It’s a mailbag episode of Entertainment Is Broken! Sarah Hanlon and I are answering listener questions about the Canadian entertainment industry, reality TV, celebrity behaviour, and whether Canada is finally building its own star system.
We discuss the growing momentum around Canadian film and television, from North of North and Heated Rivalry to Don McKellar’s Last Night, and why Canadian stories may finally be getting the attention they deserve.
Plus, Sarah pulls back the curtain on her time inside Big Brother Canada… including what didn’t make it to air, what reality TV production is really like, and why 70 days with microphones, limited bathrooms, and questionable housemate hygiene is basically a social experiment with snacks.
I share stories from decades of celebrity interviews, including who shows up with an entourage, who doesn’t, and why bigger stars are often more relaxed than the people orbiting them.
In this episode: Canadian film and TV The Canadian star system Big Brother Canada behind the scenes Reality TV production secrets Celebrity interviews and entourages Last Night, Power Ballad, Rocky Horror, and more Listen, subscribe, and send us your questions for the next mailbag.
Presented by The Revue Cinema in partnership with the American Cinematheque, ‘Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair’ is an annual film festival showcasing some of the greatest works of cinema!
This inaugural Toronto edition of Bleak Week includes 13 films, hailing from 5 countries, including 35mm prints, restoration premieres and various in-person appearances by some our favourite filmmakers of stark cinema. #BleakWeek
I’m hosting a screening of the cult Canadian apocalyptic black comedy-drama #LastNight and a post film Q&A with director Don McKellar at The Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Ave. in Toronto) on June 1!
On the Saturday May 30, 2026 edition of the Richard Crouse Show we meet Andrew Lownie, renowned royal biographer and literary agent. A Cambridge history graduate and President of the Union, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and founder of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, he’s known for his meticulously researched biographies that have reshaped our understanding of key 20th-century figures. His previous works include the acclaimed Stalin’s Englishman on Guy Burgess, The Mountbattens, and Traitor King on Edward VIII. His latest book, Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, is already being called one of the most explosive royal biographies in years.
Today we’re talking about his latest book, “Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York,” a book The Times called, “A catalyst for Andrew’s de-princing.” It is first joint biography of the Duke and Duchess of York, that’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and the first full biography of either of them.
Chronicling their lives in parallel, the picture that emerges is of a spoilt prince unable to connect and a duchess pushed by her insecurities into a desperate need to maintain the attention her ‘royal’ status brought. Rigorously researched and packed full of revelations, this is a royal biography Camilla Long, writing in the Sunday Times called, “a case for revolution.”
Then, we meet Niagara-based wine, food, and travel expert Magdalena Kaiser. Daughter of the late Karl Kaiser (co-founder of Inniskillin Wines), she grew up immersed in Ontario’s wine scene—starting with tours and tastings as a teen and even helping bottle wine at age five. She serves as Director of Public Relations for Wine Country Ontario (formerly Ontario VQA), where she has spent the past 15+ years elevating the region’s international profile through media, trade, and export initiatives.
Today we talk about her new book “Niagara Wine + Food: Signature Recipes from Ontario’s Iconic Terroir—A Cookbook” which highlights the region’s terroir, varietals, and unique features, and profiles 44 of the region’s best and most promising producers alongside 88 delectable wine-pairing recipes featuring iconic wine styles from the region.
Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
All iHeartRadio Canada stations are available across Canada via live stream on iHeartRadio.caand the iHeartRadio Canada app. iHeartRadio Canada stations are also connected through Alexa, Siri, and Google Home smart speakers.
After years of hearing that movie theatres were dying, Richard Crouse and Sarah Hanlon ask whether the big screen is having a real comeback… and what that means for Canadian cinema.
This week on Entertainment Is Broken, Richard and Sarah talk about younger audiences returning to theatres, the magic of indie cinemas, and why watching a film with strangers still hits differently than streaming it alone on the couch.
They also dig into the growing momentum behind Canadian films like Little Lorraine, Blue Heron, Nirvanna: The Band, The Show, The Movie, Undertone, and more… plus the importance of community theatres like The Revue, The Fox, The Plaza, and other independent spaces across the country.
Also discussed:
Canadian horror, Ginger Snaps, Black Christmas, post-pandemic moviegoing, theatre as a third space, and why some films simply need an audience.
Because maybe theatres aren’t dead after all. Maybe they were just waiting for us to remember why we loved them.
I sit with host Deb Hutton on NewsTalk 1010 to talk about a dream job for Steven Spielberg and Barack Obama, we say hello, goodbye to Stephen Colbert and to CBS news radio and I do a quick review of “The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
I appear in a CTV National News report by John Vennavally-Rao on the reignited concerns about censorship as Stephen Colbert prepares to host his final ‘The Late Show’ on Thursday night.
On the Saturday May 9, 2026 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we meet YouTuber, actor, screenwriter, comedian, and musician Jasmeet Raina. His series “Late Bloomer,” a dramedy about a millennial Sikh content creator balancing online ambitions, family expectations, community pressures, and personal growth, is in its third season on Crave right now. Critics call it funny, heartfelt, and eye-opening.
He rose to fame in the late 2000s/early 2010s on YouTube with sharp, satirical sketches about growing up in a Punjabi immigrant family in Guelph, Ontario. His irreverent humor on culture, family, and identity earned him millions of views and a loyal following but he stepped back from YouTube around 2018, to created, write, produce, and star in the semi-autobiographical “Late Bloomer.”
Then, we’ll meet actor Shamier Anderson. He’s best known for roles like Deputy Marshal Xavier Dolls in Wynonna Earp, Trevante Cole in Invasion (Apple TV+), and the memorable Mr. Nobody / The Tracker in John Wick: Chapter 4. He’s also involved in initiatives supporting Black Canadian talent, like co-founding awards and events with his brother, actor Stephan James.
Today we’re talking about how he made the switch from law enforcement to acting, studying kung fu and his latest role, playing controversial Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. “Hate the Player: The Ben Johnson Story” is a satirical comedy miniseries for Paramount+ and GameTV that focuses on Johnson’s 1988 Seoul Olympics 100m gold medal win (and world record), the subsequent doping scandal that stripped him of it, and a “definitely-not-biased” retelling that explores the legacy, the pressure, and perhaps the bigger picture of athletics in that era.
Finally, we spend some time with Nicholas Braun. You’ve seen him in supporting roles in films like “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “How to Be Single” and “Zola,” although the 6’7″ actor is best known as the awkward, ambitious Cousin Greg Hirsch on Crave’s “Succession,” a role that earned him three Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Today, we’re talking about his latest project, “The Sheep Detectives,” a new, all-star whodunnit comedy now playing in theatres, about a flock of sheep attempt to solve a murder mystery.
You heard me right. This bizarre but crowd-pleasing murder mystery for the whole family that could have been titled “CSI: Livestock.” Murder, talking sheep and philosophy intertwine to create echoes of “Babe: A Pig in the City” and “Old Yeller.”
Nicolas Braun plays Tim, the only, and rather clumsy, police officer in a small town, who investigates the murder of the local shepherd played by Hugh Jackman, as a flock of crime-solving sheep try to crack the case first.
Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
All iHeartRadio Canada stations are available across Canada via live stream on iHeartRadio.caand the iHeartRadio Canada app. iHeartRadio Canada stations are also connected through Alexa, Siri, and Google Home smart speakers.
Secret concerts. Surprise gigs. Superstars in tiny rooms.
What happens when artists like The Rolling Stones, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lady Gaga trade arenas for bars, clubs, and hidden venues?
On this episode of “Entertainment Is Broken,” my co-host Sarah Hanlon and I break down the magic of secret shows — from fake band names and pop-up performances to once-in-a-lifetime moments where global stars perform just feet away from the audience.
Why do artists do it? What do fans get that stadium shows can’t deliver? And why do these raw, unpolished performances often feel more powerful than a $400 arena ticket?
Featuring: The legendary El Mocambo show that changed live music history Intimate gigs from global superstars The creative reset that only small rooms can provide Real stories of surreal, up-close encounters Because sometimes the biggest artists… create the smallest, most unforgettable moments.
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