Live Hour - charisma with low pants

For non-Canadians The Hour is a news/current affairs/local interest interview-format television program produced by the CBC (the Canadian version of the Aussie ABC, or English BBC) hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos (try saying that quickly when you've had a few).

Anyway, yesterday I had the opportunity to be part of the studio audience for a taping of the show.

My housemate and I watch the program on a semi-regular basis. It's one of the few shows that has a host who is actually roughly our age, who acts our age, not pretending to be a teenager and not prematurely acting like they are 50. Fabulous!

For the most part we enjoy the show but our constant bug bear is George's pants (hmm... that sounds a bit unintentionally risqué, keep reading). His pants irritate us both profoundly because he always wears them soooooo low. We have been known to call out to the television 'Georgie Baby.. pull up your pants'.

Therefore, I should confess that one of the motivations for us deciding to be a part of the studio audience was a pact to tell George to do something about his trousers.

Unfortunately we were unlucky and the taping did not include any live interviews but I enjoyed myself anyway watching the taped material; I actually forgot where I was and found myself thinking "Yippee, no ads"; yes, I am an idiot. The content regardless was varied, intelligent and interesting.

Back to the pact. Despite our determination to save George from his own pants but we just couldn't do it.

It's true there was at least 15cm of material descending towards his knees, and that the pockets of his jeans weren't even on his butt but we remained silent. Ok, so I did point, motion and giggle, but the point is that I didn't say anything.

Why? George is surprisingly charismatic. I've met other 'public figure' type people and have seen them 'turn it on' for their public, but I have always been quite aware of it and found it gratingly fake. However, I must admit that George is very, very good at what he does. He makes you feel comfortable and like you actually know him like a friend, which is utterly ridiculous, but it happens. He is one polished, professional dude who was obviously made to be doing what he does.

So, Mr. Charisma Georgie Baby, I still desperately want you to do something about the trousers, but hats off, I was impressed.