HOMBRE DEL ACERO

One last post before I call it a night......
While doing some research for that Zonk post about 'Supernova' and 'Superman', I stumbled on this picture of Javier Bardem as the Last Son of Krypton. He played the role on such Spanish TV shows as "La Imagen de tu vida" and its spinoff, "La Tele de tu vida".

I'm thinking this falls into the TV dimension of Skitlandia, and even then, it could be an alternate dimension of that in which Kal-El was raised in Spain....

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

Dr. Mike French is a brilliant astro-physicist at the Royal Australian Observatory in the Outback, as seen in the 2005 sitcom 'Supernova'. According to Tim Draxl who plays the role, Mike's first book was published at the age of 16. It was entitled "From Nappies To Nebula".

Here's his "official" biography:

Mike French is a child prodigy who re-wrote the time space acceleration theory at the age of 11. He also has issues with his mother.

Mike is a genius and should know a thing or two about the way the world works. Sadly he had little time for anything approaching a normal childhood and is a naïve, emotionally repressed 20-something instead. Mike's going through a kind of delayed puberty and it falls to Paul and the team to mentor him through the murky waters.

This includes the proper time and place to goof off and watch old episodes of 'Doctor Who' and 'The Benny Hill Show'......

It will be the contention of Toobworld Central that Mike French is the great-grandson of Nigel "Niles" French, a man-servant who was seen for a few episodes of 'Family Affair' back in the 1960s. Nigel French was brought into the Davis household in New York City to care for the nephew and nieces of globe-trotting architect Bill Davis while the original valet, his own brother Giles French, served at the pleasure of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth during a world tour. (I'm thinking that was the cover story for a stint with 'Torchwood'. Someday I'll get around to writing that theory up!)

We really didn't get to learn very much about Nigel French in the short time he was on the show. But it's possible that he had been married at one time much earlier in life (He was 64 while in the service of the Davis household) and sired a son to carry on the family name. Giving enough time for new generations of the French line to emerge, I'd say it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Dr. Mike French could be Nigel French's grandson.

The best part about making the genealogical distance between the two characters so great is that it's unlikely that any mention of Mike's great-grandfather should come up in the 12 episodes that were produced.

One - as in me, er, I - can only hope.

BCnU!

Toby OB

A MILD-MANNERED ZONK

Paul Hamilton:
"If we can prove that God exists, who knows what else is out there?
Ghosts! Angels! Krishna!"
Mike French:
"Superman."
Paul Hamilton:
"Well, that is a stretch, but why not?"
'Supernova'

'Supernova' made its debut on American television last week (at least as far as the local home for Britcoms, WLIW-21, is concerned). It first aired in 2005 in Australia and the United Kingdom. It's the story about a Welsh astronomer doing the fish-out-of-water routine, a la 'Northern Exposure', at an observatory in the Australian Outback.

The second episode, which aired this past Friday, presented a couple of Zonks to be dealt with. The first one can be found in that quote above; the second one was about 'Doctor Who' and is a bit thornier to deal with. (I'll need a little more time with that one!)

For the audience viewing at home, the joke in the Superman reference is that Superman is a fictional character from the comic books, movies, and TV. But within the "reality" of Toobworld, Superman was a living being.

There are a number of Supermen... Supermans... mild-mannered reporters named Clark Kent who are in fact Superman in the TV Universe. Alternate TV dimensions are homes to the Superman of 'Lois & Clark', 'Smallville', even the musical adaptation "It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's Superman!". And of course the Tooniverse houses all of the animated versions of the Man of Steel.

But for Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld, Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent has only been found in 'The Adventures Of Superman' from the 1950s. That Superman was played by George Reeves.

I've dealt with this topic before, so here are the basics - the Superman of the main Toobworld is dead. My theory is that he died saving Ray Luca and Paulie Taglia from that A-bomb blast at the end of one season of 'Crime Story'. (Kryptonite was in the sand and the atomized particles were thrust into Superman's body by the explosion as he shielded the two gangsters.)

This would splain why Superman wasn't around in Toobworld to prevent so many catastrophes, like the weather machine attacks on Port Charles, New York, in 'General Hospital', the fuel dump explosions on the Moon in 'Space:1999', and because the real life tragedy has become part of Toobworld lore in various shows, the attacks on the World Trade Center.

After his death, the secrets of Superman became widely known to the general public, which is why you can have characters in other TV shows talking about Lois Lane, the planet Krypton, Kal-El's parents Jor-El and Lara, and the Fortress of Solitude.

So in this case from "God, Are You Out There?", the second episode of 'Supernova', Mike's reference to Superman was to the "real" man. He probably meant that we might learn the truth about the destruction of Krypton. Paul must have misinterpreted his interjected comment as meaning that Mike thought Superman was still alive.

Feels a bit flimsy, but it'll work, mate!

Now I've got to de-Zonk that running sub-plot about 'Doctor Who'!

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TIDDLYWINKYDINK: WORMWOOD

The United States finally got its chance to (legally) see 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' on Sci-Fi Friday night. The first episode about the former Companion on 'Doctor Who' (who traveled with the Time Lord about thirty years ago) was called "Invasion Of The Bane". The main villain of the piece was named Mrs. Wormwood, who turned out to be a one-eyed alien of the crustacean-like species known as the Bane.

During their first confrontation, Sarah Jane pointed out that the name Wormwood appears in the Bible. It is mentioned in the Book of Revelations as a star that crashes into the Earth and poisons its waters. From the knowing look on Mrs. Wormwood's face, I'm under the impression that she chose the name deliberately. It makes sense, as she came down from the heavens and tried to infect the human population with the Bane genetic material via the soft drink Bubble Shock.

Here's what Wikipedia had to offer about the Biblical version of "Wormwood":

It's only clear reference as a named entity occurs in the New Testament book of Revelation: "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." (Revelation 8:10, 11)

Certain commentators have held that this "great star" represents one of several important figures in political or ecclesiastical history, while other Bible dictionaries and commentaries view the term as a reference to a celestial being.

A Dictionary of The Holy Bible states, "the star called Worm wood seems to denote a mighty prince, or power of the air, the instrument, in its fall, of sore judgments on large numbers of the wicked." Scofield Reference Notes draws a link between the term in Revelation and Isaiah 14:12, which reads, "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!"

BCnU!

Toby OB

TONIGHT: "ROOM WITH A VIEW" TO BE VIEWED

"A Room With A View" will be given the 'Masterpiece Theater' treatment. Not the 'Masterpiece Theater' of old however - some pixilation was required in scenes of exposed bottoms. There's at least one sex scene, some skinny dipping, and a few suggestions that certain characters are homosexuals. And the ending has been altered, as scriptwriter Andrew Davies has imagined Lucy Honeychurch's life beyond the finale dictated by E.M. Forster in his 1908 novel.

(To reflect the change in the series direction, the show is now called simply 'Masterpiece', and its season divided up into three different categories. We're in "Masterpiece: Classic" now.....)

Here's how the New York Times describes the change: "Forster ended, of course, with Lucy choosing George. Mr. Davies, though, projects ahead to 1922, just after World War I. The details won’t be revealed here, but suffice it to say that Mr. Davies weirdly goes for poignancy and prurience: Lucy is back in Italy, alone, and a minor character from earlier in the story looks as if he might be about to get lucky."

I know nothing about the story, so I hope that wasn't too spoilery. I'm glad for the change, though, because it makes this version wholly Toobworld's.

But this is cool when it comes to "relateeveety": Rafe Spall will be playing George Emerson. His own father, great character actor Timothy Spall, will be playing George's father. Can't complain about the casting for tele-genetics there!

"A Room With A View" airs tonight on 'Masterpiece', on most PBS stations. It was originally adapted as a theatrical film during the mid-1980s which made a star out of Helena Bonham-Carter.

BCnU!

Toby OB

BUG/HOFF!

Volkswagen is running a series of ads in which the new VW is a sentient vehicle hosting its own talk show. Among its guests have been Shawn Fanning, Bobby Knight, and the Hoff - David Hasselhoff.

Hasselhoff is a great choice since - as he mentions in the blipvert - he was so big in Germany back in his 'Baywatch' days.

Ah, but wouldn't it have been great if he was appearing in the ad as Michael Knight of 'Knight Rider' instead? Even after he's no longer teamed up with the KITT 2000 (which appeared scrapped in the TV movie pilot for the new series), he's still hanging out with talking cars.

BCnU!
Toby OB

HERCULE FIGURES IT OUT

"The Numbers" of 'Lost', specifically the numeral "23", got a double-shot appearance in the 'Poirot' mystery "The Alphabet Murders".

The murders were taking place in August of 1936, and Inspector Japp held a strategy session to plan their next move on the 23rd:
And after examining the crime scene in Andover, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings took the train back to London:
Now that track designation might not seem like much for making a connection to "The Numbers", but in my travels the tracks on either side of a platform would have been numbered "1 & 2" or "1 & 3". Track #1 had its own location away from the others at this station?

And if it still seems like a stretch to claim it's "The Numbers" at work, remember they've had some flimsy uses in 'Lost' itself. Biggest example of this would be in the toy store where Locke worked - regulation footballs were in Aisle 8 while Nerf footballs were in Aisle 15 ("Deus Ex Machina"). Wouldn't it have made more sense if they were in the same aisle?

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: "STRAWBERRY BLONDE"

I watched "The Alphabet Murders" during the overnight, a classic 'Poirot' mystery by Agatha Christie which was also the basis for a movie starring Tony Randall as the Belgian detective.

Poirot, Captain Hastings, and Inspector Japp traveled to Bexhall in August of 1936, hoping to prevent a murder. They took up position at the local beachfront cinema which that night was showing "Strawberry Blonde", starring Loretta Arlow, Robert Williams, and Rett G. William.

Those actors are fictional, so this movie should not be confused with "The Strawberry Blonde" which starred James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Reeves. (Besides, that movie came out in 1941 and was a remake of "One Sunday Afternoon" of 1933.)

Based on this poster, "Strawberry Blonde" was the type of movie that would have been perfect for the Electro Cinema in Cardiff, as seen in the 'Torchwood' episode "From Out Of The Rain".
BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: STANLEY KAMEL

Adrian Monk, Dr. Charles Kroger, Harold J. Krenshaw
'Monk'

Actor Stanley Kamel has passed away of a heart attack at the age of 65. He had a lot of roles in a wide variety of shows, from 'Days Of Our Lives', 'Mork & Mindy', 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', and 'Columbo' to 'Murder One'. But he'll probably be best remembered now for the role of Dr. Charles Kroger in 'Monk'. And that's especially due to the fact that he was still playing the role.

Sitting on my desk here in Toobworld Central for weeks now has been a scrap of paper with an idea for a Deep Six list - my top six recurring characters in TV shows. I decided that it should be two lists - one of current characters and one of those from classic TV. But in the beginning, the list began with one character in mind - Dr. Kroger. The idea came to me as I watched one of the final episodes from this latest season of 'Monk'; and I realized how indispensable Kamel was to the show, even if he wasn't in every episode.

And now what shall they do? It's up to the producers and writers, of course. The show is still in production; it's not like a long-cancelled series in which I could theorize a proper tribute to a character who's actor has passed away. But I'm sure it will have to be addressed and I think they'll come up with a fitting memorial to the memory of both Charles Kroger and Stanley Kamel.

May God Bless.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

SEAN'S SHOW

Today is the first anniversary of my Little Buddy Sean's 27th birthday. Although for him, it was yesterday, as he's living over in Taiwan teaching English.

Sean's the father of my second god-daughter, Rhiannon (and of Eli and Calvin as well).

Calvin's birthday was the other day; Sean's brother Michael had his on Monday. Sean's wife Gosia celebrates hers on Tax Day.

Bunch of April Fools, if ya ask me!

Celebrating the first anniversary of his 27th birthday puts me in mind of Jack Benny, who was perpetually 39. Although the resemblance ends there. Jack built his stage persona around his miserly stinginess. I can't think of anyone more generous than Sean.

I'm not talking about money. Remember, he's a teacher; there is no money! Sean is generous in spirit, very open and giving, always there to listen even though he's got a bleepload of enough troubles of his own. I always say that if I ever wrote one of those "My Most Unforgettable Character" stories for the Reader's Digest, I'd choose Sean as the subject.

Well, anyway, it's his - it WAS his birthday and he's been partying all night. (It's after 2 AM there.) And how did he do that? By watching 'Lost', its second season ender.

Brings a tear to the eye......

Of course, then he got really drunk and noisy and bothersome and it made Anthony Fremont scowl.... He'll probably end up in the rice field.

Well, they are in Taiwan, after all........

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy!
Toby OB