This is the first of what I hope will be a few reviews concerning the Teletoon Pilot Project.  The Pilot Project, which has currently aired three of its nine pilots, airs every Sunday at 11:30 PM on…well, you can just guess.

Since URBMN is pilot-friendly, I’m attracted to the Teletoon Pilot Project.  I’ve skipped Fugget About It for now, as the review for it was originally bundled with unpublished reviews for The Dating Guy and Archer.  Also, Fugget About It‘s title describes the show perfectly.  I might not get to Fugget About It for a while.

6teen will air its two-part final episode February 11, 2010, at 8:00 PM ET/PT.  The series has aired on Teletoon since 2004, albeit in staggered seasons.  In America, 6teen aired on Nickelodeon before moving to Cartoon Network in 2008.

Three new episodes will air before the series finale, starting at 6:30 PM ET/PT.  While it’s nice to see a proper sendoff for 6teen, five new episodes back-to-back smells of a burnoff.

No new 6teen episodes have aired since November 2009, so Teletoon has washed its hands of the show.  Four seasons on that network isn’t half bad.  I tolerate 6teen a lot more than Wayside, World of Quest and Stoked.

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According to Tiffany Astle of Holmes Creative Communications, The Dating Guy will debut on Teletoon September 2010.  HCC does PR for marblemedia, the company producing The Dating Guy.  Teletoon has the final say in scheduling, so The Dating Guy‘s airdate is not set in stone.

In America, The Dating Guy has been renewed for a second season on HDNet.  No second-season premiere date has been set.  I don’t get the logic of a Canadian show debuting in America a full season before it debuts in its home country, but whatever.

My guess is that Teletoon’s stockpiling shows for Teletoon Detour and Teletoon at Night.  It’s not a bad strategy, better than debuting one or two shows a year and hoping for the best.  I wish next season wouldn’t come at the expense of this season, but baby steps.

Two years after it was first announced, the Teletoon Pilot Project will finally be streamed online through teletoon.sympatico.ca and thedetour.ca.  teletoon.sympatico.ca will contain the WebHD stream, while those flocking to thedetour.ca will have to make do with standard definition.

French-speaking viewers can go to detour.sympatico.ca (WebHD) and ledetour.ca (SD.)  One pilot will debut every Friday starting October 23, 2009.

The ten pilots will also be screened at the 2009 Ottawa International Animation Festival from tonight until Saturday, October 17.  Each screening starts at 11:30 PM, with three to four pilots being screened each night.  The titles being screened are as follows:

Ninjamaica (Lenz Entertainment: October 16)
Angora Napkin (Mugisha Enterprises: October 15)
Dunce Bucket (Nunchucks Pilot Inc./Fresh TV Inc.: October 16)
Nerdland (Cuppa Coffee Studios: October 15)
Drop Dead Gorgeous (CINEMARIA: October 17)
The Wireless Family (Encore Television: October 15)
Celebutard Nation (Nelvana: October 16)
Space Knights (Fatkat Animation: October 17)
Chinatown Cops (Portfolio Entertainment: October 17)
Fugget About It (9 Story Entertainment: October 16)

Off the bat, I know one show might not make it to series, Space Knights.  Fatkat Animation is dead, to the point that it liquidated a foosball table.  Fatkat founder Gene Fowler has since founded Loogaroo.

It’s nice to see Teletoon finally go ahead with the Pilot Project, although I’d like to see conventional television debuts down the line.  Teletoon recently greenlit Crash Canyon for Teletoon at Night, so it’s taken steps to pump new adult animation into the pipeline.  It’s about time.  One can’t subsist on a diet of Clone High and Tripping the Rift forever.

Note: as of the time I publish this, the sympatico.ca sites are not yet active.  You’d think Teletoon would have the sites up before prepping its media release, but no.  This channel is goofy at times.

The Tudors‘ third season available in Canada November 2009.  Phase 4 Films will put this out on both DVD and Blu-ray, while Paramount Home Entertainment drags its ass on a DVD-only release.  Point goes to Phase 4 Films.  I think some parallel importing will occur here.

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Sanctuary first-season DVD artwork and commercial spot.  There’s also a press release shilling the set, but big deal, it’s a press release.  The set’s being promoted on Syfy, so the show has cornered the American market.  People just seem to like Amanda Tapping.

It’s too bad Sanctuary didn’t receive more Gemini nominations this year.  Stupid sci-fi ghetto, I hate it almost as much as the animation age ghetto and the professional wrestling ghetto.  Sanctuary‘s first-season set will sell like a mofo, believe me.  It needs to, the way E1′s pimping it out.

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Thomas Spurlin of DVD Talk reviews “Season One” of Blood Ties.  He likes it.

I should take the time to point out that Tanya Huff linked to URBMN in her LiveJournal a few weeks back.  She is the author of the Blood Books, which Blood Ties is based on.  It seems like every time I talk about Blood Ties I’m linked to by its fans, not that I’m complaining.

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Jeffrey Kauffman of DVD Talk reviews “The Complete Season” of Total Drama Island.  He likes it.

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Kenny vs. Spenny‘s fifth season out on DVD November 24, 2009 through Video Service Corp.  This season features the Who Can Smoke More Weed? and Who Can Piss Off More People? competitions.

I’d like to say the end is near for Kenny vs. Spenny, but it’s coming back for a sixth season.  I’m surprised Kenny vs. Spenny survived the Showcase reboot.  Mind you, so did Paradise Falls, but only on account of stockpiling.  Nowadays Showcase feels Howie Do It is worthy enough to grace its airwaves, as the pussification of Showcase begins.

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Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…‘s first season out on DVD and Blu-ray November 10, 2009 through VSC.  Quite frankly, I’m surprised this show is out on DVD.  The press bumf claims the show received “terrific ratings and reviews on CTV,” never mind that the ratings went potty halfway through the run.   Press releases don’t need to be 100% truthful.

I have seen an episode or two of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…  Costello is a decent interviewer, even if the show is low-key chat.  Having said that, if you can’t break half a million viewers with The Police, the show isn’t a mass-audience hit.  I’m tempted to say Sundance Channel and Channel 4 are keeping this baby afloat for a second season, just like The N won’t allow Degrassi: The Next Generation to die a richly deserved death.  There are worse shows out on DVD, I guess.

Oh, and mumble mumble Chop Socky Chooks press release.

Recently I’ve been re-evaluating what gets included in these Canadian TV-on-DVD Roundups.  I removed all mention of Iron Man: Armored Adventures from the Roundups, as the only sign that the show was Canadian came from Wikipedia, not the world’s most accurate information source.  IM:AA is properly a French/Isle of Man show.  I apologize for the error.

I will still include industrials like Highlander: The Series, Inspector Gadget and Just For Laughs.  Highlander and Gadget were co-productions, while Just For Laughs is a Montreal-based festival with tendrils in Chicago.  I hate including them, but I do include as much proper CanCon as I can.  I’m even wondering whether Fear Itself qualifies for the DVD Roundups.

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Little Mosque on the Prairie‘s second season on DVD September 15, 2009 through Paradox Entertainment Group/E1 Entertainment.  I guess Morningstar Entertainment lost DVD rights for the show.  E1 is a better label, anyway.  The set includes a Dan Redican commentary track, among other random extras.

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Fraggle Rock‘s final season, as well as A Merry Fraggle Holiday (i.e., a Christmas compilation), coming out November 3, 2009 through Lionsgate.  The complete series is being reissued the same day, in proper bookcase format.

Lionsgate is now working directly with The Jim Henson Company.  HIT Entertainment has been freezed out of the picture, and I couldn’t be happier.  Fraggle Rock was treated shabbily by HIT Entertainment at the end, while the Lionsgate/Henson arrangement takes the fans’ complaints into account – better packaging, a stand-alone fourth season set, cheaper prices.  How can you not like that?

I think the Lionsgate/Henson arrangement is going to bear fruit.  Is a Dog City DVD set on the horizon?  Such a thing looks far more likely than it did a year ago.  Make it happen, JHC.

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Gord Lacey reviews Total Drama Island‘s season set.  This is a review of the American DVD set, obnoxious Cartoon Network logo adorning the box art.

Lacey quite likes the show, which I’m surprised by.  Then again, Total Drama Island/Action is one of Cartoon Network’s juggernauts, as well as being omnipresent on Teletoon.  If Fresh TV doesn’t subsume CN within a few years, I’ll be surprised.

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Reviewersblog.com “reviews” of Blood Ties: “The Complete Season One.”  As for the blog, it’s blatant content scraping from Amazon.com, just so you know.

I’m quite surprised this release is selling well, as it currently ranks #1,055 in Amazon.com Movies & TV sales.  It’s not a blockbuster ranking, but the set’s been out for a month and a half.  People are buying Blood Ties.

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Highlander: The Series‘ first-season Blu-ray set pushed back to September 22, 2009…possibly.  The only place to buy it right now is LegendaryHeroes.com.  Hell, buy a sword for yourself while you’re at it.  THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!  MOO! and stimulate your need for crap.

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Oh, I almost forgot, Flashpoint‘s first season on Canadian DVD and Blu-ray October 13, 2009 through Phase 4 Films.  That isn’t important, is it?