What are you watching?
Hi All,
Happy Friday! I’m excited. I’ve had a busy week and I’m excited to order takeout and just chill out this weekend. I’m slowly trying all the different things at my local Chinese restaurant and I’m determined to find the best thing on their menu. I know the best bets at the Thai place, the sushi place, the fish and chip shop, the local coffee shop, the brunch place, and the bbq joint — now I’m exploring the Chinese restaurant. Once I nail that, I’ll move on to the local Indian place. It’s the little things, you know… if you have a go-to Chinese dish you love send me an email and I’ll add it to my “to-try” list.
As for what I’m watching while I’m enjoying my takeout — I’m all caught up on The Circle so send me an email if you’re watching it too, I want to discuss the drama this week. I’m a bit behind on Big Brother Canada but I’ll catch up this weekend (I know what’s going on but I haven’t watched the double yet). I’m almost done The Investigation and I’m loving it. We just finished season 12 of Made in Chelsea, which is exciting because there is a big Binky storyline coming up in s13 that I’m really excited to see play out (IYKYK). I’m also excited for the Drag Race finale next week — I’m torn between Gottmik and Symone but I also love Rosé. I want to know who you’re cheering for.
So send me an email and let me know what you’re up to :) Anytime you hit reply on this newsletter, the emails go directly to me and I always love hearing what you think.
Anyways, let’s get to it.
This week on the blog:
I’ve got nothing new this week. I’ve been pretty busy/distracted with some exciting news I’ll share next week :) I’ll have lots of time next week so expect a few blogs then.
That being said — I need some ideas! What do you want me to blog about? Feel free to send me a suggestion and let me know what you want to see here in the future.
Things to watch this week:
If you are looking for a cheesy Disney show, Big Shot might be for you. Here’s the premise: John Stamos is a high school basketball coach. There will be lots of inspirational speeches and great sports moments. Check out the trailer here.
As a Royal watcher, I will be watching Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday. CBC is airing a special news broadcast that will start at 9 am ET. You know it’s going to be interesting because it’s being hosted by the brilliant Adrienne Arsenault. This will be the first public appearance of the full family since “the interview.” If you don’t want any of the pomp and circumstance but want to watch the service, the funeral starts at 10 am. For those of you who do want the extras — CBC is planning special coverage until 1 pm. Learn more here.
Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Game of Thrones. I never got into this series but I can appreciate how much went into making this show and the impact it had on the television industry. So if this was your show, you’ll probably like this: Crave is putting together curated episode playlists to mark this occasion and if you want to re-binge the series this is a good excuse.
If there is one thing I’m excited about watching this week, it’s Mare of Easttown — Kate Winslett’s new HBO mini-series. I’ve been on a murder mystery kick lately and in this, Kate plays a small-town detective who investigates a local murder as “life crumbles around her.” It’s going to be gritty (it’s HBO), but you know it’s going to be good. The first episode premieres Sunday on HBO/Crave at 10 pm ET. Check out the trailer here
Also on Crave/Starz on Sunday is Confronting a Serial Killer. This is a true-crime docuseries — but again, a murder mystery so you know I’ll probably check out the first episode. Watch the trailer here.
On Tuesday there is a docuseries about Sasquatch called Sasquatch. I’m into it. Check out the trailer here. It will be streaming on Crave.
On Wednesday you should celebrate National Canadian Film Day!There are so many wonderful Canadian movies to watch and to help you find a movie to watch, the fine folks at Reel Canada have put together their annual list of spotlight films. My favourite Canadian film on the list is The Grand Seduction — but I highly recommend checking out the list and looking around the website to find something that feels good to you.
Thursday, April 22nd, is Earth Day and all the streaming services have put together special collections to mark the occasion. If I was to pick one per service… Netflix is premiering Life in Colour with David Attenborough, which looks fantastic. Gem has Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline, staring Ade Adepitan. Disney+ has a new National Geographic project called Secrets of the Whales. Finally,Crave has I Am Greta, the Greta Thunberg documentary. Or you know — turn off your TV and go outside to enjoy the earth 🌎
Other things to check out:
Last week I talked about the songwriter’s Pact. This week, the Guardian had a great article talking about streaming revenue for artists. It’s a long read but really interesting. I highly recommend checking it out.
I am obsessed with Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.” I must have listened to her album Be Not Nobody a thousand times when I was a kid. Vice did a deep dive into the song and it’s 22 minutes of complete joy. Check it out here.
Justin Bieber is the cover star of GQ this month. The article is interesting, but his bus tour is something else.
At work, I’ve had to deal with a bunch of Nickleback songs. Someone on the team sent an article around about the making of “How You Remind Me” and it made me smile. If you are a Chad Kroeger fan this is a must-read. If you hate Nickleback, it’s still highly interesting.
Also from my work at CBC Music, I’ve become obsessed with Deborah Cox. She is an incredible vocalist and her Juno performances are phenomenal. Check out her Juno moment here.
For action fans, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel Jackson have a new movie coming out called Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. The trailer just dropped andit looks like a lot of fun.
In Bachelor Nation, Colton’s GMA interview is news. I hate it. I’m very happy that he’s found his authentic self, but he also stalked his ex-girlfriend and is not someone I want on my screen in general. The fact that he’s apparently getting a Netflix show to explore what it means to be gay is… well I have no words. It’s ridiculous. He’s not the person who needs screen time.
Did you hear? Taylor Swift’s song “Hey Stephen” is about Stephen Colbert… it will make you smile.
So CBC/Radio Canada has launched a really interesting new app called Mauril. The point is that by watching shows from the CBC/Radio Catalogue, people will learn French or English. I’m very curious about this. I’m going to download it this weekend and give it a try. I’m terrible at French but I really want to watch more French TV and I think this is a brilliant idea. So many friends of mine learned English by watching TV and movies, so why can’t I try to learn French by watching TV? Learn more here.
Lastly, here’s a little bit of joy — The Miniatur Wunderland team set up a model train to hit a bunch of water glasses creating a musical medley and setting a world record. It’s a must-watch.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
📝📝📝 This newsletter was graciously edited by Emma Sakamoto 📝📝📝