Is it still on? I haven't seen it for a few days. :shrug:
I give up on Lost. I have no idea whats going on with that thing. I'll buy the book later. :(
samne
Oct 24, 2006, 2:38 AM
this 'dragons den' show is the best t.v. i have seen since seinfeld went off the air....cudos to the mother corporation for some great imagination.
I saw it for the first time last week and loved it. Great format. The 'dragons' are hilarious.
SpongeG
Nov 21, 2006, 6:38 AM
seems Shaw has changed its channel line up again
al the upper channels shifted around - makes a little more sense but ugh
there is gonna be a Canadian version of Deal or Deal coming up - so is it gonna be a few shows or just one? doesn't seem like they are filming for very long
LordMandeep
Nov 21, 2006, 10:12 PM
is it me or is Canadian TV very liberal. Meaning they hardly bleep out swear words and movies are never edited for Tv on Canadian TV. Like on CBC news you hear people saying the F-word sometimes.
SpongeG
Nov 21, 2006, 11:25 PM
its always been that way
since i was a kid - nudity has been shown on nornmal Canadian TV
even the dreaded penis has made appearances on shows
especially french canadian TV
Jay in Cowtown
Nov 24, 2006, 2:26 AM
All things considered, I'd say the CRTC is somewhat the lesser of the evils when compared to the FCC.
The FCC is not even in the same ballpark as the CRTC... sure, they try to keep a bare ass off of basic cable, to make the good god-fearing folks of the red states happy... but they are not commies like the CRTC.
circle33
Nov 24, 2006, 4:59 PM
CTV says the hit comedy series Corner Gas has secured a U.S. distribution deal with American cable network Superstation WGN.
The two-year, 88-episode deal with the Chicago-based network will make the series available in nearly 70 million U.S. homes beginning in 2007.
CTV also announced Corner Gas is now licensed internationally to broadcasters serving 26 countries, including Australia, Iraq, Finland and Morocco.
Brent Butt, the star, creator and producer of Corner Gas, says in a statement he is "very excited about both the international and the U.S. deals."
He says "we get so much American programming up here in Canada, it's nice to be able to give a little something back."
Source (http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=11dd32dc-6b2a-4f12-ac68-b2c2e6bcb2c0&k=18013)
I find it moderately watchable, though I suspect a little sub-concious home team bias affects my judgement. Will it play in the big time ? Will they change the setting to North Dakota? I guess we'll see.
Can't do any worse than "Yes Dear"
harls
Nov 25, 2006, 1:56 PM
'Corner Gas' is so similar to 'a day in the life of my dad' that it creeps me out.. in a good way.
SpongeG
Nov 28, 2006, 2:42 AM
i've never seen an episdoe of corner gas
maybe i can catch up on wgn now
SHOFEAR
Dec 15, 2006, 4:41 PM
I don't have access to the rest of it, but very good news. :cheers: Basically it goes on to say TSN will have the option of keeping the status quo and sell some games to CBC, or play them on CTV.
New CFL deal could leave CBC out in cold
TORONTO - The CFL appears poised to cash in on a massive new TV deal believed to be worth up to $75 million over five years in a pending agreement with TSN that could leave the CBC out on the sidelines, sources with knowledge of the talks said Thursday.
canucklehead2
Dec 16, 2006, 4:38 AM
I wouldn't be surprised if CBC tried to buy one of the sports networks, or decided to launch it's own to compete. To me it's long overdue.
On a sidenote, did anyone else read about the 5 TV station applications for Edmonton? Apparently they are The Miracle Channel from Lethbridge wanting to broadcast it's signal in Edmonton, CH Red Deer wanting to do the same, Rogers hoping to bring Omni to Edmonton, M Channel from Vancouver, hoping to do the same with multi-lingual programming as well as a 5th bid for an ethnic tv station. This should be interesting..
Go for it. Having more than one TV network in your city is a gift. Thunder Bay will be forever jealous of your more than one crappy choice.
The Monopoly continues......
SpongeG
Dec 17, 2006, 9:04 PM
M Channel is ok - doesn't seem that "multicultural" other than the news in various languages it seems to be syndicated american shows like the simpsons, malcolm in the middle, ER etc.
Jay in Cowtown
Dec 17, 2006, 10:15 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if CBC tried to buy one of the sports networks, or decided to launch it's own to compete. To me it's long overdue.
At our expense!!!
Just die CBC!!!
SHOFEAR
Dec 17, 2006, 10:19 PM
On a sidenote, did anyone else read about the 5 TV station applications for Edmonton? Apparently they are The Miracle Channel from Lethbridge wanting to broadcast it's signal in Edmonton, CH Red Deer wanting to do the same, Rogers hoping to bring Omni to Edmonton, M Channel from Vancouver, hoping to do the same with multi-lingual programming as well as a 5th bid for an ethnic tv station. This should be interesting..
Does it not seem incredibly silly that you need approval to run a TV station? How exactly does anybody benefit from that? Unless you plan on showing hardcore porn all day long, there should be no reason why you can't register for a channel and broadcast.
SpongeG
Dec 17, 2006, 10:21 PM
it is odd - but canadians must be babied
Jay in Cowtown
Dec 17, 2006, 10:59 PM
it is odd - but canadians must be babied
"babied"... you mean dictated!
SpongeG
Dec 17, 2006, 11:06 PM
i can sort of undertsand perhaps why they do it- to make sure that no one loses money or whatever in such a venture - but at this point and time media is all big business and wouldn't lose money in starting something up - silly for the fact that they would research very carefully the markets they want etc.
what sucks is we don't have community access anymore - they still have it in the states
we used to have it with rogers in the 80's and 90's here - a hugely popular show was the complaint deptarment where people phoned in and complained
it was great
now we have SHAW which has a SHAW community channel but its all slickly produced stuff - no community access feel or real access at all
Rusty van Reddick
Dec 17, 2006, 11:21 PM
"babied"... you mean dictated!
Jay, why don't you do us all a favour and leave Canada? US immigration standards aren't THAT high. There are hundreds of Ted Mor(t)ons there and you'd be much happier.
SHOFEAR
Dec 17, 2006, 11:37 PM
i can sort of undertsand perhaps why they do it- to make sure that no one loses money or whatever in such a venture - but at this point and time media is all big business and wouldn't lose money in starting something up - silly for the fact that they would research very carefully the markets they want etc.
That's pretty much what I was thinking....but we don't have such boards to ensure people don't lose money in other business ventures, why TV or radio?
Jay in Cowtown
Dec 18, 2006, 1:33 AM
Jay, why don't you do us all a favour and leave Canada? US immigration standards aren't THAT high. There are hundreds of Ted Mor(t)ons there and you'd be much happier.
Why??? so people like "you" can continue to ruin this country, without anyone like me standing up for ourselves!!!
No Thanks, I'm staying put... and will continue to call out ridiculous things like the CRTC.
Does it not seem incredibly silly that you need approval to run a TV station? How exactly does anybody benefit from that? Unless you plan on showing hardcore porn all day long, there should be no reason why you can't register for a channel and broadcast.
It is to keep track of what channel is running on what frequency. So that TBT 2's signal doesn't drown out TBT 4's signal. That's why you won't see a Channel 2 and Channel 3 in the same market, or a 95.3 and a 95.9 in the same market. It also prevents the market from getting over-saturated. So that not every Tom Dick and Harry doesn't start their own TV station. Keeping the dial free of clutter and the market organised. The United States has very firm control over their local markets and is trying to end TV stations that operate in a way that we refer to as 'Twinsticks'.
It's good to have a body regulating it so that it isn't abused. Though I will agree with you that the CRTC does have more power than it should.
Now, I hope the civilised way I have explained this has allowed you to rethink your opinion on the matter. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
@Fuzzy: Thanks for you meaningful contribution to our discussion. The way you reacted to the forumers post was not only mature and civilised, but also very informative. Have a gold star!
See, we have to work in sync with the FCC in the US to prevent stations overlapping others (Which would become very common in an unregulated market. Italy has some stations broadcasting at high power over a large range, pushing out a lot of competition in the market) but there does need to be choice. While we are fairly lucky in Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Television while not the best TV station has arguably the best local news coverage in the country, there are other markets with no decent TV representation (Hamilton is one that I think of here). In a case like Hamilton, I would think there should be more support for a competing station based there to provide more choice in the market. This is a situation where it seems the CRTC and the lobbying voice of TV stations in that market force them out. (That is, it isn't entirely the CRTC that is the problem, but the lobbying of existing stations. Thunder Bay Television threatened to terminate a deal with Shaw Cable, taking away the companies rights to broadcast the channel, if they didn't remove CIII from Channel 14 on their dial. They did within days of the request and we no longer have any Global channels in NWO. TBTV and CJTV do have rights to air many Global shows, but lose rights to some CTV and CBC shows, like Daily Show from CTV and the occasional movie or documentary on CBC. Like Global and CTV, TBTV is very Ameri-Centric. The bulk of it's Can con is local news and CBC programmes.)
So - the CRTC keeps an eye on the mediascape, ensuring it isn't abused (Drowning out competition with stronger signals); Isn't oversaturated (10 local stations in a market of 160,000).
If you need clarification of my clusterfuck of a post, just ask.
canucklehead2
Dec 18, 2006, 7:24 AM
I do agree there needs to be some basic regulation to make sure that signals don't override each other, but I personally believe that it should be an open market free for all, because having our choice of television dictated to us is so outmoded and 20th century. I don't think however that the CRTC is going to go away anytime soon so the best best is online broadcasting in order to deliver new stations to the mass market. Eventually I am hoping to get into not only publishing but broadcasting as well, at least online...
I would support an open area (say 20-40 UHF?) for civilian broadcast. But running a TV transmitter is very hard work. It would be interesting to see. This is a democracy, and that is a way of making it stronger. I would also support extending FM down a bit farther into the 80MHz range or the 110MHzs. to allow for more public content.
canucklehead2
Dec 18, 2006, 5:30 PM
Personally I think one more harsh solution may be to just cut out the middle man and let American broadcasters beam their signals in Canada directly. This would probably bankrupt the so called Canadian broadcasters, or at least force them to create their own original programming.
In a way, our current broadcast landscape exists only to make private companies profits from rebroadcasting foreign programming with little original or Canadian content..
I know the rationale behind it, and the pure economic sense, but I still don't think that it's fair that the CRTC closes the door to competition only to see a few companies rewarded. Not only is it anti-democratic, it's anti-capitalist as well, in terms of there not being any real true competition...
MolsonExport
Dec 18, 2006, 5:57 PM
Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim.
As Shatner would say, "They. Must. Die."
Get rid of them. Now.
Following Nike, "Just do it."
http://www.speakers.ca/speakers/images/speakers/mulroney_ben_lg.jpg http://images.ctv.ca/archives/CTVNews/img2/20051103/160x140_tanya_kim.jpg
SpongeG
Dec 21, 2006, 5:05 AM
Alliance Atlantis broadcasts ‘for sale' notice
Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., which has been rumoured since October to be contemplating a sale, officially put itself on the block Wednesday.
The Toronto-based broadcaster issued a brief statement before the markets opened Wednesday saying that it has “recently sought expressions of interest from selected potential buyers as to their interest in purchasing [Alliance].”
Alliance Atlantis owns 13 specialty TV channels, including Showcase, The Food Network and HGTV, and is the worldwide distributor of the hit television CSI: Crime Scene Investigation outside of the United States.
The company is being advised by RBC Capital Markets on the process.
CanWest Global Communications Inc. is considered a logical buyer for Alliance, since the Winnipeg-based media company has said it would like to add specialty television and Alliance's channels offer the quickest route for expansion.
CanWest is simultaneously looking for a buyer for its Australian TV network, which would give the company flexibility for acquisitions back home.
However, Montreal-based Astral Media Inc. is also a leading contender and has the muscle for a deal. The pay-TV, radio and French-language specialty television broadcaster said at its annual meeting this month that it wants to expand outside of Quebec and the Maritimes. Astral is also sitting on a stockpile of more than $80-million in cash and has been hunting for acquisitions since it backed away from buying CHUM Ltd this summer when Bell Globemedia offered $1.4-billion.
The profitable specialty channels operated by Alliance could draw a host of potential suitors, which may also include Shaw Communications Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., analysts have suggested.
“Given the attractiveness of its specialty broadcasting assets, there are a number of players for whom an [Alliance] purchase would make strategic and financial sense,” analyst Carl Bayard of Desjardins Securities said in a research note. “Astral, Corus [which is controlled by Shaw] and CanWest . . . would all kick the tires during an auction.”
Alliance Atlantis is controlled by Southhill Strategy Inc., which includes executive chairman Michael MacMillan and Seaton McLean.
“Southhill has informed [Alliance] that no decision to sell Southhill's controlling interest in [Alliance] has been made,” the statement said.
Alliance Atlantis has frustrated analysts in recent months by staying silent on several key developments at the company, including issues involving its movie distribution business, which have directly impacted the stock. No further details of the potential sale were provided Wednesday.
Alliance Atlantis shares have risen sharply in recent days, including a spike Tuesday ahead of announcement, and have climbed more than 7 per cent in the past two weeks.
The company's B shares hit a one-year high on the Toronto Stock Exchange this week and climbed further Wednesday, gaining $6.17 or 14.5 per cent to $48.67 a share. Alliance's market cap prior to Wednesday's move was roughly $1.9-billion.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares and talk of a potential Alliance sale was referred to as “the worst kept secret in the industry” by several observers at a broadcasting conference in Vancouver last month.
Two key questions hang over a potential sale though. First, the future of its movie distribution business, which is 49 per cent held by the Movie Distribution Income Fund, is unclear. The business is up for sale, but a deal could get bogged down in restrictions imposed on foreign ownership by Heritage Canada, analysts predict. Rules on how a deal must be structured, including restrictions that a foreign owner that must not directly run the operation, may dissuade potential buyers from outside Canada.
Second, analysts have suggested the CSI asset could hinder an Alliance sale since the company doesn't disclose all of its financial data for the series. While CSI has been a cash cow for Alliance, putting a value on the series is therefore difficult for potential suitors. Some analysts have suggested that an Alliance sale could be made easier if the CSI operations were hived off from the specialty TV assets and sold separately.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061220.walliance1220/BNStory/Business
Taller Better
Dec 21, 2006, 5:56 AM
Ben Mulroney and also Ralph Benmurgi. As well, Mike Dullard must be sacrificed. And Julie VanDouchebag from the CBC. It is for the good of society that they go.
vid
Dec 22, 2006, 12:24 AM
"Mike Dullard must be sacrificed."
He isn't worthy. Just declare him a witch and throw him in a pond.
SpongeG
Dec 23, 2006, 10:49 PM
has anyone noticed the new "fight" channel?
Yes. :) It's right below Fox News on our cable system.
The only channels that high that aren't porn. :)
SpongeG
Dec 28, 2006, 12:35 AM
funny how the day that the alliance atlantis sale was in the news that all the alliance atlantis channels weren't working for a short time...
MolsonExport
Jan 1, 2007, 6:17 PM
Anyone see John Cleese insult the hell out of Ben Mulroney on the TV special covering the best of the 'Just for Laughs' festival?
No, but I heard that Ben Mulroney spend a night a Michael Jackson's house! :D
Taller Better
Jan 1, 2007, 7:34 PM
I can't stand most of "Just for Laughs". I don't like 95% of stand up comedians, and they keep playing the same repeats over and over. I love the Just for Laughs practical jokes show, though... they do all sorts of goofy things to people.
Ben Mulroney is soooooo lame, and I am not crazy about the dizzy Trudeau son either. The theatrical one who wants to be an actor/politician/personality, etc...
SHOFEAR
Jan 2, 2007, 1:49 AM
I can't stand most of "Just for Laughs". I don't like 95% of stand up comedians, and they keep playing the same repeats over and over.
I used to watch it, but after taking in a few live performances, just for laughs is to tame to interest me any longer.
Nutterbug
Jan 2, 2007, 2:52 AM
No, but I heard that Ben Mulroney spend a night a Michael Jackson's house! :D
Ben's much too old.
Ben's much too old.
Nonono, when he was younger. :)
MolsonExport
Jan 2, 2007, 2:17 PM
No, but I heard that Ben Mulroney spend a night a Michael Jackson's house! :D
And Michael needed therapy afterwards, on account of almost being bored to death.
SpongeG
Jan 4, 2007, 6:10 AM
haha ^^^
just for laughs gags can be funny
Taller Better
Jan 4, 2007, 6:26 AM
And Michael needed therapy afterwards, on account of almost being bored to death.
LOL!! THAT was funny!! :haha:
harls
Jan 4, 2007, 12:40 PM
Those "get hairapy" commercials are driving me nuts. the company that makes that irritating product must have bought a solid hour of commercial time last night.
wtf is 'hairapy'? marketing people need to be beaten.
MolsonExport
Jan 4, 2007, 3:45 PM
^Hate them. Also, do you hate the 'Magic Cuts' commercials saturating the airwaves? With that girl: "I like what you did last time...let's do it again"
Also the Knorr Soup ads (with the bleeps) are just stupid: Using Knorr is not a @#%#@$% or a *&^(^(%(%!
I am going to kill those fvcking Bell Mobility Beavers
harls
Jan 4, 2007, 4:30 PM
That haircut commercial ripped off the "everybody loves raymond" theme, didn't it? Yeah, I hate that chick's mouth.. it looks like she could swallow a softball.
Frozen doesn't have to be a bad word! 'Powdered-chemical-sauce-in-a-shrinkwrapped-container', sure... but not 'frozen'!
You should have seen le Bye Bye de RBO on New Years Eve, Molson.. they did a good spoof of the Bell Beavers! :D
Taller Better
Jan 5, 2007, 5:10 AM
I'm getting tired of all animals being used to advertise telecommunications. Dogs, geckos, monkeys, chicks, beavers. The idea is tired.. I repeat tired.....
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
malek
Jan 5, 2007, 5:32 AM
I'm getting tired of all animals being used to advertise telecommunications. Dogs, geckos, monkeys, chicks, beavers. The idea is tired.. I repeat tired.....
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
thats like one of the golden rules of tv marketing use any of these or a combination of
1-babies
2-cute animals
3-old loveable folks
Jay in Cowtown
Jan 5, 2007, 6:08 AM
2-cute animals
Apparently Telus got that memo!!!
Those Telus monkeys haunt my dreams.
MolsonExport
Jan 5, 2007, 2:15 PM
thats like one of the golden rules of tv marketing use any of these or a combination of
1-babies
2-cute animals
3-old loveable folks
Yeah, and what about that annoying 'NANA' (the elderly black lady)...some phone company (Rogers, methinks).
The commercial comes on 20,000,000 per hour.
Those Telus monkeys irritate me as well. What the Frock to monkeys have to do with cell phones? Except perhaps that Monkeys undoubtedly write up the subscription plans (the old "Monkeys on the typewriter" analogy), and quite possibly, compile the calculations for your monthly bills.
Jay in Cowtown
Jan 5, 2007, 11:51 PM
The wife and I bought a 71'' DLP for Christmas, and those bright white Telus commercials blind us everytime they come on... we're thinking of sueing!
^ DO IT!! SUE!! SUE!!
One more to add, if it hasn't been added yet - The Taco Bell commercial. It's Kershitty! :tup:
Overground
Jan 6, 2007, 8:41 AM
Those Telus commercials are painful...very painful. The knob-ends that are behind those need to be offed big time. Staying with the Telus theme, other than those commercials and my Telus, lame-ass, animal calendar I've taken down finally...my internet service has been stellar.......oh shit did I just jinx myself?
I think that guy from the Subway 'eat fresh' commercials is gone, I haven't seen him for a while and there is another commercial for subway now!!!! :hyper:
SpongeG
Jan 6, 2007, 8:12 PM
have you seen the American versions of the Hairapy commercials? they are even weirder - same voice over guy but completely different commercials
I liked my reaction to them. :)
"Oh, oh, the ugly homosexual on TV doesn't like your hair!! It's time for consuming, sista!!" :banana:
I got a sample of it in the mail. 'Yellow is for flat!! :fruit: ' Yeah, fuck you. :)
I can't stand that guy. :P
Kilgore Trout
Jan 10, 2007, 12:38 AM
so... how about the hype surrounding "little mosque on the prairie"? the show has been covered pretty much everywhere around the world... google news even turns up some results from slovakia. in today's globe and mail, john doyle gave the premiere a great review, saying that it's hokey but also very funny and good-natured. margaret wente, meanwhile, dismissed it as "too cute" and unrealistic because its muslim characters are not scary terrorists. she also wrote that we should all be offended because the show portrays white small-town folk as dimwits. i love her double standard: where is her column bashing "trailer park boys" and "corner gas" for protraying small-town canadians as simpletons?
i'm going to watch the show tonight just to spite wente. god she is annoying.
It was actually pretty good. It portrayed Muslims as real, normal people, (well, except the goat thing. But c'mon, who HASN'T sacrificed a goat, eh?) and it portrayed people in small towns as racist xenophobes that can't comprehend diversity.
It was brilliantly realistic. Though also somewhat stereotypical. But I can comfortable say that CBC has found something to compete with Corner Gas.
SpongeG
Jan 10, 2007, 3:45 AM
has anyone seen "wilby wonderful"? a little canadian film - its pretty good
Kilgore Trout
Jan 16, 2007, 8:53 PM
i actually found "little mosque" to be pretty lame. it was actually quite painful to watch --- and i say this as somehow who really loves the concept of the show. it was just so corny.
that said, i wish it all the best because there are certainly enough people out there who appreciate cute, campy humour. maybe i'll tune in again a few episodes from now. sitcoms really depend on the strength of the characters. although corner gas trades in a similar kind of aw-shucks comedy, i actually enjoy it because the characters are so well-played and well-developed.
canucklehead2
Jan 21, 2007, 10:03 PM
Even though it's ratings were still cut in half, Little Mosque seems to be holding it's own, with 1.2 mln tuning in the for the second episode premiere, but it's overall numbers will be higher than that, since CBC has taken to the strategy of running it's more expensive/popular programming twice per week in order to give advertisers a bang for their buck and more importantly fill it's schedule on a budget.
IntotheWest
Jan 22, 2007, 7:44 PM
Not sure if this gets noticed anywhere else in Canada...but it's a good annual vent in Banff now, and will be televised on FSN (not sure when though). As well, the funds raised this year will stay in Canada for the Waterkeepers Canadian chapter. The event originally was supposed to cycle between US and Canadian mountain resorts, but Kennedy and Baldwin love coming to Banff (and the Banff Springs) so much, that they just continue to return every year...
Just one of many articles in the Calgary Herald from the last week...
Stars glam it up for Banff gala
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Font: * * * * Tom Babin, Calgary Herald
Published: Sunday, January 21, 2007
He may not have been the biggest attraction of the weekend -- that would be Christie Brinkley, judging by the flashbulbs following her -- but Tim Robbins's arrival at the gala dinner in Banff on Saturday signal-led the arrival of perhaps Hollywood's big-gest activist.
Robbins was scheduled to attend the annual Fairmont Banff Springs Sports Invitational, a fundraiser for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s environmental group the Waterkeeper Alliance, but was a no-show for the first two days of the event.
But the star flew in from New York just in time for the gala.
"I don't even get to go skiing. I have to fly out tomorrow."
Others who appeared at the event included actors Mimi Rogers, Fran Drescher, Marcia Gay Harden and event host Alec Baldwin.
The dinner and a silent auction -- which included such items as a walk-on role on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, two days in Cape Cod with the Kennedy family, a 10-day trek through Bhutan with Kennedy and Dan Aykroyd -- are expected to raise upwards of $1 million for the Waterkeeper.
Peter Frampton was to perform at the gala.
Although Kennedy left the question of the night unanswered -- would he run for the U.S. Senate in Hillary Clinton's seat? -- Robbins was happy to give him a little nudge.
"I've been asking him to do that for years," Robbins said.
tbabin@theherald.canwest.com
Taller Better
Jan 22, 2007, 8:00 PM
i'm going to watch the show tonight just to spite wente. god she is annoying.
I detest that selfish cow. She should have stayed in her native USA where everything is done to her liking. I can't believe the G&M keeps her on payroll. They should trade her to the Post for a stapler, or a doorstop or something.
canucklehead2
Jan 27, 2007, 4:45 AM
So Water (Canada's entry this year to the Oscar's) was selected for the short list. Has anyone seen it yet? I wanted to but never got around to it..
LordMandeep
Jan 27, 2007, 7:03 PM
wait a second didn't Water come out in TIFF in Sept 2005????
It was released in 2005 but is getting picked for 2007. Wierd...
SpongeG
Jan 28, 2007, 7:09 AM
i know
its been on Movie Central for a long time now - and its been on DVD for most of 2006 i think
perhaps it got an international release long after the Canadian release
SpongeG
Jan 31, 2007, 5:34 AM
Are Canadian babies ready for their own TV channel?
A TV channel aimed at babies under age three that has caused controversy in the U.S. and U.K. could soon be launched in Canada.
The CRTC, the federal regulator in charge of television, has approved the channel for distribution and Rogers Cable, one of Canada's largest cable carriers, is considering carrying it.
"We're having discussions with the channel to offer it to our customers," said Nancy Cottenden, a spokeswoman for Rogers, which serves viewers in Ontario and New Brunswick.
The channel offers commercial-free, educational programming that encourages interaction between parent and child, the broadcasters say. It would be available with a subscription fee.
But experts in child development say infants and toddlers should not be left in front of a television.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says infants and toddlers need to play and talk with others, and should be kept away from TV.
A 2003 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a U.S.-based independent health think-tank, found that 68 per cent of American children under age two watch TV or videos daily.
BabyFirstTV launched in the U.S. last May and the BabyTV channel has been available in the U.K. since October.
Baby-appropriate programming
Dr. Edward McCabe, president of the American Pediatric Society and a member of the advisory board for BabyFirstTV, says if children are watching, they need appropriate content.
McCabe says he supports age-appropriate programming that has been designed with input from child-development experts.
"The studies all show that babies are watching TV," he said. "So let's provide babies and their families with the right content."
The Canadian version of BabyTV, available in both official languages, has short segments that are easier to understand for young children and claims to avoid the rapid flash and noise of regular TV programming.
Instead it features baby songs, animated segments, soothing music and gentle colours in the evening to help babies sleep, and games and activities parents and children can do together.
A Canadian competitor that had a similar channel proposal called BabyHD says it is disappointed the CRTC approved a channel with no homegrown shows.
"We are hugely disappointed with the CRTC's decision," said David Patterson, senior vice-president of High Fidelity HDTV Inc. in Toronto. "We're back to having to consider our alternatives."
BabyTV, based in the U.K., is pre-packaged and already shown in more than a dozen countries. It applied to the CRTC a month ahead of Patterson's BabyHD.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/01/30/baby-tv.html
Then what the fuck is Treehouse for? Put that on and all the babies sit in a semi-circle in front of the TV, leaving me some free time to play SC4. How can you beat that??
"Yer watshin TWEEHAUZ!!"
SpongeG
Jan 31, 2007, 10:01 PM
treehouse is for an older demographic :shrug:
like 3+?
baby is 3-
what are they gonna show?
they could show this 24/7 or at least make it a 30 minute program :banana:
or have people playing peekaboo
SpongeG
Jan 31, 2007, 10:18 PM
Has anyone and gone and seen something that isn't a movie at a theatre?
Cineplex looks to Broadway after opera hit
Cineplex's success with high-definition, pay-per-view National Hockey League games and the recently introduced direct-from-satellite live performances from Lincoln Center of the New York's Metropolitan Opera has convinced the company to look into putting on more special events.
Professional wrestling, World Cup soccer, speakers' series and big-screen video-game competitions have already appeared at Cineplex theatres, along with pay-per-view concerts by David Bowie and Bon Jovi.
What's next? Possibly Broadway shows.
"I would love to see Broadway productions on screen, and I think our audiences would as well," said Pat Marshall, vice-president of communications and investor relations for Cineplex, Canada's largest cinema chain.
The company is planning to meet with Broadway producers later this year.
"It's absolutely in our strategic plan," Marshall said.
Meanwhile, Cineplex is already expanding the number of theatres from 28 to 34 across Canada offering opera simulcasts and encore presentations from the Met.
The six additional cinemas are in Montreal; Mississauga; Newmarket, Ont.; Peterborough, Ont.; Ottawa and Nanaimo, B.C., and the next scheduled performance is a repeat screening of Bellini's I Puritani on Feb. 10. Also on the schedule is the live simulcast of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin on Feb. 24, a repeat showing of Tan Dun's The First Emperor on March 10 and the live simulcasts of Rossini's The Barber of Seville March 24 and Puccini's Il Trittico on April 28. There has already been a "tremendous amount" of advance tickets sold for the last live simulcasts, Cineplex said.
Canada is one of a number of countries showing the high-definition Met performances in movie theatres. Cineplex's original plan was to screen the operas in only 12 major movie markets across Canada. But by the time the curtain rose on the first simulcast of Mozart's Magic Flute on Dec. 30, a number of smaller cities had been added, from Coquitlam, B.C., to Ste-Foy, Que.
Because Cineplex is a publicly traded company and hasn't released its quarterly financials yet, Marshall could only say that the Magic Flute simulcast sold out in 12 theatres (Victoria was the first community to sell out) "and our numbers only grew from there."
Cineplex has also been in contact with the Canadian Opera Company, and "we are certainly open to looking at a number of new opportunities along this genre," Marshall said.
"We have never experienced a situation like this in the past, whereby our guests [that is to say, theatregoers] are phoning my office, e-mailing my office, contacting our customer-service group and are walking up to our theatre managers in the volumes that they are" to find out about the simulcasts, she added. "The opera is a tremendous example of the strength of word-of-mouth advertising."
About 90 per cent of Cineplex theatres in Canada have digital projectors to play pay-per-view events, Marshall said. These, however, aren't the leading-edge projectors needed to show digital Hollywood movies. Cinema chains are still some way from a complete digital conversion, particularly since the chains are looking for Hollywood studios to foot the bills for those projectors. "So it's a $10,000 unit versus a $100,000 unit, which is what would be required to replace 35-millimetre film," Marshall said.
Still, with so many theatres already refitted with digital projectors of the quality used for the operas, Cineplex plans another season of Met simulcasts, with possibly more than the six shown this year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070131.wxopera31/BNStory/Entertainment/home
"Has anyone and gone and seen something that isn't a movie at a theatre?"
Considering it's the cinema you go to to see movies, yes. I assume many have!
I've seen several plays at the local theatre company but none in their new building. (Which is older than their old building but bigger, more historic and centrally located, and allows them to perform in a park with lots of audience interaction in the summer.)
SpongeG
Feb 1, 2007, 3:04 AM
oh you know what i mean - do you go watch WWE or hockey games at the multiplex
harls
Feb 1, 2007, 3:32 AM
what's the fuckin' point of watching a hockey game at a movie theater, unless you're a leafs fan that can't afford the outrageous price for a ticket to a game?
and those birthday parties they advertise... what kind of idiot would agree to wrangle a herd of kids to one of those? what an AWESOME idea.
You can actually drop off the kids and the staff takes care of them. You can hop over to starbucks in your suv to cry about how your husband doesn't love you anymore while the kids are being force fed sugar by teenagers and watching Finding Nemo.
It's actually a great idea! Hey, if Zellers can host birthday parties, why cant Silvercity?
SpongeG
Feb 1, 2007, 4:19 AM
what's the fuckin' point of watching a hockey game at a movie theater, unless you're a leafs fan that can't afford the outrageous price for a ticket to a game?
and those birthday parties they advertise... what kind of idiot would agree to wrangle a herd of kids to one of those? what an AWESOME idea.
they only broadcast the pay per view games
lots of people like to experience things in group settings be they friends or strangers - no different than going down to the bar to watch a game
i guess this forum is full of loners who hang out alone and dream of tall things? :shrug:
they only broadcast the pay per view games
lots of people like to experience things in group settings be they friends or strangers - no different than going down to the bar to watch a game
i guess this forum is full of loners who hang out alone and dream of tall things? :shrug:
Pretty much, yes.
harls
Feb 2, 2007, 12:44 AM
lots of people like to experience things in group settings be they friends or strangers - no different than going down to the bar to watch a game
That wasn't my point though, my point is why would you pay for it? Why pay to watch it in a theater when I can watch it with my buddies for free at the bar? Granted, I'll be spending money on beer, but it's probably cheaper than whatever 'deals' they offer at the cinema. Plus, they probably don't allow booze in those things.. bastards.
That wasn't my point though, my point is why would you pay for it? Why pay to watch it in a theater when I can watch it with my buddies for free at the bar? Granted, I'll be spending money on beer, but it's probably cheaper than whatever 'deals' they offer at the cinema. Plus, they probably don't allow booze in those things.. bastards.
Yes, but some people want to see it in a chair, unable to get up and talk amongst themselves without being shushed, while listening to sound of a superior qualitie on a screen as big as a house. :)
We call them 'loners' and they fuel the economy. :)
SpongeG
Feb 2, 2007, 4:27 AM
That wasn't my point though, my point is why would you pay for it? Why pay to watch it in a theater when I can watch it with my buddies for free at the bar? Granted, I'll be spending money on beer, but it's probably cheaper than whatever 'deals' they offer at the cinema. Plus, they probably don't allow booze in those things.. bastards.
maybe people are alcoholics or 13?
who knows
but the big screen is hot to watch
lately before movies they have been playing music videos - they look great up there
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 5, 2007, 1:18 AM
I'm sure enjoying my non-CRTC approved Super Bowl commercials on Directv! lol
ScottFromCalgary
Feb 5, 2007, 1:20 AM
Don't even get me started on CRTC...
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 5, 2007, 1:23 AM
Don't even get me started on CRTC...
I could very well lose it and snap!!!
ScottFromCalgary
Feb 5, 2007, 1:26 AM
It's true, i've been known to go into the odd booze-induced, anti-CRTC/pinko commie rage on Super Bowl.
Nutterbug
Feb 5, 2007, 1:33 AM
Just don't replace them with the FCC, unless you want...
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"<bleep> off, Mr. Lahey!"
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 5, 2007, 3:18 AM
Just don't replace them with the FCC, unless you want...
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"<bleep> off, Mr. Lahey!"
Id rather have an organization than bans the word "fuck" on basic cable... rather than one that bans entire channels and satellite systems... just like North Korea does!
... just my thoughts though
The local broadcaster rule is stupid. Shaw Cable (A Calgary company!) fucks up no less 20 times a month, putting TBT over the wrong US channel, and once, inserted local commercials over top of a show. I don't know what it is with Shaw Cable, but they fucking suck. If the cable wasn't included in the rent, I'd be using Satellite right now.
That law should be scrapped and the CRTC should be reformed. They have too much jurisdiction and a lot of their rules no longer make sense. Could you imagine if they tried to force CanCon on the internet??
I can't wait until TBayTel's cable license kicks in this summer. ADSL, TV and Phone, on one bill, and 90% of the profits go into the city's coffers, keeping taxes lower than they would be without it. Every city should have municipally run companies!
Imagine is a city co-owned Walmart?? They'd be rolling in money! :D
Oh, and ROBTV is a specialty channel, while CNBC is on regular cable?? WTF? And why are MSNBC and FNC up there too? (FNC is actually grouped with porn channels, until recently was sandwiched between pridevision and hustler :tup: iono why) And APTN is too far up, it's a basic channel, it should be lower down. And how about giving people across the country and option between all-English and all-French channels, so we can eliminate that jumble of French or English TV at the top of the spectrum? We should be able to pick what we want to. :rant:
And they whole TBT monopoly here is stupid. No one company should have that much control (~45% print, 70% radio and 95% TV) over a regional media!
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 5, 2007, 4:01 AM
I hear ya on Shaw, they're terrible! Rogers sounds alot better... and at least they try to challenge the CRTC.
I hate the CRTC... I've thought the best scenario for cable in Canada is to have all U.S. channels on digital bundles, and have the Canadian channels on Basic and Tiered... to get the U.S. ones, you have to pay for the Canadian ones as well... nobody loses. Also, scrap Movie Central & Movie Network, add all the HBO's, Showtimes, Starz, etc. and dub in the Canadian content as needed.
Having Directv... I've noticed just how much programming doesn't make it across the line, and what does is usually dated. Television in Canada is alot better than it was 5 years ago... but still is no match to what's available in the U.S.
Rusty van Reddick
Feb 5, 2007, 4:16 AM
We have expressvu and watched the Super Bowl on CBS (seattle), and saw all the US commercials. Legally.
Nutterbug
Feb 5, 2007, 4:23 AM
Id rather have an organization than bans the word "fuck" on basic cable... rather than one that bans entire channels and satellite systems... just like North Korea does!
... just my thoughts though
How about nudity on Bravo, Showcase, Life and Discovery?
SpongeG
Feb 5, 2007, 4:29 AM
what i hated about SHAW was remember in 2001 or so when 60+ digital channels were startinng up - Rogers offered all that started up and SHAW only offered 30 - half of them
so unless you get bell you're screwed for choice
I only got digital when i heard about all the channels i could get and wham none of the ones i wanted were available - grrr
We have expressvu and watched the Super Bowl on CBS (seattle), and saw all the US commercials. Legally.
Really? I saw it on CBS (Detroit) and saw commercials for 'Jones, and Associates! We're with you, ev'ry day! At Jones and Associates, we're with you ev'ry day! *duh duh duh duh* Oh at Jones And Associates we're with you ever day, at Jones and Associates, we're with you ev'ry daaaaaaaaay!!!!' (THat is an old commercial, btw. :P Even older than the 'We've got a Giant Hearrrrrt' montage, and possibly the Thunder Bay Vignettes theme song!). But I guess the time shifting channels are exempt from that? Or it was just over looked.
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 5, 2007, 4:52 AM
We have expressvu and watched the Super Bowl on CBS (seattle), and saw all the US commercials. Legally.
"Legally"... HBO is a crime? come and get me!!! lol
Bell must have fucked up... unless you were watching it in HD... then I can see this happening.
SpongeG
Feb 5, 2007, 5:17 AM
maybe the time shifting?
i get the eastern time zones on digital and they never put the canadian commericals over the american ones for the eastern time zone channels
That must be it.
We've found a loophole! :D
Rusty van Reddick
Feb 5, 2007, 4:38 PM
"Legally"... HBO is a crime? come and get me!!! lol
Bell must have fucked up... unless you were watching it in HD... then I can see this happening.
Of couse I was watching in HD, what else would I be watching? What sort of trailer trash doesn't watch the super bowl in HD?
Pirated satellite is indeed illegal, and good luck getting that customer service.
Taller Better
Feb 5, 2007, 5:00 PM
Of couse I was watching in HD, what else would I be watching? What sort of trailer trash doesn't watch the super bowl in HD?.
LOL! :haha:
"What sort of trailer trash doesn't watch the super bowl in HD?"
Probably the same one that doesn't use ten digit dialing, you condescending fuck.
:)
Jay in Cowtown
Feb 6, 2007, 1:10 AM
Of couse I was watching in HD, what else would I be watching? What sort of trailer trash doesn't watch the super bowl in HD?
Pirated satellite is indeed illegal, and good luck getting that customer service.
Pirated is tampering with encrypted hardware to recieve a signal without paying for it... I pay a subscription to Directv with an actual Credit Card and address I have in the States... which you could probably do as well, being that you're a Yank and all... but then of course you wouldn't get Venus 756. lol!
Taller Better
Feb 6, 2007, 1:33 AM
"What sort of trailer trash doesn't watch the super bowl in HD?"
Probably the same one that doesn't use ten digit dialing, you condescending fuck.
:)
I think Fuzzy was giving our collective leg a gentle pull ....;)
Nutterbug
Feb 6, 2007, 1:55 AM
CRTC vs. FCC
Culture fascists or moral fascists--which do you prefer?
I think Fuzzy was giving our collective leg a gentle pull ....;)
Of course he was. He always is, isn't he?
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