Television
Total 456 Posts
Twelve years ago, I sang the praises of Hammy Hamster. I remember fondly being mesmerized by Hammy Hamster. Hammy Hamster was the lead character in a television show entitled Hammy Hamster and he was indeed a hamster. Not a cartoon hamster, but an actual hamster. His best friend was G.
Surprise! Gord Martineau signed off as anchor of the six o’clock news for the last time today. There was no goodbye, no farewell tour, he signed off as normal and a press release was issued by Rogers. From the press release: Martineau began his career with City back in
Four years ago, I wrote about the sports fans dilemma when it comes to cable television. Basically, you're screwed. Yes, I'm well aware you can legally (and illegally) stream live sports, but at this point I just want to turn on Sportsnet or TSN or CBC and catch the game
I used to read Chris Zelkovich's column in the Star. The Toronto Star decided to eliminate the media critic role, and Zelkovich was cut. He now writes for Yahoo! (the exclamation mark is necessary) and just published an article about hockey ratings woes at Rogers. As he puts it, "the
CHCH TV has cancelled tonight's newscast. "The fear is the station is shutting down or being dramatically reduced." This is awful news for CHCH employees, which includes two-time Toronto Mike'd guest Mark Hebscher, but it's also sad news for those of us who grew up tuning in channel 11. I
We're learning now who has been cut as part of Bell Media's restructuring. The vast majority of those let go were behind the scenes, but I'm going to focus on those in front of the microphone and/or camera, known to those tuning in from Toronto. I'll update this entry
About five-and-a-half years ago, Ann Rohmer left her job at CP24 for a position in the aviation industry. Then, mere months later, Ann returned as if she had never left in the first place. I spoke to Steve Anthony about this in episode 123 of my podcast as he tried
At some point in the very early 90s (or was it the very late 80s?), I stumbled upon a YTV show called "The Ron Oliver Show". I was hooked. For some reason, this show tickled my funny bone. It was great fun while it lasted, which wasn't very long. I've
Meet John Wells, Jim Van Horne, Michael Landsberg and Terry Leibel from your new TSN. British gymnastics!
According to Numeris research, total playoff ratings were down 20% in 2015. This is despite the fact five Canadian teams made the playoffs this year, with two advancing to the second round. Rogers, in the first year of their monster 12-year, $5.2 billion dollar deal, predicted a 20% increase
When it comes to user experience, Shomi could learn a lot from Netflix. When I finish an episode of a series on Netflix, it anticipates that I most likely would want to watch the next episode next. In fact, it will auto-play the next episode if I let it. I
I distinctly remember initially being disappointed by The Sopranos finale. It cut to black, and I felt cheated, as if David Chase copped out. Then, the final scene churned through my mind over and over again and by the next day I had completely changed my tune. The Sopranos finale
Mad Men is one of my all-time favourite television programs. Already I've got it sitting comfortably in third place, just behind Six Feet Under and just ahead of The Sopranos. In time, we'll see where it ends up. The Mad Men finale airs Sunday night. That's as good a reason
Here's Billy Van keeping us up to date with personal computing back in 1991. I learned WordPerfect in high school, became incredibly proficient in the application and promptly watched Microsoft Word supplant it as the word processor of choice. Billy Van, of course, brought us The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.
I know what I'll be watching Sunday night. There are seven episodes to go.
I am currently a Rogers internet customer, so they've given me their new streaming service for free. If I turn my television to channel 300, there's Shomi. Amidst the usual stuff you find on many streaming services are a few gems. For example, they carry the Amazon Prime series Transparent.
Random observation time... Often, I'll watch the CBC Toronto news either at 5pm or 6pm. Forever, they'd shut it down at 6:30pm for Coronation Street. The opening chords of the Coronation Street soundtrack is etched into my cranium. Then, a short while ago, this song was replaced by the
If you watched the Oscars, you might have caught a little of what Jack Black sang in the opening number. It was a rare moment of Academy Awards honesty. Here's a transcript of what Jack Black said. Stop! This is what you sound like: movies, movies, wow, they rock. Listen
I always watch the Academy Awards. I've done so since I was a teenager. Last night, I did it again. Every single year, I regret it. 90% of the show is a snoozefest. Most of the musical performances are boring, mediocre songs, and when it's all done at midnight, I
I started watching Saturday Night Live during the Sandler era. That crew, with Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, David Spade and Chris Rock, introduced me to the world of SNL. Since then, I've watched it off and on over the years. Sometimes I'd tune out for a
If you listened to my interview with Jonathan Torrens, you know I was a big fan of the Saturday morning CBC show Street Cents. It was appointment viewing for me. I was way older than their targeted demo, but I loved it. There was nothing else like it on television.
A few months into a 12-year contract, I thought I'd take the pulse of this nation's hockey viewers and learn what you think Rogers Hockey telecasts thus far. What's working? What's not? What would you change?
Over the last few nights, my wife and I watched Broadchurch, a BBC crime drama. I must say, it was fantastic. The acting, writing and cinematography were all top notch. In fact, as good as True Detective was, I think I enjoyed Broachchurch a little more. The first season is
When it comes to scripted television, I watch very little. I caught The Simpsons Christmas episode on Sunday, but mainly to recapture some of the joy I experienced watching that show in the early 90s. I'll watch the odd episode of Seinfeld or Modern Family in syndication if I'm feeding
