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Leo Awards

LEO AWARDS: THE KILLING Season 3 Suspects Walk the Red Carpet

Each season of The Killing brings a whole new set of Vancouver actor suspects on the rain-soaked Seattle-set series. Season three introduced Ben Cotton as “Pastor” Mike who runs a shelter for street kids called Beacon Home (actually a building in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside). On screen Pastor Mike rejects the characterization of himself as a “light at the end of the tunnel” for these kids. He says he’s more like the guy trying to pull them off the tracks of  a speeding train heading towards them in the tunnel. And what’s with the tattoo “Ephesians 1:7,” on his arm. He does seem too good to be true, doesn’t he? When I suggested to Cotton on the red carpet that he might have done it — killed 17 female street kids so far — he muhuhaw-ed and stroked his chin. Don’t take that as a sign of guilt. He’s kidding. Showrunner Veena Sud doesn’t show her hand this early on.

Also in the mix, Leo favourite Ryan Robbins (with girlfriend Karyn Baltzer) who told me Saturday we’d see him on The Killing in last Sunday’s episode. And there he was. A “john”.  Robbins is Joe the Seattle cab driver whom missing girl Kallie wanted to avoid in the premiere. “Did he do something to you?” demanded her friend Bullet. There was no answer and we didn’t meet Joe until an early scene in 3×03 of Lyric on “a date” in his cab. He seems OK as far as “johns” go but definitely a suspect.

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LEO AWARDS: Jennifer Copping Wins Leo For BECOMING REDWOOD – Revised

Becoming Redwood which came in with 14 nominations for its popular 1970s-era coming-of-age story won a Leo for Jennifer Copping’s lead performance as young  golf-obssessed Redwood (Ryan Grantham)’s mother. Vancouver-born-and-bred writer and director Jesse James Miller, Copping  (Miller’s wife) and Grantham (shorn of his long hair) walked the red carpet together.

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LEO AWARDS: Agam Darshi & Gabrielle Rose of Bruce Sweeney Film CRIMES OF MIKE RECKET

Crimes of Mike Recket is about failed real estate agent Mike Recket (Nicholas Lea) whose beautiful, pampered wife Jasleen (Agam Darshi) has dumped him and barred access to their daughter. In a bid to solve his money woes, he tries to scam widow Leslie Kemper (Gabrielle Rose) so that when she goes missing, Recket becomes the lead detective (Paul Skrudland)’s prime suspect in her disappearance.

Agam Darshi, (below) won a Leo for her supporting performance in the film. Her next project: a co-starring role as tech expert Khali Bhatt in upcoming Toronto crime drama Played. Darshi was on stage at the CTV Upfront  last week in Toronto, where  the thirteen-episode series is filming from early May through September.

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LEO AWARDS: Meghan Ory of ONCE UPON A TIME & INTELLIGENCE

It’s no surprise that Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time & Intelligence) was the most photographed woman on the red carpet at Saturday’s Leo Awards, celebrating the best of B.C.-made film and television. While she came to support her nominated husband John Reardon, Ory is BC Film’s breakout star, vaulting from a supporting role as Ruby/Little Red on ABC’s Once Upon a Time to main cast on CBS’s upcoming series Intelligence. And trading Josh Dallas for Josh Holloway and a Vancouver production location for a Los Angeles one.

So there will be long-distance commuting in this couple’s future (who met 8 years ago on an independent film). Reardon, who’s supporting cast on Arctic Air, will start filming the aerial adventure series this August in Vancouver and Yellowknife. Ory says she hasn’t had a chance to visit him when he’s shooting above the Arctic Circle but wants to experience the beauty of the Northwest Territories. Still, that’s a very long way from L.A. When production starts, they’ll have to make do with odd weekends in either Vancouver or L.A. Luckily, Ory will return as Ruby/Little Red on Once Upon a Time here but says she doesn’t know when. Later rather than sooner?

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LEO AWARDS: ARCTIC AIR Contingent Owns Red Carpet – Updated

Arctic Air star Adam Beach missed the red carpet coming from the airport and went straight into the Westin Bayhore Hotel but he may have been the only one. The Vancouver-and-Yellowknife-filmed CBC aerial adventure series owned the long media gauntlet for a good half-hour or more with nominated leads Pascale Hutton and Kevin McNulty, nominated supporting actor John Reardon and his American-network-star wife Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time and Intelligence), nominated supporting actress Emilie Ullerup, nominated supporting actress Carmen Moore, nominated guest actress Chelah Horsdal and nominated guest actor Aleks “the Griz” Paunovic. Lexa Doig, nominated for performances on both Arctic Air and Continuum chose to enter with the futuristic Continuum gang. With so much crossover the two dramas are one seamless show for Vancouver actors, with Continuum starting filming as Arctic Air wraps or vice-versa. Lexa Doig, John Reardon, Stephen Lobo and Brian Markinson are four cast who have roles on both and Pascale Hutton even guest-starred on Continuum in season one as a Carlos hookup and Liber8 murder victim. I convinced Arctic Air showrunner Gary Harvey (below) to come over to the media wall to be photographed by mentioning that Continuum showrunner Simon Barry would be walking the red carpet later.

Pascale Hutton (Krista Ivarson)

Pascale Hutton & Kevin McNulty (TV father-and-daughter Krista and Mel Ivarson).

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LEO AWARDS: Director Katrin Bowen & Star Amanda Tapping of RANDOM ACTS OF ROMANCE

Random Acts of Romance director Katrin Bowen and her star Amanda Tapping walked the red carpet  together at the Leo Awards.  The tall pair became fast friends years ago when Bowen worked as Tapping’s photo double/standin on the first Stargate TV series, Stargate SG-1.

Bowen was nominated for a Leo for directing  her “Sex, Abduction, Stalking and You Thought Romance Was Dead” movie, set in Vancouver in all of  its “rain, sex and awkwardness.” Sonja Bennett (not photographed) was nominated for her performance in the feature as a wacko stalker. And the film was one of six nominees for Best Motion Picture.

Amanda Tapping’s suit.

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