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The Degrassi Digest # 13 February 26th,1998

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NEWS: Come Visit My Degrassi Website, http://www.degrassi.org Launched at last, but still under serious construction.

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INSIDE:

HELP!!!!!
Liberty Street
Clearasil
episodes on tape
Stephanie Kaye?
Clutch
degrassi
Degrassi in Sweden

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Date: Thursday, February 26,1998
From: Amanda
Subject: HELP!!!!!

Hi everyone,

i am hoping that there's someone out there who could help me - anyone at all...i'm looking for ANY information about steve bedernjak (clutch) -
e-mail if there's anything you can tell me! have a good day!
p.s.- mark, where abouts are you from in montreal? (if you don't mind me asking)

*Mark* Well the first thing you can do is to contact him, by searching his name on the canada 411 database at http://www.canada411.sympatico.ca If you feel that this may be too obsessive, then you can always write him a letter, instead of directly calling his home phone number. Believe or not, most Degrassi actors are listed, and you can always try to send him a letter, or try to get his e-mail address. This is the way I would do it, as I find that the worst thing that can happen is that he will not write you back, or that he is not the right Steve Bedernjak. Although this may be an intrusion of one's privacy, it is entirely up to you. The way you write the letter has to be not too "I love you so much...I think you are so cool"...but with a more formal approach. It would be more appropriate to type it, and ask some friends to read it over, before you send it. Again he may be unlisted, but give it a shot. I am planning on sending many letters to the Degrassi actors who I think may still live in Toronto. The sooner the better, as we all grow up and move away, start families, get married, some Degrassi actors will choose to change their maiden names (not in Quebec, though) when they get married, if they are women. Remember Maureen McKay who played Michelle. She is now married, and there may be a chance that she has changed her last name, so it is now difficult to locate her. Good luck, and thank you for your post. Oh, by the way, I am from the city of Cote Saint Luc, in the west part of the Island of Montreal.

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Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 20:22:29 -0700
From:Sheena Martin
To: post@degrassi.org
Subject: Liberty Street

First of all, you're doing a great job, Mark!

*Mark* Thanks Sheena for your support. I am happy that people are enjoying the Digest.

Recently, the show Liberty Street was mentioned, which was created by the creator of Degrassi. In my opinion, Liberty Street needed a lot of work. As someone said, it was kind of like a Canadian Melrose Place. Well, I don't mean to offend anyone here, but at least Melrose Place is aware of it's own ridiculousness. Liberty Street seemed like it was trying too hard to be sexy, hip, and flashy. I mean, it was really mockable! Pat Mastroianni's character, Frank, was slimy, if you ask me. We're supposed to believe he's some kind of big stud on the show, when to me he just came across as slutty. Mastroianni can do better than this, in my opinion (he's a decent actor). Marsha's hairy armpits were scary. At least that actress now has a Saturn car commercial. Stewart had a disgusting apartment and seemed incredibly unkept, but were were supposed to be cheering for him to get together with Annie. Yuck! I mean, I just didn't find these characters too appealing. It was a big disappointment after Degrassi. Degrassi was also low-budget and occasionally badly-acted, but at least it didn't try to be something it wasn't. The characters were real, which is much more than I can say for Liberty Street.

*Mark* Although I never watched the series, and the Liberty Street Website is not up and running anymore (according to Epitome Pictures who produced the show)I have heard much criticism that the show was coined as being like Degrassi, but more shocking, more sexual, and too "forced". We have to understand that in the Television Industry, many shows are either spinoffs, copies, or recombinants, so many shows are copies of other shows. This makes the network more at ease, (as for CBC), as Degrassi was such a successful series, that they projected that Liberty Street was going to be a success as well. I know it only lasted one year or two, but maybe because it was not produced by Playing With Time and by Epitome, and the fact that Kit Hood was not the director anymore may have contributed to the lack of success of the series. I do not know, but it is possible that the series was "pushed too far to be unlike Degrassi" to avoid being labelled as Degrassi. I thank you for your insights on Liberty Street.

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Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 17:26:31
From: Andrea Peattie & Cindy Moccio
To:post@degrassi.org
Subject: clearasil

Just wanted to clear something up.......the shirts that cast wear are not clearasil, they are clear-Tech. This was a face wash that some of the cast members did commercials for, if I recall correctly. Andrea

*Mark* That's right, it has been a long time since I have noticed that it was Clear-Tech that they were promoting on the show and in commercials with Kyra Levy (Maya) and Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin) As the advertisers like Skippy, Granola Dipps Bars, and Clear-Tech pay large sums of money for a thirty second commercial, this is why Degrassi helped out by promoting the advertiser that took up their commercial time. The series does not have to promote the advertisers who buy time from the show, but maybe the networks or advertisers gave incentives, bonuses, or discounts on their products, and maybe CBC paid Playing With Time bonuses for promoting products that are supposed to be only on the commercials.

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From: Nancy
Date:Sat, 21 Feb 1998 18:10:08
To: post@degrassi.org
Subject:Re: episodes on tape

Does anyone have any on tape?I would like to get some of the episodes of The Junior high and high school episodes.Nancy

*Mark* Please go to Oren and Guys site to request a trade from the other members of the Degrassi Fanclub.Also if you live in Canada, you can tape the episodes on Showcase and if you check out earlier Digest issues, you will find the other areas around the world where Degrassi is still shown. Oren and Guy's Degrassi Fanclub site is at http://members.tripod.com/~degrassi

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From:"Daniel"
To:post@degrassi.org
Subject: Stephanie Kaye?
Date:Sun, 22 Feb 1998 13:14:04 -0500

I don't understand what happens to Stephanie Kaye at the end of the Junior High series. Could you be more specific!

Daniel

*Mark* Nicole Stoffman, who played Stephanie Kaye for two years on Degrassi, left the series at the end of term 2 to star in a short-lived show on CTV called "Learning The Ropes" with Lyle Alzedo. It was loosely a comedy about a wrestler (Lyle Alzedo) and his family. The show was not successful. Nicole did not return to Degrassi Junior High, and her character Stephanie Kaye was supposedly attending private school, as Arthur and Stephanie's mother won a lottery of over a million dollars.

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Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 13:19:07 +1100
To: post@degrassi.org
From: Ange
Subject:Clutch

Hi everyone!!!

I was really glad to see that there are others who think Clutch was the best looking guy on the show. What a cutie, huh! What a pity he wasn't made a regular. Bronco was also a bit of a honey! but do you remember when Lucy and Bronco first went out? How that blond guy asked her out first, but then made excuses when he realized she had a brain? he was supposedly gorgeous according to the other degrassi chicks, and he was so not!!! just my two cents for the day!!!

ange

*Mark* Thanks for your comments. Did you know that the character who played Dale on Degrassi High (the guy you mentioned who asked Lucy out, but later cancelled, having a lame excuse because he found out that she had principles about sexism and equality among the sexes. Well he was spotted doing Canadian Pepsi Cola commercials at the time of Degrassi. It is possible that he was a young new actor and Playing With Time found him, as I do not remember him being in earlier episodes of Degrassi. Thanks for your post.

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Date:Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:31:43 -0800
From:RachelCherwinski
To: post@degrassi.org
Subject: degrassi

On Degrassi Junior High..in the episode where the school burns down, I was wondering if the school really burned for real or did they use special effects to make the school appear as if it was burning?? Rachel

*Mark*Due to reasons of safety I am sure that the school was not really burning at all. If you check the credits at the end of that episode entitled "Bye Bye Junior High", it may mention some special effects company which helped create that. When I visited Vincent Massey School in December 1990, the school was totally intact. Since the last episode of Degrassi was filmed in the 1988-1989 season when the building burned down, I can verify that it is still there. Check it out the building where Degrassi Junior High was filmed for three years at 68 Daisy Street, in the Mimico District of Etobicoke, Ontario. You will not find Degrassi street anywhere around there, as Degrassi Street is in "The Beaches", (East End Toronto) and Etobicoke is FAR from there. The reason why they chose that school was because it was one of the only schools that was up for rent, and had a low enrollment status for the year...so Playing With Time rented it out for filming. Please realize that due to the actors being in danger, I'm sure it was not real fire....Maybe Rebecca Haines will confirm this in the next issue of the Degrassi Digest. Thanks for your question.

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From:"Magnus Stromgren"
To: Degrassi_Digest@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 1998 13:42:22 +1
Subject: Degrassi In Sweden

In connection with the discussion regarding where the Degrassi series are currently on the air, I'd like to point out -- has it not been brought to attention -- that the one of the two Swedish state-controlled stations, SVT 1, are broadcasting -- alas, just some -- Degrassi High episodes this spring. The half-hearted coverage

aside, at least they're doing something right! Magnus Stromgren

*Mark* Thank you so much for updating us on Degrassi listings. I hope this Digest will help people find Degrassi on Television. I do understand that in the United States, Degrassi has never been on a commercial network, but only cable stations, and PBS. This is documented in a journal article from the Journal of Popular Film and Television, (22)1 Spring 1994 page 38. These Degrassi updates about where the show can be seen is very helpful and I thank all of you for sending in your information. I will soon make a page on my Degrassi site with the various countries and what network, and time they can find syndicated episodes of Degrassi.

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