The West Wing
When I first heard about this debate, I was a little skeptical. Between the parade of guest stars and the announcement of a live stunt, I thought this thing had a whiff of Will & Grace desperation stink. And while it didn't reach the level of President Bartlet's debate drubbing of Rob Ritchie a few seasons back, it was still pretty darn exciting to watch Bobby Simone and Hawkeye Pierce get it on without a net.
First off, did we need Ellen DeGeneres playing host? I dig Ellen as much as the next guy (or girl), but she doesn't exactly ooze executive-branch gravitas. I was also kinda surprised they started with a backstage segment. I guess director Alex Graves really wanted to try his hand at a live West Wing walk-and-talk.
Wasn't Alan Alda's long opening pause great? For a minute, I thought he had lost it like Admiral James Stockdale in the 1992 VP debate. Vinick's gambit to dump the debate rules turned o
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Backstage at Last Call with Carson Daly, Tears for Fears duo Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal are waiting to go on. They've been doing a lot of that lately. That's what happens when you're one of the biggest bands of the '80s (with hits like "Shout" and "Sowing the Seeds of Love") and you're promoting your first joint album together, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, in more than 15 years. You do a lot of TV appearances (including, so far, The Tonight Show, Conan, Today and The Late Late Show), which means a lot of rehearsals and then a lot of waiting. "This is our third TV show in as many days," says Orzabal. "Basically, we're taking over American TV for every week up until the election."
It was back in 1990 when Orzabal and Smith elected to go their separate musical ways after 14 years together, a partnership that began when they were teenagers in Bath, England. After the split, Orzabal, who retained the band's
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