One thing I love about lousy weather and the winter that approaches is that there is time to slow down and catch up. Part of that for me is getting current again with the Canada I love by catching up with the politics and the humor.
Fall TV includes favorites on CBC, even here in Seattle - and on Tuesday nights, that means "Rick Mercer Report" and "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" ( the show's name is a parody of This Hour Has Seven Days, a CBC newsmagazine from the 60's - Wikipedia). Both are comedies so far removed from American formulas that they are refreshing to me. Canada has a golden reputation for comedic talent and these two shows bring it on in droves.
Topical, current, irreverant - in Canada no target is safe - no politician either. Politicians seem to line up to take the truth with the laughter at their own expense, and this is the beauty of these shows. It's a pretty powerful thing to not take yourself too seriously, and a positive democratic act to see politicians laugh at themselves. We're fairly poor at it here in America. And we get poorer all the time.
Of the current crop of comedians, Rick Mercer has to be my favorite. He's just too smart and funny. He is known for his "Rant" - a monolouge that is funny and insightful and articulate and comes at you at 120km/h - heck, maybe 140...If you think you've missed something he's said, he's begun posting the scripts for the Rant on his blog .
If you dont happen to get the CBC where you live, then you can still check out the programs on their websites (links nested here) - many have archives of their episodes you can watch online. It's a great way to pass at least part of a cold, dark night.
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