>> Guy A. Lepage puts Euro snobs, slippery politicians and phony celebs in their place

Some aspiring movie stars tend bar to make ends meet, while other do temp work, and then there's a select few who consider fronting a top-rated TV show their day job. As the host of the most watched Canadian television program Tout le monde en parle (Everybody's Talking About It), Guy A. Lepage falls under the latter category. When his weekly two-hour talk show shot up to number one the first week it aired in 2004, Lepage became painfully aware that his thriving film career would have to be put on hold indefinitely.

"It was a tough decision," says Lepage, who co-directed and starred in last summer's Québécois blockbuster Camping sauvage. "I knew that continuing my work as an actor and a writer would be very, very hard. Right now, for instance, I'm working on two screenplays, but because of the show I won't get a chance to shoot a movie this summer. So for me it's a little bit sad."

One thing he's not bummed about, though, is being nominated Best TV Personality in our humble rag. "I'm very happy and surprised that they would choose me. That's very cool."

If you're not among the two million people who tune into his interactive mix of arts, news and vino sampling every Sunday on Radio-Canada, then perhaps you remember Lepage from his days in Rock et belles oreilles. Considered by some to be Quebec's answer to Monty Python, the five-man comedy troupe attracted national attention in the early '90s for lampooning a futuristic independent Quebec, where crazed francos torture anglos for sport.

"It was just supposed to be ironic and sort of funny," he says. "Some people got the joke and others didn't. It was a total comedy freak-out and I will always be very proud of that."

As far as being a topnotch host, Lepage admits he's had his share of challenging subjects. "Some European guests can be a handful," says Lepage. "For example, Bianca Jagger - she was always overreacting. She ended up being a decent guest, but she was quite capricious at times. I think when people act that way, it's because they think of Montreal as small and not important, so they decide to play by their own rules."

But as fans can attest, Euro snobs, slippery politicians and phony celebs are quickly put in their place on Tout le monde en parle. "If they're not being sincere, with the tight shots I keep on my guests, viewers will know in about two seconds and 30 frames that he or she is a liar."

» Sarah Rowland

>> The secretive Lounge King and sexy Superagent 69 are on a mission to subvert mainstream radio

"A secret-agent type with Latino appeal, like Connery meets Banderas." That's how the Lounge King, host of an eponymous radio show on Mix 96 (95.9 FM) and strong contender in both the Best Radio Show and Best Radio Host slots, describes himself. And of Superagent 69, host of Atmosphere 69 and ranking figure in the Most Desirable Woman category, he says, "She is young, sexy, beautiful, and my inseparable top friend, lover and protector."

Hardly the chummy goofball personalities one usually hears on the radio. But then, the two Sunday-night shows (The Lounge King Show: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Atmosphere 69:

10 p.m. to 11 p.m.) aren't your regular radio fare. Originally on air in his native Mexico starting in 1997, the Lounge King debuted on Montreal's airwaves in October 2002, quickly building a following for his "mix of new lounge beats, nü jazz, '60s grooves, novelty tunes and the occasional foray into Rat Pack territory, space-age and exotica."

Atmosphere 69 soon followed, with the sultry Parisian hostess spinning a "musical therapy" mix of chillout, trip hop, ambient, soft house and world beat - the neo to the Lounge King's retro. And after years of vanquishing evil geniuses and sinister spies, the international man-and-maiden of mystery have some world-domination plans of their own. "By updating the meaning of lounge culture," muses the Lounge King, "bringing it into the 21st century and providing it with an ongoing outlet, we hope to reach an ever-growing group of lounge lizards in cities throughout the country."

» Rupert Bottenberg