SKETCHY DETAILS - THE MEDDLING MONK?

'Doctor Who' has been well represented in Skitlandia, mostly from the UK - 'French & Saunders', 'Comic Relief', 'Dead Ringers', 'Lenny Henry', and 'The Two Ronnies', among many others.

For our 'Doctor Who' video of the weekend, here is Dave Allen with a very different model of baptismal font.....

BCnU!

THEME OF THRONES

It's O'Bvious that 'Game Of Thrones' has a winner when it comes to the theme music. I find there's always some dust in the room whenever I see those opening credits, so that I get this lump in my throat.

How can I tell that the theme music is just as popular as the rest of the show? Check out these YouTube videos.

First, let's start off with the opening credits.  This is a sequence you should pay attention to in every episode, as new locations are added to the map almost every week.....

And now here are the tributes covers:

I guess you could say that the 'Game Of Thrones' theme music has struck a chord with viewers.

Sorry about that, Chieftain......

VAUGHAN-VILLE

I've written about Peter Vaughan, the actor featured in our ASOTV showcase for today, in the past - he played Horace Dorrington, one of 'The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes'.

He first came to my notice back in the 1980's when he played the Ogre in 'Time Bandits'. Mostly because he was treated in the credits as being as big a star as the others in the cast, and yet I never heard of him. (If I never heard of it, it doesn't exist!)

"Time Bandits" is one of those movies I'd like to abduct from the Cineverse and bring over the border into Toobworld.  There should have been a kids' TV show based on that movie!

Here's a look at one of his other roles in the Cineverse, as Anthony Hopkins' father in "Remains Of The Day":

He was also the star of a 1969 crime drama series called 'The Gold Robbers' as Chief Superintendent Cradock:

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AS SEEN ON TV: MASTER AEMON

MAESTER AEMON

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PORTRAYED BY:

Peter Vaughan

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

TV LOCATION:

Castle Black, the Wall, Westeros, Mondas

From the "Game of Thrones Wiki":

Aemon is a recurring character in Game of Thrones. He is played by guest star Peter Vaughan and débuts in the third episode of the first season.

Aemon is the maester at Castle Black and is one of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's closest advisers in the Night's Watch. He was once a member of House Targaryen before he joined the order of maesters and dropped his house name, but this has been long forgotten by most. He has served as the Maester at Castle Black for decades.

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TOOB-LINK FOR THE DAY

INNER TOOB POST #7500:


"Can’t keep a treacle-cutter straight from a one-percenter? Oblivious to the piloting skills of Jimmy Burrows? Baffled during the talk at the Paley Center by all those references to “laying pipe”? Well, don’t hang a lantern on it; tune in right now to ...

The TV Snob’s Dictionary
Compiled by David Kamp
Illustrations by Zohar Lazar"

SOCK IT TO ME

My Iddiot friend Lydia has found that TV just isn't enough to occupy her anymore:

"Folding socks and panties 

while watching 'The West Wing, Season 1: Episode 12'.

 Life is weird."

So I - of course! - made a suggestion:

"Use them as puppets to act out the 'West Wing' scenes as they play out on the TV screen......"

I don't think I'm going to see that happen anytime soon.

But you see that deep pink sock off to the right?  

Totally Sam Seaborn's prostitute.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: OLD NAN

OLD NAN

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PORTRAYED BY:

Margaret John

AS SEEN IN:

'Game of Thrones'

TV LOCATION:

Winterfell, Westeros, Mondas

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

Old Nan is a recurring character in 'Game of Thrones'. She was played by Margaret John and débuts in the third episode of the first season. Margaret John passed away on 2 February 2011, after the completion of filming for the first season. According to the writers the character passed away between the first and second season.

Old Nan is an elderly storyteller at Winterfell. She is a retired servant of House Stark known for her tale-telling abilities. She has entertained the children of Eddard and Catelyn with stories throughout their childhoods. Her great grandson Hodor is a stable hand at the castle.

If 'Game Of Thrones' followed the books to the letter, Old Nan would have been around for a while longer. Sadly, Margaret John passed away soon after completing her scenes for the first season. It looks like Osha will be picking up the slack in her absence.

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 04/2012 - MIKE WALLACE

While I was away in Connecticut to celebrate Easter with my family, legendary TV news investigator Mike Wallace passed away. He will forever be linked to the newsmagazine '60 Minutes', as well as to being the narrator for many episodes of 'Biography'.

He also provided his own televersion with two appearances in the TV series 'Murphy Brown' as well as one episode of 'The Jack Benny Show'. And he was one of the reporters who traveled back in Time for CBS News in order to provide "You Are There" reports. (He may have done this only once, in 1953, for a report on the conquest of Mexico.)

With his ex-wife Buff Cobb, Wallace hosted a talk show in the early days of the Toob. (He soloed on an interview show in 1957, 'The Mike Wallace Interview'.)

He also toiled as a commercial spokesman back then as well - during the several tributes I saw for him the day after he died, his commercial for Golden Fluffo kept coming up.

And we've got one more qualifier, from the Tooniverse - in the "Treehouse Of Horror V" episode of 'The Simpsons', Mike Wallace showed up with the other hosts of '60 Minutes', giving him an animated presence in the TV Universe.

With the two series in which he played himself and the 'You Are There' reportage, added to his heavy-hitting style on '60 Minutes', we're inducting Mike Wallace into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.

Good night and may God bless.

There will still be another induction into the Hall of Fame later this month, more in keeping with the general theme of April inductions......

THE MISSING CASTLE

Ever since 'Castle' began, I've been saying that it has to be relegated to an alternate dimension because of its black mayor in New York City. (Until he leaves office, Mike Bloomberg is the Hizzoner of the Big Apple, thanks to appearances in shows like 'Law & Order' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.)

I've also added the caveat that eventually it can be blended back into the main Toobworld, but only after the series has concluded. Then we can claim that a temporal reboot rearranged that Toobworld's timeline so that author Richard Castle was a friend of Bloomberg's and not of the other mayor, Robert Weldon. (It's the same kind of scheme we pulled on 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' - the series played out in its original timeline, but a temporal reboot changed the scenario after the fact so that the President of the United States for certain episodes was either Richard Nixon or Gerald Ford, instead of Henry Talbot McNeill, as seen on TV.)

However, a recent episode of 'Missing' reminded us that even though 'Castle' as a show is not currently in the dimension of Earth Prime-Time, the man himself already exists in the main Toobworld.

It was a quick confirmation. Becca Winstone and CIA agent Dax Miller visited her former mentor for help in the search for her son. Martin Newman, now a famous author, had first editions of his books on display in his home. Dax picked one up and checked out the back cover:

So we know Richard Castle is an author in Toobworld; we just don't know yet if he's working with Detective Kate Beckett at the 12th Precinct. But since Castle exists in the main Toobworld, - along with his mother and daughter, I'm assuming (Martha might have died and Alexis might never have been born in Earth Prime-Time.) - then I think it's safe to suggest that Beckett and her team, Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan, plus medical examiner Lanie Parrish, also exist in the main Toobworld.

Who knows? Maybe Captain Roy Montgomery is still alive in that dimension.....

BCnU!

PS:

I have no reason - yet - to ship 'Missing' off to an alternate TV dimension. Then again, I'm an episode behind everybody else. But if I must, off it goes to the world of 'Castle'. Unless of course the powers that be at ABC decide to make a connection to 'Scandal' next......

Belated thanks to blogging buddy Brent McKee for pointing this out to me.  It was the type of a-ha moment that I might have been looking down at my dinner plate at that moment.  In fact, when I finally watched the full episode finally yesterday, I missed seeing Dex pick the book up for that reason.....

AS SEEN ON TV: SYRIO FOREL

SYRIO FOREL

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PORTRAYED BY:

Miltos Yerolemou

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

TV LOCATION:

King's Landing, Westeros, Mondas

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

Syrio Forel is a recurring character in Game of Thrones. He is played by guest star Miltos Yerolemou and débuts in the third episode of the first season. Syrio Forel is a master sword-fighter and instructor, originally from the Free City of Braavos where he spent nine years as the First Sword of the city, before relocating to King's Landing.

My friend Helen Freeman warned me before the series began that I should not get too attached to any character. I know she was referring to one particular character who didn't see the light of day in Season Two. But I still wonder if that warning could be applied to Syrio, perhaps the most charismatic of all the secondary characters in the show?

We didn't see Syrio die in that scene, but logic might lead us to believe that he surely must have. After all, he only had a broken wooden sword at hand. (Why he didn't take a quick second to grab up one of the blades of his fallen opponents doesn't make sense to me.)

But Syrio Forel was the First Sword of Braavos. Eventually he may have disarmed one of the guards so that he might use that blade for himself against Ser Meryn and the others. I haven't read the books (and I won't until the series has ended), so I can't say for certain what his fate was over in BookWorld.

By the way, please don't post any spoilers in the comments below or they will be deleted. Delete. Delete. Delete. I don't need to have my curiosity satisfied.

BCnU!

GRANT'S TOOB

As did 'The West Wing' before it, 'Scandal' has shown in its pilot episode ("Sweet Baby") that just because an alternate TV dimension has a different President of the United States than does the main Toobworld, that doesn't mean all of the world leaders will be different in that dimension as well.

With 'The West Wing', it was White House Counsel Lionel Tribbie's mention of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain which demonstrated this. For 'Scandal', it was the report of President Fitzgerald Grant's upcoming meeting with President Sarkozy of France, as reported on the news.

It feels as though President Grant has been in office for most of one term already, based on the pilot episode. And we know that before him, Bill Clinton had been president earlier. (Monica Lewinsky's scandal was mentioned a few times.) So this dimension took a divergent path after the administration of George W. Bush so that Barack Obama never became the POTUS.

And that means it can't be considered part of the dimensions for '24', 'The West Wing', or 'Commander-In-Chief'.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: KHAL DROGO

KHAL DROGO

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PLAYED BY:

Jason Momoa

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

TV LOCATION:

Universe of Earth Prime-Time

(Essos, Mondas)

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

Drogo, often named with his full title, Khal Drogo, is a major character in 'Game of Thrones'. He is played by starring cast member Jason Momoa and debuts in the first episode of the first season. He only appears in the first season.

Drogo is a powerful warlord and feared warrior. He married Daenerys Targaryen and subsequently grew to love her. He promised to retake the kingdom of Westeros for her after she survived an assassination attempt.

He raided a Lhazareen village to take slaves to fund the planned invasion. He took a small wound during the sack of the village and is treated by the godswife Mirri Maz Duur. His wound festers and he becomes gravely unwell. Daenerys asks Duur to save him using blood magic but Duur uses a spell that leaves him in a vegetative state in revenge for the destruction of her village.

Daenerys ends his suffering herself and burns Duur on his funeral pyre. Daenerys walks into the flames with her dragon eggs, but survives the inferno and hatches three dragons.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE TARGARYENS

VISERYS & DAENERYS TARGARYEN

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PLAYED BY:

Harry Lloyd - Viserys

Emilia Clark - Daenerys

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

LOCATION:

The Universe of Earth Prime-Time

(Pentos & the Dothraki lands, Essos, Mondas)

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

VISERYS TARGARYEN

Viserys Targaryen is a major character in 'Game of Thrones'. He is played by starring cast member Harry Lloyd and débuts in the first episode of the first season. He only appears in the first season. 

Viserys is the exiled head of House Targaryen and believes himself the rightful ruler of Westeros. He arranges the marriage of his younger sister Daenerys Targaryen to the dothraki Khal Drogo to provide the army he needs to retake his throne. He grows impatient with Drogo and threatens to kill Daenerys if Drogo does not deliver his crown as agreed. Drogo responds by killing Viserys in a unique and spectacular fashion. 

Viserys is the son and heir of King Aerys II Targaryen, the former ruler of Westeros. Aerys was killed during the Sack of King's Landing during Robert's Rebellion. Viserys was safe with his pregnant mother in hiding on the island of Dragonstone. After his mother died in childbirth, Viserys and his baby sister Daenerys were smuggled to safety in the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea.

Viserys claims the title King of the Seven Kingdoms and refers to Robert Baratheon only as 'the Usurper'. After years spent fruitlessly wandering the Free Cities seeking military support to retake his throne, Viserys and Daenerys became guests of the powerful Magister Illyrio Mopatis in Pentos.

DAENERYS TARGARYEN

Daenerys Targaryen, sometimes called Dany, is a major character in 'Game of Thrones'. She is played by starring cast member Emilia Clarke and débuts in the first episode of the first season. The role of Daenerys was originally played by Tamzin Merchant in the unaired pilot episode, but the role was recast for the series proper for undisclosed reasons.

She is the only surviving child of King Aerys II Targaryen who was ousted from the Iron Throne in Robert's Rebellion. She lives in exile in the East. She was married to the dothraki Khal Drogo but lost her husband and unborn son to the manipulations of the vengeful maegi Mirri Maz Duur. Her marriage gave her the confidence to lead and the belief in herself as the rightful queen of Westeros. She plans to retake her homeland. She hatched three dragons by walking into Drogo's funeral pyre with the eggs, her dragons are the first in the world for hundreds of years.

Daenerys is the only daughter and youngest child of King Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King. Her father died during the Sack of King's Landing before she was even born. Her mother fled to the island of Dragonstone to escape the usurper Robert Baratheon who installed himself as king. On the night Daenerys was born on Dragonstone, a vast storm raged. For this reason she is sometimes called Daenerys Stormborn. Her mother died soon after she was born. As a baby, she was taken into exile in the Free Cities with her brother, Viserys, by loyal retainers. 

After years spent fruitlessly trying to raise support to retake the Iron Throne, Viserys and Daenerys were given sanctuary by Magister Illyrio Mopatis in the Free City of Pentos. She dreams of finding a peaceful home and a place to belong. She lives in fear of her brother's temper and is meek and malleable.

At first.......

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: VARYS THE SPIDER

VARYS

CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

PLAYED BY:

Conleth Hill

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

LOCATION:

Universe of Earth Prime-Time

(King's Landing, Westeros, Mondas)

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

"Power resides where men believe it resides; 

it's a trick, a shadow on the wall, 

and a very small man can cast a very large shadow." 

Varys 

Varys, sometimes called The Spider, is a major character in 'Game of Thrones'. He is played by starring cast member Conleth Hill and débuts in the third episode of the first season. Varys is a eunuch and the Master of Whisperers on the king's small council. He is a skilled manipulator and commands a network of informants across two continents.

Varys was born across the Narrow Sea. He is a eunuch and was castrated in his youth. He is a member of the King's small council, where he serves as Master of Whisperers, the King's foremost spymaster and intelligence agent. He holds no inherited title or land in Westeros, but is called 'Lord' as a courtesy due to his position on the council, which traditionally is made up of great lords. Varys is bald and tends towards fat. He has a gift for impersonation.

He is disparagingly known as 'The Spider' due to his vast web of intelligence sources. His sophisticated intelligence network spans both Westeros and Essos. He refers to his agents and sources of information as his 'little birds'. One of his jobs is to keep an eye on the movements of Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen and ensure they do not become a threat to King Robert's reign.

If I got to play any character in an RPG from this show, I think it would be Varys. I'd like to think I'd be such a power in the background, save for the unique aspect. Er, I mean the eunuch aspect.....

BCnU!

EASTER GREETINGS!

HAPPY EASTER, TEAM TOOBWORLD!

WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA DIREWOLF?

'Game of Thrones' is full of "sword & sorcery". But when it comes to dueling, this was the best scene in the first season of the show.....

AS SEEN ON TV: KING ROBERT BARATHEON

Had I not started April with the two characters from a JB Fletcher novel, I might have kicked off the month-long salute to 'Game Of Thrones' with King Robert as the Fool......

KING ROBERT BARATHEON

AS CREATED BY:

George R.R. Martin

AS PLAYED BY:

Mark Addy

AS SEEN IN:

'Game of Thrones'

LOCATION:

Universe of Earth Prime-Time

(King's Landing, Westeros, Mondas)

From the "Game Of Thrones Wiki":

Robert Baratheon is a major character in 'Game of Thrones'. He is played by starring cast member Mark Addy and débuts in the first episode of the first season. He only appears in the first season.

Robert is the King of Westeros. He took the throne by conquest in a war known as Robert's Rebellion. He married Cersei Lannister to cement an alliance necessary to hold the kingdom but does not love her. She claims to have born him three children but they were all fathered by her twin brother Jaime Lannister. Robert is more concerned with drinking, hunting and whoring than with the minutiae of ruling. He prefers to leave running the kingdom to his small council.

He is a childhood friend of Eddard Stark and names him Hand of the King when the previous Hand dies in mysterious circumstances. Eddard launches an investigation and discovers that his predecessor was scrutinising the parentage of Cersei's children. Fearful of exposure Cersei has Robert's squire give him too much wine while hunting. He is wounded by a boar. Eddard cannot bring himself to tell Robert the truth about his children as he succumbs to his injuries. Robert names Eddard protector of the realm just before his death. Cersei ignores the proclamation, has Eddard arrested and seizes the throne for her son, Joffrey. The dispute leads to the War of the Four Kings.

Robert is the first son of Steffon Baratheon, the Lord of Storm's End and head of House Baratheon one of the Great Houses of Westeros. He has two younger brothers, Stannis and Renly. His parents died in his youth and he inherited the lordship. He was fostered with Jon Arryn, the head of House Arryn, another Great House. Eddard Stark, the second son of House Stark, was also fostered with Jon Arryn, and Robert and Eddard became as close as brothers.

Robert served King Aerys II Targaryen (known as the Mad King) as the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. Robert was betrothed to Lyanna Stark, Eddard's sister. Lyanna was kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. The mad king had Eddard's father and brother killed for protesting against the kidnapping. This sparked a massive uprising against the Mad King led by Robert, Eddard and Jon Arryn. Lyanna and Aerys died during the civil war that followed. Robert claimed the Iron Throne because he started the war and killed Prince Rhaegar personally. Robert also had the best claim to the throne as a result of being related to the Targaryens of old through his mother's side. The other leaders of the rebels both refused the throne. Robert was devastated by Lyanna's death but married Cersei of House Lannister in thanks for her father joining his cause late in the conflict and delivering the capital of King's Landing to him. He named Jon Arryn as his Hand while Eddard took his father's role as Warden of the North.

Robert has been the King on the Iron Throne and the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros since the end of the civil war. He is more concerned with drinking, whoring and hunting than with the minutiae of ruling his kingdom. He revels in the glory days of the rebellion. He leaves the running of the kingdom largely his small council, led by Jon Arryn. He apparently has three children with Cersei: Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. Unbeknownst to Robert all three were actually fathered by Cersei's twin brother Jaime Lannister. Robert has also fathered several illegitimate bastards. He has an unacknowledged bastard son named Gendry fathered on a tavern wench. He has an unacknowledged bastard daughter named Barra fathered on the prostitute Mhaegen. He has at least four other unacknowledged bastards fathered on various women in the city of King's Landing alone.

Jon Arryn began to investigate the lineage of Cersei's children, comparing their appearance to Robert's bastard offspring. He died under mysterious circumstances shortly after beginning his investigation. Robert has decided to ride north to Eddard's keep Winterfell to name him as Jon Arryn's replacement.

BCnU!