Tag Archives: Featured

Bachelorette Canada, Featured

Jennifer Valentyne returns to TV hosting Bachelorette Canada after show

Rogers’ loss is Corus’ gain. Months after she was fired from City’s Breakfast Television, Jennifer Valentyne will host W Network’s The Bachelorette Canada After Show.

Debuting following the first episode of The Bachelorette Canada on Sept. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Valentyne helms the weekly half-hour live chat at 10:30 p.m. ET, discussing the drama, laughter, tears and who is—and isn’t—there for the right reasons. The network reveals past and present Bachelors and Bachelorettes will drop by to interact with Valentyne and fans of the franchise.

As previously announced, Jasmine Lorimer is Canada’s first-ever Bachelorette, seeking a soul mate from a passel of 20 male suitors. Carnival Eats host Noah Cappe hosts The Bachelorette Canada.

The Bachelorette Canada premieres Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on W Network.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Killjoys

Killjoys: The Mess with Mossipedes

Star Trek had its legendary episode, “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Killjoys most notable Season 2 instalment so far may very well be Friday’s newest, “Shaft,” which I’ve dubbed “The Mess with Mossipedes.” Dutch, Johnny and D’Avin’s latest mission—to retrieve three fellow killjoys who’d gone missing in the Badlands—approached an explanation about Level 6, a shot across Liam Jelco’s bow and things Johnny described as looking “like an angry vagina.”

Dark and oh-so claustrophobic, “Shaft” found our trio—along with Alvis—in an abandoned mine shaft seeking three hunters who’d made an evacuation request that never made it to the RAC because Khlyen nixed the transmission. I’ve become a major fan of Turin (played by Patrick Garrow), so I’m loving the fact he’s teamed with our team. Can he be trusted? Maybe not in the long run, but he clearly isn’t a fan of Khlyen, so for the short-term everyone is on the same page.

Killjoys3

The theme of mistrust was front and centre thanks to the mossipedes, whose gooey guts caused hallucinations first for the missing killjoys and then for Dutch, who imagined Khlyen was there, goading her and convincing her she was Level 6. The fact the hallucinogens were strong enough to cause Dutch to stab herself in the stomach was evidence of its true power. Is that really the stuff Fancy has coursing through his veins? It certainly appears so, especially since D’Avin rejected the goo and was able to turn the advancing hordes away just by gesturing at them.

Aside from the main story, Pawter and Alvis got some major screen time as well: the former outwitting Liam Jelco and escaping (only to be knocked unconscious as she approached Old Town), and the latter discovering part of the Scarback lore and rekindling his faith. I’m looking forward to Alvis’ journey this season; I was instantly intrigued by him last year and wanted to know more. Clearly we’re going to get more info moving forward; he found the monk and decrypted the runes, revealing one monk did return from battling the devil.

Is Alvis the next monk to wage war? And is Khlyen the devil?

Killjoys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Space.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Degrassi, Featured

What Degrassi means to me? Um, I’m Effin’ Snake. Duh.

5 Comments

By Stefan Brogren

So last year we were cancelled by our American broadcaster. Without much more explanation than, “We think Degrassi has run its course.” It was over. Truth is, we’ve always had a problem fitting in. We’re not a sitcom, we’re not 90210—and most of our subject matter deals with the most God-awful aspects of growing up.

Still, I was dumbfounded. Why give up a series that’s the teen equivalent to the Star Trek franchise (don’t shoot me)? It could go on forever!

OK, yes. There are a bunch of reasons to say Degrassi should call it a day and just go away (I’m rhyming, yo).

We’ve been making the show for a jillion years and for some folks that’s just annoying.

We have a serious lack of students that are vampires, werewolves, mutants or serial killers—not for a lack of trying, mind you.

And the big one. We’re unabashedly Canadian. We’re reminded of this every time the States makes a list of what makes Canada … Canada. “Poutine! Canucks! Degrassi! Trees!” I know, it’s annoying.

You could say we “recycle” the same subject matter every couple of years (drugs, sex, boners, mental health, boners, peer pressure, boners). But if you think being a teenager now is the same as the good ol’ days of Joey streaking the caf, well then you haven’t checked your effin’ Snapchat feed lately. Manny freaking out because her boobs were put on the Internet (Season 5, The Next Generation) has zero relevance to a generation that send and receive “junk pics” on their smartphones as part of the dating process. Sorry parents. They all do it. Seriously. All of them. Even the sweet ones. Boners. No one’s safe.

For lots of people (who probably haven’t watched the show in years), Degrassi is painfully earnest in its depiction of teens—and earnest equals not cool.

Skins is cool. Degrassi is … earnest.

Degrassi

I’m biased obviously, but Degrassi isn’t earnest in its depictions of teen life. It’s thoughtful. Our fans grow up watching and adoring shows like The Vampire Diaries, The 100 and Pretty Little Liars. They’re awesome and fantastical. Then they turn around and watch Degrassi with all the crappy, gross, embarrassing, manic, euphoric, lovely and ridiculously funny moments that come with being 17. And it feels like a friend.

So we were cancelled. And then, in what seemed like the next day, we were given new life on Netflix. The second season of Degrassi: Next Class premieres in Canada on Family Channel on July 19th and streams on Netflix July 22nd. If you haven’t watched Degrassi in a whole bunch of years, give it a shot. I promise you, we have 70 per cent more boner stories than any other show out there. Period. (And probably the most period stories too.)

Degrassi: Next Class airs Tuesdays at 9:45 p.m. ET on Family Channel.

Stefan is well known to Canadians for his six years on the television series Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. He was a Gemini Award nominee for Best Actor at age 17. Stefan is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles, where he won the prestigious Michael Thomas Award for acting excellence. Stefan has made numerous television appearances, including the series Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, Wild Card, Jonathan Cross’s Canada, Twitch City, I Was A Sixth Grade Alien and The Associates. Stefan can also be seen in the movie Too Smooth with Neve Campbell and Rebecca Gayheart. Stefan has since become a key part of the Degrassi production team taking on the role of Series Producer. Adding Director to his responsibilities, Stefan has helmed numerous Degrassi episodes, as well as the MOWs Degrassi Goes Hollywood and D: NYC – Degrassi Takes Manhattan. In 2010, Stefan won a Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series. He followed this up with another win in 2014 at the Canadian Screen Awards. Stefan has also co-produced, directed and written a large portion of Degrassi’s original digital content. In addition, Stefan was also a Co-Executive Producer and Director on the two seasons of the MuchMusic/CW series The L.A. Complex and the first season of the YTV/TeenNick series Open Heart.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Children's Programming, Featured

Comments and queries for the week of July 15

Gisèle in Ottawa?

I was just wondering if by any chance that TVOKids’ Gisèle will be visiting my town of Ottawa this summer? Please let me know; my two girls are big fans. —Pauze

Unfortunately, Gisèle Corinthios, host of Gisèle’s Big Backyard, was one of those affected by cuts at TVO back in April. TVO confirmed she is no longer with the company.

Hello! I just read the news about Gisèle. I have a nine-month old boy who is very much developed in every aspect. Each time he is in his chair having his meal and tea he is also enjoying the kids program. But there is one time when everything stops, and that is when Gisèle is on: he stops eating and a big, bright smile stays on his face until the next show begins. —Florentina

Any more Chef in My Ear on the way?

Are we going to see another season of Chef in My Ear? —HarmonyBell

Here’s the official word from Food Network Canada: “No solid plans as of yet, but keep an eye out here for updates!”

HGTV Canada greenlights two new original series

I used to watch HGTV quite a bit but something that annoyed me was that a few of their shows, such as Property Virgins and House Hunters, featured Canadian locales then switched over to principally American locales and the Canadian versions of those shows eventually disappeared. Also, the channel’s reno shows stayed Southern Ontario-centric. I would have liked to see more Western projects. My husband really enjoys Timber Kings, but that’s about all we watch on HGTV now. I like the show Love It or List It though, especially the Vancouver one but that’s on W Network. I will have to check out the Backyard Builds show, though, because I was a counsellor at a summer camp with Sarah Keenleyside many years ago. —Alicia

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? Email greg@tv-eh.com or via Twitter @tv_eh.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Mohawk Girls, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Working It Out Together: Heather White – Rebel with a Cause

Episode 7 of Working It Out Together examines the common literary trope so prevalent in mainstream arts: the Indian Princess/Pocahontas, and the harm that has come to Indigenous women due to the pervasiveness of that stereotype in society today. For centuries the “Indian Princess” has been recognized as an erotic thing, a sexual dream or ideal that exists only for the European white male. The process of colonization reshaped strong beautiful women into the hyper-sexualized noble savage, only to be dominated by all men. Today we witness the harm this archetype has perpetuated with the aid of such movements as “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women”.

This week features the story of Heather White, one of the lead actresses on the popular award winning television show  Mohawk Girls, created and directed by Tracey Deer. However, White is also a High School language arts teacher at Kahnawa:ke Survival School. It is here that she cultivates a safe environment for her students to discuss and challenge how media shapes their concepts of women and beauty. “As actors, our job is constantly to tell the story through someone else’s vision, but as a teacher that is where I get to be myself.”

With her first hand experiences on Mohawk Girls, White is able to teach her students about the extensive work that goes into the manufacturing of media as art, be it television programming, magazines, posters, or film. In this way her students understand that it is “ok when they walk in the world that they walk into one that is real. That it is 100% ok for them to be who they are, to walk this world proud of who they are.”

Earlier this week White discussed with me how her new found celebrity has given her the the platform to make human connections: “It is a great opportunity to tell people ‘this is who I am, this what I do and this is what I think’. To be able to say all of the things that I wish were said to me when I was younger, I think that is the greatest thing for me. There were no trail blazers like me and I grew up not seeing it. I am only now starting to see different women.”

White’s father Sykes Powderface, also featured in this week’s episode, explains the traditional position of women in the community: “Women were the most respected individuals in the community. Without women, there are no more children. You must always take care of the women, that was the first order that was taught to us.”

Michele Audette, Indigenous women’s rights advocate, explains that women had their roles, that men and women knew exactly what they were supposed to do “for the community, for the family, and for them self.” With the men off hunting for months at a time, it was the women who were the leaders in the community. But when the Europeans began to settle “this all changed; spirituality became religion, they changed our language, and they changed our system of our society. ”

When speaking with White, she reflected on what Mohawk Girls is really about, and what it means to women who watch. “Mohawk Girls could have been anything, and that is the most satisfying part of it. But it is not just about us (Indigenous women). There are so many universal themes that bind us (all women) all together and that is a gift in itself.”

 

 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail