TV, eh?

From Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun:

• ‘Princess’ targets spendthrift women
  “In Princess, author and money maven Vaz-Oxlade – also the host of Til Debt Do Us Part – attempts to rehabilitate real-life princesses. And when we say real-life princesses, we aren’t talking about anyone with royal blood. Rather, the focus is on financially irresponsible young women whose reckless behaviour is threatening to put themselves and their loved ones in the poor house.” Read more.

Caution: May Contain Nuts is back with Reserve Dogs, rappin’ seniors and more! This edgy sketch show is edgier and funnier than ever! Join cast members Mark Meer, Dana Andersen, Aimée Beaudoin, Sheldon Elter, Ryan Parker, Matt Alden, Howie Miller, James Higuchi and Jeff Halaby as they take on all sacred cows with the respect they deserve – lots of barbecue sauce and plenty of heat!

This half-hour sketch comedy series features a racially diverse group of comedians and a unique brand of Canadian Aboriginal humour to create a fast-paced, hilarious, comedy experience. While no topic is off limits to this hilarious troupe, Caution: May Contain Nuts will largely explore Aboriginal topics and Canadian culture through a succession of fast and funny skits. Nominated for a 2009 Gemini Award for Best writing in a Comedy Program, the second season of Caution: May Contain Nuts is one that viewers won’t want to miss!

Caution: May Contain Nuts will air on Tuesdays, starting September 7 at:
10 pm MT on APTN West
10 pm ET on APTN East
10 pm CT on APTN North
10 pm ET on APTN HD

By Diane Wild

Actor Peter Keleghan (18 to Life) has been vocal about the need for a strong homegrown television industry throughout his career. He offered his thoughts during a panel session at this year’s Banff World Television Festival, and expanded on them in our interview the following day (see Part 1 here).

“The good news is I’m doing this,” he told me about his advocacy efforts, which have included lobbying for stronger Canadian content regulations, speaking out against censorship and cuts to the arts, negotiating union contracts, and helping found a credit union for TV and film professionals. “The bad news is my father-in-law started doing it in 1965.”

(Married to actress Leah Pinsent, Keleghan’s famous father-in-law is Gordon Pinsent, who had his own things to say about the state of the industry in our recent interview.)

“My wife once wrote a letter to a newspaper asking ‘How do you think Americans would feel if 80 percent of their television was Canadian?’” Keleghan said. “There was a response: ‘How would Americans feel? The same way Canadians feel if they’re forced to watch Canadian television.’”

He doesn’t argue with the idea that there is a quality problem in Canadian television. Neither does he accept that the Canadian industry doesn’t have the talent to make great television.

“Any success in artistic vision comes with a unified voice. David Chase, Matt Weiner, Steve Smith, Rick Mercer, Ken Finkelman. It’s set up to fail because when you put that much money into it you have so many executives reaching into it from arms length. Look at anything successful and I’ll almost guarantee someone was given carte blanche to do what they wanted to do how they wanted to do it.”

Look at many Canadian shows today – Shattered with its reported five showrunners in 13 episodes, and The Listener with a rumoured seven – and it would appear the someone in charge is often not one with a unified artistic vision.

“We can and should make it better. And we can make it better given the dollars and the opportunity to do it.”

He pointed to the 1999 CRTC decision that eliminated the rule forcing private broadcasters to spend a minimum amount on Canadian dramatic programming, causing the production of dramas and comedies to plummet … along with the opinion of Canadians who found it harder to find quality Canadian shows.

“How do you combat the stigma?” Keleghan asked. “Money. Opportunity. Throw enough stuff on the wall and something will stick, given the right opportunity to stick. The US has more money to throw against the wall. We throw three things up and we have to go with our three things. They throw 12 things up and they can afford to go with three things.”

“We don’t have a Branglina. We don’t have a Clint Eastwood. Hollywood was smart; they started creating a mythology around their industry 100 years ago. And they have a population base and a financial structure that allow them to do it,” Keleghan pointed out.

He believes the Canadian television model, with funding and tax incentives simply for producing shows, eliminates the incentive for broadcasters to consider the quality of those shows along with their timeslots and marketing campaigns.

“We’re giving carrots to producers and private networks to put stuff on the air before it’s any kind of success.”

Instead, he’d like to see a business model based on performance. “The US government said we need X amount of fuel-efficient cars by X date and then you will get the subsidies. Car companies said no, but they did it anyway, because they had to. If you tell the private networks by X date you have to have X amount of people watching X number of Canadian shows in primetime, then they’re the smart ones in figuring how to get it done. And they can get it done. They will invest more money because they will end up making more money. They will make better shows, and they will advertise them and put them in primetime.”

As for the need for carrots at all? “You put a dollar into the television industry and it provides exponentially more money into the economy,” Keleghan said. “Yet people still call what they give to the steel industry subsidies and what they give to us handouts.”

“The government is allowing culture to be in the hands of big business. It’s like allowing a corporation to have free reign over something that should be a right of Canadians. The CRTC and the airwaves belong to us, but they’re being used in a protected way for them. They can make money without any kind of foreign interference, and yet they do not serve a common good for us. They serve a good for the corporation, which is to make money. What they’re bringing in is this lowest common denominator of stuff for Americans and Canadians. They make money hand over fist and we don’t have anything to reflect ourselves or be proud of.”

As the fall season approaches, the number of new Canadian dramas or comedies on CTV and Global can be counted on one hand. In fact: on one finger (that would be Shattered on Global, which premieres Wednesday at 10 pm and has suffered from a dismal marketing campaign). Yet both have splashy campaigns for new programming they’ve purchased from American networks.

“It doesn’t reflect who and what we are in this country,” Keleghan said about the American programming that dominates our airwaves, and that most Canadians can also see on American channels.

“Who and what we are is hugely important and any government with a vision knows that. Are we a country that just cares about right wing money business values? I don’t think so. Our history is much different than that.”

“We’re not curing cancer. We’re entertainment. We don’t appear on the political radar that much. The reverse of that is you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. If we just become an extra state of the union, what happens to the country when we lose the touchstones that reflect ourselves? The bigger picture is that it is a form of censorship if we don’t allow any kind of the Canadian product in the mix with American product.”

From a media release:

CANADA SINGS! SEARCHES FOR WORKPLACE GLEE CLUBS – CASTING NOW OPEN AT GLOBALTV.COM

• New Original Series Premieres on Global in Early 2011

WANTED: Canada Sings! (working title), an all-new homegrown series, seeks out talented singing enthusiasts and their harmonizing workmates to battle it out in a fun and exciting competition.

Starting today, Monday, August 30 through until Wednesday, September 22, Canada Sings!, a Global original, opens its virtual casting doors at www.GlobalTV.com.

“Canada Sings! is an opportunity to unveil the hidden performer that exists within each of us,” said Christine Shipton, SVP, Drama and Factual Content, Canwest Broadcasting. “We’re calling out to these talented voices simmering within the workplace to come forward and show us what they’ve got.”

Scouring the country for these budding talents, the series focuses on finding talent on the job, encouraging participants to form glee clubs with their workmates and go head-to-head against another team. From firemen to nurses, chefs to CEOs – gleeful Canadians are everywhere and Canada Sings! is on the hunt.

“We’re looking for dynamic everyday people with extraordinary talent,” said John Brunton, Executive Producer, Insight Productions. “From the person whistling on the assembly line next to you, to the nurse in pediatrics that sings the children to sleep and the waiter that can really sing happy birthday to the guests, we’re so excited to see what Canada brings to the table.”

Each week Canada Sings! will travel to two Canadian workplaces that will be ready with their new glee clubs to audition, rehearse and ultimately perform in front of a live studio audience – all within a few days. With the help of world class choreographers and vocal coaches, each group will prepare for the musical performance of their lives and battle each other in a high-stakes competition. A panel of celebrity judges will award the winning glee club with a donation to the charity of their choice.

Canada Sings! will premiere on Global in early 2011, produced expressly for Canwest Broadcasting by Insight Productions. Upcoming announcements including show host, judging panel and celebrity judges to rollout closer to broadcast.

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH – FINALE (CANADIAN ORIGINAL MINISERIES)

Premieres Monday, August 30 at 9 p.m.

In the two-hour finale of this epic eight-hour television event, Jack learns how to fulfill Tom Builder’s dream of a cathedral filled with light, and Philip, Waleran and Alfred develop a plot to get rid of Jack for good. The Pillars of the Earth is based on Ken Follett’s bestselling masterpiece that tells the fictional tale of the rising of a magnificent cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. Executive produced by Tom and Ridley Scott and directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, and starring Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Redmayne, Gordon Pinsent, and Alison Pill.

10 p.m. – COMEDY NOW! – “Debra DiGiovanni” – NEW EPISODE

Debra DiGiovanni has been quoted as one of Canada’s fastest rising stand-up talents. Her comedy has a sharp edge while maintaining a playful air. DiGiovanni’s dynamic onstage personality coupled with a hilarious and very relatable act is what makes her so popular. Her humour and charm lie within her unflinching honesty and openness. She is a two-time Canadian Comedy Award winner, finalist of NBC’s LAST COMIC STANDING, and star of MuchMusic’s VIDEO ON TRIAL and STARS ON TRIAL.

From CMF’s Interactivity:

• Wapos Bay Iconic Locale in Canadian Drama
  “In the history of Canadian screen drama, certain places stand out, like Molly’s Reach, Kamouraska, or Dog River. Now you can add Wapos Bay to that iconic list, as the popular animated series moves into movie of the week country. The fifth and final series of the National Film Board co-production airs this fall on APTN in early October, while Dark Thunder Productions’ Dennis and Melanie Jackson are deep into a feature-length special to air in 2011.” Read more.

From CBC’s Q:

• Canadian TV debate with Lindsay Blackett and Peter Keleghan

From CBC:

• The Q Contest: What would you like to see on Canadian TV?
  “Post your best pitch for a new Canadian TV show… in 25 words or less. (Maybe a show about talking dolphins in the Vancouver aquarium? Gordon Pinsent in Three’s Company-style sitcom? Pitch away!) We’ll award points for humour, and catchy show titles. The best pitch will win a small swag collection, and the admiration of the nation. Pitch now, and pitch often!” Read more and enter here.

From a media release:

CASHING IN ANNOUNCES START OF PRODUCTION: THIRD SEASON OF TV DRAMA UNDERWAY

Production recently began on the third season of Cashing In, the popular television series that airs on APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network).

ABOUT THE SERIES

Through elaborate love triangles, merry mix-ups and ever-twisting plot lines, Cashing In exposes the high-stakes, winner-takes-all world of First Nations gaming. The half-hour drama is set on the fictional Stonewalker First Nation in Southern Manitoba. Nestled comfortably beside an affluent beach community, the North Beach Casino is a successful gaming facility jam-packed with sharp executives, smooth dealers and rising stars. In other words: sex, money and power.

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10 p.m. – COMEDY NOW! – “Dave Hemstad” – NEW EPISODE

An accomplished comedy writer, stand-up performer and actor, Dave Hemstad has earned a reputation for his insightful logic and penetrating witticism. In 2003, Hemstad was honoured by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities as the “Best Comedian in Canada.” Hemstad has performed on many stages including Just for Laughs and the Halifax Comedy Festival, as well as on international stages in Singapore and England. Hemstad has also shared the stage with comedians including Russell Peters, Jeremy Hotz and Canadian legend, Ron James.

From a media release:

SPACE Raises Hell with Premiere of Original Series TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL, Sept. 29

• Jason Mewes goes back to school as Jimmy the Janitor
• SPACE launches series with sneak peek at Toronto’s Fan Expo convention, Aug. 28
• INNERSPACE takes viewers behind the scenes with TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL Special, Sept. 22

For many teenagers, high school is hell. For students at Crowley High, hell is in their high school. On Wednesday, Sept. 29 SPACE debuts its bloody good, all-new, original scripted series, TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL with two, back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m. ET and 9:30 p.m. ET. A 13-episode, half-hour original SPACE spawn, TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL is a tip of the hat to 80s teen and horror flicks that is best described as Breakfast Club meets Evil Dead and a testament to the channel’s devotion to wicked programming. A week before the mayhem is unleashed, INNERSPACE plunges into the depths of hell with a TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL special, Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. ET. Viewers can relive the mayhem online at spacecast.com.

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From a media release:

MuchOriginal Series DISBAND Delivers Worldwide Record Deal for B.C. Band These Kids Wear Crowns

• DISBAND DISCOVERED: THESE KIDS WEAR CROWNS airs Wed., August 18 at 8 p.m. ET
• Season 3 premieres this fall on MuchMusic

The MuchOriginal series DISBAND has done it again! After the British Columbia band These Kids Wear Crowns appeared on Season 2 of the Gemini-nominated series, the group secured a worldwide record deal with Capitol Records/EMI Music Canada. Now, fans can watch a continuation of their DISBAND journey in the one-hour, follow-up special, DISBAND DISCOVERED: THESE KIDS WEAR CROWNS on Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on MuchMusic. After the episode, MuchMusic goes live to the band outside the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood to introduce the world premiere of their MuchFACT video “Break It Up”.

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10 p.m.

Ivan Decker is one of Canada’s most promising young comedians. Decker has made a name for himself in Vancouver, where he won a city-wide contest to perform at Just for Laughs’ Homegrown Comedy Competition. Decker’s style of comedy appeals to any audience, from rural towns to city centers. His people-pleasing attitude translates from his personality to stage performance. In fact, Decker purposely avoids the use of profanity, sexual or drug-related material so that he can please everyone from mother to child.

Family Channel

MAJORITY RULES! (Series Premiere)

Monday, September 6 at 9 p.m. Regular timeslot Monday – Thursday at 9 p.m.

Meet Becky Richards. She’s fifteen, she’s into extreme-everything and she accidentally wound up running for mayor of her hometown, Mayfield. Running for mayor is one thing, but running your own life on your own terms? That takes real guts. Majority Rules! revolves around the life of Becky Richards as her world gets turned upside down when she tries to balance friends, family, high school, relationships and politics.

CONNOR UNDERCOVER (Series Premiere)

Friday, September 17 at 9:35 p.m. Regular timeslot Fridays at 9:30 p.m.

Helicopters. Double agents. Triple crosses. Somebody’s after Gisela Calicos and Connor Heath is going to find out who. Fifteen-year-old Connor Heath’s world is rocked when a beautiful president’s daughter is sent – for her own safety – to live with his family. But dangers from home follow and the two teens must scheme to figure out the mystery that’s taken over their lives.

Playhouse Disney

THE SECRET WORLD OF BENJAMIN BEAR (Season 4 Premiere)

Sunday, September 26 at 10:30 a.m. Regular timeslot weekend mornings at 10:30 a.m.

The Secret World of Benjamin Bear reveals the best-kept secret about teddy bears – that when no one is looking, these cuddly toys come alive and have amazing adventures in their own Secret World. But the bears’ most important mission is to comfort children and listen to their woes and worries. They take this work very seriously and will go to great lengths to do it right, especially Benjamin Bear and his little teddy-in-training, Howie

I’m a tiny bit confused how this will fit into the mandate of this site if it doesn’t get a Canadian broadcaster, but …

From Etan Vlessing of the Hollywood Reporter:

• CBS, White Pine sign pilot script development deal
  “Canadian indie producer White Pine Pictures has signed a script development deal with CBS for an episodic police drama set in a Canadian-U.S. border town.” Read more.

From a media release:

Thursdays are extra awesome on TELETOON this fall

New Series

Total Drama World Tour (TELETOON Original Production)
Premieres Thursday, September 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT & 8:30 p.m. ET/PT(Episodes 1 & 2)
Season 3 – 26 x 30 min

Bringing an international twist and a musical spin to this season, Total Drama World Tour continues the series’ hilarious tradition of parodying the best moments of reality TV with some of the fan-favourite past contestants and a few exciting new faces. The participants get another chance at fame and fortune as they are flown to exotic locations all over the world to sing their way through larger-than-life elimination competitions, stomach curdling challenges, death-defying stunts, romances, friendships and ultimately, a chance at another million-dollar grand prize.

Note: On Thursday, September 9, Total Drama World Tour – premieres two back-to-back episodes with episode 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and episode 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Beginning Thursday, September 16, Total Drama World Tour returns to its regular half-hour timeslot at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

New Episodes of Returning Series

Spliced (TELETOON Original Production)
New episodes continue to premiere Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT
Season 1 – 26 x 30 min

Spliced follows the adventures of Peri and his pal Entrée, two quirky creatures leftover from genetic experiments conducted by a crazy doctor. Abandoned on Keep Away Island along with their friends and a whole neighbourhood of mismatched mutants, they attempt to recreate what they can only imagine a normal society to be like.

Jimmy Two-Shoes (TELETOON Original Production)
Premieres Thursday, September 9 at 7 p.m. ET/PT
Season 2 – 26 x 30 min

Jimmy Two-Shoes is an irrepressible, thrill-seeking optimist who makes it his mission to find fun everywhere he goes. There’s just one hitch … he lives in Miseryville, the gloomiest, doomiest place around. But along with his best friends, Jimmy is determined to surf past all obstacles and bring his infectious enthusiasm to the whole town.

Johnny Test (TELETOON Original Production)
Premieres Thursday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT
Season 4 – 13 x 30 min

An action-comedy extravaganza, Johnny Test chronicles the adventures of a fearless 11-year-old boy, his genetically engineered super dog Dukey, and his 13-year-old super-genius scientist sisters Susan and Mary. Using Johnny as their guinea pig, Susan and Mary strive to solve the trials and tribulations of adolescent angst with out-of-this-world scientific experiments.

Stoked (TELETOON Original Production)
Premieres Thursday, September 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT
Season 2 – 26 x 30 min

Emma, Reef, and Fin join locals Broseph, Lo and Johnny Front Desk Guy to work at the world renowned Surfer’s Paradise Resort. Stoked to have the summer of their lives, they are instead faced with the worst jobs ever, hideous uniforms, a run-down staff house and a tacky, fake, touristy resort. But getting to SURF on their days off makes it all worthwhile.

From a media release:

CATCH THIS IF YOU CAN! SEASON FIVE OF “MANTRACKER” BEGINS WITH A STAR-STUDDED PREMIERE EPISODE ON MON., SEPT. 6 AT 6 P.M. ON OLN

• Canadian country music sensation The Road Hammers tracked in first episode
• Launch party charity event held in Toronto on Fri., Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
• The Mantracker himself, Terry Grant, in attendance

With a whopping 49 of 70 folks caught to date, veteran Alberta cowboy and expert outdoorsman Terry Grant continues to stalk his prey – two individuals armed with only a map, a compass and a two kilometer head start – through 40 kilometers of remote wilderness over 36 hours in season five of the hit OLN series “Mantracker” (12 x 60 min.). In the premiere episode, country music crooners The Road Hammers seek to reach a final destination known only by them before Mantracker Terry Grant uses his forensic tracking skills and a local guide to catch them. Season five of the Gemini-award winning series – produced by Bonterra Productions – premieres Mon., Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. ET on OLN. In addition, on Fri., Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m., fans can attend a sneak preview charity launch party at Toronto’s Revival Bar, 783 College St. to watch the first episode with Terry Grant. Tickets available at www.mantracker.ca.

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SIDEKICK – NEW SERIES

Premieres: Saturday, September 11 at 10:30 a.m.

Produced in Canada by Nelvana Studio, this animated series follows young orphan Eric Neddles who lives in Sidekick, an animated world filled with superheroes and super villains. On the day Eric was to begin sidekicking for the greatest superhero of all time, Maxum Man, Maxum went missing – leaving this rookie with the task of making the world think that Maxum is still on the job. Since sidekicks aren’t good enough to be superheroes, Eric and his second stringer friends are always given the worst jobs, which mean they’re going to be the first projectiles thrown.

BABAR AND THE ADVENTURES OF BADOU – NEW SERIES

Premieres: Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m.

A new CGI animated series produced by Nelvana Studio and TeamTO, Babar and the Adventures of Badou follows eight-year-old Badou and his famous grandfather Babar. Scheduled in YTV’s Playtime block, Badou has an appetite for adventure and a tendency to get caught in some tricky situations along with his colourful friends Chiku the monkey and Zawadi, the zebra. Navigating the ups and downs of growing up in Celesteville’s royal palace, Badou never forgets that King Babar will always be there to offer guidance and support.

From Bill Harris of QMI Agency:

• Kids considering another Death
  “Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall says the Canadian comedy troupe at least is considering doing another installment of its recent mini-series, Death Comes to Town.” Read more.