I once called in sick to work when I wasn't sick. When I got to work my boss hinted that he didn't believe I had been sick. And it got me thinking: he's wrong. Let's say I really was sick that day. I would have done the same thing I did when I faked, which was call in to work and tell them I wasn't coming in because I was sick. If I was really sick, then my boss would have said the same thing to me, that he didn't believe me, even though I was really sick, and he would have been wrong.

I thought of that after watching this video of Conan O'Brien taking a film crew to the home of one of his writers who phoned in sick. It's pretty funny to see the late night host trying to figure out if the guy is sick, what jokes he's been working on (about Paris Hilton), and why the guy has so much gum. Video after the jump.

(S01E10) Have you ever watched an episode of a TV show where a character is really sick, and it just makes you feel worse because you're sick too? That's how I felt tonight. I got sick the day after Thanksgiving (stuffy head, dry throat, really tired), and I still feel crappy, so watching this episode where the entire cast gets sick was really odd. I'm sure there are some viewers who were sick that wouldn't even relate the two, and still others that might feel better because the TV characters felt even worse. But watching the sick people just kept reminding me that I was still sick, on the sofa wrapped in a comforter, eating only soup and tea.

I'll get to the review in just a moment, but first, a few facts about Columbus, OH:

• Population: 695,709
• 15th largest city in the U.S.
• One of the fastest growing metro areas
• Named by Money magazine as one of the Best Places To Live in the U.S.
• Economy is ranked 7th strongest in the U.S.

With that information, why did Aaron Sorkin choose it as an example of some hick town?

(S01E04) Unlike many people, I like the Harriet Hayes character. And I like the way that Sarah Paulson is playing her. It's a distinctive performance: very precise in her delivery, graceful, even when she's yelling about something or irritated. And she's a very religious person, but one that's on a late night show doing satire. I don't see anything wrong with what she's doing or how she's written. I actually find the way she acts really believable. I know people like Harriet Hayes.

Having said that, I didn't really enjoy the opening scene of this show. I thought that (for the most part) Matt and Harriet had made up an episode or two ago. And I thought the argument (Matt's upset that Harriet gets a signed bat from a pitcher) was a little too forced, and I thought the Matt and Harriet love plot was going to take over the entire show. But then something happened in this episode, around the 19 minute mark, like something snapped and the episode started to soar, started to click, and showed how dramatic the backstage goings on at a TV show can be.