LOS ANGELES (AP) - Lamont Bentley, who was a regular in the 1990s sitcom "Moesha" and appeared frequently in television and movies, was killed in a car crash, his manager said yesterday.
Bentley, 31, played Hakeem Campbell, the longtime friend of pop singer Brandy's character, Moesha Mitchell, in the UPN sitcom. He also played the role of Hakeem in three episodes of the 'Moesha' spin-off 'The Parkers'. (The episodes were "Road Trip", "Scary Kim", and "There's A Shag".)
And in the 'Clueless' crossover episode ("Prom Misses, Prom Misses"), he also made the leap as Hakeem.
Somewhere down the road, Hakeem Campbell will be inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
BISHOP OF TOOBWORLD
On a recent episode of 'Alias' (in fact, the one which had a crossover with 'Lost'), the villain was known by the name of "Martin Bishop".
For all I know, he was using an alias as well. And if so, it helps illustrate that there is a difference between the movie and TV universes.
Certain movies are connected to the TV Universe, - spin-off franchises and maybe MAYBE a few remakes, - but for the most part, the so-called "Cineverse" is a fragmented series of alternate dimensions that would be impossible to gel into a cohesive whole.
More than likely, the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' took his nom de espionage from either one movie which was inspired by another, or from them both:
In "Sneakers", Robert Redford played Martin Bishop. But that's just an alias he had gone by for the last 20 years, since running from the authorities. He was wanted for hacking into things he wasn't supposed to, causing quite a bit of mischief in the name of his bleeding-heart causes.
He and his team of security experts regularly broke into high-security establishments to check for security holes, so that these places can keep bad guys with the same means out.
In "Three Days Of The Condor" (1975) which also starred Robert Redford, a CIA building was hit. Subsequently, a list of the casualties was displayed.... The final two names on the list being Martin and Bishop, which was Redford's alias in "Sneakers".
It could be that the Redford character in "Sneakers" saw his resemblance to the character played by Redford in "Three Days Of The Condor". Who knows? Doesn't matter to me; I work for Toobworld.
But the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' must have liked the connection when he saw both movies; he must have been a big fan of the spy genre in films to have noticed it.
Unfortunately - but only for him, - the name's mojo didn't translate to his own success in the field.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
For all I know, he was using an alias as well. And if so, it helps illustrate that there is a difference between the movie and TV universes.
Certain movies are connected to the TV Universe, - spin-off franchises and maybe MAYBE a few remakes, - but for the most part, the so-called "Cineverse" is a fragmented series of alternate dimensions that would be impossible to gel into a cohesive whole.
More than likely, the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' took his nom de espionage from either one movie which was inspired by another, or from them both:
In "Sneakers", Robert Redford played Martin Bishop. But that's just an alias he had gone by for the last 20 years, since running from the authorities. He was wanted for hacking into things he wasn't supposed to, causing quite a bit of mischief in the name of his bleeding-heart causes.
He and his team of security experts regularly broke into high-security establishments to check for security holes, so that these places can keep bad guys with the same means out.
In "Three Days Of The Condor" (1975) which also starred Robert Redford, a CIA building was hit. Subsequently, a list of the casualties was displayed.... The final two names on the list being Martin and Bishop, which was Redford's alias in "Sneakers".
It could be that the Redford character in "Sneakers" saw his resemblance to the character played by Redford in "Three Days Of The Condor". Who knows? Doesn't matter to me; I work for Toobworld.
But the Martin Bishop of 'Alias' must have liked the connection when he saw both movies; he must have been a big fan of the spy genre in films to have noticed it.
Unfortunately - but only for him, - the name's mojo didn't translate to his own success in the field.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
PASSAGES
Three actors passed away in the last two weeks that made their mark in Toobworld......
GENE BAYLOS
First, comic Gene Baylos died at the age of 98. He was known at the Friar's Club as the comic's comic, but was never able to translate that to major success or recognition from the public.
He appeared in a few movies and on several TV variety shows of the sixties, but he is remembered here for being one of the first people to whom I applied the "By Any Other Name" theory.
In 1961 and 1963, Baylos played "Backdoor" Benny Harper on 'Car 54, Where Are You?'. He was a bookie and an ex-con and never seemed to remain on the straight and narrow. On his last appearance on the sitcom, Toody and Muldoon tried to help Benny by setting him up with a candy store. But he soon lapsed into old habits and used the place as a front for illicit activities.
In 1965, Gene Baylos made an appearance on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' as the hobo who found the script for the next week's episode of 'The Alan Brady Show' at Grand Central Terminal. But instead of returning it for a small reward, he decided to hold it for ransom in exchange for 2500 dollars.
The character had no name; he's just referred to as "The First Hobo" or as "The Bum".
When I was first poring over episode guides in search of such mundane trivialities, it occurred to me that there was nothing really preventing me from saying both the Bum and Benny the Bookie were the same character.
It's not hard to believe that in 1963, Benny Harper was sent back to prison for a year or so because of his criminal activities at the candy store. And after a short sentence, he might have been returned to the outside world where he soon fell on hard times and had to live on the street.
I made such a notation in my first Tubeworld notebook and didn't do anything else with it at the time. But I did go on to apply that same kind of thinking to other shows in which I wanted to make connections, most notably with characters played by Michael Dunn so that in actuality they ALL were Dr. Miguelito Loveless.
RUTH WARRICK
For those movie fans who are rabid in their love for the silver screen, "Citizen Kane" is the film which reduces them to the fervor of Trekkies. Ruth Warrick was the last surviving member of the main cast (she played Emily Norton, the President's niece and Kane's first wife) and she passed away Saturday at the age of 88.
But as Phoebe English Tyler Wallingford Matthews Wallingford on 'All My Children', Ruth Warrick gained her greatest acclaim and renown from TV fans. She was with the show from the very beginning in 1970 and was still relatively active with it. (Only two weeks ago, she taped a special appearance for the show's upcoming anniversary.)
She also crossed over and took the character to 'Loving' for a time.
Now, if it turned out that she had any scenes with characters from either 'One Life To Live' or 'General Hospital' who might have appeared on either of her two soap operas, then I'd say Phoebe Tyler Wallinford deserves an eventual place of honor in the Crossover Hall of Fame. But we'll see.
She also played Hannah Cord, the Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper for Martin on 'Peyton Place'. She returned to the role in the 1985 TV movie reunion. Again, she falls short of the minimum requirements for entry into the Hall, but she does have a distinction of playing two different roles in two different sets of shows.
So who knows? Maybe one day she'll be inducted in the birthday honors.....
VIRGINIA MAYO
A classic beauty from Hollywood's Golden Age, Ms. Mayo passed away at the age of 84. She starred in one of my favorite Bob Hope flicks, "The Princess And The Pirate" - now THERE'S a movie that would make a fine B'way musical!
On the soap opera 'Santa Barbara', she played a character named "Peaches DeLight". Man, how can you resist a great name like that? For me, that's right up there with "Pinky Likewise" from an episode of 'Burke's Law'.
But she made her mark in the framework of Toobworld more for playing herself. She did so twice in fictional settings: once on 'The Naked Truth' and then a few years earlier in 'Remington Steele'.
Teaming with Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy Lamour, who were also playing themselves, Ms. Mayo hired Remington and Laura to find out who was threatening them with bizarre fan mail. And when Nora Wilde's ex-husband announced that he was getting remarried, Ms. Mayo somehow got involved because Nora was convinced she had seen the future bride's face before.....
Thanks to her membership in the League of Themselves, 'Remington Steele' thus has a firm connection to the TV Universe. ('The Naked Truth' had plenty of connections to lock them both in.)
On a technicality, she also appeared as herself on the forerunner of 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - 'The Toast Of The Town'. More than likely she would have been one of those celebs who would be sitting in the audience and saluted by Ed from the stage.
Still, as 'The Ed Sullivan Show' served as an inspiration for many a plot point or joke in plenty of sixties sitcoms, I think the original should then be included as a legit thread in the Toobworld fabric.
They all played their parts on the world's stage, and now that they have made their exits, we salute them.
Be seeing you.
Tele-Toby
GENE BAYLOS
First, comic Gene Baylos died at the age of 98. He was known at the Friar's Club as the comic's comic, but was never able to translate that to major success or recognition from the public.
He appeared in a few movies and on several TV variety shows of the sixties, but he is remembered here for being one of the first people to whom I applied the "By Any Other Name" theory.
In 1961 and 1963, Baylos played "Backdoor" Benny Harper on 'Car 54, Where Are You?'. He was a bookie and an ex-con and never seemed to remain on the straight and narrow. On his last appearance on the sitcom, Toody and Muldoon tried to help Benny by setting him up with a candy store. But he soon lapsed into old habits and used the place as a front for illicit activities.
In 1965, Gene Baylos made an appearance on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' as the hobo who found the script for the next week's episode of 'The Alan Brady Show' at Grand Central Terminal. But instead of returning it for a small reward, he decided to hold it for ransom in exchange for 2500 dollars.
The character had no name; he's just referred to as "The First Hobo" or as "The Bum".
When I was first poring over episode guides in search of such mundane trivialities, it occurred to me that there was nothing really preventing me from saying both the Bum and Benny the Bookie were the same character.
It's not hard to believe that in 1963, Benny Harper was sent back to prison for a year or so because of his criminal activities at the candy store. And after a short sentence, he might have been returned to the outside world where he soon fell on hard times and had to live on the street.
I made such a notation in my first Tubeworld notebook and didn't do anything else with it at the time. But I did go on to apply that same kind of thinking to other shows in which I wanted to make connections, most notably with characters played by Michael Dunn so that in actuality they ALL were Dr. Miguelito Loveless.
RUTH WARRICK
For those movie fans who are rabid in their love for the silver screen, "Citizen Kane" is the film which reduces them to the fervor of Trekkies. Ruth Warrick was the last surviving member of the main cast (she played Emily Norton, the President's niece and Kane's first wife) and she passed away Saturday at the age of 88.
But as Phoebe English Tyler Wallingford Matthews Wallingford on 'All My Children', Ruth Warrick gained her greatest acclaim and renown from TV fans. She was with the show from the very beginning in 1970 and was still relatively active with it. (Only two weeks ago, she taped a special appearance for the show's upcoming anniversary.)
She also crossed over and took the character to 'Loving' for a time.
Now, if it turned out that she had any scenes with characters from either 'One Life To Live' or 'General Hospital' who might have appeared on either of her two soap operas, then I'd say Phoebe Tyler Wallinford deserves an eventual place of honor in the Crossover Hall of Fame. But we'll see.
She also played Hannah Cord, the Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper for Martin on 'Peyton Place'. She returned to the role in the 1985 TV movie reunion. Again, she falls short of the minimum requirements for entry into the Hall, but she does have a distinction of playing two different roles in two different sets of shows.
So who knows? Maybe one day she'll be inducted in the birthday honors.....
VIRGINIA MAYO
A classic beauty from Hollywood's Golden Age, Ms. Mayo passed away at the age of 84. She starred in one of my favorite Bob Hope flicks, "The Princess And The Pirate" - now THERE'S a movie that would make a fine B'way musical!
On the soap opera 'Santa Barbara', she played a character named "Peaches DeLight". Man, how can you resist a great name like that? For me, that's right up there with "Pinky Likewise" from an episode of 'Burke's Law'.
But she made her mark in the framework of Toobworld more for playing herself. She did so twice in fictional settings: once on 'The Naked Truth' and then a few years earlier in 'Remington Steele'.
Teaming with Lloyd Nolan and Dorothy Lamour, who were also playing themselves, Ms. Mayo hired Remington and Laura to find out who was threatening them with bizarre fan mail. And when Nora Wilde's ex-husband announced that he was getting remarried, Ms. Mayo somehow got involved because Nora was convinced she had seen the future bride's face before.....
Thanks to her membership in the League of Themselves, 'Remington Steele' thus has a firm connection to the TV Universe. ('The Naked Truth' had plenty of connections to lock them both in.)
On a technicality, she also appeared as herself on the forerunner of 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - 'The Toast Of The Town'. More than likely she would have been one of those celebs who would be sitting in the audience and saluted by Ed from the stage.
Still, as 'The Ed Sullivan Show' served as an inspiration for many a plot point or joke in plenty of sixties sitcoms, I think the original should then be included as a legit thread in the Toobworld fabric.
They all played their parts on the world's stage, and now that they have made their exits, we salute them.
Be seeing you.
Tele-Toby
Monday, January 17, 2005
THE ZONK TREK DIALOGUES
When two of the leading theorists of Toobworld discuss great matters of import, the cohesion of the TV Universe only becomes that much stronger.
Here's an email conversation I had with Hugh D regarding 'Star Trek' fandom within the "reality" of Toobworld:
Toby:
Lost didn't zonk this time. In the very Friends episode you are thinking of, you'll remember that the reason they knew you had to pee on someone was because Chandler and Joey had seen a special on the Discovery Channel (as had Ross, who realized where the anecdote was going and exclaimed the ever intellectual "ewwww") which revealed this fact. I'm sure Joey Tribbiani and Hurley saw the same special.
And speaking of Joey, Brent Spiner was on last night's episode playing himself (which did prompt Star Trek references, of course).
Hugh
Thanks for the input, can you tell me who got stung and who did the peeing?
Toby
Monica got stung. Joey was going to pee on her, but he was nervous and couldn't perform under pressure. Chandler stepped up. Part of the ongoing punchline for that episode was that Chandler kept asking Monica if she'd ever date him. She told him "you'll always be the guy who peed on me."
Do you remember the Night Court in which some Trekkies were taken to court after starting a fight at a convention over which was better, classic or Next Generation? They left the courtroom by energizing out of there on the transporter. I've tried to figure a way that could be used to cover the Trek zonks. They've got transporter technology, so perhaps they've travelled back in time and sold the stories of the 23rd/24th century to producers, so contemporary people know (of) it, but it also will occur in the future? Okay, just rambling.
Hugh
I do remember the episode of "Nurses" in which a passel of Trekkies (they must have their own grouping name!) got food poisoning and ended up creating havoc around the nurses' station.
The Wonder Years dream, etc.
It could be those Trekkies on Night Court were fellow Saturnians, like the two old men (one of them the legendary Phil Leeds!) who took Bull with them back to their home planet.....
Toby
Little known fact, but Judge Stone's courtroom is one of the "nexus" points for crossovers. Back when DC Comics had their multiverse, there were certain points in the multiverse which seemed more fertile for interactions among different series, such as the Rock of Eternity. Some cities seemed to be strong for these interactions as well. In the televerse, one finds certain places are stronger than others, such as the corridors of St. Eligius Hospital, the alleyways of Sesame Street, or the world of the Electric Company. The halls of night justice are like this too. Even though only one legitimate crossover comes from Night Court (the pseudo-spinoff with My Two Dads), there are lots of small connections that can be made. Wile E. Coyote was once a defendant in a blackout, opening up a myriad of animated links, and another blackout gag featured Eugene Greytak as the Pope, a role he's also played in Naked Gun 33 1/3 (the cineverse take on Police Squad!), and on The Wayans Bros., Picket Fences, Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, and Just the Ten of Us, and I have a memory of an ad for Father Dowling Mysteries with him in it as well.
Hugh
Final thought:
For the 'Trek' zonk/transporter conundrum, those particular 'Night Court' Trekkies might have had access to the matter transmitter technology which Dr. Westin was working on before it transformed him into 'The Invisible Man'.
Toby
And what do YOU think?
Here's an email conversation I had with Hugh D regarding 'Star Trek' fandom within the "reality" of Toobworld:
Toby:
Lost didn't zonk this time. In the very Friends episode you are thinking of, you'll remember that the reason they knew you had to pee on someone was because Chandler and Joey had seen a special on the Discovery Channel (as had Ross, who realized where the anecdote was going and exclaimed the ever intellectual "ewwww") which revealed this fact. I'm sure Joey Tribbiani and Hurley saw the same special.
And speaking of Joey, Brent Spiner was on last night's episode playing himself (which did prompt Star Trek references, of course).
Hugh
Thanks for the input, can you tell me who got stung and who did the peeing?
Toby
Monica got stung. Joey was going to pee on her, but he was nervous and couldn't perform under pressure. Chandler stepped up. Part of the ongoing punchline for that episode was that Chandler kept asking Monica if she'd ever date him. She told him "you'll always be the guy who peed on me."
Do you remember the Night Court in which some Trekkies were taken to court after starting a fight at a convention over which was better, classic or Next Generation? They left the courtroom by energizing out of there on the transporter. I've tried to figure a way that could be used to cover the Trek zonks. They've got transporter technology, so perhaps they've travelled back in time and sold the stories of the 23rd/24th century to producers, so contemporary people know (of) it, but it also will occur in the future? Okay, just rambling.
Hugh
I do remember the episode of "Nurses" in which a passel of Trekkies (they must have their own grouping name!) got food poisoning and ended up creating havoc around the nurses' station.
The Wonder Years dream, etc.
It could be those Trekkies on Night Court were fellow Saturnians, like the two old men (one of them the legendary Phil Leeds!) who took Bull with them back to their home planet.....
Toby
Little known fact, but Judge Stone's courtroom is one of the "nexus" points for crossovers. Back when DC Comics had their multiverse, there were certain points in the multiverse which seemed more fertile for interactions among different series, such as the Rock of Eternity. Some cities seemed to be strong for these interactions as well. In the televerse, one finds certain places are stronger than others, such as the corridors of St. Eligius Hospital, the alleyways of Sesame Street, or the world of the Electric Company. The halls of night justice are like this too. Even though only one legitimate crossover comes from Night Court (the pseudo-spinoff with My Two Dads), there are lots of small connections that can be made. Wile E. Coyote was once a defendant in a blackout, opening up a myriad of animated links, and another blackout gag featured Eugene Greytak as the Pope, a role he's also played in Naked Gun 33 1/3 (the cineverse take on Police Squad!), and on The Wayans Bros., Picket Fences, Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, and Just the Ten of Us, and I have a memory of an ad for Father Dowling Mysteries with him in it as well.
Hugh
Final thought:
For the 'Trek' zonk/transporter conundrum, those particular 'Night Court' Trekkies might have had access to the matter transmitter technology which Dr. Westin was working on before it transformed him into 'The Invisible Man'.
Toby
And what do YOU think?
Friday, January 14, 2005
PISSED BY ZONKS
[Yet another "Lost In Thought" essay]
'Lost' came perilously close (for the TV Universe, that is) to throwing out a Zonk in the latest episode, "Hearts And Minds".
As you should know by now, a Zonk is a TV show's mention of another TV show when both series should be co-existing in the same universe. They should NOT be aware of each other as TV shows.
This past week, Hurley was in the surf, trying to catch a fish. Suddenly he was stung by a sea urchin and had to be helped back up on the beach by Jin.
Hurley kept pleading for Jin to pee on his foot; that it was the only way to take care of the poison from the sting. But Jin refused.
"You gotta pee on my foot, Dude!" Hurley begged. "I saw it on a TV show once. It's the only thing that will work!"
(paraphrased)
Like I said, he came awfully close to Zonking us! More than likely the TV show he was referring to was 'Friends'. In one episode, they all went out to the beach in the Hamptons and somebody got stung in the foot. So the bond of friendship was cemented even harder when one of the other five volunteered to pee on the foot.
'Lost' has already Zonked us, however. When Boone and Locke were out in the jungle searching for Claire, Boone was tying red flags up to mark their path back.
He pointed out that the red flags were made of a red shirt. And that anybody who wore a red shirt on 'Star Trek' (mostly the engineering or security departments) was usually flagged as a potential goner.
Don't go behind that rock!
'Star Trek' must be right up there with 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Gilligan's Island' for the most Zonk references in other TV shows. Up until now I've had to just shrug and accept it, for I couldn't see anyway out of splainin that one away.
At least with many of the other shows, their episodes happened (for the most part) in the "present time" of their original broadcast. There was always the possibility then that characters who referred to those shows later on were aware of the "history".
But how do you splain away a character's knowledge of what will happen in the TV Universe 400 years into the future?
'Lost' may provide the key to solve that problem. I won't say why just yet, because the show is very slow and patient in giving up its secrets.
So stay tuned!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
'Lost' came perilously close (for the TV Universe, that is) to throwing out a Zonk in the latest episode, "Hearts And Minds".
As you should know by now, a Zonk is a TV show's mention of another TV show when both series should be co-existing in the same universe. They should NOT be aware of each other as TV shows.
This past week, Hurley was in the surf, trying to catch a fish. Suddenly he was stung by a sea urchin and had to be helped back up on the beach by Jin.
Hurley kept pleading for Jin to pee on his foot; that it was the only way to take care of the poison from the sting. But Jin refused.
"You gotta pee on my foot, Dude!" Hurley begged. "I saw it on a TV show once. It's the only thing that will work!"
(paraphrased)
Like I said, he came awfully close to Zonking us! More than likely the TV show he was referring to was 'Friends'. In one episode, they all went out to the beach in the Hamptons and somebody got stung in the foot. So the bond of friendship was cemented even harder when one of the other five volunteered to pee on the foot.
'Lost' has already Zonked us, however. When Boone and Locke were out in the jungle searching for Claire, Boone was tying red flags up to mark their path back.
He pointed out that the red flags were made of a red shirt. And that anybody who wore a red shirt on 'Star Trek' (mostly the engineering or security departments) was usually flagged as a potential goner.
Don't go behind that rock!
'Star Trek' must be right up there with 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Gilligan's Island' for the most Zonk references in other TV shows. Up until now I've had to just shrug and accept it, for I couldn't see anyway out of splainin that one away.
At least with many of the other shows, their episodes happened (for the most part) in the "present time" of their original broadcast. There was always the possibility then that characters who referred to those shows later on were aware of the "history".
But how do you splain away a character's knowledge of what will happen in the TV Universe 400 years into the future?
'Lost' may provide the key to solve that problem. I won't say why just yet, because the show is very slow and patient in giving up its secrets.
So stay tuned!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, January 13, 2005
CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK
At the end of the two-hour pilot for 'Lost', Charlie Pace asked, "Guys... where ARE we?"
Why, you all everybody are in Toobworld!
As is usually the case, I was in the various message boards for 'Lost' before the night was through. But this week, I held off for an hour in order to watch 'The West Wing' first.
When I did finally begin bouncing around the forums, I found a possible contender for the Crossover of the Week:
"You All Everybody" By Driveshaft!
wagirl98
Did any other Lost fans hear "You All Everybody," by Driveshaft during Alias? They played it in the background of a scene in the first 10 minutes of the show. Gotta love it! : )
This episode of Alias just had it playing in the background at a party.
An excellent episode guide site, TV Tome, confirmed the information:
"ALIAS"
69. The Awful Truth
To learn the location of a stolen NSA code-breaker, an undercover Sydney must convince a murderous arms dealer to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, Vaughn fears that Weiss might have been killed on a mission, and Sydney and Jack argue about telling Nadia the horrible truth about her mother, Irina.
b: 12-Jan-2005 w: Jesse Alexander d: Lawrence Trilling
NOTE: During Sydney's party, the song "You All Everybody" is playing in the background. [It was faint in the background and then they opened a door and it could be heard REALLY clearly!!] "You All Everybody" is the hit song of the fictional band, Driveshaft, on J.J. Abrams other show, Lost.
"Hercules", the TV spoiler-king for Ain't It Cool? News, has also addressed the issue already:
Crossover magic, Bad Robot-style:
Hey Herc,
Am I wrong or was Driveshaft playing in the background at Eric's birthday party on Alias tonight? It was real subtle, but I'm pretty sure I heard the chorus line "You all everybody". Too much fun!
cheers, tredeger
And in response, Herc bounces the crossover back to the island:
Wouldn’t it be cool if the thing Locke and Boone are excavating turned out to be a Rambaldi artifact? I miss my Rambaldi artifacts …
One of the TalkBack regulars pointed out:
It was Driveshaft. Watch the episode again with the Closed Captioning turned on. It says "You All, Everybody by Driveshaft playing"
So, first off, my thanks to wagirl98 for the first alert that I saw about the crossover.
Where it goes from here is you all everybody's guess. But if we accept the ABC 50th anniversary special sketch in which 'Columbo' met Sydney Bristow of 'Alias' as being part of the TV Universe, (And THANK YOU, Hugh Davis, for reminding me of this!), then both shows are definitely locked into the main TV Universe.
As mentioned in Columbo's induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame this month, Columbo was seen at a detective convention in Hawaii during an episode of 'Magnum, P.I.', which also was linked to 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Simon & Simon', 'Whiz Kids', and like the case with 'Columbo', to 'Kojak' and 'Mannix'. (Apparently there's also a very subtle reference to not only 'Hawaii 5-O, as one might expect, but also to 'Quantum Leap' in 'Magnum' episodes.)
'Mannix' then leads to 'Diagnosis Murder', which also links to 'Mission: Impossible', 'Jake And The Fatman', and 'Matlock'.
My brain is kind of fried right now, but I know somewhere in all of those shows there must be some appearance by a celebrity appearing as themselves who can then link the whole cluster to the main TV Universe.
But at any rate, we've got 'Lost' linked to another JJ Abrams show, 'Alias' and to boot, one leads right into the other.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Why, you all everybody are in Toobworld!
As is usually the case, I was in the various message boards for 'Lost' before the night was through. But this week, I held off for an hour in order to watch 'The West Wing' first.
When I did finally begin bouncing around the forums, I found a possible contender for the Crossover of the Week:
"You All Everybody" By Driveshaft!
wagirl98
Did any other Lost fans hear "You All Everybody," by Driveshaft during Alias? They played it in the background of a scene in the first 10 minutes of the show. Gotta love it! : )
This episode of Alias just had it playing in the background at a party.
An excellent episode guide site, TV Tome, confirmed the information:
"ALIAS"
69. The Awful Truth
To learn the location of a stolen NSA code-breaker, an undercover Sydney must convince a murderous arms dealer to fall in love with her. Meanwhile, Vaughn fears that Weiss might have been killed on a mission, and Sydney and Jack argue about telling Nadia the horrible truth about her mother, Irina.
b: 12-Jan-2005 w: Jesse Alexander d: Lawrence Trilling
NOTE: During Sydney's party, the song "You All Everybody" is playing in the background. [It was faint in the background and then they opened a door and it could be heard REALLY clearly!!] "You All Everybody" is the hit song of the fictional band, Driveshaft, on J.J. Abrams other show, Lost.
"Hercules", the TV spoiler-king for Ain't It Cool? News, has also addressed the issue already:
Crossover magic, Bad Robot-style:
Hey Herc,
Am I wrong or was Driveshaft playing in the background at Eric's birthday party on Alias tonight? It was real subtle, but I'm pretty sure I heard the chorus line "You all everybody". Too much fun!
cheers, tredeger
And in response, Herc bounces the crossover back to the island:
Wouldn’t it be cool if the thing Locke and Boone are excavating turned out to be a Rambaldi artifact? I miss my Rambaldi artifacts …
One of the TalkBack regulars pointed out:
It was Driveshaft. Watch the episode again with the Closed Captioning turned on. It says "You All, Everybody by Driveshaft playing"
So, first off, my thanks to wagirl98 for the first alert that I saw about the crossover.
Where it goes from here is you all everybody's guess. But if we accept the ABC 50th anniversary special sketch in which 'Columbo' met Sydney Bristow of 'Alias' as being part of the TV Universe, (And THANK YOU, Hugh Davis, for reminding me of this!), then both shows are definitely locked into the main TV Universe.
As mentioned in Columbo's induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame this month, Columbo was seen at a detective convention in Hawaii during an episode of 'Magnum, P.I.', which also was linked to 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Simon & Simon', 'Whiz Kids', and like the case with 'Columbo', to 'Kojak' and 'Mannix'. (Apparently there's also a very subtle reference to not only 'Hawaii 5-O, as one might expect, but also to 'Quantum Leap' in 'Magnum' episodes.)
'Mannix' then leads to 'Diagnosis Murder', which also links to 'Mission: Impossible', 'Jake And The Fatman', and 'Matlock'.
My brain is kind of fried right now, but I know somewhere in all of those shows there must be some appearance by a celebrity appearing as themselves who can then link the whole cluster to the main TV Universe.
But at any rate, we've got 'Lost' linked to another JJ Abrams show, 'Alias' and to boot, one leads right into the other.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
SAY WHA???
It's the first episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show back in 1970....
For whatever reason, Mary Richards finds herself in the men's room at the WJM-TV studios in Minneapolis.
Ted Baxter is there doing his business at the urinal, but upon her entrance, he zips up and spins around, holding out his hand in greeting.
"We haven't met. I'm Ted Baxter."
Mary stares at the hand in revulsion.
"Aren't you even going to wash that first?"
"I keep a very clean penis."
You don't remember that scene? Don't worry; you're not getting forgetful in your old age like Denny Crane. That snippet of conversation actually occurred on Denny's show 'Boston Legal' this past week. But instead of Ted Baxter, substitute Alan Shore. And his scene partner was Shirley Schmidt, not Mary Richards.
(I'm fairly certain you've already figured out that it took place in a Boston men's room, not in Minneapolis.....)
What I was trying to show is that the exchange was perfectly in keeping with the character of Alan Shore. (And that conversation only got better. Trust me! Catch it in reruns.) But when you try to imagine some other TV character saying such things....
It's not that Mary Richards didn't have her own edge. When her mother left Mary and her father alone one evening to get to know each other better, Mrs. Richards said, "Don't forget to take your pill."
Both Mary and her father replied, "I won't."
Okay, it seems tame by today's standards, but for the mid-70s (and ANY MTM character!) that was edgy.
I've found myself lately lifting lines of dialogue out of today's TV series and ascribing them instead to classic TV characters of the past. Just one of those little TV-oriented amusements, like re-writing those interminable email jokes that get passed around endlessly so that they are about TV characters (or sometimes family members!) instead.
Here's another example - when Marni Fliss and Nate Solomon were getting to know each other on their accidental blind date in the pilot episode of 'Committed', Marni trilled:
"So then I said, 'Hey, you can't touch me there! You're my uncle!' (Laughs) Aaah, family......."
Let's face it. For a sitcom, that's way past "edgy". That's pretty sick. (It sure goes a long way to splain why Marni is so off-the-wall though!)
But if you think that's bad enough as it is, take it out of context and give it to some other TV character to recite........
"So then I said, 'Hey, you can't touch me there! You're my uncle!' (Laughs) Aaah, family........"
- Jody Davis
'Family Affair'
You've just raised the "Ewwwwww" content by 47%!
Although I don't have any examples to hand, I've also taken some rather prickly quotes by Dr. Gregory House of 'House' and had 'Marcus Welby, M.D.' saying them instead.
Picture Jack Bauer's interrogation style on '24' being used by Captain Kangaroo while talking with Bunny Rabbit......
Why not give it a try yourself? And of course, I'd love to see what you come up with. Send them to me at Tubeworld@aol.com and I'll share them on the Inner Toob blog.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
For whatever reason, Mary Richards finds herself in the men's room at the WJM-TV studios in Minneapolis.
Ted Baxter is there doing his business at the urinal, but upon her entrance, he zips up and spins around, holding out his hand in greeting.
"We haven't met. I'm Ted Baxter."
Mary stares at the hand in revulsion.
"Aren't you even going to wash that first?"
"I keep a very clean penis."
You don't remember that scene? Don't worry; you're not getting forgetful in your old age like Denny Crane. That snippet of conversation actually occurred on Denny's show 'Boston Legal' this past week. But instead of Ted Baxter, substitute Alan Shore. And his scene partner was Shirley Schmidt, not Mary Richards.
(I'm fairly certain you've already figured out that it took place in a Boston men's room, not in Minneapolis.....)
What I was trying to show is that the exchange was perfectly in keeping with the character of Alan Shore. (And that conversation only got better. Trust me! Catch it in reruns.) But when you try to imagine some other TV character saying such things....
It's not that Mary Richards didn't have her own edge. When her mother left Mary and her father alone one evening to get to know each other better, Mrs. Richards said, "Don't forget to take your pill."
Both Mary and her father replied, "I won't."
Okay, it seems tame by today's standards, but for the mid-70s (and ANY MTM character!) that was edgy.
I've found myself lately lifting lines of dialogue out of today's TV series and ascribing them instead to classic TV characters of the past. Just one of those little TV-oriented amusements, like re-writing those interminable email jokes that get passed around endlessly so that they are about TV characters (or sometimes family members!) instead.
Here's another example - when Marni Fliss and Nate Solomon were getting to know each other on their accidental blind date in the pilot episode of 'Committed', Marni trilled:
"So then I said, 'Hey, you can't touch me there! You're my uncle!' (Laughs) Aaah, family......."
Let's face it. For a sitcom, that's way past "edgy". That's pretty sick. (It sure goes a long way to splain why Marni is so off-the-wall though!)
But if you think that's bad enough as it is, take it out of context and give it to some other TV character to recite........
"So then I said, 'Hey, you can't touch me there! You're my uncle!' (Laughs) Aaah, family........"
- Jody Davis
'Family Affair'
You've just raised the "Ewwwwww" content by 47%!
Although I don't have any examples to hand, I've also taken some rather prickly quotes by Dr. Gregory House of 'House' and had 'Marcus Welby, M.D.' saying them instead.
Picture Jack Bauer's interrogation style on '24' being used by Captain Kangaroo while talking with Bunny Rabbit......
Why not give it a try yourself? And of course, I'd love to see what you come up with. Send them to me at Tubeworld@aol.com and I'll share them on the Inner Toob blog.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
"I", "I", AYE CARAMBA, PANCHO!
If you have a really good cable system, you've got yourself a really great research library for making connections in the TV Universe. I have access to at least ten different cable networks which showcase classic shows from the past in which I can find those little bits o' trivia which I might not have noticed when those shows first aired; back before I began hunting such items down in earnest.
Here's a case in point: the GoodLife Network has a great schedule full of such shows as 'Maverick', 'Cheyenne', 'Kung Fu', '77 Sunset Strip', 'Hawaiian Eye', and 'The Man From UNCLE'.
They also show 'I Spy'. And this past week they broadcast the pilot episode, which didn't make it on the air until the 14th week of the series:
"Affair in T'Sien Cha"
Kelly and Scotty's investigation of the disappearance of an old Chinese train between Hong Kong and the Communist mainland leads to an ancient walled city, a beautiful American schoolteacher, and a secret cargo someone is willing to kill for.
b: 29 Dec 65
w: Morton Fine & David Friedkin d: Sheldon Leonard
During the episode, a local schoolteacher tells Kelly that she saw him play tennis three years before in Forest Hills, Queens. He was beaten (in straight sets, I believe) by Pancho Segura.
That means, even though it was off-camera, Pancho Segura makes himself an official Toobworld character in 1962.
I love these little mentions of real people in fictional scenarios during a TV show. Most of the time you can then link that person's "character" to other appearances in which they portrayed themselves. George Burns, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr....... they're among the celebs who were most famous for this.
And Pancho Segura was no exception. True, he didn't appear in this episode, but it was stated as fact by the schoolteacher and so it really did happen in the TV Universe. (And the fact that Kelly backed up the statement - by requesting that she not remind him of that particular loss - cements the deal.)
Segura did, however, appear in a later episode of 'I Dream Of Jeannie':
"Always on Sunday"
(episode # 2.2)
19 September 1966
032 - Thinking Tony works too much and too hard, Jeannie makes one Monday a Sunday. For relaxation, she sends him to a safari in Africa, and then to play tennis. Ignoring Tony, she makes every day Sunday.
Tony, thinking it's Monday, sounds insane to Roger and Dr. Bellows when they drop by.
According to the IMDb.com, the only other TV appearance made by Segura happened during a show hosted by Jimmy Connors on ESPN. And although it would ultimately count, it lacks the oomph of a fictional setting.
But we'll keep looking. The TV Crossover Hall of Fame could always fit somebody who chases his balls in Toobworld.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Here's a case in point: the GoodLife Network has a great schedule full of such shows as 'Maverick', 'Cheyenne', 'Kung Fu', '77 Sunset Strip', 'Hawaiian Eye', and 'The Man From UNCLE'.
They also show 'I Spy'. And this past week they broadcast the pilot episode, which didn't make it on the air until the 14th week of the series:
"Affair in T'Sien Cha"
Kelly and Scotty's investigation of the disappearance of an old Chinese train between Hong Kong and the Communist mainland leads to an ancient walled city, a beautiful American schoolteacher, and a secret cargo someone is willing to kill for.
b: 29 Dec 65
w: Morton Fine & David Friedkin d: Sheldon Leonard
During the episode, a local schoolteacher tells Kelly that she saw him play tennis three years before in Forest Hills, Queens. He was beaten (in straight sets, I believe) by Pancho Segura.
That means, even though it was off-camera, Pancho Segura makes himself an official Toobworld character in 1962.
I love these little mentions of real people in fictional scenarios during a TV show. Most of the time you can then link that person's "character" to other appearances in which they portrayed themselves. George Burns, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr....... they're among the celebs who were most famous for this.
And Pancho Segura was no exception. True, he didn't appear in this episode, but it was stated as fact by the schoolteacher and so it really did happen in the TV Universe. (And the fact that Kelly backed up the statement - by requesting that she not remind him of that particular loss - cements the deal.)
Segura did, however, appear in a later episode of 'I Dream Of Jeannie':
"Always on Sunday"
(episode # 2.2)
19 September 1966
032 - Thinking Tony works too much and too hard, Jeannie makes one Monday a Sunday. For relaxation, she sends him to a safari in Africa, and then to play tennis. Ignoring Tony, she makes every day Sunday.
Tony, thinking it's Monday, sounds insane to Roger and Dr. Bellows when they drop by.
According to the IMDb.com, the only other TV appearance made by Segura happened during a show hosted by Jimmy Connors on ESPN. And although it would ultimately count, it lacks the oomph of a fictional setting.
But we'll keep looking. The TV Crossover Hall of Fame could always fit somebody who chases his balls in Toobworld.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Monday, January 10, 2005
SEX AND THE SODA
We have our first crossover for 2005!
In a new commercial for the new soda, 7-Up Plus, we see Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon at a spa. They are being pampered by well-muscled, quite handsome attendants; all of them with boy-toy potential.
Ms. Davis points out the young man bearing the lunch tray: "Here comes lunch!"
And Ms. Nixon vixenishly responds, "And he's bringing grapes!"
They aren't named as such, but it's obvious that 7-Up would clearly like us as the audience to identify them not as the actresses Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, but as the characters they made famous in 'Sex And The City' - Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes.
And being one so fervent in the idea of the ever-expanding TV Universe, I have no problem with that sentiment.
Ultimately, this means that 'Sex And The City' is linked to 'Space: 1999', as it was Orlando Jones' use of a laser cannon that caused a massive explosion on the moon back in that year during another 7-Up commercial. And that massive explosion detonated the atomic fuel waste dumps which put Commander Koenig into a permanent coma; a coma in which he dreamt that the moon had been ripped from its orbit around Earth and sent hurtling into the unknown reaches of outer space.
(That's a theory I put forth back in 1999 as to why the moon was still visible in later TV shows after the events of 'Space: 1999' supposedly had taken place; indeed, why the moon even had its own amusement park in the year 3000. It's not like the moon finally reversed course and parked in its reserved space.*)
Ms. Nixon and Ms. Davis are not the first alumni of 'Sex And The City' to trade on their most famous TV characters with commercials suggesting that they still exist in the TV Universe. Just before the holidays, Sarah Jessica Parker bopped around in a series of ads for the Gap. And even the New York Times felt that urge to tag her as Carrie Bradshaw rather than as Mrs. Matthew Broderick:
"In Ms. Parker's newest television appearances, a string of holiday advertisements for the Gap now in heavy rotation, time's arrow seems to have shot even further backward. The three spots, which have been running since mid-November, show Ms. Parker giving and getting gifts at Christmas parties where the other guests look as if they have just completed their end-of-semester exams. Did Mr. Big turn out to be too middle-aged? "
All that's left is for Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones to make an appearance in an ad.
Charlotte and Miranda have done the ad for 7-Up.... Considering her licentious lifestyle, perhaps Samantha can do something with a Coke bottle?
Or maybe she might take her cue from Carrie.
Let's see.......
What's another word for "gap"......?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
* If you missed reading the "moon boom" essay years ago (and I'm not sure it can be googled or found in any of those Internet archive sites), I'll be more than happy to send you a copy of it. Just write to me and ask.
In a new commercial for the new soda, 7-Up Plus, we see Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon at a spa. They are being pampered by well-muscled, quite handsome attendants; all of them with boy-toy potential.
Ms. Davis points out the young man bearing the lunch tray: "Here comes lunch!"
And Ms. Nixon vixenishly responds, "And he's bringing grapes!"
They aren't named as such, but it's obvious that 7-Up would clearly like us as the audience to identify them not as the actresses Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, but as the characters they made famous in 'Sex And The City' - Charlotte York and Miranda Hobbes.
And being one so fervent in the idea of the ever-expanding TV Universe, I have no problem with that sentiment.
Ultimately, this means that 'Sex And The City' is linked to 'Space: 1999', as it was Orlando Jones' use of a laser cannon that caused a massive explosion on the moon back in that year during another 7-Up commercial. And that massive explosion detonated the atomic fuel waste dumps which put Commander Koenig into a permanent coma; a coma in which he dreamt that the moon had been ripped from its orbit around Earth and sent hurtling into the unknown reaches of outer space.
(That's a theory I put forth back in 1999 as to why the moon was still visible in later TV shows after the events of 'Space: 1999' supposedly had taken place; indeed, why the moon even had its own amusement park in the year 3000. It's not like the moon finally reversed course and parked in its reserved space.*)
Ms. Nixon and Ms. Davis are not the first alumni of 'Sex And The City' to trade on their most famous TV characters with commercials suggesting that they still exist in the TV Universe. Just before the holidays, Sarah Jessica Parker bopped around in a series of ads for the Gap. And even the New York Times felt that urge to tag her as Carrie Bradshaw rather than as Mrs. Matthew Broderick:
"In Ms. Parker's newest television appearances, a string of holiday advertisements for the Gap now in heavy rotation, time's arrow seems to have shot even further backward. The three spots, which have been running since mid-November, show Ms. Parker giving and getting gifts at Christmas parties where the other guests look as if they have just completed their end-of-semester exams. Did Mr. Big turn out to be too middle-aged? "
All that's left is for Kim Cattrall's Samantha Jones to make an appearance in an ad.
Charlotte and Miranda have done the ad for 7-Up.... Considering her licentious lifestyle, perhaps Samantha can do something with a Coke bottle?
Or maybe she might take her cue from Carrie.
Let's see.......
What's another word for "gap"......?
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
* If you missed reading the "moon boom" essay years ago (and I'm not sure it can be googled or found in any of those Internet archive sites), I'll be more than happy to send you a copy of it. Just write to me and ask.
Friday, January 7, 2005
MAL DE MER
Here's another "Lost In Thought"......
'Lost' finally returned from its holiday hiatus. Huzzah huzzah!
Sorry. Just wanted to continue with that "H" alliteration.
A curious thing struck me near the end - not surprising, in that so much of the show leaves me wondering what's going on by the time an episode ends.
During this episode, Shannon had been helping Sayid in deciphering the French notes of Danielle Rousseau in hopes that they might reveal a clue as to what the island was all about.
Shannon remarked that there was something familiar about the phrases and then it finally occurred to her. They were the lyrics to a song she heard over and over again on a video belonging to her French boyfriend's son.
And then she began singing the song in French. It was "Beyond The Sea", popularized by Bobby Darin.*
Although sung by Robbie Williams, the song is used in the movie "Finding Nemo".
Yet when Shannon referred to the movie, she only said it was "a fish movie; you know, one of those computer ones".
Why did Shannon dance around the title? It would have been much easier to just say "Finding Nemo", especially as it was a world-wide sensation. There was even a big plagiarism case against it lodged in the French courts before the plane crash.
Shannon always takes the easy way out; you'd think she would have just saved herself the hassle and said "Finding Nemo". And if Sayid still didn't understand, tough guppies.
I would have thought that at least behind the scenes, some synergy should have been employed. Especially as ABC - who broadcasts 'Lost' - is owned by Disney.
Ah, but Disney was basically just the distributor for "Finding Nemo"; Pixar was the animation company that created it.
And Disney and Pixar are having a parting of the ways. The evil empire of the rodent probably didn't want to give Pixar any more publicity, even though Disney would still reap profits from the movie.
I guess it's just a case of cutting off the nose to spite the fish......
["Beyond The Sea" was the favorite song of Dana Scully's father. He was a Navy man.... Was he somehow involved with the mystery of the island before he died?
Remember what his clone up in Twin Peaks said - "The owls are not what they seem......"
Okay, I'm rambling now.....]
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
* Good timing in the use of the song "Beyond The Sea" since the movie starring Kevin Spacey as Darin is now out in the theatres.
Bad timing with the sequence at the beginning, in which the beach was being destroyed by large waves. Everyone affected by the tsunami - and there are still 2,500 Americans alone missing from it - must have had some uneasy emotional responses to it.
And just a reminder - if you haven't already, please help in whatever you can with the disaster relief programs of the charity of your choice.
Thanks.
'Lost' finally returned from its holiday hiatus. Huzzah huzzah!
Sorry. Just wanted to continue with that "H" alliteration.
A curious thing struck me near the end - not surprising, in that so much of the show leaves me wondering what's going on by the time an episode ends.
During this episode, Shannon had been helping Sayid in deciphering the French notes of Danielle Rousseau in hopes that they might reveal a clue as to what the island was all about.
Shannon remarked that there was something familiar about the phrases and then it finally occurred to her. They were the lyrics to a song she heard over and over again on a video belonging to her French boyfriend's son.
And then she began singing the song in French. It was "Beyond The Sea", popularized by Bobby Darin.*
Although sung by Robbie Williams, the song is used in the movie "Finding Nemo".
Yet when Shannon referred to the movie, she only said it was "a fish movie; you know, one of those computer ones".
Why did Shannon dance around the title? It would have been much easier to just say "Finding Nemo", especially as it was a world-wide sensation. There was even a big plagiarism case against it lodged in the French courts before the plane crash.
Shannon always takes the easy way out; you'd think she would have just saved herself the hassle and said "Finding Nemo". And if Sayid still didn't understand, tough guppies.
I would have thought that at least behind the scenes, some synergy should have been employed. Especially as ABC - who broadcasts 'Lost' - is owned by Disney.
Ah, but Disney was basically just the distributor for "Finding Nemo"; Pixar was the animation company that created it.
And Disney and Pixar are having a parting of the ways. The evil empire of the rodent probably didn't want to give Pixar any more publicity, even though Disney would still reap profits from the movie.
I guess it's just a case of cutting off the nose to spite the fish......
["Beyond The Sea" was the favorite song of Dana Scully's father. He was a Navy man.... Was he somehow involved with the mystery of the island before he died?
Remember what his clone up in Twin Peaks said - "The owls are not what they seem......"
Okay, I'm rambling now.....]
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
* Good timing in the use of the song "Beyond The Sea" since the movie starring Kevin Spacey as Darin is now out in the theatres.
Bad timing with the sequence at the beginning, in which the beach was being destroyed by large waves. Everyone affected by the tsunami - and there are still 2,500 Americans alone missing from it - must have had some uneasy emotional responses to it.
And just a reminder - if you haven't already, please help in whatever you can with the disaster relief programs of the charity of your choice.
Thanks.
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