Katie Holmes to play Jackie O in T.O.

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Katie Holmes is spending the summer in Toronto. The actress – and tabloid target – has signed on to play Jacqueline Kennedy in the miniseries The Kennedys for U.S. cable channel History and Canada's History Television.

Greg Kinnear, who shot 2008's Flash of Genius in Toronto, will play President John F. Kennedy and Canadian actor Barry Pepper is set to portray his brother Robert Kennedy. British star Tom Wilkinson will play family patriarch Joe Kennedy Sr.

The eight-hour miniseries, which is scheduled to shoot June 7 to Sept. 24 with Ottawa native Jon Cassar (24) as director, will air in 2011. It has been the subject of considerable controversy.

While Holmes will likely fly south when she's not working in Toronto, her daughter Suri and husband Tom Cruise could spend some time in the city. Cruise frequently visited then-wife Nicole Kidman in Toronto while she filmed 1995's To Die For and famously earned his pilot's license in the city. This will be Holmes' first movie project in Toronto, where Cruise made 1988's Cocktail.

Related post...
03/22 >> Controversial Kennedy miniseries will be made in Toronto

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. gunned down by cops in small town

PopGoesTheNews.com >> The drummer for Irish rock band U2 was gunned down this afternoon in the small town of Orangeville, Ont. when he brandished a gun while running out of a bank – and these exciting photos show how it all went down!

>> CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO SEE FULL SIZE!

Of course, none of it was real. Larry Mullen Jr. was filming a scene for the movie Man On The Train, which also stars Canadian actors Donald Sutherland and Graham Greene.

The 48-year-old Dublin-born rocker is taking a break from the band's hectic tour and recording schedule to make his acting debut in the film, which is a remake of a 2002 French movie about a gangster who develops a friendship with a retired poetry teacher (Sutherland) in a small town after he holds up the local bank.

Producers have said that even though the film is set in an East Coast town in the U.S., the Orangeville name will be used. The Ireland-Canada co-production is being directed by Mary McGuckian.

For another photo of Larry Mullen Jr. on location, go to CanadianTabloid.com.

>> NEW! Click here to find out what Bono thinks of Larry's acting debut.

Photos by Todd G/John K / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on images to see full size.

Canadian talent flourishing on U.S. television

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Canada was well represented at the box office this past weekend: The top-grossing movie How To Train Your Dragon features the voice of Ottawa-born actor Jay Baruchel; the No. 3 movie Date Night was directed by Montreal native Shawn Levy; and the No. 5 flick Kick-Ass was filmed in Southern Ontario.

But it's on the small screen where Canada is really shining right now, eh. Never mind that Pamela Anderson of Ladysmith, B.C.'s is still on Dancing With The Stars – homegrown talent can be found on several big shows and on every one of the major networks. Here's a sample of the Canadian content currently on U.S. television shows.


The ABC network, home of the aforementioned Anderson on DWTS, is packed full of Canucks. The Sunday night drama Brothers & Sisters features regulars Emily VanCamp (Rebecca Harper) of Port Perry, ON and Luke MacFarlane (Scotty Wandell) from London, ON. On Desperate Housewives, Beau Mirchoff (Danny Bolen) has had a recurring role this season – he was born south of the border but came to Victoria, BC as an infant and was raised in the province. On Monday nights, Edmonton, AB native Nathan Fillion (Richard Castle) stars with Stana Katic (Kate Beckett) of Hamilton, ON in Castle. Tuesday's Lost, which is winding down, features Evangeline Lilly (Kate Austen) of Fort Saskatchewan, AB and the sci-fi series V has several Canadians – including Toronto's Laura Vandervoort (Lisa) and Vancouver's Mark Hildreth (Joshua). Bonus Canadiana: V is shot in BC. Also made in Canada is the new Wednesday night drama Happy Town – filmed in Port Hope, ON and Toronto – which has too many homegrown actors to list here. On Thursday nights, Ottawa's Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang) stars on Grey's Anatomy.

The Fox network also benefits from Canadian talent. Not only was its hit series House created (and is primarily written) by David Shore of London, ON, but both Fringe and Human Target are filmed in B.C. and use local actors in guest parts. The moribund series 24 stars Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer), who was born in England but raised in Toronto, and Calgary's Elisha Cuthbert (Kim Bauer) while Fringe features Vancouver's own Joshua Jackson. On the hit Glee, Canada is represented by Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson) of Calgary, Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri Shuester) of Montreal and Patrick Gallagher (Ken Tanaka) of New Westminster, BC. Toronto actress Tamara Taylor (Dr. Camille Saroyan) shows up weekly on Bones and the comedy series Sons of Tucson – off the schedule until June – stars Tyler Labine (Ron Snuffkin) of Brampton, ON.

CBS has more than its share of CanCon thanks to Criminal Minds star A.J. Cook (Jennifer JJ Jareau) from Oshawa, ON; Cold Case's Jeremy Ratchford (Nick Vera) of Kitchener, ON; and How I Met Your Mother regular Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky) of Vancouver. On Medium, there's David Cubitt (Det. Lee Scanlon), who was born in England but raised in Vancouver. Heard but not seen every week on Big Bang Theory are Toronto's Barenaked Ladies, who sing the theme song. Of course, every night Thunder Bay, ON native Paul Shaffer can be seen on the Late Show with David Letterman.

The CW network boasts Toronto's Shenae Grimes (Annie Wilson) and Vancouver's Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna Tate-Duncan) on 90210; Vancouver's Jessica Lucas (Riley Richmond) on Melrose Place; and Toronto-raised – but born in Bulgaria – Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert) on The Vampire Diaries. Its series Supernatural and Smallville are both made in BC.

NBC's schedule includes Dartmouth, NS native James Tupper (Dr. Chris Sands) on the medical drama Mercy and Kristin Kreuk (Hannah) of Vancouver in a recurring role on this season of Chuck.

The U.S. cable networks are also benefiting from Canadian talent, including Winnipeg-born Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) on HBO's True Blood and Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering) of Bay d'Espoir, NL on the SyFy series Warehouse 13 – which is shot in Toronto.

This summer the U.S. airwaves are getting a new burst of Canadiana. CBS hopes to run the made-in-Toronto series Flashpoint and The Bridge while ABC is adding the made-in-Toronto series Rookie Blue to its schedule – and all three shows have a plethora of homegrown talent. Toronto's Howie Mandel is joining the judges panel on the NBC summer hit America's Got Talent. ABC's new summer series The Gates features Chandra West of Edmonton and its new drama Scoundrels stars David James Elliott of Toronto.

'Kick-Ass' star pulls no punches about Hamilton

PopGoesTheNews.com >> One of the stars of the new action flick Kick-Ass is no fan of the city of Hamilton, Ont., where part of the film was shot.

"I hated it. Hated it. It was so bad," said Christopher Mintz-Plasse, best known as McLovin in 2007's comedy hit Superbad, in an interview with Famous magazine. "It was a bad area, but you've gotta do what you do for a good movie."

Mintz-Plasse said the Hamilton neighbourhood in which they filmed was "sketchy" and the people were rude. He told the magazine about playing pool with a friend at a bar during an Open Mic Night and being chastised by a group of men for not paying attention to the performer on stage. "We're like, 'Dude, there's a pool table back here, you're like 30 feet away, that's the point of the bar.' And he got so upset with us. It was very strange," recalled Mintz-Plasse.

Working in Toronto was only slightly more enjoyable, the 20-year-old actor admitted, recounting the "smug attitude" of some locals while shooting a scene on Yonge Street. But it wasn't all bad. "We went to a strip club once, that was very interesting," said Mintz-Plasse. "I was kind of laughing the whole way through."

Kick-Ass is now playing. Click here to see the trailer.

Virgin America starts taking bookings for Toronto flights

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Virgin America announced today that it has been given the green light to fly between Toronto and two destinations in California beginning June 23. The airline will offer one direct flight daily in each direction between Toronto and Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Virgin America – with its mood lighting, onboard WiFi service and advanced personal entertainment systems – has won several awards for its service. But amenities aside, why choose Virgin America over Air Canada?

If booked today, economy-class round-trip travel (departing July 13 and returning two days later) between Toronto and Los Angeles on Virgin America costs $507.75 inclusive. The lowest available similar round-trip plan on Air Canada costs $551.87. (The same voyage on Westjet, which does not fly direct between Toronto and Los Angeles, costs $545.58.)

Want to spend the Aug. 13-15 weekend in San Francisco? An economy-class round-trip ticket on Virgin America costs $575.30, compared to $619.07 on Air Canada.

A first-class trip between Toronto and L.A., departing Sept. 20 and returning on Sept. 23, costs $3,682.53 on Virgin America. The same trip on Air Canada will cost $4913.57.

Both airlines offer a points program – Air Canada's Aeroplan and Virgin America's Elevate – but Air Canada has a more flexible schedule with several daily flights. Currently the Virgin America website does not allow passengers to book fares in Canadian dollars.

Related posts...
03/18 >> Virgin America expands into Toronto this summer
01/04 >> Virgin America considers taking flight in Toronto

K'naan to welcome FIFA World Cup to Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com >> You won't see a Canadian team in the FIFA World Cup but next week the FIFA World Cup will be in Canada.

The trophy will be in Toronto on April 28 – the first time it has ever been in Canada – as part of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola. Canadian artist K'Naan and former Camaroon national team soccer player Roger Milla will welcome the Cup when it arrives by plane at 7:15 pm from New Zealand.

The iconic trophy, which weighs just over 6 kg and is made of solid 18-carat gold, is on an eight-month, 138,902-kilometre global tour. This year's FIFA World Cup starts June 11 in South Africa. A version of K'Naan's hit song "Wavin' Flag" has been chosen as the Coca-Cola anthem for the tournament. After its appearance in Toronto, the Cup will head to Miami.

Justin Bieber escapes volcanic ash with stop in Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Pop sensation Justin Bieber arrived in Toronto early this morning on a flight from St. John's, NL, where he performed at the JUNO Awards. The teen singer was one of several musicians who boarded a special Air Canada flight upon learning that the volcanic ash cloud that has paralyzed Europe was heading for Canada's east coast.

"I didn't want to spend three days in St. John's," a relieved Bieber told PopGoesTheNews.com upon arriving at Pearson International Airport on a flight with Shiloh, members of Barenaked Ladies and Metric.

>> To see another photo of Justin Bieber in Toronto, go to CanadianTabloid.com.

>> To see video footage of Justin Bieber in Toronto, click here.

Bieber and a pal then got into a taxi cab and drove into the city, stopping briefly at a Tim Horton's (pictured) to grab an Iced Cappuccino to go before settling in at a private home off Yonge Street north of St. Clair.

Bieber and his friend left at around 10:45 am – the pop star sat in the back of a BMW – for the airport to catch a flight to Tokyo. "Either going to sleep or see every movie I haven't seen in the last 2 years," the Stratford, ON native posted on his Twitter.

His summer tour kicks off on June 23 in Hartford, CT and stops in Toronto, London and Ottawa in August.

Photo by Todd G/John K / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on image to see full size.

Has Wentworth Miller landed another Canadian guy?

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Is it possible that actor Wentworth Miller has a thing for Canadian guys? The former Prison Break star, who was romantically linked to Brothers & Sisters star (and London, Ont. native) Luke MacFarlane, is reportedly dating Vancouver actor Tyron Leitso.

Miller, 37, and Leitso, 34, (pictured) have been spotted out and about together in Los Angeles, where Miller lives. According to sources, the two men met eight years ago on the set of the TV mini-series Dinotopia and reconnected late last year in Toronto, where Miller was shooting Resident Evil: Afterlife and Leitso was starring in the CBC series Being Erica.

North Vancouver-born Leitso's credits include the TV series Wonderfalls and horror film House of the Dead. In 2008, gay website AfterElton.com named him one of 11 guys "who deserve to be bigger sex symbols."

Miller has never publicly discussed his sexuality but it was widely reported that he had a relationship with MacFarlane, 30, that started in 2007. MacFarlane came out in a 2008 interview with The Globe and Mail but didn't talk about the relationship.

Photo courtesy of SplashNewsOnline.com.

Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams coming to Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman will be in Toronto this summer to make a movie directed by homegrown talent Sarah Polley.

The romantic comedy Take This Waltz, written by Polley, reportedly centres on a young woman coping with her infidelities. Filming is set to begin in July.

Polley last directed the critically acclaimed 2006 drama Away from Her, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and earned her an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay. She stars opposite Adrien Brody in the made-in-Ontario thriller Splice, opening June 4.

Rogen is a Vancouver native but has never starred in a Canadian movie. The Knocked Up star recently made a still-untitled feature film in his hometown. Williams, who made her acting debut in an episode of Baywatch, made the 1999 comedy Dick in Toronto and fell in love with Heath Ledger while filming Brokeback Mountain in Alberta. She and Rogen last worked together in a 2003 episode of her series Dawson' Creek.

Jake Gyllenhaal throws punches in Montreal

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Actor Jake Gyllenhaal has spent most of this week fighting, escaping from explosions and getting run over by a train. It's all for his new movie Source Code, which has been shooting in Montreal for several weeks.

This week's scenes were supposed to be shot at Ottawa's train station but producers were shut out by VIA Rail in a dispute over money – so a fake train station was built near downtown Montreal. CGI will be used to add tracks and a train to the platform that has been constructed in a parking lot.

In these exclusive photos (click on images to see full size) Gyllenhaal, who plays a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter who witnesses a train bombing in Chicago, is seen punching Canadian actor Cas Anvar.

Most of the production has taken place inside a Montreal film studio but Gyllenhaal and co-star Michelle Monaghan were in Chicago last week to shoot some exterior scenes. Gyllenhaal will wrap up work on the film next week.

Photos by Todd G/John K / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on images to see full size.

Winona Ryder's Toronto-made flick airing this month

PopGoesTheNews.com >> The made-in-Toronto movie about the co-founder of support group Al-Anon will air on U.S. television on April 25. When Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, starring Winona Ryder and Barry Pepper, will air on CBS.

The TV movie, a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, was shot in and around Toronto last November. Locations included Union Station and a former B&B on Jarvis Street.

The drama tells the true story of the troubled but enduring love between Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon, and her alcoholic husband Bill, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Ryder, a two-time Academy Award nominee, plays the title character and Pepper, a Canadian actor, plays her husband. The story, which spans three decades, is based on the biography by William G. Borchert.

Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at When Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story.

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11/23/09 >> Winona Ryder 'in tent' on dogging paparazzi
11/16/09 >> Winona Ryder goes back in time in Toronto

Colin Firth to pick up a green award in Toronto

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Actor Colin Firth will be in Toronto next week to pick up an award for his environmentally-friendly business venture, the London store Eco Age. He and wife Livia Giuggioli will be presented with the first Green Living/EMA International Entertainment Award by actress Amy Smart at the Green Living Show on April 24.

The Firths co-founded Eco Age three years ago with Livia's brother Nicola (her brother Alessandro is also involved in the venture) and business partner Ivo Coulson. Nicola will also be in Toronto to accept the award.

Smart is the chairperson of the EMA Young Hollywood Board. The non-profit organization uses the power of celebrity to raise environmental awareness and inspire sustainable living.

Admission to the presentation is included in the cost of getting into to the Green Living Show, which runs April 23 to 25 at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place. Visitors who bring e-waste to the show receive free admission courtesy of Samsung Electronics Canada.

Toronto's smallest house can be yours

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Toronto's smallest house is on the market again for a not-so-small price: $179,000. The 350-square-foot home, located in the Dufferin and Rogers Road neighbourhood, can be yours for $9,000 down and a little over $1,000 a month all inclusive.

Boasting a Victorian-style peaked roof, the little abode has a living room, fully equipped kitchen, four-piece bathroom and a 36 sq. ft. bedroom with a fold-out bed. There's also a crawl space for storage and both a patio and two parking spaces in the back.

It was built in 1912 by contractor Arthur Weeden on what was intended to be a driveway for the neighbouring homes and served as the home of Weeden and his wife for two decades. In the years since it has accommodated several different families and couples – and was most recently rented to a student by a man who bought it in 2007.

To see pictures of the inside of the house, check out its official website.

Photo by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on image to see full size.

Barbara Walters talks down to 'The View' audience

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Regular viewers of daytime talk show The View already know that the five co-hosts – Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elizabeth Hasselbeck – are far from being the most enlightened or intelligent commentators on television.

Walters, who regularly interrupts her co-hosts and guests to state the obvious, apparently believes The View audience is as stupid as its hosts. On today's show, she felt it was necessary to explain to viewers what New Zealand is.

"I was in New Zealand, which is in the Pacific Ocean as you know," she explained. "It's a democracy, they speak English – it's the official language – but they're under the British empire." (In fact, New Zealand hasn't been under the British empire since it became an independent Commonwealth nation in 1947.)

"They are 16 hours ahead of us," Walters added, before belabouring the point. "We are a day later. So when it was Saturday for me it was Friday for you. Very confusing."

Walters may have had good reason to give viewers a basic geography lesson. In a 2002 National Geographic Society survey of 18- to 24-year-olds, a whopping 71 per cent of Americans couldn't find the Pacific Ocean – the planet's largest body of water – on an unmarked map.

But the 80-year-old veteran journalist sure seems to get a lot wrong. At the end of the show, Walters said Ricky Martin "adopted two little boys" when, in fact, the twins were born via gestational surrogacy – meaning that he is their biological father.

Toronto tourists face outdated signs in subway stations

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Toronto's SkyDome was renamed Rogers Centre five years ago and the Hummingbird Centre became the Sony Centre three years ago – but you'd never know it if you ride the TTC. Signs at three downtown subway stations still direct passengers to the SkyDome and Hummingbird Centre, causing confusion for thousands of tourists.

At Union Station visitors using the TTC to get to a game or concert at Rogers Centre will instead see signs directing them to "Skydome" (sic). Signs at St. Andrew Station point out how to get to "Sky Dome" (sic). The SkyDome was renamed Rogers Centre in 2005.

New, smaller signs identifying the Rogers Centre have been installed at Union Station but the old ones remain in place.

At King Station passengers find signs to the Hummingbird Centre, which was renamed the Sony Centre in 2007.

In addition to displaying outdated information, the signs don't point out other popular landmarks in the downtown core. At St. Andrew Station signs show how to get to office buildings "Metro Hall" and "Metro Centre" but omit the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Princess of Wales and Royal Alexandra theatres – easily more popular destinations than Metro Hall.

In a recent National Post article Clarke Smith, a TTC employee who works at Union Station, summed it up perfectly: "The signage sucks."

Photos by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on images to see full size.

'National Post' stuns readers with sloppy iPad article

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Was it an April Fool's Day joke or just sloppy journalism? Readers of the National Post website are left to wonder after an article appeared online last Thursday that contained a staggering 30 errors.

The story (pictured) about Apple's new iPad tablet was also posted on other sites in the CanWest network including the Vancouver Sun and Ottawa Citizen. There is no byline.

>> Click on the article at left to see full size.

It misspells "iPad" seven times by not capitalizing the "P" and similarly misspells "iPod" and "iTunes" – though 'iWorks" is spelled correctly. The article shows "WiFi without an uppercase "F", "TV" with a lowercase "t" and "GPS" with a lowercase "p".

There are four sentences that start with lowercase letters; several dashes that show up as either "-" or "--"; and extra or missing spaces throughout the article.

UPDATE >> Just hours after this report was posted, the article was removed from the sites mentioned (and linked to) herein.