From Christy Spratlin of TV Junkies:
Saving Hope’s Stacey Farber on Sydney’s journey and her relationship with Maggie
A bombing and a common patient has brought Sydney back to Hope Zion and we at The TV Junkies, along with viewers, are eagerly anticipating Farber’s return. We recently had a chance to talk with her about Sydney’s journey last season and about what’s to come on this week’s episode. Continue reading.
From a media release:
A first-of-its-kind independent economic forecast shows regulatory changes espoused by the Harper government and adopted in last year’s CRTC Let’s Talk TV announcements will likely lead to the loss of more than 15,000 Canadian jobs and take $1.4 billion from the Canadian economy annually by 2020.
Co-authored by the economic and media consulting firm Nordicity and Peter H. Miller, the 100-page study – Canadian Television 2020: Technological and Regulatory Impacts – also forecasts the CRTC decisions will likely result in a $400 million annual drop in spending on Canadian programs by 2020 and accelerate the impact of technological change while weakening Canadian broadcasters.
The study’s authors have advanced proposals to reduce the negative economic impact of the CRTC’s decisions by as much as 75%: “This would not, in our view, require ‘turning back the clock’ on all the Let’s Talk TV decisions. It would merely require relatively minor ‘tweaking’ that recognizes Canadians as broadcasting policy has always recognized them – not merely as consumers, but as creators and citizens too.”
The study found the CRTC’s decisions regarding unbundling, over-the-top (OTT) TV and the predominance of Canadian programs are the primary drivers of this erosion. Not yet implemented, these changes are scheduled to take effect starting in March.
Canadian Television 2020: Technological and Regulatory Impacts was commissioned by ACTRA, the Canadian Media Guild, Directors Guild of Canada, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and Unifor.
The full report can be read here.
Our first podcast of 2016 covers the many projects debuting and returning over the next two weeks, including Degrassi: Next Class, Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan, Leave It to Bryan, Say Yes to the Dress Canada, Lost & Found Music Studios, Hello Goodbye, Chopped Canada, Schitt’s Creek, Buying the View and Mayday.
Talk turns to The TV Ehwards as Diane, Anthony and Greg recap the winners in all 10 categories.
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Much of television is the equivalent of comfort food: you sit down, tune in and know what you’re going to get. Such is the case with Say Yes to the Dress Canada, returning for Season 2 on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT with back-to-back episodes on W Network.
The franchise once again spotlights Canadian ladies from different backgrounds and personal stories with the same goal: to find the perfect dress for her wedding day. As it was in the debut season, Rachelle Pollari of Amanda-Lina’s Sposa Boutique in Toronto and her team of experts aid the gals and their families and friends in finding the perfect frock. The only change from Season 1 is that fashion director Joseph Spencer is out in favour of Tyrel, who helps put the finishing touches on each sale.
Say Yes to the Dress Canada has always been a tear-filled affair and Wednesday’s return is no different; the second episode spotlights bride-to-be Heather, who lost her mother at 17; and Ashley, whose mom skipped out when she was young, leaving John a single father. Several misses threaten to throw everything into disarray.
The genius of Say Yes to the Dress Canada continues to be the ability to tell meaningful stories about these brides and their families while seeking out the perfect frock within the constraints of a 22-minute runtime. By the end of each segment you feel like you know these ladies and wish you’d gotten an invite to their big day.
Coming up later this season: the stories surrounding a wedding officiant, a divorce lawyer, athletes and a lesbian couple. And the franchise features one of its own tying the knot, as consultant Dimitra comes in for a fitting and has the wedding of her dreams with her coworkers cheering her on.
Say Yes to the Dress Canada airs Wednesdays at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.
I’ve always enjoyed Dominic Monaghan’s animal hunt-travel show. The aptly named Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan finds the spunky, energetic Lost actor as he hopscotches the planet seeking out dangerous, unique and odd-looking beasties from the animal world. Among the items on his checklist this season are the Indian Cobra, the flying lizard, giant whale sharks and the rare Aye-aye lemur of Madagascar.
Monaghan’s enthusiasm and dry sense of humour is what keeps me coming back to the series and the information he includes in each episode is just as entertaining as the subject matter. In Tuesday’s Season 3 return on OLN, Monaghan and his long-suffering Toronto-based cameraman Frank Vilaca trek to Belize in search of the Fer-de-Lance or Bothrops asper, an aggressive, six foot long reptile capable of leaping a third of its length to deliver a bite on prey.
As with the first two seasons, Monaghan’s enthusiasm is addictive: you really want him to succeed in his hunt for the snake. Padding out each episode is the story of the region, in this case the pair offer a triptych of wildlife and the people who live in Belize, including a stop at a pyramid and some background on the Mayan culture.
While searching for the Fer-de-Lance, Monaghan discovers a “small” tarantula the size of his hand and describes how long the species lives (and how it would bite him if so inclined), shops in a market and instructs Vilaca on successfully injecting anti-venom in case a snake makes its mark on either of them. The duo also discover an inquisitive member of the raccoon family and the strongest animal in the jungle.
As for finding the Fer-de-Lance … well … I’ll let you watch and find out for yourselves, but following Monaghan and Vilaca on their journey is worth tuning to.
Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OLN.
