#FIRSTLOOK: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO PANELS ANNOUNCED AT NEW YORK COMIC CON’S METAVERSE

Sad we won’t be in-person at NEW YORK COMIC CON after having a blast last year, but no worries – there will be tons of exciting virtual activities which you can tune-into on their official YouTube Channel right here.

Amazon Prime Video have announced their slate of Panels at NEW YORK COMIC CON this October.

SERIES:Truth Seekers
ABOUT: Join executive producer and series star Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), along with co-stars Samson Kayo (Timewasters), Emma D’Arcy (Hanna), Susan Wokoma (Year of the Rabbit), and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), as they discuss the making of this hilarious eight-episode supernatural horror comedy series about a team of part-time paranormal investigators, who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK, sharing their adventures on an online channel for all to see. Discussion and Q&A moderated by IGN’s Terri Schwartz.
WHEN:  Thursday, October 8 at 2:15 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook: @AmazonPrimeVideo; Twitter: @PrimeVideo; #TruthSeekers

SERIES:Utopia
ABOUT:  A twisted, eight-episode thriller about a group of young comic fans who discover the conspiracy in a graphic novel is real, and embark on a high-stakes adventure to save humanity from the end of the world.  Join writer and executive producer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and series stars John Cusack (High Fidelity), Rainn Wilson (The Office), Sasha Lane (American Honey), Ashleigh LaThrop (Fifty Shades Freed), Dan Byrd (Cougar Town), Desmin Borges (You’re The Worst), and Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) for a Q&A moderated by Variety’s Danielle Turchiano.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 3:05 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @UtopiaOnPrime; #UtopiaTV

SERIES: Alex Rider
ABOUT: Join author and executive producer Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War) and series star Otto Farrant (Salmon Fishing in Yemen) for a Q&A discussion as they preview this coming of age spy-thriller series, based on the best-selling, global phenomenon book franchise, prior to its November 13^th premiere on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service. The series follows a London based teenager named Alex Rider, who has unknowingly been trained since childhood for the dangerous world of espionage, and now finds himself reluctantly working undercover to investigate his uncle’s death in a remote boarding school called Point Blanc.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 3:55 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @IMDbTV; Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @AlexRiderTV

SERIES:The Boys
ABOUT: Join The Boys’ cast and showrunner as they answer fans’ burning questions and tease what’s to come in advance of the shocking finale of the critically-acclaimed second season. Based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes – who are as popular as celebrities – abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. The even more intense and insane Season Two, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, finds The Boys on the run from the law, hunted by the Supes, and trying to regroup and fight back against Vought.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 4:15 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheBoysTV; #TheBoys

SERIES: Invincible
ABOUT: Join creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) live as he teases what fans can anticipate from this upcoming adult animated series, based on his iconic comic book by the same name, which revolves around 17-year old Mark Grayson, who’s just like every other guy his age – except his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 4:50 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook: @AmazonPrimeVideo; Twitter: @PrimeVideo

(Photo credit: Amazon Prime Video)

#COOKING: MEATBALLS x PASTA RECIPE

Meatballs x Pasta. Fall means comfort foods and our favourite always has been Spaghetti & Meatballs. Of course now that we’ve grown-up we’ve found little ways to elevate and make it a bit more sophisticated. We hope you like our take!

Ingredients:

17.6 oz Alfetra Pasta (i.e. Vesuvio)
1/2 lb medium ground beef (or lean if you prefer, medium makes for more tender results)
1/2 lb ground pork
1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 tbsps unsalted butter
4 slices of Mozzarella/Havarti Cheese, sliced into small squares
1 egg
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 white onion, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped Parsley
1/4 cup chopped Basil
4 Bay Leaves
4-5 Anchovies in oil
2 tbsps organic raw sugar
2 tbsps Truffle Oil
Sea salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In large bowl, use hands to mix ground beef and pork, egg, half of onion, parsley, basil and garlic, Panko, milk, Parmesan, 1 tbs of truffle oil, salt and pepper. Roll into about 20 meatballs, stuffing each with a bit of cheese slices.
2. Cook in Air Fryer at 400F for about 9 minutes, dividing meatballs in two batches. Transfer to platter.
3. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve a few ladles of the water for later. Strain pasta.
4. In large sauce pan, sautee on medium-high heat the remaining garlic, onions and red pepper, in 1 tbsp truffle oil.
5. Add tomatoes and paste and about 1/3 cup of water. Bring to boil.
6. Add bay leaves, anchovies, sugar and remainder of parsley and basil.
7. Add in meatballs, season sauce with salt and pepper and reduce to simmer. Cook for minimum two hours on low heat, stirring occasionally.
8. When ready to plate, take a large skillet and on medium heat, melt butter. Toss-in pasta and season with a bit more salt. Pour-in a couple ladles of reserved pasta water and add a bit of chopped basil, stirring gently.
9. Pour a couple ladles of sauce from the meatball mixture into the pasta, again stirring gently. Remove from heat.
10. Plate pasta. Spoon meatballs and sauce on-top of pasta. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “TRUTH SEEKERS”

After an announcement at Comic-Con@Home earlier this Summer, now comes the brand-new Trailer for TRUTH SEEKERS from the people who brought us SHAUN OF THE DEAD and HOT FUZZ!

Synopsis:

Truth Seekers is a supernatural comedy drama series about a team of part-time paranormal investigators who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK, sharing their adventures on an online channel for all to see. However, as they stake out haunted churches, underground bunkers and abandoned hospitals with their array of homemade ghost-detecting gizmos, their supernatural experiences grow more frequent, more terrifying and even deadly, as they begin to uncover a conspiracy that could bring about Armageddon for the entire human race. 

Set in a mysterious world filled with dread and just-out-of-sight monsters, Truth Seekers mixes the very funny with the very scary in an exciting take on genre storytelling, and stars Nick Frost as Gus, Simon Pegg as Dave, Samson Kayo as Elton, Malcolm McDowell as Richard, Emma D’Arcy as Astrid, and Susan Wokoma as Helen.

See the Trailer:

TRUTH SEEKERS arrives on Amazon Prime Video October 30, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Amazon Prime Video)

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7”

Aaron Sorkin‘s THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 is one many of our most-anticipated lists. We get a new glimpse of this Drama with a brand-new Trailer!

Synopsis:

What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale—were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history.

Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Noah Robbins, Danny Flaherty, Ben Shenkman, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Caitlin Fitzgerald, Alice Kremelberg, John Doman, J.C. MacKenzie, Damien Young, Wayne Duvall, C.J. Wilson

See the Trailer:

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 arrives on Netflix Friday, October 16, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

Aaron Sorkin

#FIRSTLOOK: NETFLIX CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN CANADA

Netflix this month is celebrating its 10th year in Canada. To ring-in the occasion. several Canadian stars have come together in this reel to commemorate the occasion.

Starting September 22, Netflix members will be able to access a collection which houses films and series spanning across different categories that have a Canadian connection – from categories such as animation, Canadian talent, filmed in Canada and so much more.

We still remember being among the first Media outlets invited to preview the first couple episodes of HOUSE OF CARDS!

Check-out the Reel here:

Stars include:

Ryan Reynolds (6 Underground)

Antoni Porowski (Queer Eye)

Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things)

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever)

Connor Jessup (Locke & Key)

Amanda Stephen (Orange is the New Black)

Momona Tamada (The Baby-Sitters Club)

Laysla De Oliveira (Locke & Key, In the Tall Grass)

Enuka Okuma (The Sleepover; Slasher)

Justin Chatwin (Shameless; Another Life; Summer Night)

Amir Bageria (Grand Army)

Malia Baker (The Baby-Sitters Club)

Anna Cathcart (To All the Boys I’ve Loved; To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love you)

Kris Pearn (The Willoughbys; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2; Arthur Christmas)

Guillaume Laurin (The Decline)

Ben Hollingsworth (Virgin River)

Cameron Britton (The Umbrella Academy, Mindhunter)

Florence Longpré (Can You Hear Me?)

Charlie Gillespie (Julie and the Phantoms)

(Photo/video credit: Netflix Canada)

#NEWMUSIC: AVA MAX – “HEAVEN & HELL”

AVA MAX exploded onto the Pop scene in the Summer of 2018 with Top 10 smash hit SWEET BY PSYCHO and after leaving such a mark, we were hungry for more. Finally, after some two years later comes her debut studio album HEAVEN & HELL and it proves well worth the wait.

The 15-track collection which she co-wrote with the help of Toronto’s Cirkut, is banger upon banger. She manages to infuse synthy nostalgia into her tunes, which draw focus not only to her stellar vocal range, but her songwriting talent. The Album at 44 minutes is a quick listen which we can loop multiple times over easily, culminating in her smash hit Sweet By Psycho saving the best for last on the sequence.

This is not to say this the only bright moment. Literally every Track start to finish is a cohesive fun Pop experience. Her melodies are reminiscent of infectious Euro-pop, but her production has a sonic sophistication to it. We hate drawing comparisons to another fashion-forward female Pop Icon, but HEAVEN AND HELL at times makes us feel the same way we did we first heard that one’s debut Disc.

The party begins with recent single, the gender-positive KINGS & QUEENS which samples Bonnie Tyler‘s If You Were a Woman (And I Was a Man) .

NAKED is just about as seductive as it sounds, that hook crawling into our ears and sticking. Ava Max sings about really getting to know her soul and not just her body, “Well you can take off all my clothes and never see me naked/You don’t know how heart/You’re never gonna break it”. The Track is single-worthy. Gorgeous.

Charlie Puth sneaks-in a writing credit on the fun TATTOO which keeps the fun momentum going.

BORN TO THE NIGHT is pure authentic ’80s-inspired Synth-Pop. The type that transports you to a land of melancholic euphoria you never want to leave.

BELLADONNA takes us into darker territory, complete with gothic bells and really takes flight late, as she sings about being the type of dangerous woman a boy can get addicted to.

Our ears have only known such joy a few times in 2020 and this stellar debut counts among them.

Warner Music Canada release AVA MAX‘s HEAVEN & HELL.

Click here to buy a copy.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “THE GLORIAS”

After its premiere at Sundance earlier this year, we soon will get to enjoy THE GLORIAS from Director Julie Taymor, at home!

Synopsis:

The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem‘s (Julianne Moore) itinerant childhood’s influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women’s rights worldwide.

See the Trailer:

levelFILM release THE GLORIAS on Digital and On-Demand Friday, October 4, 2020.

(Photo/video credit: levelFILM)

#HORSRACING: “STARSHIP JUBILEE” SCORES IN THE THE 2020 RICOH WOODBINE MILE

One of the the Canadian racing season’s biggest highlights is RICOH WOODBINE MILE weekend, featuring three Win and You’re In stakes races, which earn winners a berth at the sport’s championship weekend, the Breeders’ Cup. Betting on Mile Satuday tallied-in at a whopping $11.8 million.

Bringing it home for the locals this year was super-mare STARSHIP JUBLIEE who continues to be a dream claim for Trainer Kevin Attard, notching his first win in the $1-million Ricoh Woodbine Mile in his first ever attempt. The seven-year-old mare by Indy Wind was a $16,000 claim in Florida with the helpful eye of Attard‘s father Tino, back in 2017 and with her win in the Mile, took her lifetime earnings past the $2-million mark. In addition to beating her male counterparts, Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year solidified her case for another shot at the title at next year’s 46th edition of the Sovereign Awards, honouring Canada’s best in racing. Justin Stein was aboard for the win for Blue Heaven Farm, winning by a margin of one length over Mark Casse Trainee MARCH TO THE ARCH in a time of 1:32.06, less than a second off the track record set back in 2013 in the same race by Wise Dan.

Female talent were front-and-center on Mile Saturday. In addition to STARSHIP JUBILEE beating the boys, female Trainers Gail Cox and Breeda Hayes also nabbed stakes scores, in addition to Jockeys Sheena Ryan and Emma-Jayne Wilson.

Some snaps below of the joyous festivities.

MARCH TO THE ARCH ran a very credible second for Casse and Live Oak Plantation, under Patrick Husbands.

Favoured WAR OF WILL, winner of the 2019 Preakness Stakes and the 2020 Maker’s Mark Mile finishes a solid third for Casse and Owner Gary Barber.

Also on the card was the $125k Singspiel Stakes, taken by Sam-Son Farm‘s COUNT AGAIN. The five-year-old gelding scored in a 9-1 upset under Luis Contreras, for Trainer Gail Cox.

CREDIT RIVER scored a 41-1 upset in the $135k Ontario Racing Stakes for Trainer Breeda Hayes and Owner Hillsbrook Farms. Emma-Jayne Wilson piloted the sweeping score.

4-1 shot DIRTY DANGLE, a two-year-old daughter of Not This Time, won the $135k Woodbine Cares Stakes under Sheena Ryan for C. DeMizio & Mary Biamonte and Trainer Ralph Biamonte.

Stakes action continued Sunday with the Grade I Summer and Natalma Stakes. Winners from each race will be guaranteed a spot in the Breeders’ Cup.

Woodbine-based GRETZKY THE GREAT, a son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and namesake of Canada’s great hockey icon, took the $300k Grade I Summer Stakes under Kazushi Kimura for Owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Gary Barber and Trainer Mark Casse.

Roger Attfield Trainee LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE was simply unstoppable under Emma-Jayne Wilson, who capped-off her fantastic weekend with a score in the $300k Grade I Natalma Stakes for Owner Charles Fipke.

Some additional Snaps!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#FIRSTLOOK: “WANDAVISION” TRAILER

WANDAVISION is arriving on Disney+ later this year and here’s the brand-new Trailer unveiled during tonight’s Primetime Emmys!

Synopsis:

Marvel Studios’ captivating new series “WandaVision,” which premieres in late 2020 on Disney+, just unveiled its first trailer on ABC’s broadcast of the 72^nd Primetime Emmy® Awards. Starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, “WandaVision” marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. 

See the Trailer:

WANDAVISION arrives on Disney+ January 15, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Disney)

#TIFF20: AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Female Filmmakers were front and center at TIFF ’20 as the Festival closes-out and this year’s Award winners are announced.

Here are the complete list of winners from this year’s Festival:

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD – NOMADLAND dir. Chloé Zhao. The first runner up is One Night in Miami… dir. Regina King.  The second runner up is  Beans dir. Tracey Deer.

TIFF 2020 People’s Choice Documentary Award winner is Inconvenient Indian dir. Michelle Latimer

TIFF 2020 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award winner is Shadow in the Cloud dir.  Roseanne Liang. 

Shawn Mendes Foundation 2020 Changemaker Award is awarded to Black Bodies, a short film by Kelly Fyffe-Marshall. 

CANADA GOOSE AMPLIFY VOICES AWARDS

Amplify Voices Award for Best Canadian Feature Film: Inconvenient Indian, dir. Michelle Latimer

Special Mention: Fauna, dir. Nicolás Pereda (Canadian Film)

Amplify Voices Award: The Disciple, dir. Chaitanya Tamhane

Amplify Voices Award: Night of the Kings, dir. Philippe Lacôte

Special Mention: Downstream to Kinshasa, dir. Dieudo Hamadi

IMDbPro SHORT CUTS AWARDS in partnership with SHARE HER JOURNEY

IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Film: Dustin, dir. Naïla Guiguet

IMDbPro Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film: Benjamin, Benny, Ben, dir. Paul Shkordoff

IMDbPro Short Cuts Share Her Journey Award: Sing Me a Lullaby, dir. Tiffany Hsiung

Honourable mention: O Black Hole!, dir. Renee Zhan

(Photo credit: Searchlight Pictures)