Tag Archives: Featured

Featured, Mohawk Girls

Mohawk Girls review: Going Native

We begin  the penultimate episode of  season three with Caitlin (Heather White) and Danny (Jesse Nobess) working on Caitlin’s business plan, tossing a sprinkle of encouragement  and a dash of motivation in an attempt to get Caitlin back into  Kick Ass mode. But as we will see, encouragement and motivation are only a part of what it takes to Go Native for our Mohawk foursome.

One of the newest hurdles complicating Caitlin’s healthy lifestyle choices comes via “Mean Girl Vicki” (Rachelle White Wind). Seems Vicki has a new man in her life and she cannot wait to spill the beans to her rival. As it turns out Caitlin’s father (Lawrence Bayne) is her new Beast boyfriend (and oh my goodness, nice touch with the hickies–Priceless!). Hat tip to  T. Deer and C. Knight! I did NOT see that one coming.

Once again we turn to a scene with Anna (Maika Harper)to deliver our outsider’s cultural lesson of the week. Anna is visiting with Lollipop (Devery Jacobs) before her lecture, and learns that western  education was the tool of assimilation for her people. The schools’ curriculum, the administration, and the text books are all the instruments of the white man. The Residential School System is revisited, reminding us that the government used education as a guise to strip Indigenous people of their culture, and that many  people today are still suffering the loss of the culture that was beaten out of them in residential school. This leaves Anna with some questions about her own educational experiences.

Turning to Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne), we learn that she is suffering from a lack of her extra curricular activities and this is causing  significant distraction on her part. Zoe is clearly neglecting the fundraiser’s organization.

Meanwhile, Bailey’s (Jennifer Pudavick) 30th birthday is fast approaching and Auntie Velma (Ashley Michaels) declares “whatever she wants she may have as this is a birthday that needs ushering in”.  Bailey, always full of wanderlust, decides she wants a trip with Watio (Jimmy Blais), but under no circumstances will he travel. Watio believes that signing any piece of paper declaring he is a Canadian means he gives up his sovereign rights as a Haudenosawnee citizen. This is yet another strike in a mounting list of strikes against Watio.

To compensate, the girls decide to take Bailey away for a girls’ weekend and Anna thinks a survivalist weekend will get them all in touch with their Native heritage. The girls dive in to their weekend, each with their own level of commitment, but it is Bailey that rises to the challenges and proves she is the warrior. Along the way, Zoe’s kink tendencies prove a problem again. Additionally, Caitlin falls into the hookup trap; fine by campfire light, but by harsh morning’s light the fish prove more interesting.

For their final day, the girls decide to get naked and try some mud wraps. But this being Mohawk Girls, you know this is not about to go smoothly, and indeed some young pranksters abscond with our ladies’ clothing.  Bailey concocts a plan to create cover ups and they succeed in making their way back to camp.  Bailey proves herself to be the  survivalist and Jennifer P. totally owned her character tonight.

Once home from their weekend  reality comes crashing back.

Bailey is immediately reminded that the differences between  herself and Watio are mounting. Meanwhile, Caitlin heads to the bar where she is once again humiliated by Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother), and Zoe delves deeper into the BDSM lifestyle. Zoe arranges to meet another potential  master, “Hell’s Angel Biker Dom” (Marc-Andre Boulanger), but he proves to be less than dominating. And finally, Anna stands up to her  Philosophy professor (Larry Day). Anna is upset with  the lack of Aboriginal philosophers  included on his syllabus which leads her to impulsively quit, not just his class, but school altogether.

So we are left to wonder how Thunder will react to Anna quitting school. Is Caitlin going to get back on track with her healthy lifestyle choices? Can Bailey make things work with Watio? What is next for Zoe?

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Featured, The Nature of Things

The Nature of Things explores how sound affects our lives for good and bad

Earlier this year, I watched a stunning documentary called Alive Inside. In it, social worker Dan Cohen shows that music seems to combat memory loss and cut through the fog of Alzheimer’s disease. It was a stunning and hopeful documentary about the power of music, something that’s echoed in Thursday’s new instalment of The Nature of Things.

“Sonic Magic: The Wonder of Science and Sound” jets from Canada to Italy, Australia, England and the United States as scientists, engineers, professors and historians uncover how music is being used to destroy cancer, halt brain disorders like the aforementioned Alzheimer’s disease and even change what food tastes like. Some of the most interesting footage of sound is presented in the first few minutes, as sand and water twists, jumps and wobbles into complex geometric patterns under the affect of sound waves played by musical instruments. (I used to pop the foam covers off my stereo speakers so I could watch the cones vibrate.)

Meanwhile, Trevor Cox plays a saxophone in the London tube to get a read on how architecture changes the way we hear sounds. A interesting example of a building celebrating sound is in Pisa, Italy where The Baptistery of St. John enables an opera singer’s note to resonate for nine seconds. Some information seems obvious—living in a loud environment like a busy metropolis raises one’s stress levels—but how noise can change the way food tastes is fascinating.

And the story of Daniel Kish, blind since 13 months of age using a technique he calls “flash sonar” to navigate the world on foot and on a bike? Simply incredible. 

The Nature of Things airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.
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Featured, Rookie Blue, Saving Hope

Rookie Blue’s Peter Mooney joins Saving Hope

Hope Zion has quickly become Rookie Blue reunion central. The past few weeks have seen Travis Milne and Charlotte Sullivan walk through the doors, and now it’s Peter Mooney’s turn. The former Nick Collins drops by Saving Hope for a recurring role as Jeremy Bishop, general surgeon and Charlie’s good friend.

His journey begins this week with “Waiting on a Friend” as Jeremy is plunged into the middle of a complicated surgical procedure that effects much of the team and we learn a bit about his backstory to boot. We spoke to Mooney on the phone as he walked home after having breakfast at Lady Marmalade.

Before we talk about Saving Hope, I have to ask you about Rookie Blue. I was sorry to see it get cancelled, but at least we got closure.
I think the way Tassie Cameron wrapped it all up was kind of perfect. As much as you hate to see something come to an end, I’m really happy with where it left off. There are no nagging, lingering feelings about anything.

That said, I would not be opposed to a spinoff web series following Nick and Juliet fighting crime in Vancouver.
Yeah, I wonder what they’re getting up to in Vancouver? I think that would be awesome. [Erin Karpluk] and I will do our own spinoff.

What do you take away from that set?
It was just such a good vibe on set. I know it sounds cheesy but it’s pretty rare to have that level of ease and comfort and familiarity with everyone. We’ve become really close friends throughout the process. It was a great period of life, like you might look back on high school. This little, self-contained time period that was so nice. It’s also something to bring onto future jobs; that attitude and how much fun work can be.

He’s there to complicate things that are going well for other people. High-stakes situations like this cause you to look at your co-workers a little differently and things can blossom.

If Rookie Blue was high school, is Saving Hope college?
It’s pre-med. [Laughs.] I think of it as pre-med because I’m sort of learning. We have amazing medical advisors on the show and yesterday I was learning how to do a one-handed, left-handed suture on a patient’s spleen. Now, the patient is just a dummy and I think I would have killed him if he had been real. We don’t have anywhere near the wealth of knowledge that actual doctors and surgeons have, but getting a taste of that has been really, really exciting.

You’re the perfect guy to have in an emergency. You know how to take someone down and to sew someone up.
Yeah, I’m the perfect person to have during a calamity on a plane.

Jeremy shows up in Thursday’s episode and makes an immediate impression with his three-day stubble and buttoned-down shirt. How did you get the gig? Did you audition or did they seek you out?
This one was kind of special and rare. Rookie Blue and Saving Hope share producers, so they were already familiar with me because we share a lot of the same directors. I’d known the cast because we’ve been in side-by-side studios and some of the cast are very good friends of mine. So when it looked like Rookie Blue was wrapping up, there was a perfect opening on Saving Hope so I jumped on over. It was a speedy transition and not a lot of time to learn all of the medical base I would have liked to.

Tell me a bit about Jeremy’s back story. We learn on Thursday that he’s a friend of Charlie’s and that he had some trouble in L.A.
He and Charlie go way back, and that’s rolled out during the season. He’s from Toronto but spent years in L.A. doing his residency. He had a house there and was really settled down. His return to Toronto is an abrupt, surprising shift for him and his head is still spinning when he arrives.

Jeremy seems to have a good bedside manner.
Yeah, he’s very off the cuff. He’s running on impulse and not very calculating and that comes in handy with his bedside manner because he’s able to read the situation and their need and he’s able to respond to that. He’s not a clinical or removed doctor.

Talk about his journey this season. Any love on the horizon?
He’s there to complicate things that are going well for other people. High-stakes situations like this cause you to look at your co-workers a little differently and things can blossom.

You’re filming Saving Hope until the middle of December. What’s next in the new year? Are you writing and developing your own projects?
I am. I have several projects in the early stages in development that I’ll go back and focus on. But I’ll be back to auditioning too, which is kind of exciting. It’s been such a long time since I’ve done that … I’m kind of excited to get back to it.

Saving Hope airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV.

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Featured, Haven, Rookie Blue, Spun Out, The Code, Working The Engels

Jason Priestley injured on set of Global’s The Code

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We’re sending out well wishes to Jason Priestley, who suffered an injury while filming Global’s new 2016 drama The Code. The drama project has been shut down for at least three days after Priestley was bucked off a horse while filming in Toronto; he won’t return until given a clean bill of health from a neurologist.

We understand the precaution. Priestley suffered a serious head injury, fractured spine, broken nose and fractured feet in a 2002 car crash during the Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series at Kentucky Speedway.

As previously announced, The Code stars Priestley as Matt “Shadow” Shade, an ex pro hockey player who uses his ability to read people and anticipate their next move to success as a crime-solving private investigator. The 10-part one-hour project also stars Cindy Sampson (Rookie Blue) as Angie Everett; Barry Flatman (Defiance) as Matt’s father, Don; and Jordyn Negri (Warehouse 13) as Matt’s daughter, Jules.

Based on the book of the same name by G.B. Joyce, The Code is executive-produced by John Morayniss and Rachel Fulford for eOne along with Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan, Shelley Eriksen, Alan McCullough, Tassie Cameron, Kelly Makin and Priestley.

Priestley has become a staple of Canadian TV both in front of and behind the camera in the last couple of years, appearing on Haven, Package Deal and Spun Out, and directing episodes of Saving Hope, Rookie Blue and Working the Engels. He’s also set to star alongside Molly Ringwald in Family Channel’s original series The Wonderful Wayneys.

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Blood and Water, Featured, Podcast

TV Eh B Cs episode 36 – Loretta Yu and Simu Liu talk Blood and Water

BloodWater

As you’re listening to this episode, OMNI TV has already premiered the first episode of Blood and Water, a half hour scripted crime drama following a murder, the family involved, and detectives trying to solve it.

I talked with both Loretta Yu and Simu Liu, whose characters of Teresa and Paul form a small part of this web of intrigue. We discuss this new endeavour for OMNI and some of the diverse choices that went into the conception and filming of Season One.

Along the way we also contemplate some of the challenges of being young actors in Canada tied to cultural expectations by show creators. All of this and some terse input from a four-legged friend who, for all we know, may be the murderer, in my conversation with Loretta Yu and Simu Liu.

Listen or download below, or subscribe via iTunes or any other podcast catcher with the TV, eh? podcast feed.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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