The thrill of Victory… And the agony of defeat… Round one is in the books. Adios Montreal, Pittsburgh, New York, Buffalo. So long Chicago, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Phoenix. And while a couple of poolies took some pretty good hits, we're all still standing and everybody still has a shot -- even if it's a long one. Sort of like the Federal election. And straying off-topic for a minute longer, am I the only one who watched...

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Throughout the last months, Canadian broadcasters, cable and satellite companies, independent producers and Creative Guilds have all requested that the CRTC step in to regulate the first over-the-top video provider to make significant inroads into Canada -- Netflix. For those unaware, Netflix is an internet streaming service which offers (for a subscription fee of $8/month) several thousand movie and TV titles that can be...

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No it's not! Not by a long shot. This year's first round may be one of the most tightly fought ever. Yes, Phoenix were gone in four and New York and Anaheim weren't far behind. But the rest of the field looks like it may take the rest of the week to sort out. I know you Vancouver/Chicago and Montreal/Boston watchers are already wrung out by how bizarrely both of those series have been swinging. But imagine how the folks...

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I've never been able to shake how much I detest the Easter long weekend. There it was, the first real break from school since New Year's Day and you spent the Friday being solemn, the Saturday getting ready for Sunday, and Sunday was all church and not getting your new pants dirty and relatives and ham.Yeah the eggs and chocolate bunnies were nice but they never fully offset having to sit through endless Bible movies on TV and...

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I always wondered why they called it "Good" Friday. Cause it didn't seem like much "Good" went into why it's commemorated. But I'm assuming on some levels it feels a whole lot less painful than what Montreal and Vancouver fans had to endure yesterday. In Montreal's case I guess you could put their loss down to a couple of bad bounces. But what happened on the West Coast makes "epic fail" seem somewhat understated. To put...

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Sorry I'm a day late with the Monday Pool Report but I was kinda busy with the post below this one. Priorities. They can so get the way of what feels more important. And there was "headhunting" involved. So I guess you could draw a parallel since it seems hockey players can get suspended for head hits but there's no supplementary discipline for network executives doing the same. Maybe screenwriters need to adopt their own...

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My Cowboy grandpa used to always tell me that whenever I got angry, the smartest thing to do was count to ten, providing a moment to cool down before deciding what happened next. Well, I've been counting all weekend, so I'm about as mellowed on what you're about to read as I can be. And that's not saying much. Last Friday, I printed a portion of CRTC "in-camera" testimony from Bell Media which detailed just how much disdain...

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I finally had a chance to see one of my teen idols live this week. And I kinda wish I hadn't. But the Casino sent me free tickets plus a dinner voucher for their noodle bar, so -- what the hell… I won't embarrass this guy by naming him. Somehow that would be beating the dead horse of my cherished youth more than he did with his performance on the night in question. Some of us age gracefully....

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Wow! That's how you start the Playoffs! Roberto Luongo making an impossible toe save in Vancouver. Milan Lucic trying a Bobby Orr move against Montreal. And, of course, the inevitable "Go Team" videos as the hockey version of fan-fiction goes viral. Since there's only been one game in each Playoff series, there's not much to report this week. Other than we've got a great bunch of poolies from all over Canada and the US and...

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"And when we get behind closed doors Then she lets her hair hang down… Oh, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors." -- Charlie Rich Except now we do… And it's a little disturbing. License Renewal hearings for Canada's television conglomerates continued this week, focused primarily on how much Canadian content they'll provide and what percentages of it will be in the forms of drama, comedy, documentary,...

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It's the MOST wonderful time of the year…!!! The Stanley Cup Playoffs, the greatest spectacle and the toughest trophy to win in all of professional sport! And while my hapless Leafs have missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year; once again it is time to separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff, the real heroes from the wannabes and poseurs. This is the time for those with hockey smarts and the...

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