Kevin Smith to act in "Degrassi", eh?
10-21-04, 09:48 AM
#1
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Kevin Smith to act in "Degrassi", eh?
In today's Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1098310214495
Kevin will not only star in three episodes of the Canadian high school TV melodrama, a film might come out of it, possibly involving Ben Affleck... Read on...
Degrassi girl and role a dream come true for U.S. filmmaker
Kevin Smith a fan from his clerk years
Parlayed his fame into a short-term part
PETER HOWELL
MOVIE CRITIC
After more than 10 years of unrequited lust, the Yankee Clerks dude finally got a hug from his Canuck Degrassi dream girl.
New Jersey filmmaker Kevin Smith, the manic force behind the cult movie hits Clerks, Mallrats and Dogma, came to Toronto yesterday to scratch a top item off his lifetime to-do list: meeting Stacie Mistysyn, who played hottie Caitlin Ryan in the Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High TV series.
The two embraced for the cameras as Smith told a news conference of an even greater fulfilled ambition: He'll appear in three upcoming episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation, the latest successful spin-off of the teen soap opera co-creator Linda Schuyler launched in 1980. Filming of his sequences continues into November.
For Smith, 34, it really is a dream come true.
He has been watching Degrassi and lusting after schoolgirl Caitlin since his early 20s, when he was a convenience-store clerk in Leonardo, N.J.
He'd view back-to-back episodes of the show on PBS Sunday mornings while manning the cash register — a job that inspired his debut film Clerks in 1994 and a high-profile career since then as a director, screenwriter, actor and producer.
Smith's obsession with Degrassi is so strong, he once wrote a tribute to the show in Details magazine.
Beginning with Clerks, he has sneaked references about the Canuck series into several of his movies.
Dressed in his trademark trenchcoat, baggy jean shorts and sockless sneakers, he joked with Schuyler that once his Degrassi "arc" is filmed, he doesn't care if his flight home crashes.
"This would be my legacy: just to die shortly after shooting an arc on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Fantastic!"
Smith plays himself and his mute film character Silent Bob. Jason Mewes, his friend and frequent co-star, will join him. They'll pretend they've come here to film a Canadian sequel to Jay And Silent Bob Strikes Back, a road comedy Smith released in 2001. The sequel would be called Jay And Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?
Smith said he might one day actually make the movie for real.
This is no small commitment on Smith's part.
He also hopes to rope in actor Ben Affleck, whose career he launched. The director joked that he might now be able to save Affleck's career, which has been dogged by a string of box-office bombs — including Smith's recent Jersey Girl, the source of much self-deprecating mirth yesterday.
"I want Affleck to show up," Smith told reporters at Toronto's Epitome Pictures, where Degrassi is filmed.
"So we're going to try to get Ben to do a little cameo, too. Because we're making a movie within the movie, so we want to make the movie as realistic as possible. And Affleck could honestly use the work right now. There's no better way to reboot your career than starring on a Canadian melodrama."
There may be some truth to the last joke. Degrassi may indeed be a "Canadian melodrama," but it has started to catch fire in the U.S. It was the subject of a recent Entertainment Weekly article, a copy of which Smith happened to have with him.
"There's so much coverage (in the U.S.) ... Which is really great. It makes me feel smart because I've been talking about Degrassi since about 1994. Now people know, so I feel like I had my finger on the pulse. I just wish I had invested."
Besides meeting his heart-throb Stacie Mistysyn, Smith also met and posed for pictures with her fellow "classic Degrassi" cast member Amanda Stepto, who played Christine (Spike) Nelson in both of the earlier series. Mistysyn and Stepto are also regulars on The Next Generation, playing grownup versions of their earlier characters.
Smith posed with the 12 younger cast members of The Next Generation, praising them as "insanely good actors" he'd like to steal for his films.
Smith's enthusiasm was mixed with obvious awe that at 34, almost a full generation older than the cast of The Next Generation, he has found a way to get involved. The show's strict rule about having 100 per cent Canadian actors is being relaxed for his three-episode stint.
He had originally hoped to join the show in 2001, when the first season of The Next Generation aired (it's out on DVD this week), but he couldn't get his filmmaking schedule to work with Degrassi's. He joked about his negotiations with co-creator Schuyler. "I said, can you find a way for me to interact with kids that's not real creepy? And thankfully, we kind of found that way."
No plot details were revealed, but Smith hinted it involves his lust for Caitlin. "I believe she pursues me — like I said, it's a family show."
Schuyler presented Smith with a "classic" purple-and-blue Degrassi cardigan, which he vowed to wear constantly.
Smith later admitted he feels slightly sheepish about using his fame as a filmmaker to indulge his fascination for a TV series. But it was too good to pass up.
"If I didn't make movies, I wouldn't be here right now. I guess it's a little opportunistic to be like, `Want me to be on your show, just because I do other things?' But I would be stupid not to do it. This is all stuff I was interested in before I became a filmmaker. I would hate to get to the end of my life and go, `Why didn't I do that? Man, it would have been great to be on Degrassi!'"
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...=1098310214495
Kevin will not only star in three episodes of the Canadian high school TV melodrama, a film might come out of it, possibly involving Ben Affleck... Read on...
Degrassi girl and role a dream come true for U.S. filmmaker
Kevin Smith a fan from his clerk years
Parlayed his fame into a short-term part
PETER HOWELL
MOVIE CRITIC
After more than 10 years of unrequited lust, the Yankee Clerks dude finally got a hug from his Canuck Degrassi dream girl.
New Jersey filmmaker Kevin Smith, the manic force behind the cult movie hits Clerks, Mallrats and Dogma, came to Toronto yesterday to scratch a top item off his lifetime to-do list: meeting Stacie Mistysyn, who played hottie Caitlin Ryan in the Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High TV series.
The two embraced for the cameras as Smith told a news conference of an even greater fulfilled ambition: He'll appear in three upcoming episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation, the latest successful spin-off of the teen soap opera co-creator Linda Schuyler launched in 1980. Filming of his sequences continues into November.
For Smith, 34, it really is a dream come true.
He has been watching Degrassi and lusting after schoolgirl Caitlin since his early 20s, when he was a convenience-store clerk in Leonardo, N.J.
He'd view back-to-back episodes of the show on PBS Sunday mornings while manning the cash register — a job that inspired his debut film Clerks in 1994 and a high-profile career since then as a director, screenwriter, actor and producer.
Smith's obsession with Degrassi is so strong, he once wrote a tribute to the show in Details magazine.
Beginning with Clerks, he has sneaked references about the Canuck series into several of his movies.
Dressed in his trademark trenchcoat, baggy jean shorts and sockless sneakers, he joked with Schuyler that once his Degrassi "arc" is filmed, he doesn't care if his flight home crashes.
"This would be my legacy: just to die shortly after shooting an arc on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Fantastic!"
Smith plays himself and his mute film character Silent Bob. Jason Mewes, his friend and frequent co-star, will join him. They'll pretend they've come here to film a Canadian sequel to Jay And Silent Bob Strikes Back, a road comedy Smith released in 2001. The sequel would be called Jay And Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?
Smith said he might one day actually make the movie for real.
This is no small commitment on Smith's part.
He also hopes to rope in actor Ben Affleck, whose career he launched. The director joked that he might now be able to save Affleck's career, which has been dogged by a string of box-office bombs — including Smith's recent Jersey Girl, the source of much self-deprecating mirth yesterday.
"I want Affleck to show up," Smith told reporters at Toronto's Epitome Pictures, where Degrassi is filmed.
"So we're going to try to get Ben to do a little cameo, too. Because we're making a movie within the movie, so we want to make the movie as realistic as possible. And Affleck could honestly use the work right now. There's no better way to reboot your career than starring on a Canadian melodrama."
There may be some truth to the last joke. Degrassi may indeed be a "Canadian melodrama," but it has started to catch fire in the U.S. It was the subject of a recent Entertainment Weekly article, a copy of which Smith happened to have with him.
"There's so much coverage (in the U.S.) ... Which is really great. It makes me feel smart because I've been talking about Degrassi since about 1994. Now people know, so I feel like I had my finger on the pulse. I just wish I had invested."
Besides meeting his heart-throb Stacie Mistysyn, Smith also met and posed for pictures with her fellow "classic Degrassi" cast member Amanda Stepto, who played Christine (Spike) Nelson in both of the earlier series. Mistysyn and Stepto are also regulars on The Next Generation, playing grownup versions of their earlier characters.
Smith posed with the 12 younger cast members of The Next Generation, praising them as "insanely good actors" he'd like to steal for his films.
Smith's enthusiasm was mixed with obvious awe that at 34, almost a full generation older than the cast of The Next Generation, he has found a way to get involved. The show's strict rule about having 100 per cent Canadian actors is being relaxed for his three-episode stint.
He had originally hoped to join the show in 2001, when the first season of The Next Generation aired (it's out on DVD this week), but he couldn't get his filmmaking schedule to work with Degrassi's. He joked about his negotiations with co-creator Schuyler. "I said, can you find a way for me to interact with kids that's not real creepy? And thankfully, we kind of found that way."
No plot details were revealed, but Smith hinted it involves his lust for Caitlin. "I believe she pursues me — like I said, it's a family show."
Schuyler presented Smith with a "classic" purple-and-blue Degrassi cardigan, which he vowed to wear constantly.
Smith later admitted he feels slightly sheepish about using his fame as a filmmaker to indulge his fascination for a TV series. But it was too good to pass up.
"If I didn't make movies, I wouldn't be here right now. I guess it's a little opportunistic to be like, `Want me to be on your show, just because I do other things?' But I would be stupid not to do it. This is all stuff I was interested in before I became a filmmaker. I would hate to get to the end of my life and go, `Why didn't I do that? Man, it would have been great to be on Degrassi!'"
10-21-04, 10:10 AM
#2
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I did not know the huge popularity this show outside of Canada that Kevin Smith used his name to get into the show.
I hope his celebrity arc doesn't ruin the flow of this well written and acted show.
I hope his celebrity arc doesn't ruin the flow of this well written and acted show.
10-21-04, 11:32 AM
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Ok, clue me in. I had never heard of this show until I saw Chasing Amy and still haven't heard any references to it until reading this article.
QUOTE:Beginning with Clerks, he has sneaked references about the Canuck series into several of his movies./QUOTE
Other than in Chasing Amy, which other KS movies included references to this show?
QUOTE:Beginning with Clerks, he has sneaked references about the Canuck series into several of his movies./QUOTE
Other than in Chasing Amy, which other KS movies included references to this show?
10-21-04, 12:28 PM
#6
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Other article by the (Toronto) Globe & Mail about the same event:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Entertainment/
High on Degrassi
American filmmaker Kevin Smith almost didn't get a dream gig on his favourite Canadian melodrama, GAYLE MacDONALD writes
Photo: Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail
Kevin Smith hammed it up with Stacie Mistysyn, who plays the part of Caitlin Ryan, on Degrassi: The Next Generation
By GAYLE MacDONALD
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Renegade independent filmmaker Kevin Smith has been a fan of the long-running Canadian teen drama Degrassi for as long as he can remember.At least as far back as his late teens, growing up in Highland Park, N.J., when he used to tune into the PBS-aired program to escape the drudgery of being a cash register jockey at a local corner store.
Fast forward a decade. To the point in Smith's career when he'd started getting critical accolades for cult films, such as Clerks and Chasing Amy. At that point, Smith -- in Toronto for business -- decided on a whim to get in touch with the folks at Epitome Pictures who make Degrassi. He knocked on the producer's door and was rudely turned away by the receptionist.
Smith, known for his adept skill with naughty four-letter words, promptly did what any self-respecting, thin-skinned man-about-town would do -- he went to Speaker's Corner, at CITY-TV central, and basically raised a middle finger to the folks at Epitome.
Company co-founder Linda Schuyler was mortified. Long a fan of Smith's filmmaking -- and aware of his fondness for her show (he'd written about it in various publications over the years and always included Degrassi references in his movies), she tried to contact the Los Angeles-based director to make amends. They never connected, until a few weeks ago, when out of the blue, Smith called Schuyler at home, on a Friday night, and asked if he could direct a Degrassi.
That's when he told a press conference on the Degrassi set yesterday that he got his best putdown yet; the American did not comply with Degrassi's 100-per-cent Canadian content rules. "Usually I get told you've got the reverse Midas touch or get your skank off our program," he joked. So he offered to write: same answer. Finally, Schuyler said she'd be thrilled if Smith would do a cameo.
He turned her down flat. "I won't do a cameo. But I'll act. In a three-part arc. I want to get in between Joey and Caitlin," Smith said. So this week Smith's been in town shooting what will air as the final three episodes of the fourth Degrassi: The Next Generation season (to be broadcast in 2005).
He'll play, Smith adds, a fictionalized version of himself. And he and his Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back co-star, Jason Mewes, will enter the series as directors, who are scouting a school location for their new film, Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?
Smith will also get to pursue the Caitlin Ryan character (played by Stacie Mistysyn), he once fantasized about as a teen in Jersey.
He's also in the throes of trying to cajole his 10-year pal, Ben Affleck, to do a cameo, since there's a movie within a movie in the Smith episodes. "And Affleck could use a lift right now," Smith cracked. "What better way to revive a career than to be on a Canadian melodrama?"
Once Smith moved out of his home state and settled in California, he admits he lost touch with the Degrassi gang. Then a colleague mentioned Degrassi: The Next Generation was airing on Noggin. He TiVo-ed the show, and to his surprise, got hooked all over again.
"I didn't think I'd get into the new kids. I'm kinda old," the 34-year-old said. "But I did. I got into them -- in a kind of creepy way."
The filmmaker, who also did Dogma, and the box-office stinker, Jersey Girl, said he's got a genuine soft spot for this program because it was how he and Mewes bonded. "I'd be watching it, thinking: 'Oh my God, this is insanely melodramatic,' and then I'd be weeping. Me and Jason [who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Jersey] would watch the show and then sit and then talk about it. Not in a let's-do-a-discussion way. More like who would you like [to sleep with]," Smith recounted to the media. "I'd say Caitlin Ryan and Mewes was Joe Jeremiah," Smith quipped.
Then Smith got serious and added, that his buddy Mewes had "a difficult time growing up, and [Degrassi] was one of the first shows he identified with."
After the press conference, Smith also clarified his real feelings for Affleck, who met the director auditioning for Mallrats and has been in almost every Smith film.
"He's a great guy and an actor I totally believe in. And he's had a terrible . . . year of getting the shit knocked out of him. And at every turn, the dude can't . . . win. For the moment. But that just poises him for a tremendous comeback."
The press conference was more like a 20-minute standup by Smith, a hilarious bloke whom his wife, the actress Jennifer Schwalbach, calls Mr. Long Shorts because of his dubious bottom-half attire. He made countless jokes, but said what has always attracted him to Degrassi is the issues and continuity of the series. A program, he adds, that has the balls to tackle topics few other programs will, everything from teen sex, child molestation, wet dreams, animal testing -- the list goes on.
"I'm also a sucker for star-crossed romance," Smith said, referring to the Caitlin and Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) storyline.
"This show truly is a soft spot for me. There are very few fascinations I've been able to carry with me to adulthood," said Smith, who writes comic strips, owns two comic book shops, has won independent film awards, and received the Defender of Democracy Award from Norman Lear's People for the American Way.
"I left Star Wars behind. But Degrassi is just something that makes me feel young. It's one of the really cool things I wanted to do. And this is the topping on the cake: I said to Schuyler, if my plane goes down after episode three, I don't give a fuck. This would be my legacy."
At the end of the press conference, Schuyler presented Smith with a truly ugly Degrassi High cardigan in purple and neon blue. Upon receipt of which, Smith deadpanned: "You must have had to dig far into the archives for that one."
Then he added, in his smartass fashion: "No, really, thank you. I'll wear it to bed with the wife. I'll come to the room at night and say, 'Honey, I'm wearing the sweater!' "
If his five-year-old daughter Harley could grow up like any Degrassi character, Smith said he hopes its relative newcomer Manny Santos, played by Cassie Steele.
"Her character seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I'm certainly not an idiot. I know my kid is going to get out there in the world and experience it in the way I did when I was young. My friend Walter has a kid and he's always telling me how he doesn't know what he's going to do when she starts dating.
"I say, shit, I'm just going to accept the fact my kid's probably going to be having sex at age 12, because I did at 13. So I'm sure the age will keep dropping. What you do as a father is you try to lay the groundwork, you try to be the best example possible so that she doesn't go for the scumbags of the world. I don't care if you have sex, just make sure it's with a decent guy. Because growing up I knew I was a decent guy. So hopefully she finds a dude who was kind of like me, and not," he giggled, "like a guy like Mewes."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Entertainment/
High on Degrassi
American filmmaker Kevin Smith almost didn't get a dream gig on his favourite Canadian melodrama, GAYLE MacDONALD writes
Photo: Tibor Kolley/The Globe and Mail
Kevin Smith hammed it up with Stacie Mistysyn, who plays the part of Caitlin Ryan, on Degrassi: The Next Generation
By GAYLE MacDONALD
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Renegade independent filmmaker Kevin Smith has been a fan of the long-running Canadian teen drama Degrassi for as long as he can remember.At least as far back as his late teens, growing up in Highland Park, N.J., when he used to tune into the PBS-aired program to escape the drudgery of being a cash register jockey at a local corner store.
Fast forward a decade. To the point in Smith's career when he'd started getting critical accolades for cult films, such as Clerks and Chasing Amy. At that point, Smith -- in Toronto for business -- decided on a whim to get in touch with the folks at Epitome Pictures who make Degrassi. He knocked on the producer's door and was rudely turned away by the receptionist.
Smith, known for his adept skill with naughty four-letter words, promptly did what any self-respecting, thin-skinned man-about-town would do -- he went to Speaker's Corner, at CITY-TV central, and basically raised a middle finger to the folks at Epitome.
Company co-founder Linda Schuyler was mortified. Long a fan of Smith's filmmaking -- and aware of his fondness for her show (he'd written about it in various publications over the years and always included Degrassi references in his movies), she tried to contact the Los Angeles-based director to make amends. They never connected, until a few weeks ago, when out of the blue, Smith called Schuyler at home, on a Friday night, and asked if he could direct a Degrassi.
That's when he told a press conference on the Degrassi set yesterday that he got his best putdown yet; the American did not comply with Degrassi's 100-per-cent Canadian content rules. "Usually I get told you've got the reverse Midas touch or get your skank off our program," he joked. So he offered to write: same answer. Finally, Schuyler said she'd be thrilled if Smith would do a cameo.
He turned her down flat. "I won't do a cameo. But I'll act. In a three-part arc. I want to get in between Joey and Caitlin," Smith said. So this week Smith's been in town shooting what will air as the final three episodes of the fourth Degrassi: The Next Generation season (to be broadcast in 2005).
He'll play, Smith adds, a fictionalized version of himself. And he and his Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back co-star, Jason Mewes, will enter the series as directors, who are scouting a school location for their new film, Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?
Smith will also get to pursue the Caitlin Ryan character (played by Stacie Mistysyn), he once fantasized about as a teen in Jersey.
He's also in the throes of trying to cajole his 10-year pal, Ben Affleck, to do a cameo, since there's a movie within a movie in the Smith episodes. "And Affleck could use a lift right now," Smith cracked. "What better way to revive a career than to be on a Canadian melodrama?"
Once Smith moved out of his home state and settled in California, he admits he lost touch with the Degrassi gang. Then a colleague mentioned Degrassi: The Next Generation was airing on Noggin. He TiVo-ed the show, and to his surprise, got hooked all over again.
"I didn't think I'd get into the new kids. I'm kinda old," the 34-year-old said. "But I did. I got into them -- in a kind of creepy way."
The filmmaker, who also did Dogma, and the box-office stinker, Jersey Girl, said he's got a genuine soft spot for this program because it was how he and Mewes bonded. "I'd be watching it, thinking: 'Oh my God, this is insanely melodramatic,' and then I'd be weeping. Me and Jason [who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Jersey] would watch the show and then sit and then talk about it. Not in a let's-do-a-discussion way. More like who would you like [to sleep with]," Smith recounted to the media. "I'd say Caitlin Ryan and Mewes was Joe Jeremiah," Smith quipped.
Then Smith got serious and added, that his buddy Mewes had "a difficult time growing up, and [Degrassi] was one of the first shows he identified with."
After the press conference, Smith also clarified his real feelings for Affleck, who met the director auditioning for Mallrats and has been in almost every Smith film.
"He's a great guy and an actor I totally believe in. And he's had a terrible . . . year of getting the shit knocked out of him. And at every turn, the dude can't . . . win. For the moment. But that just poises him for a tremendous comeback."
The press conference was more like a 20-minute standup by Smith, a hilarious bloke whom his wife, the actress Jennifer Schwalbach, calls Mr. Long Shorts because of his dubious bottom-half attire. He made countless jokes, but said what has always attracted him to Degrassi is the issues and continuity of the series. A program, he adds, that has the balls to tackle topics few other programs will, everything from teen sex, child molestation, wet dreams, animal testing -- the list goes on.
"I'm also a sucker for star-crossed romance," Smith said, referring to the Caitlin and Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) storyline.
"This show truly is a soft spot for me. There are very few fascinations I've been able to carry with me to adulthood," said Smith, who writes comic strips, owns two comic book shops, has won independent film awards, and received the Defender of Democracy Award from Norman Lear's People for the American Way.
"I left Star Wars behind. But Degrassi is just something that makes me feel young. It's one of the really cool things I wanted to do. And this is the topping on the cake: I said to Schuyler, if my plane goes down after episode three, I don't give a fuck. This would be my legacy."
At the end of the press conference, Schuyler presented Smith with a truly ugly Degrassi High cardigan in purple and neon blue. Upon receipt of which, Smith deadpanned: "You must have had to dig far into the archives for that one."
Then he added, in his smartass fashion: "No, really, thank you. I'll wear it to bed with the wife. I'll come to the room at night and say, 'Honey, I'm wearing the sweater!' "
If his five-year-old daughter Harley could grow up like any Degrassi character, Smith said he hopes its relative newcomer Manny Santos, played by Cassie Steele.
"Her character seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I'm certainly not an idiot. I know my kid is going to get out there in the world and experience it in the way I did when I was young. My friend Walter has a kid and he's always telling me how he doesn't know what he's going to do when she starts dating.
"I say, shit, I'm just going to accept the fact my kid's probably going to be having sex at age 12, because I did at 13. So I'm sure the age will keep dropping. What you do as a father is you try to lay the groundwork, you try to be the best example possible so that she doesn't go for the scumbags of the world. I don't care if you have sex, just make sure it's with a decent guy. Because growing up I knew I was a decent guy. So hopefully she finds a dude who was kind of like me, and not," he giggled, "like a guy like Mewes."
Last edited by baracine; 10-21-04 at 12:33 PM.
10-21-04, 12:42 PM
#7
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Originally posted by Star Wars Guy:
Other than in Chasing Amy, which other KS movies included references to this show?
Other than in Chasing Amy, which other KS movies included references to this show?
Q: Is the rumor true that Kevin Smith bought the subsidiary rights to the Degrassi series?
A: No! That rumor started when Kevin Smith wrote an article about Degrassi for Details Magazine called "Obsession Confession." He paid $3,000 to obtain videotapes of the entire DJH and DH series. Kevin has hung out with several of the cast and crew members and is famous for making references to Degrassi in his movies "Clerks", "Mallrats", and "Chasing Amy". However, the Degrassi series still belongs to Playing With Time Foundation.
Last edited by baracine; 10-21-04 at 01:09 PM.
10-21-04, 12:53 PM
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Originally posted by baracine
From the Q&A section of the Degrassi website (www.degrassi.ca):
Q: Is the rumor true that Kevin Smith bought the subsidiary rights to the Degrassi series?
A: No! That rumor started when Kevin Smith wrote an article about Degrassi for Details Magazine called "Obsession Confession." He paid $3,000 to obtain videotapes of the entire DJH and DH series. Kevin has hung out with several of the cast and crew members and is famous for making references to Degrassi in his movies "Clerks", "Mallrats", and "Chasing Amy". However, the Degrassi series still belongs to Playing With Time Foundation.
From the Q&A section of the Degrassi website (www.degrassi.ca):
Q: Is the rumor true that Kevin Smith bought the subsidiary rights to the Degrassi series?
A: No! That rumor started when Kevin Smith wrote an article about Degrassi for Details Magazine called "Obsession Confession." He paid $3,000 to obtain videotapes of the entire DJH and DH series. Kevin has hung out with several of the cast and crew members and is famous for making references to Degrassi in his movies "Clerks", "Mallrats", and "Chasing Amy". However, the Degrassi series still belongs to Playing With Time Foundation.
10-21-04, 01:01 PM
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Originally posted by Star Wars Guy
Ok, my bad, I guess I should have said, what are the specific references in Clerks and Mallrats? I just watched Clerks a week ago and didn't catch any. Or is the character of Caitlan Bree the reference?
Ok, my bad, I guess I should have said, what are the specific references in Clerks and Mallrats? I just watched Clerks a week ago and didn't catch any. Or is the character of Caitlan Bree the reference?
10-21-04, 04:38 PM
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Smith, known for his adept skill with naughty four-letter words, promptly did what any self-respecting, thin-skinned man-about-town would do -- he went to Speaker's Corner, at CITY-TV central, and basically raised a middle finger to the folks at Epitome.
I'm Canadian, and I have to admit that I've never watched any incarnation of Degrassi.
10-21-04, 09:21 PM
#12
I have never seen Degrassi either. What is the show like and what could it be compared to? Saved by the Bell or My So Called Life? And are season sets going to come out of the original series? I see Next Generation is out.
10-21-04, 10:13 PM
#13
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Hmmm... hard to explain what it's like. Maybe mix the two together. This show was on PBS, so it's not something like Saved By the Bell, remember... it basically follows kids through their teen years, and issues around that. It stays fairly realistic. I've seen all the original series episodes, most likely.
I think a lot of people latched onto it because when you're a teen, and are actually seeing real teens on TV dealing with stuff like sex, and growing up, and drugs, and all that, it actually is something you identify with. On most TV shows dealing with highschool kids or whatever, they're all in their mid 20s, and it's a comedy show, with maybe a few "very special" episodes.
I remember watching a few episodes of the new one in its first season, and it was fairly crappy. I caught a few this year though, and it was remarkably improved.
I think a lot of people latched onto it because when you're a teen, and are actually seeing real teens on TV dealing with stuff like sex, and growing up, and drugs, and all that, it actually is something you identify with. On most TV shows dealing with highschool kids or whatever, they're all in their mid 20s, and it's a comedy show, with maybe a few "very special" episodes.
I remember watching a few episodes of the new one in its first season, and it was fairly crappy. I caught a few this year though, and it was remarkably improved.
Last edited by BizRodian; 10-21-04 at 10:20 PM.
10-22-04, 08:58 AM
#15
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by cultshock
Man, I missed that episode.
I'm Canadian, and I have to admit that I've never watched any incarnation of Degrassi.
Man, I missed that episode.
I'm Canadian, and I have to admit that I've never watched any incarnation of Degrassi.
10-22-04, 07:49 PM
#17
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Originally posted by LorenzoL
What! Don't you know that this is a prerequisite in being a Canadian citizen
What! Don't you know that this is a prerequisite in being a Canadian citizen
Shit, that's nothing. I don't like hockey either.
(but I make up for those un-Canadian aspects, by being extra polite, and drinking more than my share of beer
)
10-22-04, 08:32 PM
#18
Suspended; also need updated email
The Degrassi series of TV shows are some of the best kids/teens tv shows ever made, rivalling the great Grange Hill from England
There is nothing in the US (with crap like 90210, saved by the bell etc) which rival it's authenticy
There is nothing in the US (with crap like 90210, saved by the bell etc) which rival it's authenticy
10-22-04, 09:37 PM
#19
Originally posted by Original Desmond
The Degrassi series of TV shows are some of the best kids/teens tv shows ever made, rivalling the great Grange Hill from England
There is nothing in the US (with crap like 90210, saved by the bell etc) which rival it's authenticy
The Degrassi series of TV shows are some of the best kids/teens tv shows ever made, rivalling the great Grange Hill from England
There is nothing in the US (with crap like 90210, saved by the bell etc) which rival it's authenticy
10-23-04, 07:47 AM
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by cultshock
Shit, that's nothing. I don't like hockey either.
(but I make up for those un-Canadian aspects, by being extra polite, and drinking more than my share of beer )
Shit, that's nothing. I don't like hockey either.
(but I make up for those un-Canadian aspects, by being extra polite, and drinking more than my share of beer
)
Don't worry, to tell you the truth, I also don't like hockey that much.
10-23-04, 10:01 AM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Star Wars Guy
Ok, my bad, I guess I should have said, what are the specific references in Clerks and Mallrats? I just watched Clerks a week ago and didn't catch any. Or is the character of Caitlan Bree the reference?
Ok, my bad, I guess I should have said, what are the specific references in Clerks and Mallrats? I just watched Clerks a week ago and didn't catch any. Or is the character of Caitlan Bree the reference?
10-23-04, 03:34 PM
#22
Originally posted by Mrs.Nesbit
Shannon Dohrety is wearing a Degrassi High school jacket in Mallrats in the elevator scene. It was actually just a normal jacket that they added lettering to the back. It pissed Dohrety off because she got to keep her wardrobe and felt like they had ruined her jacket. I don't remember any references in Clerks though so if it's in there it's REALLY obscure. I use to watch the original show but haven't been able to get into the new Degrassi much.
Shannon Dohrety is wearing a Degrassi High school jacket in Mallrats in the elevator scene. It was actually just a normal jacket that they added lettering to the back. It pissed Dohrety off because she got to keep her wardrobe and felt like they had ruined her jacket. I don't remember any references in Clerks though so if it's in there it's REALLY obscure. I use to watch the original show but haven't been able to get into the new Degrassi much.
10-23-04, 10:03 PM
#23
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Originally posted by Derrich
Blah blah blah. Where's the box set of Swan's Crossing?
D
Blah blah blah. Where's the box set of Swan's Crossing?
D
Just a reminder that threadcrapping is against forum rules. If you aren't interested in the topic, then just don't post.
