Vancouver Oscar nominee gave The Dark Knight its look

By macleans.ca - Friday, January 23, 2009 at 9:45 AM - 0 Comments

What do set decorators actually do? Well, way more than pick the curtains, it turns out. For Vancouver-based Peter Lando—nominated for an Oscar for his wonderfully bleak take on The Dark Knight—the work involves a huge element of psychology. Lando sees his first job as drilling deep into each character’s motivation and, well, character. The very items on Bruce Wayne’s imposing penthouse bookshelves, for instance, reflect what Lando describes as Batman’s tortured, empty soul. “Let’s find things that say nothing, that have no personality and no character and other things that were about the absence of meaning.”

The Vancouver Sun

China considers replacing its system of film censorship

By macleans.ca - Friday, January 23, 2009 at 9:40 AM - 0 Comments

China is considering replacing its system of film censorship with a ratings classification system, which would tell audiences whether or not a film is appropriate for family viewing. But the Communist Party is resistant to allowing filmmakers to put naughty moments in their movies. Ironically, when film censorship was loosened in the U.S., it was the anti-Communists who fought against indecent content.

Variety Asia Online

Thousands stuck in tunnel at Obama inauguration

By macleans.ca - Friday, January 23, 2009 at 9:20 AM - 0 Comments

Their tickets were purple, but thousands are blue with rage today. They were trapped in the 3rd Street tunnel beneath the National Mall in Washington, D.C. while President Barack Obama took the oath of office and festivities began above ground. Parents stood for hours holding small children because strollers weren’t allowed in the area. Men relieved themselves against the wall of the tunnel, and many simply gave up and turned around. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, (D-Calif) head of the joint congressional that organized the inauguration is investigating. Now wonder: many of the ticket holders were Democratic Party donors and campaign volunteers who were supposed to get a choice view of the ceremony.

Los Angeles Times

Something new to do at bedtime

By Cathy Gulli - Friday, January 23, 2009 at 12:27 AM - 3 Comments

Dr. Nowell Solish, founder of the Sweat Clinics of Canada, has seen it all when it comes to perspiration control. Feminine hygiene pads stuck into the underarms of shirts. Towels sewn into pant pockets for a quick dry of clammy palms before shaking hands. Excessive sweating, known as hyperhidrosis, “is one of the most under-recognized diseases,” says Solish. “It’s a major issue.”

So much so that a slew of super-powerful antiperspirants have hit the marketplace recently, all promising to keep armpits dry and stink-free longer and better than any of their over-the-counter predecessors. The list of new sweat-stoppers includes Degree Clinical Protection, Lady Speed Stick Clinical Proof, Secret and Gillette Clinical Strength and even Old Spice Pro Strength. If the names sound serious, consider the merchandising: the antiperspirants are packaged in boxes and cost up to $10—double or triple the price of standard underarm sticks, sprays and roll-ons. The biggest difference, though, is the application of these products. They go on at bedtime, “when the body is at its most natural temperature and most receptive to forming a strong barrier against perspiration,” reads a Secret pamphlet. The antiperspirants are so potent that you don’t have to reapply the next morning—even if you shower!

Continue…

Vertical Integration Gets Even More Vertical

By Jaime Weinman - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 11:19 PM - 3 Comments

The saga of “vertical integration,” that mysterious and weird process by which huge corporations co-ordinate the efforts of the networks they own and the production companies they also own, has taken another step forward with ABC’s announcement that they will be putting one guy in charge of their network and their studio.

The newly formed ABC Entertainment Group will combine ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment, with all operations of the two separate units reporting to Mr. McPherson. The new division’s primary mandate will be to develop and produce compelling programming for broadcast on ABC. However, when appropriate, the studio will look for outside opportunities.

I’ve been over the ups and downs of this process before on this blog, so I’ll be brief in summarizing them again. On the plus side, it gives a show more security because the network has a direct investment in its future. Even when shows are owned by the same company that owns their network, the relationship can still be the same as if they were separate entities, because the production company and the network are supposed to operate as separate entities. Even after networks were allowed to own their own shows, it was perfectly common for the production company to gouge a network owned by its own parent company, and vice versa. The streamlining of production and broadcasting is supposed to prevent this.

The downside is, well, just look at the decline of both NBC and Universal television since they merged together and lost their individual corporate identities.

Ah, well, we still haven’t quite made it to the future predicted by David Mirkin in Newhart 20 years ago, where all the networks would be run by one guy (the speeding-up is intentional):

Iggy the Plumber

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10:47 PM - 13 Comments

Missed this earlier.

He said Canada has a leak in the pipes, and that the country needs a plumber to fix it.

Ignatieff said he was “touched, to think that I could be a plumber for Canada. I take that as a compliment.”

Reality check

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10:41 PM - 11 Comments

Conservative MP John Cummins bravely states the obvious.

“When you’re dealing with budget items, let’s face it—budgets are political documents,” Cummins told the Straight. “They’re crafted to meet the approval of the public. They’re crafted to help the governing party win reelection. That’s the political reality.”

2011 if necessary, but not necessarily 2011

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10:24 PM - 5 Comments

Lawrence Cannon, bless his heart, has been steadfast on what Barack Obama’s election means for Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. “The U.S. interest,” he said the other day, “won’t change our opinion or intention to withdraw our forces in 2011.”

Peter MacKay, bless his jawline, has been no less stolid. “Canada is carrying its fair share of the load,” he says, “and 2011 is the fixed date.”

Steadfast and solid are they. But also, apparently, quite speculative.

From the Prime Minister’s new, and strangely Ignatieffian, interview with the Sun. Continue…

The Global Extinction crisis may have been Overstated

By Alex Shimo - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 6:19 PM - 3 Comments

Two researchers say the damage to the world’s tropical forests may not be as bad as first feared. Because population growth is slowing in many countries and people are moving to cities, the pressure to cut down primary rainforest and use marginal land for agriculture is falling, according to Joseph Wright of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and Helene Muller-Landau of the University of Minnesota.

If current trends continue, the area of tropical of forest will still be at one third of its natural range by by 2030, say the scientists. The area of tropical forest in Latin America and Asia could actually increase. Those predictions mean that in Africa 16-35% of tropical-forest species will become extinct by 2030, in Asia, 21-24% and in Latin America, fewer still, according to the Economist, which first reported the story. Continue…

Just for old time's sake

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 6:06 PM - 49 Comments

Stephen Harper, October 14. “We’ll never go back into deficit.”

The Oscars: Scandalous Omissions

By Brian D. Johnson - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:51 PM - 6 Comments

The Oscar nominations are in, and they are even more boring and predictable than might be expected, which I guess makes them slightly less predictable than expected. For a list of nominees, click on: Oscar’s list. The main event comes down to a David and Goliath clash between two fables: Danny Boyle’s the Little Movie that Could, and David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a big tedious Hollywood epic about the magic of make-up in which Brad Pitt is reborn as a wizened old man. Benjamin Button, which plods through the decades with the folksy fakery of Forrest Gump, strikes me as the worst movie to make waves this awards season. I found it interminable. But it topped the list of films recognized by the Academy with a total of 13 nominations. Why? Well, the Academy has always adored sweeping epics that use history as a backdrop for fables about the triumph of the human spirit. Or something. And it also likes movies that keep all the motion picture crafts well employed. BB is not just a period epic with lots of elaborate sets, costumes and make-up. It’s about sets, costumes and make-up. Especially make-up. As for Slumdog Millionaire, it came in second with 10 nominations. And its crowd-pleasing appeal is easier to fathom.

Slumdog, a Dickensian melodrama about adorable urchins in the slums of Mumbai, framed by the whimsical conceit of a grown-up street kid eking out redemption on India’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The movie submerges its fairy-tale plot in the vivid, kinetic realism of its location shooting. And Boyle, who does his most vital work since Trainspotting, captures all the colour and beauty and corruption with roaring style.

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Big Deal

By Doug McArthur, Takeoffeh.com - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:28 PM - 0 Comments

The skies between Canada and Europe are about to be declared wide open — giving airlines the freedom to launch new services where, when and at whatever pricing they want. In the long run, consumers may be rewarded through more flights and lower fares. But for the next year or longer, the freshly-inked Canada-European Union Open Skies agreement will probably mean diddly-squat.

For starters, it won’t come into effect until it is translated into 22 European languages. So it could be months before even the first of four phases is introduced. Even then, it seems unlikely carriers will rush to inaugurate new routes before the economic outlook brightens. Continue…

Your Team Iggy starting line-up

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:23 PM - 43 Comments

Posted without comment for the moment. Some attempt at analysis to follow after some consideration now offered below.

Intergovernmental Affairs Michael Ignatieff
House Leader Ralph Goodale
Deputy House Leader Marlene Jennings
Whip Rodger Cuzner
Deputy Whip Marcel Proulx 
Finance John McCallum
Foreign Affairs Bob Rae
Defence Denis Coderre
Environment & Energy David McGuinty
Health Carolyn Bennett
Industry, Science & Technology Marc Garneau
Public Safety & National Security Mark Holland
Natural Resources Geoff Regan
Justice and Attorney-General Dominic LeBlanc
International Trade Scott Brison
Public Works and Government Services Martha Hall Findlay Continue…

Are the new light bulbs a health risk?

By Alex Shimo - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:20 PM - 45 Comments

Health Canada is reviewing the safety of energy-saving light bulbs to determine whether the amount of UV light and electromagnetic radiation they emit is safe. The federal government launched its study on compact fluorescent lights in December, following several public health warnings by British medical professionals.

British health officials have warned that the new bulbs could worsen existing skin conditions, like eczema and dermatitis. Skin disorders that are photosensitive could react to the more intense light of fluorescent bulbs, which emit UV rays similar to outdoor exposure levels on a sunny day. Britain’s Health Protection Agency now recommends that people should not be closer than 30 centimetres from the energy-saving variety for more than one hour per day.

Continue…

See no evil

By Michael Petrou - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 4:39 PM - 2 Comments

The soft drink can looked as if it should contain Coke. It had the familiar red background and white script. But this was in Esfahan, the most elegant and beautiful city in Iran, but still part of a country where the ruling clerics periodically tie themselves in knots about Coca-Cola’s supposed connections to the governments of Israel and America. So instead of Coke, we were drinking Mecca-Cola, whose founder, a French Muslim entrepreneur named Tawfiq Mathlouthi, launched the brand with the claim that it would contribute to the “fight against American imperialism and the fascism of the Zionist entity.” A small message on the can asks that drinkers avoid mixing the drink with alcohol.

My host—I’ll call him Farouk—was a white-haired septuagenarian with a sad and gentle face. He had previously been jailed because of his secular and leftist beliefs and had written several books of poetry and philosophy, all of which sat unpublished on his apartment shelves. Farouk poured some Mecca-Cola into my glass and then added the contents of a bottle of strong alcohol that had been smuggled into Iran from Turkey or Iraqi Kurdistan. He turned on his illegal satellite television and flipped through the channels until he found one showing pornography. He sighed, sank into his chair, and raised a glass to his lips. Continue…

Act now, and we'll throw in an additional stimulus package – (not remotely) free of charge!!

By kadyomalley - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 4:28 PM - 17 Comments

… or, why does this latest twist in the pre-budget plot remind me of a direct mail marketing campaign?

Colleague Geddes has all the details on the new era of preemptive budget announcements and what it might mean as far as the message strategy for next week, but for some reason, I was particularly struck by this quote, which appears towards the end of the Canadian Press report on today’s events:

“There has been a lot of speculation on deficit figures,” said the official. “So we’re sharing the latest information with you.”

Doesn’t that sound more like a line that Doug Finley would insert into a Conservative fundraising bulletin than something an unnamed senior government official would say to a room full of Hill bureau chiefs, on or off the record? (Whether or not it is appropriate for any government official, senior or otherwise, to cherrypick numbers from a confidential document just to get ahead of the news cycle is another issue entirely, of course.)

Post-racial America?

By Luiza Ch. Savage - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 4:00 PM - 50 Comments

It could have been mistaken for a religious pilgrimage. The spirit of the crowds that gathered was not loudly partisan. There was giddiness to be sure, but the overriding feeling was solemn. The sense of History Being Made was on every corner, from the Sunday-best hats and cashmere coats in the crowd to the inescapable commemorative Obamabilia being hawked everywhere. A desire among the crowds who braved the cold to be merely present, to bear witness, to breathe the same air, to be part of this national ceremony that promised a renewal, a national resurrection of sorts. In an America beaten down by recession and wars, they had come to see with their own eyes the making of the First Black President.

As many as two million people were present for President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Two days before, some 400,000 had come together for a concert at the Doric temple columns of the Lincoln Memorial. It was here that Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed in 1963 that he had a dream, and now the son of a white mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya was in the process of fulfilling it. Obama’s face was everywhere—on the massive banners draping the neoclassical columns of the white monumental buildings in the city, on buttons, T-shirts, a sea of magazine covers, his smile emblazoned on everything from tote bags to earrings.
Continue…

Reality check

By Bruce Parkinson, Takeoffeh.com - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:59 PM - 3 Comments

Winter storms are a fact of life in Canada, and they can paralyze the entire air transport system. This Christmas was a case in point, when a ‘perfect storm,’ in fact a series of them, hammered airports across Canada just as thousands of travellers headed home for the holidays.

As always in such situations, and more so in recent years as the ‘passenger rights’ movement has gained momentum, there was a great hue and cry as the cameras and microphones descended on stranded passengers. The anger of the sound bites was almost universally directed against the airlines, with little acknowledgement of the role played by Mother Nature.

What responsibility do the airlines have in this situation? No one wants a plane to take off in an unsafe situation, but as the hours drag by, questions are raised. Should airlines have to feed and house stranded passengers? When the storm abates, how quickly should airlines be expected to recover, clear the backlog and get passengers and their baggage on their way?

Let’s start with the bottom line. Just prior to last fall’s election, the Conservative government launched ‘Flight Rights Canada,’ a series of policies described as “strengthening consumer protection for air travellers.” There was little new in the announcement — it was more of an awareness campaign about existing regulations.

The rules include stipulations about food and lodging when flights are delayed. If a delay exceeds 4 hours, the airline must offer a meal voucher. If the delay is more than 8 hours and involves an overnight stay, the airline must pay for a hotel and transfers for passengers who did not start their travel at that airport.

There’s one important caveat to these rules, however: they don’t apply to inclement weather situations. And why should they? Airlines don’t control the weather. Arguably, airlines suffer as much as passengers in these situations, especially during high-traffic periods. Crews can’t get to work, planes are stuck in the wrong locations, extra staff need to be called in to assist with the backlog – it’s a logistical nightmare, a financial drain and often it’s a public relations disaster.

As the situation unfolded this year, there were clear winners and losers: WestJet earned an avalanche of praise for how it handled the crisis, while Air Canada was bitterly condemned. Of the 2,000 complaints received by the Consumer’s Association of Canada on the weather’s impact on holiday travel, 90% of them were about Air Canada.

In itself this isn’t unusual. As ‘Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture,’ WestJet almost always wears the white hat while one-time government-operated Air Canada is the airline many Canadians love to hate, despite being recipients of numerous international and North American awards recognizing their service.

During the December period dubbed ‘Snowmaggedon’ by the press, both of Canada’s major carriers went far beyond their official responsibilities. Air Canada paid for more than 5,000 hotel rooms and issued over 25,000 meal vouchers. WestJet spent $2.7-million on meals, hotel rooms and chartering planes from as far away as Florida to eliminate the backlog of passengers once the snow stopped. As far as the meals and lodgings are concerned, the airlines didn’t have to provide them, but they did, which in itself is somewhat amazing given the vigilance of shareholders about unnecessary spending.

There is a difference in how the two carriers approach weather situations. Air Canada told TakeOffeh that “when it comes to this issue we deal directly with our customers as each circumstance is different.” WestJet, on the other hand, says it decided two years ago that it would take care of stranded passengers whatever the reason for the delay.

“It shouldn’t matter why we cancel our flights,” says WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer. “If you’re not in your home city we will provide you with your hotel room, we will feed you. The guest experience is everything to us.”

Palmer says WestJet’s low-cost model and smaller size gives it a bit of an edge over Air Canada when it comes to dealing with weather situations. But clearly the company’s culture played a role, as hundreds of staff volunteered their time and worked long hours to reassure passengers and try to get as many people as possible home for Christmas.

On the other side, Air Canada ended up announcing an internal review of its storm performance. “The long lines, piles of delayed baggage, late and canceled flights on airport screens and frustrated customers all made for unflattering visuals for the television newscasts,” CEO Montie Brewer told the Globe and Mail. He added that some consumers were “justifiably upset” by Air Canada’s slow recovery once the storms cleared.

Last year, Air Canada earned more derision from the press and public when it introduced the On My Way program, designed to offer peace of mind to travellers in the event of weather, airport or air traffic delays. For $25 on short-haul flights, $35 on long-haul, the airline will pay for meals and hotel rooms and offer priority rebooking on any North American airline. If you are flying with Air Canada during a Canadian winter, it might not be a bad investment. Considering that they don’t have to offer those services, it actually seems like a reasonable price to pay.

But it’s tough when you have a competitor like WestJet. Asked whether shareholders were upset that the airline had spent $2.7-million above and beyond what was necessary, WestJet’s Palmer replied: “The response from shareholders has been phenomenal. One told me ‘I’m so proud. This is why I’m a WestJet shareholder.’”

UPDATED: Senior government official scoops finance minister

By John Geddes - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 3:17 PM - 24 Comments

Update:

A Friday morning round-up of reaction finds most observers taken aback, as I was yesterday (see post below), by the government’s decision to release the deficit numbers that will be contained in next week’s budget. (By the way, I wouldn’t call this a “leak”; it was an overt and official announcement, even if the announcer’s name can’t be revealed.)

Bank of Montreal’s Doug Porter rather delicately calls the move “exceptionally unusual.” CBC terms it “extraordinary” in light of the “legendary” secrecy around budgets. No surprise that Liberal John McCallum slams it as “grossly irresponsible,” while CanWest accurately observes that the release “went beyond the traditional leaks” of less important budget details that became routine when Paul Martin was finance minister.

***

The decision by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to have a senior government official
release the deficit numbers for the next two years is a breathtaking break with hallowed federal budget traditions—and might just be a sharp political move.

Putting those huge deficit numbers out early—$34 billion in red ink for 2009-10 and $30 billion for 2010-11—leaves Finance Minister Jim Flaherty a fighting chance of making something else the big news next Tuesday.

Continue…

'United, however fleetingly, in framing a joint future'

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:26 PM - 4 Comments

Using the example of Gordon Brown, the Telegraph’s Mary Riddell explains how even the least mesmerizing of leaders—see all of ours—can emulate Barack Obama. 

Even in good times, Brown would not be an Obama-style lightning conductor of public euphoria. Any firm rash enough to market hats embroidered “Gordon” in diamanté lettering would find itself in receivership faster than you can say FishWorks. His soundbites, such as “Real Help Now”, are never likely to be borrowed by Pepsi and emblazoned on buses. Brown-branded soap would not displace Imperial Leather. Still, a nation’s mood is not gauged by gimmickry alone.

Continue…

What say us?

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 2:06 PM - 4 Comments

The Prime Minister’s Office has convened another briefing for 2pm today, perhaps to expand on its “no comment” of yesterday.

In the meantime, here’s what several far less serious governments are saying about the closure of Guantanamo. Continue…

Week In Pictures: Jan. 15th – Jan. 22nd, 2009

By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 1:01 PM - 1 Comment

VIDEO: Four reasons why America loved Jerry Lewis

By Jaime Weinman - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:42 PM - 3 Comments

I have an article in last week’s issue, “The Real Shame About Jerry Lewis,” in which I argue that though Lewis is getting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year’s Academy Awards, what he really deserves is a special Oscar for his movie work. Lewis was never anywhere near as popular in France as he was in America in the ‘40s, ’50s and ‘60s. In the ‘60s, when he was writing and directing many of his own movies, he was one of the few people in America or the world making interesting comedies with great physical humour and visual innovation in the tradition of the silent classics.

Here are four movies worth watching if you want to understand why America – not France, America – loved Jerry Lewis.
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Carney likes the look of 2010. This year, not so much.

By John Geddes - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:36 PM - 8 Comments

The sleekly confident style of Mark Carney, the Bank of Canada’s youthful governor, was the featured act this morning in Ottawa. He’s emerging as one of the most interesting new figures on the federal scene, and the political implications of what he had to say about the economy are considerable.

Carney, 43, was appointed last year by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reportedly on the strong recommendation of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Given the gruesome economy the government is now coping with, getting the made-for-TV technocrat on the case turned out to be a good call.
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