Two weeklong competitions that won't exactly determine the fate of the world

But that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining, right?

This week there are two competitions that unfolding. One is rather highbrow and literary, the other is, er... not so much.

Let's start with the literary: for the fifth year in a row the Ceeb is airing Canada Reads. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the format, it is pretty simple: five Canadians each choose a book that they think the entire country should read. Over five days they debate the merits of their picks and each day the panellists vote off a book until they get a winner. Simple enough. There are always some very interesting arguments and even though I haven't read any of the books on this year's list I am still curious to see how it all unfolds. I watched it religiously last year and really got into it. This year is shaping up to be just as good. Today, Scott Thompson's pick was the first to get the boot after John K Samson broke a tie. Very dramatic indeed. My pick for the winner is Joseph Boyden's Three Day Road.

The other competition is more mindless entertainment than anything else, at least I hope it will be entertaining, but I am still intrigued. I can imagine a television exec thinking out loud: "Dancing with the Stars was pretty successful. We increased the chances of personal injury by having them doing pairs figure skating...what next?" I'll tell you what's next - Celebrity Cooking Showdown, that's what's next. What other show offers the possibilities of a b-list celeb getting scalded and potentially losing a finger or two? I missed the first episode yesterday but am gonna watch it right now... Alan Thicke is hosting and P-Diddy is a producer. It is undoubtedly going to be a trainwreck.
rgsc