Absence is Presence
NBC's Parks and Recreation gave another very funny -- and, to TVWW, very much appreciated -- nod to NPR Thursday night. Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knopes, was visiting local Pawnee community radio station WVYS, as she had last year to plug a book. In a hushed, rambling, uber-deliberate NPR style satirizing Los Angeles NPR host Michael Silverblatt, Simpsons star Dan Castellaneta reprised his 2011 guest cameo as "Thoughts for Your Thoughts" book show host and scrambled intellectual Derry Merbles. This time he murmurs the following promo: "Coming up after the break, movie reviews with Ken Tucker, who is filling in for David Bianculli, who is in New York filling in for Ken Tucker." How meta. It's David's second surprise shout-out reference on this delightful NBC show -- but who's counting? (David is.) –EG