One of the most comical situations this week has been the meeting of two presenters who are the paradigm of manipulation and entanglement: Pablo Motos invited Sonsoles Ónega to present her new book on El hormiguero. During the conversation, Motos asked her about the VAT on books and she complained that it was 21%, considering that if it were lower she would sell more books and people would read more. Both presenters criticized that the VAT on books was the same as that on cigarette packs. “The VAT on books should not exist if you want a cultured country”, said Motos, and they hinted at the possibility of campaigning for the government to reduce it, pointing to Pedro Sánchez as responsible. “What happens is that the president of the government is in China, but well, he will get there eventually...”, said the ant tamer.Neither Motos nor Ónega knew that, in reality, the VAT on books is 4%, and the next day both had to correct themselves on their programs. Motos corrected himself hastily, blaming the guest: “Sonsoles Ónega proposed to the team that we talk about the VAT on books. We said yes and nobody checked the data”. That this slip-up with the VAT on books happened in the context of Atresmedia is very significant, considering that the group has Grupo Planeta as its main shareholder, one of the major players in the publishing industry. It must have caused internal tensions that, within the same business ecosystem, such a basic error about the sector has been spread. It highlights the lack of knowledge of the cultural industry within the same conglomerate. Ónega, affected, was undergoing therapy with psychologist Rafael Santandreu, taking advantage of having him as a guest: “I beat myself up. I’ve been anxious all day, Dr. Santandreu, for not having confirmed the data. I apologize. I did it without any intention of misinforming or manipulating”, she assured. And she asked the “doc” for advice on how to overcome the ordeal. Santandreu consoled her with the argument that he had sold more than a million books and also did not know the percentage of the tax. He reassured her with his usual fallacies: that to not worry, he only had to want to do so and that one mistake cannot overshadow all the good you can do. Using his simplistic explanations, he appealed to the “virus of terribilitis” as a mechanism to overstate concerns. Ónega thanked him for the good advice and moved on to more consultations for the “doc”.The chain of blunders is fascinating. They are wrong about the VAT on books in a company mostly owned by one of the major publishing groups. Ónega, to get over the upset, was having therapy, calling "doctor" a guest who is neither a doctor nor has a doctorate in anything. And the psychologist, instead of denying it, legitimized his authority by appealing to the sale of more than a million books. Luckily, the presenters called for "a more cultured country."

Last Thursday, Marc Giró went to have fun on El hormiguero to promote the premiere of his next program on La Sexta. The one who didn't have such a good time was Pablo Motos, who after a few minutes already seemed to regret the meeting. Giró appeared on the set like a miura when they open the corral gates in San Fermín. The impact of the hug was an allegory of how much Pablo Motos would end up suffocated by the intensity of the guest. Giró's charges, intentional and disguised as theatricality, served to warn that he was willing to drown out any proclamation that is made on this program.Giró entered with overflowing joy but launching preemptive attacks to mark territory. As soon as he sat down, he compared the guests' past to a gay sauna. “I didn't know Atresmedia was so faggoty, please!” Giró resorted to a metaphor that, at first, Motos liked: “The two Spains are together here! What Arturo Pérez-Reverte hasn't achieved with Uclés, you have achieved with me! Because you are a seducer!” Giró has the savoir-faire of the most trained aristocracy: he even knows how to joke with the least sympathetic interlocutor. He appealed to the supposed “fascists of El hormiguero” as a rumor. “I haven't met any yet! I have a desire to meet the famous fascist of El hormiguero!” Giró repeatedly invoked the fascists of Atresmedia as if they were a legend or ghosts that needed to be checked if they really existed. Motos was so disoriented and uncomfortable, speechless, that the plush ants appeared ahead of time from under the table to help him deal with this beast that was challenging them. The rag dolls didn't get their play right either. As soon as they poked their heads out, Giró greeted the ants by recalling a colleague who arrived at work one morning explaining that she had fucked a program ant. Motos was in shock at a guest who spent more time promoting anal sex than the program he is to premiere after Easter. “What did you want to ask me about Pedro Sánchez?”, Giró forced, exhibiting his fervor for the Spanish president, and aware that he was breaking with the ideological purpose ofEl hormiguero: “You are very subtle with Pedro Sánchez and very not subtle with the far-right!” In front of a Motos in a state of shock, an ant had to come out to announce that “on this program we are all against fascism”. It's curious that a program needs to emphasize it for it to be clear.Giró displayed all his potential as a showmanand proved the success of his signing. In passing, it seemed that Giró, with his repertoire of incisive comments on politics and sexuality, was checking on air the limits of Atresmedia's tolerance and the margin he has to express himself. A very symptomatic fact, however, was the practical disappearance of the fervent claque of the program's audience. The applause, with Marc Giró, was not activated much. And more than a casual fact, it should be interpreted, between the lines, as a warning.

On Thursday, Pablo Motos invited El Xokas to The AnthillThe character is a successful content creator on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. He is known for reacting to all kinds of news and popular debates with aggressive and controversial speeches to hook and polarize the audience. His violent, boastful, and petty rhetoric stimulates users' attention. Xokas became famous, among other outrageous things, for praising a friend's strategy for going out partying and intercepting intoxicated girls.A star" either "a fucking pro"These were some of the expressions of admiration she used to legitimize the most blatant rape culture. In fact, some of her theories about contemporary society are rooted in the most flagrant structural sexism."

When Christmas arrives, people take out their Tió de Nadal (a traditional Catalan Christmas log) and Christmas tree. On Antena 3, however, they showcase Cristina Pedroche to promote the New Year's Eve broadcast. It's not an innocent tradition, because the message it hides is increasingly harmful.

This time Rosalía has prioritized The revolt and not The anthill. A clear statement of principles. Whether they like it or not, the two rival programs have ended up becoming symbolic options. Pablo Motos has favored such a pronounced ideological leaning to the right, and beyond, that Broncano has become, by contrast, the cool left. The revolt, an overrated program, based on the laziness and supposed sympathy of alpha males, sells an appearance of naturalness, humility and transparency to the point that the stage has ended up looking like an improvised cleaning point. The anthill It's the relentless, competitive machine, operating with the precision of an army. It represents glamour and the "nothing can be said anymore" attitude. Rosalía could choose. Her enormous power, with a capital P. patronessIt frees her from any servitude. With her, media blackmail to guarantee promotion loses all meaning. It was where she was excited, on the TV program she watches and where she sees people she likes.

On Tuesday, Pablo Motos interviewed Nacho Cano in The Anthill to promote his show. But it wasn't exactly the musical side of things that interested the host. Aware of the artist's ideologically delusional trajectory, he wanted him to talk about political issues. Furthermore, the Mecano member knew perfectly well that with the plush ants he'd find the perfect environment to unleash his conspiracy theories, and he already entered the set with a mysterious book under his arm. The show has become just that: a hotbed of characters unleashing their reactionary side against Pedro Sánchez. The Anthill It serves Motos to enhance this idea of a community oppressed by the absurdity woke.

Of the great gallant that William Levy appeared to be in the Latin American novel Coffee with the aroma of a woman (Netflix), has turned out to be an actor with pending court dates. The Cuban-born actor explained on Monday in The anthill Something that had occurred in April, when it was revealed that he had been arrested in Florida. His arrest made headlines in the United States and Europe, but until now the actor had not explained how he had personally experienced the black mark on his record.

This week, two of the broadcasts ofThe anthill They have become the most-watched programs of the day in Spain. On Tuesday, with Miguel Ángel Revilla, it reached more than 2,200,000 viewers. And the following day, Wednesday, Felipe González surpassed that figure, with more than 2,300,000. It's hard to understand these results considering the verbosity of the two protagonists is unbearable. And even more so in a supposedly family-friendly format. Both guests have become regular visitors due to their ability to effortlessly break the audience ratings. There's a disturbing fact about how they both communicate on this program: when they speak, they look at the audience in the stands more than at Pablo Motos. Their speeches are more suited to a rally or a public speech than a conversation.

Five months ago La Sexta broadcast a report in Research team titled Bosé, the denier in which they delved into the degeneration of Miguel Bosé's public discourse, obsessed with spreading all kinds of conspiracy theories. They also denounced the singer's collaborations with disqualified doctors and healers. public.

On Tuesday, actress Karla Sofía Gascón returned to The anthill Four months after their first visit, the reunion between the presenter and the guest was radically different from the relationship they established on the first day. The change in attitude on both sides had a clear trigger: the scandal of the actress's xenophobic, Islamophobic, anti-Catalan, and classist tweets that affected her image days before the Oscars gala.

Pablo Alborán made an unexpected confession this year in The anthillAlthough the singer from Malaga was going to the program Pablo Motos to present new music, he decided to share for the first time the reason why he was away from the stage some time ago: "I need to tell it." The reality is that, during what was believed to be a break, the artist was accompanying a very close relative in a process of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.