Did You See That

It was my day off, I'm happily in the middle of nowhere, and there's Hugh Laurie of the TV show, "House", or at least someone who could earn a living looking like Hugh Laurie. Within the past fifteen minutes I've already seen someone who brought to mind a girl I knew named Laurie. So it's quite clear to me someone wants me on that page, whatever page that may be. Being secretly super-important, I am no stranger to people going to certain lengths to get me onto a certain page. I continue along, wondering what this Hugh Laurie stuff is about. I threw around some possible reasons but came up with nothing. I don't even watch the show.

A newspaper vending machine shows that day's USA Today contains an article on "24", and naturally I've already decided to purchase a copy before the day is over. The show's just been canceled, and I blogged (March 28th) about Kiefer Sutherland, that show's star, deliberately choosing to drive by me on the day that important announcement was made (March 26th), it being that I'm secretly super-important. Of course I would be buying USA Today, anyone could see that.

And so the inevitable happens - I get around to buying USA Today, and read the article. And that's when I find out why Hugh Laurie or someone who could earn a living looking like Hugh Laurie drove by me (slowly making a turn in front of me with his window rolled down so I was provided a good look). The article about "24" states several reasons for the cancellation:

"....and the network wants to build new shows in the key Monday time slot behind hit medical drama House."

House = Hugh Laurie.

Notwithstanding the fact that "24" is actually on immediately following "House", making this statement a minor head-scratcher, it seems that they've made Hugh Laurie the new man of the hour (or minute), the person momentarily assigned the task of absorbing some of the blame.

I myself do not believe for a moment that decisions of that nature are made the way the article described. What I do believe is that it helps the public to be provided with a set of different explanations for the decision, any or all of which may or may not be partly true. It diffuses the responsibility of the decision, a rather large decision if you see things of this type as affecting an important part of our collective spirit. I've already gone on about the importance I attach to "24" in my March 28th blog - I don't happen to have the strength just now to go there all over again. I'm sure you know what I mean, and you don't, and you think I'm making all this up about who I am and what I see and when. And you don't. [Different font colors used for different uses of the word "you" to denote different types of people. The French have two words for "you", but we're in mixed company, so let's just leave it there.]