Up Close & Comfortable with Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern

Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern can be seen in a new segment from CTV and TD Canada Trust called Up Close & Comfortable. During the short interview, the co-creators talk about what it's like to write for Flashpoint and how they approach season premieres and season finales differently from other episodes.

To watch the video, just visit the Up Close & Comfortable website and select Up Close with Flashpoint.

Flashpoint To Return to CBS on June 4th!

This was revealed via Mark Ellis' Twitter account yesterday, but we wanted to wait until a couple press outlets had reported it. We've learned a few lessons from the other blog about companies not liking it when blogs "jump the gun" ahead of a release or any news coverage! Flashpoint will return to CBS on Friday nights beginning on June 4th, with the episode "One Wrong Move". This is the beginning of part two of Season 2, and Season 3 wraps up filming in Toronto in a matter of weeks. We'll be fixing our ratings table soon to reflect these changes, but you can use what is there to follow as a rough guide for when episodes are going to air. On Saturday May 29th, CBS will be repeating the first episode "Scorpio". There are 13 Fridays between June 4th to the first week of September, so hopefully without any hitches, these 9 episodes of Flashpoint that the fans have been waiting since last Fall to see, should be aired during this summer. We can't comment on what will happen beyond this for the upcoming third season for CTV or CBS.

In other news, CBS is sticking with keeping the cop shows on Friday nights in the Fall 2010 season, as Medium, CSI: NY and the new cop show Blue Bloods, are filling the network's primetime block. At this time, Flashpoint is not on the fall 2010-2011 schedule.

We'd like to take this time to thank fans of this blog for their patience - we have had a very rough couple of months with our other blog Moon Chase. We have been running a major campaign which began in February and ended just a couple weeks ago, and we acknowledge we have missed a lot of reporting for this blog. Our staff should return mid-June to posting on this blog regularly, and at the very least expect our ratings table to be updated during Flashpoint's return. We're sorry, but we will be back soon!

Flashpoint Finally Begins Broadcast in Japan, Season 1 Boxset Out Soon There Too!

Flashpoint continues to surprise us with new countries that it visits! One we were waiting for a while to hear about was Japan, just a month ago we reported of an actor from the Sailor Moon musicals appearing on a show with a similar premise. Today, Mark Ellis via his Twitter account RT'd a Japanese fan's tweet, and didn't know what it meant. After translating it, we wondered if the show was on the air there and turns out it is!

Flashpoint began on February 4th on FOX TV's special sister channel, FOXCRIME. The show is called "フラッシュポイント　-特殊機動隊ＳＲＵ-" - pronounced Flashpoint -Kidoutai SRU- which translates to Flashpoint -Special Riot Police SRU-. The show airs on Friday and Saturday nights, and the Japanese fans get a special treat since two episodes air back to back. They show the same episodes both nights. On January 22nd, Gaijin Tarento Dave Spector commented on the show, and this is featured at the bottom of FOXCRIME's Flashpoint Page. He writes (roughly translated):

Dave Spector - This is the best drama to get into!
Flashpoint -Special Riot Police SRU-

Every time I watch the show, the indescribable tension is unbearably good!
The SRU Group of the Canadian Police is always cool, composed, and professional.
They are more excellent than the American cops!
The casting is also in good taste.
Teamwork predominates!

There were only dramas featuring the American SWAT Team, up until now. This time, Toronto, Canada is baptized, and becomes the stage.

The calmness and professionalism make the SRU shine. Interesting! All at the first glance!

But the main reason I watch this show is because Jules is cute *laughter*.

The casting is all in good taste too.

As for the man who is the boss and leader, “Parker”, there is no messing with this negotiator.

The man who is always reliable "Ed" is an excellent first sniper.

The team leader gradually rearranges the team.

These adults all have sex appeal. Especially the Sniper "Jules", she's cute! I've been in love with her character since the first episode. This is a bit of a stretch, but I look forward to her future character development.

The rookie, "Sam" (a similar sniper) restrains his feelings and works very hard through the trauma of his best friend who was mistakenly shot.

Additionally, there is also "Spike", who knows the explosives and how they work, "Wordsworth"a devoted husband who has a good combat pace, "Lewis", a good soul who takes charge of the non-lethal weapons like stun guns and tear gas, and "Doctor Luria"

Anyway..."Flashpoint -Special riot police SRU-"?
It fits right in with everything you see.
I saw every episode.
It is the best!

Please watch the introduction that I hosted!

Paramount has also set up an official site for the show and the really neat thing is, they are getting both Season 1 and Season 2 boxset releases this summer. Season 1 will be released on July 9th, and Season 2 will be released on August 6th. Season 1's boxset will contain 13 episode, and Season 2's will have 9 episodes. The boxsets will cost you, each one is close to $100 USD. Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern were even quoted in a news release! It makes special mention of the incident in 2004 which piqued their minds and made them ask "In front of many people, you had to execute someone. How would you spend the rest of your day?"

Congratulations again to everyone in Flashpoint, and especially to Stephanie Morgenstern. You are the second person involved with Sailor Moon to make it big in Japan!

German DVD News, CBS Vaguely Hints About Flashpoint (Again)...

Koch Media to Release Flashpoint Season 1 in Germany!

Last week, Koch Media of Europe announced that its German distribution arm will be releasing Flashpoint - Das Spezialkommando, Staffel 1 (Flashpoint - The Special Command, Season 1) on May 28th. This will come out just after the start of Season 2 in Germany in April of this year. As far as extras go, it will have a Making Of featurette, and the pilot commentary (these must be either dubbed or subtitled in German). This also marks the first European release to come with extras (the one released in the UK came out well before the North American releases did and had none). Our German readers can pre-order this through Amazon.de. The cover? We've got it featured below, and it looks like they used the same image CBS DVD used for their Season 1 release, but without as much smoke, and you can actually see the city's silhouette! We like the color on this release a lot more than CBS's release too!



And in other CBS News...

In a Q&A last week with Nina Tassler (Entertainment President CBS), the Hollywood Reporter asked if there was any possibility of any new scripted dramas this summer. She answered "We haven't completely determined, but it's done so well for us. And we still have "Flashpoint." Conversations are ongoing." She seemed a little wishy-washy with her words here, and if Flashpoint is pushed further later into the year, we're sure all the American fans are going to try to make their way up to Canada each week when new episodes air. She also made no mention of CTV's other new cop drama that they are also co-producing, The Bridge. The premiere of The Bridge last week wasn't the best premiere ever, but the show probably has a lot of potential to grow in coming episodes!

Caption This: Season 2 Boxset Edition!

So many of you agreed with us on Twitter when we thought the SRU looked a little angry on the US Season 2 boxart - but the Canadian boxart isn't without its flaws too. Hugh Dillon is wearing those tacky sunglasses that are too big for his head!

Since Flashpoint news is a little slow, we'll open this up to the masses. In the comments below, caption the boxart for "Dreary" (US) or "Sunset" (Canada)

Dreary:	Sunset:

BREAKING NEWS: New Details about American Season 2 Boxset and Cover Art

Not a huge update, but still a noteworthy one indeed. TVShowsonDVD reports that the upcoming American version of the Flashpoint: Season 2 boxset will contain 9 episodes, exactly the same as Canada's Flashpoint: Season 2 Volume 1. We think this is only going to add to the confusion of which season the last 9 that aired in Canada are going to be a part of. These were once billed as Season 3 by CTV, but they have since added them to Season 2. It is currently unknown what CBS will bill these episodes as when they come to air. Our site (for consistency) will follow whatever episode order CTV lists. Today, CBS Paramount also released a high-res image of the official boxart (featured below), but it's more or less the same idea as the first boxart! Once again, some members of the SRU are featured in action in front of a cityscape with some added smoke. This one features Sargent Greg Parker a little more prominently than the others. The Canadian covers show the SRU among cityscapes as well, but without the smoke and a lot more color. These easily make the CBS Paramount covers look somber and dreary. Hopefully, the US will have a much more exciting cover for Season 3!



Fans can order the American boxset at:
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Best Buy

BREAKING NEWS: Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards Announced

Two big pieces of Flashpoint news were announced today! The first was a long-awaited announcement of the US DVDs for Season 2, and now an award nomination for show creators and writers Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband Mark Ellis, along with writer James Hurst were nominated for their screenwriting on the Season 2 Part 2 opener, "One Wrong Move". We're calling it that since there was some initial Season 2/3 confusion. To check out the full list of nominations, check out TV_Eh here. Congratulations to Stephanie, Mark, and James, and we wish you all the best of luck when the awards are handed out on April 19th in Toronto!

BREAKING NEWS: New Flashpoint Boxset on the Way!

According to TVShowsonDVD (posted a little over an hour ago), CBS and Paramount have announced that the United States is indeed getting a DVD release of Season 2 of Flashpoint. Flashpoint "Season 2" will be released on May 25th, and will have a runtime of 337 minutes. We don't know as of this writing how many episodes will be included on the release, as this release is nearly 50 minutes shorter than the Canadian release (and that missing time about an entire episode of Flashpoint). The extras will also be different, with the US release having a feature about weapons and stunts. We can only guess that Lamperd Less Lethal has something to do with this feature, since they provide all the mock weapons used in the show as well as training! What we do know, is that the last two releases of the Season 1 Boxset didn't differ in the menus or the layout at all, only in the box art. We would think it might have been the same for this release too, just that CBS would not release it until some time after the Canadian release, but this matter of the extras has us a little confused. Hopefully we'll hear more (and find an official press release from CBS/Paramount) soon.

Breaking News: ACTRA Toronto results!

The 2010 ACTRA Toronto award results are in and the Moon Chase Blog Network is happy to announce that actors we have been following have won on both sides of the coin!

In a direct victory for Flashpoint, Kathleen Munroe won Best Female Performer for playing Laura in the episode Last Dance.

Another Flashpoint actor, K.C. Collins, won Best Male Performer for playing Derek Wilmot in Guns. He also played another Derek, Derek Medeiros in the Flashpoint episode Exit Wounds.

On the Sailor Moon side, Julie Lemieux won Best Voice Work for playing Fuzzy Snuggems in the animated series Spliced. She was also the voice of Sammy and Young Darien on Sailor Moon.

We'd like to extend our congratulations to these great actors, for helping to bring to life the shows we love to watch!

Album Review: Hugh Dillon - Works Well With Others

“Works Well With Others” is Hugh Dillon’s first studio album in 4 years, following 5 studio albums with the Headstones and one album credited to the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir. During the 4 year span between albums, Dillon has landed many successful acting roles, most notably lead spots on the shows Durham County and Flashpoint. Given the success he has had in acting, one might have wondered if he would return to recording music, fortunately late in 2009 this album hit the shelves.

Dillon’s new album features production from Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois on 12 of the 14 tracks, and mixing from Adam Kasper (who has worked with grunge artists Pearl Jam and Soundgarden). Overall, this album features Dillon expanding on the signature sound he forged with the Headstones, adding new sounds and instrumentation (such as piano and organ) to the overall feel of his music. This album features some classic gritty Dillon rockers like the opener “Friends of Mine”, “Ten Feet Tall”, “Surface of the Sun” and “Reel to Reel” in which Dillon suggests in his lyrics that even though he is now enjoying success as an actor, he still has a love for recording rock and roll music. The country rocker “Lucky” (featuring guest guitar work from Tragically Hip guitarist Rob Baker) is a highlight of the album, on this song Dillon sings about some of his potential brushes with death and how luck can come and go at all times in a person’s life.

The second half of the album begins with a slower and more introspective song (“Lost at Sea”, which has been featured in a Flashpoint episode) before returning to the rootsy rock sounds of “Radio Plays” and “Bottom of a Dream”. “My Mistakes” begins with an errie spare organ and drums backing Dillon’s voice, before picking up and turning into an uptempo rocker before returning to organ and vocals for the song's outro. It’s another song where Dillon comes to terms with the mistakes he has made in his life, however the song also suggests not dwelling on them and moving forward in one’s life. “Ignore That Call” is another driving rocker, with a nifty guitar line providing the hook for listeners. The album finishes with two slower numbers, the romantic “Puzzle I Am” and the cautionary tale “Don’t Be Fooled” (which has also appeared on Flashpoint).

Overall, “Works Well With Others” is a solid album from start to finish, and is an excellent addition to Dillon’s catalogue of music. People who are familiar with Dillon’s acting, and are wondering what his music sounds like will find this to be a worthy album to listen to. Canadian rock fans that are familiar with Dillon’s music with the Headstones will also enjoy this album, as it shows Dillon continuing to expand his sound as a rock artist.

BREAKING NEWS: New Writer Joins Flashpoint Writing Staff; Penny Wins an Award!

Former House Writer Joins Flashpoint!

Yes, you read right, that House show on Fox and Canwest Global! Playback reports that writer Pam Davis, who wrote for 5 years on House and the first season of the upcoming CBS drama Miami Medical, will be spending the next two months in Toronto as a story editor on Flashpoint. She is also a former Canadian Film Centre grad who is excited to be back in Canada, saying that the Flashpoint gig gives her a rare chance to visit her hometown after working 50 weeks a year in the House story room under series creator and fellow Canadian David Shore! While she is still under contract to Jerry Bruckheimer for Miami Medical while it is seekingn the greenlight for a second season, both Bruckheimer and CBS gave her permission to work on Flashpoint. Congratulations to Pamela and the writing staff of Flashpoint and we wish you the best of luck for Season 3!



Penny Wins at Sundance!

Tatiana Maslany (Penny in Planets Aligned) just won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her breakout role in the film Grown Up Movie Star. In the movie, she plays a precocious 14-year-old who grows up fast after her mother walks out on her and her father, a disgraced NHL star. Mongrel Media is currently handling the distribution of the film, which opened last Friday in Toronto. The film's distribution will expand on February 19th. For more information on the movie, check out the official site! Congrats to Tatiana - you have sure come a long way since your time on Flashpoint!

BREAKING NEWS: Official Boxart in Hi-Res, No Blu-Ray This Time.

TVShowsonDVD reported a couple more details about the upcoming Season 2: Volume 1 release of Flashpoint earlier today, and fans also got confirmation about the number of episodes that are going to be included. Mark Ellis via twitter last week confirmed that there will be 9 episodes on this release. Now, since the last nine episodes (which aired last Fall in Canada) are now being billed as Season 2 by CTV, we can only assume that these nine will make up Season 2: Volume 2. Perhaps Phase 4 Films is holding out for these last nine to air on CBS before releasing them? We wish we could give every cast and crew member on the show a large slice of cheesecake with a cherry on top for the episode confusion, since those episodes were onceknown as Season 3 on CTV! TVShowsonDVD also posted a hi-res image of the cover (which we have re-posted below). Hugh Dillon was on the spine of the last release, Enrico Colantoni is on the spine of this release - who do you think will be next, fans? The site also confirmed that there will not be a Blu-Ray release at this time, and even we are baffled by this. It was well worth the wait even though it arrived to shelves weeks after the Standard DVD release! Bonus features on this release will include a photo gallery and a music video from Hugh Dillon (probably his video for Friends of Mine). Fans wishing to purchase this release can order this online from Chapters/Coles/Indigo, or Amazon.ca (both will ship to the United States)!

Enrico Colantoni on Cra$h & Burn

Enrico Colantoni recently appeared in an episode of Showcase's Cra$h & Burn as Danny DeRossi, a man who terrorizes the insurance agency because a settlement for his wife's spinal injury has been repeatedly delayed. Instead of playing the negotiator as he does on Flashpoint, this time Colantoni was on the other side as the desperate man with a story who takes extreme measures.

Here's the promo for the episode:

The full episode can be viewed on the Showcase website. Just select episode 08: Lawyers, Guns, and Money.

Help Haiti Now!

Over a week ago, tragedy struck the country of Haiti, devastating the entire livelihood of a people. The Sailor Senshi and the SRU have both taught us that no matter how dire the circumstances may be, there is always a way to save someone, if we all band together. Here are a few charities that our readers can donate to help Haiti get the essentials that they need in the aftermath of the earthquake.

Canadian Red Cross
American Red Cross

The Red Cross is heading emergency relief and recovery efforts in Haiti, providing medical support, clean water, food and shelter to people who have lost everything.

The Jean R. Cadet Restavek Foundation

Much of Haiti’s population is below the poverty line, and many children are sold to other families as “restaveks”, or “domestic servants”, under the promise that they will live a better life with more educational opportunities. These children, are unfortunately abused. This foundation had been working with hundreds children to provide relief and educational opportunities, but unfortunately it is believed that 100 of these children have perished. They were unfortunately in one of the schools that collapsed. It may even be possible that many more orphans could be at risk now in the aftermath.

ShelterBox Canada
ShelterBox International

Shelter Box provides tents, and other essential supplies including tools, a small stove, dishes, pans, water purification supplies, mosquito nets, blankets and utensils. These are especially being used to house patients receiving care from the makeshift hospitals on the ground.

World Food Programme

World Food Programme has pledged to help 2 million Haitians for 6 months, delivering food packages to the region.

Oxfam America

Oxfam has been working for the last 3 decades in Haiti and they aren’t going to stop! They are providing clean water, sanitation, and shelter for Haitians.

Breaking News: ACTRA Toronto Nominations!

We here at the Moon Chase Blog Network are so pleased to hear that actors from productions we follow on both Moon Chase and We Got The Solution have been nominated for awards! ACTRA Toronto is the Toronto branch of Canada’s largest actors union, and they are presenting awards in 3 categories. Funnyman Colin Mochrie will be handing these out!

Here are the nominees! The productions that they are nominated for are in bold, but if you see a gold star next to their name(★), it means they were also in Flashpoint or Sailor Moon).

Best Male Performer:

Noam Jenkins★(Flashpoint – played Josh in the episode Backwards Day)
K.C. Collins★(Guns) (Was also in Flashpoint – played Derek Medeiros in Exit Wounds)
Ennis Esmer (The Listener)
Allan Hawco (Love and Savagery)
Daniel Kash (The Line)

Best Female Performer:

Kathleen Munroe★(Flashpoint – played Laura in the episode Last Dance)
Rhea Akler (Undercurrent)
Kristin Booth★(At Home By Myself... With You) (Was also in Flashpoint – played Sarah in Backwards Day)
Kateri Walker★(Kissed By Lightning)

Best Voice Work:

Juan Chioran (Grossology)
Paul Fauteux (Afghanada)
Julie Lemieux★(Spliced) (Was in Sailor Moon, played Sammy and Young Darien)
Carolyn Scott (Best Ed)
Ron Pardo(Bob & Doug)


We wish Julie, Kathleen, Noam, Kristin and K.C. the best of luck!

Air Farce New Year's Eve Flashpoint Spoof - "Flupoint"

The Royal Canadian Air Farce was, and still is, a beloved comedy troupe among Canadians. Though their weekly TV show is no longer on CBC, the network brought them back for their infamous New Year's Eve Special. Unfortunately, there was no Chicken Cannon or Donut Shop Coffee Break this year, but in the true tradition of the show making a mockery of pop culture trends, one very special Canadian hit was parodied. And that, was Flashpoint! CBC has finally put the clip on the air, and fans can check it out below!




To watch the entire episode, click here to watch it on CBC.ca or purchase it on iTunes. For our much older readers who are "technologically challenged", you may also have a good laugh at this skit!