In light Haitian-American actor Da’Vinchi’s controversial appearance on Cam Newton’s Funk Friday podcast, Kevin Bourne asks if Black people need to get over slavery. “It’s unfortunate that we have so many people in the word that can’t see past that [slavery]…I can understand the emotions that it conjure up because of what people of African descent have gone through under the hand of Caucasians, but however the story is much bigger.” -Da’Vinchi Haitian-American actor Da’Vinchi has been in the headlines over the past few days and for all the wrong reasons. He was recently on former NFL quarterback Cam Newton’s…
Author: Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne
Kevin Bourne is a Toronto-based host/on-air personality, arts & entertainment journalist, TV/film producer, and communications and content strategist. As a commentator and freelancer, he has appeared nationally as a correspondent on CBC News Network and host on CBC Music. He has also appeared locally on CTV, CBC Radio, CityNews, Newstalk 1010, and ByBlacks.com, and in the United States on Fox’s Black digital TV network, Fox Soul. He has covered some of Canada’s top red-carpet events, including the Toronto International Film Festival, and has interviewed everyone from Kevin Hart and "Fast and the Furious" star Tyrese Gibson to Ziggy Marley, Ava DuVernay, Dascha Polanco, Lilly Singh, and Howie Mandel. His years of work as an entertainment journalist led to him being named a Golden Globe® Awards voter and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved critic and being quoted as a critic in national ad campaigns for Black films and TV shows, both in Canada and the United States. Pivoting into the world of film and television, Kevin co-founded the film, TV, digital content, and live experiences company, SHIFTER Entertainment, alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah. Through SHIFTER he has produced a number of projects, including the Bell Fibe TV1 unscripted reality series A Date In The Life, serving as showrunner, executive producer, writer and co-director. Now, with a number of pilot and feature film scripts written and projects in development, KB is poised to continue to be a champion for Black entertainment and culture alongside his wife and business partner, Koliah.
In our first installment of our new article series Give ‘Em Their Flowers, we celebrate mother, entrepreneur, and broadcaster Kayla Grey as she departs Canadian sports broadcaster TSN. “TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but the one I’m most grateful for was the shot to prove seven-year-old me right. ” -Kayla Grey Kayla Grey has taken to her Substack to announce not only the end of her show The Shift, but her departure from Canadian sports broadcaster TSN. In the article titled “The Shift: A Bittersweet Goodbye”, Grey writes: “TSN has given me a lot of opportunities, but…
Liv is in labor as The Vortex and The Village, and her mom Laura, stand by her. Here’s our All American series finale recap. Liv’s in labor The episode opens with Liv watching The Vortex’s videos from the cottage talking about where they’ll be in 20 years. Her pregnancy is advancing. The doctor wants Liv to have a C-section with the twins’ heart rate going down, but she wants to wait for Spencer. After a delayed flight, Laura Baker, her mom, shows up to keep her company in the delivery room. With the twins’ heart rates dropping once again, Liv…
In his Firestarter Vol 2 album review, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says that with the album, Kardinal Offishall has cemented his legacy among the best rapper-producers to ever do it. “On the 25th anniversary of Firestarter, Volume 1, I put together the avengers for Firestarter Vol.2 and collaborated with some of my favorite artists of all time.” -Kardinal Offishall In recent years, fans, hip-hop media, and industry insiders have talked about the apparent decline of hip-hop, especially on the charts (prior to Iceman, of course). The once dominant genre seemed to have slowed down with artists struggling with low ticket sales…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Serville Poblete’s latest “equal parts gritty, honest, and beautiful.” in his Sunburn film review. “Overall, Sunburn is equal parts gritty, honest, and beautiful. ” -Kevin Bourne One thing that film fans have to look forward to every year at the Toronto International Film Festival is their selection of Canadian films, especially from the Toronto area. As one of the biggest and most important film festivals in the world, it’s a badge of honor that could elevate a Canadian filmmaker to the next level. One of the local films which premiered at TIFF this year was Sunburn,…
It’s showcase day and it’s KJ and Khalil’s last chance to show out in front of the Division 1 coaches. Here’s our All American Season 8 Episode 12 recap. Coop’s side quest Coop and Amina head to Preach’s favorite restaurant to get him some food, and to give him a little space after his release. Amina is concerned that she has come between Breonna and Coop’s relationship. She warmed up to her after she helped with Preach’s release. Later, Coop goes to prison to visit Miss Scott, aka Shawn’s mom. Coop hopes to one day get her out. Miss Scott,…
Despite some minor flaws, SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Chris Rock’s latest “a resounding success” in his Misty Green film review. “Both in front of the camera and as a writer, Rock does an excellent job of balancing drama with moments of comedy.” -Kevin Bourne Fans know Chris Rock as a comedy legend and actor, spanning film and television, including his time on Saturday Night Live. They may even know him for his many comedy specials over the years. But not a lot of fans know Chris Rock the writer and director. Rock made his directorial debut back in 2003 with…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Niki Byrne’s feature directorial debut “an inspirational and satisfying watch” in his The Julia Set film review. “The Julia Set is an inspirational and satisfying watch…and a well-executed feature debut from Byrne.” -Kevin Bourne One of the films that seemed to fall under people’s radar at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival was Niki Byrne’s feature directorial debut The Julia Set starring Chase Infiniti, Christopher Briney, Chloe Bailey, Gillian Anderson, and Jason Isaacs. The film is centered around Julia (Infiniti), a university student and mathematical genius. Recognizing her mathematical genius is her teachers assistant Pascal (Briney)…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls the Zellner Bros’ latest “peculiar” and “an acquired taste” in his Alpha Gang film review. “Alpha Gang is an acquired taste.” – Kevin Bourne There are many words you can use to describe Alpha Gang—strange, odd, peculiar, absurd, and funny. Yes, some of those words mean the exact same thing, but they all apply. Written by David Zellner and co-directed by David and Nathan Zellner, known together as the Zellner Bros., Alpha Gang tells the story of a 1950’s, leather clad group of aliens, played by Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Lily-Rose Depp, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bae…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Florian Zeller’s latest is “blessed by strong performances, but cursed by a weaker story” in his Bunker film review. “Bunker is a film that is blessed by strong performances, but cursed by a weaker story.” – Kevin Bourne When you talk about the most accomplished husband and wife actors in the history of Hollywood, you have to talk about Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz. They’re one of only a handful of married or partnered couples where both parties have won Academy awards for acting. The others are Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Paul Newman and Joanne…
SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne calls Anton Corbijn’s latest “a thrilling and excellently told story that keeps viewers thinking” in his A Talent For Murder review. “A Talent For Murder is a thrilling and excellently told story that keeps viewers thinking…” – Kevin Bourne Set in the beautiful and picturesque Canton of Ticino and Zürich in Switzerland, A Talent For Murder tells the story of young New York literary agent Edward Ridgeway (portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich) who is tasked with traveling to Switzerland to get the combative and cerebral The Talented Mr. Ripley author Patricia Highsmith (portrayed by Helen Mirren) to sign her…
SHIFTER calls the film “simple and humble, yet epic and grand, while celebrating the best humanity has to offer” in his Tenzing film review. “Tenzing is epic and grand, yet simple and humble, while celebrating the best humanity has to offer.” – Kevin Bourne One of the films I was personally looking forward to the most at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival was Tenzing based on a true story about Tentsokzin Norgay (played by Genden Phuntsok) and Sir Edmund Hillary (played by Tom Hiddleston), the first men to climb Mount Everest. This wasn’t one of the more buzzworthy films…
