Bell pulls the plug on Canada AM. We pull the plug on cable

Today, I got told off by Ben Mulroney, the CTV go-to fellar who apparently will, along with Anne Marie Mediwake, be replacing the crew at the middle aged Canada AM. In case, you didn't hear, the AM crew was unceremoniously punted yesterday and had its last show this morning.

"Hey Rosalita," wrote Ben on Twitter. "A couple is 2. Idol was on for 6 (excruciating) years. Oh, and at the time, it was the highest rated English language show of all time." Inserted comment mine.

The Count was responding to my Tweet reminding everybody that Canadian Idol was cancelled after two seasons. My bad. I must have turned it off after the second season.

I couldn't believe the lightening speed at which Ben responded to my Tweet. He must have the skin of a grape crushed under Lucille Ball's feet. I was indeed surprised that someone of his celebrity would give a shit what I said. Oh well.

I couldn't help sharing his Tweet on Facebook where many of my friends expressed surprise that Canadian Idol was really that popular, and was, in fact, the highest rated English language show of all time! (Being a lawyer, Ben did say "at the time," though the egotist in him couldn't help the "of all time" bit in the same sentence.)

I couldn't help but think that maybe there were shows that were more successful. Like Degrassi which has been syndicated around the world, and picked up for international airing on Netflix in January. I looked all over Netflix, and I simply couldn't not find one damned episode of Canadian Idol.

There were many more examples of shows I thought, really, were more popular than Canadian Idol:

The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, for example. Or Hockey Night in Canada. Or The Beachcombers. Or Dragon's Den. The Mercer Report. This Hour has Twenty Two Minutes.

Maybe even Due South!

I probably can name a dozen more shows, but then you'd stop reading or I'd put myself to sleep or both.

It's not really my point, anyway.

I simply don't understand why the network would 86 a solid show like Canada AM and reboot it for "the next generation" and feature a middle aged son of a former Prime Minister who went to law school to talk to Justin Bieber.

If they were going to reboot for millennials, why not tap a couple of Canadians who actually represent generational change? Who needs Peter Pan when CTV could actually hire one of the Lost Boys?

Why not tappa rappa? Or hire a millennial to tickle the funny bone?

And there are enough kids coming out of J School who have absolutely no hope whatsoever of getting a job in television otherwise, so they would work very cheaply indeed,

Bell probably didn't think of that. The suits were too busy firing people, or too lazy to conduct a talent search.

Anyway, whatever Bell does, its new reboot will surely blow like Gabriel's horn.

Now that's my opinion.

I didn't ask Nik Nanos or nuthin'.

I'm just an old gal who may be the only one on the block who still subscribes to premium cable to watch shows like Canada AM.

Clearly, I'm out of touch.

Maybe it's time to cut the cord once and for all.

Ashley Simpson: Don't Let Her Die in Vain

Six years ago, I was combing through my Facebook and I saw post from my cousin Julie Major. Her brother and his wife were frantically looking for their daughter Ashley who just days before had Facetimed her mom saying she was planning to return to her home in Niagara. Ashley never made it home. She was murdered in cold blood in her home in Salmon Arm then buried in a nearby field. It would be five and a half years before her body was located, and her boyfriend was charged with second degree murder. Today, Ashley's urn has a sacred spot in her parents' home, and Derek Favell is in jail awaiting trial by judge and jury. The trial is expected to go into next year sometime. This has been an agonizing journey for Ashley's friends and family. The pain has never stopped, and the wounds are broken open every time the family has to sit through a series of pre-trial proceedings. Fortunately, this ordeal will end but the pain will never wane for the people, including me, who have b...

Ashley Simpson: A Father Remembers

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in. That'...

What Bell isn't telling you about Fibe TV

Update: This week, we switched back to Rogers after spending far too long using Bell's crappy television service. For those with Bell, read and weep. For those considering Bell, think twice even if you hate Rogers. RS I've always been an early technology adapter. I had a Betamax. That tells you everything (if you're over 50 at least). My first computer was a "Portable". It weighed 40 pounds and I had to lug it around town on a gurney. I've been through probably 15 computers in my lifetime. Apple is the best. It's also too expensive so I have a piece of shit HP, the one I'm writing this blog on. I've had cable, internet and now Netflix. American Netflix . That's how far ahead of the curve I am. I get all the newspapers for free. How? I disabled my cookies so they can't track me when I'm on the newspaper sites. Even the New York Times hasn't cottoned on to that trick. Hahaha. That will be a fifty buck consulting fee. Bein...

Rose's Cantina

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