IN LEAGUE WITH THEMSELVES

{LUCAS FILMED 2}

With his appearance on 'The O.C.', George Lucas has joined hundreds of people - politicians and entertainers, newsmakers and sports figures, scientists, authors, reality show contenders and even everyday folk - who have created fictional tele-versions of themselves in Toobworld.

Several websites dealing with the connections of the TV Universe would rather ignore those real people who make up the League of Themselves. But I accept them enthusiastically because they are just as fictional in this context as would be Larry Sanders and Lucillle Carmichael, both of whom interacted with more than their fair share of "Real People".

George Lucas finds himself in an interesting subset of the League of Themselves - those who create some of the very characters who now share the same fictional universe with them.

There is yet another group of such Creators, but they are not members of the League of Themselves; rather, they are depicted by actors to create their Toobworld personae. For example, there's Charles Dickens in 'Bonanza' and 'Doctor Who'; Mark Twain in 'Bonanza' as well and also in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'; and William Shakespeare in 'The Twilight Zone' and 'You Are There'.

But as for those who appeared as themselves, George Lucas would find himself in company with Aaron Spelling. Those private eyes who were affectionately known as 'Charlie's Angels' have encroached into Cineverse territory with two movies. And Spelling, who first brought them to prominence, once appeared as himself appropriately enough on 'The Powers That Be' with Senator William Powers.

"Coincidentally", Senator Powers looked a lot like Blake Carrington of 'Dynasty' (and maybe even Charlie Townsend himself!)

Around the same time 'Kilroy' aired, Jack Benny was trying to cadge free tickets to Disneyland from the Mega-Mouseketeer himself, Walt Disney who produced the mini-series about the misadventures of Oscar Kilroy.

And Anne Rice nearly had a meltdown in a Los Angeles bookstore run by 'Ellen' Morgan while across the country in New Orleans, her supernatural world was stirring anew in 'Rag And Bone'.

There are probably those reading this who might have the knee-jerk reaction that "Star Wars" belongs in the movie universe. That's how it was treated during the episode of 'The O.C.'. The movies played a pivotal role in episodes of 'Friends' and 'That 70s Show'.

But it has just as strong a presence in Toobworld, and we'll look at that next in the final chapter of this particular "Star Wars" trilogy.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby