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PLEASE NOTE: The Reality TV World Message Boards are filled with desperate
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"TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of...""
tribephyl 12393 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 02:46 PM (EST)
 
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"TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
Survivor: Thailand
The Importance of Being E...est
60 min.
The reality series shakes things up as it launches this fifth edition. The 16 latest castaways are marooned on Koh Tarutao, an island off the coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. “It's a foreboding environment,” says executive producer Mark Burnett of the site, which is teeming with pythons and king cobras in its dense jungle. The former penal colony is also known for its steep limestone cliffs. As for changes, Burnett promises that all of the challenges are entirely new. He also says that “the game starts off in a whole new way.” While he declines to elaborate, it looks like this version initially begins with all-male and all-female tribes.Normally we can't glean anything from the blurbs that TV Guide writes to introduce each weeks Ep.. However the title is what caught my attention. The Importance of being E(arn)est is a book and play by Oscar Wilde, the prose chronicles the mistakes and misfortunes of two couples as they lie to each other and everyone about who they really are. This could be the case with the first show, but we may never figure out who until we get a solid look at how people actually are represented on the show. Although, in past seasons the title usually has some significance, see; "Nacho Mama", "A Tale of Two Cities",etc. However this time MB has chosen to delete letters from the original title. Most puzzling to me was why leave the "ARN" out. Could it be as simple as "a R.N." gets booted first. But no one really fits the profile of the R.N. unless MB is referring to the "social worker" or the "Pharm. saleswoman". That would be either Tanya or Penny. Then I thought maybe they were initials, but no one fits. Or perhaps the letters are in someway a name as in ARN=Erin. Anyone else wanna jump in and try to decipher.
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forehead 932 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 04:14 PM (EST)
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1. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
I was puzzled by this title as well. Pure speculation: could "ARN" refer to ARkansas Native? Stephanie?
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Rain Crow 374 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 04:30 PM (EST)
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2. "" The Importance of being..."" |
"Earnest" obviously comes to mind first. However, at least two other words will fit...(1) Easiest (2) Eeriest Can anyone else think of other words that might fit this most interesting title? 
"Onward Thru the Fog"
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weltek 16936 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 05:37 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: " The Importance of being..."" |
Good one Fester!
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Rain Crow 374 desperate attention whore postings
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09-09-02, 12:43 PM (EST)
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18. "Seven letter words:" |
Gleaned from various crossword sources, dictionaries, and spoiler boards and in descending order of likely useage (IMO):earnest
evilest
easiest
eeriest
edgiest*
eeliest*
eggiest*
elmiest*
enchest*
evenest*
everest*
eyetest* Most of these are clearly pretty far-fetched (those are marked with an * ) and we still wind up with the same four previously mentioned words. I still don't know what to think about the use of the title with three (?) letters left out of the last word. That it has some importance is clear, but darned if I can figure it out. Right now, I am leaning toward thinking it (1) has something to do with one or more survivors presenting themselves as something they are not and thus avoiding the first boot, or (2) that some survivor makes a comment about the importance of being earnest and someone picks up on that and comments on it or uses it for some purpose. I doubt if the Episode 1 title has long term meaning...but can anyone think of an Episode 1 title that they believe was important throughout the entire series?
"Onward Thru the Fog"
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SuperClyde 87 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 07:32 PM (EST)
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5. "RE: " The Importance of being..."" |
What about earliest, implying a race to the camps?
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SuperClyde 87 desperate attention whore postings
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09-05-02, 11:04 PM (EST)
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8. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
Good points, but it doesn't explain the ellipsis instead of "arn." That difference must have a meaning, otherwise wouldn't "Earnest" just be spelled out in the title?
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GTmike 1255 desperate attention whore postings
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09-06-02, 00:49 AM (EST)
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9. "Dictionary meaning" |
I'll be the dictionary guy for this one.  Here is what dictionary.com has for earnest. I'll leave it for y'all.ear·nest^1 (ûrnst) adj.
-Marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness: an earnest gesture of goodwill.
-Of an important or weighty nature; grave. See Synonyms at serious. Idiom:
in earnest
-With a purposeful or sincere intent: settled down to study in earnest for the examination.
-Serious; determined: “Both sides are deeply in earnest, with passions that approximate those of civil war” (Conor Cruise O'Brien).
ear·nest^2 (ûrnst) n.
-Money paid in advance as part payment to bind a contract or bargain.
-A token of something to come; a promise or an assurance.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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09-06-02, 10:59 AM (EST)
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10. "RE: The Play - Importance of Being Earnest" |
Filled with wit and wisdom, it tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff . Both young men have taken to bending the truth in order to add a dash of excitement to their lives. Jack has invented an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his dull home in the country and frolic in town. Algernon uses a similar technique, only in reverse: His imaginary friend, Bunbury, provides a convenient and frequent method of taking adventures in the country. However, their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of crises that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits: Jack of his love Gwendolen Fairfax and Algernon of his belle Cecily Cardew Essentially, it a very light hearted play involving a double meaning: Earnest as a name and Earnest as an adjective. In the play, the name "Earnest" was looked at with such high regard that two men pretended that was their name. In addition, the double meaning would be the importance of being earnest, i.e. being forthright/honest, which these two men were NOT being. If MB is referring to this play such as the Tale of Two Cities title, it can be looked at from two ways, the tribes or MB itself. Perhaps he is inferring that in the first episode, MB himself or the game itself is not as it seems and the importance of eventually being truthful OR a contestant or contestants find out early the importance of being forthright/honest. MB and his titles usually refer to SOMETHING; it may not encompass a whole episdoe but they usually have some sort of meaning.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
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09-09-02, 05:47 PM (EST)
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20. "RE: The Play - Importance of Being Earnest" |
My thanks to VerucaSalt--and welcome to SB!I always sigh when Burnett or henchman use a literary ref because they may not beyond the surface at all. But I do love it when great works like Tale of Two Cities and Earnest get brought to our attention. So here are my added thoughts on the meaning of the title:
Wilde is being thoroughly ironic, as usual, writing the opposite of a morality play, and is mocking the importance of being Earnest. First he mocks the arbitrary nature of women's affections, when they declare they would stop loving someone they already love if they found out he had a different name or wasn't someone's brother, and their arbirtrariness has NOTHING to do with honesty. In fact, the women's silliness forces the men to progress from harmless, frivolous lying to serious impersonation that really messes things up. The mother and the governness both turn out to have skeletons in their closet, so the upright figures are unmasked as no better than any one else. As for the part of honesty in reconciling the mess--
At the end, when Jack's true parentage is discovered, one thinks his real name will turn out to be Earnest, so he can be made an honest man--but in fact he is really named Jack (as I recall), and the whole happy ending only comes about because his mother joins in the lie about his name in order to placate Cecily. Conclusion:
In Wilde's play, we root for the likable dishonest guys; we WANT them to deceive the girls. The basic (a)morality of the play declares: it's not lying that's inherently bad, but getting caught can put you in some deuced tight spots if you can't lie your way out of them. All of which works pretty well for Survivor.
It does seem to suggest that one or more fledgling alliances are perhaps shaken by doubts about sincerity. Besides the two couples in the plot, Jack and Algernon turn out to be brothers after having been friends turned "ruthless" rivals for most of the play, so in a way the happy outcome is all about a male-male bond restored. Something to keep in mind, IF, big IF, whoever came up with the title actually "gets" this play. After all, this is Oscar Wilde writing about heterosexual courtship and marriage. You expected maybe hearts and flowers? 
PS. I enjoyed the recent movie: Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, and Judi Dench, what's not to like? Rent it and enjoy!
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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09-06-02, 03:17 PM (EST)
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14. "RE: Why the ....?" |
Maybe some people versed in copyright infringement can help. I don't know anything about it; perhaps with the movie released (I know it was released in limited showings end of May, 2002) there was an issue to MB using the whole title? Or, as another thought, perhaps MB put it that way because either A. He knows the spoiling communities would go bananas trying to figure out why he put the ... in it when he simply coud spell it out and/or; B. Perhaps it doesn't refer to just one word, maybe he put it like that to describe the episode which revolves around more than just one that could fit his blanks.... The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earliest
The Importance of Being Easiest and so forth........
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JohnMc 2679 desperate attention whore postings
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09-06-02, 04:14 PM (EST)
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15. "Is Erin the winner, or at least F4" |
I'm thinking back in the days of S1 where Rich and his cockiness were a presence in the first episode. I don't remember the beginning of S2, but weren't the Boron 3 (Lex, Ethan, Tom) focused on also for ep1. And Kathy was a big time major focus of S4 because she was being so emotional and bossy. (Kudos for Kathy's turnaround!) If we are supposing that Erin is being highlighted for some reason, does this mean that she is one of the final 4? Along the discussion of episode titles, though, maybe it is "fill in the blank" because it needs to satisfy all of the requirements. By that, I mean that the winner has to be "earnest" or honest and forthright, and maybe "earliest" or the first one to shore or on the first team to win IC or simply make fire or be the first one up in the morning or be the first to volunteer so that people see you as a worker and a contributor, and also be the "easiest" to get along with. This could go a lot of different directions. All I can say is: Thirteen days and counting!
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
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09-10-02, 05:26 PM (EST)
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28. "Dishonest but likeable" |
Veruca,
Thanks, Wilde is one of my favorite Irish writers.
As said below, I haven't had time to watch all the promos yet--therefore am confining myself to one thread and making a comment on something I am familiar with--this play--but the quote you cite from Brian seems to give him a persona that fits the unabashed opportunist part written for Algernon in the play.
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Rosewood 479 desperate attention whore postings
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09-10-02, 11:01 AM (EST)
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24. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
WHat if the E means East? Every time I look at that line E...est, I see the compass point.Following this premise, and assuming that the map provided by Dan Bollinger is correct, it would indeed be important to be E. According to a previous post on another thread, the departure point for the survivors is Sai Yaow Bay, which is on the NE corner of the Island. Camp number two (according to Dan's chart) is on the East side, while camp one is on the west side of the island. I've also read somewhere (on this site) that camp two has access to a river, and is generally a more sheltered, nicer camp. So what if as a reward for a challenge, before the teams even set off for their camps, (say after the male/female first challenge, just after they are divied up into their mixed groups), the winning tribe gets to choose which camp, or gets to start out first? The first group would likely find and claim camp two (which is much closer and easily accessible) while the second tribe would have to cross the entire island over land to get to their camp. (wouldn't that suck!). Regardless of whether or not the campsites are given as reward, or simply claimed like in previous years, from what I've gleaned, it will be more advantageous to be on the east side of the island (that's where the start point is thought to be, as well as Tribal Council). Therefore there is definetly importance to being E.
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psileste 23 desperate attention whore postings
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09-10-02, 11:33 PM (EST)
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30. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
I'm beat after a long day so maybe I missed something but if it was East, wouldn't it make more sense to use Ea...st? Too obvious?
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dabo 26942 desperate attention whore postings
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09-10-02, 05:30 PM (EST)
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29. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
I have been thinking pretty much the same thing, Survivabear; with MB and JP we have to consider that "new" may just be a relative term. I hope they do have quite a few all-new challenges, but I am expecting that some will be variations on the tried-and-true.
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mikey 1150 desperate attention whore postings
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09-11-02, 03:42 PM (EST)
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31. "My vote is for "Earliest"" |
If it was something really deep based on the play (I just saw the movie with Reece Witherspoon on a plane -- mildly amusing), they probably would have spelled the thing out.I go along with those who suggested earliest -- they simply race to the camps. There is a good camp and a sucky camp, and the earliest group -- or the earliest eight people gets the good camp. The only other real possibility is "eldest" I might go for e.. est being the best with computers, but that would be a little out of place in survivor.
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SuperClyde 87 desperate attention whore postings
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09-12-02, 04:51 AM (EST)
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32. "RE: My vote is for "Earliest"" |
I'm in for a double meaning: earliest, indicating a race to the camps at the beginning of the episode, and earnest, indicating the honesty of one or more survivors becomes significant. That explains the allusion, the ellipsis, and the letters they chose to omit.
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mikey 1150 desperate attention whore postings
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09-13-02, 09:02 AM (EST)
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33. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
How about "erectest?"
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TeamJoisey 3558 desperate attention whore postings
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09-15-02, 02:11 AM (EST)
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35. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
Forgive me for tossing a wet blanket over this ellipsis debate.
I believe the actual title of the episode is "The Importance of Being Earnest." I think the ellipsis is merely a typographer's shorthand. That's a long title, too long to fit in the standard title field. The title needed to be abbreviated in some way. Many computer programs merely remove a few letters and replace them with a much narrower ellipsis if they encounter a problem. I come to this conclusion because I work for a newspaper, and we are always looking for shorter ways to say things, and are plagued by long titles. I have worked on a TV guide (newspaper version), and see this as the most likely reason for an ellipsis. It makes the f...ing thing fit. If there is no ellipsis in the actual title, we can focus on the "Earnest" debate.
TJ
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psileste 23 desperate attention whore postings
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09-15-02, 04:01 AM (EST)
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36. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
It would make a lot more sense to leave out the word "The" than to use an ellipsis there if space were the only consideration, IMO.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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09-15-02, 01:32 PM (EST)
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37. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
I am not sure if this has been brought up with reference of how these teams were selected but....If you look at the two pics that show the women and the men sitting and assign them the buffs that we see later they have, they are sitting like this Women red, red, purple, red
purple, purple, purple, red And men..... purple, purple, red, purple
red, red, red, purple
It is the exact pattern but opposite. If the buffs are under their seats and they randomly sit down, and pull out their buffs this could be how they are selected, completely random which also can explain how the teams seem unbalanced with age. i.e. Jake being the older one on an otherwise young Purple Tribe. If this is the case, then the teams are selected almost immediately. The pattern just seems to perfect to be that much of a coincidence, IMO
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Rain Crow 374 desperate attention whore postings
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09-16-02, 11:44 AM (EST)
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38. "You got me thinking..." |
This is a good find VS! Random selection, but with an organization behind it. I think you are on the right track.However, there is some speculation that the "women to the left, men to the right" seating scene takes place prior to the boat ride to the island. We know that they are separated by gender on the boat ride rather than tribal buffs. It oculd be argued that if they were divided into tribes prior to the boat ride, there would be no reason to not have the tribes ride in the same boats. Now, if the above speculation is wrong, and the seating scene takes place on the island after the boat ride, your observation works very well. They start out male/female, for the ride to the island, leading viewers and the survivors to think we are going for gender tribes...the genders begin strategy on the ride to the island...then BAM, they find themselves divided unexpectedly. What if it is both? It could work this way. The survivors, with their belongings, hike 
to the "seating place" where Jiffy Probe tells them "women to the left, men to the right". 
Note that the women are messing around with life jackets which were provided at each seat. A couple of life jackets can be seen in the men's photo. JP tells them they are going to start the game separated by gender. They start out male/female, for the ride to the island, 
leading viewers and the survivors to think we are going for gender tribes...the genders begin their strategy on the ride to the island...once there, BAM, they find themselves divided unexpectedly. How? I could envision EPMB hiding the buffs in the lining of the life jackets, or having red/purple lables stiched inside. This way, your observation on the seating/buff relationship would still hold true. I like this concept a lot. Can anyone shoot it down?
"Onward Thru the Fog"
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MattyMax 515 desperate attention whore postings
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09-16-02, 05:53 PM (EST)
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42. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
In the play, The protaganist's real name is Earnest, but the audience only finds that out at the end, the character goes by Jack. The play on names is a central theme. I think some English Major at tv guide wanted to bring attention to his clever knowledge of English Literary Canon by playing on the name of John. But do I think John will go first because of the title, or the title means this because I think John will go first? Ernest=Jack=John ...  MattyMax 
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Stradl8r 11 desperate attention whore postings
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09-18-02, 12:09 PM (EST)
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44. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
The Importance of being "East" was my first impression of the episode title, maybe an extension of the gender division will be a fight between tribes for the ideal camp location and until the merge the two tribes will jockey for positions with East being the most desirable location, a la the infamous European Big Brother Heaven And Hell format. Though i hope its not as lame as it sounds, if my theory is true(an unlikely event) then the episode isnt just called The Importance of Being East because then the Wilde reference wont be noticed and Burnett wanst his show to be for the discerning intallalectual type of inbred redneck
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clemsonbeav 4208 desperate attention whore postings
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09-19-02, 08:13 PM (EST)
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45. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
Apparently E...nest meant ELDEST!!
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Stradl8r 11 desperate attention whore postings
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09-20-02, 08:15 AM (EST)
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47. "RE: TVGuide title for S5 Ep.1 " The Importance of..."" |
well i was kinda right too sorta, kinda
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Fester
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