AS SEEN ON TV: SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

AS SEEN IN:
"The Strange Case Of Conan Doyle"

AS PLAYED BY:
Douglas Henshall

From Wikipedia:
In 1890 Conan Doyle studied ophthalmology in Vienna, and moved to London in 1891 to set up a practice as an ophthalmologist. He wrote in his autobiography that not a single patient crossed his door. This gave him more time for writing, and in November 1891 he wrote to his mother: "I think of slaying Holmes ... and winding him up for good and all. He takes my mind from better things." His mother responded, "You may do what you deem fit, but the crowds will not take this lightheartedly."

In December 1893, in order to dedicate more of his time to more "important" works—his historical novels— Conan Doyle had Holmes and Professor Moriarty apparently plunge to their deaths together down the Reichenbach Falls in the story "The Final Problem". Public outcry, however, led him to bring the character back in 1901, in The Hound of the Baskervilles. In "The Adventure of the Empty House", it was explained that only Moriarty had fallen; but since Holmes had other dangerous enemies—especially Colonel Sebastian Moran—he had arranged to also be temporarily "dead". Holmes ultimately was featured in a total of 56 short stories and four Conan Doyle novels, and has since appeared in many novels and stories by other authors.

It is at this point in the movie when Conan Doyle decided to be rid of his greatest character......

BCnU!

"DOCTOR WHO" THEME - A CAPELLA

It feels like a long time since I featured a 'Doctor Who' video......

This kid shows a lot of talent and did such a good job that it came to the attention of the Grand Moff himself. I'm hoping it lead to bigger and better things in his future....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ETHEL KENNEDY

Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer, so who can we find to throw a pool party....?

ETHEL KENNEDY

AS SEEN IN:
"RFK"

AS PLAYED BY:
Marnie McPhail

From Wikipedia:
Ethel Skakel Kennedy (born April 11, 1928) is the widow of Robert F. Kennedy, who served as Attorney General of the United States and a United States Senator for the state of New York.

Ethel Skakel was born in Chicago on April 11, 1928 to Ann Brannack, a Roman Catholic of Irish descent, and George Skakel, a Protestant of Dutch descent. Ethel was raised as a Catholic in Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father was the founder of the very successful Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, now a division of SGLCarbon. She attended the all-girls Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, as well as the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Manhattan. In September 1945, Ethel began her collegiate education at Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (then located in Manhattan), where she became friends and roommates with Jean Kennedy. Skakel later married Kennedy's brother, Robert F. Kennedy.

In contrast to John and Jackie Kennedy, Robert and Ethel held many get-togethers at their home. Whether it was a pool party or a formal dinner party, the guest list was impressive and eclectic. Journalist Roger Mudd remembers meeting John Lennon at one such party. Other notable invitees included the Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, entertainer Judy Garland, dancer Rudolf Nureyev and historian Arthur Schlesinger, who found himself thrown into the pool fully clothed where Ethel was also already swimming fully clothed.

The Kennedy children added to the wild atmosphere at Hickory Hill. Notoriously, Robert Jr. had a zoo in the basement. It was not unusual to see reptiles, a seal, an anteater, miniature ponies and even an elephant on the grounds. Jackie found the children so wild that she did not allow Caroline and John Jr. to play with their cousins.


BCnU!

AL BUNDY'S LABOR DAY

Thanks to J.r. Klink for pointing this out....

BCnU!

LET'S PARTY DOWN AT THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL!

Since it's Labor Day, I figured I'd let other people do the work for me.

Like my British blogging buddy Rob Buckley, for instance, who brought this clip to my attention......

(Rob's blog - the fourth most popular in Great Britain - can be found as a link to the left.  "The Medium Is Not Enough".  I highly recommend it.....)

So we have the caterers from 'Party Down' appearing in a fifteen minute long series called 'Children's Hospital'.

So what if the ties are blue and not pink as in the series? That means nothing. The owner of the catering company may have changed the style. It may have been a request from the people throwing the party.

Not everybody from the cast could be shown in the clip - some of them are now working as regulars on 'Children's Hospital' in other roles.

Definitely a contender for the Toobits Awards at the end of the year....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CESAR CHAVEZ

Taking note of Labor Day...

 

CESAR CHAVEZ

AS SEEN IN:

"RFK"

AS PLAYED BY:

Jacob Vargas

From Wikipedia:

César Estrada Chávez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW).

A Mexican American, Chávez became the best known Latino civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American labor movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.

Chavez was a charismatic, gifted speaker who inspired Latinos to band together and devote themselves to the farmworkers' movement. Claiming as his models Emiliano Zapata, Gandhi, Nehru, and Martin Luther King, he called on his people to "Make a solemn promise: to enjoy our rightful part of the riches of this land, to throw off the yoke of being considered as agricultural implements or slaves. We are free men and we demand justice."

After his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, and for liberals generally, symbolizing militant support for workers and for Hispanic power based on grass roots organizing and his slogan "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, it is possible" or, roughly, "Yes, it can be done"). His supporters say his work led to numerous improvements for union laborers. His birthday, March 31, has become César Chávez Day, a state holiday in three US states. Many parks, cultural centers, libraries, schools, and streets have been named in his honor in cities across the United States.

BCnU!

SONDHEIM AND GILBERT & SOLOMON

I went to see Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" at the Marriott Marquis theater Thursday night. It was my second time seeing the show, the first time being at the Paper Mill Playhouse back in 1998.

I'm also working on a massive project about 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' for a blogathon hosted by "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" to celebrate that classic sitcom's fiftieth anniversary.

And yet, even with that occupying a good chunk of what's left of my mind, it wasn't until two days later that I realized two of the main characters are a couple named Buddy and Sally......

(These are the younger "ghosts" of Buddy and Sally - Lora Lee Gayer as Young Sally and Christian Delcroix as Young Buddy in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center earlier this year. Danny Burstein and Bernadette Peters are playing the older versions in the current Broadway revival.....)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CASEY ANTHONY

CASEY ANTHONY

AS SEEN IN:
Taiwanese animated "news" story

AS PLAYED BY:
n/a

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: RUPERT MURDOCH

RUPERT MURDOCH

AS SEEN IN:
Taiwanese animated "news" story

AS PLAYED BY:
n/a

From Financial Director:
In July, it was the turn of Rupert Murdoch and his son, James, to play the part of villains before the select committee over their part in the phone hacking scandal at News of the World, the Sunday tabloid published by News International, the UK division of News Corporation. Many of the assembled committee members failed to land any meaningful blows, but the hearing still delivered much of the drama for which everyone had hoped, sending the twitter-sphere into frenzied activity and leaving Murdoch - quite literally - with pie on his face.

BCnU!

WEATHER OR NOT.....

I'm going to ease into the resumption of Doodies here at Toobworld Central, now that I have a new modem for the computer. So to begin, here is the best image to come out of the televised coverage of last week's Hurricane Irene:

I knew she would! I knew she would! Say no more! Nudge nudge, wink wink......

My thanks to Megan Larche Dominick and Miss Kimberly Massengill for bringing this to my attention.

You naughty, naughty girls....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DREW & STACY PETERSON

DREW & STACY PETERSON

AS SEEN IN:
"Untouchable"

AS PLAYED BY:
Rob Lowe - Drew Peterson

Kaley Cuoco - Stacy Peterson

From 'America's Most Wanted' website:
Stacy Peterson, the 23-year-old fourth wife of longtime Bolingbrook, Ill. cop Sgt. Drew Peterson, vanished on Sunday, October 28, 2007. Cops say that Stacy may have left the house in a jogging suit and was supposed to be headed to a relative's home.

She never made it.

Sgt. Peterson, 53, claims he received a phone call from Stacy on that Sunday at 9 p.m. But, no one else heard from her after a Sunday morning phone call with relatives. Stacy's family has asked the Illinois State Police to look into her disappearance since her husband was until recently a local cop, a 29-year veteran of the local police department.

For more:
http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/case.cfm?id=50297

BCnU!

PROGRAMMING NOTE

Just so's ya know....

My modem went wonky on me Wednesday and I have yet to replace it, which is why not even the "As Seen On TV" daily showcase has shown up yet for Thursday or Friday.  (I'm doing this report from the home of some friends......)

Stay stewed......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ADOLPH HITLER

ADOLPH HITLER

AS SEEN IN:
'Doctor Who'

AS PLAYED BY:
Albert Welling

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

STATUS:
Impostor

TOOBLINK:
'The Twilight Zone'

Both 'Doctor Who' and 'The Twilight Zone' are considered Toobworld essentials for what they provide towards the splainins that make up the Toobworld Dynamic. And with the episodes "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The Man In The Bottle", they come together.

The Hitler met by the Doctor was not the real Adolph Hitler. Instead it was an impostor sent back in Time via genie magic to take the madman's place. We covered this once before when we used Luther Adler's character of Arthur Castle for a previous "As Seen On TV" spotlight on Adolph Hitler.

Mr. Castle was a gentle, decent man and he panicked quickly upon discovering that he had taken the Fuhrer's place in History. He didn't waste time in using his final wish to get his old life back. Having completed the three wish mandate for the pawnbroker, the Genie disappeared, but it looks like he used the same ruse on another "Master".

Only this time, the man with the three wishes appears to have made himself comfortable in the role of Hitler. (To be fair, Arthur Castle was plopped into the Fuhrer's place during the final collapse of Hitler's regime in the bunker. This new impostor was settled into Hitler's life back in 1938, when he was still on the rise in his domination of Europe.)

After being dispatched to the cupboard by the Companions of the Doctor, and after having seen the changes being made to the Tesselecta's appearance, the time-traveling interloper may have had enough and used one of his remaining wishes to return to his old life.

Sending in substitutes for Hitler could be a ploy by the Genie to quickly use up his Masters' wishes so that he could be free from the servitude.

It's because of the Genie's magic that no one - not even the Doctor - could detect that this Hitler was an impostor.

(Had the role been a meatier one - the title was definitely misleading! - I would have suggested Michael Palin to play Hitler......)

BCnU!