Spoiler alert: Reading this may or may not (we don’t really know) spoil a surprise in a pilot for a new CBS action series called “Washington Field.”

But Washington-area residents probably should read this so they don’t get alarmed at the 20- to 30-foot fireball from a simulated explosion on Wednesday near a bridge that connects Georgetown to Virginia.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued an advisory saying there will be a fake explosion on Wednesday between 9:30 a.m. and noon near Key Bridge that will produce a fireball that will last for about two minutes.

The explosion on the Potomac River will be for a scene in which one of six sculling boats blows up in the pilot for a television series about the Washington field office of the FBI.

The Homeland Security Department, Washington police and fire departments, and the Washington Airports Authority have been alerted.

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Photo credit: Reuters/Hyungwon Kang (Potomac River and Georgetown University during fall)

Republican White House hopeful John McCain will appear as a guest on the CBS ‘Late Show’ with David Letterman this week, after relentless ribbing by the comedian for the candidate’s last-minute cancellation last month amid the financial crisis.

The Arizona senator skipped his appearance on the late night show, telling Letterman he had suspended his presidential campaign so he could immediately return to Washington to participate in the negotiations on a financial bailout package in Congress.

However, McCain ended up staying in New York for another day, drawing repeated blasts by Letterman for standing him up as he tried to fill the empty airtime.  To fill some of the show, the comedian discovered footage of McCain getting prepped for an interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric instead of coming on his show.

McCain will appear on Letterman program Thursday Oct. 16, the day after the third and final presidential debate.  No word yet on whether McCain will be bringing some sort of peace offering.

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- Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder (McCain walks to the podium on Sept. 24 to announce he was temporarily suspending his campaign to focus on financial bailout talks in Washington)

SAN FRANCISCO - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin called Afghanistan “our neighboring country” on Sunday in a speech that could revive questions over her tendency to stumble into linguistic knots.

Three days after a mostly gaffe-free debate performance, the Alaska governor fumbled during a speech in which she praised U.S. soldiers for “fighting terrorism and protecting us and our democratic values”.

“They are also building schools for the Afghan children so that there is hope and opportunity in our neighboring country of Afghanistan,” she told several hundred supporters at a fundraising event in San Francisco.

The gaffe could add fuel to comedians and late-night talk show hosts who have seized on her linguistic infelicities to portray her as someone not to be taken seriously.

Later in a speech in Omaha, Neb., Palin poked a little fun at herself when talking about one comedian in particular — actress Tina Fey whose dead-on impression of Palin’s looks, voice and body language has been a hit.

Fey, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Palin, has parodied her as a rambling, perky politician unfamiliar with world issues for three straight weeks on the comedy show “Saturday Night Live”.

“I was just trying to give Tina Fey more material — job security for Saturday Night Live,” Palin said.

The skits have become a sensation since an awkward interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric in which Palin failed to coherently express her views about Russia, the U.S. government’s $700 billion financial bailout package, and the newspapers or magazines she reads.

In recent days, the 44-year-old self-described “hockey mom” has described the Couric interview as “less than successful”, and apologized to crowds of supporters for her shaky performance, saying she was “annoyed” and “impatient” because she wanted to talk about other issues like energy independence.

Palin’s opponent, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, has also committed high-profile gaffes, including claiming in a recent interview that President Franklin D. Roosevelt calmed fears in a TV address at the beginning of the Great Depression. There was no TV in 1929 — Roosevelt wasn’t president at the time. 

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage. 

- Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder (A Palin supporter at a rally in Denver last week.)