TV Feeds My Family

CBC Battles on Without Blades

2009-11-23T16:44:00.008-05:00

It was another winning weekend for Canadian television. CBC surely missed that automatic 1.8 million on this first Sunday after Battle of the Blades, although they did trick 955,000 into watching figure skating (with just 234,000 in the 25-54-year-old demo). Earlier, at 5, 805,000 tuned in for the CBC Disney movie The Princess Diaries II, leading in nicely to Heartland, which galloped off with its usual 1.2 million.
The big Canadian draw Sunday night was the two CFL playoff games on TSN, with the victorious Green Riders scoring close to two million at 4:49. The Alouettes entertained 1,160,000 at 1 p.m.
Beating everything Sunday as usual was CTV`s Amazing Race (featuring blond daters Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney, above), which clocked 2,260,000.
OTHER SUNDAY NUMBERS: With Battle of the Blades out of the mix, Global`s The Simpsons got a boost, jumping to 1.5 million according to BBM Canada overnight estimates. CTV`s Cold Case, which, yes, is still on, did 1,351,000. Global`s Family Guy drew 1,135,000.
A channel had the American Music Awards, and got 781,000 to watch. CBC`s Nature of Things pulled 448,000. CTV`s Degrassi back-to-backs went 292,000 and 280,000.
SATURDAY the big winner, as always, was Game One on Hockey Night in Canada, scoring 2,101,000 happy Leaf fans. SNL did 416,000 at 11:30 on Global.
FRIDAY saw 1,575,000 show for the season finale of Flashpoint (with Hugh Dillon and Michael Cram, left), which tried to steal a little Blade glory by training its sights on Maple Leaf Gardens. That placed second over all nationally on the night to the CTV supper hour Evening News, which did 1,649,000. CTV`s Friday movie, Shrek The Third, did 1,281,000.
Oprah got 777,000 CTV viewers to tune in to her big announcement. Ron James found 570,000 at 8 on CBC, Stargate Universe soared to a steady 308,000 at Space, where Sanctuary did 148,000.

Oprah: Getting Out While The Going`s Good

2009-11-23T12:55:00.006-05:00

So Oprah is adios. In case you missed it Friday:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/video.

The other side of this story: Oprah the TV icon may still be a king maker when it comes to presidents and she can definitely still sell a lot of books and magazines but Oprah the TV show has been slipping steadily in the ratings for a few years now, especially among younger viewers.
Last July, Oprah scored its worst ratings nationally in 23 years according to Media Life magazine. Markets where her show once dominated are now close battlegrounds.
Dr. Phil, for example, often draws more viewers on CTV at 3 p.m. than Oprah does at 4. Last Wednesday in Toronto, both Dr. Phil (779,000) and rookie syndication entry Dr. Oz (624,000) pulled in more viewers than Oprah (575,000).
That, coupled with the fact that Oprah's syndication contract expired in 2011 and that stations were already making noises about seeking rate cuts due to lowering ratings had to signal to Winfrey and others that the gravy train was running out of gravy.
Going cable after 2011 does sound like a no-brainer; the way things are going, broadcasters may be cable networks by then. Nikke Finke says Winfrey's new show will be different and smaller. Whether it can still rise to the occasion (as it did last week when Sarah Palin`s visit goosed Oprah`s ratings to a two year high) remains to be seen.
The question for her Canadian fans is will OWN--the Oprah Winfrey Network where her new series will be a cornerstone--cross the border? Seems likely. While CTV licenses Discovery in Canada, Canwest has Discovery Health, which is what OWN will take over once the conversion takes place. That moves Oprah from CTV to rival Canwest--and they didn`t even have to thrown in any draft choices.

It Would Make Even More Sense Nov. 22

2009-11-21T17:44:00.004-05:00

Did you know? Celebrate with one of these. (Kudos to TV know-it-all David Kines for the social networking heads up.)

Christmas Comes Early in Beverly Hills

2009-11-20T23:00:00.014-05:00

BEVERLY HILLS, CA.--They don't call it Tinseltown for nuthin'.
Shop owners in Beverly Hills wasted no time in getting their Christmas decorations up this year—a full week before U.S. Thanksgiving. Giant fake trees covered in bright red and gold decorations stood tall in the swank storefronts in the Rodeo Drive neighbourhood.
The whole burb was done up in a "Deck the Hills" motif. There was a damn the economy, full speed ahead frenziness to the festive decor.
Giant red velvet bows were everywhere. Barney's New York on Wilshire had their holiday "Witty Tree," with quotes like this from Will Rogers: "If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" A giant fake Christmas tree stood near the entrance to Van Cleef & Arpels, with garlands galore down the railings. Overhead, Santa's sleight and eight not-so-dainty reindeer shot out over Wilshire Blvd. Toward Santa Monica Blvd., chrome busts were tackied up with the latest festive frocks. One Ladies apparel shop did their own spin on a current movie title:

The grand Beverly Wilshire Hotel--made famous as a back drop for the Richard Gere-Julia Roberts feature Pretty Woman--showed remarkable reserve in not indulging in the festive spirit, electing to hold off on the xmas decor until after Thanksgiving. Good show.
The fact that it hit 80F Thursday is another good reason to show restraint. Still, other retailers are not going to let the weather or a bah humbug hotel dampen their Christmas spirit. They've arranged for Mrs. Claus to conduct story telling sessions on the Beverly Hills trolley which runs tourists through the retail region.
Santa himself will be dropping by this weekend at The Paley Center for Media. St. Nick is due Sunday where he'll be sharing cookies and milk. TV fans can check out several holiday classics running in the Paley screening room, including Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman and Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah.
I stopped by the Paley Thursday to screen a 1951 episode of the late night talk show forerunner Broadway Open House, hosted by burlesque comedian Jerry Lester. Zaftig Dagmar still steals what is essentially a radio show. The Paley--formerly the Museum of TV and Radio--also has an on-going exhibit of photos of Catwoman stunner Julie Newmar on display in the center's Bell Family Gallery until Dec. 6. They're also screening a series of specials saluting U.S. Thanksgiving, including a 1973 episode of The Waltons titled "The Thanksgiving Story."

Christmas sights do compete with Thanksgiving smells along the strip. The fragrant aroma of pumpkin pie and nutmeg and cinnamon sticks practically drags you into Williams-Sonoma. For every storefront window featuring a ginger bread house covered in elves, there was a stunning chocolate window display of pumpkins and turkeys (especially in one shop next to famed eatery Spagos). The basic message of excess at all times shone through. Until the next bailout, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

TV's Grow Like Apples in Beverly Hills

2009-11-19T22:15:00.011-05:00

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--Since TV Feeds My Family, TV's that look like apples have to be a good thing, right?
Spotted these nifty little TV screens at this shop called Hannspree (420 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills). The display from the street is a knockout: these colourful leather and plastic apples TV sets are stacked all the way up one wall. At first I thought it was an Apple store, but Hannspree has no connection with the computer giant. The store is loaded with fun stuff, with the focus more on design than any kind of state-of-the-art functionality.
Sales consultant Andrew Burt gave me the 20, pointing out the giant wall of L.A. Laker sets and Dodger TVs with real leather cowhide and stitching (you can apparently order these suckers in the NBA or MLB team of your choice). There are sets made out of wood, shaped like kid's trucks and toys or even animals like Pandas and giraffes.
The coolest tube may be the giant molded Batman TV, one of only 13 made, which accounts for the Gothan-sized price tag--$13 grand! Holy Beverly Hills birthday present! The other sets are surprisingly inexpensive, as are several digital frames in the store. Burt says the company is coming out with a new line of digital screens. There are plenty of more conventional looking flat screens on display, some with surround sound speakers that have to be heard to be believed. Hannspree goodies are sold all over the world and are available in Canada ; get more information here.
You'll find Hannspree right next to a Beverly Hills landmark: Nate & Als (414 North Beverly Drive). Had breakfast at the well known deli, which dates back to 1945 in the ritzy neighbourhood.
Turns out Al Mendelson was a Russian who immigrated to Toronto in the '20s. He moved on to Detroit, partnered with Nate Reimer, opened a deli and headed west. The low-key eatery quickly became a Hollywood hot spot.
Mix of older regulars and younger dudes talking three-picture deals or an improv booking hang out at the restaurant. The wall by the door is covered with framed citations from the city declaring "Nate & Al" days, etc. You can also buy a copy of frequent diner Larry King's latest book by the door.
The deli counter is loaded with kippers, lox and Nova Scotia Salmon. A plate of thick, juicy pickles gets plunked down at the table before you even order. If the old leather booth seats could talk, they'd say try the thick barley broth soup; the shredded hash browns are light and tasty, too. The web site lists 'em all.

Ice Pilots Soar, CSI:NY Kills, Glee Grows

2009-11-19T20:52:00.006-05:00

Ice Pilots NWT took off Wednesday night, soaring to 459,000 History Television viewers according to BBM Canada overnight estimates. That's gotta be History's strongest domestic series launch ever. Buffalo Airways, we salute you!
The northern reality series debut ranked 25th for the night in Canada, beating out big name American imports like Modern Family (434,000) and Cougar Town (421,000) on Citytv, a Colorado/Edmonton game on TSN (433,000), So You Think You Can Dance results on A channel (316,000) and The Jay Leno Show on City (306,000).
Maybe Leno oughtta book the McBryan's for a 10 at 10 turn.
OTHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT NUMBERS: Tops overall were CTV crime dramas CSI: New York (2,782,000) and Criminal Minds (2,692,000). Bones rattled 1,980,000 viewers on Global. CBC's Dragon's Den was down three bucks at 1,746,000. That Glee episode, where Finn (Cory Monteith) sang Paul Anka's "Havin' My Baby" to Quinn (Dianna Agron) and her shocked parents at their dinner table, hit 1,734,000. The Tudors did 871,000.
The national news score: CTV at 11 1,194,000, Global at 5:30 1,029,000, CBC at 10 and 10:25 679,000/547,000.

Sneak Peak at HBO's WWII Epic The Pacific

2009-11-19T15:21:00.008-05:00

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--Did you know it is illegal to flag down a cab off the street in Beverly Hills? Me neither, but I finally got wise after waiting 20 minutes for a taxi in this sun-drenched marble canyon. Cab drivers can only turn their vehicles into hotels and pick up in driveways, etc. What the hell kind of backwater burb is this?
Even in Yellowknife you can hail a cab for crissakes.
Anyway, arrived in time at HBO West in Santa Monica to screen three episodes of the new big budget miniseries The Pacific. This 10-part WWII epic is a sequel of sorts to Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg's earlier Emmy-winning gem, Band of Brothers. Production began in Australia in 2007 and stretched throughout most of 2008, at a reported cost of US$150 million.
The Pacific will premiere in March on HBO and HBO Canada. About two dozen international journalists (mainly L.A.-based scribes for European print and electronic media) attended the projected Hi-def screenings in HBO's cozy little screening room.
The production depicts the heroic stand made by U.S. marines at Guadalcanal and other ferocious battles in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific theatre of WWII. As in Band of Brothers, the savage imagery of the war scenes puts you right in the middle of the battle. It is a nightmare world of continuous assault and unimaginable fury. I had to shut my eyes at one shocking bit of impromptu dentistry as a hardened marine decided to grab a little gold out of an enemy jaw.
Viewers get to spend a few minutes with some of the actual surviving marines at the beginning of each episode. That gives The Pacific a bit of a Ken Burns' documentary feel from The War, which is a good thing. The eye-witness commentary helps elevate The Pacific from just another war movie to a historical recreation of those terrible times.
James Badge Dale, Joe Mazzello and Jon Seda star in the miniseries, with Canadian-born producer Graham Yost and fellow Canuck Jeremy Podeswa among the directors. This afternoon, scribes are gathering to interview a few of the cast members. I'll be submitting a feature for Movie Entertainment magazine which will run closer to the air date for The Pacific.

V Falls Back to Earth

2009-11-19T02:13:00.004-05:00

CTV is still running ads declaring V as the No. 1 new show of the season. Well, in its third outing, it dropped again, down to 1,325,000 viewers (according to BBM Canada overnight estimates). That's down about 700,000 from its premiere three weeks ago and for the second week in a row well back of the true No. 1 new show of the season--Global's NCIS: Los Angeles, which drew 1,890,000 Tuesday night.
V barely edged out another Tuesday winner for Global, The Good Wife, which drew 1,321,000. V also now sits back of Battle of the Blades (season avg: 1,749,000 for the Sunday performance episodes) and Glee in terms of fall launch season averages.
OTHER TUESDAY NUMBERS: Dancing with the Stars results show 1.818,000. CTV's Law & Order: SVU 1,670,000. Rick Mercer Report 1,084,000.
The national newscasts: CTV at 11, 1,185,000. Global at 5:30 1,146,000. CBC at 10, 595,000, at 10:30, 511,000.
Sportsnet netted 763,000 Leaf fans. 22 Minutes clocked 597,000. Being Erica drew 537,000. The Hour You'll Never Get Back 160,000.

Ice Pilots NWT Takes to the Skies Tonight

2009-11-18T15:00:00.007-05:00

Tonight's the night Ice Pilots NWT takes off on History Television (10 p.m. ET/PT). The 13-part reality series follows the adventures of "Buffalo" Joe McBryan, a gruff Northwest Territories coot who owns and operates Buffalo Airways. He flies passengers and supplies across the frozen landscape in old DC-3s and DC-4s and other WWII-era bush planes salvaged from various scrap heaps. Had a ride up in one last week from Yellowknife to Hay River and the flight was one for the books.
C0-starring with Joe is youngest son Mikey McBryan (left), 26, who was in Toronto earlier this week along with BA fly boy Scotty Blue to promote the series premiere. Mikey went off to school and came back with all kinds of big business ideas for dad's dodgy little aircraft operation. One is a clothing line, with goodies available at Buffalo Airwear.com. Mikey showed me all kinds of air wear in a little store attached to the main hanger up north. One T-shirt features Joe's scowling face where Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara's should be. There are hoodies and hats and even baby clothes, but the big seller, in Hay River anyway, are the green and white panties with the Buffalo logo on them. Mikey can't keep them in the shop.
Joe's not too sure about the kid's ideas, dismissing him as "Silver Spoon" and a Ted Kennedy clone whenever I was in ear shot. Hey, nothing drives sales like a curmudgeon.
Check out the store, but mainly check out the show. It makes Ice Road Truckers look like a drive down Bramalea Road on a summer Sunday morning. Read more about it in my CP report picked up in today's Toronto Star.

Battle of the Blackout: Iced by Rogers?

2009-11-18T11:21:00.008-05:00

Did Rogers screw with the Battle of the Blades finale to make a point about the power of cable vs. the networks? The BBM Canada overnight estimates have an asterisk next to CBC's Blades numbers, which currently stand at 1,754,000 viewers. That is up over the usual Monday audience for the figure skating reality show, but expectations were higher given the closer to 2 million tally the show averages on Sundays.
"Due to the issues on the CBC Toronto (CBLT) feed," says BBM Canada, "these numbers may change in the confirmed data."
That blackout was restricted to Rogers' SD feed on Toronto's channel 6. The HD feed went out uninterrupted, as did the earlier Atlantic Canada feed seen at 7 p.m. Toronto time (and where I watched the finale).
Blades clocked 223,000 viewers in the GTA at 8 and picked up another 206,000 at 9 when Rogers replayed it. Will that second window be added to the overall total?
TVFMF insider "Deep Numbers" smells a rat. "Conspiracy theorists at CBC see the dead hand of Ted Rogers reaching from the mausoleum and flicking the 'local TV doesn't matter' switch for CBC last night, just to prove the power of cable to the CRTC." Hey, stranger things have happened.
Other numbers from Monday night: House on Global won the night wil just under 3 million viewers. CTV's CSI: Miami drew 2,347,000. CTV's Dancing with the Stars performance 2,125,000. Global's Lie to Me 808,000.
The national newscasts: Global at 5:30 1,331,000, CTV at 11 1,220,000, CBC at 10 694,000 and 533,000 at 10:25.
A-channel's topper was Two and a Half Men at 861,000. Discovery scored with Canada's Worst Driver at 672,000. Citytv's biggest draw was How I Met Your Mother with 688,000 and TSN gained 546,000 thanks to Monday Night Football.

Cory Monteith Spreads Glee in Toronto

2009-11-17T18:07:00.005-05:00

Before skipping town, I had a chance to catch up with Canadian-born Glee standout Cory Monteith (seen here winning a 2000 Chrysler Neon). Monteith, who is in Toronto this week doing promotion for the series, spilled the beans about Finn clueing in on an upcoming episode that he's not Quinn's baby-daddy. "He loses his shit!" says Monteith. Let's see them set that to music.
I also asked Monteith what he thinks about a take some reporters (notably in Rolling Stone) are taking with this series; namely, that it is the gayest show on TV. "Some journalists just have to put everything in a box," says Monteith. "I mean, what does that mean?"
You can watch Monteith work in a few solos on this week's Glee, Wednesday night at 9/8c on Global and Fox. Read more about likable Monteith in the story I wrote for The Canadian Press.

TVFMF: Flying Across North America To Bring You The TV News

2009-11-17T16:19:00.005-05:00

This week's podcast catches Fly Boy between destinations. I start out telling my CHML buddy Scott Thompson all about my trip to Yellowknife last week to visit the Buffalo Airways boys. Son of a gun if two of the dudes--Mikey McBryan and Scotty Blue--weren't in Toronto this week promoting the series premiere of Ice Pilots NWT (Wednesday night at 10/9c on History Television). And where were they enjoying a few brewskies Monday night? The Pilot by Yorkville of course.
You can hear ace Buffalo Air pilot Scotty tell CFNY's Dean Blundell all about how he has to squeeze his 6-foot-7 frame into a CF-56 tomorrow morning on 'NY. Or you can just listen in here as I explain how the whole series is a lot like American Choppers go Airbourne to Thompson.
It was a balmy -14C when I was in Yellowknife last week, but the folks at BA couldn't have been warmer, with Scotty looping around the snow-filled streets in one of those wacky paramedic jeeps crafty old "Buffalo" Joe McBryan saved from the scrap heap. If it has wings or wheels in the Northwest Territories, Buffalo Joe either owns it or has his eye on it.
As I type this, I'm at Toronto's Pearson airport waiting to depart on AA 1553 to Los Angeles. This won't be a trip on a WWII-era DC-3--that glide over Great Slave Lake to Hay River was dream-like--but your regular commercial aircraft to LAX. Have to admit it was strange boarding a 737 out of Yellowknife to Edmonton last Thursday--felt like I was stepping onto a moon rocket after the 70-year-old bush plane adventure.
Heading down to Beverly Hills to mingle with the folks behind The Pacific, the big-budget HBO miniseries from Band of Brothers executive producers Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg. The 10-hour series rolls in March (on both HBO and HBO Canada) and naturally focuses on the Pacific theatre, where more than a few DC-3s probably wound up in the drink. I'll cue it all up in a feature in an upcoming issue of Astral's Movie Entertainment Magazine.

Simpson, Sale Skate to Blade Glory

2009-11-17T09:48:00.006-05:00

Yahoo! I'm writing for Yahoo. First two posts went up yesterday and today covering the finale of CBC's Battle of the Blades.
I thought former Devil Claude Lemieux and partner Shae-Lynn Bourne deserved to win. The pair started well and got better every week, evolving into a real dance team by the end of the competition. Who knew The Pest had such a romantic side? No wonder Tie Domi chased him all over the rink that time.
As I posted Sunday night, however, you could see that third place team Stephane Richer and Marie-France Dubreuill would split the Quebec vote, allowing Craig Simpson and Jamie Sale to take the goofy crystal trophy (which really does look like two glass boomerangs).
CBC drew big ratings for their Sunday/Monday broadcasts, launching at 2 million and holding close to that throughout on Sundays. Curiously, though, they never released the home vote tallys, even for the final. Even Canadian Idol used to draw millions of phone and Internet votes so the Blade count must have been low by comparison.
Attention now shifts on future editions of the series. CBC plans a press launch for their January shows on Nov. 24 in Toronto and while the focus there will be on The Republic of Doyle and the new Kids in the Hall mystery miniseries as well as a Don Cherry bio-pic, maybe some info will leak out on Blades II. Early word has it that at least 10 pairs will be invited next time, up from eight. Look for at least one of Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark to lace up their skates, figuritively speaking.

Consumer Goes Ballistic on Radio and TV

2009-11-17T08:46:00.005-05:00

Will be ranting on TV and radio today about the network and cable extortion attempt going on this week in Ottawa. The news that "CTV threatens to pull the plug" is the latest in an elaborate scam all designed to cover decades of overspending on American content by cutthroat Canadian broadcasters. CTV wants you to cover their losses for over paying for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip a few years ago. The cable and satellite companies don't want to part with a thin dime to carry broadcast signals that still draw the most viewers and subscribers to their services.
The only hope is CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, the steady voice of reason at Monday's opening salvo at the hearings in Ottawa. He's turned down this cash grab twice before but this time he'll likely have to find some Solomon-like solution to this nonsense.
That will be me giving my two-cent carriage fee's worth to Jian Ghomeshi on CBC Radio One's Q at 10:30 ET. Later this afternoon on CH's Live @ 5:30, I'll be doing my best Ed Anger impression opposite Hamilton pals Mark Hebscher and Donna Skelly. Enjoy it while it is still free.

Why I Hate The Geminis

2009-11-16T22:56:00.005-05:00

Posting this for people who think I hate Canadian television because I hate the Gemini Awards. I love Canadian television--that's why I hate the Gemini Awards.
Several years ago, the Canadian TV academy invited myself and several other TV critics to lunch. Pretty sure John Doyle was at the table, along with Andy Ryan, probably CP's John McKay at the time, possibly Eric Kohanik. Maybe six, seven years ago now, think I was at The Toronto Sun at the time.
They wanted to know what they should do to get people to watch the Gemini awards. Since they asked, we told them. Get the Trailer Park Boys to host, we begged. Stop with the 99 categories, we pleaded. Enough with the "Best Craft Services on a Movie, Miniseries or TV-Movie with a Budget over $100,000." Turn this into a show people might actually take seriously.
Did they listen? They did not. Not that TV critics know everything or even anything, but it quickly became clear that nobody was at all interested in any of the suggestions. They just wanted to know if the chicken was to our liking, and when they could expect our cover stories.
Now it is several years later, and the Awards have kicked around a few networks, and people are excited that a little over 300,000 viewers found it on Global on Saturday night.
So here is what I say to that, repeated from the comment I made in the last post.
The new portable people meters are boosting anything that is a live event. The Geminis had to go up this year.
The show still finished 49th for the night in Canada, behind not just Hockey Night in Canada but Global's 11:30 airing of SNL, reruns of Family Guy and The Simpsons on Global, Disney's Jonas, Teletoon's Foster's Home and Family's Zeke & Luther. It did squeeze in ahead of Cash Cab on Discovery.
My beef with the Geminis is that it is never anybody's priority as a TV show. Year after year, the only thing that matters to this academy when it comes to this show is asses in the seats on banquet nights at $250 a pop. The other thing that seems to matter is that every single broadcaster and Gemini sponsor gets a table full of awards. I'm sure it's a great party if you're there, but as an industry showcase, as a promotion directed at everyday Canadian TV viewers, as a legitimate competition, it is a succession of lost opportunities.
Maybe I'm just a little extra sensitive because I'm a Gemini. I just think if the MMVA's can draw twice this on MuchMusic, there is a way to make the show that salutes Canadian television exciting and relevant and actually viewed. As Rob Salem observed in Monday's Toronto Star ("A TV show so Canadian, you could cringe"), hiring Loverboy's Mike Reno just doesn't cut it.

Millions Ignore Canadian TV Awards

2009-11-16T18:17:00.005-05:00

Apparently there was some sort of Canadian TV awards show on Saturday night. It drew 303,000 viewers on Global according to BBM Canada overnight estimates. Word is it was held in Calgary. Another 50,000 caught it on Showcase.
Other weekend numbers: Sunday's Battle of the Blades final skate off drew 1,878,000, bested only by CTV's always popular Amazing Race (2,619,000) and Desperate Housewives (2,108,000).
TSN scored a touchdown with their CFL playoff coverage, with Calgary/Edmonton pulling 1,394,000 at 3:30 p.m. and B.C./Hamilton drawing 1,357,000 at 1 p.m.
CBC's my little pony drama Heartland (guest starring Megan Follows) galloped off with 1,278,000 viewers. Global found some early Christmas cheer with the Santa Claus Parade (812,000).
Saturday, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada netted 1,808,000 for the Leafs-Flames tilt.
Friday it was Flashpoint again on top with 1,753,000 followed by the CTV Evening News at 1,594,000. Ron James roped in just under 700,000 at 8 on CBC, with the fifth estate doing 663,000.
Further down on this Friday the 13th, The National found 490,000 viewers at 10 and just 361,000 at 10:25--ranking it for the night behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Teletoon (363,000).

Tribe Has Spoken: Survivor Still Potent

2009-11-14T18:56:00.005-05:00

Fire up the Tiki torch and pass the Doritos. When BBM Canada sent out their weekly Top-30 ratings Friday, there at the very top of the most-watched shows in all of Canada the week of Nov. 2-8 stood Survivor: Samoa.
Think of it: the granddaddy of the reality shows, in its 10th year, heading into its 20th edition, leads all shows in Canada. Props to Probst, kudos to Mark Burnett. That is some kind of achievement.
Global's Survivor: Samoa edged out CTV's Grey's Anatomy that first week of November 3,048,000 to 2,909,000. Another reality evergreen, especially in Canada, stood third: The Amazing Race, clocking in at 2,763,000.
The results were flipped this Thursday night as Grey's (3,026,000) topped Survivor (2,916,000) in BBM Canada's overnight estimates. Still, the new PPM numbers which have been in effect since the start of September seem to have reignited Survivor, one of those event reality shows getting a bit of a lift these days.
Other numbers from this Thursday in Canada: CSI, which concluded a three crime story crossover, drew 2,558,000. The Mentalist conjured up 2,403,000. The red hot CTV Evening News did 1,644,000. CTV National News was right behind at 1,385,000. Jeopardy! topped all CBC offerings at what is 1,183,000. Global National counted 1,043,000 and CTV's The Vampire Diaries drew 1,028,000.
Further down was CBC's The Border, up week-to-week at least with 503,000. The third-year drama seemed to benefit from a stronger than usual Doc Zone score, with 631,000 curious to find out what will happen "After Elizabeth." The National did 553,000 at 10 and 405,000 at 10:25. George's show kicked in another 121,000 at 11.

Wednesday Winners: CSI: New York, Dragons

2009-11-13T10:42:00.009-05:00

While Fly Boy was away in Yellowknife, those damn PPM numbers just kept being counted. Here's a quick catch up on the Canadian BBM Canada totals for Tuesday and Wednesday:
There were two big stories Wednesday. First, CTV's CSI: New York had a huge night, leaping into House territory with 3,466,000 viewers (according to overnight "commercial" estimates. The actual CTV "Total" will be slightly higher). That cross-over with all three CSI shows definitely gave NY a boost.
The other big news--as predicted here last week--was CBC's Dragon's Den (featuring Boston Pizza king Jim Treliving, above) smashing through the 2 million barrier with 2,075,000 viewers. If this was a stock, you'd be rich by now if you bought into it just last year when it was pulling closer to 700,000.
Global rookie Glee (featuring Jane Lynch, right) also had a strong return after two weeks of reruns, with 1,685,000 returning for their Glee fix. This show has turned into a goldmine for Fox, with a first season soundtrack just out (Part One), a DVD out before Christmas and millions of song downloads on iTunes.
Other Wednesday numbers: CTV's Criminal Minds 2,715,000. Global's Bones 2,281,000. CTV's local Evening News 1,823,000. National Newscasts: CTV at 11: 1,364,00; Global at 5:30: 1,200,000, CBC at 10 769,000 and at 10:25 557,000.
The Tudors drew 748,000 on CBC. CBC's Remembrance Day coverage did 622,000 at 10 a.m.
TUESDAY NUMBERS: Last week, CTV was quick to proclaim the new sci-fi series V (with alien stunner Morena Baccarin, left) as the No. 1 new show of the fall--after one airing. This Tuesday, it wasn’t even the No. 1 new show of the night, dropping from over 2 million viewers the week before to a still hefty 1,629,000.
Global’s NCIS: Los Angeles quickly reclaimed its Top Rookie spot with 2,140,000 viewers according to BBM Canada’s overnight estimates.
Both shows placed behind old reliable NCIS with 2,643,000 Global viewers on the night. CTV’s simulcast of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars did 1,864,000 and the CTV supper hour Evening News drew an impressive 1,784,000. Global’s CBS rookie, The Good Wife, managed 1,539,000.
Sportsnet scored a whopping 1,231,000 with Hometeam Hockey across the country.
Further down the list, The National did 628,000 at 10, 437,000 at 10:25. Being Erica went back in time for 504,000.

Ice Pilots NWT: Top of the World, Ma

2009-11-12T08:37:00.005-05:00

HAY RIVER, N.W.T.--Holy crap, I'm in the Northwest Territories! On location to check out Ice Pilots NWT, a reality show not unlike American Chopper or Ice Road Drivers coming next Wednesday, Nov. 18, to History Television. About to jump into a DC-3 for the ride back to Yellowknife. Minus 14 C yesterday. "Buffalo" Joe McBryan's fleet of DC-3s and -4s are awesome.
UPDATE: Almost got bumped from that flight--imagine getting bumped from a flight from Hay River, pop. 3600! The WWII-era DC-3 holds 28 passengers and it was a full run this chilly morning--28 passengers and one dog.
They had to pull two smaller seats from a Twin Otter and snap them in near the back cargo door just to get myself and Vancouver-based publicist Andrew Poon on the plane. Everything at Buffalo Airlines is done on the fly.
Flight attendant Audrey Marchand--Buffalo Air pilot Scotty Blue (far right with Buffalo Air GM Mikey McBryan)affectionately calls her "The Midget"--offered cookies and beverages. When it gets too hot near the back of the coach in mid flight, she helpfully opens the cargo door a crack! These planes are not pressurized, and neither is the staff.
I've got a story up on the CP wire you can read here on the legendary family behind Buffalo Airlines, led by "Buffalo" Joe McBryan, the 65-year-old owner and, on this morning, chief pilot.
When we land in Yellowknife, dawn is just breaking at 8:15 in the morning and it is damn cold outside. Scotty walks us past the main Buffalo hanger and around the corner so we can see the plane he normally flies take off--a hulking Curtis Commando C-46, fully loaded with cargo and bound for towns around Great Bear Lake.
The behemoth takes "Low Lead," a lower-level leaded fuel that is getting sparser to find by the day even in these parts. Billowing gasps of grey smoke blast from the two 2000 horsepower engines as they lurch into action. On a clear day you can see bright oranges flames leap out, says Scotty.
Visibility is poor on this foggy morning--near the half-mile threshold, so watching it take off is a challenge from about that distance, but there it is low off the runway, streaking away like a ghost ship from another time.
There is no mistaking the sound, however, as the whir of the two propellers approach the Mach-1 mark. It is a drone you don't hear much around airports anymore, perfectly described later by Buffalo Joe as the sound of "a thousand Harleys at a Montreal Harley funeral."
Buffalo Joe is full of sayings like that. Listen for them yourselves when Ice Pilots NWT takes off next Wednesday at 10 p.m. on History Television.

House Wins Again on Monday

2009-11-11T01:34:00.005-05:00

Global had to be glad to see Dr. House back with a new episode Monday. Fox's World Series coverage grounded House for a few weeks. Monday's fresh episode drew 3,160,000 viewers according to BBM Canada overnight estimates.
Other Monday winners: CTV;s CSI: Miami drew 2,828,000. Dancing with the Stars waltzed off with 2,186,000. It was another strong Monday for the CTV Evening news, scoring 1,856,000. Global rookie import Lie To Me did 1,773,000.
The two private national newscasts had big nights: Global did 1,460,000 at 5:30; CTV did 1,383,000 at 11. CBC's fancy new National newscast is still way back at 545,000 at 10 and 419,000 at 10:25.
A channel's top Monday draw was Two and a Half Men at 1,176,000. CBC's Battle of the Blades unusual non-results show scored 1,069,000. Citytv's top pick was How I Met Your Mother at 749,000. TSN did 685,000 with its Monday Night Football tilt featuring the Steelers and the Broncos. 603,000 steered over to Discovery for Canada's Worst Driver.
Little Mosque did 520,000. Just Four Laughs 480,000. The Hour: 142,000.

Leno, Letterman and Late Night Loyalties

2009-11-10T09:49:00.008-05:00

Being a TCA member has its advantages. Thanks to critic pals Aaron Barnhart, Marc Berman and Bill Carter--as well as Buffalo News scribe Alan Pergament (who hooked me up with WGRZ affiliate GM Jim Toellner)--for helping me out on this story, posted today at MSNBC.com.
The subject is Jay Leno and the pitch from editor Gael Fashingbaur Cooper was to follow up on last week's Broadcast & Cable interview, the one where Leno mentioned he would take his old Tonight Show job back if offered. Cooper wanted to know: Was the Jay Leno Show in any serious trouble?
NBC maintains the quote was badgered out of Leno and reading the original story, you can feel the aggressive stance writer Ben Grossman took with the NBC host. Others feel a seasoned pro like Leno says nothing he doesn't intend to say and that the quip was some sort of signal to NBC.
I dunno. As Carter suggested to me, the Leno in the B&C piece sounds like his usual, feisty self. He can be remarkably candid and you also get a sense speaking with him (Leno was famously accessible except for those last few Tonight years, before the 10 p.m. announcement) that he genuinely wants to answer anything thrown his way.
What surprised me in speaking with Barnhart--a long time Letterman fan who has been posting regular Dave items for over 15 years ago on the Internet--was how Letterman`s recent revelations may have shifted things. For years, Letterman could do no wrong with many of us who cover television. He was our guy and we rooted for him, if not in print, in front of our own sets.
Trouble is, we could never talk to the guy. Letterman rarely did any press. Leno was the opposite, calling reporters at all hours to react to a story or challenge a report.
That career standoffishness may be working against Letterman as he attempts to move forward past the whole extortion/ confession mess.
And now that Leno is an overwhelming underdog--a position he wears like a shield--many of us seem to be shifting, if not our allegiances, then perhaps in our respect. (Even Letterman flasher Drew Barrymore, above left, seems to have switched sides.)
Interesting times, I just wish things would settle down long enough for me to stop adding chapters to my book!
Meanwhile, to look past Leno`s rating woes to the whole big picture meltdown at NBC, check out this feature in the current issue of New York magazine, passed along by another critic pal, Jim Bawden. Worth clicking to just for the feather-shedding Peacock illustrations alone (by Christoph Niemann).

Sesame at 40: The Word on the Street

2009-11-10T08:26:00.011-05:00

Sunny daay, everything's A-OK as we celebrate 40 years of Sesame Street. Michelle Obama appears on Tuesday's 40th anniversary episode, doling out gardening tips to preschoolers (10 a.m., PBS). Viewers who haven't visited the street in a few decades may notice changes in the old neighbourhood, which has been given a digital sheen.
It is hard to explain the impact this show had when it emerged in 1969. Kids shows hadn't really changed that much since the '50s when Sherri Lewis sewed a few buttons on a sock and called it Lamp Chop. Captain Kangaroo was still on the air every morning at CBS, and The Friendly Giant was still asking kids to look up, look waaay up, at CBC.
You could see the impact of the show on the big kids who grew up to be TV critics at the last press tour in Los Angeles. Reporters swarmed Grover and Cookie Monster (no longer voiced by Frank Oz but by David Rudman, above right), looking for quotes and sound bites but also just wanting to get close to some real TV stars. New Jersey Star-Ledger ace Alan Sepinwall got up close and personal with Cookie and Grover (played by Eric Jacobson, below, who also took over from Oz).
Also making the Muppet scene was Joel Keller from TV Squad (below, right) and Marc Berman from Mediaweek (bottom right with Abby Cadabby, voiced by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, as well as Street star Maria, played by Sonja Manzano). After weeks of chasing around after the Kardasians or Jon and Kate, critics can't get enough of these real TV stars.
The year 1969 was a pretty amazing one in history as well as on television. The tube was transitioning from the high concept campiness of shows like Hogan's Heroes, The Beverly Hillbillies and I Dream of Jeannie to social awareness shows like Room 222, The Courtship of Eddie's Father and the short-lived gem My World and Welcome To It.
It wasn't always a smooth transition. That April, the Smothers Brothers were fired from CBS. Still, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In was the most popular show of the day, and the snappy pace of that show as well as its spirit of zaniness had an influence over a lot of other television shows at the time--including, surprisingly--Sesame Street. Here come da bird!
Read more about it in the story I wrote for The Canadian Press which was posted here last week.

Lopez Gets His Late Night Party Started

2009-11-09T21:18:00.010-05:00

If George Lopez is as funny Monday night on the debut of Lopez Tonight as he was last summer at press tour, he should do fine. Lopez stumped for U.S. president Barack Obama during the election and had plenty of Obama shtick in his TCA set. "Listen, Barack Obama is Kenyan descent but also has some Latino in him," said Lopez. "He lives in a house that’s not his. That’s very Latino. His mother-in-law lives with him, helping him raise his two kids. He’s one of us."
Obama will make an appearance via videotape on tonight's premiere at 11/10c on TBS. (UPDATE: Good news--Lopez Tonight is simulcast in Canada on tln). Otherwise the show promises to be quite a party, with Lopez hoping to tap into some of the same vibe that used to make Arsenio Hall's syndicated talk show from the early '90s such a kick.
"Look, I was on Arsenio 16 times 20 years ago," says Lopez. "I’ve talked to Arsenio about this show." Lopez feels "there’s enough heavy things going on every day that you should be able to sit down late at night, have a drink, relax, and go to a party and just see it on TV. It’s exciting."
Lopez may have a ways to go to top the jaw-dropping audacity of The Wanda Sykes Show. The show was rated 14 DLS and no effin kidding. Sykes put a late night HBO spin on her Fox debut Saturday, peddling her old dildos, goofing on Obama, discussing inappropriate games with her big blond drag queen assistant Portia.
She went off on people blaming Obama for Bush's mess. "Bush just pees over everything, leaving it soaking wet," said Sykes. "People are looking at Obama as if he just zipped up his fly."
Now there's a line you're never going to hear on Letterman or Fallon.
Sykes and her announcer buddy Keith Robinson spend a long time looking at a tape of a woman at an Obama rally who might have mouthing that she wanted to eff the president. Imagine the secret service smack down if that had been Hilary Clinton up there lusted over by a man in the audience, suggested Sykes, saying, "I'm gonna tear that panty suit up."
There were some pointed, outrageous jabs at Bush, Ann Coulter and her giant eye lashes and other conservatives. It was shocking stuff compared to the usual late night mix. There were no softballs in Sykes' repertoire as my buddy Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star said to me today. (I'd contacted him to get his expert, late night take on a Leno story up tomorrow on MSNBC). As Barnhart said, here we were, two days later, talking about Sykes' show and when was the last time that happened over anything Fox showed at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night? "Bill Maher," added The Barn Man, "watch your back."

Hull of a Weekend for Canadian TV Shows

2009-11-09T18:39:00.008-05:00

Another big weekend in Canadian TV. The top scorers: Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada hit 1,964,000--wasn't 1964 one of the last years the Leafs actually won the Stanley Cup? Start organizing the parade. Leafs won their third of the season, beating traditional Six Team rival Detroit Red Wings in the annual Hall of Fame game. That's Monday Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Brett Hull, above, with fellow 'famer Wayne Gretzky and an unidentified hockey player circa 1991. Must have been the dough-nut line, they have nothing at centre...
Other big scores from the weekend: Friday's Flashpoint picked off 1,816,000 "commercial" on CTV (all figures BBM Canada overnight estimates). CBC's Battle of the Blades was right behind Sunday night with 1,810,000 tuning in to see the final three skate off.
Then, lookit this--CBC's pony drama Heartland quietly rode off with 1,282,000 Sunday evening. Giddyup! TSN went long with Sunday's CFL tilt, with 1,051,000 tuning in for the final Calgary at Sask game. Overall, TSN had a great CFL football season, averaging 600,000 viewers a game, a 51% increase over last season. Seems those Portable People Meter wearers are big Canadian football fans.
A couple of newscasts, as usual, cracked the million mark on the weekend, including Friday's CTV Evening supper hour newser with 1,584,000 and Global National Friday at 5:30 with 1,016,000. Also on Friday, Ron James scored his biggest CBC audience of the season, with 811,000 viewers.
Top show overall for the weekend was CTV's Amazing Race, with 2,763,000 watching Sunday. Another 2,205,000 stuck around for Desperate Housewives. Global had a big night with that Family Guy special, drawing 1,242,000. Even Brothers & Sisters did better than usual, close to a million.
You sci-fi fans have to know: Stargate Universe did 313,000 Friday night, with Sanctuary pulling in 162,000 the same night.

Wanda Sykes Out Late Night Boys Club

2009-11-07T10:17:00.006-05:00

Joan Rivers has always told it like it is. When I asked her last press tour about Wanda Sykes' chances of cracking the late night boys club (The Wanda Sykes Show premieres Saturday night at 11 p.m. on Fox), Rivers said, "she's very rough. She just may do it."
Then Rivers--a late night survivor herself--really put it out there: "It's a lesbian club, too," said Rivers, who was at press tour to promote her own U.S. cable series, How'd You Get So Rich. "You've got to be really strong," she continued. "Think about it--Ellen (DeGeneres), Rosie (O'Donnell)--you've got to be strong."
Rivers went on to suggest, "I could be a little that way myself."
While Sykes is probably cool with Rivers' endorsement, she told critics at her own press tour session last summer that she really prefers to think that being a good talk show host has nothing to do with gender, race or sexual orientation. "I don't know," says Sykes, who caught the late night bug several years ago working as a writer on HBO's The Chris Rock Show. "I'm a woman with a point of view, and I tend to say things that we think, but we don't say out loud. So maybe I don't think it's inappropriate. Maybe it's just honest, authentic."
Fox must think it has a hit on its hands. You don't send bobble heads out to critics unless you have high hopes, right? For more on Sykes, read my Starweek magazine cover story in Saturday's Toronto Star.