Scrubs: Hit me baby...one more time

Similar to the old, impoverished woman near the beginning of Monty Python's Holy Grail, everybody's all-time favorite sitcom is still screeching and claiming "I'm not dead yet" from the bottom of its swollen lungs.

In an effort to jump start ABC's Better Off Ted, the television network has decided to renew Scrubs for an 18-episode ninth season in order to continue the pairing with other ABC comedies next season. This is happening despite this blog's valient attempt to bury the show after its perfect season-ending finale two weeks ago. Personally, I'm confused, angry, sad, thrilled, disappointed, ecstatic and furious all-in-one. It's like I just started my period. I'm glad the show is coming back as you always wish the things you love never end, but I missed the announcement when Scrubs was suddenly transformed into the comedic replica of ER. It was just a month ago when ER was FINALLY killed and murdered off the air and everybody's sentiment was that it went about 57 years too long. Scrubs appears to be headed toward a similar fate.

IGN's Eric Goldman contacted ABC to get the scoop on the renewal of Scrubs, and ABC officials said, although they receive a lot of money through syndication of the show, the decision to renew wasn't financial. I was gonna call B.S.F.S.B.S. (that's short for Ball State Fans Shouting Bull Shit), but there is some positive news with the renewal. Creative force Bill Lawrence is returning for the next season. Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke have each signed on for six episodes. That could be interesting. ABC President Steve McPhearson told IGN:

"Zach's in six [for sure], but maybe more. We haven't confirmed it's the first six. It may be across the first 13 [episodes]."

But that's about it for the good news. No word yet on the return of the Janitor, as he's currently involved in a new sitcom. Other characters are unknowns as well. The other giant elephant in the room is the new concept of the show. McPhearson said the show could go one of two ways:

"Yeah, one is a complete departure from Sacred Heart and one is at Sacred Heart. [Bill] is actually going to pitch me both ideas pretty shortly, when he's ready. He's been pretty busy doing the pilot [Cougar Town], but once he pitches them we'll make a decision and we'll get that out there so that people know what to expect."

Leaving Sacred Heart? Why even keep the name Scrubs then? I still think that losing the foreign-looking guy to Parks and Recreation was a major blow to continuing the show by following the interns. But, maybe they can find another hilarious intern to take his place. The key will be whether Dr. Cox, Janitor, Carla and Turk return to the show (along with the countless secondary characters). I can't think of a single reason why any of them would come back (Ok, one reason...the quan), but you really need all four to keep me interested. I don't know. I have a strange feeling that this would be like the Beatles continuing after 1970 instead of disbanding on top of their game. There would still be a few good years and songs left along with one great comeback tour and then the band would release a "Disco" album in 1975. And that's not good for anybody.

On to the links...

2 minutes...2-ah
I need to post a new story on my Pacers blog today, but until then here's a link to my latest post on the mock drafts. Click on the link and make me some money people. You're my only hope.

It's Beetles...with an A
If you recall, I talked some major talk the other day about the upcoming release of the Beatles Trivial Pursuit game. I was confident enough to challenge anybody in the world. Consider that challenge rescinded. Beatles' blogger Steve Marinucci posted six of the "harder" questions from the game this week. Wow. I apparently know nothing. I knew two of them. The other four, I couldn't even give a guess. Here's the link to the questions...good luck.

Hello, Mr. Radio
In celebration of this weekend's race...enjoy!

My Sox are White
Fantasy baseball is supposed to be hard right? Maybe it's just the competition, but my dominance in the Err Dizz's league continues. How? I have no clue. I can't name 80 percent of my team. Here, let's try: Santana, Greinke (spelling?), Buehrle (spelling?), Bruce, Lincecum, Peavy, Gonzalez (there has to be one on every team) and some catcher named Nipples (after clarification, his name is actually Napoli, but I really like Nipples so we're going with that). I'm winning a tight race this week, but a victory will keep me in a tie for first place with a 6-1 record. Go team of people I don't know!

Mrs. Thug Mrs.
A couple of Idol links for you today: Rolling Stone tells us what we learned from this season and now Clay Aiken says he doesn't like Adam Lambert...shocking. Go Anoop! Also, check Bo's link below.

Info for Bo
Yer boys were at the Lakers game last night.

Turn up the Aperture!
Here's an article that talks about where the future of photography is headed and what happens to photographers when they get there. Here's the link.

You tube...no, you're a tube
I now have new goals as a future parent.

McMahon vs. Stern PPV: Monday, May 25

"If Relationship George walks through that door, he will kill Independent George! A George divided against itself, cannot stand!" - George Costanza, Seinfeld

Two areas of my life are colliding. Similar to the struggle that George Costanza faced when Susan encroached on his personal life when she began socializing with his friends, the NBA is encroaching on my weekly Monday night love affair with professional wrestling.

I only ask for one night per week to snuggle up to the television set with a cold beer and some popcorn to watch wrestling live. I can't afford the pay-per-views, I tape Smackdown (yet rarely watch it) and after one episode of the new show WWE Superstars I already had enough. So it all boils down to me laying on the couch from 9-11 p.m. every Monday to watch RAW. Everything else stops. There's no homework, no writing, no blogging, no talking and, this is important, no basketball.

Even the Pacers could only get VIP treatment on my TV during commercial breaks on Monday nights. And that was being generous. But, now, I've got a problem.

The issue: The WWE has been booked since last August to be in the Alex English Center on Monday, May 25 (I just completed a five-minute debate with myself on whether to rename the Pepsi Center after English or Dan Issel. Their career stats in Denver are nearly identical: English played in 30 more games, English averaged five more points per game, Issel got the edge in rebounding and Big Man Dan had a slight edge in Win Shares. The push went to English because he played for the Pacers for two seasons. Biased? Yes, but I'm OK with it...note to self: get a job). The WWE claims to have sold more than 10,000 tickets and is expected to sell out the day of the event. But instead of fans watching Batista continue to whip up on Orton, Vickie doing unspeakable things to Santina or anything involving the greatness that is Kelly Kelly, the people of Denver could be stuck with NBA Playoff basketball.

After the Lakers wrapped up their seven-game series with Houston on Sunday, the NBA scheduled Game 4 of the Denver-LA Western Conference Finals series in the Alex English Center for...Monday, May 25. Now, I'm no businessman, but even I see a problem here.

The scheduling conflict has put two of my favorite things in life at odds with one another. How rude! But the great thing is that neither side is willing to budge at this point. That means RAW is WAR again. The NBA says they're having the event that day no matter what, and Vince McMahon says his trucks are driving to Denver no matter what.

McMahon, of course, is using the media coverage of this debacle to his full advantage. Here is link to his awesome interview with ESPN where he says that Alex English Center owner Stan Kroenke should be "arrested for impersonating a good businessman." That's classic. Unfortunately, my guess is that RAW will move to another locale. Although Vince could take Stern in a cage match any day of the week, I'm afraid Stern may have too much authority in this situation since the Nuggets have a permanent home in Denver, while the WWE is just passing through town. But, I would claim that the WWE has every right, especially since the NBA is just as rigged as the WWE. I mean, if you have a choice between two rigged, entertainment shows, wouldn't you choose the one with the hot divas (and I'm not talking about Kobe here)?

ESPN's Mike & Mike Show had one of its better moments this morning when they developed a radio clip of an announcer doing the Lakers-Nuggets game. In the middle of a Laker possession, Triple H and the Undertaker come out to the floor and wrestled members of both teams. The Undertaker, in his usual style, tombstoned the crap out of Kobe.

That would make a memorable Monday night.

On to the links...

2 minutes...2-ah
While I've been stuck at home unemployed (although two job interviews have taken place this week so good things might happen...fingers crossed), I applied to be the Pacers beat reporter for a citizen journalism site called examiner.com. Each major U.S. city has its own site and I am part of the Indianapolis network. I posted my first article this morning (a simple rehash of my Granger MIP article), but with the draft lottery tonight, I'm sure I'll have more up before this evening. I get paid very little and its based on page views. So, click here and boost me up to the top.

It's Beetles...with an A
All is quiet in BeatleLand at the moment. But in my latest Beatlefan Magazine (oh yes, I am a subscriber to Beatlefan Magazine, so suck it) Bruce Spizer reveals that he is working on an all-Beatles Trivial Pursuit game that should be out by July or August. It will consist of 2,600 questions in six categories. I think now is a good time to challenge anybody to a dual of Beatle-wit. Name the time and place, and I'll be there to make you run for your life.

Hello, Mr. Radio
Just because I can...Enjoy!

Info for Bo
I'm sure you're enjoying this WWE vs. NBA as much as I am, so here are some clips from Vince's past that should remind Stern to never, ever, ever mess with THE Vince McMahon. Clip 1. Clip 2. Clip 3. Clip 4. Clip 5.

Mrs. Thug Mrs.
More info on your cheating peeps Jon and Kate.

You Tube...no, you're a tube
Will Ferrell's return to SNL this weekend had it's moments and this was the best of them. Nothing tops Jeopardy.

The Future of Danny Granger

You never know when one of those “be careful what you wished for moments” is going to pop up in life. Whether you’re the band who wanted sex, drugs and rock & roll only to be squashed by expectations on a follow-up album thus leaving you only with drugs (Oasis following What’s the Story Morning Glory? with Be Here Now fits perfectly here) or you’re the movie star who hit the big-time with a blockbuster smash, only your next movie bombed so badly that you’re acting and film-choice suffered for an entire decade (anyone heard from Ben Affleck recently?)

One of those moments crept up on Pacers fans this week when Danny Granger, who was giddy as a school boy after returning from his honeymoon in Italy, received the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award. He joined former Pacer stars Jermaine O’Neal and Jalen Rose as winners of the award. Let’s just say, when I found out that Danny had won, I was ecstatic, happy and as thrilled as a middle-aged father seeing his fail-at-life son win the “Best Sportsmanship” trophy on his Little League team. After being shut out of the playoffs for the fourth straight year, any good Pacers' news that comes my way results in a shower of confetti and champagne around the apartment. Visions of grandeur floated around my head as I saw future Pacers' teams hoisting Danny into the air after his game-winning jumper in the NBA Finals. One award and I was back on cloud nine.

But there’s a little more to the story about this award, and it’s not a pleasant one.

Of all 24 NBA players who have garnered the recognition since the award’s inception in 1986, how many of them would you guess have won an NBA title? Five? Six? 24? Well here’s the scoop Alice (see below: Scrubs Side Note) -- it’s actually a big, old goose egg. That’s right. Twenty-four different players have won the award, yet none (zero, zip) have a Larry O’Brien trophy sitting next to it in their trophy cases.

SCRUBS SIDE NOTE HERE: How much do I miss Scrubs right now? My God, what a freakin’ awesome finale last week. I’m not going to say my tear ducts swelled up a little when J.D. walked down the hallway and saw the ghosts of his past (including the final goodby from Hooch in a straight-jacket), but man, did I nearly cry like a bastard baby when that happened. Kudos to Bill Lawrence for devising the perfect ending to the perfect show. Yet, after that memorable ending, ABC has renewed the show (according to the LA Times)! Give it up already you D-bags!!! The show is over! How can you seriously bring the show back after an ending like that? It’s impossible. You're only setting it up for ruin. The show will die quicker than the middle-aged father’s dreams of his boy actually amounting to something in life (see above: middle-aged father analogy).

Back to the MIP award. There are several reasons why this anomaly has occurred.

1) Decent players dominating on bad teams: Half of the players who won the award played on teams that drafted in the top 10 in the lottery the next season. It’s not a coincidence that most of those players had only one or two good seasons in the league and those seasons happened to occur on teams that sucked harder than (insert your favorite porn star…and that’s what she said). Had these players been on the 1996 Bulls, they may not have gotten off the bench. (Examples: Scott Skiles, 1990, Orlando Magic; Dana Barros, 1995, 76ers)

2) Signing an outrageous contract with a bad team: I thought the majority of players who won the award would have been in contract years, but this was far from the case. But for unfortunate players who did take home the trophy during a contract year, the result wasn’t always the best scenario. Because bad teams, which have more cap space, are more likely to throw larger amounts of money at bad players, the winners of the MIP award “go for the money” instead of playing to win. This move killed several careers. Had the players taken role positions on good teams for less money (a Robert Horry-esque move), they would have improved their “getting ass after games” quota. But their inability to “choose wisely” cost them in every way imaginable by staying in the doldrums of the league. (Examples: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (the artist former known as Chris Jackson) stayed with Denver; Barros (again) signed with lowly Boston; Gilbert Arenas left an up-and-coming Warriors squad to sign with Washington (although they had one good first-round series with the Cavs several years later).

3) Only three potential franchise players have won the award: Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal (I just threw up in my mouth) and Arenas were all set up to be their respective “faces” of the franchise after they won the award. O’Neal (again, more stomach fluid-like acid stuff burning my trachea right now) only lived up to expectations for two seasons, McGrady never panned out in Orlando and Arenas can’t stay on the court in Washington. Thus, every other winner of the award were merely second and third cogs in the machine. This means Granger immediately jumps to “Mount Rushmore” status of MIP winners.

Granger is an elite player. One year after sharing the role with Mike Dunleavy (speaking of which, check out his blog), Granger has become the sole face of the franchise. He is our McGrady, our second-coming of O’Neal (good God, someone stick an arrow in my neck) and our Arenas. Now, I know all of those situations sound awful, but hear me out. There’s something different about Danny, and not in a gay way. His rhetoric is always about “getting better” and “working harder.” Apparently he’s the hardest NBA worker East of L.A. and West of Cleveland.

I don’t think the problem for Danny will be winning this award. Sure, he might carry a little more swagger now, maybe even think he’s a little better than he really is, but I think everybody can live with that. I think it's pretty apparent that Danny is being setup as the man to break the curse of the MIP. There's only one thing stopping him.

The most disturbing thing about this whole thing is this: he’s now married. That's a whole 'nother can of worms. Could be good, could be awful. It's a coin flip. Here's hoping the new wife is the second-coming of Peg Bundy, which forces Danny to think that the training gym is like Al's shoe salesman gig -- it's better than being at home.

You Tube...no, you're a tube

Da Man

Bringin' SNL back...

Justin Timberlake is ridiculous.

He's ridiculously funny. He's ridiculously talented. He's ridiculously good looking (according to the Mrs. Thug Mrs.) He's also ridiculously awesome at being the best thing for Saturday Night Live since Chris Farley's interview with Sir Paul.

Last night's episode of SNL marked the third occasion in which JT (I'm pretty sure that we're on good enough terms to go by initials here) has hosted the program. His second hosting gig was highlighted by "Dick in a Box" and Saturday's "MotherLover" song will surely spark another YouTube bonanza. But, for the first time in years, decades and even centuries, I thoroughly enjoyed SNL last night.

Every skit was hilarious, with the lone exception being the awkward opening sketch which happened to not feature a certain host. I'm not a big SNL history buff, and I missed every episode from 2002-2006 due to inebriation on every Saturday night, but JT has to be one of the best hosts in the history of the show, if not THE best. Obviously Walken, Baldwin and Martin are said to have some of the best episodes, and both Baldwin and Martin had funny episodes this year, but they couldn't touch JT's episode with a 10-foot pole. Most SNL fans say that Tom Hanks is at the top of the list when it comes to SNL hosts, but most of his appearances came in the late-80's before he stopped being funny and started acting retarded. So those episodes mean nothing to me. Seeing as all of those hosts just mentioned are pushing closer to death than birth, it's safe to say that JT is the lone great host of our generation.

I think I missed one episode this season, and although this season has been good, it took a giant leap forward with last night's episode and I'm expecting big things out of Will Ferrell's upcoming host spot. JT's jab at former hook-up Britney Spears (in a clever skit that had Timberlake as an immigrant on his way to America talking about his future great-grandchild): “I’d like to think that at first, he’ll date a popular female singer. Publicly, they’ll claim to be virgins. But privately, he hit it.” He brought Jimmy Fallon back for the "Barry Gibb Show" skit; he absolutely killed in the street hawker skit; stole the thunder in the "Target Lady" sketch; and, finally, he outdid the musical guest , Ciara, by providing the only good part of her song. Weekend Update (which did not feature JT) even kicked butt with the debut of the comedy duo "Spitzer and Paterson" based on those lovable New York governors. The pair is sure to be put into the recurring character arsenal. And anytime you get Leonard Nimoy to make an appearance and call people who don't like the new Star Trek film "dickheads" is good in my book.

Overall, a great performance last night that should solidify the fact that SNL needs JT to host at least once a year and it wouldn't hurt to have him do it twice.

On to the links...

It's Beetles...with an A
If you're free from May 21-25 (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend) then you should come with me to the Abbey Road On The River Festival in Louisville. Thrilling right? Just found out about it this morning so plans aren't set, but I find it hard to believe that people would rather attend the Indy 500 than watch more than 40 Beatles cover bands play continuously for four days. Is this heaven? No, it's Louisville.

2 minutes...2-ah
The Pacers are still not in the playoffs.

Hello Mr. Radio
Here is Johanna Botta from MTV's the Real World. Enjoy...

Info for Bo
After winning their first playoff series in NBA franchise history, the 93-94 Pacers opened with a Game One upset of No. 1 seed Atlanta in the semifinals on May 10. What a ride for this team. The Pacers opened the series off with a deciding 96-85 win as five Indiana players scored in double-figures led by Reggie Miller's 18 points. Derrick McKey provided a nice 1-of-4 performance for two points in 26 minutes of play.

My Sox are White
Domination. After suffering my first defeat of the year last week, my fantasy baseball squad turned up the heat in a battle for second place against Err Dizz's squad. Heading into the final day of the week-long battle, my team of misfits, underdogs and heroes held a 449-260 lead and will almost certainly grab the win. My quest for fantasy sport domination is back on track.

I Me Mine
This segment is dedicated to the other Sean Stevenson's in the world who somehow land in my news alerts/google search. Apparently, the insulation specialists of Westville Ltd. are bucking the economic downturn by expanding into new offices at the New Brook Business Park. Man, that's freakin exciting! New chairs, new bathrooms, new pencils and new office romances! The company, which specialises in cavity wall insulation, has seen a boom in customers taking on better insulation in an attempt to reduce energy bills and save money. The reason for their ability to thrive in a dead economy?

Sean Stevenson. That's right. My friend, colleague and name brethren is saving the world, one insulation specialist at a time. Here's what the genius and general manager of Westville had to say:

"Now we have a company headquarters that is the spacious and professional environment that our staff deserve. I have no doubt that it will improve our capabilities still further."

Ah, sentence structure may not be Sean's forte (a common trait among brothers), but this new company headquarters is the exact push that he needs to become the second-best Sean Stevenson in the world. Thank you for bringing celebrity and greatness to our name.

You Tube...no, you're a tube
"MotherLover" Enjoy...

At least tell us the Janitor's name...

What a surprise it was for me when I flipped through my channel guide on Sunday afternoon and landed on Wednesday's episode synopsis of my favorite television show in the history of the universe, Scrubs. Here's what it read (and still reads):

"New, 'My Finale', J.D. bids Sacred Heart farewell in the eighth-season finale. His agenda before he goes includes getting a hug from Dr. Cox and learning the Janitor's name. Meanwhile, Elliot slowly moves her belongings into J.D.'s new place. (Comedy), (S=Some Sexual Suggestions, D=Some Suggestive Dialogue)."

Wow. How is this happening so soon? I didn't believe that the season (series?) finale was this week until Mike Tirico actually plugged the episode during the Denver-Dallas game. I gotta be honest, it floored me. I thought we had a good five episodes left this year. At least we're guaranteed some strong sexual suggestions and dialogue. That seems only fair to the loyal viewers.

We all knew Zach Braff was leaving after this season, and with the ongoing storyline of J.D. and Elliot pulling a Ross and Rachel and finally getting together after eight, drama-filled years, it looks like Sarah Chalke is definitely ending her run on the show as well. At the beginning of the season, rumors were heavy that the show would return for a ninth season without J.D., a move that would allow the show to focus on the new cast of interns, who turned out to be extremely entertaining as the show progressed. Unfortunately, the foreign-looking dude (that's the politically correct term for 'the guy who looks like he'd blow up a building while shouting Durka Durka' guy) was nabbed by the new Parks and Recreation show on NBC, leaving a big hole in the cast of interns. As the season progressed, the interns were pretty much fazed out of real episodes and relegated to their own web miniseries (it's funny, look it up).

Various media outlets are reporting that ABC is still in serious talks to renew the show, not only without Braff, but also without creative driving force Bill Lawrence. At the beginning of this season, I talked (and even wrote here) that I wanted Scrubs to keep going forever, but I was worried that the show would parallel the disaster of the final That 70's Show seasons that went on without Forman and Kelso, leaving the show stale, stagnant and unfunny.

I've tried to convince myself that Scrubs would be immune to such a debacle even without its top star, but I really think that it's time to roll the credits. It's time to give the Todd one last giant, throbbing hand-slap, have Kelso catch one final monstrous muffin, watch one last gayish moment between Turk and J.D. (this will obviously occur right before J.D. hits the road in what could be the second gayest-straight emotional moment in my entire life, second only to sausage-fest human pyramid that the residents of 920 Neely put together on our final day of celebration of college debauchery), one final song by Ted's a cappella group, one final "200-words in 15 seconds" rant by Dr. Cox, one final girl nickname for J.D., one last killing a paitient from Doug, one last appearance of Laverne, one ending run of the "extra's" such as Beardface, Colonel Doctor, Hooch (Hooch is crazy), Dr. Mickhead, Snoop Dogg Attending, a comeback appearance of Rowdy, one final insult from J.D.'s brother, Dan, one final lesbian moment between Carla and Elliot (this IS going to happen as it is previewed in the promo), one final daydream from J.D., one last screwed up sports reference from J.D., one last order of an Appletini, one last trick on J.D. played by the Janitor, one last crazy Janitor rant, and, of course, the revealing of Janitor's real name.

Now, I'm up in the air about whether they're really reveal Janitor's name. The folks of Seinfeld always regretted letting "Cosmo" Kramer out of the bag. I'll be fine whatever they do, so don't you worry about me, but I'd like for them to either not give out the name or go "balls to the wall" and name him "John Dorian" just to completely flip the lid on the bitch.

It's amazing how long Scrubs has survived. It started at the worst time possible, twenty days after 9/11. I didn't discover the show until 2004 when I took a chance and rented Season 1, Disc 1 through Netflix. I heard it was funny and thought what the hell, let's do this. Usually I don't take chances on shows, but fate led me directly to the doorstep of the greatest show on Earth. I remember dragging Joel into the living room to watch it with me, and we didn't move or speak until the disc was finished. We only laughed, laughed and hysterically laughed some more. It was awesome. Soon, the Err Dizz finally decided that the show wasn't a poor man's ER and gave it a chance too. He'll owe me for eternity for that one.

We'll never be able to walk into any hospital the same again because of Scrubs. Every time I walk into a giant, cold hospital building I wonder if there's an epiphany toilet on the roof, or do people who look like Sarah Chalke really work here, or is an intern hiding in that closet?

While ER, Grey's Anatomy, and House use all-out crazy, no-way-that-can-ever-happen-in-real-life-drama to keep veiwers glued to their screen, Scrubs used comedy to hide its real stories about real doctors in real situations. There weren't too many times (with exception of J.D.'s dreams, of course) where you thought "there's no way that can ever happen in real life" while watching the show.

And the real genius of Scrubs was the ability to hide the emotional and intellectual discussions about life behind a wall of college-based potty and sex humor. My favorite episodes aren't based on if Todd received more than 10 high-fives, or if Elliot took her shirt off or whether Heather Locklear walked in slow-motion in all her early 2000's glory. No, the episodes I will always remember took the characters to new levels and found funny in not-so-funny situations. As someone who has to make light of any dark situation in order to survive, this part of the show was great for me.

Scrubs was at its best when the it conquered topics such as Brendan Fraser's death, Michael J. Fox's bout with crippling OCD, J.D. saving Dr. Cox from a drunken oblivion of alcoholism, Turk and Carla's wedding, J.D. and Dan dealing with the death of their father, the 100th episode tie-in of Wizard of Oz, Turk's loss of religion on Christmas, the ongoing gug-guy romance of Turk and J.D. and the father-son relationship of Dr. Cox and J.D. that kept me glued to the TV set.

And, say what you want about the differences between Season 1 and Season 8, but the show didn't remain stagnant. Other shows, such as Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond, had characters that remained the same from the pilot to the series finale. The main characters of Scrubs changed drastically.

The show went through several stages during it's run. We saw the main characters go from interns into the egotistic doctors they vowed not to become. J.D. became Dr. Cox. Dr. Cox became Kelso, Turk went from player to family man, Eliot went from insecure, pasty-white crying girl, to head doctor, pasty-white and freakin hot chick, Carla went from bitchy nurse to mother-figure of the entire hospital, and even Janitor went from figment of J.D.'s imagination to scene-stealer. Sure, J.D. got a little whiny in seasons 6-7, but if that is the by-product of the show having the balls to transform itself as the characters transform themselves, then I'm ok with it.

Other changes we witnessed involved the list of secondary characters doubling through the middle years, but they became scarce in the final season (I think I've seen the Todd twice this season and both times he was wearing a banana hammock, which is awkward). We've seen marriages, break-ups, pregnancies, sex, death, crying, laughing, drama and, most imporantly, comedy.

And we nervously awaited the show list for NBC each season as we wondered whether the show would be canceled or renewed. This time, I'm not worrying about it.

If it's on again next year (without Braff and Lawrence), I'll tune in for the occasional episode. But for me, the buck stops here. Seasons 1-8 defined my early 20's. Whenever it was on, I was captivated and I laughed, a lot. People who grew up with the Beatles talk about how the band grew and changed as they grew in their own lives. Our generation is different because of cable and the huge diversity of music that we don't have a generation-defining band or even TV show (we're not saying American Idol defined our culture right? Right? C'mon). But, for me, Scrubs grew and changed and so did I.

Here's a little anecdote to show how defining Scrubs was on my life. I didn't watch the Pacers on the first night of my honeymoon. I didn't even listen to the band that will be played at my funeral, the Beatles, on the night of my wedding.

No, on the first night of our honeymoon, we watched Scrubs.

And here's the scoop Marsha, it was wonderful.

You Tube...no, you're a tube.
Seems only fitting.