Monthly Archives: March 2012

Little Mosque on the Prairie, Podcast

TV, eh? podcast episode 87 – “Too Kitsch for Kitsch”

Zaib Shaikh of Little Mosque Mondays 830 pm on CBC TV HighRes

Diane talks to Little Mosque on the Prairie star Zaib Shaikh about the show’s legacy heading into its final episodes. But first, Anthony and Diane chat about the Canadian TV news of the week:

Episode 87: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed

Your hosts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Dramas and Comedies, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes

New tonight: Rick Mercer Report, 22 Minutes, Just for Laughs, Saw Dogs

Mulcair and Critch

Rick Mercer Report, CBC
Rick is in Quebec City to check out the annual Crashed Ice Championship Race that is skated at breakneck speeds down winding streets. Then he is at the General Motors Automotive Centre of Excellence in Oshawa, ON. where new cars are tested for safety and durability in all climate conditions.

22 Minutes, CBC
Mark Critch travels to Toronto for the NDP leadership convention and shares a toast with newly-elected leader, Thomas Mulcair, The Queen (Cathy Jones) shows up unannounced in Ottawa looking for her Jubilee party, and we have exclusives from the creator of the “Ultimate Dog Tease” viral YouTube video.

Just For Laughs, CBC – “Modern Love”
A hysterical line-up of comedians with host Eric Stonestreet. The show will explore and tackle every relationship out there. Featuring Bob Marley, Tim Minchin, Debra DiGiovanni, Robert Kelly, Fiona O’Loughlin.

Saw Dogs, OLN – “Masquerave”
A popular hangout in a top ski resort commissions a sensuous sculpture for their annual over-the-top party. The guest carver for the project is Chris Foltz, who is not only an award-winning wood carver, but also an acclaimed ice carver and executive chef. Meanwhile, Steve has embarked a very different project: two nuns from a nearby monastery have asked for a religious themed carving for a new church they are building. The carvers must balance the sacred and the secular, as they deal with tight budgets and short timelines.

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Uncategorized

I, Martin Short, Goes Home airs April 3 on CBC

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From a media release:

Renowned Canadian comedian, Martin Short, returns to his comedic roots in I, Martin Short, Goes Home

  • Airs Tuesday, April 3 AT 9 P.M. (9:30NT) ON CBC-TV 

Celebrated comedian Martin Short brings his unique brand of wit to CBC-TV with I, Martin Short, Goes Home, airing Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT). This one-hour special features a star-studded line up of talent including Fred Willard (Modern Family), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Robin Duke (Saturday Night Live), Joe Flaherty (The Second City’s Next Comedy Legend) and CBC’s own George Stroumboulopoulos (George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight).

When Martin Short learns that his childhood idol (played by Fred Willard) has fallen on hard times, he returns to his home town of Hamilton, Ontario to perform in a star-studded gala benefit. Along the way, Marty is reunited with some childhood mentors and relives childhood memories though parodies, sketches and songs. I, Martin Short, Goes Home, is a journey through the life and mind of Martin Short. And some of it is even true.

The Variety special also reunites Marty with Executive Producer Andrew Alexander (SCTV) and The Second City which helped launch his comedy career.

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Awards, Featured, Flashpoint

WGC Nominee Aubrey Nealon on Flashpoint’s “Day Game”

Aubrey Head Shot

Leading up to the Writers Guild of Canada awards on April 23, TV, eh? will be posting a series of interviews with some of nominees. Aubrey Nealon was nominated in the TV Drama category for the “Day Game” episode of Flashpoint — one of four nominations in the category for the series, and his first ever TV script.

Can you describe the episode “Day Game” and how it fit into the Flashpoint season?

In “Day Game,” Team One is confronted by a bitter ex-cop named Gil whose life went off the rails when Parker rejected him from the force’s top unit, the SRU. Determined to prove himself, Gil orchestrates a heist at a stadium so that he can step in and save the day. Naturally things go violently haywire, and as the Team arrives to restore order, Gil gets Parker in his clutches. As the Team scrambles to rescue their boss, Parker is forced into a tense negotiation with a desperate and vengeful Gil. With his life on the line, the usually unflappable Parker erupts in an outpouring of pain and self-doubt that’s been building all season, leaving him questioning his ability to do his job.

What about this episode are you particularly proud of?

This was the first TV script I ever wrote, so I’m pretty proud that it got made at all. Like, someone put it on TV! That’s really cool.

But in terms of the writing itself, I did enjoy creating the character Gil, a guy who is intimately familiar with the SRU’s techniques and tendencies, and holds a deep, personal grudge against Parker. He makes for a fun and formidable opponent, I think — because it’s almost as if he’s watched the show before. He plays with the Team’s expectations about how critical incidents unfold, which allows me to play with the audience’s expectations about how Flashpoint unfolds — all while staying true to the spirit of the show.

What does this recognition mean to you?

A couple years ago I crashed the WGC awards party (paying the full $100 non-union entrance fee!) so that I could corner the Flashpoint showrunners, Mark and Stephanie, and grovel for a job. This year, thanks to this recognition, I’ll get into the party much more cheaply, and Mark and Stephanie will be obliged to talk to me whether I grovel or not.

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Dramas and Comedies

Showcase’s XIII.2 in production

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From a media release:

Conspiracy thriller series starring Stuart Townsend returns for second season

Stuart Townsend returns to headline season two of the one-hour conspiracy thriller XIII.2 which will film in and around Toronto through to mid-July. Townsend (The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Queen of the Damned) plays XIII, a lethal former secret agent whose memory has been erased. The 13-episode Canada-France original series will air on Showcase Fall, 2012.

The series has been re-imagined by Academy® Award-winner Roger Avary (The Rules of Attraction, Pulp Fiction, Silent Hill) who has joined the team of Executive Producers. The modified title XIII.2 reflects the revamped intensity and suspense of the show.

In season two, the rogue CIA agent XIII fights the forces of corporate and governmental darkness to maintain his individuality, and is pulled into a world of intrigue and deception as he is caught up in a sinister terrorist plot: a secret weapons project that has the potential to destabilize the planet, all while the United States government collapses into a bloody coup d’etat.

Joining the second season cast is French actress Roxane Mesquida, who burst onto the international film scene in Catherine Breillat’s controversial features Fat Girl, Sex is a Comedy and The Last Mistress. The actress also starred in the Sheitan directed by Kim Chapiron starring Vincent Cassel (Toronto International Film Festival, Melbourne and TriBeCa Film Festival) and Kaboom directed by Gregg Araki. She featured in season five of Gossip Girl as the sister of Blair’s fiancé Louis Grimaldi. An international model, Mesquida has appeared on in the pages of Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair. Mesquida plays the young and aggressive Betty Barnowsky, who convinces XIII to join The Veil, an environmental/economic activist organization. Mesquida lives in Los Angeles.

Co-starring in XIII are Greg Bryk (Saw V, Cra$h & Burn) as a former national security officer now head of energy giant Synequannon, Stephen McHattie (Happy Town, 2012) as the beleaguered President Carrington and Aisha Tyler (24, CSI, The Talk) as Secretary of State Jones who is one of XIII’s past flames.

XIII is based on Jean Van Hamme’s popular graphic novel of the same name, which has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide since the first volume was published 25 years ago. XIII: The Series was developed and is produced by Prodigy Pictures and by Luc Besson’s Paris-based EuropaCorp (La Femme Nikita). In addition to airing in Canada on Showcase, the series airs on Canal Plus and M6 in France.

Executive producers of the series are Academy Award winner Roger Avary, Jay Firestone (Prodigy Pictures), Edouard de Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros (EuropaCorp Television). Damien Couvreur (EuropaCorp Television) is co-executive producer, Vanessa Piazza is supervising producer and Wendy Grean (Bomb Girls, The Bridge) is the producer of XIII.2

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