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18 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA Royal Center Locker Plant 1 x 9" By Michelle Rose TV Media S everal made-in-Canada series seem to have found homes stateside in recent days — from CBC's "Fridge Wars" to Food Network Canada's "Great Chocolate Showdown," both of which have been picked up by the CBS-owned CW network. Canada's latest culinary TV export is the CTV Life Channel series "Mary Makes It Easy," premiering stateside on Saturday, Feb. 5, when it joins Food Network's weekend day- time lineup. It's probably more accurate to say that the show's enthusi- astic host, Mary Berg, is the true export here, however. The "MasterChef Canada" winner is already a bestselling cookbook author and award- winning TV personality in her home country, but despite her reputation as Canada's culi- nary sweetheart, Berg's fun approach to stress-free cook- ing clearly has a universal appeal — one that Food Network executives hope will resonate with American audi- ences, too. In a statement, network president Courtney White said, "We are excited to add 'Mary Makes It Easy' to our 'In The Kitchen' programming lineup. Food Network viewers are always looking for new ways to make their time in the kitch- en effortless, and Mary Berg is an expert in this area — full of culinary knowledge, accessible recipes and helpful takeaways for making flavorful and stress- free meals." All 13 half-hour episodes of "Mary Makes It Easy" were filmed in Berg's home kitchen in Toronto, where she serves up tried-and-true tips and tricks that will instill confidence in every home cook, no matter your skill level. Got a fridge full of leftovers? Struggling with meal planning? Tired of lacklus- ter chicken recipes? Mary seems to have an easy fix for every cooking woe. As Berg explains, "With 'Mary Makes It Easy,' I really wanted to think of the things that I have challenges with, and that everybody has chal- lenges with in the kitchen. I've created recipes that specifically solve these cooking conun- drums, to make the cooking process from prep to serving as easy as possible." "Mary Makes It Easy" debuted last year in Canada, and there's no word yet on whether there will be a second season up north (and, by extension, in the states). For now, American viewers are invited to tune in to Season 1 on Food Network every Saturday beginning Feb. 5. Stateside bound: 'Mary Makes It Easy' coming to America Mary Berg, host of "Mary Makes It Easy" Ghostbusters: Afterlife Thirty-two years after the defeat of Vigo the Carpathian, the Ghostbusters have disbanded due to a decrease in paranormal activity in New York City. One for- mer Ghostbuster relocates to Oklahoma and soon finds him- self struggling to contain an enti- ty related to a mine run by oc- cultist Ivo Shandor (Simmons). It proves to be too much for the man, however, and he eventually suffers a fatal heart attack, prompting his estranged daugh- ter, Callie (Coon), and her two children, Trevor (Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Grace), to move into his now vacant farmhouse. When Phoebe discovers the house is haunted, she is led to a ghost trap, which she later shows her new friend, Podcast (Kim). Now they have to find a way to con- tact the original Ghostbusters and get rid of the entity in Phoe- be's family home. Director: Jason Reitman. Stars: Car- rie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hud- son, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weav- er. 2021. 124 mins. Science Fiction. Apex A group of hunters pay for an elite — and very literal — manhunt on a deserted island, in which former police officer Thomas Malone (Wil- lis) serves as the prey. Serving a life sentence for a crime he didn't com- mit, Malone is given a chance to regain his freedom should he sur- vive. When he accepts, he unleash- es hell by creating traps and wag- ing psychological war against those hunting him. Director: Edward John Drake. Stars: Bruce Willis. Neal McDonough, Co- rey Large, Alexia Fast, Lochlyn Munro, Nels Lennarson, Megan Peta Hill, Trevor Gretzky. 2021. 94 mins. Action. Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace as seen in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" video releases Cass Plaza 2 x 2" U Know Pizza 2 x 2.5"

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