Saturday, January 13, 2007

ARMED AND FAMOUS - A COP COMEDY

After watching "Armed and Famous" and I really hadn't planned on even clicking on to it given the premise written up in the TV guide, but the fact that LaToya Jackson was involved made it irresistable. All I can say is that police departments all accross the country must be or should be shaking in fear that the quintet could end up working in their precincts.

It can best be described as the Keystone Cops of the 21st century where an older Eric Estrada with his CHIPS fame days long behind him and sporting a visible a paunch; the aforementioned LaToya "I-do-not-look-or-act-like-Michael" Jackson; somebody not-so-famous at least to me, Trish Stratus; skate boarder and little person, Jason Acuna and Jack Osborne, offspring of Ozzie who happens to be the most credible and natural of the group.

The premise of the program is that these "famous" personalities get to be cops assisted by the genuine police officers in the exciting city/town of Muncie, IND. In one segment Stratus helps her real cop partner catch and bring down a thief. Actually, it's the real cop who does the physical work while Stratus - um -talks and chastises the thief about his swearing at them in public. Uh-oh...a perp who swears? Nev-er!

"Did you swear at me? Are you swearing?" she repeatedly asked the perp. Arresting - and very funny - behavior.

In another segment Estrada acts as an Spanish-to-English translator for a man who was being arrested for beating a woman. Very surreal in that the accused recognizes Officer Estrada as a member of CHIPS.

The best part, however, was Officer LaToya who ran into her worst nightmare when answering a call and was side-lined by... a pussycat! Poor LaToya has a cat phoebia and fled the scene hiding out in a cop car refusing to even look at the perp - um - cat. This is not good news for her real-life cop partner since all the bad perps in Muncie now know that all they have to do is bring along a cat while doing B&E's and other un-lawful acts and this will be their ticket to a quick get-away. The second-best or maybe even the highlight of the show was when a woman approaches Estrada while he sits in the patrol car and asks him to sign - wait for it - her falsie or padded cup. Weeeeeird. O-kaaaaay....

It's unclear whether this show is meant to be serious or a tongue-in-cheek critique on reality shows. Whatever the original aim is it's better than most of the sitcoms currently on the TV grid. One can only wonder depending on whether the public takes to the series whether Muncie will become a tourist mecca due to the exposure its receiving.

Over and out... Ten four...whatever.

ARMED AND FAMOUS: Wednesdays, 8:00 p.m. CBS
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/armed_and_famous/

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