Everything about Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, eh?

Like countless other teens and young adults in North America, I listened to and watched Sunday Night Sex Show. Debuting in 1996, the live TV show Sunday Night Sex Show (predated by a live call-in radio show on Q107 and TV series on Rogers TV) featured the grandmotherly Sue Johanson offering up no-nonsense advice from callers who had questions about everything to do with sex. Wanted to know how to put a condom on the right way? Sue would grab a banana and roll one onto it. Worried that you could get pregnant through your belly button? Well, Sue had an answer for that as well.

Airing Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network, the feature-length documentary Sex with Sue explores the decades-long career of the renowned sex educator. Written and directed by Lisa Rideout and produced by Banger Films (the same folks known for excellent music documentaries), Sex with Sue kicks off with footage of a typical call Johanson received on her program. A young woman is asking about a foot fetish her boyfriend has, and how uncomfortable she feels about a certain request he’s made. Johanson, true to form and with no judgment at all, offers up an interesting solution to the young woman, alleviating her stress. That was Johanson’s MO and why she was beloved by a legion of young adults. Regardless of the question, query or situation, she listened and offered solutions, putting young minds at ease and, often, offering humour along the way.

Johanson graced magazine covers, and appeared on talk shows hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O’Brien and David Letterman; not bad for a woman who got her start in Don Mills, Ontario, in 1970. It was there that Johanson launched a birth control clinic in Don Mills Collegiate Institute, the first of its kind in Canada. From there, she moved to the stage, speaking to kids and young adults about sexuality before transitioning to radio and TV.

That, and more, are discussed through a series of intimate conversations between Johanson and her daughter, Jane.

Featuring interviews with sex educator Shan Boodram, Dan Savage, Nina Hartley, Russell Peters, George Stroumboulopoulos, Delta Work, Bree Mills, Margaret Cho and past Sunday Night Sex Show crew, the excellent documentary reflects on Sue’s influence while looking forward to what’s next in progressive sexual education.

Sex with Sue airs Monday, October 10, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Season 3 of Shawn Leonard’s Spirit Talker returns to APTN on Oct. 26

October 6, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

For two seasons on Spirit Talker, renowned Nova Scotia-based Mi’kmaq medium, Shawn Leonard, has traveled throughout Atlantic Canada, sharing his psychic abilities to help people connect with their deceased loved ones

Shawn is back for Season 3 of Spirit Talker, on Wednesday, October 26 at 8 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. MST on APTN and this season he travels to Ontario and Quebec exploring his Indigenous roots. Leonard visits ten First Nations communities in Ontario including Fort William, Lake Helen, Michipicoten, Batchewana, Sagamok, Atikameksheng, M’Chigeeng, Wiikwemkong, Tyendinaga, and Georgina Island. In Quebec he travels to three first nations including Kanesatake, Kahnawake Mohawk, and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg to connect people with their loved ones in spirit and deliver messages of hope, healing, and closure.

“This season, I have spread my metaphorical wings to reach 13 new Indigenous communities surrounding the Great Lakes of Ontario and Quebec,” says Leonard. “As the Anishinaabe, Anishinabek & Mohawk people share their culture with me, I share my spirit connection with many families and help heal many hearts.”

Spirit Talker is a co-production between Tell Tale Productions Inc. and White Eagle Spirit Talker Inc. The series received financial support from the Canada Media Fund, the Nova Scotia Film & TV Production Incentive, and Federal Tax Credits.

Season 3 of Spirit Talker premieres on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8 p.m. EST / 8 p.m. MST on APTN.

Image courtesy of Chris Reardon.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Big Timber lumbers into Season 3

September 29, 2022 Greg David

Like watching truckers navigate icy road conditions on the West Coast of Canada and Southern Ontario, viewers love to watch people fell trees. From Mud Mountain Haulers to A Cut Above, the genre continues to be popular. Hence Season 3 of Big Timber.

Kicking off on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on History, Big Timber once again tags along behind logger Kevin Wenstob and his team of family and staff as they work deep in the heart of Vancouver Island. As in past seasons, rising costs and debt threaten to derail Kevin and his crew. And, like Season 2, cameras capture Kevin as he takes to the water to collect valuable timber for his mill.

The hook this time? Kevin reacting to the ever-evolving industry by spending $1 million to purchase a huge saw, expand his dock at Hook Bay and experiment with a new way of salvaging logs. And with the price of wood at an all-time high—cedar in particular—you’d think all would be gravy. Not so. Deadlines and weather have a way of ruining Kevin’s day, and there are many moments in Episode 1 where Kevin is unhappy.

As much as I love the time spent at the mill or on the water, my favourite part of Big Timber is up on the claim in the Vancouver Island range, where Coleman, Kevin, Tom (and, in Episode 1, veteran logger Luke) are in their element cutting, sorting and shipping lumber down the hillside. With logs past the point the grappler arm can reach, Coleman and Luke utilize a choker, a thick wire used to haul logs closer to the road. As usual, errant branches, a steep hillside and slippery conditions are a recipe for twisted ankles or broken limbs. It’s dangerous and fun to watch.

Big Timber airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on History.

Image courtesy of Corus.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Top Chef Canada

Chef David Zilber on Top Chef Canada’s landmark Season 10: “It is a litmus test for the state of gastronomy in this country”

September 23, 2022 Greg David

Top Chef Canada is celebrating its landmark 10th season this year, and the homegrown version is celebrating in style.

First, the season is being dubbed Top Chef Canada X, and is rife with newer, bigger challenges, devious twists and a new face on the judging panel in Chef David Zilber. Zilber, originally from Toronto, has worked in some of the top kitchens around the globe, most recently as head of the Fermentation Lab at the revolutionary three-Michelin-star restaurant NOMA in Copenhagen, ranked as the top restaurant in the world.

Returning Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada, the first challenge for the chefs—the traditional showing off of knife skills—has its stress and energy level upped because they’re doing it outside in front of a crowd of people, host Eden Grinshpan and judge Janet Zuccarini. It only gets better from there.

As in past seasons, Top Chef Canada‘s casting team deserves a gold star for landing a diverse crop of chefs from across the country, serving up dishes celebrating their regions and backgrounds.

We spoke to David Zilber—who joins Grinshpan, Zuccarini, Mijune Pak, Mark McEwan and Chris Nuttall-Smith—ahead of Monday’s return.

How did you end up on Top Chef Canada as a judge?
David Zilber: I was a guest judge on Season 8 and I enjoyed it. It was fun and pretty inspiring and I meshed well with all of the other judges—some of them I had known before—and it was an honour to come back.

What are your thoughts on the Top Chef franchise overall?
DZ: It’s become a household name. It has launched whole careers. So many chefs from the U.S., Canada, and overseas, capture the hearts of a nation and become the next generation in food television or opening restaurants. In that regard, it’s a catapult for all of these people. The talent is real. It’s not like a reality TV show where they are getting the craziest personalities; these are the people with the chops to actually cut it. The number of former co-workers who have been on Top Chef Canada that I have worked alongside, I’ve looked up to or have taught me things, is extensive. It becomes a colosseum for culinary talent that champions a worthy contestant in the best sense.

What was the experience like being alongside the Top Chef Canada judges more long-term?
DZ: I’ve known Mijune for years, cooking for her in Vancouver and then at NOMA before I was ever a judge; Chris Nuttall-Smith I’ve known through his food writing and he did a profile on me years ago; I’ve cooked in Mark McEwan’s restaurants and he has cooked at places where I was a sous chef… there is actually a lot of culinary history in Canada. I say big country, small industry. So, I didn’t feel intimated, they knew me. [Laughs.] Sometimes on my good behaviour and sometimes on my not-so-good behaviour. Kitchens are heated places, what can I say?

On the judging panel, there are a lot of voices vying for a position, if you will. There are a lot of opinions. [Laughs.] It’s understanding what angle to take and what one’s specialty is. Mark might be looking more for the classical technique if that’s there. Mijune is super-poetic with her words. Chris is super-witty. That was the learning curve for me. What is my voice and how do I contribute to this in a way that is true to myself and not stepping on anyone else’s toes?

What are your thoughts on the 11 competitors this season?
DZ: I was supremely surprised at how good some of these cooks were. They were putting out two-star Michellin dishes in the time trials. There was a lot of talent. Early on, I could see who wasn’t going to last based on some of the Quickfire’s and lo and behold it turned out to be true. The chaff fell to the wayside quickly and what we were left with was strength on strength. And there were some sleepers; people who I thought wouldn’t last that long who ended up in it for the long haul.

It really is a litmus test for the state of gastronomy in this country and it’s a positive test at that because the contestants really show Canada’s mettle.

Top Chef Canada airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network Canada.

Image courtesy of Food Network Canada.

Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Pamela Anderson returns to her roots in Corus Studios’ Pamela’s Garden of Eden

September 22, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

HGTV Canada welcomes global icon Pamela Anderson to the network with the highly anticipated debut of Pamela’s Garden of Eden (8×60), premiering on Thursday, November 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Corus Studios Original series follows Pamela as she takes a break from her Hollywood life and embarks on a massive restoration of her grandmother’s legacy property on Vancouver Island. A project this scale tests Pamela’s patience and her personal life as she tries to remain focused on her dream for the property: to embrace her family’s past and fulfill her vision for the future.

Pamela’s passion for design and gift for renovating spaces has inspired her to redevelop the expansive six-acre waterfront property she purchased from her grandmother 25 years ago. The property encompasses three main areas: The Roadhouse, The Boathouse and The Cabin; and Pamela has major plans for each. Pamela has an ambitious timeline and hopes to finish the “crown jewel” of the property, The Boathouse on the shoreline, before the Christmas holidays and make it into an architectural masterpiece. Pamela enlists a team of contractors, an architect, a designer, and input from her parents and son to execute her romantic and glamorous vision. Over the course of the season, they work alongside Pamela through the stresses, struggles, budget and time constraints of this extraordinary renovation.

In the premiere episode, “I Love Laundry!”, Pamela and her dream team start with a small but essential project, transforming the unfinished Roadhouse basement into a charming laundry area, pantry and mudroom. As they prepare for demolition, Pamela takes a trip down memory lane, going through archival designer clothes and shoes from her Hollywood life that have been stored in her basement for years.

Pamela’s Garden of Eden is produced by Fireworks Media Group with Marni Goldman as Executive in Charge of Production for HGTV Canada.