Thursday, September 30, 2004

WEEKLY ROUND-UP

Here's a sampling of the things and events that helped to expand the TV Universe over the last week (or so):

The League of Themselves:
Sean Penn, Elvis Costello, Harry Dean Stanton, and Bobby Cooper are all members of Charlie's support group.

Sean Penn has reached the age where he could be lying in bed next to his wife (Robin Wright), and all he wants to do is eat his corn pops and go to sleep.

Elvis Costello has found plenty of inspiration in the support group. Many of his songs contain veiled references to what's happened to Sean and Charlie.

Harry Dean Stanton admitted that he doesn't always get out bed when he wakes up with a need to pee.

Bobby Cooper still has a thing for women who look like Tobey McGuire. But he saw 'Spiderman 2' and had no reactions.
[from 'Two And A Half Men']

Michael Jordan worked a basketball fantasy camp.
['My Wife And Kids']

After running away to San Francisco, Carmen Lopez fell in with rap star Chingy's posse. Chingy was ready to defend her against her father - that is, until he learned Carmen was only fifteen.

The appearance of Carrot Top in the same episode doesn't qualify as it was nothing more than a dream. ("Nightmare" is a better description.)
['The George Lopez Show']

Reverend Al Sharpton threatened to take his business away from the law firm unless William fired Maya.
['Girlfriends']

The newest boy to join the swim team at Mary Lou Retton's kids camp gets the high-tech swimsuit, the super turbo fins and Mark Spitz as his personal trainer.
['Sprint PCS']


Joe Torre and Mel Stottlemyre fretted and clucked over an arm in a cast. Even though we're led to believe it belongs to that knucklehed Kevin Brown, it turns out to be George Steinbrenner's. (He hurt himself because he was signing too many checks.)
['Visa Check Card']

William "Refrigerator" Perry is now a falconer who teams up with an astronaut, a medieval faire jouster, and a cultist to get back into the fantasy football game.
['ESPN.com']

Yundi Le, a concert pianist in China oversleeps and could be late for his concert. So he transforms into Lance Armstrong on a bike, speeding through the crowded streets of Beijing, until he reaches the concert site. Lance walks onto the stage, still sporting his white biking outfit and helmet. Sitting down at the piano, he becomes Yundi once again.
['Nike']

Crossovers Part One
To impress his kids, Larry the Lion claimed to know Donkey, co-star of the 'Shrek' movies. So when Donkey showed up for a visit to the Compound, Larry had to find a way to get him to appear at his kid's school.

The MGM Lion also came to visit the school, being an old friend of Blake the Tiger.
['Father Of The Pride', various commercial tie-ins to 'Shrek']

The plane that crashed on that not-so-deserted island was part of the Oceanic Airways fleet. These planes are nothing but bad luck - they were involved in disasters in two TV movies ('Nowhere To Land' and 'Code 11-14'), as well as in an episode of 'JAG'.

Oceanic Airways even crosses over to the movie universe, but its luck is not much better there. (Just check out 'Executive Decision'!)
['Lost']

The Musical Interlude
Not that it serves as a connection, but John Hiatt's song "Have A Little Faith In Me" figured prominently in two new series. It illuminated Kevin Hill's commitment to the new woman in his life: his ward Sarah, the daughter of his late cousin.

And nearly forty years from now, it will serve as the campaign theme song for Robert McAllister's presidential bid.
['Kevin Hill', 'Jack & Bobby']

Crossovers Part Two
Judge Amanda Anderlee presided over a murder trial in which she was threatened by a racist prison gang. This was the first of several appearances to set one of the building blocks for the mid-season entry 'Law & Order: Trial By Jury'. (Detective Lenny Briscoe is another.)
['Law & Order']

The Pillsbury Doughboy came to the rescue for a morose Russian family by bringing them fresh-baked cookies to make up for the horrible meal they had.

But then bad news struck: "Got milk?" Not these Russkies, and the commercial ended with the Doughboy in peril.
This commercial puts the Pillsbury Doughboy over the top for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. Not only has Poppin Fresh been a legendary icon for over a quarter of a century, but he also did ads for Sprint PCS and Burger King.
['California Milk Processor Board'/'Pillsbury']

The Soup Nazi barked at restaurant patrons as they stepped on a scale: "Nothing for you! Only salad!" and "Come back when you're thinner."
['Center for Consumer Freedom']

La Triviata
Charlie was a member of the heavy metal band Driveshaft.
['Lost']

Kevin Hill, working for the firm Dugan, Davis, and Kelley, successfully sued JLC Records for his client, a rapper named Brett.
['Kevin Hill']

Missing Link
Sean Reynolds is a major-league baseball player on trial for sexual assault in a New York court. Because of the jurisdiction, it's probably safe to say that he plays for a New York team. And it's doubtful that the Mets or the Yankees would want to have their teams associated with this fictional character.....

So why not assume he played for the New York Empires? Reynolds is probably not a character who'll be seen again, either in the courtroom or on the field, so it could always be said that the Empires traded him away because of the controversy.
['Kevin Hill', 'Clubhouse']

It looks like another plane may have crashed back in 1988 on the same island as the Oceanic Airways flight.

Possible shows that were airing on TV at that time which may have some kind of connection to that mystery would include:

1] 'MacGyver'
2] 'Mission : Impossible'
3} 'The Equalizer'
4] 'Murder, She Wrote'
5] 'Something Is Out There'

Any further speculation will be held back until we learn more about the automated distress call......
['Lost']

Obituaries
Miami crime scene investigator Tim Speedle was shot to death in the line of duty. But it may have been due to his own negligence - he failed to properly maintain his gun and it jammed on him when he needed it.
['CSI: Miami']

Real World Tie-ins
New York crime scene investigator Mac Taylor's wife, Claire, died at the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.
['CSI: NY']

Lindsey Starr was found dead in an office building, with blood on her chest in the shape of a cross. It turned out that Starr was in a reserve unit stationed at Abu Ghraib prison, where she had participated in the abuse of prisoners.
['Law & Order']

Mark Spelman is a player on the New York Knicks who once dated Kevin Hill's first client at his new law firm, Grey & Associates.
['Kevin Hill']

Crash survivor Sayeed was a soldier in Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard during the Gulf War.
['Lost']

Back to the Future
There will be a "War Of The Americas" before 2038 (possibly before 2037 when Eugene Lorio begins his one term as President). President Lorio will have lost his son Walter in the conflict.
['Jack & Bobby']


BCnU!
Tele-Toby

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