TV, eh?

From a media release:

Friday

• 8pm The Guard (Season 3)

Saturday

• 7pm Renegade Press (Season 5)
• 7:30pm The Jane Show (Season 1)
• 10pm Project Runway Canada (Season 2)

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.”

(more…)

Susan Tolusso of Playback talks to the successful production company:

• Shaftesbury’s fabulous 42 nods
  “The Toronto prodco’s drama series ReGenesis – which follows a team of scientists investigating medical and ethical dilemmas – received 12 nominations this year, marking the third time it has been nominated in the best drama series category. Read more.

Etan Vlessing of Playback reports on the cancellation:

• Global Fires Jane
  “The second season averaged an overall national audience (2+) of 147,000 — down 13% from season one, according to Global.”

From Global:

THE JANE SHOW  – Season Finale
Wednesday, May 2 – 10pm ET/PT
“Who’s Got Spirit?” – Love is in the air when Jane and her Spirits co-workers attend a conference in Hamilton.

From Playback:

• Global discovers Canada
  “Gone are the bad old days of next-to-no Cancon and Train 48. Original scripted programming on the net for 2007 includes eight series. Count em: Eight. Hour-long preems are The Best Years, Painkiller Jane and Durham Country, new half-hours are Da Kink in My Hair and Love You to Death, and returns are Falcon Beach, The Jane Show and ReGenesis.”

From Global:

March 28
Episode: “Plastic Ono Jane”
Jane (Teresa Pavlinek) takes on managing Iggy’s (Andrew Misle) band and gets carried away.

From Playback, ratings for Test the Nation, The Next Great Prime Minister, The Jane Show, Falcon Beach:

• CBC scores with Test

From Lee-Anne Goodman of the Canadian Press, includes The Jane Show and The Smart Woman Survival Guide:

• Tube Cruisin’ 

From Global:

March 14
Episode: “Voices from the Past”
Jane’s (Teresa Pavlinek) houseguest from the past isn’t quite who she remembered and Cary (Hardee T. Lineham) gets an unexpected visitor.

From Playback:

• It’s Jane against Gas at the CSAs
  “One thing’s for certain — the winner for comedy at this year’s Canadian Screenwriting Awards will either work for The Jane Show or Corner Gas, each of which scored two nominations for the upcoming gala, closing out the category.”

From Global:

February 28
Episode: “Shower Killer”
Giggly women, salad bowls, finger sandwiches…. despite Jane’s total ignorance of wedding etiquette, she vows to plan the best bridal shower ever for Susan. All goes well until Jane’s seemingly innocent party game causes the bride-to-be to question the impending nuptials.

From the Canadian Press, with mentions of this week’s episodes of Corner Gas, Robson Arms, Rick Mercer Report, The Jane Show, Jeff Ltd.:

• TV tips for the week of Feb. 26 

From Global:

Jane (Teresa Pavlinek) resents the hiring of a reality show winner – until she’s in the spotlight. To see more, click on Episodes, Episode 3 .

From Playback:

• Viewers jilt Jeff and Jane
  “Early ratings for the second seasons of CTV’s Jeff Ltd. and Global’s The Jane Show have taken a sharp drop from the relative glories of their first runs, following their return to the airwaves earlier this month.”

From the Toronto Star:

• Vegan right down to her footwear
  ” ‘Canadians are watching Canadian TV — you just have to tell them about it. Would I work in the U. S.? Sure, I’d do 24.” But she wouldn’t give up the creating, producing and writing part of things. ‘It’s hard to go back to actor for hire because you lose a large amount of control,’ she explains. ‘If and when I go south, I’d love to pitch a show. I don’t want to be the wacky neighbour. I say that now, cut to me playing the wacky neighbour.’ “

From Playback:

• Is Saturday night Siberia for Canuck shows?
  “[Jeff] Seymour’s current-day hominess, as well as his fond remembrance of Saturday night as prime TV-time when he was a kid, were what he settled on after he learned that CTV would be airing the second season of Jeff Ltd. on Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. after Robson Arms, the second season of which likewise launched Feb. 10, in the middle of CTV’s “Crime Time Saturday Night” lineup, sandwiched between CSI and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail, a facetious apology to shows and people he’s criticized, including The Jane Show, Robson Arms, and George Stroumboulopoulos. Also includes a blurb on a new HGTV reality show called Big City Broker:

• My Valentine to Jane, George, and Jim
  “The case has sent a chill through the media in Britain. Can negative reviews of anything — food, theatre, books television — now be considered fodder for libel cases? Must all critics make nice or risk being sued? With this in mind and today being a certain saint’s day, I want to issue an assurance to everyone in the Canadian television racket: I love you all! Yes, you’re all decent, talented and lovely people. Some of you are outright gorgeous, beautiful people, as well as talented and creative. Hugs and kisses to every one of you.”

From Global:

February 14
Episode: “Blog Like Me”
Jane goes to extremes in her real-life, real-time romance after her new boyfriend fails to mention any of their romantic moments in any of his blog entries.

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail, mostly about Lost, but with bits on Jim Shaw’s disdain for Trailer Park Boys and the debuts of The Jane Show and Pretty Dangerous on Global:

• Lost returns with its castaway plot
  “Jim Shaw, the Shaw Cable honcho, recently unleashed his complaint about the CTF. He said this: “We keep paying, but what shows are being made? Am I just getting shows like Trailer Park Boys with all those guys running around half-naked, swearing and smoking weed? Is that what Canadians are getting?” Well, yes. Jim. That’s exactly what Canadians are getting, and loving it. In fact, they love it so much that they went in the tens of thousands to movie theatres and paid good money to see Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and thus enjoy even more of guys running around half-naked and smoking weed. Still, Jim sniffs at it and he’s the guy who wants more say in what Canadian TV shows are made. Should we let him?”