In the news: Triple Sensation

Gayle MacDonald of the Globe and Mail talks to Garth Drabinsky about his new reality show:

Garth Drabinsky’s latest really big adventure
“Triple Sensation – aimed at performers aged 16 to 26 – will run on CBC this fall for three nights in the coveted 8-to-10 Sunday-evening time slot. The winner will take home a $150,000 Indigo-Chapters Books-sponsored scholarship that can be used for any theatrical training institution in the world (pending acceptance).”

In the news: CBC’s new direction

Gayle MacDonald of the Globe and Mail covers CBC’s launch of the new season:

CBC’s ‘new direction’: more drama, reality TV: Public broadcaster pokes fun at its 2006 flops and promises new shows will satisfy ‘changed’ viewers
“People like to meet characters. They like to fall in love with them, and stay with them for a while. Our goal is to increase the number of people coming to the CBC,” [executive director of network programming Kirstine] Layfield said, adding that in 2006 the network enjoyed its best prime-time season in five years with shows such as Little Mosque on the Prairie, Dragons’ Den, The Rick Mercer Report and Test the Nation: National IQ Test consistently pulling in one million weekly viewers.

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Lee-Anne Goodman of the Canadian Press talks to Iman, the host of Project Runway Canada:

Onetime supermodel Iman host of ‘Project Runway Canada’
“It’s a really a good opportunity to be on a show that’s in a genre that’s not salacious – I’m not keen on salacious television,” she says. “I really do like the format of ‘Project Runway USA’ because it really is about finding talent and nurturing talent. There’s no meanness. The critiques are constructive and the judges are designers and really know what they’re talking about.”

Bill Harris of Sun Media interviews the new host of Canada’s Next Top Model:

Manuel takes reins of ‘Model’: New host hopes second season will make waves in Canada — and beyond
“Canada in the fashion industry has produced huge talent in the international arena. So why is it that a lot of Canadian shows end up, well, very Canadiana? Why can’t a show be produced in Canada, and be called Canada’s Next Top Model, but it can compete on an international level? And I already can tell you, CBS Paramount, before we even have aired here, already has sold it internationally, officially.”

Brendan Kelly of Variety has a less enthusiastic take on the CBC schedule:

CBC sked neglects local dramas
“The fall schedule for Canuck pubcaster the CBC includes more series than in recent years, but local bizzers are complaining that there aren’t many homegrown dramas. Lineup, announced Tuesday in Toronto, included only one new Canadian drama, “Heartland,” set in Alberta. There is also a returning homegrown drama series, Vancouver-based writer-producer Chris Haddock’s critically acclaimed series “Intelligence.””