Famous Players doesn’t just want people to see Sideways. It wants people to see it two, three, maybe even four times, and it’s dropped the prices at its Ontario theaters to make it happen. The exhibitor chain announced late last month that it was knocking $4 off its general admission price – down to $9.95 – in hopes of drawing bigger crowds.

* Peter Moss has gone from EVP of programming to creative consultant at Corus Entertainment’s TV division, looking to concentrate more on producing and directing. Meanwhile, Phil Piazza has been appointed VP of programming for children’s television, a position previously held by Joanna Webb, who is now VP of programming at Corus-owned W Network.

The CRTC has released a series of incentives intended to improve the viewership of French-language drama on private and conventional TV. Broadcasters can now earn the right to air between two and three additional minutes of advertising for each hour of original French-language drama aired during peak hours.

Barbara Williams has exited the top spot at Toronto 1 to be SVP of programming and production at CanWest Mediaworks, and will oversee buys and productions for all of CanWest’s conventional and specialty channels under Kathleen Dore as of Feb. 17.

Restructuring at CHUM

Michelle Nadon is managing director of Toronto-based MediaIntelligence, which offers end-to-end recruitment and training services for the Canadian media and culture employment markets, providing a tangible connection between talent, employers and cultural industry stakeholders.

Not enough, say Playback readers. In a recent online Playback poll question asking ‘Are the increased tax credits in B.C., Quebec and Ontario enough to turn around the industry in those provinces?’ 69% of respondents voted No, and 31% voted Yes.

Now that this nasty business of uncompetitive tax credits is out of the way in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, it’s time for producers to get back to what is really important: lobbying for a new deal to help capitalize their struggling production companies.

Toronto: It’s not easy to get Jan Peter Meyboom to talk about his projects. Ask him a question about the goings-on at 100 Percent Film & Television and odds are good that the answer – which might turn out to be not much of an answer at all – will be prefaced by an uneasy cough and a remark about not wanting to ‘jinx it.’

Therriault stars in Douglas mini

Secret agent man

Spin Entertainment, the Toronto animation/FX/design shop with sister offices in Atlanta and Vancouver, played revolving doors at the close of 2004. The shop saw five staff come on board and four exit in what Spin CEO and executive producer Norm Stangl calls ‘a restructuring.’