Canadian Country Star Madeline Merlo Marries Chase Fann

Get ready to open your ears to some of the best music Canada has to offer as Canadian Music Week announces its 2023 lineup.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Solo,” a stylish queer romance drama directed by Canadian helmer Sophie Dupuis (“Underground,” “Family First”) has been boarded by SND, the film arm of France’s second biggest commercial network M6. “Solo” is headlined by two up-and-coming talent, Theodore Pellerin (“Killer Game,” “Kaiser Karl”) and Felix Maritaud (“BPM (Beats per Minute)”). SND will launch sales on the project at Cannes Film Market. The edgy film follows Simon, a rising star of Montreal drag queen scene who is simultaneously facing the disappointment of two impossible loves — one of a passionate but destructive crush with Oliver, and the other of a cold and distant relationship with his mother Claire, who has returned home after a 15-year absence.

Cole Swindell is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Courtney Little!

A Canadian comedy from the exec producer of Schitt’s Creek is heading to The CW.

Jennie Punter Hot Docs has wrapped its 30th anniversary edition, handing out its top cash prize and announcing the audience top picks after an 11-day festival, which presented 214 films from 72 countries at 308 live screenings at venues across Toronto. Philippe Falardeau’s “Lac-Mégantic—This Is Not an Accident” topped the overall audience poll to win the 2023 Hot Docs Audience Award. The four-part series from the Oscar-nominated director explores the causes of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters and what’s needed to prevent such accidents in the future. “Someone Lives Here,” by Zack Russell, won the Rogers Audience Awards for Best Canadian Documentary, which comes with Cdn. $50,000 cash, and also claimed the second-highest spot in the overall audience poll. The film also won the inaugural Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, a jury-chosen prize, at the main awards ceremony held Saturday.

So many celebrities stepped out to attend Gold House’s 2nd annual Gold Gala at The Music Center on Saturday (May 6) in Los Angeles.

Amber Dowling Location scouting and filming on service productions were already cooling down in Canada over the past few weeks in anticipation of the WGA strike on May 1. And while those projects with completed scripts are trudging forward, one “substantial” unnamed series being shot in Toronto has already shut down, according to the city. It’s just the start of what could be a big financial loss for the Ontario industry, where Ontario Creates reveals 419 productions in 2022 — including TV series like “The Boys” and films like “Women Talking” — contributed a record-breaking $3.15 billion to the economy. In B.C., where many service productions have wrapped for the season and writers’ rooms would typically begin assembling over the next few weeks, people are preparing for unforeseen delays. A prolonged strike will inevitably not only affect those who have been steadily employed for years, but also the provincial economy, which drew $3.6 billion from the film industry last year, according to Creative B.C.

Mohammad Rasoulof’s hopes to attend the Cannes Film Festival have been dashed.

Jennie Punter With Hot Docs’ marquee market event the Forum and its sidebar operations back to live action, and the festival’s 30th anniversary adding a layer of buzzy excitement, docmakers and industry pros from Western Canada are hauling out a bumper crop of adventurous docs for audiences and buyers, and chatting in the real world about new projects with potential Canadian and international partners and funders. Nine Western Canada-made doc features span Hot Docs’ programs, with stories that go deeper into landscapes and beyond cultural stereotypes. Kathleen Jayme’s and Asia Youngman’s “I’m Just Here for the Riot” (ESPN 30 for 30), about violence that erupted after the Vancouver Canucks’ loss of the Stanley Cup final in 2011, is one of three titles world-premiering in the Canadian Spectrum competition.

Dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has confirmed that he was unable to accept an invitation from the Cannes Film Festival to participate in its Un Certain Regard jury after being barred from leaving Iran.

Back in the days before he began asking wrestling fans if they could smell what the Rock was cooking, Dwayne Johnson put together an outfit and posed for a photo that haunts him to this day.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival has decided that Canadian media producer Bonnie Thompson will be the recipient of this year’s prestigious Don Haig Award. Thompson is the producer behind Cam Christiansen’s “Echo of Everything,” a feature length documentary exploring the power of music, which will have its world premiere at Hot Docs’ 30th-anniversary festival, on now until May 7. The Don Haig Award is presented to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the festival, with the recipient being selected by a jury of independent filmmakers. The award recognizes creative vision and entrepreneurship, as reflected in the recipient’s body of work, as well as a track record of mentoring emerging Canadian filmmakers. Thompson will be presented with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement honoring legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who died Monday at the age of 84. In it, he recalls meeting Lightfoot as a child, when Trudeau’s father Pierre was prime minister in the 1970s and ’80s. “I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing yesterday of Gordon Lightfoot, one of Canada’s greatest singer-songwriters.

Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84.Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital.

Gordon Lightfoot passed away this evening in a Toronto hospital at 7:30 p.m. More info to come..Posted by Gordon Lightfoot on Monday, May 1, 2023Lightfoot’s death comes less than a month after he announced the cancellation of his 2023 United States and Canada tour.

Gordon Lightfoot, often called Canada’s greatest songwriter and known worldwide as one of the founding fathers of folk-rock, has died at age 84, a representative for his family said Monday.

Chris Morris Music ReporterSinger-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk music laureate who crossed over to major pop fame in the U.S. during the ‘70s, died Monday evening at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He was 84 years old. Lightfoot’s death was confirmed by his longtime agent, Victoria Lord.Lightfoot rose to prominence in the mid-‘60s, penning such folk standards as “Early Morning Rain” (a major hit for the Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia Tyson), “For Loving Me” and “Ribbon of Darkness,” as well as the ambitious “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” a sort of Northern equivalent to Mickey Newbury’s “American Trilogy.”While he was acclaimed at home and served as an inspiration for such younger Canada-bred performers as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, success in America eluded him until he signed with Warner Bros.’ Reprise imprint (which released Young and Mitchell’s breakthrough recordings).

Dolly Parton is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic country stars of all time. With hits like "Jolene," "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and "I Will Always Love You," she has cemented her spot in country music history, and Parton talked to Fox News Digital about what the genre means to her. "There'll always be country music," Parton said, "and there'll always be a few artists that are still influenced by the old-time Hank Williams type, all the Merle Haggards and all the, you know, the old country and even back farther, but certainly will say Hank Williams and all those wonderful songs he wrote.

Kendall Jenner wore DMY by DMY sunglasses while celebrating Easter.Priyanka Chopra Jonas wore a purple outfit with purple knee-high leather boots by GIA BORGHINI for dinner in London with husband Nick Jonas. Charli D’Amelio wore the Nasty Gal Floral Midi Dress in Multi while at Coachella 2023 in Indio, California. Gigi Hadid carried String Ting's Heavenly Sky Wristlet Phone Strap, a colorful and convenient accessory that lets you keep your phone within reach without sacrificing style, while out and about in New York City. Bradley Cooper has just listed his first property ever purchased in Venice, Ca.

K.J. Yossman Actors and creatives from “Star Trek” and “Ghosts” are set to host Master Classes during the Banff World Media Festival in June, Variety can confirm. The two Paramount Global shows will be repped at the 44th edition of the festival, which is set to take place in Banff, Alberta, Canada from June 11-14. The “Star Trek” masterclass will feature “Star Trek: Discovery’s” Sonequa Martin-Green, “Star Trek: Lower Decks’” Tawny Newsome, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’” Ethan Peck plus Alex Kurtzman, who is an executive producer for the “Star Trek” franchise, and CBS Studios president David Stapf. They will all be on hand do discuss “ushering in the golden age of ‘Trek,’ growing the franchise, and introducing a new generation to this universe all while staying true to what made it a cultural phenomenon 56 years ago,” according to the festival.