Rick Mercer Report
Rick Mercer Report | |
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Rick Mercer Report logo | |
Created by | Rick Mercer Gerald Lunz |
Starring | Rick Mercer |
Country of origin | Canada |
No. of episodes | 4th Season |
Production | |
Running time | 22-23 Minutes |
Original release | |
Network | CBC |
Release | January 12th, 2004 – Present |
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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.
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 popularised 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 demonstating how to boost a car's battery.
Memorable Moments
Some memorable moments from the series include:
- Pierre Berton demonstrating how to roll a joint
- A visit to 24 Sussex Drive, where Mercer carved pumpkins with Paul Martin
- A modernised 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 Liberal Candidate Bob Rae.
- Another visit to 24 Sussex Drive, where Mercer spent the night with Stephen Harper and his family
Notable Guests
Several notable Canadian celebrities and politicians have appeared on the show, including:
- Actors
- Authors
- Comedians
- Musicians
- Jann Arden
- Ronnie Hawkins
- Geddy Lee and Neil Peart of Rush
- Bif Naked
- Chris Murphy of Sloan
- Randy Bachman of BTO and The Guess Who
- Politicians
- Paul Martin
- Sheila Copps
- Belinda Stronach
- Helena Guergis
- Ruby Dhalla
- Peter Milliken
- Scott Brison
- Stockwell Day
- Ed Broadbent
- Ralph Klein
- Stephen Harper
- Stéphane Dion
- Justin Trudeau
- Chuck Strahl
- Elizabeth May
- Sports/Athletes
- Television Celebrities
Production Details
Rick Mercer Report is produced by Island Edge Inc and the CBC.
Starting with Season 3, The Rick Mercer Report is presented in HDTV. (The Royal Canadian Air Farce switched to HDTV at the same time)
In October 2006 the Comedy Network began showing reruns of the Rick Mercer Report