WELL, ONE INTERNET PUBLICATION kind of scooped the news that I was hinting at back in June.
When that story broke, I was of the mind to say, "we need to get out in front of it." Because, of course, I'm used to those rabid, crazy American fans who parse and goose and shred every piece of info and blog it to death six ways to Sunday.
I made a fatal mistake, it seems. I forgot: Canadian show, Canadian bloggers, Canadian "meh." We stand on guard for, you know, whatever. Man, I lost that bet, hardcore.
On the other hand, it took about six seconds of the Canadian Press picking up the "official" press release-word of Battlestar Galactica's Grace Park's multi-episode stint on The Border for me to read an article that was in German talking about the news. The French article came next. Seriously, wire copy, man -- you can't beat it.
It's no secret that in 2008, with the net, it's hard to keep a secret. Unless, I guess, you expect a Canadian blogger to run with it!
So, welcome Grace. Everybody at THE BORDER is way excited to be working with you. It's a great character and a great jolt for what's shaping up to be a really interesting, intense season. Grace is on a tear with really different and exciting, sexy roles in both the A&E show The Cleaner and The Border. We're psyched to have her aboard!
And good for you, Canada -- for keepin' the secret. I'm serious.
Sorta.
As for you Sci-Fi Fans, who may have never ever heard of THE BORDER before and might be surfing in now from a stray hit on Grace's name, I can say in all seriousness that maybe, just maybe, you might find something in THE BORDER to love. It's a show about Canadian action heroes on the front line of fighting terrorism and threats to North American security.
...and believe me, in some politcal circles, that certainly qualifies as science fiction...
12 comments:
Well. This is indeed good news.
Welcome to the party, Miss(Ms.?) Park!
As to the idea of The Border as SF? You could make the case...and it just might stick.
Now where's that spin-off magazine? If 24 and Grey's Anatomy can have those, why not The Border?
For the skeptics: No, I am not kidding about the magazine idea.
Gosh, news sources picked up the Canadian Press over some dude with a blog? I wish that happened more often. I posted to TV eh at the time but yeah, not many people were excited about the news. I'm not sure I'd trumpet that fact as if it said something bad about the fans.
Geez Louise, Diane. Somebody seems to have come back from Vacation less refreshed than regrumped.
If I'd known it was going to be that hard to get past the "hmmph!" filter, I'd have deployed an emoticon or two.
As it is, I'm comfortable enough with the overtones of self-mockery in the original entry, and suggest that maybe you read it again. If it helps this time, please imagine me speaking it aloud walking quickly down the hallway with a cane.
And just to be sure:
;-)~
Yes, the tild is a tongue. Bllllt!
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the McGrath Rant on video.
*evil hopeful smile*
The self-mockery is fun though I enjoy mocking you myself even more, since you take it so badly. But it’s the mockery of the fact that fans didn’t care about the news that’s interesting. Not because I don’t approve of mockery in all instances, but it’s a brave choice to point out that while media outlets will happily print a news release, and fan bloggers will run with whatever rumour they find interesting, they didn't care about that particular spoiler. The Canadian TV industry sure has an interesting take on PR.
I make an observation about the Canadian character, Diane says, "Nope! It's not so! It's just you!" By this point, shouldn't we just set these up as macros?
DK, you can stamp your pretty little feet and insist it's all hubris on my part, and this is clear evidence that nobody cares.
And I'll just fall back on the stories I've heard from pollsters about how hard it is to get Canadians to particpate (way harder than americans), how hard it is to get Canadians to take part in TV shows (way harder than Americans), how hard it is to get a Canadian to ask the first question at any public gathering or event (way harder than Americans,) how hard it is to get a volunteer up on stage at a stage show, (way harder than Americans,) how hard it is to get a Canadian to protest something (way harder than Americans,) how hard it is to get Canadians to give to charity (way harder than Americans,) how hard it is to get a simple streeter from a Canadian (way harder than Americans,) how hard it is to get someone to get something going rather than sit back and wait for others to do it (way harder than with Americans)
...but it's got nothing to do with how Canadians are. And it's certainly something not to be made fun of, even lightly.
Sure, American fans of a 4 year old show that only airs in the U.S. at 3am are demanding podcasts - but that has nothing to do with anything to do with get up and go'edness either.
This will forever be the argument between us.
By the way, I don't want to rile you up too much, but the French are rude, Mexicans say 'yes' and don't really mean 'yes,' and Italians talk fast.
Oh and the English are weird and the Japanese like potty humor.
I know, I know, none of these things are actually true.
It's just me.
It's all just me.
Gimme a hoo. Gimme a boy.
I forgot one more - you know, how hard it is to get Canadian publicists to take the initiative and follow up and phone you back (way harder than Americans).
Geez. where did I read that again?
DMC--
Can I just put in my request now for some pics from the set?
It would be particularly nice to see a pic of Ms. Park holding up a sign saying, "This is for you Bill - you bastard."
I already have a request pending the start of production on a new season of a particular British Scifi show.
If you don't ask it doesn't happen.
Canadians - like boys, girls, the tides, quantum mechanics, double salchows, mystery meats, DNA supercoiling, bonobo tribe politics, astral birth charts, sanskrit rap songs, lithium-polymer batteries and the search for life on extrasolar planetary bodies - are complicated.
Hmm, I didn't even know you were just going for something about the Canadian character. Seriously? You think TWoP and Ausiello's comments and the like are geoblocked or something? Have you read all the ecstatic Murdoch Mysteries comments out there? Lots of Canadians get very frothed up about TV tidbits.
The issue I thought you were getting at is that it's hard to get Canadians to care about Canadian shows, which is a problem tied up with the PR problems of the industry. I was pointing out that while funny, I don't think this post is especially good PR for the show. Especially when we all know from reading your blog that the argument over whether Canadians will care about Canadian shows is over - they care if you give them reason to care.
So you're fighting that stereotype battle on your own in this case - I wasn't objecting to you characterizing Canadians, I was pointing out that it's a peculiar argument, to ridicule the fact that fans didn't care about this particular item as much as you wanted them to.
Does Grace Park know she's joining a show with a writer who's one of BG's biggest fans?
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