TV, eh?

From Dyscultured, includes an interview with me:

• Episode 56 – ACTA’s Got No Seoul
  My segment starts 31 minutes in. We talk about the Gemini Awards, the Local TV Matters campaign, the history of TV, eh? and how talking about the Canadian TV industry makes me want to punch everyone involved (but I say it with, um, affection). Listen here or download from iTunes.

From the Vancouver International Film Festival website:

TV TALK – Wednesday, September 30
3:30– 4:45 PM
Co-ventures in TV Land (FTV11)
Defying Gravity, Copper, Flashpoint, The Guard, and The Listener – these are a few of the Canadian-made scripted television series that have recently met with co-venture success in the US. The upside to the squeeze on production financing internationally is that US networks are looking to Canadian producers with renewed interest to carry the freight. But putting together an international TV deal is far from easy. It takes skill, talent and great timing – not just a great concept. Stop by for an in-depth session on getting a green light on scripts, budgets, cast, crew and financing on a series produced in Canada for the North American and, hopefully, world TV market.

Click here for more information and registration.

From Jason Anderson of The Walrus magazine:

• Point of No Return: Making Canadian television drama worth watching remains a challenge
  “Even with the global recession slowing production (shortfalls forced CBC to cut the number of episodes in The Border’s third season), all this activity would seem to indicate a reversal of fortune for makers of Canadian television. As ACTRA’s Stephen Waddell told Playback Daily, ‘Canada is ready for the big time. If you look at the programs being produced now, they’re interesting, they’re innovative, they bring a new perspective.’ He might also have mentioned that the US networks buy them for a fraction of what it costs to produce their own programming.” Read more.

From the Canadian Press:

• CBC to scale back sports coverage, prime-time TV shows like ‘Little Mosque’
  “The cash-strapped CBC is scaling back its sports and news coverage and reducing the number of episodes for marquee TV shows including Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Border and Being Erica as it struggles to balance its books.” Read more.

From a media release:

Writers Guild of Canada Welcomes the Honourable James Moore Behind the Scenes of CTV’s Flashpoint

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) today welcomed the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, to catch a glimpse of the work behind the scenes of the hit Canadian television show, Flashpoint.

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From Glen Schaefer of The Province, includes Defying Gravity and Sanctuary:

• Production year promises to be busy
  “One of the biggest projects heading to Vancouver this year is the new sci-fi TV series Defying Gravity, an international co-production to air on Canada’s CTV and Space channels, as well as BBC in the U.K. and other European broadcasters. Vancouver’s Omni Film Productions is taking a lead role in the production with a multimillion-dollar spaceship set built in Burnaby.” Read more.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail on the recent CRTC decision, the Gemini awards’ plot to be as inconsequential as possible, and tonight’s Corner Gas:

• The Canadian TV racket: It’s all about your money
  “Corner Gas (CTV, 9:30 p.m.) is a repeat, but one of the more crazy episodes of the series. See, Hank has an idea to increase tourism to Dog River but this has consequences nobody could have foreseen.” Read more.

Find out why suburbia is evil, letting a preschooler make you sushi is a good idea, and how two TV writers can be backing opposite sides in the CRTC hearings and still fundamentally agree on how the Canadian industry needs to change. Oh, and why trying to connect a three-way phone call in the middle of a broadcast is a bad idea.

• Durham County is making the move to Global television on Monday, May 19 at 10 pm, and the co-creators, writer Laurie Finstad Knizhnik and director Adrienne Mitchell, are first up on the program. [0:02]
• Mark Bishop, executive producer of popular kids’ show This is Emily Yeung, chats about that show’s DVD release as well as This is Daniel Cook, The Adrenaline Project, and more [0:30]
• TV writers Jim Henshaw and Denis McGrath debate the recent CRTC hearings [0:45]

Listen in the player below, visit the show site, or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed.

This Sunday’s TV, eh? Blogtalkradio show is wall-to-wall with great guests.

The critically acclaimed Durham County is making the move to Global television on Monday, May 19 at 10 pm, and the co-creators, writer Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik and director Adrienne Mitchell, are first up on the program.

Then, Montreal Gazette columnist and filmmaker Josh Freed will tell us about his hilarious documentary My Messy Life, airing Saturday, May 17 at 7 pm on CTV. The film “examines the war between the Messy and the Neat, arriving at some surprising conclusions.”

Mark Bishop, executive producer of popular kids’ show This is Emily Yeung, will chat about that show’s DVD release.

Finally, industry insiders and bloggers Jim Henshaw and Denis McGrath are ready to rumble – they’ll debate the recent CRTC hearings.

Listen live this Sunday, May 11, at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern — and feel free to call in at 646-200-4063 with your questions or opinions — or listen to the archived podcast later.

Don’t miss a fun TV, eh? podcast, with Roger Abbott of Royal Canadian Air Farce talking to Bill Brioux about that show’s long run and final season coming up. Then Bill shares some famous television myths from his book Truth and Rumours: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths, along with a bonus Canadian truth about Pierre Berton, Bruno Gerussi, and a bloody finger. Chris Haddock, creator of Da Vinci’s Inquest and Intelligence, chats about the Intelligence season one DVD release, the FOX pilot version of that show, John Wells, and Haddock’s plans to take Richard Stursberg’s job. The last part of the podcast is me sitting back and staying out of the way while two of CBC’s biggest personalities – Haddock and Roger Abbott of Royal Canadian Air Farce – survey the state of the CBC.

The rundown follows, with approximate start times in brackets:

• Roger Abbott of Royal Canadian Air Farce on that show’s long history and not-so-long future [:02]
• Bill Brioux, author of Truth and Rumours: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths [:30]
• Creator Chris Haddock of Intelligence and Da Vinci’s Inquest [:45]

Listen in the player below, visit the show site, or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed.

Don’t forget: tomorrow (April 20) at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern is the first live version of the TV, eh? Internet radio show. Listen live and call in at 646-200-4063 to discuss what you’re watching or join the conversation with our guests and give your opinion:

• Robson Arms co-creators Susin Neilsen and Gary Harvey (about 10 minutes in)
  
• Technogeek Steve Wild on tv on the web (about 35 minutes in)
  
• Screenwriter/journalist Mark Leiren-Young will report on Bill C-10 (see his The Tyee article on appearing before the Senate about the controversial legislation) (about 50 minutes in)

If you can’t be there Sunday, you can still listen to the show later [Post-show update: Listen in the player below - there's a few seconds of dead air at the beginning, but what would a first show be without technical difficulties?].

We’ve got great guests lined up in the next few weeks, too – keep checking out the upcoming show schedule for all the details.

From Joan Bryden of the Globe and Mail:

• Senate Liberals vow to protect film industry from government bill
  “Senate Liberals are vowing to ensure that a controversial Conservative government bill doesn’t wind up becoming a tool to censor Canadian films and television programs.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of Sun Media:

• Seeing sense on Bill C-10
  ” The Canadian TV and film industry’s reaction to the existence of the bill has included references to Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Communist China and the Guantanamo detention camp. And while I share some of the industry’s concerns, it’s that type of terminology that strikes me as inappropriate. The average Joe should understand something: This is not about censorship. Censorship means you aren’t allowed to make a certain TV show or movie. No one is talking about that here. Everyone in Canada is completely free to make whatever TV show or movie they want, provided — and herein lies the heart of the debate — they pay for it themselves or secure private financing.” Read more.

From CBC:

• Private broadcasters decreased Canadian program spending
  “Canada’s private broadcasters increased their spending on foreign TV shows in 2007 and reduced spending on Canadian programming.” Read more.

From Pat Donnelly of the Montreal Gazette:

• A man of many rants
  “‘Where do we take responsibility for the crap that we put out there on TV?” he asked, rhetorically, over the phone. “Because we put out crap. I mean, everybody agrees. Notwithstanding the phenomenal talent, we strive for mediocrity.” Read more.

From Gayle MacDonald at the Globe and Mail:

• Tories plan to withhold funding for ‘offensive’ productions
  “The Conservative government has drafted guidelines that would allow it to pull financial aid for any film or television show that it deems offensive or not in the public’s best interest – even if government agencies have invested in them.” Read more.

From the Canadian Press:

• Plan to cancel tax credits for “offensive” films, TV shows called censorship
  “It’s decried as censorship while at the same time being welcomed as a much-needed guide by some in the television industry. The government’s proposal to cancel tax credits for any film or TV program it deems offensive, or not in the public’s interest, has stirred controversy in the arts community.” Read more.

From Bill Harris of Sun Media:

• TV’s money shot
  So you think it’s a bright new day for the big American networks and Canadian shows are poised for success in the U.S.? Please, get real.” Read more.

Alex Epstein of Complications Ensue comments on the current CRTC hearings, to decide if the Canadian Television Fund should be divided into separate funds for cultural programming and for commercial programming:

• Culture=Entertainment
  “SLINGS AND ARROWS is successful cable TV. It is also successful highbrow culture (which satirizes highbrow culture). TRAILER PARK BOYS is successful TV. It is also successful lowbrow culture. If you don’t believe me, wait until “the boys” come round for a signing and see how many people are lining up in the cold. If people waiting in the cold to see actors isn’t a sign of vibrant culture, you tell me what is.” Read more.

From Nellie Andreeva of the Hollywood Reporter:

• Shaftesbury heads south with WMA
  “In a sign of its serious U.S. expansion plans, leading Canadian TV production company Shaftesbury Films has signed with WMA. The agency already brokered Shaftesbury’s first major U.S. series deal, NBC’s recent 13-episode pickup of the company’s upcoming drama series The Listener.” Read more.

From a media release:

The Canadian Television Fund (CTF) today presented an overview of the organization’s successes in funding popular, critically acclaimed television programming in its opening presentation at the CRTC’s public hearing on the future of the Fund.

“Canadians are watching CTF-funded programs,” said Valerie Creighton, President of the CTF. “Shows like The Rick Mercer Report and Little Mosque on the Prairie, regularly attain audiences of over one million. Les Boys, Annie et ses hommes, and Destinées all have drawn from one to one and a half million viewers. New shows, such as The Border, Sophie, Heartland, and The Guard are attracting 500,000 to 800,000 viewers. And a recently launched success story in the French market, Les Lavigueur, la vraie histoire, averaged over two million viewers in its first two episodes.”

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