"OH, MITHRAS!": AN ALTERNATE LOOK AT DEC. 25

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AS SEEN ON TV: A LITTLE BOGIE FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas Day marked the 110th birthday of Humphrey Bogart, but the ASOTV gallery was celebrating the birthday of somebody a little more closely identified with the holiday.

So even though Christmas has passed, we still want to honor the legendary tough guy. And what better way to bring it all together than with Humphrey Bogart as the Ghost of Christmas Past?

HUMPHREY BOGART

AS SEEN IN:
"Rich Little's A Christmas Carol"

AS PLAYED BY:
Rich Little

As the Ghost of Christmas Past, Bogie is seen here with Ebenezer Scrooge - who is also played by Rich Little. The impressionist channeled W.C. Fields as the inspiration for the miserly Scrooge.

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REMEMBERING PATRICK SWAYZE ON CHRISTMAS

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AS SEEN ON TV: THE BABY JESUS

THE BABY JESUS

AS SEEN IN:
"Mary, Mother Of Jesus"

AS PLAYED BY:
Gabor Gulyas

From Wikipedia: Scholars conclude that Jesus was born 7–2 BC/BCE and died 26–36 AD/CE.

There is no contemporary evidence of the exact date of Jesus' birth. The common Western standard for numbering years, in which the current year is 2009, is based on an early medieval attempt to count the years from his birth. The Gospel of Matthew places his birth under the reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC/BCE, and the Gospel of Luke describes the birth as taking place during the first census of the Roman provinces of Syria and Iudaea in 6 AD/CE. Scholars therefore generally assume a date of birth between 6 and 4 BC/BCE.

The earliest evidence of celebration on 25 December of the birth of Jesus is of the year 354 in Rome, and it was only later that the 25 December celebration was adopted in the East, with the exception of Armenia, where his birth is celebrated on 6 January. Indeed there is no month of the year to which respectable authorities have not assigned his birth.

According to Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to Mary, a virgin, by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. The circumstances of the two gospels differ by 9 years, and are historically incompatible. In Luke, the angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her that she was chosen to bear the Son of God.[Lk. 1:26–38] An order of Caesar Augustus had forced Mary and Joseph to leave their homes in Nazareth and come to the home of Joseph's ancestors, the house of David, for the Census of Quirinius. After Jesus' birth, the couple was forced to use a manger in place of a crib because of a shortage of accommodation.[Lk. 2:1–7] An angel announced Jesus' birth to shepherds who left their flocks to see the newborn child and who subsequently publicized what they had witnessed throughout the area (see The First Noël).

In Matthew, the "Wise Men" or "Magi" bring gifts to the young Jesus after following a star which they believe was a sign that the King of the Jews had been born.[Mt. 2:1–12] King Herod hears of Jesus' birth from the Wise Men and tries to kill him by massacring all the male children in Bethlehem under the age of two (the "massacre of the innocents"). The family flees to Egypt and remains there until Herod's death, whereupon they settle in Nazareth to avoid living under the authority of Herod's son and successor Archelaus.[Mt. 2:19–23]

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IF YOU SEE IT IN THE SUN, IT'S SO......

"DEAR EDITOR:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there.

Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Francis Church
"The New York Sun"
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And Merry Christmas!

(Pictured: Charles Bronson as Frank Church in "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus")

"COUSIN" CONAN'S YULE LOG

SANTA CLAUS MEETS THE MUMY

No, it's not an MST3K production.....

Here's "A Vision Of Sugar Plums", the first of the 'Bewitched' Christmas episodes. Aside from establishing that Santa Claus does exist in Toobworld, it also has the great Cecil Kellaway as Santa and a personal fave, Billy Mumy, as Michael.



Merry Christmas!

AS SEEN ON TV: EDMUND GWENN & NATALIE WOOD

EDMUND GWENN & NATALIE WOOD
as
KRIS KRINGLE & SUSAN WALKER
in
"MIRACLE ON 34th STREET"

AS SEEN IN:
"The Mystery Of Natalie Wood"

AS PLAYED BY:
Patrick McGrath
Grace Fulton

When it comes to casting for family relations or resemblance to real-life figures, I always study the nose. The difference between the noses of John Adams and Paul Giamatti, who played the Founding Father in the mini-series, was a serious roadblock in my accepting him in the role. I know, it's crazy, but that's how it goes. So Patrick McGrath's schnozz is nothing like Gwenn's, and it ruins the effect for me. He looks like he'd be better suited to play Victor McLaglen. And even then.....

At any rate, Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone!

JACK BAUER: THE NAUGHTY LIST

Jack Bauer, as seen on '24', does not belong in the main Toobworld. Because of that show's line of succession for the President of the United States, it has to have its own TV dimension.

There might be only one Jack Bauer of Earth Prime-Time, and he was to be found in the late soap opera, 'Guiding Light'. For alls I know, as Stuart Best would say, the Jack Bauer who looks like an actor named Kiefer Sutherland could be that other Jack Bauer's illegitimate son... and he leads a quiet life in Springfield.

But he does exist in other TV dimensions, as can be evidenced by this clip from Skitlandia:



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AS SEEN ON TV: VIRGINIA O'HANLON

VIRGINIA O'HANLON

AS SEEN IN:
"Yes, Virginia"

AS VOICED BY:
Beatrice Miller
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TVXOHOF, 12/2009-D: SANTA'S WORKSHOP

This is our last induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame for December, the last one for the year 2009. And since our theme for the fourth week of the month during this tenth anniversary celebration of the Hall of Fame has been "Location Location Location", what else could we use but Santa's Workshop at the North Pole? These are only a few examples from various TV dimensions. I'm sure there are plenty more, but that rush leading up to the holiday is impinging on my prime-time, so......

SHOWS CITED:

'Saturday Night Live'

'Bewitched'

"The Great Santa Claus Switch"

"Muppets' Letters To Santa"

"Elmo Saves Christmas"

"The Year Without A Santa Claus" (stop-motion)

"The Year Without A Santa Claus" (live action)

MERRY CHRISTMAS
from
THE TV CROSSOVER HALL OF FAME!

SIGN OF THE CROSSOVER: IN THE MODE

I got this e-mail from Vincent Audette, a member of Team Toobworld who's helped me in the past with trivia about WNKW: I just checked out the third episode of TBL: The Beautiful Life on Youtube posted by Ashton Kutcher's company. They are airring the unaired eps online. In "The Beautiful Lie" episode three, the very first scene features a computer website article at MODE online. TBL is in NY about models. MODE is the fictional magazine on UGLY BETTY. This is the first non disney show to reference Ugly Betty. Previously it was referenced on ABC Family's Greek and on ABC's Grey's Anatomy.

Thanks, Vincent! This is a great trivia nugget.

And I'm glad I forgot the details of Vincent's e-mail when I checked out the episode myself, because I kept watching beyond that first scene. So I also found that the next scene had a Mode magazine poster hanging in the hallway...... Folks, if you see something like this in the TV shows you watch, let me know because my two peepers aren't going to be able to see everything by themselves!
BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: FRANCIS CHURCH

For this year's holiday-themed "Two For Tuesday".....

From Wikipedia:
Francis Pharcellus Church (February 22, 1839 – April 11, 1906) was an American publisher and editor.

He was born in Rochester, New York and graduated from Columbia College in New York City in 1859.

With his brother William Conant Church he established the Army and Navy Journal in 1863, and Galaxy magazine in 1866. He was a lead editorial writer on his brother's newspaper, the New York Sun, and it was in that capacity that in 1897 he wrote his most famous editorial, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".
AS SEEN IN:
"Yes, Virginia"

AS VOICED BY:
Alfred Molina

And then there was a 1974 cartoon special....

AS SEEN IN:
"Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus"

AS VOICED BY:
Sidney Miller

More from Wikipedia:
"Is There a Santa Claus?" was the title of an editorial appearing in the September 21, 1897 edition of the New York Sun. The editorial, which included the famous reply "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", has become an indelible part of popular Christmas lore in the United States and Canada.

Some people have questioned the veracity of the letter's authorship, expressing doubt that a young girl such as Virginia would refer to children her own age as "my little friends." However, the original copy of the letter appeared and was authenticated by an appraiser on the 'Antiques Roadshow' in 1998. Its value was appraised by Kathleen Guzman, formerly of Christie's—now with PBS' 'Antiques Roadshow'—at $20–30,000.

Church died in New York City, aged 67, and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He was a member of the Century Association. He had no children.

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AN O'BSERVATION

When Brittany Murphy hosted 'Saturday Night Live' back on November 16, 2002, she said in her monologue:

"Wow! Thank you guys! Oh my! I am thrilled to be here. I just did this movie "8 Mile" with Eminem. But now I get to do this! I can't believe this, I've been a fan of the show since I was a little kid."

Which didn't protect her two weeks ago when Abby Elliott mimicked her supposedly spacey nature in a "Weekend News Update" segment. (A screen captcha of "Brittany" appeared in the Inner Toob "As Seen On TV" gallery a few days later.)

But then, SNL has never really shown any loyalty to their hosts, except maybe Steve Martin. (Just ask OJ.....) Just sayin', is all.......

"Yo,Yo,

I've had it with all the commotion,

So stop the emotion and turn your devotion

To me - Ms. B. - the host with the most you see in movies,

While you're mocking me on late night TV.

From Girl Interrupted, to Freeway, to Clueless

I get paid for my work, You get paid to look foolish.

My movie "8 Mile" is doing so well

What's Eminem like?

I'll never tell.

Yo,Yo So don't forget it's my name you know

The baddest, the maddest, the best host of the show."
- Brittany Murphy

BRITTANY MURPHY'S 2002 SNL MONOLOGUE

BCnU.....

Brittany Murphy:
Thank you to Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Adam Sandler, Rob Schnieder, Garret Morris. Thank you, everyone. America we love you. Number one!

PEE-WEE'S LETTER TO SANTA

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AS SEEN ON TV: EDWARD P. MITCHELL

In researching the story behind the classic Christmas editorial "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus", I first learned about this man:

EDWARD P. MITCHELL

AS SEEN IN:
"Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ed Asner

From Wikipedia:
Edward Page Mitchell (b. Bath, Maine, March 24, 1852 - d. New London, Connecticut, 1927) was an American editorial and short story writer for the New York Sun, a daily newspaper. He became that newspaper's editor in 1875, succeeding Charles Anderson Dana. Mitchell retired in 1926, a year before dying of a cerebral hemorrhage. Decades after his death, Mitchell was recognized as a major figure in the early development of the science fiction genre. Mitchell wrote fiction about a man rendered invisible by scientific means ("The Crystal Man", published in 1881) before H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, wrote about a time-travel machine ("The Clock that Went Backward") before Wells's The Time Machine, wrote about faster-than-light travel ("The Tachypomp"; now perhaps his best-known work) in 1874, a thinking computer and a cyborg in 1879 ("The Ablest Man in the World"), and also wrote the earliest known stories about matter transmission or teleportation ("The Man without a Body", 1877) and a superior mutant ("Old Squids and Little Speller"). "Exchanging Their Souls" (1877) is one of the earliest fictional accounts of mind transfer.

You really should check out the rest of his Wikipedia page; Mitchell was a fascinating man ahead of his time.....
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THE BEST OF LUANNE

In memory of Brittany Murphy.....



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AS SEEN ON TV NEWS: MP 2

Here's an "As Seen On TV" double feature to look forward to:

Brian Cox will be portraying Michael Martin, the former Speaker of the House of Commons in a BBC drama about the scandal surrounding the expense accounts of the MPs - for which Martin was forced to resign in May.

The Daily Telegraph revealed a long list of their questionable expense account claims which caused a public outcry; but it was the five-year campaign by Heather Brooke to get the MPs to reveal the details of their expenses that got the Telegraph involved.

Michael Martin did quite nicely afterwards despite the scandal - even though he resigned in disgrace and gave up his Glasgow seat, he was given the title of Lord Martin of Springburn.

The BBC4 drama will be called "Bringing Down The House" and will co-star Anna Maxwell Martin as Heather Brooke. (Brooke wanted Gillian Anderson for the role, but I'm a big fan of Anna's from her role in the 'Doctor Who' episode "The Long Game".)

Above is a picture of the two main actors involved, but once the production is closer to broadcast, we'll show them as their characters.....

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HUSH-A-BOOM: TOOBWORLD & TOONIVERSE

Here's a question from one of my IDD friends.

Tay asks:

On tonight's 'Better Off Ted' - they were working on Hushaboom! And eating bananas - but they were not connected. (I seem to recall the reason Bullwinkle knew the formula for Hushaboom was because he ate the banana with the formula written on it, and he had an eidetic memory for anything he had ever eaten?? Anyone else remember if that's how it works?)

Anybody out there know the answer?

I found this recap at TV.com:

"Banana Formula" - 'Rocky & Bullwinkle'
Everyone has a talent, even if it's just sticking six flashlights in your mouth at once or going over Niagara Falls in a giant barrel, and Bullwinkle's happens to be that he can remember everything he ate, [but] it's nothing compared to what inventor Bermuda Schwartz has just accomplished across town: He's invented the Hushaboom, the first completely silent explosive. Inventor Bermuda Schwartz may be a brilliant bomb maker, but he's pretty darn gullible when it comes to his own mother-actually, Boris in disguise. Once he's conned the gullible professor to hide the Hushaboom formula, Boris adroitly writes it on the inside of a banana peel, then zips said banana back up. Unfortunately, because of his evil nature, Boris can't quite resist selling that very banana to a passing moose for an exorbitant price.

A definitely disgruntled Boris hops a steamroller, intending to commit squash-and-run upon the banana-munching moose, but, just in time, Rocky streaks aloft like a bullet managing to shove Bullwinkle into an open manhole right before the steamroller rumbles past.

Repairing to a nearby drugstore (where Boris and Natasha just happen to be hiding under a table) for a nerve-soothing soda, Rocky (and the two villains) realizes that Bullwinkle - whose one talent it is to remember precisely everything he's ever eaten - can regurgitate the formula at will. So to connive the formula out of the gullible moose, Boris dresses up as a giant lollipop and announces that he's Allen Fink, host of the Candied Camera TV show; Bullwinkle obliges by gladly telling the banana formula.



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AS SEEN ON TV: TIGER WOODS

To kick off the Christmas week gallery for "As Seen On TV".....

TIGER WOODS

AS SEEN ON:
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

And to make matters worse, here's the clip.....



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