Cancon
‘It’s time the CRTC got serious about being a regulator and imposed some requirements that actually have some teeth.’
-Stephen Waddell, ACTRA’s national executive director, in response to the CRTC’s incentive program that offers broadcasters extra ad time for increased spending on Canadian programming

‘Does anybody really believe drama expenditure requirements are the answer to YouTube and MySpace?’
-Glenn O’Farrell, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, on the loss of ad revenues to the Internet

‘Many of our members are [no longer] in the industry. They’re freelance designers working in apartment buildings or bathroom stores.’
-Pamela Brand, national executive director and CEO of the Directors Guild of Canada, which claims that the 1999 TV Policy has had a devastating effect on its membership

The new Ceeb
‘His idea was ‘Let’s go out and do tons of research and find out what people want to watch,’ [and] – surprise, surprise – people want to watch stuff that’s not boring.’
-One producer’s reaction to CBC TV chief Richard Stursberg’s new vision for the pubcaster

‘A quick ‘No’ is wonderful – it’s the second-best answer you can have.’
-Arnie Gelbart, president of Galafilm Productions, on CBC’s pledge to respond more quickly to pitches for new shows

The awards season
‘[The Geminis are] very relevant if you win and it’s all crap if you don’t.’
-Brent Butt, whose series Corner Gas won the best comedy prize at the Gemini Awards

‘It’s kind of like a wedding ceremony where the bride’s side didn’t show up.’
-Gemini winner Linden MacIntyre (best writing, CBC’s the fifth estate) on CTV’s decision to excuse itself from this year’s news awards category

The film biz
‘How do you go to a studio and say ‘I’ve got Bennett Miller, I’ve got Dan Futterman, and I’ve got Philip Seymour Hoffman in a biopic about a gay writer – do you want to put up $12 million?”
– Infinity Features producer William Vince, whose US$7.5-million feature Capote scored five Academy Award nominations, including best picture, and won the best actor nod for Hoffman

‘I thought it was a Canadian devil movie, and I wasn’t going to do one of those.’
-Director Roger Spottiswoode, who originally turned down producer Laszlo Barna’s offer to helm the feature Shake Hands with the Devil due to a poor cell phone connection

Disaster
‘This situation is nothing short of catastrophic.’
-Céline Daignault, president of AQTIS, when Regency Pictures announced it was moving its US$75-million sci-fi feature Jumper from Montreal to Toronto due to the continuing spat between AQTIS and rival technicians union IATSE

Wrong
‘He is the right man, with the right job, at the right time.’
-Telefilm Canada boss Wayne Clarkson on the appointment of Michael Jenkinson, a former 20th Century Fox exec, as TFC’s new feature film executive for the English-language market. Weeks later, Jenkinson backed out, citing ‘unforeseeable circumstances’

Money, money, money
‘The thinking now is ‘how do we all stay rich and keep everyone happy?”
-An unnamed source involved in the reconciliatory talks between Alliance Atlantis’ Motion Picture Distribution and departed chair Victor Loewy

All hail King Serge
‘In the past, people have said [the WFF was] a piece of shit. Now everyone’s behind me.’
-Serge Losique, founder and president of Montreal’s World Film Festival, as he prepared to kick of the fest’s 30th edition, following reports the 29th run would be its last

‘The only things that will be left standing after the atom bomb will be Keith Richards and Serge Losique.’
-Producer Kevin Tierney on the WFF’s seemingly indestructible boss

Farewell
‘The Waters family has communicated… their commitment that we carry on building this great company… [Allan Waters’ passing] doesn’t change anything.’
-CHUM Ltd. CEO Jay Switzer on rumors that CHUM would be sold following the death of Waters, its founder and majority shareholder. Six months later, Bell Globemedia bought CHUM for $1.4 billion, pending regulatory approval

‘It isn’t like everyone dies or we blow up the lodge, or it was all a dream.’
-Steve Smith, writer/producer/star, giving a preview of the final episode of
The Red Green Show, which signed off after 15 years

‘I’m relieved. It’s like walking out of military service and going back to civilian life.’
-Jacques Bensimon, as he ended his five-year run as National Film Board commissioner