Oh, the national news. Isn’t it exciting?

Canada’s growing roster of roadhouse rendezvous attracted the national spotlight this past week as Tiger Woods, fresh off his grand-slam golf victory at the British Open, made an appearance in Kitchener, Ont. to shoot a Buick spot. This, combined with teen pop-sensations Britney Spears and ‘N Sync honoring us with their pubescent presence, has raised the profile of Canadian spot makers, and prompted the ire of the actors’ unions south of Jean Chretien’s realm.

Woods, according to the Screen Actors Guild, will be forced to appear before a sag trial, since the guild says he committed the ultimate striker’s sin, accepting a non-union job. Meanwhile, Spears and ‘N Sync, in Canada for McDonald’s, seem to have been a little smarter. The young entertainers offered one dollar from each ticket sold to their concerts on July 28 and 29, respectively, to the Screen Actors Guild Foundation – which the sag website says is ‘earmarked for membership financial assistance.’

Ironic, don’t you think? First, the pop stars are accused of undermining the cause of striking American actors by zooming up to Canada to shoot a commercial. Then, in the face of sag outrage at the betrayal, they declare their support for the strike and promise not to shoot any more spots outside the union’s jurisdiction. Then, they offer to give money to the foundation, which, if supporting members in financial need, is presumably helping out thespians who are out-of-work.

Soothe me, baby, one more time!

Butter-ups aside, it appears we can no longer circle the wagons, pretending not to be hosting struck work from the u.s. Strangely, though, our union-skirting ways have managed to bolster our reputation as top-quality producers of television spots. More Americans are being exposed to the work we do here, and it certainly bodes well for increased roadhouse jobs, after the strike ends (at this rate, probably sometime in the year 2020).

In other news, the staggering numbers of Canadians who ‘tuned in to be pitched’ at the iam.ca site may affect the paradigm of spot production and distribution, forever. What prompted 20,000 web-heads to download a streamed commercial? Perhaps it was the fact that, currently, there is no better Web entertainment online (besides scads of pornography). This either points to an incredible need for real entertainment on the Internet, or to an almost unbelievable desire for consumers to be pitched on products they already know and use. Either way, can’t you just smell an opportunity?