Today, we're finally looking at the basis of the Toobworld Concept: Crossovers!
BEST CROSSOVER
'Pushing Daisies' - 'Wonderfalls'
In the episode "Comfort Food", Ned and Olive had to once again face one of their eatery nemeses - Marianne Marie Beetle, owner of a home-based operation, "Muffin Buffalo".
"Muffin Buffalo" was the title of an unaired episode of 'Wonderfalls', one of 'Pushing Daisies' creator Bryan Fuller's earlier series.
Even though the episode never aired, it was included in a boxed set for 'Wonderfalls', and as is the case with online TV content, the Toobworld concept has been expanded beyond what is broadcast to include DVD material.
This confrontation between Beth Grant as Marianne and Kristen Chenowith as Olive is one good reason why this nabbed "Best Crossover":
In the episode "Comfort Food", Ned and Olive had to once again face one of their eatery nemeses - Marianne Marie Beetle, owner of a home-based operation, "Muffin Buffalo"."Muffin Buffalo" was the title of an unaired episode of 'Wonderfalls', one of 'Pushing Daisies' creator Bryan Fuller's earlier series.
Even though the episode never aired, it was included in a boxed set for 'Wonderfalls', and as is the case with online TV content, the Toobworld concept has been expanded beyond what is broadcast to include DVD material.This confrontation between Beth Grant as Marianne and Kristen Chenowith as Olive is one good reason why this nabbed "Best Crossover":
Marianne: Ah, the sweet smell of victory!
Olive: Not this year, turd-muffin.
Marianne: I'll shut your pie hole good.
Olive: Bring it, stale-cakes!
I love it when characters from different shows trash-talk each other. Cat fight!
There was a runner-up.......
I love it when characters from different shows trash-talk each other. Cat fight!
There was a runner-up.......
'Doctor Who' - "Stolen Earth" & "The Journey's End"
linked to 'Torchwood' and 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'
Mark Wright of The Stage blog TV Today summed it up best:
Mark Wright of The Stage blog TV Today summed it up best:
"When I was a kid I loved those Marvel Comics team-ups when you'd have Spider-Man teaming up with Captain America and the X-Men. This is the 'Doctor Who' equivalent and it's pant-wettingly exciting. Some of the audience will never have seen 'Torchwood', some will never have seen 'The Sarah Jane Adventures', but it doesn't matter. This is a celebration of where Davies has taken 'Doctor Who' and just what has been achieved in four years. 'Doctor Who' is literally a small television industry now, and it's only right and proper that we get to see the spin-off shows brought together under the hospitable roof of the parent show."
WORST CROSSOVER
'Tonight' & 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (1/10/08)
This happened during the writers' strike, and just carried an air of a smack in the face to the WGA.
This happened during the writers' strike, and just carried an air of a smack in the face to the WGA. MOST CRASS CROSSOVER
'Law & Order - Criminal Intent' & 'In Plain Sight'
That award title is probably misleading, because I saw no problem in doing this crossover. But it was obvious that the parent corporation for both shows wanted to make sure 'In Plain Sight' got a kick-off boost in its first weeks with an appearance by Mary Shannon on one of the Peacock network's components in the 'Law & Order' franchise. Sure, it was the weakest of the three surviving shows, but still it was major network exposure.
FIRST CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR 2008
Ashley Abbott
'The Bold & The Beautiful' to 'The Young & The Restless'
You can usually count on the soap operas to get out of the blocks first.
You can usually count on the soap operas to get out of the blocks first.
BEST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER
Commercial/Commercial
Geico - Mrs. Butterworth
Somebody in that ad agency for Geico is smoking some serious bleep. Inspired!
Somebody in that ad agency for Geico is smoking some serious bleep. Inspired!Commercial/Animated Series
DirecTV - 'Scooby Doo, Where Are You?'
Except for the fact that Scooby Doo makes me cringe, this was a great choice if you were going the classic TV cartoon route.
Except for the fact that Scooby Doo makes me cringe, this was a great choice if you were going the classic TV cartoon route.Commercial/Live Action Series
Dr. Pepper - 'Frasier'
When I first saw this commercial, the sound was turned down as we were at the combined birthday party for my sister and her son (both on December 7). And before you ask, we had it on because there was an important football game going on that some at the party couldn't miss!
So when Frasier made a sour-puss face at one point in the commercial, I had no clue why. I thought he was having some kind of bad reaction to the soda! Only upon second viewing did I find out that his ex-wife Lilith was his caller. And best of all, they got Bebe Neuwirth to "phone it in"!
When I first saw this commercial, the sound was turned down as we were at the combined birthday party for my sister and her son (both on December 7). And before you ask, we had it on because there was an important football game going on that some at the party couldn't miss!So when Frasier made a sour-puss face at one point in the commercial, I had no clue why. I thought he was having some kind of bad reaction to the soda! Only upon second viewing did I find out that his ex-wife Lilith was his caller. And best of all, they got Bebe Neuwirth to "phone it in"!
BEST THEORETICAL COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER
Coke Zero & Doritos
Do you remember an episode of 'Angel' called "I Fall To Pieces" in which a man was able to separate parts of his body and send them off to do his dirty work? Both of these commercials contained body parts like eyeballs and tongues which did the same thing. For alls I know, as Stuart Best would say on 'Murphy Brown', they belong to the same man. And like many objects in Toobworld, those body parts then took on lives of their own.BEST COMMERCIAL RETURN
Sugar Puffs' Honey Monster
As this is a product in Great Britain, I was only privy to this blipvert by way of an article in some advertising website and then I found the videos at YouTube. Apparently the Honey Monster (who loved his Sugar Puffs as well as his Mommy) had been a big hit back in the day and is now enjoying a comeback.
Here you can see the new commercial.
And here's the original advert from a few decades ago, starring Henry McGee from 'The Benny Hill Show' as "Not The Mommy".
As this is a product in Great Britain, I was only privy to this blipvert by way of an article in some advertising website and then I found the videos at YouTube. Apparently the Honey Monster (who loved his Sugar Puffs as well as his Mommy) had been a big hit back in the day and is now enjoying a comeback.
Here you can see the new commercial.And here's the original advert from a few decades ago, starring Henry McGee from 'The Benny Hill Show' as "Not The Mommy".BEST ONLINE CROSSOVER
TedMosbyIsAJerk.com
'How I Met Your Mother' - "The Bracket"
The episode in which this website first was mentioned happened in March of 2008, but it's counter says it's been up since 2006. So that's some incredible foresight on the part of the producers! And yes, the website still exists. Check it out!
BEST CROSSOVER FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE (aka MEDIUM)
'Chuck' - "Die Hard"
On this year's Christmas episode, policeman Al Powell from the first two "Die Hard" movies - still played by Reginald Veljohnson and still chowing down on Twinkies! - turned out to be the cousin of the Buy More manager, Big Mike! We can logically assume then that in the TV Universe, John McClaine looks like Bruce Willis. (Unless somebody decides to make a TV show out of the movie franchise.....)
'How I Met Your Mother' - "The Bracket"
The episode in which this website first was mentioned happened in March of 2008, but it's counter says it's been up since 2006. So that's some incredible foresight on the part of the producers! And yes, the website still exists. Check it out!BEST CROSSOVER FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE (aka MEDIUM)
'Chuck' - "Die Hard"
On this year's Christmas episode, policeman Al Powell from the first two "Die Hard" movies - still played by Reginald Veljohnson and still chowing down on Twinkies! - turned out to be the cousin of the Buy More manager, Big Mike! We can logically assume then that in the TV Universe, John McClaine looks like Bruce Willis. (Unless somebody decides to make a TV show out of the movie franchise.....)BEST ADAPTATION FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE (aka MEDIUM)
'Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles'
The movies can't be considered part of the TV Universe, like the 1966 'Batman' and the 'Star Trek' franchise can, because of casting changes, especially of Sarah Conner herself. But even with the niggling problem of the "Terminator" references made in other TV shows, this is still a great recreation of some classic kick-ass movies.
The movies can't be considered part of the TV Universe, like the 1966 'Batman' and the 'Star Trek' franchise can, because of casting changes, especially of Sarah Conner herself. But even with the niggling problem of the "Terminator" references made in other TV shows, this is still a great recreation of some classic kick-ass movies.BEST NEW ALTERNATE DIMENSION FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE (aka MEDIUM)
'Lost In Austen' 
Even though the world of Jane Austen's "Pride And Prejudice" was seen on TV, it was still encased in the world of Literature. After Amanda Price rejiggered the events that Austen originally created, it affected every copy of the book but not the story as already told in film and on TV.
Even though the world of Jane Austen's "Pride And Prejudice" was seen on TV, it was still encased in the world of Literature. After Amanda Price rejiggered the events that Austen originally created, it affected every copy of the book but not the story as already told in film and on TV.BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD CELEBRITY
'Z Rock'
In the tradition of 'Extras' and 'The Larry Sanders Show', celebrities appeared on this show and had some fun at their own expense. Dave Navarro was seen as a sex fiend [shown above]; John Popper was a disgusting pig; Dee Snyder was a duplicitous back-stabber; and Joan Rivers gave a blow job to David Lee Roth!
You're not going to find that happening on '30 Rock', no matter who they get to appear as themselves during Sweeps Week!
You may have figured this out by now, but we's ain't done yet!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
In the tradition of 'Extras' and 'The Larry Sanders Show', celebrities appeared on this show and had some fun at their own expense. Dave Navarro was seen as a sex fiend [shown above]; John Popper was a disgusting pig; Dee Snyder was a duplicitous back-stabber; and Joan Rivers gave a blow job to David Lee Roth!You're not going to find that happening on '30 Rock', no matter who they get to appear as themselves during Sweeps Week!
You may have figured this out by now, but we's ain't done yet!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
This is a pretty good collection, but since when does the need for a crossover enter in? I liked the In Plain Sight one because it immediately established the series in a very secure network of shows.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno are the worst, why no love for The Daily Show, Colbert Report and Conan O'Brien for their fun battle during the strike?
--Hugh
I don't see it as a need for a crossover. I got through five segments of the Toobits Awards before we finally got to the crossovers. Plenty of stuff to be covered when dealing with the TV Universe as a whole.
ReplyDeleteBut crossovers were what got me started on this whole madness, trying to come up with a TV equivalent of the Incompleat Enchanter. (I branched out once I realized I was never going to be the best crossover site out there.)
As for the late night fight, I was considering it for Best Action Sequence, but I did't want to get THAT bogged down in details. (Toobworld may be an epic of trivial proportions, but there's such a thing as pushing it. LOL)
And except for the fact that it did make me laugh, I kind of held those shows in the same disregard during the strike. Especially Colbert and the Daily Show, which can't be done without writing of some kind.
At least with Dave and the other talk shows, so long as they eschewed comedy bits and stuck to just interviews, fine. I had no problem with them.
If the Jay/Jimmy team-up didn't occur, who knows? Maybe the 3way fight would have garnered worst crossover for coming up with the sketch during the strike.