Canadian Crossing

Canadian film notebook: Giving Quebec films an Anglophone audience

More than a few English Canadians have noted that a person living in a major city in the United States has an easier time seeing le cinema du Quebec than English Canada.

Toronto-based distribution company Game Theory Films created Quebec On Screen to help out English Canadians find more and watch Quebec films. The process has involved theatre screenings and iTunes availability. 

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E win big at 7th Canadian Screen Awards

A few of the best picture nominees from the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards are in the Quebec On Screen pipeline: A Colony | Une colonie; Genesis | Genèse; and The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur.

All 3 of those films haven't shown up in my world either and were largely unknown when the 2019 Canadian Screen Awards nominations were released. Felix and Meira, from the same director as The Great Darkened Days | La grande noirceur, was a lot easier to find.

Since we hadn't heard much about them before or since, we will be highly curious to find out whether these films live up to the hype. I've seen more Quebec films than most Canadians and enjoy most of them. I hope these films continue that tradition and people find out for themselves.

2017 WIFF Canadian films in review: Features

TIFF announced its Film Circuit People’s Choice Award for Best Canadian Film from the 158 Film Circuit groups. Meditation Park from Mina Shum won the prestigious honour.

The TIFF Film Circuit is the organisation's film outreach programme, bringing the best of Canadian and international film to Canadians.

Shum did a brilliant job telling that story. I remember seeing the film and having to collect myself before seeing the next film. I did cry in watching the film.

Speaking of TIFF, for the first time since 2010, the Toronto International Film Festival will open with a Canadian film. Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band will be the Opening Night Gala Presentation on September 5. This is the first Canadian documentary ever to open the festival.

The film is inspired by Robertson’s 2016 memoir, Testimony. The film will feature interviews from Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Taj Mahal, Dominique Robertson, and Ronnie Hawkins. The documentary will stream exclusively on Crave later this year in Canada.

The last Canadian film to open TIFF: Score: A Hockey Musical (2010). We saw that years ago and there is a reason why hockey and musicals don't go together. That said, a young Noah Reid (Schitt's Creek) and Allie MacDonald (Belinda McKay on Young Drunk Punk) are delightful in the film.

We will have a lot more in the next few weeks on the Canadian film lineup at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival, running September 5-15.

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Mouthpiece — from famed director Patricia Rozema — briefly played in the United States but only in New York City and Los Angeles.

Firecrackers — from first-time full-length film director Jasmin Mozaffari — played this past week in Park Ridge, IL, a Chicago suburb outside, among other places.

Whatever logic is used in those decisions is a mystery to your humble narrator. Hopefully both films will appear within easy access of U.S. and Canadian audiences. Firecrackers is available for rent for $6.99 with Amazon Prime.

Not getting a major distributor doesn't mean your film is banned

The folks behind the unnamed American propaganda movie did get a distribution deal in Canada. We were early in the cycle on this story. We talk about award-winning French-Canadian films getting little to no distribution outside Quebec while American propaganda can get a good deal in Canada. The term "ugly American" definitely applies here for a few reasons.

photo credit: Quebec On Screen

2019 CFL Week 6 preview

ESPN2 gives the U.S. audience some Thursday Night Football as the Toronto Argonauts get a taste of the Canadian Rockies by traveling to Calgary. The Argos appearance means Saskatchewan is the only team without a U.S. TV appearance in the 2019 season.

If your TV listings don't show the ESPN2 game, tape it anyway. This is the second CFL game this season where the game wasn't in my TV listings.

Friday Night Football has a tough inter-division battle as Ottawa goes west to Winnipeg.

The Saturday doubleheader has Edmonton in La Belle Province in the late afternoon and the BC Lions going to Saskatchewan in the nightcap.

Hamilton gets to enjoy more donuts in its week off.

ESPN2

Thursday
Toronto @ Calgary, 9p

TSN

Thursday
Toronto @ Calgary, 9p
Friday
Ottawa @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Edmonton @ Montréal, 4p
BC @ Saskatchewan, 7p

Bye week: Hamilton

The last time Hamilton beat Calgary was the 2011 Touchdown Atlantic game in Moncton. The Tiger-Cats outlasted the Stampeders 55-36 on September 25, 2011.

The streak was 14 (15 if you count the 2014 Grey Cup). Hamilton came out on the winning end Saturday against Calgary. Special teams dominated a game where there was only a single point in the 1st and 3rd quarters combined.

The Tiger-Cats had a kickoff (Will Likely, 115 yards) and a missed FG (Brandon Banks, 105 yards) return for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Jeremiah Masoli threw his first touchdown ever against Calgary, throwing 2 TD passes to Banks.

Calgary is on the road because of the Calgary Stampede.

---

Montréal fans got a pair of wishes this week with a victory over rival Ottawa and the firing of general manager Kavis Reed. The surprise of the firing came in the timing (after a win) and reasoning (not for performance). The desire for Reed to go stemmed from poor decision making, chaos in some decisions, and an overall sense that Reed was in over his head. The new ownership can start fresh with former Winnipeg GM Joe Mack helping out on an interim basis.

"Joe Mack will now have oversight of all football operations, but the team will be jointly managed with (coach) Khari Jones," said Alouettes President and CEO Patrick Boivin.

Vernon Adams Jr. had a career high 327 passing yards in the Montréal win. The Alouettes are now 2-2, 2-1 in the East Division.

Montréal had lost 10 of the previous 12 meetings with Ottawa. If Toronto continues on its path, Montréal and Ottawa will battle for a playoff spot where the Als currently have the tiebreaker.

---

Simoni Lawrence will sit out the next 2 Hamilton Tiger-Cats games, the result of his suspension for a dangerous hit on Saskatchewan quarterback Zach Collaros in the first quarter of the CFL season. Lawrence appealed his suspension and the ruling came down this week.

Lawrence will miss the Ticats home encounter with Winnipeg on July 26 and the August 1 road trip to Saskatchewan. He can return August 10 at home against the BC Lions.

Too often in sports, the suspension doesn't come against the team affected by the hit. Best for all parties if Lawrence doesn't go to Regina, especially since Collaros is still out of action. 

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The Toronto Argonauts got to keep a tie for the first 15 seconds of the game. Lucky Whitehead returned the opening kick 104 yards for a touchdown. Any thoughts of a trap game disappeared quickly. McLeod Bethel-Thompson did have 388 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Argos. He did have back-to-back tip-drill style interceptions late in the first half.

Winnipeg played another solid game, remaining the league's only undefeated team.

---

Edmonton had another lopsided win over the BC Lions. Mike Reilly kept getting chased all night. When Trevor Harris did get hurt, the timing toward the end of the first half meant he didn't miss a play. Edmonton fans are used to their starting quarterback staying healthy. After all, Reilly, last year's Edmonton quarterback, didn't take off for a down.

Best TD celebration of the week went to Edmonton receiver Natey Adjei, who stuck the football under his jersey. Turns out Adjei's wife is due in August.

The CFL on TSN panel got on Duron Carter for the BC woes. The team has worse concerns than Carter, though Davis Sanchez and Milt Stegall are correct to point out that Carter needs to perform better.

40 years ago today I did my first sportscast at CKWS in Kingston. Didn’t pronounce the M in Schmidt but otherwise I survived. Thanks to Kingston legend Max Jackson for giving me a chance. He said you’ll never forget that. I haven’t. #boomgoesthedynamite pic.twitter.com/KYQBDt6Evf

— Chris Cuthbert (@CCtsn) July 7, 2019

Congratulations to Chris Cuthbert for celebrating 40 years in sports broadcasting. Cuthbert has been a part of hockey, football, and Olympics for a very long time. He isn't the flashiest play-by-play guy but is highly consistent and you always learn something by watching him.

---

We are rooting for the Atlantic Schooners to get off the ground and play football in Halifax. The criticism has been that there is no stadium and not huge enthusiasm for a stadium in the HRM. The Halifax Wanderers are playing in a "stadium" in the Commons. The Wanderers won its home opener of the Canadian Premier League season before a sold out crowd of 6,113.

The good news is that Halifax is supporting a team. Football should be next.

First CFL regular season game coming up from Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/QZtq3LeYJM

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) July 13, 2019

Dustin Nielson made his CFL regular season debut Saturday with Matt Dunigan in Ottawa. The plan is for Nielson to call 8 regular season games. The broadcasting future may be people such as Nielson and Derek Taylor, the new Saskatchewan Roughriders radio voice.

I thought Nielson did a good job in his debut. Instant critique: Nielson used the "he wanted that one back" for the RJ Harris fumble that Tommy Campbell recovered. Nielson wanted that one back. He can solidly call a game; we need to see more of his personality.

Rod Black and Duane Forde were in Hamilton for their only game this week. Cuthbert and Glen Suitor handled the games in Vancouver and Winnipeg.

ESPN+ covered the halftime analysis of the game in Vancouver with an extra commercial break. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, they kept the break going.

Speaking of Canadian CFL announcers, we ran across this tidbit via The New York Times on Cuthbert and Gord Miller during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Twitter captures: @CCTSN; @nielsonTSN1260

Schitt's Creek receives 4 Emmy nominations

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the first Emmy nomination for Sarah Goldberg.

Canadian actors get Emmys nominations, mostly for non-Canadian shows. Tatiana Maslany got 3 Emmy nominations and an Emmy win for Orphan Black, a Canadian TV show.

Now Schitt's Creek has 4 Emmy nominations for Season 5 of the show.

Outstanding Comedy Series Schitt's Creek with fellow nominees Barry; Fleabag; The Good Place; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Russian Doll; and Veep

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Eugene Levy with fellow nominees Anthony Anderson (black-ish); Don Cheadle (Black Monday); Ted Danson (The Good Place); Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method); and Bill Hader (Barry)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Catherine O’Hara with fellow nominees Christina Applegate (Dead to Me); Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep); Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll); and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag)

Outstanding Contemporary Costumes Debra Hanson (costume designer) and Darci Cheyne (assistant costume designer) for the episode The Dress

The Roses are going to the #Emmys! 🎉#SchittsCreek pic.twitter.com/kkA0pRLzEh

— Schitt's Creek (Pop) (@SchittsCreekPop) July 16, 2019

Eugene Levy won 2 Emmys for Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series winning in 1982 and 1983 for SCTV Network. Catherine O'Hara won the same Emmy in 1982 and was a nominee in 1983. O'Hara also was nominated in 2010 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for Temple Grandin.

Levy now has 10 Emmy nominations and O'Hara now has 7 nominations.

Schitt's Creek, Anne with an E win big at 7th Canadian Screen Awards

Schitt's Creek to bow out gracefully after Season 6 in 2020

A Little Bit Alexis the newest music phenomenon from Schitt's Creek

Schitt's Creek gets rare Canadian nomination for Critics Choice Awards

Sandra Oh has 2 Emmy nominations for 2019. Oh is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Killing Eve and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live.

Thrilled to be nominated! Can we please sit next to Catherine O'Hara?? 😍 @SchittsCreek https://t.co/XDA8e89oOW

— Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) July 16, 2019

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee got 2 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Sarah Goldberg got her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally in Barry.

Jim Carrey had a good chance at his first Emmy nomination, but wasn't nominated for Kidding on Showtime.

Tatiana Maslany wins the Lead Actress Emmy for Orphan Black

Tatiana Maslany, Molly Parker get Emmy nods

Tatiana Maslany (finally) gets Emmy nod for 'Orphan Black'

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Schitt's Creek airs in Canada on CBC and is available on CBC Gem. Pop TV carries the show in the United States with past episodes airing on Netflix. 

The 2019 Emmys ceremony will be on September 22.

photos credit: CBC; Saturday Night Live/NBC
Twitter captures: @SchittsCreekPop; @FullFrontalSamB

Canadian film case study: Paper Year/Jean of the Joneses

We loved that The Filmmakers focused on female directors in Season 2. We have catalogued issues with recognition for female actors, writers, and directors.

Given the focus on legendary filmmakers in Season 1, we were a bit surprised that 4 first-time female directors would be featured in Season 2, where 3 of them had identifiable films that were not visibly Canadian. We have dealt with Ava in a previous story. Now we want to focus on the final 2 films in that series: Paper Year and Jean of the Joneses.

Paper Year feels like a personal story from Rebecca Addelman, a Canadian writer of mostly TV and sitcoms (New Girl). Franny wants to be a TV writer. Franny and Dan, a struggling actor, get married. They are very beautiful. They end up in a beautiful house thanks to a dog-sitting engagement. The movie celebrates Los Angeles and Hollywood.

Franny gets a little obsessed with her boss on a TV game show. Dan gets a little obsessed with the secret diary of the actress who owns the house.

They struggle with the first year of marriage, wondering if the marriage can survive the pitfalls of their young love.

The lack of Canadian content feels consistent from a project of a Canadian who has gained acceptance in Hollywood. Eve Hewson (Irish, daughter of Bono) and Avan Jogia (Canadian) have more beauty than charisma as the young married couple. The lack of chemistry could show how far apart the characters are to each other. Hamish Linklater (American) plays Franny's immediate boss and Grace Glowicki (Canadian) shines as Franny's best friend. Andie MacDowell (American) is the most famous cast member but she spends very little time on screen.

They did cast Nicole Stamp (Canadian), actress and game show host, as a game show host but you only hear her voice.

The film does much better at telling the story of what a young woman goes through early in a Hollywood career. Franny tries to figure out whether sleeping with her boss is good or bad for her, her marriage, and her career. Dan has his struggles but we mostly see his reaction in video games and masturbation. That result being a twist of male-driven cinema is a welcoming sight.

There are other Canadian actors in minor roles, such as Brooks Gray, who plays Gavin, Franny's ultimate game show boss. The credits have plenty of Canadian content, such as noticing that CBC produced the film (a CBC original film) and that Sally Catto, CBC general manager of programming, was listed as an executive producer.

The Filmmakers shows what Canadian female directors go through to make a film

Season 2 of The Filmmakers showcases female Canadian film creators

Jean of the Joneses feels like a different kind of personal story from Stella Meghie. Taylour Paige (American) is Jean, a young writer struggling to come up with a follow-up to her initial success. Her family is full of secrets that are about to get released after her estranged grandfather shows up at their doorstep and drops dead. Jean uses the experience to figure out where she is going personally, professionally, and in her relationships.

The majority of screen time goes to Americans such as Paige, Erica Ash, Sherri Shepherd, and Michelle Hurst. There are Canadians in the cast featuring Gloria Reuben as well as smaller roles for François Arnaud, Demore Barnes, Cara Ricketts, and Shailyn Pierre-Dixon.

Like Paper Year, Jean of the Joneses has a female-dominated storyline where the women speak their mind and the men aren't around.

Unlike Paper Year, Jean of the Joneses contains a couple of tiny Canadian references. A line of dialogue early in the film refers to a comparison between Canadian health care vs. Obamacare. Much later in the film, a car drives past a Canadian speed limit sign. This film was shot in Toronto and New York City.

The screenplay (and Taylour Paige) are the highlights of the film. Meghie won Best Original Screenplay at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards and got a nomination for Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Canadian film case study: Roads to February

The necessity of Canadian films that don't seem Canadian

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Meghie has made a few films since then, each one blending more into the American film landscape. Addelman hasn't made another film, continuing her TV sitcom writing success.

These are above-average films and decent directorial debuts. They are fine films written and directed by women. They are performers who are not likely to view Canada except in the rear-view mirror.

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril made a powerful documentary Angry Inuk about Canadians in Canada. Angry Inuk is the most memorable of the 4 first-time films featured in Season 2 of The Filmmakers.

Paper Year is currently on Netflix. The airing of Jean of the Joneses was on TV One in the United States. Hopefully, there will be a Season 3 of The Filmmakers.

photos credit: the individual films via The Filmmakers/CBC Arts
videos credit: The Filmmakers/CBC Arts

Book review: The Art of Diplomacy

Kelly Knight Craft may not be the U.S. Ambassador to Canada for much longer, but she should read The Art of Diplomacy from Bruce and Vicki Heyman. Craft might learn what an ambassador does or even to find out there are cool places in Canada.

Bruce Heyman was the U.S. Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama from 2014-2017. With Craft's hundreds of reported absences, Heyman has served as a de facto ambassador in numerous TV appearances.

The Art of Diplomacy makes clear that Bruce and Vicki Heyman were both ambassadors, staying away from the co-ambassador concept. The chapters alternate between the voices of Bruce and Vicki. This is important to remember: otherwise, you might think Bruce got on the back of a Vespa scooter with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau at the helm.

The book is described as a "love letter to Canada, our neighbor and best friend." The couple, when approached for a ambassadorship, wanted to put Canada for each of the top 3 choices. This is a surprise since at the time, all we knew about Bruce Heyman was Goldman Sachs.

Turns out Vicki's great-grandparents on her father's side came from Belarus to Canada. Bruce's work also took him to Canada.

Even if they knew a bit about Canada, Bruce's strategy was to ask several U.S. departments to "tell me what you know about Canada." They had a lot of downtime to prepare since the process took a year from nomination to confirmation. U.S. ambassadors have to go to Charm School in the Virginia suburbs of the U.S. capital.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada has a new book on The Art of Diplomacy

Kelly Knight Craft may leave U.S. Ambassador to Canada post for promotion

Bruce Heyman confirmed (finally) as U.S. Ambassador to Canada

Bruce and Vicki try to get off to a good start by bringing Timbits and coffees to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. Bruce talks about the 2-mile (3.3-km) walk from their residence near 24 Sussex Drive to the U.S. Embassy. I've walked that route when I was in Ottawa. His story brought back a nice memory of that walk in the Canadian capital.

There were certainly mistakes and other oddities: all part of the story. They describe how the Harper Government froze them out over not approving the Keystone XL pipeline.

They took advantage of being frozen out by the Harper Government to travel in Canada. They went to the 7 consulates in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montréal, Quebec City, and Halifax. Their first trip through Canada went to 7 provinces and 15 cities in 21 days. They talk of adventures in the Yukon; Tuktoyaktuk (700 miles north of Yellowknife); Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (3-hour plane ride north of Thunder Bay); and Kenauk, Quebec.

They talk about meeting and talking with Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador to Iran who rescued the Americans during the hostage crisis. They sought out friendship with then Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau. Bruce spoke of the protocol to first dine with the prime minister and spouse but they had been frozen out by the Harpers. 

The Harpers finally invite the Heymans only after the 2015 election cycle started. The couples ended up bonding over hot sauces. Gardens, bees, art, and hot sauces serve as ways to tell the story about their adventures in Canada.

2019 Canada Day notebook: More delays with edibles

New U.S. ambassador to Canada debuts his blog

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

We were impressed when David Jacobson started a blog about Canada as President Barack Obama's first U.S. Ambassador to Canada. The Heymans stepped that up with their interaction with Canada.

We have been critical of U.S. Ambassadors not having much of a connection with Canada. Turns out Bruce and Vicki Heyman made up for that lack of Canadian connection. Bruce Heyman has also been an asset for the relationship between the countries in the last few years when American voices were invisible or incendiary.

As for The Art of Diplomacy, the book gives an insight into the world of being an ambassador, ups and downs. The pace of the book is very conversational with a very easy read. The book then becomes a resource to remind ourselves of happier times in the U.S.-Canada relationship.

Disclosure: I met Bruce and Vicki Heyman at a Canadian Thanksgiving event two years ago. I did meet them briefly at a book signing. I'm not sure either of them would remember meeting me.

photo credit: The Art of Diplomacy book

2019 Toronto Blue Jays second half preview

FINALS BABY! #PLAKATA 💥 pic.twitter.com/HO2Wk8J9aI

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 9, 2019

Should have figured the Polar Bear would defeat the Canadian-born Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2019 Home Run Derby in Cleveland. Pete Alonso (New York Mets) edged out Guerrero 23-22 in the final round. Guerrero had a record 91 home runs vs. 57 for Alonso. The one with the most HRs often does not win.

Guerrero hit an individual record 29 HRs in a round in the first round over Matt Chapman (Oakland) 29-13. He matched the 29 total in the second round against Joc Pederson (Los Angeles Dodgers). The sluggers then hit 8 home runs in the first tiebreaker, 1 in the second tiebreaker, and finally Guerrero won 2-1 in the third tiebreaker.

The previous individual record for a round was 28 by Josh Hamilton (Texas).

Even though Guerrero didn't win the crown and the $1 million jackpot, his semifinal round win was the best part of the night. Maybe that will be worth an extra ESPN telecast in the second half.

Guerrero was the fourth Canadian-born player to participate in the home run derby along with Larry Walker, Jason Bay, and Justin Morneau. No Blue Jays hitter has ever won the derby with Alex Rios losing 3-2 in the final round in the 2007 derby to Vladimir Guerrero Sr.

Marcus Stroman was there for the introductions, the closest the Blue Jays got to the actual All-Star Game. Stroman supported Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in his Home Run Derby quest. He was the only Blue Jays player on the 2019 American League squad at the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland. Stroman hasn't pitched since suffering a left-shoulder pectoral cramp against Kansas City on June 29.

Mike Soroka (Atlanta) only needed 10 pitches to get through a scoreless 6th inning for the National League. Soroka, a Calgary native, is 9-1 in his second year.

2019 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

Canadian notebook: Celebrating Victoria Day 2019

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. brings a lot of excitement to Toronto Blue Jays

The 2019 Toronto Blue Jays have been a lot about trying out infielders as outfielders. The early season trades of Kendrys Morales and Kevin Pillar have opened the doors to experimentation.

The shuttle to Buffalo has featured a few names we weren't expecting to see a demotion: Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, Billy McKinney, Socrates Brito (via San Diego). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cavan Biggio started in Buffalo and remain in Toronto. Bo Bichette won't be too far behind.

Centre field has been a challenge since the Kevin Pillar deal to San Francisco opened up the position. Randal Grichuk has taken most of those duties, opening up right field. The Giants traded infielder Alen Hanson, and right-handed pitchers Derek Law and Juan De Paula to Toronto.

Ken Giles has been a pleasant surprise on and off the field after coming over from Houston.

The Blue Jays under Charlie Montoyo are ready in a era of supersubs. They have multiple players who can play multiple positions. Gurriel, Biggio, Brandon Drury, Richard Urena, and Eric Sogard will lead the way.

The Blue Jays are at 34-57, 24½ games behind the New York Yankees for 4th place, 6 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. Toronto is 16-27 on the road while 18-30 at Rogers Centre. The Toronto start is the third-worst in franchise history: the team went 16-42 in 1981 and 29-64 in 1979.

MLB, Rob Manfred, MLB on Fox need to stop disrespecting Canada

Calgary native and country music star Lindsay Ell performed O Canada, which was seen on Rogers Sportsnet. MLB on Fox continues to embarrass itself and MLB by refusing to carry the Canadian national anthem during the All-Star Game.

MLB and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred refuse to do anything about Fox not showing O Canada during its All-Star Game coverage. You can learn more on the history of the frustration behind the yearly act.

Ell also sang the Canadian anthem at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.

Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez called the MLB international feed for the All-Star Game.

2019 Toronto Blue Jays season preview

Toronto Blue Jays help celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Montreal Expos

Toronto Blue Jays draw Milwaukee Brewers as 2019 opponents in Montreal

The excitement in the next few weeks among pundits is where Marcus Stroman and possibly Aaron Sanchez will land. The stalwarts of the starting pitchers have been promoted for which rich team will get them. The Blue Jays have benefited from their performances on the mound and expertise in the dugout.

In this era, teams in Toronto's position aren't likely to come close to getting the proper value for such coveted arms. The J.A. Happ deal from last summer is a good example. Nothing personal to Billy McKinney and Brandon Drury, but Happ has more value to the New York Yankees than the players traded to Toronto.

The Yankees recently acquired former Blue Jays player Edwin Encarnacion from Seattle. Encarnacion was leading the American League in home runs yet Seattle got virtually nothing for him.

Stroman and Sanchez might be worth trading if real value comes back to Toronto. The pundits won't see it that way since they only think about the contenders, not the pretenders.

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

The Toronto Blue Jays start out east after the All-Star Game break. Toronto will be at Yankee Stadium Friday night and weekend afternoon games. The road trip goes to Fenway Park in Boston with Monday-Wednesday night and a Thursday matinee. The Tigers are the final destination with Friday-Saturday night games and a Sunday day game.

Your MLB Extra Innings free preview might not get a single Toronto Blue Jays feed.

Twitter capture: @BlueJays
photo credit: TSN

2019 CFL Week 5 preview

ESPN2 wakes up from its CFL coma with a Saturday doubleheader. The Alouettes travel 200 km west to Ottawa in the late afternoon game. Calgary travels to Hamilton in the nightcap. That was the matchup I wanted to see live years ago.

Edmonton visits its old buddy Mike Reilly in Vancouver on Thursday Night Football. The winless Argos travel to undefeated Winnipeg for the Friday night game.

Saskatchewan gets to enjoy Saskatoon berries in its week off.

ESPN2

Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p
Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p

TSN

Thursday
Edmonton @ BC, 10p
Friday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 8:30p
Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 4p
Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p

Bye week: Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan, Montréal, Toronto, and Calgary have already placed a starting QB on the 6-game injured list. Matt Nichols did come out of the game for Winnipeg Friday night but will start for the Blue Bombers.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson started for the Argos at QB as James Franklin went on the injured list with hamstring trouble. Nick Arbuckle and Cody Fajardo helmed the battle with Calgary in Regina.

---

Montréal and BC won their first game of the year. Hamilton and Ottawa lost their first game of the year. Winnipeg, the last undefeated team, hosts Toronto, the only winless team.

William Stanback ran for 203 yards, the first Alouettes RB to pull off 200+ since Mike Pringle in 1998. Speaking of old, offensive lineman Luc Brodeur-Jourdain retired after the game. Brodeur-Jordan played on the Grey Cup winning teams for Montréal in 2009 and 2010.

The Stanley Cup made an appearance in Regina at Mosaic Stadium. Tyler Bozak (former Toronto Maple Leaf), Brayden Schenn, and Jaden Schwartz were with the Stanley Cup on the field at the Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Schenn had the cup in Saskatoon; Bozak and Schwartz were sharing 2 days in Regina. Schwartz mentioned that they took the Stanley Cup to the legislative building. 

The players had their St. Louis Blues hockey sweaters and then stripped those off, revealing Saskatchewan Roughriders jerseys. Bozak is in the middle with Schenn to our left and Schwartz to our right.

---

BC and Toronto were headed for a snooze fest with 6 total points in the first half. The Lions took command up 17-9 early in the 4th quarter before the Argos came back with a late flourish. BC drove down for what appeared to be a winning field goal drive.

Toronto Coach Corey Chamblin initially didn't have a defender in the end zone. CFL fans know that if Toronto could have run out a miss, the game would go to overtime. After BC got pushed back on a penalty, Chamblin sent out Chris Rainey into the end zone.

Regular readers know the CFL story we've told about a wild Montréal-Toronto finish where Toronto punter Noel Prefontaine gets knocked out of the end zone. Rainey channeled that as BC kicker Sergio Castillo missed the field goal. Rainey accidentally stepped on the back line, ending the game with a 18-17 BC victory.

The end zones at BMO Field are only 18 yards deep rather than the standard 20 yards in Canadian football. That extra 2 yards cost the Argos a win on Saturday.

Davis Sanchez on The Waggle podcast pointed out that the Argos should have had 3 players in the end zone.

Rainey did have a 79-yard TD punt return in the first game against his old team.

Justin Medlock might have won the award for the most Canadian play, beating out Castillo's winning rouge. Medlock, who earlier missed a pair of field goal attempts, punted the ball and was able to recover his own punt since Ottawa didn't touch it. Medlock knocked the ball out of bounds, allowing Winnipeg to retain possession.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Rod Smith and Duane Forde handled the Thursday game while Chris Cuthbert and Matt Dunigan were together on Friday night. The regular crews were in place in Toronto with Rod Black and Forde and Regina with Cuthbert and Glen Suitor.

Mike Benevides filled in for Milt Stegall on the CFL on TSN panel.

photos credit: TSN/CFL

Film review: Clara

Clara is a film filled with science but is charmed by what might be described as a "cosmic accident."

Patrick J. Adams, best known for his role as Mike Ross on Suits on USA Network, plays Dr. Isaac Bruno. Dr. Bruno wants to find a planet that has life. As we discover early on, he also has gone through considerable heartbreak.

Enter Clara. She sits in his class. She answers his ad for an unpaid researcher. Clara isn't a scientist but she has been around the world. Her rock collection is simple and more extravagant than any rock collection you've encountered.

Dr. Bruno's obsession gets him fired from his job, so Isaac and Clara are underdogs looking for patterns in the sky.

Clara is the cosmic accident because she helps Isaac professionally and personally. She is a bit of Samantha Stephens without the nose twinkling. In a sea of female characters that are fairly invisible in film, Clara is the only reason anything happens in this film.

Troian Bellisario is Clara, a free-spirit artist with her own issues. Bellisario helps keep the mystery of Clara and portrays her as charming but not obnoxious about it. Bellisario comes by science and acting in part from her mother, Deborah Pratt, who among her many accomplishments was co-creator, co-executive producer, and head writer on Quantum Leap for NBC.

Adams and Bellisario are married in real life, something you might not be able to tell based on what happens on the screen. The chemistry isn't apparent but isn't crucial to the film.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Akash Sherman weaves a story of science and art in writing and directing the film. Sherman makes Adams as Bruno as the centrepiece but is smart to surround him with well-crafted supporting characters. The supporting cast is full of strong Canadian actors, including Ennis Esmer, Jennifer Dale, R.H. Thomson, Kristen Hager, Will Bowes, and Kevin Hanchard.

The science is intriguing in the film but you'll likely enjoy the film more if you focus on Clara more than the science. 

Clara played at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and has had a limited U.S. run.

video credit: YouTube/Movieclips Indie
photo credit: Clara film

New Brunswick cartoonist dismissal symptom of larger Canadian media concern

Does it matter if I was fired over one Donald Trump cartoon when every Donald Trump cartoon I submitted in the past year was axed?

— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) July 1, 2019

When you travel even a little bit in New Brunswick, you learn about the far-reaching influence of the Irving family. Brunswick News Inc. (BNI) — owned by James Irving — came up in the international news over the firing of cartoonist Michael de Adder.

Greg Perry, who was to replace de Adder, has walked away from BNI. Perry said the chain "insisted on running the cartoons I'd provided way back on Friday, despite my asking them not to."

The cartoon from de Adder featured Donald Trump trying to play through a round of golf with two migrants lying there dead. He was fired the day after the cartoon ran.

Perry says he was recruited before the Trump cartoon but to work alongside de Adder not replace him. The two cartoonists worked together until 2 years ago when BNI laid off Perry. de Adder had been with BNI for 17 years. Perry did note that the social media backlash wasn't worth it "over a job that pays the same per month as a job at a grocery chain."

Cartoon for June 26, 2019 on #trump #BorderCrisis #BORDER #TrumpCamps #TrumpConcentrationCamps pic.twitter.com/Gui8DHsebl

— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) June 26, 2019

The concern over the firing of de Adder was linked to the oil-rich Irving family, who might not have wanted the anti-Trump cartoon. A lost detail is that de Adder never submitted the Trump cartoon to BNI, citing his concerns over sending them anti-Trump cartoons. 

Neither de Adder or Perry are based in New Brunswick: de Adder is in Halifax while Perry is in Vancouver. Both cartoonist works continue to featured throughout Canada, just not in New Brunswick. In fact, the Toronto Star agreed to pick up de Adder once a week.

BNI owns the major English-language daily newspapers: Telegraph-Journal (Saint John); Times & Transcript (Moncton); and The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton). The company also owns 14 English-language weeklies and 7 French-language weeklies.

L'Acadie Nouvelle (Caraquet) is the only independent daily in New Brunswick.

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

The Maritimes have been resistant to the Postmedia block that owns both daily newspapers in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa. New Brunswick has a similar conundrum. The SaltWire Network controls Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador. 

The only major newspaper west of Ontario that isn't controlled by Postmedia is the Winnipeg Free-Press, owned by FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership with local roots. 

Postmedia also owns the National Post based in Toronto.

When de Adder was let go by BNI, he didn't lose a newspaper in New Brunswick as a client; he lost New Brunswick as a client.

Newspaper ownership should be local and responsible. A lot of major Canadian newspapers don't provide either.

Twitter captures: @deAdder

2019 Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Game preview

The 2018 Toronto Blue Jays also had a single All-Star, a pitcher who would head soon to the New York Yankees. J.A. Happ was the player last year. Marcus Stroman isn't guaranteed to go to the Yankees. He is the only Blue Jays player on the 2019 American League squad at the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Stroman will not pitch in the All-Star Game due to a left-shoulder pectoral cramp suffered against Kansas City on June 29. You may see Stroman in the introductions but no Blue Jays player will be on the field for the 2019 All-Star Game.

The only Canadian on an All-Star Game roster is Atlanta starting pitcher Mike Soroka. Soroka is from Calgary and has posted a 9-1 record with a 2.13 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 84.2 innings.

💥 PLAKATA 💥

It's official: Vlad Jr. will compete in this year's @MLB Home Run Derby! pic.twitter.com/yKSOUnehTz

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 30, 2019

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will participate in his first Home Run Derby. He could be a legacy invite since his father Vladimir Guerrero, Sr. won the 2007 Home Run Derby with an 8-year-old Vlad Jr. watching on the field.

Guerrero is the youngest participant in derby history at 20 years, 114 days and will have the fewest career home runs (8 HR in 61 games) in the history of the derby. The Blue Jays hope he doesn't screw up his swing by participating in the home run derby.

The Toronto 3rd baseman hit 6 home runs in May, the first 2 coming on May 14 in San Francisco. Guerrero's June output were both at Rogers Centre: June 5 against the New York Yankees and June 29 against Kansas City.

Blue Jays coach John Schneider, who managed Guerrero at Single-A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire, will pitch to him in the home run derby.

Guerrero might have caught a break with his opponent: Oakland A's 3rd baseman Matt Chapman (21 HR) replaces Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich (NL-leading 31 HR).

Josh Donaldson hit 18 total homers for Toronto at the 2015 Home Run Derby in Cincinnati. Donaldson finished in the top 3 in the National League voting in 2019 at 3rd base.

MLB, Rob Manfred, MLB on Fox need to stop disrespecting Canada

MLB and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred refuse to do anything about Fox not showing O Canada during its All-Star Game coverage. MLB also doesn't put a lot into a decent O Canada anthem most years, but the effort should still be shown on television.

You can learn more on the history of the frustration behind the yearly act.

Canadian notebook: Celebrating Victoria Day 2019

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. brings a lot of excitement to Toronto Blue Jays

2019 Toronto Blue Jays season preview

Toronto Blue Jays help celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Montreal Expos

Toronto Blue Jays draw Milwaukee Brewers as 2019 opponents in Montreal

2019 Toronto Blue Jays spring training schedule

The Toronto Blue Jays received 0 telecasts on ESPN last season, so the team was expected to get 2 telecasts in 2019. ESPN is true to its word (now). In our season preview, we noted the Boston home opener on April 9 with the banner ceremony for the 2018 World Series champions.

ESPN actually carried a Toronto home game on June 6 with the New York Yankees in town. The Raptors were in Oakland in the NBA Finals in between Game 3 and Game 4 that night.

This may guarantee that the Blue Jays will not appear on ESPN again this season, short of carrying the Bo Bichette MLB debut.

MLB Network carried the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. debut. The channel also carried the Victoria Day matinee but amazingly not with the Blue Jays feed. NESN is better for baseball than its hockey coverage but damn northeast bias. The U.S. channel did carry the Rogers Sportsnet feed on Canada Day.

Roy Halladay makes the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first attempt

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Retirements aren't always official but Bartolo Colon isn't playing anywhere in 2019. Colon was the last major league player who played in the 1900s as well as the last Montréal Expos (2002) player left in MLB.

Toronto has had the shame with Tampa Bay of being the only teams playing on artificial turf. Surprisingly, the Arizona Diamondbacks went from grass to artificial turf. The Arizona version is supposed to be better than the ones at the AL indoor stadiums.

Celebrating Montreal Expos legacy in Washington, DC

We profiled the Montréal Expos cosplay by the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Looks like a fun time and they look so much better in the powder blues.

The 2019 Home Run Derby starts Monday at 8 pm Eastern on ESPN and Rogers Sportsnet. The 2019 All-Star Game airs Tuesday on Fox in the United States and Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. Coverage starts at 7:30 pm Eastern.

photo credit: me
Twitter capture: @BlueJays