Mike's Bloggity Blog

Okay, let’s break this down for you:

Great news: Top Chef Canada season 2 returns to the Food Network on March 12th, 2012!

Bad news: Season 1′s original host Thea Andrews (who I LOVED) is out!

Good news: It’s cause she had a baby.

Wait and see news:  The show’s new host is actress, model, host and philanthropist Lisa Ray.  Movie fans will recognize her from Water and Bollywood Hollywood.  She seems cool, but I LOVED me some Thea Andrews, so lets just settle with that I’m cautiously optimistic about the new host.

Dangerous news:  The winner of season 2 will take home a GE Monogram kitchen worth $30,000.  For the first season I made a drinking game out of how many times Andrews reminded us who was the show’s sponsor and I ended up getting alcohol poisoning from every single episode from the season.

Most important news: Top Chef Canada 2 is only a few months away! This is the best Canadian reality show on TV right now, so I can’t wait to see who the new contestants are!

Just like any good mystery, the foretold death of Murdoch Mysteries has seen a twist, and it’s a gooder!

CBC has just announced that it will save the show that was canceled by Citytv after five relatively successful seasons.

If you’ve never caught the show, Murdoch Mysteries explores the intriguing turn-of-the-century world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a detective who pioneers radical forensic techniques for the time in his quest to solve the city’s crimes. Basically it’s like CSI without electricity. The series is shot in and around Toronto and Southern Ontario as well as additional locations across Canada including Dawson City and Ottawa,  and it’s also featured a lot of cool cameos and guest stars including Victor Garber, Peter Keleghan, Sebastian Pigott and of course, Stephen Harper.

I tried to think about other show’s that were saved by other Canadian networks, and none really came to mind.  I know that CTV brought back Degrassi, which initially aired on CBC.  But that’s really about it.  It would be nice if CTV, Global or Citytv took the steps necessary to save Being Erica, which is presumed to be currently airing its final season.

While I’ve never watched Murdoch Mysteries, it’s great to see that the Canadian production has been saved, because since it was developed in 2003, its created more than 5000 jobs for actors, writers, directors, producers, crew, extras and technical and production services.

Well, the day is finally here, on this very spooky Halloween, Rogers TV has just launched Canada’s newest network FX Canada!

The station will feature a ton of shows that FX is known for including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Wilfred, Louie, Justified, The League and most importantly American Horror Story.

The mysterious show has been all the buzz in the States and has already been airing for a few weeks down there, and after a waiting patiently, like good Canadians, we’ll finally get our hands on the show created by Ryan Murphy and that stars Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott.  It will hard to top Revenge, but this may very well be my favourite new show of the season.

Ironically, FX Canada’s Canadian content is still a little lacking and for now, will feature the regular Rogers fare including Reviews on The Run, Murdoch Mysteries, Departures and The Electric Playground.  I’m sure there will be more shows once the network is up and running.

But then again, who cares, it’s all about American Horror Story!

Welcome to Canada FX, I think you’ll like it here.

For more information about FX Canada, just visit their site.

With only a few hours left until the taping of the first episode kicks off, Canada’s Got Talent finally announced the names of its judges and host…and you know what?  I love it!

Joining previously announced judge Martin Short, will be Opera sensation (and fellow Fredericton native) Measha Brueggergosman and renowned songwriter Stephan Moccio will all be weighing in and finding the eventual winner of the show’s inaugral first season.

Canada’s Got Talent also announced that BT Toronto’s Dina Pugliese will host the show. Some will remember her as the host of the VJ search reality show that aired a few years ago when Tim Deegan won and became a Muchmusic VJ.

With the announcements now complete, I think I’m getting really excited for the show. What’s really great is that, like NBC’s The Voice, the judges are all still relevant and very succesful. They won’t be looking to get their share of the spotlight, because they already have it. That means the judges will instead spend their time looking for legitimately great talent, all that adds up to a really fanstastic show.

Now if only I could think of a talent.

Easily one of the most exciting announcements to come out of Canadian TV this year is that we’ll soon have an FX to call are very own.  FX Canada will launch on October 31st and with just a few weeks to go, we’re starting to get a better idea of what the channel will look like.

Of the shows I’m most excited about, American Horror Story already me tingling with goosebumps.  Even though it premiered in the States last week, I’m refusing to cheat and I will patiently wait for the show to premiere on October 31st, like a good Canadian entertainment writer.

Other shows that fans of FX can look forward to include Wilfred. It’s half-hour, live-action comedy about Ryan (Elijah Wood, The Lord of the Rings), a young man struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with Wilfred (Jason Gann, The Wedge), his neighbour’s canine pet.

I’ve also heard a lot of good things about The League, which is another half-hour comedy about male friendship, marriage, parenting, suburbia and growing up – or refusing to grow up – through a circle of friends in a fantasy football league.

Older seasons of Sons of Anarchy, It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia and Louie will also be available.  Perhaps most interesting about the network’s line-up is the inclusion of Terriers, which is about a retired cop turned low-rent private investigator. It’s curious because the show has already been canceled south of the border.

The network is also promising a solid line-up of Canadian series, even though none have been announced yet.

So what show are you most excited about? If you can’t wait, Citytv will broadcast a special sneak preview of American Horror Story on Monday, Oct. 24 at 9pm ET/PT, along with c Wilfred at 10pm ET/PT and The League at 10:30pm ET/PT.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

So what will you be doing today?  Having fun with your family?  Raking the lawn?  Sleeping in?

Me?  Well I’ll be watching eight hours of 3rd Rock From The Sun, of course.

God bless Thanksgiving marathons on TVtropolis.

Well folks, they’ve officially run out of Network ideas.

In a world with channels dedicated to almost every demographic, the CRTC has made sure that everyone is now represented.  The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission has gone ahead approved an all-karaoke channel.

Simplly called The Karaoke Channel, it will feature both English and French songs playing in rotation,  24 hours a day, paired with the lyrics so viewers can sing-along.  The move ensures that people who love karaoke never leave their house again.  This is good news for people like me, who like to go once a year to sing Robbie Williams Rock DJ (see above photo), because I won’t have to wait hours in line anymore, but I’m concerned for those addicted to the Japanese phenomenom because going out to karaoke bars was probably these peoples only social interaction.

The Karaoke Channel will launch in 2012.

Living in Calgary, the chance to participate in tv-show tapings are often few and far between, but in a few weeks, this city that I call home, will have one of this country’s biggest shows filming right here in Calgary!

Canada’s Got Talent has announced that this Calgary will be one of the stops during the  Live Audience Theatre Tour on October 18th and 19th. (Other city’s will too, but they haven’t been announced yet.)

This is essentially the show’s singers, dancers, contortionists and ventriloquists second audition and it will be their chance to shine for the first time in front of the judges and thousands of fans (or haters) in the audience.  Talk about nerve-wracking.  Tickets and other details will be announced in the coming days.

I’m super pumped about this, because I’ve seen countless YouTube viral videos about stars being discovered on the “Got Talent” series and have always loved watching all the audiences’ reactions.  This is my time to make it big and get caught on television crying, cheering, sobbing, booing and clapping, yes clapping.

I’m actually most interested in the booing aspect of this show, because when performers are awful, obviously the show’s producers will want the crowed to be over the top with their jeering, but this is Canada, we’re not really booers.  I can seeing us likely sighing or probably just feeling bad and trying to drown them out with a chorus of “awwww”.

Canada’s Got Talent premieres on Citytv in 2o12

It seems only fitting that I write a blog post about William Shatner today.  After all, it marks the 45th anniversary of the debut of the original Star Trek series. While a lot of the original cast has faded into the deep dark beyond, the one and only Captain Kirk has seemingly never left the spotlight. He’s currently in his seventh decade of work and yet, he seems busier than ever! I’ve been getting a flurry of press releases about him lately and for a while, I couldn’t actually believe that an 80 year old could be so busy. William Shatner really is the Canadian equivalent of Betty White.

Here’s a recap of the Shat’s upcoming activities:

William goes on tour!
To celebrate his longevity in the industry, Shatner is hitting the Canadian roads for a speaking tour that will easily delight trekkies and normal fans alike. Throughout the evening, the former Captain Kirk will be taking attendees on a wild ride through his life and career and singing songs as only he can.

October 19th: Vancouver
October 21st: Regina, SK
October 23rd: Edmonton, AB
October 25th: Winnipeg, MB
November 3rd: Toronto
November 4th: Montreal

William Writes a Book!
On October 4th, Will is releasing “Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large” on hard cover. The book will feature a series of rules, illustrated with stories from Bill’s illustrious life and career.  Essentially if you ever wanted to know how exactly he’s been able to have a career that spands seven decades, then this is the book for you!

William sings songs!
A mere seven days after the release of his book, Shaner will have a new album on the shelves. It’s called Seeking Major Tom and features two-discs worth of songs about Shatner’s second home: space.  It will have some original songs as well as a slew of covers featuring a pretty random assortment of duets including: Lyle Lovett, Steve Miller, Brad Paisley, Peter Frampton and Zakk Wylde!

William returns to TV.
Well technically he never left….
This weekend will see the return of the Shatner hosted “Weird or What?” on the History network. And even though Rookie Blue  just finished its second season, they’ve already secure one helluva guest start for season three. Yup, you guessed it: William Shatner!  He’ll play a drunk driver when the show returns to Global and ABC next summer.  So we’ll have to wait another ten months to see his return to TV, but I think you’ll have enough Bill to keep you busy, no?

There aren’t a lot of Canadian shows like Lost Girl.  It’s dark, brooding, exciting and it’s whole plot doesn’t revolve around making fun of Canada. With nary a mention of a gas station, mosque or hockey,  yes, Lost Girl is a rare find indeed.  Part of what makes the show so unique, is its star Anna Silk, who plays Bo a succubus who fights to help those who can’t help themselves.   I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, in a world of copycat Buffy shows, Lost Girl almost does it better.

With the show about to kick off its second season, things could not be going better for Silk and the show’s stars.  They’ve just come off of two successful appearances at ComicCon and Fan Expo, the show has a two season pick up on SYFY in the States and its second season has been bumped up to an almost unheard of 22 episodes.

While doing a flurry of press for the show, I got the chance to chat with Anna, who grew up in my hometown of Fredericton.  During our chat we talked about the show’s loyal fans, her biggest challenges with the show and I may have snuck in a question about her Gemini nominated role on Being Erica too.

When you filmed the first season of Lost Girl, it was really untested waters.  Now that you know the show is a hit, how did that effect the production of the second season?
We started filming the second and we felt like fans really embraced the first season and you don’t want to let them down.  I really don’t think we have, this premiere is pretty awesome.  There’s also more excitement on set, soon after we started filming again, we found out about being picked up in the States and then shortly after that, we found out that we’d been picked up for 22 episodes.   Then I did Comic Con and Fan Expo and just to see the people that are excited about it, it’s really fun.  And on top of all that, we are still filming the second season, which is really exciting.  I’ve never been on something that is airing as we’re filming.

For people who’ve never seen Lost Girl, how easy it for them to jump into the second season?
I think people can very easily do that, I mean I think, if they can, people should see the first season (Click here to watch the entire first season.) But I think as long as they know the premise of the show, it won’t take them long to figure out the relationships and the world that Lost Girl plays in. I think what has drawn people to the show is the central characters and you can just jump right into that.

The character of Bo is funny and kick ass, which is more of a challenge as an actress?
Oh my god, I think they are both really challenging.  Comedy is really hard.  Kenzi (Ksenia Solo) is really the comedic voice on Lost Girl, but Bo definitely has her own humour and that’s been really interesting to develop and feel that out. And the action stuff is hard, I mean it’s really, really fun but the reality of a scene that looks incredible, with lots of action, is that it takes a long time to shoot. So physically, it’s very demanding.   But you have to be ready, you can’t just jump right into it, you have to be physically ready.  That was something I was able to do in between the seasons, because I really understood what that challenge was going to be.

A lot of what Bo is going through is her destiny, how much does this role feel like your destiny?
I think that I started acting and my dream was to play the lead in the series, because I like television and I think there is really good television out there. I’ve always been drawn to really strong female characters and the thing about Bo, and I think this is probably why I was cast, she wasn’t just kick ass.  There were some other sides to her, that’s I why I feel like this role is meant for me.  Bo is very vulnerable, she has to push to be a kick ass chick that you see on TV. And that’s something very similar that her and I have in common.

Lost Girl has a huge online following, how much of the attention that the show gets on the internet effects the actual writing on the show?
I think the writers and producers really paid attention to the fans, it’s so accessible now. People can make a comment on the show and debate about it online, and it just gets heard. People do pay attention.  I think that the writers have created a second season that gives fans a lot of what they loved in the first season.  People really loved the relationships and they paid attention to that.  And I think we have a really strong second season, it has lots of adventure but the adventure really informs that main story line and the main character’s lives.

This season there is a mysterious (and creepy) little girl.  What’s it like to work with a young actress?  Does she look up to you?
She’s so present, she’s a really good actress. She’s 11 years old, she’s really quite young. She really rolls with it, she doesn’t really need any help at all. She shows up, she does her thing, she can change with the scene, she’s very present. I think that it is something that I can learn from her, she’s got it down.

Creepy girl alludes to something bigger for Bo.  Will that be something that we’ll be seeing all season long?
Yes, as far as I know.  She definitely comes back and there are things coming for Bo.  The great thing about this season for us, is that we shot this season in order, we didn’t do that the first season. And so that was a whole challenge in itself.  Now we get the scripts as they come out and the story is unfolding for us too, which is how the audience will experience it.   For now, there’s definitely darker things coming for Bo. She’s smarter and stronger this season, she can’t be so cavalier about her lack of joining the Light or Dark.  She has to realize that her actions have consequences that effect the people that she loves, which is now the only family she has now. It’s a re-occurring theme.

Growing up in New Brunswick, did you ever imagine having an entire marketing campaign based around you?
Well it’s so strange to me, because growing up I always loved this industry, just like you do. I would really sort of look at other actresses and their interviews and I would pay attention to what they said, it makes you feel like there is something around them that is swirling around.  But I get what they were saying when they say things like, “It’s strange to get this response.”  It was strange at Fan Expo to have people come up and get really emotional about meeting you, but I think it’s great.  But it is a strange feeling, because I don’t feel like I’m this other worldly person.

Please don’t ever change.

I think a lot of people do, but a lot of people certainly don’t. A lot of people do their job and they love it, and we wouldn’t have the success that we have, if we didn’t embrace it.

Okay, let’s get off topic for a second: Will Cassidy be making an appearance in the fourth and final season of Being Erica?

I don’t think so, I would love it.  It’s literally just a matter of were both filming at the same time, I’m just not available.

That would be kinda cool, Erin and I have talked about it!  As far as I know, Cassidy won’t be showing up and it’s too bad because she’s such a great character!

Lost Girl premieres tonight on Showcase!