WHO NEWS - JINKX MONSOON

I don't think this will see the light of day until after this "Who's On First" blogAthon.  More news may be released during the coming year and I'll probably add updates.  But I'm not going to speculate as to whom they will be playing.

From Variety:

Jinkx Monsoon, winner of the fifth season of 'RuPaul’s Drag Race' and the seventh season of 'RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,' has been added to the cast of the BBC’s long-running and immensely popular 'Doctor Who' series.

Monsoon is set to be playing a major role in the series.

“In a galaxy of comets and supernovas, here comes the biggest star of all. Jinkx Monsoon is on a collision course with the TARDIS, and ‘Doctor Who’ will never be the same again,” showrunner Russell T Davies said.

“I’m honored, thrilled, and utterly excited to join ‘Doctor Who!’ Russell T Davies is a visionary and a brilliant writer — I can’t wait to get into the weeds with him and the crew! I hope there’s room in the TARDIS for my luggage,” Monsoon said.

UPDATE
[based on the last special, "The Giggle".]

All might be revealed come Christmas*, but I'm guessing Monsoon will be the new Rani.

For the full story, click here.

* O'Bservation - it wasn't.  But a feminine hand was seen picking up the Toymaker's gold tooth which contained the essence of the Master.  So now I'm thinking that was Monsoon and they will be playing the Rani.

I hope that's true, mostly for my friend Mike who really wants to see the return of the Rani....

WHO BLIPVERTS - THE MEDDLING MONK STRIKES AGAIN!

Commercials are a great source for inspiration when thinking about fanficcish stories about the Meddling Monk.  I’ve written before about those commercials which are set in Earth’s Past but which have samples of today’s products – FedEx, Pepsi, Bud Light, etc.

Amazon Prime debuted one of these in January, in which a listless Napoleon Bonaparte retreated to his tent to watch the Prime Video specials which starred comedians doing their stand-up routines.  Inspired, Bonaparte puts his own comedy act together and tries it out on his soldiers.  (He was very deadpan, something like a Napoleonic Steven Wright.)

Not only was the Amazon service and Amazon Prime available in the early years of the 19th Century, but Nappie had a high-def wide-screen TV to watch the specials.

O’Bviously, this was due to the interference of the Monk, a Time Lord who wanted to disrupt the Earth’s timeline so that its history would be better aligned with his vision of the Future.

Since we know by watching any TV show set in the main Toobworld that it never played out that way, then the Doctor must have stepped in to foil his machinations once again.

TVXOHOF CENTENARY TRIBUTE - LT. THEO KOJAK

"Kojak is sexier

than Cannon and Barnaby Jones put together."

Marge Simpson

‘The Simpsons’

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Telly Savalas.  There are so many movies and TV show episodes for which he will be remembered (perhaps chief among them in both categories are “The Dirty Dozen” and “Living Doll”, an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’, respectively.)  But I doubt there could be any argument that the detective series ‘Kojak’ is the pinnacle of his career.

From Wikipedia:
‘Kojak’ is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ‘Cannon’ series, it aired on CBS from 1973 to 1978.

In 1999 TV Guide ranked Theo Kojak number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.

The series was set in the New York City Police Department's Eleventh Precinct (the building shown was actually Ninth Precinct), Manhattan South Patrol Borough.

The show revolved around the efforts of the tough and incorruptible Lieutenant Theodore ("Theo") Kojak (Telly Savalas), a bald, dapper, New York City policeman, who was fond of Tootsie Roll Pops and of using the catchphrases, "Who loves ya, baby?" and "Cootchie-coo!" Kojak was stubborn and tenacious in his investigation of crimes—and also displayed a dark, cynical wit, along with a tendency to bend the rules if it brought a criminal to justice. He frequently ribbed his subordinates, especially the rotund Stavros, whom he referred to as "Fatso". Foot chase scenes involving Stavros also brought on the same type of physical humor. However, Kojak was especially abusive toward criminals, often stretching the truth: in one case Kojak said he witnessed them do something he did not actually witness (setting a bomb) to get them to talk. Kojak was so abusive, Mad magazine carried a TV satire titled, "Kojerk".

In the context of the script, Kojak's was seen as typical squad room humor, which would be picked up later in the TV drama ‘Hill Street Blues’. Savalas described Kojak as a "basically honest character, tough but with feelings—the kind of guy who might kick a hooker in the tail if he had to, but they'd understand each other because maybe they grew up on the same kind of block."  Kojak's Greek American heritage, shared by actor Savalas, was featured prominently in the series. In the early episodes of the series, he is often seen smoking cigarettes. Following the 1964 Surgeon General's Report on smoking, cigarette commercials were banned from American television in 1971, and public awareness of the dangers of cigarette smoking increased dramatically during the 1970s.

To cut down on his own habit, Kojak began using lollipops as a substitute. The lollipop made its debut in the Season 1 episode "Dark Sunday", broadcast on December 12, 1973; Kojak lights a cigarette as he begins questioning a witness, but thinks better of it and sticks a lollipop (specifically, a Tootsie Pop) in his mouth instead. Later in the episode, Kevin Dobson's character Crocker asks about the lollipop and Kojak replies, "I'm looking to close the generation gap." Although Kojak continued to smoke, as he was frequently seen lighting a cigarillo, the lollipop eventually became his identifying characteristic; in fact, when the series debuted a new opening montage in season five, Kojak is seen both lighting a cigarillo and popping a lollipop into his mouth.

‘Kojak’ came out during the wave of TV detectives who had some sort of gimmick – Barnaby Jones was old. Frank Cannon was fat.  Mike Longstreet was blind.  And Lt. Frank Columbo was rumpled.

For Lt. Theo Kojak, his detective was bald.  Kojak was suave yet coarse.  And he always had a lollipop at hand.

It’s no wonder that some TV producer (to be found only in Toobworld) decided to make a TV show about this brash NYPD cop.  As I always say, stealing and mangling Warhol’s famous saying – in Toobworld, everybody will have their own TV show.

We’ve seen ‘Kojak’ playing on TV – but not technically in Toobworld.  It was playing on Sam Tyler’s TV in “Out Here In The Fields”, an episode of ‘Life On Mars’, the U.S. remake of the British series.

Ladies and gents, it’s spoiler time!

From Wikipedia:
At the end of the series, it is revealed that Tyler's 2008 and 1973 realities were both fictitious, created by the onboard computer of a spacecraft that is carrying Tyler [and other crew members on a mission to Mars.]

To sustain the crew, their minds were routinely kept active while asleep using virtual reality "neural stimulation" programs of their own choosing, but Sam's choice of a scenario - where he was a police officer c. 2008 - was abruptly changed to a 1973 setting by a computer glitch induced by a meteor-storm.  

So in order to create that dreamscape, the computer had to draw on the memory banks full of information from back on Toobworld.  And that would include the televersion of the TV show ‘Kojak’, based on the “real” Toobworldling, Theo Kojak.

Of course, Theo Kojak in the TV show looks remarkably like the actor Telly Savalas who does have an official televersion.  As a member of the League of Themselves, Savalas was seen in “Has Anyone Here Seen Telly?” – an episode of ‘Alice’. (In the episode, nobody believes Vera when she tells them that Telly Savalas and his brother George – who was a co-star in the series – stopped in to Mel’s Diner.)

That Savalas and Kojak shared the same TV dimension was also confirmed by a Toobworldling named Balki Bartokomous.  In the ‘Perfect Strangers’ episode “Knock Knock, Who’s There?”, Balki asked "Does Telly Savalas love you, baby?“  As was the case with many of Balki’s bon mots, he was confusing the two men – the detective and the actor who played him.

Here is a list of some TV shows from the Trueniverse which have mentioned ‘Kojak’:

I’m sure there are plenty of other series out there which have mentioned ‘Kojak’.  In some of those references, Kojak is mentioned by name without any connection to the TV show.  Those are probably references to the actual detective in Toobworld.  The rest of the citations would be for the TV show based on his life.

Therefore, looking at it from a televisiologist’s perspective, all of those shows which mentioned either the show or the detective confirm that he actually existed in their world.  Therefore… all of those TV series listed above are connected to the man himself either directly or indirectly.

Not only that, but 'Kojak' is a TV program in alternate Toobworlds:

• ‘The West Wing’’
• ‘Agents of SHIELD’
• ‘Z Nation’
• ‘Castle’

(O’Bservation - Because the NYC Mayors differ from Earth Prime and Earth Prime-Time, 'Castle' might exist in the same Toobworld as ‘The West Wing’.)

• ‘The Simpsons’
• ‘BoJack Horseman’

(O’Bservation – Despite the wildly different artistic styles and storylines, ‘BoJack Horseman’ and ‘The Simpsons’ share the same Borderland – The Tooniverse, along with all of the other animated series.)

We also know that Lt. Kojak exists in an alternate Toobworld.  Ving Rhames played the bald detective in a reboot of the series.  As Mr. Rhames is black, Toobworld Central figured the best home for the show would be Black Toobworld which also houses the black versions of 'The Equalizer', 'The Odd Couple', 'Barefoot In The Park', 'Ironside', 'S.W.A.T.' and the movie adaptation of 'The Honeymooners.'

Finally, here are the TV shows and TV movies which are included in the official tally for Theo Kojak’s membership in the Hall of Fame:

• The Marcus-Nelson Murders
• Kojak - 117 episodes
• Kojak: The Belarus File
• Kojak: The Price of Justice
• Kojak: Flowers for Matty
• Kojak: It's Always Something
• Kojak: None So Blind
• Kojak: Ariana
• Kojak: Fatal Flaw

It’s a well-deserved honor for Theo Kojak.

Who loves ya, Baby?

Toobworld does!

Welcome to the Hall, Lieutenant!

And happy birthday wherever you are....

You know what?  This crossover marks a special event - the 100th birthday of Telly Savalas.  And since we know he has a televersion, and we know that avatar of Savalas, that "Savatar", starred in the Toobworld TV show version of 'Kojak', then all those references to the show are also references to Telly Savalas as well.  

So even though Savalas only had one appearance as his own televersion, I'm counting all of those shows to qualify the actor for membership also.

I don't make such an allowance often, but how often do I get to mark the centennial of an actor like Telly Savalas?

BCnU!

FANFICCERS' FRIEND - THE ROMAN SLAB OF ENGLAND

Updated 5th January 2021
Written by Rob Picheta, CNN London

An ancient Roman marble slab, used for nearly a decade as a horse mounting block before its origins were revealed, is at the center of a mystery as experts scramble to find out how it ended up in the garden of a bungalow in England.

The intricate slab features a Greek inscription that gives a clue to its origins, and has been dated back to the second century AD.

The slab was stumbled upon 20 years ago by the owner of a house in Whiteparish, a village in southern England, who found it in the rockery of her garden.

She used it as a mounting block in her stable for almost 10 years before finally noticing a laurel wreath carved into its surface, according to a press release from auction house Woolley and Wallis, which is selling the rock.

Will Hobbs, an antiquities specialist at Woolley and Wallis, said artifacts such as the rock often arrived in England in the 18th and 19th centuries when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe learning about classical art and culture.

"We assume that is how it entered the UK, but what is a complete mystery is how it ended up in a domestic garden, and that's where we'd like the public's help," Hobbs said in a statement.

After noticing the detail on the slab, the home's more recent owner took it to an archaeologist, who dated it to the second century with likely origins in Greece or Anatolia.

Its inscription reads: "The people (and) the Young Men (honor) Demetrios (son) of Metrodoros (the son) of Leukios."

Since they don’t know for sure how it got there, here’s a great opportunity for some ‘Doctor Who’ fanfic.

Here’s an idea to get you started:

Visiting Greece back in the 2nd Century, the Doctor has a chance encounter with Demetrios and they are soon swept up in some kind of cosmic adventure which threatens the Earth.  The Doctor lets Demetrios take all the credit, preferring not to let his presence be overlooked.  As such, the young Greek hero is presented with the slab as a testament of the people he saved.

He and the Doctor leave in the TARDIS, but once in the time-stream, they realize that Demetrios was hurt far worse than he let on. 

The Doctor makes an emergency landing, finding himself in that garden so that he can try to help the young man.  But it’s too late; Demetrios dies of his wound.

The Doctor buries him in that garden with the slab to serve as his tombstone.

Here are some suggestions for embellishing that premise:

• The Doctor gets a lot of delight out of calling the Greek “Demmie”.

• Demetrios probably suffered from massive internal hemorrhage.  He fends off concerns and acts stoic and the Doctor has no clue anything is wrong.

• “The Young Men” could be a local garrison who rejected Demetrios when he tried to join, but he ends up saving them. He turns down their offer to re-apply, preferring to travel with the Doctor.

• It could be any incarnation of the Time Lord and the same holds true for any Companion you choose – either one already associated with your choice of Doctor, or one that you create. 

• This is just my opinion, but I hope you create your own nemesis rather bring in the Master or the Rani or depend on the Daleks and the Cybermen.  But a return of the Pyroviles, a century after their last appearance (in the Toobworld timeline) in "The Fires Of Pompeii..." that might be nice.

If you do write up such a fanfic story, let me know where I can read it!

THE HAT SQUAD - REMEMBERING FOSTER BROOKS

Foster Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian most famous for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs.  

As his "Lovable Lush" character, Brooks usually portrayed a conventioneer who had had a few too many drinks — not falling-down drunk, but inebriated enough to mix up his words and burp to comedic delight. Brooks is most affectionately remembered for his appearances on ‘The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast’ during the 1970s, where he roasted other comedians, such as Don Rickles, Johnny Carson, and Lucille Ball, or serious personalities such as author Truman Capote, or consumer activist Ralph Nader.

On those Celebrity Roasts (which take place in Skitlandia the sketch comedy TV dimenson), Foster Brooks may have done more to embellish the Sktlandian televersions of those celebrities than anybody else on the dais.  It wasn’t enough just to belittle the “honoree”; Brooks made himself part of their lives, adding details to their history which were never shared in any other TV dimension and not even in the Trueniverse.  

Let’s take those celebrities described in that Wikipedia excerpt.  Well, except for Capote – I haven’t seen his clip yet.  We’ll replace him with Hubert Humphrey.
In each of these appearances, Foster Brooks played himself:

• DON RICKLES – Brooks was having an affair with his Rickles’ wife, Mrs. Pickles.  (That wasn’t a drunken malaprop; he called her that because she was a real dilly in bed.)
• JOHNNY CARSON – Like Mrs. Miller at ‘The Jack Paar Show’, Foster Brooks had been in the audience of every ‘Tonight’ show since Johnny became the host.  And he regaled the audience with details from his interviews with other celebrities which never took place in real life.  (Like when the jockey told Johnny that he weighed 98 pounds soaking wet.  Johnny told him that would teach him for standing underneath his horse.)
• LUCILLE BALL – Foster Brooks passed himself off as Lucy’s first fiancé, left behind in Jamestown, New York, but still devoted to her.  He was the high school football star and she would shake her pom-poms at him… and she wasn’t even on the cheerleading squad.
• JIMMY STEWART – Brooks was Stewart’s navigator during WWII, so I would count that as a supplemental tidbit for Jimmy Stewart’s eventual entry in the TVXOHOF even if it is in the Skitlandia section.
• HUBERT HUMPHREY – Brooks served as the campaign manager for the Vice President’s presidential run in 1968.  If it had not been for Brooks, we would have had Hubie the Boobie instead of Tricky Dick.
• RALPH NADER – Foster was also one of Nader’s Raiders.  While he was test-driving a car one day, an old lady started walking right in front of him.  Brooks had to swerve off the sidewalk to avoid hitting her.

So it’s been 20 years since Mr. Brooks passed away.  I only discovered that an hour and a half before midnight because I was watching his Celebrity Roast videos while on the can.  So we’re shuffling the schedule around, last minute, in order to give him a proper salute by sharing those clips and more from the Roasts.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  If not… well, I guess I don’t really care.

We’ll start with the most famous person to grow up in my new hometown….

This next one isn't a hometown boy, but he came from just down Route 8....

Well, ladies and gennel -# 

Ladies and gennuh-#
Folks....

I hope you enjoyed it, but like I said earlier, it doesn't really matter to me if you do or don't.  It's December 20, 2021.  I put this together December 19, 2018.  For alls I know I could be dead by now.  Even worse, these videos may have been removed from YouTube!

BCnU!

FOR WOLD NEWTON DAY - TARZAN YET AGAIN?

HAPPY WOLD NEWTON DAY!

From Wikipedia:
In real life a meteorite, called the Wold Cottage meteorite, fell near Wold Newton, Yorkshire, England, on December 13, 1795.

[Philip Jose] Farmer suggested in two fictional biographies, Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke (1972) and Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life (1973) that this meteorite caused genetic mutations in the occupants of two passing coaches due to ionization. Many of their descendants were thus endowed with extremely high intelligence and strength, as well as an exceptional capacity and drive to perform good or, as the case may be, evil deeds. The progeny of these travellers are purported to have been the real-life originals of fictionalised characters, both heroic and villainous, over the last few hundred years.

I don't know why I'm so fixated on Tarzan when it comes to the representations of the Wold Newton Family as depicted in Toobworld.  I suppose the same is true for Sherlock Holmes; but at least I honor him on his alleged birthday each year and not use him for the Wold Newton Day showcase as often as I do with the Lord of the Apes.

For those who have never seen any of my earlier theories about the most famous character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, here is a simple recap:

Lord John Greystoke, AKA Tarzan, as seen in the series is the same character from the books despite the modern (1960s) setting. 

My theory is that decades before, Tarzan had found the immortality elixir as described in one of the later stories.  Drinking it, he was now an eternal, frozen in Time at the age he was when he ingested the elixir.

But let me make one thing clear - in no way am I advocating that this is THE Tarzan of the Wold Newton Universe.  This is Tarzan of Toobworld, and although they have some similarities, there is more which keeps them irreconcilable.  (So many great "wolders," chief among them Win Scott Eckert and Sean Lee Levin, do incredible research in order to expand the WNU, that they don't need a boob-toober like me underfoot!)

At any rate, here is the review of the 'Tarzan' TV series as was presented in the TV Guide, written by acerbic critic Cleveland Amory:

ENJOY YOUR WOLD NEWTON DAY!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH TVXOHOF SHOWCASE - HANK AARON

 This blog post was originally going to run on January 25 as a Monday Memorial TVXOHOF Tribute.  But I realized that if the Television Crossover Hall of Fame was going to showcase Black History Month with the February inductee, than it should be someone who actually made history and not just another black TV character.  So I held this back until today….

HANK AARON

From The New York Daily News:
Baseball has lost Its legitimate all-time home run king.

Hank Aaron, who fought vile racial prejudice in his lonely vigil to break Babe Ruth’s all-time major league home run record, and went on to also establish the all-time records for RBI, total bases and extra base hits as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, died Friday morning.  [January 22, 2021]

He was 86.

From Wikipedia:
Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank," was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). Aaron is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His 755 career home runs stood as the MLB record for 33 years, and he still holds many MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and he is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its list of the "100 Greatest Baseball Players". In 1982, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. Aaron had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who played major-league baseball with him. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career.  By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster.

TWO TVXOHOF ALL-TIME GREATS

Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for 1 season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25), while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and in 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBI) (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). Aaron is also in the top five for career hits (3,771) and runs (2,174). He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits.  Aaron is in second place in home runs (755) and at-bats (12,364), and in third place in games played (3,298). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power hitting records.

After his retirement, Aaron held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including senior vice president. In 1988, Aaron was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgia's founders. Aaron resided near Atlanta.

It’s time Hank Aaron entered one last Hall of Fame.  Here are the TV show episodes in which he appeared as a member of the League of Themselves and which qualify him for the Hall of Fame:

Happy Days

- The Hucksters (1980)
When Richie's amateur commercial doesn't bring more customers into his Dad's hardware store, the Cunninghams hire a smooth-talking advertising expert who promises a huge increase in business but who also has a hidden agenda that challenges Howard's business ethics.

MacGyver

- Back from the Dead (1987)
The episode featured Joe Santos as Jimmy Kendal, a former mob informant now in the witness protection program with a new identity as a minor league baseball manager. With the team getting ready for the playoffs, Santos’ character brings in a professional ballplayer to help the team prepare for the competition. Hank Aaron trots out to the field to face the young pitcher, who, after a pep talk from Santos, strikes him out.

The Incredible Ida Early (1987 TV Movie)
Single parent hires a housekeeper for his motherless children.

School principal and widowed father Paul Sutton (Ed Begley Jr.) hires a housekeeper named Ida Early (Jackée Harry) to help care for his home and four children where she amazes the kids with her tall tales, magical ways & stories about famous friends of hers (such as baseball legend Hank Aaron).

Mr. Belvedere

- The Field (1989)
It's George's birthday. He's been pushing Wesley to excel at baseball and when Wesley decides to cheat, George is upset at him and Wesley say he did it for him. When they throw George a party, and help him relive some of life's greatest moments.  But that only shows him how he has done nothing he set out to do, like play baseball with some greats.

So Belvedere decides to give George a different present. The next day at Wesley's game, he arranged for some great players [Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Robert Goulet, Mickey Mantle. Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson] to be there. Along with George and Robert Goulet, they play Wesley's team.

Arli$$
- The Real Thing (1997)
One of Arliss's clients hits his 500th home run, but the guy who has the ball wants a million bucks for it.

O'Bservation - It's hard to find frame grabs from 'Arli$$' online.  So this will have to serve - Robert Wuhl, who played Arliss, at the premiere for the documentary "Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream".

Touched by an Angel

- The Perfect Game (2001)
A father tries to control his son's life and is obsessed with his baseball performance. The angels must help heal the father and son relationship by showing the father that he must first heal the relationship he has with his own father.

Aaron came out from the Braves main office to scout how the son did as a pitcher.

THE TOONIVERSE

Futurama

- A Leela of Her Own (2002)
O’Bservation – Hank Aaron provided the voices of both Hank Aaron’s head and Hank Aaron XXIV.

At one point, Hank Aaron’s head derisively calls Hank Aaron XXIV "you Fungo." Despite its use as a generic sci-fi insult in this instance, in baseball, "fungo" is the term for a fly ball hit to players for fielding practice.

[Most of those notes came from the IMDb....]

As with many pro baseball players, Aaron appeared in plenty of TV blipverts:

MASTERCARD

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROMO

POLAROID

CHARLES SCHWAB

WHEATIES

• TV commercial for Wheaties (1970s)
• TV commercial for Gillette Super Speed razors (1960s)
• TV commercial for MasterCard International (1999)
• TV commercial for Charles Schwab (2002)
• TV commercial for MasterCard (archive footage) (2002)
• Television commercial for "Oh, Henry!" Candy Bar (1970s)

Plus he was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses parade on January 1, 1975, which is always televised. 

I've also included pics from his appearances with David Letterman - twice (out of three) on 'Late Night' and once on 'The Late Show' - because these were more than typical talk show spots; Letterman often turned the format on its head.  In this case, he had Aaron interviewed again, backstage after his first visit; he had Aaron come out to read the monologue jokes for him off the cue cards; and onc ehe moved over to CBS, they compared their baseball cards.

So here’s to you, Mr. Aaron.  Good night and may God bless....

Welcome to the Hall!

 

A VENETIAN HISTORY LESSON

One problem I had with the ‘Doctor Who’ episode “Vampires In Venice” was the prominence of the character of Guido in Venetian society in the year 1580.  This had nothing to do with the talent of Lucian Msamati, whom I already knew and enjoyed  his work in ‘The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.’  No, it was because of his race.

I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that a black man could rise to such an honored position in at that time in Venetian society.  But that's my failing. I was looking at it from the perspective of one who grew up with the cultural depictions of blacks in early American history.

Luckily, Jess Nevins offered up this historical tidbit….

So I’ve been set straight on that score.

Jess has done incredible work in the past as a researcher into Victoriana literature, most of that of a fantastic nature.  I first learned of him when I read his annotations on Alan Moore’s concept of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.  With the art contributed by Kevin O’Neill, Moore told a ripping yarn about the team of Victorian literature’s greatest heroes, anti-heroes, and villains.

And Jess was there with his splainins to do for each issue, which I bet Moore would never have dreamed possible.

Jess Nevins is a published writer and researcher and he’s tossed out an interesting idea for the Eastern Connecticut area, especially around Windham County.

Should Jess ever write it up, I’d love to find a way for a Waysider or three to have an adventure in his lycanthropic location in Connecticut. 

BCnU!

WIKI TIKI WEDNESDAT - TULSA, 1921

I always say that TV is a teaching tool, and  the series premiere of ‘The Watchmen’ on HBO proved that.

I had never heard about this historical event before!

From Wikipedia:
The Tulsa race riot (also called the Tulsa race massacre, Greenwood Massacre, or the Black Wall Street Massacre) of 1921 took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  It has been called "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history."

The attack, carried out on the ground and by air, destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the district — at that time the wealthiest black community in the United States, known as "Black Wall Street".

More than 800 people were admitted to hospitals and more than 6,000 black residents were arrested and detained, many for several days.  The Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics officially recorded 36 dead, but the American Red Cross declined to provide an estimate. A 2001 state commission examination of events estimated that between 100 to 300 African Americans were killed in the rioting.

The riot began over Memorial Day weekend after 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a black shoeshiner, was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, the 17-year-old white elevator operator of the nearby Drexel Building. He was taken into custody. A subsequent gathering of angry local whites outside the courthouse where Rowland was being held, and the spread of rumors he had been lynched, alarmed the local black population, some of whom arrived at the courthouse armed. Shots were fired and twelve people were killed; ten white and two black.  As news of these deaths spread throughout the city, mob violence exploded. Thousands of whites rampaged through the black neighborhood that night and the next day, killing men and women, burning and looting stores and homes. About 10,000 black people were left homeless, and property damage amounted to more than $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property ($32 million in 2019).

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