From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:
Link: Shoot the Messenger’s creative duo fights to bring diversity to Canadian TV
“I’ll be honest with you. Trying to get into this business as a 6 foot tall black man was very hard. It was very hard. It was like a wall. It was like a monolith.†Continue reading.Â
You simply can’t fake chemistry on television. Viewers catch on when folks don’t click. It’s the reason networks recast roles during pilot season; if co-stars don’t connect with each other, they simply won’t with an audience.
The Goods explodes with chemistry and makes for a wild daytime ride. Debuting Monday on CBC and marking Steven Sabados’ return to television, The Goods combines lifestyle, food, relationships and home and design into a fun package. Yes, the daytime market is packed with such U.S. fare as The Chew, The View and The Talk while Canadian rival CTV offers The Social, but The Goods is a welcome addition thanks mainly to its cast.
Surrounding Sabados on the panel is style maven Jessi Cruickshank, relationship and wellness expert Andrea Bain and Levetto chef Shahir Massoud covering all things culinary. Earlier this week, I was invited down to watch a taping of The Goods and experienced a well-oiled machine despite having just seven episodes already in the can.
“You always feel, on some other shows, as if people are trying to take away airtime,” Sabados says after the three-hour taping in front of a studio audience of just over 100 concluded. “There is that battle of, ‘You said that, so I have to say this,’ … Shahir didn’t have a segment today, but it’s all good because he’s still part of the show. We’re all here, so it’s all good.” It’s true. While Massoud didn’t contribute content-wise, he was still front and centre in a comedic role both unintentionally during Sabados’ decor quiz when he asked how to spell “teak” and on purpose during Cruickshank’s style bit when he walked the runway decked out in overalls, a baseball cap propped rakishly on his head.
Massoud explains he and his co-hosts come up with what their individual segments will contain with their own producers. Once that’s decided, the producers and hosts compare notes and figure out who will be interacting with who. Yes, The Goods is scripted when it comes to what segments make up an episode, but the interaction itself is done on the fly. That came into play Tuesday when Cruickshank dashed off to the control room and requested a hula hoop challenge be re-cut and slowed down for broadcast. The result was a very funny replay of Bain’s facial expressions and body language as she owned the hula segment (“I will never Iive that down,” Bain says with a laugh.) Cruickshank set herself up for criticism during her style portion, suggesting that sometimes socks can be worn with sandals. She was met with a chorus of good-natured boos from the audience.
“Where else can you get an audience who feels comfortable enough to boo the host?” Cruickshank asks. “There is this feeling of being in the round and we make sure people know they’re supposed to yell. They’re part of the show.”
The Goods airs Monday to Friday at 2 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of CBC.
From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: First Look at The Romeo Section Season 2
We’re a week out from the second season premiere of CBC’s The Romeo Section, and it begins with Wolfgang starting a new mission at the behest of a shadowy senior operative named Harry, entirely different from last season but no less timely. Continue reading.
From Mike Cohen of The Suburban:
Link: Actresses Lauren Lee Smith and NDG’s Stephanie Janusauskas talk about CBC drama This Life
“This season we are trying to move on, despite Natalie’s cancer. My character gets a summer job and meets a particular girl who puts her in certain situations. I think a lot of girls my age can see some of Emma in them.†Continue reading.
From a media release:
As it heads into MIPJunior and MIPCOM, Distribution360 is putting new kids formats in the spotlight with the introduction of several exciting new format series including The School Run and Snapshots among its kids & family slate.
Among the format-friendly series that Distribution360 will be introducing to buyers at MIPCOM/MIPJunior is The School Run, following a freshly inked deal with UK producer Silver Bullet Entertainment and Snapshots, produced by Forte Entertainment for CBC Kids.
Produced for BBC Radio 1, The School Run (6 x 10 minutes) surprises a group of unsuspecting friends with a favourite musical celebrity waiting at the school gates to drive them home. With the help of host BBC Radio 1 DJ and former X Factor judge Nick Grimshaw, the celebrity is grilled by the teens with hard-hitting and humorous questions that every fan is desperate to ask. Celebrities featured: Olly Murs, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Little Mix, The 1975 and The Vamps.
Snapshots (6 x 30 minutes) is an unscripted live-action photography competition series where kids compete to take the best photo ever! In each episode three kids go head-to-head, armed with a passion for photography and an eye for the perfect shot, as they use all their skills and creativity to complete the challenges.
Distribution360 will also unveil an additional 4 brand new kids and family series at the market, including:
Driving Me Crazy (20 x 30 minutes) produced by marblemedia in consultation with IWC Media Limited and Proper Television for YTV, is a fast-paced, fun-fuelled reality series that puts first-time teen drivers behind the wheel with their parents. In a series of challenges on a larger-than-life course with the help of a professional race car driver the teens try to become the ultimate drivers. Based on a original format by IWC Media Limited, global rights to the series are shared by Distribution360 (North America, Latin America, and Australia) and Zodiak Kids (ROW).
In mathXplosion (50 x 3 minutes, Live Action), magician Eric Leclerc turns “mathemagican†in this entertaining new short series that shares secrets from the not-so-hidden world of math, proving math really is everywhere! Each episode illuminates the big ideas in primary math that children are already learning to do in a fun, funny and very approachable way. Produced by GAPC Entertainment for TVOKids.
The Mystery Files (13 x 30 minutes, Live Action) – The adventure never stops for Kyla, E.B, and their Aunt Tilly after they inherit a mysterious set of boxes containing ancient objects from their great aunt Hermione. Now it’s up to the team to figure out where these items came from, and how they connect to the present day! Produced by Apartment 11 for TVOKids.
Opie’s Home (39 x 7 minutes) – Opie’s Home explores the fun of family life from a preschool point of view, following 4-year-old Opie as he plays, explores and discovers new things in and around his home. Episodes feature Opie’s day-to-day interactions at home, reading and playing with his family and neighbours, as well as his family routine before and after school. Produced by marblemedia, in association with TVO, The Jim Henson Company, City Saskatchewan and Knowledge Network. Global rights to the series are shared by Distribution360 (Canada, Australia and France) and The Jim Henson Company (ROW).
