Forget the ABC Upfronts: CBS Just Unleashed a Little Secret They Like to Call LL Cool J

The internet has been abuzz all week with the news--and now, footage--of Jimmy Kimmel's barrage of zingers at ABC's upfronts advertising presentation, which depending on who you heard from was either shockingly over the line or not at all a big deal. But Wednesday, CBS struck back in the sheer entertainment department, announcing that not only had they signed up rapper LL Cool J to a regular drama series they were actually planning on airing, but that LL was in fact in the building and ready to speak directly to Jenna Elfman's heart. From Troy Patterson's Slate recap:

NCIS: Los Angeles, a jacked-up spinoff of a hot new old show, stars LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell as agents of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. LL popped up on stage to blaze through "Mama Said Knock You Out," to which one imagines the average ad buyer had not publicly grooved since his days in the Sigma Chi house at Hamilton College. LL told the crowd to stand up, and none stood. He told the people to put their hands in the air, and they again demurred, literally unswayed by his charismatic exhortations. This was getting awkward. Forlornly did the floor vibrate as the bass went boom. Finally, LL implored the ad buyers to stand up while putting their hands in the air. This got some response in the prime parquet seats, though only Jenna Elfman complied with both requests. Then we got to two midseason replacements I've already forgotten about. Then we got two reality shows.

A YouTube search, alas, turns up none of this footage, although you're welcome to sift through the below promotional clip, in which it takes under 11 seconds for LL to utter the words "great," "new," and "fresh" in terrifyingly rapid succession. Then he saves someone's life.

The Baddest: CBS and LL Cool J strut their stuff at yesterday's upfront. [Slate]