Archive for the The Listener Category
Episode 9: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed
Callum Keith Rennie joins me, Diane Wild, for an interview about Shattered, where he plays a cop with multiple personalities.
But first, I try to convince Anthony Marco that the Emmys are worth watching. I did not succeed. I’m not sure I convinced myself. We mention the Gemini Award nominations which will have been announced by the time you listen to this.
Is 18 to Life returning to The CW? Maaayyyybeeee.
Anthony and I could not be less excited about Canada Sings. But if you disagree, casting is now open.
Then I discuss creative control in the Canadian television industry, from the consistent vision brought to Call Me Fitz to the multiple showrunners and lack of a cohesive vision on Shattered and The Listener. I mention my interview with Peter Keleghan, too, where he brings up some of the same issues. And Anthony laments that Shattered lost a golden opportunity to claim that their multiple showrunners were reflective of the multiple personality of the main character.
We finish up with how PVRs are affecting television viewing – for Anthony, it’s being even more annoyed by commercials, while Diane now gets weepy over iPhone 4 commercials.
Your hosts
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 From Stephanie Earp of TV Squad:
- Canada Makes Bargain-Basement Shows
“Half-hearted denials aside, we know it’s true, don’t we? We know the only way networks like CBS (‘The Bridge’, ‘Flashpoint’), NBC (‘The Listener’) and ABC (‘Rookie Blue’) would agree to co-finance a show for their airwaves is if the setting was generic enough to pass for a U.S. locale. They’ve got the best of both worlds – if the show is good, they can send out press releases about what wonderful new programming they are creating with their Canadian partners, but if the show is bad, they can shrug their shoulders and say they had nothing to do with the creative, they were just the bank.” Read more.
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From a media release:
2010 CANADIAN COMEDY AWARD NOMINEES ARE ANNOUNCED!
The race for the 2010 Canadian Comedy Awards is on! Canada’s finest comedians will go head to head for the coveted BEAVER statuette this October in Toronto, as The Canadian Comedy Awards Foundation in association with The Comedy Network today announced the nominees for the 2010 Canadian Comedy Awards. At a media conference held at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto, emcees Deb McGrath and Colin Mochrie highlighted the nominees in all 21 categories.
Winners will be declared at The Comedy Network Presents the Canadian Comedy Awards & Festival Awards Show on Monday, October 18 to be held at the Isabel Bader Theatre.
To view a complete list of the 2010 Canadian Comedy Awards nominees and to access nominee bios, please go to www.canadiancomedy.ca.
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From Alex Strachan of Canwest News Service:
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CTV Announces Industry-Leading 2010-2011 Canadian Television Package
- CTV renews entire scripted slate: more FLASHPOINT, more THE BRIDGE, more HICCUPS, more DAN FOR MAYOR, more THE LISTENER
- CTV announces new daytime series THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, debuting this fall
- Season 3 of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA to premiere August 15
- New international co-production drama THE BORGIAS joins CTV and Bravo! in 2011
- COMEDY NOW! is back for Season 13, ETALK returns for Season and W5 marks Season 45
- THE JUNO AWARDS, THE GILLER PRIZE and WE DAY all return
 Following one of its most successful seasons ever for original Canadian programming, CTV unveiled today its 2010-2011 Canadian television package. The network has renewed its entire scripted slate of five original series, ordered a new daytime series, and confirmed the premiere date for its award-winning Top 20 hit dance competition series. Delivering more viewers to Canadian programming than any other network, the roster of original programming totals nearly 100 hours of prime-time Canadian programming on CTV alone during the 2010-2011 season.
With the majority of the original productions due to go into production this summer, CTV’s original series will premiere throughout the network’s 52-week schedule in 2010/2011. However, CTV confirmed today THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, a new daytime series starring Gemini Award-winner and CHUM FM personality Marilyn Denis, premieres this fall. The series airs daily at 10 a.m. following LIVE! WITH REGIS AND KELLY and prior to THE VIEW, providing an uninterrupted flow of live programming on CTV each day from 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
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From Bill Harris of Sun Media:
- The Listener’ gets renewed
“The Listener has been rescued from the sounds of silence. Shaftesbury Films announced Tuesday that the Toronto-set series has been renewed for a second season. A deal has been reached with CTV, Space and Fox International Channels (FIC), with exact air dates for the 13 new episodes still to be determined.” Read more.
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 From a media release:
SPACE, CTV AND FOX INTERNATIONAL CHANNELS ORDER SEASON 2 OF THE LISTENER
Shaftesbury Films is thrilled to announce its one-hour drama series THE LISTENER has been renewed for a second season by SPACE, CTV, and Fox International Channels (FIC). Shine International will be distributing. Starring Craig Olejnik as ‘Toby Logan’, THE LISTENER follows the adventures of a 25-year-old telepathic paramedic as he moves from crisis to crisis.
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To celebrate the new fall season, TV, eh? has 5 prize packages to give away to 5 Canadian television fans. Winners will be chosen from a random draw of all eligible entries in each of 3 categories. Tweet, blog, or donate to the Actors’ Fund of Canada to win. Details here. Deadline’s today!
From Dwayne MacKinnon:
I’ve decided to write today about a recently concluded (hopefully just for the season) show: The Listener.
I’m a big believer in giving a Canadian show a try, as long as the subject matter is interesting to me. So lately, I’ve been really happy, as there are more and more Canadian shows available that are interesting to me. Everything from sitcoms (Little Mosque on the Prairie) to comedy-dramas (Being Erica) to action/dramas (Flashpoint, The Border) to, just lately… science-fiction. Which brings us to The Listener.
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From BBM Canada:
- Top Programs – Total Canada
#1 So You Think You Can Dance Canada Performance (1.357 million)
#19 The Listener (843,000)
#22 Dragons’ Den (791,000)
#26 So You Think You Can Dance Canada Results (698,000)
#27 Flashpoint (696,000)
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From a media release – Canadian shows only:
Catch Up to Canada’s Most-Watched TV Programs Online: CTV.ca Announces Fall Lineup
- Canada’s beloved THE LITTLEST HOBO now available on demand along with other retro classics
Responding to an outpouring of support from fans across Canada, CTV’s own THE LITTLEST HOBO returns home exclusively online with all six seasons to be rolled out over the course of the season.
CTV.ca’s 2009/10 Online Lineup:
Primetime
- THE BRIDGE **New**
- DEFYING GRAVITY **New**
- COMEDY NOW!
- CORNER GAS
- DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION
- FLASHPOINT
- THE LISTENER
- ROBSON ARMS
- SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA (highlights)
Online Exclusive **New**
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10 p.m. – THE LISTENER – “The Journey” – SEASON FINALE
Toby (Craig Olejnik) brings Dr. Ray Mercer (Colm Feore) to the hospital to meet “John Doe,” who Ray recognizes as Frank Cardea (Gordon Pinsent, ANGELA’S EYES), the man who brought Toby to Ray twenty years earlier. Due to his Alzheimer’s, Frank continues to have trouble remembering, but he does tell Toby that Toby’s mother Maya (Lara Jean Chorostecki), sent him. Toby is hit with a distress beacon, catching glimpses of a smashed windshield and a mysterious man, and sets course on a journey to learn more about the troubling images in Frank’s mind.
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From a media release
GORDON PINSENT GUEST STARS ON SEASON FINALE OF THE LISTENER
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27th AT 10 PM ON CTV
Canadian icon Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her) stars as a “John Doe”, (real name Frank Cardea), the man who brought Toby (Craig Olejnik) to Dr. Ray Mercer (Colm Feore) 20 years earlier. Despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Frank might still be able to help Toby unravel his mysterious past in Thursday’s season finale of The Listener, premiering Thursday, August 27 at 10 pm on CTV and Saturday, August 29 at 8 pm on SPACE. The episode, entitled ‘The Journey’, is directed by Clement Virgo (Poor Boys Game).
Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik- The Timekeeper, In God’s Country), is The Listener, a 25-year-old paramedic with a gift. In addition to being a highly skilled first responder, he’s been blessed, and cursed, with telepathic abilities that allow him to read people’s thoughts. When we meet Toby, we soon discover he’s taken only one person into his confidence, his mentor Dr. Ray Mercer (Colm Feore, 24, Changeling). With Ray’s help, Toby has kept the voices in his head at bay. The Listener follows Toby as he tries to help people in crisis and in the process heal some of his own wounds. http://thelistener.ctv.ca
The Listener is produced by Shaftesbury Films, in association with CTV, SPACE, NBC and Fox International Channels. Produced with the assistance from The Canadian Film or Video Tax Credit. Fox International Channels broadcast The Listener in over 180 countries in March 09. International sales of The Listener are handled by Shine International.
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Posted by: Diane in Air Farce, Being Erica, Corner Gas, Degrassi, Dragons' Den, Flashpoint, Heartland, Instant Star, JPod, Little Mosque on the Prairie, No Opportunity Wasted, Odd Job Jack, Rick Mercer Report, Robson Arms, Sophie, The Border, The Listener, The Tudors, The Week the Women Went, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Wild Roses
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From BBM Canada:
- Top programs – Total Canada
#6 So You Think You Can Dance Canada (1.032 million)
#9 The Listener (894,000)
#15 Flashpoint (758,000)
#30 Defying Gravity (573,000)
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10 p.m. – THE LISTENER – “My Sister’s Keeper” – ALL-NEW EPISODE
Toby (Craig Olejnik) is called as a witness in the murder trial of Leslie Cahill (guest star Brittany Allen, ALL MY CHILDREN), a young singer allegedly shot by her overbearing producer Peter Gavin (guest star Tim Rozon, INSTANT STAR). Having broken EMS protocol by bashing down the door before the police have arrived, the defense is trying to destroy Toby’s credibility.
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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.
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Posted by: Diane in Air Farce, Being Erica, Corner Gas, Degrassi, Dragons' Den, Flashpoint, Heartland, Instant Star, JPod, Little Mosque on the Prairie, No Opportunity Wasted, Odd Job Jack, Rick Mercer Report, Robson Arms, Sophie, The Border, The Listener, The Tudors, The Week the Women Went, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Wild Roses
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 10 p.m. – THE LISTENER – “Beginning to See the Light” – ALL-NEW EPISODE
Toby (Craig Olejnik) and Oz (Ennis Esmer) respond to a man suffering from a head injury. As the man, Ron Wallace (guest star Mark Whelan), loses consciousness and dies, Toby flashes on an image of a young woman. As they place him on a stretcher, a handgun falls from his coat with a photo of the woman from Toby’s vision. Oz helps Toby track down the woman, who turns out to be the victim’s daughter, Lindsay (guest star Kristin Booth, M.V.P.), which leads to more questions.
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