Another Day, Another Star Turn

Although it may seem like it, it's not every day that I get to be an extra on "How I Met Your Mother," it's just every time I visit the set. Eric and I got dropped into last night's episode at the expense of the two extras standing to our left who were clearly way too Hollywood. Our motivation? Act like we were overjoyed at Lily's hotdog eating feat, which wasn't too hard since we were excited just to be on TV. I'm also happy we got on an episode that made extensive reference to my college radio station WESU 88.1 FM (all the way left on your FM dial), where Nick and I were both the DJs of shows no one listened to (well, especially Nick, since his was at 4am) just like Ted.

Anyway, if you didn't catch the episode ("The Possimpible") last night, it's online here: watch around the 20 minute mark to see our star turn.

Day 14: CCAVM

MADRID, Spain --
Spotted at the FNAC: the primera temporada of Cómo conocí a vuestra madre, right next to Las chicas Gilmore and La familia Addams. I was glad to see that whoever translated the title knew the premise, and didn't go with the easy but erroneous Cómo conocí a tu madre. And that makes me wonder how they're translating How I Met Your Mother in Latin America: ¿Cómo conocí a su madre? ¿Cómo conocí a la madre de Ustedes? ¿Ché, cómo conocí a la pendeja de tu madre?

My attempts to locate the real Gael have thus far proven fruitless. He must be off in a drum circle somewhere.

John McCain to Josh Lyman: No Way!

My favorite political alternate reality has finally infiltrated actual political reality, according to this article in today's NY Times. Channeling their roles as White House Communications Director Toby Zeigler and Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on "The West Wing," Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford told the Times that they heard John McCain say he didn't vote for Bush in 2000 while having dinner at Candice Bergen's house. So even media icon Murphy Brown is implicated in this dinner party scandal, which the McCain people have discounted as merely actors acting.

I'm mostly just hoping that somehow Aaron Sorkin picks up the story and decides to run with it in some kind of real-life guerrilla/hybrid season of "The West Wing/Murphy Brown."

Woman with T.V.-watching habits of a butter-churning pioneer chosen as Nielsen family

In a beautiful moment of cosmic synchronicity, I have been chosen as a Massachusetts Nielsen family. When Stu called me with the news this evening, he had a number of questions:
Q: What kind of programming do I normally watch on television (comedy, drama, reality, sports, news)? A: comedy and news (which seems to be the closest category to fake news)
Q: How many working televisions do I have? A: One.
Q: Do I have cable? A: Limited basic cable.
Q: Do I have a DVR (explained to me as a device to digitally record television programs)? A: No.
Q: Do I have a TiVo-like system (explained as a service to digitally record television programs)? A: No.
Q: Is anyone in my household Hispanic? A: No.
Q: Are any other languages besides English spoken in my household? A: Yes, Spanish. (That should sufficiently mess with their data)

For my efforts during the week of May 15th, I will be paid $30. The last time I was the member of a Nielsen family was during the late '80s, when we had two T.V.s, cable and a VCR. We were not Hispanic then, either.

I am pleased to be able to represent whatever T.V.-watching demographic I represent.

Crossing picketwaves

The return of the late night talk shows despite an on-going strike by the Writers Guild of America begs the question: are viewers crossing picket lines when they watch a show that is breaking strike rules by returning to the airwaves?

Last night's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (which he's calling "A Daily Show" instead of "The Daily Show" until the strike is settled) underscored this dilemma. Stewart invited labor expert Ron Seeger, a professor from Cornell Univ., to discuss the implications of the strike and how it might be resolved, but Seeger himself admitted he was in a tight spot having to cross picket lines (literal ones: the Daily Show is being picketed by WGA members) in order to appear on the show. Stewart asked Seeger if he was unionized -- that's a big no -- and exclaimed that professors are the "migrant labor" of academia. I'd say that title belongs to lecturers and adjuncts, but anyway.

David Letterman was able to negotiate successfully an interim deal with the writers union to bring the shows under his production company, Worldwide Pants (one time motto: "Pants! Pants! Pants!"), back to the airwaves, and both Stewart and Stephan Colbert undertook similar negotiations to no apparent avail -- which brought up some clear annoyance and accusations of favoritism on the part of Stewart on last night's show.

So, how is watching the Daily Show, which is operating without its writers though still technically breaking the rules of the strike, any different than crossing picket lines for viewers? Should the union yes among us confine ourselves to Letterman until the strike is resolved or Stewart negotiates a deal? If we wouldn't cross a picket line at the grocery store, is it somehow justifiable to cross an invisible picket line to watch T.V.?

Extra: Extra! Extra?

Well, I was indeed "featured" in two brief shots of the wedding crowd on last night's "How I Met Your Mother." dl004d and the Grand Marnier were kind enough to call me from the East Coast and give me the good news in advance, so I made sure I didn't blink at the 15 minute mark (of course, now dl004d thinks he's famous). If you look closely during this scene, you might be able to see that I'm talking and Alex (who is sitting next to me) is looking at his watch. This was the "wedding guests are getting bored and restless" footage that they shot of us, and I think this was where I did my finest work.

Even more prominently featured in last night's episode, however, was Margaret, who is almost run over by Scooter in the quick flashbacks to the wedding that end the episode. Here's a photo of us conferring with Carter Bays, the executive producer and friend of SJB I mentioned in my last post, outside the studio. At this moment, if I remember correctly, I'd just told him I'd have to turn down his offer of becoming a permanent extra on HIMYM because I'd landed a job at Amherst. It was a tough call, but, alas, the glitzy and glamourous life of fame and fortune is not for me. Goodbye, Beverly Hills!

Extra! Extra?

I have the executive producer of "How I Met Your Mother" (Monday, 8 pm EST, CBS) sitting at my kitchen table right now, and he's not sure if we ended up on the cutting room floor for Monday's episode or not, but he thinks, if you look closely, you'll be able to see me, Margaret and Alex in the background of the wedding ceremony. Look closely. Stage left. On the aisle.

This is how it went down: last month, during our visit to LA, we stopped by the HIMYM set to watch Carter and Craig in action. We happened to be there the day they were shooting "Something Borrowed," which is Monday's episode, in which Lily and Marshall get married. As it happens, Margaret and I were at the wedding that inspired this fictional wedding -- between Craig and Rebecca -- and so when Carter asked us if we wanted to be extras for the day, we jumped at the chance. It seemed appropriate. Plus, I'm nothing if not a fame-hound.

We were whisked off to wardrobe, where we were outfitted with dresses only a hootchie mama would wear to a wedding (Alex got a very hip suit), and then waited patiently as the 100 other extras filed into the faux wedding hall. We were shuffled and reshuffled in our seats, expertly positioned so as to be prominent in the shots (it's who you know), although I ended up sitting next to Alex, and Margaret sat a couple of rows behind us.

We were there for about 2 hours, playing wedding guests, which isn't really all that hard of an acting gig if you've been to a wedding. Even if you know the bride is an actress and the wedding is a TV-wedding, you still beam when she walks down the aisle and look at your program and fidget in your seat. This is called 'method acting,' or so I'm told.

Anyway, you'll have to see for yourselves on tonight's episode if we make it in or not. If we do, I'd like to that all my fans for their support throughout my illustrious career. Please no flash photography.

Objects on Television May Be Flatter Than They Appear

Every time we manage to weasel our way onto the Fox Studio lot in LA, we inevitably drift over to the New York set. The first time Margaret and I were there, we saw Dennis Franz. The next time we were there, we got to see pivotal scenes from the How I Met Your Mother episode "The Limo," and hang out with the cast.




A few days ago, we took another stroll down your average NY street (wearing borrowed clothes from wardrobe -- more on that later -- and with a guest appearance by RAM), and took this photo outside your typical NY brownstone. But then! Only a few steps away, all is revealed! It's all an elaborate ruse, right down to the season-appropriate trees!
It gets me every time!

AcademYawn Awards

There's nothing better than getting the beers and munchies going, chowing down on a couple of Cheeseboard pizzas and making snide comments en masse during a four-hour awards ceremony. But last night's Academy Awards were pretty lame, in my opinion: no big surprises and nothing all that great to make fun of. Sure, we had our annual moment of reverence for George Clooney, joined this year by a moment of reverence for Al Gore, who got a good laugh. And there was Celine Dion's ubiquitous presence to ridicule, an errant bow on Nicole Kidman, and Clint Eastwood pretending to do a simultaneous Italian translation, but c'mon! Where was the tacky see-through dress? The impassioned political rant, cut off by the orchestra? The upset win? The unexpectedly choked-up acceptance speech? The starlet who forgets to thank her husband? The old geezer who doesn't read off the cue cards? The look of utter disgust on the face of one of the losers? Where was, you know, the good stuff?

Serious Topics in Calamity Programming

The only new show I've committed to watching this season is Aaron Sorkin's new baby, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." As I've said elsewhere, put Bradley Whitford on a box of cereal and I'd watch that, so this was a no-brainer. We're two episodes in to the series, and I still can't shake the specter of "The West Wing" as I'm watching it. First of all, every time you round a corner there's another WW regular or semi-regular: it's like Sorkin took all the extras and one-line speaking parts from WW and hired them for Studio 60. Why couldn't he have just spun off the West Wing? That way we could have had Donna back, too. This just in: I think I dreamt about Toby Zeigler last night.

Secondly, I love Sorkin's dialogue, but it is a bit annoying that we're talking about, um, television instead of the political future of our country. I realize that most of the good drama settings have been taken (courtrooms, hospitals, police stations, morgues), but I just can't drum up that much concern for whether a pseudo-Saturday Night Live is boycotted by the Christian right. Maybe this will change. Maybe not.

Matthew Perry is great -- this is an excellent role for him. But, despite the freshly whitened teeth, slightly more subdued hair and black-on-black wardrobe, Bradley Whitford is still Josh Lyman to me.

Also, whatever happened to opening credits? And a decent theme song?

WW RIP

I don't have any grand pronouncements re: the final West Wing, and no, I didn't wear black to mourn its passing, but I would feel remiss in not recognizing its impact. For those of us who've been in a serious state of discontent for the past six years, the Bartlett administration has often provided a soothing relief to reality, if only because it was filled with a smart, ethical and, dare I say it, swashbuckling (at least in Josh's case) staff . It was nice to see an Aaron Sorkin cameo on last night's episode, too, because despite his penchant for drugs and high-priced call girls (maybe in part because of them), Sorkin was a helluva writer. I know it's just a t.v. show, but damn, it was a good one.

Rorschach on Prime Time

There are excellent perks to having friends who've created a t.v. show -- finally, Rorschach (the Brenneis family's loyal black lab, may she rest -- or sprint through the living room endlessly -- in peace) has attained fame on "How I Met Your Mother."

On tonight's episode, Wesleyan insiders were treated not only to Carter and Craig cameos, but also to a lawyer and his firm named after five of Wesleyan's dorms: "Clark Butterfield, of Nicholson, Hewitt and West." Nice. Serious insiders may have noticed that the corporate dude running the dating service was named "Bob Rorschach." Awesome.

Not since David Letterman read viewer mail (I believe the text of which was "What's the deal with Oprah?") from Sara Brennis (sic) of Madison, Wisconsin have I felt so famous by association. When I'm a bigwig Spanish Professor, boys, I'll coin a new literary theory in your honor -- how about baysthomas historiographic emplotment? Or tomtomlordhavemercy isochronic dialogue? It's the least I can do.

Lemon-Lyman-Bolten

Quick question: Is there any chance that G.W. picked Joshua Bolten as his new Chief of Staff because he's an avid West Wing watcher, and president-elect Matt Santos just picked Joshua Lyman as his new Chief of Staff? Maybe Bush, too, is living the alternate reality of the Bartlett administration, thinking: "Yeah, a Chief of Staff named Josh. Who do I know named Josh? It'd be like my own reality t.v. show!"

What else is Bush likely to steal from the Bartlett administration? Does he have M.S.? Is one of his daughters a nerdy scientist who's getting married to another nerdy scientist even though she's a lesbian? After Iran, is he primed to invade Kazakhstan? Is he an economist in disguise? Is Rove being "reassigned" because Toby's off the show? Is he, too, mesmerized by Mary-Louise Parker? I think there could be a vast right-wing conspiracy here, and someone needs to alert Aaron Sorkin to the theft of his intellectual property.

We love you Donna, oh yes we do...

I realize I'm one of a dying breed of "West Wing" fans at this point, but now that it's the beginning of the end, I'm going to bust out my pop culture references. Even if no one else is watching.

I was under the impression that it was only after John Spencer died and the series was given its walking papers that they decided to pull out all the stops, bring back old characters and get Josh and Donna together. But it was clear in last night's episode that at least the Josh and Donna storyline was in the works before John Spencer died, since he was in that first scene.

Also, does anyone care about Khasakstan at this point? Or, for that matter, about Will Bailey and Kate Harper? I'm annoyed that they've gotten more central roles, while Charlie and Toby have been AWOL for months.

Anyway, Donna rocks. And I'm not just saying that because she's from Wisconsin, although I think that's a big part of her appeal, naturally. She seems to have become the most human character on the show.

Next time: Bradley Whitford's mother knew my grandmother, and other amazing brushes with fame...