J. R. Digs: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Canadian television personality}} |
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'''''JR Digs''''' is a [[Canada|Canadian]] [[television]] series which airs [[Saturday]] nights on [[Global Television Network|Global]] and [[CH (television system)|CH]] without having an actual network deal. It has aired since [[June]] [[2001]]. The show follows JR Digs as he talks to people on the street, plays jokes on unsuspecting people, and pursues a network deal. Although it airs nationally and is branded as a television show, it is really a paid program that is supported by sponsors like [[Labatt]] and [[Pizza Pizza]]. |
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{{Infobox person |
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| image = JR Digs.jpg |
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| name = J. R. Digs |
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| occupation = Television personality, writer, producer |
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| yearsactive = 2001-Present |
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}} |
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'''J.R. Digs''' is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[television]] personality.<ref name=real>"JR Digs's show may not be 'reality' TV, but it is real". ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]'', October 4, 2006.</ref> He is best known for his [[Gemini Award]]-nominated late night show ''JR Digs: Man with a Van'',<ref name=gazillion>"Of the gazillion Gemini noms, here's a deserving one". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', August 20, 2011.</ref> which aired on [[Global Television Network|Global]] from 2008 to 2014.<ref name=parking>[http://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/4474358-jr-digs-is-parking-the-van/ "JR Digs is parking the van"]. ''[[Hamilton Spectator]]'', April 21, 2014.</ref> |
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Since its fourth week on the air, JR Digs has had excellent ratings. It is currently the highest-rated show in its timeslot in Canada and it consistently beats other comedy shows in the ratings which air before or after it, such as ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and ''[[MADtv]]''. |
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==Background== |
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The fourth season of JR Digs debuts [[April]] [[2004]]. Re-cut episodes of older footage will air in the meantime. |
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Digs, at the time a skateboard shop owner in [[Burlington, Ontario|Burlington]], [[Ontario]],<ref name=real/> first launched ''The JR Digs Show'' on [[CHCH-DT|CHCH]] in 2001.<ref name=real/> Originally a stunt comedy series based on ''[[Jackass (TV series)|Jackass]]'', Digs purchased the airtime himself and solicited his own advertising and sponsorships to recover his costs.<ref name=quest>"One man's quest to be a somebody: JR Digs has spent 10 years and thousands of dollars on his dream of being a talk-show host". ''[[Toronto Star]]'', September 4, 2011.</ref> In 2003, Global began airing the show, under the same production model.<ref name=quest/> |
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In 2006, Digs launched ''[[Be Real with JR Digs]]'', a comedy series in which he tried to make a compelling [[reality show]] out of ordinary people partaking in everyday activities,<ref name=real/> and ''In the Can with JR Digs'', a show in which he acted as mentor to young aspiring filmmakers, for [[TVtropolis]],<ref name=quest/> and ''Another Crappy Canadian Late Night Talk Show'' for CHCH.<ref name=parking/> In 2007, Digs launched ''What the Digs'', a mash-up style show which consisted of Digs' previous shows reedited in a surreal manner. Following this, Digs created ''Late Night Television with JR Digs'' which ran for one season. |
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==Recurring segments== |
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* '''Flapjack Calls''' - Similar to prank calls, except in this case, telemarketers phone JR hoping to sell him a product or service. Instead, JR turns the tables on them by assuming a different personality and attempting to keep them on the line as long as possible, asking irrelavent questions and pretending to misinterpret the responses given to him. Eventually, the telemarketers realize they've been duped and hang up. |
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* '''Me and My Wiener''' - JR goes out onto the street and catches people off guard by asking if they want to see his wiener. The people to whom he asks this question usually appear confused or disgusted until JR shows them the actual frankfurter to which he was referring. |
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* '''On The Bench''' - JR interviews different people who happen to be sitting on a bench. |
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''Man with a Van'', in which Digs travelled around Canada in a van, was launched in 2008. The show was cancelled by Global in 2014.<ref name=parking/> During this time, Digs also created ''Bands from a Van'', a spinoff of his Man with a Van show which focused on musicians. Digs would interview bands and have them perform - all inside his van. |
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==Episode guide== |
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Digs continues to organize an annual Christmas charity benefit show in [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]].<ref name=spenny>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/spenny-of-kenny-vs-spenny-announced-for-jr-digs-christmas-show-1.3357214 "Spenny of 'Kenny vs Spenny' announced for JR Digs Christmas show"]. [[CBC Hamilton]], December 9, 2015.</ref> The 2015 show included [[Spencer Rice]] of ''[[Kenny vs. Spenny]]'', Max Kerman of [[Arkells]], [[Terra Lightfoot]], [[Tom Wilson (musician)|Tom Wilson]], Mike Trebilcock from [[Killjoys (Canadian band)|Killjoys]], [[Elliott Brood]] and [[The Trews]],<ref name=spenny/> while the 2016 show included Lightfoot, Kerman, Trebilcock and [[Wayne Petti]] of [[Cuff the Duke]].<ref>[http://www.thespec.com/whatson-story/7022175-rockingham-j-r-digs-ready-to-jingle-his-bells/ "J.R. Digs ready to jingle his bells"]. ''[[Hamilton Spectator]]'', December 16, 2016.</ref> In 2017, the 9th annual Christmas charity show included appearances from Max Kerman, Tom Wilson, [[The Dirty Nil]], and [[Monster Truck (band)|Monster Truck]]. The 2018 event is taking place on December 23, 2018 at New Vision United Church in Hamilton. |
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===Season one=== |
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# '''Ed's Up''' ''(guest: [[Ed the Sock]])'' |
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# '''Victor the Eggman''' - Featured JR's interview with Victor, a man he met at a [[supermarket]] who was shopping for [[egg]]s. ''(guest: Victor the Eggman)'' |
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# '''JYD on JR Digs''' ''(guest: [[Jerome Williams|Jerome "JYD" Williams]])'' |
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# '''The Joe Show''' - A clip show of the first three episodes. JR Digs became the highest-rated show in its timeslot the week this episode aired. |
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# '''Drunk in the Truck''' ''(guests: [[Staggered Crossing]])'' |
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# '''Show Six or Show Sex?''' ''(guest: [[Dr. Date]])'' |
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# '''Seven By Eleven''' ''(guest: [[Pat Mastroianni]])'' |
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# '''Bikes, Boards & Beaches''' |
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# '''Reptile Man Rocks''' ''(guest: Reptile Man)'' |
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# '''Forgotten Footage''' |
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# '''Bubba's Basement Party''' |
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# '''Where's Whoochie?''' - JR attempts to sneak a fan backstage at an [[NSYNC|*NSYNC]] concert. |
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== Awards and nominations == |
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===Season two=== |
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Digs received a [[Gemini Award]] nomination for Best Host in a Lifestyle Series in 2006 for ''Be Real'', and ''Man with a Van'' was nominated for Best Talk Show in 2011.<ref name=gazillion/> |
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== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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* '''The Long Haul''' - Aired in response to a negative e-mail that JR received from a viewer who disliked the show and suggested that it would probably be funnier if JR videotaped himself on the toilet and aired that as an entire episode. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.jrdigs.com/ JR Digs] |
* [http://www.jrdigs.com/ JR Digs] |
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* [http://www.viewmag.com/viewstory.php?storyid=1641 JR DIGS: Flying Under The Radar... For Now] - article from [[Hamilton, Ontario]]'s ''View Magazine''. |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Digs, JR}} |
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[[Category:Canadian television talk show hosts]] |
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[[Category:Canadian male comedians]] |
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[[Category:Mass media people from Hamilton, Ontario]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category:21st-century Canadian comedians]] |
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[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] |
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[[Category:Comedians from Ontario]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:48, 27 December 2023
J. R. Digs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation(s) | Television personality, writer, producer |
| Years active | 2001-Present |
J.R. Digs is a Canadian television personality.[1] He is best known for his Gemini Award-nominated late night show JR Digs: Man with a Van,[2] which aired on Global from 2008 to 2014.[3]
Background
[edit]Digs, at the time a skateboard shop owner in Burlington, Ontario,[1] first launched The JR Digs Show on CHCH in 2001.[1] Originally a stunt comedy series based on Jackass, Digs purchased the airtime himself and solicited his own advertising and sponsorships to recover his costs.[4] In 2003, Global began airing the show, under the same production model.[4]
In 2006, Digs launched Be Real with JR Digs, a comedy series in which he tried to make a compelling reality show out of ordinary people partaking in everyday activities,[1] and In the Can with JR Digs, a show in which he acted as mentor to young aspiring filmmakers, for TVtropolis,[4] and Another Crappy Canadian Late Night Talk Show for CHCH.[3] In 2007, Digs launched What the Digs, a mash-up style show which consisted of Digs' previous shows reedited in a surreal manner. Following this, Digs created Late Night Television with JR Digs which ran for one season.
Man with a Van, in which Digs travelled around Canada in a van, was launched in 2008. The show was cancelled by Global in 2014.[3] During this time, Digs also created Bands from a Van, a spinoff of his Man with a Van show which focused on musicians. Digs would interview bands and have them perform - all inside his van.
Digs continues to organize an annual Christmas charity benefit show in Hamilton.[5] The 2015 show included Spencer Rice of Kenny vs. Spenny, Max Kerman of Arkells, Terra Lightfoot, Tom Wilson, Mike Trebilcock from Killjoys, Elliott Brood and The Trews,[5] while the 2016 show included Lightfoot, Kerman, Trebilcock and Wayne Petti of Cuff the Duke.[6] In 2017, the 9th annual Christmas charity show included appearances from Max Kerman, Tom Wilson, The Dirty Nil, and Monster Truck. The 2018 event is taking place on December 23, 2018 at New Vision United Church in Hamilton.
Awards and nominations
[edit]Digs received a Gemini Award nomination for Best Host in a Lifestyle Series in 2006 for Be Real, and Man with a Van was nominated for Best Talk Show in 2011.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "JR Digs's show may not be 'reality' TV, but it is real". Ottawa Citizen, October 4, 2006.
- ^ a b "Of the gazillion Gemini noms, here's a deserving one". The Globe and Mail, August 20, 2011.
- ^ a b c "JR Digs is parking the van". Hamilton Spectator, April 21, 2014.
- ^ a b c "One man's quest to be a somebody: JR Digs has spent 10 years and thousands of dollars on his dream of being a talk-show host". Toronto Star, September 4, 2011.
- ^ a b "Spenny of 'Kenny vs Spenny' announced for JR Digs Christmas show". CBC Hamilton, December 9, 2015.
- ^ "J.R. Digs ready to jingle his bells". Hamilton Spectator, December 16, 2016.