STAR PR Tel: (416) 488-4436 Fax: (416) 488-8438 E-Mail: [email protected] ______

Barenaked Ladies write song for SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

Barenaked Ladies – the multi-platinum-selling band whose 11th studio All in Good Time streets March 23rd – have written a song for Michael McGowan’s Score: A Hockey Musical, which stars Olivia Newton-John, as well as Canadian music artists , Marc Jordan, and Dave Bidini, and newcomers Noah Reid and Allie MacDonald. The film is shooting in until March 8.

The BnL’s song is sung by Reid, Workman and Bidini in the film’s first few scenes, where 17-year-old Farley (Reid) is playing shinny with the neighborhood rink rats (Workman, Bidini, among others). Little do they know that Farley’s puck-handling skills – much to the dismay of his intellectual parents (Newton-John and Jordan) – will send him from obscurity to overwhelming fame within a matter of weeks. The song’s lyrics are co-written by McGowan and the BnL.

As a huge fan of the BNL, Michael McGowan says, “Barenaked Ladies were the first musicians I approached about being involved with the film. The group immediately understood what I was trying to achieve and generously agreed to be a part of it. What they delivered musically far surpassed my already high expectations." Although international stars, the BnL (, , and ) are still based out of their hometown Toronto.

The film – which combines our national sport with musical numbers – includes Nelly Furtado as an ardent hockey fan and Allie MacDonald is Farley’s best friend. Also in the cast are Brandon Firla (TV’s Little Mosque on the Prairie) as an agent, John Pyper-Ferguson (Hard Core Logo, TV’s Brothers and Sisters) as a coach, and Stephen McHattie (TV’s Maurice Richard) as a team owner.

The film will be released October 22 in Canada by Mongrel Media, which also distributed McGowan’s One Week ($1.3 million at the Canadian box office).

Score: A Hockey Musical is being shot in various Toronto locations, including Nathan Phillips Square, Wychwood Park, the Art Gallery of and Weston Arena. It’s produced and directed by Toronto filmmaker Michael McGowan (One Week, Saint Ralph), who has also written the script and song lyrics.

The film is a Mulmur Feed Co. Production, produced by McGowan and Avi Federgreen, and executive produced by Richard Hanet (One Week) and Jody Colero, with the participation of Telefilm Canada, Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund and The Ontario Media Development Corporation, in association with the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit. Cinematography is by Rudolph Blahachek, choreography by Amy Wright (TV’s Grey Gardens) and music composed by Jonathan Goldsmith.

- 30 - Press contact: Bonne Smith – Star PR – Tel: (416) 488-4436 – Fax: (416) 488-8438