04-10-2014

Éric Salvail is the host of the light-hearted evening talk/variety television show “En mode Salvail”, broadcast on the “V” television network.   It’s filmed in front of a live studio audience, and has a feel much like other late-night talk formats elsewhere in North America.   The show is going into its second year this season.

En mode Salvail generally starts off with a comedic bang, often in the streets of Montréal, and often with a “prank”, “gag” or event which draws in unexpected pedestrians.   For example, the last couple of shows involved setting up a mini-version of the show’s studios being shrunk and squeezed into a couple of shipping containers placed in a public square.  Individuals from the public, oblivious to what was happening, walked inside to find a crowd cheering for them, and then being seated for a one-on-one interview with Salvail as guests of honour.   Another recent episode saw Les trois accords give a concert from an open-topped double-decker bus, driving around Montréal, catching everyone off guard.

After the whacky, comedic openings, the interview show begins, and usually runs anywhere with 2 to 5 celebrities being interviewed.    Éric Salvail generally doesn’t go into controversial or “deep” interviews with his guest (it’s a show which keeps a style similar to Pénélope McQuade rather than Tout le monde en parle or Bazzo TV).

Salvail also takes on other roles in other media programs or platforms.   He did a televised stand-up comedy act at the last Le Grand Rire de Québec (along with Véronique Cloutier and Louis Morissette), he has hosted other variety television shows in the past (as well as having appeared in a good many other programs hosted by other celebrities).   At the onset, he made a name for himself in radio in and around Montréal about 15 years ago.

Despite having been on the Montréwood scene for a good number of years, he is still quite young, his two last talk shows have become quite popular, and I’m sure he’ll be one of those standing centre in Montréwood for years to come.

Even if you don’t have time to watch full episodes of En mode Salvail, or if your cable distributor does not carry the private “V” television network, it’s still worth checking out the comedic show openings online on “V’s” official website by clicking HERE (you can chose which episode and what part of the episode you want to watch by clicking options under the section entitled Invités de la semaine half way down the page in the right margin)..

Have fun!

ADDENDUM 2015-02-10

Salvail has begun a new celebrity cooking program on V, in which he cooks with celebrities.  The show has only aired once, but recorded programs already include people spoken about in this blog, such as Guylaine Tremblay, Louis-José Houde, Xavier Dolan, and Lise Dion.  They do shooters as they cook, they laugh, joke, and make love…  (kidding – they don’t make love, but they do all the rest, including on-air shooters.  But with that said, if they keep doing shooters at the rate we’re seeing, the love-making could very well follow 😉 ).   Il va sans dire que quelqu’un dans la salle semble être en train d’abattre le brouillard!