TVXOHOF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

“Brunettes have no place in show business.”

Olivia Newton-John

‘Glee’

From NBC News:
Aug. 8, 2022, 3:41 PM EDT / Updated Aug. 8, 2022, 7:33 PM EDT
By Ethan Sacks
Olivia Newton-John, a British Australian pop star who dominated the pop culture of an era, has died after repeated treatments for cancer, her family announced Monday. She was 73.

"Dame Olivia Newton-John ... passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends," John Easterling, her husband, said in a statement on her official Facebook page. "We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time."

"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer."

In the late '70s and early '80s, Newton-John was one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world. She stole hearts in the 1978 blockbuster "Grease" and dominated the charts with songs like the 1981 hit "Physical," which was the No. 1 single of that decade, according to Billboard.

She is credited with selling more than 100 million records over the course of a five-decade career.

In more recent years, however, Newton-John became best known as an advocate for breast cancer survivors, being one herself since first her first diagnosis in 1992.

"I think, you know, what you think creates your reality. So it's a decision. You have to make that decision," she told the "TODAY" show in March 2019. "You can be a victim, or you can be a winner and enjoy your life.”

By all accounts, Newton-John lived a winning life.

I knew I would have to check her list of TV credits because I felt certain that her televersion had amassed enough appearances as a member of the League of Themselves to warrant induction into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame; she was that iconic a personage.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

From Wikipedia:
Dame Olivia Newton-John AC DBE (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-born Australian singer, songwriter, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included five number-one hits and another ten top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200; If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975).

Eleven of her singles (including two Platinum) and 14 of her albums (including two Platinum and four 2× Platinum) have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With global sales of more than 100 million records, Newton-John is one of the best-selling music artists from the second half of the 20th century to the present.

In 1978, Newton-John starred in the musical film Grease, whose soundtrack remains one of the world's best-selling albums of all time. It features two major hit duets with co-star John Travolta; "You're the One That I Want" – which ranks as one of the best-selling singles of all time – and "Summer Nights".

Her signature solo recordings include the Record of the Year Grammy winner "I Honestly Love You" (1974) and "Physical" (1981) – Billboard's Top Hot 100 Single of the 1980s. Other hit singles include "If Not for You" and "Banks of the Ohio" (both 1971), "Let Me Be There" (1973), "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" (1974), "Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975), "Sam" (1977), "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (also from Grease), "A Little More Love" (1978) and from the 1980 film Xanadu, "Magic" and "Xanadu" (with Electric Light Orchestra).

Newton-John was an activist for environmental and animal rights causes, and advocated for breast cancer research. She died of breast cancer after decades of fighting the disease.

Although originally from the United Kingdom and living in the United States for most of her adult life, she considered herself an Australian.

I really wasn’t a fan of hers, although I do like “You’re The One That I Want”.  I’ve never seen “Grease”, but I watched the music video for that song recently and I couldn’t believe people liked that as a movie.  (I’m sure as a whole, it works better on stage.)  

I wasn’t sure if I would find enough material to give her fair representation in her induction ceremony.  So I’d like to salute a very dedicated fan site, “Only Olivia”, which had a ton of information on all things Ms. Newton-John; certainly more than I needed for this tribute.  If you are a devotee of Olivia, click on the link.

Here are the Toobworld appearances made by her televersion:

Ned and Stacey

- Reality Check (1995)

From OnlyOlivia:
Olivia's guest appearance playing herself is clearly written as a joke about her sweet and wholesome image. The lead male character, Ned, wants Olivia to present a commercial about his computer so he takes her out to lunch at a restaurant where Stacey is waitressing. Stacey is star-struck by THE Olivia Newton-John delivering lines such as "I'm Hopelessly Devoted to taking your order" and presenting Olivia's drink, singing: "Here's your fizzy cola, your fizzy cola, let's get into fizzy cola" to the tune of “Physical.”

However, Stacey makes a mess of Olivia's order giving her straight scotch instead of cola and then on realizing her mistake blurting out to Olivia "Sorry, you're an alcoholic aren't you?" To add insult to injury Stacey then gives Olivia a cloth covered with ketchup. This causes Olivia to lose her cool and to our delight becomes all angry and just downright mean. (All in the name of acting of course!)

Stacey tries to calm Olivia down with the fact that she played Sandy in high school but Olivia isn't to be mollified and replies with a voice dripping with sarcasm "Oh what a coincidence I was in the mooovie!" Then telling Ned to shut up and shouting at the top of her voice that the computer he's selling sucks, Olivia rushes out of the restaurant declaring that she's never felt so good!

Murphy Brown

- I Hear a Symphony (1997)

From OnlyOlivia:
Murphy and Olivia meet up at a charity auction both bidding for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to conduct an orchestra. Murphy wins but not until she's had to out bid Olivia to the tune of $2000 (proceeds going to the National Zoo). But Olivia has the last laugh when she reveals that she was put up to bidding to get a good donation for the zoo! Olivia's parting words are a triumphant "Yeeessss."

Olivia's appearance on set is met with cheers from the studio audience as this was one of her first appearances on network US TV since discovering breast cancer. The episode also touches on Olivia's breast cancer when Olivia gives encouragement to Murphy.

Bette

- The Invisible Mom (2001)

From the IMDb:
While volunteering at Rose's school, Bette finally learns why Olivia Newton-John has been holding a grudge against her.

From OnlyOlivia:
Olivia and daughter Chloe played themselves in a guest slot for Bette Midler's sitcom "Bette".

Olivia, playing against form, is really quite nasty to both Bette and the school headmaster. This provides Olivia with some good lines and the opportunity to act very annoyed and peeved.

Glee

- Bad Reputation (2010)

From the IMDb:
Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, becomes the laughing stock of the school when members of the Glee club find an embarrassing personal video of her dancing to Physical on the internet. She gets the last laugh when Olivia finds out about the clip and asks Sue to help her remake the song.

O’Bservation:
This may be the only time she comes off as being nice in her Toobworld appearances.

- Journey to Regionals (2010)

From OnlyOlivia:
Olivia plays a mean judge in her second appearance in the first season of Glee.

"I'm just so sick of being nice!"

Olivia Newton-John

‘Ned & Stacey’

O'Bservations:
Every so often a member of the League of Themselves shows why they are appearing as characters and not as true representatives of who they are in the real world.

In Toobworld…

• Kevin Bacon is a jerk and kind of an asshole. (‘Bored To Death’)
• Emma Thompson was born in Akron, Ohio. (‘Ellen’)
• Dennis Rodman is an extraterrestrial. (‘Third Rock From The Sun’)
• Jean-Claude Van Damme died in Las Vegas back in 2004.  In the real world, he is still alive (as of this writing.) (‘Las Vegas’)
• Lloyd Bridges was a cross-dressing, kleptomaniacal Neo-Nazi. (‘Ned & Stacey’)

So it looks as though the writers of these various shows in which Ms. Newton-John appeared all thought the same thing – take her public image and turn it on its head.  In Toobworld, the televersion of Olivia Newton-John is cruel, manipulative, mean, a bad drunk, and vindictive.  If you were hoping to find examples of her being sweet and kind, you’d better check her movies or TV shows in which she played other characters.

Good night and may God bless, Ms. Newton-John.  Thank you for being a good sport when it came to lampooning your image.

Welcome to the TVXOHOF….

“At a certain point in life,

you realize that all the time in the world isn't all that long.”

Murphy Brown

Remember:
Fans of Olivia Newton-John should visit Only Olivia…. 

TVXOHOF MEMORIAL TRIBUTE - VIN SCULLY, "THE VOICE OF DODGERS BASEBALL"

From CNN:
Legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers for more than six decades, has died at the age of 94, the team announced Tuesday.

“We have lost an icon,” said Stan Kasten, the President and CEO of the Dodgers in a statement.

“Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian,” Kasten said.
By Seán Federico-O'Murchú, CNN
Updated 7:52 AM EDT, Wed August 3, 2022

If Scully only had the baseball games he called to his credit, no matter how many thousands, even if they were World Series games, that wouldn’t make him eligible for the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame.  But when you’re “the Voice of Baseball,” and various TV series come to you to be that Voice in their shows set in Toobworld, then even though you are only heard but not seen, that Voice becomes the unifying factor between those series, which might not have had anything else in common.

But he did show up in physical form in at least two of his appearances as himself.

In remembrance of Vin Scully as that Voice in Toobworld baseball, the Television Crossover Hall of Fame honors him with this tribute and induction.

VIN SCULLY

From Wikipedia:
Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located in Brooklyn) and ending in 2016.

Scully's tenure with the Dodgers was the longest of any broadcaster with a single team in professional sports history, and he was second only to Tommy Lasorda (by two years) in terms of number of years associated with the Dodgers organization in any capacity. He retired at age 88 in 2016, ending his record-breaking run as the team's play-by-play announcer. In his final season behind the microphone, Scully announced most Dodgers home games (and selected road games) on SportsNet LA television and KLAC radio.

He was known for his distinctive voice, lyrically descriptive style, and signature introduction to Dodgers games: "It's time for Dodger baseball! Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good (afternoon/evening) to you, wherever you may be." He is considered by many to be the greatest baseball broadcaster of all time, according to fan rankings, Bleacher Report and Fox Sports.

In addition to Dodgers baseball, Scully called various nationally-televised football and golf contests for CBS Sports from 1975 to 1982, and was NBC Sports' lead baseball play-by-play announcer from 1983 to 1989. He also called the World Series for CBS Radio from 1979 to 1982 and again from 1990 to 1997.

On the evening of August 2, 2022, Scully died at his home in Hidden Hills, California, at the age of 94.

Here are the TV series episodes, listed as they would have played out on the Toobworld timeline, during which the fictional televersion of Vin Scully's Voice was heard or he was actually seen:

Alcoa Premiere

- Flashing Spikes (1962)
... Announcer

From the IMDb:
An old ballplayer, thrown out of baseball due to a bribery scandal, becomes friends with a young phenom. The younger player is at first tainted by his association with the old-timer, but eventually the truth about the scandal is revealed.

Brooklyn Bridge

- Death in Brooklyn (1991)
... Voice of the [Brooklyn] Dodgers (voice)

O’Bservation:
While Alan was stuck taking part in a minyan for his great uncle Ira, his brother Nathaniel was outside listening to Scully call the National League pennant clincher on Sunday, September 30, 1956.

General Electric Theater
- The Playoff (1960)
... Sports Announcer

O'Bservation:
I know nothing about this teleplay, let alone how Vin Scully factors into it.

Michael Shayne
- Strike Out (1961)
... Vin Scully

From Wikipedia:
Shayne investigates the death by sleeping pills of Danny Blake, a former baseball star crippled in an accident, and uncovers a clandestine affair between Danny's wife Carol and his brother Marty, as well as an embezzlement. Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully and pitchers Sandy Koufax, Ed Roebuck, Larry Sherry and Stan Williams appear as themselves.

The New Breed

- To None a Deadly Drug (1961)
... Baseball Announcer (voice, uncredited)

O'Bservation:
A waitress was listening to a game Vin Scully was calling when Karl Lippert and Felix Pascal came into the diner to discuss a crime which they committed.

Mister Ed

- Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed (1963)
... Announcer (voice)

O'Bservation:
At the beginning of the episode, Vin Scully is calling the first game of a Dodgers/Giants double-header in San Francisco which the Dodgers lost, 4-3.

The Fugitive

- Man on a String (1964)
... Baseball Announcer (voice, uncredited)

From the IMDb:
Heard in the background of the scene where Kimble tells Lois Nettleton's character he must leave is none other than Vin Scully announcing a baseball game.

The baseball game called by Vin Scully on TV features references to real-life ballplayers Maury Wills, Willie Davis, and Wally Moon (all of whom played for the L.A. Dodgers throughout the early 1960s), as well as pitcher Warren Spahn, who played for the Milwaukee Braves through the end of 1964. The specific events described in the game, however, are fictional and do not match the events of any real-life Milwaukee/L.A. game in which these players were involved.

O'Bservation:
I love when there are differences between similar people and things shared by Earth Prime and Earth Prime-Time.  Fictional episodes of shared TV shows, Emma Thompson being born in Akron, that sort of thing.  So this game never took place in the real world, highlighting that Vin Scully's televersion is not the actual Vin Scully.

The Joey Bishop Show
- Joey and the L.A. Dodgers (1964)
... Announcer for the Dodgers-Mets Game (voice)

Here was an actual appearance in the flesh!

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
- Vida Blue, Johnny Carson, Roman Gabriel, Andy Granatelli, Joe Namath, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bill Russell, Doug Sanders, Vin Scully, Jill St. John, Willie Shoemaker (1971)
... Guest Performer

Highway to Heaven

- Popcorn, Peanuts and CrackerJacks (1985)
... L.A. Dodgers Radio Announcer (voice, uncredited)

O’Bservation:
While they were driving along, Mark really wanted to hear the Dodgers on the car radio, but the static was horrible.  “The Boss” interceded and he got a clear signal, but now it was in Spanish.  Mark sarcastically thought that was a cute trick.  But at least "The Voice Of Dodgers" was recognizable despite the static before he was replaced by a Spanish-speaking announcer.

The X-Files
- The Unnatural (1999)
... Baseball Announcer (voice, uncredited)

From the IMDb:
Mulder is Chris Carter's mother's maiden name. Mulder's first name, Fox, is the name of Carter's childhood friend. Scully is the name of the LA Dodgers' sports announcer Vin Scully, to whom Carter listened as a child. In episode #6.19, The Unnatural, the voice announcing the Dodgers game is none other than Vin Scully.

From 'The X-Files' Wiki:
Although budget problems initially prevented Vin Scully from being hired as the baseball announcer, the famed sportscaster - who Dana Scully was named after - agreed to meet an X-Files sound crew in his Dodger Stadium broadcast booth and record the part for free.

SCENE 2:
FBI HEADQUARTERS
(Basement corridor for the X-Files office. There is [a] baseball game on a small TV which is sitting on a cleaning cart in the hall. Vin Scully is announcing for the LA team.)

VIN SCULLY: It's a gorgeous day for baseball here in the City of Angels and I'm told it is a gorgeous day all over our republic today-- from Bangor to Bellflower, from Amarillo to Anchorage, the sun is shining and it's a perfect day to play baseball... That ball is ripped... and it's going, going, gone...

Thank you for what you brought to the game, Mr. Scully.

Good night and may God bless….