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You'll have to forgive this post. It's not really about lawyers, although it does cite the Constitution. You see, I've been distracted lately: the final season of "Lost" is just a few weeks away, and there's a lot to be stressed about. (Publicity photo above. Click to biggify.) Will they be able to wrap it up in one short season? Will the finale justly reward viewers' five-year commitment to the series? And most importantly, will President Obama's State of the Union bump the February 2 premiere?
Finally, this weekend, my fears were allayed. Turns out, the President won't bump the premiere. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced that the State of the Union would be rescheduled to accommodate the Season 6 opener of the ABC series. No, really. He actually said:
I don't foresee a scenario in which millions of people that hope to finally get some conclusion in Lost are preempted by the president. I assume it's a big deal at ABC.
Well, that makes me feel much better. The nation is at war twice over, the terrorists are targeting our planes, the economy continues to bleed jobs, the financial institutions are relying on tax money to pay their ginormous bonuseses, the Patriots were spanked out of the playoffs — in other words, the country's in rough shape — but the President felt it necessary to postpone his Article II, Section 3 duties so as to avoid messing up primetime. (Dude, the Constitution does not say, "He shall from time time check with TV Guide before addressing Congress ....")
Don't get me wrong: I'm delighted about the schedule change. I'm just also a little concerned about the government's ability to maintain the respect of its citizens. Can you imagine the outcry if the last guy had done this?
Maybe the thing to do would have been to reschedule to avoid "Lost," but not publicly admit that that is what they're doing. Otherwise, they end up looking kind of ... lost.
Just sayin'.
More details from E! Online here, and the New York Times' "Arts Beat" blog here.
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For more TV-related goodness, check out how Conan O'Brien won the first round against NBC in the late-night wars, at our sister blog, Gruntled Employees.