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TV

Parenthood Farewell

Parenthood Cast

The last episode of Parenthood airs in a few hours and I wish there was a way to postpone the series finale. It is one of my favourite shows and I’m sad that it’s ending.

As an only child, I enjoy watching shows with large families that don’t resemble my own family whatsoever. That’s why it was so appealing to watch Party of Five on Netflix during the summer.

The characters were always generous with each other and quick to rescue anyone in a crisis situation. Zeek and Camille raised their offspring to be kind and forgiving, which are key qualities. I liked when Zeek gave Drew the blue Pontiac, insisting that the grand gesture was meant to reward Drew for packing up the old Braverman home.

It has been a treat to watch the Bravermans grow up on Parenthood. They graduated, married and changed a lot over six years. From Haddie’s teary send-off to Cornell to Victor’s joyous adoption ceremony, viewers witnessed several big moments.

The show tackled many serious issues including special needs education and post-traumatic stress disorder. The plot has been a rollercoaster and that’s what kept it interesting. Parenthood’s scripts are unparalleled and I challenge the cast to find such good projects in the future.

Schitt’s Creek

Hot On The Street - Schitt's Creek - Dan Levy and Eugene Levy - IMG_8393

Dan Levy and Eugene Levy

I had the pleasure of attending the world premiere of CBC’s new series called Schitt’s Creek. Word on the street is that it’s a story about what would happen if the Kardashian family went broke; however, I think that description might be too generic. I think we’re at a point where referencing the Kardashians is almost a cliche.

The scripts for Schitt’s Creek have an uncanny resemblance to those of 2 Broke Girls, as they have a similar tone and sense of humour. Funny lines like “you have dandruff in your eyebrow,” demonstrate the cast and crew’s ability to create a show with excellent comedic timing.

When I heard the name of the show, I immediately thought about Dawson’s Creek. I’ve always been obsessed with that series. In addition to 2 Broke Girls, I also think it’s worth comparing Schitt’s Creek to Gilmore Girls, the beloved series that’s now available on Netflix. Gilmore Girls is my favourite series, so it sets a high standard for all future shows in my opinion.

Catherine O’Hara’s character Moira Rose embodies a few of the same traits as Emily Gilmore. Imagine how Emily would react if her husband’s insurance business went south out of the blue. Well, the difference is that Emily has way more class than Moira. Emily has better manners.

Compared to the parents, I prefered watching the younger characters in Schitt’s Creek, David and Alexis, played by Dan Levy and Annie Murphy respectively. No matter who you are or where you live, I know you’ll be able to draw parallels between them and people in your social network.

When my sister from another mister, the one and only Jessi Cruickshank, introduced the show at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, she proudly said, “Dan and I were rescued by MTV.” Thank goodness MTV selected the two to co-host The Hills After Show! How else would we know so much about Lauren Conrad’s clique?

As someone who misses the CBC show Being Erica, I’m glad that they’ve found a new way to develop content that will attract younger audiences. More importantly, let’s congratulate the team behind because Schitt’s Creek has already been renewed for a second season!

Sunday Night TV Highlights

Photo Source: Hollywood Life & E!

Photo Source: Hollywood Life & E!

Aside from the Oscars and Super Bowl, Sunday night doesn’t usually imply appointment viewing. Last night was an exception. I found myself flipping back and forth all night between the American Music Awards on CTV/ABC, Canada’s Smartest Person on CBC and Kourtney & Khloe Take the Hamptons on E! I’m one episode behind on The Good Wife, but I’ll fix that soon with Rogers on Demand.

Kourtney & Khloe Take the Hamptons

I wonder how many other dads leave hundreds of dollars worth of gifts for their kids and partners on their way to rehab. In the last episode, Scott went to rehab for five days, Kourtney’s therapist flew to New York for a surprise counselling session and Khloe celebrated her 30th birthday.

It looked like Khloe had a fun birthday bash and an even better surprise party, where French Montana gave her a Jeep. It’s a shame that Khloe’s anxiety about her age and relationship with Lamar interfered with her having a good time with friends.

Overall, it was a juicy drama-filled episode that was satisfying, yet somewhat difficult to watch given the sensitive subject matter about Scott’s behaviour and Kourtney’s health.

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Spark Sessions

With Marketing Director Jenny Jovanovic (Crazy Style Love)

Spark Sessions Marketing Director Jenny Jovanovic (Crazy Style Love)

The blogging world has become very saturated, so it was worthwhile spending the weekend at the second annual Spark Sessions conference to learn how to differentiate myself.

The opening keynotes by Andrew Sardone, Editor at Globe Style Advisor and Vanessa Craft, Beauty Director at ELLE Canada launched the event by describing bloggers as entrepreneurs. Vanessa inspired bloggers to become idea entrepreneurs and leverage our blogs to influence how readers think and behave. “Blogging is storytelling with a megaphone,” she said. Think about the power that comes with being a blogger and consider your future legacy.

Winnie Chan explored various legal issues that are relevant to blogging like CASL, disclaimer policies and copyright infringement. Though it was interesting to hear a lawyer’s perspective about what we do on WordPress, I would’ve preferred to see more visual examples of do’s and don’ts. Likewise, Maxine McDonald from Langton PR helped us understand which information is fundamental to include in media kits, but she didn’t show any examples of media kits she likes.

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Canada’s Smartest Person

Hot On The Street - CBC Canada's Smartest Person

CBC just proved that Facebook ads work.

When a few sponsored posts popped up in my feed about their upcoming game show series Canada’s Smartest Person, I quickly signed up to join the studio audience. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of co-host Jessi Cruickshank and Canadian entertainment, so attending a live taping was a no-brainer.

Canada’s Smartest Person tests participants’ knowledge and skills in a unique way that makes it like a hybrid of The Apprentice, Survivor and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. All of the participants are challenged to prove they deserve to earn the coveted title through tasks that range from ordinary to geeky.

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