Letterman is more than a talk-show host and more than a pertinent interviewer. He’s a raconteur, a fan of indy bands and of Darlene Love, a geopolitical connoisseur even if he modestly tries to dumb himself down.

Les maladresses de Dany Turcotte sont lourdes. Parce que just like that, elles nous rappellent que trop souvent, la première chose qu’on considère c’est la race, la différence. Ce qui nous rappelle aussi que le rêve de Martin Luther King n’a pas encore été réalisé.

I liked Ted Koppel as much as I did Simon Lebon. Because like Lebon, Koppel was the leader of a cool band. The Nightline band.

At 16, I wanted to marry Donald Trump. I was in my last year of high school and I did many book reports on the man (based on his book The Art Of The Deal) and on his character (based on unauthorized biographies). At the time, Donald Trump was Mister New York. He isn’t anymore.

En 25 ans passés sur les bancs de votre école, je me suis épanouie. Bien au-delà de la couleur de votre peau, qui est la même que la mienne, j’admirais vos faiblesses, parce que vous avez su les convertir de passives à actives. Votre passé trouble et votre constant combat avec votre poids sont certaines des caractéristiques qui ont fait de vous l’une de nous. Mais il y a vos forces aussi: votre culot, votre curiosité et, bien sûr, votre générosité, qui a fait rougir les plus riches de cette planète.

Bill Cosby should be a model for anyone who wants to be on TV. Today’s television is inundated with one too many reality stars whose claim to fame is well, only that. Where’s the talent? Where’s the craft?

A new reality show in the Netherlands has been causing roars and indignation all over the World. The “Big Donor Show” will have contestants vying for a terminally ill woman’s liver. Yes it’s grotesque, unethical and disturbing but we asked for it.

I like Michael Phelps. Alot. Not only because of his athletic prowess and his undeniable discipline but mostly because for the greater part of his life, he was an Underdog who – early on- wasn’t dealt the easiest cards but had the fortitude to snub the croupier and made good things happen anyway. I think [...]

In these unpeaceful times, not only in Gaza but also in the forgotten Congo and in all the other conflicts you don’t see on your 6’oclock newscasts, little makes sense. One would think it’s the first time we’ve forgone harmony for the sake of bullies. But it really isn’t. The first video is of Oliver [...]

In Montreal, the main newspaper is La Presse. Main because it more or less equally covers the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, International and Business. La Presse boasts excellent journalists and if a time capsule of Montreal were to be built, a copy of it should be included. One of La Presse’s famous or infamous and popular [...]

Last week, CNN anchor Campbell Brown, deplore remarks made by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. In front of an open mic (Geez, will they ever learn?), Governor Rendell said the following about the next (if confirmed) Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: “Janet’s perfect for that job. Because for that job, you have to have no life. [...]

I have Election-fatigue and, when I close my eyes, I see Wolf Blitzer which is a clear sign that I’ve been watching too much CNN. Still, I’ll take fatigue over apathy any day of any week. Take away his knee-shaking smile, his heart-melting charm, his intellectual prowess and Senator Obama is still the guy. The [...]

I have been asking for Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s quick dismissal from The View for quite some time but in reality, she’s provided me with much content for this blog thus perhaps she should go on as the resident idiot. Last weekend, Hasselbeck travelled with Governor Palin in Florida, to rally the troops. Regardless of one’s political [...]

I would think, in a time of global turmoil, that CNN would embrace its original mission statement to bring hard but comprehensive news to TV viewers across the world. Helas, I am wrong, Kings-of-comedy dead wrong. As of last Saturday, comedian D.L. Hughley has his own show in primetime on CNN. Somewhere, Aaron Brown is [...]

Forget Obama, forget Mc Cain. Chris Matthews for President! (if only for a day). What is mind-boggling about the Obama Haters is they oscillate between flogging him for supposedly being a Muslim and in the same breath, for his affiliation to Reverend Wright. Make up your mind. It can’t be both. Oh, please.

First, the expectations were too high. It’s the Democratic National Convention, not the parting of the seas. What is scary about the Conventions (both the current Democratic one and the upcoming Republican one) is that we’ll judge both the candidates on matters which will be irrelevant to how they could perform in the White House [...]

Some media reports, fueled by actor Dennis Haysbert, have been suggesting Americans were more willing to vote for Barack Obama because of the TV hit « 24 » where Haysbert played a Black President. I purposely ignored this story when I first read it in the famed French www.rue89.com but was forced to revisit it [...]

If you’ve read this blog before than you know how much Elizabeth Hasselbeck irritates me. “The View’s” co-host is easily one of the emptiest brains on television (move over Brooke Hogan, you’ve got company). It’s not because she’s a Republican that I dislike Hasselbeck as TV Land and other media outlets are filled with highly [...]

The problem about Jesse isn’t that he suggested that he would cut Senator Obama’s nuts off, as it was a private comment erroneously made public. The problem is that once again, Jesse Jackson has fed his irrelevance. Barack Obama doesn’t talk down to Black people. Instead, just like Bill Cosby before him, he cautions the [...]

By now, you’ve heard the news and you’ve seen the touching tributes. The great Time Russert is dead. He was smart, unpretentious, clear and fair. Beyond the human tragedy of the death of this father, husband and by all accounts, loyal friend, is the lost for Television. Tim Russert was part of a rare breed [...]

Like 20 000 people who have left messages on ABC.com’s message board, I was outraged by Wednesday’s Debate (and I use the word “debate” very loosely). So I will not talk about the bias-bashing toward Senator Obama but I will say this: having George Stephanopoulos as one of the moderators was an insult to anybody [...]

If like me, you thought the “Idol Gives Back” was more an exercise in Rolodex-flexing than it was about genuine generosity, then you know that in reality, each of us can make a difference. Way before the Madonnas and Angelinas of this world made trips to Africa the Olympics of the Paparazzos, brave volunteers, teachers, [...]

Many many times I’ve written of my complete disdain for Elizabeth Hasselbeck. The View co-host is vulgarly offensive with her blind neo-conservatism that is neither based on knowledge nor experience. She prays to a God named George W. Bush and like a religious fanatic, never questions his writings. But, this is a democracy and she [...]

By now you’ve heard, read and seen this man who’s pregnant. At first, simply an item in less prominent news outlets, the male pregnancy made it to mainstream media such as CNN and helas, Oprah. To see this man on the Oprah stage was a disappointment and for one of the rare times in 22 [...]

The recent brouhaha over Jay Leno’s gaffe when he recently had actor Ryan Phillippe on “The Tonight Show” as a guest only confirms what I’ve been preaching for years: Jay Leno is not only not funny but in addition, he has no skills when it comes to interviewing. The referenced gaffe was permeated with homophobia [...]

Here we go. First there was the article in Fortune magazine last year. This week, it’s the front page of Entertainment Weekly and the matching media tour, starting with the Today Show. Tyra Banks is out and about and, to my complete disbelief, has risen from likable supermodel to mogul-to-be? Yes, almost a mogul. Her [...]

Yesterday morning, between two bites of my delicious croissant and beurre danois, I was amused by the always feisty Jane Fonda, on the Today Show. The ex-Mrs Turner dared to utter the word “Cunt”, while being interviewed by Meredith Veira for her upcoming performance in the Vagina Monologues. Less than 20 minutes later and before [...]

There have always been inequalities and it’s a safe bet to say there always will be. Inequalities in opportunities, in wealth distribution, in looks, brains and in priorities. The latter is the most difficult to digest as it’s not based on DNA lottery or geography but rather most often on ignorance. Case in point: I [...]

Year ends bring on a ton of emotions and tasks. Regret, surprise, stupefaction, and lists. Top Ten this, top ten that. Who in the world is accredited to decide what and who’s cool? What looks good and who should wear it? Still, I have a list of my own. A wish list, if you will. [...]

U.S Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee mat not have the glam & glitz nor the celebrity endorsements (Chuck Norris is not a celebrity) but what he lacks in Hollywood and foreign affairs quotient, he makes up for in pure guts (which may also be camouflaged naïveté.). His latest ad campaign is simple but I predict he [...]

The end of the year has many traditions: Christmas, Hanukah and the Barbara Walters special. Her famed “The 10 Most Fascinating People” is for TV freaks like me, a must. I was however skeptical of the list when in a trailer for the show, I saw Imus was part of the list. Imus? He certainly [...]

American Princess and famed journalist Maria Shriver recently announced she would not be returning to NBC News. She’s quit the profession all together after being disgusted by the Anna Nicole Smith coverage, following the starlet’s death. It was indeed nauseating. We are far from Walter Cronkite reporting JFK’s death. Times have changed. Let us not [...]

So it can be done. Reality TV can be inspirational, motivational and non-humiliating. The Biggest Loser is a competition amongst overweight contestants, battling to see who will loose more weight. Thing is, there are really no losers. Even if you’re to be eliminated after one week, you’ve already lost some poundage and you’ve been exposed [...]

Arrrgggh! Explain to me why TV shows are booking Dog the Bounty Hunter Chapman. Fox’s H&C last night, Larry King tonight and I imagine a slew of others in upcoming days. The man used the word Nigger in a private conversation with his son. That makes him an interesting TV guest? When is Television going [...]

At midnight yesterday, the Writers’ Guild of America declared war on TV Screens across the world. By striking, writers are protesting their right to a larger piece of the giant pie that has become the American Media Domination. American because it is being produced in the United States but in reality, the pie has crossed [...]

When news broke that a tape containing a racist rant by Dog « The Bounty Hunter » Chapman had been leaked to the National Enquirer, a few days ago, all media-hell broke loose. All eyes were turned to Al Sharpton and to A&E, the network which broadcasts the Bounty Hunter’s TV show. As expected, Al [...]

In 1990, nestled in a sheltered private catholic school, I was shaken by Spike Lee. The movie “Do the Right Thing” had just be released, and its soundtrack, led by powerful Public Enemy tracks, exposed me to a world I didn’t really knew existed. Under the tartan uniform and behind the awkward braces, I was [...]

Watching the Emmy Awards last night, I was reminded of a frightening trend noticeable in all award shows. Past the impossibly perky breasts, the many viles of Botox that had to be sacrificed and the cleverly camouflaged back stabbing, the evening had the inevitable “In Memoriam” montage where recently departed Entertainment luminaries are remembered. What [...]

Once again, overzealous TV Execs are being blamed for America’s poor parenting skills. Kid Nation, a TV show set in a New Mexico ghost town, leaves children to their own devices with the objective to create a running municipality. One too many martinis at the CBS production meeting? Perhaps. But the problem doesn’t stem from [...]

Merv Griffin. The name might not ring a bell but if you’ve watched television between 5pm and 8 pm, you know of his ingenuity. The man behind such classics as Jeopardy & Wheel of Fortune passed away this weekend. Besides his daring creativity (remember these shows were respectively created in the 70’s and 80’s and [...]

Barry Bonds is an all-star baseball player. His lineage alone makes him baseball royalty and his career is tattooed with a slew of broken records. All eyes are on Barry now as he is on the verge of breaking the mother of all records: Hank Aaron`s number of career home runs. Like many high-profiled athletes [...]

Michael Moore is fat and not-fashionable. Perhaps in this look-obsessed society, this is why we tend to see him as a marginal standing on a soap box. But, whether we like it or not, he delivers the bitter bill we fight to not swallow. On CNN last night, the filmmaker blasted my beloved Wolf Blitzer [...]

In what was one of the longest hours in recent TV history, NBC christened “Age of Love”, the network’s answer to ABC’s “The Bachelor”. NBC’s version has, I must admit, a few more bells and whistles. For one, the prey is not some unknown genetically blessed thirty-year old. It is (drum roll, please) Mark Philippoussis [...]

Ah ha! This is why the rest of the world has disdain for North America.More than a third of the world population is dying of hunger. Even amongst us, the rich nations, children go to school hungry. To hold such eating competition is one thing but to broadcast it on such networks as CNN and [...]

A new reality show in the Netherlands has been causing roars and indignation all over the World. The “Big Donor Show” will have contestants vying for a terminally ill woman’s liver. Yes it’s grotesque, unethical and disturbing but we asked for it. “The Big Donor Show” is the result of the evolution (and I use [...]

News directors need a reality check. From Larry King Live to national news broadcasts, all reported last night on Lindsay Lohan’s latest debacles and immediate return to rehab. Substance abuse is difficult and its resolution is painful, private and hardly news material. I couldn’t care less about Lindsay Lohan but it pisses me off that [...]

Last night was ABC’s latest attempt to grab viewers: The Ex-Wives Club aka a ”who’s who” of bitter women once married or romantically linked to borderline has-beens. The show puts at its helm Angie Everhart (formerly known as the red head standing next to Sly Stallone), Marla Maples (the former and second Mrs. Donald Trump) [...]

After what can only be described as a very unpleasant nauseating confrontation with co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie O’Donnell chose to not honor her contract that was to see her at the employment of The View for another three weeks. Her premature departure is asymptomatic of an omnipresent current in Corporate America: the lack of loyalty. [...]

I’m late putting up this post today. I was waiting to take the pulse of American Idol-obsessed TV Viewers and critics before shouting from my own peanut gallery thus pardon my tardiness. Melinda Doolittle, arguably the best Idol has ever seen, was eliminated last night leaving Blake and Jordin as the Final 2. This morning’s [...]

Televangelist & public piranha Jerry Falwell died yesterday.He supported Apartheid. Was an Anti-Semite. Condemned Feminism. Believed God created AIDS to suppress homosexuals. Alleged 9/11 was retaliation for America’ sins. He will not be missed and I hope he was the last of his kind. Now, if only media outlets could stop their docu-reports on him. [...]

New ratings, same conclusion: the CBS Nightly News broadcast is still a distant third behind ABC & NBC’s. With Katie Couric at the helm, the news show has never known such low ratings. But here’s the shocker (listen up old school chauvinist dinosaurs): the ratings aren’t low because Katie Couric is a woman. The ratings [...]

From the very beginning of the eruption of the Alec Baldwin phone message fiasco, there was uneasiness because it is an extremely private matter that peanut galleries all over the world should have no say in. However, by being a guest on last Friday’s “The View”, Alec Baldwin dragged us back in his business. At [...]

This week, American Idol presented “Idol gives back”: a star-packed extravaganza with montage-galore footing of Simon & co. touring impoverished areas of Africa, Los Angeles & New Orleans. The intent, we’re to understand, was to raise funds for various caritative initiatives. Excuse my skepticism despite the reported 30 million dollars raised. It’s difficult to criticize [...]

Last week, an audio tape of a phone message Alec Baldwin left his daughter Ireland was released to the media. On it, Baldwin berates his 12 year-old daughter like a crazy man who skipped about three doses of his medication. It’s difficult to listen to the tape because additionally to its raw vulgarity, it is [...]

I curse censorship. I do, however, prone good taste and sensibility. The trend that started I guess in the early 90’s of sexual innuendos in every media (print, radio and TV) has unfortunately grown and can now even be found in cereal commercials. Blink anywhere and you will be flooded with images of pecs and [...]

When NBC received video and pictures from the Virginia Tech killer yesterday, there must have been at least on second when they hesitated to show or divulged its content. Unfortunately, the hesitation did very little and they made the wrong choice. Showing pictures of an already admitted killer and publishing excerpts of his very disturbing [...]

Where is Charlton Heston? Curled up in a corner in the fetal position, I hope. He and the rest of the NRA fanatics should all be in hiding today, reflecting about their barbaric position on the right to bare arms. The safe haven that was once school is no longer. Will we get to a [...]

So much hoopla about the exonerated Duke Lacrosse players. A quick briefing: three Duke University Lacrosse players were wrongly (actually, very wrongly) accused of raping a stripper. They were painted guilty way before they had a chance to be proven innocent. With a case that had TV-Movie all over it, racial cards being dealt left [...]

On the eve of Easter, I will do this year what I have done for decades: Watch the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” on television and ask myself what part of Sweden Jesus, (with his blue eyes, pale complexion and very light-coloured hair) is from; Figure out the six degrees of separation between Jesus and the [...]

The Bachelor: Andy Baldwin First, a disclaimer: I watched “The Bachelor” last night with the sole purpose to have blog material for this Post. Well, I also watched it because I think it’s hilarious to see twenty-somethings already desperate to find a man. “The Bachelor”, a well-oiled TV show, pits a young handsome eligible bachelor [...]

The man with the pencil thin microphone is leaving the building. After decades on the small screen, Bob Barker is retiring from his hosting domination on The Price is Right. At 82 years young, I understand why Bob would decide to leave the hysteric, t-shirt slogan wearing, Ogilvy home-permed, Lee press-on nailed, college student & [...]

Leave Sanjaya alone. Shocked by the fact the youngster is still in contention for the title of next American Idol, there has been an overwhelming flow of criticism from various media outlets and public tribunes. Why so much anger?Where were that passion and that concern when Bush was re-elected in 2004? How about when the [...]

Like so many other media-enhanced currents before, “The Secret” is being blown out of proportions. Of course, the co-authors subsequent appearances on both Oprah & Larry King did nothing to calm the madness. “The Secret”, a series of “get-it-now” mantras has swept TV audiences & local bookstores shoppers, thirsty for pardon for past & current [...]

Anderson Cooper is too pretty for the news. Yes, he’s good but it’s difficult to hear news about nuclear threats from a man whose eyebrows are better shaped than mine. Should he be discarded as a news anchor because he was blessed with good genetics? No. Should he have gotten Aaron Brown’s CNN spot because [...]

The Maury Povich Show is poison. Why is it still on? Why hasn’t Connie Chung filed for divorce yet? The show is one of the most blatant examples of racism on television. For those of you who have been saved and have never seen the show, Maury is a third-rate talk show where most days [...]

If Sanjaya made it to the American Idol Top 12 then I can surely have a shot at music stardom. I can’t sing (not even in the shower) but I believe if surrounded by the right producers, I too can be an Idol. Let’s see … who would I want as producers on my album? [...]

Last Friday night, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)www.naacp.org held their annual Image Awards show. The Awards are remitted to stand outs in acting, activism, and music. This year, winners included Prince, Sophie Okonedo & Tracey Ellis Ross. The Best Actor in a Drama series went to Isaiah Washington aka Dr. [...]