Late last night J. Frank Willis sent me this little note via blackberry from somewhere in the great green north:
The latest rumour and it is a substantial rumour from the wilds of Scarberia is that CTV has big plans for the CHUM CITY building it now owns. The architectural classic is going to be the new “world” headquarters for CTV News. While CITY, about to be owned by Rogers, has three years to vacate, it may happen sooner (why should Rogers pay its rival all the rent money?). So Canada AM will replace Breakfast Television on Queen St. and Peter could run into Lloyd at Chapters, while the job jumping deals (both ways) will be made at Starbucks or Hooters. And if there’s another CBC lockout in ’09 a roof cam will send the picket line pix on an internal channel through the CHUMCITYCTV building while the CTV execs have a good chuckle.
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So…’anonymous’ talking about working for CTV now that it was downtown was Burman after all.
Bravo Allan! When will Ouimet put you on the payroll? :)
It’s called a “segue”, and I rode one last year at The Distillery!
Only Allan could spin a something completely unrealated into a George bashing fest.
FAM (female audience member): Do you do yoga?
THE GEORGE: No, but I’ve been thinking lately that I could probably use it, because of my work and how I sit and …
FAM: You could come to my studio …
THE GEORGE: (yada, yada, yada-it-ain’t-gonna-happen
and-you’ll-notice-I-just
moved-to-another-topic-politely
while-avoiding-giving-you-an-answer)
simpleton yes, but wise in the ways of the force.
I can’t believe that K and/or G would be silly enough to add fodder to my feast
One of the more obvious things about listening to an elongated discussion between george and a studio audience is how much his remarks and anecdotes are geared toward ingratiating himself with the female members of the audience. He avoids any references to a significant other, tells clean safe cute stories about his cats and a raccoon, while still hinting big time at the bad boy side, so as to attract two generations – a boy every mother would love, and the motorcycle loner no one can truly tame deep down inside.
You can actually hear the sighs as he pauses between one random story and comment and another.
“I’m sorry I’m late, almost didn’t make it to the show on time because I was buying flowers for my mother, just for no reason at all.
And my cat Minnow …” (made up dialogue, except about the cat’s name. He has two.)
I was just kidding about the pointy thing.
As I was kidding about everything I’ve ever said on the internet.
The pointy remark was just a reference to the latest fashion in repelling invaders from outer space.
I actually prefer looking at geodesic domes.
Who would have guessed.
I’m more thinking sainthood than cathedral these days.
Of course I’m referring to George, after the Calwood interview.
I’m still getting over being in his presence at a taping last week, fascinating.
I may never get over it.
From Alan:
Anything but Queen St,. really.
And preferably, something pointy.
Pointy, as with spires? Perhaps a cathedral would do? One where pontificating would go well?
You just did it for me, Anonymous.
Unless someone wants to call Jeff Keay for confirmation / clarification?
Are you going to write at all about How Kristine Layfield has left her husband for George Strombosimpleton?
Let’™s work out some other scenarios.
Not CTV at Queen & John, but MTV. They bought the Masonic Temple for Mike Bullard, now forgotten. They somehow got the MTV licence, apparently by outbidding the existing holder, CHUM, and stuffed everybody in the Temple. It makes much more sense, even from the standpoint of comeuppance, to *replace and supplant* MuchMusic with MTV. It’™s just too juicy not to do.
Put everything youth-oriented downtown, everything else uptown or in Scarberia. All the specialty channels for grownups, like Bravo, could to to the Temple. TSN, along with the overlapping and competitive MTV, MuchMusics, and Razer, could live downtown.
Put CITY-TV at Mt. Pleasant. The only remotely viable Rogers-owned building is the former Confederation Life temple at Mt. Pleasant & Bloor. This will rather reduce the street cred of the station, if it still existed at time of purchase. (Note that, after Confederation Life went tits-up, former employees started up a mailing list called Ex-Cons. Perhaps grumbling CITY employees will want to do similarly.)
Incidentally, what happens to CP24? I am told this is a fly in the ointment between CTV and Rogers.
Also incidentally, while at the leather bar in ReyjkavÃk (yes), a tall, hideous Brit who does promos for MTV (including ’œMTV pure’) knew all about the CTV acquisition of the MTV licence and was sure they could make a go of it, restrictions against nearly all playing of music notwithstanding.
One reason for using the CITY building as opposed to something more upscale is that it is already equipped for television. I assume the servers, studio facilities and infrastructure now belong to CTV. Turnkey! If CITY is looking for a place to locate, I hear there is some space available in the CBC building. ;-)
Could it be that CTV would think it is good for their company to hire people who like to slag their current company anonymously while continuing to take the money?
I didn’t see any slagging here.
And what exactly is it that leads these posters to think that CTV would like to hire CBC staffers?
Repeated offers.
Is the CBC more honourable than CTV?
Discuss.
Even George had asked himself that question.
(I heard him reflect on this for some reason(!!!) recently when I attended a live taping – of a tape of the show, as both guests had been interviewed three days earlier).
He was asking himself if it was really so wrong to work for a show that the public clearly wanted.
Say, Bem Mulroney’s job.
I fail to see any valid reason to use the Chum building at all.
And it’s only the street level that has historical significance to television, but it’s not especially my favorite part of town.
You’d think that even a self-professed visionary like Znaimer could find more appeal for the Distillery, and Yonge and Dundas over any place on Queen.
There’s the abandoned Olympic Spirit flop, or the upcoming thing currently being constructed next to HMV and Ryerson.
(I want a job in that building)
Anything but Queen St,. really.
And preferably, something pointy.
And what exactly is it that leads these posters to think that CTV would like to hire CBC staffers?
Could it be that CTV would think it is good for their company to hire people who like to slag their current company anonymously while continuing to take the money?
That’s a big sell for sure. Get a life kiddos.
I think a lot of people are in the same boat, Anonymous #2. I know I’d apply for more jobs at CTV if it wasn’t so damn far away.
The only reason I have not gone to CTV is I can not face the commute
If they move downtown I am going begging & pleading to get out of here
I must remedy that next time I visit the neighbourhood.
It was good to see the Museum before I headed home to Ottawa from the comics convention, although I’d hope to see it expanded by next visit.
This is a fascinating rumour. Maybe they are hoping the kids don’t read the papers and continue to gather outside the building and start screaming for Lloyd. I don’t see them shuffling off to Lakeshore Blvd to scream in front of the OMNI building, but there again, they did find their way to scream in front the Metro Convention Centre for Canadian Idol while we were locked out. No one screams in front of the CBC building, at least not in joy.