From Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star:
Many ingredients in Roger Mooking’s success
If you tune into the Food Network any Saturday night at 9 p.m. to watch Chopped Canada and see someone brandishing a cleaver with a demonic gleam in his eye and a jack-o-lantern grin lighting up his face, relax. It’s not Sweeney Todd; it’s just Roger Mooking. Continue reading.
Marketplace, CBC – “Juicy Secrets”
Marketplace bites into breakfast and puts premium orange juice and popular take-out breakfast sandwiches to the test. About two-thirds of us have bought premium orange juice in the past six months, many convinced by claims of pure and natural juice, which make it seem like oranges fall off the tree into the carton. But that’s not the whole story. In Juicy Secrets Tom Harrington talks to juice lovers and an expert who wrote the book on OJ, revealing just how much it is processed – from storage in vats for months at a time, to how the companies ensure consistent flavour. We reveal what the labels don’t tell you. Plus, just about everyone’s trying to make healthier choices in the New Year. So MARKETPLACE is digging into breakfast-on-the-go, a booming business with restaurants hungry to win you over. Erica Johnson joins the morning commute in Toronto, serving up breakfast sandwiches. We crunch the numbers on the trendy take-out meals, revealing sodium, fat and calories – and better ways you can start your day.
Fifth Estate, CBC – “Mr. Big Stings: Cops, Criminals and Confessions”
It’s one of the most controversial police investigation techniques and it’s homegrown. Illegal in many other countries, including the U.S. the RCMP’s “Mr. Big sting†has recently had serious limits imposed by the Supreme Court of Canada. Cops get murder suspects to confess by posing as a criminal gang, befriending suspects and gaining their trust through odd jobs and payment. Eventually, suspects meet the crime boss, “Mr. Big†who says he can help them with any charges they have – but only if they confess first. The creator of Mr. Big, who acted as the crime boss in dozens of stings, appears on camera for the first time to defend his technique, while top defence attorney Marie Henein raises concerns about the RCMP’s methods. the fifth estate looks at three of Canada’s most infamous cases in light of the new rules and tries to find out where the truth lies when you mix Cops, Criminals and Confessions.
From Richard Middleton of C21 Media:
UK-based Cineflix Rights has picked up global distribution rights from US outfit PPI Releasing for scripted series Blackstone.
Blackstone is produced by Prairie Dog Film + Television, in association with APTN in Canada, and explores the dynamics of family, power and politics on a First Nation reserve. Continue reading.
Readers were positively chatty this past week, with comments about Schitt’s Creek (an early ratings winner for CBC), the latest development news out of Canada that includes one TV series based on Pierre Berton’s The Last Spike and another on Nora Roberts’ book trilogy with former Lost Girl showrunner Emily Andras. Veteran TV writer Denis McGrath explained the nuances that go into what is considered a Canadian series when it comes to the Canadian Screen Awards nominations and some Bryan Baeumler fans voiced their opinions his latest show.
I loved that Schitt’s Creek didn’t feature an annoying laugh track. The giggles and belly laughs were coming out of me last night! Hilarious! Excellent! Love it! Hope they show two episodes in a row every week. Can’t get enough.—Karen
I like historical dramas, so The Last Spike sounds good to me. Also, Black Magick sounds good too. Pacific Spirit is something I’m really excited for.—Alicia
The determination was made that the Best Series category should be driven by and open to those shows where the primary creative personnel are Canadians. This would normally be the producer, the writer/showrunner, if there is a directing producer, i.e.: where was the show conceived and primarily developed? These shows would include made in Canada fare like 19-2, Flashpoint, Continuum, Motive, Orphan Black.
Series that have Canadian involvement at the industrial or craft level but whose writers, directors, and key decisionmaking come from elsewhere are eligible for the Best International Series Award, recognizing their unique position as pulling from labour and crews and artists from all over the world. In this way, the division is modeled after a similar split at the BAFTA Awards (the British Film & TV Awards). They basically do the same thing.
It’s easy to get confused because when people come in with money sometimes it’s said that they’re a “co-production.†That can mean maybe a U.S. or American channel gave money to the show, or bought presale or whatever.
But there’s a separate, legal defined term called a “treaty co-production†— which are governed by treaties Canada has with a number of countries. These treaty co-productions under the terms of the treaty count for 100% 10/10 content for the purposes of the Canadian broadcaster … but they might actually also include shows that are actually “Minority co-productions,†i.e.: where Canada as the partner has the lesser of the investment, and in these cases most often most of the primary creative decision making (showrunner, lead writer, directors, stars) is made outside of Canada.
So … sometimes a show like Orphan Black is called a “co-production” because it has a financial partner — but if you look at the production it’s actually legitimately 10/10 Canadian because the writing staff, the producers, etc., are Canadian.
And sometimes a show like The Borgias can be “deemed†under the international co-production treaty as being “10/10 Canadian†for the broadcaster, though when you look at it further, most of the creative decisionmaking isn’t made here. In cases like this, as per the way the BAFTAS do it, it can compete for International Series but not Best Series.
Once you get beyond the series level to the craft categories, none of that matters … and all craft categories are treated similarly. So you can have Costume Design or Sound or Editing on Orphan Black compete against the same artists working on The Borgias, so long as that work was done by a Canadian as the Canadian part of the international treaty co-production.—Denis
Glad someone posted something about Sarah Baeumler. I am finding it difficult to watch her. Perhaps it’s the editing, but she comes across as entitled. A $20,000 custom imported monster of a stove, and now she “will learn how to cook� All we ever hear is how they need a big kitchen and space for all the family entertaining they do. I am more interested in the nuts and bolts of this construction, and the real obstacles people encounter in a major reno. That is why all his other programs have done so well. He’s funny and educational without being demeaning.—Mary
Sarah may be annoying, but she allows Bryan to shine and use his wit. Let’s worry about worse things.—Bob
Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or head to @tv_eh.
We open part two of six, with Aminata (now played by Aunjanue Ellis) waking and several critical pieces of the story are quickly thrown at the viewers. We learn Aminata is travelling with Georgia (Sandra Caldwell) to assist with slave births and in this instance Georgia is insisting Aminata travel with her for her own best interest. Georgia is very much aware that their owner, Robertson Appleby (Greg Bryk of Bitten fame) has his eye on the young slave and warns Aminata of her fears. We are also informed of a couple of unrelated items imperative to the story; Aminata knows how to read, and that the south is suffering from smallpox outbreaks.
This episode gives viewers a visceral depiction of the power that the slave owners held and the violation perpetrated against the slaves during this era. This sense of not having any control over your own life is repeated throughout.
Our story really begins when Solomon Lindo (Allan Hawko of CBC’s popular Republic of Doyle), a Jewish businessman, comes to visit the Indigo Plantation. He and his wife Rosa (Amy Louise Wilson) realise that Aminata is an exceptional woman and attempt to buy her from Appleby. Rosa is aware that “Mina†can read. It is clear that Rosa wants Mina for her own. However, Appleby refuses Solomon’s offer of purchase.
As the Massa, we see Appleby exercing his power and orders Aminata to the Big House, trapping and ultimately raping her. I am not sure what would have be worse, actually watching the rape played out on the screen or leaving the violation to my imagination. We are however spared the details and only to hear her screams as Aminata is attacked by her owner. This scene only lays the groundwork for yet more abuse to come.
All is not lost though for our heroine, there is a bright spot. Chekura (Lyriq Bent) conveniently manages to track Aminata down since she is after all a famous baby catcher who knows every possible language, and they wed.
We next see Aminata ripe in an advanced stage of pregnancy and an incredibly powerful scene plays out (In my mind the most emotional of the night). Appleby, realises that the baby Aminata carries is not his and he shears her head before all of the other slaves. He concludes this public violation on Aminata, demonstrating his ultimate power by informing all who will listen with his veiled threat that “the baby you (Aminata) carry is no more yours than the hair on your head.†Mr. Bryk manages to convey his character’s contempt for the slaves that to him are merely a commodity. He exudes the entitlement as the owner and master of his domain. Further we see Ms. Ellis beautifully maintaining her character’s quiet dignity in the face of this public humiliation. Brava to Ms. Ellis for portraying Aminata’s strength and determination in such a poignant manner.
Aminata carries her baby to term and of course, Appleby, knowing that the child is not his sells the infant off in order to punish Aminata. Then as a final blow, she is sold to Solomon, committing her to a state of permanent exile her from her family of slaves.
In her new life as a servant (rather than slave) to the Lindo’s, Mina must adjust her perspective. Mina assists in the birth of Rosa’s son. Still the inequities of life as a black woman play out as we learn that Solomon helped sell Mina’s daughter. This is justified in his mind as he believes that both Mina and her daughter are better off out of the clutches of Appleby. He feels he deserves her gratitude since he exercised his power and wealth and saved them both.
We close with Mina grieving the loss of her daughter; she has succumbed to smallpox.
What a fabulous episode. I am loving that even in the short time frame this show airs (I really wish each episode was a 2 hour slot instead of the 1 hour) we are seeing a richness in each of our characters. We have in two episodes essentially seen two separate casts (in order to accommodate such a broad span of time) and yet this production has delivered a splendidly woven story with dynamic characters and not the caricatures we so often see.
Let me know what you thought about part two in the comments below.
