TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 2294
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television

In the news: Haven reviews and interviews

small(Note: Haven premieres in the US Syfy channel tonight, but on Canada’s Showcase on Monday):

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

  • A little slice of Haven
    “‘I’m pretty excited about this,’ he enthuses over lunch in a converted local curling rink, ‘because we put our eggs in the basket of character and look and feel. I mean, on Dead Zone we did a lot of cutting-edge visual effects, but we can’t compete with the budget of Lost, and we can’t compete with Fringe…'” Read more.

From Chris Lackner of Canwest News Service:

  • Haven’s unsolved mysteries
    “That is one of the central premises of Haven – which writer Sean Pillar describes as “Northern Exposure meets The Dead Zone meets Fringe/X-Files.” As the series unfolds, we learn of “The Troubles”, a vague time in the past when the townspeople’s supernatural abilities ran amok. For some reason, those afflictions are returning.” Read more.
  • Emily Rose finds her TV Haven
    “On first impression, Emily Rose doesn’t look like an FBI agent. Her warm smile and wide grey-blue eyes are disarming; her fair skin, petite frame and wavy blond hair reminiscent of Reese Witherspoon, the classic American girl next door.” Read more.

From Neal Justin of the Minneapolis Star:

  • Will Haven be TV’s next great show?
    “But Dunn and Ernst are finally discovering that second dreams can come true — even if it takes a decade. Their series Haven, based on a Stephen King novel, debuts Sunday on Showcase with an ironclad guarantee of 13 episodes and an embedded fan base that will flock to anything with King’s imprint on it. The break came just in time.” Read more.

From Mike Hale of the New York Times:

  • Charming Village, Check; Quirky Residents, You Bet
    “If you think that sounds an awful lot like the premise of Syfy’s existing series Eureka — normal but dogged outsider polices abnormal but well-meaning residents of scenic hamlet — then you probably have what it takes to be a basic-cable programming executive. Bonus points if you note the more distant but still visible similarities to Syfy’s Warehouse 13.” Read more.

From Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Herald:

  • A safe ‘Haven’ for shallow characters
    “Haven is a bad thing, a third-rate summer series that starts happening to TV audiences tonight at 10 after the season premiere of the superior Eureka.’ It’s loosely based on a Stephen King novel called The Colorado Kid,’ but don’t let that mislead you into thinking Carrie or Misery or The Shining. This is the TV equivalent of a $3 Halloween mask.” Read more.

From Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald:

  • ‘Haven’ takes page from ‘X-Files’
    “Imagine an entire town filled with X-Files cases. Agents Mulder and Scully sure would have saved on gas. Welcome to Haven – a town in Maine whose inhabitants seem to possess paranormal abilities and a place that might hold the key to the past for one FBI agent who believes, she truly does.” Read more.

From Brian Ford Sullivan of the Futon Critic:

From Michael Hinman of Rabid Doll:

  • Preview: ‘Haven’ Has Potential, But Flaws Exist
    “Because this is work based on King, the characters are introduced to us almost as if we’ve met them before, which is the beauty of his writing. Wuornos seems to be a detective only because his father is the police chief, and really didn’t take it too seriously until Parker shows up. Crocker is more of a free spirit, who doesn’t seem to care what people think of him, but still has a big heart in getting to do what’s right.” Read more.
  • ‘Haven’ Producers Want Stephen King Cameo
    “We’re hoping for that actually,” Executive Producer Sam Ernst told reporters during a recent press conference that included Rabid Doll. “I know that King has been in, he has seen the pilot, he’s been involved in everything. And believe me, please say we would love to have Steve King come in.” Read more.

From Brian Truitt of USA Weekend:

From IGN:

  • Haven: “Welcome to Haven” Review
    “Syfy is looking to step up its original programming this summer with Haven, an ambitious new supernatural drama that is certainly a worth a look as far as summer series go, but ultimately fails to distinguish itself as an engrossing thriller.” Read more.

From Fanbolt:

  • Interview: Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose of ‘Haven’
    “We had the recent pleasure of speaking to the stars of SyFy’s ‘Haven’, Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose, as well as series creators Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn. The group talked about the challenges of adapting a Stephen King book to the screen, the mystery of the show, and injecting humor into the script.” Read more.
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Overruled wins interactive award

From a media release:

SHAFTESBURY & FAMILY CHANNEL STRIKE GOLD AT THE 2010 PromaxBDA AWARDS WITH INTERACTIVE AWARD WIN FOR OVERRULED!: YOU RULE

Shaftesbury, Canada’s leading creator and producer of original content for television and multiple platforms, today announced that the original interactive kids’ video activity Overruled!: You Rule, available through Family.ca, took home a Gold Award for Best Interactive: DVD, Interactive TV, Mobile, Emerging Platforms at the 2010 PromaxBDA Promotion & Marketing North America awards in Los Angeles last week. The unique activity was conceptualized and produced by Shaftesbury’s digital media division, Smokebomb Entertainment and Family Channel’s interactive team.

Continue reading Overruled wins interactive award

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Savaged with Dave Salmoni premieres on Discovery World HD August 4

From a media release:

All-New Canadian Series Commissioned Exclusively for Discovery World HD, SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI Features Lifesaving Advice From Apex Predator Expert, Aug. 4

  • Canadian Dave Salmoni brings new techniques and technologies to this three-part exploration of wild animal attacks on humans

SavageCharged by a rhino, dragged by a 225kg alligator and bitten by a bull shark. Will these victims find the strength to overcome their fears and face these wild animals again? Few people ever experience anything more physically devastating, blindsiding and bizarre than those who have been attacked by a wild animal. Just two days after the network launch, Discovery World HD takes viewers on an emotional – and harrowing – journey around the world with wild animal attack survivors when SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI premieres Wednesday, August 4 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Join host Dave Salmoni – zoologist, big predator expert and attack survivor – as he uses expertise and forensic investigation to understand why people are attacked, how they can survive and how to avoid a similar fate.

An attack victim himself, Salmoni is uniquely suited to help victims recover from emotional trauma, providing an understanding of how wild animals become provoked and exploring ways to prevent similar attacks from occurring in the future. In each episode Salmoni meets with two attack victims and walks them through their ordeal in an effort to help them learn to appreciate these untamed animals. Returning to the site of the attack, the victims recreate their terrifying experience and Salmoni introduces them to a tame animal of the same species to help them replace negative memories of their attack with positive images of animals in the wild.

Attacks on people by wild animals might be rare but when they happen they’re both physically and emotionally traumatizing. SAVAGED WITH DAVE SALMONI helps viewers understand the animal’s point of view by exploring the world of wild animals, their instincts and behaviour, and the pressures on their species to survive in an ever-shrinking habitat. Salmoni shows the victims – and the viewer – that the animals are likely not stalking humans as prey but rather patrolling their territory, protecting their young or even suffering from starvation. Finally, he looks at how we can share our wild spaces with these animals while preventing similar near-death experiences.

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Wipeout Canada applications closed

From a media release:

WIPEOUT CANADA CONTESTANT APPLICATIONS SURPASS 44,000 IN JUST ONE MONTH

  • 1 in 750 Canadians dare to tackle the world’s largest obstacle course for a chance at $50,000
  • Contestant callbacks begin this month

What do a walrus trainer, a professional bull rider, roller derby girls, beauty pageant participants, CFL/NHL players and Olympic medalists have in common? They are just a few of the astonishing 44,619 Canadians who completed the extensive online application form for the opportunity to appear on TVtropolis’ Wipeout Canada.

Between June 2 and July 1, almost one in every 750 Canadians answered the highly buzzed-about Wipeout Canada questionnaire. With questions ranging from the silly to the serious, applicants submitted their photos and video links, while sharing their stories of adventure and inspiration for an opportunity to win $50,000 and compete on the world’s largest obstacle course.

Continue reading Wipeout Canada applications closed

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