PAMIRO?

When I went looking for the 'Office'/'Office' crossover video on YouTube, this fan-made video popped up as well. Video appears to be the future for 'shipper fanfic:

Of course, it can't be part of the main Toobworld, and I'm not sure it belongs anywhere in the TV Universe. Too many factors had to be changed in the characters' lives just to get to the point where this leads off and that would ruin the dynamic for both series.

Now, if they had only kept it simple and had Hiro appear at the "Casino Night" held by the Dunder-Mifflin staff in Scranton, using the 'Heroes' footage of Hiro at the casino in Las Vegas, then that might have been more acceptable.

Still, there is one thing I'm thankful for, having seen this video. I'm now a fan of the music of Mike Doughty. I LOVE "I Hear The Bells", and I've gone on to watch several other videos based on his songs.

BCnU!

"OFFICE"/"OFFICE" O'BSERVATIONS

We had to wait seven seasons for it, but it was well worth the wait - Michael Scott, the main character of the American version of 'The Office' met David Brent of the original British version:

As Emperor Palpatine said, everything proceeded exactly as I had foreseen it. I knew they would literally bump into each other - but I thought it might have been at a paper convention or something of the like. I also knew it would be short and sweet, because anything longer would have eventually felt labored. Never planned on it happening during the opening tease, but that also made sense - keep it apart from the main stories.

And yet even so, I was left wanting more. In the end, I guess that means it was successful.

The length of the scene ultimately didn't matter, because it still held massive ramifications for Toobworld and justifies having both series in the same dimension. As such, I think we have already locked in the winner for Best Crossover of the Year in the 2011 Toobits Awards!

BCnU!

THE NTAs = NATURAL TEMPORAL ANOMALIES?

For our Video Weekend offering of 'Doctor Who', we've got a timely clip - the NTA Awards were handed out this week in Great Britain. And without giving anything more away, here's how the show opened:



It reminded me of some of the very best of the Emmy Award openings over the years......

And for Toobworld's purposes, I'm leaning toward accepting it as canon. Everybody who appeared in it were presented as members of the League of Themselves or remained in character as they appear in Toobworld. There was no real breaking of the fourth wall, no shattering the illusion.

As such, there would be connections to 'Coronation Street', 'EastEnders', 'The X-Factor' (? Or was that their 'Idol' show? NO! MediumRob says it's 'Britain's Got Talent' with future prime minister Amanda Holden) plus people like Bruce Forsyth, Ant & Dec, and the host for the awards presentation, Dermot O'Leary.

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: CHARLIE CALLAS

From the New York Times:
Charlie Callas, a rubber-faced comedian who cavorted on television and the nightclub circuit in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, often punctuating punch lines with sound effects emanating from his motor-mouth, died on Thursday in Las Vegas. He was 86.

A string bean of a man with a Cyrano-sized nose, Mr. Callas appeared on virtually every television variety and talk show in the days of Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason, Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson. He was a regular on “The Andy Williams Show” and “The ABC Comedy Hour,” a semiregular on “The Flip Wilson Show” and a co-host of “The Joey Bishop Show.”

For More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/arts/television/29callas.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

Here are three videos in which Charlie Callas showed off his specialties:

Charlie tells a joke, with all of those weird sound effects he could make:

And here he is playing two different characters on 'The Dean Martin Roasts':

You brought a lot of joy to the small screen, Mr. Callas. Thank you. Good night and may God bless.

BCnU.....

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE JESSEL

Comedian Charlie Callas has passed away at the age of 86. Rubbery-faced and an all-around manic nutjob in his comedy routines, he also played it straight - or near as, anyway - in a few TV shows and movies. I'll remember him best as Malcolm Argos on the mid-70's detective series 'Switch' with Robert Wagner, Eddie Albert, and Sharon Gless.

But here he is in character for one of the 'Dean Martin Roasts', this time for Don Rickles. And for the young-uns out there, he's doing an impression of "Toastmaster General" Georgie Jessel.....

GEORGE JESSEL

AS SEEN ON:
'The Dean Martin Roasts'

AS PLAYED BY:
Charlie Callas

From Wikipedia:
George Jessel (3 April 1898 – 23 May 1981) was an American illustrated song "model," actor, singer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning movie producer. He was famous in his lifetime as a multitalented comedic entertainer, achieving a level of recognition that transcended his limited roles in movies. He was widely known by his nickname, the "Toastmaster General of the United States" for his frequent role as the master of ceremonies at political and entertainment gatherings.

He became known as a host on the banquet circuit, famous for his good-natured wit aimed at his fellow celebrities. In 1946, he was one of the founding members of the California branch of the Friars Club. (A recording exists of an example of his "blue" work in front of a stag audience, although it was actually recorded at a roast hosted by the Friars' rival, the Masquers Club.) He also traveled widely overseas with the USO entertaining troops. As he grew older, he wrote eulogies for many of his contemporaries in Hollywood.

And this is the type of Jessel material we see Charlie Callas performing here......

For more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Jessel_(actor)

BCnU!

MONA LIZABETH

Although sex reassignment surgeries were publicized world-wide in late 1952, men had been getting their genders changed years before Christine Jorgenson. And I don't see why that couldn't be the case as well in Toobworld. And if so, why couldn't some of the female TV characters we've seen over the years have that type of secret in their background? They may be played by actresses, but couldn't there be a few women who were once men?

I mean no disrespect to the actress who played her, and I had this idea before I learned of the slurs about her own personal life which she fought in the courts, but I'm thinking of at least one TV character who was presented as a woman, but who might have been a man before undergoing the surgeries - Mrs. Roberts, in an episode of 'Burke's Law'.

Aside from the strong definition to her features that gives her a hardened look, and that husky nature to her voice, nothing suggests that the woman could be a man. But once I got the idea in my head, it was hard not to see that the pozz'bility existed.

Captain Burke may have sensed her secret and wasn't open-minded about it. "You don't like me," Mrs. Roberts said to him. But then, she had been making a very blatant attempt to come on to him, and he may have been repulsed just by that alone.

It wasn't just Amos Burke who was put off by Mrs. Roberts......

Detective Tim Tilson:
"A woman like that makes me nervous."

Sgt. Les Hart:
"I've got news for you, son.
I've been around a lot longer,
And a woman like that makes me nervous too."

She and her husband had separate bedrooms and an arrangement in their marriage. She was more of a trophy for him and she had access to his wealth and fame. If she was a transgender, it could be that he probably didn't even know about it. Secrets go both ways - she didn't know her husband had a brother, for example.

Near the end, the conversation between Mrs. Roberts and Captain Burke took on a new dimension if we listen to it with that suggestion in mind....

Captain Burke:
"I've learned a great deal about you too."

Mrs. Roberts:
"Have you?"

Captain Burke:
"Oh, we all leave a trail behind.
All you really have to do is learn how to pick up the signs."

Mrs. Roberts:
"And what did you find?"

Captain Burke:
"You've been on a few safaris all by yourself."

Double entendre? It could be that Mrs. Roberts got the sex change in order to make it easier to chase after other men as a woman. And just because she caught herself a husband, that didn't mean the hunt was over. She said as much herself earlier in the episode......

Mrs. Roberts:
"We all hunt... in one way or another....."

It's definitely an idea that was not in the script, nor in the interpretation by the actress. But it's a theory that just might be pozz'ble, just pozz'ble......

Oh yeah?
Then where's her Adam's Apple?

BCnU!

WNKW - BACK ON THE AIR

TV superstation WNKW popped up again on TV screens this week, both in the real world and in Toobworld: That breaking news story (during a flash-back, so technically it took place eight years ago) happened in the 'White Collar' episode "Forging Bonds". It's not the first time WNKW has appeared in 'White Collar', but it's always good to have more evidence that the superstation belongs in New York City - as if it being the central location in the TV series 'Jack & Jill' wasn't enough! (It's also appeared in 'Fringe', 'Invasion', and 'Pushing Daisies', but in those cases the station was broadcasting from locations outside of New York City.) BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MOORE. ROGER MOORE

SIR ROGER MOORE

AS SEEN IN:
"The Spitting Image Movie Awards 1987"

AS VOICED BY:
Unknown

From Wikipedia:
Sir Roger George Moore, KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English actor and film producer, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series 'The Saint'.

Worldwide fame arrived after Lew Grade cast Moore as Simon Templar in a new adaptation of 'The Saint', based on the novels by Leslie Charteris. Moore said in an interview, during 1963, that he wanted to buy the rights of Leslie Charteris's character and the trademarks, but didn't have enough money. He also joked that the role was supposed to have been meant for Sean Connery who was unavailable. The television series was made in the UK with an eye on the American market, and its success there (and in other countries) made Moore a household name - and in spring 1967 he eventually had reached the level of an international top star. It also established his suave, quipping style which he would carry forward to James Bond. Moore would also go on to direct several episodes of the later series, which moved into colour in 1967.

'The Saint' ran from 1961 for six series and 118 episodes, making it (in a tie with 'The Avengers') the longest-running series of its kind on British television. However, Moore grew increasingly tired of the role, and was keen to branch out.

Television lured Moore back to star, alongside Tony Curtis, in what has become another cult series, 'The Persuaders!' It featured the adventures of two millionaire playboys across Europe. It was for this series that Moore was paid the then unheard-of sum of £1 million for a single series, making him the highest paid television actor in the world. However, Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography "Still Dancing", that Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well". Curtis refused to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while Moore was always willing to work overtime.

The series failed in America, where it had been pre-sold to ABC, but it was successful in Australia and in Europe. In Germany, where the series was aired under the name 'Die Zwei', it became a hit through a special funny dubbing that only barely used the original translations of the dialogs. And in Britain it was also popular, although on its premiere on the ITV network, it was beaten in the ratings by repeats of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' on BBC1. When Channel 4 repeated both 'The Avengers' and 'The Persuaders!' in 1995, it was generally agreed that the latter, which had not been seen for many years, had not aged as well as the former. It has not been seen on any of the five main UK terrestrial channels since.

Since then, 'The Persuaders!' has enjoyed something of a renaissance both on television and DVD, with the 'rivals' Moore and Curtis reuniting to provide commentaries on the most recent issues. In France, where the series (entitled 'Amicalement Vôtre') had always been popular, the DVD releases accompanied a monthly magazine of the same name.

BCnU!

LIFE IMITATES TOOB - ARMS AND THE DOC

One of my Facebook friends, J.r. Klink, posts a lot of videos, photo galleries, and articles that end up being sources of inspiration for Toobworld Central.

And this slideshow at the Huffington Post is a good example:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/24/this-week-in-ridiculous-s_n_812837.html?ref=fb&src=sp#s228888&title=He_Who_Crosses

I never even thought about it before, but it does seem to be a universal pose for the doctors of today.

But then, maybe these real-life doctors find their inspiration in Toobworld...... BCnU!

IMF FIDELITY

As the Caretaker of Toobworld, I'm always ready to cross the border into the "Cineverse" and poach a few movies which can expand the TV Universe - the "Star Trek" franchise, "Maverick" with Mel Gibson as Bret Junior, the 1966 "Batman", and "Strange Bargain" - a 1940s film noir which was incorporated into an episode of 'Murder, She Wrote' to create a sequel with many of the original cast. But one movie franchise that will NEVER be a part of Toobworld is the "Mission Impossible" series. This is because the executive producers of the first movie - including Tom Cruise - spat on the memories of the old TV show by defaming one of the heroes in the series.

Had the original actor agreed to play the role, I would have accepted it. There on the screen would have been that character doing what was in the script, no matter how reprehensible it might have been. But instead, they recast the role with another actor who looked nothing like the original actor. So why didn't they just make him a whole new character instead of usurping the original's name?

I never even saw the movie, but from David Bianculli's column about it in the Daily News when it first came out, I was able to figure out who he was talking about. (Like me, he didn't want to spoil the movie if you still have an interest in seeing it.)

He also hoped that someday down the line, somebody will buy the rights to "Jerry McGuire" and degrade that character so that Tom Cruise can see how it feels. (I hope they make him a cross-dressing, neo-Nazi, kleptomaniac pederast!)

I'm not saying that all members of the Impossible Mission force are above reproach; just the ones who are forever enshrined in reruns as true heroes. Other IMF agents could be turned to the Dark Side.

And we had an example of this last year in an episode of 'Burn Notice'. Albert Machado, an official from the Impossible Mission Force was on the take... and taken out by Michael Weston's mentor/nemesis Larry Sizemore. So this is more than theoretical, but still unofficial (unlike the appearance of Cinnamon Carter on an episode of 'Diagnosis Murder') - that IMF official serves a link between 'Burn Notice' and 'Mission Impossible'. But only the two TV series, not the movie franchise.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: FRANK NITTI

Bruce Gordon with Robert Stack

Actor Bruce Gordon has died at the age of 94. Best known for a variety of tough guys in Westerns and crime dramas like 'Perry Mason', 'Gunsmoke', 'Maverick', and spoofing his image in shows like 'Get Smart' and 'Run, Buddy, Run', perhaps Gordon's most famous role was that of Frank Nitti in the classic TV series 'The Untouchables'. (By coincidence, Mr. Gordon died about a week after Paul Picerni, who played Agent Hobson in that same series.)

So it was only fitting that Nitti serve as the "As Seen On TV" showcase for today......

FRANK NITTI

AS SEEN IN:
'The Untouchables'
"Alcatraz Express"
'Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'

AS PLAYED BY:
Bruce Gordon

From Wikipedia:
Francesco Raffaele Nittoni, AKA Frank Nitto, AKA Frank 'The Enforcer' Nitti" (January 27, 1881 – March 19, 1943) was an Italian American gangster. One of the top henchmen of Al Capone, in charge of all strongarm and muscle operations. Nitti was later the front-man for the Chicago Outfit, the organized crime syndicate headed by Capone.

Nitti was portrayed on television several other times, but Bruce Gordon will be the official televersion for Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld.

'The Untouchables' (1993)
Played by Paul Regina
This version would be placed in the TV dimension of remakes.

"The Revenge of Al Capone" (1989)
Played by Alan Rosenberg

"Frank Nitti: The Enforcer" (1988)
Played by Anthony LaPaglia

"Playhouse 90"
- Seven Against the Wall (1958)
Played by Tige Andrews
Andrews' version may have been the first to be seen on television, but the amount of appearances by Gordon as Nitti gives him the edge. Perhaps these special cases should get their own TV dimension, which would include Ronald Howard's version of 'Sherlock Holmes' and Art Carney in the original production of "The Strange World Of Horace Ford"......

One other point - expect to see Bruce Gordon's portrayal of Frank Nitti pop up again here at Inner Toob before the year is out.....

BCnU!

ROOSTER COGBURN THE THIRD

The nominations for the Academy Awards were announced yesterday morning, and one that "caught my eye" (t'hee) was for Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn in the Coen Brothers' remake of "True Grit".

I saw the movie and thought he was fantastic in the role. But I don't think he stands much of a chance for winning this year, for a couple of reasons.

1) He just won last year for "Crazy Heart".

2) This will be Colin Firth's year, for his role in "The King's Speech".

I'm not sure the fact that John Wayne had already won the Oscar for the same role back in 1969 would be a factor against him. It wouldn't be the first time two actors have won for playing the same role. I can't say it happened before the early 1970's without doing the research - and I'm too lazy today! - but Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both won Oscars for playing Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part Two" respectively. (De Niro's was for Best Supporting Actor.)

But even though this is more relevant for a movie blog, I'm bringing it up because Rooster Cogburn is a TV character as well. In fact, he's a true multiversal, since there's also the source material - Charles' Portis' novel "True Grit".

A pilot for 'True Grit' was made in 1978, with Warren Oates in the role of Rooster Cogburn. Just the year before he also stepped into the shoes of Humphrey Bogart as Charlie Allnut in a TV movie/pilot for "The African Queen" (with Mariette Hartley, I believe).

I've looked around the internet for images or videos of Warren Oates as Rooster Cogburn, but finally realized I'd have to make my own. (The pilot may be available form a bootlegger, but I've yet to bother with looking for one. Again, Toby = Lazy.)

So here's my quickie attempt at a picture of Warren Oates as he might have looked in the role of Rooster Cogburn. It took all of three minutes to slap it together....
I suppose it could have come out better had I spent some time on it, but have I mentioned that I'm lazy?

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: SEAN HANNITY

It's the day after the State Of The Union speech by President Barack Obama. Let's see how one of the Fox "News" hosts felt about it......

SEAN HANNITY

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Bobby Moynihan

From Wikipedia:
Sean Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of "The Sean Hannity Show", a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable-news show, 'Hannity', on Fox News Channel.

BCnU!

O'BSERVATIONS ON HARRY'S LAW

In the pilot episode for 'Harry's Law', the theme song for 'The Jeffersons' could be heard as attorney Adam Branch made his way through a seedy Cincinnati neighborhood to the shoe store where Harriet Korn was setting up her fledgling law firm.

This isn't a Zonk because it wasn't being heard by the people in that scene. Like screen credits, it was only there for the benefit of those in the Trueniverse who O'Bserve the fictional universe of the Toob.

If anybody could hear it from within Toobworld, they would have to be tele-cognizants, like David Addison of 'Moonlighting' - those people who know they're living in a TV Universe. (Lt. 'Columbo' once displayed tele-cognizance in the big revelation scene of "Last Salute To The Commodore".)

There could have been a pozz'ble Zonk when Harriet's secretary Jenna mentioned 'Law & Order'. But that's such a generic title, it could have been any kind of legal show, including a reality show like 'Cops'.

And that's an important Zonk to be dismissed, because I'd like to think that Adam Branch is the nephew of Arthur Branch, the former D.A. of New York City, as seen in 'Law & Order'.

BCnU!

LEAVE IT TO LEVIN (PART TWO)

Sean Lee Levin went the extra metron and found more information about Dr. Jacoby of 'Twin Peaks' in the IMDb forums. It was submitted by an "Evedammit" back in 2005 and it supplies yet another TV show connection to the David Lynch/Mark Frost cult classic.

He played Dr. Jacoby on 'Twin Peaks' in `90 and he also played a Dr. Jacoby on 'General Hospital' a few years later- anybody here watch it then & remember it? His Dr. Jacoby on G.H. was a sociopath who did some awful things to the Emily character {who was then being portrayed by Russ's real-life daughter Amber}.

Was it just a coincidence of the names or was the character of Dr. Jacoby being continued on in another show for quirkiness's sake? And if it WAS supposed to be the same Dr. Jacoby, was it explained how his G.H. era Dr. Jacoby devolved into such a twisted character from the merely weird Dr. Jacoby on 'Twin Peaks'?
Sean's suggestion in his note to me seems to be the best pozz'ble splainin: that the second Dr. Jacoby who showed up in Port Charles, NY, in 2000 must be the evil twin of Dr. Lawrence Jacoby.

Of course, it's also pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that it IS Lawrence Jacoby and - like FBI Agent Dale Cooper before him - he's possessed by an evil spirit brought back from the Black Lodge in that other dimension.

In fact, it could be the same evil spirit that previously possessed Cooper, sliding into one host after another.

Or it could be Redjac....... Either way, it would appear that by 2011, Dr. Jacoby was free of the evil spirit. Otherwise why would he bother to send Walter Bishop those 3D specs?

And where could that evil spirit be by now? Maybe providing commentary and analysis on Fox News.....

How's Annie Coulter? How's Annie Coulter? How's Annie Coulter?

As always, thanks, Sean!

SHOWS CITED:
'Twin Peaks'
'General Hospital'
'Fringe'
'Star Trek'
'Battlestar Galactica' (Trust me, it's in there.)

BCnU!

LEAVE IT TO LEVIN (PART ONE)

Team Toobworld to the rescue!

In yesterday's post about the connection between 'Fringe' and 'Twin Peaks', I stated that there were no actual connections to 'Twin Peaks' made in the homage episode of 'Psych' entitled "Dual Spires". But fellow Wold Newton enthusiast and FB friend Sean Lee Levin set me straight on that:

The 'Psych' episode did have what could be interpreted as a solid connection to the series: at the beginning, Shawn tells Gus that he just read online that a woman in Washington invented noiseless drape runners in the early '90s, a clear reference to Nadine Hurley.

He's right. I can't believe that slipped me by. But at the same time, I'm a lot like Detective Lassiter when it comes to what Shawn says - I just brush it off as nonsense talk. (That's a picture of Nadine with her noiseless drape runner prototype to the left.....)

You can find Sean's (not Shawn's) blog listed in my blog-roll to the left - "Diary Of A Madman".....

Thanks, Sean!

BCnU!

PS:

This is Inner Toob post number 6,000!

AS SEEN ON TV: AL CAPONE

Gangster Al Capone died on this date in 1947......

AL CAPONE

AS SEEN IN:
'The Real Ghostbusters'

AS VOICED BY:
Jocko Marcellino

AL CAPONE

AS SEEN IN:
'Special Unit 2'

AS PLAYED BY:
Bill Dow

From Wikipedia:
Capone's control and interests within organized crime diminished rapidly after his imprisonment, and he was no longer able to run the Outfit after his release. He had lost weight, and his physical and mental health had deteriorated under the effects of neurosyphilis. He had become mentally incapable of resuming his gang activity.

In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore psychiatrist performed examinations and concluded that Capone then had the mental capability of a 12-year-old child. He often raved about Communists, foreigners, and George Moran, who he was convinced was still plotting to kill him from his Ohio prison cell.

On January 21, 1947, Capone had a stroke. He regained consciousness and started to improve but contracted pneumonia on January 24. He suffered a fatal cardiac arrest the next day. He died in his home in Miami Beach, Florida, surrounded by his family, including his wife, who collapsed at the scene.

But that would not prove to be the end of ol' Scarface, at least not in the TV Universe. No matter what TV dimension, you can't keep a good bad guy down...... Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: JACK LALANNE

By Claudia Luther
Special to The Times
January 23, 2011, 10:18 p.m.

Jack LaLanne, the seemingly eternal master of health and fitness who first popularized the idea that Americans should work out and eat right to retain youthfulness and vigor, died Sunday. He was 96.

LaLanne died of respiratory failure due to pneumonia at his home in Morro Bay, Calif., his agent Rick Hersh said. He had undergone heart valve surgery in December 2009.

Though LaLanne was for many years dismissed as merely a "muscle man" — a notion fueled to some extent by his amazing feats of strength — he was the spiritual father of the health movement that blossomed into a national craze of weight rooms, exercise classes and fancy sports clubs.

In 1952, he went on TV, but because he could only afford time in the early mornings, he found his audience was mostly young children. So he got a dog — Happy — to appeal to the kids, who were encouraged to go wake up their mommies for a workout. The show was eventually syndicated nationwide and ran for 34 years.

For more......

BCnU!

MARK OF THE OCEANIC FLIGHT

Mark Thompson is one of my best buddies, and he came through for me with this picture he snagged from the TV movie "Category 6: Day of Destruction":

Oceanic Airways is best known from 'Lost' but has appeared in enough other TV shows - some even before 'Lost' first aired! - to have been inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame (in June of 2007).

And while this appearance is another tally mark for Oceanic Airways in the overall TV Universe, it is not from Earth Prime-Time. There is an alternate TV dimension out there, one the 'Sliders' crew may have visited, where the Earth is always being pummeled by natural disasters like volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes, ice ages, the splintering of the moon...... It's a wonder the human race has survived as long as it has on that world!

But this is a great addition to the Toobworld Central crossover collection - I especially like that Mark thought to add the info bar as well!

Thanks, Buddy!

LINKIN' HAZE: AN IRONCLAD SPLAININ?

Despite being shot at nearly point-blank range by a professional hit man, Mozzie survived into the season premiere of 'White Collar' and he's well on the way to recovery. No big surprise for fans of the show, I'm sure. (Even so, I chose Mozzie's shooting as the 2010 Toobits Award winner for Best Cliffhanger. Hey, you never know - Willie Garson may have had a movie opportunity come up.)

Once he was out of the hospital (as seen in "Burke's Seven"), Mozzie spent the rest of the episode in a motorized wheelchair, prompting FBI Agent Peter Burke at one point to address him as "Ironside". And Mozzie nodded in acknowledgement. "Ironside", considering there was a wheelchair involved, had to be a reference to former San Francisco Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside, who was confined to a wheelchair due to a sniper's bullet.

Chief Ironside was seen in the eponymous crime drama that ran on NBC from 1967 to 1975. But that doesn't make his reference a Zonk. A dedicated law enforcement agent like Peter Burke would have known about a legendary cop like Ironside.
As for Mozzie, perhaps in his younger days he was "working" out of San Francisco. And paranoid that he is, I'm sure it would have paid for him to know his possible opponents on the police force there.

BCnU!

LINKIN' CASE: "FRINGE" & "TWIN PEAKS"

January isn't even over and yet we already have a slew of new crossovers for Toobworld. Before the month is over, we'll even have what I guarantee to be the Crossover of the Year!

But this one was pretty cool as well......

'Fringe' returned to the airwaves* on Friday night with the episode "The Firefly". At one point, Dr. Walter Bishop was sporting custom-made, wire-framed 3D glasses. When Astrid commented on them, Walter said that they were a gift from his friend Dr. Jacoby, who was in Washington state. Dr. Lawrence Jacoby was a character in the 1990 cult hit 'Twin Peaks', a town situated in Washington. And Dr. Jacoby was known to wear such eyewear during the course of the series. Walter and Jacoby may not have been classmates in college - there's about a decade's difference in their ages. But they could have been colleagues in research (at least before Walter ended up in St. Claire's.) There's no age limit in that - after all, Dr. William Bell was over a decade older than Walter as well.

It's always possible that Walter's "son" Peter was on his way to visit Dr. Jacoby (perhaps an old family friend as well as Walter's research associate) in the state of Washington when he became entangled in the events of the episode "Northwest Passage".

'Fringe' has made connections to 'The X-Files' and to 'Lost' in the past, both of which can link to many other TV series. So this would bring 'Twin Peaks' into the fold and that's a big get. There have been more obscure references to the off-beat classic in the past, but shots of swinging traffic lights, damn good coffee & cherry pie, and eery Badalamente-style music aren't enough to declare a connection to the 1990 cult classic. And for shows like 'The Chronicle', 'Beverly Hills 90210', and 'The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air', it was just a TV show anyway.

The show that came the closest to making a theoretical connection would be 'Northern Exposure'. In the episode "Russian Flu", Holling took Joel and his fiancee to the waterfalls of Cicely, Alaska, (which suspiciously looked like the waterfalls in Twin Peaks, Washington), and there they saw a woman who looked a lot like the Log Lady from the other show.

Okay, so we never actually got to see the Log Lady. But I'm willing to accept that it was Margaret Lanterman anyway, seen from a distance. Now, the filming locations for both shows were near each other, but in the reality of Toobworld, there's quite a distance between Twin Peaks and Cicely. Easily splainable - Ms. Lanterman was on vacation up in Alaska.

(The recent 'Psych' episode "Dual Spires" was James Roday's homage to 'Twin Peaks'. But even though so much was similar to the original series, and aside from the use of five cast members from 'Twin Peaks' appearing in guest roles, no connection can be made between the two shows.)

Having Walter actually be friends with a character from 'Twin Peaks' is quite a prize for Toobworld Central. It's a moment to be treasured....... Too bad it can't be wrapped in plastic.

BCnU!

* I realize in this age of digital, cable, and satellite TV, the term "airwaves" - as well as "broadcast" and "televised" and "telecast" may be archaic, but they're part of the history I'm not willing to give up.....

AS SEEN ON TV: KEITH OLBERMANN

KEITH OLBERMANN

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Ben Affleck

From CBS News & 'CBS Sunday Morning'

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - MSNBC host Keith Olbermann announced Friday that he is leaving the network and has taped his last "Countdown" show. MSNBC issued a statement that it had ended its contract with the controversial host, with no further explanation. Olbermann hosted the network's top-rated show, but his combative liberal opinions often made him a target of critics.
Olbermann did not explain why he was leaving.

"There were many occasions, particularly in the last two and a half years, where all that surrounded the show - but never the show itself - was just too much for me," he told viewers.

"MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors," the network said.

A spokesman said Phil Griffin, MSNBC's president, would not comment on Olbermann's exit. Spokesman Jeremy Gaines would say only that the acquisition of NBC Universal by Comcast, which received regulatory approval this week, had nothing to do with the decision.

Olbermann, before leaving the show with a final signature toss of his script toward the camera, thanked his audience for sticking with him and read a James Thurber poem.

The host reminisced about his brief goodbye at ESPN's "Sports Center" that was cut short to accomodate a result from a tennis match and his time at MSNBC, thanking his fans, highlighting the $2 million in donations they sent to National Association of Free Clinics in honor of his dying father.

"This may be the only television where in the host was much more in awe of the audience than vice versa," said Olbermann during his sign-off. "You will always be in my heart for that, and for the donations to the Kranich family in Tennessee and these victims of governmental heartlessness in Arizona..."

More from CBS on the story:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/21/entertainment/main7270700.shtml

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/01/23/sunday/main7274479.shtml

BCnU!

A MAJOR BIRTHDAY!

Today is the birthday of my friend, Natalie Major.....

In celebration, here are three YouTube videos culled from her performance at the Bitter End on January 13th of this year. (I was supposed to go, but that was during my week of the bathroom renovation nightmare. Having no access to a shower for a few days wouldn't have been fair to the others in her audience.)

I hope you enjoy!

Happity happity, Natalie!

SKED ALERT: "GAME OF THRONES"

We've got to wait until April before HBO finally unveils its adaptation of George R.R. Martin's fantasy world of "Game Of Thrones".

But that doesn't mean we can't start sampling it now.....

Expect Toobworld Central to be all over this new series with splainins and Zonks and Wish-Craft when it debuts on April 17! Because as it stands now, I expect that its world can be part of the TV dimension for Earth Prime-Time.... But that doesn't mean it takes place ON Earth Prime-Time.

My cyber-friends, I'm thinking this ties in nicely with my ideas about Earth's "twin", Mondas......

"Game Of Thrones" comes to HBO on April 17.

BCnU!

HURTIN' ON HURNDALL

For this Sunday's edition of Video Weekend at Inner Toob, I was going to do a video post that might splain away the presence of Richard Hurndall as the First Incarnation of the Doctor (as seen in "The Five Doctors".) But then I realized that would be perfect for the "Who's On First" celebration next New Year's Day. (Besides, the whole point of Video Weekend is to avoid heavy cerebral lifting.....)

So instead, here's a fun - and short - bit o' wish-craft on the part of some 'Doctor Who' purist who has his own views on the subject of Richard Hurndall's participation.....

BCnU!

IT GETS BETTER

The cover story for the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly is about the high visibility of gay teens on TV and the positive image they convey at a time when real life gay teens could use all the support they can get.

There's an online project going in which famous and not so famous people reach out to that audience to counsel them that, as bad as things may seem right now, it will get better; urging them to find the inner strength to hold on and to seek out those willing to listen and care.

The creative team from Pixar put together their own video as well....

BCnU......

JABBA JIVE

'Parks & Recreation' FINALLY came back to the NBC schedule this week. (Stupid move on your part, Peacockers, to hold off for so long!)

And as soon as the theme song kicked in, I was reminded of this video....

BCnU!

THE FRIENDS & FAMILY OF "TREK"

Years ago, MCI had a "Friends & Family" phone deal commercial that utilized many of the cast members from the original 'Star Trek'... plus an added guest.....

I'm guessing this could have come out around the same time as "Star Trek 10: Generations", when the 'TNG' cast took over the movie franchise. But I could be wrong.

This isn't a Zonk, of course. No mention is made of the 'Star Trek' franchise; none of the actors refer to their characters. It's just a bunch of actors whom we know to be forever associated with the greatest sci-fi contribution to Toobworld. And that doesn't necessarily mean this local chapter of the League of Themselves weren't all connected to some other TV or movie project within the reality of the TV Universe.

Why would they be so put out by the presence of Frakes? Maybe he directed them in some disasterous project they'd all sooner forget....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CHARLES LINDBERGH

On this date in 1941, Charles Lindbergh testified before the U.S. Congress and recommended that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.......

CHARLES LINDBERGH

AS SEEN IN:
"The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case"

AS PLAYED BY:
Cliff De Young

From Wikipedia:
In his January 23, 1941, testimony in opposition to the Lend-Lease Bill before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Lindbergh proposed that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Germany. President Roosevelt publicly criticized Lindbergh's views on neutrality three months later during a White House press conference on April 25, 1941, as being those of a "defeatist and appeaser" and compared him to U.S. Rep. Clement L. Vallandigham (D-OH), the leader of the "Copperhead" movement that had opposed the American Civil War.

Three days later the famed aviator resigned his commission as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps in an April 28 letter to the President in which Lindbergh said that he could find "no honorable alternative" to his taking such an action after Roosevelt had publicly questioned his loyalty.

In a speech at an America First rally in Des Moines on September 11, 1941, "Who Are the War Agitators?" Lindbergh claimed the three groups, "pressing this country toward war [are] the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt Administration" and said of Jewish groups:

"Instead of agitating for war, the Jewish groups in this country should be opposing it in every possible way for they will be among the first to feel its consequences. Tolerance is a virtue that depends upon peace and strength. History shows that it cannot survive war and devastation."

In the speech, he warned of the Jewish People's "large ownership and influence in our motion pictures, our press, our radio and our government", and went on to say of Germany's antisemitism, "No person with a sense of the dignity of mankind can condone the persecution of the Jewish race in Germany."

Lindbergh declared:

"I am not attacking either the Jewish or the British people. Both races, I admire. But I am saying that the leaders of both the British and the Jewish races, for reasons which are as understandable from their viewpoint as they are inadvisable from ours, for reasons which are not American, wish to involve us in the war. We cannot blame them for looking out for what they believe to be their own interests, but we also must look out for ours. We cannot allow the natural passions and prejudices of other peoples to lead our country to destruction."

BCnU!