Did you know that SCANDAL character, Olivia Pope, was inspired by a real person?

Cable television channel BET is airing an 14-hour Scandal marathon - today - August 17th from 8A/7C to 10P/9C.  Enjoy!

Thank you @BET for showing Scandal, especially when the ABC iPhone app told me I was out of luck if I wanted to see season 2 #ScandalBET
— Glenn Walker (@monsura) August 13, 2013

Did you know that Scandal character, Olivia Pope, was inspired by a real person?

Who is the inspiration, you ask?

It's crisis-management guru and author Judy Smith. That's who. You may have recently heard that Paula Deen hired her firm, Smith & Co., to help with the backlash surrounding Deen's use of racial slurs.

Smith, who is also a Scandal Co-Executive Producer, writes about each Scandal television episode on a blog called What Would Judy Do? on ABC's website. You should definitely check it out. It is interesting to read insights from a real "fixer."

I plan to read her book, Good Self, Bad Self: Transforming Your Worst Qualities into Your Biggest Assets, before the start of season three on October 3 (on ABC). Have you read it?

Just in case you missed it. My interview on ABC this Sunday. http://t.co/ras8V41yPI
— Judy Smith (@JudySmith_) July 29, 2013

• Check out the Washington Post's article, ABC bases ‘Scandal’ on D.C. insider Judy Smith.

For extra credit, I might try to squeeze in Dan Bucatinsky's Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight?: Confessions of a Gay Dad. Bucatinsky plays the character of James on Scandal.

* Please give me +K about Television on Klout. Thanks!


#ScandalBET #ScandalousSaturdays #ScandalRecruitment

August is #ScandalRecruitment Month! I am all in.

o August is #ScandalRecruitment Month! Retweet, tag your friends & get them excited for #Scandal Thursdays this fall. pic.twitter.com/kvb9Imq4J9
— ABC's Scandal (@ScandalABC) August 2, 2013

I want to be a gladiator in a suit! I am a gladiator in a suit!

As you already know - I am a Scandal fan. So of course, I am all over this recruitment effort.

So let's start at the beginning. In all honesty, I started watching Scandal because Hulu kept suggesting it to me (and I couldn't figure out why). It's not the kind of show that I typically watch. After like, the tenth time it showed up in my playlist, I finally gave in and watched it because I had no new TV shows in my queue. And Kerry Washington was in it. Why not give it a try?

Show description: A former media relations consultant to the President, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) dedicates her life to protecting and defending the public images of our nation's elite. After leaving the White House, the power consultant opened her own firm, hoping to start a new chapter -- both professionally and personally -- but she can't seem to completely cut ties with her past. Slowly it becomes apparent that her staff, who specialize in fixing the lives of other people, can't quite fix the ones closest at hand -- their own. - Hulu

At the time, Hulu had all of the season one episodes available for free. I binge-watched the entire season. The rest is history. I have been recommending it every since.

Klout.com asked:*

What TV show are you constantly telling your friends they are missing out on and why?

I answered:

I am not keen on law shows or soap operas. However, SCANDAL successfully combines the two with a dash of spy thriller. I recommend BOB'S BURGERS a lot (animated comedy). And THE AMERICANS as a well-told spy drama. I love how on any given day, the Americans OR the Russians could be the bad guys.

Cable-channel BET is airing two 14-hour Scandal marathons - one on Saturday August 10th and the other on Saturday August 17th (both airing from 8A/7C to 10P/9C each day). It's your chance to see it from the beginning.

Hulu has the last five episodes of season two available for freeing viewing. You can see all of season two with Hulu Plus (paid monthly subscription). Alternatively, you can buy the season one and two DVDs or watch the episodes instantly via Amazon.

 

Now, what do I need to do to get you signed up? [taps fingers on desk]

I've decided to chat a little bit about Scandal every Saturday until the season three premiere on October 3. There is so much to cover. See you next week!

Who wishes today was October 3rd? #ScandalIsBack (almost)

— ABC's Scandal (@ScandalABC) August 8, 2013

* Please give me +K about Television on Klout. Thanks!