The fall TV season is here, and who better to talk about the Canadian angle than, well, us? Thanks to CBC’s B.C. Almanac for having me on to chat about homegrown TV alongside Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times, who handled things from the U.S. angle.
Our chat with Gloria Macarenko begins at the 26-minute mark.
TV, Eh? competes on Canada’s Smartest Person
Wow, just watched the video of Canada’s Smartest Person: Journalist Edition. It was hilarious! Good for you, Greg. You did really well…did you drink champagne from the winner’s cup? —Joyce
Production begins on CBC’s Human Town
Sounds like Sunnyside, which is hilarious. I shall be taking a look. —Iris
Continuum‘s Rachel Nichols says goodbye to Kiera
I tried to watch this show but found myself weeping with boredom after a few episodes. This is what is sad and pathetic about Canadian TV – a show that no one outside the industry has ever heard of can last for years before being cancelled. —Snicker Doodle
A show that airs in Canada, the U.S., France, UK and Australia is definitely not “a show no one outside of the industry has ever heard of.†As for “weeping with boredom,†I appreciate and respect your opinion. I don’t agree with it, but I respect it.
Got a comment or question about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh!
After a week away from The Amazing Race Canada—I was off on my own adventures in Parry Sound and Sudbury, Ont.—I checked back in just in time as the final three teams were set up for next week’s season finale. (As an aside, I was disappointed Dujean and Leilani became bitter with each other last week and were eliminated while airing their dirty laundry.)
So, after a gruelling Leg in Edmonton jam-packed with drama and stolen cabs, Brent and Sean, Matt and Nick and Gino and Jesse will battle it out for the trucks, money and title in next Wednesday’s last episode. Eliminated on the mat at the Muttart Conservatory were Simi and Ope, who never gave up hope despite the fact they suffered from having two cabs stolen from under them.
I get that it’s a race, but I wasn’t impressed that Gino and Jesse stole that first cab from Nick and Matt at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. That move forced the wrestlers to play dirty pool and grabbed Simi and Ope’s ride, something they clearly didn’t feel good about doing. Gino and Jesse made it a twofer when they then absconded with Simi and Ope’s cab after the curling Face Off. Again, I understand The Amazing Race Canada is a competition and calls for desperate times, but I was disappointed. I guess I’m just a sucker for fair play and the world just isn’t a fair place sometimes.
Still, kudos to the father-daughter team for ending the Race with their heads up and thanks to Ope for the inspirational words about this country.
“It’s amazin’!” he said tearfully in front of Jon Montgomery.
Speaking of amazin’, how about Brent and Sean? The brothers have emerged as perhaps the most unlikely of frontrunners after beating out their more physical competitors to land in first place for the week. They conquered garbage, curling, shopping for snacks and acting to emerge as bona fide contenders for the title. They also showed sportsmanship; after taking someone’s cab at Fort Edmonton Park they ordered a replacement.
Here’s how the teams finished this Leg:
Notes and quotes
The Amazing Race Canada season finale airs next Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV followed by After the Race.
Friday’s newest episode of Continuum, “Power Hour,” explores who we become, whether it’s Dillon’s gig working for Kellog, Julian’s road to becoming Theseus or even Edouard Kagame, who returns in a surprising way. Kellog is front and centre in the episode, throwing his power in the faces of Kiera and Carlos, and pulling the strings behind the scenes with regard to the Future Soldiers’ little project. A warning: not everyone survives “Power Hour.”
We spoke to Stephen Lobo this past May about playing Continuum‘s big bad for the past four seasons, and what he’s got lined up next.
Are you going to miss this character?
Stephen Lobo: I’m going to miss the heck out of this character. Guys like he and Jason are less precious. Kellog isn’t talking about the quantum physics of it all and the time travel. He’s rooted in a relatable reality. It’s been fun.
What was your reaction to the Season 4 renewal/last season news?
I’ve never been involved in a series where we’ve had the opportunity to finish on our terms. That in and of itself was really something to be grateful for. There was no news about the pickup for so long that at first I was thinking, ‘We’ve got to come back,’ to ‘Maybe we’re not coming back.’ And then there was a letting go process. So when the six episodes came I was like, ‘Wooooo!’ I was really, really grateful. They left me in such a great spot in Season 3, it was great to be able to play it out. In Season 1 and Season 2 he was kind of working in the shadows and now he’s going for it.
Everybody is going to be gunning for him and it’s all about survival. Live or die.
Kellog immediately distanced himself from the rest of Liber8 back in Season 1. What’s the analysis you’ve put into that move?
On the one hand there’s an instinct. He’d seen so much pain and suffering in his time that when he was given a chance it was a natural thing to do. On the other hand, here’s a guy who has been let down by every other thing that he’s lived for. Family, friends, society. Everything in his life has told him he’s worthless, so this is his way of responding to that. There is kind of a god complex going on. It’s the ultimate challenge for him and it’s what’s meant to be in his deluded, corrupt, completely unhealthy mind.
What was your reaction to reading the series finale script?
I couldn’t stop talking Simon Barry’s ear off. I just kept texting him, ‘Thank you so much, what a wonderful way to do it.’ What he accomplishes in that 45 minutes of television is beautiful and poetic. There were so many surprises and twists … the fans will be blown away.
Are you going to be taking anything from the set?
I’m going to be taking some suits! [Laughs.] Some fine threads. I’m going to go through my wardrobe!
Looking forward, being on a genre show like Continuum means not only the possibility of a crowd-funded feature but also the chance to attend conventions for as long as the fan support is there. Are you into that?
I’ve never experienced this kind of connection with fans before. It’s really amazing. You get this in theatre, this immediate reaction from he fans. If this show can receive some other life and there is a calling for that, I would be there 100 per cent. I love this guy and playing Kellog has never been boring.
What about developing your own projects?
I’ve got the rights to a play and I’ve asked Brian Markinson [Inspector Dillon] to direct and Kyra Zagorsky to be in it. I had never met Kyra, and I asked her to be in the play and then she was cast in this [as Future Soldier Vasquez], which is crazy. John Cassini is involved as well. That’s a play called The Motherfucker with the Hat, a wonderful play out of New York and that will be a blast. Coming off this show and Arctic Air, this is a nice spot to be in. I can breathe a little bit and be a little more choosy with my projects. I’d love to not have to do everything that comes across the table.
Continuum airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase.
A cardinal rule in a reality is never, ever come off as cocky or over-confident in front of someone who is judging you. Two MasterChef Canada contestants learned the hard way when they received a dressing down from Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile during the first day of production on Season 3.
CTV’s culinary competition—set to return in early 2016—started rolling on two months of production with plenty of drama. Myself, along with longtime film and television critic Chris Jancelewicz, spent several hours in the series’ super-secret set hidden just west of Toronto and it was a pretty impressive sight. One corner of the expansive building is devoted to shelves piled with pots and pans, another area is set up for confessional one-on-ones and a conga line of fridges are labelled with daily ingredients. Once a warehouse, Proper Television transformed it, putting in the water, power and gas lines needed to create stations for each of the finalists to prepare their dishes for judging.
It’s one thing to watch the finished product on television; it’s quite another to witness the raw emotion in-person. One after another, competitors hoping to move past the auction round had an hour to prep their signature dish in front of their fellow contestants and show producers before rolling their cart in front of the judges for a final five minutes of finishing touches and plating. Devoid of a music track, those minutes with Claudio, Alvin and Michael were a study in stress. Peppered by the trio’s questions about who they were and what the heck they were doing, sweat beaded on foreheads and stammering began. I squirmed as the chefs stepped forward for tasting, delivered their remarks and abruptly turned their backs on the contestants and walking away. Claudio was especially good at this; he’s developed quite the withering stare for Season 3.
Were aprons awarded while I watched? Yes, though fewer than I imagined. I can’t tell you who advanced and who didn’t yet, but I can say that Season 3 of MasterChef Canada promises to be the most challenging yet.
MasterChef Canada returns in 2016 on CTV.
