"My Name is Earl" doesn't have the critical cred of Thursday night lineup-mate "The Office," but it should: Both share devious delight in skewering the secrets and failings of a "type" — whether the office drone or underemployed man. Both also elevate their trouble-prone characters with a dose of humanity. But forget all that, and glory in the sensory pleasure that is Laugh 'n Sniff, brought to you by "Earl" and this week's TV Guide. Inspired by John Waters' underground flick "Polyester" (Waters has guest-starred on "Earl"), creators will flash a number on the screen matching six odors on a card inserted in TV Guide. We know the episode includes a dead horse and Sean Astin, and that Jason Lee, who plays Earl, says his character smells like "hair gel with a little bit of unkempt toenail," but otherwise, what exactly you'll smell and see will be revealed at 7 p.m. Thursday. Breathe deep!

'BRINGING BACK KEROUAC'

Beat poets such as Jack Kerouac, below, and Allen Ginsberg shocked literary circles in the 1950s with their free-flowing, open style. That boundary-pushing spirit motivated co-organizers Heather Craig and Kathy Xian to start the monthly poetry event "Bringing Back Kerouac." Every first Tuesday of the month, poets and musicians gather at Anna Bannana's to recite cover poems or their own works.

On Tuesday, "Bringing Back Kerouac" will feature Noelani Goodyear-Ka'opua, co-founder of the Halau Ku Mana Charter School and a Hawaiian Studies professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and Hawai'i's reigning slam master, Kealoha. Anyone older than 21 is welcome; poetry signups start at 8 p.m. If you have a proclivity toward poetry or a desire to rock the mike, head down to Anna Bannana's on Tuesday; call 946-5190 for more.


— Katie Whitman