Rick Mercer Report, CBC
Tonight Rick is at the Toronto Zoo to assist with the feeding and caring of new resident Pandas, Da Mao and Er Shun and then he heads to Halifax to join the Paralympic Sailing Team.
22 Minutes, CBC
This Tuesday on 22 MInutes: The popular song “What Does The Fox Say” gets a Rob Ford-themed parody; a trendier version of the movie “Captain Phillips” is revealed, ejected Senators audition for Amazing Race Canada, and comedian Mark McKinney (Kids In The Hall) guest hosts.
Bitten was the focus of a panel discussion at the 2013 Canadian International Television Festival, at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. I had the opportunity to ask executive producers Daegan Fryklind and J.B. Sugar about the show. The Bitten panel included castmembers Greg Bryk, Joel Keller, Michael Xavier, Paulino Nunes, and Steve Lund, and was hosted by InnerSPACE‘s Ajay Fry and Morgan Hoffman.
Cameron Archer: This one would be for Daegan and J.B. Sugar. How closely did you work with Kelley Armstrong in adapting the [Women of the Otherworld] book series to this show?
J.B. Sugar: Kelley was involved in the early stages a lot more heavily, when Daegan delivered her first couple drafts of the first and second episode scripts, as well as the show bible. I think the best news for us, as creatives adapting her work, was to have her kind of give us her blessing and say “Daegan really got the world, and the voices, and the characters”…I Â think that was an amazing blessing to get, and let us move forward with confidence. (whispers to Daegan Fryklind) Expand.
Daegan Fryklind: And then Kelley did come to set, also, and met the writing team, and took a tour of Stonehaven, and our standing sets, and loved it. As J.B. said, to get her stamp of approval was really an honour. She was extremely busy during our production season with her newest novel, and touring a lot, so…
Steve Lund: (attempts a menacing tone) Omens. Check it out.
Fryklind: …but would throw us a lot of good feedback on Twitter, which was great.
Sugar: Random House Canada’s about to re-release Bitten in a new edition, and there’s a nice little burst on the cover, giving some props out to the show, saying “coming to Space”.
Morgan Hoffman (InnerSPACE): Cool!…[Women of the Otherworld is] such a beloved book series, and there’s numerous books within it. What would you say were the biggest challenges in adapting [the series] to a TV show?
Sugar: I’m sure Daegan has the right answer…Bitten the first season of the show follows closely to the plotline of Bitten the novel. The Otherworld series kind of jumps in time, and goes into backstory. I think the challenge was to take this wealth of mythology, and backstory, and character that needed to be crafted into a narrative that would work for the medium of TV. That’s something that Daegan and our writing team just did so brilliantly, so I’ll let her expand on that.
Fryklind: The novel itself also stays very closely to Elena [Michaels]’ P.O.V. – that’s internal monologue. In adapting the novel to a series, I had to really blow out character arcs for (refers to male cast attending CITF panel) each of these fellows, so that they had their own storylines, and so that when we were coming away from Elena to other storylines, we had B-plots and C-plots. We sorta blow out the world, blow out their valley, and create characters there, and Toronto, and Philip [Madden]’s world, and his family, and just give everyone their own throughline, and their own want and need throughout the first season.
Rick’s Rant for November 19, 2013:
Murdoch Mysteries, CBC – “Loch Ness Murdoch”
A summer heat wave finds much of Toronto taking refuge at the beach, but when a body marked by a large bite washes ashore, rumours of a sea monster quickly spread across the city.
Cracked, CBC – “Hideaway”
The murder of a community health worker takes on a special meaning for Pysch Crimes, as the deceased is someone from Leo’s past, forcing him to confront his deepest regrets. Meanwhile, the investigation leads the team to discover an abused young woman who could be a victim, the perpetrator or both. Guest stars: Rossif Sutherland, Chuck Shamata, Rachel Wilson, Arnold Pinnock.
From a media release:
CANADA’S VOTES WERE COUNTED AND THE BATTLE OF THE BLADES’ SEASON FOUR CHAMPIONS ARE AMANDA EVORA & SCOTT THORNTON
In perhaps the most enthralling season ever for the CBC original BATTLE OF THE BLADES, Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton were crowned Season Four champions in a grand spectacle tonight. Having received the most votes from coast to coast, following an extended voting period ending Friday, the final outcome caps off an exhilarating season. It was seven intense weeks of twists and turns, both dramatically and on the ice, with perhaps the most advanced all around skating ever seen on BATTLE OF THE BLADES.
After two routines last week and stellar praise from Kurt Browning and fellow judges Jamie Salé and P.J. Stock, it was up to Canada’s votes alone to determine the winner as the judges didn’t score the final performances. The numbers were close between the three finalists – Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick, Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault, and Amanda Evora & Scott Thornton – but when the snow fell at the end of it, it was Amanda & Scott who would earn the most votes and be declared champions of Season Four.
Canada’s votes for Amanda & Scott were also a major gift for The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation with a $100,000 donation as result. Second runners up Violetta Afanasieva & Jason Strudwick and third runners up Marie-France Dubreuil & Mathieu Dandenault will receive $35,000 and $30,000 respectively for their charities.
It was a jam-packed finale with all 16 skaters returning for a special group number to start the show. Having hoisted 10 Stanley Cups and brandishing four Olympic medals among them, the highly decorated Season Four skaters looked on as the three final pairs performed a special sextet to celebrate the season. Fans also enjoyed a special performance from Kurt Browning and a guest routine from Mini Blades champions Georgia-Ann Reidl and Austin Martell.
New for Season Four, the Mini Blades competitions were a partnership between CBC and Skate Canada where select clubs were invited to host their own Mini Blades competitions, to serve as a fundraising initiative and to spotlight local skating clubs across Canada. Georgie and Austin hail from the Stayner Skating Club of Stayner, ON.
Fans can also watch the final Season Four winners, judges, choreographers and host Ron MacLean reflect on the past seven weeks in a one hour episode, which will air Dec. 1 at 8 p.m (8:30 NT). Loaded with exclusive footage and behind the scenes revelations, BATTLE OF THE BLADES devotees can celebrate the stories from a riveting season.
Amanda & Scott join an elite group of skaters with Season One champions Jamie Salé & Craig Simpson, Season Two Champions Ekaterina Gordeeva & Valeri Bure, and Season Three Champions David Pelletier & Tessa Bonhomme. As Season Four concludes, BATTLE OF THE BLADES has raised over $1 million for various charities since the first episode aired in 2009.
First time participant Amanda Evora is two-time U.S. Pairs Silver Medallist and the first ever Filipino-American to compete in the Winter Olympics. Her partner Scott Thornton was drafted third overall in 1989 by the Toronto Maple Leafs and in his 18-year NHL career also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
BATTLE OF THE BLADES is the highest-rated original Canadian format of all time. Combining athletes from two of Canada’s favourite sports, figure skating and hockey, eight World and Olympic figure skaters pair up with eight NHL hockey greats in the ultimate skating competition for charity. Anchoring CBC’s 2013 Fall Sunday night schedule, BATTLE OF THE BLADES airs at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC.
