Some 'Lost' Tidbits

OK fellow “Losties,” all we have to do now is get through the holidays, and then we can start drooling in anticipation of the sixth and final season of “Lost.”
Since the fifth season ended last May with Juliet setting off the H Bomb, we have waited in anticipation to find out if her “ploy” worked. (As if setting off an H Bomb would ever just be a “ploy,” but to addicted “Lost” fans the move made perfect sense.)
Now over five months have passed, and I decided to conduct a little research in an effort to discover any clues about the coming season. Lo and behold, I found a recent interview with “Lost” executive producer Damon Lindelof, in which he revealed a few tidbits that I thought it important to pass on to you guys.
Moreover, at a Q and A at the recent Comic.Con, Lindelof and fellow exec producer Carlton Cuse also revealed some additional facts related to the coming season
But before passing on these reveals, I first have to relate a fascinating “Lost” –“True Blood” factoid that my research uncovered. And that is that Carrie Preston, who played Sookie’s friend and fellow Merlot’s waitress, Arlene Fowler, is married in real life to Michael Emerson, who plays my favorite character Benjamin Linus on “Lost.” But what is even more interesting is the fact that Carrie also appeared on “Lost,” as Ben’s mother, Emily, who in a flashback died shortly after giving birth to baby Ben!
How about that?
Anyway, here’s what I discovered:
* ABC has yet to announce when season six will begin. But Lindelof said that it would have to be in mid-January, as there will be 16 episodes that must conclude during the May sweeps. They are filming a total of 18 hours, as the premiere and final episode will both be two hours in length.
* This season will definitely be the end of the “Lost” saga. There will be no movie, spin off show, or reunion show. The “Lost” story will be concluded this May and Lindelof assures everyone that all the questions that people have about the show will be answered.
* When asked if the show’s ending is what they originally planned, Lindelof replied “Yes, the actual ending ending is exactly the same as we'd always planned on it being, except we didn't know if we were going to get there after two seasons, four seasons or after six seasons, so the road to the ending has had to change significantly.”
* He was reluctant to answer questions about specific characters, but he did say that pilot Frank Lapidus will be a main character this season.
* At Comic.Con, Lindelof and Cuse assured questioners that both Juliet and Daniel Faraday will “appear” in season six. Of course that doesn’t mean that they will be alive in the present; then again, when or where the “present” is on “Lost” are not simple questions.
* They added that the mysterious Richard Alpert’s back story will be revealed.
* Very interestingly, the producers said that the Dharma Initiative will NOT be the focus of this season. This must indicate that the H Bomb did destroy the Dharmas…I guess.
* Lindelof mentioned that certain external circumstances beyond the producers’ control have played a role in some plot developments. He cited as examples the fact that Walt’s character’s role had to be limited because the child actor playing him was growing so fast. And that Mr. Eko had to be written out of the show because the actor playing him did not feel at home in Hawaii.
* One character who according to Lindelof has played a “significant role” on the show but was not a series regular will not be in season six because he or she just did not want to return.
* As for the numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) that I am sure many of us have played in various lotteries, Lindelof said that in the final season they “would be enormously remiss if we were to not evaluate the numbers and their significance.
Well, that’s about all the dirt I could dig up. Now we just have to “fast forward” ourselves past Thanksgiving, Xmas, and New Years, so we can catch the final “Lost” season.
I can hardly wait.

Kate's Interview: A Farewell, An Interview, or Both?

Last night Kate Gosselin sat by herself on a “love seat” (hmmm) and answered “any and all reasonable questions” from viewers.
In all probability the one hour TLC “special,” was actually the final episode of the five season run of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” Ironically for a show that has received as much hype and attention as any reality show in the history of television, the series ended “not with a bang but a whimper.”
Although there has been no official announcement from TLC execs, the planned spinoff series titled just “Kate Plus 8” will not return next week as originally scheduled, since Jon has exercised his parental rights to halt any further taping of his eight children.
For those of you who still want to watch cutesy shows about the kids visiting horse farms and petting zoos (and there aren't too many of you left), there is still a chance that the show will be continued in the future, pending the results of a breach of contract suit that TLC has filed against Jon.
But I wouldn't hold my breath, though I am sure that “Jon & Kate Plus 8” reruns will continue for years to come…as long as the ratings hold up.
In all probability last night's Kate interview was really an audition by Kate for her own talk show. And Kate somewhat confirmed that prospect. When asked about her future career plans, since she certainly needs a large income stream to support her eight kids and the upkeep for their million dollar estate, Kate played down any possible return to her former nursing career.
I guess not too many single nurses can afford the staff it takes to run an estate, let alone to feed eight growing children.
So Kate plans to remain in the celebrity spotlight, though throughout the show she certain did not hide her disdain for the paparazzi and the gossip magazines and television shows that hire them.
No, Kate wants to continue in television, stating "I've done enough years on TV that I feel like it's a normal, comfortable, natural place to be." Of course TLC is not about to lose the person who almost single handedly put the channel on the map.
And supposedly a Kate Gosselin talk show is well in the works. Look out Ellen and Oprah!
But like many television “stars,” Kate also stated that she would like to move on to the silver screen and make movies. How about casting her in a modern day remake of Shakespeare's “Taming of the Shrew?” (Sorry Kate fans, my fingers just typed that suggestion, I could not stop them.)
Kate added that she would also like to be a voice for a cartoon character in an animated movie for her kids. How about the Sea Witch Ursula in a new version of “The Little Mermaid?” (Whoops, there go my fingers again.)
Kate answered a bunch of other questions from viewers with all the right answers. To summarize, yes the kids are doing great and are very happy. No, the taping over the years has not harmed them in any way. Yes, there is plenty of money already put away for the children's education needs. Yes, we still love the dogs we adopted, though we had to return them to the kennel, but we hope to get them back someday. Yes, I like my current hairstyle, but (big announcement!) I am considering making some changes. I can't help it; I have developed an addiction to wearing high heels. Yes, I do flip out at times, but what mother of five or more children doesn't?
And yes, a year ago when she and Jon and the kids got a free trip to Hawaii to renew their wedding vows, it wasn't just a stunt, as they meant every word of the vows, and anyway the kids really enjoyed the trip.
Finally, her answer to the question about ever getting married again was especially poignant and demonstrated Kate's ability to double talk.
"To be honest, I don't know," she said when asked by a viewer. "I really don't want to be married again, but I don't want to be alone. The alone-ness is really alone."
I think she will make a fine actress.
It should be noted that there were no viewers' questions about Jon and the all the scandals that have been reported over the past year, or basically since they “meaningfully” renewed their wedding vows.
After all such questions were probably not deemed “reasonable.”

Has Larry David Become Too Obnoxious?

Well, LD, you have managed to “curb my enthusiasm” for “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
And I feel betrayed. Earlier this year I proclaimed “Curb Your Enthusiasm” my all-time favorite sitcom, and I praised to the hilt the episode titled “The Reunion,” in which Larry got the Seinfeld cast back together for a mock reunion.
But the past three episodes, including last night's “The Bare Midriff,” were in combination the worse sequence of shows in “Curb's” seven year run.
Dare I say that “Curb” has “jumped the shark?”
I hope not, because I really love the show and the characters. And the concept of the upcoming mock Seinfeld reunion is still a wonderful one. The scenes in last night's episode in which Larry is verbally sparring with Jerry Seinfeld were funny and made a fan such as I wonder how brilliant the two of them must have been when putting together the original “Seinfeld” series. It was almost like pulling back the curtain so the rest of us could take a peek to see how Larry and Jerry worked their magic during the 90s.
And I like the building plot twist with ex-wife Cheryl being told by Larry that she has the part of George's ex-wife in the Seinfeld reunion, although Larry told Jerry she is just auditioning for the part. It resulted in some of Larry's best verbal scuffling.
BUT (and you know what it means when the word “but” is capitalized), almost every plot twist and turn in the past three episodes that has nothing to do with the Seinfeld reunion has seemed like filler, just tossed into the script without any creative thinking.
Now Larry has always come across as an “a-hole,” making verbal mountains out of mole hills. His overreacting to the commonplace nuisances of life (and people's overreactions to his reactions) has always formed the meat and potatoes of the humor of “Curb.”
Incidents like not having enough change to get out of a parking lot or not want to give candy to teen age girls not wearing Halloween costumes, or being annoyed when he discovers that a friend lied when claiming his ancestor invented the Cobb salad were hysterical twists on the absurdities of life that confront us all.
How many times have you found yourself in similar annoying situations and remarked “this is like a Larry David scene?” I have countless times. And while Larry's reactions often seemed a bit over the top, they were still reactions to which I could easily relate. Often I have wished that I had Larry's nerve to tell off an obnoxiously pushy salesperson or to complain out loud when I show up at a doctor's office on time and am kept waiting for over an hour.
But in the past several episodes (in the non-Seinfeld scenes) Larry's obnoxiousness has gone too far, even by his standards. Interrupting Jeff and Susie Greene's daughter Sammy who was singing at the Danson's anniversary party, or also interrupting the opera singer at the Italian restaurant, or insisting that his doctor give Larry his home number, or pushing a woman in a wheelchair into a closet, or wrestling Rosie O'Donnell to the floor in a fight over a check, or urinating so hard that the backsplash landed on a picture of Jesus and not bothering to wipe it off.
Most importantly, such scenes were not even mildly amusing.
And being pulled over by a policeman for taking too many napkins from an Italian take out restaurant was also a plot line that was just too absurd, even for “Curb.” (Though I will admit that I laughed out loud when viewing the police lineup, the restaurateur could distinguish between men who were bald with glasses, but not between men of different races.)
But overall, Larry's antics have not been those of the loveable curmudgeon of previous seasons. Perhaps he is intentionally trying to point out that without wife Cheryl to keep him in check, the loveable Larry goes too far and becomes just a purely, obnoxious Larry.
I hope that's the case, and I will continue to watch the show, also hoping that the remainder of the season focuses more on the Seinfeld reunion than the inane goings on of the past three episodes.
After all, the brilliance of the previous six seasons earns Larry my continued faithful viewing. So Cheryl, please take him back, as he is just too much of an “a-hole” without you.

Hey Jim, the Honeymoon is Over!

I certainly think Pam overreacted to the news that Michael is dating her mother. (If you have no idea what I am referring to, you obviously don't watch “The Office,” so feel free to skip this article altogether.)
But what I enjoyed most about the episode titled “The Lover” was poor Jim's reactions to the freaked out Pam. Now Jim's mugging to the mockumentary camera has always been one of the show's highlights over the years.
Last night, however, his reaction shots alone were probably worthy of an Emmy nomination.
Moreover, Jim learned during this episode the one commandment that any married man who wants to stay married must learn. (And it makes no difference whether you just returned from your honeymoon or you have been married for decades.)
The commandment is a simple one, but it should be engraved on a tablet and presented to every groom within seconds after the priest, rabbi, justice of the peace or ship's captain says “I now pronounce you man and wife.” It reads as follows:
“WHEN YOUR WIFE MAKES A STATEMENT USING A CERTAIN ANGST-FILLED TONE, ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY AGREE WITH HER!”
When Pam cried out during a staff meeting “Welcome to my personal Hell…,” I could not help but recall another statement that elicited a similar bone-chilling reaction: Tony Montana's “Say hello to my little friend” in the movie “Scarface.”
(Speaking of movie references, I hope everyone realized that Pam and Jim's cutesy “frank and beans” was an homage to the scene in “Something About Mary,” when Ben Stiller gets his “frank and beans” caught in his zipper.)
Anyway, the intensity of the Pam and Jim standoff reached an unmatched level for this usually light-hearted and funny sitcom. There have been many awkward and uncomfortable moments over the years (such as when poor Michael had to be escorted out of the office by the security guard after his resignation last season), but none matched the seat-squirming emotions generated by last night's episode.
And there was poor Jim, caught in the middle, perhaps analogous to Ben's “frank and beans.”
In a scene which most husbands could easily relate to, Jim tried to cheer Pam up by bringing her a cup of hot chocolate and relating his plan to gain revenge on Dwight for the bugged duck (I mean mallard). Yet his efforts were thwarted by a hostile “You need to be more upsets about this, she's your mother now too” comeback from the usually mild-mannered Pam.
And later his mild greeting of “Hey,” to his wife as she stormed out of the break room after sparring with Michael was met with a “shove it” comment.
But Jim is smart and learned quickly, so when Pam later says “Maybe I'm, overreacting,” he first mumbles “Yep, maybe.” But when Pam immediately responds “But I don't think I am,” Jim quickly agrees, asserting “You're not, nope, nope.”
So welcome to marriage Jim, and enjoy the ride.

What Television 'Fly Paper' Shows Do You Watch?

If you are enough of a television fan that you regularly read TV articles on seascoastonline.com, I would guess that you have probably subscribed to a package on your cable system that includes anywhere from 50 to 300 channels.
Unfortunately, all too often television writers and reviewers only focus on programs aired on the four large broadcast networks or on premium channels such as HBO and Showtime. But there are many interesting shows on the other 294 channels that people tend to watch mainly before or after “prime time.”
Let’s face it. Often late at night we find ourselves half asleep on our sofa or favorite easy chair, remote in hand, channel surfing, and certain programs stop us dead in our tracks. I call these programs “fly paper” shows, ones we inevitably pause on and wind up viewing.
So I thought I would list some of my favorite “fly paper” programs that I have stumbled upon, usually while fighting to keep my eyes open:
1. “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on The Food Network – What better show to light on late at night when your stomach is growling? Watching host Guy Fieri chow down on a burger covered with onions, avocado, bacon, and melted cheddar cheese or a hot dog smothered with half a dozen toppings always makes my mouth water and sends me racing to the fridge for a late night snack.
2. “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” on The Travel Channel – Speaking of food, watching Andrew travel all over the world eating gross-looking foods such as jellied eels, lemon ants, fermented meat, or spiced grubs does not make my mouth water, but I can’t stop myself from watching. It’s sort of like rubber necking at a bloody accident scene.
3. “Histories Mysteries” on The History Channel – When channel surfing, can one ever get enough of shows titled “The Death of Marilyn Monroe,” “The Hunt for Jack the Ripper,” “Where is Jimmy Hoffa?” or “Area 51: Beyond Top Secret?” For that matter any show on any channel that explores the assassinations of JFK or even RFK will always stop me in my tracks.
4. “Comedy Central Roasts” – Although the jokes are often lame, if I see that Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Joan Rivers, or even Flavor Flav are being roasted, I feel compelled to stop and watch for at least a set or two, just to see the “roastees” reactions to being verbally skewered.
5. “Little House on the Prairie” reruns on the Hallmark Channel – I used to make fun of my wife who has always acclaimed her love of this show. But every once in a while I get caught up watching an episode, and I have to marvel at how well-written and interesting the travails of the Ingalls family can be, even though some of their episodes inevitably cause me to tear up.
6. “How Will Earth End” on the National Geographic Channel – This fascinating series which depicts exactly what the title says always catches my eye, along with a companion show “If Humans Disappear.” And I love the fact that on the NGC’s web site there is a running countdown of the number of days left until December 21, 2012, which is the date of the Mayan Doomsday Prophecy. (By the way, that is only 1,156 days from today.)
7. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” reruns on The Game Show Network – I am talking about the original show with Regis Philbin hosting. I always have to bring my channel surfing to a screeching halt just to see how far the current contestant gets. And okay, I admit it I also do the same when I see a rerun of the totally insipid show “Deal or No Deal,” just to see how stupid some of the greedy contestants can be. I just love it when a hick from Oklahoma proclaims to absolutely know that he has selected the $1 million briefcase and winds up winning $5!
8. “Trauma: Life in the ER” on the Discovery Health Channel – This is another show that my wife turned me on to. When a show always starts off with the disclaimer "Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised," how can you not watch it for at least 10-15 minutes, if only to find out how the surgeons would save a man who fell out of a window and was impaled on an iron rod sticking through his chest? Yes, the man did live, by the way.
9. Old Movies – There are certain movies that I have seen countless times that when channel surfing I have to stop and watch. But that is the subject of another article. I will admit though, if I come across “Titanic,” and the action is taking place AFTER the ship has hit the iceberg, I have to continue watching.
Well, those are just stop of my favorite “fly paper shows.” What are yours? Send any suggestions to pennerst@hotmail.com.

An Important Jon & Kate Update!

I decided that it was time to catch up on the comings and goings of my favorite family, the Gosselins. So here’s an update on the latest Jon and Kate news.
On Monday’s episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” Kate took the three little girls on a special trip to Florida. First they visited Butterfly World, where the kids got to see and play with hundreds of pretty butterflies.
Earlier this month Kate went on the “Today” show and announced that Jon had taken $230,000 out of their joint bank account, leaving her with only $1,000 to pay their bills.
At Butterfly World, the girls were befriended by one particular butterfly that they decided to name Black Velvet. Alexis was disappointed that they could not bring it home.
Jon denied removing a large sum of money from their bank account, but a judge ruled in court last week that he must return $180,000 to the account by October 26. The same judge also ordered that Kate must account for the $55,000 in bills that she supposedly has paid out.
Back at their home, Jon and the three boys bought a toy water-propelled bottle rocket, and after a few problems assembling it, managed to successfully shoot the rocket far into the sky many times.
Back in court the judge also ruled that Kate must respond to Jon’s allegations that she had misappropriated family-earmarked money from her book sales, and that she must do so by that same October 26 date.
Meanwhile it turns out that Butterfly World also has a bird sanctuary for abandoned macaws that have outlived their owners. While feeding these colorful birds Kate was bitten by one, but she just laughed it off. Later she joked that she wanted to pose holding eight birds instead of three, so she could “feel complete.”
Now remember that totally coincidentally, after TLC had bounced Jon from the show and renamed it “Kate Plus 8,” (scheduled to air beginning November 2), Jon had an epiphany and asserted his right to ban TLC’s camera crew from filming his kids.
Since the rocket launches were so successful, Jon led the boys and the older twin girls in a frolicking water balloon fight that everyone enjoyed.
TLC recently announced that they are going to sue Jon for breach of contract in response to his efforts to block any further taping of his family.
Kate and the girls visited the Bug Zoo, which the kids loved, playing with all kinds of creepy crawlers, while poor Kate was completely grossed out, but since this is the new and improved Kate, she laughed as she escaped through the fire exit.
TLC has further announced that they have suspended the “Kate Plus 8” show concept, and for now no further new shows involving the Gosselin family are planned.
In a very touching scene, Jon taught his boys how to swing a baseball bat while reminiscing in a “Field of Dreams” way about learning to play baseball from his father. And it turns out that one of the twins, Cara, has a real aptitude for hitting a baseball.
Kate has said that the kids have all been crying since the film crews have left, and she has pointed out that the Gosselins rely on income from the television show, which now has been canceled.
The girls and Kate went on a hot air balloon ride, or as one of the girls cutely announced, they were “Going in an air hot, air hot balloon.” Kate had trouble getting into the balloon because she was wearing high heels and the heat from the hot air made everyone sweat. But they drank lots of water and the view of the Florida countryside from the balloon was amazing, so the venture was worth it.
Finally, word is out that when a clip of Jon and Kate was shown at the Reality TV version of the Emmys, the audience actually booed poor Jon and Kate.
I can’t imagine why.

Wacky YouTube Wedding Video Crashes Jim & Pam's 'Office' Nuptials

You just knew the writers of “The Office” would have to come up with something special for Jim and Pam's wedding. But their job was made so much easier by the viral video wacky wedding dance on YouTube that swept through the Internet this summer.

Little did Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson of St. Paul, Minnesota know when they decided to dance a version of the Funky Chicken down the aisle to the tune of Chris Brown's “Forever” on June 20, that they would start a national trend that would eventually be copied by the Beesly-Halpert wedding party.

To date their video has had over 26,890,000 hits on YouTube, and I suspect that after last night's “The Office” episode that number could double over the next week.

So for those of you who watched the episode and had no idea what was happening when the “Office” cast went crazy, now you know. And that also explains what Jim meant when he said he bought the Maid of the Mist boat tickets as Plan C the day he saw the YouTube video. Moreover, the editing of their real wedding on the boat (with Niagara Falls in the background) with the rest of the cast frolicking down the aisle was brilliant!

Ironically it was not Michael who “ruined” the wedding, which of course is what everyone thought would happen.
As for the first 50 minutes of the episode titled “Niagara,” there was a great deal of standard “Office” hijinks that was truly hysterical. Yet much of it did not begin until after the beginning of Jim's toast at the rehearsal dinner that must have touched everyone who for years has followed Jim and Pam's rocky road to matrimony.

Jim begun the toast by saying "Four years ago, I was just a guy, who had a crush on a girl, who had a boyfriend. And I had to do the hardest thing I've ever had to do, which was just to wait."
Unfortunately, with Michael's help, the rest of the toast let the proverbial cat out of the bag in terms of Pam's pregnancy and set off a series of typical “Office” antics that culminated with poor Andy Bernard being taken to the hospital by Pam (the only non-drunk person who could drive) with a torn scrotum.

I won't bother relating the rest of the funny things that happened. All I can say is that if you are a fan of the series I am sure you caught the show yourself. And if you DVR'd it, I don't want to list every incident that occurred, as it would spoil your fun.

For all you “True Blood” fans, I must point out that Pam's sister Penny was played by none other than Anna Camp, who portrayed Sarah Newlin, (anyone else notice the similarity in her name to Sarah Palin?), the wife of Steve Newlin, the pastor of the Fellowship of the Sun Church! Obviously Anna specializes in outlandish church scenes.

If you are not a fan of “The Office,” at least check out the popular wacky wedding video which inspired this episode. I am sure that it is just a matter of minutes or perhaps days that “The Office” version will appear on the Internet, if not on YouTube, then on MSNBC.com.
Meanwhile I have to go practice my own wacky wedding dance moves so I can someday embarrass my children at their weddings!

Some Television 'New Rules' I Would Love to See

I hope HBO's Bill Maher doesn't mind, but I have some personal “New Rules” that I would like to see implemented by all television networks.
1. NEW RULE: When a cable news network interviews an elected politician concerning an issue such as health care, they MUST run a scroll below the talking head revealing how much money in campaign donations said politician received from relevant interests, such as insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Just so the viewer can figure out where the pol is really coming from.
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2. NEW RULE: When a talk show host interviews an actor or actress from one of my favorite television shows they MUST ask in depth questions about the character the person plays, rather than letting him or her ramble on relating silly anecdotes from their personal life. I recently saw Hugh Laurie interviewed by Jay Leno, and the interview could not have been more boring without one iota of insight into the fascinating and complex Dr. House.
3. NEW RULE: On every network that airs sitcoms there MUST be at least one family where the husband is either younger or better looking than the wife. I am tired of watching portly, balding husbands married to women who in real life would never have given that guy the time of day.
4. NEW RULE: Let's ban gyrating figures hyping other shows on the same network on the bottom of the screen every time the show returns from a commercial break. While we're at it, let's eliminate the network's logo being permanently placed at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. We know what station we are watching!
5. NEW RULE: Shows scheduled to run from 9:00 to 9:30 MUST start and end precisely at those times. It is extremely irritating to DVR a show, and then later when watching it, to have the recorded version cut off a minute or two before the show actually ends!
6. NEW RULE: No airing of the exact same commercial more than once on every show. Commercials are bad enough, and I realize they are necessary evils. But when the same commercial is repeated two or three times an hour I make a vow never to purchase that product.
7. NEW RULE: On the subject of commercials, any ad for a drug or medication that spends more time listing all the negative side effects than the positive ones MUST no longer be aired. And one has to wonder why the FDA would have approved such a hazardous product in the first place.
8. NEW RULE: At least once a night MSNBC MUST say something positive about the Republican Party and Fox News Channel MUST say something positive about President Obama and the Democratic Party. Whatever happened to news programs that really were “fair and balanced?”
9. NEW RULE: Any “reality show” about a family with more than six kids MUST place a substantial amount of money in escrow to pay for those kids therapy when they reach adulthood.
Have any “New Rules” suggestions yourself? Please send them to pennerst@hotmail.com.

A Pret-ty, Pret-ty Good "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

A standard plot line in many movies and television shows is the old “We have to get the gang back together again.”
Whether done with the enthusiasm of an old Andy Hardy movie, or the wackiness of “The Blues Brothers” film, or the coolness of “Ocean's 11,” I always enjoy them.
But when Larry David applies his peculiar and totally absurd take on getting Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer to agree to do a “Seinfeld Reunion Show,” the results were an HBO episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” that will go down as one of my all-time favorites on what I have previously stated is my all-time favorite sitcom!
What I find especially appetizing is the fact that this planned reunion show comprises the main gist of a story arc that will cover the entire season of “Curb!”
To recap last night's episode, Larry has always labeled such reunion shows as “pathetic” and “desperate.” But he buckles under NBC's pressure to produce such a show for a reason only Larry's peculiar mind can concoct.
Currently separated from wife Cheryl, Larry determines that he can win her back by putting together the reunion show and casting Cheryl as the divorced wife of George's character, who is desperately trying to win his wife back.
Get it? A Larry David show is like an artichoke, with layers of plot twists piled upon one another, and mixed in with obscure references to past shows.
But first Larry must convince the main cast characters to get on board. While they are all very reluctant, he weasels them into participating by appealing to their egos and pulling out a classic Larry David tactic…lying. He tells each of them that the others are all “chomping” at the bit to participate.
Jason Alexander (George) gives the best reason of all to do a reunion show, to make up for the finale of “Seinfeld” which was a letdown to most people. (Including myself) Of course Larry, who wrote that episode, disagrees.
In his persuasive arguments, Larry suggests plot lines that reference back to previous “Curb” shows. He tell Julie Louis-Dreyfus that her Elaine could cut off a doll's hair, and he tells Michael Richards that Kramer could pick up a hooker in order to use the carpool lane to get to a Dodgers' game.
Of course scattered throughout the show are the usual Larry David battles with people over the size of a tip, diagnosing Susie Greene's lime disease, and the location of a pair of free Lakers' tickets.
In the process he manages to alienate everyone, including the NBC executive who had green-lighted the show.
But in his usual style of offering begrudging apologies and apologies for his apologies, Larry eventually gets everyone back on board, and we are left with the final cliffhanger.
Remember, Larry's whole reason for doing the show is to win back Cheryl by casting her as George's ex-wife. However, much to Larry's consternation, we discover that Jerry has already promised the role to actress Meg Ryan.
And now the fun begins! I personally can't wait for the coming “Curb” episodes. I am sure that they will be pret-ty good, pret-ty, pret-ty good.

Did You Watch Jon Gosselin on 'Larry King?'

Last night I sat on my couch watching “Larry King Live” and listened to Jon Gosselin tell his side of the Jon and Kate saga.
One moment I felt legitimately sorry for him, and the next I found myself scoffing at his excuses. It was soap opera drama at its best, yet by the show's end I found myself much more sympathetic towards Jon.
First Jon claimed that he had been totally blindsided on Monday when he discovered that TLC had dropped his name from his family's' show, which would now be called “Kate Plus Eight.”
Then he announced that as a parent he has decided that he does not think it would be healthy for his kids to be filmed on the show while they are going through a divorce.
Yesterday he posted a sign on the gates of their estate stating that “No film crew or production staff from TLC is permitted on this property under penelty (yes they misspelled ‘penalty') of trespass.”
Larry then read statements from TLC stating that the only reason Jon was doing this now was because his name was being dropped from the show. However, Jon's lawyer, Mark Heller, stated that they had notified TLC last week BEFORE Monday's announcement that they wanted the show terminated.
Jon admitted that “I know I messed up, I do regret a lot of things and that I have to move forward…. I have a sense of empowerment and I have to take back my life.”
He further stated that one of his regrets was using the word “despise” to describe his feelings for Kate on a previous interview. Jon explained that “sometimes in a divorce you say things you don't really mean.”
Then the lawyers for first Jon and then Kate took over “Lawyers frequently get in the way,” stated Mark Heller, Jon's lawyer, while getting in the way. Kate's lawyer, Mark Momjian, stated that Kate's preference is to continue the show for as long as possible.
And back and forth the charges went, with Jon and his lawyers basically saying that the show has violated child labor laws, and that the Gosselins had been manipulated and used by TLC, who, when the show first started, took advantage of a naïve and poor family with eight children, signing them to a very one-sided contract.
Jon added that while he wants to delay the divorce proceedings, it's not to get back together with Kate. “We know we're not going to be husband and wife anymore, but we're always going to be mom and dad. We have to work together…we have to pull our kids off of television, we have to work things out.”
Jon continued to apologize for mistakes that he admitted making. “I can't be a kid anymore,” he said. And later stated “I have been an avoider, I have to take the initiative, I have to be a man, I have to grow up.”
At the end of the show Larry King asked “In retrospect…do you think maybe you shouldn't have started it (the show)?”
“Correct” was Jon's response.
Maybe I am naïve, and I know Jon whined a lot (“I stayed home with the kids for two years while Kate traveled and spoke…I changed 12,000 diapers in one year”).
After all, this was really the first time that Jon had the opportunity to explain his side of the story, and I somewhat believe him.
Do you? Regardless, I am sure that there is a lot more to come in this ongoing saga.