Fairly big day today; it’s after the August civic holiday. There is television news beyond what I list here, but you might not be interested in a Justin Bieber documentary and Michael Bay-flavoured Transformers films streaming on CTV.ca and CTV GO. I’m just saying.

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Bell Media announces its 2014-15 development slate for The Movie Network. Among the most interesting prospective shows (co-developments with Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central denoted with a red (MC)):

• Noreen Halpern’s Halfire Entertainment has the most high-profile entry in Prons (possibly Pr0ns; the title’s only mentioned once), about a porn star returning to his childhood home in Brantford, Ontario. The head writers are Aaron Martin and Kevin Smith – yes, That Kevin Smith. Halfire previously assumed production on Spoilers’ second season, which Smith’s SModCo initiated. (MC)
• Clive Barker is attached to Copperheart Entertainment’s Incarnate, as an executive producer and creative consultant. Other executive producers are Steven Hoban, Clark Peterson, Judith Reeves-Stevens, and Garfield Reeves-Stevens; the two Reeves-Stevens are also head writers. (MC)
• Ted Bauman’s Bauman Entertainment has Gucci Wars, about the rise and fall of the House of Gucci. Angus Fraser is head writer. (MC)
• Nicholas Tabarrok’s Darius Films has Iron Belly, set on a 19th-century prison ship. Jeremy Boxen and Jonathan Sobol are head writers; this is the only show co-developed with BBC America.
• Ilana Frank’s ICF Films has an entry in Feral. Head writer is Sherry White, with Mad Men’s Semi Chellas as story editor. (MC)
• Method, Letterkenny, Divorce Party, Uncommon Youth, and The Siege (formerly Siege of Kebec), which were previously announced as Bell Media development projects on the comedy and drama fronts. (August 5, 2014)

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DHX Media’s Epitome Pictures, in association with marblemedia, begins filming on YTV’s Open Heart, starring Karis Cameron. The twelve-episode, half-hour series is the first Epitome Pictures show in the DHX Media era. Given that YTV is a Corus channel, and DHX Media officially entered the television arena last week, it’s odd to see Corus and DHX Media still working together. My guess is, Epitome previously developed this show for YTV, just as DHX Media sold the upcoming Inspector Gadget revival to Teletoon. (August 5, 2014)

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The CRTC expedites Videotron’s CRTC application to convert Canal Indigo (d/b/a Indigo), a pay-per-view service, into a bilingual service. This comes in the wake of Bell Media’s shutdown of the Viewer’s Choice Canada pay-per-view service. The VCC shutdown comes into effect September 30, 2014. (August 4, 2014)

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TSN’s James Duthie hosts The Amazing Race Canada special After the Race. The special airs on CTV and CTV GO Tuesday, August 12, 2014, at 10:00 PM ET/PT, after the midseason episode of The Amazing Race Canada. (August 5, 2014)

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DRG, a London, United Kingdom-based distributor, picks up international distribution rights to Laurie Finstad-helmed CBC drama Strange Empire. Finstad is best known as creator of The Movie Network/Movie Central/HBO Canada drama Durham County. (August 5, 2014)