Dog City: The Movie, which originally aired as an hour-long 1989 episode of The Jim Henson Hour, will be released on Region 1 DVD on June 8, 2010.  Lionsgate Home Entertainment will release the disc, as part of its arrangement with The Jim Henson Company.

The “movie” is a film noir spoof with lots of bad puns, not all of them dog-related.  Main protagonist Ace Yu is looking for his uncle’s killer, Bugsy Them.  Yeah, it’s that kind of spoof.  Jim Henson won an Emmy for this episode, his first and last as a director.

Dog City: The Movie has been on DVD before, albeit in Region 2 form.  This will be Dog City’s North American debut.

Both DVD versions of Dog City: The Movie retain appearances by Rowlf the Dog, even though The Walt Disney Company owns Rowlf.  Rowlf is a framing device, so he can’t be avoided.

Special features include a “behind-the-scenes photo gallery, original concept art, ‘and more!’”  It reads like the standard set of extras, not that I’m expecting much more from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.  At least Lionsgate is releasing Henson’s titles, no matter how esoteric they are.

This news is only tangentially related to Canadian television.  Dog City (1992-95), one of Nelvana’s better 1990s shows, is an indirect spinoff of the Dog City special.  I have pondered whether the Dog City series will see release.

As an aside, Amazon.com has the entirety of Dog City on video-on-demand.  There’s a fair swath of Henson-related product on demand.  Truth be known, I’m surprised Dog City has its entire run on VOD.  I don’t remember the show being that popular, but you know, nostalgia.

Dog City: The Movie could spark renewed interest in the Dog City cartoon.  We’re seeing The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (!) on DVD – one episode, but come on.  If that show can waft to home video, Dog City’s chances aren’t so bad.

As mentioned at Canadian Animation Resources, computer animation studio C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures has gone into receivership.  The studio was created by Bob Munroe, John Mariella, Kyle Menzies and William Shatner in 1994.

In its sixteen-year history, C.O.R.E. has rendered various special effects on films like Splice (2009), SUCK (2009), Silent Hill (2006), Cube (1997), Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004) and X-Men (2000.)  Television shows like Wonderfalls (2004) and The Tudors (2007- ) have also been touched by C.O.R.E.

C.O.R.E. has tried its hand at film and television production.  Among C.O.R.E.’s film production credits are Santitos (1999), The Wild (2006) and Firehouse Dog (2007.)  Television credits include Angela Anaconda (1999-2002), Iggy Arbuckle (2007) and CTV miniseries Would Be Kings (2008.)

As this story is only a few hours old by the time I post this, there’s no official word on why C.O.R.E. Digital has gone into receivership.  The current rumour is that financing from Royal Bank of Canada fell through, breaking C.O.R.E.’s poorly-managed back.  Employees were called into a meeting around 3:00 PM ET today, told to take their personal items and leave the C.O.R.E. building.

It boggles my mind how C.O.R.E.’s in such terrible financial shape.  Vincenzo Natali’s Splice will be given a summer 2010 release by Warner Bros.  SUCK debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.  C.O.R.E. Toons’ Planet Sheen has yet to debut on Nickelodeon.  It’s not like the company’s irrelevant.

I hope C.O.R.E.’s receiver can keep the company afloat.  Not everything C.O.R.E. touches is great (Planet Sketch and Iggy Arbuckle? come on), but it’s a decent special effects house.  C.O.R.E. has come a long way from TekWar.

Addendum (March 17, 2010) | Not much in the way of new information, other than Canadian Animation Resources’ update on C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures’ financial problems.  As much as $2 million in debt?  How much was C.O.R.E. making/losing a year that $2 million was an insurmountable hurdle?

The Ontario Liberal government was going to help relieve C.O.R.E.’s debt load, but balked after due diligence.  I don’t normally post hearsay on URBMN, but something smells about this story.

C.O.R.E. shouldn’t have relied on government tax breaks to stay aloft, if that is how they remained in business.  I don’t see why the company couldn’t have merged with DHX Media, E1 Entertainment or Shaftesbury Films, unless its size (around 150 employees) was a deal-breaker.

DHX Media makes the most sense, aside from DHX Media having about 68 employees total.  There’s a history between DECODE Entertainment and C.O.R.E.  I don’t know.  It’s all speculation until a business move is made.

Frantic Films, Aircraft Pictures and Corvid Pictures are currently filming Todd & the Book of Pure Evil for SPACE.  The half-hour supernatural comedy, shot in Winnipeg, focuses on teen metalhead Todd (Dark Oracle’s Alex House.)

The Book of Pure Evil is just that, a book that grants people their deepest desires…for a price.  Each week, some random Crowley High student will use the Book of Pure Evil, having learned nothing from the Wishmaster film series.  Todd quests to destroy the book with help from Jenny (Maggie Castle), Curtis (Bill Turnbull) and nerdy Hannah (Melanie Leishman.)

Jason Mewes – yes, that Jason Mewes – has a role as Jimmy, Crowley High’s janitor.  Chris Leavins, of cutewithchris.com fame, is guidance counselor Atticus Murphy Jr.

I’m ambivalent about Todd & the Book of Pure Evil.  Garry Campbell’s attached to the project as co-executive producer.  His prints are all over The Good Germany and The Ron James Show.  I’m not saying T&BPE will suck due to him, but his name doesn’t scream “quality content.”

On the plus side, Todd & the Book of Pure Evil will be helmed by Craig David Wallace.  Wallace co-wrote the screenplay for the 2003 short which led to this series.  Why it’s taken seven years for T&BPE to be developed…wait, I’m answering my own question.  It’s Canadian television.

I’ll reserve judgment about T&BPE until it airs.  It could be the horror-comedy version of The Jon Dore Television Show, or it could be Big Wolf on Campus with casual swearing.  With Jason Mewes in the cast, I’m hoping for the first scenario.

Also, please let this show have actual horror in it.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer-like shows have too much bad writing and unneeded character development in them.

The Pillars of the Earth, a Canada/Germany co-production, has been bought by Starz for an American airing.  The miniseries, based on the 1989 Ken Follett novel, will debut with a 90-minute premiere in July 2010.  Six 45-minute episodes will follow.

The $40 million series is a co-production between Muse Entertainment, Tandem Communications and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Films.  Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell and Alison Pill star.

I’m not sure how Canadian The Pillars of the Earth is.  The Movie Network/Movie Central greenlit The Pillars of the Earth for its 2009-10 lineup, but it’s not straight CanCon like Call Me Fitz or Living in Your Car.  Donald Sutherland’s a main draw, as if that’s an unexpected casting choice in this country.

Much has been made of new Starz CEO/chairman Chris Albrecht’s first major programming decision.  Albrecht resigned as HBO CEO/chairman in 2007 after being arrested on assault charges in Las Vegas.

I don’t need to explain Albrecht’s tenure on HBO.  The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Deadwood…the man’s had a hand in all those series.  The Pillars of the Earth is supposed to be his opening salvo, as Starz attempts a war of pork swords with premium cable competitors HBO and Showtime.

A few years ago, I would have made jokes about Starz being the extra testicle of American premium cable.  It still is, but at least Starz is stepping up its game.  I’m just amazed to see the words “Canada,” “$40 million” and “television” in the same sentence.  High-budget Canadian television?  That’s almost oxymoronic, there.

Wayne Flemming, a longtime standup comic and actor, has been convicted of sexual assault involving a teenage girl.  He will be sentenced to six months’ house arrest and 100 hours of community service, according to the Belleville Intelligencer.

Flemming was arrested last year on counts of sexual assault, sexual interference, trafficking a controlled substance and invitation to sexual touching.  As part of Flemming’s plea agreement, the Ontario Court of Justice has dropped the three lesser charges.

Flemming has appeared on Ken Finkleman’s CBC miniseries Married Life (1995.)  Film credits include Rebel High (1987), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), Cinderella Man (2005), Fever Pitch (2005) and Heartstopper (2006.)

In February 2000, Flemming suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage.  The hemorrhage left him clinically dead at one point.  Jim Carrey is a longtime friend of Flemming’s, temporarily halting production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) to visit Flemming at a Kingston hospital.

I respect Flemming’s longevity and tenacity, but this is a shame.  Flemming’s in his early sixties.  It’ll be interesting to see how the conviction will affect his career.  It’s not like Flemming’s career is at a high point right now.

As an aside, the Belleville Intelligencer has misidentified the date of Flemming’s brain hemorrhage as 1995.  It’s a mistake that has wafted into the pages of the Toronto Sun, London Free Press and other Quebecor Media outlets.  I just love concentrated media ownership!

The Border has been cancelled by CBC after three seasons.  Etan Vlessing first mentioned the cancellation through The Hollywood Reporter on February 26.

CBC scheduled the third season of The Border after Doc Zone.  Doc Zone is a perpetually low-rated documentary block.  It’s a weak lead-in, despite Doc Zone being one of the most underrated hours on CBC.

The Border has never attracted great ratings.  An average of 700,000 viewers is decent for CBC, but The Border has never been a breakout hit.  This isn’t like CBC killing jPod or Wild Roses, now.

As for Republic of Doyle, the ratings are decent enough for renewal.  The show has dipped to around 500,000-600,000 viewers by now, but so has 18 to Life.  RoD’s where The Border was two seasons ago.

As a result of Republic of Doyle’s renewal, Shaftesbury Films’ Tangled will not make series.  Sarah Wayne Callies and Leslie Hope are in the pilot, at least according to an EW.com interview.

Callies is best known for her role as Dr. Sara Tancredi on Prison Break (2005-09.)  Hope is best known as Teri Bauer on Fox ratings behemoth 24 (2001-  .)  Hope also played Lisa Cohen on ABC’s short-lived Line of Fire (2003-04.)

I suspect Tangled will be tossed into a June timeslot of doom, a fate met by most unsold CBC pilots.  I’d rather see Jack Bauer’s dead wife and Dr. Tancredi’s severed head than a Leah McLaren biopic.  Wouldn’t you?