Tag Archives: Durham County

In the news: Canadian indie award nominees

From a media release (so please don’t ask me what makes these Canadian TV shows independent):

Association announces CFTPA Indie Awards nominees

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) is extremely pleased to announce the nominees of the CFTPA Indie Awards.

The awards were created by the CFTPA in order to recognize and honour the outstanding achievements of Canadian independent producers. The Awards will be presented at a special reception and ceremony in Ottawa on February 20th, 2008.

“There is an incredible number of talented independent producers across Canada, and this is a reality that is not celebrated nearly as often as it ought to be,” said Guy Mayson, President and CEO, CFTPA “On behalf of the members of the CFTPA and the Board of Directors, we are proud to showcase such excellence and we congratulate all the nominees.”

Continue reading In the news: Canadian indie award nominees

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

The year in TV

Alex Strachan of CanWest News Service lists the best of TV, including Intelligence, Corner Gas, and Robson Arms:

  • Cheer up, television has never been better
    “Good grief. So that was the TV year that was. A writers strike. Catfights, celebrity spats and family feuds — and that was just The View. Here’s a look back, through the prism of the stages of grief, as defined by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of On Death and Dying.” Read more.

Joel Rubinoff of the Waterloo Record isn’t as optimistic about the state of TV, and gives Falcon Beach and Whistler the dubious distinction of being among the worst of 2007, while Degrassi is one of his best:

  • TV’s Year of Living Dangerously
    “Degrassi: The Next Generation (CTV): The greatest teen show on the planet rediscovers its mojo with a same sex romance between control freak Paige and teen rebel Alexa. The year’s most compelling — and bittersweet — love story.” Read more.

Rob Salem of the Toronto Star includes Little Mosque on the Prairie in his best of 2007:

  • We’re crazy about TV’s Mad Men
    “A provocative premise, a terrific cast … and, however unlikely and unprecedented, a large and loyal Canadian audience. (Runners-up: Durham County, Across the River to Motor City.)” Read more.

The Globe and Mail names Zarqa Nawaz of Little Mosque on the Prairie one of their people of the year:

  • Arts Person of the year runners-up
    “The public broadcaster gambled that Little Mosque would be the breakout hit it so desperately needed. Turns out, it placed the right bet. In its first season, roughly 1 million viewers tuned in weekly. This season, the average was 785,000 — a respectable turnout for a show that managed to lure away two top writing guns from its comedic rival, CTV’s Corner Gas, the most-watched Canadian comedy on TV.” Read more.
Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: The year in television

John Doyle of the Globe and Mail looks back at the year in television, who mentions Little Mosque on the Prairie, Corner Gas, Intelligence, and Durham County:

  • MosqueHoliday3Strikes, flops, angst, egos – and some great TV
    “The attention given to Little Mosque caused Canadian-made TV to be newsworthy; the CBC show even poached several writers from CTV’s Corner Gas to help with its second season. Regrettably, Little Mosque has largely failed to find the right degree of memorable comedy in its second season. But Corner Gas has managed to be vastly entertaining, week after week.” Read more.

Photo: Rayaan (Sitara Hewitt, right) and Sarah (Sheila McCarthy) of Little Mosque on the Prairie

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: Best and worst of 2007

From John Doyle of the Globe and Mail, whose list of shows that mattered includes Intelligence, Rick Mercer Report, Little Mosque on the Prairie, and Durham County:

  • Intelligence9The best and worst shows of 2007
    “Back for a second season, Chris Haddock’s series stayed outstandingly smart, layered and entertaining. Haddock, with a superb cast and group of directors, managed to turn the drama of a dope baron’s life into an epic, gripping story of cops, criminals and Canada. It had many small, brilliant moments of subtlety and wit, and if its appeal passed some people by, so be it. Most great TV is not mass-appeal entertainment.” Read more.

Photo: Ian Tracey as Jimmy Reardon in Intelligence

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

In the news: American networks eye Canadian shows

From Lee-Anne Goodman of the Canadian Press:

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail