Ever since I was a kid, I loved antennas and TV reception. It was always a thrill to hook up an antenna and see what stations I could get, and see if I could pick up anything from a far distance. With the transition to digital broadcasting happening, my love for OTA (over the air) reception came back and this blog will focus on what channels I'm able to receive via antenna from my home just outside of Toronto, Canada. Plus there may be occasional commentaries on shows that I see while adjusting my reception.
Greetings TV Garth readers! I’ve been avidly following the current season of RuPaul’s Drag Race and was excited to see that one contestant – Pandora Boxx – hails from Rochester, NY! (One of TV Garth’s favourite cities!)
Pandora is already a fabulous Diva in her own right. (She’s friendly and fabulous, on top of winning kudos from the awesome Alec Mapa with her Carol Channing impersonation!) But the icing on the cake (or the sequins on an already wonderful gown) is that by day she works for WUHF and WROC! WUHF recently profiled Pandora (who is known as Michael Steck out of drag) during their Fox First At Ten newscast. Click here to watch the segment!
The story shows Michael at work editing promos for WUHF! (All screen caps from this story are from the online streaming video, as my Rochester TV reception has disappeared for most of this Winter!)
However, I do have one pic from my actual reception of WUHF from July 2009. The promo below was most likely edited by Michael! (Compare it to the one he’s working on in the pic above!)
Stay tuned to TV Garth for more television treats!
Greetings TV Garth readers! As you are all probably aware, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are well under way. Both CTV and NBC are offering plenty of coverage, and I’ll report some of my highlights in true TV Garth fashion!
Check out the awesome CTV display for the Olympics, shown below, which I saw in Downtown Toronto.
Buffalo’s WGRZ had a wonderful unique station ID tied to the games!
CFTO featured the standard CTV logo in the shot below.
NBC’s standard issue logo for the games appeared on Erie, PA’s WICU last Summer – but with a unique station ID layered over the bottom of the screen.
Now it’s time for the main event! What TV Garth has learned from the 2010 Winter Olympics (so far):
K.D. Lang managed to give a soaring rendition of a song that’s…er…sore from being overused in practically every TV show in recent history. (It was even used in American Idol this past week!) Lang somehow made Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah seem fresh and powerful again.
Opera Divas with gigantic hair make any event more exciting!
Wayne Gretzky’s torch relay would have been more exciting if his car stopped, Debarge’s The Rhythm Of The Night started blaring out, and the crowd surrounding Gretzky erupted into spontaneous choreography. The camera would pan across the grooving dance mob (including the woman at far left with big hair) and then someone could pop open an ice cold Coke, lift it enthusiastically and then you’d even have the sponsor’s product integrated!
It’s neat to see former Olympic champions Jamie Salé and David Pelletier pop up as guests on the Figure Skating Review seen on WGRZ’s subchannel 2-2 NBC Universal Sports.
Shaun White went from someone I vaguely knew of, to someone who is pretty darn awesome when I saw his snowboarding run earlier this week! To paraphrase Shania Twain, That Does Impress Me Much! (Photo below from a WICU Olympics promo seen last Summer.)
If Drag Racing were an Olympic event, I….er…I mean Anne Tenna would be there!
Greetings TV Garth readers! My local shopping mall recently held a taping of the W Network show How To Look Good Naked Canada. W Network is a cable and satellite channel, which is contrary to what I normally cover on this blog. But the host is handsome, it’s a TV show, and I was there to see it happen – so I deemed it TV Garth worthy!
Below is the “notification of taping” placed in front of the show’s production area at the Markville Shopping Centre. (The show filmed in the mall’s Centre Court, which has seen celebs Ashlee Simpson and Emily Osment among others pass through!)
How To Look Good Naked Canada is hosted by the attractive Zain Meghji, who has also worked for CTV’s entertainment show eTalk. (Check out his official bio for an impressive list of his accomplishments.) The official W Network blurb about the show states: “Forget the unobtainable bodies you see in the media and forget whatever you’ve been told by anyone who can’t see you as the exquisite individual you are. The only beauty you should be measuring yourself against is your own. Applying these principles, How to Look Good Naked Canada, host Zain Meghji and a team of fashion and lifestyle experts are on a mission to restore body confidence in women everywhere. No surgery required!”
Below is a cavalcade of photos I captured at the January 12th taping, where Zain was showing these two women how to do a proper strut down the runway. Watch the woman at left in the pic below showing off a sassy toss of her hair.
I love that everyone is laughing it up in the photo below, including the production crew!
Zain looks like he realizes he’s created a Runway Diva Monster, as the woman below sashays down the catwalk.
The next day (January 13th) they were filming the full out runway shows with audiences, and I couldn’t resist capturing some more pics. This time Zain was decked out in a suit and the ladies were in sexy attire. (It appears that they were filming parts of several episodes over the two days.)
Check out Zain and the ladies with a cutout of Ellen DeGeneres that reads “I Watch Ellen in THE NUDE!” (Note to self: Make appointment to watch Ellen with Zain….)
Giving Ellen a kiss for luck never hurts!
As if I needed any more reason to like Zain, I found an interview he did with Hardip Johal for the Vancouver Sun where he namechecks three of my favourite Diva icons! Zain said: “Pop culture is saturated with makeovers. The heroine is allowed to be her best self once she's got her hair did and her makeup done. In film, think My Fair Lady. Pretty Woman. Or look to animated series: She-Ra. Jem. Wonder Woman. Diana Prince was hot in her pencil skirt and crisp blouse, but put her in star-spangled panties and a gold-trimmed bustier and she was unstoppable. Besides, nothing completes an outfit like a tiara, red knee-high boots and bulletproof bracelets. Am I right?” Eeeeeee! She-Ra, Jem and Wonder Woman??? Marry me Zain….it’s legal here!
I made a short video about watching the taping which you can view below:
The funny thing is, I made the joke in the video about wondering what he would look like naked before I found an official promotional photo of Zain wearing nothing but a smile and a bright red maple leaf! Oh Canada, indeed! (Photo credit: Andrew McNaughtan / W Network)
Check out the How To Look Good Naked Canada site for more info on the show and to watch full episodes. (Full episodes may not work outside of Canada, but it’s worth a try!) Catch the show on W Network Tuesdays at 10pm!
Stay tuned to TV Garth for more television related treats!
My name is Garth and I'm a fun loving, pop culture junkie that frequently goes on You Tube binges of nostalgia! I love dance music, comic books, and my major icons are Madonna, Lucille Ball, Wonder Woman, and The Archie Comics gang. If that doesn't spell it out, I prefer the gents!
