Sunday, November 15, 2009

Interview: Cra$h & Burn's Caroline Cave

I interviewed actress Caroline Cave from the upcoming Cra$h & Burn and the current Saw VI:
  • Interview: Cra$h & Burn's Caroline Cave
    "Luke Kirby's Jimmy Burn is clearly the title character of Cra$h & Burn, premiering Wednesday on Showcase. Catherine Scott, played by Vancouver actress Caroline Cave, may just be the Crash. 'It was a clever spin,' she says of the Toronto Star article that so labelled her. 'I had failed to see it so directly, but it's actually true. We see her in the middle of a divorce, with a demotion in her career. She's sleeping around a lot, she's drinking a lot. We meet her on her descent, whereas Jimmy's on his way climbing up and out.'" Read more.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Emmy outrage

The Emmy time-shifting controversy grew after I posted my initial rant. Over 150 showrunners/executive producers signed a petition, the Writers and Directors Guilds are accusing the Academy of breaking their agreement, and an Emmy producer was obnoxious at the TCA press tour. This post has reactions from Hart Hanson (Bones), Lawrence Kaplow (House), and Anonymous Writer, as well as the previous ones from Jeff Greenstein (Parenthood) and Adam Barken (Flashpoint):
  • TV Writers Protest Emmy Changes
    "I've always dreamed of winning an Emmy," the anonymous writer commented. "And now I'm on a show that could actually win, and the trophy looks golden, but I know deep down she's a ****." Read more.
Yeah, I hated censoring but a) Blogcritics wouldn't have printed it and b) it's my least favourite word ever. But a great quote.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Interview: Andrew Airlie of Defying Gravity

I write nothing for Blogcritics for 3 months, then 4 in a week. My latest is an interview with Canadian actor Andrew Airlie (Intelligence, Reaper):
  • Interview: Andrew Airlie of Defying Gravity
    "I don't think they went into it with the idea, 'OK, let's find something that will satisfy the sci-fi and the Grey's crowd,'" Airlie explained, pointing out the inspiration for the show was the BBC pseudo-documentary Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets. "They found the source material interesting on its own, and they dramatized it and boosted the production value." Read more.

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Emmys Snub Writers ... Again

I rant a little at Blogcritics about the Emmy change announced yesterday. The Emmys diminishing the role of the writer should be as unthinkable as the Oscars diminishing the role of the director.
  • The Emmys Snub Writers ... Again
    "Jeff Greenstein, currently a writer/producer on the upcoming Parenthood, formerly with Desperate Housewives, and a long-time Emmy judge, said the news was the talk of the writers' room. 'I find it ironic that the year after the skit with the five reality show hosts saying 'we got nothing' – the biggest bomb in Emmy history – that they’d kick the writing awards off the show.'" Read more.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Interview: Quinn Cummings of Notes From The Underwire

Here's my interview with author, word nerd, and Oscar nominee Quinn Cummings:
  • Interview: Author Quinn Cummings of Notes From The Underwire
    "I suspect – I hope – we’re coming into a more modest, more realistic age, where the goal of life won't be to get the Bentley you drive to the Hamptons. Aspiring to that much fabulousness is exhausting. Sometimes I can practically hear the exhalations of relief when someone writes in to admit that they, too, are just trying to get through a day without falling up a flight of stairs." Read more.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Interview with Passenger Side writer/director Matthew Bissonnette and actor Joel Bissonnette

My latest at Blogcritics, after a long absence:
  • Passenger Side Takes An Eccentric Ride Around LA
    "It's fitting that Passenger Side, a film about a day-long road trip around Los Angeles and environs, had its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival. It's also fitting that I saw it two hours after arriving in Los Angeles after being the passenger on a week-long road trip. But the LA of Passenger Side is not the LA of a tourist, unless that tourist were particularly fond of transsexual prostitutes, middle-of-nowhere gas stations, and low-rent porn shoots." Read more.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

House Confirms TV Trend: "Normal's Overrated"

My first (mostly) House article for Blogcritics in forever includes interviews with two mental health professionals: the president of the American Psychiatric Association and a psychologist/psychotherapist:
House Confirms TV Trend: "Normal's Overrated"

As the 2008-09 television season ends and networks begin to reveal plans for their 2009-10 schedules, a surprising pattern emerges.

Pilots in contention for the upcoming season include NBC's Legally Mad, with Kristin Chenoweth as an attorney with flashes of psychosis, and FOX's Maggie Hill, whose title character is a heart surgeon with schizophrenia. Canada’s Showcase recently ordered Shattered, a 13-episode series starring Callum Keith Rennie as an ex-detective with dissociative identity disorder.

Renewed freshmen series Fringe and 90210 feature main characters coping with psychiatric conditions. And among the more senior series, House led up to Monday's season finale with a storyline involving suicide and Hugh Laurie's dysfunctional doctor questioning his sanity after confronting his inner Cutthroat Bitch: Wilson's dead girlfriend Amber appeared to him as a facet of his tormented psyche.

Read more.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Interview: George F. Walker and Dani Romain of The Line

My interview with The Line co-creators George F. Walker and Dani Romain. Sorry again for the punny title - it's my default when I can't think of anything else:
  • Cops and Drug Dealers Cross The Line In New Series
    “The Movie Network and Movie Central are premiering a new cop show today, but don’t expect another case-of-the-week premise. ‘These cops weren’t going to investigate anything because they think they know all they need to know, so it’s just a matter of what they’re going to do about it,’ said The Line co-creator George F. Walker in a recent interview. ‘They don’t follow procedures. They are past caring about their jobs.’” Read more.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

For stupid people or smart dogs

I know, I know, I never write, I never call. The lack of activity will likely continue until about March 2010, so I will make no promises about rebooting this blog nor will I continue to apologize when I do happen to re-emerge, because I know that just gets annoying. If you happen to still be reading, though, I have to share my laugh of the week:


Non-Potable Water - DO NOT DRINK

Taken at the new speed skating oval. Sorry for the poor image quality but I was taking a picture of a toilet - the haste apparently made my hands shake.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Interview with actor Eli Goree

My interview with the actor from Da Kink in My Hair and Soul:
  • Actor Eli Goree Conquers Canadian Television, Two Shows At A Time
    "Some people see acting as a frivolous job, but I think it's so much more than that," he told me. "I think it's the responsibility and accountability of artists to guide society a little. We have the opportunity to show people where they're at, where they've been, and where they could go. It's not be to be taken lightly." Read more.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Interview on ZOS: Zone of Separation

My interview with executive producer/writer Malcolm MacRury and actors Enrico Colantoni and Rick Roberts:
  • In ZOS: Zone of Separation, Even Peace Is Hell
    "This is a story that could take place in Toronto, it could take place in New Orleans. All you have to do is shut the water off for a month and see what happens. This is in the heart of Europe. It's supposed to be civilization. And it broke down into tribal religious violence, same way Belfast did. That's why it's important to tell the story now. We simplified it, too: it's Christians and Muslims. Well, open the newspapers. That's the debate all around the world right now." Read more.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Wisdom from Mercer, mocking from 22 Minutes

Rick Mercer's rant - Parliament and the Need to be Informed:



This Hour Has 22 Minutes - "Blankets with Sleeves!"


Monday, January 12, 2009

Interview with director David Straiton

For TV, eh?/Blogcritics I interviewed the director of Defying Gravity's first episode. He's also a regular director of House, so there's some House and Hugh Laurie talk, plus comparisons of US versus Canadian productions and his take on Vancouver as the appropriate filming location for the future-set series:
  • Defying Gravity Director David Straiton Looks To The Future
    “Set 50 years in the future, Defying Gravity has been called Grey’s Anatomy in space. It may also be Lost in space. But it’s definitely not Lost In Space. ‘Fifty years ago we didn’t have iPods or cell phones or Internet or ATMs, but we still had cars, we still had houses with four walls, we still had television,” said director David Straiton in a recent interview. “Fifity years from now, it’s not The Jetsons.’” Read more.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Thoughts in Brief

The latest roundup of pop culture thoughts, previously posted to Twitter (some have been edited to get rid of the horrendous grammar/puzzling phrasing caused by 140 characters or less):
  • The Hollywood Foreign Press is a joke but I love me some Golden Globes. Open bar=entertaining awards show.
  • Favourite Golden Globe moments? Slumdog Millionaire win. Mickey Rourke thanking his dogs, but not the writer of The Wrestler. Tina Fey's Internet joke ("If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet"). Ricky Gervais' Holocaust Extras shout out to Kate Winslet ("Well done, Winslet! I told you, Do a holocaust movie and it will come").
  • List of Canadian TV types on Twitter. Let me know if I'm missing someone.
  • Any time I interview some about a scifi show I'm told it's not really scifi. Selling that genre to wider audience clearly not easy, but come on.
  • Forced to watch Tropic Thunder. So not my kind of movie, but yeah, some very funny moments. "Never go full retard."
  • Writing interview w/director David Straiton of Defying Gravity. Not one of my finest and I hate listening to my voice at the best of times. Ugh. (Interviewee Straiton is great, though, the ugh was all for me. Frequent references to House as example of his points - he knew my weakness.)
  • Warming up before venturing out again by watching ZOS: Zone of Separation in prep for interviews. Terrific but disturbing - ffwding through torture/landmines.
  • Enrico Colantoni spends entire Zone of Separation series wandering around in a Speedo and ammo belt. Not a pretty sight but he's hilarious.
  • Bad: updating the TV, eh? site is taking more time than usual lately. Good: Because more Canadian shows are airing than usual.
  • Final Pushing Daisies eps not airing anytime soon, but TV Guide says ABC contractually obligated to ... sometime.
Want to follow me on Twitter? I'm here.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Interview: Brooks Gray of Cock'd Gunns

I interviewed the writer/actor for Blogcritics:
  • Cock'd Gunns Gets Second Chance, Hopes For Second Season
    "The mockumentary series Cock'd Gunns is about a fictional rock band looking for their break. It also happens to be a show looking for a break. The first season, reminiscent of both Spinal Tap and Trailer Park Boys, is being replayed Fridays on IFC beginning January 9, and it's probably safe to say those reruns will be new to a lot of people." Read more.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Random pop culture thoughts

It's been a while since I've done a roundup of my recent relevant Twitter activity so here's some of my latest pop culture thoughts, in 140 characters or fewer:
  • Web Therapy web series by Lisa Kudrow/Don Roos is pretty funny - and not geoblocked.
  • Mostly loved Curious Case of Benjamin Button, though a little slow, a little puzzling in its themes, a little Forrest Gumpy.
  • I'm quoted in article re: TV marketing (re: ZOS on Air Canada). Weird to be interviewee instead of interviewer.
  • Loving new music purchases TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, Mates of State. Mostly discover music via TV shows and popcandy. Me=unhip.
  • Been watching Gavin & Stacey so if it's remade by a US network I can be smug and say it's not as good as the original. Love it so far.
  • Neighbour gave me Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Like Harry Potter for adults. Not my usual read but I'm enjoying.
  • Bakugan makes no sense to me [it's a tv show like Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh, but also a game I was "taught" over the holidays]. Doomed to feel intellectually inferior to friend's 8 year old. But I'm totally smarter than the toddler.
  • Book gifts I received - The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way, and Troublesome Words. Is it possible I'm a nerd? Nah.
  • No energy to write year review so Twitter version: TV sucked, best movie, Slumdog MillionairePredictably Irrational most interesting book.
  • So I can't get away with just saying TV sucked? Fine. Writers strike hurt 2 seasons. Bit disappointed in fave shows, no new shows to love.
Want to follow me on Twitter? I'm here.


Slumdog Millionaire - my pick for best movie of the year

Interview with Michelle Harrison of Wild Roses

I interviewed the actress about her role in the new CBC series:
  • Wild Roses Explores Thorny Saga Of Two Families
    “‘Some of the bigger themes are quite Shakespearean, like loss and love and betrayal,’ explains star Michelle Harrison, who doesn’t disagree with the Dallas comparison either. She points out that the two dueling families at the heart of the series — the debt-ridden ranchers, the Henrys, and the oil-rich McGregors — also have a Capulet and Montague vibe. ‘The love that shouldn’t happen is happening all over the place,’ she laughed.” Read more.