First past the RIPOSTE

Justin Trudeau joined the ranks of novice politicos repurposing their best zingers, but did he deploy this one a touch too soon?

the three cocky words in front of Parliament Hill, in response to a lost-in-time question related to the 1970 War Measures Act. In life, the phrase forever hung to him like incense, and in death, it become even more entrenched, as demonstrated by a documentary about the Trudeau generation that borrowed them fpr its title, and a more-lately biography by John English called — you got it — Just Watch Me: The life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968-2000.

Iconic, though, can be a cousin of clichéd ... and, from where I stand, the political prince probably only had one “pass” to parrot dad’s phrase in the current journey he’s on before parachuting right into parody-ville. And this wasn’t the most strategic. A friend of mine echoed the sentiment when she blasted: “Justin Trudeau only gets to use the ‘ Just watch me’ card once. Can’t believe he played it on a ‘ Can you beat Harper?’ question.” On a piece of paper, to boot! “Wasted zinger,” she added. Pulling it out more, I’d argue, would be like Arnold Schwarzenegger mothing “Hasta la vista, baby.” Again. There’s a political parallel, of course: after the Terminator catchphrase became worldfamous, and Arnie went on to rule California, those words became ubiquitous. (It was even one of his parting words to CNN, when he was preparing to leave his role as Governator.)

Then t h e r e’s Clint Eastwood, and his “Go ahead, make my day.” Not only did usurp the line, using it in a political speech of his own, back in 1985, but Eastwood himself then reappropriated it, ending his notorious speech to the 2012 Republic National Convention with those very words.

Justin: please, take heed.

THIS! THAT! The more Viktor & Rolf, the merrier, it turns out. The twin-like Dutch designers will be exhibit A at the Luminato bash in June with a creepycool Dolls exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum, but the avant-garde-ists will first make a more emphatically fashion stop at The Room, in Toronto, for a party happening in their honour, mid-April.

Mr. ClaireDanes, a.k.a. Hugh Dancy, was spotted here this week making a cell call in front of the Drake General Store, on Yonge, overheard making a mysterious reference to the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.

With friends like these, who needs — oh, never mind. Non-shrinking-violet Piers Morgan laid out the CNN carpet for BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins the other night, giving the German from Canada an opportunity to make the case for the new Z10. With Reims hitting most of the same rah-rah-rah notes that he’s been hitting during his recent press tour (including taking the opportunity to bash Apple), Morgan reaffirmed his own BlackBerry loyalty, while also lamenting that his own two teenage sons had “recently defected.”

THAT! THIS! Have Instagram, will travel: Rihanna took the opportunity in T.O. this week to trot out pics to the world of her suite at the Soho Metropolitan. Meanwhile, spotted at her concerts this week at the ACC were some pretty famous faces: both old friend Drake and local darling Rachel McAdams.

Parties galore for World Mastercard Fashion Week, unspooling this week, as evidenced by a Holt’s blowout that got things going on Monday (which drew small-screen beauty Kristin Kreuk + dynastic ambassador Alexandra Weston + have-to-work-thenext-day pros like CBC chieftess Kirstine Stewart + scenemaking cutie-pies like Zane Aburaneh, Jeremy Laing, Odessa Paloma Parker, Jesse Giddings and Kealen Sullivan).

“On Hallowe’en, you’d go to Lucille Ball’s house,” recalls the indomitable Shirley Douglas, going down memory rue in the new Hello! Canada about the years she spent in L.A. with then-husband Donald Sutherland and her young children.

Jeannette Walls produced gasps in Toronto this week, alright, when she confirmed the news during a talk at Roy Thomson Hall, that Jennifer Lawrence will indeed play the lead in a film adaptation of her mega-best-selling memoir, The Glass House.

Weekend Post sgovani@nationalpost.com