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It all started in 1988 with an obsession: Canadian comic Carolyn Taylor, now known as one of the stars and co-creators of “Baroness Von Sketch Show,” was a “closeted 15-year-old” watching Olympic figure skating in her aunt’s living room. She recalls Katarina Witt performing a free skate to “Carmen” in an iconic red costume. At the very end, Witt performatively lay down on the ice — and Taylor just wanted to lie next to her.

“It was one of those foundational moments,” Taylor tells Variety. “But then I went on with my life, and didn’t pursue skating or Olympics in any capacity.”

Fast forward to 2016. Taylor was driving in the car with her girlfriend when Whitney Houston’s 1992 song “I Have Nothing” came on the radio. “It was as if I had heard it for the first time,” she recalls. She had a vision of “a professional pairs, gold medalist skating routine,...

“Baroness von Sketch Show” star Carolyn Taylor will front a new unscripted comedy series for Canadian streaming service Crave, produced through Catalyst and Blue Ant Studios.

The six-part comedy series has been commissioned by the Bell Media-owned SVOD, and is produced by Catalyst — the Toronto-based development and funding company focusing on women-centric content — and Blue Ant Studios as part of a strategic partnership to develop female-generated programming for the global marketplace.

Taylor is best known as one of the stars and co-creators of CBC’s comedy hit “Baroness von Sketch Show,” which aired across five seasons from 2016 to 2020. Starring four female comedians, the satirical sketch comedy offered clever takedowns of contemporary culture through the female gaze. Some of the show’s most famous skits include “Private Vagina,” “Mom Says Hello” and “Not All Men.”

The new series, which is still untitled, is slated to premiere on Crave in 2023. Blue Ant International...

In a month, Scott Hamilton will learn whether the tumor lurking in his brain has grown, or whether the “little critter” – as the ice skater wryly calls it — is “behaving itself.” Waiting for such news could easily keep a guy up at night, but for the Olympic champ it’s almost an afterthought.

After all, between preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympics broadcast, getting ready for a book launch (his third book, Finish First: Winning Changes Everything, is out Feb. 6) and organizing an annual cancer benefit in Nashville this month, “I’ve got too much to do every day to worry,...

Calling all ice skating fans…Olympians and megastars in the sport are on ABC today! The family-friendly Musselman’s Apple Sauce Family Skating Tribute special is all about ice skating and features the best in the sport. Hosted by Olympic gold-medalist Kristi Yamaguchi and three-time U.S. Champion Michael Weiss, the event features Nancy Kerrigan, Scott Hamilton, Paul Wylie, Kurt Browning, Todd Eldredge, Sinead Kerr-Marshall & John Kerr, Silvia Fontana & John Zimmerman, and Jodeyne Higgins & Sean Rice, performing alongside their hard-working and talented children. Note: There will also be a musical performance by country music duo Dan + Shay. Olympian Kerrigan talked...read more...

Toronto, On. The set is neat and tidy, a two-level suburban home ready for guests.  On the ground floor, there's an orderly living room and an adjacent kitchen. The rugs are flat and properly placed, the chairs and tables laid out to encourage openness, the couch looks comfortable. The pictures on the walls and in leaning frames are spic-and-span. You could practically eat off the floors, were it not for the unfortunately mutilated body. The corpse looks almost restful. And when I say "almost restful," I mean "as restful as a decapitated corpse could possibly look." It's just there. On its back. Without a head. There are no signs of struggle. And for good reason. The corpse has nothing to do with the scene that will next be shot in this house on the Toronto set of FX's "The Strain." Or at least that's what the group of reporters wandering...

Adelina Sotnikova, who skated for Russia at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, stunned the skating world when she beat out reigning champion Yu-na Kim of South Korea for the gold medal.

Adelina Sotnikova's Surprising Gold Medal Win

Sotnikova, 17, trounced her previous best of 131.63 points with a score of 149.94 from the judges. Kim, who had taken gold at Vancouver 2010 and was thought by many to have been the best skater on the ice once again, was awarded only 144.19 points.

“When I had performed all the elements, I knew I would be on the podium but not which medal,” Sotnikova admitted after the scores were read, according to The Washington Post. “When I saw I had won on the technical elements, I didn’t believe my eyes.”

Kim, likely wary of seeming bitter, diplomatically stated that skating – not scoring – was her specialty. “The score is given by the judges,” she said. “I’m...

Aside from watching skeleton slider Noelle Pikus-Pace finally win her Olympic medal, there wasn’t much to love in NBC’s primetime broadcast on Valentine’s Day. Commentator Scott Hamilton referred to the men’s free skate as “disappointing,” and Ted Ligety admitted he “choked” in the Super Combined. On the upside, I did have time to wonder how many people have sang, “I like the way you work it, Ted Ligety” to the tune of “No Diggity” to him, so that’s something. (Update: At least one.) Here we go.

Olympic Stud Of The Day: It’s possible no...

Slipping and sliding back into Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide for an encore engagement on August 22 in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the iconic and legendary 1952 movie musical masterpiece Singin In The Rain makes its grand return to the silver screen in a brand new HD remastering that any movie musical fan, film fanatic or Broadway baby will definitely want to experience first hand - especially on the very night before Gene Kelly's 100th birthday. A special event presented by Turner Classic Movies - also featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Robert Osborne and spotlighting original film star Debbie Reynolds - this Wednesday's encore showing of Singin' In The Rain is one more enduring entry in a continuing series of classic releases shown in HD for the first time in Fathom-equipped movie theaters across the country - past highlighted films have included Scarface, West Side Story, The Sound Of Music,...

Slipping and sliding back into Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide for one night only on July 12 in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the iconic and legendary 1952 movie musical masterpiece Singin In The Rain makes its grand return to the silver screen in a brand new HD remastering that any movie musical fan, film fanatic or Broadway baby will definitely want to see first hand. A special event presented by Turner Classic Movies - also featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Robert Osborne and featuring original film star Debbie Reynolds - the July 12 showing of Singin' In The Rain is one more enduring entry in a continuing series of classic releases shown in HD for the first time in Fathom-equipped movie theaters across the country prior to their release on Blu-ray - past highlighted films have included Scarface, West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, Casablanca and many more. So, in...

Slipping and sliding back into Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide for one night only on July 12 in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the iconic and legendary 1952 movie musical masterpiece Singin In The Rain makes its grand return to the silver screen in a brand new HD remastering that any movie musical fan, film fanatic or Broadway baby will definitely want to see first hand. A special event presented by Turner Classic Movies - also featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Robert Osborne and featuring original film star Debbie Reynolds - the July 12 showing of Singin' In The Rain is one more enduring entry in a continuing series of classic releases shown in HD for the first time in Fathom-equipped movie theaters across the country prior to their release on Blu-ray - past highlighted films have included Scarface, West Side Story, The Sound Of Music, Casablanca and many more. So, in...

For most "Mantracker" fans, it was hard saying goodbye to Terry Grant, the rugged outdoorsman who spent six seasons hunting human prey around the world. But, there's a new cowboy in town, so fans had best make some room in their hearts for Chad Savage.

The veteran woodsman from the tiny town of Caroline, Alberta, beat out 11 other finalists to fill the formidable Mantracker boots. Savage, whose real last name is Lenz, has been a hunting guide since the early '90s, and honed his navigational skills with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets as a young man.

This season, we see him travel to places like Florida, Hawaii and Crowsnest Pass to hunt diverse prey ranging from Toronto Roller Derby girls to a wild boar trapper. We caught up with him to chat about everything from scare tactics and his "aggressive" tracking style to how he got that fierce nickname,...

For most "Mantracker" fans, it was hard saying goodbye to Terry Grant, the rugged outdoorsman who spent six seasons hunting human prey around the world. But, there's a new cowboy in town, so fans had best make some room in their hearts for Chad Savage.

The veteran woodsman from the tiny town of Caroline, Alberta, beat out 11 other finalists to fill the formidable Mantracker boots. Savage, whose real last name is Lenz, has been a hunting guide since the early '90s, and honed his navigational skills with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets as a young man.

This season, we see him travel to places like Florida, Hawaii and Crowsnest Pass to hunt diverse prey ranging from Toronto Roller Derby girls to a wild boar trapper. We caught up with him to chat about everything from scare tactics and his "aggressive" tracking style to how he got that fierce nickname,...

Scott Hamilton has been recuperating since last summer from surgery to repair a brain aneurysm but the Olympic champ is ready to return to the ice. "I need to get back to work," Hamilton tells People. "It's really frustrating being a public person and being more well-known for your illnesses rather than your accomplishments. Enough already!" Hamilton, 52, is about to get his wish. In late March, he is planning a return to skating, once he receives a clean bill of health from his doctors at the Cleveland Clinic and the effects of blood thinner medication to wear off. "I love...

Photo courtesy of ABC/Skating with the Stars

We loved Skating with the Stars the first time around, whenit was on Fox and went by Skating with Celebrities. That short-lived showfeatured famous faces like Dave Coulier from Full House and mall-tour-pop-sensationDebbie Gibson, paired with former Olympians like Nancy Kerrigan and Kurt Browning. Sadly the series was canceled after just one season.

But the producers of Dancing with the Stars have finally caught on—probablyfueled by the success of the British version of the show Dancing on Ice and thepopularity of Dwts figure skating contestants like Kristi Yamaguchi and Evan Lysacek. We don’t care why it’s going to be on. We’re just ecstaticthat it’s back.

Now all that said, we were a little disappointed with thecelebrity lineup. First of all there are only six contestants vs. Dwts’ usual robustroster of 12 competitors.

And while Skating with Celebs went D-List all the way (thankyou,...

"The View's" Elisabeth Hasselbeck latest career move has left her a little bruised with a pulled muscle "somewhere," she tells Zap2it.

The talk show host took a tumble (or four) on "The View" Friday (March 19) morning promoting her hosting gig on "Thin Ice", the all-new reality show premiering on ABC that night. "Thin Ice" judge Kristi Yamaguchi's quick-and-dirty skating lesson might have left Hasselbeck a bit bruised up, but that didn't put a damper on the talk show host's excitement over scoring this ice-bound opportunity.

"There's no way I couldn't be a part of this," Hasselbeck says.

Hasselbeck and four-time world champion Kurt Browning will co-host the two-day ABC show featuring 10 pro skaters paired as five couples competing for $220,000 in prize money. The scoring from the judges (including Yamaguchi, Katarina Witt and Dick Button) will count for 50 percent, while audience participation makes up the other half.

While...

Do you think Elisabeth will “survive” her first ice skating lesson with Dancing With The Stars alum Kristi Yamaguchi on ABC’s new show Thin Ice?

Olympic gold medalist and Season 6 Dancing With the Stars champ Kristi Yamaguchi is putting away her dancing shoes and returning to the ice for ABC’s newest show Thin Ice – but this time she gets to be the boss and do the teaching, not the practicing!

And guess who she’ll be teaching? None other than Elisabeth Hasselbeck! The controversial The View co-host will test her skills on the ice in an episode airing March 19th. Considering the mom of three finished fourth place in Survivor: The Australian Outback, we think Elisabeth may have a few tricks up her sleeve!

Elisabeth, 32 is also playing host on the show alongside figure skater Kurt Browning; Kristi, 38, will act as a judge alongside professional figure skaters Katarina Witt and Dick Button.

Details are beginning to emerge about ABC's live two-night figure skating competition Thin Ice airing March 19 and March 21. Today, it was announced that Canada's Joannie Rochette, who brought us to tears with the courage she showed competing in Vancouver and earning a bronze medal after her mother's sudden death, will make a special appearance on the first evening to skate a tribute to her mom. Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who'll host the event with Canada's four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, told reporters today that like everyone, she was glued to the TV during Rochette's performances at the Olympics. "I didn't know I...

By Lisa Horowitz

"The View's" Elisabeth Hasselbeck and four-time World Champion figure skater Kurt Browning co-host ABC's live competition special "Thin Ice."

The two-part special will air live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Conn., from 8-9 p.m. Friday, March 19, and from 7-8 p.m. on Sunday, March 21.

The judges include Katarina Witt, two-time Olympic Champion and four-time World Champion; Kristi Y...

Olympic champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi spoke to EW before heading to Vancouver to serve as special correspondent for NBC's Today show. Take some time during tonight's intermittent coverage of the ladies' short program to check out her answers to PopWatch readers' questions. Look for another Kristi post before Thursday's long program, and come back for our PopWatch on Ice recap tomorrow morning. In the meantime...Toe Pick! What American female skater has the best chance at gold (or any medal)? -Tory It's definitely an outside chance for both of our girls, Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu. But in my opinion,...

Question: How did you handle the stress of watching Evan Lysacek's free skate? Did you leave the room believing if you didn't watch, he'd win? Did you stay on your sofa but close your eyes for the jumps? Did you force yourself to watch every second of the routine thinking somehow that self-inflicted torture would sway the figure skating Gods in his favor? Or, are you sane? For the record: My mother's the leave-the-room kind of crazy, and I'm the torture type — so you're welcome, Evan. Lysacek became the first American to win men's gold since Brian Boitano in...

The men's is the deepest figure skating field at the Vancouver Games, and last night's short programs showed why. Less than a point now separates Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko, America's Evan Lysacek (our Olympic Stud of the Day), and Japan's Daisuke Takahashi going into Thursday's medal-deciding free skate (8 p.m., NBC). Let's take a closer look: • While defending gold medalist Plushenko's performance was obviously good, I'm obsessed with the package NBC ran on him before it. I'm pretty sure the editor of it is using it as an audition reel for the fourth Bourne film. (Yevgeny did his interview driving the...

Each day this week leading up to the opening of the Winter Olympics (Friday, 7:30 p.m. Et, NBC), PopWatch on Ice presents a Top 5 list from Scott Hamilton, the 1984 men's figure skating gold medalist who heads to Vancouver to call his sixth Games. Today's topic: The 5 most memorable Olympic figure skating falls. Check out Hamilton's picks after the jump (with video, to relive the pain), then offer your own. 1. Kurt Browning's Short Program in Albertville 1992. The fall on the triple axel cost him any chance of winning the Gold. He came in as the reigning World Champion and...

I enjoy a good figure-skating special as much as the next person, but I can't decide how I feel about ABC's Thin Ice, which will air over two nights this March. The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck and four-time world champion Kurt Browning will host the competition, which will pair up 12 of "the world's greatest pro figure skaters" to perform two-minute routines. To add drama, skaters will come from all four disciplines — ladies, men, pairs, and dance — but no pairs or dance veteran will be coupled with his or her current partner. The only rule is they must entertain us. Judging...

The world's greatest pro figure skaters will compete live in an all new TV show on ABC entitled "Thin Ice". The show will run over two days in March 2010 and be co-hosted by Emmy award winning talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Kurt Browning, four-time world champion Canadian figure skater.

The new competitive show will put 12 of the world's best figure skaters head to head on Friday March 19th at 8pm Et and Sunday March 21st at 7pm Et on ABC Television Network. The show will come live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Connecticut. Judging of the competitors will be split with 50% coming from the viewers voting on www.abc.com and the other 50% coming from the panel of judges.

Two of the judges have been announced as Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic gold medalist and Season Six winner of "Dancing with the Stars," and Dick Button, two-time Olympic gold medalist...

Whether you've been waiting for it or didn't expect it, here comes the time to express my thoughts on Battle of the Blades, a reality show shining by its presence alongside another reality show called Dragons' Den in CBC's schedule grid.

For those who don't know, the show (hosted by Ron Maclean and Kurt Browning), which is recorded live at the Maple Leafs Garden in Toronto, is more or less formatted like Dancing With the Stars and Dancing on Ice, a British reality show in which celebrities are paired up with a figure skater. Moreover, eight former NHL stars are paired up with eight female top figure skaters. Each week, Canadians decide which couple survive after the first performance (Sunday at 8 Pm) and which ones go in the bottom 2 the following day (Monday at 8 Pm) in order to perform for their survival.

By the way, before I start telling my opinion,...