Family Ties

There’s just something I need to share with you all: Last night, I had a dream and I was dating Ethan, Erica’s boyfriend from Being Erica. Not only was he my boyfriend, at one point she tried to get him back but he stayed with me. Take that, Erica Strange. I think this is proof that the Cancon has started to permeate my subconscious.

But in other news, I have gotten my siblings hooked on some good ol’ fashioned Cancon. We now all watch Take This House and Sell it and Style by Jury, they’ve started watching Being Erica and Battle of the Blades with me. My sister even now watches Degrassi with me during lunch. I think she’s starting to get hooked too (I’m just so happy that Spike took Snake back today. It made me sad when he was kicked out of the house).

Though there is a certain level of unfairness built into it. I mean, I limit what they can watch when we are all together and though they can watch the shows I want to watch, I can’t watch the shows they want to watch. There’s no real sharing going on. And there will be times when somebody will suggest watching some Futurama/Arrested Development/Family Guy and I just shake my head. Even right now, my sister is out in the living room watching NCIS and I’m in my room…alone. But so far it hasn’t worked out too badly and though it takes some adjusting, we all seem to be managing. At least they haven’t killed me yet.

Now I just have to get my brother hooked on Degrassi…

Oops

...So that took a bit longer than expected. Sorry friends. But here's what you missed:

-Daneyko and Higgins got kicked off Battle of the Blades.

-Strombo is going to be skating with Kurt Browning wearing a Maple Leafs jersey.

-Erica learned the appropriate times to interfere.

-And Vincent didn't win SYTYCD-C but I was okay with Tara Jean wearing. I think she deserved it. But I will miss the way Vincent moved his hips when he would dance across that stage. Sigh.

But do not fear. Despite my lack of blogging, no American show has been watched in the meantime. In fact, I usually end up watching Degrassi now at noon. I may in fact be hooked and it makes me feel kinda dirty.

And I will provide my details dealing with watching TV with non-Cancon limited persons at a later date. Once I can stop painting and lifting heavy boxes.

MIA

I just thought that I should warn everyone that I will probably not be posting for the next couple of days. As most of you know, I am moving to Toronto this weekend (yay!). Thus as Rogers seems to think I should return my modem and cable box, I will be without both TV to watch and internet to post.

Now, because I am essentially a nerd, I'm very interested in seeing how this will affect my challenge. For the past months, I have been in my own apartment but now I'm moving in with two other people. There is a big difference between me, squirreled up in my tiny basement apartment by myself, watching whatever I want whenever I want. Now there will be other people there that I'll either have to fight with to watch what I want to watch or spend a lot more time in my room. The main problem will be the fact they are not limited to watching Cancon. The temptation here is rather small since I can just simply not watch American shows. Plus, TV is also a social thing. It brings people together (if only to sit quietly together in the same room) and gives them something to talk about. Do you know how sad it'll be while I'm squirreled in my tiny little room while my brother and sister are out there watching NCIS or Grey's? (I don't think either of them watch Grey's but I think the sound of my sobs would force them to stop anyway). I've largely been able to ignore most of the social aspects of TV up till this point since I have nobody else to really talk about the shows with anyway (except you blog, you care, don't you blog?). But now I'll be like those kids whose parents won't let them watch The Simpsons.

The upside? My housemates will probably end up watching more Cancon with me. Hurrah!

But don't worry! I'll be watching the SYTYCD-C finale on Sunday. Even if I have to fight my siblings for it. I want to see Vincent crowned Lord of the Dance!

All's Fair

The cable companies have answered the challenge with http://www.stopthetvtax.ca/ Still no handy song but I have been seeing commercials explaining the cable's side of the story. Now, I know that the broadcasters are not completely blameless in all this but I have some serious problems with the commercials that the cable companies are running. Thus, in list form:

(1) In these commercials, they say that the CRTC is going to be making the common people pay an extra $10 a month. This is not entirely true. In fact, it is pretty much not true. The CRTC would only require that the cable and satellite companies to pay the broadcasters a fee for carriage. The cable companies are the one who say that they will pass the cost onto the consumer. Which I have always thought was a rather childish way to deal with it (but frankly, everybody in this whole debacle seems to be playing the childish card so it doesn't really matter anymore). Or they say that the networks themselves are proposing the monthly cost. To be clear, the cable companies are the ones who intend to make you pay if they have to pay.

(2) What I also find kinda funny in these commercials is how they keep referring to them as the "big" broadcasters. Yes, they are clearly "living large." And they are just closing local stations for fun. But then they claim that these "big" broadcasters made a total of $400 million last year. Wow, that's a big number. But that covers the 3 biggest networks in Canada? Maybe it's just me but considering that covers the 3 main networks in Canada...it doesn't seem like a lot. I mean, I wish these broadcasters were the wealthy giants that the cable companies are making them out to be (I know that they aren't poor by any stretch of the imagination, but after Global is applying for bankruptcy protection and seeing all the people who've been fired this year at CBC and the other broadcasters, I find it hard to believe that they are just bleeding cash).

(3) Though, despite all this, what really made me chuckle is how on the commercial online, portrays the CBC. It's postively rolling around in it's own gluttony. And worse yet, it's all from YOUR money. Just look at all the money flowing into the CBC. How could they possibly need any more?! Well, as my teacher told the class this year, the CBC is one of the worst funded public broadcasters in the world. In fact, I think the only one that was worse was New Zealand but I'm not entirely sure on that. And considering that the CBC doesn't purchase the majority of it's primetime schedule from the foreign markets and instead produces it's own content which is more expensive (Or at least that's what I hear from CTV and Global), I wonder why they need all that money? Possibly to produce Canadian content? How bizarre.

But here's what I think should happen. If the CRTC does allow this whole fee-for-carriage thing to go through, I think the broadcasters should then have to stop trying to reduce the amount of Cancon they have to carry. I'm tired of CTV and Global arguing that they can't afford to produce Cancon. Also, there should be a provision so that the money actually does go towards local television. If we could guarantee those, I'm all for the fee-for-carriage because then it might actually mean more local television. You know, television that matters.

Never too old

I hate to admit it, but I think I'm starting to like Degrassi. Now I've only seen The New Generation and completely out of order but they are growing on me. I realized this today when I turned one on and was shocked to find out that Liberty was pregnant. I was shocked. And then I found out that JT was the father and that this was the first time that I had ever actually seen JT (and I was very impressed indeed...).

The other thing I disovered today was Instant Star. I had heard of it but never really bothered watching it since I'm not really the target audience. But it just happened to come on after Degrassi (okay, I realize I need to stop watching shows at teenagers. I know, I know) and I actually found it really interesting. It follows this teenage girl who wins a singing constant show and shows how she deals with being an instant star. First of all, I thought it was a really interesting idea to fictionalize a reality show like that but also showing the downside to becoming instantly famous. Which is probably something that most kids should know since everybody these days thinks they should be famous. Secondly, it's an interesting counter-part to Hannah Montana since this show has a much more real vibe to it (possibly because it seems to be aimed at a slightly older audience but still). Though Hannah experiences times in which it isn't fun to be famous, the consequences never really seem to appear. Thirdly, the issue on this episode was that the media started questioning her virginity which is something that all female pop stars seem to have to deal with. But she refused to answer the question, leading to everybody thinking that she isn't but later on reveals to one of her friends that she's still a virgin. I admire that she was able to take such an adult stance on this issue and that the show dealt with a very real issue.

Now I just have another show that I either have to find online or buy on DVDs.

All Night Long

I have decided that tonight is going to be the perfect CanCon night.

6:30 - Style by Jury (W Network)
7-8 - Rick Mercer and 22 Minutes (CBC)
8-10 - SYTYCD-C (CTV)
10-11 - Being Erica (CBC)
11-12 - The Hour (CBC)

God bless time shifting channels. What's nice is that I can actually have a night of CanCon without having to watch a show online. Usually if there's nothing on, I'll flip on The Listener or Corner Gas but this way, I get to see 5 hours of brand new CanCon! SYTYCD-C is on the final 4 and I'm really looking forward to this episode of Being Erica since she spends the whole day with that other guy whose in therapy (he has a strange name...). It'll be good times!

...and Bruce just kissed the woman on Style by Jury. Where can I sign up for this show?

A Battle Indeed

(This indeed contains spoilers. Please be warned).

One on the first episode of Battle of the Blades, there was a very clear team that came out on top: Barb Underhill and Ron Duguay. They skated wonderfully, Barb hasn't figure skated in a long time and has a rather sad history, and Ron the hair and the Studio 54 past, they were the clear favourites. Even though I didn't like them, I thought that they were going to go far.

...But apparently they would only stay until tonight. They actually got beat out by Tuffy and Tie. Mind boggling, almost. I mean, if you look at the CBC website for the show, Duguay and Underhill have the most fans! I really have no idea what happened. I mean, yes, they didn't quite have the same showmanship as Tie and Tuffy or even that they did in their first performance but to fall this quickly out of favour and be eliminated? Canada is apparently a very fickle mistress. And how can the team with the largest amount of fans online be in the bottom two? It just seems bizarre. Too bad there's no french judge to pin it on this time.

Personally, I think it's going to come down between Lemieux and Bourne vs. Simpson and Sale. But who knows? They might just be the bottom two next week! (I will once again state my apathy when it comes to reality shows. I will do absolutely nothing to keep them safe. They are on their own).