‘Canada Shore’ out to prove Canadians can outparty, outfight and ‘outdrink Americans’

TORONTO - Why does Canada need its own version of “Jersey Shore”?

For 24-year-old Gizelle Baugh, it’s a chance to shake stereotypes of Canadian meekness at a time when U.S. president Donald Trump’s annexation threats have ignited debates over national identity.

“I feel like the world thinks we're like America's quiet little sister. Well actually, America's quiet little sister is Canada, we just got our (breasts) done and we're about to pop out,” says the Mississauga, Ont., TikTok creator.

“This is going to show we're our own country. Fifty-which state, Trump? All these things are happening, there's liquor we can't get anymore, and you want to take us as your own country?

PWHLers, NHL commissioner among fans of gay hockey drama ‘Heated Rivalry’

Erin Ambrose isn't much of a reader.

At least, she wasn't until she discovered "Heated Rivalry."

Like millions of people around the globe, the Montreal Victoire defender was enraptured watching Crave's drama about gay hockey players.

"I don't know if I've binged a show — or wanted to binge a show — quicker," she said. "I was extremely disappointed it didn't all come out at the same time because I just wanted to get it all done in one night."

’60 Minutes’ airs report on Trump deportations that was suddenly pulled a month ago

“60 Minutes” on Sunday aired its story about Trump administration deportations that was abruptly pulled from the newsmagazine's lineup a month ago, a move that had triggered an internal battle about political pressure that spilled out into the open.

Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi made no reference to her dispute with CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss in the story about deportees who had been sent to El Salvador's notoriously harsh CECOT prison. When the segment was struck from the Dec. 21 episode on Weiss' orders, Alfonsi told her “60 Minutes” colleagues that it “was not an editorial decision, it was a political one.”

Weiss had argued that the story did not sufficiently reflect the administration's viewpoint or advance reporting that had been done by other news organizations earlier.

The story shown Sunday included no on-camera interviews with Trump administration officials. But it did include statements from the White House and Department of Homeland Security that were not part of what Alfonsi had used before her story was pulled. Some of statements, which were carried in full on the “60 Minutes” website, were dated prior to Dec. 21.

‘Heated Rivalry’ star François Arnaud on navigating fame, fans and online firestorms

By the time François Arnaud realized how obsessed people were with "Heated Rivalry," it was already too late.

“I remember telling my agent, ‘I think this is going to be a worldwide sensation.’ But I did not think that it would happen overnight like it did,” the Montreal-born actor said in an interview Friday.

“It's a thing to deal with, to be witnessed at all times. I can't go out on the street at all without being recognized in 20 seconds.”

"Heated Rivalry” — Crave's breakaway gay hockey drama starring Arnaud as veteran forward Scott Hunter — has exploded into a global phenomenon. Carried by HBO Max stateside, the show has dominated the American media cycle, its cast appearing on late-night talk shows and red-carpet events.

Author Rachel Reid on what the next ‘Heated Rivalry’ book will be about and tuning out the mania

As "Heated Rivalry" author Rachel Reid writes the latest instalment in the love story that served as the basis for the hit television series, she's trying to strike a delicate balance.

There's real-world inspiration to be found in how quickly her life changed following the Crave series' debut in November, but she's also trying to ignore the show's existence. 

"'I'm trying really hard not to think about the show versions of the characters while I'm writing this," she said on a video call Thursday. 

"I'm pretending there's no show, because if I start thinking that way, I start thinking about the possibility of what I'm writing being filmed, then I think about real people having to say and do these things, and then I'm just not going to be able to do it."

Heritage minister says hockey romance ‘Heated Rivalry’ is a Cancon triumph

OTTAWA - The Canadian TV show "Heated Rivalry" is winning fans all around the world — including Culture Minister Marc Miller, who calls the show a Cancon triumph.

The Crave original series — a love story about pro hockey players on rival teams — is based on a series of romance novels by Nova Scotia's Rachel Reid.

Miller told The Canadian Press he has watched the first episode and is keen to watch more. He said "Heated Rivalry" has a "great plot" and is breaking down a lot of stereotypes.

The Crave series, which airs on HBO Max in the U.S., features a lot of Canadian talent, including writer-director Jacob Tierney and actors Hudson Williams, François Arnaud and Sophie Nélisse.

Destination Ontario touts restaurants, historic villa where ‘Heated Rivalry’ filmed

TORONTO - Destination Ontario is encouraging fans of "Heated Rivalry" to relive their favourite moments from the Crave series by visiting filming locations across the province.

The tourism body shared on social media a list of six spots that serve as the backdrop to the lustful hockey show.

Most of the locations listed are in Hamilton, including FirstOntario Concert Hall, the set for the fictional Major League Hockey Awards; Dundurn Castle, which stands in for Moscow in the show; and the restaurants Ciao Bella and Le Tambour Tavern. 

Destination Ontario also lists Joni Restaurant in Toronto, which is used as a Las Vegas location in the series, and points to the entire Muskoka Region, where pivotal cottage scenes were filmed.

Hey ho, let’s go watch punks, cops and spies

Punk rock, kooky spies, crooked cops, a hilarious old man and a contract killer with a big, big problem: that should be enough to tide viewers over for a couple of weeks!

Rachel Reid to publish another book in ‘Heated Rivalry’ universe

TORONTO - The "Heated Rivalry" boys are coming back sooner than expected — at least in book form.

Harlequin announced Monday that Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid would publish the seventh instalment in her "Game Changers" series in September.

"Unrivaled" returns to the love story of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, the subjects of the Crave TV show and of the second and sixth books in the series, "Heated Rivalry" and "The Long Game."

The other books in the series follow different gay couples in the world of professional hockey.

Seth Rogen, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Heated Rivalry’ stars shine at Golden Globes

Life imitated art for Seth Rogen as he won big at Sunday’s Golden Globes, capping a maple leaf-stamped fever dream of a night that also saw “K-Pop Demon Hunters” and the Canadian creator of "The Pitt" triumph.

Rogen won the award for best male actor in a comedy for his Hollywood-skewering series “The Studio,” and the meta-ness of the moment was not lost on him.

“This is so weird,” said the Vancouver native during his acceptance speech. “We just pretended to do this and now it’s happening.”

In episode eight of the Apple TV comedy, Rogen’s fictional studio exec Matt Remick attends the Golden Globes and goes to great lengths to ensure he gets a shout-out if one of his films wins.

‘Heated Rivalry’ rewatch event brings fans together at Montreal bookshop

MONTREAL - On Sunday nights at an independent bookstore in Montreal, a city known for its love of hockey, fans of the hockey romance TV series "Heated Rivalry" gather to rewatch episodes of the just-concluded first season with fellow enthusiasts.

“I've joined the group psychosis of 'Heated Rivalry,' and I'm so excited about it,” said Jodi Tellier, one of 60 fans who attended the screening of the first episode on a cold Sunday evening at Joie de livres on St-Laurent Boulevard.

“We consider ourselves 'Heated Rivalry' headquarters!” exclaimed Carrie-Ann Kloda, director of hospitality at the bookshop, which also hosted a sold-out Q-and-A in October with Rachel Reid, author of the novel that the show was adapted from.

The event this past Sunday night featured themed cocktails, such as The Rocket and The Naughty Scott Hunter, and a post-screening discussion led by co-owner Claire Trottier.

Nikki Glaser takes swings at CBS and Leo, goes gentle on Julia in Golden Globes monologue

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nikki Glaser went hard then eased up in her monologue to open Sunday's Golden Globes.

In her earliest jokes she suggested stars in the room might be in the Epstein Files and took a shot at CBS, the network airing the show.

“There are so many A-listers, and by A-listers, I do mean people who are on a list that has been heavily redacted," she said. “And the Golden Globe for best editing goes to the Justice Department."

She segued into mocking the recent woes at CBS News and its killing of a critical “60 Minutes” story about the Trump Administration sending immigrants to a prison in El Salvador.

Interlake explorer leads TV viewers on a modern Viking quest

Winnipegger Johann Sigurdson, a protagonist of the Quest for the Lost Vikings TV series that premièred on Super Channel Quest last Sunday, identifies with a long line of Norse explorers.

A millennium-long line, to be precise.

“We actually descend from folks that were likely here back from the time of the L’Anse aux Meadows: Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir,” says Sigurdson.

The latter two are now recognized as early Icelandic explorers of North America, while L’Anse aux Meadows is an archeological site in Newfoundland of Norse settlement from about 1,000 years ago.