Pardon the Interruption
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pardon the Interruption | |
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| Genre | Sports talk and debate |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Producer(s) | Matt Kelliher |
| Starring | Tony Kornheiser Michael Wilbon Tony Reali |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | ESPN |
| Original run | October 22, 2001–present |
| No. of episodes | 1117 (as of 12/13/06) |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Pardon the Interruption (also known as PTI) is a sports television show on ESPN filmed in Washington, D.C., and airing on various ESPN TV channels as well as the XM and Sirius satellite radio services. It stars Washington Post columnists and longtime friends Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, who discuss - and frequently argue over - the top stories of the day in "sports... and other stuff" (as Kornheiser put it in the channel's original promo).
Either Tony Reali (host of ESPN's Around the Horn) or the uncredited "producer over the loudspeaker" may serve as moderator for parts of the show.
Similar in format to CNN's Crossfire, PTI is known for its humorous and often loud tone, as well as the "rundown" graphic listing the topics yet to be discussed down the right-hand side of the screen. The show's popularity has led to the creation of similar shows on ESPN, and similar segments on other series. It is produced by ESPN Original Entertainment.
PTI debuted on October 22, 2001 [1]. It airs daily at 5:30 PM Eastern Time (if not pre-empted by live events such as golf), and is repeated at 6:30 PM Eastern Time on ESPNEWS and frequently at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on ESPN2. The show celebrated its 1000th episode on May 31, 2006.
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[edit] The set
The show is also known for its set, featuring a "wall" full of cut-out heads of athletes and celebrities that have previously been used in the "Role Play" segment, bobblehead dolls of the show's hosts and Reali, Etch-A-Sketch art of Kornheiser and Wilbon, and several other toys and trinkets they have received, such as Kornheiser's beloved "Leg Lamp" from A Christmas Story.
For different American holidays, the set will also be decorated with other props to match the theme of the day. For example, on Halloween, carved Jack-o-Lanterns of the host's heads are also present. The color of the rundown graphic is also changed to mesh with the holiday theme (e.g. red, white, and blue to represent Independence Day, green for St. Patricks Day).
[edit] Segments
The show is divided into several segments. It is not unusual for the last point or topic in each section to be about a non-sports-related pop-culture event. Occasionally the show will stray from its basic format, such as on August 9, 2005, when baseball commissioner Bud Selig was the guest at the very top of the show for an extended interview. A similar situation occurred two days later on August 11 with Terrell Owens and his agent Drew Rosenhaus. Another similar occurrence happened December 22, 2005, following the news that coach Tony Dungy's son, James, had committed suicide. This change seems to only occur on rare occasions.
Segments included in the vast majority of shows are:
[edit] The Introduction
Kornheiser and Wilbon welcome viewers to the show with opening banter.
Wilbon usually opens the show with the line, "Pardon the Interruption... but I'm Mike Wilbon." Wilbon will then put a question to Kornheiser concerning one of the day's sports or pop culture issues. Kornheiser often responds with a slightly inappropriate joke, such as one week in 2006 when he spent an entire week mocking the pronunciation of the planet Uranus. Guest hosts will use a similar script to introduce themselves, Such as Miami Herald columist Dan Lebatard, frequently introduced as the Hateable Dan Lebatard, with his trademark phrase BAM!)
If Kornheiser is in the studio, he will greet the audience after the opening title card. Kornheiser's greetings vary greatly, from "Welcome to PTI, boys and girls" to "Welcome to PTI, you little weasels" or "Welcome to PTI, my brothers from another mother." Wilbon rarely greets the audience with anything other than "Welcome to PTI" whenever Kornheiser is on the road or has the day off.
[edit] Headlines
The show opener where Kornheiser and Wilbon usually debate between four to six issues. Each issue is listed in chronological order on the right side of the screen, and a countdown timer is shown indicating how much time is alloted to discuss a particular issue. Most topics are less than 1:30, but major news stories can run two or three minutes. If there is no guest for "Five Good Minutes," additional headlines will run during the second segment.
[edit] Five Good Minutes
Kornheiser and Wilbon interview a sports figure (or often an analyst) typically for anywhere from three to five and a half minutes. If there is no guest to be interviewed, either "Headlines" continues, or they'll move onto one of the segments below. "Five Good Minutes" may also be held to the slot where one of the segments listed below would usually take place. The interview itself is actually recorded prior to the rest of the show and then trimmed down for broadcast.
During Mondays in the football season, ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski, a former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback (a.k.a. "Jaws" and "the Polish Rifle"), is usually the guest, to offer analysis of the previous day's games and a prediction for the Monday Night Football game that night.
On June 8, 2005, Drew Rosenhaus, agent of such NFL stars as Terrell Owens and Willis McGahee, appeared as a guest during this segment. Kornheiser and Wilbon were so engaged in the interview that it actually ran eleven minutes and the following segment (Role Play) was canceled. According to their remote producer, guests are booked the day of the show as they try to obtain the most relevant news of the day.[2] On rare occasions, there are two "Five Good Minutes" segments with two different guests; there are also shows where two related guests appear during one segment, such as Joe Buck and Tim McCarver of Fox MLB broadcasts. There have also been occasions where Kornheiser or Wilbon, while on vacation or in another city to cover an event and not hosting the show, have been the subject of "Five Good Minutes" themselves.
[edit] Featured Segments
Between Five Good Minutes and Happy Happy Time there is usually a different segment, including:
- Mail Time (featured frequently), where they read and respond to viewer e-mail from a talking mailbox.
- During the early episodes of PTI, Wilbon would express disgust at the mail voice, demanding it be omitted (embarrassed by his own voice?), and would retort back sarcastically, "Yeah, mail this".
- Toss Up (featured frequently), where they choose between two sides on a given topic. The choices are announced by the producer over the loudspeaker. As a running gag, Kornheiser usually declares himself the winner of this segment.
- Good Cop, Bad Cop (featured rarely), a variation of "Toss Up" played in police officer costumes with one "Good Cop" who takes the side of the person, team, or item that is being discussed and the other one being the "Bad Cop."
- Over/Under (featured frequently), where they argue whether a certain sports figure will go over or under a certain number (40 home runs, 60 wins, etc.). Topics are announced by Reali. They will also argue very off-beat statistics, such as the duration of Britney Spears' marriage. Wilbon is often chided by Kornheiser and Reali here for choosing "push," as the name of the game stipulates that he must select either over or under. In an effort to prevent this, a decimal figure is sometimes used (2.5 touchdowns, 30.5 points etc.). When finished Tony says Over/Under is Over.
- Role Play (featured somewhat frequently), loosely referred to as "Heads on Sticks," where they argue from the perspective of a sports figure while holding a picture of him or her in front of their faces. Ostensibly, each host does not know who he will be playing before the segment begins. The Heads on Sticks usually find themselves becoming part of the set's background in subsequent episodes. The name of the segment's connection with sexual role play is not ignored, as (since 2006) a suggestive musical cue leads the segment, and Kornheiser ends the segment by asking Wilbon, "Was it good for you?"
- Food Chain (featured rarely, and almost always during playoffs or tournaments), where Kornheiser and Wilbon rank a set of teams or players (both current and historical) in order based on a given criteria (such as "Most Marketable Athlete," "Best NBA point guard," or "Biggest Disappointment of the Year"). Usually Kornheiser and Wilbon will have variations in their lists, which leads the main discussion points. Wilbon does his list first, often referring to his Chain as, "A man's board!", then Kornheiser revises it, concluding with, "That's it! That's the list!"
- Psychic Hotline (featured somewhat frequently), where Kornheiser and Wilbon field pre-recorded phone calls, making predictions for an upcoming sports event/tournament. Kornheiser wears a turban, in the style of Carnac the Magnificent and when he makes predictions he places his hand on a plasma lamp.
- Odds Makers (featured frequently), where Reali gives Kornheiser and Wilbon a possible outcome of a future sports event and they each state the percent chance that they think that will happen. Reali captures their selections on a chalkboard; there are usually 4-5 topics given. A selection of "50%" is seen unfavorably, much like the "Push" option in "Over/Under". Reali often refers to a selection of 0% as "squadoosh," with repeat 0%'s as "double-" or "triple-" squadoosh. At the end, Reali recaps the board and declares a winner, saying odds maker is 100% over.
- On February 16, 2006, Wilbon became the first of the two regular hosts to give a selection of "0%" for all five given topics -- the fabled "quintuple squadoosh".
- Dan Le Batard, subbing for Wilbon for a few shows, annoyed Reali to no end by constantly just selecting one percentage point above or below Kornheiser's selection for every topic. For a while, there was a palpable wariness from Reali whenever Le Batard is playing, expecting another of what Reali mutteringly refers to as "a joke performance".
- However, this antipathy has apparently dissipated as on the November 1, 2006 show, Reali declared Le Batard the winner in Odds Makers for the first time in the history of the segment (Le Batard was subbing for Kornheiser for that show).
- On October 25, 2006, Wilbon became the first of the two regular hosts to select a negative percentage for an event, leading to his receiving ridicule from Kornheiser. However, Reali declared Wilbon the winner for the game.
[edit] Happy Happy Time
The hosts send someone a "Happy Birthday," a "Happy Anniversary" (generally an "on this date," not a marriage anniversary), and a "Happy Trails" (a departure of some sort, such as a firing, an injury, a retirement, or a death). When a death occurs, the music is turned off and the tone of the reader becomes more serious).
[edit] Errors/Corrections
If time allows, Reali (formerly called "Stat Boy") corrects any factual errors that Kornheiser and Wilbon may have made. When Dan Le Batard is hosting, he refers to Reali as "Stat Face," while Jay Mariotti calls Reali "Stat Man."
[edit] TV Picks
Kornheiser and Wilbon give their recommendations for television viewing for the night as the last discussion segment of the show before SportsCenter.
Wilbon usually chooses a sporting event. However, it isn't uncommon for him to give a pick of Alias, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal or The Sopranos, either via first-run or TiVo playback. Often, Wilbon will simply recommend leaving the house and having fun, especially on Friday nights. He often mentions taking in a local sporting event or festivities of a city, if he happens to be on location.
Kornheiser, on the other hand, will often opt for specials on the E! Network, such as an E! True Hollywood Story. He is also a huge fan of both American Idol and 24, both on FOX, giving his synopsis on the night's events and, in the case of Idol, a recap of the previous night and his predictions for the show. He rarely states that he will watch a sporting event, saying that they are on past his bedtime. On July 18, 2006, Wilbon stated that all he watches in the summer is Will and Grace and Frasier.
[edit] Goodnight
This concludes the half-hour broadcast of the show, where Kornheiser bids farewell to foreign viewers. The segment during SportsCenter is not shown in Canada, where the program airs on TSN, so when Wilbon makes the toss to Bristol, Connecticut, where ESPN's studios are located, Kornheiser usually says, "Goodnight, Canada," or "Goodnight, Hosers," waving a Canadian flag as he says so. For a time, Kornheiser flipped to the other side of the continent, waving a Mexican flag and closing with, "Buenas noches, Mexico!" before the toss. He also adds a humorous tag after the "Goodnight". Kornheiser also says "Goodnight" to other people and places, from time to time. Le Batard will often parody Kornheiser by mentioning other countries.
[edit] PTI on SportsCenter
On July 25, 2005, the format of the show was altered to merge the final part of the show with the beginning of the 6:00 PM ET SportsCenter. The show runs from 5:30-6:00, ending with Kornheiser and Wilbon making TV show recommendations for the night. After the opening segment of SportsCenter (normally 7-9 minutes), they return to debate an additional sports-related topic, then end with The Big Finish. The Big Finish topics are actually listed in the run-down, which was not the case before the format change. For the re-airs on ESPNEWS and ESPN2, the show moves straight to the post-SportsCenter topic after the third commercial break, skipping the happy time and TV picks. According to ESPN research, PTI has been drawing higher ratings than the 6:00 PM SportsCenter, and the format change is an attempt to increase SportsCenter's audience by tying it with a more popular program.
Since Kornheiser has been a Monday Night Football correspondent, the co-hosts do PTI live from the host stadium, and the extension of PTI into SportsCenter is bumped for a 6:00 start of NFL Primetime.
[edit] Additional Topic
Kornheiser and Wilbon discuss one additional topic, or augment earlier discussion on the same topic, for approximately one minute. This segment may also be used to address a breaking story that ties in with SportsCenter.
[edit] The Big Finish
For the final 60 seconds of the show, they make a few comments on stories they missed, usually ending with Wilbon picking a winner in a sporting event later that night. The segment (and show) ends with Kornheiser saying, "We're out of time, we'll try to do better the next time," and Wilbon saying "Same time tomorrow/Monday, knuckleheads." Kornheiser usually waves the show logo (on a stick) in front of his face as the show signs off.
[edit] Running gags
The longevity and popularity of the show has led to numerous running jokes between Wilbon and Kornheiser that longtime viewers will recognize. Some of these include such gags as The Bald Brotherhood, Beatdown!, The Yanks and the Sawks!, The Penguin Dance, and The Trampoline Bear.
[edit] Kornheiser and Wilbon on other shows
On February 8, 2006, it was announced that Tony Kornheiser would join Mike Tirico and Joe Theismann in the broadcast booth during Monday Night Football beginning in the 2006 NFL season. Kornheiser will continue to host PTI, and Mike Wilbon will join him on the road as they broadcast PTI each Monday from the site of the MNF game. Kornheiser often comments about his new gig on the show, saying that he'll be horrible for the job or that he wishes that certain people that are topics on the show would ride the bus with him to the game, as he has an admitted fear of flying. On the April 6, 2006, edition of PTI, the same day that the upcoming NFL season's schedule[3] was released, Tony gave a humorous insight into how he felt about his upcoming travel schedule, sarcastically commenting about how there weren't any East Coast games on the schedule. He also took the time to apologize to fans in Jacksonville, Florida, whose city Tony described in his column in The Washington Post as having only Waffle Houses, since there was a Monday Night game in Jacksonville on September 18, the second week of the NFL season.
Michael Wilbon, occasionally, can be seen on The Sports Reporters, a show on ESPN airing Sunday mornings, where he and other sportswriters discuss the week's biggest stories. Also, as of March 19, 2006, Wilbon became an analyst on ABC's NBA pregame show alongside ESPN SportsCenter anchor Dan Patrick and former NBA player Mark Jackson. Wilbon is also a regular guest on the show Full Court Press, a sports show hosted by George Michael focused on Washington, D.C. sports.
[edit] Guest hosts
When one of the normal hosts is sick or on vacation, they have a guest host, usually another prominent sportswriter. The months of July and August are usually full of guest hosts, as Kornheiser and Wilbon tend to take their vacations during those months.
Current
Former
- David Aldridge
- Skip Bayless
- Norman Chad
- Josh Elliott
- Max Kellerman
- Jackie MacMullan
- Jon Saraceno
- Stephen A. Smith
- Michele Tafoya
- Jason Whitlock
[edit] Other versions
In 2004 Crackerjack Television started producing an Australian version of the show, which airs weekly on the Australian ESPN channel and features former Australian Rules footballer Sam Kekovic. ESPN Australia also broadcasts the American version of the show before SportsCenter.
The ESPN Deportes show "Cronómetro" (Spanish for "stopwatch") is similar to PTI, in that it features personalities talking about sports subjects for a set amount of time. However, unlike the American version, there are four panelists instead of two, and segments such as Role Play are not used: Five Good Minutes is kept, as a discussion of one subject between the four analysts.
[edit] Trivia
- It has been suggested that the theme song and commercial outro music thematically reference the song "Cut Your Hair" by Pavement, but actual samples from the song are not used. This is probably meant as a joke, as both Kornheiser and Wilbon are bald.
- On the March 10, 2006, show, all of the cut-out heads that are usually present behind the hosts were replaced with cut-outs of Chuck Norris, in honor of the man's birthday.
- When the show first debuted, there was also a Sunday evening edition, which was short-lived.
- On the March 27, 2006, show, Kornheiser, for the first time in four years, hosted the show away from the studio while Wilbon remained back at the set, as he was in Orlando, Florida, covering the NFL owners' meetings. Commonly, Wilbon is the host that leaves to cover the major sporting events while Kornheiser stays at the set. This fact was occasionally used by Wilbon to tease Kornheiser. Since Kornheiser now works for Monday Night Football and needs to be away from the set, this is seldom referenced.
- Michael Wilbon provides the voice of the mailbox for "Mail Time!"
- For a time, the show was rebroadcast on ESPN Radio at 7 PM ET. This airing was replaced by the ESPNEWS airing on satellite radio a half-hour earlier.
- Starting with the April 17, 2006, episode, ESPN began offering PTI as a free audio podcast. The content consists of the audio track from the basic 5:30 PM version of the show, minus commercials, plus the Sportcenter segment.
- The only airing of the show that airs in its entirety is the "normal" 5:30 PM airing. Most replays of the show, including those on ESPN2 and satellite radio, omit Happy Time and replace that segment with the SportsCenter topic and The Big Finish. Initially, the internet podcast closed with Happy Time but had occasionally used the Big Finish in its place. As of August 2006, the podcasts have been including both Happy Time and The Big Finish.
- Episode 1000 aired on May 31, 2006, celebrated by a lighted banner and ticker tape, and the show's crew making party noises in the background. Reali yelled "I hate Le Batard!!" underneath the party horns.
- During a phone interview on the August 15, 2006 edition of The Dan Patrick Show, Tony revealed that he was recovering from skin cancer surgery, which would explain his absence from PTI for virtually the entire month of July.
- PTI will be featured on future EA Sports video games due to the contract between ESPN and EA. The first game to have the feature is NBA Live 07 for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.
[edit] References
The CBS show Listen Up was based on the life of Tony Kornheiser. In it, the main characters Tony Kleinman (Jason Alexander) and Bernie Widmer (Malcolm-Jamal Warner) are obviously analogues to Kornheiser and Wilbon, and co-host an off-beat sports show titled "Listen Up!"
Kornheiser and Wilbon appeared as themselves on PTI during the film Mr. 3000, including doing a Role Play segment with Kornheiser posing as Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) at one point.
[edit] External links
- Official Site from ESPN.com
- Podcasts from ESPN.com
- Internet group for PTI, featuring daily write-ups of every show of 2006
