Robert McCallister the Independent, Reverend President (not to be confused with Robert McCallister the Republican Congressman, aka Rob Lowe)

That's right... I marathoned Jack and Bobby this week. What is it with shows about Presidents that pulls me in? Could it be the power, the significance of even the smallest decisions, or the strategy games being played? Or is it that I just have a thing for white houses with oval rooms?... whatever the reason, it is definitely true that I watch (and fall in love with) way too many shows about the Presidency.

Jack and Bobby, for those of you that have yet to watch this masterpiece, was on the WB for one season in 2004-2005. The show has an interesting format - It is a biography about former president McCallister, who served from 2041-2049. Interspersed with the biography (talking heads of important people in the president's life and political figures) is a narrative from the president's childhood.

Stop reading if you don't want spoilers!!!

I remember watching the pilot with my mom in 2004 and sobbing. The set up is just emotional. I think it was originally marketed so that you would assume that it was going to be a show about the Kennedys. But, it isn't Jack and his brother Bobby were given their names after their Father (Juan Roberto) and not after the political figures, which is funny since their mother is a History professor at the local college. The pilot does such a great job of making the audience think that Jack became president. However, by the end of the episode you know the truth, Bobby (the geeky little brother with asthma) became the President of the United States!

What a whirlwind of emotions, and that was just the pilot!

Later you learn that Courtney, Jack's love interest when they were kids, ends up as the Former First Lady, meaning Bobby's wife (ew). Bobby was known for his sex scandals... and he became both a Republican and a Reverend!

Some not so believable things happen in the 2030s-2040s - Jack becomes a Democrat Congressman (after being a war hero and a public defender) and then has the most ironic death possible (being the victim of a crime analogous to the one his father is serving a life sentence for in another state). After Jack's death, since he wasn't married, the Democrats decide to give his seat to his Republican little brother, the Reverend Robert McCallister. As if that weren't enough, after being a Congressman, Robert decides to run for president and when the Republican party does not support his nomination, he runs and wins as an Independent! (Oh, and his VP is a woman... his mistress.)

Things I had forgotten about the show that I wish I had remembered, because they were awesome:

1. Christine Lahti is a phenomenal actress. (She plays the mom, Grace McCallister. She is crazy!)

2. There was a great episode about the fallout after Jack's former best friend commits suicide because he does have anywhere to turn when he realizes he is gay. The episode even ends with one of those Trevor Project messages. This was in 2004... good job, WB! (My only qualm is that this was a stand alone episode and the only other gay character in the entire series was the deadbeat uncle. Though it was apparent that most of the main characters had no problem with accepting gay people and the gay characters were not stereotypes, which are good messages to be sending.)

3. An entire story line related to one of the main characters, Jack's former girl friend, Missy, getting an abortion. This was also important because Missy's father was a Minister. Hearing his speech at the funeral later (Missy dies a few episodes later of unrelated causes) was just so moving (he says g-d punished her for her misdeeds!). There are a lot of feminist messages in this series that are great, as well as counter arguments that need to be made.

4. Neil Patrick Harris' (Doogie Howser and How I Met Your Mother) and Justin Kirk's (Weeds) single-episode appearances (both complete with horrid hair styles)! NPH played a Professor who when he was still in school, wrote a paper about Grace McCallister when assigned to write about a President's mother. He uncovered facts about her lies regarding who the president's father was, which was a big scandal during the campaign. Justin Kirk played Henry McCallister, the second of four boys of President McCallister. The oldest son was killed while McCallister was still president, by driving drunk.

Perhaps the thing I wish I had remembered most was that there was a character named Robert McCallister who is a Republican with a not so secure marriage to a woman named Courtney and with a son named Jack, because that is the character Rob Lowe played on Brothers and Sisters only a year or two after the end of Jack and Bobby.

- The Inner Mind of Dramawiz

In Reality This Never Happened... But in the Inner Mind of Dramawiz...

Yesterday I went to a concert during the day. It was sort of a Broadway (and a few other) performers showcase. It was a day concert at a place like the Hollywood Bowl.

I was sitting off to the side about halfway back with nobody right around me. My parents were somewhere else in the audience.

Katy Perry had performed earlier in the show and taken a seat in the audience by the time the encore began. They were singing one of her hit songs (Baby Baby Baby Oh). The performers tried to get Katy to sing with them by seeking her out in the audience but she kept hiding.

She eventually sat down beside me. Needless to say, they found us and gave her a mic. She turned to me and said, "You are going to help me through this." (I couldn't get myself to tell her that I didn't know her song...)

As the next verse began, which was when she was going to join in, she told me to 'harmonize with her.' We started to sing and realized neither of us new the lyrics. We abruptly stopped and started laughing. The song continued without anyone singing until we got it together by the chorus and started singing "baby baby baby oh"s back and forth. She eventually got up and walked around the audience as the she finished the song.

The concert ended and everyone began filing out. I knew that I wanted a picture with Katy after that whole experience so I made my way to the front of the stage. When I got there my parents were the first to find me and my dad said it was time to leave. Reluctantly I agreed and we turned to head out of the Bowl.

But as we started to walk out I heard Katy shout, "Hey, hold up!"

After getting the nod from my parents that I could go back, I went to Katy and we started walking in the other direction together away from the crowd. We ended up walking out of the Bowl the other direction and the beach was on one side.

She invited me to see a 'modernized performance of Avenue Q with her and Russell' that evening. She suggested that we 'grab dinner first though.' I told her that maybe my dad would be willing since it was his favorite show.

She turned sad for a second and said that she wasn't sure she could get an extra three tickets instead of just the one for me. I understood and told her that I should just head back with my parents then.

We talked about random things as we walked. At one point I apologized for not knowing her song. I tried to lessen the blow by saying that I knew some of her other songs, but she could easily see through that lie.

As we started walking back to the Bowl Russell caught up to us. Katy had to get going, likely to change from her performance clothes, so Russell escorted me back.

My dad found us on the way and I asked Russell if I could get a picture with him. He agreed and so we let my dad act as our paparazzo for the rest of the walk.

The End.

(The Inner Mind of Dramawiz creates some awesome dreams!)