Did Ben Mulroney get his job because of who his dad is? I'm sure it didn't hurt.

When I was in school obtaining my postgraduate in corporate communications and public relations my classmates all wanted to work in entertainment.  This was appealing to them.

At the time my friend Ashley worked at MTV, and would sometimes guest host on The Hills After Show.  Everyone in my class thought she was a God because she was on television; one person even remarked that “I am better for having known you” or something around those lines.  For me, it was a revealing look at how people tend to admire each other solely for just appearing on television.

The Hills After Show

If you watch The Hills After Show – and I did only once to support Ashley – you would have to agree with me that it’s a pretty stupid show.  You have rich, white kids born into wealth (Dan Levy is Eugene Levy’s son) talking about a show about rich, white kids born into wealth.  Only the former are sarcastically and ironically berating the latter on their absurdity. But you can’t help but wonder if the hosts of the After Show care more about their appearance and style and therefore are more vain (they’re hipsters after all) than the people they’re talking about.

Anyway, upon graduation I went to work in health care, which has a whole other set of problems, but kept abreast of my colleagues and where they were in their careers.

At the same time I took a mild interest in entertainment shows, primarily because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

What I learned was that Ben Mulroney is the phoniest person on the planet.  How does anyone watch him? How does he have a job, and how does he sustain it when the majority of people I speak to feel the exact same way as I do about him?  I suppose the answer to this question is that his dad was Canada’s former prime minister, Brian Mulroney.

Ben’s arrogance, ego and pure smugness reverberate on-screen; I truly detest him and I don’t even know who he is.  I wonder what he’s like off camera, with that phony, bleached smile; could he possibly be more down-to-earth than I give him credit for?

Look how small my waist is!

This phoniness is only heightened when I have to listen to Tanya Kim as she struts down a small runway during the teaser segments of etalk with one hand on her hip, wearing an evening dress.  Then she speaks in this phony voice about people she doesn’t even know, and with great concern and interest about their personal lives.  This is a job?

I’m somewhat frustrated that our idea of fame and entertainment comes from these imbeciles.  I don’t know them personally but this is what they plan on doing for the rest of their lives? Just talking about celebrities in this very superficial and shallow tone? What galls me even more is how serious they take the bullshit that they say… as though they’re so profound for having thoughts. Their bios on their site attempt to rectify this shallowness by listing the amount good deeds they do in their off-time.

Trust me, I just came from the Holiday Jam at The Phoenix on Monday where all the musicians thought they were Mother Theresa because all proceeds were going to SickKids Foundation.  What they know about SickKids could fit on my thumb.  Sure they were singing and playing for free, but they love doing it so why should I think they’re saints?

I had to stop watching etalk, in fact I was never able to get past more than ten minutes, specifically because the hosts were so damn annoying and more superficial than the actual celebrities.  I’m interested to see the market research that has led the producers in this direction and who their target audience is.

Even if it happens to be young women in their teens, I am offended.  Teenagers aren’t this stupid, and perhaps they should focus more on uplifting the content and making it more intelligent instead of sinking to the lowest common denominator.

I know it’s hard for television executives to understand, but the average Canadian prefer hosts who are genuine and not fake.  If you actually tried to give that a chance instead of forcing these hosts to be cartoon characters you might actually see your ratings and perhaps the quality of your programming improve.

As for Tanya Kim and Ben Mulroney I wonder, how do you live with yourselves? And what equally superficial and shallow justification do you have to that question?

Peace out.

Today many media sources report on Chris Brown’s outrage that stores have chosen not to stock his new album, “Graffiti”.

He took to twitter and vented:

I was watching Access Hollywood and the on air personalities expressed annoyance at his outrage. The stance most of the media is taking is that it’s to early [after the incident] for Chris to be promoting an album and he shouldn’t be mad because he beat Rihanna. Etalk calls him a “cry baby”.

This just falls under the fundamental problem with how we view the entertainment industry and celebrities. People makes mistakes and I guess Chris Brown wants to know how long we all expect him to be in hiding and what more do we want him to do to atone for his mistake? And more importantly, is Rihanna perfect? Stories have implied that their violent relationship was equal combat. I make no excuses for his actions, but come on. I mean I would be pissed off too because now people are messing with his money, his livelihood.

The media helps pass judgement like they are all perfect human beings. I think he has already been tried and convicted for his crime. Move on! You would think they would have their hands full with the Tiger Woods drama.

I always love when I run into the guys in Hedley, I’ve been following their career now since Jacob did his infamous stint on Canadian Idol which lead to the Hedley we know and love today. (I bet you didn’t know there was a .hedley before there was a Hedley).

The guys dropped by Much on Demand on November 19th to debut their latest video ‘Dont Talk to Strangers’ and being the gentlemen they are, allowed me to shoot.

Anyone else think that Jake is channeling his inner Newfie?

Cassie Steele

“Cassie who??” Yeah, alright, we got that out of the way. Now at 22 years of age, I have been a fan of Degrassi: The Next Generation for about 10 years — it’s a sort of teenage soap opera, going over nearly every issue any teen could possibly face, and combining it all in one school/circle of “friends”. If you’ve never heard of Degrassi, it’s unlikely you know who this young lady is. Keep reading, anyway. Number 1, this is one of my favorite shows of all time — period. Number 2, Cassie Steele, who plays ‘Manny Santos’ on the show, is without doubt the FINEST actress on the show, and really, one of the main reasons I’ve watched Degrassi this long. But seriously, the stories are actually really good, too … so, yeah, watch it.

When she was first introduced, Manny was an extremely “kiddish” character, that had no attractive appeal, whatsoever. After Craig (another character on the show) decided not to date her for this very reason … it was all over. She decided she’d never be considered a “kid” again, and the episode where Manny dramatically bursts into the Degrassi hallways in a halter top, super-low rise jeans, and her underwear dramatically showing outside her clothes is unforgettable. I think I was about 13 or 14 then, and I was hooked. Needless to say, she only became more beautiful over the years, and though the old cast has now been basically replaced, she will always be a staple of the show.

Dark hair, nice eyes, great smile, and GREAT body — Girls, Girls, Girls material, for sure.

Indeed.

_Reverend Zombie 12.47

Humanzee … is that you?

Hey guys, one of the shots I took of THE MIDWAY STATE was aired on national television on E-Talk today. Check out the clip HERE

Family.

Had coffee yesterday with Zain Meghji to talk ACTRA, eTalk, blogs, hosting, exercising, his exciting new project, podcasts and the importance of pictures.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get around to discussing brand-limitation based on a peculiar assimilation of consonants.  Hope to do some more stuff with Zain in the future, for now, here’s his first piece of advice: “all posts need pictures”.

Okay.  Here’s a retro shot of the family.  Wife’s shoulder, Lou’s head, my leg.

If I’m really serious about what constitutes a successful trip to LA, I don’t need to look any further than doing well enough for them to join me.  Why?  You can’t have an impromptu cuddle on hardwood floor with just anybody.

SA

Taylor just could not stop laughing while at CTV’s Entertainment News Magazine “etalk” on Thursday in Toronto.

Is this “Tom Cruise Day”?

Did I miss a memo?

Everywhere I look, someone is interviewing the Tomster tonight — George Stroumboulopoulos on The Hour, Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim on etalk, some MTV show that pre-empted (grrrrr!) TMZ.

I know he’s doing publicity for Valkyrie, but come on!

Want something Colin and Justin have laid hands on? (Okay, so they’re not quite Canadian, but we love ’em — let’s just adopt ’em.) The devilish design duo was among the crew of Canadian personalities who stopped by the Kiehl’s Queen St. W store in Toronto yesterday to participate in a World AIDS Day show of support. Along with folks such as recording artist Sarah Slean, “eTalk” co-host Ben Mulroney, “Canadian Idol” judge Jake Gold, “Corner Gas” actor Tara Spencer-Nairn, and several members of the “Degrassi” cast, Colin and Justin each autographed an oversize quilt square and made their mark with red-painted hands.

Part of a global campaign to benefit AIDS research, the quilt square will be incorporated in a larger “Kiehl’s Commitment to Community” quilt sewn by New York fashion designer Derek Lam. The finished piece will be auctioned off to raise funds for Youth AIDS.

While you wait for your quilt, pick up a limited-edition Lip Balm #1 ($8) for yourself and include one in a Kiehl’s holiday gift box for… okay, yourself. From each red-ribbon balm sale in Canada, $1 will be donated to the Canadian AIDS society. It’s another way you can have a hand in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Plus, Balm #1 is aces at hydrating and protecting winter-pained lips (Balm SPF 15 is too).