PAYING RESPECTS

"No respect — I don't get no respect at all. Are you kidding?"
Rodney Dangerfield

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comic whose self-deprecating one-liners brought him stardom in clubs, television and movies and made his lament "I don't get no respect" a catchphrase, died Tuesday. He was 82.

For television viewers, Rodney Dangerfield was best known for his stand-up routines on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson'. He made over 70 appearances on 'The Tonight Show' which, if not a record, certainly must rank him up there in the top ten. He also hosted some HBO specials that showcased young talent that would become big stars after the exposure he provided: Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, Jim Carrey, and Roseanne.

Rodney pegged his own schtick on being the underdog and he cornered the market in getting no respect, no respect at all:

"When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother."

"When I was 3 years old, my parents got a dog. I was jealous of the dog, so they got rid of me."

"I remember the time I was kidnapped, and they sent a piece of my finger to my father. He said he wanted more proof."

"I'm so ugly, when I was a kid, my father bought a new billfold, and, instead of my picture, he carried the picture of the kid who came with the wallet."

"I never got any respect from my old man. I said, 'Nobody likes me.' He said, 'Don't feel that way. Everybody hasn't met you yet.' "

"When my parents got divorced, there was a custody fight over me. ... and no one showed up."

"I never got girls when I was a kid. One girl told me, 'Come on over, there's nobody home.' I went over. There was nobody home."

"And my wife. As soon as I got married I knew I was in trouble. My in-laws sent me a thank-you note."

"My wife, let me tell you about my wife. She wants to have sex in the back seat of the car, but she wants me to drive."

"When we got married, the first thing my wife did was put everything under both names -- hers and her mother's."

"With my wife, I don't get no respect. The other night there was a knock on the front door. My wife told me to hide in the closet."

"The other night, she met me at the front door wearing a see-through negligee. The only trouble is she was coming home."

*****

Younger audiences from the 1980s onwards embraced Rodney in much the same way they caught on to Tony Bennett and his music: Rodney was hip. His characters in the movies were rebellious: they smoked pot; they bucked the system; they were lewd, crude, and always got the last one-liner in.

But it's his life - as seen on TV - which we'd like to remember.

"When I started in show business, I played one club that was so far out,
My act was reviewed in Field and Stream."
Rodney Dangerfield

In October of 1996, Rodney was in New York City, probably playing a few clubs, when he encountered Jonathan Eliot and his friends. At the time, Mr. Eliot was in a relationship with a woman who treated him like a 'Kept Man'.
['The Single Guy']

Back on 'Thanksgiving', 1997, the family of 'Tool Time' star Tim Taylor got to meet Rodney at a Lions game when they were invited into the VIP skybox of the Silverdome.

['Home Improvement']

Rodney also made appearances on other talk shows which existed only in the TV Universe. For instance, he was a member of a panel discussion regarding 'Mercy Killing', during which I'm sure he had some keen observations about the subject.
['Night Stand with Dick Dietrich']

"With my wife, I get no respect. I fell asleep with a cigarette in my hand. She lit it."

"I could tell that my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio."

"I tell ya I get no respect from anyone. I bought a cemetery plot. The guy said, 'There goes the neighborhood!' "

******

He also appeared on 'Cabana Chat' with Dixie and Pool Boy in order to plug his movie, 'Meet Wally Sparks'.

['Mad TV']

There were others in the TV Universe who looked like Rodney Dangerfield. For instance, there was Larry Burns, the illegitimate son of Montgomery Burns in Springfield. ('The Simpsons') And there was a now-deceased repairman named Artie who died with his boots on, Thanksgiving, 1996. ('Suddenly, Susan')

The re-discovery and heightend popularity of Rodney Dangerfield can be traced back to a specific event in the TV Universe - the Pepsi Syndrome crisis of 1979. Pepsi was spilled on the controls of a nuclear reactor, nearly causing a meltdown. When President Jimmy Carter paid an inspection visit to the site, he was exposed to massive doses of radiation which dramatically altered his cellular structure.

In the dark days that followed the critics, Rodney Dangerfield was called in as the go-to expert, the only one who could put the situation in proper perspective......

Rosalyn Carter: Where is Jimmy? I have a right to see him!
Ross Denton: Mrs. Carter, the president is recieving special treatment right now.
Rosalyn Carter: What kind of special treatment? Why can't I see him?
Ross Denton: Mrs. Carter, this is Dr. Edna Casey. Perhaps she can explain better than I what has happened to the president.
Dr. Edna Casey: Mrs. Carter, your husband was exposed to massive doses of radiation. Now this has affected the entire cell structure of his body and greatly accelerated the growth process.
Rosalyn Carter: Well, what does that mean?
Dr. Edna Casey: It means, Mrs. Carter, your husband, President Carter, has become [ camera zooms in on Dr. Edna Casey ] The amazing colossal president.
Rosalyn Carter: Well how big is he?
Dr. Edna Casey: Well Mrs. Carter, it's difficult to comprehend just how big he is but to give you some idea, we've asked comedian Rodney Dangerfield to come along today to help explain it to you. Rodney?
[ Rodney Dangerfield enters ]
Rodney Dangerfield: How do you do, how are you?
Ross Denton: Rodney, can you please tell us, how big is the president?
Rodney Dangerfield: Oh, he's a big guy, I'll tell you that, he's a big guy. I tell you he's so big, I saw him sitting in the George Washington bridge dangling his feet in the water! He's a big guy!
Rosalyn Carter: Oh my God! Jimmy! Oh God!
Rodney Dangerfield: Oh, he's big, I'll tell you that, boy. He's so big that when two girls make love to him at the same time, they never meet each other! He's a big guy, I'll tell you!
Rosalyn Carter: Oh no! Oh Jimmy! My Jimmy!
Rodney Dangerfield: I don't want to upset you lady, he's big, you know what I mean? Why he could have an affair with the Lincoln Tunnel! I mean, he's really high! He's big, I'll tell you! He's a big guy!
Rosalyn Carter: No! No! No!
Ross Denton: Rodney, thank you very much. You can go.
Rodney Dangerfield: It's my pleasure. He's way up there, lady! you know what I mean? [ goes off, leaving Rosalyn Carter very upset ]
['Saturday Night Live']

Rodney is gone now, hopefully to a place where he is finally getting his proper respect.

I, for one, loosen my tie in tribute.

BCnU!

Tele-Toby
(with thanks to the AP, IMDb, epguides.com, and the SNL Transcripts site)

WEEKLY ROUND-UP

"I just pretend it's not me.

If you start to play yourself, you second-guess yourself,

And you'll really look like a fool."

Joan Rivers

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

THE GREAT LINK
Judge Amanda Anderlee (as played by Candice Bergen) presided over a murder case, making her debut in anticipation of the mid-season spin-off in which she will be appearing more often.
['Law & Order' & 'Law & Order: Trial By Jury']

THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
"You must be writing about another Ernie Anastos, in another New York City in a parallel universe, because the Ernie Anastos in this New York has been a ratings disaster in recent years."
- Stephen Wilson
in an E-mail to Richard Huff of the Daily News.

Jesse McCartney performed when Holly began promoting Ben's music.
['What I Like About You']

Joan Rivers visited Drs. McNamara and Troy to find out about getting work done which no one had ever considered before. She wanted to have all of her plastic surgereries undone.

Her reason? She wanted her grandson Cooper to understand that no one needed to be perfect.

But when she found out what she would look like after the procedure - hoo boy! So much for THAT idea!
['Nip/Tuck']

Although not seen, it was mentioned that John Glenn had once been a speaker at the school attended by the Kleinman kids. But the assembly shouted at him "Go back to the Moon!"

Senator Glenn pointed out that he had never been to the Moon, just before he ran crying from the stage.

This would be a link to 'Frasier' because the Senator visited the studios at KACL.
['Listen Up!']

CROSSOVER HALL OF FAME
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog added to his membership qualifications by leading the savage roast of Jay Mohr and the remaining contestants on 'Last Comic Standing'.

LA TRIVIATA
Aside from Robert McCallister in 2041, only one other president in the history of the United States had been a minister in his past life. And that was James Garfield.
['Jack & Bobby']

Will and Jack were part of a focus group for a new gay tv network: OUT-TV.

Among the possible shows that were suggested:

'Good Morning, Lesbians'
'Gay Jeopardy'
'The Price Is Right AND Gay'
'Shamed Family Feud'
'Big Gay Brother'
'Gay Ombudsman'
'Queer Factor'
['Will & Grace']

MISSING LINK
James Gandolfini appeared during Weekend News Update but was only identified as "an unidentified New Jersey resident".

But everything about him - what he said, how he dressed, how he carried himself, even the gift he brought Tina (a Sanyo DVD player), screamed "Bada Bing!"

So what's to stop us from assuming he was actually Tony Soprano?
('Saturday Night Live' & 'The Sopranos')

ZONKS
At an AA meeting, Val mentioned that she liked the motivational slogan "One Day At A Time" - because it was also a TV show.Grace pointed out that she liked the slogan "Cheers!" better and that it was a TV show too.

Karen was angered at her maid for not taping 'One Life To Live' for her.
[Both from 'Will & Grace']

CLASSIC ZONK
Sylvia Fine: Doctor, can you make me look like this?
Fran Fine: Linda Evangelista? Mom! He's not Doctor Bombay!
['The Nanny']

SPLAININS
Between the pilot and the first few episodes of 'Jack & Bobby', the older version of Marcus Ride was recast, from James A. Pickens, Jr. to Ron Canada.

I was offered a Splainin for this from someone who would have been supported by Archie Bunker, but I'm not going there.

Instead, I think the reason for the slight difference in looks can be attributed to a physical condition. Perhaps one similar to that suffered by Jerry Lewis, pulmonary fibrosis, in which the steroid treatment causes the patient to look bloated.
['Jack & Bobby']

In the aftermath of the crash of Oceanic 815, Hurley dubbed the dying federal marshal "Johnny Fever".

It's not likely we'll be learning everybody's secret on that island anytime soon - after all, the producers would like to stretch out this mystery for as long as they can. So until such time as we find out where Hurley is from, I'd like to think that he grew up in the Cincinnatti, Ohio, area. That would be where he heard the legendary deejay, Dr. Johnny Fever, on WKRP-FM.

If this proves not to be the case, we can still play out that theory. It could be that wherever Hurley is from, Dr. Johnny Fever ended up there after he left KRP. After all, we haven't seen Johnny since 1993 when he was working the graveyard shift (aka 'the lobster trick') at WKRP. He could have moved on since then to several other stations; any of which could have counted on Hurley as a listener.
['Lost' & 'WKRP In Cincinnatti']

OBITUARIES
Mary Alice Young committed suicide by shooting herself in the head. Not that it kept her from hanging around Wisteria Lane and commenting on the lives of her former friends and neighbors.
['Desperate Housewives']

The Federal Marshal who was escorting Kate back to prison was dying from the shrapnel that had pierced his chest during the crash of Oceanic 815. And then, thinking that he was doing the guy a favor, Sawyer shot him with the last bullet in the gun. But that only punctured his lung, making his inevitable death even more painful. (It's possible that Jack delivered the coup de grace even though it went against everything that he believed in as a doctor.)
['Lost']

Remember - I can't watch everything, so if you found something trivial of interest in the shows that you watch, contact me and let me share them with the other visitors to the TV world.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"Your mind is an open book, with large print and lots of pictures!"
- Maldis
'Farscape'

555-TOOB

In the TV Universe, the "555" telephone prefix has been... well, universal... since at least the early 1970s. (I have in my treasure trove of TV trivia the home phone number of Sally Rogers on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'; it's a PLaza exchange.)

It wasn't until the mid-70s that I finally realized all the "555" numbers were faked. It was because of a sketch on 'Saturday Night Live', a telethon to raise money to save Great Britain. The phone number was "555-1066".

Okay. I admit it. My friends in the dorm and I were stoned. We decided to call that number and the operator was patient enough to explain what the "555" exchange was mainly used for.

But the "555" exchange has been so widely used that it's become something of a joke. But some TV writers have found their way around it. If a phone number is recited, sometimes it's interrupted by a variety of reasons.

But now 'The Gilmore Girls' has put a new spin on the dial. In the season premiere, Luke's new cell phone number was revealed to be "860-294-1986". The area code is pure Connecticut, and as you can see, there's no "555".

And as the producers knew that I'm not the only one who dials the numbers they hear on TV, "860-294-1986" actually is a working number with a higher purpose in mind.

You get a message from actor Scott Patterson (who plays Luke), seeking donations for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore.

But the "555" exchange won't ever die; there's too much of a tradition and still too much of a need for these "555" numbers. Because there are too many nutjo- er, enthusiasts such as myself who blur that line between the real world and Toobworld.

As for the tradition, there's a website that celebrates the "555" exchange. It hasn't been updated for awhile, but there are still hundreds of numbers to sift through and explore.

The 555-LIST
http://home.earthlink.net/~mthyen/

Enjoy!

555-BCnU
Tele-Toby

[Thanks to Entertainment Weekly for pointing out the "Gilmore Girls" info.]

VIEWER MAIL

I continue to get my ego stroked:

Hi Toby.

Great blog you have. I am a regular visitor.

Take care funny Toby.
Colette
~~~~~~~~~~~
The blog is great, Toby. But I miss your posts to the IDD...
-stephanie twogeeks
~~~~~~~~
I liked the opening episode of 'Lost' too. And like you, I wish it was that full two hour "movie". It looks like it's going to be a story with a sweeping, grand scale. But I hope they give some attention to the details - the mundane stuff like burying the dead, foraging for food, sorting through the wreckage for stuff in the baggage that they can use.
- Eddie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I was watching the first few minutes of the Presidential Debate, and I was reminded of a quote from the Pilot episode of CSI.

I can always tell when whitey's talking out his ass. It's a gift.
--Warrick Brown
X-posted elsewhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard from fellow fake universe fans over at the "Second Tour Of Finland":

hiya toby!

thanks for the email, as well as the fantastic pimp on your site. i only had a few minutes to read a couple of your other entries, but it sure seems like you know how to take it to the limit--and beyond! much like a couple of wacky music fans i know. ;)

i've bookmarked your site so i can stop back when i have more time to check it out.

thanks again for your support and for taking the time to email us and link to us! :D

take care,
shannon
(marie siu)
~~~~~~~~~~~
HorridChairSap pointed out a spelling failure:

six networks, hundreds of cable offering, and the premium channels, the stakes are hight

You know wha? He's righ! I spelled tha wrong!

BCnU!
Tele-Tobias

Gordon Cooper, R.I.P.

From the Associated Press:

VENTURA, Calif. - Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury astronauts who pioneered human space exploration, has died. He was 77.

Cooper died Monday at his home in Ventura, NASA officials said in a statement.

"As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America's fledgling space program," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration. My thoughts and prayers are with Gordon's family during this difficult time."

Cooper piloted the final flight of the Mercury program, the United States' first manned spaceflight program that had the primary goal of putting a man in orbit around Earth.

When we think of Gordon Cooper in the fictional universes of Man's creation, the image that comes to mind is his rendition in Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" and embodied in the movie version of the book (where he was portrayed by Dennis Quaid).

But he made his mark in the TV Universe as well. Aside from several documentaries about the Mercury program, he also appeared in a TV Movie and in an episode of 'CHiPs' as himself.

from the IMDb:

Rocket's Red Glare [2000]
A troubled 17-year-old restores a Mercury Redstone rocket as a science project with the help of his ex-astronaut grandfather. When a NASA emergency leaves a space shuttle and its crew in danger, Todd's rocket is the only one ready for immediate launch.

Gordon Cooper was one of several people associated with NASA who appeared as themselves in this production.

From the 'CHiPs Online website:

Season 6, Episode 15
Journey to a Spacecraft
Original Airdate: 6-Feb-1983
Plot: Ponch and Bobby stop by a sick kid's house who says he heard people planning to steal a dog. The kid needs a liver transplant and has less than a month to live.

But the sick kid is running away from home. After getting a ride with a trucker friend, he tries to get another ride from another trucker friend but can't contact him. When he moves on, he leaves his medicine behind. Ponch, Bobby, and Bruce go looking for the kid while, the kid and his CB friend head south on a motorcycle. When the "chopper" gets a flat, he contacts another CB friend.

At the kid's house, Ponch, Bobby, and Bruce figure out where he's headed...the shuttle landing. As they head out, they find out that someone died and a donor liver is available. They have to get him to the hospital in just a few hours.
At the shuttle landing, Ponch, Bobby, and Bruce are looking for the kid with the help of the NASA security chief.

Later, Ponch asks for the help of Col. Gordon Cooper and has him ask the kid to come meet him at the press building. After he meets Col. Cooper, Ponch carries him off to a helicopter so he can go to the hospital for his transplant.

Some people might shrug off such an appearance; as if it doesn't have the cache like Buzz Aldrin appearing on 'The Simpsons' or John Glenn on 'Frasier'. But in the TV Universe, all components - the TV series, the TV movies, the commercials etc - have equal value.

And the appearance of "Gordo" on 'CHiPs' best exemplified how those early explorers of space were (and still are!) the true heroes for kids to admire. Not the high-priced athletes who are to be found more often joining the League of Themselves on sitcoms today.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

SET PHASERS ON PUNK'D!

Here's the online blurb about Riverside, Iowa

Another two centuries will pass before Riverside's claim-to-fame arrives, but that hasn't stopped this town from cashing in now on its future good fortune. Riverside is where interstate 380 ends and "the Trek Begins," or so says a sign as you exit. James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise, will be born here on March 21, 2233. A concrete blob behind a former barber shop marks the spot for present (and future) fans. Riverside wanted to put up a bronze James T. Kirk bust, but Paramount wanted $40K to license the image. Instead, a scale model of the "USS Riverside," which bears a remarkable (but not legally indemnible) resemblance to the USS Enterprise, is docked in the town square.

Throngs of pasty-faced fans invade Riverside during Kirk's annual birthday celebration, swelling the coffers of local businesses such as "Future Designs By Carol" and "Flower Trek" (sadly, the Bar Trek saloon sold out and is no longer here). Sharp-eyed residents, knowing they've got a good thing, have changed Riverside's summertime "Riverfest" to "Trek Fest." The town now pulls in revenue from hundreds of pale technonerds who arrive dressed in Starfleet uniforms or as Vulcans and Klingons. Marketing is as keen as an Iowa reaper blade; the Trek Fest souvenir catalogue offers vials of Kirk Dirt, dug from the actual birth site, at $3 apiece.

Now that Riverside's claim has been nailed down, the real challenge begins. Riverside must breed Kirk! This is a farm community; its people know about husbandry. Go to it, Riverside; where no man has gone before, if you must, but go! Invite Nobel Laureates and war heroes to move in and impregnate your women. And, just to be on the safe side, change the last name of everyone in town to Kirk.

(Future Birthplace of James T. Kirk: Hwy. 218, 20 mi. south of I-80/Iowa City.)"

So with all the hoopla they've poured into their image, Riverside was sure to lure more than just Nobel winning breeders.....

'Star'-struck town learns harsh reality
By RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

A group of budding actors in Iowa hoping for fame - and to get close to William Shatner - found out yesterday they
were nothing more than part of an elaborate ruse.

In fact, they weren't part of a movie at all, but were unknowing participants in a new reality show starring Shatner for Spike TV.

In what may be TV's most elaborate hoax, Shatner and a film crew set up in Riverside, Iowa, to shoot what they said was a film called "Invasion Iowa." The tiny town was selected because a few years ago it started calling itself the "future birthplace" of Captain Kirk, Shatner's "Star Trek" character. It's also the site of an annual "Star Trek" gathering.

So, when Shatner and the film crew came to town, folks turned out, and the media jumped on the bandwagon touting the independent project. Some of the residents even got parts in the nonexistent project.

"We formulated the idea over a year ago," said Paul Wernick, who produced the show with Rhett Reese. The two also created Spike TV's "Joe Schmo" reality series, which had a regular guy surrounded by a cast of actors in a fictional reality show.

"One of the dangers of shooting a show like this," Reese said, "is that you never know how it's going to end."
Shatner broke the news to townsfolk last night, telling them the show will air next year. "And the hardest part of this whole experience was containing my empathy for the individuals who listened to and identified with the soap opera we played in front of them," Shatner said in a statement.

While Wernick and Reese tried to shoot the project without media attention, some reporters caught on. And then the producers lied. "There's going to be some interesting emotions," Wernick said. "Betrayal, laughter and tears. We're going to run the gamut."

Originally published on September 29, 2004

Shatner's cloaking device: Iowa movie was fake
By ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
September 29, 2004

RIVERSIDE, Iowa - Capt. James T. Kirk might as well have set his phaser on stun and zapped everyone in his hometown. The actor who played the "Star Trek" space commander punked everyone here this month by pretending to film a science-fiction movie.

"We knew we were playing a prank on everyone," Shatner said during today's press conference. "By the end of the first day, we were falling in love with all of these beautiful people."

Shatner and dozens of production crew members have been in Riverside filling what he originally said was a low-budget, sci-fi movie called ‘‘Invasion Iowa.’’ Shatner told the town that the script was written by "Star Trek" co-star and Leonard Nimoy and himself.

Footage shot this month at Riverside, about 15 miles south of Iowa City, will be made into a reality television show called "Invasion Iowa." On the show, which will air early next year on Spike TV, viewers will see how a small Midwestern community reacts when a Hollywood film crew takes over a town.

To soften the blow of the hoax, the production company and Spike TV will give the city of Riverside $100,000. They also made other donations to the fire department and local school, officials said Wednesday.

Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk in the 1960s television show "Star Trek," informed townspeople of the trick Tuesday night during a viewing of the footage that had been shot.

Mike Hanson, 44, of Kalona, an extra in the film, said he and his fellow actors had had their suspicions about the project.

‘‘It was too cheesy to be real,’’ Hanson said after the announcement. ‘‘If it was really a movie, we’d be more scared of how bad it was.’’

Although Kirk’s hometown was never mentioned in the TV series, Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator and executive producer, wrote in ‘‘The Making of Star Trek’’ that Kirk was ‘‘born in a small town in the state of Iowa.’’

The Riverside City Council picked up on the idea in March 1985, declaring a site behind what used to be the town’s barbershop the ‘‘future birthplace’’ of Kirk.

Riverside holds an annual TrekFest which includes a parade with people dressed as ‘‘Star Trek’’ characters and public showings of the ‘‘Star Trek’’ episodes.

This article includes information from the Associated Press.

You know what this whole show can be linked to once it airs? That sketch on 'Saturday Night Live' in which Shatner went ballistic on the fans at a 'Star Trek' convention! This whole Trek prank on Riverside feels like a further extension of his attitude during his "rebuke" to those fans.

And all of those 'Star Trek' fans can connect to other shows that zonked Roddenberry's series, including 'Frasier' and 'Nurses'.

BCnU!
(And live long and prosper!)
Tele-Toby

BOSTON COMMON-ALITY

In writing his review for the series premiere of 'Boston Legal', David Bianculli (New York Daily News TV Critic) voiced his Crossover Wish List:

What I'd love to see is these "Boston Legal" heroes face off in court, from time to time, against familiar "Ally [McBeal]" faces of old:

Calista Flockhart's Ally vs. Spader's Alan Shore.

Peter McNichol's John Cage vs. Shatner's Denny Crane.

Lucy Liu's Ling vs. Mitra's Tara.

After all, both firms are in Boston, so why not? How many times has a legal show driven us to root for both sides?

But of course, this doesn't go far enough by Toobworld standards. We have a few more suggestions we'd like to see show up at the Beantown offices of Denny Crane......

1] First off, we'd like to see a few judges return from both 'Ally McBeal' and 'The Practice': specifically, Dyan Cannon as "Whipper" Cone and Linda Hunt as Zoey Hiller.

2] David E. Kelley also created 'Boston Public'; so who cares if it was on another network? It's cancelled now and the characters should be considered fair game to be used by their creator. At the very least Winslow High School should be used as the background in some case involving the education system.

3] Poland, New Hampshire, can't be too far away from Boston; so the argument to use characters from a cancelled DEK show on FOX would apply to the cancelled CBS show 'The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire'.

4] I can't be the only one who would love to see Mandy Patinkin show up somewhere once again as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger am I? He's no longer affiliated with 'Chicago Hope' Hospital; why should he then be tied down to the "Windy City"? Geiger and his foster daughter should come to Boston for at least a vacation.

5] Bill Bixby unfortunately is no longer with us, but his 'Goodnight Beantown' co-star, Mariette Hartley, is. There's always a good court case to be found in TV journalism when "women of a certain age" are dismissed on such grounds while their male co-anchors keep going and going and going....

6] Can't somebody in the cast go for a drink at 'Cheers'? Can't somebody fly out to Nantucket on Sandpiper Air ('Wings')?

7] Wouldn't it be cool if we saw an autopsy report admitted as evidence in court, and there in the corner is the signature of a Dr. J. Cavanaugh? ('Crossing Jordan')

7] If DEK wants to use characters once seen on 'Against The Law' or 'The Great Defender', who's really going to mind, let alone notice? (Besides crossoverites such as myself?) Both shows were cancelled soon after their debuts.

8] And please, PLEASE! Can't there at least be a mention of St. Eligius Hospital? What good is setting a show in Boston, if you never make mention of 'St. Elsewhere', the center of the Great Link itself?

Just some ideas I'm tossing out there. And here's hoping for a healthy run for 'Boston Legal' so that some of those ideas have time to be applied! (The series premieres tonight on ABC at 10 pm EST.)

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"I'll get the best legal mind around - Perry Mason!"
- Tom Ballard
'Waiting For God'