I'm Awake! Halifax Film / TV Blog

Okay, so my roommate Carly seems to have sweated out enough toxins that she's able to function on a semi-normal mindset. She's been taking my dog Biscuitface, out for walks, much to his relief, mine and probably the whole floor of our apartment building. And as a special treat she's been able to make the trip to Burger King for daily nourishment; Whoppers with Cheese. Really, all major food groups are faux represented here.

My sister Stella continues to gestate (ed. though you can't really tell where the baby starts and the Quarter Pounder with Cheese ends.) and there's still no sign of her former Brazillian boyfriend. Surprise, surprise. Another unproven hit and run. I love my sister Stella, but she lies around all day, watching Brazillian television and eating. True not much different than when she wasn't pregnant but she's become so complacent in her life...I think she's in for a hugely rude awakening soon.

As Carly has been out of commission, earnings wise, and Stella really hasn't ever earned any sort of living, it's up to me to bring home the bacon. (ed. even though you can'y leave the apartment to bring anything home and bacon on a Whopper with Cheese is extra.)

So I've decided to get out my old IBM Selectric (ed. Its like a PC only you only see words after they're printed out.) and write for tv like I used to. Being a shareholder in DHX aka Halifax Film, I think I may have an "in". Unfortunately, the ideas are not forthcoming. All I've come up with is a show called "Dora On The Go", where an animated girl talks to the audience to try and solve a puzzle i.e. quest. She has an animal sidekick who may or my not be wearing boots. Ah, they'll never go for that.

Speaking of Halifax Film, I woke up in a sweat last night because something reminded me that "we" may be in violation of the tax credit rules. Though we've raised $25M and then another $17M through investors, and another $2M through the Nova Scotia Business Inc. (ed. i.e. taxpayer dollars) I remembered that back in the initial days of the Nova Scotia Film and Video Tax Credit, there was a limit as to how much a company could be worth before getting more taxpayer dollars through the credit. This arcahic rule said that any company that was worth more than $25M shouldn't be accessing taxpayer dollars like they were some kind of welfare mother or something (ed. hello, people on welfare just got a $4/month raise! What more do they want?)

So I was quite relieved when I found that section had been deleted from the applicable legislation; phew. (ed. Is that the gov't's fiscal or ours? And when did we go public? Oh, never mind, film and tv is sexy and the best photo-op in the world!)

Now that section of the act says:

(a) the corporation is incorporated under the laws of Canada or a province of Canada and is a taxable Canadian corporation primarily carrying on business that is a film or video production business; (snore, Michael Donovan's a lawyer and he can hire someone to do this in their sleep)
(b) the corporation has a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia; (can you get more permanent than a bank? Well, how about one of Michael's two houses? Or Charles "the Green Arrow" Bishop's) (ed. I'd hate that, never knowing which house had my lucky socks in them.))

(c) at least 25% of salaries and wages of the corporation are eligible salaries. (again, Michael has taken care of this.)

I guess the gov't woke up and smelled the cappochino and figured, the bigger the better and if gov't money wasn't going to the squeegie kids (ed. why do their dogs have cellphones?) it should be spent on Rob Lowe's trailer.

My Whopper with Cheese is here so thats it for tonight. The list of Telefilm approved/financed scripts came out today so I shurely will be commenting on that tomorrow. Oh, bonus! Fries!