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What's New
- This Site Becomes a Yahoo Canada "Pick of the Week"
- "History Bites" Returns with a New Season
- "The Muckraker" Returns to CBC Radio
Older "News":
- Dan Redican Returns to CBC Radio this July
- "History Bites" Renewed for a Third Season
- Video Clips from "Four on the Floor" On the Web
- An Interview with Rick Green
- New Dr. Demento CD features two rare Frantics tracks
This Site Becomes a Yahoo Canada "Pick of the Week"
I recently got an email from a rep at Yahoo Canada who said that this site has been chosen as a Yahoo! Canada "Pick of the Week". Nice to get the recognition for the work done on the site, though I note ruefully that there's still no category listing for the site in the Yahoo! Canada directory. The write-up on the site is nice though.
"History Bites" Returns with a New Season
The latest season of History Bites (starring and co-written by former Frantic-member Rick Green) launched January 1st. The show is being picked up
in more television markets, and can now be seen on (Canada's) History Television, TV Ontario, SCN (Saskatchewan), ONtv, and a several PBS stations
in the United States. If you like the show, check out the History Bites Web site, which has been recently updated with a full episode listing, cast updates (make sure to check out the "Little People" section), and many screen-captures from the show.
"The Muckraker" Returns to CBC Radio
Beginning January 27th, the CBC radio comedy/satire (starring Mag Ruffman, former co-star of The Frantics) The Muckraker returns to CBC radio. It is show that bills itself as "political satire that takes you behind the headlines for the real story on the latest news", eavesdropping on local and world newsmakers and reveal what's really going on. A very quirky radio series worth checking out, for more info see their Web site.
Older News
Dan Redican Returns to CBC Radio this July
[Old news, this was for 2000]The CBC recently announced (well, being the CBC, perhaps "announced" is going too far. "Let slip" might be more accurate.) that Dan Redican will be returning to CBC radio in a follow-up to last year's short series Running with Scissors with Mr. Interesting. The new series, called Mr. Interesting's Guide to The Continental United States will air during the CBC Radio show Definitely Not the Opera beginning on July 8 @ 2:30pm.
"History Bites" Renewed for a Third Season
"History Bites", a show that former Frantic member Rick Green hosts and co-writes, is currently in its second season and is currently being broadcast regularly on History Television here in Canada. It is a show that explores the premise, "What if television had been around for the past 5,000 years?", portraying history "as it happens" through TV shows that would have been appropriate for the time. Where else can you see Martha Stewart's tips for dealing with the Black Death, Don Cherry commenting on gladatorial battles or seeing the Peloponesian War as a big WWF match.The show seems to be gathering steam, as it has now moved on from being hosted soley on Canada's History Television to other Canadian, and most recently, a U.S. PBS station.
The essence of the show is summed up in this line from the PBS site: "To capture the essence of HISTORY BITES one need only imagine the creative minds behind THE NEW RED GREEN SHOW providing live coverage of ancient times for CNN, ESPN, THE WEATHER CHANNEL, HBO and MTV."
Broadcast Schedule:
-
History Television (Canada)
- Monday - Friday @ 10:30am, 3:30pm and 7:30pm EST
- Tuesday evenings @ 9:30pm EST (beginning July 4th)
- Monday - Friday @ 1:00pm up until June 16th, then Saturday @ 6:30 PM starting June 10th
- Fridays @ 10:00pm
- Saturdays @ 6:30pm
For more direct information on this very funny show thst just happens to be about history, see the History Bites Web site.
Cast of "History Bites"
Video Clips from "Four on the Floor" On the Web
Thanks to the efforts of long-time fan Andrew Ranta, you can now experience a number of some of The Frantics better songs and sketches from their TV show "Four on the Floor" on the Web. A selection of some of the video clips that have been created can be found by going to the TV page (or my clicking the sample skits below).Due to space limitations, this site can only host a couple of videos clips, so why not see the full selection of video clips at Andrew Ranta's own site created for the purpose at: 4 On The Floor.
 "I Sell Computers" |
 "Heavy Metal Shop" |
An Interview with Rick Green
Just in time for the first anniversary of this Web site, there is a new interview with former Frantic Rick Green. He talks about writing for the television series "History Bites", which takes a comedic look at history. He reveals his inspiration for doing the series, and its roots going back to his time with The Frantics.
New Dr. Demento CD Features Two Rare Frantics Tracks
As part of his new 30th anniversary CD, the good ol' Doctor has included not just one but two Frantics tracks from The Frantic's hard-to-find first album. These two tracks ("Last Will and Temperment" and "You Were Speeding") were culled from the CBC master tapes, and represent the first time either track have ever appeared in the CD format. (One can only hope that this will jog the CBC will recognize the potential of doing a CD release of the first album).Dr. Demento has done a great service to Frantics fans with the release of this CD, along with that of his 20th anniversary CD, which featured the classic Frantics skit/song "Ti Kwan Leep/Boot To The Head".
You can buy this album online at:
(And if the good doctor ever reads this: hey, check out the material from their radio show sometime!)
