TV, eh?

From a Writers Guild of Canada media release:

Canadian Nets Not Upfront About Lack of Canadian Original Scripted Drama

Canadian broadcasters CanWest and CTV held their upfronts this week, allowing a sneak peek at what Canadians can look for on their TV screens come Fall. To the Writers Guild of Canada, the new season is best summed up in the title of CanWest’s new show: “True Hollywood Story Canada” – the Canadian networks are filling their best time slots with U.S. programming, and offering very little new original scripted Canadian drama.

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From a media release (I’m including Canadian series only):

CTV’s fall season includes:

• Flashpoint (CTV), the Canadian-produced series to be simulcast with CBS follows an elite team of police as they thwart the most heinous of crimes at the moment they get out of hand
• The world premiere of The Listener (CTV), the Canadian-produced series airing in the U.S. on NBC and in 175 other countries, tracing the life of a young man with a very special talent - the ability to read minds
• So You Think You Can Dance Canada (CTV), the all-new Canadian version of the hit international format

CTV also announced today the first projects on its development slate for the 2008/09 season, including a pilot for a new comedy series from Corner Gas creator Brent Butt. Also announced were The Marilyn Denis Show, a daytime series starring Gemini Award winner and CHUM FM personality Marilyn Denis (for CTV), and an all-new season of Canada’s Next Top Model (for “A”).Additional projects will be announced later.

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From Katie Mapes of the Harvard Law School Record:

• Harvard Law (Television) Review: Canadian Television
  “For reasons that are beyond me, our neighbor to the north apparently doesn’t think it’s worth their time to police what videos are put on YouTube. But I’m not complaining. As a result, you can watch full seasons of Canadian television on-line. It’s a perfect way to kick back and to assure yourself that even a nation with universal health care and money that is terrifyingly worth more than yours still can’t manage to properly pronounce words like ’sorry’ and ‘about.’” Read more.

Siri Agrell of the Globe and Mail reports on Canadian reality show contestants aiming to make more of their TV fame:

• Almost famous
  “Reality-show contestants try to leverage notoriety for a career, but once their 15 minutes are up, success can be elusive.” Read more.

From CBC:

• CBC’s The Hour wins Gemini for best talk show
  Canada’s Next Top Model, Skyland, Bathroom Divas, Backyardigans, and Wapos Bay were honoured at the awards for lifestyle, children’s and youth programming. Read more.

From Tara Merrin of Sun Media:

• Top Model’ winner aims to succeed
  “After so much being made of the new look, feel and calibre of City-TV’s CNTM this season, the only surprise was seeing a girl so similar to last year’s winner, Andrea Muizelaar, take the title. Both are from Ontario. Both have red hair. Both come from low-paying jobs. And both were deemed the least “pretty” of the Top 10. Still, Hardy says there is one big difference between her and her predecessor — drive.”

From GuelphMercury.com:

• She’s got the look
  “Three months. That’s how long Rebecca Hardy, a 22-year-old from Mannheim, kept quiet about her title as Canada’s Next Top Model.”

From Sun Media:

• ‘Canada’s Next Top Model’ crowned
  “Vancouver-born Rebecca Hardy, 22, who grew up in Mannheim, a town of about 1,200 near Waterloo, couldn’t hold her emotions last night as she and fellow semi-finalist Sinead Brady, 18, of Chatham, offered some final words to judges.”

From CTV:

• Factory worker crowned Canada’s Next Top Model
  “I’m super thrilled,” the five-foot-11 redhead with the edgy bob haircut said in an interview at the CHUM building in Toronto as the last episode of Cycle 2 of the Citytv reality TV series was airing.

Think Fashion thinks it should be Canada’s Next Role Model:

• Rebecca Hardy Wins Canada’s Next Top Model!
  “It was not uncommon to see Rebecca strip off her clothes for the camera, curse repeatedly or get absolutely intoxicated on the day before judging. In fact, viewers saw Rebecca get so drunk during one episode that she cheated on her boyfriend by kissing one of the male guests in the house. Role model material? I think not.”

From the Chatham Daily News:

• She was close to the top; C-K woman second in Top Model finals
  “Sinead’s classic beauty and stunning photographs weren’t enough to earn her the title of Canada’s Next Top Model. The 18-year-old Chatham woman came in second in the competition’s finale, which aired on Citytv Wednesday night. ”

From the London Free Press:

• Chatham teen top model runner-up
  “A science nerd from Chatham made it to the final two, but the Canada’s Next Top Model crown went to a meat factory worker from the Kitchener area last night.”

Rebecca Hardy, a 22 year-old factory worker from Mannheim, Ontario earned the title of “Canada’s Next Top Model” in the exciting season finale on Citytv Wednesday night.

In the highly-anticipated finale, the final four - Rebecca, Sinead, Tara and Tia, face off in a CoverGirl commercial shoot with photographer Jim De Yonker. All the girls surprisingly impress the judges, but when it comes time to eliminate, Tara and Tia are sent home.

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Welcome to the first TV, Eh? podcast. It’s packed at 40 minutes with interviews, DVD reviews, and chatter about Canadian shows on right now. Segment start times are approximate:

1. I chat with TV fan and industry insider Caroline from A Place Called Say It, Say It, Say It about reality television - first up, Superstar Chef Challenge and The Scoop
2. (Start time: 5:55) Writer Denis McGrath from Dead Things on Sticks gives us a DVD review of Our Hero
3. (Start time: 12:00) Caroline talks about From the Ground Up
4. (Start time: 15:15) Webmaster Patrick Allec from TV Archive interviews Jackson Davies of The Beachcombers, and gives us the scoop on the 35th anniversary celebrations (check out Friends of the Beachcombers on Facebook)
5. (Start time: 24:06) Caroline and I mock Canadian Idol and its executive producer John Brunton a little
6. (Start time: 27:32) Writer Alex Epstein from Complications Ensue presents a lovely justification for supporting Canadian content
7. (Start time: 34:00) Jennifer Smith from Runesmith’s Canadian Content talks about why she values Canadian content as an audience member and taxpayer
8. (Start time: 38:15) Caroline narrowly avoids mocking me about my current obsession with Canada’s Next Top Model - we’re picking Rebecca to win

The theme music is from “Quarter to Eight,” a podcast safe track by Sweet Japonic.

E-mail Diane with suggestions and information.

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