Times Colonist from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • 22

BIO Times Colonist Sunday November 16 2003 ARTS 1PMIIII Weir: 10 days at sea and rolled from Brazil to the Galapagos Islands in that tank," Weir says. A terrifying typhoon sequence had the gimbal in full operation, augmented by wave and wind machines, high-powered jet engines and dump tanks that repeatedly soaked cast and crew with 8,000 gallons of water. Weir doesn't like the double title Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. For one thing, it's cumbersome; for another it may mislead some O'Brian fans into thinking they're seeing the first novel rather than the 10th. "I protested it strongly," Weir says.

But the studio, which figured a double title was better than one, "wanted to get their money back." From Page B9 "We shot 100 days, lOof which were at sea. The other 90 were on sound stages or in a tank. I spent a couple of days at sea and said no, I'm not going to do it. The only way not to get into some black hole is to walk to work. So we get on the gangway and get on board and pull the gangway back and rock the boat and start shooting." Even under these controlled circumstances, filming conditions were still tough.

The "ship" used in the film was mounted on a specially constructed gim-bal whose powerful hydraulics duplicated a ship's movement at sea. "We rocked SIS CANDLELIGHT DINNER for $1095'e I For details, log onto: www.samuelsbytheparlc.com 65S II 4 as. JABS I DouqlaiSt. www -w-rww txpirej Reservations Decsy SWEETEST, MOST WINSOME ROMANTIC COMEDY OF THE YEAR." Louis B. Hobson, SUN MEDIA "THIS PLUM PUDDING OF A ROMANTIC COMEDY IS RICH WITH DELICIOUS MOMENTS." Brian D.

Johnson, MACLEAN'S Eric Grace as Southwark and Roger Carr as Kingston in a scene from David Hare's Racing Demon at Langham Court Theatre. Tony Owen photo Fast-paced, witty drama dissects church's role today ASK RHONA MONDAY AM) TUESDAY IN THE TC TTitTiiTTil IOVE ACTUALLY IS HIGHLY ENTERTAINING." Katrina Onstad, NATIONAL POST "THE FEEL GOOD MOVIE OF THE ABSOLUTELY Mose Persico, CTV MONTREAL Km tosimi HSItlll noira SINGLE THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE IS" PIUS GREAT MUSIC JEAN MAROON 5. JONI CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES Advertisers line up for Grey Cup By Rick Westhead The Canadian Press TORONTO Its two bankrupt teams sold to owners with deep pockets and local roots, and its stadiums filled to the brim for playoff games, the Canadian Football League has enjoyed a renaissance this season. But the league isn't alone in benefiting from its reversal of fortunes. After selling an average of about 80 per cent of its available advertising time on regular-season CFL broadcasts, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

is close to selling out its inventory of commercials for today's Grey Cup telecast. And the Grey Cup is continuing its run as one of Canadian television's most expensive propositions. The cost of commercial time in today's matchup between the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos is as much as $57,000 for 30 seconds, up 24 per cent from last year. The game is expected to draw more than four million viewers, making it among the year's highest-rated television shows. "The popularity of the game is growing, thanks to good leadership at the league, and the broadcasters have played a role in it, too," said Doug Brooks, the CBC's chief marketing and sales officer.

"We revitalized the look of our show this year, added new guys (former Hamilton Tiger-Cats wide receiver Darren Flu-tie has joined the network as an analyst) and added a pre-game show. It's created a buzz for the game." Brooks said the network has "virtually sold out" its available ads, after selling spots this week to several movie studios. "We hojd a few back for companies that want to get in it late and obviously they pay more than someone booking at' the beginning of the season," he added. "Any time you sell at least 90 per cent and approach a sellout, it's a good num-' ber," said one media buyer who purchased time on the CBC telecast. "For us, it's a great buy because you know you're going to draw a terrific number of viewers, and it's still cheaper than the Academy Awards or Super Bowl." BCEInc's CTV and CanWest Global Communications Corp.

each charge about $100,000 for a 30-second ad on telecasts of the Academy Awards and Super Bowl. Since networks are allowed to show as many as 12 minutes of commercial time an hour, the CBC might generate as much as $4. 1 million today from in-game ad sales, although it's unclear whether all advertisers paid the full rate. Production costs for the Grey Cup are typically less than a million dollars. The network also sold commercial time during its 90-minute pre-game program.

A year ago, when Montreal beat Edmonton, CBC drew a record 4.4 million English viewers and charged $46,000 per spot. RDS, the French-language sports cable channel, drew one million, mostly in Quebec, for its Grey Cup telecast. The CBC, whose regular-season ad rates rose to an average $3,000 from $2,400 a year ago, persuaded marketers to pay double-digit rate increases for the Grey Cup even as the league's TV ratings on CBC and BCE's TSN cable sports channel swelled by about nine per cent. The networks and the league blamed weak teams in the large-media markets of Toronto and Hamilton. "At least half of the (rating) erosion was from Hamilton games; when you have a team that's 1-17, it's going to have that effect," said CFL marketing executive Brent Scrimshaw, noting that last week's playoff game ratings rose as much as 30 per cent from a year ago.

The CBC doesn't disclose how much it pays TSN for the broadcast rights to the championship game. TSN agreed in February to pay about $45 million over five years for rights to the regular season, playoffs and Grey Cup, and then resold some of its games to CBC, which has broadcast every CFL championship game since 1952. Companies that bought sponsorships for today's telecast include Rogers Communications, Wendy's, Chrysler and Sub- Bs-eactualy UNIVERSAL PICTURES SUM present i WORKING TITlf mbk i tssnn DNA FILMS 111 1KMN Bill MI -Q www.loveactually.com THE PERFECT SOUNDTRACK FEATURING KELLY CLARKSON FROM NORAH JONES DIDO WYCLEF NEW MHA Dl AVIMn nUVV I I 1 1 VJ for showtimes I CINEPLEX ODEON 1 i FAMOUS PLAYERS GALAXY CINEMAS l4' SEXUAL COt.TENT. ODEON nudity and 1 II -Kil I COARSE LANGUAG By Grania Litwin Times Colonist staff You many not be planning to attend church during the next two weeks, but you should definitely beat a path to the Langham Court Theatre to see Racing Demon, an exciting contemporary play directed by Keith Digby and Cynthia Pronick. Current yet timeless, it is highly entertaining with fast-paced, witty dialogue, thought-provoking themes and a cast of actors whose roles are convincing and even hilarious at times.

First performed in 1993 at the National Theatre in London, David Hare's play is already considered a classic in England and has been heralded as one of the best new plays of the decade. It brims with lavish, fiery debate, focusing on the question: What role should the church and its clerics play in modern society? Should it be based on marketing, packing the pews and putting on a good show? Is it about fire, brimstone, retribution and the racket of redemption? "Our statistics are appalling," rages one cleric. We see the struggle of opposing ideas between the Church of England's old and new guard, between a combustible curate with an evangelical bent and an aging reverend called Lionel Epsy (one can't help thinking about the lions versus the Christians in early Rome) who questions the church's relevance and ritual. "I wouldn't even say the church is a joke. It's an irrelevance," he charges.

Paul Bertorelli touchingly portrays this troubled priest, who works with three other priests, and is criticized by two bishops powerfully portrayed by Eric Grace and Roger Carr. The new zealot priest, played by Nathaniel Vaanderling, has fresh ideas and complex motivations, and becomes a pawn in the bishops' game. There is plenty of hand-wringing whenever the actors' fingers are not aligned dutifully in prayer or steepled in thought. Toshik Bukowiecki plays Rev. Harry, a restrained gay pastor who faces harsh 1 1 (.51 REVIEW What Racing Demon Where: Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Ct.

When: Until Nov. 29, at 8 p.m., matinee Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $15, seniors and students $13. Charge by phone at 384-2142 parish politics and contemplates returning to the bread and butter of the priesthood christenings, weddings and funerals which he call "hatch, match and dispatch." And comic relief is offered by John Gilliland, as Rev.

"Streaky" Bacon, who has plenty of cheeky moments in a well-crafted role. The cast of 13 (can you spot the Judas?) includes newcomer Krystle Dos Santos a first-year acting student at the Canadian College of Performing Arts, whose character demonstrates the Christian principle of turning the other cheek and Sylvia Rhodes, as Epsy's wife, shows the audience, and the young priest's brief love interest, played by a winsome Lorene Cammiade, what the future holds for the wife of a man whose passions are poured into his flock rather than his family relationships. Set designer Bill Adams has created a clever black box of scrim that slides in and out to define a tremendous number of scenes, and lighting by Adam Wilkinson helps keep up the pace, with abundant light changes and cross fades from one scene to the next, explains Digby. The director, who also heads the performing arts program at Brentwood College, has a personal interest in the play since he studied for the priesthood himself for four years as a teenager at a junior seminary in North Staffordshire. "There is nothing like training for the priesthood to send you hurtling toward atheism," he notes, adding that circumstances and "fashions" within the Christian community have changed "but the fundamental divide between those who want to deal with the personal aspects of the lives of their parishioners and those concerned almost entirely with the immortal souls has not changed since I wore a cassock in the 1950s." Racing Demon by David Hare I 1 directed by I Keith Digby November 13-29 NOV.

12, 8PM MATINEE NOV. 22, 2PM How Coyote Created Moon Monday, Nov. 17, 2003 ODYSSEY SERIES CONCERT SERIES SPONSOR RAYMOND JAMES University Centre, Conducted by Linda Bouchard Experience the powerful indigenous musical traditions of three continents. First Nations Chief Frank Nelson narrates Coyote Tales and Randy Raine-Reusch plays a concerto for didgeridoo. Special preview and talk at Chapters on Thursday, November 13 at A Book by Phone 386-6121 Oj VICTORIA VS PSKj I i 1 1 2-rrjR-l PhxVltW 2-F0R-1 PREVIEW To be sure, the Grey Cup is no Super Bowl.

The National Football League's championship game early this year reached 88.6 million U.S. homes, according to Nielsen Media Research, and advertising slots averaged $2.2 million US. RAYMOND JAMES" ftfrfg BBaBIBRg JSfK LISA FOR STUDENT vSfM raFJ 'i y- PRESIDENT! t)'.