Saturday, January 28, 2012

PROGRAMMING NOTE

Starting tomorrow, Inner Toob will be running another theme for the "ASOTV" showcase, which will be bare bones when it comes to presentation. And there won't be very much offered by way of other posts either this coming week.

Those who are regular habitues of the blog will know what that means and the significance of the cream of mushroom can as well.......

BATTLESTAR PORTLANDIA


I'm pretty sure that 'Portlandia' takes place in the sketch-comedy TV dimension, Skitlandia, so I don't think I need to waste time on splainin this Zonk:


BCnU!

"DOCTOR WHO" RELATED BLIPVERT


It's time once again to make believe I have to pay the bills.....


BCnU!

BATMAN & POKEMON?


Here's another 'Batman'/Tooniverse crossover....




BCnU!

My thanks to my amigos in the TVCU for pointing these out in the Crossovers Forum on Facebook......

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR MYSTERY DATE?


One of my favorite crossovers from the Tooniverse into Earth Prime-Time:


BCnU!

BREAKING NEWS


And now... the news......


BCnU!

"HAWKINS ON MURDER"


Writer/producer Lee Goldberg recently reminded his followers of the following TV theme:


I liked 'Hawkins On Murder'; I felt it would have been a worthy companion in the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie wheel along with 'Columbo', 'McCloud', and 'McMillan & Wife' (except for the fact that it aired on CBS.....) 

 And best of all, was the pairing of two old-time pros - Jimmy Stewart as defense lawyer Billy Jim Hawiins, and Strother Martin as his cousin and investigator, R.J. Hawkins.

Someday I'll have to scare up a bootleg DVD of that show.....

Forget you read that.....

BCnU!

BLEEP THE DOWAGER COUNTESS SAYS


Once again it's time for that Inner Toob potpourri known as the Video Weekend!

First up, the only decent entry in a recent online meme....


BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE MAGIC MIRROR

As a preview to what's ahead for next week, here's my favorite storybook character from the story of "Snow White"......

THE MAGIC MIRROR

AS SEEN IN:
'Faerie Tale Theater'
("Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs")

AS PLAYED BY:
Vincent Price

STORY FIRST COLLECTED BY:
The Brothers Grimm

TV DIMENSION:
TBD

From Wikipedia:
[In "Snow White"], the king takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also very vain. The new queen possesses a magical mirror, an animate object that answers any question, to whom she often asks: "Mirror, mirror on the wall / Who is the fairest of them all?" (in German "Spieglein, Spieglein, an der Wand / Wer ist die Schönste im ganzen Land?"; in Italian "Specchio, servo delle mie brame, chi è la più bella di tutto il reame?" ) to which the mirror always replies "You, my queen, are fairest of all." But when Snow White reaches the age of seven, she becomes as beautiful as the day, and when the queen asks her mirror, it responds: "Queen, you are full fair, 'tis true, but Snow White is fairer than you." Though in another version, the mirror simply replies: "Snow White is the fairest of them all."

From the source:
[T]he king soon married another wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud that she could not bear to think that any one could surpass her. She had a magical looking-glass, to which she used to go and gaze upon herself in it, and say,

"Tell me, glass, tell me true!

Of all the ladies in the land.
Who is fairest? Tell me who?"

And the glass answered, "Thou, Queen, art fairest in the land."


But Snow-White grew more and more beautiful; and when she [pg 18] was seven years old, she was as bright as the day, and fairer than the queen herself. Then the glass one day answered the queen, when she went to consult it as usual:


"Thou, Queen, may'st fair and beauteous be,

But Snow-White is lovelier far than thee!"

And here's how he's portrayed in the new ABC series, 'Once Upon A Time':


BCnU!

Friday, January 27, 2012

LITTLE BRIT WOMEN


All week long I've been running "Little Women" as my theme for the literary edition of the "As Seen On TV" showcase. And I don't know if you noticed, but I listed it as being the version from Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld.

One of the rules of the Toobworld Dynamic, often-times broken, is that the first production of any project should be the one that belongs in the dimension of Earth Prime-Time. And this is one of those times when the rules are broken.

There was an earlier production, from the UK, in 1970. But as you'll see from the selection provided below, it was made on the cheap and shows it. There's something almost stage-bound in its presentation. Plus, as it was made in Great Britain, the British accents do tend to seep through.


As the 1978 version had better production values and felt more "alive" as far as TV presentations go in Toobworld. Therefore, the previous version of "Little Women" is the one that must be shipped off to another TV dimension, even though it came out first.

And despite the tempting presence of Patrick Troughton in a small role as Uncle March.......

As for what TV dimension should house this version of "Little Women", there must be a TV dimension in which the British conquered the world and had such influence over it that everyone spoke with an English accent.  (Based on quite a few historical dramas already, one might think that would be Earth Prime-Time anyway.)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: "LITTLE WOMEN" (THE VIDEO)


The 1978 TV version of "Little Women" is available on YouTube in 20 segments. (What is listed as "Part 21" is from the 1970 British version.)

Rather than embed all 20 segments here, I will present instead Part One. And from there you can easily maneuver through the remaining 19, if you want to see the whole production.


BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MARMEE MARCH


MARGARET "MARMEE" MARCH

AS SEEN IN:

'Little Women'

AS PLAYED BY:

Dorothy McGuire

CREATED BY:

Louisa May Alcott

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:
The girls' mother and head of household while her husband is away at war. She engages in charitable works and attempts to guide her girls' morals and to shape their characters, usually through experiments. She confesses to Jo (after the argument with Amy) that her temper is as volatile as Jo's own, but that she has learned to control it.


From the source:

"Now, Grandma's sixtieth birthday! Long life to her, with three times three!"
That was given with a will, as you may well believe, and the cheering once begun, it was hard to stop it. Everybody's health was proposed, from Mr. Laurence, who was considered their special patron, to the astonished guinea pig, who had strayed from its proper sphere in search of its young master. Demi, as the oldest grandchild, then presented the queen of the day with various gifts, so numerous that they were transported to the festive scene in a wheelbarrow. 

Funny presents, some of them, but what would have been defects to other eyes were ornaments to Grandma's—for the children's gifts were all their own. Every stitch Daisy's patient little fingers had put into the handkerchiefs she hemmed was better than embroidery to Mrs. March. Demi's miracle of mechanical skill, though the cover wouldn't shut, Rob's footstool had a wiggle in its uneven legs that she declared was soothing, and no page of the costly book Amy's child gave her was so fair as that on which appeared in tipsy capitals, the words—"To dear Grandma, from her little Beth."


During the ceremony the boys had mysteriously disappeared, and when Mrs. March had tried to thank her children, and broken down, while Teddy wiped her eyes on his pinafore, the Professor suddenly began to sing. Then, from above him, voice after voice took up the words, and from tree to tree echoed the music of the unseen choir, as the boys sang with all their hearts the little song that Jo had written, Laurie set to music, and the Professor trained his lads to give with the best effect. This was something altogether new, and it proved a grand success, for Mrs. March couldn't get over her surprise, and insisted on shaking hands with every one of the featherless birds, from tall Franz and Emil to the little quadroon, who had the sweetest voice of all. 

~~~
Touched to the heart, Mrs. March could only stretch out her arms, as if to gather children and grandchildren to herself, and say, with face and voice full of motherly love, gratitude, and humility...

"Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!"

BCnU......

Thursday, January 26, 2012

SKED ALERT/SNEAK PEEK: SPARTACUS!

'Spartacus: Vengeance', the second full season in the 'Spartacus' franchise begins tomorrow night at 10 pm EST on Starz. (There had also been a six episode prequel in between with the hope that it would give Andy Whitfield time to recover from his cancer. Sadly, he died from it last year.)

I never saw the first season with Whitfield as Spartacus, so I can't make any comparisons with the new Spartacus, Liam McIntyre. But taken on his own, I like him a lot and think he'll honorably carry on doing a superb job in Andy Whitfield's memory. And he had Whitfield's blessing, so I hope yahoos in the audience don't lash out at McIntyre.

Having seen the first episode which premieres on Friday, I know one thing for sure - I have GOT to see this from the beginning!

Do you want to see tomorrow night's premiere a day early? If this embed code works, you can!


And just in case you're one of those people who don't stay to the end of the credits, this is the last image you would have seen:
Good night and may God bless.....


FAE PLACE


I've seen only one 'Lost Girl' episode so far (another one is in the queue, recorded last night), and although they haven't stated where it takes place, I think we can assume its Toronto location shots should lock that city into place. Maybe they want it to be Anywhere, USA, (Bo does mention that she was raised in the Midwest.), but it was easy enough to track down the place where they shot a major street scene to Queen West Street in Toronto.

I've seen it happen before with a Canadian show on American TV. I don't think they ever mentioned the location of 'The Listener' when it aired on NBC, but the small details branded it as being north of the border.

And I hope 'Lost Girl' remains a Toronto tale. With its succubi and demons, werewolves and ogres, it all has the feel of a Charles de Lint novel - and I was a big fan of his work during my urban fantasy days. In fact, I'd love to see Tamsin House in the background. ("Tamsin House" is the umbrella title for a series of de Lint's books, beginning with "Moonheart" in 1984.)
BCnU!

VANITY FAIR PAIR


'CASTLE'
"
An Embarrassment Of Bitches"

When Kay Capuccio, a reality star who was famous for being famous, was being questioned by Detective Kate Beckett and novelist Rick Castle, her boyfriend and manager Reggie wanted to know how long it was going to take. Kay had an interview scheduled with a Vanity Fair reporter within the hour.
In the long run, this doesn't matter, since 'Castle' takes place in an alternate TV dimension. But it could be that the reporter was that dimension's doppelganger for either Peter Lange or Sophia Leary. At the very least, getting back to Earth Prime-Time, I'd like to think Peter Lange served as a mentor for Sophia when she first started out at the magazine.
SHOWS CITED:
'Numb3rs' - "Graphic" (for Peter Lange)
'Entourage' (for Sophia Lear, recurring guest character)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: AMY MARCH

AMY MARCH

AS SEEN IN:
'Little Women'

AS PLAYED BY:
Ann Dusenberry

CREATED BY:
Louisa May Alcott

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:
The youngest sister—age twelve when the story begins—Amy is interested in art. She is described by the author as a 'regular snow-maiden' with curly golden hair and blue eyes, 'pale and slender' and 'always carrying herself' like a very proper young lady. She is dissatisfied with the shape of her nose which she attempts to fix with a clothespin. She is "cool, reserved and worldly" which sometimes causes her trouble.

Often "petted" because she is the youngest, she can behave in a vain and spoiled way, and throws tantrums when she is unhappy. Her relationship with Jo is sometimes strained; the literary Jo particularly dislikes when Amy uses big words, mispronouncing them or using them incorrectly. Their most significant argument occurs when Jo will not allow Amy to accompany Jo, Meg and Laurie to the theater. In revenge, Amy finds Jo's unfinished novel and throws it all in the fireplace grate, burning years of work. When Jo discovers this, she boxes Amy's ears and tells her, "I'll never forgive you! Never!" Amy's attempts to apologize to Jo are unsuccessful.

When Laurie and Jo go skating, Amy tags along after them, but she arrives at the lake too late to hear Laurie's warning about thinning ice. Under Josephine's horrified stare, Amy falls through the ice, and is rescued by Laurie's prompt intervention. Realizing she might have lost her sister, Jo's anger dissolves and the two become more close.

When Beth is ill with scarlet fever, Amy is sent to stay with Aunt March as a safety precaution. Aunt March grows fond of her, as Amy's natural grace and docility are more to her taste. Amy is invited to accompany Uncle and Aunt Carrol and cousin Flo on a European trip. Although she enjoys travelling, after seeing the works of artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, Amy gives up her art, because she believes herself to be lacking in talent.

In Europe, Amy meets up with Laurie, and shortly after Beth dies, they marry. Later, Amy gives birth to daughter Elizabeth (Beth or Bess).

From the source:
Amy was having hard times at Aunt March's. She felt her exile deeply, and for the first time in her life, realized how much she was beloved and petted at home. Aunt March never petted any one; she did not approve of it, but she meant to be kind, for the well-behaved little girl pleased her very much, and Aunt March had a soft place in her old heart for her nephew's children, though she didn't think it proper to confess it. She really did her best to make Amy happy, but, dear me, what mistakes she made. Some old people keep young at heart in spite of wrinkles and gray hairs, can sympathize with children's little cares and joys, make them feel at home, and can hide wise lessons under pleasant plays, giving and receiving friendship in the sweetest way.

But Aunt March had not this gift, and she worried Amy very much with her rules and orders, her prim ways, and long, prosy talks. Finding the child more docile and amiable than her sister, the old lady felt it her duty to try and counteract, as far as possible, the bad effects of home freedom and indulgence. So she took Amy by the hand, and taught her as she herself had been taught sixty years ago, a process which carried dismay to Amy's soul, and made her feel like a fly in the web of a very strict spider.


She had to wash the cups every morning, and polish up the old-fashioned spoons, the fat silver teapot, and the glasses till they shone. Then she must dust the room, and what a trying job that was. Not a speck escaped Aunt March's eye, and all the furniture had claw legs and much carving, which was never dusted to suit. Then Polly had to be fed, the lap dog combed, and a dozen trips upstairs and down to get things or deliver orders, for the old lady was very lame and seldom left her big chair. After these tiresome labors, she must do her lessons, which was a daily trial of every virtue she possessed. Then she was allowed one hour for exercise or play, and didn't she enjoy it?


Laurie came every day, and wheedled Aunt March till Amy was allowed to go out with him, when they walked and rode and had capital times. After dinner, she had to read aloud, and sit still while the old lady slept, which she usually did for an hour, as she dropped off over the first page. Then patchwork or towels appeared, and Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk, when she was allowed to amuse herself as she liked till teatime. The evenings were the worst of all, for Aunt March fell to telling long stories about her youth, which were so unutterably dull that Amy was always ready to go to bed, intending to cry over her hard fate, but usually going to sleep before she had squeezed out more than a tear or two.


BCnU!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

ECHOES: PARTY MOUTH


"It's like there's a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited!"
Moe Szyslak
'The Simpsons'

"That was like the 4th of July in my mouth!"
Bo
'Lost Girl'

BCnU!

AN IDIOT BROAD


I'm not a fan of Denise Richards.

I think she's pretty, and it was horrible what she had to go through while married to Charlie Sheen. But neither of those opinions color my belief that she's a terrible actress. The only thing that passes as redemption for her in my lazy eyes is that she is at least trying to act; she's not cluttering up the TV screen like the Kardashiasses who are famous only because they are famous.

But her acting is abysmal. Because of that, I was hoping her brain would be sucked out by those alien slugs in "Starship Troopers". It seemed wrong that she survived while a character played by Dina Meyer, a much better actress, was sacrificed. (Even though it was a sci-fi flick, Meyer's character invoked the cardinal rule of slasher movies - you have sex, you die.)

I cheered when Richards' cheerleader/beauty pageant contestant was clubbed to death with a baton in an episode of the 'Burke's Law' sequel. And I would have been happy if the killer got away with it. And when I heard she would be playing a scientist named Dr. Christmas Jones in a James Bond movie.... Doctor??? Well, I scratched "The World Is Not Enough" off my must-see list. And I really was looking forward to seeing Robbie Coltrane and John Cleese in it too.

But....

This past week Denise Richards showed up on '30 Rock' playing herself in "Idiots Are People Two" (and she'll probably be in this week's conclusion, "Idiots Are People Three".) She was serving as the celebrity spokesperson for the NBC boycott by idiots.
She was actually quite good in the role Being an idiot suits her.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: BETH MARCH


BETH MARCH

AS SEEN IN:
'Little Women'

AS PLAYED BY:
Eve Plumb

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

CREATED BY:
Louisa May Alcott

From Wikipedia:
Beth, fourteen when the story starts, is described as shy, even-tempered and musical, and has always been very close to Jo. As her sisters begin to leave the nest, Beth wonders what will become of her, as all she wants is to remain at home with her parents. When Beth's health eventually begins a rapid decline, the entire family nurses her, especially Jo, who rarely leaves her side. Finally, the family begins to realize that Beth will not live much longer. They separate a room for her, filled with all the things she loves best: her kittens, piano, father's books, Amy's sketches, and her beloved dolls.

In her last year, at age nineteen, Beth is still trying to make it better for those who will be left behind. She is never idle, except in sleep. But soon, Beth puts down her sewing needle, saying that it grew "so heavy", never to pick it up again. In her final illness, she gives her dying attention to Josephine.

From Shmoop.com:
  • Beth is sitting around with her sisters on Christmas Eve, trying to convince them that they are rich in family and love, even if they don't have much money.
  • Beth acts in a play written by her sister Jo and performed for their friends and family.
  • Beth resolves to carry her "burdens" gracefully.
  • Beth must overcome her shyness in order to take advantage of Mr. Laurence's offer to let her play his piano.
  • Beth and Mr. Laurence become close friends. Beth reminds Mr. Laurence of the granddaughter he had who died.
  • Beth participates in a meeting of her sisters' Pickwick Club.
  • Beth is the only one of the sister who can't actually make herself be lazy, even as an experiment.
  • Beth participates in "Camp Laurence" and meets Laurie's friends, the Vaughns.
  • Beth tells her sisters and her friend Laurie that she doesn't have a "castle in the air"; she just wants to stay at home and take care of her parents and sisters.
  • Beth is distraught when her family receives a telegram saying that her father has been wounded.
  • Beth cares for the poor Hummel family alone while her mother is gone.
  • Beth catches scarlet fever from the Hummel family's baby.
  • Beth is extremely sick and Laurie sends for Mrs. March.
  • Beth recovers from the scarlet fever but is never the same.
  • Beth is overjoyed when her father returns home.
  • Beth attends her sister Meg's wedding.
  • Beth realizes that she is dying.
  • Beth makes Jo promise to take her place as caretaker for her parents.
  • Beth reconciles herself to an early death and tries to make her peace with God.
  • Beth dies.

  • From the source:

    MY BETH
    Sitting patient in the shadow
    Till the blessed light shall come,
    A serene and saintly presence
    Sanctifies our troubled home.

    Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows
    Break like ripples on the strand
    Of the deep and solemn river
    Where her willing feet now stand.

    O my sister, passing from me,
    Out of human care and strife,
    Leave me, as a gift, those virtues
    Which have beautified your life.

    Dear, bequeath me that great patience
    Which has power to sustain
    A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit
    In its prison-house of pain.

    Give me, for I need it sorely,
    Of that courage, wise and sweet,
    Which has made the path of duty
    Green beneath your willing feet.

    Give me that unselfish nature,
    That with charity devine
    Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake—
    Meek heart, forgive me mine!

    Thus our parting daily loseth
    Something of its bitter pain,
    And while learning this hard lesson,
    My great loss becomes my gain.

    For the touch of grief will render
    My wild nature more serene,
    Give to life new aspirations,
    A new trust in the unseen.

    Henceforth, safe across the river,
    I shall see forever more
    A beloved, household spirit
    Waiting for me on the shore.

    Hope and faith, born of my sorrow,
    Guardian angels shall become,
    And the sister gone before me
    By their hands shall lead me home.

    Blurred and blotted, faulty and feeble as the lines were, they brought a look of inexpressible comfort to Beth's face, for her one regret had been that she had done so little, and this seemed to assure her that her life had not been useless, that her death would not bring the despair she feared.
    BCnU!

    Tuesday, January 24, 2012

    JENNA-RATIONALE


    The televersion of a real person has just as much validity for crossovers as do fully fictional characters - at least in the Toobworld Dynamic. (Mileage may vary in other shared universes.) Televersions don't even have to actually appear on a show to have it count as a credit towards their League of Themselves resume. All that is needed is that something is different about them that would never have happened (probably) in the real world.

    As an example: It was revealed in an episode of 'Movie Stars' that Tom Hanks once lashed out in anger... using his Oscar statue as a weapon. (This is why I added the caveat "Probably" - how do I know he's not full of homicidal rage?) Hanks didn't show up on screen but it can serve to connect 'Movie Stars' with 'The Naked Truth', '30 Rock', 'Life With Bonnie', and 'Primetime Glick'.

    '30 Rock'* had two examples this week in which the real person didn't show up but still could be linked to other TV shows. And both examples were courtesy of Jenna Maroney, one of the stars of 'TGS with Tracy Jordan'. (The episode title was "Idiots Are People Two".)

    Kenneth:
    I’m afraid I have bad news.”
    Jenna:
    Jenny McCarthy died?
    But who could have been slowly poisoning her?
    Was she poisoned?
    I have no way of knowing because I’m just hearing about it.

    Jenny McCarthy hit it big in the real world back in the early 90's with an appearance in Playboy magazine. Since then she's added to the roll call of Toobworld's citizenry with characters on 'Two And A Half Men', 'Just Shoot Me', 'In The Motherhood', 'One On One', and 'Chuck' among others. Plus several TV movies and feature films.


    But she's also become famous enough to warrant appearing as herself in several TV productions - an episode of 'Sesame Street', in the 'Baywatch' episode "Beachblast", and in the sitcom pilot 'Lipshitz Saves The World' with Leslie Nielsen and Ty Burrell. (If I'm not mistaken, you catch a quick glimpse of her in this trailer.....)


    I suppose if the loverly Ms. McCarthy should die in real life, God forbid!, it could be surmised that her televersion was finally killed off by Jenna Maroney.

    As for that second reference to a real life celebrity.....

    I’m just going to tell you what I told Phil Spector:
    It’s okay, baby.
    We just have to get some trash bags
    and get back here before anyone’s the wiser.
    Then we can keep recording my album.
    Jenna Maroney

    So apparently Jenna was involved in the murder of Lana Clarkson, for which Phil Spector was found guilty. She doesn't quite come out and admit it, but what else could Spector have been guilty of that might have needed trash bags....?

    Out of all the shows this quote could possibly link to, how many of you might have picked a 1960's sitcom about the use of magic?


    I'll have to go back and check out other Jenna Maroney quotes from the past and see what other TV series she could connect. It just may be that she could find herself on the Birthday Honors List for membership in the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame... as a playa behind the scenes!

    BCnU!

    * I thought I had thrown in the towel on '30 Rock' being part of Earth Prime-Time because it had so many Zonks with mentions of other TV shows which should have been sharing the same reality. But apparently I had a change of heart. I've come to embrace that sooner or later, every TV character will have his or her own TV show.

    NEW TO VIEW @ TOOB HQ


    On Sunday morning as I came home from work, I decided to stop off at the Dunkin' Donuts for a hot chocolate and a couple of toasted bagels with cream cheese. It's not something I do every day, as I try to be a good boy and watch what I eat, mostly.... Besides, for most of the week it's packed with teachers from the school across the street when I get home.

    But it was Sunday morning, the place was basically empty, and it was the beginning of my days off, and it was cold. I figured the hot chocolate would be a nice way to unwind.

    The streets were nasty still from Saturday's storm and my shoes were covered with rock salt. So I followed the runners they laid down inside the gas station Kwikee Mart where the Dunkin' Donuts is located, rather than just walking straight up to their window. And because of that, I saw the Kwikee Mart display of really cheap DVDs....

    All of them were $6.99, which I guess makes them more tempting than if they had a sticker listing them as $7.00. But it worked on me and I picked up three of them:

    1] 'WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE (Season One) - The classic Steve McQueen TV Western

    2] Stephen King's 'NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES' - including one unaired episode.

    3] 'KIDNAPPED' starring Jeremy Sisto, Delroy Lindo, Timothy Hutton, Dana Delaney, Linus Roache, Mykelti Williamson, and a "Homina Thrice", Carmen Ejogo. I didn't need the DVD for a post I'll eventually write about Hutton's character being the half-brother to his character from 'Leverage', but I'll get better frame grabs than I would from the web...

    Otherwise, the display had mostly cheesy movies and wrestling DVDs......

    BCnU!

    AS SEEN ON TV: JO MARCH


    JO MARCH

    AS SEEN IN:
    'Little Women'

    AS PLAYED BY:
    Susan Dey

    TV DIMENSION:
    Earth Prime-Time



    JO MARCH

    AS SEEN IN:

    'Little Women II: Jo's Boys'
    "Wakakusa monogatari nan to Jô sensei"

    AS PLAYED BY:

    Eiko Yamada

    TV DIMENSION:
    The Tooniverse

    CREATED BY:
    Louisa May Alcott

    From Wikipedia:
    The second-oldest of four sisters, Jo March starts out as a tomboyish, hot-tempered, fifteen-year-old girl. She loves activity and can't bear to be left on the sidelines; it drives her crazy that she can't go and fight in the Civil War alongside her father, who has volunteered as a chaplain. Instead, Jo has to stay at home and try to reconcile herself to a nineteenth-century woman's place in the domestic sphere, which is extremely difficult for her. She's clumsy, blunt, opinionated, and jolly. Her behavior is often most unladylike – she swears (mildly), burns her dress while warming herself at the fire, spills things on her only gloves, and barely tolerates her cranky old Aunt March. She's so boyish that Mr. March has referred to her as his "son Jo" in the past, and her best friend Laurie sometimes calls her "my dear fellow."

    Jo also loves literature, both reading and writing it. She composes plays for her sisters to perform and writes stories that she eventually gets published. She imitates Dickens and Shakespeare and Scott, and whenever she's not doing chores or washing the poodle, cleaning the parrot Polly's cage, sewing towels (for Aunt Josephine March) she curls up in her room, in a corner of the attic, or outside, completely absorbed in a good book.

    Jo hopes to do something great when she grows up, although she's not sure what that might be – perhaps write a great novel. Whatever it is, it's not going to involve getting married; Jo hates the idea of romance, because marriage might break up her family and separate her from the sisters she adores.

    Jo is being set up for a meaningful journey of self-discovery and surprises. By the end of the novel, her dreams and dislikes are turned topsy-turvy; her desire to make her way in the world and her distaste for staying at home are altered forever. She does not find romance in the places that readers expect, but she did find it. She also realizes that romantic love has its place, even though it changes the relationships one already has. As Jo discovers her feminine side, she also figures out how to balance her ambitious nature with the constraints placed on nineteenth-century women.

    From the source:
           Meg, Beth, and Amy were sitting together, late in the afternoon, when Jo burst into the room, looking excited and demanding breathlessly, "Has anyone taken my book?"

    Meg and Beth said, "No." at once, and looked surprised. Amy poked the fire and said nothing. Jo saw her color rise and was down upon her in a minute.

    "Amy, you've got it!"

    "No, I haven't."

    "You know where it is, then!"

    "No, I don't."

    "That's a fib!" cried Jo, taking her by the shoulders, and looking fierce enough to frighten a much braver child than Amy.

    "It isn't. I haven't got it, don't know where it is now, and don't care."

    "You know something about it, and you'd better tell at once, or I'll make you." And Jo gave her a slight shake.

    "Scold as much as you like, you'll never see your silly old book again," cried Amy, getting excited in her turn.

    "Why not?"

    "I burned it up."

    "What! My little book I was so fond of, and worked over, and meant to finish before Father got home? Have you really burned it?" said Jo, turning very pale, while her eyes kindled and her hands clutched Amy nervously.

    "Yes, I did! I told you I'd make you pay for being so cross yesterday, and I have, so..."

    Amy got no farther, for Jo's hot temper mastered her, and she shook Amy till her teeth chattered in her head, crying in a passion of grief and anger...

    "You wicked, wicked girl! I never can write it again, and I'll never forgive you as long as I live."

    Meg flew to rescue Amy, and Beth to pacify Jo, but Jo was quite beside herself, and with a parting box on her sister's ear, she rushed out of the room up to the old sofa in the garret, and finished her fight alone.

    BCnU!

    Monday, January 23, 2012

    REALI-TV: "HOUSE HUNTERS"

    Yeah, well I also have a lot of imaginary arguments 
    with the couples on 'House Hunters'.
    WHY CAN’T PEOPLE LOOK PAST PAINT COLOR?!
    Liz Lemon
    '30 Rock'

    'House Hunters' would fall into the category of real world TV shows that have counterparts in the TV Universe, with no fear of Zonks - like 'American Gladiators', 'Jeopardy!', and 'The Tonight Show'.
    I'm not a fan of reality television like this, but I recently watched an episode of 'House Hunters' on HGTV. It was about these two school teachers, Dwight and Karen, who wanted to buy a home before they got married. And the location they chose? Dwight's hometown of Meriden, Connecticut, which is where I grew up as well.....

    BCnU!

    BACK TO THE BATCAVE - AN UPDATE

    The last time I talked about the Batcave, I mentioned that I saw two different references to it in the space of a week. This time, it was twice over the same amount of days.

    "You got me a Batcave? A Batcave!"
    Alec Hardison
    'Leverage' - "The Last Dam Job"

    "So... you built a Batcave under Alcatraz....."
    Doctor Diego "Doc" Soto:
    'Alcatraz' - "Pilot"

    I've looked over that original article and I think the premise still holds up. Other people found their way into the Batcave, with most of them surviving the experience. (Save for poor deluded Molly who fell into the Batcave's nuclear reactor - "What a way to go-go.") And those who had been in the Batcave may have eventually told their story to the media after Batman retired.
    Molly falls to her death
    So eventually the general public would have known about it, if not where it was actually located, and so it would have been no big deal to work mentions of it into their conversation. (Back in 2009, it was also mentioned on an episode of 'General Hospital'!)

    And in Toobworld, as has happened so often with other TV shows that became iconic, fictional TV shows were made about them. You wouldn't believe how many TV shows mention a TV show about Batman and starring the televersion of Adam West as well!

    BCnU!

    AS SEEN ON TV: MEG MARCH


    MEG MARCH

    AS SEEN IN:
    'Little Women'

    AS PLAYED BY:
    Meredith Baxter Birney

    TV DIMENSION:
    Earth Prime-Time

    CREATED BY:
    Louisa May Alcott

    From Wikipedia:
    At sixteen, she is the oldest sister. She is considered the beauty of the March household (written as very pretty, plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft, brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she is rather vain) and she is well-mannered. Meg runs the household when her mother is absent. Meg also guards Amy from Jo when the two quarrel, just as Jo protects Beth. Meg is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family. 

    Because of the genteel social standing of her family, Meg is allowed into society. However, after a few disappointing experiences (first, the Kings' eldest son is disinherited for bad behavior, and later she visits her friend Annie Moffat and discovers that her family believes Mrs. March is plotting to match her with Laurie only to gain his family's wealth), Meg learns that true worth does not lie with money. She falls in love with Mr. John Brooke, Laurie's tutor, whom she marries. Meg bears twin children, Margaret "Daisy" and John Brooke "Demi" (short for Demi-John), and "Demi" and "Daisy" live a happy life.

    From the source:
    The next day was fine, and Meg departed in style for a fortnight of novelty and pleasure. Mrs. March had consented to the visit rather reluctantly, fearing that Margaret would come back more discontented than she went. But she begged so hard, and Sallie had promised to take good care of her, and a little pleasure seemed so delightful after a winter of irksome work that the mother yielded, and the daughter went to take her first taste of fashionable life.

    The Moffats were very fashionable, and simple Meg was rather daunted, at first, by the splendor of the house and the elegance of its occupants. But they were kindly people, in spite of the frivolous life they led, and soon put their guest at her ease. Perhaps Meg felt, without understanding why, that they were not particularly cultivated or intelligent people, and that all their gilding could not quite conceal the ordinary material of which they were made. It certainly was agreeable to fare sumptuously, drive in a fine carriage, wear her best frock every day, and do nothing but enjoy herself. It suited her exactly, and soon she began to imitate the manners and conversation of those about her, to put on little airs and graces, use French phrases, crimp her hair, take in her dresses, and talk about the fashions as well as she could. The more she saw of Annie Moffat's pretty things, the more she envied her and sighed to be rich. Home now looked bare and dismal as she thought of it, work grew harder than ever, and she felt that she was a very destitute and much-injured girl, in spite of the new gloves and silk stockings.

    She had not much time for repining, however, for the three young girls were busily employed in 'having a good time'. They shopped, walked, rode, and called all day, went to theaters and operas or frolicked at home in the evening, for Annie had many friends and knew how to entertain them. Her older sisters were very fine young ladies, and one was engaged, which was extremely interesting and romantic, Meg thought. Mr. Moffat was a fat, jolly old gentleman, who knew her father, and Mrs. Moffat, a fat, jolly old lady, who took as great a fancy to Meg as her daughter had done. Everyone petted her, and 'Daisey', as they called her, was in a fair way to have her head turned.

    When the evening for the small party came, she found that the poplin wouldn't do at all, for the other girls were putting on thin dresses and making themselves very fine indeed. So out came the tarlatan, looking older, limper, and shabbier than ever beside Sallie's crisp new one. Meg saw the girls glance at it and then at one another, and her cheeks began to burn, for with all her gentleness she was very proud. No one said a word about it, but Sallie offered to dress her hair, and Annie to tie her sash, and Belle, the engaged sister, praised her white arms. But in their kindness Meg saw only pity for her poverty, and her heart felt very heavy as she stood by herself, while the others laughed, chattered, and flew about like gauzy butterflies.

    BCnU!

    Sunday, January 22, 2012

    TUBULAR KNELLS

    I guess I wasn't done with posting videos today like I thought....

    This commercial will begin airing on Monday, marking an end to a character whom the Shat had been playing for the last 14 years.  The company is going in a new direction with their service but The Negotiator is too intertwined with the old business model.

    So this is how they decided to break the connection with the image he fostered.....


    BCnU.....

    THE REAL McCOY AND A TRUE ACE


    For our final entry this Video Weekend, we couldn't finish it off without some 'Doctor Who' content.  

    So here's a short interview with Sylvester McCoy (who played the seventh incarnation of the Doctor) and Sophie Alldred (who was the Doctor's Companion, Ace).....


    BCnU!