From Jim Slotek of QMI Agency:
Gerry Dee wants see ‘Mr. D’ on the big screen
A Mr. D movie? Why not? Canadian theatres have made space for Trailer Park Boys and Corner Gas features.
“Movies are a given,†says comedian Gerry Dee, who parlayed his earlier teaching career into a hit CBC sitcom that has been greenlit for a fifth season. Continue reading.
“Today went badly.” — Bjorn
“Yes, it did.” — Ragnar
That pretty much summed up the sad result of “To the Gates!” Ragnar’s attempt to plunder Paris. I have to say, things started out so well that I honestly thought the Vikings were going to make mincemeat out of Count Odo and his soldiers. But, thanks to history, we know this actually never happened. The Vikings waged three major attacks on Paris in the past and none of them were successful. That isn’t to say show creator Michael Hirst will stick with what happened in history, but he’s been pretty accurate in his dramatic re-telling so far.
For those who are interested, historical documents actually place Rollo at the centre of one siege on Paris and find him marrying a French princess, something that certainly seemed to be in its initial stages when Rollo and Princess Gisla made goo-goo eyes at each other mid-mayhem. And what mayhem it was. I can’t imagine how long it took to choreograph, rehearse and film the multiple angles of the siege, from  the waterline to atop the towers, from outside the bridge to the drawbridge leading into Paris. It was horribly magnificent to behold, that blood-soaked fight for control of the city.
I had assumed Ragnar was setting up Floki for failure, and that was confirmed during his very Shakespearean parley with Athelstan at the end of the episode. He gave Floki the responsibility, knowing the blame would fall on the  mad genius when things went south. Ragnar may be a patient man, but his damaged kidneys and broken ribs could mean his survival past the end of this season may finally be in doubt. Speaking of survival, I did—for a moment—wonder if Bjorn had been killed. Thankfully it will take more than crossbow bolts to put Bjorn Ironside into the ground.
Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.
From a media release:
BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE) today announced that Kevin Crull will depart from the position of President of Bell Media effective today.
“Kevin Crull departs Bell with our thanks for his contributions to our customers and shareholders,” said George Cope, President and CEO of Bell Canada and BCE Inc. “Kevin has been a significant part of Bell’s strategic transformation as he expanded Bell Media’s leadership with major new investments in Canadian content, the successful integration of Astral and competitive innovations like CraveTV.”
“However, the independence of Bell Media’s news operations is of paramount importance to our company and to all Canadians. There can be no doubt that Bell will always uphold the journalistic standards that have made CTV the most trusted brand in Canadian news,” said Mr. Cope.
Kevin Crull joined Bell in 2005 as President of Consumer Solutions and was appointed President of Bell Media following Bell’s acquisition of CTVglobemedia in 2011. He serves as a director of SickKids Foundation and is a leading supporter of the Walk for Kids Help Phone, the national youth counselling service funded by the Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative.
From Canadian Press:
Nova Scotia to overhaul film tax credit as budget forecasts $98-million deficit
The $10-billion budget maintains a $24-million annual film tax credit for this year but restructures it. And next year, the credit will be reduced to $6-million next year, a move the government concedes will make the province less competitive with most other jurisdictions.
“I recognize this change will be deeply felt and many will react negatively,†said Finance Minister Diana Whalen. “We simply cannot afford to maintain the credit in its current form.†Continue reading.
From David Berry of the National Post:
Did X Company honour the Second World War, or bore us with it?
I’m not sure if it says good or bad things about Canadian cultural production that we still have Second World War stories left untapped. Perhaps it’s admirable restraint in the face of what might be the most storied event in even semi-recent history, although given the unrestrained glee with which we chase even tenuous Canadian angles on everything, I could be convinced it’s more likely a matter of limited means.
It’s probably a little of both that left the story of Camp X, the ultimate Second World War-era subterfuge academy, off our screens until now: violent skulduggery doesn’t lend itself to our national ethos or our production budgets. If it’s new territory for us, though, it’s still well worn for fiction, a place of nooks and crannies that demands some careful combing to dig up anything uniquely interesting in the setting. Continue reading.
