All posts by Diane Wild

Diane is the founder of TV, eh? She loves books, movies, TV, science, space, traveling, theatre, art, cats, and drinking multiple beverages at the same time.

Upcoming episodes: Canadian Idol, CTV, June 25 and 26

From CTV:

Monday, June 25
8 p.m. – Canadian Idol
Live performance shows begin this evening with the first group of 11 male singers. Viewers vote following the show, and two will be eliminated.

Tuesday, June 26
8 p.m. – Canadian Idol
The first group of female singers hit the stage for live performances in hopes of making it back for the Top 18 next week.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: Jay Manuel of Canada’s Next Top Model

Sarah Hampson of the Globe and Mail paints a slightly ridiculous portrait of the man self-described as the “Director of the Esthetic”:

  • When a man becomes a brand
    “Tyranny of the Esthetic would be a better name for his work. Mr. Manuel is symptomatic of the cultural preoccupation with surface. He is prickly about which physical attributes are real and which are not, perhaps because so much is enhanced or fake.”
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: New Showcase pilots

From Channel Canada (but it’s got to be straight from a media release):

The Foundation is a darkly comedic look at the inner workings of a dysfunctional but well-funded charity and its corrupt “Executive Director for Life” Michael Valmont-Selkirk, played by Mike Wilmot (Corner Gas, It’s All Gone Pete Tong). Produced in Montreal, the pilot – in which Valmont-Selkirk unwisely accepts the “Homeless Challenge” to spend a night on the streets – is created and produced by Jennifer Wilson and Michael Dowse (FUBAR, It’s All Gone Pete Tong). Executive producer is Daniel Iron, Foundry Films (Away From Her, Manufactured Landscapes).

In Pure Evil, a suburban father named Frank Smith (played by Rick Roberts, An American in Canada) would love nothing more than to live a normal, peaceful life – except he happens to be the son of Satan. Frank tries to hide his demonic ancestry from his family, despite his evil father’s constant attempts to lure him back to the dark side and bring about the end of days. Things get complicated when Satan possesses the family’s next-door neighbour. This dark comedy pilot, written, produced and directed by Mark Sawers (Alienated, Kids in the Hall), was filmed in British Columbia. Executive producer is Jayme Pfahl of Crescent Entertainment (Terminal City, Moving Malcolm).

Retail follows the exploits of a group of friends and foes who work in a Winnipeg mall. The lead character and provocateur is Shawn (Alex Woods, Citizen Duane), an aspiring drag queen, who works at the makeup counter with his best friend and roommate Jill (Grace Lynn Kung, Slings & Arrows). When their old friend Miss Bitters – a down-on-her luck tranny – moves back to the ‘Peg from Los Angeles and moves into their apartment, their lives are turned upside down. Created by Noam Gonick (Kink, Hey Happy!), the pilot is directed by Shawn Alex Thompson (Billable Hours, Puppets Who Kill). Executive producer is Jamie Brown of Frantic Films (‘Til Debt Do Us Part, Lucid).

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: Canadian satire

Rebecca Addelman of Walrus Magazine writes about the difference in US and Canadian satire shows, shaped by the difference in libel laws in the two countries (the article is from May but I don’t think it’s been available free online before):

  • The Last Laugh
    “Our law presumes that the defendant’s words are false and that the plaintiff has been damaged by the accusations. Unfortunately, “I was just joking” is not a defence. As a result, the Canadian system leaves joke writers wide open to litigation.”
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail