Lino Rulli's radio show, The Catholic Guy, blazes new trails when it comes to innovative programming.

But I think it's only scratched the surface of originality.

If Lino were to keep doing this same show for the rest of it's run, nobody would complain. It would continue to set new standards for quality Catholic radio. Nobody disputes that. The overnight lock-in was a new type of show that was wildly successful, and there's no reason why other formats can't be tried.

Here are three show ideas that would go over extremely well.

1. A live studio-audience
Lino's done shows on location before, but usually they're done from a hotel room (the Vegas and New Orleans shows) or on the street when the focus is elsewhere (World Youth Day). A show with a live studio audience on a Saturday afternoon would be epic. To Lino's credit, a similar show has been done before, when Lino went to some Catholic singles event and did a dating game.

But a three-hour show with live audience members instead of phone calls would be amazing. He could even charge $5 and donate the money to charity, something that would get the Catholic media buzzing: A live radio show raises money for Ferret research? Brilliant! And getting the chance to see Lino Rulli, Fr. Rob and Ryan Grant do their show live would be a treat for any fan.

2. The crossover
This idea has been done before: When Pope Benedict XVI came to the United States, a lot of Catholic Channel programming featured the different hosts hosting shows together. But a special TCGS with guest host Greg Willits, Fr. Dave Dwyer or Gus Lloyd would be something different. It would be fun to hear other hosts take on the things Lino says on air, and to hear them all muck it up together would increase interest in the channel as a whole.

3. The Musical
Now THIS would take the cake. Lino does song parodies and they're usually a lot of fun. Take a few weeks and create 9 or 10 songs (Ryan is a musician, so it should be feasible for him to do this), and he could easily have The Catholic Guy Musical. Sure, it'd force the show into a more rehearsed style than an anything-goes conversational show, but three hours of Fr. Rob, Lino and Ryan Grant singing? Now that's entertainment.

Didn't get to hear much of the show today. Was in a training class until the end of the first hour, and didn't get to hear anything until the start of the third hour. However, starting next week, I have a shift change: instead of getting off work at 6:30 p.m., I will leave work at 5:30 p.m.

A guaranteed hour-and-a-half of Lino Rulli each day. In the words of WWE wrestler Zack Ryder, "Woo Woo Woo!"

• My bride told me that this segment had been done before, but today was the first time I'd heard of the Lini awards (formerly named the Gussies). It was a much-needed skewering of The Catholic Channel commercials that we are all forced to listen to. I didn't get the nominees, but here are your winners:

"Fastest Reading" to author and motivator Dave Duran. That dude really does talk fast.
"Most presumptuous/offensive" goes to The Christopher Minute, for assuming that that everyone else assumes that someone collecting cans must be homeless.
"Why, just Why" award goes to Life Love and Health for their 10 worst jobs in Science, per Popular Science magazine.
"Craziest inflection" goes to The Christopher Minute for over-emphasizing Brooke White's name.

These commercials are horrible. No way around it. Especially the ones from Life, Love and Health. Lino and Maureen made a great point: What if someone turns to TCC for some edifying Christian talk, and they have a job that gets discussed in that commercial? While they probably know that they don't have the best job, it's probably best not to rub their face in it.

There are some solid commercials on The Catholic Channel. Pope Benedict XVI's blessing is clearly the best, but I do enjoy Greg and Jennifer's rosary chatting and some of Gus Lloyd's explanations of Catholicism. But there are so many better ideas for promos on The Catholic Channel that just aren't being done. A few ideas:

• Get a host to discuss a minute of faith. Could be a moment when they doubted God and how they got through it, the most meaningful thing God had ever done for them, or something they're thankful for.
• Gus always gets to explain scriptures, why not let Fr. Dave or Archbishop Dolan have a crack at that?
• This day in history with Bob Dunning.

As much as I love The Catholic Channel, the commercial spots are it's true weak point. Then again, it could be worse: listen to the commercials that are played during sports talk radio shows, and you'll be thankful for TCC's commercials.

• Ryan, five miles in a marathon? C'mon, you're brighter than that!

• Only a few more hours to sign up for the Lino pilgrimage, where you get to see Lino and Fr. Rob ride in a Gondola together. Genius. Unfortunately, I don't have the financial resources to enter this time, but my bride and I are hoping that we'll have enough saved up for a spring trip.

Visit thecatholictraveler.com/lino to enter. The sign-up ends at midnight Thursday, with names being selected out of a literal hat.

Don't have much in the way of show thoughts today, as my evening was filled with too many things to give a detailed run-down today.

• I think Ryan Grant fits in very nicely with the crew. After hearing him for the full show today, it's really great that Lino has someone who is very knowledgeable about the Faith to banter with (no offense to Maureen, obviously). I think this will lead to more in-depth discussions, rather than monologues, about faith matters.

• Fr. Rob's karaoke might have been the greatest moment in radio history. Top-five for sure. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever see video of this. What happens on pilgrimages stays on pilgrimages, apparently.

• There was a great priest on the show today. Unfortunately, I didn't write down his name. I must be a terrible fan and/or note taker. But the guy was great.

• Lino Rulli, as always, maintained his streak as the best radio show host in the world. I have a gut-feeling that we are just on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to seeing how much potential this show really has at succeeding.

Interesting Rome Show. It's not often that you get a show that is so focus on one topic, but that's exactly what Lino Rulli, Maureen McMurray, Ryan Stewart (of the now-defunct Fully Alive program) and Fr. Rob Keighron gave us.

I thought the show was very informative without sounding like an Enyclopedia reading. I liked hearing Lino's stories about meeting John Paul II (staying in the Pope's chapel for an extra minute to pray along with the Holy Father was a genius move by Lino). I also didn't realize that there was a museum set up in Poland with items from his life, although that part shouldn't surprise me at all.

No phone calls made it on the air, but it wasn't the right time or place for such things. I did miss Lou a ton (and will probably be thinking that for the next few years whenever I hear the show). Speaking of Lou, why didn't the man get more of a send-off? They should have a week of shows leading up to a big goodbye show!

Other show thoughts:

• I'm not sure about you, but Lino telling us that the live broadcast would begin at 4 a.m. was the first time I'd heard the time. The Catholic Channel should have been giving us times during their promos in addition to the day.

• It was good to hear a "relaxed" Fr. Dave Dwyer in the last hour of the show. I know he's very jolly on Busted Halo, but he's always busy hosting the show. During the last hour, he got to just hang out, talk about his vocation, and goof around. Very fun to hear.

• Fr. Dave and Fr. Rob's mock commentary was very funny. Those two should do more projects together.

• Lino and crew said the audio didn't work...or did it? Maureen recorded random people on the streets in Rome talking about the Royal Wedding vs. the Beautification, and the consensus was that their wasn't any audio. However, I heard the beginning of the clip of a man talking, and then it cut out. Not sure if was an error by the crew in assuming there was no audio, or if the audio itself cut out.

• I have to agree with Fr. Rob over Lino. At the beginning of the show, Lino took the position that the Church shouldn't have to wait five years before opening the books on a man like John Paul II to examine if he is a candidate for sainthood, with Fr. Rob arguing that there shouldn't be that kind of exception. I think Fr. Rob is right. As great of a person that John Paul II is, we have rules for a reason. If we make an exception for JPII, what message does that send if we don't make an exception for future popes? That they are somehow not as holy as JPII? I'm very happy that JPII is getting beatified, but he shouldn't garner any special treatment.

• Am I just a dunce, or does anyone else have NO clue what the phrase "It's better to light one candle than curse the darkness" means? I hear that in those Christophers commercial breaks, and I'm always left scratching my head.

Today's show hurt.

That's the only way I can describe how I felt when, at the top of the second hour of the show, Lino announced a resignation on the show.

Lou Ruggieri, who has been with The Catholic Guy show since December 2006, "tendered his resignation" effective this Thursday. Please note that I am in no way angry with Lou. But when you've listened to nearly three hours of the show each day since March 2008 (unfortunately cutting back on listening due to a new job in the last few months), the people start to feel more like friends and family than just radio voices.

Lou never delved into his personal life much, but he had a calm, funny demeanor that made you feel like you really knew the man. I've really grown to care about Lino, Maureen and Lou because they've been such a big part of my life, entertaining me, making me angry, making me sad, but mostly making me happy.

There are people who know Lou much better than I do, and having only met him in person once (he gave me a hug!), it's probably sounding a little silly that his departure saddens me the way it has. But I've spent all evening thinking about how much we're all going to miss him.

I really hope and pray that God does wonderful things for Lou and his girlfriend Jen. Lou is a talented, funny guy, and I know that God won't let that talent go to waste if Lou works hard.

And the way Lou left? No pomp and circumstance, no goodbye show. Just Lou being Lou: a quiet backbone to a wildly successful show.

(And if we're comparing TCGS members to body parts, Lino is the brains and Maureen is the heart. Just so nobody gets left out). Unfortunately, I couldn't listen to anything past the announcement of Lou going back to college (Med School), but at this time I have no idea if Lou is still making the Pilgrimage with the crew (I'm thinking yes).

Lino said, "You can't replace Lou. You can just hire someone to do his job." Lino did say that everyone is leaving as friends, and that the next person to do Lou's job would be revealed after the trip. Maureen said that Lou leaving is "really, really weird. He's my bro."

Fortunately for us, there's plenty of Lou to download off the internet (insert Lou's suspicious "Hmmmm" quip here). See, when Maureen left in 2008 (equally sad), there was no podcast of the show. When Maureen left, save for short Youtube clips of the show and the random replay, there was no way to relive fun moments involving Maureen. Thankfully, there are dozens of podcasts and Lino at Large shows available for download (links at top of page). This way, when you start to miss Lou, you can at least be reminded of why he meant so much to the show.

God bless you Lou. And thank you.

Other show thoughts.

• Friday's show is being broadcast from the Vatican. Same time, assumedly.

• Very funny moment at the beginning of the show when Fr. Rob called in, annoyed that Lino broke the news on-air that he would probably have to share a bedroom with Lino during part of the trip.

• Lino's book, aptly titled Sinner, was finally submitted to the editor. He shared a portion of it with his friends at Howard Stern's channel, and was met with great enthusiasm. Lino did promise plenty of controversy, including arrests and contemplating the hiring of a prostitute overseas.

As Lou would say, Hmmmmm.

• Charlie Cox, who starred as St. Josemaria in "There Be Dragons" and is in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, stopped by the show today. I think Lino is a good interviewer on the radio, but Lino puts himself down WAY too much. You don't always have to insult yourself to connect with a guest, Lino. Anyways, I thought it was great that Cox mentioned his first concert was going to see Pink Floyd with his parents at the age of 10. He also mentioned that the danger of playing a religious figure is that you act too pious. If he too precautions against that during filming of "There Be Dragons" it will be worth seeing.

Always good to see a religious person portrayed as a regular person. Props to Charlie.

No drug references on today's 4.20 edition of The Catholic Guy. That's a win if you have younger listeners. Great Holy Wednesday edition of the show today.

• Lou calling today "Holy Hump Day" was fantastic.

• Lino did what he does best today: admitting his own flaws and struggles with the faith. In this case, he was really mad at God for a variety of things he wouldn't say on the air (only admitting that he was frustrated by not seeing The Foo Fighters on Letterman and issues with his book). Lino openly admitted to being angry with God, taking God's name in vain, and going to Confession for it on Monday.

I think when you have a religious figure of great influence like Lino, it's inspiring to hear about their struggles. It's what makes stories of saints so amazing. Hearing about great people of faith struggling with the same things that you and I do each day makes me realize that I can obtain holiness if I really try.

I think Lino has a lot more in common with these great people of faith than each of us realizes.

• Of the listeners who called and weighed in on whether Lino should get his feet washed at a priest-friend's church on Holy Thursday, six were in favor of it, while some lone doofus named Chris told Lino not to do it. Chris said that Lino shouldn't do it because everyone shares the same water basin. Chris, that was ridiculous and you know it.

The overwhelming opinion was that Lino needs more humility (not necessarily true), and should offer to get served by others. Lino, you won't be attracting attention to yourself by doing this. People understand that feet washing is just part of the deal, and won't be taken aback by you up there.

• Maureen's laugh rivals Fr. Dave Dwyer's for best on The Catholic Channel. And congrats on the new iPhone.

• Two guests on the show today. Mark Hart, the Bible Geek, and Scott Korb, author of Life in Year One:What the World Was Like in First Century Palestine, appeared in separate segments of the show, and each of them had great things to say. Mark's always like that, giving you stuff that you didn't know about the Bible, and Korb was just as insightful.

Interesting factoids from Korb and his book: Jerusalem had about 70-80,000 people, Nazareth had 400; Jesus and the disciples would have bathed more frequently as they approached the temple, life expectancy was around 27 or 28, and the Roman Empire, out of slight respect to the Jewish people, did not put faces on the coins (the 30 pieces of silver). Also, one reason that Joseph of Arimethea would have asked for Jesus' body is that wild animals often ate the remains of those crucified on crosses.

Mark Hart also gave new insight to Holy Week, mentioning that Jesus and the disciples probably slept in the Garden because the inns were probably filled up due to Passover. Mark also agreed with Lino that Good Friday should be a day of obligation (as it should be).

Mark also made me realize that it wasn't a revelation to Jesus on Thursday that Judas would betray him and Peter would deny him. He knew these things well in advance. I don't know about you, but knowing this would have made me angry beyond belief.

That's why Jesus is better than me. For many reasons, this being one of them.

Sorry for the delay in getting the show thoughts to you. Got to catch most of the show today. Fun things. Lino did mention that there would be no live show on Good Friday, and that on Holy Thursday there would only be a 90-minute show filled with guests (hoping for a Steve Ray/Mark Hart combo).

• Father Rob opened the show up by telling Lino he heard confessions for six hours. Six hours! That's two showings of Titanic! Maureen mentioned how hard that sounded, and I think it really does sound like something that can only be done with God's grace. To give each person your undivided attention for that long of a period of time is something Fr. Rob should be commended for.

• Anthony from Pennsylvania called and busted Lino's balls. "You call yourself a Catholic Guy, how could you talk to a priest that way?" is what the caller basically told Lino. The caller later said he must have just called in at the wrong time. Sometimes Lino and Fr. Rob get snippy with each other a little too close for comfort, but it is three hours of banter, and since Fr. Rob and Lino are good friends, I don't think that anyone's feelings get hurt.

• Lino had a great idea: Confession on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. "It's an idea that will probably never get implemented," Lino said (I paraphrased that), but it's a shame. Many people get so humbled after church on Good Friday that they are probably ripe for a good confession.

• Happy belated birthday to Lino's father. 4.19.43 is a great day in the world.

• Lino received a tremendous compliment yesterday from a listener that said that the show inspired him to go back to confession, and a similar compliment on today's show. The thing I noticed was that there was no cash register sound. I can think of many reasons why this sound effect is no longer used (Lino doesn't need a raise anymore?), but I miss it.

• Nothing is set in stone, but we're going to try to do the second annual Crew Appreciation Week next week. Hopefully all of our writers have some time to get to that.

Godspeed to Maureen, who was out sick today. Her cause of illness was listed as a fever. Thank God it's not the pink eye.

John Zmirak was on the show today. He's an underrated guest, always has something insightful to say. Today, he was talking about Holy Week traditions. Some were random things I've never heard of (Giving Wednesday a spy theme in "honor" of Judas going behind Jesus' back), and some that made sense, such as fasting from all forms of media between noon and three on Good Friday, and visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday.

My favorite suggestion of his was an egg fight. Instead of painting hard-boiled eggs, paint raw eggs and have your kids throw them at each other in the back yard. I hope my bride allows us to do this someday.

• Yeah, I NAILED that Mario impression. Too bad the segment was for the best Pope impression. That little kid from Oklahoma did allright. Me? My pope impression was horrible.

• One of Fr. Jim's FOCUS missionaries was on the show. FOCUS, which stands for Fellowship of Catholic University Students, is a band of missionaries that help out across the country, and have helped Fr. Jim out greatly at the Newman Center at Montclair State University. Through my work on the bulletins for FJ each week, I've gotten to know Patrick Caskey pretty well. He's a good guy, and was fun to hear him talk about his call to mission work on the show today.

• Lino's neighbors kept blaring "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers all night. I think all of us with a slightly immature brain can figure out why music was playing on a loop at 1 a.m.

• Kudos to Lino for not going overboard with some crazy tie-in to tax day today.

Had to answer phones at work today, so I didn't catch the second hour of the show. Praying I find a gig that lets me get back into the swing of things. Thoughts on what I caught though.

• In case you are curious, here is the video of Fr. Rob on a local New York tv station (Lino kept referring to Fr. Rob being on Fox News, but it was really the local NYC Fox affiliate.

A listener called in and stated what most of us thought: it was great to see Fr. Rob in full-on priest mode. While we love Fr. Rob's weekly appearances that are ripe with humor, it's still great to hear exactly what makes him one of the best priests in the world. I thought he did a great job explaining the changes to the Mass, and I did think his joke was funny at the end.

• I spent ten minutes trying to find out what that crazy priest meant by Pappammarazzi, but alas I had no such luck. I liked that Lino didn't take the immediately critical route, trying to give the priest the benefit of the doubt for remaking Lady Gaga's Papparazzi song in a Christian tone, instead of going Catholic-Taliban and ripping the guy to shreds.

• "Is that Necessary" should be an audio clip that gets more airtime. Much better than the word "interesting" that Lou isolated. Speaking of audio clips, we need more goofy commercials from Maureen and Lou. Those were solid.

Now that I am stuck doing processing at work, I get to listen to the entire show! W00t! And since I have no idea how long this blessing from God will last, I'll do show thoughts for each new episode I hear.

Lino had a really good interview with Fr. James Martin (the other Fr. Jim), as they discussed his book "A Jesuits guide to (almost) everything." Highlight of the interview was Fr. Jim talking about trying to put yourself into Bible stories instead of just reading them, and telling Lino and crew about giving $120,000 in royalties back to his religious order.

That's dedication. Hopefully the interview makes its way to podcast form, as Fr. Martin is always fun to listen to (and yes, Lino is right: Fr. Jim Martin would make better commercials than what The Catholic Channel has going right now).

Other show thoughts:

• Lou and Maureen's mock commercial "Relation tips" was hysterical: I think I got a few crazy looks in my office from laughing so hard. Meeting your spouse apparently involves going outside. I really hope a few of these make their way into the podcasts.

• Speaking of podcasts, they aren't on the site anymore because we hope that by not having them here (and instead just linking to them), it will give Lino more subscribers, as people will actually have to listen to them.

• Maureen telling a seven-year-old kid she bested in "Are you smarter than a bad Catholic" probably deserves a "Maureen is Sorry" segment, but damnit I'm not going to force that apology. Fun moment.

• Mark Hart apparently has a healthy, sexual marriage.

• Two guests in one day? That's something else entirely. Props to Maureen for two quality guests on the same show, and good guests as of late. Dennis Quaid was a good get too.

• Lino did not get to have the Foo Fighters on the show Monday, and did not get to see the Foos on Letterman live in person. Proof, he said, of God disliking him. The jury is out on that, but I pray that maybe, just maybe, Lino gets the band to appear on the show in the near future to make up for it. Or to interview Letterman. That would be genius.