If you could dine with any CBC personality (radio or TV) who would you choose?*
I’m having trouble narrowing it down and would love your two cents on the subject.
1. Mark Kelley – The nicest guy on the news. I will never forget his broadcast on 9/11. Calm, thoughtful, personable … he was the one behind the desk as the towers went down. He knows how to talk to people and spin a good yarn. Wouldn’t he make a great dinner guest? I wonder what stories he’d share.
2. Peter Mansbridge– I watch The National on most nights, timeshifting between 9 or 10 depending on how my evening is going. I trust Peter to give me the goods. And I bet he knows his salad fork from his dinner fork. I’d like to ask him what it was like being discovered at the airport in Churchill, Manitoba.
3. Jian Ghomeshi is host of Q, one of my favourite radio programs. I have a love for arts and culture, so no dinner would be complete without Jian. He’s informed, funny, insightful … and passionate about the country in which we live. He’s famous for his handling of Billy Bob Thornton, an interview that is cringeworthy yet nothing short of amazing. See the horror unfold here. It was a radio coup – worth a gander if you haven’t seen it (but I honestly can’t listen to it anymore because it is SO painful it hurts).
4. Rich Terfy – is the host of Radio 2 Drive, which has become my new favourite on Ottawa radio. He has a voice that can melt the polar icecaps and is entirely to blame for global warming.
5. Rex Murphy – Rex is smart. And funny. And he has a way of cutting to the heart of every issue he takes on. Have you ever read his column in the Globe and Mail? The man never wastes a word. And I bet he’s great dinner guest. What would Rex would bring as a hostess gift?
I told Mark about my list the other day and he immediately remarked upon its lack of women. I pointed out that I would have invited Wendy Mesley (she’s my hero, and I love her on Marketplace) but I doubt she’d want to be in the same room as Peter. There is also Anna Maria Tremonti, the host of The Current. She is hard-hitting and no-nonsense, but on second thought, the thought of making dinner conversation with her makes me kind of scared. What if I got some parsley stuck in my teeth or said something totally dim?
What do you think? Who would you like to have over for dinner?
* I would only agree to do break bread with these folks if it the dinner was NOT based in my home. Oh, I couldn’t bear the stress of roasting a bird for broadcast journalists. It would have take place a very good local restaurant. Do you think Rich likes Indian food?
