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Some 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.

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Who 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.

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Twelve 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.

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Ryan 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

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Former 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.

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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. 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.

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The 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.

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Where 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.

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If 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.