Hosted by veteran TV columnist Bill Brioux. Each week, join in on an outspoken conversation with the actors, executives, and insiders that make the television industry pop. In each edition, Bill invites his guests to talk business, give up some great stories, and make it personal. Plus laughs.
Send us a textIn Part Two of my look at the return of Saint Pierre meet Robina Lord-Stafford. Not only does she have one of the coolest names in Canadian television, she is also, along with Allan Hawco, the co-creator of the CBC police series.Plus she lives in the same town north of the GTA where I live, Orangeville, Ont. This podcast episode, therefore, was recorded right at my kitchen table -- a first.Aspiring to write for television or currently in a writers’ room? Check out this conversation. Robina’s career has rocketed her up the ranks of players in the Canadian television community. Her first writing credits were on Frankie Drake Mysteries and Blood and Water, moving on to episodes of Hudson & Rex and Moonshine. Besides writing, she added producer credits on Pretty Hard Cases and Mary Murdoch before jumping to supervising producer on Wild Cards and now co-showrunner and executive producer status on Saint-Pierre.Hear about the mentors who helped her up the ladder as well as a pet project she hopes to one day complete: a movie about an infamous relative who once flew the Jolly Roger as a Caribbean pirate -- and I don't mean a film pirate. It is all part of the story that is Robina Lord-Stafford.
1/19/26 • 50:15
Send us a textAt the start of this conversation recorded before Christmas at the CBC broadcast centre in Toronto, Allan Hawco reminded me that I've been tailing him for 20 years -- back to the launch of Republic of Doyle in 2005. Hawco and costar Josephine Jobert are back with 12 new episodes of Saint-Pierre, the highest-rated sophomore series on CBC. The police procedural is shot on location on a tiny part of France off the coast of Newfoundland. I keep asking Allan, what, did somebody steal another baguette? Is there really that much crime in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, an eight island archipelago, pop. 5,819? Mais qui, say the stars, with stories about international smuggling, among other things, based on real crimes. This is the first half of a two-part conversation on Season Two of Saint Pierre. Next week, hear my interview with the co-creator of the series, Robina Lord-Stafford, who happens to be an Orangeville neighbour. Hear about her rapid rise up the ranks of Canadian content creators, from writing on Frankie Drake Mysteries and Moonshine (where she met Hawco) to work on Pretty Hard Cases, Wild Cards, and now Saint-Pierre.
1/12/26 • 28:50
Send us a textOne actor/comedian I have had on my most sought-after list since this venture began in 2019 is my guest this week on brioux.tv: the podcast. Jonny Harris just happens to be a busy guy, working two CBC series at once. On Murdoch Mysteries, now in its 19th season, his character Constable Crabtree has been a fan favourite since the very beginning. His own series, Still Standing, starts its 11th season this Tuesday with Harris visiting the remote, desert-like terrain of the Osoyoos Indian Band in southern British Columbia.At a time when all of Canada has its elbows up, Harris brings his folksy, community-first approach to towns across Canada trying to rebound from tough times. He visits St. Thomas, Ont., once a thriving auto centre. He heads to Acton, Ont., once worth the drive to visit the now defunct leather tannery.Harris gets the entire town out for these TV showcases, and spreads good cheer and positive stories of rebirth. Along the way, he’s not above getting an elephant shaved into the back of his head. Murdoch Mysteries continues Mondays; Still Standing returns Tuesday, Jan. 6. Both are on CBC and CBC Gem.
1/5/26 • 30:47
Send us a textDid you hear about the lady lawyer who dropped her briefs and became a solicitor? No? Me neither but BC-born Kayla Wallace plays the kick-ass law shark on Landman, now streaming on Paramount+. The second season premiere of this Taylor Sheridan series was such a hit that a third season has already been ordered. Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris the titular Landman, the manager of a large Texas oil field. Sam Elliott plays his dad. Demi Moore plays his boss, overwhelmed after the death of her husband in (John Hamm). Andy Garcia plays the shady financier who launders drug money by bailing out oil companies. Tommy does not want his help but needs it, ane he'll need every trick that Wallace's savvy character, Rebecca, can throw at rivals looking to sue this oil enterprise into recievership.If Wallace looks familiar she was a regular on When Calls the Heart before landing Landman. WCTH's Kevin McGarry is her husband. Attention all you Hearties and McGarries: the couple are expecting their first child in the new year.
12/29/25 • 31:53
Send us a textThe year 2025 has certainly been a good year to stand up for Canada. Who better to turn that mission into a TV special than Rick Mercer?The former This Hour has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report firebrand returns Sunday, December 28, with Rick Mercer Stand Up for Canada. The hour-long comedy special, featuring fellow comics Sophie Buddle, Mayce Galoni and Julie Kim, was taped before a sold out crowd last fall in Saint John, New Brunswick. That show was part of a 20-city, cross Canada tour.The CBC special opens with a song Mercer has used in comedy concerts for years – “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper. On this podcast episode, Mercer tells how that association with the band led to him inducting them into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023. We also speculate on the future of Montreal's Just for Laughs, and Mercer tells how he got former Prime Minister Jean Chretien to be his "voice of God" announcer for his string of comedy shows.
12/22/25 • 39:38
Send us a textHere is something I've been working on for a while -- a video podcast salute to a true TV pioneer: David Boreanaz, Sr. If you grew up in the '60s or '70s you may know him as Dave Thomas. No, not the SCTV comedy legend, but the host of Rocketship 7. Follow this link to blast off back to Mr. Beeper, Promo the Robot and the glory that was the space race. Buckle up for a nostaslgic ride back when TV shows flew through the air, on antennas, all the way to Canada from Buffalo's WKBW. My thanks again to David, a broadcaster and a gentleman who put kids first back when children's TV was a wild west fueled by cereal ads and imagination. By all means listen to this podcast episode if you are traveling on foot or by car. For the full experience, however, check out the video experience which is more of a mini-documentary. See Dave the storyteller, ever telegenic even as he approaches his 90th birthday next Valentine's Day. There is also a short clip of Rocketship 7 towards the end -- a sad reminder that this is basically, like many early local children's TV shows, a lost series.
12/15/25 • 48:28
Send us a textDick Van Dyke really has had the time of his life. Celebrate his centennial with three friends of the podcast: former New York Times TV critic Bill Carter, Dick Van Dyke Show expert and "Walnut Times" publisher David Van Deusen and Cinecon president and fellow film collector Stan Taffel. You'll also hear archival interviews with Van Dyke himself, original Van Dyke Show writer-producer Bill Persky, and a Canadian actress who guested on his later series, Diagnosis Murder, Claire Rankin (Son of a Critch). Enjoy this spoonful of sugar, then don't miss Van Dyke's 100th birthday salute December 12 at 8 pm on PBS's American Masters featuring Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, Martin Short and others.
12/8/25 • 76:34
Send us a textSome actors are thrilled to land a role on a TV series that lasts six or 13 episodes. Then there are Melody Thomas Scott and Peter Bergman. As all soap fans know, they’ve starred for decades as Nikki Newman and Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless. The series is in its 52nd year on both CBS and Global.Scott and Bergman, who were interviewed in Toronto this month, say the fact that these characters change all the time keeps things fresh.Sometimes those changes include new actors being cast. This November sweeps, Nikki’s grandson Noah is bandaged up like a mummy after a car accident. When the bandages come off – poof! – there’s a new actor (Lucas Adams) to go with the new face.Says Bergman, “It’s a miracle to me that the audience will buy this.” On the other hand, as he says, they bought it when Bergman replaced Terry Lester as Jack Abbott 36 years ago – and they’ve been buying it ever since.
11/10/25 • 26:01
Send us a textWho is this lawyer writing and producing hit medical dramas? He is David Shore, who got his start in Canada writing for Traders before crossing the border as a writer-producer on The Practice and Law & Order. Besides his hits he was involved with a few great misses, including EZ Streets, a short-lived series that was HBO before HBO, and two with great lead actors, Hack and Sneaky Pete.This coming October 30 and November first and second he is being honoured in his hometown of London, Ontario, with the Forest City Film Festival’s lifetime achievement award. The Emmy and Peabody award-winner will be celebrated at a Hollywood comes to London reception as well as screenings of the pilot episodes of House and The Good Doctor. I met Shore years ago with other critics when we toured the impressive hospital set of House in Los Angeles and found him to be a very welcoming host. On this week’s episode of brioux.tv: the podcast he makes an equally impressive guest.
10/27/25 • 53:49
Send us a textTwelve years after their storyline wrapped on NCIS, Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly have reunited as their crowd-pleasing characters on NCIS: Tony & Ziva. As executive producers of this series, the two actors had a say as to where this series would be shot, and they picked Europe -- smart move if you're going to be spending six months on the job. No wonder the actors, interviewed over zoom in Toronto, are so relaxed and friendly. Hear how de Pablo stepped up in fight scenes after two doubles went down. Thrill as Weatherly confesses to doing his own love scenes. Watch the finale of the ten episode first season now at Paramount+, with the finale premiering Thursday, October 23. Hear them now on brioux.tv: the podcast -- or watch the interview on YouTube here.
10/20/25 • 32:57
Send us a textRyan Reynolds said he just didn't want to live in a world without a John Candy documentary. So he produced one, and it's a beauty. "John Candy: I Like Me" premieres Friday, October 9 on Prime Video. Colin Hanks -- whose dad Tom Hanks starred opposite Candy in 1984's "Splash," directs. Hear from both Reynolds and Hanks, along with, in an exclusive conversation, John Candy's children Jennifer Sullivan Candy and Chris Candy. It is all in this special episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, available for the first time in both audio and full video versions. Also featured in the documentary: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Conan O'Brien, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Steve Martin and Mel Brooks.To see the video version of this episode, follow this link to the brioux.tv: the podcast YouTube page: https://youtu.be/DS42nfrEJvE
10/8/25 • 36:22
Send us a textFormer New York Times television columnist and bestselling author Bill Carter joins me for a wide open discussion about the White House attack on late night talk show hosts. Me and Bill celebrate Kimmel, more than ever our hero for going Brooklyn-rogue and standing up to bullies Donald Trump and his FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Carter talks about going backstage during Kimmel's week of shows in New York, riffing on fake Gavin Newsom (Seth Meyers brother Josh), those adorable Three Tonys, and a late night triumph so robust it made Carter nostalgic for the smart silliness of Conan O'Brien at his best. Carter, an outspoken critic of the Trump administration on-line, does not hold back so we cut out the part of thre conversation that might have gotten him thrown into the Florida alligator prison. Everything else remains, so fasten your seatbelts, sit back and enjoy a free speakin' episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.
10/6/25 • 66:28
Send us a textHave you ever made a bucket list of places around the world you'd like to visit? Eugene Levy did for Season Three of The Reluctant Traveler, streaming now on AppleTV+.This season finds him flying to Mexico, India, Vienna, Ireland, Vancouver, Louisianna, Korea and even London. His tour guide in The UK was none other than The Prince of Wales.“I was really taken aback with how at ease he made me feel.” said Levy.The four-time Emmy award winner also got the royal treatment during the recent Toronto International Film Festival, where two documentaries he was appearing in were showcased. One salutes his old SCTV pal John Candy and the other looks back at the Toronto production of Godspell and the crazy convergence of young comedic talent who energed from that musical. Hear Levy's take on traveling abroad as well as back in time as this week's guest on brioux.tv: the podcast.
9/29/25 • 22:25
Send us a textIn the '60s, Dini Petty broke ground with Toronto radio station CKEY as Canada's first female traffic reporter to fly solo in a helicopter. After 5,000 hours in the air she landed her pink chopper and went on to a stellar career as a news anchor at Citytv and as a talk show host at CFTO’s The Dini Petty Show.Now, at age 80, she’s back with Trailblazing Talks with Dini Petty, a one-hour special premiering Monday, Oct. 13 on The News Forum Network (check Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Telus channel listings). The venture has already been greenlit to go to series.“At this point in my life, I am drawn to deeper conversations about resilience, courage, and the true cost of leadership,” says Petty, adding, “it is never too late to step forward with purpose.”Petty welcomes first guests actress Tonya Williams (The Young and the Restless) and three-time Olympic gold medalist and later senator Marnie McBean. Petty’s own story, however, sets the trailblazing bar high. Listen as she recounts the ten times so far she feels she has defied death! All this week on brioux.tv: the podcast.
9/22/25 • 64:36
Send us a textThe Blue Ant founder and CEO and former Alliance Atlantis chief rang the bell earlier this month on the Toronto Stock Exchange. His company's reverse takeover of Boat Rocker delivered more Canadian content -- including top-rated The Amazing Race Canada -- to a diverse portfolio MacMillan already successfully shops around the world.You'd think he'd be exhausted from counting all that money he made from the sale of his half of the CSI franchise and the rest of his Alliance Atlantis assets in 2007. Instead, MacMillan is once again ramping up at a time when many other Canadian media companies are holding on at best. He's doing it by feasting on Fast Channels and sharing the Love Nature. What makes him know when to zig when others zag? All that and more in a down-to-business episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.
9/15/25 • 66:08
Send us a textWhere do documentary filmmakers go to find that historic clip or interview nobody else has? Many turn to the CBC Archives in Toronto. The vast, climate controlled vaults at the CBC Broadcast Centre are home to approximately 1.5 million hours of digitized material. Those restored holdings are drawn from over 90,000 cans of film, 215,000 videos and over 270,000 audio assets. Classic CBC shows such as The Friendly Giant, This Hour Has 7 Days, and Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts dating back to 1952 are among the holdings.Two who oversee the operation are Dan Dimopoulos, Senior Manager, Content Lifecycle, and Ann Cox, Senior Manager, Library Services. They make sure these rare gems are fully restored and searchable for filmmakers from around the world.Every month, thousands of hours of footage are retrieved for reuse. For example, the makers of the Netflix feature “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan” found a mid- ‘60s interview with the variety show host conducted by Patrick Watson. Executive producer Margo Precht Speciale says it is the best interview her grandfather ever gave.Other docs recently featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, including those celebrating the Toronto production of Godspell, Lilithfair and “Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert,” all raided the CBC Archives.I admit, as a film collector myself, I kinda nerded out talking to Dan and Ann. Listen to us now at brioux.tv: the podcast.
9/8/25 • 67:50
Send us a textIf you are a fan of comedy, film, television, movies, music, or even Bazooka Joe bubble gum jokes, join me this week in conversation with Frank Santopadre. For over eight years and 600 episodes he brought comedian Gilbert Gottfied in like a tugboat to harbour in the truly amazing Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal podcast. Santopadre, as you’ll hear, just didn’t become the George Fenneman to Gottfried’s Groucho Marx by sitting around DeSota dealerships. His career as a joke writer for hire (for everyone from Bill Murray to Martin Short to Sarah Silverman to Meryl Streep to even the Boston Red Socks) led him to becoming an Emmy award-winning writer-producer on The View. He’s just launched his own podcast, Fun For All Ages. Now you can hear celebrities in the mix with experts in various fields talking about their favourite obsessions. Did you know that Triumph the Insult Comic Dog master and Conan O’Brien wit Robert Smiegel owes much of his comedic perspective to Peanuts’ creator Charles Schultz? Just one example of the fun facts confirmed on this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.This is Part 1 of 2 with Frank; both posting on the same day.
9/2/25 • 52:35
Send us a textIf you've already listened to Part 1 of my conversation with writer-producer-podcaster Frank Santopadre, you just know there was more to explore. This is the second half of our terrific conversation. Here the focus is more on life after Gilbert Gottfried and Frank's eventual decision to create an entirely new podcast that would be Fun Fr All Ages. If you haven't heard Part 1 yet, get back in line! Both episodes are now live and in full colour.
9/2/25 • 49:22
Send us a textI went into the vault this week to create a 3-Pack of favourite TV stars from the '60s. Two are from interviews conducted in 1997 at a Hollywood Collectors autograph show.First up is Dawn Wells (Mary Ann), who was signing autographs with her old Gilligan's Island pal Russell Johnson (the professor). Wells was one of the stars who died (at 82) during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020. The second interview is with Bob May. Bob Who? He was the guy who for three seasons was stuffed inside the robot suit on Lost in Space. May, who died at 69 in 2009, talks about the time he was nearly electrocuted in that tin can. Danger Will Robinson!Behind Door No. 3 is Monty Hall, the co-creator and long time host of Let's Make a Deal. Hall was a spry 91 when I spoke with him in 2013 as he was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the game show. He passed away at 96 in 2017.
8/25/25 • 42:47
Send us a textBack in the 1950s and '60s, every Sunday night, families would gather around their living room TV and watch The Ed Sullivan Show.The variety hour ran 23 seasons, ending 54 years ago in 1971. Now streaming on Netflix, the documentary Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan is not just another "best of" blast of nostalgia. It recognizes Sullivan as a social game-changer. As network television's top-rated variety showman throughtout the 1950s and '60s he introduced Black entertainers into living rooms across North America. On this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, I speak with Sullivan's granddaughter and the driving producer of the documentary, Margo Precht Speciale. She spent 10 years lining up interviews with Harry Belafonte, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson and others, as well as clips from the CBS variety hour featuring everyone from Bo Diddley, Elvis Presley, Ike & Tina Turner, James Brown, Nat King Cole, Gladys Knight, The Supremes, Billy Preston and many others.Please join us for a "really big shew!"
8/4/25 • 48:11
Send us a textMeet the star of the new series Pretty Blind. As described in her AMI-tv bio, Jennie Bovard is a running, beer-drinking, thirtysomething with albinism. She loves making people laugh and is very involved in accessible sport and recreation opportunities in her community. She has lived with partial sight all her life, has a diploma in film and tv production, and lives in Halifax. She’s been recording a podcast for several years called Low Vision Moments where she talks about things that have happened to her as a partially sighted person … such as that time she physically distanced herself from a post because she thought it was a person. I think we’ve all been there with that one. Showrunner Mark Forward and Jonathan Torrens – two cast members who worked together for several years on Mr. d – spun her stories into a six-episode first season of Pretty Blind, which premieres July 8 on AMI.
7/7/25 • 41:45
Send us a textHere is why Jonathan Torrens is the perfect Canada Day Weekend podcast guest:As a producer, he is behind two new Canadian TV comedies: Pretty Blind, starring Jennie Bovard as a legally blind but supremely independent library worker (premiering July 8 on AMI); and 0-to-60 Driving Academy, steering headlong into a second season on Bell Fibe.Then there are his IMDb credits. The PEI native has worked on the following CanCon favourites: Trailer Park Boys (as rapper J-Roc), Mr. d; Letterkenny and Shoresy; This Hour Has 22 Minutes; Wipeout Canada; Call Me Fitz; Moonshine; Degrassi: The Next Generation and The Royal Canadian Air Farce. Before all that, he got his start at CBC as a teenager as host of Street Cents, which led to his own shows, Jonovision, and Jonathan Cross's Canada.Had he been born sooner he also would have been on The Beachcombers and The Littlest Hobo. Join us for the ultimate deep dive into CanCon TV.
6/30/25 • 63:27
Send us a text In the digital age, the question is not only which tools are still available to support Canadian content production but which ones are still relevant. One with an insider's perspective is Pat Ferns, author of "The Big Picture: A Personal History of Independent Television Production in Canada" (Sutherland House). Ferns began his career with a formative stint at CBC, created award-winning series and documentaries as an independant producer and helped reform the Canadian television funding process. He later helped put the Banff World Media Festival on its feet. At a time when, it can be argued, Canada's story matters more than ever, Ferns wades into the battlefield between the CRTC and the new media giants of content distribution. Can we marry Canadian stories with global reach? That and more with Order of Canada member Pat Ferns, this week's insightful guest on brioux.tv: the podcast.
6/23/25 • 64:01
Send us a textBy far, the biggest name in TV sitcoms this century has been Chuck Lorre. This June, when I saw that he was going to be a keynote speaker at the Banff World Media Festival, I thought what the hell, put in a request for a podcast interview. So glad I did, because on this episode, we talk about the glory that is The Kominsky Method, Big Bang's Barenaked Ladies theme song, his take on The Sopranos finale, and his latest project -- a Netflix sitcom starring Leanne Morgan.On a personal note, I tell him how Bob Hearts Abishola was a big winner with Lucia, my wife Sandra's Italian-born mother. Lorre wanted that series to salute the immigrant achievement in America -- a message that could not be more relevant today.I even put Lorre on the spot by asking what he thought would be the perfect Canadian TV sitcom. Hear his three word answer and so much more, on a memorable episode.
6/16/25 • 41:47
Send us a text Jason Ritter is my guest this week on brioux.tv: the podcast. I spoke with the 45-year-old actor recently at the Corus Entertainment Upfront in Toronto. Ritter is so thrilled to be on Matlock -- last season's biggest rookie hit on both Global in Canada and CBS in the US -- that he's been dancing up a storm on TikTok. We talk about that, working with Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, his famous dad John Ritter, his famous granddad Tex Ritter and what it's like being a third generation player in the Hollywood film industry. Playing his dad on the series is another son of a famous actor, Beau Bridges. (His dad, Lloyd Bridges was in both the '60s series Sea Hunt and the 1980 comedy "Airplane!").While the pilot for Matlock was shot in Toronto, the rest of the series is one of the few network shows currently produced in Los Angeles. Ritter also talks about the joys of parenthood. He and his New Zealand-born actress wife Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) have a young daughter.
6/9/25 • 24:12
Send us a textThis 200th episode of brioux.tv: the podcast features a SCTV original who remains one of my favourite people to interview -- Dave Thomas. On this, our third podcast conversation, Thomas talks about his recent trip to Kyiv, a city where drone strikes and missle attacks from Russia have created a living hell for Ukrainians at war. Thomas talks all about his decision to fly to Ukraine and answer a friend's call to help raise awareness and money for the cause. He was accompanied by a small film crew and ventured into territories invaded and claimed by Russia. On one mission the soldiers he was with helped bring Ukrainian infants and elderly citizens back from enemy hands. Thomas even found time to check out a Ukrainian comedy club. There were no photos of Yakoff Smirnov on the wall. Thomas is planning a documentary about his 10-day, first hand account.This is about as far removed as you can get from Thomas' old days spoofing Russian television on SCTV's hilarious "CCCP1" episode. Thomas's goal is to help raise donations for Ukrainian's under fire. Money goes to provide medical aid, training and vehicles for defence. Give now and qualify for a charitable tax receipt. Donate to the Ukrainian Freedom Fund at ukrfreedomfund.org.
6/2/25 • 63:22
Send us a textPeople who work television's morning shift could be forgiven for being a tad grumpy. That's never the case with Tim Bolen, who recently made the leap from co-hosting Morning Live on Hamilton's CHCH to pairing with Dina Pugliese on Citytv's national franchise Breakfast Television.Add living in Toronto when he was on TV in Hamilton and now living in Hamilton and inching through traffic hell in Toronto and you have basically the seven tasks of Hercules. Or is it a genius move since he's basically commuting to work in the dead of night? In any event, Bolen seems to bound into work, throwing himself into community events coverage and apron-ing up for hours of egg scrambling. Start your day with Tim and Dina and listen now as he wakes things up as my guest on brioux.tv: the podcast.
4/28/25 • 38:53
Send us a textMy guest this episode is an executive producer who helped guide Schitt’s Creek to a canoe full of Emmy and CSA awards. He’s currently one of the executive producers on another wonderful sitcom, Son of a Critch, shockingly ignored -- nomination wise -- at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards.Yes, it is Andrew Barnsley and he's just back from France where he attended Series Mania, an industry marketplace where stakeholders gather to discuss where this crazy business is all heading. These are challenging times not just for Canadian media companies but also studios trying to sell shows. Are half hours dead? Does Rogers have any money for scripted fare after that $11 billion NHL deal; and will a wall be built around the US market in this scary new age of tariffs? As Andrew said just before we started recording, “It’s a great time to be alive, right?” As president of the Toronto Film School, Barnsley also talks about the challenges facing students keen on becoming the next generation of Canadian storytellers. Listen and learn!
4/21/25 • 60:46
Send us a textBummed your invitation to Martin Short's cottage in the Muskokas was evidently lost in the mail? Save yourself the long drive and listen to this week's episode of brioux.tv: the podcast. One of my favourite guests, filmmaker Mitch Azaria, is back with his sixth in an annual series exploring the province of Ontario: Tripping The Muskoka Lakes. We talk all about the new documentary, premiering April 20 on TV Ontario and also streaming (even earlier) on TVOdocs.org and at TVO's YouTube channel.This latest three hour, immersive, real-time documentary invites viewers to cruise along in a made-in-Muskoka Duke runabout, a mahogany classic converted to electric power. From the passenger seat you'll cruise past incredible boat houses along "Millionaires" and "Billionaires" row. Reel in a boatload of pop up info bites and dive under the water to visit an actual shipwreck. Travel tariff free from your own living room. All aboard!
4/14/25 • 49:28
Send us a textJay Leno is Jay-walking his way back to Canada. The former Tonight Show host, who turns 75 in May, will join fellow late night rival Arsenio Hall as comedy headliners May 2 at Casino Rama near Orillia, Ont.In an exclusive brioux.tv: the podcast interview, presented in partnership with latenighter.com, Leno says he was hesitant about accepting the booking given all the "51st State" and Tariff talk emanating from the White House."I almost wasn't going to do these dates," Leno says, "because I didn't want to be the ugly American coming in." Don't worry about it I tell Leno -- we can use the jokes. The comedy road warrior has had to tweak his act just to straddle divided states audiences. That is working for him so far. "Ever since I took politics out of my act, ticket sales are up 20 or 30 per cent."Leno also talks about how, back in the war for late night days, things weren't always so cozy between him and Arsenio. We touch on those nasty accidents Leno suffered these past few years, including a serious car fire which forced him to seek "a face guy." There is plenty of car talk (he's still hosting Jay's Garage on MSNBC) and we find out his take on the current late night landscape.
4/7/25 • 49:05
