Monthly Archives: February 2007

Trailer Park Boys

In the news: Canadian Television Fund, Jane Show, Pretty Dangerous

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?”
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Degrassi

Degrassi: Extra Credit Mangasodes

From CTV:

Degrassi Gets Animated With the World Debut of Degrassi: Extra Credit Mangasodes on The CTV Broadband Network at CTV.ca

The Degrassi brand continues to grow as Degrassi: Extra Credit “mangasodes” make their world debut on The CTV Broadband Network at CTV.ca.

At two-minutes in length, the mangasodes are animated extensions of the Number one Canadian drama series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, and the Degrassi: Extra Credit novel series, providing fans across Canada with bonus plotlines in animated form. The first mangasode, entitled “Confusionville”, will be available on demand on The CTV Broadband Network at CTV.ca beginning Thursday, Feb. 8 at Noon ET. The second, entitled “Punked”, will be available Thursday, Feb. 15 at Noon ET.

“In a world where media are converging in new ways all the time, it seems natural to morph the two-dimensional book world of Degrassi: Extra Credit into animated action shorts for broadband streaming,” said Stephen Stohn, Executive Vice-President: Epitome Pictures Inc.

The Degrassi: Extra Credit novels and mangasodes are a direct complement to Degrassi: The Next Generation. The critically acclaimed series will return to CTV later this year for the second act of its sixth season.

The mangasodes were produced by Toronto-based Yowza! Animation Inc., whose production credits include: Osmosis Jones, Titan AE, Looney Tunes Back in Action and Curious George – to name a few. Aside from the feature films Yowza has also worked on numerous direct-to-video features, title sequences, commercials, television series and pilots. The animation was completed by Toronto native James McCrimmon who graduated from the animation program at Sheridan College in Oakville.

The Degrassi: Extra Credit mangasodes join more than 100 hours of programming already available on demand on The CTV Broadband Network, including exclusive Degrassi webisodes and “On the Set” material from Degrassi: The Next Generation. Also available on demand at CTV.ca are Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The O.C., Corner Gas, eTalk, Instant Star, Whistler, W-Five and The CTV National News.

Launched in June 2006, The CTV Broadband Network is Canada’s first multi-channel, on-demand broadband service featuring four distinct broadband channels. Utilizing an advertiser-supported revenue model, the Network features a free, premium broadband video player that harnesses the latest in technology to deliver full length CTV programming in all forms from all genres at broadband speeds and enhanced resolution.

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Little Mosque on the Prairie

In the news: Little Mosque on the Prairie

3 Comments

From Lyn Cockburn of the Edmonton Sun:

  • I’m so very sorry: I happen to like Little Mosque on the Prairie
    “Why should I apologize for liking this show? Because my betters mostly hate it. With very few exceptions, reviewers, eminent columnists and some religious leaders have stated that it is dreck, an embarrassment to Canada, badly written and hokey. Badly acted, too. Badly directed as well. Moreover, it evidently does not realistically depict Canadian culture, makes fun of Saskatchewan, mocks white people, makes Muslims look good, depicts Islam in a positive light, causes herpes and is a threat to the alcohol industry.”
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