Scrubs: Med School

The cast is officially set. Sacred Heart is officially gone. JD is officially no longer the narrator. And Scrubs is kinda, sorta "officially" now Scrubs: Med School, at least according to creator Bill Lawrence.

The network's insistence to keep the Scrubs name in tact despite a total change in cast and location has not changed Lawrence's mind that this is a completely different show that should be under a different umbrella from its predecessor. Lawrence said: "If it goes my way, and we'll see if I win this battle, when it, the credits at the beginning, when it says Scrubs, you know, at the end, it'll then flash again and it'll say Med School."

Finally. I've been waiting for somebody associated with the show to finally come clean that this new incarnation is entirely different from the first eight seasons of the funniest show on television. Although Turk and Dr. Cox return, as well the Todd and Ted, the show is not the original. All I want is this show to be put in a different DVD section from the first eight seasons. It shouldn't be "Season 9" as it should read "Scrubs: Med School, Season 1". That's not too much to ask. It may not seem important now, but after this new show bombs, explodes, implodes or digests itself in the most disgusting fashion, you don't want the off-shoot considered part of the original series. Even if it does well, fingers and toes duly crossed, it still should be its own category and show.

I mean, how are we going to explain this to our grandkids someday? Me:"Sammy, this is the second series of Scrubs and it shouldn't be associated with the first eight seasons because it is a different show from the original. There is no JD or Eliot so thith doethn't acthuay counf." Sammy: "Grandpa, your teeth fell out. I'll pick them for you for $200 and the promise you won't talk about Scrubs, the Beatles or Reggie Miller for at least an hour." Me: "Dealth."

Some other changes were announced last week as a new narrator has been named. The new 22-year-old intern named Lucy will take over the role that JD held so tightly for eight great years. Lucy, played by Kerry Bishe (pictured right), is a med student who comes from a family of commercial fisherman...and hilarity ensues. Joining Lucy will be Drew, a 30-something med student, played by Michael Mosley, who is battling back to med school for the second time in his life. Apparently poor Drew suffered a meltdown during his first stint as the top prospect at Harvard Medical School. The other new spot to complete the trifecta will be a character played by Dave Franco named Cole, a wealthy, arrogant med student who is the bane of Dr. Cox's existence.

I was thrilled to see that the Todd and Ted will return in recurring roles. That's at least some good news. Also, Sunny will be back as a recurring character, while Denise joins Turk and Dr. Cox as the only full carry-overs from the old show.

On to the links...

2 minutes...2-ah
No better way to celebrate Reggie Miller's birthday than doing a jogging journal of his first NBA game. Don't miss it here.

It's Beetles...with an A
Sept. 9 is already the biggest day of the year. It's the day before the sister turns 21. The Beatles: Rock Band is released. Both the Mono and Stereo Remastered box sets are released and now the rumor is really heating up that the entire Beatles catalog will be released on iTunes.

Hello, Mr. Radio
No picture for you today. You've been banned until the Commish officially schedules the Corona League Draft.

Info for Bo
In the newest version of RAW vs. Smackdown, you can create up to 100 custom wrestlers, your own finishing moves and now you can make your own story lines. Totally awesome. If this doesn't get you into video games then nothing ever will.

My Sox Are White
I talked smack in my last post and I lost in our fantasy baseball league last week. The lips are sealed for the rest of the season. Good luck to everyone.

The True Whodi Lounge
Andy deserves his own spot on here damnit. The people have protested and they're going to get it. This section is tentatively going to include a link to one of Andy's best articles from the week in his paper, the Franklin Press. Then I will highlight my favorite passage or quote from said article. It's gridiron season in the big N.C. and the True Whodi has Franklin covered in a monster 2,000-word season preview. Franklin has moved conferences as it switches to the newly formed Appalachian Athletic Conference.

Coach Brooks laid out his life philosophy and this is a "write that one down" moment for all you children reading. "I think the goals each year are to do things like become a better person, a better teammate, a better young man. To be successful, and success isn't all on wins and losses. The outside perception is. That's one thing we've talked about big time. The responsibility and not lying and all that." Can't say it any better.

You Tube...no, you're a tube
The Beatles: Rock Band continues to pick up steam. Here's the latest video featuring more and more awesomeness.

More The Beatles: Rock Band Info

The Return Of Mad Men

Having just started watching the magnificent and masterful work of AMC's acclaimed drama Mad Men just one week ago, it's already been a longtime waiting for the show's return.

Lucky for me, the week I decided to dive into the first two seasons was the same week that I'm still unemployed and not in school. In other words, lots of free time around for Ringo and I. As per usual, I immediately enjoyed the show and became obsessed with it. I did the same thing with Entourage, The Wire, Deadwood and Scrubs. With HBO offering nothing in the department of interesting anymore, AMC came to the rescue with Mad Men.

The hype machine has been in full force since it wowed the Emmy's with 16 nominations, and with every television-watching white male saying it's the best show on the tube, I figured I'd trust the show with one hour of my time to make an impact. Boom! That's the sound of show slamming my face relentlessly to the floor while shouting, "You love me! You love me!" The hypnosis that's dazed me for the past week will get heavier tonight when Season 3 begins at 10 p.m.

I won't babble on about the greatness of the show as I won't do it justice compared to raving reviews from USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and every other news service from the offices of Sterling Cooper to the Pacific. But I will say that I'm looking forward to the prism of 1963 being displayed and twisted through the eyes of the ad agency. The JFK assassination episode will surely top the Cuban Missile Crisis, Marilyn Monroe's death and the JFK/Nixon election combined.

Every flawed character will be on full display tonight. Don Draper will showcase his JFK meets Nick Carraway of the 60's mystique, Campbell may still be sitting in his office with shotgun in arms waiting on the missiles to fly at his confused, hair-parted head, while Joan will be shown in all her High Definition glory. I suggest you join in on the party. You don't even need a stiff drink to wash it down.

On to the links...

It's Beetles...with an A
Admit it, you've been waiting on an 8,000-word epic on how The Beatles: Rock Band video game became a reality and how Yoko almost ruined everything. Typical. So the link provided is a brilliant article about a brilliant band. Typical.

Hello Mr. Radio
I know this a re-run for you, but with it being a blog dedicated to Mad Men, I couldn't leave a picture of Christina Hendricks on the cutting room floor. Enjoy. Again.

Mrs. Thug Mrs.
Your latest update on the Jon & Kate saga.

My Sox Are White
After climbing my way back into contention as my pitching staff roars into the middle of August with pristine arm strength and precision, I'm finally getting some help from the dregs of the league. Unfortunately, the Err Dizz is my victim this week as I've strung his team by loins and hung him by the tree of lonely destiny. My record, after tonight's win, will rise to 15-4. But I'm needing help from two heavily heated battles for my record to actually mean anything. The first and second place teams, Sobucki and Deeb, respectively, are in dog fights with bottom-feeders and should they lose, I will rightly resume my position on top of the mountain. Ahh, yes, nobody said it better than Simba.

Info for Bo
Look for an updated column by yours truly on IndyCornrows tonight (or tomorrow) on the season-ticket crisis derailing your Indiana Pacers. Until then, check out what happens to doctors when they criticize your former employer.

You Tube...no, you're a tube
Obviously, this couldn't be avoided.

Scrubs: The New Class

The transformation is almost complete. John Dorian has become Eric Forman. The Janitor has become Richie Cunningham, Elliot Reid is the new Zach Morris, and Bob Kelso has become...well, Kelso.

You can track down a plethora of names from past TV characters who left their arena before the show crashed and burned without them. Happy Days had Fonzi but they lost Richie. That 70's Show had Fez, but lost Kelso and Forman. Scrubs has Turk and Dr. Cox, but no longer has JD, Janitor and Elliot. Welcome to Scrubs Version 2.0, the hospital version of Saved By The Bell: The New Class. Or, you can just call it the new ER. Just like when George Clooney and the other original stars of ER left for superstardom, Scrubs is hoping to retool its character base and plot heading into its ninth season.

Gone is Sacred Heart. It's been replaced by a slick, modern hospital, which is a stark contrast to the haunting halls of the SH. Gone is Kelso. The new leadership team of Dr. Cox and Turk are in charge. Gone are JD and Elliot, although at least Zach Braff is guaranteed to appear in six episodes. And, finally, gone is the Janitor. He, or Neil Flynn, has his own sitcom now, but he stated last week that he hopes to make one more appearance on the show.

Jan-i-tor summed it up best at the press junket for his new vehicle, The Middle. "We were done," he noted. "The show ended and we were free to go and find other employment, but then it started up again. I'm done with Scrubs, but I'll probably show up one more time." Asked what happened to the Janitor, Flynn quipped he's "moved to Indiana and has 3 nice children," a reference to his new pilot. I am proud to call Janitor a fellow Hoosier patriot.

Nevertheless, although some things change, others remain distinctly the same. The title won't change, the humor style remains, and Dr. Cox remains Dr. Cox. Turk, also known as Donald Faison outside of my blog, granted an interview to IGN just two weeks before Scrubs begins shooting the new season. Turk said that he's the new Mr. Belding and Dr. Cox is the new Screech, referring to the show's parallel with Saved By The Bell: The New Class.

Turk cites Fraiser's departure from Cheers to form his own hit show as the dream for the people who stayed on with Scrubs. But, even Turk tried to get his own new show before Scrubs was renewed. Turk and Cedric The Entertainer tried to combine comedic efforts to get a pilot but the show flopped, leaving Turk without a job until Scrubs creater Bill Lawrence came a-callin' with a new offer to be the headliner of Scrubs. For the unemployed Turkleton, it was a no-brainer.

So let the moral dilemma begin. Biblical characters had it easier than this. What am I supposed to do when my all-time favorite show splits in half, moves to a new location, but is still featuring Dr. Cox? Well, let's go through this slowly:

1) This isn't Scrubs. I don't care if they call it the same name or even have the same intro music and video, this is NOT Scrubs. Repeat that after your daily prayer. When a sitcom changes locations, it is no longer that show. That's 70's Show, through all its faults in the last two seasons, at least kept the basement in tact so the show could remain a shell of its former self. But when you change buildings and change charcters, it's not the same show. Only in porn can you change the backdrop of a scene and get the same effect. Unfortunately, Scrubs isn't a porn. Or isn't it?

2) I really thought the show could go on without Zach Braff. Everybody knew he'd be the first to leave at some point so he focus on directing and starring in feature films, but no one knew that if he took half the cast with him, they'd still make the show. No JD or Janitor? No Elliot? Yes, these characters ran their course. There was not much else to explore as we knew JD still struggled to mature even though he fathered a child, while Janitor got married and the relationship between JD and Elliot had climaxed, so it was time to go out in a blaze of glory like the final episode of the eighth season. So, Scrubs isn't Scrubs without them. I'm not sure what else Dr. Cox can even offer. Maybe Turk grows up and adds several dimensions to his "teenage" personality. Maybe he divorces Carla after he sleeps with the entire nursing staff. Maybe he and the Todd start a relationship. I don't know, the ideas are just flowing right now.

3) Speaking of the Todd, will any of the "part-time" players be back? I'm sure if Scrubs is offering a paycheck they will be on there way, but many of them could have found other dutiful employment while Lawrence twidled his thumbs contemplating whether to bring the show back. I can't imagine not seeing Beardface not walking the halls of Sacred Hea...oh year, wrong hospital.

4) I've already decided there will be a distinction in my own head between Scrubs, Seasons 1-8, and Scrubs 9-and-beyond. So will I follow this new incarnation as religiously as the past? Looking at my own viewing habits, the answer is probably not. I've given up on any show that changed characters between seasons with the exception being triumphant show of this decade, aka The Wire. It's a complex of getting too familiar and too fanatical with the original, and not being able to ever accept the second act as better than the first. Let's include my obligatory Beatles reference here. When George helped John record on his album Imagine, even though it was with a different band and different styles of music from the Beatles, it's still compared to the Beatles. Unfortunately, it has no chance of being as good, better or more valuable then anything the Beatles created. I wanted to watch this new Scrubs version with open arms, but I'll always compare it to the original and it will come up short. It's just the way it works. Blame God.

So Scrubs is the 2009 version of 1993's Saved By The Bell: The New Class. As bad as that sounds, it actually is a good omen. The last incarnation of SBTB lasted a hearty seven effin' seasons. Seven! That show stayed on the air from 1993-2000. I swear that I was alive during those years but have no recollection of this event taking place. If you had given me the over/under on how many seasons it had lasted, I would have said "under 1" as I was certain it was canceled halfway through it's initial run. But it demonstrates how much knowledge I have about TV -- zilch. Maybe Scrubs: The New Class goes on to better even the original Scrubs in content and in ratings. But for me, the curtain has closed.

As John Lennon once said, "the dream is over" (I knew I could sneak a second Beatle reference in there).

Another Reason Why Reggie Miller Is Clutch

Miller Time. Knick Killer. Playoff Legend. Indiana Hero. Uncle Reggie. Stalker.

Yes, these are the words that describe Reginald Wayne Miller, the man who saved a struggling franchise in the cornfields of Indiana and the man who brought the team on the doorsteps of a NBA title. Yes, this great man is...wait! What was that last nickname? Stalker? Well unless I see a plane flying through the air and telling me it's true, then I'm not gonna....

...oh, well, that explains a little. Yes, apparently Reggie's game has gotten even more clutch outside of basketball. Instead of getting the calls in late-night games, he's now giving them -- to women whose husbands and fiancés aren't pleased with the situation.

In a restraining order that was never filed, but so surprisingly found its way online, a Malibu surf shop owner and neighbor of Miller's is accusing the former Pacers Superstar for stalking his fiance. In a desperate form of payback, the accuser, Alex von Furstenberg, posted the non-filed restraining order online. That order contained Reggie's address and phone number. But after settling the dispute, other Malibu natives have showed their displeasure by having a plane fly over the Malibu community asking Reggie to "stop pursing married women."

Yes, I have already looked up Reggie's house on Google Street View. Yes, it's a ridiculously awesome mansion with a Pacific Ocean view. Yes, I've added Reggie's phone number to my contact list on my cell phone. No, I have not called it. I'm not a freakin stalker!

What I fail to understand is the big deal here. This surfer dude has some real issues:

1) Reggie only texted the dude's fiance 53 times in one night. That's seven less than Reggie's career-high in points scored in one game. More than likely, these texts contained links to old YouTube footage of Reggie dominating at MSG or at Market Square. If I was Reggie Miller, I would be texting anybody and everybody all of my playoff heroics just to remind them of how much ass I kicked back in the day.

2) This surfer dude needs a chilax pill. He claims that when he approached Reggie about leaving his girl alone, #31 threatened him by saying he had friends with guns. He obviously wasn't referring to real guns. He's referring to old guns on the Davis boys. It's true. Antonio and Dale Davis are still Reggie's full-time bodyguards and they will show their massive guns to anyone wanting to mess with Mr. Clutch. Don't mess with the Davis Boys.

3) Reggie has the best phone number ever. The fact that is his last four digits are "3131" is the best bachelor phone number of all-time. Scenario:
Girl: "So, what's your number Reg?"
#31: "Bitch please! You know number. Watch me walk away!"
And as he walks away he reveals the jersey number stitched into his suit coat with the blue and gold pinstripes and she's been served a notice -- you are messing with greatness.

4) Back to the text messaging thing. You don't text a person 53 times without receiving 53 responses and it's highly unlikely that those responses said, "btw...stp txtn me...im getting hitched." Furstenberg obviously was feeling a little insecure about his girl getting with Uncle Reg and he lashed out like a teenager getting a keg of beer. And when people lash out at Reggie, it always ends with a money shot in somebody's eye, and in this case, it's Ali Kay.

On to the links...

Hello, Mr. Radio
Ms. Ali Kay...enjoy!

It's Beetles...with an A
In my previous blog post, I showed the latest video clip from The Beatles: Rock Band, but when I watched it again I became confused at the beginning. It warns viewers of "mild language" and "tobacco reference" and I'm wondering where that is in the clip. My challenge to my loyal readers is to find either one. If you find it, I'll let you go on me and Bo's road trip to visit Reggie at his Malibu mansion.

Mrs. Thug Mrs.
You finally might get me to watch an episode of America's Next Top Model. Lauren Conrad is set to appear on the next season.

You Tube...no, you're a tube
Nothing like combining my favorite Oasis song with a top-3 Beatles song. Win-win situation.

Twist and Shout...Seriously, Do It

Yes, I'm inherently a lazy person.

But does that give me the right to only update this site once in an entire month? Apparently it does, and it also allows me to make my newest post (this one) just a quick link to a video instead of an analytical essay on why the gecko living in my apartment is so boring that even Ringo finds him sympathetically un-amusing.

Between all of my work that I've accomplished during my two week hiatus from the real world (i.e. watching 24+ hours worth of DVR'd television shows and movies recorded over the course of June and July) I finally stumbled upon something dashingly amazing this morning.

The second trailer for The Beatles: Rock Band was released to the public today and, yet again, I immediately passed out with joy after watching it. Not only does it lead off with a little twist and a little shout, the graphics and sound just gets better and better. I know (and this is official) that I can't afford this game when it releases on the cosmic date of 09.09.09, but it will be the lone gift hand printed on my Christmas List this December. So Santa and his elves better get their asses in gear and make me a good replica of this thing. Until then, I'll just pretend to hold my replica Hofner bass and bump out the bass line to Revolution. And if you think I'm kidding, then you don't know me at all.

Enjoy.