If you missed the mayoral debate …

The countdown clock at Wednesday night’s mayoral debate was fairly brutal, with time limits for Mayor Peter Carlisle and his two challengers, Kirk Caldwell and Ben Cayetano, observed fairly stringently. Cayetano felt the sting of the timekeeper right at outset, when the two-minute opening statement was brought to an abrupt halt.

Perhaps that’s why the rail question was put to him this way: "Mr. Cayetano, rail: yes or no?" The audience at the Plaza Club erupted in laughter. "You were kidding, right?" the former governor replied.

For those who’ve spent the last several months in a cave and therefore don’t know what Cayetano’s response might be, Olelo Community Media recorded the video of the event, so you’ll get a chance to see it later. The debate will air on the cable network’s Channel 49 at 12:30 p.m. Monday, 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, and on Channel 54 at 6 p.m. May 11.

Maybe McGarrett could sing a song

The merging of the story lines between "Hawaii Five-0" and "NCIS: Los Angeles" in the most recent episodes apparently worked, at least as far as the Nielsen gurus are concerned, giving the lagging L.A. edition of the NCIS franchise a bit of a ratings bump.

That’s a compliment to the isles’ flagship TV drama, right? Or was it the guest appearance of recording superstar LL Cool J?

So-called "crossovers" are an established device in TV programming, going way, way back. Wonder if the "Five-0" crowd will try it again? Maybe McGarrett can discover he has a brilliant singing voice and enter "American Idol," only to stumble onto some big crime episode there? Anyone with a better idea: We’d love to hear it.