TOOBMUSIC: ONE DIRECTION

My eight year old nephew supposedly likes these guys, but that could be due to influence from his peers. But I will admit that I found the song to be catchy.....

TVXOHOF - THE EDISON

Jack Benny mentions my place of employ, a recent Birthday Honors List inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.  It comes up at the 3:07 mark.....

BCnU!

FIZZIES THE CLOWN

Time to pay the bills.....

It's a different type of Fizzies that will be needed on Tuesday morning by all those end-of-the-year revelers!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: POD CLOCK

One last 'Doctor Who'-connected entry in the ASOTV showcase which has a Christmas flavor*.....

POD CLOCK

AS SEEN IN:
"The Borrowers" (2010)

CREATED BY:
Mary Norris

PORTRAYED BY:
Christopher Eccleston

TV STATUS:
Recastaway

TV DIMENSION:
The 'West Wing' Dimension
(Why not?)

Christopher Eccleston on playing the role:

From Wikipedia:
"The Borrowers" is a children's fantasy novel by the English author Mary Norton, published by Dent in 1952. It features a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in order to survive. Alternatively, The "Borrowers" is the series of five novels including four sequels that feature the same family after they leave "their" house.

Pod Clock is Arrietty's father and, according to his wife Homily, the most talented Borrower.

From SHMOOP.COM:
Oh Pod. He's really a good guy, but sometimes his parenting leaves a bit to be desired. He loves Arrietty, and he's a good husband to Homily, sure. But he's also more than a little overprotective. So he spends much of the book trying to walk the line between loving dad and total control freak.

And what a fine line it is. See, in Pod's mind, he faces the dangers of borrowing upstairs to ensure a life of safety for his family. As the narrator tells us, "His wife and child led more sheltered lives in homelike apartments under the kitchen, far removed from the risks and dangers of the dreaded house above".

But because only Pod knows how to open the many gates that create a barrier between their home and the outside world, he winds up controlling how much freedom his family has, which is not the fairest thing in the world.

BCnU!

*Only this version is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas.....

AS SEEN ON TV: CAPTAIN BUSH

CAPTAIN WILLIAM BUSH, RN

AS SEEN IN:
'Horatio Hornblower'

CREATED BY:
C.S. Forrester

PORTRAYED BY:
Paul McGann
(The Eighth Doctor)

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:
Captain William Bush RN is a fictional character in C.S. Forester's "Horatio Hornblower series". He is Hornblower's best friend, and serves with Hornblower in the Royal Navy prior to the Peace of Amiens and again during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the Hornblower TV series, Bush was played by Paul McGann. Few changes were made to the character, although some aspects of his role in Lieutenant Hornblower were transferred to Lt. "Archie" Kennedy, who does not appear in the novel.

Bush's role in the novels is that of Hornblower's best friend and second-in-command. He is characterized chiefly by his loyalty, his patience, good nature, and stolid matter-of-fact outlook. Although Hornblower genuinely cares for Bush, he often frustrates and hurts him through harsh criticism. Hornblower, although a brilliant strategist, is a painfully self-conscious and hyperactively introspective man who tries desperately to conceal from the world what he perceives as "weaknesses". However, Bush sees Hornblower as he is:

Bush could be fond of [Hornblower] even while he laughed at him, and
could respect him even while he knew of his weaknesses.
Bush's loyalty to Hornblower is in fact strengthened by Hornblower's
limitations and his attempts to conceal them.

As the Hornblower novels progress, Bush often worries that Hornblower is depriving himself not only of food and rest, but also of human contact. Although Bush is an excellent judge of character, he is not a diplomat; and he must often keep his concern for his sensitive friend to himself. The friendship survives because of Bush's perseverance.

Little of the private life of William Bush is revealed in the Hornblower novels. A significant personal detail about Bush is that he has a mother and four sisters who live in a cottage in Chichester and depend upon Bush for their support. His sisters "devoted all their attention to him whenever it was possible," and he is as devoted to them as he gives them half of his pay. Forester does not reveal whether Bush grew up in Chichester, or at what age he left home. He was "brought up in a harsh school," an experience which taught him caution and perhaps contributed to his natural stolidity.

Forester did not give a date of birth for Bush: indeed, Bush's age changes over the course of the novels. Bush is first described as being a few years older than Hornblower (similar to an older brother), but is later described as ten years older. Nevertheless, Forester does portray Bush consistently as a character who is wistfully protective of his younger friend.

In July 1796 Bush received his commission as lieutenant while serving on the HMS Superb, and thus took the first significant step in his career as a naval officer. Bush recalls that he relied more on "seamanship and not navigation" to pass the requisite examination.

Bush served on board HMS Conqueror just prior to his assignment to Renown. However, Hornblower "biographer" C. Northcote Parkinson remarks that "Bush's last ship had been the HMS Dolphin sloop".

BCnU!

FROM TELEVERSION CITY: MY COUSIN, THE BLOGGER MOM

In one of my very first postings about the TV Universe, back in the olden days of The Tubeworld Dynamic, I wrote about how everybody here in the "Trueniverse" has a counterpart in Toobworld.  And with reality programming, news reports, crowd shots at televized sports events, prank shows like 'Candid Camera' and home video programs, eventually we'll all show up on TV.

Take - oh, I don't know... say!  How about me?  Yes, take me for instance.  Thanks to 'The Hap Richards Show', 'Ranger Andy', "Late Show with David Letterman' and the TV movie "The Deadliest Season", my televersion grew up as a citizen of Joyville, visited the Ranger Station, was given a photocopy of Letterman's vacation picture by Dave himself, and went to a lot of hockey games.  (I'm not a hockey enthusiast, but I played one on TV.)

I'm fairly certain some of my friends would find that their televersions were aliens from other planets; some of them might even be clones; and I've got my suspicions that one of them is an android.  Two women I know would be witches, but the good type.  (Perhaps my goddaughter Rhiannon is a white witch in training......)

I'd also like to think that certain people in my life would still be alive in the TV Universe.....

A person's televersion doesn't even have to show up on TV to become a part of the Tele-Folks Directory......

For example:

In the penultimate episode of 'Leverage' ("The Toy Job"), the crew called on the services of a national network of "Blogger Moms" to help get their fake toy (Baby Joy-Rage or Baby Feels-A-Lot) some much needed hype.

I've got a second cousin who's a Blogger Mom.  And I'd like to think that even though the episode took place in Portland, Oregon, and she lives in Connecticut, Kelly was still called on to do her part in marketing the doll.

For those who might be interested in the musings of the Blogger Mom in my extended family, check out "The Teeny Tiny Mommy".  (The link can also be found to the left among those from other family members and friends.)

I'd love to hear about your televersions, either as seen on TV or what you'd like it to be.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MR. DOWLING

MR. DOWLING

AS SEEN IN:
'Tom Jones, A Foundling'

CREATED BY:
Henry Fielding

PORTRAYED BY:
Sylvester McCoy
(The Seventh Doctor)

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From Ruth Nestvold:
The neatly constructed plot reflects a basic eighteenth century faith in the order of the world, which Fielding, despite skeptical overtones, displayed in this huge but far from sprawling novel. Samuel Taylor Coleridge saw the plot of "Tom Jones" as one of the three most perfectly planned plots in literature. Even seemingly random details have a place, and at the end of the tale the reader notices that elements which might have appeared superfluous are necessary to round off the story. 

The role of the lawyer Dowling is a case in point. In his original appearance he seems only to contribute to the busy atmosphere of the scene, but at the end he is revealed to have been instrumental to the development of events. The scene at the inn in Upton, exactly halfway through the novel, is a plot node of great complexity: here all of the major actors and plot threads come together, and actions and misunderstandings occur which will be crucial for the climax and denouement. Despite the involved construction and numerous plot twists, the author is at great pains to provide adequate motivation for these machinations, creating an appearance of causality usually lacking in the monumental prose romances popular in his day.

From the source:
Jones, who in the compliance of his disposition (though not in his prudence) a little resembled his lovely Sophia, was easily prevailed on to satisfy Mr. Dowling’s curiosity, by relating the history of his birth and education, which he did, like Othello.         

—Even from
his boyish years,
 To th’ very moment he was bad to tell:
the which to hear, 

Dowling, like Desdemona, did seriously incline;
    He swore ’t was strange, ’t was passing strange;
 ’T was pitiful, ’t was wonderous pitiful.
     
Mr. Dowling was indeed very greatly affected with this relation; for he had not divested himself of humanity by being an attorney. Indeed, nothing is more unjust than to carry our prejudices against a profession into private life, and to borrow our idea of a man from our opinion of his calling. Habit, it is true, lessens the horror of those actions which the profession makes necessary, and consequently habitual; but in all other instances, Nature works in men of all professions alike; nay, perhaps, even more strongly with those who give her, as it were, a holiday, when they are following their ordinary business. A butcher, I make no doubt, would feel compunction at the slaughter of a fine horse; and though a surgeon can feel no pain in cutting off a limb, I have known him compassionate a man in a fit of the gout. The common hangman, who hath stretched the necks of hundreds, is known to have trembled at his first operation on a head; and the very professors of human blood-shedding, who, in their trade of war, butcher thousands, not only of their fellow-professors, but often of women and children, without remorse; even these, I say, in times of peace, when drums and trumpets are laid aside, often lay aside all their ferocity, and become very gentle members of civil society. In the same manner an attorney may feel all the miseries and distresses of his fellow-creatures, provided he happens not to be concerned against them.

O'BSERVATIONS:
Mr. Dowling could be the "roots" of the family tree in Toobworld which would lead to Father Dowling.....

BCnU!

THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - KURAGIN TO KURYAKIN

Could it be that the family name of Kuragin from "War And Peace" - within the Toobworld Dynamic only, of course - was corrupted over the decades into the last name of Kuryakin?

Just wonderin', is all......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ANATOLE KURAGIN

We now return to our run of "ASOTV" literary characters as played by actors who portrayed the lead role in 'Doctor Who', already in progress........

ANATOLE KURAGIN

AS SEEN IN:

'War And Peace'

CREATED BY:

Leo Tolstoy

PORTRAYED BY:

Colin Baker

(The Sixth Doctor)

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

[See "O'Bservations"]

From Wikipedia:

Anatole Vassilitch Kuragin is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, its various cinematic adaptations, and an operatic adaptation as well.

Anatole is Helene Kuragin's brother and a wild-living soldier. It is rumoured that he has had an incestuous affair with his sister, and he tries to elope with Natasha Rostova despite being secretly married. He loses his leg during the Napoleonic Wars.

Esther Polianowsky Salaman writes that what "is so interesting about Anatole Kuragin are the many characteristics Tolstoy gives us about him all at once: something he seldom does."

O'BSERVATIONS:

There was a version of "War And Peace" done for television back in 1963, but that was a heavily truncated adaptation for the 'ITV Play Of The Week'. In that version, Tom Adams played Kuragin. Since the 1972 presented more of the story in serial form, the 1963 version would be relegated to that world of TV "premakes".

BCnU!

TVXOHOF - CHRISTMAS, 2012: THE BORROWERS

While watching the latest TV version of Mary Norton's classic "The Borrowers", it occurred to me that at least as far as the Toobworld Dynamic is concerned, there should be some sort of splainin as to where the Borrower folk come from. And I think we need to turn to another classic to find those origins.

I believe the Borrowers are the descendants of Lilliputians who were transplanted to England in the 17th Century.

After Lemuel Gulliver returned from his sea-faring adventure, he related everything that happened to him in a bid to secure his freedom. (We're talking the TV version starring Ted Danson, of course.) It was a risk that might have landed him in an asylum for the rest of his days, but apparently it worked.

However, someone who learned of his incredible tale not only believed it, but was also desirous of visiting Lilliput to see the Little People for himself - not only see them, but to capture and enslave them as well.

That someone probably funded an expedition to Lilliput, hiring experienced slave traders as his crew, and was able to capture several hundred of the diminutive denizens of that island.

But something must have happened once the ship returned to England - the "cargo" managed to escape. Perhaps they mounted a rebellion - despite their small size, the Lilliputians were able to overpower and elude their captors. From the docks on London's East End, the little people fanned out to make their new homes in the hidden underground of the city's architecture. And some of them moved out to the countryside.  Over time, they diminished in size.

Of course, then it becomes a question as to where did the Lilliputians come from. Fine....

They were the survivors of an alien race that crash-landed on the island which they named Lilliput.

It's not inconceivable that "Homo Sapien Redactus" evolved on some other planet in the Television Galaxy. In an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' ("The Little People") Terran astronauts landed on a planet where the inhabitants were even smaller than the Lilliputians.

That they could be so small and still resemble humans of our size had to be due to genetic tinkering by the race known as the Preservers.

(I suppose this theory could work in the fictional universe known as BookWorld, but that's not my bailiwick.)

Getting back to "The Borrowers":

The version I just saw starred Christopher Eccleston and Stephen Fry. It was quite enjoyable and I hope to find it available on DVD for my nephew.

However, it is not the version of Mary Norton's story that exists in Earth Prime-Time. That honor goes to a charming, low-key TV movie from the early 1970's which starred Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes, Dame Judith Anderson, Beatrice Straight, and Barnard Hughes.

In between these two versions was another which starred Ian Holm. And then there's the version to be found in the Cineverse in which Jim Broadbent played Pod Clock with John Goodman as the villain of the piece.

Because this latest version of the tale had an overall Christmas theme to it, I've decided to induct "The Borrowers" as the Multiverse entry into the TV Crossovers Hall Of Fame for the Christmas Honors List.

BookWorld, the Cineverse, and three dimensions of the TV Universe - not bad....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE GRINCH & CINDY LOU WHO

Since Christmas falls on a Tuesday, here's a holiday two-fer.......

THE GRINCH & CINDY LOU WHO

AS SEEN IN:

"How The Grinch Stole Christmas"

CREATED BY:

"Doctor Seuss"

VOICED BY:

Boris Karloff (as the Grinch)

&

June Foray (as Cindy Lou Who)

TV DIMENSION:

The Tooniverse

(A microscopic speck of a planet)

From Wikipedia:

The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss. He first appeared as the main antagonist in the 1957 children's book, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

The devious, anti-holiday spirit of the character has led to the term Grinch coming to refer to a person opposed to Christmas time celebrations or to someone with a coarse, greedy attitude. In fact, a document in the live-action film (the Book of Who) stated that "The term Grinchy shall apply when Christmas spirit is in short supply".

The Grinch makes himself a Santa coat and hat and disguises the innocent Max as a reindeer. He loads empty bags onto a sleigh and travels to Whoville with some difficulty. In the first house he is almost caught by Cindy Lou Who (voiced by an uncredited June Foray), a small Who girl who wakes up and sees him taking the Christmas tree. Pretending to be Santa, the Grinch tells Cindy Lou that he is merely taking the tree to his workshop for repairs, and then gets her a drink before sending her back to bed.

The Grinch has since become an icon of the winter holidays, despite the character's hatred of the season, and has appeared on various forms of memorabilia such as Christmas ornaments, plush dolls, Halloween costumes, and various clothing items.

In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Grinch number 5 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

PS:

And even though it's not connected to the Doctor today, we still get to have a Who!

AS SEEN ON TV: DOCTORS 5&10 TOGETHER, BUT NOT QUITE

A CHRISTMAS SERVICE

AS SEEN ON TV: INSPECTOR CHRISTMAS

It's Christmas Eve!  So this is fantastic timing!

"INSPECTOR CHRISTMAS"

AS SEEN IN:
'The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries'
1]  "Death At The Opera"
2]  "Rising Of The Moon"
3]  "The Worsted Viper"

CREATED BY:
Glady Mitchell

PORTRAYED BY:
Peter Davision

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From the IMDb.com:
Mrs. Bradley and chauffeur George visit a seaside village to wish Inspector Christmas a happy retirement and find themselves investigating the murder of Chastity Baines, the daughter of Reverend Baines. Wrapped around the dead girl's neck is a worsted viper with her ring stuffed in its mouth. The circumstances remind Mrs. Bradley of her first case involving a cult led by Black Jack Briggs that killed virgins. George's daughter lives in the villages and he is shocked to learn that his daughter is engaged to be married. Things become serious when she is kidnapped and may be the cult's next victim. [Written by garykmcd]

From PBS.com:
"The Worsted Viper" ends the season with a double celebration: Mrs. B.'s esteemed colleague Inspector Christmas is being honored for services to a seaside town; at the same locale, George's daughter Cecily is marrying hotel clerk Ronald Quincey. The festivities are marred when the daughter of Reverend Baines turns up dead on the beach, a worsted viper tied around her neck and her hair roughly shorn. It reminds Mrs. B. of the case of Black Jack Briggs, involving similar murders centered on a religious cult. Another victim with a worsted viper appears, suggesting that this town has more to worry about than smugglers, adulterers, and chicken thieves. Add to that devil worshipers. Piecing together clues from the victims, the parish register, and letters to a local advice columnist called Miss Behavior, Mrs. B. concludes that the risk factors for sudden death are weddings and virginity, which point ominously to Cecily as the next target. In the course of the surprising solution, we learn how Inspector Christmas got his name.

O'BSERVATIONS:

• As an added bonus, David Tennant played Max Valentine in "Death At The Opera" - you can see him in the background of the picture above.  So in one episode we had two of the actors who would play or had played the Doctor.  
• They would become future in-laws as well, once Tennant married Davison's daughter (who played his clone-daughter in a 'Doctor Who' episode.  If their child doesn't grow up to play the Doctor as well......!)  
• Christmas, Valentine?  Are they Doctor Who or Doctor When?

BCnU!

THE CHRISTMAS 2012 PREQUELS

AS SEEN ON TV: "SHERLOCK HOLMES"

"SHERLOCK HOLMES"
aka

THE DOCTOR

AS SEEN IN:
"The Hound Of The Baskervilles"

"CREATED BY"*:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

PORTRAYED BY:
Tom Baker
(The Fourth Doctor)

TV STATUS:
An impostor using an alias - 
This actually was the Doctor from Earth Prime-Time.

TV DIMENSION:
Evil Toobworld

O'BSERVATIONS:
Of all the entries in this final run of the "ASOTV" Gallery, this is the only rerun.  We covered this topic last year during the "Who's On First" marathon.  And in the year since, I've not seen anything to convince me that this Sherlock Holmes was not really the Doctor.....

BCnU!

*Everybody knows Conan Doyle didn't create Sherlock Holmes - he was the literary agent for Doctor Watson!