Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

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Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby jon » Tue Nov 04, 2014 10:19 am

What would Q be like if Norm Macdonald hosted?
Stuart Thomson
November 2, 2014. 11:28 pm
Edmonton Journal
Section: Caught in the Web

With one brief tweet, Norm Macdonald, the former Saturday Night Live star, has kicked off his own campaign to host the CBC radio show Q.
I love the show @CBCRadioQ and would love to be its host.

— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) November 3, 2014

How about that? The idea seemed to resonate, as Macdonald subsequently retweeted dozens of supporters who are eager to see him replace the disgraced former host Jian Ghomeshi. (Weirdly, Macdonald originally expressed support for Ghomeshi last Sunday, before deleting the tweet).

Is it likely? Is it even possible? I have no idea. The show has been soliciting ideas for guest hosts, though:
Q @CBCRadioQ

Hi folks, many of you have been sending in guest host suggestions & other ideas. Please, keep it coming: Q@cbc.ca
5:33 PM - 2 Nov 2014

Macdonald would be an odd, but intriguing choice as host. I think most Canadians, if they’ve heard of him, know him as the guy who made jokes about OJ Simpson on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. He’s bounced around since then, hosting a satirical sports show on Comedy Central, starring in two short-lived sitcoms and now hosting a video podcast on Youtube.

The video podcast, called Norm Macdonald Live, was a transparent attempt to show off his talk show chops, in the hopes of landing The Late Late Show job after Craig Ferguson quits. That show is our best chance to evaluate what Q would be like if Norm Macdonald hosted it.

It would be, in a word, a trainwreck. A glorious, hilarious, entertaining trainwreck. The beauty of Norm Macdonald Live is that it’s always on the verge of going off the rails. Jokes are delivered into what seems like a mostly-empty, totally silent room. Laughs come from Macdonald, his sidekick Adam Eget or the bewildered guest.

The interviews are all with people Macdonald is friendly with and they are almost always charming. They are rambling and delightful and Macdonald loves to wink at his regular viewers by telling the same joke, in wildly different ways, to each guest.

In one episode, in which Macdonald interviews Billy Bob Thornton, they spend a good chunk of the opening monologue talking about how fast Norm ate a sandwich and about “damned dirty hippies.” God knows how something like that would go over with Q’s urban hipster audience.

The trouble with Macdonald — from the CBC’s point of view — is the very thing that makes him my favourite comedian: if he’s not into something, he’s not afraid to burn it to the ground. He was, bafflingly, asked to co-host the Youtube Big Live Comedy Show and he showed up in sweatpants and torpedoed the show in the most amusing way. It’s fascinating to watch his co-hosts, shiny with flop-sweat, trying to salvage the show while Norm enjoys every painful moment.

At Q, he would be working with producers and writers who book guests, write monologues and do research for his interviews. It would all be tightly orchestrated, the way it was when Ghomeshi hosted, and that would probably be fine. But you can imagine what would happen when an interview goes off the rails, or when Macdonald makes it clear that he has no idea who his interviewee is. He doesn’t suffer fools and he’s never bothered to pander to anyone. One of Ghomeshi’s great gifts was sucking up to celebrities in a way that would be impossible for Macdonald.

There’s also the minor concern that Macdonald seems to have absolutely no interest in popular culture. I’m not sure he has heard of any music made after 1980 and his literary tastes are very particular — it’s either the canon or nothing. Although he is extraordinarily well-read and runs a Twitter book club demonstrating this, his take on modern literature is harsh. When someone asked him what quality literature has come out in the last 10 years, he replied:
NormsBookClub @NormsBookClub

none
8:30 PM - 20 Oct 2012

So, which writer wants to be the first guest? Anyone?

I can’t see the stodgy, cautious CBC taking a risk on Macdonald, but imagine if they threw caution to the wind and gave him the job? One thing for sure, we’d forget about Jian Ghomeshi pretty quickly.

Update: Macdonald has deleted his tweet and many of the supportive retweets. What does it mean? Your guess is as good as mine.
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby Tom Jeffries » Tue Nov 04, 2014 2:40 pm

I would suggest that the Q moniker is now radioactive and will be gone.

The more details that emerge, bring me to one question.

When did CBC know that Mr. Ghomeshi was allegedly pursuing his particular habit?

IF they knew for a long time that Interns from Universities and female co-workers were bringing complaints and they did nothing, it's going to be a real mess.

Right now there are a lot of RCMP looking under every rock at CBC.

This is really a story that makes me feel very angry on many levels. The most obvious would be that some people might think that the men in radio act like knuckle dragging idiots, among our female cohort.

I was lucky to work with a TON of talented and wonderful women, and I never saw any evidence of my male co-workers acting like jerks.

At one point, CFUN had a young woman named Heidi Sorenson, working in Accounting - who went on to become a Playboy Centrefold - every guy on staff was a gentleman, as far as I knew.

I applaud the women that have come forward with allegations against Ghomeshi - and now, we'll let our legal system take over and we'll wait.
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby Tom Jeffries » Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:34 pm

Rick Mercer sat in on the Q today - so I guess I muffed that one.

Good choice. Mercer has 'da chops.
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby PicturesForYourEars » Tue Nov 04, 2014 9:20 pm

I nominate Drex.


.
...LEFT PLACES I SHOULDA STAYED,
STAYED PLACES I SHOULDA LEFT...
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby J Kendrick » Tue Nov 04, 2014 10:28 pm

I'm a little surprised that no one involved with this "Q" case here in Canada seems to have learned anything from watching the fallout over the past three years surrounding the Jimmy Savile case across the pond at the BBC...
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby Tape Splicer » Tue Nov 04, 2014 11:53 pm

J Kendrick wrote:I'm a little surprised that no one involved with this "Q" case here in Canada seems to have learned anything from watching the fallout over the past three years surrounding the Jimmy Savile case across the pond at the BBC...


Perhaps one of the characters from the British TV series "Judge John Deed" puts it best....
Sir Ian Rochester to Judge John Deed; "We are civil servants, we seldom learn from past mistakes".
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby Tom Jeffries » Thu Nov 06, 2014 12:08 am

Ghomeshi has a high priced female attorney - on the same day a MAN has come forward with a complaint against, Q's former host.

I think they should start on a clean slate - but with their latest decisions at the Corpse making headlines, I am not holding my breath.

This whole story is just a mess.
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby jon » Thu Nov 06, 2014 10:29 am

Tom Jeffries wrote:Ghomeshi has a high priced female attorney

Interesting that he should hire someone who has, reportedly, already declared him Guilty in a public statement:
Ms. Henein reportedly joked about Mr. Ghomeshi at a legal gala last week, saying criminal lawyers represent people who have committed heinous acts, acts of violence, depravity and cruelty, “or as Jian Ghomeshi likes to call it, foreplay.” (National Post)

On the other hand, if she is as good a lawyer as the newspapers say she is, she won't let something like this get in her way.
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Re: Who Will Host Q, or is it dead?

Postby jon » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:13 am

CBC names rapper Shad to replace Jian Ghomeshi as host of Q
By Canadian Press
March 11, 2015 8:16 AM

TORONTO — The CBC has selected rapper Shad to become the new host of its cultural affairs radio show Q, which was helmed by Jian Ghomeshi until he was fired last year.

The broadcaster said on its website that Shad, who is 32 and from London, Ont., was selected after an “exhaustive search” involving more than 200 candidates.

Shad is a multiple Juno-nominated artist who won the 2011 prize for rap recording of the year for his studio album TSOL.

His first full-length release was in 2005 with When This is Over and he broke out with his follow-up The Old Prince, which was nominated for a Polaris Prize. Shad’s most recent release was 2013’s Flying Colours.

The CBC, which said the program will keep its name when it relaunches in mid-April, has been searching for a permanent replacement since it fired Ghomeshi last October.

“Joining the Q team is an honour,” Shad told the CBC late Tuesday. “My mission in music has always been to make a unique and positive contribution to culture and to people’s lives. This is an exciting opportunity to pursue that same mission in a new way, alongside a brilliant, passionate team.”

Cindy Witten, executive director of CBC Radio Talk, said they sought a “good conversationalist who is witty and fast on their feet” and steeped in arts and culture.

“We were looking for someone who is an original thinker, curious and emotionally intelligent,” said Witten in a report posted late Tuesday on the CBC website.

She added that the new show will include more musical performances and will be less structured with a more conversational tone.

The Ghomeshi sexual assault case has been put over until March 27 when a conference between the defence and prosecution will be held before a judge.

Ghomeshi, who has admitted engaging in rough sex but said it was consensual, faces seven counts of sexual assault and one of overcoming resistance by choking.

The alleged assaults for which he is charged occurred between 2002 and 2008.

“It was a difficult time last fall and it is behind us,” said Witten. “We’re excited to introduce Canadians to their new host and a fresh and lively Q.”
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