FANFICCER'S FRIEND: OCTOBER 9, 1582

October 9, 1582 doesn't exist in the timelines of Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Poland, because the Gregorian calendar went into effect.

So what would have happened if the Gallifreyan Time Lord of 'Doctor Who' landed in one of those countries on that day that didn't exist? Would the Reapers be summoned? Would he have found himself in that Limbo-state seen in 'The Outer Limits' episode "The Premonition"? Maybe there would be some sort of connection to the manipulation of Time in 'Eerie, Indiana'......

And whatever the environs of an October 9th that doesn't exist, maybe it would be the perfect place for the Eleventh incarnation of the Doctor to meet some of his earlier incarnations - especially the 8th, played by Paul McGann.

Maybe there's a writer of fanfic out there who might want to explore the subject.....

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "BOARDWALK EMPIRE"

HBO sent along six preview clips for 'Boardwalk Empire', so rather than let 'Bored To Death' get lost in the sauce, I'm presenting these clips on their own:

See ya on the boardwalk Sunday night. Check your local listings.....

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "BORED TO DEATH"

GOOGLE GA JOOB

I'm hoping this works....

Here's the animated logo Google is running today in honor of John Lennon's birthday:

Imagine.......

AS SEEN ON TV: ADMIRAL NIMITZ

A parade was held in NYC for Fleet Admiral Nimitz and 13 USN/USMC Medal of Honor recipients on this date in 1945.

(I realize most every other blog will be marking the 70th birthday of John Lennon and the 35th birthday of his son Sean, but other people should get the spotlight as well......)

ADMIRAL CHESTER W. NIMITZ

AS SEEN IN:
'The Black Sheep Squadron'

AS PLAYED BY:
Byron Morrow

From Wikipedia:
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN (24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet ("CinCPac"), for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA), for U.S. and Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II. He was the leading U.S. Navy authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation in 1939. He served as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) from 1945 until 1947. He was the United States' last surviving Fleet Admiral.

BCnU!

DO THE MASH - DEPUTY BARNEY FIFE CALLS THE ENTERPRISE

Inner Toob's Video Weekend is here again and I thought I'd kick things off with this mash-up of 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.

This was a spoof, but there is a connection between Mayberry and 'Star Trek', which I'm still working on......

BCnU!

ECHOES: THE PERCEPTION OF REALITY

"Reality is shaped - even created - by our perceptions."
Rupert Giles
'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'

"Real is just a matter of perception."
Peter Bishop
'Fringe'

BCnU!

LOST ORDERS

"Mr. Cluck's Restaurant" was a fast-food chicken franchise seen in 'Lost'. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes used to work there until he won the lottery. Later, he bought the company, only to see the latest franchise detroyed in a meteor strike.

So......

What if this was an early prromotional idea by Mr. Cluck's thirty years ago - delivery service?

BCnU!

TOOBWORLD CENTRAL NEEDS YOUR HELP

At some point in the last few days, a TV series mentioned a security company called "Black Lodge Protection". I wrote down that name for a possible Inner Toob post*, but I forgot to write down the show it came from. Now I'm at a loss as to where I heard it.

Anybody out there can help me out on this?

BCnU!

*I'm sure there are those out there who can figure out where I'd be going with it.....

AS SEEN ON TV: DENNIS KUCINICH

Today is Dennis Kucinich's birthday.....

DENNIS KUCINICH

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Amy Poehler

From Wikipedia:
Dennis John Kucinich (born October 8, 1946) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 elections.

Kucinich currently represents the 10th District of Ohio in the House of Representatives, which he has been serving since 1996. His district includes most of western Cleveland as well as suburbs such as Parma and Lakewood. He is currently the chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is also a member of the Education and Labor Committee.

From 1977 to 1979, Kucinich served as the 53rd mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, a tumultuous term in which he survived a recall election and was successful in a battle against selling the municipal electric utility before being defeated for reelection by George Voinovich.

Through his various governmental positions and campaigns, Kucinich has attracted attention for consistently delivering "the strongest liberal" perspective. This perspective and his actions, such as bringing articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, and being the only Democratic candidate in the 2008 election to have voted against invading Iraq, has often been in sharp contrast to the more moderate tone the Democratic Party has often adopted.

BCnU!

WHY "OUTLAW" IS OUTLAWED IN TOOBWORLD

Two new TV shows have fallen - one from FOX ('Lone Star') and the second from ABC ('My Generation'). Now a third show has been put on hiatus -NBC's 'Outlaw', and that's just a limbo stop before cancellation.

Oftentimes it's only the pilot episode that's of any interest to a televisiologist such as myself. The premise is established; the characters are introduced; and government agencies, corporations, institutions, fictional cities and countries and even alien planets and races are created - all expanding the TV Universe. After that, the series settles down into its groove, which doesn't provide anything new of interest for Toobworld for the most part. (Unless of course it is a sci-fi show which boldly goes to new worlds and new civilizations each week.)

'Outlaw', the courtroom drama starring Jimmy Smits was like that. The pilot episode established the premise - Supreme Court Justice resigns from the Bench in order to champion the rights of the underdog as a defense lawyer. And that Justice's name was Cyrus Garza (a candidate for the worst new TV character name).

The only thing of real import to Toobworld Central was the question about the place of 'Outlaw' in the TV Universe.

I'm taking the stand (heh heh. "Taking the stand." Because it's a courtroom show. Heh heh. Heh heh.... Nothing.) that it doesn't belong in the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time. That's because the make-up of the Court had too much of a deviation from the real SCOTUS. It may not seem that the Supreme Court needs to be exactly the same as in the real world, like the President and Vice-President. After all, Toobworld easily handles plenty of fictional senators, congressmen, governors, and even the L.A. mayor and the NYC district attorney.

But there have been shows that have referred - and shown! - the Supreme Court as it is int eh real world: 'Picket Fences', 'Boston Legal', and the TV movie 'Recount'.

Here's a screen capture from teh one scene to portray the Garza Court:

To Justice Garza's right, there in the foreground, is a female jurist who might suggest Roth Bader Ginzburg. But look to the far end of the Bench - that's a black woman, and the Court doesn't have one.... yet.

Most of the TV audience isn't going to know every member of the Court, so one deviation liek Cyrus Garza could have worked. Since he resigned anyway, the Court could have been realigned to fit with the established Supreme Court of the Trueniverse. But there looks to be too much of a difference going on here for that idea to work.

So if 'Outlaw' isn't in the main Toobworld, where can we use it?

A knee-jerk reaction would be the TV dimension of 'The West Wing'. I posted recently a "Super Six" list of TV shows that share the 'West Wing' dimension, but my blogging buddy Brent rightly pointed out a flaw in my choices.

'The Human Target' - Although a different Queen Elizabeth and the title of "Princess of Wales" that doesn't exist in the real world could work for 'The West Wing', a Duke of York named Edward Andrew (mentioned by Will Bailey in an episode of 'The West Wing') brought the Royal Family back to the True One in the Real World. So I needed a new candidate for that Super Six list.

But it won't be 'Outlaw'. We saw in a file photo during a news broadcast that Garza had been nominated for the Bench by George W. Bush. The line of presidential succession in the 'West Wing' world diverged from the real world after Richard Nixon. Before Jed Bartlet, there was Owen Lassiter and before him was D. Wire Newman. There were no George Bushes, W. or H.W. And that same argument would keep 'Outlaw' out of the 'Commander-in-Chief' TV dimension. 'Outlaw' could possibly end up in the TV dimension for 'First Monday' and 'The Court'. Or it could be played in the TV dimension shared by 'The Agency', 'The District', and 'Prison Break'.

But wherever it ends up, I know one place where you won't find it - in my DVR queue. Like I said, it's the type of show that won't have anything of interest that could be added to Toobworld.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: LARRY FINE

Had I known that it was Larry Fine's birthday on Tuesday, I would have had the perfect Two for Tuesday showcase for him. But instead, we'll use that second half of the tribute next Tuesday when we salute somebody else. You'll see what I mean......

So, today, hopefully better late than never, we honor this great Stooge who would have turned 108 on Tuesday. (A number from 'Lost'......)

LARRY FINE

AS SEEN IN:
'The Howard Stern Show'
(WWOR-Channel 9 version 1990-92)

AS PLAYED BY:
Billy West

From Wikipedia:
Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.

In a 2004 New Yorker feature on the Farrelly Brothers's attempt to write a script for a new Three Stooges movie, Peter Farrelly offered his theory of Stooge appreciation: “Growing up, first you watched Curly, then Moe, and then your eyes got to Larry. He’s the reactor, the most vulnerable. Five to fourteen, Curly; fourteen to twenty-one, Moe. Anyone out of college, if you’re not looking at Larry, you don’t have a good brain.”

A large mural of Larry Fine appears on a wall at the busy intersection of 3rd and South Streets, near his birthplace in Philadelphia. The effort to create a mural on that site began when a local weekly newspaper suggested that the city should somehow honor Fine. Dedicated on October 26, 1999, with Fine's sister in attendance, that mural showed Larry with a peculiar look on his face. In May 2006, a similar mural showing Larry with a more animated expression and playing a violin was painted over the original mural. This mural stands over Jon's Bar and Grill and a sign reads "Birthplace of Larry Fine."

On October 15, 2009, the Associated Alumni of Central High School in Philadelphia inducted Larry Fine in the illustrious school's Hall of Fame, even though he never graduated. A member of the Central Alumni Hall of Fame Committee stated: "Many people are not even aware that Mr. Fine was a Philadelphian and that is a part of what we’re trying to do."

In the real world, Larry Fine may have passed away in 1975, and in Toobworld as well. But over in Skitlandia, "the middle Stooge" lived well into the early 1990's and apparently was retired from military service......

Here's a tip of the hat to you, Larry......

BCnU!

WISH-CRAFT: GRANDPA THE RECASTAWAY

From Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly:
Pushing Daisies mastermind Bryan Fuller is toiling away on a modern-day reboot of the creepshow classic The Munsters!

So far, NBC, with whom Fuller has an overall deal, has ordered only a pilot. But since the potential series is being described to me as “Modern Family meets True Blood,” I have a good feeling about it.

Maybe he does....

Okay, yes. It's probably a bad idea. And it can't ever be a candidate for Earth Prime-Time. But still, it got me to thinking about casting.....

I've seen Brad Garrett bandied about as a pozz'bility for Herman Munster and that's probably the logical way to go. But for some reason, the first name that popped into my head was Kyle Secor. I can't "splain" that one away.

But another role to be cast is one I'm really hyped on - Grandpa Munster!

And I was thinking the best actor for that role would be Judd Hirsch......

Just sayin', is all.....

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 10/2010: HELLBOY

There are characters out there who are "Multiversals". That is, they exist in more than one plane of existence. Not just alternate TV dimensions, but other fictional universes created from the spark of Mankind's artistic endeavors.

One such character is this month's candidate for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, and a more fitting month for the honor couldn't be found than October....

HELLBOY!

He began life in a comic book series and two movies have been made about him, the original "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". Plus there's at least one videogame out there.

He appears in two different dimensions of Toobworld - Earth Prime-Time and the Tooniverse. In cartoon form, he appears in 'Hellboy Animated', but the more interesting story is of course from the main Toobworld......
As a promotion for the "Hellboy" sequel before it came out, Hellboy showed up in a series of TV commercials that linked him with a series of established TV shows. Among them 'Backstage At The Actor's Studio', 'American Gladiators', and 'Chuck'.
Check out this compilation video:

It could be argued that the series of commercials more rightly belongs in the Promoverse which is mainly occupied by characters from the USA Network shows. And I wouldn't argue with that. But the result would be the same - Hellboy has made enough connections with other TV shows to qualify for membership in the TVXOHOF.

So welcome to the TV Crossover Hell - er, Hall! - of Fame, Big Red!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CAROLE LOMBARD

Today's theme for the three blog posts is "Beauty And The Beasts." First, a true beauty and then a couple of beasts......

CAROLE LOMBARD

AS SEEN IN:
"Lucy"

AS PLAYED BY:
Vanessa Gray

From Wikipedia:
Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. She was particularly noted for her comedic roles in several classic films of the 1930s, most notably in the 1936 film "My Man Godfrey". She is listed as one of the American Film Institute's greatest stars of all time and was the highest-paid star in Hollywood in the late 1930s, earning around US$500,000 per year (more than five times the salary of the US President). Lombard's career was cut short when she died at the age of 33 in the crash of TWA Flight 3.

Features
A Perfect Crime (1921)
Gold Heels (1924)
Dick Turpin (1925)
Marriage in Transit (1925)
Gold and the Girl (1925)
Hearts and Spurs (1925)
Durand of the Bad Lands (1925)
The Plastic Age (1925)
Ben-Hur (1925)
The Road to Glory (1926)
The Johnstown Flood (1926)
The Fighting Eagle (1927)
My Best Girl (1927)
The Divine Sinner (1928)
Power (1928)
Me, Gangster (1928)
Show Folks (1928)
Ned McCobb's Daughter (1928)
High Voltage (1929)
Big News (1929)
The Racketeer (1929)
The Arizona Kid (1930)
Safety in Numbers (1930)
Fast and Loose (1930)
It Pays to Advertise (1931)
Man of the World (1931)
Ladies' Man (1931)
Up Pops the Devil (1931)
I Take This Woman (1931)
No One Man (1932)
Sinners in the Sun (1932)
Virtue (1932)
No More Orchids (1932)
No Man of Her Own (1932)
From Hell to Heaven (1933)
Supernatural (1933)
The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)
Brief Moment (1933)
White Woman (1933)
Bolero (1934)
We're Not Dressing (1934)
Twentieth Century (1934)
Now and Forever (1934)
Lady by Choice (1934)
The Gay Bride (1934)
Rumba (1935)
Hands Across the Table (1935)
Love Before Breakfast (1936)
The Princess Comes Across (1936)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
Nothing Sacred (1937)
True Confession (1937)
Fools for Scandal (1938)
Made for Each Other (1939)
In Name Only (1939)
Vigil in the Night (1940)
They Knew What They Wanted (1940)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Short subjects
Smith's Pony (1927)
Gold Digger of Weepah (1927)
The Girl from Everywhere (1927)
Run, Girl, Run (1928)
The Beach Club (1928)
Smith's Army Life (1928)
The Best Man (1928)
The Swim Princess (1928)
The Bicycle Flirt (1928)
The Girl from Nowhere (1928)
His Unlucky Night (1928)
Smith's Restaurant (1928)
The Campus Vamp (1928)
Motorboat Mamas (1928)
Hubby's Weekend Trip (1928)
The Campus Carmen (1928)
Matchmaking Mamma (1929)
Don't Get Jealous (1929)
Hollywood on Parade No. 11 (1933)
Hollywood on Parade No. A-12 (1933)
The Fashion Side of Hollywood (1935)
Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 3 (1936)
Breakdowns of 1938 (1938)
Hollywood Goes to Town (1938)
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 9 (1939)

Carole Lombard would have been 102 today....

BCnU!

TOOBWORLD TIMELINE: THE DEATH OF BIG JIM COLISIMO

Among the differences between the Trueniverse and Toobworld is the timeline of historical events. For example, Jules Verne, as seen in 'The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne', is about twenty years younger than the real writer.

'Boardwalk Empire' has truncated a few events from 1920 (besides fictionalizing Nucky Johnson into Nucky Thompson). The big meeting between Nucky and gangsters Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, Johnny Torrio, and Big Jim Colisimo (seen counter-clockwise around the table) took place in January. Big Jim went home to Chicago and was killed with days of his return (at least as it appeared in the series debut episode). But in the real world, he wasn't murdered until May of that year.

The second episode opened with Big Jim's funeral in Chicago, and it was snowing. Granted, it's the Windy City and it's supposed to be pretty cold out there, but a snowstorm in May seems to be pushing it. Besides, later in the episode, Jimmy Darmody's wife mentions that Christmas was only a month before.

Something to keep in mind whenever you see something in a TV show that you don't think would have happened or had happened in the real world: it ain't the real world!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: COLOSIMO'S RESTAURANT

A little something different for the "Two For Tuesday" edition of "As Seen On TV" - a double-header of topics, and yet centered around the same person.....

Colosimo's restaurant in Chicago was featured in the final moments of the series debut for 'Boardwalk Empire'. But it wasn't the first time that the place where gangster Big Jim Colosimo was gunned down showed up in Toobworld. It was also seen in a special presentation of 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' - "Young Indiana Jones And The Mystery Of The Blues".

Here's the sign for Colosimo's that was hanging out front of the restaurant as seen in 'Boardwalk Empire':

But here's the how it looked in the earlier production:
There's an easy splainin for this discrepancy. Colosimo's was a huge, deep restaurant and it took up a good section of the block.

As you can see from this sequence of shots, Colosimo's must be situated on a rounded street corner so that the door faces out to the intersection.
So the smaller sign was around the block and farther down the street, advertising another entrance.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: BIG JIM COLOSIMO

I don't often bring it up with the "Two For Tuesday" edition of the "As Seen On TV" showcase, but usually one of those portrayals has to be from an alternate TV dimension... sometimes even both.

But this week, both televersions in the showcase can be considered for the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time.

BIG JIM COLOSIMO

AS SEEN IN:
'Boardwalk Empire'

AS PLAYED BY:
Frank Crudele

BIG JIM COLOSIMO

AS SEEN IN:
"Young Indiana Jones And The Mystery Of The Blues"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ray Serra

From Wikipedia & BlogPost:
The kingpin of Chicago's flesh trade, Big Jim Colosimo owned one of the most popular nightclubs in Chicago and most of the brothels with his partner and wife Victoria Moresco. He fell victim to the same vice he pedaled: lust. He fell for a young dancer, divorced his wife and made his empire suddenly vulnerable to take over.

Prohibition came into effect, making all manufacture, purchase, or sale of alcoholic beverages illegal. Johnny Torrio immediately realized the immense profits bootlegging could bring and urged Colosimo to enter the business. Colosimo refused; he was happy being just a pimp. In addition, Colosimo felt that expansion into other rackets would only draw more attention from the police and rival gangs. During this same period, Colosimo divorced Victoria, Torrio's aunt, and married Dale Winter, a pretty young actress and singer. Winter convinced Colosimo to settle down, dress more conservatively, and stay out of the news.

At this point, Torrio realized that Colosimo was a serious impediment to the mob's potential fortunes. With the approval of Colosimo's allies, the Genna brothers and Aiello, Torrio invited Yale to come to Chicago and kill Colosimo.

In May 1920, Colosimo went out of town to marry his second wife, Dale Winter (he had deserted his first wife). After Colosimo returned to Chicago a week later, Torrio called him and let him know about a shipment arriving at his cafe. When Colosimo appeared at the cafe to wait for its delivery, he was shot and killed.

The murder took place on May 11, 1920, in the main foyer of Colosimo's Cafe. No one was ever prosecuted. Torrio took over the deceased Colosimo's vast criminal kingdom and started to venture into bootlegging.

The initial murder suspect was his new wife Dale, but no one was ever arrested for the murder. It was widely believed that Torrio ordered Colosimo's killing so that the gang could enter the lucrative bootlegging business.

At first, it doesn't look like these two versions of Big Jim Colosimo can be reconciled. The actors look somewhat alike, so that helps. But Colosimo is dressed differently and his murder is played out under different circumstances: according to 'Boardwalk Empire', Big Jim opens up the restaurant and is apparently alone in the place (which looks more ornate and authentic as a restaurant in 'Boardwalk Empire' than in the Indiana Jones tele-flick). But apparently the restaurant is bustling and young Indy Jones is there as a witness.

Normally this would be irreconcilable, but the first version broadcast, from the 'Young Indiana Jones Chronicles', gives us an out - it's a flashback. What we're seeing is a memory of Indiana Jones from thirty years later. After three decades, he was pretty hazy on the details.

(This splainin would then work for all of the episodes of 'YIJC'. And those splainins would be even stronger as they would be the memories of a man in his 90s!)

Dr. Jones could be excused for not remembering hwo Colosimo was dressed or how his body lay after the hit. As for being present when the actual murder looked to take place in an empty restaurant, we can assume that Indiana Jones was present in that 'Boardwalk Empire' episode; it's just that he and the rest of the wait staff were with the kitchen help back in the kitchen. As to him thinking the place was already open for business, the general sense of panic probably influenced his memories.

So even with all of the discrepancies between the two versions, both portrayals of Big Jim Colosimo can exist in the same Toobworld.

BCnU!

TVXOHOF TALLY: JUNIOR

Frank Sinatra Jr. is two-thirds of the way to membership in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame in the League of Themselves division.
He played himself in a second-season episode of 'The Sopranos' and he was the capper to the pilot episode for 'The Defenders'.

Throughout the episode, the series' characters kept talking about tickets to see "Junior" before it was revealed that it was a reference to the son of Ol' Blue Eyes. (But every time they said "Junior", my screwed-up mind kept thinking of the monster in "Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein".....
BCnU!

TELEFLUVIA

Totally missed seeing Bronson Pinchot in this week's episode of 'Chuck'. I must have looked down at my breakfast or something. Truly a blink and miss it performance.

'The Event' is going to be one of those shows I can "watch" just by reading a couple of reviews after the fact.

I can't help it. I'm watching Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson in 'Boardwalk Empire' and Barney Fife keeps coming to mind.

That new commercial for iPod Nano - is that song sampling the theme song from 'Chuck' or was the 'Chuck' theme sampling that song?

After hearing the news about the death of Tony Curtis, I watched a scene of him with Jerry Lewis in the movie "Boeing, Boeing". If Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer ever want to work together again in a new project after 'Two And A Half Men'......

BCnU!

WILDE THEORIES

I wrote this up at work about a week before Tony Curtis died. Only just getting around to posting it.....

On 'Running Wilde', it was mentioned during the pilot episode that Steven Wilde's father was alive and still in charge of the Wilde Oil Company. Since it's highly likely that Wilde Senior may show up in some future episode, I can't risk claiming that Danny Wilde (played by Tony Curtis in 'The Persuaders') is Steven's father. But as long as Grandpa Wilde doesn't make an appearance on the show, Danny Wilde could be Steve's grandfather.

Even failing that, this theory of relateeveety can still be saved. Danny Wilde started Wilde Oil, but if he didn't have any children of his own (not legitimately, at least), he may have put a cousin or a nephew in charge of the company when he decided to step down. (That relative may have been in charge since 1970 - it certainly seemed as though Danny wasn't that involved with the company while cavorting across Europe with Lord Brett Sinclair......)

BCnU!

O'BSERVATIONS: "NO ORDINARY FAMILY"

My one big complaint about 'No Ordinary Family' is the distribution of powers in the family. The parents get the physical abilities - super-strength for Dad, super-speed for Mom. But the kids get the mental powers - Junior is a super genius while the daughter can read minds. Not a fair distribution when it comes to action scenes, but the mental powers were probably cheaper to produce.

The teleportation ability employed by the bad guy in the pilot episode would have been a great power for one of the kids. But again, that was probably too expensive to do on a weekly basis.

Just sayin', is all......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: "THE MILEY CYRUS SHOW"

"THE MILEY CYRUS SHOW"

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Billy Ray Cyrus - Bryan Cranston
Miley Cyrus - Vanessa Bayer
Johnny Depp - Paul Brittain

BCnU!

"THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" IS FIFTY TODAY

Happy Fiftieth Anniversary to all our friends in Mayberry, probably the best-realized fictional place in Toobworld. I think we all carry a bit of Mayberry with us......

Or is that Hooterville?

BCnU!

SPECIAL GUEST TRIBUTE

Martin Ross runs the 'Columbo' fanfic site "Just One More Paragraph." (You'll find the link there to your left, Toob Believers!) He wrote a comment to an earlier post in tribute to Stephen J. Cannell, which I thought deserved more exposure - double exposure, if you will (or won't).

For 'Rockford Files' and "Double Exposure" [a 'Columbo' episode] alone, Cannell deserved to be in the Hall of Fame. But he did a lot of other great stuff over the past several decades: 'Tenspeed and Brownshoe', a terrific private eye show that showcased Jeff Goldblum and the comedic abilities of Ben Vereen; 'Wiseguy', which introduced Kevin Spacey and foreshadowed 'The Sopranos'; 'Sonny Spoon', a creative effort with Mario Van Peebles as an African-American conman-turned-P.I. (There was a cool ep where he's interviewing for a job and we see a table full of business cards from Rockford and other Cannell sleuths); and 'J.J. Starbuck', with old western star Dale Robertson as a billionnaire detective who solved Columbo-type inverted murders committed by the likes of a pre-Frasier Kelsey Grammar and Soap's Richard Mulligan.

I recently bought a collector DVD set with more than 50 eps from various Cannell shows (including the 'Greatest American Hero', 'Tenspeed', and 'Wiseguy'). I rediscovered 'Unsub', Cannell's '80s version of what 'Criminal Minds' is today; and 'Missing Persons', a multi-plotted cop show that, in my view, was vastly superior to 'Without a Trace'.

What's unbelievable was Cannell was also a fairly passable actor -- he guested in one of the better 'Diagnosis: Murder's, and he appeared as himself as one of 'Castle''s mystery writer/poker pals. And if that ain't enough, the man has written a flock of solid L.A. cop novels featuring Det. Shane Scully. Just as 'Columbo' gave an early push to future greats Spielberg, Bochco, and Demme, our favorite show also launched one of the most versatile writer-director-producers of modern TV. I'll miss him, too, especially every time I howl over an episode of 'Rockford'.

Martin Ross

THE HAT SQUAD: MICKEY FREEMAN

Fielding Zimmerman... what a great name.....

A FITTING MONUMENT.....

I don't mean this as a joke, nor out of disrespect, but I think his family should consider this design as the headstone for Stephen J. Cannell. It's the symbol by which many of us knew him and his work...... Just sayin', is all......

AS SEEN ON TV: EDDIE CANTOR

'Boardwalk Empire' airs tonight on HBO, so here's another chance to showcase one of its historical characters.....

EDDIE CANTOR

AS SEEN IN:
'Boardwalk Empire'

AS PLAYED BY:
Stephen DeRosa
From Wikipedia:
Eddie Cantor (January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about his wife Ida and five daughters. Some of his hits include "Makin' Whoopee", "Ida", "If You Knew Susie", "MA! He's Makin' Eyes at Me", "Margie" and "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?)" He also wrote a few songs, including "Merrily We Roll Along", the Merry Melodies Warner Bros. cartoon theme.

His eye-rolling song-and-dance routines eventually led to his nickname, "Banjo Eyes". In 1933, the artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round eyes resembling the drum-like pot of a banjo. Cantor's eyes became his trademark, often exaggerated in illustrations, and leading to his appearance on Broadway in the musical Banjo Eyes (1941).

His charity and humanitarian work was extensive, and he is credited with coining the phrase and helping to develop The March of Dimes.

This first video clip is basically the routine we see Cantor doing at the end of the first episode of 'Boardwalk Empire' (intercut with the hijacking of an illegal booze shipment):

Eddie Cantor started out in vaudeville, was one of the first movie comics of the sound era, and then had a long career in radio before venturing into the world of the Toob:

On that show, he introduced the viewing audience to a young talent who lived up to the promise Cantor made that he'd become a big star.....

Finally, from 'The Jack Benny Show', here's Cantor, Benny, and Fred Allen.....

If you get the chance, check out that first episode of 'Boardwalk Empire' to see a great impression of Eddie Cantor.......

BCnU!