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.

Link: Hockey and ballet team up as Phil Esposito lends his voice to ‘The Curse of Clara’

From Bill Harris of Postmedia Network:

Hockey and ballet team up as Phil Esposito lends his voice to ‘The Curse of Clara’
The cartoon version of Phil Esposito wears his skates all the time. Like, all the time, on or off the ice.

“I don’t think that was safe at all,” the hockey legend said with a chuckle. “But it was fun, I can tell you that.”

Esposito provides the voice for a cartoon version of himself – or, more specifically, the Team Canada ’72 version of himself – in the new animated Christmas special The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale, which debuts Monday, Dec. 14 on CBC. Continue reading.

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Link: A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016

From Cassandra Szklarski of The Canadian Press:

A new era for CBC, hopefully: Things could finally start looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster in 2016
It’s been a heck of a year for the CBC — a scathing report denounced managers for their handling of the Jian Ghomeshi affair while former anchors Amanda Lang and Evan Solomon faced controversies of their own.

All the while, the CBC continued to grapple with steep budget cuts that slashed news broadcasts, gutted sports and documentary divisions and put for sale signs in front of aging facilities.

But with a more CBC-friendly Liberal government now holding the purse strings, could things finally be looking up for the beleaguered public broadcaster?

Many observers seem to think so. Continue reading.

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TV Eh B Cs podcast 38 – Erica Durance & Adam Pettle: The Ghosts of Christmas Hope

Erica_Durance

A workday conversation with Saving Hope lead Erica Durance and showrunner Adam Pettle. Saving Hope is CTV’s enduring supernatural medical drama that centres around the lives of the doctors and nurses of Hope Zion Hospital.

Erica has spent the last decade and a half in film and television, before Saving Hope probably most noted for her work as Lois Lane on the popular CW series Smallville. In addition to being the lead on Saving Hope, she’s also a producer and, as we learn in our discussion, a new director as well.

Adam is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s playwriting program, whose most popular play Zadie’s Shoes has been produced across Canada as well as in the U.S. and the UK. He’s worked on several Canadian and American television series, including Combat Hospital, King, Rookie Blue, X Company, and Saving Hope where he became showrunner this season.

We talk about the upcoming holiday episode, transition through Erica’s getting called back to the set, and learn a whole bunch about the show that fans can’t seem to get enough of.

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

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Blackstone prepares for the end

With just one more episode left—the series finale is set for Dec. 22—Blackstone is hurtling along. The show is dense, with lots of moving parts and some storylines that have been around for several seasons. That’s a lot to try and wrap up with just two hours left, and I’m pretty sure not everything will be nicely wrapped by then either; this is Blackstone after all and nothing seems to conclude happily.

“Retribution” does advance several storylines, however, as a number of characters see light at the end of the tunnel or prepare for the worst. Last week’s instalment, “The River’s Edge,” was a horrifying and realistic peek into sexual assault as Trisha was attacked by a trio of thugs. The tale took an equally awful turn when it was revealed Jack’s nephew was the ringleader, leaving Daryl caught in the middle between family and his business partnership. Daryl decides what side he wants to come down on and the repercussions of his actions will resonate in the finale.

Andy, always quick to make things happen (especially when it’s in his favour) is positively sprinting around Edmonton, threatening Jack and Travis and begging for money to get Blackstone’s girls off the streets and given some support. It’s almost as if he’s trying to get as much done before something bad happens. Andy’s cough is getting worse, and with nothing else to lose, I can’t help but wonder how far he’s willing to go to help Daryl get out of his jam.

Gail continues on her artistic path, growing in confidence so much—was it really just a couple of weeks ago she was hiding her work?—that she’s painting in the middle of the band office. The fact she’s continued to paint is inspiring in itself, but what happens between she and Trisha put a lump in my throat. Gail has grown so much during the past two seasons, it’s inspiring to not only see her take control of her life, but inspire others to do the same.

But with just one week left after tonight, there are still questions that need to be answered.

  • Will the remaining kids stay with Smokey?
  • What’s causing Andy to cough up blood? Will he survive the series finale?
  • Will Daryl lose the club?
  • Will Wilma pass away?

The series finale of Blackstone airs Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Link: Toronto film studio cuts fees in half for women

From Bruce DeMara of the Toronto Star:

Toronto film studio cuts fees in half for women
“The initiative came from years of working with actors and writers and producers, where everyone is sort of trying to get their next shot. We found that the guys were getting ahead of the game so far quicker than the ladies were,” Apostolopoulos said in an interview.

To level the playing field, Apostolopoulos announced in June that any production with a female director or showrunner would get a 50 per cent discount on studio fees at the 70,000-square-foot facility in East York. Continue reading.

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