THE ILLUSIVE NETWORK DEAL!

So I get to the airport around 9:25am yesterday.It takes me a little longer than usual to find a parking spot.The line to check in is a tad longer than it usually is and I get to the counter to check in at about 9:45 for my 10:10 flight to Ottawa.

With no bags to check I still have tons of time to get on my flight except that the woman at Air Canada checking me in, won't give me a boarding pass because I am five minutes late to check in. I miss my flight and have to catch the next one at 11:10am and I won't even bother explaining about what happened between 10:00am and 10:30am because I'm sure you guys can just imagine what happened!

When I got too my seat on the 11:10am flight, it looked like someone had puked all over the floor where I was sitting and my day rolled on from there.

I didn't mention yet that I only got a couple hours of sleep on Monday night because that didn't really become an issue until my flight home at 7:00pm was delayed two hours.I ended up sitting in the middle seat back from Ottawa between one really huge dude and another guy who stunk really bad.

Other than getting to and from Ottawa to meet with Tim,the big shot producer dude the network hooked me up with a few months ago,the day was perfect! I guess that's because after five years of trying to get a network deal,I found out yesterday that this new series we have been working on has for sure been picked up by the network and is scheduled to go into production immediately!

That's right guys! I finnally landed a network deal!

So to all you guys who email me and say hi to me on the street and tell me you have been watching the show since the very beginning, well you guys know more than anyone that this is what it has always been about all this time.

The illusive network deal! It took five years and now here we go again.It's a new beggining and it all starts in a few weeks.

I look forward to telling you guys all about it.

JVC & ME! (sounds like a country song)

I just spent the last 45 minutes looking at footage a logging some tapes on my new JVC deck and monitor. Its the first time I have been able to check out all this new stuff I got from JVC last week. My good friend Pete at HVS hooked me up with the folks at JVC Canada and before I knew it,they gave me all this kick ass new stuff. I'm not really a gear head but this stuff is friggin amazing.

I figured that since I concluded my last post with a thankyou to Kent at Keith's Stereo,I should definitely give a big fat thanks to my new friends at JVC and to Pete at HVS in Hamilton.

Is there anyone else out there I should be thanking?

Windows down, volume up.

I guess the worst part about taking a couple days off to head up north to the cottage is that I'm two more days behind schedule now and right this very moment,it feels more like two weeks! I'll probably be up for another couple hours yet doing stuff that needs to get done before I head back to Ottawa in the morning. The production company and producer of this new series for TvTropolis is based in Ottawa which is why I have been spending some time there lately.

I wish I had more time to blog at you guys about my day today or yesterday or last Thursday for that matter.I use to love blogging about the stuff that doesn't seem that important like switching to peanut butter and Jam sandwiches for lunch,stuff like that. Unfortunately,the more time I spend punching away at this key board at the moment,the less sleep I am going to get tonight and I'm super bagged right now!

I would like to say a quick thank you to Kent at Keith's Stereo in Burlington though. A while ago Kent hooked me up with an S50 SIRIUS satellite Radio and all he wanted was a bit of exposure on my site. A few weeks ago Kent told me that he had a couple new promo spots for me to put on the site but I haven't had the time to update the sponsors page and the dude who use to maintain and update the site for me has fallen off the face of the earth. Any of you guys interested in helping out with the website?

Making a point of thanking Kent again has a little to do with feeling bad about not getting his spot on the site yet and alot to do with how awesome my S50 is! The drive home from the cottage was great.I listened to Howard for a bit on the replay,then I kicked the volume up and listened to some Alt Nation and then rolled the windows down and blared some Classic vinyl for the rest of the trek home. If you guys haven't got a SIRIUS radio yet,you have no idea what you are missing.Regular radio totally sucks compared to Satalite.I could never go back to boring old commercial filled radio ever again.

I hope Kent doesn't ever want his radio back. Later guys,I have to get back to work and then get a couple hours of sleep before I jump back on a plane in the morning.

Blog back later!

IN & OUT & IN THE CAN

Flew into Ottawa yesterday morning and then back out last night at 7:00pm. IN THE CAN with JR DIGS last night featured a short film by Chris Pozzobon and in Ontario on CH tonight at 12:30, viewers will see another short by Pozz."Don & Cory & Dawn" is the follow up to the first film by Pozz which aired last night.

This new series I am experimenting with this summer has been interesting. It's cool to be able to showcase unknown and aspiring film makers but I would like the series to better reflect the kinds of movies I would be making if I had the time this summer. With a series in development and another new show in the works that will begin airing in September,my summer is completely jammed. I've only been to the cottage once this spring and now it looks like I will be away for most of July and August shooting stuff for these new shows. The one that goes on the air in September is way more like the show I was doing way back in the day. You guys are going to love it! IN THE CAN with JR DIGS is more interesting than it is funny but some of the episodes you will see later this summer are pretty entertaining. "Teen Wolf 3" by Shane Cunningham is hilarious! Shane likes to make the kinds of short films that I want to see more of this summer. Simple scripts and quirky casting makes for entertaining television if you ask me.

I know that I won't come back to producing this series next spring if I don't find more film makers who want to make exactly the kinds of movies I want to make myself. I think people might be watching the show this summer and thinking I have alot to do with the movies that are being produced for the series.The truth is that I barely have enough time these days to show up with my crew and shoot any behind the scenes footage of the films getting made. I figure that if people are assuming I have had alot to do with the films that are being featured, I had better start looking a lot harder for film makers who are way more like me or who at least want to make the kinds of movies I want to be making when I have the time to make a few myself.

I plan to take the night off tonight,have a couple beers and watch the hockey game.It should be a good game.

Have a great weekend everyone.

It's nice to know what I'm doing for a change...

I was just sent my travel intinerary for Friday.I'm off to Ottawa for the day to meet with the Producer of this new series that is in development for the Network. It's cool to have my entire day planned out for me. Over the last few years I have become increasingly screwed up in the head! What I mean is that I are have alot of trouble staying focused on something for a long period of time. That being said,I can sit in my edit suite and cut footage for 14 hours straight no problem but as soon as I start to multi task and do four or five things at once,I get all wonky and bored of stuff super fast. Maybe after five years of "livin the dream" and having to literally do almost everything myself,I have finally reached a point where my brain can't take it anymore.

Before the Network teamed me up with this hotshot new producer I'm working with now,I heard that there were some concerns at the Network that I wouldn't be able to work with anyone after so many years of producing television all by myself. No need to worry about that! It's amazing to have good people to work with and have the freedom to focus for the first time ever,on what's really important.Making creative and entertaining television.I have truly grown to hate all the other crap that goes into keeping things rolling. It's stuff that has to be done and it's important,it's just that I'm not the one who wants to be doing it. Organizing and setting up meeting, paper work and travel itineraries are things that need to be done and it's just so cool that in this new world of Network television I find myself wondering around in these days,no one expects me to be the one who has to do any of that stuff.

That reminds me that I wanted to let you guys know about the computer problems I have been having over the last three weeks or so.I have no idea what is going on or how to fix it but I keep losing emails that are being sent to me. Emails that I sometimes get from you guys that I don't have time to respond to right away,are put in a folder to get to another day. Well about three times in a row now I have lost all the emails I have put there which sucks because some of you won't be getting a response to your email because,I have lost it. If you have emailed me over the last three weeks and I haven't bounced one back to you then assume I have lost your email but don't think I'm a prick who didn't email you back. It would actually be great if you simply emailed me again.For sure I will email you back because I appreciate all the support and it's always cool to hear from you guys.

Ok,I'm bored now! Gotta go!

Touching base....

It seems like its been weeks since my last post but I guess I have just had a lot going on over the last four or five days. Last Wednesday was Global's big fall launch party which to be honest,has never really been all that much fun for me to go to. Mostly it's just an anual reminder that another year has slide by and I am still a complete nobody in the eyes of the suits at the Network. This year was no different except that Howie Mandel was there instead of Dolald Trumph which is who Global brought in last year for the big shindig. Howie Mandel ended up playing Deal Or No Deal with the audience on Wednesday,some lady won $5000 and he was hilarious.Howie was definatly the highlight of the event. At the schmoozfest afterwards,I ended up spending a little time hanging out with Rick Campenelli. Rick is one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet and it's great to see him land such a good gig for himself on ET after leaving Much Music.

Wednesday ended up being a pretty good day that ended sometime Thursday morning.Most of my Thursday was spent catching up on all the stuff I didn't get to do on Wednesday and I had more meeting and stuff to go to but that's just boring crap you guys don't need or want to hear about. Friday night I went to the last half of the TigerCat Argoes football game. I missed the first half because I was with the folks from Brave New Production who were shooting "Boundless" another short film being produced for this experimental new series I am airing this summer.All of Saturday was spent shooting the movie and I got home just in time to crash on the couch and watch the third period of the Hockey game.

Tonight I'm looking forward to kicking back again and watching Tv.

The new season of HBO's Entourage starts tonight and so does Deadwood. I've really been looking forward to this new season of Entourage.It's definately one of my favourite Tv shows.Can't wait for the new season to kick off tonigth.

NO DEAL!

I just rolled in but I'm on my way to a late dinner right now and I don't have time to share any thoughts I might have about Mondays post but I will say that Howie Mendel was hilarious today at Global's Fall launch party.

I'll tell you guys all about it on Thursday when I have a little more time to blog at you!

He's doing what?Wow!

I got an interesting email from a friend of mine earlier tonight. I thought I would just post it here in my blog instead of articulating too many thoughts about it just yet.

His email reads....

JR,lets make sure we plan to hook up in Toronto for lunch when you are in the city on Wednesday. Hey, I saw your little buddy Kayvon on MTV Canada tonight. He was doing red carpet interviews at the Walk of Fame thing that was on the weekend. What's that all about? Did you know he was doing that? Isn't that what you get him to do all the time for you on your show? It's good to see that all the people at MTV are still watching your show and hoping you continue creating more programming for them that they will never have to pay you for or even give you any credit for.

I'm surprised that little Kayvon would screw you over like that just for a flash in the pan shot at getting on MTV Canada! Haven't you basically been grooming the little guy for the last three years so that when you finally get your big break in latenight, he can be your red carpet interviewer of the stars?

Speaking of interviewing stars and MTV ripping you off again,your old Pal Tom Green was being written about in the Toronto Sun today. Did you read the Sun today?

Apparently Tom Green is getting yet another crack at doing his own show and this time he is shooting it from his living room. Dude,you did that show two years ago. You gotta admit that it burns your ass just a little not to ever get any credit for doing anything first on Tv. I doubt that anyone will be talking on Tuesday about how Tom Green is now doing the exact same show you have already done here in Canada.

I'm glad I'm not in show business like you man. I don't know how you keep rolling along like you do.Let's definitely grab lunch on Wednesday and laugh about all the people who are screwing you over these days. Are we golfing this Friday?

"In The Can"& On the tube!

If any of you guys can get to Hamilton in the coming weeks and want to be part of a studio audience for another new show I am involved in developing,stay tuned to my blog here over the next week or so and I'll give you more details.

It's starting to get a bit confusing with all these new projects on the go but I'm pretty sure that tonight on "In The Can" with JR DIGS, another new episode is airing.The guys who produced "Dogboy The Movie" for one of the pilot episodes were asked to take another crack at bringing Dogboy to life so they made another short film as part of this new series showcasing Aspiring and Unknown film makers in their quest to make the greatest short film ever!I just have the job of following them around with my crew for two day while they shoot their movie.

Later this summer you guys will see back to back to back to back to back to back episodes featuring six new short films made for the series and so far they all look hilarious.Tonight's featured film is a little more artistic than what you can expect to see later this summer that's for sure. Then again,I have the mentality of a fifteen year old so what do I know.I look forward to reading what Kevin Robertson has to say about tonights Noir styled flick!