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Have 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.

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In 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. 20 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.

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 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. 

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Warning: there is a lot of Brampton talk in this episode. My guest, Jordan Gavaris, grew up in my town so brace yourself for a walk down memories of the Bramalea City Centre.
Otherwise the top subject is Gavaris' Prime Video series The Lake, which just returned for a second season on the Amazon-owned streaming service.
Shot in Ontario's cottage country,  the story finds Gavaris -- previously best-known for Orphan Black -- as Justin, a gay dad with a 16-year-old daughter named Billie (Madison Shamoun). That’s what happens when you get your best friend pregnant at prom. The baby was given up for adoption.
Justin reconnects with his city girl by bringing her to the cherished cabin where he spent his youth. Trouble is, his  back-stabbing step-sister, Maisy-May (Julia Stiles). has claimed the cottage and stolen it from him. A lot of canoe jousting ensues.
There are several other very funny people in this series, including Jon Dore as an obnoxious neighbour dude. Recent brioux.tv podcast guest Lauren Holly gets into the mix in Season Two as a  mom-from-Hell. I wasn't sure about The Lake at first so I kept watching, and liked it more and more with each episode.
You'll feel the same way about Gavaris after listening to this fun and frisky conversation. Check us out and get ready to jump in The Lake.

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This Friday, June 9, after 13 seasons, ever-popular radio and TV host Marilyn Denis concludes her long-running CTV daytime series The Marilyn Denis Show. Prior to that, she enjoyed a 20-year run in daytime TV on CityLine -- an incredible 33-year reign over two networks.
In fact, as she discusses on this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast, Denis was so coveted by  former Bell/CTV boss Ivan Fecan that he insisted she be part of the deal when a tug of war developed over her services.
The good news for fans of the broadcaster is that she is keeping her radio job. Denis  can still be heard each weekday morning as co-host of Marilyn Denis and Jamar on CHUM 104.5. This fall, she also plans to resume her most recent project: Marilyn Denis Has a Podcast.
I'm just grateful she was a guest on this podcast, where she talks about some of the celebrity guests  she has interviewed, including Elton John, Sally Field, Lionel Richie and Jane Fonda. Look for visits from more celebs in her final week of CTV shows.
Whoever she is interviewing, Denis always strives to, as she says, "put myself in the place of the viewer and ask what they would want to know."
She even sings! Listen towards the end as she treats listeners to a few bars from her all-time favourite TV theme song.

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Now that John Doyle has retired as the TV critic of The Globe and Mail, how are we supposed to make sense of it all? Where is our roadmap out of the madness that is Canadian television?
It is all right here, friends, in this handy and convenient, click and listen podcast episode.
Hear Doyle on why he retired over six months ago from the newspaper he toiled at with distinction for 26 years. Does he still think the people who run the Canadian Screen Awards are idjits? That would be yes. What shows or issues, if any, does he wish he was writing about now? What shows are can't miss in the Doyle household these days? Does he think Ted Lasso has jumped the shark?
I miss reading John's unfiltered and outspoken take on this crazy beat. Lock the door, pour a pale ale and join us for some rousing blather between two lucky bastards who love and hate television.

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Lauren Holly is an American-Canadian actress who lives in Toronto but works in Vancouver. Hers is every TV actresses resume rolled into one.
Vancouver is where she shoots Family Law, which returns for a second season Monday, May 22 on Global. The CW just announced that they've acquired the cheeky law drama for their summer season.
When she's not stirring things up as family matriarch Joanne Kowalski opposite Jewel Staite and Victor Garber on Family Law, she can be found in Ontario's cottage country. That's where she shoots The Lake, the Prime Video drama returning for a second season June 9.
Holly's credits stretch back to her breakout role opposite Tom Skerritt and Kathy Baker on Picket Fences (1992-96).  Several seasons on Chicago Hope and NCIS followed as did features such as "Dumb and Dumber" and "What Women Want."
Raised in upstate New York, Holly married not one but two Canadians, moved to Canada, became a Canadian citizen and has three Canadian sons. Does this not qualify her for the Order of Canada? Or at least a discount at Tim Horton's?
Hear her on the importance of acting on happy sets on this episode of brioux.tv: the podcast.

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Come on down for a fun conversation with John Ealer, executive producer, and Sarah Gibson, director and showrunner, of The Game Show Show. Their four-part docuseries from Toronto's Cream Productions premieres Wednesday, May 10 on ABC and continues Wednesday nights throughout May.
Episodes look at the evolution of TV game shows from their radio roots to the big money series such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Deal or No Deal. The series also looks at how competition and dating shows have  become more popular in the 21st century. 
There is also a discussion of the game show scandals of the 1950s. Also: why is it that Canadians such as Alex Trebek, Howie Mandel and Monty Hall seem to make great game show hosts? Mr. Ealer has a generous theory.
All that plus John and Sarah's favourite TV theme songs, including the one used years later by George for his answering machine on Seinfeld.

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 Eric McCormack is such a terrific podcast guest we're running this episode twice.
The occasion is the premiere, April 6, of Slasher: Ripper. This fifth season of the horror anthology series airs on the streaming service Shudder in the States and in Canada on  one of our sponsors here at brioux.tv, Hollywood Suite.
Set in 1910, McCormack plays, in his words, "a ruthless son-of-a-bitch" who finds himself on the hit list of a vicious slasher.
The Emmy-award winner is known more for starring in urbane comedies such as Will & Grace than for playing nasty bad guys, but he's done it before. "It comes a little too naturally to me," he jokes.
On this encore episode, which originally ran in 2022, McCormack shares several terrific showbiz stories. Examples include the time he cracked up guest star Gene Wilder on the set of Will & Grace.
He also talks about plans to launch a Broadway show based on the hit Michael Douglas/Kathleen Turner movie "The War of the Roses."  First, however, McCormack will be directed first by Jason Alexander at the Hayes theater starting this July in the domestic comedy "The Cottage."
BONUS: at the end of this episode, hear McCormack belt out his favourite all-time TV theme song (hint: the two main character were "Doing it our way..."). 

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I always look forward to catching up with Mitch Azaria. He's the executive producer behind the unique "Tripping" series of real time, immersive documentaries featured each spring on TVO.
In the past few years, and especially throughout the pandemic, these docs have allowed viewers to travel virtually throughout Ontario when real travel was not an option, or at best a very limited one.
The series all started with Tripping The Rideau Canal (2020) followed by The Niagara (2021), and last April, The Bruce (2022).
The latest adventure is Tripping Train 185, premiering Friday, April 7 on TVO.  It takes viewers aboard a remote route that runs northwest out of Canada’s mining capital and along the stunning Spanish River.
"It's a hidden gem," says Azaria. "I didn't know anything about it."
The route goes from Sudbury to White River, a 480 km trip. Best of all, it is aboard a stainless steel Budd Car, the last-remaining, post WWII vintage, diesel train in North America still operating on a regular route.
Part of the fun is the bond between the crew and the passengers. "It's like Old Home week every trip on this train," saysd Azaria. As you'll see, many canoes and backpacks are along for the ride.
For many, Train 185 is the only way to get to some of the best fishing sites in North America. For TVO viewers, thanks to Mitch and his crew, this is the only way to travel.