First up, since she had such prominence last year in the main Toobworld, we have Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams.BCnU!
Toby O'B
Sunday, February 1, 2009
AS SEEN ON TV: ABIGAIL ADAMS
For this week, "As Seen On TV" will have a theme as we feature various historical figures from America's Revolutionary War period. All of the characters we showcase this week are from 'Liberty's Kids', which was set in the Tooniverse.
First up, since she had such prominence last year in the main Toobworld, we have Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
First up, since she had such prominence last year in the main Toobworld, we have Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams.BCnU!
Toby O'B
THE "ELEVENTH HOUR" OF MacGYVER
In the latest episode of 'Eleventh Hour', Dr. Jacob Hood and Rachel Young, the FBI agent assigned to protect him, were locked in the huge walk-in refridgerator/freezer at a La Jolla, Ca., country club. Dr. Hood needed Rachel's help in over-turning one of the counters inside the freezer.
Hood:
You help me pull this out.
Rachel:
Why?
Hood:
Protection.
Rachel:
Don't tell me you're going to build some kind of bomb with champagne and baking soda?
Hood:
Rachel, I'm a scientist. I'm not MacGyver. Shoot the lock.
It's reminiscent of Dr. McCoy's refrain of "I'm a doctor, not a _____!", isn't it?
There's no mention of MacGyver as a TV show. Hood was talking about him as a real person, all the better for Toobworld!
By this point in time, MacGyver was probably a household name. One of his exploits must have made the news, something stunning along the lines of Captain Sullenberg and his crew bringing the USAir jet down in the Hudson But it would be something in which MacGyver only had a paper clip, a potato, and some chewing gum foil to help him.
So when Hood mentioned MacGyver, he knew that Rachel would pick up on the reference.
No Zonk!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
Hood:
You help me pull this out.
Rachel:
Why?
Hood:
Protection.
Rachel:
Don't tell me you're going to build some kind of bomb with champagne and baking soda?
Hood:
Rachel, I'm a scientist. I'm not MacGyver. Shoot the lock.
It's reminiscent of Dr. McCoy's refrain of "I'm a doctor, not a _____!", isn't it?
There's no mention of MacGyver as a TV show. Hood was talking about him as a real person, all the better for Toobworld!
By this point in time, MacGyver was probably a household name. One of his exploits must have made the news, something stunning along the lines of Captain Sullenberg and his crew bringing the USAir jet down in the Hudson But it would be something in which MacGyver only had a paper clip, a potato, and some chewing gum foil to help him.
So when Hood mentioned MacGyver, he knew that Rachel would pick up on the reference.
No Zonk!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
Saturday, January 31, 2009
MUSICAL TOOB: "MY MARIA"
I don't know what the Fates have in store for the American version of 'Life On Mars'. I saw a headline at TVTattle.com that the ratings upon its return this past week were not good. Alls I know is that, as much as I LOVED the original British version (which is in my top TV shows), I am enjoying this adaptation for its own merits.
And a leading factor in that is the 70s soundtrack that infuses the world in which Detective Sam Tyler has found himself.
This week had a great example near the end of the episode. As the social worker Maria Belanger entered the bar to greet Sam, B.W. Stevenson could be heard singing "My Maria", which closed out the show. Oh mayun! I have not heard that song probably since 1973, and what a rush it brought back!
Here's a link to a youtube version of it. The video is just of the 45 record spinning on its turntable because I didn't want to ruin whatever imagery you may already have for that song in your head. (Don't you hate it when TV commercials do that? Although I do give a free pass to Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" for VW's Cabrio.)
BCnU!
Toby O'B
And a leading factor in that is the 70s soundtrack that infuses the world in which Detective Sam Tyler has found himself.
This week had a great example near the end of the episode. As the social worker Maria Belanger entered the bar to greet Sam, B.W. Stevenson could be heard singing "My Maria", which closed out the show. Oh mayun! I have not heard that song probably since 1973, and what a rush it brought back!
Here's a link to a youtube version of it. The video is just of the 45 record spinning on its turntable because I didn't want to ruin whatever imagery you may already have for that song in your head. (Don't you hate it when TV commercials do that? Although I do give a free pass to Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" for VW's Cabrio.)
BCnU!
Toby O'B
NEW @ TOOBWORLD CENTRAL
After a short hiatus from spending money on the Toobworld Central DVD library, I had a few deliveries today:
1) "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"
It just didn't seem right that I wouldn't have my own copy of this big winner from the 2008 Toobits Awards.
2) 'Studio One' - "A Bolt Of Lightning"
Charlton Heston portrays James Otis, a colonial Boston revolutionary (based on the true story of Otis, who traveled in the same circles as Samuel Adams).
3) "Captains And The Kings"
Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this! I haven't seen this since it first aired back in the 1970s on NBC. And what a cast - Richard Jordan, Vic Morrow, Charles Durning, Blair Brown (I think she and Jordan met on this mini-series?), Patty Duke, Perry King, Ray Bolger, John Houseman, Burl Ives, John Carradine, Barbara Parkins, Joanna Pettet, Ann Sothern, Jane Seymour, Neville Brand, Robert Vaugh, Pernell Roberts, Peter Donat, Beverly D'Angelo, Clifton James, Cliff De Young, more character actors than you can shake a ham at, and Henry Fonda (in a role that's very reminiscent of one in "All The King's Men").
I also picked up a few "Wall-E" items, but those are for my nephew.....
BCnU!
Toby O'B
1) "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"
It just didn't seem right that I wouldn't have my own copy of this big winner from the 2008 Toobits Awards.
2) 'Studio One' - "A Bolt Of Lightning"
Charlton Heston portrays James Otis, a colonial Boston revolutionary (based on the true story of Otis, who traveled in the same circles as Samuel Adams).
3) "Captains And The Kings"
Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to this! I haven't seen this since it first aired back in the 1970s on NBC. And what a cast - Richard Jordan, Vic Morrow, Charles Durning, Blair Brown (I think she and Jordan met on this mini-series?), Patty Duke, Perry King, Ray Bolger, John Houseman, Burl Ives, John Carradine, Barbara Parkins, Joanna Pettet, Ann Sothern, Jane Seymour, Neville Brand, Robert Vaugh, Pernell Roberts, Peter Donat, Beverly D'Angelo, Clifton James, Cliff De Young, more character actors than you can shake a ham at, and Henry Fonda (in a role that's very reminiscent of one in "All The King's Men").
I also picked up a few "Wall-E" items, but those are for my nephew.....
BCnU!
Toby O'B
ELEVENTH HOUR HEF
This year, for the tenth anniversary of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame here at Toobworld Central, we're inducting new members every week, rather than just once a month. And one of the scheduled inductees for March gained an added bonus to his resume of qualifying appearances in the TV Universe. And he probably didn't even know about it until the episode aired.
In the 'Eleventh Hour' episode "Eternal", Dr. Jacob Hood saw a picture of the late Lowell Parks (who was discovered to have two fully formed hearts) with three beautiful women... and Hugh Hefner.
Something not too different from this. I bet he must get bored posing with so many loverlies all the time......
Even though the founder of Playboy didn't actually appear in the episode, the photograph confirms his presence in this corner of the TV Universe. And since it shows him with a fictional character, that means he's Hef's tele-version and thus connects 'Eleventh Hour' to other shows like 'Entourage' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
In the 'Eleventh Hour' episode "Eternal", Dr. Jacob Hood saw a picture of the late Lowell Parks (who was discovered to have two fully formed hearts) with three beautiful women... and Hugh Hefner.
Something not too different from this. I bet he must get bored posing with so many loverlies all the time......Even though the founder of Playboy didn't actually appear in the episode, the photograph confirms his presence in this corner of the TV Universe. And since it shows him with a fictional character, that means he's Hef's tele-version and thus connects 'Eleventh Hour' to other shows like 'Entourage' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
AS SEEN ON TV: PANCHO VILLA
Usually there's no rhyme nor reason to the daily choices I make for the "As Seen On TV" feature. Leading up to Obama's inauguration, I did have a short run of the former presidents. And I may get to most of the others (if available) later in the year. I will have a theme for next week, of famous people as seen on 'Liberty's Kids', if only to use the various profile pictures I grabbed from their website.
But for now, it's mostly a slapdash collection of pics. And for today we have the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa as he looked in "And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself". Antonio Banderas played Pancho Villa and the HBO movie was written by Larry Gelbart.
That in itself makes this a worthy choice for the Inner Toob spotlight.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
But for now, it's mostly a slapdash collection of pics. And for today we have the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa as he looked in "And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself". Antonio Banderas played Pancho Villa and the HBO movie was written by Larry Gelbart.
That in itself makes this a worthy choice for the Inner Toob spotlight.BCnU!
Toby O'B
Friday, January 30, 2009
TELE-FOLKS DIRECTORY: AGENT 1056, AKA "MOTHER"
One of the 'Secret Agent' episodes I saw yesterday was "Battle Of The Cameras" in which I may have found a theoretical link to 'The Avengers'; one that I'm sure must have occurred to fans of both series long before. 
Patrick Newell portrayed Alex, AKA Agent 1056, who was assigned to assist John Drake in Cote D'Azure. Although he was competent in his duties, he was a bumbler who had an over-inflated sense of his own capabilities. Just the sort of middle-management fellow to find himself kicked upstairs with a promotion. 
So it will be the Toobworld Central contention that Alex would later be chosen to head the 
undisclosed branch of British Intelligence, the same place where John Steed worked as a "top professional" agent. As his code name in his new position, Agent 1056 would now be known as "Mother".And as you've realized by now, Mother was played by Patrick Newell in 20 episodes of 'The Avengers' during the Tara King years.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
PS:
I'll have to re-watch the 'Doctor Who' episode "The Android Invasion" to see if I can make some kind of connection to Newell's character of Colonel Faraday. Not that he has to be Alex/Mother, even though we never learned his last name on 'Secret Agent'. But they could be identical cousins.....
NUMBERS RUNNING: "DANGER MAN"
In the 'Danger Man' episode that I watched yesterday at the Paley Center for Media ("The Key"), suspected double agent Harry Logan had an apartment in Vienna. He lived there with his wife, Maria.
The apartment number was "16", one of the key numbers from 'Lost'.....
BCnU!
Toby O'B
The apartment number was "16", one of the key numbers from 'Lost'.....
BCnU!
Toby O'B
AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
I went to the Paley Center for Media on Thursday, hoping to see "Best Of Friends", in which Patrick McGoohan played George Bernard Shaw. Unfortunately, the program, although in the library, has yet to be catalogued and so was unavailable.
I still made it a day of McGoohan, however, with an episode of 'Danger Man' and two episodes of 'Secret Agent', including "The Battle Of The Cameras". I thought that was the pilot; it had all the earmarks of being the first episode, but instead it aired during the second season.
Nevertheless, even though I didn't get to see "Best Of Friends", I still wanted to feature Patrick McGoohan as George Bernard Shaw today in the "As Seen On TV" feature.
BCnU!
Toby O'B
I still made it a day of McGoohan, however, with an episode of 'Danger Man' and two episodes of 'Secret Agent', including "The Battle Of The Cameras". I thought that was the pilot; it had all the earmarks of being the first episode, but instead it aired during the second season.
Nevertheless, even though I didn't get to see "Best Of Friends", I still wanted to feature Patrick McGoohan as George Bernard Shaw today in the "As Seen On TV" feature.
BCnU!Toby O'B
Thursday, January 29, 2009
AS SEEN ON TV/HAT SQUAD: JOHN UPDIKE
John Updike passed away the other day at the age of 76. His stories of suburban angst could probably be best represented by his four novels about "Rabbit" Angstrom, of which at least one was made into a movie. But others of his works were adapted for television as well, including "The Witches Of Eastwick" which was turned into a pilot for a proposed series twice - once in 1992 and again a decade later.
His short stories were the basis for "Too Far To Go" in 1979, and he contributed the story for "Pigeon Feathers" in 1987. His novel "The Christian Roommate" was adapted in 1985 as "The Roommate".
The two "Eastwick" pilots would end up in two different TV dimensions, with the first adaptation (starring Julia Campbell, Catherine Mary Stuart, and Ally Walker, with Michael Siberry as the Devil) taking precedence in Earth Prime-Time. (The other version starred Marcia Cross of
'Desperate Housewives', Lori Loughlin and Kelly Rutherford with Jason O'Mara, now on 'Life On Mars', as Daryl Van Horne.)
But John Updike also appeared as himself, albeit over in the Tooniverse, when he appeared in 'The Simpsons' episode "Insane Clown Poppy". Like other literary figures of our time, Updike appeared at the Springfield Festival of Books. But he was there as the ghost writer of Krusty the Clown's book, "Your Shoes Too Big To Kickbox God"
The following conversation is paraphrased:
Krusty the Clown:
Ahhh, book writing! What a scam! Just twenty pages and they eat it up.... and this guy did all the writing for me! What's your name again?
John Updike:
John Updike.
Krusty:
Hey, I didn't ask for your life story!
A minute later, after a little girl (Drew Barrymore) surprised the clown by claiming that he was her father, Krusty muttered that he seltzered himself which caused John Updike to laugh.
Krusty:
His short stories were the basis for "Too Far To Go" in 1979, and he contributed the story for "Pigeon Feathers" in 1987. His novel "The Christian Roommate" was adapted in 1985 as "The Roommate".
The two "Eastwick" pilots would end up in two different TV dimensions, with the first adaptation (starring Julia Campbell, Catherine Mary Stuart, and Ally Walker, with Michael Siberry as the Devil) taking precedence in Earth Prime-Time. (The other version starred Marcia Cross of
'Desperate Housewives', Lori Loughlin and Kelly Rutherford with Jason O'Mara, now on 'Life On Mars', as Daryl Van Horne.)But John Updike also appeared as himself, albeit over in the Tooniverse, when he appeared in 'The Simpsons' episode "Insane Clown Poppy". Like other literary figures of our time, Updike appeared at the Springfield Festival of Books. But he was there as the ghost writer of Krusty the Clown's book, "Your Shoes Too Big To Kickbox God"
The following conversation is paraphrased:
Krusty the Clown:Ahhh, book writing! What a scam! Just twenty pages and they eat it up.... and this guy did all the writing for me! What's your name again?
John Updike:
John Updike.
Krusty:
Hey, I didn't ask for your life story!
A minute later, after a little girl (Drew Barrymore) surprised the clown by claiming that he was her father, Krusty muttered that he seltzered himself which caused John Updike to laugh.
Krusty: Hey, shut up, Updike!
BCnU!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
