Audio By Carbonatix
Eight perfect hours on a Sunday for most: coffee, newspaper, beach-lounging, museum or a movie.
Hugo Chavéz’s eight perfect hours on a Sunday: talking.
That’s right, the Venezuelan president set an 8-hour record with his most recent weekly Aló Presidente program (No. 295), a TV marathon that stretched from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. last Sunday. The Guardian reported that Chavéz rarely referred to notes and it was largely a one-man show. (He didn’t feature any special guests but did name-drop by a meeting planned Monday with Kevin Spacey.
To fill the hours, Chavéz added a splash of Sábado Gigante: singing and cracking jokes. And a smidge of social conscience when he called out parents who give daughters breast implants for their 15th birthday. At least, he didn’t use insult gays like another verbose marathon talker. I don’t know if he did. A lot can get said, and lost, in eight hours. —Janine Zeitlin
