Life Can Be Golden

I don’t really like checking my Yahoo e-mail, because the entrance to my Inbox now lists the Top News Stories of the hour, whether I want to be bothered with them or not. Usually, not. Like today. On a deadline to finish writing bios for an important business plan, all I wanted to do was see if the client had sent along some details that were holding me up.

I didn’t want to read that the indomitable Sophia Petrillo of TV’s GOLDEN GIRLS, had died.

THE GOLDEN GIRLS will always be one of my favorite TV comedies. The brainchild of the one and only Brandon Tartikoff, who I believe was a genius on many levels, especially when he said that TV was ignoring the older viewer, the series showed people over 50 having a great time with their lives. They dated, had sex, worked at jobs that didn’t define who they were, laughed, ate cheesecake and ice cream without remorse, fought, made up, got on each others nerves and displayed a life that wasn’t wheelchairs, arthritis pain and doctor’s visits. Most of all, they leaned on each other as only true friends do. Trusted each other. Loved each other.

Estelle’s character Sophia played mother to them all, but in a new way. Full of sass and more outspoken and a triple Sagittarius, Getty was a total delight. Caring without carping about the laundry or emptying the dishwasher, she played 80 like 80 should be. Sans the wigs and makeup, Gerry wasn’t that much older than the three women who played opposite her.

This role of a lifetime came to Estelle later in life. She worked for 40 years in a tough business and finally hit the jackpot. She hung in there. I wonder how many times she was set to throw in the towel if she lost a part. But she didn’t.  It was another reason Getty made those of us over 40 hopeful. Magic and your dreams can happen, no matter what.

In those down times that find yourself on the phone to friends who knew you when you were 18, the idea of THE GOLDEN GIRLS offered us hope. In our lives, men left, people died, jobs were yanked away, money came and went, confidence ebbed, and the question of where life would find us when we were “over the hill” loomed like a New York Life commercial cartoon. The running joke was that we’d all move to Florida, get a house, and live like THE GOLDEN GIRLS. It made us happy. Hopeful.

Estelle Getty made us realize that “over the hill” isn’t. She made us laugh and made us hopeful. What a wonderful epitaph.

Texas Bruce

The Saturday morning e-mail was from a friend I’ve had since kindergarten. It was very simple – one line, “check this out” and a link to a TV station website in our native St. Louis. She sent it from her home outside New Orleans, and I opened it on a spectacularly beautiful dawn in New Mexico.

The headline said “Actor Known As Texas Bruce Passes Away.”

Suddenly I was four years old again, looking at a picture of the first bonafide celebrity that touched my white picket fence life in Webster Groves, Missouri. Texas Bruce was a TV star. Not just any TV star. He was THE TV star for those of us who were growing up alongside this electronic media. We were tubeside to watch Howdy Doody, and Sky King. Mouseketeers and a guy who made women cry when he chose them to be Queen for a Day. The Lone Ranger and Tonto and Annie Oakley and Lucy. It was a black and white world that came through our round TV tube, and it was the more exciting than I could imagine. My Mom had said Texas Bruce was from St. Louis, and that made him MY guy.

On special summer nights, my Dad would load my brother and I into the family station wagon alongside any stray neighborhood kids, and we’d all head to the ice cream stand for something to cool us off. Named Johns, and located near the train station, it was a magnet for other families spending their evening the same way. The place crawled with children and chocolate dips and smiles and a happy buzzy sound of neighbors exchanging greetings with one another. The highlight of some evenings was the arrival and then departure of the shiny silver and red train called The Texas Special. Everybody at Johns would stop and watch. People onboard waved. The train blew a state-of-the-art horn. For whatever reason, it was riveting. Then it was gone, whisking away it’s passengers to an exotic locale called Texas.

One night, as I watched the train disappear to the West, I noticed a very tall, thin man in a cowboy hat standing next to me. Cowboy hats were rare in my neck of the world, so it got my attention. It was when he began talking to the children around him that it hit me. I WAS STANDING NEXT TO TEXAS BRUCE FROM TV.

After a lifetime of using words, I still can’t find ones to describe the jolt of excitement and awe that gripped me at that moment. I can only say it must be akin to being struck by lightening. I couldn’t move. Or talk. Or make any sound whatsoever. The chocolate dip began to run down my hand, and all I did was stare. Transfixed. TEXAS BRUCE WAS REAL AND HE WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME.

My otherworldly moment was broken when my Dad yelled out my name. Still I didn’t move, which made him come get me.

“Hi, Harry. How you doing?” he asked of my idol as he reached down to take me by the hand.

“Great. Great. Getting the kids some ice cream,” said Texas Bruce.

Before I could take in another moment of this once in a lifetime excitement, I was headed home, wondering why my father called Texas Bruce Harry.

A few years later, decked out in my best Brownie outfit, we ventured downtown to actually be on TV with Texas Bruce. Be part of the live audience he called the Wrangler’s Club. It was my first brush with an official working TV show, and my guy Texas Bruce was as exciting then as he was when I met him on a hot summer night near the train station.

Harry Gibbs was the man who made Texas Bruce come alive. He lived in our little town with his children, one of whom was in my class. I even appeared in a play with the son, who had the lead of course, and I admit to being more than the usual nervous knowing Texas Bruce was out in the audience.

I went on to work in TV, to produce and write shows. Along the way I met Presidents, A-list stars, and even Prince Charles. Twice. But nobody ever came close to the power of Texas Bruce standing next to me at the ice cream parlour. I never told him about that moment, even though I was lucky enough to meet him several times along the way.

For an entire generation of children, Harry Gibbs brought smiles, excitement, afternoon cartoons and joy. He will be greatly missed.

A little late, but here’s my SEX & THE CITY thoughts

OK, I didn’t hate it. I rather liked it.  Here’s my take:

Shoes that look like gladiator feet should be in thm, or have feathers, are ugly, no matter what they cost and who makes them.

The overall theme of love and forgiveness was unexpected. Not too well woven throughout, but definitely the heavy-handed theme per the last few minutes. A welcome surprise.

I believe Samantha should have hired my dog Shorty, who was cuter than Baby (see the heavy handed reference to her not wanting children?) and Shorty would not have done the overly long shots of the dog humping everything.  BTW – most female dogs don’t do that. Friend who’s a vet told me.

Carrie is, again, the least favorite and least attractive character. I don’t know why people love her.

How much money does one get for a book like the one whe wrote? Because her lifestyle in NYC must cost a ton, and nobody ever talked about money here. I mean, do you really believe Miranda, the lawyer, would not have had Carrie sue Big after his stunt? Of course she would! And Miranda would have used that extra cash to live in a better place when she left her hubby.

Nobody has more than one swimsuit ready to go on a spur of the moment journey to a beach. It’s a known fact. Women just don’t.

Mexican water would NOT have effected Charlotte so negatively and so quickly.  If I were Mexico, I’d sue. (Perhaps this is another theme here) Miranda would be raking in the cash.

Steve needed to slap the shit out of Miranda, figuratively. Verbally, he let her get away with murder. There’s a thing called forgiveness and another thing called being a pussy. He was a pussy.

Nobody has a clean house and a perfect child. Lilly was precious, but she didn’t act like a real kid.  The dog was more like a child. Lily should have thrown up on the hand-knotted one-of-a-kind silk rugs, ya know!?

LOVED the idea of having the wedding at the library. NYC is full of possibility, isn’t it!

The gay couple would have set the gay mafia on Big and made a huge deal of him being such a schmuch. Yeah, they would.

Notice that the lesbian in real life character was the only one of the 4 that did a full frontal? Interesting…

Isn’t this just the story of 4 people who grow up? Stop caring about the superficial (ie labels) and focus on other things?

Who did the audio when they were in that gorgeous 5th Ave  penthouse?  They should be thrown off the roof.  HORRIBLE audio and I saw mic shadows!

LOVED the Mexican resort. We must go there. The lighting and audio were 1000% there. Interesting…

Do any of these people have families? You know – parents, uncles, cousins, people they went to college with, people they work with that are fun? Where are they???

Why wouldn’t Big, if he was so damn sorry, just GO TO CARRIE’S OLD APARTMENT and track her down?? If he has the kind of money he has, then why not HIRE a private eye to find her?  HUH?

Speaking of Big…wouldn’t his lawyers and even him have insisted on a pre-nup? I mean, this was his third wife, ya know.

Real estate developers would NOT have had their move-in date moved back. My dad’s company built such things as Interstate Highways (think St. L to KC) and if he picked up the phone and said Tuesday, it was done Tuesday. Same would have been so for Big.

LOVED the Malibu place. Actually, they aren’t that close to each other to watch your neighbor like Samantha did, but who cares? That neighbor was quite the eye candy, eh? Yum.

I need to do the kind of PR that Samantha does….have $50G’s to blow on a ring.

HATED the fashions in the show. HATED THEM. Couldn’t they have gotten better clothes??? Or was there a point I was missing?

Kim Cattrell is fabulous. She can really act. To quote Perez Hilton – “loves it”

Wasn’t that the building on 5th that Jackie O used to live in? Yep, it sure was.

Favorite dress; Charlotte’s black and white polka dot maternity one. And that wedding dress. And the one they did the photo shoot on with Carrie on a ladder. WOW.

Yes, it was so wonderful to watch well-dressed people again. I don’t see people looking very good any more. Pity. Watching them was relaxing in a way…

BTW,. That jeweled cupcake purse that Lily stashed Carrie’s phone in…WOW! It costs $4,300 btw for those of you doing PR like Samantha and needing to purchase me any kind of gift.

BTW#2…if the phone was such a big part of the storyline, why did they edit out (or forget to put in) a scene/lines that show Carrie is cell phone illiterate? Would a girl who spends $4,000+ for a purse carry a taped up cell phone? I think not. UNLESS THEY EXPLAINED IT IN THE SCRIPT. God, the movie was long enough…it’s not like thy didn’t have time to do that.

Script: Grade C  Average at best. Not as bad as some, but it needed some refining touches. See graph above for one such gaffe.

Loved Jennifer Hudson’s youthful enthusiasm. Mother liked the fact she was from St. Louis.

NOBODY would have come up to Carrie and said “I’m so sorry for what happened” or something? She only has 3 friends and lived in a caccoon?? Huh?

Would Jennifer Hudson have kept those emails? Would Carrie know how to use email? If she did, then why can’t she use her frigging phone???

Loved the Keep or Throw fashion show of Carrie’s old outfits. Cute. Amazing she hasn’t gained one pound in 20 years….

Why was Samantha fully breasted if she fought breast cancer and had chemo? Just asking.

Was it me, or did the ‘dark hair for a dark mood that lightens up until she has her old blonde hair back’ think just weigh too heavy as a plot device?? Was the hairdresser consulted?

I’ll never eat sushi again without thinking of Samantha as a sushi tray! Ha!

Love the bald jewish lawyer hubby of Charlotte. Wish he were in the movie more.  Now HE would have sued Big for sure…

Favorite scenes – Mexico.
Favorite clothes – see above
Favorite line – none come to mind.

OK, that’s my take. Off the top of my ‘need a haircut and color’ head.

KLGdamn

So my phone rings, and it’s my friend who has her Masters in Journalism from Columbia. Yeah, she’s smart. She also knows the broadcast/news/entertainment business and is always the first to point out such things as industry trends and the like. This call was about the TODAY Show’s hiring none other than, and it hurts me to type this, Kathy (cough cough) Leigh (gag) Gifford.

If that name doesn’t bring a shutter to you, perhaps you’ve been one of the lucky ones who has forgotten this attention-addicted egomaniac who used to sit next to Regis Philbin on a morning TV show that would best qualify as a tool to force the unemployed to seek work in lieu of another insipid hour of nonsense thanks to the afore mentioned Kathy (cough cough) Leigh (gag) Gifford.

Oh, you say, remembering. THAT chick. The one who talked about her kids all the time and kept telling people she would pray for them. Yeah, ok. And I’ll go to your house and rearrange your filing cabinets after doing your taxes. Uh huh.

Well, some genius at NBC is getting a fat paycheck to come up with the idea of hiring one of the most annoying people in the country to come on board at TODAY. I want to know who that person is because I am going to get their job. I’m a stockholder.

WHY is the world would ANYBODY think Kathy (cough cough) Leigh (gag) Gifford would add to any TV situation, let alone the venerable TODAY franchise? I’ve been a TODAY fan for longer than I care to tell you about. I’ve prepared for my first real job out of college while Willard, Jane and Bryant told me about what was going on in the world. I fed my infant son while John Palmer read the news. I was watching TODAY on September 11 when Katie Couric first mentioned a problem at the Trade Towers. It’s been my choice in morning TV viewing for a long, long time. I’m their target demo and it worked. I’m still their demo, with more disposable income (some months) but I’m throwing in the towel.

And as a sidebar, I don’t know one single person who likes this, uh, ‘talent’. Nobody. Ironically, the news of this comes after a week of layoffs across the country at network owned and operated TV stations. Veteran talent let go because the business is changing. Money isn’t there. Need to find a new model for success. Oh, I got it – let’s spend a lot of money on someone who ISN’T gonna work!

Knowing what I do about TV marketing, I can’t imagine ANY research material that shows Kathy (cough cough) Leigh (gag) Gifford and her patently untalented, uninterested shtick bringing any eyeballs to TODAY. Which one of the brain trust at NBC is responsible for this? The one who has NO idea about the basic rule of marketing: first do no harm.

Oh Noprah!

I was all ready. I had signed up, gone out and purchased the book, gone back online to fill out forms after reading the first two chapters, gathered my notebook and pen, made dinner – early, took the dogs out – early, got into the class – early…and I was SO there when Oprah and Eckhart Tolle began their highly touted online webinar. I’ll even admit to being excited about it. For the first half hour, it all cooked along beautifully. Eckhart telling about himself, each antidote speaking to my self-perceived stalled life. Oprah being that perfect personality bringing out the right amount of TV anchor combined with wished-for best friend.

Then it all slowed down. Not my enthusiasm, Oprah’s questions or Eckhart’s sharing. No, what slowed down was the webinar itself. From fluid communication to jerky, fitful bad video, the webinar kicking off the new planetary awareness became so aggravating, I finally clicked it off. I don’t have a lot of patience to hear every third word and have it make sense. It’s amazing I put up with that for another half hour. Call me an optimist.

Of course, I had gotten a text from the smartest friend I have (she’s in a tie with another, but that’s not the point) who shared she, too, was having the same problem on the other coast. I wanted to hear what they were saying, but it was  NOT working out in the least.

Now, I’ll admit right now, I hate webinars. Not once, ever, have I been on a successful one that was worth the extra time it took. People, either go on TV, or call. But don’t think that by putting yourself on video on the web that you’re making a huge leap of some technological kind. Nosiree. You’re just complicating life. Either there’s too much Internet traffic for the webinar to work, or there’s technical problems so bad that if we were on TV, they’d throw up that old black and white slide of the monkey throwing out the tubes of a vidicon camera.

There are ALWAYS technical problems with webinars. And tonight’s is most disappointing. Did a bunch of techno geeks lie to Oprah and tell her that they would make it work? Did the popularity of the event draw so many last minute folks it collapsed under its own success? Did a goat chew a cable outside Reno and throw it all to pieces?

Pity the poor folks who were struggling with poor self-esteem and then got shut out of this. Or the depressive who was reaching out for some kind of glimmer that things are going to get better. Not getting the Oprah webinar to work when the subject is “finding your life’s purpose” is like being put on hold when you call the suicide hotline.

Sure, I can download the podcast. Or go to Oprah’s excellent website and watch what I missed there. But, to quote that brilliant friend, ‘how much time do I have to give up for this book club?”

I’m from Missouri. The Show Me State. I am not going to waste my time or effort on any further webinars until someone SHOWS me they work. And that, as they say, is going to be a very tough sale.

Hey Hollywood – don’t kill the dog!

Want to know why, despite the fact I adore WILL SMITH, I will not EVER watch I AM LEGEND? EVER. The likeable German Shepard co-star of the #1 box office movie this week dies. Let me repeat – The dog dies. Actually, the dog is euthanized by W ill himself, playing the dog’s owner in the film. Yeah, exactly the kind of happy holiday fare I want to pay to see.

Come on, people. I am not going to repeat the soul-scarring experience of watching Tommy Corcoran shoot his own pet. That entertaining moment was the finale of Walt Disney’s OLD YELLER. Can you believe Walt slipped an entire generation of his fans the big green weenie by killing the dog we spent an hour and a half falling in love with? No wonder my contemporaries have problems with depression and relationships.

Sure, the striking screenwriter for I AM LEGEND can explain that the dog has to die to show how horrible the zombie disease is. Better to kill my own dog than let the zombie disease take him over. I know all about story structure and raising the emotional stakes.  But I don’t care.

Yes, everyone is free to do whatever they want in this country, and that means choosing what movie to see or not see. I’m just saying that I won’t shell out my $12 if they kill the dog. And for those of you who DO check it out – do NOT whine later about depression and relationships.

What’s wrong with Cash?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH CASH?

Apple doesn’t want your cash any more. Sounds rather odd to me, since I was under the impression that the objective of business was to sell a product or service in exchange for money. But the Jobs squad have decided I can’t take bonafide American folding money and buy one of their iPhones with it. They only want my plastic.

What if I don’t WANT to use my debit or credit card? What if I want to plunk down Washingtons and Lincolns and Hamiltons and Franklins instead? And would the Apple store folks, who know me from my recent repair episode, really look me in the eye and watch my $1,000+ walk out the door? Not taking cash seems downright un-American.

I understand Apple’s overall goal – making sure that black market sellers don’t hog all the iPhones. It’s an admirable undertaking. The process Apple came up with to ensure “one for all” was to limit each sale to only two iPhones and to demand a debit/credit card for the transaction. Exactly the kind of process a table full of business people might come up with.

But let’s look at the big picture. What are they doing by this “2 with Plastic” decree? Has Apple hired iPhone police to go through all the transactions in hopes of enforcing their rules?

Come on, people. Black market wholesalers don’t play by no stinkin’ rules. If they want to purchase 50 iPhones, they’ll just manufacture fake cards and REALLY rip off the company.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been denied a cash transaction at a big company. A few years back, on my way home from the gym, I dropped by a FedEx office in Sarasota, FL armed with the outgoing letter and a $20 bill. But the fine folks at FedEx wouldn’t take the cash. My negotiating skills failed, as did my logic lecture and I left with the $20 and the letter, confused and feeling like I had survived surrealism brought to life.

Did anybody get the email about cash being passé? I must have been counting my money.

The First Casualty

A moment of silence, please, for the first casualty of the Fall 07 Network TV class. No longer will viewers be able to watch (on network TV) the CW’s ONLINE NATION. The user-generated content show just didn’t have enough heat behind it. Users weren’t watching, they were out generating, I guess. There wasn’t any sales incentive to keep the show on, so the fame of ONLINE NATION will forever be as the “first cancelled” of this years crop of shows.

I’m not a big believer in user-generated video. It is my sincere belief that there just aren’t that many Spielbergs out there. Not every high school can boast a Barry Sonnenfeld or a Tim Burton. Little Alfred Hitchcocks are not sitting on their Mac’s churning out the next “North by Northwest” via their Final Cut Pro. Before you get your knickers in a twist, I admit I know there are talented young and old video producers around, and it’s wonderful to see their work get a broader audience. But come on…why are professional producers relying on user generated video submissions, which is just another way to say amateur efforts? Sure, it costs next to nothing, if nothing at all. Chalk one up for the producers’ bottom lines.

I find most user-generated video akin to sitting and watching my Aunt Margaret’s video of her vacation to Greece. Or those second grade movies about a subject that nobody has any memory of whatsoever.

I see TV’s focus on user generated video to reach its zenith in AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS. And even then, judicious editing, mixing and producing by professionals are needed. Looking into my crystal ball, I predict user generated video shows to be the CB radio of our time.  Don’t remember CB radio? My point exactly.

The Elusive Creative Writer Producer

So you can’t find a good writer producer? This is the lament of Creative Services departments coast to coast. No matter what size market, no matter what market position the station, no matter the owner, no matter anything…the difficulty in finding a talented promotion writer producer seems tantamount to finding Osama Bin Laden. Just not happening.

Why could this be? More importantly, what can you do about it? Here are some thoughts that might help.

1. Show Me the Money
The only way a company can truly show it values the services of an employee is with compensation. Is the pay rate you offer in line with other stations in your market? In line with other production entities as well? Googling salary ranges is right up there on ‘things to do’ when someone is thinking of applying for any job, so I’m positive it’s what your producer candidate does. Make sure you aren’t on the short side of the salary range.

What if you are? Think about these options:

•  MANAGE UP   Explain to the GM, HR head and the corporate folks that your particular situation will require a higher compensation rate. You CSD’s are masters of persuasion, so take those skills and put them to work for yourself. It’s hard to argue with hard figures, so list where you are and where everybody else is.

• NEGOTIATE  If that wasn’t successful and you don’t cash to play with in the negotiation, time to get creative again. Is flex time possible? C|net reported that Salary.com conducted a survey in ’06, asking workers if they would rather have a $5,000 raise or the equivalent in time off. One-third chose the time over the money. My guess is that as time gets crunched even more, what with longer commutes plaguing even small cities, the time option will get chosen more often. Can you offer working from home while writing? Cell phones…transportation…weekly Starbucks cards?

What else can you do to lure that fab candidate your way?

GRAB A MAGNIFYING GLASS
Take a good hard look at the job description of the slot you want filled. Is it going to be one that burns someone out because there’s more demanded than can be delivered on a consistent basis? I heard from someone recently that told me they were looking for a producer who could handle three stations and didn’t mind overtime. Other than breaking a federal employment law (check out the expectation of overtime and how it applies to you), what sane person would jump at this?

GET OVER YOURSELF
The patina of TV is over, everybody. The medium isn’t the place where the creative types you seek see a future. You are going to stop thinking that just because you have a TV job, the best and brightest will fight over it. Once you jettison that expectation, you’ll not only feel better, you’ll be able to approach the creative opening you have with a more realistic anticipation.

GROW YOUR OWN
With the addition of the editing skill to the writer producer mix; you might want to see who is available in your own station. Taking someone under your wing, teaching them the ropes, how to write, why they do what they need to do…you might find a real gem. This has happened to me and it’s a rush to watch the progress of this creative I helped hatch. He’s now in market #5, thanks for asking. And yes, they eventually will leave and you’ll be back in the same spot.

Read an excellent article about how to keep talent once you find them. Click here, thanks to the Wall Street Journal.

Good luck, and if you need help finding that elusive creative candidate, just give me a buzz.

What a waste of blonde, blue eyed hotness

I have a real penchant for blonde haired, blue eyed, non-Nazi men. That’s why I made sure I was turned into JOURNEYMAN’s premiere on NBC. It sported not one but two such delicious speci-men: Kevin McKidd and Reed Diamond. Yum. They played brothers and the casting folks should pat themselves on the back for finding two actors who not only look like they’re related, but also share a presence that makes you believe they’re brothers. So it was double the pleasure.

I discovered the McKidd when he was playing the Roman soldier Vorenus on HBO’s ROME. Diamond is a favorite from his days on HOMICIDE. Both shows were as good as these guy’s looks.

But JOURNEYMAN confused me. Not just confused…REALLY confused. Watching McKidd play a newspaper reporter who just keeps bouncing around in time reminded me of the time I put the SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM DVD into the player and accidentally hit the Shuffle button. I kept watching hoping it would all fall together like it did for PULP FICTION. It didn’t happen for the Enron documentary and it didn’t happen for JOURNEYMAN.

Set in San Francisco, the show held promise. But as the moments ticked on, I kept wondering about what was going on. Just who were the women in the show? Someone named Katie, who has a great haircut, was either a wife, a girlfriend, or an intervention specialist. How did this all fit together? There’s this guy who decides to kill himself by standing in front of one of famous trolley cars. Yeah, that’s frightening. Of course, my McKidd saved this guy and then, zap, another scene and nobody knows nothing. And even suicide guy’s girl was a puzzle, which was wrapped up at the end of the hour, but even that wrapping was not happening. I have absolutely no idea what happened or why – and I have a relatively impressive IQ.

Ever read or write a script for TV? Each scene is identified on paper as to Interior or Exterior, Time of Day, and Location. Perhaps reading the script would have straightened out the confusion. Unfortunately, the whole idea of putting the script on the screen is to make sure one DOESN’T have to read the script to make the story happen. Sigh.

How confusing was the show? There was even a moment when the thought of the show being a “Sixth Sense” surprise crossed my mind, but that didn’t happen, either.

After spending the entire hour hoping to get involved with my boys and the cutest kid actor on TV today, one Charles Henry Wyson, I found myself checking my e-mail, straightening out my desk and looking at my watch. Sorry guys. No matter how blonde, how blue-eyed and how non-Nazi you are, I’ll wait until you both get cast in a show that doesn’t break all the rules of Time Travel TV as established by SCOTT BAKULA in another NBC show, QUANTUM LEAP. Now THAT show made sense.