Marketplace, CBC – “Dumb Charge Countdown”
Tired of being nickel-and-dimed by unexpected extra charges on your bills? MARKETPLACE viewers sure are; we hear from lots of Canadians fed up with unfair fees. We took hundreds of your picks for dumb charges, narrowed them down, and let Canada vote. Now, Erica Johnson and Tom Harrington are counting down five frustrating fees and challenging the companies to get rid of them.
From The Writers Guild of Canada:
The next Writers Talking TV event features Sunnyside co-showrunner, Gary Pearson, and head writer, Jan Caruana. Fellow writer Simon Racioppa will host the evening, which includes a screening of an episode of Sunnyside, followed by a Q&A with audience members. You are invited to be one of those audience members! The event is free, and open to the public, but RSVP to Elaine Jacob, e.jacob@wgc.ca to secure a seat.
When:Â March 12, 7 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox, 350 King St. West, Toronto
“Sunnyside is an all-new original sketch-comedy series from award-winning creators Gary Pearson (This Hour Has 22 Minutes, The Ron James Show) and Dan Redican (The Kids in the Hall, The Jenny McCarthy Show). From hipsters and yoga moms to meth addicts and romantic crooks, Sunnyside is a quirky neighbourhood in transition, where residents aren’t always what they seem and surprises lurk around every slightly dingy corner. Book clubs and coffee shops are just steps away from speakeasies and an underground baby-fighting ring.
Plus, this odd little world has just a touch of magic in it, including an occult store that can alter reality, a superhero shopping cart that comes to the rescue, and a mysterious manhole that can answer residents’ burning questions. Life might have a dark side, but we never lose sight of the Sunnyside.” -Description provided by Counterfeit Pictures
Readers headed online to comment about several things this week, including the Canadian Screen Awards and what we can do to fix them, and what Canadian literature should be the next project the CBC adapts for the small screen.
I think the awards should be pushed off a month or two so the actors can show up on the red carpet without winter coats. And is Orphan Black produced by BBC America? If thats true then I don’t feel its truly Canadian.—Tom
I was disappointed two years ago when they amalgamated the two awards. I personally think TV should have their own night as well as film. I do love Canadian Screen Week and the opportunity for fans to meet their favourite stars. I would hate for this industry to become Hollywoodized. We have our own culture but we are still very much in infancy and are still finding our way or “voice.” We do need much more support to get our films “out there and seen.” —Nancy
So many wonderful suggestions have been made already.
My suggestions are:
* Any of Miriam Toews’ novels would make great adaptations – in particular, I would love to see All My Puny Sorrows, A Complicated Kindness, or A Boy of good Breeding.
* Elizabeth Hay’s Late Nights on Air could be wonderful!
* Annabel, by Kathleen Winter – wonderful story, amazing settings.
* Galore, by Michael Crummey. I love this novel so much and it could be a brilliant TV series. —Jennifer
COPPERMINE by Keith Ross Leckie. A must. And a true story. And written by a screenwriter.—SW
I’d love to see The Orenda – history and gripping story.—Steve
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or head to @tv_eh.
Maybe I should quit singing the praises of Vikings characters. It seems like every time I do something bad happens to them. Porunn, who I complimented as being one heck of a kick-ass shield maiden last week, had her head caved in by one of Burgred’s soldiers and is at the gates of Valhalla. And carrying Bjorn’s baby, no less. According to Ragnar, allowing her to fight while pregnant is a crime that no one can come back from.
Alas, “Warrior’s Fate” claimed the life of Torstein. Vikings is a violent show jammed with crunched skulls and lopped-off limbs, but Torstein’s death was awful to watch. Knowing he was a diminished member of the army, he sacrificed himself so that Ragnar would know the position of Burgred’s men. I hope he’s treated well in Valhalla.
When the episode wasn’t caught up in the heat of battle—Burgred’s army was defeated and the Prince saved from death by a plea from Kwenthrith—it was splitting time in Kattegat, the farming fields and Ecbert’s Roman bath. Harbard has made his presence known in a very short amount of time, first by winning over Helga with his tales of adventure and then by stopping Ivar’s crying with a gentle stroke of the infant’s head. Suffice it to say, those two girls are firmly under Harbard’s spell; the only one not convinced is Siggy, and that can be a dangerous spot to be in.
Meanwhile, the romance I’ve been dreading has finally come to full bloom. Ecbert and Lagertha—after making goo-goo eyes at one another—got full-on nekkid in the bath. Clearly Ecbert is thinking big picture—get Lagertha and Ragnar on side with sex and property—and they’ll be his scary little army of heathens to help him take over Mercia. He, of course, forgot one thing: these a violent folks with their own belief system. That was driven home when Ecbert and his nobles looked on in horror as Lagertha was doused in cow blood and then scattered it on their fields in a prayer to Frey for a bountiful harvest.
“I’d like to experiment between our cultures. Plowing, fertilizing and sowing seed are the very basis,” Ecbert said slyly at the beginning of the episode. But by the end of it his face seemed to reflect: “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
Notes and quotes
Vikings airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.
From a media release:
– Hosted by James Duthie, pilot is first project in Bell Media’s content deal with United Artists Media Group and Highway Entertainment –
– New innovative format gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true through the help of the consumer crowd –
– Celebrity entrepreneur experts Amber MacArthur and Ron Tite round out cast –
The customer is always right! CTV announced today from Prime Time in Ottawa the start of production on the new one-hour reality series pilot, DREAM FUNDED: LET THE CROWD DECIDE, produced by CTV in association with Entertainment One (eOne), Highway Entertainment, and United Artists Media Group. The pilot is the first project from Bell Media’s partnership with United Artists Media Group (a newly formed joint venture among MGM, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, and Hearst Entertainment) and Omnicom Media Groups’ Highway Entertainment. Hosted by TSN’s James Duthie, DREAM FUNDED: LET THE CROWD DECIDE offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to earn up to $50,000 by pitching their untested business ideas to a crowd of 100 real consumers. Production begins today in Toronto through March 10.
An original take on crowd-funding, DREAM FUNDED: LET THE CROWD DECIDE, puts all the power in the hands of the crowd, and in the span of one hour, makes dreams come true. In the pilot, seven budding entrepreneurs, known as the “Dreamersâ€, will introduce their original product to a crowd of 100 curious customers, who each have $250 to support the Dreamer and new product they feel has the most potential. Throughout the show, celebrity entrepreneur experts Amber MacArthur and Ron Tite offer advice and feedback to the Dreamers, helping to elevate their pitches to a higher professional level. At the end of the episode, the Dreamers take home all of the money invested by the crowd, up to $25,000. And to raise the stakes even higher, the Dreamer who has earned the most receives an additional $25,000.
