Following up on my previous post of how to watch your favourite television programs on the internet, I present reviews of television shows which you might be interested in!

Today I start with a great Canadian television show which ran for a strong six seasons from 2004-2009. The show of discussion is Corner Gas. Corner Gas is easily one of the top comedy programs out there and is definitely a staple of Canadian television, especially since our television market is dominated by American programs. Winner of six Gemini Awards – annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada – & roughly another 70 nominations for various other awards, it is apparent that Corner Gas has a fantastic crew all around, though particularly the writing and acting team.

Eventually all good things come to an end, as Brent Butt (the creator) decided to end the show on a strong point and avoid a slow death, which does happen to some television shows out there whose last seasons are just for monetary purposes:

When I told CTV about my decision, they made it clear that they were keen to do more seasons. But for the good of the show, I wanted to exit gracefully, on top of our game, when we’re at our prime…

As a side note for other fans of great television, Brent Butt’s main co-writers come from another great Canadian show This Hour has 22 Minutes.

If you are intrigued to watch and enjoy the outstanding work of Canada’s finest, you can head over to The Comedy Network to watch season 6, or you can catch re-runs of Corner Gas on CTV, Comedy Network and A. If you like what you see, I would definitely recommend finding & watching more from its other seasons on DVD. Enjoy!

Quote: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tv/story/2008/04/10/corner-gas.html

November 11th.  A time to reflect on the sacrifices of civilians and soldiers who were part of the war.  A time to thank the soldiers who fought for our freedom in the wars.

It’s celebrated on November 11th because it signifies the end of World War I on that date in 1918.  The formal end of World War I was at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

The poppy is a national symbol of remembrance for the soldiers who bled for our freedom.  It is based off the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.  The poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields in the war, and because of this the government declared them a symbol of remembrance.

For more information on Remembrance Day or the poppy, click here.

I just recently had the pleasure of taking in a marvelously absurd comedy playing at theatre Calgary. 7 Stories, a one-act play by Morris Panych, is a wonderfully concocted 90 minute production of hilarity and insanity.

On the seventh storey ledge of an apartment building, a man is about to jump. Before he steps off, a parade of zany inhabitants interrupt his train of thought. From the same whimsical playwright behind Vigil and The Overcoat, this wonderfully oddball comedy shows us that the line between sanity and insanity might be right behind the next window. Fast paced and full of energy, a leap of faith never had more surprising results.

This play premiered 20 years ago in Vancouver. Since then it has been seen all over the world. Our new production stars Peter Anderson who returns to us after his unforgettable silent performance in THE OVERCOAT. This time he speaks! A hilarious tale from one of Canada’s most imaginative writers.

Certainly, the production is food for thought. The 7th story wall acts as a barrier, almost, between the insane and the sane where, paradoxically, the sane is The Man about to jump and the 7 neighbors are the insane ones. Because of the absurdity of it, though brilliantly done, the play kind of loses the audiences focus at times. The end, however, is awe inspiring. For $14, I highly recommend it to any and all students interested in art or contemplation of our monochromatic society.

Check out Theatre Calgarys wesbite for the production’s information.

October is known for Halloween, and in Calgary, there’s more to do than the old trick or treat. Before this month comes to a close, get involved in some of the cool stuff happening all around Calgary! Here are some events I found:

Calaway Park Halloweekends

See something you might be interested in? Take a look here for when and where and a little more information on these events.

For those who think it’s too early to be thinking about a career… I beg to differ!  It’s never too early to think about your future.  Not to put any pressure on you or anything; I personally have no idea what I’m going to be doing in university let alone what I’m going to do for the rest of my life…but anyways!  There’s a great opportunity to learn more about the careers you may have had questions about right around the corner…

This Friday and Saturday (October 30 – 31), Calgary’s Career Show will be taking place at the BMO Centre (formerly the Round-Up Centre) on Stampede Grounds.  It will run from 10am – 5pm on Friday and 10am – 4pm on Saturday.  General admission to this event is $5.00, but students (with a valid ID) get in for free!

If you’re searching for your future, want to kick-start your career, or change career paths, The Career Show has many opportunities and resources to make it happen. Companies, industry associations, and educators will be there to provide career info, job search advice, and details on how to prepare for the career of your choice.  There will also be a variety of seminars to check out. In case you were wondering, the event is also accessible for people with disabilities.

Don’t know how to make your way down to the BMO Centre? No problem; just hop onto the C-Train going down to the SE (switch trains downtown if you’re coming from the NE) and get off at Victoria Park Stampede Station. Follow the signs and you’ll end up at the BMO Centre easily.

By the way… CYFC‘s YVC will be there on Saturday to help out with the event. Feel free to stop by and say hi!

Now I know some teens out there are going through that, “Am I too old to trick or treat?” phase and if you’re asking it, I’m sure your parents are saying yes. However, no matter what role you are playing for Halloween this year, whether it be cowboy, princess, a garbage bag (my personal favourite), or if you’re going to be the one passing out all the goodies, make sure you follow those safety tips. Now, I’m sure your mother tells you every Halloween what the basic safety tips are and you roll your eyes at her, but they are extremely important and I’m going to tell you them too!

Ten Halloween Safety Tips:

1. Children should be accompanied by an adult.
2. Children should wear clothing that can easily be seen at night. Retro-reflective materials are best.
3. Children should trick or treat in one well-known area and not wander into unknown neighborhoods.
4. All candy should be inspected by an adult to make sure that no one has tampered with it. If it looks suspicious, the police should be contacted.
5. Children should avoid stray animals.
6. Children should wear masks that do not interfere with vision. Better yet, they can avoid masks by wearing makeup.
7. Children should watch for moving vehicles when crossing streets.
8. Costumes should be short enough that the child will not trip.
9. Trick or treaters should dress appropriately for the weather and carry a flashlight.
10. For extra safety, organize a Halloween party for children in your neighborhood.

We’ve all finally given into swine flu (H1N1). It may be very similar to just a regular flu, but it’s spreading fast! At least half my school has been gripped by the flu, or by some other sickness or cold, and parents are serving kids chicken noodle soup in bed all over the city.

What can we do in this time of distress? Well, even if you might feel well enough to drag yourself to school, do everyone else a favour and stay home. This isn’t about you being able to go or not, this is about the health of your friends, co-workers and classmates. You’ve probably seen many commercials about what to do to avoid receiving or spreading the flu, and these should be listened to because they are very important.

Vaccinations have officially come out. Will you be getting one? I think that it is important for doctors, people working with the elderly or children, or public service workers to get the shot, but for others it’s just a long wait in line so that you don’t have to stay home sick.

Tell me your opinion on the flu, vaccinations, and what the government is doing to try and stop its spread.

These days, it’s more common for schools to teach their students how to analyze or interpret literature than it is for them to teach students proper grammar and punctuation.

While my thoughts on that could fill a whole other post, take a look at this “website” to see rogue quotation marks and nonsensical quotes.

Maybe our grammar is getting worse…or maybe there are just a lot more euphemisms these days.

If you’re interested in attending university outside of the province, you’ll definitely want to check these fairs out! With schools from Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia, and the Atlantic provinces attending, all students and parents are invited! There is no admission fee, but a donation to the food bank is appreciated.

The fairs will take place:

Monday October 26th @ Crescent Heights (2:30-4:00) and Sir Winston Churchill (6:30-8:00)

Tuesday Octobe 27th @ Queen Elizabeth (9-10:30am), Western Canada HS (1-3:00pm) and Bishop O’Byrne (6:30-8:00pm)

Wednesday October 28th @ Lord Beaverbrook (9-10:30), Bishop Carroll (1-2:30pm), and Central Memorial (6:30-8:00)

Have fun checking things out!

Recently, I watch a movie called Surrogates; it takes place in a not so distant future where a vast majority of the world uses robots called “surrogates”. These robots can do anything a human can do and a lot more, they also have a physical appearance that is flawless. A human would simply hook up to his/her surrogate by sitting in a high tech chair, once in the chair the human can see and feel everything the surrogate sees and feels.  

Surrogates are supposed to allow people to live their dream life with no consequences. In fact, the surrogates have a safety mechanism that protects the owner from any harm their surrogate undergoes. But there’s a problem – someone has a weapon that sends a virus which bypasses the safety mechanism of the surrogate and melts the brain of who ever is linked to the surrogate at the time.

A cop uncovers great conspiracy as he tries to hunt down the owner of this weapon.

This search ends with a difficult decision the cop must make, a decision that will change history.

 This movie has an intense climax and brings forward some new material while exploring the effects of our dependence on technology and our personal insecurities, but I can shake the feeling that I have seen this before. I would rate this movie a 3.5 out of 5 (worth watching).

There is a lot going on in the world these days. From economic depression, to terrorist attacks, war, Sarah Palin and more, our news channels are plagued with so many examples of human horror and insanity that we often avoid those dreaded stations – opting, instead, for some memories of childhood on YTV, learning about the latest Jon & Kate scandal via TLC or watching some crazy divers get attacked by sharks on Discovery.  Many of us miss even the bare bones of world news.

As bad as this may be, there is now a fun, relevant way for us to view the world and some key issues from the comfort of YouTube!*

Auto-tune The News is a show that does just that. Auto-tune is a program that turns speech into Kayne-reminescent tunes and that, when combined with cleverly spliced news feeds from Fox, CNN, CBC and NBC, is both entertaining and informative!

Check out their latest “newcast” Nobel. Health care. United Nations. and subscribe! Your Social Studies teacher would be proud!

 [youtube LnoD3NUux3M]

*No YouTube channel will ever replace the dying breed of informative journalism… it’s a good try though!

Well, “the silence whistles” kinda makes sense, but isn’t stop motion just plain ridiculous?  Things cannot stop and move at the same time. Well, in the world of stop motion films or movies, that can happen.

What is Stop Motion? Simply put, it is an animation techniques also known as stop-action or frame-by-frame during which a physically manipulated object appears to move on its own. The object basically is being moved a small increment per frame, creating a somewhat choppy movie.

How can a stop motion film be made? The answer to this question really depends on what the artist wants. Traditionally, the stop motion film is made by shooting lots and lots of still pictures, creating a series of pictures that motionally relate to each other, and are joined together and played; it is like a flip book, which is quite time consuming to make. Stereoscopic stop-motion is what they call it. Coraline would be a movie made using that technique, although it is being played in 3D.

However, as technology advances, people get smarter and start to manipulate small motion changes using computers instead of using their hands to physically moving the objects, which is called go motion. Then, the ultimate computer generated imaginary creates the whole stop motion film using computer generated graphics, which is much faster, but can lose the sense created by traditional stop motion if  not used carefully.

Want to see it in practice? Here is a short film using the technique of stop motion, it is “The PEN Story”:

Hope you learned something about stop motion today. If you already know what stop motion is, I hope you really enjoyed the film.

Want to share your favorite stop motion movies with us? Post the link of the movie in the comment section!