MetaFilter posts tagged with Canada and tv

Goodnight, Ricky. Goodnight, Julian. Goodnight, Bubbles.

not_on_display — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:25:12 -0800

[NSFW] It's almost time to Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys -- the final episode of the Trailer Park Boys aired in December, 2008. (As Bubbles says, "It's a dirty, sassy liquor. So sassy.") Producer Mike Clattenburg says that there will be a second movie, "Countdown to Liquor Day", to be released late in 2009. After that, though, the TPB franchise will buy the great double-wide in the sky. [pervyously, preevisilly or however th' fuck you say it.] More TPB Youtubery: • All of the episodes • Plenty Outtakes Trailer Park Boys (in character) on: • The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos: 1 2 • on QTV • on G4 • Walking in on the sports report • at the Toronto Film Festival • Bubbles flies a jet on This Hour has 22 Minutes • Pre-TPB Bubbles footage • Bubbles singing "Liquor and Whores" and more, live on stage at The Ricky, Bubbles & Julian Community Service Variety Show More of a Randy & Mr. Lahey fan? • A contentious interview on the CBC News at Six with John Dunsworth (breaking kayfabe) • Bo-Bandy's Bubbles impression, live on stage • Randy & Lahey hosting the Gin Blossoms in Surrey • Randy & Lahey on Reign Supreme Sports And: TPB, the Lego edition.

A Forest of Guitars

boost ventilator — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:24:50 -0800

Dick Stacey's Country Jamboree is now available on DVD/CD after years of slowly fading into obscurity. "I was wrong in thinking the Jamboree was a thing of the past," said Dick Stacey, a man whose three gas stations and motel took over sponsoring this uniquely Maine talent showcase on a whim in 1973—and ended up lasting just over a decade. The original show (Frankenstein's Country Jamboree) was started by Bob Whitten in Milbridge, Maine during the late 1950s. "There were no rehearsals, and auditions were unheard of. The only thing you had to be to be on Stacey’s Country Jamboree was to be sincere and sober," said 30-year-host Charlie Tenan. "Saturday Night Live was trying to invent characters like this...these were real people, but they were characters who couldn't be manufactured," said Nova Scotia resident and fan Brian White to The Halifax Daily News in 2001. For a sample, check out Bucksport's own Jennie Shontell sing "Wings of a Dove." The longevity and regional success of this program (yet current lack of YouTube presence) was partly due to the bizarre "Bangor/Atlantic Canada cable connection," which also bolstered the career of the late Great Money Movie host Eddie "We'll put 'em on for ya" Driscoll, until being destroyed by a decision by Atlantic Canadian cable providers to opt for Detroit feeds instead of ones from Bangor.

Making a Cereal Killing...in Real Estate

jonp72 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:40:34 -0800

In 1954, the producers of the radio show Sergeant Preston of the Yukon needed a gimmick to make sure its radio audience would watch the TV version of the show. Meanwhile, the show's sponsor, Quaker Oats, needed a follow-up to their ad campaign about how Quaker Puffed Wheat is shot out of guns. So Chicago adman, Bruce Baker (later the creator of Captain Crunch), dreamt up a wildly successful PR stunt for both Sgt. Preston of the Yukon and Quaker Oats by buying up one-inch plots of land in the Yukon (with legal assistance from future British Columbia senator George van Roggen) and giving away deeds to the land for free in copies of Quaker Oats cereal. (For a picture of the deed, click here and here) Although the ad campaign was phenomenally successful in the short term, it also had some long-term blowback. While looking at land in the Yukon, Bruce Baker developed minor frostbite injuries that later led to his leg being amputated. As for the land itself, it reverted back to the Canadian government in 1965 after nonpayment of $37.20 in taxes, but that doesn't stop owners of the Quaker Oats "deeds" from pestering the Yukon government about their land claims. Filmmaker David McDonald made the documentary, Cereal Thriller about the whole bizarre saga, which also raises interesting questions in property law. Ironically, although the Quaker Oats deeds have zero value in terms of property rights, their value as collectibles proved to be several times more than the stock price of Quaker Oats when it was bought by PepsiCo in 2001.

"A new comedy series that's halal-arious"

good in a vacuum — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:17:07 -0800

Little Mosque on the Prairie is a new Canadian sitcom that premiers January 9th at 8:30 PM EST on the CBC. To promote the series, 135 kilograms of shawarma was served up (embedded Flash video) Thursday on a downtown Toronto street, with a flock of camels on hand to spread the halal-arity. Considerable buzz is being generated, with American talking heads discussing the effect this show may have, and why it would never have been created in the US. Says series creator Zarqa Nawaz: "North America should be the first place where a comedy like this would come about, where Muslims can be comfortable in their own skin."

Jay and Silent Bob Up North

stray — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 00:00:50 -0800

Jay and Silent Bob go Canadian when Kevin Smith of "Clerks", "Chasing Amy" "Mallrats" fame writes himself into a script to reenact a teenage fantasy: making out with Degrassi High's "Caitlin", a character in the both the classic series and it's new "Next Generation" version. He nearly roped Ben Affleck into it ("Affleck, honestly, could use the work right now"), but is going with Alanis instead.

Trailer Park Boys

boost ventilator — Mon, 26 May 2003 21:19:13 -0800

Big Plans. Little Brains. Mike Clattenburg's Trailer Park Boys could soon be more than just a Canadian phenomenon. The mockumentary began as a film, was adapted into a TV series and has been airing for three seasons on Showcase in Canada (not to be confused with this). Ricky, Julian and Bubbles even joined Our Lady Peace during its Fear of the Trailer Park Tour last summer (soon to be documented on CD and DVD) and could be seen alongside Don Cherry in The Tragically Hip's video for "The Darkest One" (a look behind the scenes - qt version). Bubbles even appeared in that informer guy's video for "Legal" and has been writing music reviews in character. (TPB was mentioned briefly here and here.)

BarneyFifesBullet — Mon, 21 Jan 2002 14:40:34 -0800

MTV Canada plays too many videos, says rival When is the last time you heard that MTV plays too many videos, if ever?OK, crappy videos, but still...

paultron — Sat, 06 Oct 2001 15:07:31 -0800

Degrassi's Back! For the Canadian's out there, I'm sure I don't have to remind you about those classic CanCon series' The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and Degrassi High. (Any Canadian between 15-35 grew up on at least one of these) Well starting October 14th, we can all grow up again with a new gang of kids on Degrassi: The Next Generation! Who will be the next Joey Jeremiah?

Electric Jesus — Tue, 18 Sep 2001 08:37:42 -0800

RIP, Mr. Dressup. For Canadians who were growing up in the 70s and 80s, the loss of this icon is a sad, sad happening. If only there were people to teach today's kids how to have fun with pipecleaners and cardboard instead of whining for $300 in video games. What became of old-fashioned imagination?

tranquileye — Fri, 24 Nov 2000 14:30:50 -0800

The body that regulates cable in Canada, the CRTC, is licensing 283 new channels. All will be available only through digital set-top boxes.

Along with the expected Biography, Mystery, and ZDTV channels, in the mandatory tier we're getting Book Television from CHUM, a gay and lesbian channel, a documentary channel, and Land and Sea, a rural service from the CBC. If that wasn't wacky enough, the optional channels will include BBC Canada, the Wine Television Network, two wedding channels, several hockey channels, and channels dedicated to theatre, poetry, jazz, dance, pets, South Asian culture, international film, horses, law, martial arts… just about anything you can think of, actually.

While I don't expect they can all survive, it should make for an interesting six months.

joeclark — Mon, 12 Jun 2000 19:15:10 -0800

Designer-programmer-actor-model-waiter? Finally, someone giving one or more fingers to Toronto's tightarsed, outdated nouveaux-médias hiring practices. How would you like to be on call 24 hours a day as an interactive-TV manager for the Weather Network way the fork out in Mississauga? Lila Feng worship isn't enough of a payoff, kids.