All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Industry News

Minister Joly Appoints Acting Chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

From a media release:

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, today announced the appointment of Judith A. Larocque as acting chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The Governor in Council approved the interim appointment for a term of four months, effective June 18, 2017. Ms. Larocque previously served as acting vice-chair of the CRTC (November 2016 to May 2017).

A dedicated public servant, Ms. Larocque has extensive experience in the broadcasting field. This interim appointment will ensure the continuous and efficient operation of the CRTC.

Selection processes at the CRTC, including for the position of chair, were launched on January 23, 2017, and are open, transparent and merit-based. They are ongoing. Appointments will be announced in due course.

We would like to thank Mr. Blais for his five years of service and his commitment to the CRTC.

Quotes

“In our changing world, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission works to ensure that all Canadians have access to a world-class communication system. It’s a challenging task, and I would like to thank Ms. Larocque for agreeing to stay on the CRTC team as acting chair.”

— The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

Quick Facts

In 2016, the Government of Canada adopted a new approach that requires a selection process for full- and part-time positions.

All appointment opportunities for the 18 organizations in the Canadian Heritage Portfolio are posted as they become available on the Governor in Council Appointments website.

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Orphan Black

Link: Time to bid adieu to Orphan Black

From James Bawden:

Link: Time to bid adieu to Orphan Black
So there I was at the local street bash in my Toronto neighborhood and a neighbor from several blocks away is telling me she never watches Canadian TV drama series.

“But you’ve just said you’re a loyal fan of Orphan Black,” I told her. “And it’s made right here in Toronto.”

And boy did she look surprised and chagrined! Continue reading.

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Mohawk Girls

APTN original series Mohawk Girls fifth and final season begins shooting

From a media release:

Rezolution Pictures announced that Season 5 of the APTN (Aboriginal Peoples Television Network) hit dramedy series Mohawk Girls will begin filming today, once again in Montreal and the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in Quebec, where the show is set. Mohawk Girls’ final season will air on APTN in fall 2017.

The series was nominated for multiple Canadian Screen Awards for the last two years running, including Best Comedy Series, Best Direction in a Comedy Series, Best Writing in a Comedy Series, and Best Actress in a Comedy Series. And this year, actress Brittany LeBorgne was nominated in the Fan’s Choice category.

Mohawk Girls takes a comedic look at the lives of four modern-day women trying to stay true to their roots while navigating sex, work, love and what it means to be Mohawk in the 21st century. Set in Kahnawake, the half-hour dramedy follows these twenty-something women as they begin to forge their own identity within a community embedded with rules and cultural traditions.

This season, Bailey deals with the repercussions of leaving Mohawk fiancé Watio in favour of white guy James. Zoe gets out of rehab for sex addiction but the pressure to get back into her community’s good graces — leads her to the brink of relapse. Caitlin enjoys the highs of being back in a relationship with Butterhead. But when she’s reminded of the lows, Caitlin can’t quite bring herself to fully break it off with her former flame Leon. And Anna finally gets everything she’s always wanted – total acceptance into this community. But it comes at a high cost that she’s not sure she’s willing to pay.

The dynamic cast of four leading women includes returning cast members Jenny Pudavick (Bailey), Brittany LeBorgne (Zoe), Heather White (Caitlin), and Maika Harper (Anna).  Meegwun Fairbrother (Butterhead), Jimmy Blais (Watio) and Shawn Youngchief (Ohserase), Dwain Murphy (Leon) reprise their roles as the men they love. Also returning, Tantoo Cardinal as Zoe’s mom, Glen Gould as Bailey’s father and Jeffrey Wetsch as James.

Mohawk Girls is created and executive produced by Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight; Tracey Deer directs the episodes and Cynthia Knight is the head writer. The series is produced by Rezolution Pictures’ Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon and Linda Ludwick, and executive produced by Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick and Ernest Webb. Innovate By Day is the Digital Media Producer. Monika Ille is the Executive Director, Programming and Scheduling for APTN.

About Rezolution Pictures
The series is developed and produced by Rezolution Pictures’ Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon and Linda Ludwick, and executive produced by Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick and Ernest Webb, the same team that produced the multiple-Gemini and Peabody Award-winning film, Reel Injun, as well as several award-winning documentaries and television series including Smoke Traders, Club Native, and Down The Mighty River. Rezolution Pictures’ feature film RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World has won several awards, including the Sundance Festival’s World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling and the Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary at the Hot Docs Festival.

Rezolution Pictures is an award-winning film, television and interactive media production company, founded by Catherine Bainbridge and Ernest Webb, which plays a vital role in bringing cultural diversity to the North American broadcasting landscape. Since 2001 it has built itself a reputation for creating acclaimed series and one-of-a-kind productions, working with many of Canada’s best new and established talents to create unique comedy, dramatic, non-fiction and video game programming, through its sister company Minority Media.

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Children's Programming, Featured

TVO’s Opie’s Home catches up with the energetic lad during summer break

My orange-skinned preschooler buddy has got himself a spinoff! Yes, Opie, who has been taking the fear out of kindergarten for kids and parents with Hey Opie! on TVO for the past couple of years, leaves school for a new series setting him at home.

Opie’s Home, debuting Tuesday at 10:50 a.m. on TVO, sends the friendly four-year-old—performed by Jordan Lockhart—home for the summer to spend time with his mom (Aisha Alfa), dad (Jim Annan), Gram (Claire Riley) and next door neighbour, Mr. Kabashio (Graham Greene).

TVO Kids, marblemedia and The Jim Henson Company have got educational and truly entertaining kids’ programming down pat and Opie’s Home is no exception. The first seven-minute instalment introduces trust and responsibility in an interesting way as Opie is allowed to handle his dad’s cell phone so he can take a “big boy” selfie. There are a few near-misses along the way—running on stairs with electronics in your hand isn’t the safest—but Opie is successful in landing “the funnest fun” selfie ever with some help from Snackasaurus. Episode 2 gets a little more serious, as kale smoothies don’t sound like fun at all to Opie and Gavin.

Opie’s Home airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:50 a.m. on TVO and anytime on TVOKids. The series will premiere later this fall across Canada on Knowledge Kids and CityTV Saskatchewan.

Images courtesy of TVO.

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Children's Programming, Featured

TVO’s Canada Crew celebrates the country’s 150th in style

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to be everywhere. Running behind a group of students prepping for their prom in Vancouver, kayaking up to supporters outside their cottage … I almost expect to see him in line with me at Starbucks. So, it’s nice to see Sophie Grégoire Trudeau getting some airtime as well, as one of several guests on TVO’s newest kid’s series Canada Crew.

Created by Ben Mazzotta and executive-produced by Maria Kennedy, Canada Crew—debuting Monday—is part of the public broadcaster’s Summer of Canada lineup that includes Opie’s Home and Kid Diners; both of those series bow on Tuesday. Mazzotta and Kennedy were meeting with Marney Malabar, TVO’s director of kids TV, to go over ideas for Now You Know when she asked for content tied to Canada’s 150th birthday. The independent producers batted around ideas in the car ride home.

“We were saying, ‘What if we did this? What if we did that?'” Mazzotta recalls. “We came up with an idea that morphed into what we see now.”

“We went with our strengths,” Kennedy says. “We know puppets through Now You Know and having high-profile guests on a show. We wrote a concept based on that.” Canada Crew‘s puppet hosts are Bebe the Beaver, Mo the Moose and Gavin the Canada Goose; the trio travels to every province and territory introducing kids the things that make Canada what it is: people and places, food, pastimes, animals and nature, and the national anthem. Big-name guests in the 26 seven-minute instalments include, aside from Trudeau, celebrity chef Susur Lee, hockey great Darryl Sittler, Olympic kayaker Adam van Koeverden, WE Day founder Craig Kielburger and Major Indira Thackorie of the Royal Canadian Air Forces Snowbirds team.

“Bebe is excited by everything,” Mazzotta says. “She’s precocious, she’s really funny, energetic and not afraid of anything. Mo is a little more cautious, studious and uses an iPad to research facts. And Gavin is a little more of a bumbling character, falling and tripping and forgets he can fly.” Together, they aim to educate viewers not only about the history of this country and what makes us unique from the rest of the world but to entertain too.

Mission accomplished.

Canada Crew airs at 8:20 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. ET on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on TVO Kids and is available on TVOKids.com.

Images courtesy of TVO.

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