Wild About Writing

I spent a contented few hours in front of the television last night, cheering along Team Canada in their World Junior hockey triumph, and enjoying the debut show of Being Erica, the new adult sit-com on CBC-TV.

The connection in these events is that both showcased Canadian talent in unique spheres. We’ve long been proud of Canada’s preeminent role in hockey. We’re not so used to Canadian superiority in light entertainment.

I watched the first two periods of the hockey game which Canada led right from the start, before switching channels at 9 o’clock to watch Being Erica. Happily, I was able to swing back during commercials (so much for all that ad money wasted on me!).

Our 5-1 win over Sweden brought back memories of the great 1972 Russia-Canada series, and Paul Henderson’s spectacular late goal that won the set for our side.

Here’s a shot of me (in the cool 70s suit) cheering that fantastic moment.

 Photo John Craig

Switch to 2009, and what do you have? A cleverly-written fantasy in which thirty-something Erica Strange (deftly played by Erin Karpluk), is cast as a loser without a job or romantic  prospects. Then she gets the chance to relive — and change — crucial moments in her life.

Erica is aided in this adventure by one of my favorite actors, Michael Riley, who used to play that crazy lawyer on Street Legal. In Being Erica, he plays Dr. Tom, a mysterious therapist with the power to let Erica re-visit her past.

Now, who among us wouldn’t like to relive (and change) those horrible moments when we did or said the absolutely worst possible thing? Erica’s return to her high school prom night worked in a nice moral about doing the right thing, even if the results didn’t always make things look that way. Funny. adult and wonderfully watchable.

Tonight, the CBC debuts a prime-time soap opera, Wild Rose, set in oil-rich Calgary. It pits two families, the wealthy McGregors and the debt-ridden Henrys, in a kind of communal clash. Writer Amy Cameron says she chose to depict families in rivalry ”because conflict is inherent in that kind of setup.”

Best in Non-Fiction Writing

The short list for this year’s Charles Taylor Award for Literary Non-Fiction has three books that are bound to appeal to different audiences:

• Sugar: A Bittersweet History — everything you could want to know about the sweet stuff and its effects on society – by Elizabeth Abbott
• Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War — much new material about Canadians in the war to end wars — by Tim Cook
• Angel of Vengeance — an account of Russia’s trial of the century — by Ana Silijak.

Knowing something of the tastes of the jury — headed by Globe and Mail colmnist Jeffrey Simpson, my betting is on Shock Troops to receive the $25,000 prize on February 9th.