On TV: Jackson Memorial, 'Scrubs,' Show-Killers, More

Columnist Lisa de Moraes was online Friday, July 10 at 1 p.m. ET to take your questions about the drama, comedy and heartbreak of the world of television -- both onscreen and behind-the-scenes.

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washingtonpost.com:

Lisa de Moraes: Hi..Here's this week's poll question. Am I the only one still watching all the Michael Jackson coverage?

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Ballston Dude: I've figured it out-why reality shows always recap the 20 seconds of happened before the commercial break.

They know we all DVR/TIVO this crap and don't want to see the commercials.

If we fast forward too much we miss what happened. They use this as filler so we can hit play.

Are you with me?

Lisa de Moraes: Or, they assume their audience has attention deficit disorder. That's my theory...

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Niles, Michigan: Is there any chance that the spring replacement series "Harper's Island" (CBS Thursdays for awhile) will turn out to be a child's dream/nightmare or some other sort of cop-out to resolve the mystery's loose ends?

Lisa de Moraes: No, hat to ruin it for you, but it's going to turn out to be Leslie Moonves's nightmare... You heard it here first, folks..

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Yonkers, NY: Was it me, or was the Paris Michael scene a little too much like "Sing out, Louise!"? I appreciate the heartbreak of this young child but Aunt Janet/Mama Rose telling her to speak up and the other Jackson aunt (Rebbie?) adjusting the microphone was a little too much Gypsy Rose Lee.

Lisa de Moraes: Man am I with you completely on this one. I do not think the child should have been put up on stage under any circumstances. It was heartbreaking, but for the wrong reason. Here's where I have to confess I was amused by Janet Jackson demure get-up -- kept thinking about her wardrobe malfunction. I know, it's wrong on so many levels...

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Seattle: Pookie, I believe that "Mad Men" season 2 will be released on DVD next week. But do you know if AMC will be broadcasting any of season 2 before season 3 begins in August? Call me cheap, but I don't have a job right now, and it will take weeks (if not months) to get that DVD from the library, so I'm hoping AMC will come through for me.

Lisa de Moraes: You're in luck -- August 10 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.....And, typically cable networks do a previous-season marathon to get you wound up for the next season kickoff...sorry to hear about the job situation...

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Fairfax County, Va.: I was really moved by the Billy Mays tribute episode on Discovery last night and had been looking forward to it as an on-screen acknowledgment of what happened. I was shocked to learn that the show "Pitchmen" only started in April. It seems like we have been fans much longer. Per the tribute, Mays only watched shows when they aired, so he never saw the last two episodes. Weird.

It sounds to me, though, like they are leaving the door open to a new season for "Pitchmen." Any chance that could work? It seems impossible, though I wish it could. I think their central premise is gone.

Lisa de Moraes: It will be hard for Discover to walk away from a successful franchise but I think they will discover, if they try to keep "Pitchmen" going, how much they owe Mays for the series' success...when shows have tried to carry on after a lead dies, it seldom works...

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Child exploitation: What have we come to? My partner was attacked during a work lucnh yesterday for calling Paris Jackson's moment child abuse.

We must be worn down by the constant scarring of children being 'surprised' by their parents returning from war zones, especially on "Today." I cringe every time that happens, and pray for the poor child.

Lisa de Moraes: Tell your partner we've got his/her back. I don't know if I would call it "abuse," but I would call it "irresponsible," "inappropriate," and "sad." I think the whole point of putting Paris up there was so that Janet could be seen around the world clutching Paris to her famous bosom after she broke down...

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Paris Jackson: Admit it. We all want to see these kids. There's a whole "Flowers in the Attic" aspect to their lives that makes any public appearance compelling TV.

Lisa de Moraes: I'm fine with the cameras showing the kids in their seats at the memorial and walking in and out of the Staples Center. But putting that little girl up on stage and giving her directions in re using the mic and speaking up, etc -- cruel...

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Herndon, Va.: Now that Paula Marshall has shed the show killer title and Mark Feuerstein seems to have a hit show, dare we dream of a hit for the ultimate show killer -- Ted McGinley?

Lisa de Moraes: I think "Gary Unmarried" and "Royal Pains" have, if nothing else, taught us that anything is possible in this crazy mixed up world. So yes, we need to dream of a hit for Ted. Any pitches out there? Alien nanny? Talking horse? Talking car?

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Anonymous: What will the new "Scrubs" look like? Who is staying?

Lisa de Moraes: It's moving to a med school -- gak... John C.McGinley and Donald Raison will be med school teachers and old series regulars like Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and Judy Reyes -- aka The Reasons To Watch The Show -- will make guest appearances. I'm guessing that means "the first few episodes and sweeps weeks." ... Basically it's a different show, but they were afraid to call it a "spinoff" for reasons that probably have to do with selling it in syndication, rather than, you know, reality.

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"Raising the Bar": Pookie,

So, now that Mark has (finally) cut his hair, did the producers ever explain why we needed to suffer through so many episodes of it looking a mess?

Lisa de Moraes: The producers and the thespian insisted his hair HAD to be long because that showed he was a renegade, and outside-teh-box thinker. I always thought it made him look like he hadn't bathed in days... Anyway, I'm guessing focus group testing showed there was near universal hatred of the hair and voila -- gone! You see, focus group testing is not entirely evil -- sometimes, good can come of it..

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What is the code?: Sometimes Letterman walks over to the stage entrance to greet his guests, sometimes he walks to the edge of his platform to greet guests, and other times he just stays standing behind the desk and expects the guest to come to him. What message is he trying to send? Is it stricly based on how important he feels the guests are?

Lisa de Moraes: Okay, you are apparently mistaking Letterman for a normal person. That is a mistake. That said, I'll entertain all theories -- anybody? I need more information. How does he greet Julia Roberts -- walk to the entrance, walk to edge of platform, stand at his desk. All understanding must start there...

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Fairfax Station, Va.: Pookie, I won't be able to make it to the online chat as I'll be sitting poolside at 1 pm (half-day work today) but wanted to say you "outsnarked" yourself this week with some of your comments: "The other half were foraging for potable water at the time, we assume." "The Michael Jackson Memorial Orgy of Excess" and my personal fave: "Anderson 'Does This Jackson Memorial Make Me Look Fat?' Cooper." You so crack me up.

washingtonpost.com: Let This Jackson Circus Begin

Lisa de Moraes: I knew this was a particularly snark-infested week when I came in and listened to all the voicemail messages and all the emails...Can I just state for the record, in response to many messages I've had from unhappy readers, that when I call the Michael Jackson memorial an "orgy of excess" I was NOT suggesting they were actually having sex sex in the Staples Center...glad we've cleared that up.

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I can't believe I'm defending Ted McGinley, but...: He did have an 8-year run on "Married with Children."

Lisa de Moraes: Okay, so he's off the show killer list? My world is coming unglued at the seams...If can't call Ted a show killer, and I can't call Paula Marshall a show killer, and I can no longer called Mark Feuerstein a show killer, what is my reason for living?

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Letterman & Julia: It's usually center stage, with a great big too-long-lasting hug. He whispers something to her; she finds it hilarious.

Lisa de Moraes: Wow, that's perplexing. So, anyone he meets half way, he has the hots for....then what's up wiht the people he goes to the length to greet at the entrance? Does he think they are scared and need to be escorted across the stage to the chair. Are they even hotter than Julia Roberts?

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Arlington, Va.: I shouldn't be watching "Royal Pains" and yet there I was tuning in this week. Is it because the show is one of those 'so bad it's really good' or because it really is good?

Lisa de Moraes: It's because it's a CBS show masquerading as a cable show. Like virtually every other show on USA. It's "comfort TV" -- not too hard, not too soft -- just right. And yes, I'm saying that if the CBS lineup was on basic cable, TV critics would be in raptures over it.

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Fallen Angel: Poor Farrah, does anyone has bad a luck as her? Always something holding her back (Ryan, looking at you), and now even in her death ... not even NBC could save her from being drowned out.

Lisa de Moraes: She really did have hard luck, right to the end. Never could get that "I'm a real thespian, not just a great bod and hair" thing to stick, no matter how many abused chicks she played, and then she didn't even get her moment in the spotlight in death.

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Morristown: How is "Better Off Ted" doing, ratings-wise? Found it by accident a few weeks ago and thought it was hilarious. Am I the only one?

Lisa de Moraes: The most recent episode, June 30, clocked a "whopping" 1.76 million viewers. So, in answer to your question: yes, you kind of are. It is hilarious, isn't it?

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Minneapolis: I'm thinking a talking horse for a new sitcom show. Like the movie Star Trek, it will be called Mr. Ed, a Foal. We will finally know the reason this horse can talk to Wilbur. Of course hilarity ensues.

Lisa de Moraes: No, it should be "Mr. Ed II: a Foal", or "ME2:aF"....

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Pitchmen: Well, it won't have the same level of respectability, but you can't tell me that people won't tune into the Shamwow guy. It won't be the same show, but it will get viewers.

Also cool would be a guest spot by Sally Struthers, rattling off an updated list of crappy 2-year degrees available online.

Lisa de Moraes: People might tune in for the Shamwow guy -- once -- but advertisers will flee...not gonna happen.

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Woodbridge, Va.: How excited are you for the upcoming Disney crossover event "Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana"?

washingtonpost.com: Will this somehow involve Gilbert Arenas? Please?

Lisa de Moraes: I'm told by our Hannah Montana correspondent, Emily Yahr, that I'm dead to her if I'm not extremely excited...For those of you who have been hiding under a flat rock, the casts of "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Hannah Montana" and "Suite Life on Deck" are all coming together for one glorious 90-minute orgy of tweener-ness, next Friday, July 17....

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If can't call Ted a show killer, and I can't call Paula Marshall a show killer, and I can no longer called Mark Feuerstein a show killer, what is my reason for living?: Maybe Kristin Chenoweth? We'll soon find out....

Lisa de Moraes: Thank goodness -- something to live for. Thank you...Oh wait, her David Kelley drama did not get picked up. But, she's recurring on "Glee"...

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Minneapolis: Okay I hear you - How 'bout "Mr. Ed - A Foal Lotta Trouble"

Lisa de Moraes: Brilliant! Now, about casting.....

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Dumfries, Va.: Andy Richter's voice is so shrill at the start of "The Tonight Show" that it sends me over to Letterman. How about you?

Lisa de Moraes: Makes me want to stick sharp objects in my ears...they need to keep him away from the coffee pot starting around noon...

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Real World: I know the Real World is currently filming in the Dupont area. But when will it air on TV? Then we'll have our 15 minutes of fame...

Lisa de Moraes: not until 2010....

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Rochester, NY: Ms. de Moraes,

After slogging through NBC's "I'm A Celebrity...", "America's Got Talent" and watching the first episode of "Great American Road Trip" I have to ask you, why are NBC reality shows so terrible?

Lisa de Moraes: So that they match NBC's scripted shows... da dum dum...

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New drinking game: From this chat, I get to drink every time the word "orgy" or "living under a flat rock" is used! Whoopee!!!

Lisa de Moraes: I am a huge fan of "orgy" and "flat rock" it's true... hey -- two more drinks. Enjoy!

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Understanding the "Post's" TV Guide markings: I don't have a computer at home and still rely on the TV guide you include each week in your Sunday paper.

They have now added extra numbers at the top of the grids. For example, ABC has a 7.1 next to it, CBS has a 9.1, and WETA has a 26.4.

Any idea why?

Lisa de Moraes: I'm told that's for the people who are still getting their TV using rabbit ears and, now, also a converter box. Those are the channels on which you will find those networks...it's kinda cute, don't you think?

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Wedding Day/Hitched or Ditched: My daughter is getting married in 8 days, so I've become a big fan of wedding shows (but I refuse to watch "Bridezillas," and "Platinum Weddings" knocks my socks off!).

A few weeks ago The CW introduced "Hitched or Ditched," followed by "Wedding Day" on TNT.

H&D was a train wreck which introduced two mothers-in-law from Hades. A couple who had been dating a while were given a dream wedding--in one week. They had to decide at the altar whether they were going to marry or break up for good. Out of 6 couples, about 3 or 4 married and the others broke up for various reasons. In most cases, their friends thought they shouldn't marry.

Wedding Day, on the other hand, was beautiful & heartwarming. The couples included one in which a woman had a near-fatal automobile accident 4 days before her scheduled wedding; a pair of army captains back from Iraq and about to be deployed again; a single mother and a widower with two children. In all cases, they had the heartfelt support of all their family and friends, who worked together to give them a beautiful wedding, including building, painting, decorating, etc, with the help (and resources) of the hosts from the show.

HOWEVER, the next week it was on Thursday. Then it was moved to Saturday morning and reruns of CSI:New York are being shown in the evenings instead. What is wrong with you, TNT? You get a wonderful show and move it to Siberia. Thanks to TiVo, I still get to watch it, but that is such a horrible timeslot.

If you can find it, watch it. It is truly heartwarming.

Lisa de Moraes: I confess I had not kept up with the apparent scheduling madness on TNT but thanks for the tip.

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Philadelphia: "Lisa de Moraes: Or, they assume their audience has attention deficit disorder. That's my theory..."

Or maybe they know that there isn't a lot of overlap between their audience and the MENSA mailing list...in other words, having seen what happened, the audience now needs to be told what happened in case they didn't understand it...

Lisa de Moraes: or, maybe they know their audience watches while doing their nails, paying bills, texting friends, whatevs, and sometimes loses track of the "storyline." Let's face it, watching some of these shows is not heavy mental lifting..

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"one glorious 90-minute orgy of tweener-ness, next Friday, July 17.... ": Uh oh. And you think your voicemails were bad after the "Orgy of Excess"?!

Lisa de Moraes: Oh, I probably should have mentioned, Emily Yahr has just been appointed the WaPo Team TV Voicemail bureau chief...

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Alexandria VA: I really don't get how people are so judgmental over family member's grief. If Paris wanted to defend her father, who are we to judge?

Lisa de Moraes: Point is, I don't think she really wanted to. Nor do I think she should have been put in that position. She's a little girl, and she's grieving. Do not slap her in front of international TV cameras. It's just wrong.

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Harper's Island Finale: a) Is it tomorrow? 2) Is it 2 hours?

I don't care what anyone says, I have enjoyed it.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, it's tomorrow but it's only one hour. Will you check back with us next week and let us know what you thought of the mop-up episode?

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"Mr. Ed" Casting: Well, Hillary Swank has the teeth for it....

Lisa de Moraes: Perfect. She can play the mother...

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Baltimore: CSI question: Okay, so I have been watching many many reruns of the original on Spike and I have a question. Why is it that the CSI people, when they enter a house or a room where a hideous murder has been committed, never turn on the lights, but instead walk around with only their flashlights glowing? Wouldn't it be easier to see "clues" if they could see the whole room?

Lisa de Moraes: See, it's people like you that are causing the broadcast networks to be in the position they are in today. You are asking entirely too much of the show's writers, directors and actors if you expect them to have to figure out these pesky details...

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Sorta related MJ question: So, Brooke Shields hadn't seen MJ since 1991 and Queen Latifah had never even met MJ, but they still get front and center at the service. Do you know if they are available to say a few words next month at my son's bar mitzvah? Doesn't seem like actually knowing the honoree is a requirement.

Lisa de Moraes: Yikes...couldn't they get anyone who knew him to read that poem, or are they all under investigation?...Why didn't Janet read the poem?

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"Wizards," "Suite Life," and "Hannah Montana": Wow, they're only one Horseman short...

Lisa de Moraes: exactly...

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Silver Spring: Pookala, has there EVER been a sleazier reality show contestant than Wes? Well done ABC for scripting the Bachelorette thusly.

Lisa de Moraes: ABC has really outdone itself this season, hasn't it. I can't stop watching...

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Nominee for Show Killer: Sarah Paulson. Studio 60 and Cupid both dead.

Lisa de Moraes: And, ironically, Paula Marshall also became a show killer over "Cupid" -- the first version. How fitting. Paulson also starred in another short-lived NBC series -- I think it was called "Leap of Faith" maybe?

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Anonymous: does the Blanket have a name? And why don't people use it?

Lisa de Moraes: His name is the same as his older brothers. Hence "Blanket." I like "Blanket." Who doesn't like "Blanket."...

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New York: So will the new Scrubs still have acoustic guitar music kicking with 10 minutes to go to let us know that, hey, sometimes a hospital emergency room can be sort of serious? I might actually watch it if they don't.

Lisa de Moraes: I'm guessing they're going to do this "not-a-spinoff" on a shoestring budget, so you may be in luck.

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More "Mr. Ed" Casting: I picture Adrien Brody in the lead. And he could certainly use the work.

Lisa de Moraes: Excellent choice, he has sad eyes...

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Alexandria VA: So I guess televising the Nation Spelling Bee and "Smarter than a 5th Grader" are advocating child abuse too?

Lisa de Moraes: You betcha, pookster, if all of the contestants had just had their fathers die tragically and they were shoved on national TV. That would be really, really bad.

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Re: Saul Rubinek: Can I just say for the record I love Saul Rubinek. Your colleague Tom Shales trashed him in his review of Warehouse 13. I know the show is typical summer SciFi (or is it SYFY) fare, but some of us enjoy that mindlessness. Saul is great! And I'm not his publicist.

washingtonpost.com: 'Warehouse': No Creativity, Just Cobwebs: The Syfy Series Has a Very Familiar Feel to It

Lisa de Moraes: Thank you for clarifying that you are not his publicist -- I do get some of that on this chat. And here's Tom's review for your enjoyment.

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Chicago: Am I the first or the 10,000th person to call it "AfterScrubs"? I actually watched a couple episodes of "AfterMASH" (yikes...) and am hoping the "Scrubs" producers have been forced to do the same to learn what not to do....

Lisa de Moraes: You may be the first -- congratulations. I'm guessing the "Scrubs" producers have not watched "AfterMASH" or they would never have come up with this hairbrained idea to continue "Scrubs" only without the lead characters and without the hospital....

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Under a rock?: Was I the only person in America who didn't watch any of the Michael Jackson funeral, on TV or Internet? It seems like that's what a lot of people are interested in right now, but it seems to mr that it has nothing to do with the man's talent and career anymore - the obsession has mutated into one about just how much we were never allowed to see about his life - I admit I have a curiosity about it as well. He was such a mystery.

Lisa de Moraes: Yes, a lot of people watched the Jackson memorial ceremony one way or the other. No surprise, given the profound impact Jackson had on pop culture -- dance, fashion, music, etc. For all the talk about fractionalization of TV audience, and no-more-watercooler, blah, blah, blah, people do seem to be drawn to these sort of come-together moments. Me, I'm all for it...I may be the only Reporter Who Covers Television who's not nicking the TV networks for the extent of their coverage.Meanwhile, our poll results show 62 percent of you thought putting Paris on camera at the end of the Jackson memorial was exploitativea dn 38 percent found it riveting... I'm out of time. Bye....

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