Sunday 24 September 2017
By Popular Demand - Buzz Driver (Season 5, Episode 7)
We all have favourites. You may have a favourite drink, band or pair of underpants. Sometimes the favouritism placed on these items can elevate them to "lucky" status especially in the underpants department, but that is a detail for other, more specialist web sites. The choice we have to make is whether to share these special treats with the rest of the world. If we share them with others will this dilute how special they are? Sometimes when those closely guarded units of joy get taken by the masses your enthusiasm wains and you start looking for something else to treasure. An argument can be made for keeping them secret so it's your thing, a gem to be savoured by you and only you. Look at all that kerfuffle in Middle Earth over a bit of jewelry for example. Underpants should definitely be kept to yourself....well maybe share them with your dry cleaner from time to time
Sunday 3 September 2017
Not a Lot Goin' On - Corner Gas News August 2017
Apparently there is a phrase that suggests that you can wait for an excruciating amount of time for a bus and eventually three will come at once. Why three? You never hear anyone say "I waited alllllll day for the bus and seven turned up at once!" Apparently bus drivers always travel in packs of three, or a heard of three, depending on if you liken busses to wolves or cows. I am sure David Attenborough will do a documentary to explain it to us one day. Corner Gas news can have the same traits as tardy bus drivers. I sit here staring at my laptop for a couple of weeks and nothing. Then my wife tells me I should turn the computer on and check out the internet, suddenly my screen is chock full of new headlines for the discerning Corner Gas fan.
First up, some weeks ago we got a little peek at some new pretty pictures from Corner Gas Animated. See if you recognise these Dog River landmarks.
That's right! The Foo Mart, Liquor Store, Dog River Hotel and Oscar and Emma's house. Give yourself a gold star and a rub on the tummy if you got them right. Details on the production of the new show are pretty sparse, so it was exciting to see these fully realised scene setters. There was another little tease of behind the scenes action from Mr Brent Butt who put the following video up on his all new ButtPod You Tube channel, created to co-inside with his podcast. During the video, check out the animatic of "Little Brent" who seems to eat something he ought not have done and the consequences of such flagrant actions!
A quick note to anyone of influence from the Funko company that may be reading. If you create a line of Corner Gas Animated Pop Vinyl figures you have at least one guarenteed sale of a "Little Brent"
Seeing as I have already mentioned it, here's a quick catch up on the latest episodes of The ButtPod. Brent has been up to his Canucks peeked cap (can you still call it a baseball hat if it supports a hockey team?) in busy work with the on going production of the new show, so since I last wrote there have only been two episodes released. As with my last round up of episodes, no spoilers here, just some poorly researched information about Brent's guests with links to their websites available with one swift click on their name below.
Episode Three - Erica Sigurdson
Erica is an award winning stand up in high demand on radio and television. She performs regularly on the comedy festival circuit around Canada. She is best known for her work on CBC's radio show The Debaters which is very popular in Canada. Being a show we do not get in England I imagine it involves witty banter about topics, as discussed - or debated if you will - by the people in front of microphones. See how quick I pick up on a premise? How am I not a professional review writer, or is it reviewist? Review Monger? Erica won a Leo award, along with another Buttpod guest Peter Kelamis, for best comedy screenwriting on the 21st Annual Gemini Awards, which I believe is a commendation given to people who are really good at being born between May 21st to June 21st.
Episode Four - Dave Shumka
Dave is the co-host and producer of the award winning "Stop Podcasting Yourself". On each episode Dave and podcasting partner Graham Clark, chat with a different guest about awide range of subjects to tickle your funny bone with. Brent has been a guest on the show a number of times and no doubt was hilarious, I haven't listened - but I will....eventually. Dave is also currently in the running for the "Least Amount of information about a human being on the Internet" award, currently held by ButtPod guest Ivan Decker. So there is very little I can tell you here other than Dave has a B.A. in Political Science....which is very interesting. This snippet of info actually puts him out of the running for the least info award as I have no idea if Ivan Decker has a B.A. I personally hope Ivan has a City and Guilds Diploma for Crochet and Needlework.
I recommend checking out Stop Podcasting Yourself, the link to the site is above in Dave's name and perhaps we can all learn a little bit more about Dave, and each other, through his comical musings.
If you are lucky enough to be in Calgary between September 12th - 30th please go and check out this fantastic production. Click the picture above to be taken to the booking site to buy your tickets. Anyone who would like to post a review of the show here on the site can do so by sending your thoughts to me at any of the addresses on our contact page.
I also had a little look at the following video, although it is from a previous production, it gives you a great idea of what the show is about and a little of what to expect.
Tara Spencer-Nairn has popped up on SyFy channel opus Killjoys as ominous character Kitaan. Killjoys, now in it's third season, is the story of three bounty hunters, working for the Retrieval and Apprehension Coalition, capturing bad guys with warrants out for their arrests. These agents have a reputation for spoiling the fun these naughty types get up to and are there for known as "Killjoys" across the J cluster. The J cluster is part of a heavily populated area of space known as The Quad, run by the tyrannical "Corporation". J cluster is located between I cluster and K cluster but is very popular due to lower property values and nicer views.
Each episode we follow the adventures of a team of three Killjoys, kicking the butt of that weeks big bad. Killjoys is available to watch on the Syfy Channel, even here in England! Seasons one and two are also streaming on Netflix. I have started to watch and it is certainly creating a very in depth universe in which the show is set. So much so it is very hard to write you a brief synopsis of these later episodes and have you understand what is going on. I will give it a go, what's the worst that could happen?!
In episode five of the latest season, "Attack the Rack", we are introduced to Kitaan a Level 6 agent that has been infected with Hullen. See, one sentence in and already I have absolutely no idea what this means. I have researched on the net and lets just say it's all very complicated and would take me a dozen posts to explain. Basically, it suggests that Kitaan is one tough cookie and has a regenerative superpower that makes her rather hard to dispose of, a bit like those bottle tops that you are not sure of they can go in the recycling bin or not.
Kitaan comes across as Hannibal Lector type, possibly disturbed and under confinement, but holds important plot building information the lead characters need to save the day. She returns in the season penultimate episode "Reckoning Ball" and is the key to the Killjoys plan to trap Aneela by implanting a false memory in Kitaan which she can, in turn, put into the Greens collective memory. Are you still following? Me neither, long and short is it's all very exciting and makes for good telly. In the process of carrying out their plan Kitaan escapes and engages in some pugilism with one of our heroes before meeting her fate, which may or may not lead to her return in a future episode.
I have read some reviews of these two episodes and the overall consensus is that Tara has done an amazing job of bringing this rather intimidating character to life. I am not sure if she is a method actor but, as her followers on Instagram will know, Tara has been spending a lot of time in the gym getting incredibly ripped, which obviously helps when believing that Kitaan could offer you up quite a biff in chops!
Fred Ewanuick is featured in the new movie "The Prodigal Dad". A comedy drama, or dramedy, telling the coming of age story of a father who should have come of age some time ago. The titular Dad arrives back in his daughters life ready to party and solve everyone's problems, except his own.
The movie is written and directed by Robert Wenzek and is having it's premiere at the Whistler Film Festival in December. It will be competing for the Borsos Award and Corner Gas Fan Corner wishes their team heaps of luck. The trailer for the movie can be seen here on it's Facebook page and features Fred in action. I shall keep you updated on the release of the movie and where you can get to see it when it get's full release.
premiered this month on the Hallmark channel. This is the latest in a series of movies based on the novels written by Suzi Weinert about antique shop owner Jennifer Shannon who becomes embroiled in a series of mysteries. A bit like Murder She Wrote only the old dusty things are on the shelves and not solving the mystery. The story revolves around the band of country singer John Dalton. They all receive a text which appears to be a suicide note from their bassist. However, when Jennifer discovers that a taser was used to stun the victim before her death she begins to wonder if the musician is in fact the victim of murder. Gabrielle plays Beth Anne, estranged sister of the co-owner of Jennifer's shop Dani. Her story line is more of a sub plot and covers her relationship with Dani who is wondering why Beth has come to visit her out of the blue. Gabrielle has been noted as a welcome addition to the cast of regulars and there is hope she may return to future entries to the series. The movie can been seen on The Hallmark Channel around the world and Channel 5 in England, check your local listings.
If you are thinking of going on vacation soon why not treat yourself to a trip to Dog River. In conjunction with CTV the town of Rouleau, Sakatchewan, which was used for all the exterior shots when Corner Gas was being filmed, has added a new walking tour of all the major locations used on the show.
The tour has fourteen locations, each having a brass plaque located on them. You can scan a QR code that is on the plaque with an app on your chosen smart device and you will be treated to videos about the making of the show and a sneek peek of what the building will look like in the animated show, which I may have just spoilt for you above. If you don't want to ruin the surprise please do not read the start of this post.
Here is a picture of the map of the tour to wet your whistle as I am going to cover Rouleau in another post, mainly because this one has become insanely long and you are probably asleep by now.
I will advise however that a chap in Vancouver told me it took four days by car, train, steamer ship and donkey to get to the town, which wasn't exactly accurate. It will take 348 hours, if you walk or 16 hours 41 minutes by car to get there from Vancouver. I don't know! If you can't trust a sales person from Hot Topic to give you accurate travel information who can you trust!
Finally just a little plug for my fellow Corner Gas enthusiasts over at www.cornergasonline.com. Jeremy and Jules are regularly adding their own commentary tracks for episodes of Corner Gas in chronological order. Please check them out, click the link above to go straight to their site. I am sure we will be hearing more from them soon here at Corner Gas Fan Corner.
Phew, that's it for this month. I gotta run, I've a bus to catch.
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