Hi All,
I’m making my preamble shorter than normal today because I just got back from getting my 2nd dose!!! I’m sorry this is a bit late (I normally try to get this to you by lunch) but I’m sure you can all understand that needed to be the priority today :)
I work directly with patients in my role at SickKids and I’ve been bumped up the list. I wasn’t expecting to get it until August but I’m thrilled. It means I can give hugs to my friends soon ❤️
Once again I’m getting good at navigating the vaccine system here in Ontario, so if you need help finding a vaccine for you or a loved one, please one let me know!
Ok let’s get to it…
This week on the blog:
It’s the Victoria Day Weekend and I’ve got a post for you this week about Canadian Content. If you’re a TV nerd or work in the TV industry, you’ve heard about Bill C-10. The government is trying to update our current content legislation and I think this is great. I’ve got a whole primer for you on this — why it matters and my personal opinions on why this is critical.
Plus last night we celebrated the final round of the Canadian Screen Awards. I’m talking about the winners and how they tie into the idea of Canada content in 2021.
Things to watch this week:
I’m going to go against everything I normally say but… It’s a long weekend. Stop watching TV and go for a walk!
But if you do want to watch something there are a few new shows this week, though most of what I’m watching right now are shows that are currently on the week to week schedule.
I’m going to start with an Apple TV show, The Me You Can’t See. This is the Oprah x Prince Harry documentary series about mental health. I’ve been thinking about getting a subscription to Apple for a while and this might have sold me. It looks incredible and reviews are generally positive. All episodes are now streaming.
If you want to watch a movie tonight, Crave has the Wonder Woman 1984 premiere if you missed it (like 99% of us) when it was in theatres in 2020. Watch the trailer here.
There is a new late-night show on HBO called Pause with Sam Jay. It looks good. I’ll probably check this out, but generally, I think its success or failure will come with its digital strategy and if any of its clips can go viral. It starts today.
Over on Gem today, Lena Waithe’s show Twenties is starting to stream. They always have great shows and this one should be no different. Check out the trailer here.
Tomorrow, Crave has a special called See Us Unite For Change. Hosted by Ken Jeong it will “celebrate and pay tribute to the current Asian American experience.” The lineup that I’ve seen looks great. It is live on Friday on MTV, but will be on Crave on Saturday. Watch the trailer here.
Also on Saturday, it’s the season finale of Saturday Night Live. Hosted by Anya Taylor-Joy with musical guest Lil Nas X, I’m curious how they’ll wrap out such a unique season.
For HBO In Treatment fans — season four comes out on Sunday. You can watch that on Crave. This year, Uzo Aduba stars and she is wonderful. Check out the trailer here.
I’m still watching This Is Us and the season five finale is on Tuesday. This show is a bit all over the map — some episodes are phenomenal and others fall flat. I’m crossing fingers this will be a great episode. If you’re a This Is Us fan let me know — I need more people to talk about it with :)
On Wednesday, Netflix has a limited food series called High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America. It looks great. Watch the trailer here.
All that said — if you watch anything this week make it the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs are up against the Montreal Canadians. The game last night was intense and I know the rest of the games will have that same fire. They are playing on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday for sure. If it’s not a 4-0, then there will also be a game on Thursday.
Other things to check out:
The big news this week is Olivia Rodrigo. She is the biggest thing in music right now. You can’t open TikTok without hearing her music immediately and she’s dominating Disney+ with her show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series(episode 2 dropped today!). Her debut album Sour is out today and I know you’re going to be hearing it a lot. You can listen to it on Spotify here.
I love Vance Joy and it’s been a while since we’ve had new music from him. He’s got a new song out called “Missing Piece” and it feels like the perfect song to listen to if you are driving up to a cottage this weekend.
I’m also loving this new Anne-Marie and Niall Horan song, “Our Song”. It’s great.
We’re getting lots of trailers this week:
Respect — the Aretha Franklin biopic has a full trailer that looks phenomenal. Starring Jennifer Hudson, it should be a big film.
A lot of people have a lot to say about the trailer for the movie adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. I agree that Ben Platt is too old for the role now, but he is the OG Evan Hansen and his dad’s producing so I understand why they went for him. Check that out here.
A full trailer for the Friends reunion dropped. I’m constantly fascinated by executive producer Ben Winston (in a good way — I want to be him when I grow up) and when I saw them playing the trivia game in the first few moments I lost it. It’s SUCH a good idea. I’m into it.
Selena Gomez is doing a Hulu show with Steve Martin and Martin Short called Only Murders in the Building. The teaser already has me excited.
Finally if you do anything this weekend, tune in to the online concert Dwayne Gretzy is putting together on Sunday! Check out the 99 Songs Telethon starting at 4pm EST — they will be going for 8 hours and will be covering all of your faves from the 70s, 80s, and 90s! 50% of event proceeds are going to Community Food Centres Canada and it should be a great way to enjoy your long weekend! I highly recommend getting an outdoor set up and making it a backyard lawn concert!. Check out the promo here and for more details head to the Dwayne Gretzy website.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was graciously edited by Emma Sakamoto 📝📝📝
Editor’s Pick:
I am currently traveling vicariously through Emily Henry’s new romance novel People We Meet on Vacation. It’s about two best friends who go on an annual summer trip together (and, you know, develop feelings for each other). It’s funny and light and sweet — with some nice travelogue content. A true mental escape.