mad about you

• NBC might have canceled its West Wing retrospective for next Sunday, but EW gathers the cast and crew and goes down memory lane. Among the tidbits: Sidney Poitier was the first person talked about to play the President; producers offered Bradley Whitford the role of Sam, but he wanted to play Josh; John Spencer was the first person cast, but Sorkin had originally seen Judd Hirsch as Leo and had to rewrite the character for Spencer; Eugene Levy auditioned to play Toby; CCH Pounder auditioned to play C.J., as did Janel Moloney; and NBC bought the West Wing only if John Wells agreed to also do Third Watch.
  
• Paris Bennett says "Don't be sad."
• Gillian Flynn answers the question: what is the worst show to have a long run?
• New DVDs: they give a B+ to the first and second season DVD set of The Facts of Life, and an A- for the Scrubs third season set.
• Funny review of 7th Heaven by Ken Tucker, calling the series finale flashback "creepy."
• Bruce Campbell gives a guest review of Supernatural. He says it's fun, but it's scare factor is too conservative and the lead actors pose too much.
• A look at the new Lost tie-in book, Bad Twin.

As my newborn son (part of a twin set; the other is a girl) rests in my arms, I just want to take this moment to thank two cable channels for being there for us as we struggled through the sleepless first night home:  Nick@Nite  and The Hallmark Channel.

Yes, I said the Hallmark Channel!

The Hallmark Channel was on during the 11 P.M. till 1 A.M. shift with four episodes of M.A.S.H . When I was younger I never liked the early episodes with Frank Burns, Colonel Blake, and Trapper John. Now I like those more, as well as the first two seasons where Colonel Potter and B.J. Hunnicutt joined the cast (these are the episodes The Hallmark Channel is showing now). Once Frank Burns left and Charles Winchester joined the 4077th the show got a bit too preachy for me, and Col. Potter began to spout too many southern cliches.