TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 1393
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Strange Empire

Tonight: Strange Empire, Canada’s Worst Driver

Strange Empire, CBC – “The Whiskey Trader”
Slotter attempts to hang two Blackfoot as scapegoats for the massacre. But Kat’s neck ends up in the noose as the camp turns against her.

Canada’s Worst Driver, Discovery – season premiere
With aluminum and tin as the traditional 10th Anniversary gifts, heaps of twisted automotive metal isn’t far off the mark. Celebrating a decade, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER returns to Discovery for Season 10. With more than 7,000 worst driver nominations, 64 horrific drivers, 198 challenges, 50 seriously wrecked cars — and just one really brave host, Andrew Younghusband – the past nine seasons have tackled the hazards of winter driving, adapted high-performance tips from the racetrack, and manouvered through big city gridlock. And now, for Season 10, CANADA’S WORST DRIVER contends with the most rampant challenge on the roads today: Distracted driving.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured

Canada’s Worst Driver celebrates 10 years behind the wheel

One can’t help but be a little ashamed of the fact Canada’s Worst Driver is celebrating 10 seasons on the air. As much as I hate it when shows get cancelled, it would have been nice if Discovery had announced–after a couple of instalments–that no bad drivers could be found for Season 3 or beyond.

Alas, that isn’t the case. Andrew Younghusband, the overseer of the asphalt atrocities, returns to host the Monday night spectacle that once again welcomes eight new participants to the show’s top-secret driving academy where they are put through various challenges in an effort to not only entertain but educate bad drivers about how they can be more safe when behind the wheel. Along for the ride are Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and therapist Shyamala Kiru.

We asked Younghusband to give us his Top 10 tips–one for each season of the show–for being a safe driver.

10. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever drive with a cell phone!

9. If you need to swerve in a car that doesn’t have ABS (anti-lock braking system), don’t hit the brake until after the swerve is done.

8. Get a car with ABS.

7. Get winter tires installed before the first freeze happens every year.

6. Learning to do donuts in a safe, private area will make you a better driver.

5. To reposition a car laterally, drive forward in an “S”, then reverse straight back.

4. Cam Wooley is damn cute.

3. Every Canadian province needs stricter testing with regards to how drivers get their licence.

2. Don’t look at an object you’re trying to avoid.

1. Look where you want to go.

Canada’s Worst Driver airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Heartland

Review: Wolf pups and soul searching on Heartland

3 Comments

I understand those Heartland fans who are upset that Ty and Amy have broken up yet again. I’ve gotten your emails, and I admit I’m kind of in the same boat. But as actress Amber Marshall explained a couple of weeks ago, Amy is basically starting all over again from the bottom and working herself back up again this season.

That means she and Ty are, yes, taking a break, which led to lots of awkward moments during Sunday’s episode, “Endings and Beginnings.” Those moments came courtesy of Georgie, who kept calling Ty with fake concerns over the orphaned wolf pup in hopes that once he arrived at Heartland the sparks would fly and the lovebirds would get back together again. Instead we were treated to awkwardness.

The most interesting of the characters to me in Sunday’s episode (and the season so far) was Ty. As a relative newbie to the show, I’m fascinated not only by Graham Wardle’s portrayal of him, but the direction the character is going. His business pairing with Caleb and job at the wildlife sanctuary is the mark of a young man trying to figure out his place in the world and what his passions are. Rather than just take the easy road by working for Tim, he has partnered with Caleb on what may be a dubious business venture. But if it does fail, he’ll at least have gained some valuable knowledge into the way the business world works. Or sometimes doesn’t.

Meanwhile, his discovery of the dead black bear mother devoid of her gall bladder unleashed an angry, environmental side of Ty. Enraged at learning the bladders are a hot commodity on the black market, he cut down the poacher’s camera. The hunters, of course, came looking for Ty and beat him up, but I have a feeling that won’t stop Ty from doing what he believes in. Sadly, he also believes that time away from Amy is what he needs to. As he told Jack, he doesn’t want to hold Amy back from the incredible opportunities her gift as a horse trainer (how great was she with Hustle and Flirty?) has afforded her.

But I think Ty wonders if Amy might be holding him back as well.

Other notes

  • I want a wolf pup.
  • What is it with Jade, Heartland fans? Has she been around for a few seasons? Is she a former friend of Amy’s?
  • Jesse Stanton is supposed to get on my nerves, right?

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Degrassi

Link: The Degrassi success story

1 Comment

From James Bawden:

Degrassi: A Canadian TV Success Story
Linda Schuyer and I, we go way, way back. I first met her when she was producing her first series The Kids Of Degrassi Street in 1979. I was still with The Hamilton Spectator in those days and Linda had until recently been a senior public school teacher at Earl Grey school in Riverdale. The Kids Of Degrassi ran over five seasons (until 1984) for a grand total of only 24 episodes. It was a different series for kids, filmed on the menacing streets of south Riverdale and starring a gaggle of young amateurs who were well nigh irresistible. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Haven

Link: Emily Rose on Mara/Audrey

From Linda Ge of The Wrap:

‘Haven’ Star Emily Rose Talks Mara-Audrey Aftermath and ‘Orphan Black’ Comparisons
“I feel like we need a support group to talk about all our multiple personalities,” the actress jokes to The Wrap about “Orphan Black’s” Tatiana Maslany. Syfy’s “Haven” pulled off a twist no one saw coming when it separated its leading lady into two distinct — but identical — characters. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail