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.
19-2

Link: A Conversation with Reign and 19-2’s Alexandra Ordolis

From Melissa Girimonte of The Televixen:

A Conversation with Reign and 19-2’s Alexandra Ordolis
“I’ve enjoyed writing in the past, mostly when I was in training.  At the National Theatre School, I wrote a women’s show, and at the Canadian Film Centre we produced our own pieces. That was a very exciting process, and something that I would like to try again. That feels more accessible to me at this point than directing does, although, every time I sit down and start writing I hate it. I don’t get very far. I have to keep doing it.” Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Proper Television shifts into Season 3 of Vegas Rat Rods on Discovery

From a media release:

Proper Television announced today that Vegas Rat Rods Season 3 is in production with ten new, one-hour episodes for Discovery Canada and Discovery US. The third season of the internationally acclaimed series continues to follow Steve Darnell and his merry band of misfits as the Welderup gang creates 10 more killer vehicles that are bold, bitchin’ and badass. Production of Season 3 begins after a successful year of international sales with Seasons 1 and 2, now airing in over 180 territories across the globe.

Having spent the past two decades scouring the desert around Vegas for cars, parts and rusty inspiration, Steve is starting to realize many of his reliable stomping grounds have been picked dry. With more clients seeking out Steve’s expertise, Season 3 finds him venturing further and further afield to find his rusty relics, which means he needs to trust the rest of the Welderup crew to look after the shop. The crew must adapt to a new way of doing business in order to stay on schedule and on budget while taking the creativity of the builds to the next level.

Produced by Proper Television, Guy O’Sullivan (Canada’s Worst Driver) serves as Executive Producer and Barry Davis (Canada’s Smartest Person) as Series Producer. Vegas Rat Rods is an original production produced for Discovery Canada and Discovery US. For Discovery Canada, Bruce Glawson is Executive Producer and Edwina Follows is Director of Production. For Discovery US, Mitchell Rosenbaum and John Slaughter serve as Executive Producers. Proper Rights oversees international distribution on Vegas Rat Rods.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Saving Hope

Link: Saving Hope writers sign LGBTQ fan pledge

2 Comments

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Saving Hope writers sign LGBTQ fan pledge
“Some friends and I got together to discuss the controversy surrounding Lexa’s death on The 100, and the pile up of queer female TV character deaths that followed close after. Michelle Mama who’s a writer, producer, director, as well as a queer activist, introduced me and Sonia Hosko (Saving Hope producer) to Gina Tass who’s a behavioural therapist who works a lot with youth. Gina was paying very close attention to what young fans were saying online, and was aware that some of them were upset and self-harming.” Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Hell Below portrays perilous life aboard wartime submarines

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of military programming, and Hell Below is a fantastic one. Produced by Parallax Film Productions out of Vancouver, the documentary series delves into life aboard submarines during the Second World War, and Tuesday’s newest is a humdinger.

“The Wolfpack”—broadcast on Smithsonian Channel Canada at 8 p.m. ET—explores the elite submariners that hunted Allied convoys bringing much-needed supplies from the East Coast of North America to Britain. At the centre of the episode is Otto Kretschmer, one of Hitler’s U-boat aces whose guts and gambles made him a successful and valued member of the German side. Kretschmer inflicted incredible damage by manoeuvring his submersible into the middle of convoys and then picking off ships one by one, leading to cataclysmic losses.

Filmed aboard era ships and subs, Hell Below successfully portrays not only the successes and failures of Kretschmer and his crew, but the claustrophobic conditions they operated in. With hundreds of feet between them and the surface—and with Allied boats dropping depth charges—being on a U-boat crew was not for the faint of heart. You can’t help but feel sympathy as depth charges shudder through the sub’s structure, springing bolts and letting in freshets of water. Expert analysis, re-enactments, stock footage and impressive CGI help tell the tale of Kretschmer’s career and what happened when the Allies finally put radar on their ships.

Hell Below airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel Canada. You can watch past episodes via Smithsonian Channel Canada’s website.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada home cook struggles with sickness

2 Comments

“Heads and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” was the theme of Sunday’s new episode, but it was April Lee’s tummy that became a part of the storyline. Not that her sickness—sweats and stomach issues—were a major tale; it was only during the Pressure Test that it was mentioned at all. Maybe the challenges are done on different days, but it was jarring nonetheless to have no discussion of her health until the latter half of the episode. And in the end it didn’t matter anyway, as the eclairs April Lee concocted during the Pressure Test were good enough to land her in the Top 7.

Not so for Mary and Jennifer, who were in the bottom. It was distressing to see Mary on the brink of elimination over the last few weeks. She’s a truly gifted home cook, and I think that knowledge is causing her to overthink challenges and aim higher than her competition. She shouldn’t be worrying about anyone else but herself … says the guy judging from the safety of his own couch.

Meanwhile, Jennifer’s culinary journey came to an end. After a weak, but inspired, performance preparing chicken feet off the top of the episode, her eclairs were overly small and lacking the taste Michael, Alvin and Claudio were hoping for.

I was really impressed with the plates the home cooks came up with during the team challenge. Despite the main ingredients being less than pretty to look at—grouper and pig heads, pig and chicken feet and frog legs—they put together beautiful plates worthy of pictures in a high-end cookbook. The Red Team of Shawn, Terry, Matthew and Veronica were steps ahead of Blue with regard to flavour and plating, but Veronica’s truly impressive and intricate Chinese soup dumplings with black vinegar caviar carried the win.

Next week, former astronaut Chris Hadfield appears for an out-of-this-world test.

MasterChef Canada airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail