Alan Thicke is a liar, I think

Norm Clarke caught up with the esteemed former star of "Growing Pains" yesterday, according to today's paper. Thicke played dumb. He told Norm he was unaware of any commitment to meet with the media on Friday.

So let's consider the choices here.

Choice A: A diabolical East Coast publicist, John Passuth, arranges interviews with a low-level celebrity for several Vegas journalists knowing all the while that the celebrity himself won't be available. He even calls one journalist -- me -- minutes before the interview to ensure that I arrive at the precise location I am needed. But really, it's all a big bait-and-switch. When I arrive, the low-level celebrity is said to bolt exactly when he is to conduct the interview. Passuth says the celebrity's people have canceled all his appearances for the rest of the day because of an incident that occurred. This, the publicist believes, will engender good will among journalists and help get coverage for his product, the electric BMW car.

Choice B: Alan Thicke is a very bad, very peculiar liar. Also, a prima donna well beyond his station in celebrityland. (See Norm's mistake yesterday as to which 1980s sitcom he was on.) Also, he's got no class. Because even if he is telling the truth -- which is extremely difficult to imagine and requires large-scale deception for no tangible purpose on the part of several other people -- but even if he's telling the truth, then he's just got no class. Because busier, more important and smarter celebrities than Alan Thicke wouldn't have gotten on the bus and left knowing that a reporter had been promised an interview and was on site. At the very least, they would arrange for a raincheck. But, anyway, what was Thicke's big rush if he wasn't deliberately ditching us in a fit of pique? Did he have a prayer session with Kirk Cameron to get to?

Those are the choices, anyway. Pick one!