As the holiday season approaches, La Presse is doing their annual thing and putting its vedettes up for rent in an auction.
The lots are familiar to those who have witnessed this stunt the past few years: Yves Boisvert, Serge Chapleau, Marie-Claude Lortie and others propose some activity related to their specialty. Patrick Lagacé also offers to let you shadow him for a day, but he’ll let just about anyone spend time with him for free.
And Paul Journet, despite coming in dead last in 2009, is willing to put his pride on the line again, proposing a trip to the golf course.
I’m sad to say that I won’t be able to revive my Anyone But Foglia campaign this year since the star columnist doesn’t feature among the 11 lots. This is most unfortunate, because we cannot defeat him if he doesn’t participate. It’s like going to the Stanley Cup final and the other team forfeits. That’s not fun at all.
So who can we use our money to defeat this time? Alain de Repentigny came in second last year, and this year is offering the upcoming U2 concert, which is pretty enticing.
Or maybe we can just use our money for good instead of evil. Put it all on Paul Journet. Make his Christmas a happy one for once.
UPDATE: It’s over, with $34,161 raised. The results:
- Émilie Côté: $1,000
- Éric Clément: $1,100
- Paul Journet: $1,250
- Alain De Repentigny: $1,600
- Nos 3 directeurs: $1,700
- Patrick Lagacé: $1,850
- Bernard Brault: $2,200
- Serge Chapleau: $2,500
- Marie-Claude Lortie: $3,000
- Sophie Cousineau: $3,901
- Yves Boisvert: $4,025
- Canadien: $5,200
It’s Michel C. Auger-tastic!
Radio-Canada is also doing a similar event, auctioning off cool people and/or cool things, including some time with Joyce Napier and Michel C. Auger, or an autographed Canadiens jersey. Or you can go winter biking with Emmanuel Bilodeau.
The choice is yours. But this is the one time during the year that you can help some needy people and give journalists a rare indication that people actually care about them.
We’ll take your spare change too
If the auctions are a bit too expensive for you, the Grande Guignolée des médias is coming on Dec. 2. And, of course, there’s always the Gazette Christmas Fund, which is bombarding you with stories of the people it’s helping until you either open your wallets or acknowledge that your heart is dead and that little bit of soul left in you has long ago bitten the dust.
Is that the one who talks about politics or the one who got shot?
It’s the one who talks politics on Radio-Canada TV. The other one is Michel “no middle initial” Auger, who’s retired from the Journal de Montréal.
That would be Michel Auger and he covered the crime beat, especially bikers and mafia.
According to the Wikipedia articles in French and in English http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Auger Michel Auger is the one who got shot, hence Michel C Auger the political analyst. I remember the march after Auger was shot, very moving, kind of thing my friends in Sicily would tell me about (for example when the journalist Giuseppe Fava was murdered by the Mafia, but also for the two murdered judges).
Those look like fun prizes, there really are activities for a variety of tastes – I want to meet the animals! – though I’d never have enough money to win any of them (and I’m not remotely interested in golf). Steve, I could get microlocal and remind you of the food and $$$ drives organised by La Maison du quartier Villeray and other local groups.
Back in the dark ages, a friend who was a journalist at the Gazette, perhaps before Steve was born, or when he was a wee tot, subverted the “Christmas poor” stories by writing about a low-wage worker who was involved in a unionization drive to improve her lot and those of her coworkers. I hope SOMEONE comes up for some kind of compensation for the poor migrant workers who got shafted in Ontario – they are going home to Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad with empty pockets. Some have children who will have to drop out of specialized or higher education. Grrr – trying to think happier thoughts.
I have one – how about auctioning off A DAY WITH FAGSTEIN? – and telling us what charity you are earmarking the take for.
I’m pretty sure such an auction wouldn’t raise enough money to pay for postage.
Besides, I don’t think even I would want to spend a day with me.
Even in your Rue Frontenac thong?
I think people would pay good money to not see me in that.
please, please, let me win Mitsou.