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YTV orders pint-size Survivorman
Kiddiecaster and 9 Story Entertainment to send teenagers into the wilderness for three weeks, with help from filmmaker Les Stroud
Canwest unveils May specialty series
Food Network will get into grilling, while Discovery Health takes viewers into a New York plastic surgery clinic
Costello to host for CTV
Music master class series from Canada and the U.K. will see singer/songwriter interview other giants in the biz. Sundance and Channel 4 also attached
Union turns to courts over Canwest
The CRTC took a pass on complaints directed at the media giant’s redo of its news department, but CEP wants an appeal, warning that the future of local newscasts hangs in the balance
CBC bails out of Air Farce
Next season will be the last for the long-running sketch comedy, after ratings continue to slip
Rogers buys an ‘M’
Purchase of multi-language channel in Vancouver okayed by CRTC
HBO goes mobile with Bell
Full episodes of Entourage, The Sopranos and Flight of the Conchords to be available on handsets
Friends come together for Chula
Dinners with David Duchovny and Callum Keith Rennie to be auctioned off on eBay to help pay medical bills for ailing Vancouver actress
The Big Screen: Feeling like outsiders
Tonya Lee Williams is fired up over Barrack Obama’s decision to confront the issue of racism in America head-on, and feels the same should be done regarding the Canadian film industry.
The Establishing Shot: Canwest, CTVgm push their luck on fee-for-carriage
The seeds of the fee-for-carriage debate at the upcoming CRTC BDU hearings were planted at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters conference back in November.
Hot new animation bound for MIPTV
MIPTV gets underway April 7 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France for five days of conferences, networking, awards, and deals, deals, deals. To help Canadian animation producers and broadcasters separate the players from the poseurs, the following are half a dozen of the coolest international projects going to market in search of partners and sales. For more information on this year’s event, go to www.miptv.com.
The hidden perks in Bill C-10
Film and TV executives who are urging the Senate to void a proposed amendment in Bill C-10 that could deny tax credits to ‘offensive’ projects are in a bind because the bill includes other proposed amendments that the industry has long urged Ottawa to enact into law.
Global renews Guard, ‘da Kink and Best Years
Global is sticking with what works for 2008/09, and has ordered second seasons of The Guard, The Best Years and ‘da Kink in My Hair. The network on March 20 cited the ‘solid statistics’ of the three scripted series and their performance with key demographics, in particular among 18-49s.
Governor General honors go to Levy, Obomsawin
Veteran comedian/actor Eugene Levy and documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin are among the recipients of the 2008 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, to be handed out May 2 in Ottawa.
Playback founder bids farewell
Jim Shenkman fondly remembers what got him thinking about starting up a trade magazine in the mid-1980s, when he was itching to get into communications.
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