TV, eh?

From 24 Hours:

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.

From Yvonne Zacharias of the Vancouver Sun:

• Inside the mind of the ‘luckiest guy in the world’
  “Actor John Cassini talks about playing contrasting characters, being critiqued by Al Pacino and what it takes to survive in a cyclical industry.” Read more.

I’m particularly excited by this Sunday’s TV, eh? Blogtalkradio show. Why? Not only does it promise to be entertaining, what with the funny and smart guests, but I have a de facto co-host in Bill Brioux, the Canadian Press TV critic who also has an entertaining blog, TV Feeds My Family. He’ll lead the first interview with Roger Abbott of the Royal Canadian Air Farce, who recently announced this upcoming season will be their last. Then I’ll talk to Bill about his book, Truth and Rumours: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths, before we’re joined by Chris Haddock, the creator of Da Vinci’s Inquest and Intelligence, the first season of which was just released on DVD.

Listen live this Sunday, May 4, 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.

From Nathaniel Jonet of Blogger News Network:

• Intelligence, Season One
  “Starting this April 29th, now available as a special edition boxed DVD collectors set from Acorn Media and Program Partners is the first season of one of the most ambitious Canadian television shows. Intelligence, Season One is now ready for you to take home. Enjoy the mean streets of Vancouver whenever you see fit.” Read more.

From Chris Neilson of DVD Talk:

• Intelligence: Season One
  “The best new television crime drama since HBO’s The Wire came and went before many viewers south of the 49th parallel even heard of it. That show, originally aired by the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, was Intelligence. The series began airing in the summer of 2006, but was not renewed upon the conclusion of its second season. Fortunately, the pilot and first season are being released in a DVD box set by Acorn Media, with the final season hopefully to follow.” Read more.

From Stephen Hunt of the Calgary Herald:

• CBC’s Intelligence creator looking south
  “Since his critically acclaimed CBC series Intelligence was cancelled in March, Vancouver’s Chris Haddock could use new employment. And he’s got at least one dream job in his sights: running the same network that cancelled his show.” Read more.

Intelligence creator Chris Haddock on set with Matt Frewer as agent Ted Altman.

From a media release:

All nominees for the 10th Anniversary Leo Awards were announced today. In addition to the earlier announcement of select program categories included in the Leo Awards Film Festival, the list of nominees for the Leo Awards 2008 is now complete and can be viewed online at http://leoawards.com/nominees_2008.html.

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From Douglas Bell of Toronto Life:

• Boob Tube
  “The CBC thinks it knows what you want: American-style trash with a Canadian twist. But its most commercial effort—a series about oversexed hockey wives—was canned after two months. What now?” Read more.

From Kevin Baker of the National Post:

• Did the CBC get spooked?
  “There’s a theory afloat that CBC Television cancelled the unusually good drama Intelligence in fear of upsetting Canada’s New Government, which is thought to be slavering for an excuse to junk the nation’s public broadcaster and sell off the parts. According to this theory, expounded in the Toronto Star, one story arc of Intelligence showed secret dealings to sell Canadian water to the United States in an unfavourable light. Thus, the plot implicitly criticized the government’s secret dealings, under cover of the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership. Loopy? Bonkers? Stark raving? Yes, but wait: The truth is even more fantastic. The CBC was forced to drop Intelligence because of me.” Read more.

From Linda Diebel at the Toronto Star:

• A national disaster, made for TV
  “As we speak, Canada is quietly negotiating away rights to our water. The cloak-and-dagger dealings mirror the subject of a critically acclaimed CBC series that was dropped late last year. Coincidence?” Read more.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) will celebrate the winning words of 2007 on April 14 at the 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Awards. More than 125 scripts were submitted for this year’s awards, honouring excellence in screenwriting. The entries have been narrowed down to 33 finalists in nine categories, including screenwriting for feature film, drama series, documentary film and more. Several special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, will also be handed out at the event.

Among the finalists, you will find the writers of television favourites such as Corner Gas, Robson Arms, Intelligence, Across the River to Motor City, This Hour has 22 Minutes and more, as well as the writers of feature films including The Stone Angel, Poor Boy’s Game and more. A complete list of finalists can be seen on the WGC website.

All winners will be announced at the 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Awards on Monday, April 14, 2008. Guest host (and finalist) Gavin Crawford (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) will once again keep everyone in stitches as he keeps the celebrations rolling. Kyle Tingley (also a finalist for 22 Mins) will co-write the awards show with Crawford.

Last year’s winners included Sarah Polley for the screenplay of Away From Her, Kevin White and Brent Butt for Corner Gas and Susan Coyne & Bob Martin & Mark McKinney for Slings & Arrows.

This year’s finalists reflect the high level of achievement of Canadian screenwriters across the categories.

From the Toronto Sun:

• Leafs put blame on CBC shows
  “CBC spokesperson Katie Heath-Eves said yesterday that all shows are ultimately renewed or dropped based on performance and there would be Canadian produced shows to eventually replace MVP and others.” Read more.

From the Barrie Examiner:

• CBC excuse a lame one
  “In the first place, would the CBC really be foolish enough to count on revenue from the Leafs making the playoffs? Toronto hasn’t played a playoff game since 2004. What about ratings? Despite MVP attracting what’s being called ‘an unprecedented new youth-skewed audience’, that audience just wasn’t big enough. About 349,000 viewers tuned in during its January debut, which isn’t great. And it’s been look out below since then.” Read more.

From Randy Burton of the Star Phoenix:

• What is the CBC thinking?
  “Intelligence has been cancelled at the CBC. No, this is not a new corporate policy announced from on high, it’s merely confirmation the national broadcaster is no longer interested in providing the best drama it had to offer.” Read more.

From Lee-Anne Goodman of the Canadian Press:

• Leafs to blame for cancelled shows?
  “The producer of “MVP” says she was recently warned by CBC programming director Kirstine Layfield that if the Leafs failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, the public broadcaster’s arts and entertainment division would take a $10 million hit that would put some of the network’s much-heralded new shows at risk.” Read more.

From Alex Strachan of Canwest Media breaks down the demographics of CBC’s year:

• Crunching CBC’s numbers: the how and why behind CBC’s fall renewals
  “Layfield has her work cut out for her. And she’s actually doing a lot with very little. While culture snobs decry LCD (lowest common denominator) fare like MVP, The Border and The Week the Women Went, the fact is that CBC is trying to become relevant to a mass audience, and not just intellectuals, lefties and culture snobs.” Read more.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail:

• CBC axes Hockey Wives, jPod
  “However, the cancellation of Intelligence, which concluded its second season last November, is likely to be the most bitter disappointment for viewers. About a Vancouver drug baron named Jimmy Reardon and his intricate relationship with the CSIS, the show drew about 350,000 viewers each episode, but it was widely praised for its complexity and compelling intrigue. Made by Haddock Entertainment, which also made the Da Vinci’s Inquest series, it has been sold to several dozen countries and is under consideration for a remake as a U.S.-set series for the Fox network.” Read more.

From Victoria Ahearn of the Canadian Press:

• CBC dropping ‘MVP,’ Intelligence’ and ‘JPod’ for next season
  “Despite heavy promotion and critical praise, the Canadian shows “MVP,” “Intelligence” and “JPod” aren’t being renewed by CBC-TV for next season, the public broadcaster said Friday.” Read more.

INTELLIGENCE, SEASON ONE

Debuts on DVD May 6, 2008

Paradox Entertainment Group announces the May 6, 2008 DVD debut of Intelligence, Season One, a critically acclaimed crime drama series in the vein of The Wire and The Sopranos from the creator of Da Vinci’s Inquest. The Canadian series has been nominated for 11 Gemini Awards, including Best Dramatic Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

Chris Haddock’s Intelligence takes you deep inside the murky world of organized crime and the cops who keep tabs on it. As a dedicated father, respected businessman, and big-time drug smuggler, Jimmy Reardon (Ian Tracey) feels the heat from others muscling in on his territory. Mary Spalding (Klea Scott), the ruthlessly ambitious head of Vancouver’s Organized Crime Unit, fears her rivals in the intelligence community more than she fears criminals. Together, Jimmy and Mary form an uneasy alliance that threatens to undo them both.

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From a media release (so please don’t ask me what makes these Canadian TV shows independent):

Association announces CFTPA Indie Awards nominees

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) is extremely pleased to announce the nominees of the CFTPA Indie Awards.

The awards were created by the CFTPA in order to recognize and honour the outstanding achievements of Canadian independent producers. The Awards will be presented at a special reception and ceremony in Ottawa on February 20th, 2008.

“There is an incredible number of talented independent producers across Canada, and this is a reality that is not celebrated nearly as often as it ought to be,” said Guy Mayson, President and CEO, CFTPA “On behalf of the members of the CFTPA and the Board of Directors, we are proud to showcase such excellence and we congratulate all the nominees.”

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From TV Shows on DVD, more details on the upcoming release:

• Intelligence – Sex, Drugs, and Spies: Details, Extras, and Box Art for Upcoming DVDs