SATURDAY MORNING SUPERHEROES - BILLIONAIRE SUPERHEROES

"What is it with billionaires being superheroes?"

Caitlin Frost 

'The Flash'

"All Star Team-Up"

This was a meta-joke in which the most O'Bvious allusion would be to Bruce Wayne aka the Batman, since the Caped Crusader is from DC - the same comic book company that publishes the adventures of Green Arrow.

And if Caitlin knows about Bruce Wayne and Batman, then it supports my theory that Batman was of a previous generation.  And that he had hung up his cowl and went into retirement - in such a way as to also announce who he really was under the mask.  (Perhaps by way of an autobiography?)

The thing is, 'The Flash' and 'Arrow' both take place in Comic Book Toobworld rather than in the main Toobworld.  There's a possibility that one day the Batman may appear in either one of those shows.  As to whether the Batman would be from the movies - about to be played by Ben Affleck - seems unlikely.  While Marvel has been able to meld its cinematic heroes with their Television spinoffs fairly successfully, it doesn't seem so likely with movies that have so much turnover in casting.  DC may want to keep their movie superheroes separate from their TV heroes.

As for Earth Prime-Time, Bruce Wayne did retire at some point in the early 1980s and more than likely he was replaced as the Batman by a succession of others - perhaps first by Dick Grayson.  And as for Superman, he died in the early 1960s due to radiation poisoning.

 

Meanwhile, let's get back to what Caitlin said.  Remember what Caitlin said?  It's up there at the top of the page.

Based on mentions in other TV shows, Batman is known to have been billionaire Bruce Wayne in the main Toobworld.  But that is probably not the case in Comic Book Toobworld.  So it could be that Caitlin wasn't referring to Wayne.

Maybe she was referring to Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

Stark is known to be Iron Man by the general public, and he loves the adulation which ensues.  And the fact that Ray Palmer wears a super suit of pure techware probably brought the comparison to mind for Caitlin.

The A.T.O.M. may be from DC and Iron Man is from Marvel, but both are in Comic Book Toobworld and so Caitin Frost woud be one of those thousands who knew of him.  (Iron Man hasn't been seen on the small screen yet, athough his movies have been absorbed into that TV dimension.)

BCnU!

GAME OF THE NAME - JIMMY BALLANTINE AKA KILLER MOTH

After Ed Brown gave a crook twenty bucks to help him get back on the straight and narrow, the story made the newspapers.  This led a lot of other crooks to think Ed was an easy mark and they all showed up at his garage hoping to rob him.

One of these crooks, whose name was not revealed, was rather nerdy.  And it wasn't the first time he was seen in Toobworld.  

His name was Jimmy Ballantine, a professional safecracker whose family was blessed with long, sensitive fingers.  In fact, two of his brothers were concert pianists.  This was why Jimmy became a safecracker - somebody had to support the family.  (He was descended from a cowboy who went by the alias of "Mosquito".)

When Jimmy Ballantine was captured, he had to be welded into hs cell because he was just that good at picking locks.  Ballantine was hoping to go straight when he completed his sentence, but when KAOS tried to enlist him in one of their schemes, he knew he had no choice but to inform the authorities.  And for his help in training CONTROL agent Maxwell Smart, he was promised a pardon.

But his attempt to go straight didn't last long.  Needing money when his plans to become a television repairman fell apart, Ballantine hired himself out as a henchman to arch-villain Lew Rydell*, best known as "The Riddler".  He used the alias "Whiskers" during the Riddler's plot against King Boris during his royal visit to Gotham City.  He escaped jail before he was tried for his crimes and decided to strike out on his own as a costumed villain, calling himself "Killer Moth".  (He was probably influenced by having "Mosquito" as an ancestor.)

His biggest blunder in this scheme was to remain in Gotham City.  This time he wasn't just up against the Dynamic Duo (whom he easily subdued in a giant ball of silk), but also Batgirl, who was just beginning her career as a costumed crimefighter.

When he was captured, Jimmy Ballantine was once again sent to prison for almost ten years.

After he got out, Ballantine thought robbing Ed Brown would be an easy way to get back into the only lifestyle he knew.  He just didn't realize so many other criminals would think the same thing.....

SHOWS CITED:

• 'Get Smart' - "Maxwell Smart, Alias Jimmy Ballantine"
• 'Bonanza' - "Amigo"
• 'Batman' - "A Riddle A Day Keeps The Riddler Away"
• 'Batman' - "When The Rat's Away, The Mice Will Play'
• 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' - "The Second Verdict"
• "Batgirl" (special presentation video)
• 'Chico And The Man' - "Too Many Crooks"

BCnU!

* In Earth Prime-Time, if the Riddler ever used the name Edward Nygma, it was just an alias.  

THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY - PEERS OF ROEBUCK

The greatest contribution made by 'Grimm' to the Toobworld Dynamic is of course, the race of beings known as the Wesen, whose members can morph from humans to their base forms as different humanoid animal types.
 

From the "Grimm" Wiki:
Wesen (pronunciation: VAY-zin, Grimm: VES-sin; Germ. "a being", here "creature"; Spanish: espiritu bestia "spirit beast") is a collective term used to describe the creatures visible to the Grimms. They are the basis not only of the fairy tales that the Brothers Grimm have compiled, but also of the many legends and folklore from many cultures (i.e. Anubis, Aswang, Blutbad, Dämonfeuer, and Wendigo).

When a Wesen is woged, they are able to recognize a Grimm by looking into their eyes. According to Monroe, Wesen can see an "infinite darkness" in a Grimm's eyes that allows a Wesen to see their reflection, where they can see their true Wesen nature.

Unless we're sharing a POV with a Grimm, we don't get to see the Wesen in other TV shows.  And yet they're there.  Since 'Grimm' takes place in Portland, Oregon, I think it's a safe bet that several of the characters who showed up during Lt. Backstrom's murder investigations were Wesen.  In fact, I made the claim recently that there was a band of musicians who were all Wesen in an episode of 'Backstrom'.

I think we may have seen a Wesen in Toobworld a few years before 'Grimm' even hit the airwaves.  And that's thanks to the old Toobworld standby, identical cousins, we can make a theory of relateeveety that connects 'Grimm' to 'Lost'.

Meet Dr. Leslie Arzt....

Dr. Leslie Arzt was a middle section survivor of Oceanic Flight 815. He was a high school science teacher who managed to discover many new species of insects and arachnids, including the Medusa spider, but was killed on the Island while handling dynamite near the Black Rock on Day 44.

(From Lostpedia)

And this is Peter Orson.  I think he's got a little Arzt in him.....

Lieutenant Peter Orson is a former arson investigator (and a Bauerschwein) who first appeared in "The Three Bad Wolves".

After Orson's two brothers were killed, probably by Angelina, he targeted and killed Rolf and Hap, Angelina's brothers with home explosions designed to look like accidents. He successfully killed Rolf but failed to kill Hap. He later killed Hap with a pistol. Orson survived an attack by Angelina because Nick Burkhardt intervened. He was charged with the murders of Hap and Rolf.

After being in jail for over 3 years, he was temporarily released from jail to help aid Nick and Hank in finding and identifying an Excandesco arsonist named Damien Barso that he had been tracking for awhile before he was arrested. He also ended up re-encountering Monroe, bringing up the tensions between the two. They put their differences aside to help with the case.

(From the 'Grimm' wiki)

Because there is a definite end to Arzt's story, it makes it easier to make this claim of relateeveety.  Even if the shows are no longer on the air, I don't think it would be wise to stretch this familly tree to include other characters played by Daniel Roebuck on such shows as 'CSI', 'Glee', 'Monk', 'NCIS: Los Angeles', 'Franklin & Bash', and especially 'Matlock', 'Nash Bridges', and 'A Minute With Stan Hooper' because they were long-running characters with too much back-story.  

I do like the idea that Zookeeper Randy in an episode of 'Malcolm In The Middle' might have been a Bauerschwein and his uncredited, unnamed character in an episode of 'Boston Public' could have been one as well.  Being unnamed could count towards being either another Arzt or Orson, but I'd have to see that episode to be sure.  (Shows like 'Castle' and 'The West Wing' can be eliminated mostly because they take place in alternate TV dimensions.)

Arzt is gone now, but Orson may yet return.  His assistance in his second 'Grimm' appearance may lead to his early release from prison which could even lead to becoming a recurring character.

If Arzt really was a Bauerschwein, I wonder if there was the smell of pulled pork in the air when he blowed up real good....?

BCnU!

TELE-FOLKS DIRECTORY - PEEPER SHOWCASE

In 1975, 'The Bob Newhart Show' introduced a new recurring character - Cliff Murdock, Bob Hartley's old college roommate.  Cliff's college nickname was "Peeper" and he was played by Tom Poston.

Peeper only appeared in the following episodes:

- The Longest Good Bye (1975) TV episode, Played by Tom Poston

- Peeper Two (1976) TV episode, Played by Tom Poston

- Enter Mrs. Peeper (1976) TV episode, Played by Tom Poston

- The Slammer (1976) TV episode, Played by Tom Poston

- You're Having My Hartley (1977) TV episode, Played by Tom Poston

But by stepping outside the medium, we can see Cliff Murdock from back in his college days with Bob Hartley, thanks to this picture of Newhart and Poston in the early days of their career:

So we're claiming that this is actually a picture of Bob and Cliff instead of Bob and Tom.

We only saw Cliff in those episodes, but we know that he had a profound influence on Dr. Hartley - when Bob had Japanese food, it caused him to have a very disturbing dream that felt to him as though it lasted for years.  And one of the people who populated that dream was a handyman named George Utley.  It's O'Bvious - at least to me - that George was the reinterpretation of Cliff Murdock by Bob's brain.

BCnU!

TUESDAY NEWS DAY - MICHELLE OBAMA & JILL BIDEN & THE TVXHOHOF

Michelle Obama is already scheduled to be inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame in November of 2016.  I guess deep down it's my last in your face bitch-slap to the GOP even though I try to keep my politics out of the TwD.

The First Lady has been in more TV shows as a member of the League of Themselves than was actually needed for membership qualifications, but it looks like she'll be adding more before the "ceremony" happens.

On Monday, May 4, Mrs. Obama will be appearing in that night's episode of 'Night Shift' on NBC in which the focus will be on health resources for veterans to be found at local vet centers.  The story will link will be regular character TC Callahan and his family.

A PSA will air during the episode which will feature Mrs. Obama and three of the stars of 'Night Shift': Eoin Macken (who plays TC), Jill Flint, and Robert Bailey, Jr.

Also in the episode and the PSA will be Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of the Vice President.  It marks her third role as herself in Earth Prime-Time, following her appearance in the series finale of 'Parks And Recreation' and in an episode of 'Army Wives' back in 2010.  So she'll be eligible for eventual membership in the TVXOHOF as well someday.  

Maybe for election day.......

BCnU!

TOOBWORLD'S TV - ZNN

Some Monday morning minutiae......

ZNN - otherwise known as Zulu News Network - is the established satellite news network in Toobworld seen in 'JAG' & 'NCIS'.  I'm fairly certain that it must have been seen or mentioned on the spinoffs 'NCIS: LA' and 'NCIS: New Orleans'.  If not, it probably will be.

But it's not exactly the same ZNN as was seen in the premiere episode of 'The Royals'.  That show about the royal family of Great Britain takes place in an alternate dimension from 'NCIS' which takes place in the main Toobworld.

And it may not be the satellite news network from "Telemerica", that is, the TV version of the United States.  Based on this screencap of ZNN's coverage of the death of Prince Liam, the network could be based in some foreign country (probably in the Middle East.  Like the Islamic Republic of Kamistan, perhaps - if 'The Royals' shares the same TV dimension of '24'.)

BCnU!

VIDEO SUNDAY - AND NOW A WORD FROM SOMEBODY'S SPONSOR....

One of my favorite reasons why we can't mistake Toobworld from the real world - the food is alive!

We've seen talking oranges, sandwiches, and of course, the M&M guys and gals.  Except for that last bunch, most of the living food is happy to be eaten.

And now we have a new entry in their ranks:

Best of all with this particular blipvert, the argumet could be made that Damon Wayans, Jr. is playing his role of "Coach" from 'New Girl'.  Wayans is leaving the series (and John Cho is joining), so this commercial would be on the Toobworld timeline after this season's finale.

 

BCnU!