"CLOSING TIME"

Last video for the day.....

BCnU!

BUCKAROO BANZAI - WISH-CRAFT CASTING

Near the top of my list for movie characters who should be citizens of Toobworld, (if not at the very top), is Buckaroo Banzai.

There was an attempt to bring him to the small screen with Dean Cain in the role, but I don't think he'd have been right for the role.

Me, I'm thinking Ben Whishaw...

BCnU!

"SOFTLY, SOFTLY" LOOKS AT THE RIPPER

This 1973 mini-series is most notable for the attention to detail in the facts....  And for the participation of Barlowe and Watt, who will be inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame in June of 2012...

"THE HULK VS. THE EWOKS"

Hey! This works, mate! The Ewoks were TV characters too, thanks to a couple of TV movies.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: EMPEROR CLAUDIUS

EMPEROR CLAUDIUS

AS SEEN IN:
'The Benny Hill Show'

AS PLAYED BY:
Benny Hill

TV DIMENSION:
What else? Skitlandia!

From Wikipedia:
The consensus of ancient historians was that Claudius was murdered by poison — possibly contained in mushrooms or on a feather — and died in the early hours of 13 October 54. Accounts vary greatly. Some claim Claudius was in Rome while others claim he was in Sinuessa. Some implicate either Halotus, his taster, Xenophon, his doctor, or the infamous poisoner Locusta as the administrator of the fatal substance. Some say he died after prolonged suffering following a single dose at dinner, and some have him recovering only to be poisoned again. Nearly all implicate his final wife, Agrippina, as the instigator. Agrippina and Claudius had become more combative in the months leading up to his death. This carried on to the point where Claudius openly lamented his bad wives, and began to comment on Britannicus' approaching manhood with an eye towards restoring his status within the imperial family. Agrippina had motive in ensuring the succession of Nero before Britannicus could gain power.

In modern times, some authors have cast doubt on whether Claudius was murdered or merely succumbed to illness or old age. Some modern scholars claim the universality of the accusations in ancient texts lends credence to the crime. But history in those days could not be objectively collected or written, so sometimes amounted to committing whispered gossip to parchment, often years after the events, when the writer was no longer in danger of arrest. Claudius' ashes were interred in the Mausoleum of Augustus on 24 October, after a funeral in the manner of Augustus.

Also from Wikipedia:
He had two older siblings named Germanicus and Livilla. Antonia may have had two other children who died young.

If so, one of them lived to grow to adulthood in Skitlandia and was named Quantus.

The scene depicted above shows that - at least in Skitlandia - his mother Antonia did not kill herself during the reign of Caligula, but instead lived long enough to see her son become the emperor. However, she would turn against him....

BCnU!

VETERAN'S DAY - JIM ROCKFORD

Every year on Veteran's Day, if my old noggin doesn't forget, I try to honor a member of America's Armed Forces from the TV Universe who is still among the living/replaying. (On Memorial Day, Inner Toob does the same for those veterans no longer with us onscreen and sometimes even off - when it comes to the actors.)

This year, we're honoring Jim Rockford of 'The Rockford Files' and several follow-up TV movies.....

Jim Rockford was either a private in Korea who rose to the rank of sergeant, or he was a sergeant who was busted down to private. He served in the 24th Infantry Division of which Wikipedia states:

The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. Before its most recent inactivation in 2006, it was based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, first fighting in New Guinea before landing on the Philippine islands of Leyte and Luzon, driving Japanese forces from them. Following the end of the war, the division participated in patrol operations in Japan, and was the first division to respond at the outbreak of the Korean War. For the first 18 months of the war, the division was heavily engaged on the front lines with North Korean and Chinese forces, suffering over 10,000 casualties. It was withdrawn from the front lines to the reserve force for the remainder of the war, but returned to Korea for patrol duty at the end of major combat operations.

Jim Rockford's service record in Korea closely mirrored that of James Garner, an actor who bore a remarkable resemblance to Jimbo. (Garner has his own televersion, seen in an episode of the sitcom 'Angel'.) So, it's possible that because of his actions during the fourteen months he was in Korea, the Rockfish was awarded a Silver Star. If the circumstances were the same as Garner's, then he was wounded twice. The first time in the face and hand because of shrapnel from a mortar round; the second time (April 23, 1951), he got hit in the ass. (Apparently, it was friendly fire from American fighter jets as he dove headfirst into a foxhole - a typical Rockford move that can be traced back to an ancestor, Bret Maverick.)

For those injuries, Jim Rockford was also awarded a Purple Heart.

While in the infantry, Rockford was known as "Hound Dog". The nickname was given to him by his commanding officer, Colonel "Howling Mad" Smith after Smith carried the wounded Rockford for fifteen miles - with Rockford howling in pain every step of the way.

Another of Rockford's friends was in the Korean Conflict as well - Angel Martin. But he ended up serving two years in federal prison for desertion under fire.

Toobworld Central salutes Jim Rockford, and all those who served our Country both on and, most especially, off-screen.

Thank you.

I know the uniform worn by Garner seen above is wrong for Rockford's military service (It's a publicity picture for 'The Great Escape'), but it was the best I could find.......

AS SEEN ON TV: MEREDITH VIEIRA

MEREDITH VIEIRA

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Molly Shannon

From Wikipedia:
Meredith Louise Vieira (born December 30, 1953) is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program 'The View' and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, 'Today'. She contributes to 'Dateline NBC' and currently hosts the syndicated version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', having replaced Regis Philbin in 2002. She also presented 'Intimate Portrait', a series on Lifetime.

We started off the week with Meredith Vieira being inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame. So it felt right to end the week by showcasing her in the ASOTV spotlight as well....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ABBERLINE'S ADDENDUM

After some investigation into the appearances of Jack the Ripper on TV, I've come to the conclusion that Gordon Christie's appearance as Inspector Frederick Abberline was a visualization by either Detective Chief Superintendents Charles Barlow or John Watt who were poring over the files on the case in the 1973 mini-series 'Jack The Ripper'.

(It's the same situation as with the appearances of certain characters on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' whenever somebody was reading excerpts from the autobiography that Rob Petrie was writing. It was all in the mind of the reader.)

As for the ever earlier (1950s) solution given in the "Jack The Ripper" episode of 'The Veil', in which the Ripper was a doctor named Willowden who was put away in an asylum for the rest of his life?  That was just a story told by noted serlinguist Boris Karloff to the audience viewing at home in the Trueniverse.

So Michael Caine's portrayal of Abberline can serve as the version for the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time....

BCnU!

THE CHANDLERS OF SCOTLAND YARD

DI Natalie Chandler of 'Law & Order: UK' may have met her husband through connections at work: his older brother could have been her mentor in the police department.

He may have been a higher-up in Scotland Yard who had a son named Joseph who followed his father into the same line of work. After his father's death, Joseph Chandler quickly became a Detective Inspector with a fast track for promotion when he landed his first murder investigation in late 2008.

As it turned out, that murder investigation tragically expanded as it became apparent the killer was emulating the historic 'Whitechapel' murders of Jack the Ripper. It was all DI Joseph Chandler could do to keep control of the case when his superiors were undercutting his authority in order to protect their own positions.

So the suggestion is that DI Natalie Chandler was the aunt by marriage to DI Joseph Chandler. And to protect each other from charges of nepotism and favoritism - and to keep each other free and clear of their professional problems - they most likely steered clear of each other within the department. This would be why we never saw the two of them together in each other's TV series......

BCnU!

REDJAC - CLEAN-UP IN AISLE SIX!

I've written in the past about Redjac, the entity that was the true source of terror in the Jack the Ripper killings and how it can be detected in TV series since then:

"REDJAC AND THE WILHELM SCREAM"

Since then, I've had to delete 'Human Target' from the "sightings" because it takes place in an alternate TV dimension. But I do have a new addition to the list of its "victims".

In the 'Bored To Death' episode "I Take A Bath Like Lady MacBeth", Jonathan, George, and Ray were giving chase to Jonathan's "arch-nemesis" Louis Green - using shopping carts in a C-Town supermarket.

At one point they crashed into another shopper which tossed him into an open cooler of food items and that's when you can hear the Wilhelm Scream.

O'Bviously, that guy was the current host to Redjac, which thought its existence was in danger and so it fled the body (which was probably an animated corpse -something "private eye" Jonathan never noticed......)

Redjac was probably in the neighborhood of 133rd and Broadway to stalk its next victim. If Redjac already claimed victims in the New York area, they might be found in episodes of 'Person Of Interest', 'CSI: NY' and 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' that took place around the same time. ('Blue Bloods' and 'Castle' take place in alternate TV dimensions.)

By the way, the Wilhelm Scream can be heard in the "Get Me Out Of Here!" episode of 'CSI: NY' from November 4th, but it was in the soundtrack of a horror movie that the CSI team was watching.

BCnU!

I was supposed to run this post yesterday, which was the anniversary of the death of Mary Kelly, the last victim of Jack the Ripper.  But - strange as it may seem - sometimes I have to attend to matters based in the real world.....

AS SEEN ON TV: INSPECTOR ABBERLINE

I was supposed to run a few Ripper items on Wednesday, as that was the anniversary for the last Jack the Ripper victim, Mary Kelly. Unfortunately, real life conspired against me.....

 

INSPECTOR FREDERICK ABBERLINE

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Michael Caine

TV DIMENSION:
Undetermined

From Wikipedia:
Frederick George Abberline (8 January 1843 in Blandford Forum, Dorset – 10 December 1929) was a Chief Inspector for the London Metropolitan Police and was a prominent police figure in the investigation into the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888.

On 26 February 1887 Abberline transferred to A Division (Whitehall), and then moved to CO Division (Central Office) at Scotland Yard on 19 November 1887, being promoted to Inspector First-Class on 9 February 1888 and to Chief Inspector on 22 December 1890. Following the murder of Mary Ann Nichols on 31 August 1888, Abberline was seconded back to Whitechapel due to his extensive experience in the area. He was placed in charge of the various detectives investigating the Ripper murders. Chief Inspector Walter Dew, then a detective constable in Whitechapel's H Division in 1888, knew Abberline and, while describing him as sounding and looking like a bank manager, also stated that his knowledge of the area made him one of the most important members of the Whitechapel murder investigation team.

Among the many suspects in the case, Abberline's primary suspect was Severin Antoniovich Klosowski, aka George Chapman.

The Inspector Abberline of Earth Prime-Time will most likely turn out to be the one portrayed by Gordon Christie in a 1973 mini-series, 'Jack The Ripper'. It will be the Abberline of the main Toobworld who was contacted by the Silurian Vastra in a 'Doctor Who' episode. She sent her assistant Jenny with the message that Jack the Ripper had claimed his last victim. (Vastra found him to be delicious.)

BCnU!

THE BURRO BOY

I don't know if you've seen this story in the news yet, but trust me - this wasn't fabricated for the National Enquirer!

In Zimbabwe, a man named Sunday Moyo was arrested when he was caught having sex with a donkey. He did have a unique defense, however, when he was brought before the magistrate to be charged:

"Your worship, I only came to know that I was being intimate with a donkey when I got arrested. I had hired a prostitute and paid US$20 for the service at Down Town nightclub, and I don't know how she then became a donkey."

Now that's paying for a bit of ass!

Sunday Moyo also claims that he is in love with the donkey and that he may be a donkey in human form as well.

And that's how the story played out in the real world, the Trueniverse, Earth Prime.

But in Toobworld, as you might expect, there's more to the story......

On Earth Prime-Time, Sunday Moyo's story is real.

Magic and witchcraft are integral parts of Life in the TV Universe. 'Hex', 'Supernatural', 'Bewitched', 'Tabitha', 'Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch', 'Passions', 'The X-Files' (a few episodes), 'I Dream Of Jeannie', 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', and now 'The Secret Circle' are all accepted in Earth Prime-Time, with far fewer discrepancies between their basics than is the case with the vampire TV series like 'True Blood', 'Being Human', 'Moonlight', and 'The Vampire Diaries'.

On 'Bewitched', witches and warlocks could change themselves into other people, animals, even into inanimate objects. In fact, when a witch has outlived their effectiveness in magic, they are mandated to transform themselves into something useful.

So in Toobworld, Sunday Moyo was bonking a witch who made a little money on the side as a prostitute. And in order to avoid detection, she transformed into a donkey just before they were discovered in the act.

After all, who's going to jail a donkey for prostitution? (Although Tennessee did once hang an elephant for murder.)

You know who would have covered this story as the truth? Not your Daily Planets, or your L. A. Tribunes, or your NY Ledgers. Not even the National Inquisitor.

But the World Chronicle would have blared the truth in a banner headline:

"FOOL BLEEPS MULE IN WITCH SWITCH"

Since the show takes place in Zimbabwe, the only show I found that could be tied in to such a story was 'African Skies', which was broadcast in the early '90's. Sunday is just a few years younger than the two boys of that show; his televersion may have known them.

BCnU!

Originally, I was thinking that the subject heading should be "Sunday Go To Bleeping Prose", but I've got a back back so I can't stoop that low for a pun.....

AS SEEN ON TV: LADY WARWICK

Since the main blog post today is also about an illicit affair, I thought this ASOTV spotlight to be apt.....

LADY WARWICK

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Carolyn Seymour

From Wikipedia:
Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (10 December 1861–26 July 1938) was a society beauty, and mistress to King Edward VII.

[S]he married Francis Greville, Lord Brooke, the eldest son and heir of George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick, in 1881. The couple had three children in the first four years of their marriage. Her fourth child, a son, was born in 1898, and a daughter was born in 1904. Lord Brooke succeeded to the Earldom in 1893, and the family moved into Warwick Castle.

Following her marriage and the birth of her children, she became a socialite, often attending lavish parties and gatherings. She and her husband were members of the Marlborough House Set, headed by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Beginning in 1886, she became involved in affairs with several powerful men, most notably Edward VII.

Lady Warwick's affair with Edward VII, which lasted until 1898, is thought to have been mainly a cover for her actual heart-felt relationship with Lord Charles Beresford (after 1916, 1st Baron Beresford), for whom she actually had genuine feelings. However, this was without the knowledge of Edward VII, and when he discovered that she also was involved with Lord Charles, Edward VII tried to recover an alleged compromising letter that Lady Brooke (Daisy Greville) had written to Beresford, and which was supposedly in the hands of Lady Charles. The quarrel lasted until Prime Minister Lord Salisbury interfered and both parties reached an agreement. Nevertheless, the relations between Edward VII and Lord Charles remained weak for the remainder of their lives.

Her main flaw when acting as a courtesan for powerful men was that she lacked the ability to keep her affairs private, and when involved with a man of wealth and power, she had a distinct habit of divulging it to others. Often, a courtesan could have a prolonged career simply based on that one characteristic. For her indiscretions and this habit, she earned the nickname "The Babbling Brooke", and she was the inspiration for the popular music hall song "Daisy, Daisy".

Following the death of Edward VII, and having large debts, she tried to blackmail his son, the new King George V. She threatened to make public a series of love letters written by Edward VII. It was the cunning expertise of Lord Stamfordham that managed to stop publication by arguing that copyright belonged to the King.

BCnU!

LILY OF THE VIEIRA (A TVXOHOF FOLLOW-UP)

Now that Meredith Vieira is a member of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, certain things she has done or said on her three main "Reali-TV" shows ('Today', 'The View', and 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?') warrant closer scrutiny than they would for others in that line of television programming.

Take for instance this Halloween costume she once wore on 'Today'.....

The Meredith Vieira who was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame was not the real Meredith, but her televersion - the one who shows up on the TV screen. And here she's dressed up as another member of the Hall of Fame, Lily Munster (inducted October, 2008). Lily is just as real in Toobworld as Meredith.

And yet Meredith and the others on 'Today' probably talked about her as though she was just a TV character in 'The Munsters'; they may have even mentioned that she was played by Yvonne de Carlo.

Within the reality of Toobworld, I'd be surprised if there wasn't a TV show made about the Munster family. If a blended family of three boys and three girls (the youngest one in curls) could get their own TV series, why not a family who were the living embodiment of the old Universal monsters?

And I don't think that sub-group from UNIT, "UNReel", needed to step in and create this series. Although all of the "normal" people who encountered the Munsters (teachers, doctors, criminals) might have had scared reactions to them, no widespread panic was ever reported.

No, I think some enterprising Hollywood producer stepped in to create this TV series. Perhaps the mentions of 'The Munsters' could even refer to a theatrical release in Toobworld.

And then perhaps the producer was Bob Ryan, as seen in 'Entourage'. ("What if I told you there's a real-life family in the New York suburbs where the wife and her father are vampires, the son is a werewolf, and the father is Frankenstein's monster. Would that be something you'd be interested in?")

And if Yvonne de Carlo was mentioned as having played Lily? O'Bviously her televersion was the best actress available who most resembled the real Lily Munster.

BCnU!

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!

AS SEEN ON TV: LORD SALISBURY

A little something for election day......

LORD SALISBURY

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Richard Vernon

From Wikipedia:
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830 – 22 August 1903), styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years. He was the first British Prime Minister of the 20th century and the last Prime Minister to head his full administration from the House of Lords.

He became Prime Minister in June 1885 when the Liberal leader William Ewart Gladstone resigned, and he held the office until January 1886. When Gladstone came out in favour of Home Rule for Ireland, Salisbury opposed him and formed an alliance with the breakaway Liberal Unionists and the won the subsequent general election. He remained Prime Minister until Gladstone's Liberals formed a government with the support of the Irish Nationalist Party, despite the Unionists gaining the largest number of votes and seats in the 1892 general election. However the Liberals lost the 1895 general election and Salisbury once again became Prime Minister, leading Britain to war against the Boers and the Unionists to another electoral victory in 1900 before relinquishing the premiership to his nephew Arthur Balfour. He died a year later in 1903.

For quite a bit more, click here.

BCnU!

Not that it has any bearing in Toobworld, but fans of the televised version of 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy' should recognize him once they hear his voice. Richard Vernon played Slartibartfast......

"PAGE EIGHT" IN TOOBWORLD

Just about half an hour ago, I finished watching "Page Eight" on 'Masterpiece Contemporary'. It was an MI-5 thriller, an old school descendent of Le Carre by David Hare. It starred Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis, Alice Krige, Felicity Jones, and Sakia Reeves.

Until Fiennes actually entered the picture in the second hour, "Page Eight" could have existed in Earth Prime-Time. It certainly was a story that probably is based in truth, so that it could have taken place in the real world for that matter.

But Fiennes played the Prime Minister, Alec Beasley. And in Toobworld, the Prime Minister, like the President of the United States, should reflect who really is in office; because odds are that man (or woman) will likely be mentioned in some other fictional program. (I know I could look it up, but as of this moment, I really have no clue who holds the position. It doesn't seem to be that colorful or important a role since Tony Blair's day - at least from my blinkered, Ugly American P.O.V.)

As I watched the program (and I highly recommend it by the way, if for nothing else than to enjoy Nighy's style of acting and to luxuriate in the tones of Gambon's voice.), I kept my mind on the fact that it would most likely have to be jettisoned from Toobworld to some other TV dimension. So I looked for reasons why it could never be placed in the dimension of 'The West Wing', and I couldn't find any reason why not.

So I'm adding "Page Eight" to the list of shows that share the same TV dimension as 'The West Wing', which also includes 'Mr. Sterling', 'Smallville', and maybe 'Boss', 'Outlaw', and 'Castle' (depending on if they ever mention Obama....)

BCnU!

A FOUR-COLOR CROSSOVER

There was a Toobworld-Comic Book Universe crossover in an issue of DC Comics' "Power Girl":

In case you don't recognize them, the four guys are from 'The Big Bang Theory': Leonard Hofstadter, Raj Koothrapalli, and Sheldon Cooper, with Howard Wolowitz taking the lead in trying to pick up Karen Starr (aka Kara Zor-L, aka Power Girl).

In Toobworld itself, Power Girl has yet to appear, although coy references were made to her in such shows as 'Smallville' (another TV dimension, anyway) and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. As for 'The Big Bang Theory', she is definitely a comic book character. In the episode "The Desperation Emanation", a copy of Power Girl #14 can be seen on a shelf in the comic book store, behind Raj. (From Wikipedia)

Once again, as with the literary universe, I'm stuck thinking of a good name for the Comic Book Universe, but then somebody who actually delves into that field of study should probably have the right to coin the appropriate term - like Craig Shaw Gardner did with "Cineverse" for his take on a B-movie universe.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PERCY COURTENAY

PERCY COURTENAY

AS SEEN IN:
"Miss Marie Lloyd: Queen Of The Music Hall"

AS PLAYED BY:
Richard Armitage

From the Hat Trick production company press pack:
Percy Charles Courtenay was born in Greenwich in 1862, son of a master mariner, Edwin, who died when Percy was still a child. There is little recorded information about him.

Percy met Marie when he went back-stage at the theatre where she was performing. "Back then the stage door johnnies were in contact with the doorman and they would frequently pay him money to watch the girls changing backstage. It’s weird to think that Percy, a complete stranger, could just turn up and say: ‘That girl I saw on stage - I’d really like to take her out for a drink’ and then he was given an introduction to her and that’s how their relationship formed.

"Percy’s pretty similar to Marie Lloyd; he’s from the same kind of class and background but when they first meet he’s reinvented himself. In reality he’s an inveterate gambler but he markets himself as someone who invests on the stock market! He’s moving in social circles that he perhaps doesn’t truly belong to, so there’s bit of a façade with him."

A friend of his, George Foster, described him as "a young blood and a racing man with plenty of money and an attractive personality." He was also said to have "the air of a gentleman". He described himself on official documents as a General Dealer or a Commission Agent, but in reality he was a race-course tout.

They married in 1887 when she was only 17 and already pregnant. At first the marriage was a happy one. “It’s actually very good and honest at the start, and once they get together he lets the mask slip a bit and they click and fire off each other. But it starts to go off kilter when she becomes more famous and wealthy and he lives off her success.” (Richard Armitage)

The Courtenays' house was frequently full of her family and friends, and Sundays were open house to her music hall friends. Percy complained that they hardly spent any time alone together. She gave him an allowance of three pounds a week, but he also ran up debts that he expected her to settle.

"For an Edwardian man it was in many ways the ultimate humiliation and as much as he was basking in it and loving it and spending her money, at the same time I think the press ridiculed him as a kept man and his frustration built up and he began to take out his anger on her," said Richard Armitage.

Flo Hastings, a young friend of Marie's who was also in the music halls, remembered Percy Courtenay at this time. He wasn't handsome, she said, but he was smartly dressed. "He was slim, not a big man. He was a racing man, used to hang around the race course - a punter.

"I used to sleep with Marie while he was away in the West End with his racing friends. He was always out with other women. He'd ask her for fifty pounds and swear he'd make it up tomorrow, but she'd never see it again. She hated him. He was a dirty old thing. One night at the Standard [later the Victoria Palace] he came up to me and used filthy language just as I was going on. I flung a drink in his face and the barman nearly killed him - the dirty thing."

As the marriage began to break down, Percy turned violent. In January 1892, Punch reported that she had summonsed her husband for assault:

"MARIE, COME UP!"—When Miss MARIE LLOYD, who, unprofessionally, when at home, is known as Mrs. PERCY COURTENAY, which her Christian name is MATILDA, recently appeared at Bow-Street Police Court, having summoned her husband for an assault, the Magistrate, Mr. LUSHINGTON, ought to have called on the Complainant to sing "Whacky, Whacky, Whack!" which would have come in most appropriately. Let us hope that the pair will make it up, and, as the story-books say, "live happily ever afterwards."

Even more sordid details were given in The Times, which reported that Percy had come to Marie's dressing room, accused her of immorality and threatened to cut her throat with a sword that was hanging on the wall of the room. He then kicked her in the leg and the small of her back. He was bound over to keep the peace for six months.

By 1893, Marie and Percy were living apart. But Percy's violence towards her continued. One night in 1894, he came to the stage door of the Empire, Leicester Square, as Marie was leaving to go to another theatre. He threatened her with a hooked stick: "You are not going into that brougham tonight. I will gouge your eyes out and ruin you," he told her. She managed to get away from him, but later that night, he was waiting for her when she arrived at the pub in Wardour St that she had bought for her parents. "I am going to ----- well murder you tonight. I will shoot you stone dead and you will never go on stage any more." Again he was brought before the magistrates, and again he was bound over to keep the peace. Marie was sacked from the Empire, the manager afraid that Percy would make more trouble.

They were finally divorced in 1905, Percy having petitioned on the grounds of her adultery with Alec Hurley, who became her second husband.

Little is known of Percy Courtenay's life after his time as 'Mr Marie Lloyd'. It seems likely that he died in Hove in 1933, of an accidental drug overdose. He was 70 years old.

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" - SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6

It's Sunday. And that means it's time for another episode from the second season of 'Boardwalk Empire'. The period crime drama can be seen on Sunday nights at 9 PM EST on HBO.

Here are a few clips:

Remember - you should have turned your clocks back an hour last night so we're now in Standard Time. (Although I'm sure HBO wouldn't mind if you tuned into their channel an hour earlier than usual......)

BCnU!

BOW WOWS @ OWS

EARTH PRIME-TIME, THE TOONIVERSE & "WORLDWORLD*"? SWEET

Another blipvert......

Here's a candidate for Best Inter-Dimensional Crossover of the Year at the next Toobits Awards.....

Thanks to Andrew Brook for bringing it to my attention.....

BCnU!

(* Still not sure about WordWorld for the Literary Universe, and not even sure if the Mr. Men franchise qualifies as literature......)

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY III

As a member of the League of Themselves, this had to be the lowest moment in the career of Andy Rooney's televersion....

Well, at least he's free of such nonsense now, f'real....

Good night and may God bless.......

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY II

David Letterman first met the late Andy Rooney back in 1982 when Dave was still with NBC.  Here's that first encounter:

When the news broke that Andy Rooney would be retiring from '60 Minutes', David Letterman presented the Top Ten List of reasons why he was stepping down.....

Unfortunately, it looks like Mr. Rooney will never get the chance to spend that time with his great-great-great-great-grandkids.....

Good night and may God bless......

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY I

When Andy Rooney retired from his berth at the end of each episode of '60 Minutes', I ran "As Seen On TV" showcases for him on three consecutive days:

ASOTV 1

ASOTV 2

ASOTV 3

So now, I'd like to present one of those original sketches from 'Saturday Night Live':

Joe Piscopo also portrayed Mr. Rooney in one of those SNL sketches, but this is from his HBO special in which he played Andy Rooney as a rapper:

 Good night and may God bless....

GOOD BLIPVERTS

Time for our commercial interruption......

Here in America, the spokespersons in the Polaroid blipverts were James Garner and Mariette Hartley.  Their spots proved to be so popular that many people assumed they were actually married to each other.  (If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Hartley wore a T-shirt while pregnant that bore the legend "NOT JAMES GARNER'S" with an arrow pointing downwards.

Well, over in Great Britain, the Polaroid spokesfolk were married to each other.

At least in Toobworld.....



Richard Briers and my favorite British actress Felicity Kendal never refer to each other by name - at best, she refers to him as "Darling".  So it could be that they are appearing as their characters from 'The Good Life' ('Good Neighbors' to us Yanks), Tom and Barbara Good.

Which means that Tom and Barbara were tele-cognizant serlinguists, aware of the fact that they were living in the TV Universe and able to communicate to the audience viewing at home in the Trueniverse (our home dimension of Earth Prime.) 

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ANDY ROONEY IV

with "Steve Kroft"

AS SEEN IN:

'FOX NFL Sunday'

&

'FrankTV'

AS PLAYED BY:

Frank Caliendo

From The New York Times:

By RICHARD SEVERO and PETER KEEPNEWS

Andy Rooney, whose prickly wit was long a mainstay of CBS News and whose homespun commentary on “60 Minutes,” delivered every week from 1978 until 2011, made him a household name, died on Friday in New York City.

He was 92 and lived in Manhattan, though he kept a family vacation home in Rensselaerville, N.Y., and the first home he ever bought, in Rowayton, Conn.

CBS News said in a statement that Mr. Rooney died after complications following minor surgery.

In late September, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney would be making his last regular weekly appearance on “60 Minutes” on Oct. 2. After that, said Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the program’s executive producer, he would “always have the ability to speak his mind on ‘60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him.”

But a little more than three weeks after that appearance, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney had been hospitalized after developing “serious complications” from an unspecified operation.

For more, click here......

 

Good night and may God bless.....