From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: Coroner “The Suburbs” preview + Tamara Podemski interview
“Every time a process is inclusive of as many voices as possible, I think you just get better results. We’re at a time in TV where people want to see themselves reflected on the screen. The demand is there now and the networks are understanding and implementing.” Continue reading.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Anusree Roy
“In my experience change is coming to both mediums. It’s been a slow process, but it’s coming. Finally diverse stories are being demanded and put on the same platform as non-diverse stories, which has been such an exciting change.” Continue reading.
There are a plethora of competition shows on television. Some involve folks racing around Canada, while others feature people cooking intricate recipes. Even more spotlight everyday Canadians making clothing or living together in the same abode for weeks on end. I thought I had seen everything the competition genre had to offer.
And then came Blown Away.
Debuting Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful—during the specialty network’s free preview—Blown Away pits 10 professional glass blowers against one another. The grand prize? A residency at the world-renowned Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. It’s one heck of an interesting twist on the reality genre and, from the get-go, a lot of fun to watch.
According to Blown Away‘s host, YouTube star Nick Uhas, glass blowing dates back to Roman times. Not a lot has changed since then: a furnace is heated to thousands of degrees and a gob of molten glass is attached to a tube. Once affixed, air is blown into the blob, which expands. But Blown Away isn’t about who makes the roundest sphere of glass. It’s about intricacy and creativity. The set—called “The Hot Shop”—is expansive and there are obvious safety issues here. High temperatures and working with glass means there is always a chance someone could get hurt. I imagine the producers, marblemedia, had cartons and Band-Aids and pump bottles of Polysporin at the ready.
The 10 competitors vying for the title, and $60,000 US, are a mixture of glass artists, visual artists, sculptural artists and people who worked in the medium in their pasts. Aside from the competition itself, Blown Away is an education into the glass blowing industry for a newbie like me. The job of different tools, punties, annealers and—ahem—personal glory holes are all explained along the way, as is the science and timing involved in adding colour to glass and the myriad ways to shape it. Gravity, heat and cold all play important parts too.
In Wednesdays debut, the competitors are tasked with using six hours to create something that is a snapshot of who they are. For 22-year-old Edgar, that means showing how small we really are in this world. For Kevin, it’s recreating a surfing experience and the calm he feels doing that. For Momo, it’s thanking those who have helped her on her life journey with a classic glass piece. With renowned glass blower Katherine Gray as the show’s resident judge, alongside guest judge Chris Taylor, executive director at Pilchuck Glass School, the 10 present their creations.
The direction, camera work and cinematography is top-notch on Blown Away. Glowing furnaces and dancing sparks are contrasted by the inner glow of molten glass, and the gleam of a sweaty arm or a finished piece of art. It’s a truly visual, educational and inspiring series I can’t wait to see more of.
Blown Away airs Wednesdays t 9 p.m. ET/PT on Makeful.
Images courtesy of Blue Ant Media.
It’s crazy but true. Season 12 of Murdoch Mysteries is speeding towards us. Monday’s new instalment, “Manual for Murder,” is Episode 16. That means just the two-part season finale remains after this week. And, fingers crossed, a Season 13 announcement happens at the Canadian Screen Awards on March 31.
But what a week this one promises to be. Written by Paul Aitken and Robert Rotenberg and directed by Warren Sonoda “Manual for Murder” marks the return of Colin Mochrie as hotel detective Ralph Fellows and Patrick McKenna as Inspector Slorach. Here’s what the CBC has revealed about the A-story:
After the release of Murdoch and Ogden’s book, a series of copycat murders begin to take place.
And here’s some insight from me after watching a screener.
Julia and William hold another book reading
Their first one was a little rocky. Here’s hoping this one is better attended … and more interesting. They are a more enthusiastic group, at least. William is much better with his storytelling this time around, recounting an episode from Season 9, “Barenaked Ladies.”
Ralph Fellows is back
The sarcastic, caustic Windsor House Hotel detective has not softened his stance on Det. Murdoch. He is surly at best during the investigation into a body found in the lobby.
Inspector Slorach returns
The laid-back amiable cop from Station House No. 5 drops in with some big news, and a request, for Brackenreid. Also, Tannis Burnett—last seen as Mavis Chalmers in “Who Killed the Electric Carriage?”—appears as a different character.
Flashbacks aplenty
Kudos to Aitken and Rotenberg for the truly compelling and fun storyline and for Sonoda for his directing. This is a memorable episode of Murdoch Mysteries that, by the end, is now one of my higher-ranking favourites thanks to its references to old cases, longer sideburns and characters long gone. I felt a pang of sadness seeing one character in particular.
Ruth and George have something in common
It turns out that Ruth and George share something other than Henry in their lives; they both have an uncanny knack for discovering or naming landmark inventions.
Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC and streaming on CBC Gem.
Images courtesy of CBC.
From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Jordan Canning
“I had grown up around film — my mom worked as a production designer so I had been on sets a lot with her and seen the process. I think I was always attracted to it, and watched a lot of movies as a kid, but my mom made it an accessible career.” Continue reading.Â
