News

The Sonar Network, Canada's award-winning independent podcast network, is proud to announce How Can We Help?, a new show by Jackie Pirico (2023 Juno Award nominee for Comedy Album of the Year) and Mark Little. On How Can We Help?, Jackie and Mark share perfect, unimpeachable ideas on how to improve your life. Got a nosy neighbor? A workplace dilemma? A loooove problem? No question is too difficult for these experts in unsolicited-advice-giving! Listeners are invited to submit their own questions and dilemmas and hear these two charming comedians weigh in with their hilarious takes on the situation.

Brought to you by the team behind the acclaimed My Gorgeous Son and This Is Rats Nest, How Can We Help? brings all the uproarious laughs of Pirico and Little’s live stand-up and sketch shows to the comfort of your earbuds. Special guests include such revered comedians as Brandon Wardell, Chris Wilson...

Roku Channel is expanding its slate of original programming with a renewal for its adult-animated comedy “Doomlands” and the greenlight of two new unscripted series, “Survival From Above” and “Lincoln Log Project.”

Created by Josh O’Keefe, “Doomlands” is a workplace comedy that follows the staff of a mobile pub The Oasis as they travel across a post-apocalyptic world. Mark Little and Kayla Lorette voice the main characters Danny Doom and Lhandi, with Ashley Holliday Tavares and Roger Bainbridge rounding out the cast. The series is written by O’Keefe, Little, Lorette and Roger Bainbridge, and O’Keefe directs and co-showruns with Lee Porter. Look Mom! Productions produces the series.

“Survival From Above” and “Lincoln Log Project” are both expected to premiere on Roku in 2023. “Survival From Above” is a competition series set in the rainforests of Guyana, featuring 10 contestants who will compete in challenges that take place on platforms suspended...

Doomlands will be back for Season 2. The Roku Channel announced June 14 it has renewed its first-ever adult animated comedy, which debuted in January 2022. The streaming platform has also ordered two new unscripted original series, Survival From Above and Lincoln Log Project (working title). Doomlands Season 2 will invite viewers along for more adventures with Danny Doom and aspiring bartender Lhandi as they “sling beers across a hellish wasteland in their mobile pub: The Oasis,” Roku teases. “Facing ruthless desert gangs, memory-stealing creeps, and even mean bathroom graffiti, all this crew’s got to do to survive is not kill each other.” Simple! Created by Josh O’Keefe, Season 2 will consist of 10 25-minute episodes and feature returning cast members Mark Little and Kayla Lorette as Danny Doom and Lhandi, respectively, alongside Ashley Holliday Tavares as Xanthena and Roger Bainbridge as Jep. A Season 2 release date will be announced at a later time. The...

Roku has commissioned a second season of animated comedy Doomlands and ordered a duo of non-scripted projects.

Josh O’Keefe’s Doomlands was picked up by Roku from failed short-form streamer Quibi two years ago.

Comprised of 10 15-minute episodes, season two of Blue Ant-backed Look Mom! Productions show will pick up from where season one left off, following the adventures of the infamous Danny Doom Doom, Lhandi and the crew of the Oasis.

Doomlands is written by Josh O’Keefe, Roger Bainbridge, Kayla Lorette and Mark Little. Lee Porter and O’Keefe serve as co-showrunners. The series is directed by Josh O’Keefe and exec produced by Josh Bowen.

Meanwhile, Roku has ordered Survival from Above and Lincoln Log Project (working title).

The former from Caravan, which airs next year, is the first-ever survival competition series set entirely in rainforest treetops of Guyana, South America, according to Roku, with contestants suspended 100 feet off the ground.

Doomlands, the adult animated comedy series from Josh O’Keefe, will launch on Roku later this month.

The series, which was first greenlighted by Quibi in April 2020, will launch on January 28. Watch the trailer above.

Created by O’Keefe, initially as his university film project, the series looks at the life of the infamous Danny Doom and aspiring bartender, Lhandi, as they sling beers across a hellish wasteland in their mobile pub: The Oasis. Facing ruthless desert gangs, memory-stealing creeps, and even mean bathroom graffiti, all this crew’s got to do to survive is not kill each other.

Written by O’Keefe, Roger Bainbridge, Brandon Hackett, Kayla Lorette and Mark Little, it was developed by Josh Bowen and produced by Look Mom! Productions. Lee Porter and O’Keefe served as co-showrunners.

The series, which Bowen described as a cross between Mad Max and Cheers, will launch on Roku, which acquired the Quibi content library,...

PBS and Wgbh’s Masterpiece released the trailer for the highly anticipated second season of “Sanditon” on Thursday. Inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, the historical drama tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, a high-spirited young woman who happens upon the seaside town of Sanditon during a time of social change, and becomes intrigued by the town’s inhabitants and their secrets.

The first season of the fan-favorite British series ended on a giant cliffhanger in early 2020, and having been canceled in the UK by ITV, it wasn’t clear if anything would ever be resolved. But following fan outcry and the successful run on “Masterpiece,” the show was revived and ordered for a second and third season last year. But change is afoot, and the second season is sure to resolve some fans’ mixed reactions — while creating new drama.

“Love is not as simple as you seem to think,...

"Beautiful, breathtaking, hilarious." 1091 Pictures has released a new US trailer for an indie docu-dramedy titled When the Storm Fades, a film by Canadian filmmaker Sean Devlin. This premiered in 2018 at the Vancouver Film Festival, and is only finally getting a release on VOD this year. The film tells the story of a well-intentioned, young Canadian couple who help a family in the Philippines recover from the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan. It stars real Typhoon Haiyan survivors re-enacting their experiences in the aftermath of the storm alongside Canadian comedians. Which sounds strange? But that's why filmmaking is a creative endeavor - always try to make something unique. Starring Ryan Beil as Jerry, and Kayla Lorette as Clare. I'm glad they openly admit that it's criticizing the "white savior" complex. Looks like a unique film indeed. Here's the official US trailer (+ posters) for Sean Devlin's When the Storm Fades, direct from YouTube...

Exclusive: Quibi has handed a series order to Doomlands (working title) an adult animated comedy from Josh O’Keefe, Josh Bowen (Gary and His Demons) and Look Mom! Productions, a Blue Ant Studios company that specializes in original animated programming for teens and adults.

Created and directed by O’Keefe, in Doomlands (wt), the infamous Danny Doom and aspiring bartender Lhandi sling beers across a hellish wasteland in their mobile subterranean pub: The Oasis. In order to survive, all the crew needs to do is not kill each other.

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Doomland pays homage to O’Keefe’s Australian upbringing and love for “Ozploitation” film. O’Keefe began the project through a successful Kickstarter campaign. It was picked up by Look Mom!

Exclusive: Frontieres, the industry initiative for genre film professionals, has named an 11-strong lineup for its 2020 Financing & Packaging Forum.

Frontieres runs three events throughout the year: the Forum, which this year will be held in Sweden in February, the Frontières Platform at the Marché du Film which is held during the Cannes festival in May, and finally the International Co-Production Market at Montreal’s Fantastia festival in July.

The year’s Forum relocates from Helsinki to Karlskrona, Sweden, and will run February 27-29. It is co-organized with The Carl International Film Festival and Nordic Factory, and marks the first collaboration between Frontieres, the Swedish Film Institute and Norwegian Film Institute, and a returning collaboration with the Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

This year’s slate features a majority of women directors as participants. Jen Handorf, whose credits as a producer include Alice Lowe’s Prevenge and Ben Parker’s The Chamber,...

Roller Town

Directed by Andrew Bush

Written by Andrew Bush, Mark Little, Scott Vrooman

Canada, 2012

If comedy is tragedy plus time, a satire of the cultural immolation that is the 1970’s is long overdue. From tacky flare trousers and ridiculously wide neckties, to disco music and roller rinks, the 70’s was, for the most part, a time of oblivious cheese and corn. The Canadian comedy, Roller Town, attempts to satirize that era, but instead of being sharp or witty, its scattershot skit-show approach leaves much to be desired and ultimately falls into the same kitsch.

In a time and place where he never has to take off his skates, Mark Little is Leo, a hotshot roller rink virtuoso who secretly wants to get into the roller-skating version of Julliard. One night, at the eponymous Roller Town, he meets a girl named Julia (Kayla Lorette), who’s in said school but...

Check out the trailer as well as a clip, title art and images for Roller Town, starring Mark Little, Kayla Lorette, Scott Vrooman, Adam Robert Bayne, Jordan Talbot and George Basil. The Andrew Bush film scripted by Scott Vrooman, Mark Little and Bush, is now available nationwide on deman and on iTunes. When mobsters set up shop in the quiet beach community of Brookfield and try to turn the roller rink, "Roller Town," into a money-making video arcade, local roller-skating hero Leo (Mark Little) is forced to fight back. There to help him are his best friends Music (a jive-talking break-dancer) (Adam Bayne) and Julia (a high-society rich girl/the girl of Leo's dreams) (Kayla Lorette).

Check out the trailer as well as a clip, title art and images for Roller Town, starring Mark Little, Kayla Lorette, Scott Vrooman, Adam Robert Bayne, Jordan Talbot and George Basil. The Andrew Bush film scripted by Scott Vrooman, Mark Little and Bush, is now available nationwide on deman and on iTunes. When mobsters set up shop in the quiet beach community of Brookfield and try to turn the roller rink, "Roller Town," into a money-making video arcade, local roller-skating hero Leo (Mark Little) is forced to fight back. There to help him are his best friends Music (a jive-talking break-dancer) (Adam Bayne) and Julia (a high-society rich girl/the girl of Leo's dreams) (Kayla Lorette).

Disco didn't die, it was murdered.

How's that for a catchy tagline?

It comes to us courtesy of Roller Town, a Canadian comedy set in the vein of Austin Powers and Saturday Night Fever. We head back to the era of knee socks, bright colours and boogie to follow, Leo, a man born to do three things: disco, dance and rollerskate. Leo's simple existence is threatened when a gang of mobsters decide to turn the town’s roller rink into a video arcade. So what else can Leo do but harness the power of skating, friendship and The Boogie to thwart the bad guys’ plans, win the girl, and preserve the ways of the skate? Seems simple enough, right? I guess we'll see.

The big-screen disco feature marks the first big screen effort from Canuck comedy troupe Picnicface and was shot in and around Halifax last fall. Lead players include newcomers Mark Little,...

Slamdance has released the line up for their 2012 Slamdance Film Festival which takes place in Park City Utah at the same time at The Sundance Film Festival. Slamdance focuses more on genre type indie films and consists of several films that weren't accepted into the Sundance Film Fest. The festival runs from January 20th to the 26th.

Check out the list below and tell us what you think! Do any of you plan on attending? I always try to catch a few of these films while up in Park City.

Narrative Feature Competition

Bindlestiffs – Director: Andrew Edison, Screenwriters: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin. (USA)

World Premiere. Three smart-mouthed high school virgins, suspended from school on a graffiti charge, flee to the inner city to live out the plot of The Catcher in the Rye. Cast: Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin, John Karna

Comforting Skin – Director: Derek Franson, Screenwriter: Derek Franson. (Canada) Us Premiere.

Ten narratives and eight documentaries are lined up for the 2012 Slamdance Film Festival Competition. Variety's Dave McNary reports that two titles "already generating buzz are Bindlestiffs in the feature lineup and We Are Legion: The Story of Hacktavists in documentaries. Bindlestiffs, directed by Andrew Edison, stars Andrew Edison, Luke Loftin and John Karna as smart-mouthed high school virgins, who are suspended from school on a graffiti charge and flee to the inner city to live out the plot of The Catcher in the Rye. We Are Legion, directed and written by Brian Knappenberger, is a look inside the world of Anonymous, the radical 'hacktivist' collective that's redefined civil disobedience for the digital age."

The other narrative features:

Roller Town from Glen Jm on Vimeo.

Andrew Bush's Roller Town, with Kayla Lorette, Mark Little and Scott Vrooman.

Derek Franson's Comforting Skin, with Jane Sowerby, Tygh Runyan and Victoria Bidewell.

Today, the Canadian Academy revealed the nominees for the 25th Gemini Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy Awards. So without further ado, let's reveal those who have graced our land of television in fall 2009 and winter 2010.

1. Best Animated Program or Series:

* Glenn Martin, Dds

* Guess With Jess

* Johnny Test

* Kid Vs Kat

* Wapos Bay

2. Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series:

* Degrassi: The Next Generation

* Overruled!

* Pillars of Freedom

* That's So Weird!

* Total Drama Action

3. Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series:

* A World of Wonders

* Canada's Super Speller

* Survive This

* Tvokids: Mark's Moments

4. Best Comedy Program or Series:

* Dan for Mayor

* Less Than Kind

* Little Mosque on the Prairie

* Pure Pwnage

* The Rick Mercer Report

5. Best Dramatic Miniseries:

* Alice

* The Phantom

* The Summit

6. Best Dramatic Series:

* Durham County

* Flashpoint

* Republic of Doyle

* Stargate Universe

* The Tudors

7. Best Music, Variety Program or Series

* 2009 Much Music Video Awards...