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Roméo et Juliette still strong in Quebec
Quebec’s teen romance Roméo et Juliette remains the top-grossing Canadian film in theaters, having pulled in more than $1.2 million since its Dec. 15 release, though it lost its lead on the most recent Quebec box-office chart to Hollywood titles as of Jan. 11.
Canada neutral in HD format war
While no one who has watched a movie via Blu-Ray or HD-DVD will dispute their superiority over standard DVD, history reminds us that the Edsel was better than the Ford. And Betamax was a step beyond VHS.
Hot Sheet
The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period Jan. 5-11, 2007 and DVD sales in Canada for the period Dec. 25-31, 2006.
Charmion King, 1925-2007
Charmion King, grande dame of Canadian stage and screen for 60 years, died in Toronto on Jan. 6 of complications from emphysema. She was 82.
Helen Hill, 1971-2007
Experimental filmmaker Helen Hill died when she and her husband Paul Gailiunas were shot, in a seemingly random attack, in their New Orleans home on Jan. 4. She was 36.
Sold!
* Decode Entertainment has presold its new sci-fi cartoon Gizmo to YTV. The 26 x 30 series is a copro with Singapore’s Scrawl Studios and Agogo Entertainment in Hong Kong and is due for delivery this fall. Decode and YTV also recently inked a deal for the multi-platform property Urban Vermin.
High numbers, mixed reviews for Little Mosque
Even when one allows for the off-the-scale buzz that preceded the arrival of Little Mosque on the Prairie, the ratings still made for an eye-popper of a surprise.
Top 20 TV Programs
Top 20 TV Programs tracks ratings for the top 20 television shows in Canada for the period Jan. 1-7, 2007.
SRC launches new shows, TVA stands pat
Montreal: As Quebec’s networks roll out their winter schedules this month, Radio-Canada continues its fight to attract viewers with a host of new programs, while top-ranked TVA takes few risks.
Rise of mobile front and center at NATPE
More young people are using mobile TV, but a significant amount of usage is occurring at home and is cutting into traditional TV viewing time. That was the message to be delivered by Levi Shapiro, director of the Los Angeles operations of telecom and mobile media consumer research firm Telephia, at NATPE Mobile++ in Las Vegas on Jan. 15.
Shaw speaks out on CTF
Alberta cable giant Jim Shaw defends his refusal to support the Canadian Television Fund until it can account for how it spends its money. Ratings and a return on investment wouldn’t hurt either, he says
Scream goes VOD
A scene from the 1984 horror comedy Gremlins, one of the titles that Corus Entertainment has added to its Scream video-on-demand offerings. Other horror shows and thrillers available include the 2002 feature Dog Soldiers and the Masters of Horror TV series.
People
* CTV has upped Jon Arklay to VP of creative services and brand for CTV, putting him in charge of all branding for its stations, specialty channels and Olympic coverage for 2010 and 2012.
Correction
Highgate Films is no longer attached to Ice Planet, as reported in the Jan. 8 article ‘Optix lands on Ice Planet.’ The sci-fi series is a copro by SpaceWorks Entertainment of Toronto and Circles & Lines in Germany.
CanWest deal sets stage for CTV showdown
As Michael MacMillan and Seaton McLean cash out, risk-embracing CanWest Global Communications and partner Goldman Sachs & Co. have offered $2.3 billion to buy Alliance Atlantis Communications.
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