Let's talk about Simu Liu's Facebook post...
Hi All,
Happy Friday! There is a lot of bad news and bad vibes right now — but we’re getting through it. It’s been a hard week for a variety of reasons and I think we’re all just done. I feel like all my friends are burning out and we’re all just looking for the bright light at the end of this looonnnngggggg tunnel. We all need things to look forward to.
I’ve got some good news — June has LOTS of great TV shows. There are TONS of things to look forward to if you are staying at home and are just trying to get through it by sitting on your couch.
Let’s get into it.
This week on the blog:
The final season of Kim’s Convenience is now streaming on Netflix. It’s been streaming for a while on Gem, but it’s now out internationally and this marks the end of the Kim’s era. For folks following the story, the show ended unexpectedly. The producers made a unilateral decision not to continue after the fifth season. It has been heartbreaking for the Kimbits (fans of the show) and particularly hard for the cast. Simu Liu has been very vocal about his displeasure that the show was ending and alluded to problems on Twitter when it was first announced. On Wednesday he put out a long statement on his personal Facebook and it’s very interesting.
I have a lot of thoughts on everything to do with his statement, but I’ll sum it up this way: the problems Simu has with the show are not unique to him or the show, they are much more telling about institutional problems in the Canadian film and TV industry. I’m breaking down his entire post and giving you all my thoughts as someone who also works in the Canadian TV industry. It’s a long post. Read that here.
Then when you’re done reading it — email me. I want to talk about it.
Also Simu — if you read this (we have mutual friends, it could happen), let’s get a Zoom coffee. I’m very much on your side and think we could have a really interesting biz chat. I’ve got some ideas…
Things to watch this week:
It’s JUNE! Which means finally we’re getting LOTS of good TV. After a few weeks of complaining there was nothing to watch, I have some appointment television!
Today we’ve got a few new Netflix shows.
First up, David Attenborough narrated a documentary on the collapse of biodiversity called Breaking Boundaries: The Science Of Our Planet. Watch the trailer here.
Second, Sweet Tooth has been getting a lot of buzz. This is based on the DC Comic and for fans of fantasy, adventure, and comic book adaptations — this is going to be huge. Check out the trailer here.
If you are looking for a new family movie, Disney+ is premiering Raya and the Last Dragon. This looks like lots of fun and should be a good time for everyone. Watch the trailer here.
On Saturday Netflix has a documentary about cats. I’m a dog person but I know a lot of you like cats. So while I won’t be watching Kitty Love: An Homage to Cats, I know you will love it. Someone email me and tell me if it’s worth my time.
On Sunday we’ve got my must-watch of the week: theJuno Awards. There are a couple things to note here. One — it’s the 50th anniversary of the awards and you know it’s going to be a huge party. They are bringing out all the stops and expect a lot of star power at this event (like even Justin Bieber is coming back for this). Two — it’s the first major televised Canadian awards show to air since the pandemic started. I’m really interested in seeing what they’ve learned from watching the American ones. It will be fascinating from a production standpoint to watch this. Three — I did a project this spring where I had to watch every previous Junos broadcast and I’m so excited to see how they incorporate the past 50 years into this show. I’m personally holding out hope that they do a tribute to Michael Lauber (the infamous accountant from the 80s) but I’ll also accept a look back at iconic fashions, performances, and other fun highlight clips. You can watch the main broadcast on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET on all CBC platforms: CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, and they are streaming globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos.
If you are a Marvel fan, Wednesday is the date of note for you. Loki premieres on Disney+ and rolls out a new episode every week. You all know I’m not a Marvel person, but I appreciate how big this particular project is (and I also appreciate Tom Hiddleston’s good looks). If you are a Marvel person make sure you add this to your must-watch list. Check out the trailer here.
Over on Netflix on Wednesday there are two shows to note. First, Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) is starring in a new apocalypse sci-fi drama called Awake. It looks intense. Check out the trailer here. Second, there is a new food doc called Fresh, Fried &Crispy that looks super fun. The host, Daym Drops, has infectious energy and I smiled my way through the whole trailer. Watch it here, then be prepared to crave fried food.
On Thursday, Netflix is taking over the rights to Late Night. Starring Emma Thompson, this movie centres around a fictional late-night host on the brink of being fired and her new writer (Mindy Kaling) who has the ability to shake things up. I wanted to love this movie — but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I’d still recommend watching it, I’m just saying go into it with lower expectations. Check out the trailer here.
Other things to check out:
Have you seen the trailer for Roadrunner? It’s the new doc about Anthony Bourdain. It looks amazing. Like potential Oscar-winning amazing…
Billie Eilish has a new music video for her song “Lost Cause.” It’s very catchy.
I am obsessed with this Below Deck interview with Captain Lee and Alison Hammond from This Morning. If you are a fan of Below Deck this clip will fill you with joy.
If you need a laugh, Trey Kennedy made a spoof wedding video and it’s perfect.
Lastly, it’s National Donut Day... so my hot tip of the day is that Tim’s is giving out free donuts if you buy a drink. So that’s where I’m going as soon as I hit send :)
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was graciously edited by Emma Sakamoto 📝📝📝
Editor’s Pick:
I’m almost ashamed to admit that I haven’t really been using the public library since the pandemic began. My local branch was closed for a while, and then when it did open, I was stressed out by how narrow and crowded it felt inside. And then I just got out of the habit. But this week I belatedly realized that they’re doing contactless hold pickups and I subsequently put, like, 10 books on hold. Highlights include Hetty MacKinnon’s cookbook To Asia, with Love, aYA space sci-fi romance thriller called The Darkness Outside Us(recommended by one of my forever favourite YA authors, Nina Lacour) and The Kingdoms, a new alt-history novel by Natasha Pulley. So this is mostly a shout-out to the excitement of library holds, which I’ve missed all these months.