TV, eh? | What's up in Canadian television | Page 732
TV,eh? What's up in Canadian television
Kim's Convenience

Link: Taking Stock Of TV’s ‘Kim’s Convenience’

From D.K. Latta of the Huffington Post:

Link: Taking Stock Of TV’s ‘Kim’s Convenience’
One can quibble whether the series is truly the first Canadian series to feature a predominantly Asian cast. It was preceded by Omni TV’s crime drama, Blood and Water (which also featured Liu as the son of immigrants), and some years earlier by the memorable CBC cops n’ mobsters mini-series, Dragon Boys. But certainly by virtue of being on a major network, an open-ended format, and the populist idiom of a sitcom, Kim’s Convenience is hoping to put a pin in the map of Canada’s evolving pop cultural landscape. Continue reading.

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Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls: Slaying their dragons … er … bears!

Well, look at our Mohawk Girls go! If you recall, last week Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) was turned down for an internship at a travel zine. It also looked like Team Cailon (Heather White and Dwain Murphy)  might be over. Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) was determined to conquer her sexual addictions and Anna (Maika Harper) was on a quest to find a replacement for Thunder.  All four had their challenges set before them and it seemed this week they were out to slay their bears.

Episode 4 featured lots of girlfriend time. Rarely do we see all four ladies gathered together in more than one scene per episode. And what do women talk about when they all get together? Yep, you know it! The men, or in Anna’s case a lack thereof, in her life. She has yet to find a replacement for Thunder (Kyle Nobess). After Anna’s hot mess performance, Bailey, Caitlin and Zoe all dished out dating advice. One thing is for certain: “Fauxhawk” is determined she’ll never again be called “Hatgirl.” Her contestant this week came in the guise of Midas (Tanner Novlan), the latest unattached potential sperm donor who is free of any baby mama baggage. Her evening was cut short with the appearance of none other than Thunder, but in his official capacity as an officer of the law arrived to break up the party.

During their “Wedding Boot Camp” session, the girls rehashed Bailey’s career dilemma. Their discussions revolved around the merits of learning to speak French a.k.a. “the language of the oppressors.” But it is decided: Bailey is determined to learn French. She dove in and James (Jeffrey Wetsch) offered to give Bailey some private tutelage following  the weekly art lessons. I sense some complications on Bailey’s horizon!

Caitlin has begun her personal hairdressing business, but the joy is lost since she believes Leon is out of her life. She is convinced he is too good for her anyway. Zoe drags her out to the bar for a super fun time and who should appear with flowers in hand? Luscious Leon! And, as I suspected, Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) is NOT impressed he has been replaced. Fists flew in a very nicely filmed action scene and Leon was the victor. But this very public declaration meant Caitlin’s dirty little secret was out. You can be sure ALL of Kahnawa:ke knows now!

And, finally, Zoe. Alas, it seems only three of our four ladies are making some sort of headway in their lives whilst Zoe has slipped back into her old habits. She showed up at her appointed time for a session with new cutie-pie and dom Henry (Mark Trottier). Huh, who knew washing dishes could be so uh … stimulating?

We have reached the halfway mark of Mohawk Girls‘ season! What do you think is going to happen in the second half? Is Anna going to get past this hot mess stage of hers and find her new Thunder? What are your thoughts of the budding Caitlin/Leon/Butterhead triangle? Who do you think is worthy of Caitlin’s heart? Is Zoe going to win her election, or will her dependence on the sexual thrill be her downfall? And what about Bailey? Will Watio (Jimmy Blais) really be supportive with her learning French, especially when he finds out James is helping his fiancée? Let me know in the comments below!

Mohawk Girls can be seen Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on APTN.

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Awards, Industry News

Link: Canadian film and TV academy to rebrand

From Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press:

Link: Canadian film and TV academy to rebrand
The new head of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television says she’s taking inspiration from some powerhouse U.S. producers in an effort to get Canadians more interested in homegrown fare.

Beth Janson says she’s planning a “big rebrand and refresh” in January meant to improve the organization’s mission to promote and discover different kinds of content. Continue reading.

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Bachelorette Canada, Featured

Noteworthy moments on The Bachelorette Canada: The Men Tell All

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With just one more week to wait until Jasmine decides between Mikhel and Kevin in The Bachelorette Canada finale, fans were treated to the always-enjoyable Tell All special. In the case of this season, there was much anticipation surrounding it. Would Chris and Drew come to blows? What would Mike say to Jasmine about her letting him go? Did Thomas get a haircut? The mind reeled at the possibilities!

Here’s what we found out:

  • I still hate the way the audience is edited at these specials. Those crowd shots are always inserted into the broadcast in post-production, so don’t take them seriously.
  • These are called Tell All specials, so why is so much time spent with replayed footage of the season so far? We’re tuning in because we’ve been watching all season long, so skip all that and get to the good stuff, like which conditioner Thomas uses.
  • Andrew dropped a couple of slots in my eyes after mocking Chris for “crying on national TV.” Nice zippered jacket.
  • It doesn’t matter how much you love or hate Drew, Drew will always love Drew.

bachelorette2

  • You know what was awesome? Watching Drew watch his expletive-filled exit from the show. His cocky smile faltered.
  • You know what was even better? Noah grilling Drew about his actions and him stammering his way through an explanation.
  • Even better than that? Drew saying he’d love to be the next bachelor and then making fun of the whole process. The conundrum of Drew indeed.
  • Did you guys hear the exchange between Noah and Chris as they went to break?
    “The jokes keep on going, you know?” Chris said to Noah. “Does anyone else see this?”
    “Everyone sees this,” Noah replied.
  • Mike is a classy dude, and he could very well be the next Bachelor Canada.
  • Jasmine has a small bladder.

The Bachelorette Canada season finale airs next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT followed by After the Rose on W Network.

Images courtesy of Corus.

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Awards

Jacob Tremblay, Camille Sullivan among winners at 2016 UBCP/ACTRA Awards

From a media release:

The 5th annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards took place this evening honouring five members for their work in the creative industries over the past year. With 32 nominees, winners were announced in the following categories:

Best Actor – Aleks Paunovic for his role in Numb

Best Actress – Camille Sullivan for her role in The Birdwatcher

Best Emerging Performer – Jacob Tremblay for his role in Room

Best Voice – Lee Tockar for his performance in Slug

Best Stunt  – Adrien Hein for his performance in Arrow

The John Juliani Award of Excellence was presented to John Wardlow, and the Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award was presented to Joy Coghill.

The Awards gala evening was hosted by Lochlyn Munro and the live show was produced by Jay Ono.

Highlights of the evening include:

  • A Meatloaf song parody about the recent CRTC decision called “6 out of 10 ain’t bad”
  • Joy Coghill, Lorna Gale Women of Distinction Award winner, recounted memories from her long, successful career

On hand were some of Vancouver’s top performers including Keegan Connor Tracy, Ty Olsson, Eli Goree, Ben Ratner, Crystal Lowe, Gabrielle Rose, Julia Benson and Peter Benson. ACTRA National President, Ferne Downey, and National Executive Director, Stephen Waddell, joined in the celebration, alongside ACTRA Toronto President, David Sparrow, and Toronto Executive Director, Sue Milling.

Sponsors of the awards show included AFBS, ACTRA National and ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society, SAG/AFTRA, Breakdown Services, Casting Workbook, Canadian Media Producers Association (B.C. Branch), D’Alessio Law Group, Finalé Post, Kestrel Workplace Legal Counsel LLP, and IATSE 669.

The Union of British Columbia Performers (UBCP/ACTRA) is an autonomous branch of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. ACTRA represents the interests of 22,000 members across Canada – the foundation of Canada’s highly acclaimed professional performing community.

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