a fake suitor created by a jealous pal), this unsettling, at times heartbreaking, flick was like the anti-Social Network. Instead of showing how fun sites like Facebook or Twitter can be, we got to see how ferocious the web can get when left in the hands of haters who hide behind the perceived anonymity of their abusive online activity. From lie-filled wall posts and cruel picture comments to homemade viral videos and nasty tweets, it's brutal out there. And based on the rise of bully-related teen suicides in the last few years, it can also be fatal.

Thankfully, amid all the drama — wonderfully handled by Emily Osment as the cyberpariah and Kelly Rowan as her powerless mother — there was also a major download of info for kids (and under-grown adults) dealing with these keyboard terrorists. Apparently, bullies keep going because they don't think their victims will do anything about it, so if you've ever encountered an online assault, here's a few tips for beating the bullies at their own game.

—Tell your parents and teachers.
—Print out all abusive posts for proof.
—Use that "block" button with abandon, people!
—Contact the bully's Internet provider and let them know what's up. You can shut it
down by having their service shut down!

Did you watch last night? If so, what did you learn from Cyberbully? Other than the fact that Emily Osment needs her own show, pronto?

source: Damian Holbrook, TV GUIDE

Muse Entertainment is proud to announce that it has garnered a total of 17 Emmy Nominations for the miniseries The Kennedys and Pillars of the Earth.

The 8-hour historical drama, The Kennedys, produced by Muse in association with Asylum Entertainment, has been nominated for 10 Emmy Awards including: Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actor (Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper), Outstanding Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Outstanding Art Direction, Outstanding Cinematography, Outstanding Hairstyling, Outstanding Make-Up (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music and Outstanding Sound Mixing.

The Pillars of the Earth, co-produced with Germany’s Tandem Communications brought in 7 Emmy nominations (four of which were for Canadians in different craft categories) including Outstanding Cinematography and Outstanding Miniseries.

The Kennedys premiered on ReelzChannel in the U.S. this past April, and brought in more than  2 million viewers per episode. The Kennedys was also the highest rated dramatic program ever for History Television in Canada for its opening episode with over 1 million viewers. The miniseries also broke audience records on History UK (425,000 viewers), on SVT in Sweden (766,000 viewers), on RTBF in French language Belgium and on RTE in Ireland. Most recently, The Kennedys brought in over 2.6 million viewers for the series premiere episode on BBC Two in the UK on June 17, outperforming BBC Two’s year-to-date slot average of 1.6m

"We are overwhelmingly proud to be honoured with multiple nominations for the The Kennedys which we produced, and for The Pillars of the Earth, which we co-produced, in the past year.  These nominations establish that our peers look at these productions as among the best in the world,” says Executive Producer & Muse Entertainment President Michael Prupas.

The Kennedys has been licensed by more than 130 territories around the world including Quebec’s Super Ecran, France Television 3, Japan’s NHK, Switzerland’s TSR, Italy’s La Sette, Spain’s Telecinco, Norway’s NRK, New Zealand’s Sky TV, Israel’s IBA, Finland’s YLE , Australia’s ABC and Latin America’s A&E.

Canada is well-represented at this year’s Emmy Awards, with nominations for homegrown actors Christopher Plummer, Michael J. Fox, Will Arnett and Barry Pepper, and nods for prominent Canadian TV productions.

In one of the bigger surprises of yesterday’s Emmy announcements, the miniseries The Kennedys drew 10 nominations overall, including a nod for Pepper, who hails from Campbell River, B.C., for his portrayal of the late Bobby Kennedy.

The Kennedys was also nominated for best miniseries, up against the HBO heavyweights Mildred Pierce, Cinema Verite and Too Big to Fail, and ITV’s Downton Abbey.

Filmed in Toronto, The Kennedys was originally set to broadcast on the U.S. History Channel but was dropped following complaints of historical inaccuracy and eventually sold to the lower-tier cable outlet ReelzChannel.

“There's been a lot of very, very negative comment about the show that has come from people who had an axe to grind, as far as I'm concerned,” Michael Prupas, the show's Montreal-based producer, said of the behind-the-scenes saga.

“Getting these nominations is a tremendous vindication.”

In Canada, the miniseries has aired on History Television and Global.

The 63rd Prime-Time Emmy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on September 18th.

Muse Entertainment has begun production in Montreal of the second season of the hit sci-fi series Being Human.  The 13-episode series is about three paranormal roommates and stars Sam Witwer (Smallville, CSI), Meaghan Rath (Prom Wars, 18 to Life) and Sam Huntington (Fanboys, Superman Returns.  Dichen Lachman (Doll House, Torchwood) joins the cast this season playing a reclusive, centuries-old, vampire royal.

Being Human became an instant hit for US network Syfy when it premiered in January 2011, averaging 1.8 million viewers, and making it Syfy’s most successful, winter-season, scripted series launch in 6 years.  In Canada, the debut was the most successful new series launch in winter/spring for SPACE since 2005.

Being Human explores what it means to be human through the eyes of its supernatural outsiders: Aidan (Witwer), a vampire, Sally (Rath), a ghost and Josh (Huntington), a werewolf. By turns frightening, witty, and romantic, the characters struggle on with their double lives, while trying to appear normal.

Based on the highly popular UK series created by Touchpaper TV, Being Human is produced by Muse Entertainment in association with Zodiak Media Group, for Syfy and for SPACE in Canada and is distributed worldwide by Zodiak Rights. Being Human Series 1 has already sold in over 30 territories globally.

Executive Producers of the series are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who are both writers/showrunners, Adam Kane (Heroes, Pushing Daisies), Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky is series Producer. Pierre Jodoin is Director of Photography and Zoe Sakellaropoulo is Production Designer. Adam Kane and Paolo Barzman (The Last Templar, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) are directing the first three episodes. Directors for the other episodes will be announced later.

Dichen Lachman is joining the cast of the hit original drama series Being Human, produced by Muse Entertainment. Lachman will portray a reclusive, centuries-old vampire royal whose unexpected return to Boston’s vampire society throws main character Aidan (Sam Witwer) and the city into disarray. Being Human begins production on its second season this month in Montreal and will air in 2012.

Dichen Lachman previously co-starred as Sierra on Joss Whedon’s FOX series Dollhouse and has guest starred on Hawaii Five-0, NCIS LA and the upcoming season of Torchwood. She is represented by Jennifer Craig of The Gersh Agency and Mel McKeon and Laura Myones of McKeon-Myones Management.

Being Human became an instant hit for Syfy when it premiered in January 2011 averaging 1.8 million viewers making it the channel’s most successful winter season scripted series launch in 6 years.

In the series, leading everyday lives is a lot harder than it looks for three supernatural roommates – vampire Aidan (Sam Witwer), ghost Sally (Meaghan Rath) and werewolf Josh (Sam Huntington) – who share their secrets and a Boston brownstone. Together they learn that there are fates worse than death and more to life – and the afterlife – than most "normal" humans could ever imagine. 

Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys, Pillars of the Earth), Jeremy Carver (Supernatural) and Anna Fricke (Men in Trees, Everwood) who are both writers/showrunners, Adam Kane (The Mentalist, Heroes) and Rob Pursey and Toby Whithouse. Irene Litinsky is series Producer.

Being Human is a Muse Entertainment production in association with Zodiak USA. It is based on the acclaimed series, Being Human, created by Toby Whithouse and produced by Touchpaper Television, part of Zodiak Media Group.

The Kennedys continues its winning streak across the globe with over 2.6 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere episode on BBC Two in the UK on June 17. Audience numbers remained steady for the follow-up episode the same night with over 2.3 million viewers, outperforming BBC2’s year-to-date slot average of 1.6m and 1.57m respectively.

Since its world premiere on ReelzChannel in the U.S. this past April, which brought in a record breaking  2 million plus viewers per episode, The Kennedys was the highest rated dramatic program ever for History Television in Canada for its opening episode with over 1,000,000 viewers. The mini-series also pulled in 425,000 viewers for the opening four episodes on History UK, making it History’s top performing series ever; 766,000 viewers in Sweden for the premiere of the series as well as an 18.5% share for the first two episodes on RTBF in French language Belgium and a 24.77% share for episode one in Ireland on RTE.

"The Kennedys continues to perform beyond expectations in the markets where it is broadcast" says Michael Prupas, an executive producer of the miniseries and President of its distributor, Muse Distribution International. “The reason why the BBC Two executives were so delighted about the size of its audience is because it came after the show had already been shown on History Channel UK”, he continued.

The Kennedys has been licensed by more than 50 territories around the world for broadcast in 2011 including Quebec’s Super Ecran, France Television 3, Japan’s NHK, Switzerland’s TSR, Italy’s La Sette, Spain’s Telecinco, Norway’s NRK, New Zealand’s Sky TV, Israel’s IBA, Finland’s YLE and Australia’s ABC.

 “…thanks to the clever people at BBC2, we can now enjoy all the ups and downs of JFK and the clan. And marvel at Katie Holme’s uncanny portrayal of Jackie.”

- News of the World

 “This controversial mini-series immediately sucks you in. 3 stars”

– Mail on Sunday

 “Tom Wilkinson steals the show in the first episode of this well cast, cannily paced, eight-part mini-series…a treat.”

– The Observer

“This eight-part mini-series vividly portrays the story of the most influential family in the world. 5 stars”

– The People

“There are many reasons to tune into The Kennedys, First there’s the fine cast…then there’s the fact that the team behind 24 is at the helm of this new series. It gets our vote.”

– Sunday Express Magazine

“…the storytelling works…(Tom) Wilkinson is marvelous and Barry Pepper’s Bobby also convinces.”

– Sunday Times Culture

“5 stars”

– Daily Star

“Unusually for such biopics, the acting is solid… the dialogue doesn’t clunk, and the story is riveting.”

– The Times

Muse Entertainment's latest production Cyberbully, starring Emily Osment (Hannah Montana), Kelly Rowan (The OC) and Kay Panabaker (No Ordinary Family), will premiere July 17th at 8 pm on ABC Family. The television movie follows a teenage girl who is pushed to the brink of suicide by the online bullying she gets from kids at school.

Cyberbully is directed by Charles Binamé (Being Human) and written by Teena Booth (Reviving Ophelia). Executive Producers are Michael Prupas (The Kennedys) and Joel S. Rice (Change of Plans). The film is produced by Jesse Prupas (Jack of Diamonds).

The Kennedys, an 8-hour historical drama about America’s most legendary political family, is being licensed by more than 50 territories around the world for broadcast this year, making The Kennedys one of the most highly anticipated television events of 2011.
            
“World-wide reaction to The Kennedys has been phenomenal," says Michael Prupas, president of Muse Distribution International, the miniseries’ distributor.  “It’s striking an immediate emotional chord with programmers. We’re being told to ship as fast as we can. And the last episode just finished postproduction. We have discussions scheduled with more territories at MIPTV next month.”

“We tell the story of the Kennedys in a way that has never been done,” says Joel Surnow, an executive producer of The Kennedys. “We show who they were as people and why this family is America’s most famous and enduring. When you look at the checklist of all the themes you look for when you start a drama, this one has a 10/10 checklist: ambition, jealousy, betrayal, tragedy… the list goes on and you’ll find it in the Kennedy family. It’s Shakespearean, it’s a Greek tragedy.”

The Kennedys has an all-star lineup: Greg Kinnear plays John F Kennedy, Barry Pepper is Robert F. Kennedy, Katie Holmes is Jackie, and Tom Wilkinson is the dynasty’s patriarch, Joseph Kennedy Sr.

Reelz Network in the US will begin broadcast on April 3; Canada’s History Television on April 10; Quebec’s Super Ecran on April 3; UK’s History™ channel on April 7 and Sweden’s SVT on April 9.  BBC 2, France Television 3, Switzerland’s TSR and Belgium’s RTBF are planning a spring or summer broadcast. Italy’s La Sette, Spain’s Telecinco, Norway’s NRK, New Zealand’s Sky TV, Belgium’s VRT, Israel’s IBA, Finland’s YLE and Australia’s ABC also acquired The Kennedys. The miniseries will also be broadcast throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on AETN History™ networks. Several other European, Asian and Middle Eastern nations will also air The Kennedys.

            
In the series, the intimate story of the Kennedy family plays out against the backdrop of the great political events of the era; the Berlin Wall, the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which nearly triggered World War III. Through flashbacks to the 1930's, 1940's and 1950’s, the series explores the epic achievements, regrets, loyalties, loves, betrayals, triumphs and tragedies surrounding John, Robert and Joe Sr., and the women who unconditionally support them. The series delves into the events that shaped the family, including the tragic death of Joe Jr., John’s first run for Congress, Robert’s loyalty to John’s political career and John’s marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier, ending with John’s and Robert’s tragic assassinations.

The Kennedys is a production of Muse Entertainment in association with Asylum Entertainment.

Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Film Productions are proud to announce that Durham County’s third and final season has been nominated for five Monte Carlo Television Awards.

The 6 x 1 hour crime drama was nominated in the categories of Outstanding International Producers (Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas), Outstanding Actor (Hugh Dillon, Michael Nardone) and Outstanding Actress (Hélène Joy, Laurence Leboeuf).

Nominated for 18 Gemini awards, winner of 7, and praised by the New York Times as “entirely addictive,” Durham County is developed and produced by Muse Entertainment Enterprises Inc. and Back Alley Film Productions Ltd. with Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central and Astral Media’s The Movie Network. The series is produced with participation from the Canadian Media Fund. It is being distributed internationally by ITV Global Entertainment Media.

The series airs on HBO Canada (Eastern Canada) and Movie Central (Western Canada), as well as over 100 territories worldwide.

Syfy has renewed Being Human for a second season.

Being Human, the U.S. version of the British series, produced by Muse Entertainment in association with ZODIAK USA, has averaged 1.8 million viewers so far in its first season, making it the cable network’s most successful winter scripted series launch in six years.

Syfy is also touting Being Human as its most female-skewing series to date, with women making up 53 percent of its viewers.

Being Human stars Sam Witwer, Meaghan Rath, Sam Huntington and Mark Pellegrino.

source: The Hollywood Reporter