Video: Rick Mercer on The Hour
Everything about Rick Mercer Report, eh?
Rick Mercer throws the first, er, pitch
From Paul Wiecek of the Winnipeg Free Press:
- He can’t pitch, but CBC’s Mercer does a mean jig
“And the boos? Mercer was prepared an hour before he threw out the first pitch. “I’m ready for it. I’ve been booed before,” the host of CBC’s Rick Mercer Report said in an interview. “My baseball experience is basically zero. I played softball as a kid, but I basically spent the whole time in the oufield, picking dandelions and doing cartwheels.” Read more.
Fall premiere dates
Bill Harris of QMI Agency breaks down the fall premiere dates, including Canadian shows:
- Fall TV getting weird
“Our official fall TV preview section will appear in a few weeks, as the majority of shows are set to debut or return toward the end of September. But a significant number of programs will burst out of the gate before that, some even before Labour Day.” Read more.
TV, eh? podcast episode 3: Gordon Pinsent and CBC’s fall schedule
Episode 3: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed
Co-hosts Anthony Marco and Diane Wild discuss the CBC fall schedule, including arguing about the merits of Battle of the Blades, deciding Rick Mercer and the gang at 22 Minutes should never have holidays so we can have a Daily Show/Colbert type show in Canada,cheering Being Erica‘s renewal, and cynically deciding CBC had nothing better in development. In other news, 18 to Life was picked up by The CW, Haven got decent ratings, Degrassi introduced a transgendered character, and The Pillars of the Earth premieres Friday on The Movie Network/Movie Central.
Plus, a 20-minute interview with Gordon Pinsent about his role in The Pillars of the Earth, his 80th birthday celebration at the opening of his new play, Due South, the new series he has in development with son-in-law Peter Keleghan, what progress he’s seen in the Canadian TV industry over the years, his relationship with Sarah Polley, and how he’s been in every Canadian TV show and movie ever made.
Your links
- The CW picks up CBC’s 18 to Life
- Haven hits 300,000 viewers
- Degrassi introduces a transgendered character – controversial or same old, same old?
- The Pillars of the Earth premieres Friday, July 23
- The incredible career of Gordon Pinsent
- The CBC fall schedule
- Is Battle of the Blades a case of Schadenfreude or cheesy fun? You decide. (But it’s totally cheesy fun.)
- The Christina Cox vampire show whose title I couldn’t remember is Blood Ties. Last week, I couldn’t remember the Chris Leavins movie The Hanging Garden. Next week, maybe I’ll forget the name of this podcast!
- For information on specific shows, check out the sidebar of TV, eh? under Categories, or search for the show title in that little search box
Your hosts
- Anthony can be found at Dyscultured and lovehatethings, and on Twitter here and here.
- Diane can be found here at TV, eh? and here, and on Twitter here and here.

In the news: Comedian/writer Irwin Barker dies
Condolences to his family and friends.
From the Montreal Gazette:
- Comedic sharpshooter Irwin Barker dies
“One of the most intelligent, inventive and unique voices in Canadian comedy has been silenced. Comedian/writer Irwin Barker died early Monday in Toronto after a lengthy battle with leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft-tissue cancer.” Read more.