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, Masterchef Canada

MasterChef Canada home cooks prep for competition

OK, I admit it, Mary Berg does have some competition in Season 3 of MasterChef Canada. Though I’d love it if Berg—the competitor I shadowed during the audition process—won the title, there are 39 other home cooks aiming to take her down. Two of them are Woodbridge, Ontario’s Michelle Nault and Vancouver’s Travis Petersen, who sat down with TV, Eh? back in July to chat about the road to MasterChef Canada, their game plan and what they think of the competition.

Judges Michael Bonacini, Claudio Aprile and Alvin Leung return Sunday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV to oversee Season 3.

Here’s what Michelle and Travis had to say:

Michelle Nault, teacher
How did you end up auditioning for MasterChef Canada?
Someone that I work with suggested it to me. I talk about food a lot at work. Food makes me happy and my job makes me happy. The spark was there and my coworker suggested I try out. She watches the show and believed in me and to have someone validate that for me was important. I auditioned online and they contacted me and asked me to come out to the tryout in July.

At least you don’t have to worry about making school lunches.
I don’t but I did make lunches and dinners for my family to have while I’m on the show. It’s all packed up and in the fridge and freezer!

It’s one thing to try out, but it’s another to be on the set. What has the experience been like so far?
I’m impressed with every part of the process. The staff is wonderful and the people who work here are wonderful. The whole experience was a little overwhelming, but it’s exciting. I can’t wait to get going.

Do you view being from the Toronto area as a strength for you in the competition because of the diversity of ingredients that you have access to?
I enjoy all cultures of cooking. I have a good understanding of a number of cultures and basic ingredients from those cultures. I have fun blending them. I like taking an aromatic ingredient from one cuisine and mixing it with another and bringing them all together. I have the confidence to dabble in world cuisine.

What was the inspiration for your audition dish, pork tenderloin with fennel, mushroom and sourdough stuffing?
Home cooking. I am a mom of two and I believe firmly in cooking from scratch and sharing the experience with my kids and getting them involved. It’s a midweek meal that is stick-to-your-ribs and good for the soul.

What’s your cooking style?
I cook from my heart and my knowledge. I’m not so much about going into recipes and taking from other people. I think it’s wonderful and if you’re baking you should do that, but when it comes to my cooking I do it from my own recipes. My research comes from learning where my ingredients come from, the farming practices and things like that.

Is there a weakness you have in the kitchen?
Timing. Depending on the dish, you want to make sure you have enough time to complete all of the steps. In this type of environment, timing is everything.

Travis Petersen, manager in the oil and gas industry
Seeing one of your competitors be eliminated earlier today was tough to watch.
Some people aren’t taking this seriously. This contest is all about the food, but they want people who take it seriously. If they want a cool experience, a getaway and the chance to get on TV … there are 39 other people who want this.

What made you audition?
I’ve watched every season of the American version and the Canadian version. I’ve wanted to do it in the past and it took a friend of mine to tell me that I’m passionate about food and should go for it. Seeing John compete last year convinced me that I could do it. I’m glad I got that little push because I might have stayed content with what I was doing in life.

What’s your strength in the kitchen?
My strength is seafood. I’m in Calgary now, but I’m from Vancouver and have lived abroad twice. When I was 18, I left for Australia and my mom gave me a recipe book that was empty. She said, ‘Instead of writing a journal, why don’t you collect recipes?’ I wasn’t even a foodie yet. I took it, and anyone that I met I took a recipe from. It’s probably one of the most valuable things that I have now after all of the traveling that I’ve done.

What is your audition dish?
Brazilian Moqueca. It’s a white fish and prawn, coconut stew on top of basmati rice. It has beautiful colours and a great taste to it. It’s a good summer dish.

What has the experience been like so far?
We’re all so different but two nights ago a few of us sat together and talking about cooking for an hour and a half. I’ve got friends who are foodies, but I’ve never in my life sat with two guys in a room and talking cooking techniques. I said, ‘This is really cool.’ I’m so excited to see where this journey can go.

MasterChef Canada returns Sunday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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X Company

Link: X Company’s Evelyne Brochu on Aurora’s haunting season

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

 X Company’s Evelyne Brochu on Aurora’s haunting season
“Aurora carries some things, but so does René. What is he going to reveal and how are they going to meet again coming from where they are at? They used to fight alongside each other and now there’s a whole bunch of their past that happened when they were not together. How are they going to be able to find each other again? What have they done and how is that going to affect the relationship? That’s what’s super interesting.” Continue reading.

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Featured, Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries tackles racism in Toronto

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Canada may have been the end of the line for the Underground Railroad and a haven for slaves escaping from the United States, but African Americans suffered from racism here too.

That point was driven home during “Colour Blinded,” which was as much about the struggle of African Americans at the time as it was about murder. Mary Pedersen’s script—directed by one of last week’s guest stars, Leslie Hope—shed light on a not-so-wonderful truth about Toronto the Good through the eyes of Rebecca James. Rebecca is one of the lucky few treated with respect, but she’s certainly not the norm. Most African Americans worked as low-paid drivers, gardeners and labourers, and were viewed with distaste.

Chief Constable Jeffrey Davis was a summation of that, eager to make an arrest in the murder of a white man in an African American church and fingering a parishioner simply because he had a cut on his hand. His directive that every church member have their fingermarks taken because it’ll save time when they commit crimes in the future was awful to hear, but was likely commonplace at the time.

Yes, Crabtree was there to offer some levity regarding raccoons (“I don’t trust anything that has hands for feet!”), but for the most part “Colour Blinded” was an education, including featuring real-life Toronto alderman William Hubbard, who was the city’s first black councillor. Though Hubbard only appeared in a few minutes of Monday’s instalment, he left a large footprint in Toronto’s history. As outlined in Mark Maloney’s 2011 piece in the Toronto Star, Hubbard’s parents escaped to Canada from Virginia. Born in 1842 near Bloor and Bathurst streets, he became a baker, created a commercial oven and was working for his uncle’s livery service when fate stepped in.

Hubbard saved George Brown—newspaper editor and father of Confederation—from drowning in the Don River. Brown hired Hubbard as his driver and the two became friends. Eventually, Hubbard entered politics, eventually winning a council seat in Ward 4. By the time Murdoch Mysteries catches up with Hubbard in 1903, he’s on the verge of becoming Toronto’s first controller, pushing forward plans to improve waterworks, road upgrades and having the authority to enact local improvement bylaws.

Murdoch Mysteries is, at its core, a TV whodunnit. But by addressing actual events—and people—from history, it’s one heck of an entertaining and important lesson about Toronto, this country and the people living in it.

Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.

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19-2

Link: Montreal cop show 19-2 pulls no punches

From Lorraine Carpenter and Alex Rose of Cult Montreal:

Montreal cop show 19-2 pulls no punches
“There was a carjacking and the suspects weren’t cooperating, they weren’t getting out of the vehicle, so they had to release the dogs, and my God. I was like, ‘Note to self: when the cops tell you to do something, just cooperate.’ Keep the peace, even if you think you’re in the right ’cause when they start throwing their authority around… It was pretty hard to watch.” Continue reading.

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Children's Programming

Video: Bruno & Boots: Go Jump in the Pool premieres April 1 on YTV

Determined to prevent his best friend Boots O’Neal from being transferred to a boarding school with better athletic facilities, mischief-maker Bruno Walton rallies the boys of Macdonald Hall and the girls of Scrimmage Academy in an epic quest to raise enough money to build Macdonald Hall its own swimming pool. The original movie based on the much-loved Macdonald Hall book series by best-selling young adult author Gordon Korman. Premiers Friday, April 1 at 7:30p.m. ET/PT on YTV

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