Hi Folks, finally updating on the local scene here with my editor Lunchmeat Harold (ed. Howdy!)
I'm leaving home, bye, bye. Yes, it's time for me to leave this fair province and return to my roots in Toronto. As faithful readers know (ed. Hey Carl and Jennie!) I moved to Nova Scotia 20 years ago when the business here was booming. Then I stopped working. Now it's time for me to get back to work. In Toronto. The land of milk and money.
I'll be changing the name of this blog but I will continue to write though probably more from a Toronto P.O.V. than a Nova Scotian one. (ed. sexy!)
That being said, let's see what's happening in our fair province.
Trailer Park Boys the series has been rapped and will debut on…a website? (ed. it's the latest thing!)
Actually this makes sense. The boys have a loyal aka rabid following and a subscription based website will probably do well. Considering the regular model of signing with a Canadian broadcaster (ed. Ha! Good luck with that!), then CMF, tax credits, blah blah blah. I'm wondering though how they came up with the money to produce the show. Anybody know?
The TPB III movie has been given a release date. (ed. wouldn't it be good to tell us what it is? I mean why bring it up if you don't know?)
A movie called Beethoven just finished shooting in town, I think it's about a German Shepard who can play piano.
Bill Niven and Jay Dahl are producing a film by Andrea Dorfman, (ed. presently in production.) and Deanne Foley is in town to shoot a feature film. (ed. why would a Newfoundland director come here?)
The Atlantic Film Festival went off smoothly, I'm told, despite a new crew running things there. Gregor Ashe the ex-executive Director of the AFF wasn't successful in the recent provincial election. Not sure what he's doing now. Anybody know? (ed. seems to be more questions than answers in this blog lately). I wonder if FilmNS or whatever they call themselves these days, had their annual exclusive friends only lobster boil this year. Or was that an Anne MacKenzie thing?
Speaking of Anne MacKenzie, what is she up to? Since her leaving/dismissed/quitting/shown the door as Executive Director of FilmNS last year she was suppose to have moved to Ottawa and started working at some mysterious "think tank". Did she do that? (ed. again with the questions.) She sure seems to be doing a lot of travelling. (ed. 1st Class? Or on her own dime?)
And that's all for now. I'll probably be renaming this blog CanadaTVandFilmStuff once I move to Toronto next week because Toronto is Canada.
If anyone has any questions, answers, comments etc please let me know.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
CTV's "Satisfaction"? More Like "Not Gratifying" Am I Right?
CTV has cancelled their 1/2 comedy "Satisfaction" in it's latest volley across the deck of CRTC's draconian dictate that Canada put Canadian shows on Canadian TV.
Despite a who's who of Canadian actors, Jessica Paré, Tommy Chong, Gordon Pinsent and comic Andy Kindler, Mark Critch, Ryan Belleville, Shaun Majumder, Peter Kelaghan, Gabrielle Miller, Colin Mochrie, Leah Renee, Luke Macfarlane, (ed. plus like hundreds of others.);
Despite most of the comedy writers in Canada today, Mark Critch, Bob Kerr, Albert Howell, Ryan Belleville, Tim Mcauliffe (ed. plus others!);
Despite hot directors like Mike Clattenburg, Jason Priestly (ed. and others!);
Despite 5 Consulting Producers, 2 Executive Producers, and 3 Regular Producers and 3 "Executives in Charge of Production"
Despite 8 Story Consultants/Editors;
Despite a crew numbering into the dozens and dozens (ed. zoinks, look at that Art Department http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2546024/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast . Didn't they have like 2 sets? )
Despite "Other Crew" in the dozens including everyone from P.A.'s to the "production & development coordinator: DHX Media" , "senior vice president: independent production"president: "ctv programming and sports" and everyone had an assistant.
They could not create a good show.
Now you all know me as a Rah! Rah! champion of Canadian television (ed. present discussion excepted) but it's time I let you all in on a not so secret secret.
The working title of this show might as well have been "Doomed for Failure".
When BCE bought CTV the CRTC (ed. m-o-u-s-e) they made them promise they would do their darndest to make Canadian television. BCE said "of course, that would make us very happy." CRTC obviously didn't believe them and told them they had to spend several million of their own dollars on making Canadian TV. BCE's smiles wavered a little bit but didn't crack and they said through clenched teeth "love to".
The deal was signed, and the CTV Exec's went to L.A. for photo ops with the cast of The Big Bang Theory" (ed. especially that girl!).
When they returned to Toronto they were reminded they had to make some Canadian TV. Rolling their eyes they said "whatever", called DHX and told them they needed a half hour comedy. DHX told them they could work up some proposals depending on the genre and demographics the network was after and they could meet and discuss. CTV said, "whatever."
Long story short, CTV spent a ton of money (ed. because they had too) paid off or invested in a bunch of favours from pretty well every creative, executive and administrative person in the business and came up with 13 episodes of Satisfaction.
Describing it as "a half hour single camera sitcom about being on the verge of adulthood, and struggling with the next step. Whether it's committing to a career, a relationship, or living arrangements, it's not easy being a twenty-something when you're torn between your immature past and your potential future."
Basically an excuse for sex, fart and drunk jokes. And surprisingly, given the talent, not very good ones.
CTV ran the series over the summer. On a Monday night. Critics didn't like it. People never found it. CTV shrugged and said "Bad ratings, sorry, we tried."
In actuality the ratings, about half-million viewers per, weren't bad, (ed. for a Canadian show.) but compared to reruns of Big Bang Theory, at 3 times that, look, it's a business.
So CTV spent a ton of money on Canadian programming as they obliged to do, a lot of people benefited and all is right in the world once again. It also works out for The Comedy Channel too, as the show will probably show up there and count toward they Canadian Content quota. But just in case Comedy has ordered 60 episodes of Match Game. This is a "reboot" of a game show from the U.S. A 60 year-old game show. But everyone on it is Canadian. So it counts. Shut up.
Sigh.
Other Canadian shows coming are Package Deal (City) and Spun Out (CTV).
Fingers crossed everyone.
Despite a who's who of Canadian actors, Jessica Paré, Tommy Chong, Gordon Pinsent and comic Andy Kindler, Mark Critch, Ryan Belleville, Shaun Majumder, Peter Kelaghan, Gabrielle Miller, Colin Mochrie, Leah Renee, Luke Macfarlane, (ed. plus like hundreds of others.);
Despite most of the comedy writers in Canada today, Mark Critch, Bob Kerr, Albert Howell, Ryan Belleville, Tim Mcauliffe (ed. plus others!);
Despite hot directors like Mike Clattenburg, Jason Priestly (ed. and others!);
Despite 5 Consulting Producers, 2 Executive Producers, and 3 Regular Producers and 3 "Executives in Charge of Production"
Despite 8 Story Consultants/Editors;
Despite a crew numbering into the dozens and dozens (ed. zoinks, look at that Art Department http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2546024/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast . Didn't they have like 2 sets? )
Despite "Other Crew" in the dozens including everyone from P.A.'s to the "production & development coordinator: DHX Media" , "senior vice president: independent production"president: "ctv programming and sports" and everyone had an assistant.
They could not create a good show.
Now you all know me as a Rah! Rah! champion of Canadian television (ed. present discussion excepted) but it's time I let you all in on a not so secret secret.
The working title of this show might as well have been "Doomed for Failure".
When BCE bought CTV the CRTC (ed. m-o-u-s-e) they made them promise they would do their darndest to make Canadian television. BCE said "of course, that would make us very happy." CRTC obviously didn't believe them and told them they had to spend several million of their own dollars on making Canadian TV. BCE's smiles wavered a little bit but didn't crack and they said through clenched teeth "love to".
The deal was signed, and the CTV Exec's went to L.A. for photo ops with the cast of The Big Bang Theory" (ed. especially that girl!).
When they returned to Toronto they were reminded they had to make some Canadian TV. Rolling their eyes they said "whatever", called DHX and told them they needed a half hour comedy. DHX told them they could work up some proposals depending on the genre and demographics the network was after and they could meet and discuss. CTV said, "whatever."
Long story short, CTV spent a ton of money (ed. because they had too) paid off or invested in a bunch of favours from pretty well every creative, executive and administrative person in the business and came up with 13 episodes of Satisfaction.
Describing it as "a half hour single camera sitcom about being on the verge of adulthood, and struggling with the next step. Whether it's committing to a career, a relationship, or living arrangements, it's not easy being a twenty-something when you're torn between your immature past and your potential future."
Basically an excuse for sex, fart and drunk jokes. And surprisingly, given the talent, not very good ones.
CTV ran the series over the summer. On a Monday night. Critics didn't like it. People never found it. CTV shrugged and said "Bad ratings, sorry, we tried."
In actuality the ratings, about half-million viewers per, weren't bad, (ed. for a Canadian show.) but compared to reruns of Big Bang Theory, at 3 times that, look, it's a business.
So CTV spent a ton of money on Canadian programming as they obliged to do, a lot of people benefited and all is right in the world once again. It also works out for The Comedy Channel too, as the show will probably show up there and count toward they Canadian Content quota. But just in case Comedy has ordered 60 episodes of Match Game. This is a "reboot" of a game show from the U.S. A 60 year-old game show. But everyone on it is Canadian. So it counts. Shut up.
Sigh.
Other Canadian shows coming are Package Deal (City) and Spun Out (CTV).
Fingers crossed everyone.
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