Rick Mercer Report: The Paperback Book

Rick Mercer is a well-known Canadian comedian, political satirist and news junkie, having co-created and performed on "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" as well as the eponymous "The Rick Mercer Report." One feature of both shows are his 3-4 minute one-camera rants against the Canadian government and parliamentary system. "Rick Mercer Report: The Book" contains a selection of these rants, as well as excerpts from his interviews with politicians. Short comments are also included to tie it all together. Recommended for fans of the RMR, as well those interested in sharp, witty political commentary.

Rick is well-known in Canada as one of the founding members of the irreverent comedy troupe "This Hour has Twenty Minutes". Broadcast on CBC-TV weekly, 22Minutes has developed a loyal following and is one of CBC's most popular shows. A popular segment was Rick's irregular send-up of American people, politics and mores "Talking to Americans", doing interviews with unsuspecting passers-by on the streets of the US. His subsequent comedy special, aptly titled "Talking to Americans", was the highest rated comedy program on CBC. Rick left THTM a few seasons ago, to focus on his own weekly comedy show, "The Rick Mercer Report", to write, and to spearhead SpreadTheNet, a fundraising initiative to distribute mosquito-resistent bed nets in malaria-infected Africa. One of the recurring segments on RMR is Rick's weekly "rant", a 1- to 2-minute monologue usually filmed on the streets of Halifax. Rick's new book ("The Book") is a selection of the best rants, combined with other writings and observations. The book is funny. While reading it, I was often reminded of watching the same rant on the show. I could almost hear Rick's delivery, when I wasn't laughing out loud. For those who wish to 'sample the wares' so to speak, many of the Rick's rants (and other bits) are archived on the CBC website. You can watch them and get a taste for Rick's satirical point of view. Here's a link to one dating from 2004 concerning GWB and WMD: http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/backissues_feb09.html#rant