I attend Ryerson University, a school that has produced journalists who work at the CBC, Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star among many other media. Everyday I enter classes that encourage me to be ruthless but kind, a go getter, thirsty for information and fearless. And although journalism teachers are training students to enter a newsroom floor ready to photograph the inhabitants of a crack house, interview the mother of a murdered child, and cover a dramatic court case; it is also training me to enter the world of entertainment journalism, because there is nothing more cut throat than the entertainment industry.

I love journalism. I respect hard hitting news journalists who cover a gory story without batting an eyelash. I grew up watching 20/20 and was fascinated by the stories of deceit, murder, abuse, and the absurd equally as much as I loved the latest celebrity interview with Barbara Walters. As much as I want to be an entertainment journalist, I still would love to do a little hard-hitting news on the side.

Perusing the shelves of books at Indigo, I came across Bridget Harrison’s memoir Tabloid Love: Looking for Mr. Right in All the Wrong Places. The memoir chronicles the life of Bridge Harrison after she moves to New York City on the exchange program from London. Her four-month gig at the New York Post turns into years when Bridget falls in love with the City That Never Sleeps. The premise of the memoir is about Bridget’s tumultuous dating life in New York, however, the book is really about working as a newspaper reporter. Although Bridget writes a dating column in the Post, she also works as a reporter, traipsing across the city trying to get a scoop. From boiling subway stations to a mother who just lost her son, Bridget must race to get her quote. Just like Barbara Walters’ Audition (which I highly recommend) is actually about her personal life, Bridget Harrison’s Tabloid Love is actually about working as a reporter. Tabloid Love is not a great book. Heck, it’s not even a good book; but for those pursuing a career in journalism, it really gives you a glimpse into that world.

For those pursuing a career in journalism and looking for a medium outside of television and newspaper, there is a fantastic website called MediaStorm. The winner of two Emmys, MediaStorm features incredible audio slideshows. Audio slideshows are photographs to audio edited together in a slideshow, which creates a documentary on various subjects. Founded by the Missouri School of Journalism in 1994 and relaunched in March 2005, MediaStorm pieces have appeared on PBS and the websites for MSNBC, Reuters and NPR. The pieces are an incredible cross between art and journalism and are sure to inspire anyone interested in journalism, photography, film, and documentary.

Documentaries have  been gaining in popularity. Love him or hate him, a lot of that has to do with Michael Moore. While he is biased and not always accurate, Michael Moore has managed to bring documentaries to the mainstream. Although most documentaries have gone under-the-radar, the success of Moore’s films have created more opportunities for other documentary film makers. Capitalism: A Love Story is Moore’s latest film, covering the financial crisis in America.

I love watching the Academy Awards, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the VMAs, and whatever else gets celebrities dressed up and stuffed in one room competing for an award. The main reason award shows bring me such delight is because they are live, the reactions are unplanned, and some major faux-pas always occurs. Remember Faith Hill’s reaction to Carrie Underwood scoring a Country Music Award?

I love to expect the unexpected when it comes to TV shows, which is why I tuned into ABC’s Dating in the Dark. Here are the basics of the show:

• Three men and three women date each other in a dark room. They cannot see a thing!
• Each person picks someone they would like to see in the light.
• When the light shines during the reveal, it only shines on one person at a time. That way, the person being revealed cannot see the other person’s reaction.
• Then, whoever wants to continue spending time together waits on the balcony. But whoever doesn’t want to spend more time together, leaves the house. Usually one person waits on the balcony while the other leaves the house.

I have always been under the impression that men are more shallow than women. While women rave on about personal characteristics, men always seem to discuss how hot a girl is and judge her on the 1-to-10 scale. So it was surprising for me watching Dating in the Dark to discover that I have it all wrong. On this show, it is usually the women that walk away. These women also usually cry, because the only thing revealed in the light is how incredibly shallow they are.

Watching Dating in the Dark revealed that even the people who seem super sweet (“and just looking for love”), can be just as shallow as a country singer furious with losing an award. Because the truth is, just like the women on Dating in the Dark, we are all shallow. Just like Kate Winslet, we all want the approval of our peers (especially in the form of an Academy Award.) Just like Leighton Meester, we all want to be successful in our chosen field (even if it’s hard to schedule late-night show tapings with Cobra Starship thanks to an impossible schedule on Gossip Girl.) And just like Faith Hill, we’re all disappointed when our dreams don’t come true.