A SKED QUERY: "ODYSSEY 5"

'Odyssey 5' wasn't on this past Friday night, so I'm putting this question out to my legions - er, those few of you who travel through Toobworld.....

Has Sci-Fi decided to drop the series' rerun due to ratings? I checked their website and the show is still listed among their offerings. And the main page still lists it as being shown at 8 pm on Fridays. But maybe they haven't updated the page lately.

I looked through the directory on my DVR and didn't see it listed anywhere for the next several days, so I don't think it was a matter of being rescheduled.

So, what do you think is the deal? Should I start thinking about picking up the series via Netflix if I want to see it through?

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIME-WASTER

Having nothing else to do just now, I took AOL's In2TV quiz.......
The only question I got wrong was about 'Veronica's Closet'. The only one I guessed at was about the three-headed monster of the "Godzilla" movies. I don't think I've ever seen one straight through, but I'm fairly familiar with the various beasties.

(The answer was "Ghidrah".)

BCnU!
Toby OB

"He's very very smart, and funny and charming and -#

Aaaaargh-b'beloo!

No, I can't do it.

Toby is the worst."

Michael Scott

'The Office'

PSYCHIC SCENT OF PINEAPPLE

By the time 'Psych' was reaching the half-way hiatus point in its second season this past summer, I finally was clued in that the show was pulling a Hitchcock-styled move. Instead of the director or creator of the show making a cameo appearance in each episode, most of the episodes featured a pineapple in some way. (This is why Shawn and Gus are often seen holding pineapples in the USA network promos.)

It all began during the filming of the pilot. While visiting Gus to cajole him into helping out on his first case, Shawn grabbed his friend's car keys. In an impromptu move, actor James Roday also picked up a pineapple from the same shelf and suggested that they slice it up for the road trip.

The crew found the ad-lib to be hysterical and the scene was left in the final version of the show. Since then, many of the episodes have featured a mention of pineapples in one form or another.

I watched the pilot episode again for research on this article, but I did so before I got Artemus, my new computer. Otherwise I would have done a frame grab of the scene to illustrate it.

Someday I'll get the episode again via Netflix, but in the meantime, here are the pineapple references I found for the first season of 'Psych'. Now, there are some episodes which didn't have any mentions of pineapples and they are so listed. But keep in mind, that's only based on my viewing of the episode. For all I know, pineapples may have appeared in those episodes and I failed to spot them.

If you have any knowledge of references I might have missed, please let me know. (Keep in mind that this is only the first season, and I'll post the second season once it's completed. But feel free to point out references from those episodes just in case I might have missed them.)

THE 'PSYCH' PINEAPPLE REFERENCES
(SEASON ONE)

1. 1- 1 7 Jul 06 Pilot

Sean found a pineapple while looking for the keys to Gus' car and wanted to take it along with them.

2. 1- 2 14 Jul 06 Spellingg Bee

None found; but it may have been on his shopping list. The only items mentioned were banana, onion, and Mitchum deodorant.
3. 1- 3 21 Jul 06 Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece

Sliced pineapple on a fruit platter in the bridal suite.

4. 1- 4 28 Jul 06 Woman Seeking Dead Husband - Smokers Okay, No Pets

Officer Buzz McNab brought a pineapple smoothie for Shawn.

5. 1- 5 4 Aug 06 9 Lives

Shawn brought a gift pineapple to the Stress Hot line.

6. 1- 6 11 Aug 06 Weekend Warrior

No Pineapple reference found.

7. 1- 7 Aug 06 Who Ya Gonna Call?

No Pineapple reference found.

8. 1- 8 25 Aug 06 Shawn vs. The Red Phantom
No Pineapple reference found.
9. 1- 9 19 Jan 07 Forget Me Not

Coffee shop "Coffee With Attitude" serves a fantastic double chocolate-mango-pineapple scone baked fresh daily.

10. 1-10 26 Jan 07 From the Earth to Starbucks

No Pineapple reference found.
11. 1-11 2 Feb 07 He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me, Oops He's Dead
In deleted scenes, Shawn is drinking from a pineapple juice box.
12. 1-12 9 Feb 07 Cloudy...Chance of Murder
Shawn is seen snacking from a Tupperware container of pineapple chunks.

13. 1-13 16 Feb 07 Game Set… Muuurder?
No Pineapple reference found.

14. 1-14 23 Feb 07 Poker? I Barely Know Her
No Pineapple reference found... officially. But Shawn and Gus do pass a couple of slot machines which probably used the pineapple as one of their symbols.

15. 1-15 2 Mar 07 Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast

Shawn offered a pineapple as an introductory gift to the main suspect in the case, Alice Bundy. He also may have been drinking pineapple juice in another scene.

When I've finally seen all of the episodes for Season Two of 'Psych', we'll be doing this type of list again for those shows.

BCnU!
Toby OB

FROM BOSTON TO MAYBERRY

I had taken 'Boston Legal' off my "must divver" list of TV shows a few weeks ago, but decided to record it this week because Chuck McCann was going to be returning as Judge Fudd. In doing so, I happened upon a Zonk that's easily neutralized.

In the small town of Middletown, two of the attorneys from Crane, Poole, and Schmidt were being led into the town's jail cells so that they could visit with their client. Jerry Espenson remarked that the place reminded him of 'Mayberry RFD', and his associate, a young British lawyer new to the firm named Katie Lloyd, responded, "Where's that?"

As a TV reference joke, we know Jerry was referring to the sequel to 'The Andy Griffith Show'. But that doesn't work when it comes to establishing Toobworld as a fantasy universe in which all TV shows should co-exist as being "real".

So no, we have to look at the scene differently. Jerry was reminded of Mayberry, RFD, because it's an actual location in North Carolina which he visited for some reason, perhaps professionally as a lawyer. He might even have grown up in the area, perhaps in Mt. Pilot! And since Katie Lloyd was from the United Kingdom, she would not have known where Mayberry was.

Within the framework of Toobworld, it's likely that no matter who was with Jerry down in those jail cells, they probably wouldn't know where Mayberry was either.

If the writers intended this to be a pure TV reference in-joke, they should have gone with 'The Andy Grififith Show' since that's where the old jail cells came into play more, thanks to Otis Campbell the town drunk. But then they would not have been able to follow it through with the punchline from Katie. This way, we get a joke for our benefit, and proof that 'Boston Legal' and the world of Mayberry co-exist in the same universe.

Motion for a Zonk denied. Dismissed.

BCnU!
Toby OB

ACROSS THE TOONIVERSE

There have been plenty of examples of characters from the Tooniverse crossing over into Toobworld throughout the history of Television.

A few examples:

Superman visiting the live-action Metropolis with Jerry Seinfeld in the Amex commercials

Daffy Duck going for a job interview at Winfred-Louder Department Store on 'The Drew Carey Show'

Brian and Stewie Griffin opening the Emmy Awards ceremony this year

The Caped Crusader of 'Batman Beyond' showing up at the Camden house looking for Lucy in a promo for the WB

Here's one that hasn't happened yet, and probably never will, but I'd be keen to see it happen!

BCnU!
Toby OB

REGISTERING McCALLISTER

After the Republican Presidential debate on 'Brothers & Sisters' this past Sunday, Kitty Walker brought in the newspapers of importance which gave Senator Robert McCallister glowing reviews of his performance. The three newspapers she mentioned were the Register, the Times and the Post.

Now, the Times would be the New York Times, I have to imagine. And the Post would be the Washington Post. But how about the Register? Is there a national paper with as much clout as the Times and the Post in the real world?

Even if there is, I'd like to think that particular "paper of record" could be the San Francisco Register, which has been getting plenty of coverage in both NBC's 'Journeyman', and in 'Women's Murder Club' on ABC.

Nothing says it can't be so... so far.......

BCnU!
Toby OB

STANFORD YET AGAIN!

Once again, Stanford has been mentioned in a TV episode from this fall season......

On 'Journeyman', Dan Vasser found out that Stephen Kowalchuk had dropped out from Stanford where he was going for his degree in mathematics. It turned out that Stephen turned into a Ted Kasczynski styled anarchist, and it was going to be Dan's job to journey back in time to not only stop him, but to set him on the right road to recovery.

The episode title was "Keepers".

This can now be added to the other shows that are getting linked to Stanford (for good or ill) this season:

'Boston Legal'
'Reaper'
'Moonlight'
'Chuck'

BCnU!
Toby OB

TURNING BLUE

I don't have high definition TV yet, so I can't read the fine print in letters, on background posters, or on boxes in a particular scene. And I'm not exactly one to be familiar with home pregnancy tests and the designs of the product from the various companies.

So I have no idea which brand of home pregnancy test Kitty Walker picked up last Sunday on 'Brothers & Sisters'. Considering the stranglehold product placement has in TV production nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an established brand.

But what if it was from a fictional company?

Why can't we assume that it was the same kind of pregnancy test product used by Sun on 'Lost', one that was manufactured by Widmore Labs?

Like Mushrat would say, it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TRIVIAL TRIALS OF O'BRIEN

I thought I might have an easy and VERY trivial link to make from the "N-Word" episode of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', when Larry David picked up the wrong prescription from the pharmacy.

The name on his estrogen pills was "Alicia O'Brien". A simple enough name, I thought, one that was sure to have been used before in some TV show for a guest character..

But no dice. Of all the shows churned out over the decades, and so many situated in the Los Angeles area, not one Alicia O'Brien. I would have loved to have been able to link 'CYE' to let's say, 'Cannon' or 'Barnaby Jones', or 'Mannix' with that one!

Oh well, it's never the end of the world, Toob or otherwise, when these things fall through.

At least I have a new member of Clan O'Brien to welcome into the fold!

BCnU!
Toby OB

ALL APOLOGIES

I should have posted this yesterday: I was wrong that the 'CSI'-'Without A Trace' was supposed to air last night on CBS. Instead the two-parter will be on next Thursday night.

My thanks to "Big Red Rabbit McChesney" for sending along the correction in that post's comments. I just took too long in passing the word along.

BCnU!
Toby OB

TVXOHOF: FEEL THE DIFFERENCE

With the month of November, the TV Crossover Hall of Fame usually turns its attention to politicians, newsmakers, and those who report the news. In the past we've honored George Washington, JFK and Jackie Kennedy, their son John F. Kennedy, Jr., Walter Cronkite, Murphy Brown, Rudy Giuliani, NYC DA Arthur Branch, Ambassador Sarek, and Adam West, Mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island.

Because of events earlier this year, there was only one logical choice to honor this month: President Gerald R. Ford.
When he was sick with pneumonia some time ago, I wrote up a little tribute to him for the "Inner Toob" blog, which I'd like to revisit now:

President Ford once visited the law firm of Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, according to Senior Partner Paul Lewiston. Unfortunately, that happened at the same time when Denny Crane's fifth wife, Clovis, showed up drunk in the offices.

President Ford appeared as himself in an episode of 'Dynasty' with his wife Betty (who also appeared in an episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' in which she executed a perfect telephone reaction cliche). He also appeared in archival footage in a disco-themed episode of 'Quantum Leap'.

But he was also portrayed by actor Josef Sommer in a TV movie from 1987, 'The Bette Ford Story'.

In the Tooniverse, President Ford was a member of the super-hero team known as "The Ex-Presidents", as seen on 'Saturday Night Live'. And he also appeared as himself in a sketch on that long-running variety show when Ron Nessen hosted the show.

As for his portrayal by Chevy Chase in the first year of 'SNL', we should just enjoy those sketches for the pratfalls and leave it at that.

Of course, since that time, I've come to the conclusion that variety shows and comedy sketches belong in their own universe, nicknamed Skitlandia, in which President Ford would look like Chevy Chase.

But this month, I'd also like to honor the woman who stood by his side for so many years, his wife Betty. As mentioned above, she also appeared in that episode of 'Dynasty' and had the spotlight to herself in the episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. Murphy Brown stayed at the alcoholism treatment center that bears Mrs. Ford's name (as several other TV characters probably did).

As was the case with her husband, Betty Ford had a televersion when her life story was portrayed on TV. Gena Rowlands took on the role in the 1987 movie, "The Betty Ford Story".

Gerald Ford was never elected to the office of the President; never elected as Vice-President. But looking back now, it seems almost provident that he was in the right place at the right time for the sake of the country, and Betty Ford's candor and streak of independence was an inspiration to many.

Toobworld Central welcomes them both into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

SHOWS CITED:

Drew Snyder (Gerald Ford)

. . . "Dark Skies" (1996) {The Warren Omission (#1.12)} TV Series

Josef Sommer (President Gerald Ford)

. . . Betty Ford Story, The (1987) (TV)

Gena Rowlands (Betty Ford)

. . . Betty Ford Story, The (1987) (TV)

Joe Stokes (II) (Gerald Ford)

. . . "Days That Shook the World" (2003) {Nixon} TV Series

"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"

- The Seminar (1976) TV Episode .... Herself

Jeffrey Ventimilia (Gerald Ford)

. . . "That '70s Show" (1998) {Streaking (#1.3)} TV Series

"Dynasty"

- Carousel (1983) TV Episode (as President Gerald R. Ford) .... Himself

"Dynasty" .... Herself (1 episode, 1983)

- Carousel (1983) TV Episode (as Mrs. Betty Ford) .... Herself

"Quantum Leap"

- Disco Inferno - April 1, 1976 (1989) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Himself

"Quantum Leap"

- Disco Inferno - April 1, 1976 (1989) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Herself

BCnU!

Tele-Toby

OF WOMEN, WONDERFUL AND CATTY

There was no Zonk in the fact that Dr. Temperance 'Bones' Brennan was dressed as Wonder Woman for Halloween in this week's episode ("Mummy In The Maze"). Wonder Woman is an established figure in Toobworld, both during World War II and during the 1970s. I'm sure she looks exactly the same still if we got to see the real one today. And she was well-known because of the publicity on the adventures she had.
As for Dr. Cameron Saroyan's costume as Catwoman, she was basing her look on the fictionalized movie starring Halle Berry. It doesn't negate the existence of the real Catwoman who prowled Gotham City back in the 1960s, nor that of Tia Mara, the thief who once worked for the IMF during the '60s and who replaced the original Catwoman after she died in a cavern fall, nor that of Betty Jones, who took the place of the original Catwoman until she was captured. (After she was reformed and released, Betty Jones later married the policeman who captured her and then went to work for her private eye father-in-law when she was widowed.)

SHOWS CITED:
'Bones'
'Wonder Woman'
'Batman'
'Barnaby Jones'
'Mission: Impossible'
"Batman" - the movie

BCnU!
Toby OB

HISTORY CHANNELED: PRIMETIME CZOLGOSZ

'Reaper' was falling into a rut, following the same pattern episode to episode, since its debut. Sam's problems with Andi, difficulties with the vessel used to collect the souls, Ben getting wounded or slimed so that it's just Sock and Sam in battle against the escaped soul.

But this latest episode, "Leon", shook things up a bit - the soul was captured two minutes into the show. Turns out Leon was only the first of two souls to be recaptured during the lead-up to Halloween and he accompanied the guys when they tried to recapture the soul of the Butcher of Ballard.

And it turned out that Leon was in fact an escaped soul with some cache of infamy in American History:

Leon Frank Czolgosz (choll-gosh), (1873 – October 29, 1901) was the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley.

On August 31, 1901, Czolgosz moved to Buffalo, New York and rented a room near the site of the Pan-American Exposition. On September 6 he went to the exposition with a .32 caliber Iver-Johnson "Safety Automatic" revolver (serial #463344) he had purchased on September 2 for $4.50. With the gun wrapped in a handkerchief in his pocket, Czolgosz approached McKinley's procession, who had been standing in a receiving line outside of the Temple of Music greeting the public for several minutes. At 4:07 p.m., Czolgosz reached the front of the line. The President thrust out his hand; Czolgosz slapped it aside and shot McKinley twice at point blank range.
[from Wikipedia]

'Reaper' played it straight with the few facts of Leon's early life that were brought up. It was his after-life they embellished. After a hundred years in Hell or so, Czolgosz (seen here as he looked in the show) had repented - somewhat - and was trying to seek psychiatric help during his brief return to life on Earth.

You almost had to feel sorry for the schmuck - until he betrayed Sam and Sock.

Eventually he was returned to Hell, but perhaps the show's mythology will deviate from established religious beliefs. Perhaps it might be possible for Leon Czolgosz to find salvation and relief from his everlasting punishment.

Czolgosz appeared in Toobworld earlier, alive, in 'Ten Days That Shook The World'. His episode depicted the events that led to his assassination of President McKinley. But in that, he was played by Nick Maroon and not Patton Oswalt.

As for the slight alteration in his appearance, apparently Hell has that effect on its "citizens". It could have been worse - the other soul to be recaptured looked like a demonic dog-beast, and an earlier soul was a walking blog of green toxic slime.

Looking like Patton Oswalt is a draw, at worst......

BCnU!
Toby OB

{Post #2100}

"I have an answer, but I think it might be wrong."
Leon
'Third Rock From The Sun'

LIQUID TELEVISION

The most intriguing moment in this week's episode of 'Heroes' ("The Line") came when HRG and the Haitian were interrogating the Russian who had once been HRG's mentor in the Company. Faced with losing his memories of his dead daughter at the hands of the Haitian, Ivan told them that the paintings they were seeking were in a warehouse. And that warehouse was near the trainyards where they had "tagged the liquid man".

Could it be that this was a clue? That we might see such a character show up on 'Heroes' before the season is over?

The Liquid Man has already appeared in a different universe of 'Heroes' - in the online graphic novel connected to the show. But even though that may be presenting stories that have occurred in the TV Universe, those images belong to a separate universe based on Mankind's artistic output, that of a comic book world.
Until the Liquid Man actually appears in the show, all we can say for certain is that he exists in the TV Universe. We can't say we know what he looks like based on his image in the graphic novel.

BCnU!
Toby OB

MOMBI MUMBO JUMBO

One last post appropriate for Halloween......

Thanks to 'Shirley Temple's Storybook', the world made famous by L. Frank Baum is a part of Toobworld (but an alternate dimension). "The Land Of Oz" was an episode in the series and related the story of how the witch Mombi turned Princess Ozma into a young boy named Tip. Also in the cast were the Tin Woodsman, the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, Nikkidik, Jack Pumpkinhead, and many other inhabitants of Oz.

With the episode, we can make a Theory of Relateeveety which could connect 'Shirley Temple's Storybook' - "The Land Of Oz" to 'Bewitched'.

Tabitha and Adam Stephens are the children of Samantha Stephens; Samantha is the daughter of Endora.

But who was Endora's mother?

I'm thinking Endora was not a witch native-born of Earth. I think she was born in the Land of Oz and that is where Maurice found her and fell in love with her, bringing her back to live on Earth Prime-Time. (Aunt Clara then would have been from his side of the family. Uncle Arthur we know was Endora's younger brother, so he was from Oz as well.)
So it is my contention that Endora was the daughter of Mombi the Witch.

BCnU!
Toby OB

NEWS BOOS

This soars to the top of the local news blooper reel!

My thanks to TVSquad.com for alerting us to this clip being shown by CNN of a local news team being terrorized by Halloween pranksters in the studio. I won't say anymore than that because I don't want to ruin the fun!

Click for the KXTV Halloween prank.

BCnU!

Toby OB

ALL HALLOWS

Happy Halloween!

There are two couples who are dear friends of mine, Mr. & Mrs. Asparaguy, and I.V. and the ADA. For the past month, we've been juggling our schedules, hoping to find a night when we all could get together for dinner. And Halloween finally worked out to be best for us all.

But I did have possible plans for Mischief Night - I would have gone out with the Likely Lads, Mark & Michael, in full costume.

And the costume I cobbled together?

My TV Land cap

My NBC Baseball jacket

My white sweatshirt with the red "As Seen On TV" logo

If I got lucky, the following clothing items would have been revealed:

Black t-shirt with the caption "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV"

My 'Twilight zone' underwear for the episode "To Serve Man" (I suppose if my fortunes had gone in either direction....)

And the final touch would have been those Times Square New Year's Eve sunglasses shaped like "2006"

And when asked what I was supposed to be?

"I am a TV Rerun."

BCnU!
Toby OB

ADDENDUM:
I learned later that the parade's theme was to be "Wings of Desire". So I amended my costume a bit.....

When asked, I would say that I was "a TV Rerun of 'Wings'".....

TDOY TA-DA!

It's been said that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. That wouldn't be such a bad thing in Television, probably more of an asset.

One of my go-to blogging buddies is Ivan G, who specializes not only in the Television of the past, but also in classic movies - especially the serials - and old time radio, which sparked his creation of the "Thrilling Days of Yesteryear" blog.

So this is just a notice that TDOY has moved to a new location online. In fact, Ivan's joined the Blogger community where Brent's "I Am A Child Of Television" and my own "Inner Toob" reside.

Check out "Thrilling Days" when you get a chance; it's always a blast from the past. You'll find the link to the left. And if you've previously ear-marked his site as a fave place, make sure you update your bookmark.

BCnU!
Toby OB

OH, TIBER! FATHER TIBER....

"I, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus... this, that and the other..."
Emperor Claudius
[opening lines]
'I, Claudius'

Once he was named assistant manager of the Buy More, we learned Harry's full name was Harold Tiberius Tang on this week's episode of 'Chuck' ("Chuck vs. the Sandworm"). That makes four Toobworld characters - that I know of! - who have Tiberius as their middle name.

The other three are:

Woodrow "Woody" Tiberius Boyd - 'Cheers'
Captain James "Jim" Tiberius Kirk - 'Star Trek'
Lieutenant William "Bill" Tiberius Rice - 'The Lieutenant'

One of the two main characters in my Toobworld novel is Tiberius Cooper, but everybody knows him as Toob Cooper. (The other is his twin brother, Thompson.)

BCnU!
Toby OB

WEATHER, CHANNELED

Toobworld is different from the real world in so many ways - towns that don't exist in our world, like Fernwood, Ohio, Twin Peaks, Hooterville, and Cicely and Elmo, Alaska; fictional countries like Svardia, Caronia, and the Isle of Mypos; and an underground realm known as Eternia. It's a world where the squirrels are intelligent petty thieves and the horses can talk.

Even the weather is different from our own.
This season, while the cops of 'K-Ville' grappled with the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina from several years ago, Larry David took in a family displaced by Hurricane Edna. Here in the real world, the "E"-named tropical storm Erin formed in early August but never developed into a full-blown hurricane. (Still it killed a number of people when it made landfall.)

Back in 2003, Hurricane Anthony struck Miami in an episode of 'CSI: Miami', but it was Hurricane Ana for us in the real world.

Another interesting weather development this season took place nearly fifty years ago in Toobworld. In the 'Jericho' mystery "The Hollow Men", London was beset by a killer smog that gripped the city for days. Although the same thing didn't happen in 1958, the year in which 'Jericho' takes place, it was reminiscent of "The Big Smoke" of 1952, which caused thousands of deaths in London between December 5th and December 9th of that year.

Extreme weather conditions have been great for crossovers on Toobworld. NBC used a hurricane to link together all of their Miami-based shows back in the 1990s, while ABC featured a giant snowstorm in some of their shows in order to bring attention to their Stephen King mini-series, "The Storm Of The Century".

It's definitely too soon, but I wouldn't put it past one of the networks to use the California wildfires to link together their shows which are set in the Los Angeles area......

BCnU!
Toby OB

STILLER WATCHING RUNS DEEP

During "The N Word", the latest episode of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', Ben Stiller met with Jeff Greene to see if they would make a good fit as manager and client. But Jeff's newly shorn head became an object of fixation to Stiller; he was probably too disturbed by the sight to work with Jeff.

Ben Stiller had been on the show before - he was supposed to be Larry David's co-star in the Broadway production of "The Producers". But Larry drove him crazy (and nearly blinded him!) and so he dropped out, to be replaced by David Schwimmer.

Stiller has put together quite a portfolio for the League of Themselves, even without including his stints on 'Saturday Night Live' and his own variety show. He directed a movie in England about genocide, which featured Andy Millman and Maggie Jacobs as 'Extras', for example.

Backstage at 'Primetime Glick!', host Jiminy Glick was shocked - shocked! - to find out that the hairbrush used by Stiller to control his back hair had been stolen by the kids on the show. (Stiller had appeared on Jiminy's talk show twice before and probably left it behind on one of those occasions.)

Back in 1997, the star of 'The Larry Sanders Show' was so obsessed with making the top ten list of sexiest men in People magazine that he even schemed against Ben Stiller to get him bumped from the list. And Stiller was supposed to be his guest on the show that week!

Ben Stiller is an actor with strong enough roots in sketch comedy so that he can be quite comfortable portraying himself. And there are several other TV shows in which he could plump up his League of Themselves resume:

'Samantha Who'
'30 Rock'
'Two And A Half Men'
'Dirty Sexy Money'
'How I Met Your Mother'
'Las Vegas'
'Entourage'

As a matter of fact, I'm rather surprised he has yet to appear in an episode of 'Entourage'. I would have thought that to be a natural......

At any rate, he's definitely a candidate for the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, in the League of Themselves Wing.

BCnU!
Toby OB

TW IS FOR TOOBWORLD

Author Sue Grafton, known for her "alphabet" series of mystery novels ("O Is For Outlaw", "B Is For Burglar", etc.), now has a definite televersion of herself in Toobworld. She was at a book-signing in Scranton, Pa., about which Phyllis Vance told her boss Michael Scott. He sent her from 'The Office' to cajole Ms. Grafton into appearing in their "Local Ad" for the Dunder-Mifflin paper company.

Ms. Grafton didn't actually appear in the episode (and she refused to appear in their commercial). But even though Phyllis' interactions with her happened off-camera, she still exists in Toobworld.

Some other real world authors who have established televersions:

Anne Rice - 'Ellen'
'Stephen King' - 'The Simpsons'
Thomas Pynchon - 'The Simpsons', 'The John Larroquette Show'
Kurt Vonnegut - commercials for TIAA-CREF, Nissan Murano, Discover credit card
William Gibson - 'Wild Palms' (and looking very well preserved in the near future)
Alex Haley - 'Roots: The Next Generation' (although he was portrayed by James Earl Jones)

BCnU!
Toby OB

PORN IDENTITY*

Ted Mosby, architect, and his wingman Barney Stinson went to an adult film expo convention in New York. They were hoping to track down the porn star who also was named "Ted Mosby". All around them were posters from the trade, including from "Beef Party 7".

Of course, the cameras stayed focused on sticking with Ted and Barney while they talked to "Ted", but the convention wasn't cramped into one small section of that hall. I'm sure if we got inside our TV screens and wandered around that convention site, I think we would have found the presence of Ursula Buffay, star of "Buffay The Vampire Layer". (Pictured is one of the vampires she lays in the video.)

SHOWS CITED:
'How I Met Your Mother' - "I'm Not That Guy"
'Friends' - "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry"

The interesting plot point they have in common is that both shows had main characters who had porn stars taking their names to make x-rated movies. "Ted Mosby" used Ted's name in tribute to the 7th grader who saved him from bullies when he was in 4th grade back in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Meanwhile, Ursula Buffay was using her twin sister's name as her screen name without regard for what it might do to Phoebe.

Phoebe was upset at first - until the residual checks started coming to her instead......

BCnU!
Toby OB

*That's the name of a porn movie made by Julie Cooper in 'The O.C.'......

GRETSCH GRANDPA

While under the influence of "Blink", a drug created from a 4400 power, NTAC agent Tom Baldwin thought he was visited by the spirit of his dead father. (The man he knew as his Dad bore an uncanny resemblance to actor Brian Dennehy, by the way.)

But what if Mitch Baldwin was not his biological father?
During his time travel trips to 1975, San Francisco Register reporter Dan Vasser got to meet with his own father, who bore an amazing resemblance to Tom Baldwin. (And both Tom Baldwin and Frank Vasser look exactly like an actor named Joel Grestch. Howzabout that?)

Frank Vasser was a journalist who covered the Viet Nam war and who was gone from his family for very long stretches of time. Suppose not all of those trips away from his family in San Francisco had to do with his career? What if he was carrying on an affair farther north in Seattle with Tom Baldwin's mother, who would be cheating on Mitch Baldwin?

That would make Dan and Jack Vasser (his cop brother) half-brothers with Tom Baldwin. And it would mean Tom Baldwin had the stronger share of Frank Vasser's genetic make-up, if not his surname.

SHOWS CITED:

'The 4400'

'Journeyman'

BCnU!
Toby OB

RETURN OF THE BIG GIANT HEAD

William Shatner isn't too pleased with the idea that the next 'Star Trek' movie - to be about the early days of the original crew at the Starfleet Academy - may be filmed without his participation.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock, will be in the movie, however. Apparently he'll "bookend" the movie, with the main story being his flashback memories.

According to the Associated Press, Shatner said in an interview, "I can't believe it, I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me. I thought, 'what a decision to make', since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."

Sounds a little egotistical to me.

Maybe his memory is failing him, but if the movie "real time" is during Mr. Spock's later years, then Shatner should realize his character is already dead by that point!

Unless they can work miracles with make-up, Spock should look the fifteen years older than he was when he met with Captain Picard on Romulus in a two-part episode of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. It was after that encounter that Picard met Captain Kirk and together they battled the mad scientist Soren which resulted in the death of Kirk.

As the movie is supposed to be focused on Spock's memories of their youthful days, there's definitely no place for Shatner in there either.

Big Baby....

BCnU!

Toby OB

"It was fun.... Oh, my -#"
James Tiberius Kirk
[final words]
"Star Trek: Generations"