All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Featured, The Nature of Things

The Nature of Things decodes the fascinating world of body language

I know body language can give you away. The way someone sits, leans, turns their head or fidgets can betray what one really thinks despite what words are said. If a picture can say 1,000 words, what can body language tell you? A heck of a lot more than I first assumed.

That’s what I came away with after watching a screener for “Body Language Decoded.” Broadcast as part of this Thursday’s The Nature of Things, written and directed by Geoff D’Eon and created and produced by Edward Peill, “Body Language Decoded” is a fascinating peek into how our bodies communicate in the most subtle of ways.

The instalment begins with the face and 43 muscles capable of creating thousands of intricate expressions that are hardwired into the brain. Why? Facial expressions were the key component to communication between early humans. Those automatic reactions have served FBI agent Joe Navarro well; he spent 25 years reading body language for the Bureau, earning the nickname “The Spy Catcher.” And while Navarro did read faces in order to gauge what was really going on with someone, he found an unlikely source for reading body language: the feet. Part of the limbic system, our feet and bodies tell the true tale of how we’re reacting to the world and each other.

Knowledge of the limbic system comes into play for Dr. Jillian Glass, who heads to the Santa Monica Pier to do one of my favourite pastimes: people watching. It’s there she can see how a young woman’s body shows her devotion to a man, and how his posture betrays his aloofness. Toes turned towards your mate? There’s a good chance the relationship is solid.

One of the most interesting segments of “Body Language Decoded” spends time covering the art of deception and the physical signs we give off when trying to lie. Footage of former U.S. president Bill Clinton is shown denying relations with Monica Lewinsky, and Nova Scotia mother Penny Boudreau who pleaded for the return of her missing daughter, Karissa. In the former case, lies were effectively told; in the latter, Boudreau was found guilty of murdering Karissa, showcasing how the body can hide or reveal a lie.

The Nature of Things airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of Tell Tale Productions.

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Featured, Workin' Moms

Video: Dan Aykroyd guest stars on Workin’ Moms

Dan Aykroyd is stopping by next week’s episode of Workin’ Moms. CBC made the announcement Wednesday, revealing the veteran actor guest-stars as Kate’s (Catherine Reitman) dad Wayne Hoffman.

Check out a clip from the instalment!

 

Here’s the official logline for “Phoenix Rising”:
In the episode, Phoenix Rising, Kate (Reitman) joins her team at Gaze on a Saturday to work on a pitch, promising Nathan (Philip Sternberg) she’ll be home in time for family dinner with their parents. When the camaraderie and joking get out of hand, it’s up to Kate to rein things in. With her family balance in jeopardy, she rushes to leave the office. On her way out, she learns there’s been a decision on the Montreal job, and can think of no better counsel on the matter than her own dad (Aykroyd). Anne (Dani Kind) struggles to find a point of connection with her daughter, Alice (Sadie Munroe), and Jenny (Jessalyn Wanlim) is faced with disconcerting truths about her life and relationship when Ian (Dennis Andres) asks for her help with his Kickstarter project.

Workin’ Moms airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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Big Brother Canada

Big drama. Bold attitudes. Brand new season. Big Brother Canada returns March 15 on Global

From a media release:

Get ready Canada – Global’s juggernaut reality show Big Brother Canada returns this spring with its highly anticipated fifth season premiering on Wednesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Hosted by Arisa Cox, the new season will air on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and on a new night on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global. This season, the Canadian Screen Award nominated series promises to deliver fans even more of what they’ve come to expect from Big Brother Canada – dizzying drama, electrifying challenges, and shocking surprises.

In true Big Brother fashion, Global is shaking things up with After the Eviction Live, a weekly Facebook Live chat featuring an extended evicted houseguest interview hosted by Arisa Cox and presented by The Brick. Every Thursday night, following the live eviction episode, fans can join the conversation by heading to the Big Brother Canada Facebook page to ask all their burning questions live.

Airing exclusively on Global, Big Brother Canada plucks a group of hand-picked strangers from their homes, sequesters them from the outside world, and places them inside a house outfitted wall-to-wall with cameras and microphones that capture their every move. Competing for a grand cash prize, each week the houseguests battle in a series of challenges that give them power or punishment, voting each other out until the fate of the final two is decided by a jury of fellow houseguests.

Big Brother Canada premieres Wednesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and continues to air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global. Viewers who miss the premiere can catch up on Big Brother Canada following the broadcast the next day on GlobalTV.com andGlobal Go.

Additional details about Big Brother Canada Season 5, including live feeds and this season’s exciting grand prize, will be announced soon. In the meantime, fans can catch up on all the best moments from Season 4 on GlobalTV.com and Global Go. And for everything #BBCAN5, viewers can check out BigBrotherCanada.ca.

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Featured, Podcast

TV Eh B Cs podcast 60 — The Hewlett Dynamic

Kate Hewlett is a Toronto born writer and actor.

In addition to playing lead on The Stanley Dynamic, Kate has played a variety of recurring roles, including Sarah on The Girlfriend Experience, Mrs. Matlin on Degrassi, Paramedic Nicole on Remedy, Jeannie Miller on Stargate: Atlantis and Andrea on The L.A. Complex. Kate also played the title role in the pilot Fancy (nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award).

Kate is the co-executive producer and writer of the hit drama series Backstage.

Kate is an accomplished screenwriter and playwright. Her stage play, The Swearing Jar, was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award, and her film adaptation won first runner up at the Harold Greenberg Screenplay Competition in 2016. Kate wrote and acted in the acclaimed BravoFACT She Said Lenny, which received the Worldwide Short Film Festival’s screenplay award and a spot on Bravo’s Top Ten Short Films. TV writing credits include The L.A. Complex, Seed, InSecurity and Turning Point. As a playwright, Kate’s credits include: The Swearing Jar, Humans Anonymous (Bridge Theatre New York), Malus Domestica (Sound Plays, Soulpepper Theatre), Use My Babies Well and Without (TAC grant). In 2017, she will be adapting the beloved children’s book What Katy Did into a musical for Carousel Players.

She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Queen’s University (BA), the Tarragon Playwrights’ Unit and the Canadian Film Centre’s Prime Time Television Programme. Kate lives in Toronto with a dog, two cats and an American.

The Stanley Dynamic returns Monday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. ET/PT on YTV.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

CBC to launch new docu-series Keeping Canada Safe on March 16

From a media release:

CBC today announced that new 8×30 docu-series KEEPING CANADA SAFE will premiere with back-to-back episodes on Thursday, March 16 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC. Filmed over a single 48-hour period, KEEPING CANADA SAFE provides an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the people and emergency services tasked with protecting Canadians. Produced by Force Four Entertainment in association with CBC, the series lifts the veil and explores what it means to be safe in a rapidly changing world, while showcasing the intimate and dramatic stories of Canada’s everyday heroes who face tremendous challenges and put their lives at risk to keep Canadians safe. Two back-to-back episodes will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC.

In each episode of KEEPING CANADA SAFE, viewers will be privy to a dramatic, day-in-the-life snapshot of emergency services across the country including police, firefighters, airport security, Canadian Forces, CSIS agents, grassroots volunteers and more. Over two days in September 2016, 60 camera crews descended across Canada’s streets, airspace, parks and homes to capture the action-packed and inspiring stories of those working to protect the country, both within and outside its borders. With unparalleled access, more than 47 organizations were filmed at work in 34 different cities across 10 provinces and two territories to create this thorough and immersive program.

Based on the format from ITV, KEEPING CANADA SAFE is a follow up to 2015’s KEEPING CANADA ALIVE.

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