The streamer has opened casting for Canadian singles ready to put their hearts, and their dating lives, on the line.

Canadians looking for love are about to get a very unusual way to find it, as Netflix has officially opened casting for Love Is Blind Canada, bringing one of its biggest reality dating franchises to the country for the first time.

The premise has already won over millions of viewers around the world: meet someone, create a connection and potentially fall in love before seeing what they look like. The real appeal, though, is what happens when that experiment moves from the pods into real life, where attraction, compatibility and all the little things that make or break a relationship suddenly come into play.

For Canadian hopefuls, the experience will be just as intense. Selected contestants will spend roughly two weeks living on set with dozens of other singles, with cameras and microphones capturing the experience around the clock. There will be little privacy, plenty of pressure and, maybe, a relationship that could change their lives.

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The application process is also considerably more involved than the average dating show. Applicants must be at least 19 and either Canadian citizens or permanent residents as of January 1, 2027. Those selected for consideration will undergo physical and psychological assessments and extensive background checks, including criminal, civil, financial and driving history.

Casting is now open, with applications currently scheduled to close November 2, 2026.

The wait for Heated Rivalry Season 2 is officially underway, and if the reaction online is any indication, fans are already bracing themselves for an even more emotional chapter of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov's story.

The second season will adapt material from Rachel Reid's The Long Game, while also expanding the television series with characters from elsewhere in the Game Changers universe. Production is now underway, the principal cast is returning, and two major new additions have already been announced.

Here's everything we know about Heated Rivalry Season 2 so far.

Season 2 is scheduled to arrive in Spring 2027, with the series returning to Crave in Canada and HBO Max internationally.

The production is currently underway, meaning the long-awaited continuation of Shane and Ilya's story is no longer sitting in the development stage. Fans have already begun dissecting production photos and appearances from the returning cast, although much of the actual storyline remains under wraps.

Season 2 is also introducing two major new players.

Justice Smith has been cast as Harris Drover, while Charlie Gillespie will play Troy Barrett. Both characters come from Reid's Game Changers series, with their relationship forming the basis of Role Model. Bringing them into the television adaptation signals that Heated Rivalry is expanding beyond Shane and Ilya's story and building a larger universe around professional hockey.

The casting has already generated a surprisingly intense reaction online.

Some fans are thrilled to see Smith, particularly because of his presence as an openly queer actor, while others have questioned whether the casting matches their mental image of the characters from the books. Harris's physical appearance has become a particularly contentious subject, with some readers pointing out that the character's stockier build was an important part of his representation in the novels.

At the same time, other fans have pushed back against the criticism, warning that conversations around Smith's casting should not turn into racist harassment.

Season 2 is expected to draw heavily from The Long Game, which picks up Shane and Ilya's story after the events of Heated Rivalry. Their relationship is no longer simply about two competing athletes secretly falling for one another; they now have to figure out what an actual future together looks like while continuing to navigate professional hockey, secrecy and the expectations surrounding them. At the same time, Troy and Harris will introduce another perspective on queer relationships within professional hockey.

Showrunner Jacob Tierney has also suggested that the series will continue examining the toxic culture surrounding professional hockey, while going deeper into the emotional and psychological consequences of the characters' experiences.

And with production now underway in the Greater Toronto Area and Montréal, fans finally have something more concrete than rumours and speculation to hold onto.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt opened up about experiencing suicidal thoughts over ongoing family issues, the movie star admitted in a wide-ranging cover story with Esquire.

“I just couldn’t — just didn’t see a way out,” the 62-year-old told the magazine. “The pain was so oppressive that — I wasn’t going to act on this, but I could feel — I could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head, and it felt like relief. And I thought, ‘Oh, OK, now I understand.’ I understand suicide, in the sense that it’s just relief. It’s just looking for relief from the pain. But I also think we have incredible survival instincts. And for me, that immediately kicked in.”

While Pitt did not go into specifics about what prompted the dark period — only confirming it related to his family — Pitt had been in a public, long-running dispute with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie stemming from a September 2016 incident on board a plane with their six children. In recent years, several of his children have taken legal measures to remove Pitt from their last name.

During a long-haul flight from France to Los Angeles, an allegedly intoxicated Pitt was verbally and physically aggressive toward his wife and children, Jolie claimed in court papers. Pitt was accused of choking one of their older children and “grabb[ing] Jolie by the head and [shaking] her.” Jolie filed for divorce shortly after the events.

The midair meltdown led Pitt to quit drinking, but he told Esquire he was “off the wagon” after staying sober for seven years. Now, Pitt said he drinks “in a more restrained manner.” He added: “I got overconfident a couple times, went, ‘Yep, nope, not good for me.’ Not in big quantities. I can have a few [glasses of wine]. But I can’t have a lot. I have to be professional about it.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Dial 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ+ youth, is 1-866-488-7386. Find other international suicide helplines at Befrienders Worldwide (befrienders.org).

The wait for more Shane and Ilya is officially underway. As production begins on the second season of Heated Rivalry, showrunner Jacob Tierney is asking the series’ passionate fanbase to give the cast and crew the room they need to bring the next chapter of the hockey romance to life.

In a recent Instagram post, Tierney acknowledged the excitement surrounding the show’s return while encouraging fans to respect filming locations and the people working behind the scenes.

“As we gear up for more Heated Rivalry, please help us in making it the best it can be,” Tierney wrote. “If you happen to come across one of our filming locations, please give our cast and crew the space they need to do what they do best.”

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The request comes as anticipation for Season 2 reaches new heights. Lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play rival hockey stars Shane and Ilya, have already been spotted in Toronto, where portions of the upcoming season are being filmed. Production will also return to Montréal, Tierney's hometown and home of the fictional Montreal Metros, the hockey franchise where Shane Hollander built his reputation before his career took him elsewhere.

Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave before becoming an unexpected international hit following its release on HBO Max. What began as a Canadian sports romance quickly turned into a global phenomenon, introducing Williams and Storrie to a devoted audience that has followed both the fictional relationship and the actors themselves with intense interest.

That attention has occasionally created challenges for the cast, as actors have previously addressed concerns about fans who have crossed personal boundaries. Tierney’s message is a reminder that enthusiasm for the series should not come at the expense of the people creating it.

Season 2, due out next Spring, will continue the story of Shane and Ilya as they navigate the pressures of professional hockey, public expectations and their evolving relationship.

Christian Bale as Al Davis (left) and Nicolas Cage as John Madden in “Madden”

The John Madden biopic, directed by David O. Russell and starring Nicolas Cage as the legendary football coach and broadcaster, will arrive on Amazon Prime Video this November.

The streaming service revealed Thursday that Madden — which co-stars Christian Bale as then-Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis — will premiere on Nov. 18; Variety reports that a limited theatrical run is also planned for awards consideration, but a wide big-screen release isn’t planned.

“Accepting the role to play this larger-than-life legend has been a highlight for me,” Cage said in a video announcing the release date. “John Madden didn’t just coach football; he changed the game. His football brilliance was unmatched. As a coach, John was a savant, seeing the field in ways no one else could. As a broadcaster, his brilliance evolved.”

Cage continued, “His legacy lives on, not just on the football field or the broadcast booth, but globally through gaming.”

Prime Video said of Madden in a synopsis, “Inspired by the life of a beloved American icon, Madden chronicles John Madden’s incredible journey alongside best friend and true original Al Davis — from a Super Bowl-winning partnership with the Raiders, to becoming football’s most recognizable voice, to building the worldwide Madden NFL video game. Madden is the celebration of a brilliant mind whose once-in-a-century spirit and personality, partnership with his daring wife, Virginia, lifelong friendships, and infectious love of people and football transcended the world of sports.”

In addition to Cage and Bale, Madden also stars Kathryn Hahn as John’s wife, Virginia, Sienna Miller as Al Davis’ wife, Carol, John Mulaney as Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, and Shane Gillis seemingly as a Raiders fan.

Elliot Page and Jimmy Fallon on 'The Tonight Show'

Elliot Page compared reading Christopher Nolan‘s script for The Odyssey to reading Inception for the first time. During an interview on The Tonight Show, the actor reflected on what it was like to be part of both those films, saying The Odyssey made him “breathless.”

“My first reaction, honestly, it was similar to reading the script to Inception,” Page told host Jimmy Fallon. “I really was just left breathless. Really blown away by something that was so complex, so massive, and with this tremendous engine and heart that just kept moving forward. It just really blew me away.”

He added of working with Nolan for the second time, “I felt so fortunate to be asked to come back and to be part of something this epic and incredible as this. It was just such a gift.”

Page described Nolan’s directing style as “impeccable,” saying his sets are “focused.” “You can just only be present and his direction will always just be so concise and just perfect,” he said.

Page plays the character of Sinon, an Ithacan soldier, in the film. The actor described doing practical stunts, including one involving the Trojan Horse early in the story that he called a “classic Nolan” moment to shoot. Sinon notably doesn’t appear in Homer’s original text of The Odyssey, but does appear in Virgil’s The Aeneid.

Nolan recently called working with Page again “really fun.” “Elliot’s just terrific,” Nolan said in an interview. “I just thought this was such a great part for him. We had such a great time years ago on Inception. It’s nice to reunite with people.”

Page has been broadly praised in reviews for the film, although that hasn’t stopped right-wing backlash to his performance. Even before the movie was released, Elon Musk led the online rage about the casting of Page and Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Helen of Troy. Musk has since threatened to create an entirely AI-generated, “historically accurate,” adaptation of The Odyssey. That is, of course, completely unnecessary as Nolan’s version has broken box office records and caused an ongoing ticket frenzy.