Tag Archives: Featured

Featured, Heartland

Heartland says goodbye to an old friend

2 Comments

Dear Paint,

I know everyone at Heartland is going to miss you, but I will too. I’ve only been watching Heartland for a few years now, but I know the relationship between you and Jack has been strong for longer than that.

You were given to Jack as a retirement gift when he quit the rodeo, and the two of you struck up an incredible and enduring friendship that, sadly, ended Sunday night. The first time that you went down, I willed Ty, Amy and Jack to pull you upright. The second time you went down, I knew that was going to be the end. I’m glad Jack chose to have Ty send you on your final journey, and that you dreamed of sweet grass and sunshine on your back as you drifted away.

Your days of herding cattle with Jack is over, and you can rest overlooking the fields you worked and played in. You certainly were, as Jack said, a good boy. You were loyal, standing by Jack when he suffered a heart attack, and you were patient too. You did everything Jack asked of you, and he, your Heartland family and viewers will never forget you.

I’m closing my letter by writing out Konrad Lorenz’s quote, altered by Georgie:

‘The fidelity of a horse is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being. The bond with a horse is as lasting as the ties of the earth can ever be.’

Rest well, Paint. I’ll miss you.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Canada’s Worst Driver careens into Season 11

1 Comment

You’d think that, after 11 seasons on the air, host Andrew Younghusband would throw up his hands and drive away from Canada’s Worst Driver. After all, instead of slowly improving the way this country’s drivers are, they seem to be getting worse. Then again, Worst Driver is more about entertainment than education, no matter what Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru may say. And ratings don’t lie: Season 10 was the most-watched show on Discovery.

Returning Monday to Discovery, Younghusband gamely welcomes nine Canadians and their nominators to the series’ top-secret driving location—not really, it’s Dunnville, Ont.—where they’re put through the paces for the next eight weeks before one is saddled with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.

This season, challenges will be faster, and all take place in a super-charged Dodge Charger (a beautiful car mistreated by all) in recognition that cars continue to perform at a brisker pace. And in a series first, Younghusband dons a racing suit to introduce higher-speed versions of classic Worst Driver challenges like “Eye of the Needle” and the “Water Tank,” as well as new tests to demonstrate the real-life risks of high-speed driving and its effect on precision and judgment.

As with previous seasons, the producers give viewers a chance to get to know each of the competitors as they drive to Worst Driver‘s track. There’s Renee, who freaks out if she drives over 60 km/h and throws on her four-way flashers to encourage everyone to go around; distracted driver Jordan; lead-footed Tina, who quaffed a vodka cooler and shooter before driving to the show; inadvertent speeder Cameron; angry driver Alex; grandmother Polly; crier Jillian; and siblings Sholom and Shmuel. Yes, Worst Driver is fun to watch, but it’s also damned scary. All of these folks are more focused on texting, eating, drinking and updating their Facebook profiles than they are on the road; what does that say for the people around me on the road every day?

Sure, Worst Driver is about those behind the wheel and loved one’s riding in the backseat or shotgun, but Younghusband is a bona fide star. You can’t help but laugh at his quick wit and expressive face, especially when he’s incredulous at what these competitors do.

It only took me half of Monday’s return to have a grave dislike for Tina. She saw no problem with drinking before hitting the road and confronted Younghusband when he lightly suggested she might have a bad attitude. Still, it is early days, and she may—along with the others—realize the err of her ways and improve. If not? She’ll be Season 11’s Worst Driver.

Canada’s Worst Driver airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Continuum, Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, Rookie Blue

Comments and queries for the week of October 23

Is House of Bryan: The Last Straw for Bryan and Sarah Baeumler?

I need an address to mail Bryan Baeumler a letter (more of an impassioned plea) for his construction expertise. —Rebecca

Check out the contact information on Bryan’s website.

Rookie Blue cancelled by Global

I can’t believe they cancelled Rookie Blue, it was my favorite show. Why do all the good Canadian shows get cancelled, like Arctic Air and Flashpoint? Next you’re going to tell me Saving Hope, Remedy and Heartland are gone too. What is wrong with Canadian TV? —Donna

Unfortunately, Global pulled the plug on Remedy after two seasons.

Continuum‘s end … and new beginnings

I understand Kiera ‘s choice. Being a mom myself, I know for a fact that I would take the chance to return to my son. The sad part is that she was so focused on returning that she didn’t take into account that if changes that she helped Alec to make would also change her timeline. It was a bittersweet ending where she changed the future for the better but lost her son. I hope that she’s able to make life for herself or I’d like to think that Alec sends her back to 2015 where she can be amongst friends knowing her son is OK. —Fahima

 

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

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Nightclub Confidential shimmies into Season 3

I stopped going out to clubs a long time ago. Back then, the local place I ended up featured requisite creamy shooters like Sex on the Beach and I drank my weight in Long Island Iced Teas. Now, over two decades later, I’m reliving the experience through the eyes of the folks working at Tequila NightClub in Nightclub Confidential.

Returning Thursday on City Saskatchewan—and available following each broadcast on the show’s website—Season 3 of Fahrenheit Films’ Nightclub Confidential catches up with owners Simon Papadopoulos and Bryan “Chunk” Pawlachuk as they try to make a go of it in the nightclub scene.

Season 2 ended on a sad note: Chunk decided to retire from the club game, prepped to sell off Tequila and went on vacation with his wife and kids. That left president Simon with a boring daytime gig and bouncer Mitch Gauvin out of the business and focusing on fitness and his relationship with Gina.

Picking up several months later, the plan to sell off the building fell through and Simon has taken on the day-to-day running of Tequila. Chunk is the landlord and looks for excuses to drop by and judge Simon’s way of running a business. And while Simon is enjoying playing boss, he’s having a hard time acting like one: he’s happy to hold staff nights and be the nice guy but a lack of respect from the DJs in Episode 1 grates on his nerves. Chunk, busier than ever thanks to a gig at Metric Design Centre and another child on the way with wife Nathalie, has nothing but stern words for Simon, who’s struggling to organize a New Year’s Eve party to ring in 2015.

Featuring smoke machines, blinding spotlights, a throbbing beat, scantily-clad customers and larger-than-life characters, Nightclub Confidential is an entertaining fly-on-the-wall peek at the successes and stresses of running a nightclub. It ain’t all shooters and sexiness.

Nightclub Confidential airs Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. on City Saskatchewan. Episodes stream for the rest of the country on the show’s website.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Podcast, Young Drunk Punk

TV Eh B Cs podcast 34: Punk and Disorderly with Bruce McCulloch

Actors Bruce McCulloch (left) and Atticus Mitchell are shown in a scene from the televsion show "Young Drunk Punk." THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Rogers Media-Michelle Faye

A member of the seminal Canadian sketch show The Kids in the Hall, Bruce McCulloch has written or performed several one-man shows including Two-Headed Roommate, Jazz Stenographers, Slightly Bigger Cities and most recently The Pink Dot Stories in San Francisco. Bruce has two spoken word/ comedy/ music CDs Shame-based Man and The Drunk Baby Project.
Bruce has written and/or directed several films including Dog Park, Superstar, Stealing Harvard, and Comeback Season. Bruce has also recently acted in episodes of Workaholics and the latest season of Arrested Development. His first book, “Let’s Start a Riot” was released last year.
He spends most of his time in L.A. where he writes and produces for network and cable television. He’s the creator of ABC’s Carpoolers. His latest project for City and CBC, Young Drunk Punk, is a show inspired by his own life that he both writes and stars in it.
We talk about all of this, and where Ferlinghetti may have puked, in my conversation with Bruce McCulloch.
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

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail