A Christmas Gift to Make You Smile

Our Legal Schnauzer team has been thinking of something special to do for our readers at Christmas.

We are deeply grateful for the loyal readers who regularly make their way to our little corner of cyberspace. It's heartening to know that people recognize our system of justice is hurting--and they want to help make it better.

All of us here in SchnauzerLand certainly wish that our readers--and our world at large--will find comfort, joy, and hope in the religious and spiritual foundation of Christmas.

But we wanted to offer something, in keeping with the spirit of this blog, that might touch our readers in a down-to-earth way. Few things touch the human spirit quite like humor and music. And when you add in a legal connection, we thought we had found the perfect gift.

For our gift, we can thank the creators of Scrubs, which we think is one of the funniest, most creative shows in television history. And we are happy to report that, after seven years on NBC, Scrubs has found a new home on ABC--with new episodes starting on January 6.

We want to focus on Ted, the sad-sack lawyer at Sacred Heart whose primary source of joy in life comes from singing a cappella tunes with his fellow hospital employees. They call themselves the "Worthless Peons."

Ted's Band practices in the hospital elevators and roams the halls cranking out cartoon, prime time TV, and movie theme songs at opportune times.

In a way, Ted and his band mates provide the spiritual centerpiece of the show. They exhibit a childlike quality, the kind we associate with Christmas, as they brighten a world where illness and death are regular visitors.

And so we share this compilation of Ted's "Greatest Hits," with hopes that it will bring a smile to your face on Christmas Day. Be sure to make it to the end for the Worthless Peons' version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It may be the best version of the classic that I've ever heard:



We can't go without including a clip where Ted's Band and the Janitor's group get into a "sing off" to impress Elliot, the show's blonde, goofy, and wonderfully hot doctor:



By the way, Ted's Band is for real. The guys actually sing those songs, and in real life, they are called The Blanks-complete with a Web site and a CD.

For good measure, we had to include a clip from one of the funniest bits in television history. The Janitor is convinced that J.D. thinks he's stupid. It plays out with hysterical results that have forever changed the way I look at sloppy Joes.

Merry Christmas!