Browsing Tag

Canadian entertainment

Mazel Tov to the Cast and Crew of Being Erica!

CBC just announced their 2011-2012 line-up today and Being Erica made the cut. Mazel Tov to the show’s creator and executive producer, Jana Sinyor, as well as the rest of the cast and crew. Thanks to Jana, millions of Canadian fans have been introduced to Erica Stange, a (fictional) hardworking Jewish woman from Toronto who has as many embarrassing moments growing up as the rest of us. The show’s success can also be measured by the fact that an American adaptation of the show for ABC is in the works.

Here’s the list of other returning shows to look forward to next year:

22 Minutes
Battle of the Blades
Being Erica
Best Recipes Ever
Doc Zone
Dragons’ Den
the fifth estate
George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
Heartland
InSecurity
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Marketplace
The Nature of Things
Republic of Doyle
The Rick Mercer Report 
The Ron James Show
Steven & Chris

According to Maclean’s, new programming pickups for the 2011-12 season include Mr. D, starring Gerry D and produced by Topsail Entertainment; Michael Tuesdays and Thursdays,  featuring the writing and acting talents of Bob Martin and produced by Rhombus Media; the co-production Camelot, from Take 5 Productions; Kevin O’Leary in Dealer to Leader, developed by Wide-Eyed Entertainment in conjunction with CBC; and Cover Me Canada, produced  by 11 Entertainment.

February 11, 2011 by

In the News: Canadian musicians ask for new levy

Courtesy of Canadian Press:

An A-to-Z list of Canadian music stars, including Anne Murray, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, and members of the Tragically Hip, called on the government Thursday to impose a levy on MP3 players. More than 350 musicians signed a letter addressed to Industry Minister Tony Clement and Heritage Minister James Moore about the government’s copyright bill, C-32.

A Commons committee began studying the proposed legislation this week, and the two ministers testified before MPs on Thursday morning.

The letter urges the ministers to apply a levy to MP3 players that would later be redistributed to artists in royalties, in the same way that levies are currently applied to blank cassettes and CDs as compensation for music that is copied by Canadians.

“MP3 players are this generation’s version of blank media. A copy is a copy and the principle of fair compensation for rights holders should apply whether the copy is made onto blank media or MP3 players,” the artists wrote.

“…We know that you do not want to see a Canada that is devoid of musicians and songwriters, but without fair and balanced treatment, that may be the tragic consequence.”

Other artists who attached their names to the letter include Stompin’ Tom Connors, Tom Cochrane, Lawrence Gowan, Metric, Hedley, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards and Hawksley Workman. The letter was co-ordinated by the Canadian Private Copying Collective, the organization that takes in existing levies and hands out royalties to singers, songwriters, producers and record companies.

Last week, a group of Canadian actors lobbied MPs on Parliament Hill on the same issue on behalf of actors union ACTRA.

Clement and Moore have consistently said they are against applying a levy to MP3 players, calling it an unnecessary tax on Canadians.

Bill C-32 makes it legal for Canadians to copy music for personal use, although it has been criticized in some quarters for making it illegal for an individual to pick a digital lock imposed by rights holders to do so.

Some critics also say the legislation gives educational institutions to much freedom to reproduce and use copyrighted material.

November 25, 2010 by

American Music Awards

I enjoyed live tweeting the American Music Awards last night, but I wasn’t all that impressed overall.

It’s great that Canadian singers have garnered critical acclaim internationally, but are the American Music Awards really the right time to recognize Michael Buble or Justin Bieber? We Canucks have our own version of the award show; it’s called the Junos.

1.    I think it would have been more fitting if Miley performed ‘Party in the USA’, but showbiz told her to do otherwise I suppose. In any case, I muted the TV after she took the stage.

2.    I loved when Enrique’s marching band emerged in the aisles. This was also the first time I saw what Pitbull looks like in real life.

3.    Bieber’s sneakers were cool, but his attempt to be the new Michael Jackson – not so much. It was no surprise when the camera immediately panned to Usher’s reaction after Bieber concluded the song by kneeling on the ground, as if he were praying. Anyone could anticipate that Bieber’s mentor would be smiling.

4.    It was nice to see Christina make use of the vocal chords that made her famous when Disney featured her in Mulan’s soundtrack. She was a cute pop star back in the day, but then she started releasing such awful music that I barely take an interest in her new releases. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see her and Cher on the big screen next week in Burlesque.

5.    Rihanna is beautiful, but what was with her hair?! That shade of red is so unnecessary.

November 22, 2010 by

Concert Review: Arcade Fire

It sure has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed all the fun that Centreville has to offer. August 14th marked my first time back at Toronto Island in about ten years. It was also the first time I’ve seen patrons encouraged to support local eateries like Big Fat Burrito, rather than tempted to buy overpriced slices from Pizza Pizza. Despite the inconvenient wait for the ferry, the Island is a great venue for outdoor summer concerts. Surprisingly, I found the acoustics were better than I’ve heard at Molson Amphitheatre, so I anticipate that we’ll see many more popular headliners perform there in the future.

If you haven’t listened to Polaris Music Prize finalists The Sadies yet, please Google them ASAP; and the same goes for fellow opener Janelle Monae, who is simply incredible. While she was barely on my radar before this past weekend, Janelle has an unmistakable ability to demand attention, such as by standing on top of a speaker. After making a dramatic entrance covered in a black cape, Janelle was full of energy for her hour long set. She even impressed the talented Jully Black who tweeted that she is “dope”, and rightfully so. ‘Wondaland’ is a particularly catchy song, as was ‘Another Year Again’ by The Sadies.

Once the sun disappeared and Arcade Fire came on stage, they proved why their album has been #1 on the Billboard charts this month. Their ninety minute performance had the perfect combination of hits like ‘Keep the Car Running’ along with tracks from their new album The Suburbs, including my personal favourite, ‘Modern Man’. Lead singer Win Butler and his wife Régine Chassagne only spoke to the audience twice: first for the purpose of promoting their charitable work with Kanpe, an organization offering aid to people in Haiti, and then to thank Torontonians for their loyalty. Meanwhile, the band’s use of black and white clips from vintage films made for interesting multimedia displays without distracting fans from the eight musicians or their critically acclaimed lyrics.

While broadcasting a show live online was an innovative idea on their part, oohing and aahing along with thousands of other fans isn’t something you can do in front of a computer screen. When they first disappeared prior to their encore, the audience continued chanting to the tune of ‘Rebellion (Lies)’. Evidently, fans can’t seem to get enough of Arcade Fire, especially given that this was their third show in Toronto alone this summer. As the clock keeps ticking, one can only imagine what’s next for Arcade Fire, the band that never disappoints.

Originally published on Sympatico’s The Hook.

August 16, 2010 by