Polley calls for change to controversial bill

A trio of Canadian film and television heavyweights, including Oscar-nominated actress Sarah Polley, is calling on the government to make changes to a controversial bill that many in the industry say amounts to censorship of artists.

"I wouldn't have a career if it wasn't for public money," said Ms. Polley, who was nominated for two Academy Awards this year for her directorial film debut Away From Her. Ms. Polley told reporters at a news conference on Parliament Hill Thursday that Canadian writers, actors and film and television directors will be forced to leave the country if the Conservative government pushes Bill C-10 through.

The bill would allow the government to refuse tax credits to films and television shows considered offensive. "Any whiff of censorship is chilling for us," said Ms. Polley. "The bill attacks the very heart of Canadian programming. It is against freedom of speech and everything we stand for," she said. "Canadians won't be able to see the Canadian programmes they love"... or her photocopied flop-a-tee-flops for that matter.

The Dawn of the Dead star was joined by actress Wendy Crewson (Air Force One, 24) and president of the Writers Guild of Canada Rebecca Schechter. "What these guidelines will do is force writers to self-censor - to guess and second guess before you even start writing how much violence might be considered excessive or gratuitous or how much sexuality in your stories is educational enough to pass," Schechter said. For example, there might be too much violence to write a script about Alberta's Mayerthorpe tragedy, when four Mounties were murdered by James Roszko in March 2005, said Ms. Schechter.

Shows like Little Mosque on the Prairie and Trailer Park Boys are most at risk if the federal government follows through on Bill C-10, said a member of the delegation protesting the bill at a Senate committee. "It's a homogenization of the nature of productions; you will see more productions about kittens, puppies, bunnies and cute little kids," says Brian Anthony, CEO of the Directors Guild of Canada. Anthony added the move will damage an already ailing industry. The soaring loonie has kept many American productions down south, and the recent writers' strike had a profound effect in B.C., where many U.S. programmes are filmed.

Ms. Schechter is concerned the bill will give the government sweeping powers to decide what content is deemed unacceptable for Canadians. Polley echoed Schechter, worried that the bill would kill typically edgy Canadian films. A further blow, reiterated Ms. Polley, is that this "morality hammer" only applies to Canadian film and television programmes, while Hollywood can still apply for tax credits.

At present, artists apply for a bank loan for their production and only get a government credit when the finished product meets Canadian content rules. Heritage Minister Josee Verner disagrees that the proposed change to a federal tax credit system jeopardizes the creative freedom of Canadian film and television production. She has said that the bill is far from censorship, arguing that the bill aims to make sure Canadian taxpayers' money won't fund extreme violence, child pornography or other such things.

Meanwhile, one of the very productions Bill C-10 seems designed to curb will probably get a private viewing by members of the Senate. Some senators have been in touch with the producers of the Canadian relationship comedy Young People Fucking, arriving in theatres in mid-June, and have asked to see the film as they consider Bill C-10.

"They're all trying to educate themselves and they have asked to see the movie. We are talking about setting up a screening for them," said Steve Hobas, whose Toronto-based Copper Heart Entertainment made Young People Fucking.

The film has been a lightning rod in the C-10 debate, with right-wing organizations like the Canada Family Action Coalition arguing it should never have received a dime of government money. The tax credits granted to the film amounted to about 5 per cent of its overall budget, Hobas said.

Further reading: Misinformed meets misguided

Candidates giving back to gain votes

For the first time in any of their respective campaigns, presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain are all uniting for one cause: American Idol. The three wanna-be Commander-in-Chiefs will each make an appearance on tomorrow night's Idol Gives Back special that aims to raise funds to benefit various U.S. and international charities.

Embracing pop culture trends in an attempt to amass additional votes is nothing new to this group of candidates: McCain has used the endorsement of The Hills star Heidi Montag as a way of seeming more in touch with the nation's youth while Obama has shaken his booty on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Clinton lampooned herself on Saturday Night Live.

The three Senators will be joined by a cavalcade of celebrities who are all aiming to surpass the $76 million that was raised by the Emmy Award winning special last year. Miley Cyrus performs her hit song "Broken Chains" while American Idol winner Carrie Underwood covers George Michael's "Praying for Time." But arguably the biggest star lending his wattage to the event is Brad Pitt whose sheer presence caused such an uproar in the studio, filming had to be halted while the crowd calmed down.

In fact, the guest list for Idol Gives Back (airing Wednesday, April 9 7:30-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX) reads like a who's who of Hollywood. Also making appearances on the special are Victoria and David Beckham, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, Alicia Keys, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore, The Jonas Brothers, Felicity Huffman, Toby Keith, Whoopi Goldberg, Amy Adams, Bono, Celine Dion, Eli and Peyton Manning, Fergie, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Connolly, John Legend, Mariah Carey and Robin Williams.

Idol Gives Back, will be so long that large portions had to be taped Sunday night for insertion into tomorrow's otherwise live show. Many of the biggest names on its star-studded roster - including Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus and Carrie Underwood - elected to perform on tape before an invited audience rather than appear live on the 21/2-hour special.

According to spy-witnesses who were in attendance Sunday night at Los Angeles' Kodak theater, the Gives Back charity show opens with the dancers who won So You Think You Can Dance, (a Fox show also created by Idol producers), followed by an appearance by the wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, who asked viewers to volunteer their time and services to their communities. (Jimmy Kimmel told the audience that "Simon Cowell is the reason Governor Schwarzenegger must work to secure the borders of this country.")

Underwood performed a George Michael song called "Praying for Time" and Cyrus - arguably the biggest draw in pop music in the world right now - sang one of her standards that seemed appropriate, "Broken Chains." Brad Pitt may have been happy he came on a night when they were videotaping. It seems his microphone was on the blink through at least part of his charity pitch - so they re-recorded, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Cowell was in the South Bronx last Friday, taping a visit to a family who are regular patients at mobile health clinics paid for by The Children's Health Fund. His segment will air along with other pre-taped messages from the presidential hopefuls. Other videos were submitted for the show from U2 frontman Bono, Forrest Whitaker, Jennifer Connolly, Celine Dion, Kobe Bryant, Julianne Moore, Kiefer Sutherland, Dolly Parton and even Ellen DeGeneres (who was supposed to host the show).

Idol host Ryan Seacrest reportedly signed over his paycheck for the night to the charity benefit, according to People magazine.

Freeview conquers new heights

A brief round-up of the latest media news reveals... British consumers enjoyed a digital Christmas, with more television sets, set-top boxes and personal video recorders that can receive the Freeview digital terrestrial TV service sold over the last three months of 2007 than ever before. In its best ever performance, more than 3.8m devices that can receive Freeview were sold in the last quarter of 2007, according to figures to be released today. For the year as a whole 9.7m TVs, set top boxes and personal video recorders were sold that can receive Freeview's more than 40 free to air channels, up 64% on the previous year and also a new record.

ITV is to make its TV shows available via Bebo in a deal that aims to tap into the young internet generation increasingly attracted to social networking websites. The deal is a milestone for ITV, which has the ambitious aim of growing digital revenues to £150m a year by 2010, as it is the first time it has agreed to provide full-length programming via a third party online... Elsewhere, you can go behind the scenes at Newsnight as Jeremy Paxman fronts an educational yet comedic short film explaining how the show is put together as part of a wider BBC project to get children interested in news.

Marcus Arthur, the director of BBC Worldwide's London magazine division, has been promoted to the post of managing director of the BBC commercial subsidiary's global brands division, while Steve Hewlett ponders if the rapid expansion of BBC commercial arm BBC Worldwide's activities risks compromising the corporation's brand and whether the licence fee should be helping to fund it.

Richard Branson could scoop $750m if Virgin Media is sold to US private equity groups, which are actively considering launching a takeover bid, despite continuing turmoil in the credit markets. According to a private document entitled 'Project Coaxial' - seen by The Observer - Blackstone, Cinven, KKR and Providence Equity are prepared to offer $6bn to $7.5bn for the company, in which Branson's Virgin group holds a 10.5 per cent share. The proposals suggest the predators are ready to take advantage of Virgin Media's weak share price, which slipped to $14 last week.

Nadine Nohr, the managing director of ITV distribution arm Granada International, is to step down to pursue "other challenges". Nohr is leaving Granada International, which sells thousands of hours of ITV programming worldwide, after 15 years at the commercial broadcaster. According to ITV sources, Nohr appears likely in the immediate term to concentrate on her work with the international development charity Every Child which she was made chair of in January 2008.

Finally, plans to allow parts of court cases in England and Wales to be broadcast on TV have been shelved, a Whitehall source has told the Guardian. The former lord chancellor, Lord Falconer, was poised to allow not only hearings in the court of appeal but judges' summings-up to juries and sentencing remarks in crown court criminal trials to be broadcast. Legislation would have been necessary because a statutory ban imposed in 1925 prevents filming in English and Welsh courts. You can read Mark Lawson's take on the issue here.