TV, eh?

From Bill Brioux at TV Feeds My Family:

• Grapes Makes Mercer Look Like a Million
  “A visit from notorious clothes horse Don Cherry powered the Rick Mercer Report back over a million viewers Tuesday night.” Read more.

From Randy Shore of the Vancouver Sun:

• Story, character drive Murdoch Mysteries
  “It’s raining and his boots are soaked from shooting in the mud all morning, but Yannick Bisson is all business, assiduously repeating the scene over and over.” Read more.

From Helgi Eyford of the Calgary Herald:

• We become what we behold
  “The CBC television drama, Little Mosque on the Prairie, is a great case in point. It paints a picture of a community where people from different backgrounds deal with problems and, in the process, model a version of multiculturalism that is Canada’s greatest achievement as a nation.” Read more.

From Bill Brioux of TV Feeds My Family, ratings for The Border, Dragons’ Den, Air Farce, Rick Mercer Report, Heartland, The Tudors, Little Mosque on the Prairie, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Sophie, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Corner Gas, The Guard, and Degrassi, among others:

• Grace Park Behind Border Jump
  “Boosted by the series debut of Grace Park as Homeland Security Agent Liz Carver, The Border jumped to 765,000 viewers across Canada Nov. 10. That made it CBC’s highest-rated off-ice series last week.” Read more.

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star (second item):

• Why I now hate Kath & Kim
  “I also, in the same context, recommended the rock mockumentary Cock’d Guns, showcased on the very same Showcase channel. That is, until a couple of weeks ago, when it was pulled only nine episodes into its season, ironically (or not) to add a Friday-night repeat of Showcase original Testees. .” Read more.

From a media release:

A SHAKESPEAREAN RIVALRY UNFOLDS IN BOOMING ALBERTA AS WILD ROSES PREMIERES JAN. 6, ON CBC TELEVISION

• “What’s in a name? That which we call [oil] by any other name would smell as sweet.” - Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare

Enter the dramatic world of WILD ROSES, where the land is vast, the living is good and the search for black gold means everything. Debuting Tuesday, Jan. 6, at 9 p.m. on CBC Television, this one-hour, provocative 13-part series sees the battle for a coveted piece of land in Alberta unfold between the wealthy McGregors and the debt-ridden Henrys.

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From a media release:

Manuel Returns to CANADA’S NEXT TOP MODEL

• Recruitment continues for third cycle of Gemini Award-winning reality series
• Visit www.model.ctv.ca to download full application kit and/or apply online

CTV announced today the return of Jay Manuel as host and executive producer for the third cycle of CANADA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, coming to CTV in 2009. Recruitment has begun for the hugely popular, Gemini-Award winning series, and continues through December 22, 2008. Visit model.ctv.ca to download an official application kit and/or to apply online.

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From Alison Gillmor of CBC:

• Winnipeg plays itself
  “Winnipeg finally gets to play itself in the new City TV comedy drama Less Than Kind, which was shot last winter in minus-30 temperatures, as well as in House Party, which premiered last week on the Comedy Network (where it is available for download).” Read more.

From Rob Salem of the Toronto Star:

• Plenty of promise in new Canadian TV comedies
  “I mean, how do you replace a Trailer Park Boys? In fact, there is Showcase’s thrice Gemini-nominated Cock’d Guns, a similarly deadpan rock twist on the same mockumentary style. On the other hand, if you related more to Trailer’s taboo-toppling vulgarity, you need tune no further than the same cable channel’s new and resolutely rude Testees, which has thus far made the Boys look more like altar boys.” Read more.

From Tim Arsenault of the Halifax Chronicle Herald:

• Yes, it’s the end of Trailer Park Boys
  “ANYBODY WHO thinks the Trailer Park Boys are on the verge of moving away hasn’t been paying attention. For all intents and purposes, Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and the gang should be around in various forms long after the television premiere of a one-hour finale special on Dec. 7 at 11 p.m. on Showcase.” Read more.