Saturday, June 28, 2008

Tuning in this weekend?

For those of you who maybe like seeing me completely humiliated, be sure to watch the show this weekend. I'm planning on taking a few days off and go up north to the cottage. With the van running smooth these days and shooting a new show each week, I'm not able to do really anything other than work on the show. A couple days up at the cottage would be nice.

Next week I'm hoping to dive back into working on getting a new website on line. The site needs a new look and I want to do more video blogging from the van and even start putting previously aired episodes on line. I'll update you guys next week as well on a film project I have been working on for a while now. After all these years, it's cool to know you guys are still interested in what's happening in this crazy ass little world of mine.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Friday, June 20, 2008

DANE & DIGS!

Yep, it's the newest buddy-buddy show on the tube! Not really but Dane Cook is on the show this weekend and we do have some fun with a guitar and my fake plant that's part of my new talkshow set otherwise known as my van.

Things seem to be shaping up nicely these days now that the van is on the road and running ok again. I for sure need to thanks Cam Brookhouse from Brookhouse Auto once again for all his support and help with getting this old van back on the road so I can continue shooting my show every week.

Obviously this entire show is still being produced with no budget but thanks to you guys, increased ratings have allowed me to land some sponsors so I might actually be able to do some things I desperately need to do. Hiring a couple people to help me work on the show each week is my first priority. There is only so much one guy can do all on his own so a bit of a budget can make a big difference in what I can turn the show into over the next few months.

It's not like having network type money or anything like that but it sure will help. After working on "Be Real with JR DIGS" which was a network produced series, and having over a dozen people working on the show with me, it's sometimes tough to keep grinding it out 70 and 80 hours a week in order to just get an episode delivered on time. So even a bit of a budget to hire some people to help out would be amazing. Have you guys been checking out Patrick the co-op's video's lately on his group page. He's doing some great work around here lately so if I end up being able to hire him full time,I'm sure he will be stoked!

I'm stoked these days also about some of the efforts a few of you guys have been making to help me make the show better. Tommy Gun for one and also Aaron Allen and his band The small city saints have been recording a ton of "JR DIGS man with a van" music and sending it to me over the last little while. Wait until you guys start hearing these tunes in the show each week. It's awesome stuff!

Make sure to check out The Small city saints who are on tour right now. These guys are absolutely what indie Canadian music is all about. Thanks Aaron, safe travels out there on the road heading East!

Have a great weekend everyone. I'm hoping to get up to the cottage maybe Saturday night for the last half of the weekend. I've had a super jammed up week and could use a few minutes of down time for sure! I spoke with Doug Foley from the Hamilton Spectator today and I think there is a chance that he might write an article about the show and have it in the paper Saturday. Hope so, a little press about the show this weekend would be great!

Saturday, June 07, 2008

This weekend on the show.....

Last weekend I aired the third of the four episodes I shot from the van last fall starting with buying this old van for my failed attempt at driving out to Regina for the Gemini awards. Last weekends episode was shot from the Garage of Cam Brookhouse where the van was being fixed up so it would run again in an effort to shoot my first official show from the van!

If you watched last weekend, you will now that I was pleading with Cam to get the van running again in time to make the drive down to hook up with the first ever guest booked on the show from the van. After countless emails and phone calls and the fact that I was shooting Another Crappy Canadian Latenight Talkshow from my van which apparently amused funny man Dane Cook, I actually had a guest booked for what was going to be my first episode.

So the good news is that the van got fixed up in time to shoot the episode as scheduled, the even better news is that we hooked up with Dane Cook as planned but the bad news is that you won't be seeing the interview on the show this weekend!

Last fall when I shot and delivered these episodes to the network, there was the possibility that I was going to end up with a one hour timeslot instead of my usual half hour timeslot. That being the case, I delivered this first official show as two half hours. The second half hour episode is when we finally ended up making it down to meet and interview Dane Cook. Well guess which half hour episode by mistake, got scheduled to air this weekend?

It sucks but this weekend on the show, you guys are only going to see the first part of my day while shooting this episode last fall and that doesn't include the interview with Dane Cook!

All that being said, next weekend on the show are first official guest will be Dane Cook. I think there are some pic's on line on facebook from the interview for those of you who were looking forward to seeing Dane Cook hanging out with me this weekend!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Why do I still go to these things?

So every year around this time I blog about the Global & E! Network fall launch shindig I go to. Every year if memory serves me correctly, I blog all about how bummed out I am after I leave and how discouraging these Network kinds of events are for me. Well this year is no exception I guess. The fall launch party was this morning, I went to it, I got some free food and just got back here to the safe and happy confines of my edit suit to work on this little show of mine that doesn't seem to exist or matter in the world of Network television here in Canada!

Maybe I shouldn't go to these things anymore. Like I was saying, I can't ever remember feeling the least bit inspired or positive about myself or what I'm doing after going to any of these things. Clearly the only thing that really matters to any of the suits and bigshots at the network is prime time programming, washed up US celebrities and the up and coming and newest original programming at the network, I get that. See I'm none of those things so I don't exist or at least I'm not really of any importance or value to people at the network and that what this entire industry is based on. If you have some sort of perceived value or celebrity or ability to help further someone's career/make them money somehow, people will pretend to be interested in you and even show you a little bit of respect if thats what you want to call it.

Maybe that's what was bugging me so much about the emails and facebook messages I was getting regarding this Tom Green thing and shooting the show from my house ect. I've become so use to not getting any respect or credit for anything I have done over the last seven years in latenight that when I know for once that I absolutely deserve it, I just want to maybe make sure that I get it. From you guys at least!

I digress.....I can feel a rant coming on. Good thing I can't type worth a shit cause it slows me down....back to what I was blogging about originally. Feels like I've got lots to say right now. Maybe I'll quick go get my camera and do a video blog right now. I hate typing and its no fun going off on a rant about piss ass little Canadian "celebrities"(lol) and stuff if I can't type fast enough not to start boring myself with my own thoughts.