TVXOHOF, 11/2011 - MEREDITH VIEIRA

Because American elections take place usually in November, that's the month in which the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame inducts someone who's either a politician, a newscaster, or some other newsmaker. In the past, this berth in the Hall has been taken by:

Murphy Brown
JFK & Jackie O
Walter Cronkite
Rudy Giuliani
Gerald & Betty Ford
Edwin Newman
John Adams
Mayor Bloomberg
Adam West (mayor of Quohaug)
"John-John"
"W"
and
the Twin Towers.

So this year, it has been decided that Meredith Vieira, who once co-hosted 'The View' and the 'Today' show and hosted 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?', should join those ranks.


"Spin City"



"Who Is Clark Rockefeller?"



"Sports Night"

Her resume of League of Themselves credits which qualify her for membership is impressive, including at least one show from a parallel TV dimension, a TV movie ripped from the headlines, and coolest of all, 'Doctor Who'! Plus there was an appearance on a daytime soap opera where she already had an "identical cousin"......

Here is the list of those credits:



'Sports Night' - The ladies of 'The View' sparked a controversy for Casey McCall when they complimented his wardrobe on his own show and he failed to thank the women who were truly responsible for his look.

'Spin City' - This was a Meredith Vieira who existed in an alternate TV dimension, where the mayor of New York City was not Rudy Giuliani as was the case in Toobworld and of course in the real world. Meredith's doppelganger was still a member of 'The View' and she and her cast-mates exposed the fact that mayoral spokesman Paul Lassiter was wearing makeup.



'Bette' - When Bette Midler appeared on 'The View', she told a lie about saving a boy from drowning in order to goose her image. But then Meredith and the other ladies wanted to reunite Bette with that fictional boy....

(That picture of Bette on 'The View' was from the actual show back in 2000 where she talked about the upcoming appearance of 'The View' ladies on her sitcom.  I'm sorry about the quality of the picture - it was from a video taken of the TV screen by a YouTuber.  That's why I'm also including the pic of Meredith with Bette on 'Today'.)

'All My Children' - Many residents of Pine Valley must have thought they were seeing double when Erica Kane premiered her TV show, 'New Beginnings', with so many New York City-based celebrities, including the ladies of 'The View'. That's because there was a wedding planner in the area by the name of June Bellweather who looked exactly like Meredith.



"Who Is Clark Rockefeller?" - In this TV movie "ripped from the headlines" about the longest con that the FBI ever investigated, Meredith reported on the case for the 'Today' show.



'30 Rock' - As part of NBC's sham "Green Week" promotion, Meredith interviewed the nutjob actor who portrayed the symbol of NBC's "commitment" to the environment - Greenzo.
 

'Doctor Who' - In an alternate timeline that now no longer exists, all of Time was happening at once because River Song failed to kill the Doctor when she was meant to do so. On giant video-screens floating in the sky, she reported that “Crowds lined the Mall today as the Roman Emperor Winston Churchill returned to Buckingham Senate on his personal mammoth.”

Not a bad line-up, I must say.

As her televersion lives in a world in which puppets are living beings, we've also seen her interact with several of the Muppets as though they were alive, so that adds to her standing as a member in good stead.

I don't know what production this next picture was from - it's ABC, so was it 'All My Children' or 'The View'?  She looks a bit unkempt; one might almost say a bit drunk and slatternly.  But there are two good reasons why I don't care.....

And of course, all of her other appearances - especially those connected with 'The View', 'Today', and 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' - add to her body of work in Toobworld. (They just don't hold as much weight as when she makes fictional appearances as herself.)

(Although talk show appearances can count as part of the full Toobworld experience, they're usually discounted. However, since the 'Ellen' cameo was a fictionalized part of Meredith's life, I think it has as much heft as her appearances on 'Sports Night' or '30 Rock'.....)

Welcome to the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, Ms. Vieira. Should you ever find out about this honor, I'm sure you'd be overwhelmed with the tribute......

BCnU!