We already knew the cast of Women Talking would win the Robert Altman Award for the ensemble at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards. Given the Everything Everywhere All at Once dominance, this film (technically not a Canadian film) got to have a 8-minute moment in the sun under a tent on a beach.
The ensemble in Women Talking, in terms of the Robert Altman Award, are Shayla Brown, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Kira Guloien, Kate Hallett, Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Sheila McCarthy, Frances McDormand, Michelle McLeod, Liv McNeil, Ben Whishaw, and August Winter. The Canadian actors are Shayla Brown, Kira Guloien, Kate Hallett, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod, Liv McNeil, and August Winter.
The film is truly an ensemble in the bond they had over the making of this film during a pandemic. The cast had plenty of veterans in people such as Sheila McCarthy, Judith Ivey, and Frances McDormand. The bigger names who gave their all in Claire Foy, Rooney Mara, and Jessie Buckley. Kate Hallett, who played Autje, whose voice is the narrator, was all of 16 during filming and this is her first film.
John Buchan and his business partner Jason Knight received recognition from the award as casting directors on the film. You might remember Buchan from Stories We Tell, also from Polley. John and his sister Susy Buchan were from the first marriage of Diane Elizabeth MacMillan aka Diane Polley. Sarah's siblings Mark Polley and Joanna Polley were from Michael Polley's first marriage.
Sarah talked eloquently about their mother Diane, who was a casting director.
Everything Everywhere All at Once dominated the awards at the 2023 ceremony. This made winning another award a lot more difficult. Women Talking was nominated for Best Feature. Polley had 2 individual nominations for director and screenplay. All of them lost to Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The Porter from CBC had 2 Independent Spirit Awards nominations. The show was nominated for Best New Scripted Series but lost to The Bear. British actor Aml Ameen, who played Junior Massey, was nominated for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series but lost to Quinta Brunson on Abbott Elementary.
The Porter did well at the Canadian Screen Awards in terms of nominations. Hopes for Season 2 were dashed when co-producer BET+ decided to not back any future episodes.
British actor Ben Whishaw was also nominated for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series for This Is Going to Hurt. Whishaw played August Epp, the only male adult character in Women Talking.
We literally knew that Gordon Pinsent wouldn't live forever. Does feel like he was around for a very long time.
The Canadian acting legend Gordon Pinsent passed away over the weekend at the age of 92.
Away From Her. The voice of Babar. The Rowdyman. Republic of Doyle. The Red Green Show. Due South. The Grand Seduction. Saint Ralph. This Hour Has 22 Minutes from his role as the Codfather to reading Justin Bieber's memoir. Even Big News at Grand Rock.
Pinsent was an actor long before there was a consistent film scene in Canada growing up in a part of Canada (Newfoundland) that wasn't Canada until he was 19 years old.
A check of his IMDb page shows an extensive list. Too many credits to list but Americans might be surprised than an episode of Hogan's Heroes is on that list.
Former Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams, @markcritch, @allanhawco, Sean McGinley, and Gordon Pinsent.
A lot of what Pinsent is known for came in the second half of his life. He wrote and starred in The Rowdyman in 1972, when he was over 40.
Pinsent knew when he could poke fun, such as the Codfather sketch on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. No one else could have been the Codfather.
"Gordon passionately loved this country and its people, purpose, and culture to his last breath." — statement from the Pinsent family from his son-in-law, actor Peter Keleghan. Leah Pinsent, a great actor, is married to Keleghan.
If you've never seen Pinsent act without white hair, check out the classic Canadian film The Rowdyman.
Gordon Pinsent was our North Star. A true renaissance man. Actor, writer, director, painter and one time dance instructor. Gordon beat the path and made it possible for all that followed. The epitome of class & one hell of a funny guy. The Rowdy Man is gone but never forgotten. pic.twitter.com/TRpCCvK9mQ
Pinsent was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1979. He was promoted to Companion in 1998.
Pinsent was married for 45 years to actor Charmion King, who died in 2007.
Gordon had an enormous capacity for joy in absolutely everything he did. It was infectious and educational. There wasn’t a moment without a twinkle of mischief and a determination to enjoy the moment. pic.twitter.com/xEATSy4kZd
Polley pointed out in a later tweet that the young boy with Pinsent is her brother Mark. Pinsent was an ideal choice as Julie Christie's husband in Polley's directorial debut Away From Her.
Pinsent had 6 Genie Award nominations, winning 3 awards for Klondike Fever, John and the Missus, and Away From Her. He also directed John and the Missus.
The River of My Dreams is a 2016 documentary currently running on the Documentary Channel in Canada. Hope to see that really soon and then have a review. Would be a good watch if you are in Canada.
photo credit: The Rowdyman Twitter captures: @Evan_Streifel; @rickmercer; @honouringgord; @realsarahpolley
Samantha Bee will host the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards conclusion program on April 16 on CBC. The CBC show will not be live as in pre-pandemic times.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced the Canadian film and Canadian television nominations earlier today. We have the prominent nominees in separate articles for Canadian film and Canadian television.
Canadian Screen Week will run April 11-14 at Toronto’s Meridian Hall.
Besides the typical awards, there are also special Canadian Screen Awards:
Board of Directors Tribute — Paul Pope, Jennifer Podemski Academy Icon — Catherine O'Hara Changemaker Award — Tracy Moore Earle Grey Award — Peter MacNeill Gordon Sinclair Award — Lisa LaFlamme Humanitarian Award — Ryan Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award — Pierre Bruneau Radius Award — Simu Liu
The television landscape looks very different for the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations for Canadian television. Lots of old favourites are gone, opening up new opportunities for rising Canadian TV shows.
The Porter got 19 nominations, best among Canadian TV shows. Sort Of received 15 nominations and Pretty Hard Cases had 11 nominations.
The CTV show Children Ruin Everything has a few major nominations on the comedy side as does Run the Burbs on CBC. Son of a Critch is surprisingly absent in these categories, especially Best Comedy Series. Strays is not on the list but Fakes somehow is.
Meredith MacNeill (Pretty Hard Cases) and Dani Kind (Workin' Moms) are 2 of the few repeat nominees for the same show. Andrew Phung received an acting nomination for his new show. Somehow Hudson & Rex has 2 of the lead role nominees on the drama side.
The gender-neutral acting awards mean that Bilal Baig got a very justifiable nomination for Best Lead Performer, Comedy. While the film roles are split in half by primary gender, only 4 of the 16 comedy acting nominations are for identifiable males. as a contrast, 10 of the 16 supporting acting nominations went to identifiable males.
One of those identifiable males is the late Christopher Plummer, up for Departure.
Jonathan Torrens wins our versatile Canadian actor award for guest performance nominations in comedy (Letterkenny) and drama (Moonshine).
Usually, foreign actors tend to have more of a force on the film side. Malcolm McDowell (Son of a Critch) and Alfre Woodward (The Porter) are up for Canadian Screen Awards. Absolute acting legends, even if they are not from Canada.
Comedy
Best Comedy Series Astrid & Lilly Save the World (CTV Sci-Fi Channel) Children Ruin Everything (CTV) Fakes (CBC Gem) Letterkenny (Crave) Sort Of (CBC)
Best Lead Performer, Comedy Meaghan Rath Children Ruin Everything Meredith MacNeill Pretty Hard Cases Adrienne C. Moore Pretty Hard Cases Rakhee Morzaria Run The Burbs Andrew Phung Run The Burbs Bilal Baig Sort Of Dani Kind Workin' Moms Catherine Reitman Workin' Moms
Best Supporting Performer, Comedy Ennis Esmer Children Ruin Everything Tricia Black Pretty Hard Cases Al Mukadam Pretty Hard Cases Karen Robinson Pretty Hard Cases Malcolm McDowell Son Of A Critch Amanda Cordner Sort Of Sarah McVie Workin' Moms Enuka Okuma Workin' Moms
Best Guest Performance, Comedy Anna Hopkins Letterkenny Jonathan Torrens Letterkenny Kardinal Offishall Run The Burbs Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll Son Of A Critch Amanda Brugel Sort Of
Amanda Brugel, who is a Canadian acting gem, is a repeat nominee for this last category switching from Pretty Hard Cases to Sort Of. Brugel, as 7ven's mother, was amazing in that role. Another fun nod in this category to Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll for Son Of A Critch. You might remember him as a frequent customer on Kim's Convenience. Making the audience love you and sometimes cringe is a difficult task for an actor and he pulled that off well.
Drama
Best Drama Series Departure (Global) Moonshine (CBC) The Porter (CBC) SkyMed (CBC) Transplant (CTV)
Best Lead Performer, Drama Series Mayko Nguyen Hudson & Rex John Reardon Hudson & Rex Jennifer Finnigan Moonshine Aml Ameen The Porter Ronnie Rowe Jr. The Porter Mouna Traoré The Porter Hamza Haq Transplant Laurence Leboeuf Transplant
Best Supporting Performer, Drama Thom Allison Coroner Andy McQueen Coroner Wendy Crewson Departure Karen LeBlanc Departure Christopher Plummer Departure Dwain Murphy Diggstown Kevin Hanchard Hudson & Rex Daniel Maslany Murdoch Mysteries
Best Guest Performance, Drama Series Jo Vannicola Diggstown Natalie Brown Hudson & Rex Allan Hawco Moonshine Jonathan Torrens Moonshine Alfre Woodard The Porter
Between Coroner, The Porter, and Departure, there will be a lot of upheaval for the 2024 version. Wendy Crewson was up for guest performance last year for Frankie Drake Mysteries and is up for a supporting role in Departure.
Hamza Haq and Laurence Leboeuf from Transplant won the lead drama awards last year but only one of them, or someone else, can win this year.
Interesting to see a summer show such as SkyMed make the cut for best drama series.
Somehow not a single Podemski sister was up for an acting award.
The final segment is set in the musical chairs on Canadian political talk shows. Evan Solomon left the CTV shows and Canada for an online political news outlet in New York City.
Vassy Kapelos, who never seemed like a good fit at CBC, jumped to CTV News to replace Solomon on Power Play and Question Period. CBC senior parliamentary reporter David Cochrane was the most logical of several good candidates to get the job at hosting Power & Politics. Now Cochrane is the new permanent host.
In Canada, this is more about the cable news wars. For our American readers, having David Cochrane in the coverage stretches to CBC Radio and CBC podcasts.
Cochrane promised he would not be a "perfect host." In many ways, former host Rosemary Barton was that perfect host but that ship has sailed. Cochrane will be, in our opinion, a more ideal and welcoming host than Kapelos.
The private networks tend to undercover the disturbing elements of Pierre Poilievre as the federal opposition leader. The CBC often capitulates to conservative politicians but needs someone stronger, such as Cochrane, in this role to come closer to balance.
We’re very sad to share that #Season3 of #PrettyHardCases will be our final season. Thank you to all of the amazing cast and crew who have worked with us these last three years and have made this show possible. pic.twitter.com/nqA5yi0FoH
A detective show with a dominant female cast with veteran female showrunners (Tassie Cameron and Sherry White) where the case isn't solved at the top of the hour (bottom of the hour in most of Newfoundland). Star appeal in the leads, one American (Adrienne C. Moore) and one Canadian (Meredith MacNeill). Different but women who work well together.
Pretty Hard Cases seemed like a strong hit that could have lasted several seasons. Instead, the CBC drama comes to a close late this winter on March 8. The show will finish with 32 episodes over 3 seasons.
Actors who play bad guys on detective dramas usually are one-and-done but the format of getting to come back week after week puts a human face on them. Dan Petronijevic (Letterkenny, 19-2) got to play twin criminals in Season 1 and Susan Kent showed her range also in Season 1. Charlotte Sullivan, who worked on Rookie Blue, which Cameron co-created, was memorable in Season 2.
We never really learn with Canadian TV cancellations, especially from the CBC, as to the reason why the cancellation is happening now. We don't get the feeling this was voluntarily but that may not be the CBC's fault. There are rumbles that point in a direction but we don't publish unsubstantiated speculation.
Either way, this is a loss of strong writing and enjoyable female characters above the age of 40.
We wanted to give some love to the other actors on the show. Al Mukadam (Det. Taai Nazeer) and Daren A. Herbert (DS Nathan Greene) serve as co-workers to the female detectives and sometimes love interests. The versatile and amazing Karen Robinson as Unit Commander Edwina Shanks.
Percy Hynes White (son of Sherry White) playing MacNeill's character's son, who was involved with criminal Jackie Sullivan (the incredible Katie Douglas). And yes, Percy Hynes White is also in Wednesday on Netflix.
Since Season 3 is currently running on CBC, the U.S. release would likely have to wait for a specific date. The first 2 seasons can be found in the United States on Amazon Freevee.
Homegrown dramas from this winter are likely to be limited runs. Essex County is set for 5 episodes and what sounds like a one-time shot. Plan B might have potential for a Season 2. That late Wednesday window in the winter screams for a great homegrown drama hit, like Pretty Hard Cases was when the program debuted.
If you haven't jumped into Pretty Hard Cases, this could be a good place to start, especially since you know there are a limited number of episodes. Canadians can watch on CBC Gem while Americans can catch up on Freevee for the first 2 seasons (for now).
Twitter captures: @PrettyHardCases; @WomenAskAbout photo credit: Pretty Hard Cases/CBC
A few readers were surprised that Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays made our Top 10 list of the best Canadian television during the 2010s. This included the 12 episodes in its original form in 2011 as well as 6 more episodes in 2017 under the title Michael: Every Day.
The roots of some of the program can be found in Slings & Arrows. Bob Martin, who co-created Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, co-created the Shakespearean inspired show with Susan Coyne and Mark McKinney. The latter 2 wrote episodes of Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Don McKellar, the other co-creator, directs 6 of the 12 episodes of the original incarnation and all 6 episodes of the 2017 version.
The neuroses of Matt Watts, who was prominent in The Newsroom, the Ken Finkleman show and not the American program with a similar name, figure prominently in Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays. Watts plays Michael, who has been going to David (Martin), his therapist for 15 years. David is trying to write a book based on Michael, who has named him Miguel to protect his identity. At the start, David hasn't asked Michael for permission for his story to be in a book.
Claire (Tommie-Amber Pirie) is David's incompetent receptionist. Carlos (Pablo Silveira) is Michael's rival at work who tries to take advantage of Michael's insecurities. Jasmina (Martha Burns) and Samantha (Jennifer Irwin) are David's book publisher and editor.
The surprising co-star in the program is Ottawa, the relatively boring federal capital of Canada. The Nicholas Hoare bookstore, Parliament buildings, city buses are just some of the scenery in the background. Don't know of too many other Canadian television shows shot in Ottawa.
The joint fragile nature of Michael and David is what makes the show work. The therapist can be seen as the all-knowledgeable yet therapist and patient have significant issues.
David sees Claire as incompetent but she turns out to be more complex. Samantha has her own insecurities, managing sex within a professional relationship with David. The female characters aren't throw-away people.
We see guest appearances from Canadian icons such as Ottawa are native Sandra Oh as well as Samantha Bee.
You don't have to be in therapy or a therapist to get the show. The humour is subtle and dry, which is also true of the other shows we have mentioned.
The U.S. audience can see for themselves whether they think the show belongs on our list or is just a good show that should have been an honourable Canadian TV mention.
Netflix picked up Season 1, which are the 12 episodes from 2011 but not the 6 episodes from 2017 (as Michael: Every Day). Hopefully, all of the episodes are available in Canada via CBC Gem.
Speaking of Canadian TV shows on U.S. streaming outlets, we had been complaining for some time that Hulu hadn't picked up Season 3 of Jann. That complaint feels insignificant now that Hulu no longer carries Jann in any form. If we hear news about Jann south of the 49th parallel, we will pass on that information.
video and photo credit: Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays/CBC Comedy
Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free became my white whale after your humble narrator saw Goin' Down the Road, which was the white whale up to that point.
There was a possibility before the pandemic of seeing the film for free but the people couldn't find a copy with subtitles.
Turner Classic Movies will air the film early in the morning of January 13 at 3:45 am Eastern (after you go to bed on January 12).
Let's go through a few reasons why this film has been a white whale for your humble narrator.
Léa Pool — a Canadian filmmaker whose films have dazzled, most notably Lost and Delirious.
Karine Vanasse — a Canadian actor I have enjoyed in a number of performances in English and French, all as an adult. She is a teenager in this film. Curiosity to how she is as an actor as a teenager.
Vivre sa vie — There are many references to Anna Karina and this wonderful Jean-Luc Godard New Wave film.
Pascale Bussières — She plays Vanasse's mother in this film. Bussières is charming on screen no matter what kind of role she plays.
Some regular readers could point out our OCD on the Canadian nominees for Best International Feature Film. While the OCD is a factor, my genuine interest in seeing this film overshadows that OCD. That doesn't hurt as a reason to see the film but not the primary focus.
There is always a possibility the film may not live up to the hype. Willing to find out for myself. There will be a review, no matter how the film turns out.
And the nominees for the @Rogers Best Canadian Film Award are: -BROTHER, directed by Clement Virgo -CRIMES OF THE FUTURE, directed by David Cronenberg -RICEBOY SLEEPS, directed by Anthony Shim
The Toronto Film Critics Association announced the 3 finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, which carries a cash prize of $100,000.
Brother (Clement Virgo)
Crimes of the Future (David Cronenberg)
Riceboy Sleeps (Anthony Shim)
All 3 films made the TIFF Top 10 Canadian films for 2022. Brother and Riceboy Sleeps played at the Toronto International Film Festival and Windsor International Film Festival with the latter film winning the 2022 WIFF Prize in Canadian Film.
We have seen all the nominees going back to 2019. We recently saw Crimes of the Future. While that was an intriguing film, either Brother and Riceboy Sleeps would be logical picks to win the award.
We won't know the winner until the 26th annual TFCA Awards, which will be an in-person gala at the Omni King Edward Hotel on March 6. The cash prize of $100,000 is the largest purse in Canadian film.
We will have seen 16 of the last 17 winners (counting 2022), the exception being The Stairs from Hugh Gibson (2016). Maybe we will see that film before the March 6 ceremony.
Seeing Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free will only leave 2 other films we have not seen that have been a TFCA winner, both from David Cronenberg: Spider (2003) and A History of Violence (2005).
Reviews will come at some point for these films (more than likely). Did pick off a couple of recent TIFF Top 10 films. Charlotte (2021) and the aforementioned Crimes of the Future (2022) are both featured on Hulu in the United States. If you want to go way back. finally saw Barney's Version (2010), which is also available on Hulu.
Rather unusual to have TIFF Top 10 films in such a major outlet south of the border. David Cronenberg films do well in the States. Barney's Version has a number of American and non-Canadian actors. Charlotte is more of a European film than a Canadian film.
That leaves 4 not seen from the 2022 list and 2 from the 2021 list.
photo credit: Emporte-Moi | Set Me Free Twitter capture: @TFCA
The 2023 CBC winter schedule doesn't have an Olympics interruption. The NHL is back to a normal mid-April conclusion as opposed to the end of April from 2022.
Comedies back from their sophomore years include the Mark Critch vehicle Son Of A Critch and Run The Burbs. Workin' Moms is back for its final season, Season 7. Pretty Hard Cases is back for Season 3 on Wednesdays.
Coroner is done as is Tallboyz. The sketch comedy show should have had another season, given that CBC had to fill the post Workin' Moms slot with a British and American show.
Season 8 of Still Standing has Jonny Harris off to new towns from Ucluelet and Gibsons, BC to Wabush, Newfoundland, and everywhere in between.
David Suzuki is back for his final season of The Nature Of Things (Season 62 overall). We'll have more down below on his replacements.
The CBC will run Canadian documentaries on Sunday nights under the name Hot Docs.
CBC Winter 2022
Monday
Murdoch Mysteries 8p Around the World in 80 Days/Plan B 9p
Tuesday
This Hour Has 22 Minutes 8p Son Of A Critch 8:30p Workin' Moms 9p Catastrophe/Casual 9:30p
Wednesday
Still Standing 8p Run The Burbs 8:30p Pretty Hard Cases 9p
Thursday
Bollywed/Canada's Ultimate Challenge 8p The Fifth Estate/Trigger Point 9p
Friday
Marketplace 8p Stuff The British Stole/Push 8:30p The Nature of Things 9p
Saturday
Hockey Night in Canada 7p
Sunday
Heartland/Best in Miniature 7p Hot Docs 8p Essex County 9p
bold indicates new series; ital indicates new timeslot
CBC has officially announced Essex County as a 5-part, live action TV miniseries for March 2023! I’m showrunning and co-writing the series. Stay tuned for more details soon! https://t.co/aiAMkaIhZX
As for the new shows, Plan B has strong promise. Airing 6 episodes starting February 27, the English language version of the Radio-Canada French-language drama stars Patrick J. Adams and Karine Vanasse (photo below). This is about second chances, not birth control.
Essex County is a 5-episode miniseries that follows the intertwining lives of two families living in a rural community. Molly Parker and Stephen McHattie are in the cast. The show debuts on March 19.
The rest of the new shows fall into the reality TV genre. Bollywed is a docu-series about the Singh family, operating the Chandan Fashion bridal shop in Toronto’s Little India for the last 37 years. Canada's Ultimate Challenge is a reality show where Canadians are mentored by superstar coaches Donovan Bailey, Waneek Horn-Miller, Clara Hughes, Gilmore Junio, Jen Kish, and Luke Willson. Stuff The British Stole is technically a CBC co-production with ABC out of Australia. Push is a factual series about “the Wheelie Peeps” in Edmonton. Best in Miniature is another reality show.
That is a lot of unscripted programming from the public broadcaster. Barry Hertz from The Globe and Mailadds his own thoughts, generally agreeing on the amount of reality TV in the schedule.
Lionsgate has a deal for U.S. and international distribution for Son of a Critch. but we haven't seen any sign of an actual deal. The initial episode showed great promise.
Season 7 of Workin' Moms will be the final season for the long-running CBC comedy. Hopefully, the U.S. audience won't have to wait too long to see the final season on Netflix. The first 6 seasons are available on CBC Gem (Canada) and Netflix (United States).
The CBC released the titles for the documentaries on Sunday nights (director in parentheses):
January 8 The Case Against Cosby (Karen Wookey)
January 15 Doug and the Slugs and Me (Teresa Alfeld)
January 22 Offside: The Harold Ballard Story (Jason Priestley)
January 29 Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children (Barri Cohen)
February 5 Dear Jackie (Henri Pardo)
Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children ran during the 2022 Windsor International Film Festival and has aired on the Documentary Channel in Canada. This is Jason Priestley's return to directing a full-length film since Cas & Dylan. Priestley also directed the rockumentary Barenaked in America as well as TV shows and TV movies.
These are only the films we know so far. Unlike British seat fillers, these are Canadian stories in Canada told by Canadians.
Diggstown finished its 4 seasons on CBC this fall. Season 4 saw a shift to filming in Prince Edward Island where the show had been shot in Halifax in Nova Scotia. Variety has an extensive interview with Diggstown creator and showrunner Floyd Kane. One of the issues addressed in the interview was why the show didn't end up on Fox.
U.S. viewers can access the show through BET+. Canadians can watch via CBC Gem.
As it stands right now, our biggest native show was trickster, and they cancelled it because of one person. That show was rhymes for young ghouls light I could've taken it over with my eyes closed. But they didn't even try.
We ran this quote for the 2022 CBC television winter preview. Barnaby would have done a tremendous rendition of a theoretical Season 2 of Trickster. Unfortunately, that won't happen, mostly because Barnaby passed away unexpectedly in mid-October at the young age of 46.
Season 1 of Trickster was one of the best TV experiences of 2021 for your humble narrator. Those stories need to be told.
The Nature of Things will have 2 co-hosts next winter, to replace David Suzuki. Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of David Suzuki, has a PhD in marine biology and has hosted episodes of The Nature of Things as well as programs for Audible and Ocean Networks Canada. Anthony Morgan has hosted science programs on such outlets as Discovery Channel, CBC, and Vice. Morgan is also the creative director of Science Everywhere, a science education startup and media company.
photos credit: Run The Burbs; Plan B/CBC; Hockey Night in Canada/Rogers Sportsnet (x2) Twitter capture: @JeffLemire; @tripgore
The holiday tradition continues in 2022 with a new season of Letterkenny debuting on Crave on Christmas Day and Hulu on Boxing Day. Makes me wish I was back in my Airbnb where I stayed in Windsor, watching Letterkenny on Christmas Day. Those on the U.S. side have to wait an extra day to get their present.
The trailer mentions several themes for the upcoming season. We only mention 2 words: chip flavours. Sounds like that would go well with the Caesar episode from Season 10. Canada has way more interesting chip flavours than the United States. Watch and learn.
The pattern has been to have 6 episodes with an extra episode coming within months.
Our happy holidays message also applies to Hanukkah, which started on the evening of December 18 and runs through the evening of Boxing Day on December 26.
As we wind down 2022, here are some random thoughts for our holiday notebook.
Carey Price is one of our favourite NHL players for a lot of reasons. Talented goalie, his amazing resolve (especially on Saturday nights), a Canadian goalie who stayed in Canada.
This made his social media appearance on Bill C-21 all the more surprising. The weapon Price is carrying isn't being banned. Indigenous people, of which Price is one, are exempt.
Bill C-21 is going after assault rifles, not hunting rifles. There is this nuance of assault vs. hunting yet most weapons are distinct.
Hunting is a part of the Canadian landscape. Having guns for hunting is not and should not go away. Quite frankly, the handguns pouring into large Canadian cities, a lot from the United States, is the larger concern.
One of the changes that came after the École Polytechnique shooting was a long-gun registry. Stephen Harper dismantled that long-gun registry after he became prime minister. Many of Justin Trudeau's supporters hoped he would bring back that registry.
This isn't just about Bill C-21 and the potential loss of guns. The MontréalCanadiens sent out a response saying Price didn't know about the history of the mass shooting. Price came out with his own response and said he did know about the mass shooting in Montréal in 1989. The fact that the right-wing gun group Price was supporting had a coupon code that said POLY has a lot to do with why people are upset.
CBC News Explore is a new online approach to news from CBC News. This is only available on Canadian soil. With a nightly 1-hour newscast and a 24-hour news network, many stories fall through the cracks or don't have enough context.
Hopefully, CBC News Explore is a way to get some guidance on some of those news stories. The channel can be streamed for free, again on Canadian soil.
We also recommend Canadaland and its offspring podcasts as an option to learn more behind Canadian news stories. Watching a 30-minute TV newscast just before you go to bed doesn't give much insight into what is happening in Canada.
Canadian TV programs have dominated Sunday nights in the U.S. on the CW Network. The U.S. network finished up Season 1 of Family Law on December 11. Season 4 of Coroner finished up Sunday with back-to-back episodes. That marks 10 episodes for Family Law and 12 episodes for Coroner.
Global has renewed Family Law for Season 3. The CW status of any show is up in the air due to new ownership i.e., Nexstar. Hopefully, a show where production costs are already paid for will help in that decision process.
Family Law has been a pleasant surprise in terms of character development. Jewel Staite is very comfortable playing a lawyer who is a recovering alcoholic.
There were some amusing Easter eggs in Episode 5 of Season 1, Until Death Do Us Part.
A guest of one of the main characters is watching TV. That show turns out to be Jann. Later in the show, one of the women in a lesbian couple is watching Wynonna Earp.
You might expect an Easter egg to tie back to programs on that network. While Global airs Family Law, Bell Media (CTV) produces Jann and Wynonna Earp.
The fun for the American audience is that both shows within the show can be found in the United States. Jann is on Hulu in the States, though only the first 2 seasons (where the bleep is Season 3?). Wynonna Earp airs on Netflix in the U.S.
Eternal Spring was worthy of making the Academy Awards shortlist for Best International Feature Film but missed the cut. There are a lot of good films on the shortlist.
You can draw inspiration from our look back at previous nominees. Well, maybe not Chien de Garde. Such a terrible film.
Jason Loftus and his crew should be proud of the film they made.
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) December 13, 2022
Samantha Bee is having a U.S. tour with a stage show entitled Your Favorite Woman starting in April. Her Full Frontal with Samantha Bee was cancelled by Warner Brothers Discovery after 7 seasons on TBS.
"Many of the best segments we did on 'Full Frontal' focused on making complex issues more accessible," said Bee in a prepared statement. "And I am called to do that once again. Not sure why. Nothing much is happening in the world of women's bodily autonomy, so I am taking it upon myself to teach the parts of Sex Ed that should’ve been taught by your gym teacher."
This will be a boost after not having a live audience for the show since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We still miss the TV show. The Daily Show has an opening and CBC late night could use a take on the news.
The NHL looked very different 12 months ago with postponements of games due to the latest COVID-19 variant. Glad for a sense of relative normalcy.
CBC and Citytv have New Year's Eve programming instead of Hockey Night in Canada on December 31. The league takes off for a holiday December 24-26.
We don't cover the World Juniors as part of our hockey coverage anymore. We do provide the basic information before the tournament begins. The 2023 version runs from Boxing Day (December 26) through January 5 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.
This is the third straight year the tournament has been held on Canadian soil, mostly due to the pandemic. Edmonton had the tournament by itself in 2021 and that city shared the tournament with Red Deer, Alberta in 2022. Halifax and Moncton took over from Novosibirsk and Omsk, Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Halifax will host Group A, featuring Canada, at the Scotiabank Centre. Moncton will host Group B, featuring the United States, at the Avenir Centre. Halifax previously co-hosted the 2003 tournament with Sydney, Nova Scotia.
TSN covers the tournament with the NHL Network showing the TSN feed unless the United States is involved.
Canada did really well in the World Cup qualifying through CONCACAF and made its first World Cup (for the men) since 1986. Yet the Canada team drew a really tough group in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Sometimes, such things get exaggerated. Croatia and Morocco, the teams that advanced out of Group F, finished third and fourth, respectively, in the whole tournament. Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the third place game. Canada looks better as a result of how the other teams did in the rest of the tournament.
Montréal's Morocco community embraced their home country's success in the World Cup. Morocco was the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals.
The fine folks at CanadianCrossing.com are taking a holiday break. The CBC winter schedule preview runs on December 28. The NHL month in preview for January will run on December 30. The year to come in travel and politics will run that first full week in January. Breaking news will run as needed, such as if a famous director passes away over the holidays. Schedules are subject to change. We have a lot of archive material to read over the holidays, including many film reviews.
video credit: Letterkenny/Hulu photo credit: cpoo31/Instagram Twitter capture: @FullFrontalSamB
