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Well,
a circus needs some publicity, and who better to put together
a commercial than Mark Lowry, wailing a painful version of "Breathe
on Me" with new Circus Luigi lyrics. "Circus Luigi
is the place to be seen/Our band is rockin' and our bleachers
are clean."
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Who's
that stagehand on the right dressed in blue? Why that's Heather
Joel! Hi, Heather! Meanwhile, Mark is telling us about that little
thing called demographics. He needs to reach that elusive teen
audience. |
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| "Hi.
I'm a normal person just like you. I like to listen to the rock
music. I can relate to you. And I happen to be...in the circus!
So come and see me perform, won't you?" |
But
something seems to be lacking... Mark thinks there's an item
missing from the band. "The guitar that has the fat strings
and there aren't as many of them." The only bassist present
is Phil, who has a "home-made version."
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Another
short interview segment, in which Tommy tells us about Phil's
bass-playing skills. "The cat had no formal training...
He just blew my mind."
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A microphone
placed under an upside-down metal bucket with a mop handle resting
against the bucket and a string pulled taut. This is Phil's bass. |
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| Which
doesn't seem to impress Peter... |
...or
Jody. Art imitating life. Anyone remember the story of the real
Phil's audition?
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Phil
struggles with the string as Mark demands that Hack get rid of
the camera. Hack wants it to stay in case something "wacky"
happens. Right on cue, the mop head flies off of Phil's bass
and lands...
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"What
do you mean by wacky?" |
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As the band plays
"Breathe of Me," we see the events of Tuesday unfolding
before us. Phil puts up a poster for the circus.
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And this guy (the
late Gregg Jampol) puts up his weight-loss ad right over the
circus poster. |
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On Thursday, Phil
tries to remove the weight-loss ad so he can add a "sold
out" sign to the circus poster, but Gregg is right there
to make sure his ad stays.
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A late-night visit
to the poster ends up in an arrest for poor Philip. |
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Phil's parents complain
about that accent Phil picked up from those Newsfellas. But they
did bail him out of jail. And they let him practice his music
in the elephant cage (after the elephant quit). And Phil even
admitted to one of them that he was having a spiritual crisis
of some sort, those she's sure those weren't his exact words.
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"John, I'm
having a spiritual crisis of sorts." John encourages Phil
to read the "Gideon's Guide" (the Bible). Phil: "Huh.
Gideon's Guide. Did you steal this from a Holiday Inn?" |
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Via a bit of clever
editing, we're treated to the amazing last performance of Circus
Luigi as the Boys plan for it the day before. The power is out
on the day of the circus and Ring Master John asks the ushers
to "train your flashlights at the center ring." But
John feels unprepared... He's missing "Heart," a word
on Hack's board which we'll see later. Another word on his board
of circus essentials rhymes with ointment. "Anybody?"
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"EXOITMENT?!" |
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| Peter seems to enjoy
this joke. |
And Duncan and one
of the twins seem to enjoy each other.
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Peter is to become
Pietro the Juggler of Death! It's last minute, Hack knows, but
he wants Peter to trade in the whiffle balls for three chain
saws!
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On the night of
the big show, Pietro preps himself. He steps out to the stage,
but seems to be having trouble starting the chain saws. |
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| "NO GAS!"
Back at the pre-show meeting, Peter tells Hack that he feels
"underinsured." |
The twins have cooked
up an act to account for "Acrobats" and "Animals,"
two more essentials on Hack's chart. The hula hoop act is slow
and very simple.
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| They also have an
act involving a hamster in a ball. |
The hamster is loaded
into a cannon, which is manned by Clown Jody.
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The hamster/ball flies through hoops
of flames and Jody catches it in a catcher's mitt. The force
knocks Jody on his back. The crowd is vaguely impressed. |