From The Canadian Press:
Link: Canadian born game show host Monty Hall dies at 96
If not for the prejudice of the times, Monte Halperin, the Jewish butcher’s kid from Winnipeg’s north end, might have entered medical school and Monty Hall would never have been born.
Hall, the engaging, smooth-talking host of “Let’s Make Deal†for 23 years on all three U.S. broadcast TV networks was 96. Continue reading.Â
As you may remember, last year Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly conducted a broad public consultation toward developing a strategy for Canadian content in the digital world. “Everything†was on the table. At long last, on September 28, 2017, Minister Joly announced the government’s strategy for Canadian content in the digital world. This strategy, as contained in her speech and a ‘framework’ document is called “Creative Canadaâ€. Catchy.
There are a lot of great messages in Creative Canada. It talks about growing the creative economy, which reflects this government’s understanding that culture is not a frill but an economic driver. It talks about investing in our talent so that they can flourish at home while being financially successful around the world. It cites three pillars for the strategy:
This is a terrific preamble, but what makes up this strategy? We were presented with a number of initiatives, including several already in place, which on their face all sound good. The big problem is that there is not a lot of detail on these programs and policies so it is difficult to assess their impact. Here are a few highlights:
The government deal to get Netflix to agree to set up shop in Canada and spend $500 million on production here has made headlines. However, it raises many questions. Will these be Canadian certified productions (i.e. they invest in Canadian producers’ productions) or service work produced by a non-Canadian controlled Netflix Canada? Will it be incremental money to what they already spend on production in Canada?  What happens if they don’t spend what they promise?  What we do know for sure is that it is not regulation and it does not apply to any other streaming services operating in Canada. The government did not choose to level the playing field between Netflix and the regulated broadcasters through any kind of regulated contribution or quota system. It also did not choose to impose a sales tax on streaming services, which would have generated significant revenue.  It did however commit to seeking more commitments and agreements with new digital platforms (i.e. Amazon Prime, Hulu, maybe Google).
UPDATE:  As soon as I hit Publish on this post I saw a tweet from the Minister with a press release providing more info on the Netflix deal.   The most important clarification is that the deal includes:  “Investing at least CAD $500 million over the next five years in original productions in Canada that will be distributed across Netflix’s global platform. As part of this investment, Netflix will continue to work with Canadian producers, production houses, broadcasters, creators and other partners to produce original Canadian content in both English and French.” [emphasis mine]
The Canada Media Fund, which funds Canadian television and digital media, has been slowly losing some of its revenue generated by mandated contributions from cable and satellite companies as Canadians cut or reduce their subscriptions. Canadian Heritage announced that it will provide additional funding to allow the CMF to maintain the level of funding that it has. The exact amount to be provided is not set out but the concept is a great one. In fact, as Canadian Heritage has not increased its level of funding to the CMF since it was created as the CTF in 1998 (it re-allocated money from other funds but no new money), even a small increase is something to celebrate.
In Budget 2017 the government had previously promised that the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act would be reviewed. Creative Canada confirms this and provides a bit more info on timing. Last Friday Cabinet quietly instructed the CRTC to issue what is called a s. 15 report on well, a lot of the things that were part of the DigiCanCon consultation:
The CRTC is to provide this report to the government by June 1, 2018 and this report will inform the government’s review of the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act. So we won’t see a new act until some time late 2018 or 2019. We wait to hear from the CRTC on whether the s. 15 report will trigger a public consultation and whether the report will even be public.
Creative Canada announced a Creative Export Strategy Fund of $125 million to be spent over 5 years starting some time in 2018. Details on this fund will be released in 2018. I expect that this fulfills the Liberal campaign promise to reinstate the PromArts and Trade Routes programs cut by the Conservatives and the Liberal government’s promise to modernize them and not just reinstate them.  There is a lot of potential for this fund to help producers export their Canadian Content but we will have to wait and see.
The commitment to modernize and streamline the administration of the federal Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit will be welcome to many producers. The tax credit is an essential part of any television financing but it takes up a great deal of time and money to apply for it and interim finance it for production. An easier and faster tax credit frees up resources to go into content production.
Previous announcements which are now incorporated in Creative Canada include: review of the Copyright Act, new appointment process for CBC board and CBC President, review of the CBC’s mandate, new audio-visual co-production treaties, Indigenous Screen Office, programs to improve gender parity (the priority in improving diversity and inclusion) and recommitment to cultural diversity under the UNESCO convention and to the cultural exemptions under NAFTA.
The bottom line is that Creative Canada sounds good but we will have to wait and see if these bundles of policies, strategies and programs will actually help support Canadian programming in this changing media landscape.
Or as I said on Twitter:
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Strong characters draws viewers into The Disappearance’s mystery
“We have a family drama here and what makes the show so good, in my opinion, is the interpersonal dynamics between these people. Regardless of subject matter, what I love is the relationships. For instance, the relationship between Helen and Luke is a relationship that’s not often depicted, one of divorced parents trying to make it work for the sake of the kid.” Continue reading.
From Bill Brioux of The Canadian Press:
Link: Peter Coyote on finding ‘the best writers’ have moved to television
There’s something about Peter Coyote’s voice that simply makes you listen.
The U.S. actor, having just narrated “The Vietnam War” for award-winning documentarian and frequent collaborator Ken Burns, sat with four journalists about a year ago on location at a campground outside Montreal to discuss his role in the six-part miniseries “The Disappearance,” a psychological thriller premiering Sunday on CTV. Continue reading.
From John Doyle of The Globe and Mail:
Link: The Disappearance and Ten Days in the Valley give two weirdly gripping takes on the missing-child genre
The six-episode series is certainly recommended but lacks the quiet intensity and precise, unfussy restraint of Cardinal, CTV’s most successful foray into original crime drama. As a twist on the disappeared-child genre template, it isn’t twisted enough. Continue reading.
From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: Director Peter Stebbings Previews CTV’s The Disappearance
“The scripts were sent to me and I devoured them. It took me a while because I kept reading forward and backwards trying to connect all the dots and out guess the story. I was hooked. I was smoking them like crack.†Continue reading.Â
From Brad Oswald of the Winnipeg Free Press:
Link: An uncomfortable story — told well
The Disappearance, which was shot in and around Montreal last year, does a credible job of locking viewers in by offering up a core group of characters whose various strained interactions and individual inner conflicts are allowed to develop at a steady tension-building pace. Continue reading.
From Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail:
Link: Mélanie Joly’s Netflix deal fails to address the real issues for Canadian content creators
Is any of this going to change with the sparkly $500-million five-year Netflix deal that Minister of Canadian Heritage Mélanie Joly announced Thursday as she unveiled her new cultural policy? Not likely. The deal, which coincides with a commitment not to tax online services, is merely political cover for Joly as she fails to resolve the central issue her review was supposed to address: how to update analog-era supports for Canadian creators so that they can thrive in the digital age. Continue reading.
After months away from Heartland, it sure was good to go back there this past Sunday, wasn’t it? Being introduced to little Lyndy was fantastic, Ty going overboard to keep her safe was sweet and Georgie bonding with Flame was endearing.
But what about some of our other favourite characters? Where were Cass and Caleb? What about Lisa and Lou? Would this week’s episode, “Highs and Lows,” sate our thirst for more screen time for those four? As showrunner Heather Conkie told us, a lot would happen this week and she wasn’t fibbing! Here’s what the CBC released as an episode synopsis:
The family bands together to support Georgie (Alisha Newton) as she decides whether to face a ghost from her past or leave it behind. Amy (Amber Marshall) is forced to be a tough coach as she tries to get Georgie to refocus on her training. Meanwhile, Tim (Chris Potter) tries to evict an unwanted guest from the Dude Ranch, and Jack (Shaun Johnston) can’t help but be suspicious when Lisa (Jessica Steen) receives a gift from France.
And here’s what else we can tell you about the episode—written by Mark Haroun and directed by Grant Harvey—after watching a screener.
Back on horseback
Now that Lyndy’s been born, Amy is riding again; this is the second week in a row!
Jack + mystery flowers = fun for Tim
We love it when Tim and Jack go at each other, and the younger man has a little fun at the older gent’s expense thanks to those flowers from France. Who are they from? What does it mean? Mon Dieu! The result is some quality time between Jack and Lisa that fans will love.
Things get serious for Georgie
Forget Val’s expectations when it comes to show jumping … something huge from Georgie’s past comes back and she’s got to face it. Luckily, Amy and the rest of the family—including Peter—come to Georgie’s aid with advice, support and plenty of hugs. Alisha Newton is simply stellar in her performance.
Dylan Taylor guest stars
We’re still smarting over the fact What Would Sal Do? isn’t getting a second season, but it was a bit of balm to see Dylan on Canadian TV playing a central character in Georgie’s storyline.
Ty goes back to work
It was about time, wasn’t it? That means Caleb and Cass find their way into this week’s episode and we get an update on their marriage.
Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of Andrew Bako/CBC.
