Rick Mercer Report
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rick Mercer Report | |
|---|---|
|
Rick Mercer Report logo |
|
| Format | Comedy |
| Created by | Rick Mercer Gerald Lunz |
| Starring | Rick Mercer |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| No. of episodes | 5th season |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22–23 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBC |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Original run | January 12, 2004 – Present |
Rick Mercer Report (or The Mercer Report; formerly known as Rick Mercer's Monday Report or Monday Report) is a Canadian television comedy series which airs on CBC Television and the Comedy Network. Launched in 2004 and hosted by comedian Rick Mercer, the weekly half-hour show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials. The show's format is similar to Mercer's prior series, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and to Jon Stewart's The Daily Show.
The first two seasons aired on Monday nights. The show now airs Tuesday nights at 8pm.
Contents |
[edit] Segments
- General format—On each program Mercer travels to a different part of Canada—often to communities that are currently in the news—collecting opinions, reactions, and quotes from people on the street.
- Rants—Rick Mercer also does his 'streeters' rants about current issues, using the same format that he popularized on 22 Minutes.
- The Front Page—Mercer uses comical bits on certain photos on famous people in the world.
- Monologue—At the beginning part of each show, Mercer covers Canadian politics and comedy during a monologue. The segment is performed in front of a live audience at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Daryn Jones—Correspondent Daryn Jones goes out and checks out cool things. This segment was discontinued in Season 3.
- Celebrity Tip—A Canadian celebrity gives advice to Canadians, such as Shirley Douglas demonstrating how to boost a car's battery. The humour in this segment often, although not always, comes from the juxtaposition between the celebrity and their ability to demonstrate something the viewing public might not have expected them to know how to do.
- Ad spoofs—Rick mercer does a fake ad, often spoofing a real one.
- Conclusion—Rick explains to the audience about his website with his blog, video clips and photo challenge. He then tells about local events happening around towns in Canada.
[edit] Memorable moments
Some memorable moments from the series include:
- Pierre Berton demonstrating how to roll a joint
- Conrad Black demonstrating how to wax maple leafs.
- A visit to 24 Sussex Drive, where Mercer carved pumpkins with Paul Martin
- A modernized video showing clips of marijuana grow-ops to the tune of Ontario's Expo 67 theme song "A Place to Stand, A Place to Grow".
- Going skinny dipping with politician and Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae.
- Another visit to 24 Sussex Drive, where Mercer spent the night with Stephen Harper and his family
- Going on a 'date' with Deborah Grey at West Edmonton Mall as she prepared to retire.
[edit] Notable guests
Several notable Canadian celebrities and politicians have appeared on the show, including:
|
|
|
[edit] Production details
Rick Mercer Report is produced by Island Edge Inc and the CBC.
Starting with Season 3, Rick Mercer Report is presented in HDTV. (Royal Canadian Air Farce, which is now Air Farce Live, switched to HDTV at the same time)
In October 2006 the Comedy Network began showing reruns of Rick Mercer Report.
[edit] External links
- Rick Mercer Report: The Book (published September 2007)
- Official Website at CBC
- CBC's Info Site
- Photo Gallery
- on TV.com
- Rick Mercer Report at the Internet Movie Database

