Joseph Planta's Commentary - thecommentary.ca

Wednesday, 22 December 2004

Mike and Fiona's housewarming party

By Joseph Planta

VANCOUVER - The Drudge Report reported Sunday that a controversy is brewing after a Saturday Night Live animation sketch this past weekend. It featured a marionette, depicting conservative talk show icon Rush Limbaugh passed out in a bathroom, vomiting on himself, surrounded by a bunch of pills; with a South American housekeeper yelling in a doorway. Drudge is reporting that many are up in arms, including an unnamed SNL producer who claims the sketch was tasteless, especially since the program has had a checkered past with alumni who've had trouble with drugs, not to mention John Belushi and Chris Farley, who've died of overdoses. The unidentified SNL staffer also argues that they never made fun of Robert Downey Jr. when he was having his troubles recently.

Whether it is tasteful or not is not the question, it merely gives conservatives like Sean Hannity and other ditto-heads ammunition, just like that planted question at the town hall that Donald Rumsfeld had with troops recently. It's not whether or not the plant by a journalist was apt or timely. That didn't matter, because what it did do was give the administration, or its mouthpieces, the ability to discount the soldier's concerns, by saying it was the manipulative elitist liberal media at work, yet again. The same can be said of SNL now-the liberal satirical program was taking on and belittling the flaws of a conservative firebrand, not because what Rush did was illegal, but because he is a conservative.

Frankly, when I saw it I laughed. I thought it was a rather funny sketch, as Robert Smigel is notorious for, and I thought it was funny seeing Rush passed out amongst his OxyContin and Vicodin stash. I'm sure many people think that way too.

***

Another program I saw this weekend, late, late at night, repeated another hundred times over Sunday, was an offering put together by Shaw. Shaw, as you may know, unveiled its new digs, a spacious first-class broadcast facility that will house both Fanny Kiefer's Studio 4 talker, and the variety program hosted by Michael Eckford and Fiona Forbes, Urban Rush, right there in beautiful Coal Harbour. The program that aired this weekend was hosted by Eckford and Forbes, and it consisted of the two of them going around during the housewarming party at the new Shaw Tower interviewing the folks who've come to break-in the new building. At the party were many local media personalities like a number of conspicuous local news anchors, a former premier, and the current one as well. It was neat seeing the new studio, but it was also compelling television. Train wreck television, if you will.

I happen to like Mike Eckford and Fiona Forbes; I've watched them for years, and this past fall, I was pleased when they deigned to be interviewed for this website. It was a grand gesture on their part, and I'm very grateful. They're two nice people, with magnetic personalities, and they look clean and are ably well groomed. But, man, excuse me while I have a Don Imus moment, and rant. . .

The program was edited, but if you looked closely, you could tell the hosts, Eckford and Forbes were enjoying the party in between takes. It was obvious that they were turning on the giddy more than usual, or they were throwing back a couple before and after their interviews with folks like John Furlong, the 2010 Olympic Games chief or the legendary Red Robinson, who it seems came to the party to hump his book, Backstage Vancouver. (Which incidentally, we'll let him do, because it is a great book.) Nevertheless, I felt somewhat uncomfortable after what was a harmless chat with Premier Gordon Campbell. He shook Eckford's hand, and then he did that smarmy handshake with Fiona Forbes-you know the one where his other hand was firmly grasping her elbow. And then he gave her this long stare after. He's a pol and out for votes, don't forget, but it was a bit icky. Mind you, Fiona did look fetching. Who knew she had great gams?

And please, Pamela Martin, you're probably a nice lady; we've never met, and we'd be happy to have you on the On the Line segment sometime, but I don't think serious newspeople should be comparing their breasts to Fiona Forbes's. Or if you must, just don't do it on camera, even if it's just cable and you're at a party where the booze is free and flowing. Also, Mike, you know I'm fan, but Jesus, during the interview you did with CTV's anchor team, why didn't you just tell Fiona and Bill Good to buzz off while you accost Pamela Martin? You'd have thunk she'd have security people around her telling you, no touching.

Fanny Kiefer, I also think you're great. You're probably one of the two best interviewers in this city-whether it's politics or cookbooks, Kiefer is just great. But, it also seemed like you had imbibed one too many, because your interview with the VSO's new fiddle concertmaster, Mark Frewer was riddled with so many double entendres, it was cringe time for me. And I'm no prude, believe me.

Maybe I'm just bummed I didn't get an invite. It looked like fun though. I've never seen so many of my high school crushes on one program before-Anna Wallner, Susie Wall, and Kristina Matisic. Or just maybe, I'd been missing the Urban Rush show already. They said they'd be back in December, but it wasn't until this Monday that they returned with shows from their new studio. It looks great by the way, and the storefront set gives it that real urban-feel.

***

Speaking of Imus, maybe I'm cranky because the I-Man is off on holiday until January, and there's nothing to watch on MSNBC. On top of that, Deborah Norville's bailing. At 9.00 eastern, she was better to look at than her counterpart at CNN, Larry King.

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