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People
• Claude Galipeau is now VP of interactive at Astral Media. The former Alliance Atlantis exec will help develop Astral’s digital strategy for its core radio, TV and outdoor advertising businesses, reporting to CEO Ian Greenberg.
Sold!
• Sinking Ship Entertainment and National Geographic Television International have closed a series of deals around the globe for Are We There Yet? The children’s travel show has been picked up by broadcasters in nine territories, including Disney Japan, Sweden’s SVT, Ho Chi Minh City TV in Vietnam and Al-Jazeera. These follow previous deals that have sent the show to Australia, New Zealand, France, Singapore and elsewhere. Sales are also said to be pending in Spain, South Africa and Scandinavia.
The Burning Question
Seems like for every silver lining in the doc business, there’s a cloud. On one hand, people stampede to see Up the Yangtze. On the other, even more prefer Michael Moore. And so we asked attendees at the Hot Docs press conference:
Letter
History missed
Correction
Muse Entertainment is a producer on Durham County, along with Back Alley Film Productions. Incomplete information appeared in the March 3 issue.
Bill C-327: another form of censorship
Ronald Cohen is the national chair of the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council
Playing the specialty ratings game
A recent press release from HGTV caught my attention. Not so much because of its content – it was about an audience record for the channel, a combined 2+ rating of 650,000 for two airings of the Holmes on Homes special Lien on Me – but because, wow, ratings information on specialty is rare as hen’s teeth.
D-cinema opens up world of opportunities
Kate Hanley, B.A., LL.B. is president of Digital Theory Media Consulting, which, through executive education, research and strategic planning, helps traditional players exploit opportunities in emerging media. Hanley can be reached at khanley@digitaltheory.ca
CBC expands Heartland
Executive producer Tom Cox had been keeping his fingers crossed that there would be a second-season order from CBC for the family drama Heartland when he got the good news early this month.
Draft drama ‘not a political film,’ says producer
A Montreal producer is bringing Quebec’s World War Two conscription crisis to the big screen with Le déserteur, a $2.9-million drama based on the real-life story of an army deserter.
Peace Arch eyes more Tudors
Peace Arch Entertainment plans to bolster its TV production arm, and in a recent year-end talk with analysts indicated it will produce fewer lower-margin direct-to-DVD movies and more theatrical releases with higher-profile talent.
Slice bows first cross-platform series
Canwest’s content and digital media groups have co-commissioned a new series for broadcast on both the Slice channel and online. How to Make Love to My Wife is an eight-parter about a husband trying to ‘transform himself from a bedroom dud to a bedroom stud.’
Ledger film shooting again
Infinity Features is back at work on The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell taking over for the late Heath Ledger. The coproduction by director Terry Gilliam has resumed shooting at The Bridge Studios in Vancouver and is expected to stay until late April. The picture was to start the Canadian half of its shoot in January, but was delayed following Ledger’s death, leaving Gilliam (Tideland) to rework the story and his latest troubled project.
Gas, 22 Minutes lead CSA noms
Mark Farrell of Corner Gas is up for two Canadian Screenwriting Awards, but he’s especially excited about This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The CBC sketch show is also up for two CSAs, but this year will face less competition in the ‘comedy and variety’ category, since Gas and other sitcoms, oddly enough, now count as half-hour dramas.
The film and TV industries’ toy show returns
Forget about ‘Lights, Camera, Action!’ at this year’s National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, April 11-17. It’s all about lights, cameras and toys.
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