Over The Rainbow, CBC – “Performance #6”
The remaining Dorothys compete, singing a mixture of Broadway and pop songs for a chance to star as Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz, to be staged at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto.
Call Me Fitz, HBO Canada – “Semen-Gate”
No episode description available.
From a media release:
Directors Guild of Canada celebrated the 50th anniversary of the DGC in Toronto this evening. Three special career acknowledgments were handed out along with 19 awards honouring the best work created by Members this past year.
Comedian Seán Cullen hosted the Gala which was held at the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel. For the first time ever, the DGC Awards were streamed live online. Below is a full list of the awards presented at the 2012 DGC Awards Gala:
Continue reading Directors Guild award winners announced
By Dexter Brown
This week Rewind revisits the golden age of the variety show and looks back at The David Steinberg Show.
The David Steinberg Show (CTV, 1976-1977) was Canada’s stab at a variety show but this one had a quirk — it was a show within a show. It is often compared to The Larry Sanders Show and It’s Gary Shandling’s Show — and even The Muppet Show. While technically a sitcom, The David Steinberg Show consisted of large segments of a fictional variety/sketch show which would often be watched by those in a nearby diner. As this particular diner also happened to be across the street from where the variety show took place, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to see celebrity guests from the show pop in to talk about whatever it is that’s on their mind. This could range from the variety show, its sketches and even Steinberg himself. It was a unique concept and one that was integrated quite well.
David Steinberg hasn’t been a stranger to TV. He was a frequent guest on the Carson-era Tonight Show and occasionally hosted the short-lived The Music Scene. Since his stint on CTV and the American incarnation of The David Steinberg Show, he has guest hosted Saturday Night Live knockoff Fridays and has directed sitcoms ranging from Designing Women to Living in Your Car. Some may also remember him from his TV Land interview series Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg which aired from 2005-2007.
Looking back at the show, you could spot a few actors who would later make up the cast of SCTV. Martin Short, Joe Flaherty and John Candy of SCTV fame all made appearances during the show’s run.
Visually, the show wasn’t anything particularly special. The sets and animated intro felt very 70s and aside from the mildly convincing diner, the sets for the most part seemed nonexistent and uninspired.
Considering that variety shows are rare finds on television today, CBC’s The Ron James Show is probably one of the closest things to The David Steinberg Show today. While The Ron James Show doesn’t feel quite as much of a show within a show as The David Steinberg Show did, it does feel like a hybrid of two distinct TV genres. The Ron James Show is a mix of Ron James’ famous stand up and a sketch comedy show, somewhat like a less politically focused Air Farce. The Ron James Show is often tied together with a cohesive theme which is introduced in his stand-up monologue and continued into the assorted sketches that take place during the show. It’s a bit reminiscent of how the early episodes of Seinfeld used Jerry Seinfeld’s stand up to set up the theme for the sitcom to come ahead.
While I couldn’t argue that either The David Steinberg Show or The Ron James Show is particularly good, they both represent examples how Canadian television could twist tried and true television formats and bring something new to them. Unfortunately both stumble out of the gate and provide a fairly underwhelming television experience overall. The half an hour run time seemed a bit too short for The David Steinberg Show‘s ambitious concept. You might get lucky in the time allotted and get one sketch with a monologue and spend a bit of time in the diner. An hour might’ve given us sometime to see some great sketches within the fictional show and get ample time in the diner to see the characters do their stuff. The Ron James Show, I felt, suffered from long and tedious stand-up bits when I wanted to see some sketches, but when the sketches arrived, most of them were underwhelming.
Relive The David Steinberg Show or try it out for the first time yourself by picking up The Best of The David Steinberg DVD on Amazon.
From a media release:
COPPER GREENLIT FOR SEASON TWO
Ahead of the much-anticipated season one finale, Shaw Media, BBC AMERICA and Cineflix Studios have renewed the breakout hit series Copper, for a second season with an increased order of 13 episodes. Canadians can watch the season one finale on November 4 on Showcase.
“Copper clearly resonates with Canadians and is a welcomed addition to Showcase’s roster of outstanding dramatic series. It’s a thrill to be part of season two and we can’t wait to see how this exceptional creative team continues to tackle conflict, corruption and class like only they could,†said Barbara Williams, Senior Vice President, Content, Shaw Media.
“We are excited to renew our partnership with Shaw Media and work with the very talented creative community in Canada on a second season of Copper,” said Glen Salzman, Co-CEO of Cineflix Media.
From executive producers Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson, Emmy®-winner Tom Fontana, Academy Award®-nominee Will Rokos and Cineflix Studios President, Christina Wayne, Copper follows Detective Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), a rugged Irish immigrant cop, as he seeks justice for the powerless in 1864 New York City. The series has been building to this Sunday’s explosive finale that will change lives and the city forever. With Confederate terrorists threatening to destroy the city as they know it, unexpected traitors will be revealed and once air-tight bonds will be broken beyond repair.
Since its premiere, Copper has been a strong performer for Showcase, averaging nearly 300,000 viewers each week (2+). The series premiere was the #1 specialty program of the night across numerous demos, with nearly half a million viewers tuning in (2+).*
The first season of Copper is a Cineflix (Copper) Inc. production in association with BBC AMERICA, Shaw Media, and TVA. Copper is created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos. Season one executive producers include Levinson, Fontana, Rokos, Wayne, Jim Finnerty, Sherri Rufh, Sam Berliner, Sally Catto and Katherine Buck. The production was shot in-studio and on location in Toronto, Canada.
From a media release:
Splatalot Catapults into Season 2 with YTV’s Celebrity Splatdown Special
YTV’s popular physical game show Splatalot is kicking off its second season (26 x 30′) on Saturday, November 3 at 6 p.m. ET/PT with YTV’s Celebrity Splatdown, a one-hour special featuring an epic battle between the casts of Life with Boys and Mr. Young. YTV on-air personality Andy (Crunch) provides colour commentary as the roaming reporter, a.ka. “Man on the Moat” interviewing celebrity contestants during this hilarious, high adrenaline premiere. Fans can follow and live tweet with cast members using the #splatdown hashtag leading up to and during the 6 p.m. East Coast and West Coast telecasts. Click here for a sneak peek.
Filmed for the first time in front of a live audience, each team will be competing and providing support on behalf of a charity. The Life with Boys team comprised of Torri Webster, Madison Pettis, Nathan McLeod, Michael Murphy and Jake Goodman will be competing on behalf of ONEXONE’s First Nations School Breakfast Programs and the Mr. Young team, including Brendan Meyer, Matreya Fedor, Gig Morton, Kurt Ostlund and Emily Tennant, will be competing on behalf of YMCA of Canada’s food programs.
Season 2 promises more spills and laughs than ever, with an expanded set, new splat-inducing obstacles and new Defenders. Each episode features a different group of thrill-seeking teen contestants, dubbed Attackers, competing in three hilarious rounds: Cross the Moat, Ditch the Dungeon and Capture the Crown. All six of the Defenders of Splatalot do their best to protect the castle from the Attackers – leaving only one in each episode to be crowned King or Queen of the kingdom.
Viewers can also look forward to more themed episodes this season including Teachers vs. Students, Parents vs. Kids and Night Assault. Matt Chin and Jason Agnew, return as co-hosts of the series.
Splatalot returns to its regular time slot at 6:30 p.m. ET/PT beginning Saturday, November 10.
