AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE WASHINGTON

February 22nd used to be celebrated in the United States as Washington's Birthday as a holiday, until they decided to combine his day with Lincoln's birthday (February 12th) and celebrate them together on some convenient Monday in February (the one between the two dates? Not sure.) as Presidents' Day. (I think Martin Van Buren was kvetching about being overlooked.)

(February 22nd is also my grandfather's birthday. I never knew him; he died before my parents even met. So I'm not clear on details like how old he would have been, but he'd have to be over one hundred years of age if he was still alive. But because he was born on this day, he was given "George" as a middle name; and as I'm the third to bear the name in full, it's mine as well.)

So for today's "As Seen On TV" we have George Washington as he looked in the 'Bewitched' episode "George Washington Zapped Here".
He was brought forth into the 20th Century by a magic spell cast by Esmerelda. And I said "forth" rather than "forward" because according to the plot, he wasn't plucked out of the Toobworld timeline but from a picture book. This is how we can splain away the fact he is a recastaway. (I'd have to check my files, but I don't think I've settled on an official portrait of George Washington for Toobworld yet. However, I think Barry Bostwick might end up being my choice .)

George Washington was played by Will Geer - seen here also in another colonial role, from 'The Young Rebels'.
And this "As Seen On TV" is going out to my cousin Marilee, who celebrated her wedding anniversary yesterday. She was the one who suggested the 'Bewitched' version of our first president.....

BCnU!
Toby O'B

BIG BANG BY THE NUMB3RS

A computer hacker used the administrative password of "LeonardSheldon4A" in last week's episode of 'Numb3rs', the show whose title I hate to type.

The audience viewing at home - if they're loyal viewers of the Eye Network - would have recognized that password as the names of the two main characters in the sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory'. And "4A" was the number of their apartment.But that doesn't apply within the "reality" of the TV Universe. Maybe whoever created that administrative password actually knew Sheldon and Leonard, and figured their home address wouldn't be associated with him (or her). Or following Occam's Razor, maybe it was just totally at random; maybe it was the password for somebody named Sheldon Leonard (I mean, someone else besides the late actor/producer) who was too stupid to come up with something original.

Ergo, no Zonk.

However, I did not see the episode in question. And it seems to be some sort of Murphy's Law for me that when I try to splain away these Zonks, it always turns out that there was always more information provided in the scene than was relayed to me. So it could be that somebody in the show actually pointed out that the password was a reference to 'The Big Bang Theory'.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least. Most scriptwriters today don't trust their audience to understand their pop culture references and have to ram home the splainin for the in-joke. Which makes me wonder why they even bother using it if they had to splain it.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

XENA, UN-ZONKED

This week's episode of 'Bones', "The Princess And The Pear" centered around a Washington, D.C. sci-fi convention called ImagiCon. As one would expect, 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' got name-dropped, but we de-Zonked those long, long ago. But twice the name of Xena was invoked, once by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Sweets and the other time by Mr. Fisher, the rather morose lab assistant.

Fisher lumped Xena into a list of subjects around which ImagiCon was focused, and Dr. Sweets explained to Dr. Brennan who Xena was when he admitted that she reminded him of the warrior princess. But neither one of them spoke of her as a fictional TV show character.

I have no problem with the idea that Xena would be a TV character. Plenty of TV shows were centered around historical figures out of the past - Wyatt Earp, William Tell, Emperor Claudius, Annie Oakley, and Frank Serpico. And just based on these mentions, we don't even have to assume that the full title of her show was 'Xena, Warrior Princess'.

So no Zonk here, fanboy......
BCnU!
Toby O'B, Warrior Viewer

AS SEEN ON TV: STEPHEN KING

From that same "Insane Clown Poppy" episode of 'The Simpsons' in which we've already seen John Updike, Saddam Hussein, and Tom Clancy, we're now showcasing the master of horror, Stephen King.

Although when he appeared at the Springfield Book Fair, he told Marge that he was now writing an historical biography of Benjamin Franklin. And he revealed that Franklin's key, used to summon the lightning, would open the gates of Hell!

King provided his own voice for his toon self, as did Updike and Amy Tan.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

THE FINNEY LINEAGE

"You, Ben Finney, are under arrest."
FBI Agent Felix Lee
'Eleventh Hour'

Agent Lee was arresting a Fish and Wildlife agent named Ben Finney for poisoning the Great Lakes with mercury. His motive? Some deluded belief that it was the only way to raise awareness of the dangers the Earth was facing.

These words were spoken in Toobworld at some point recently in 2009. But they might still be spoken again in about 260 years. That's when it will be discovered that Starfleet officer Ben Finney had faked his own death and framed Captain James T. Kirk for his "murder".

Outside of the motives of the scriptwriter, could these two men be related?

Why not?

Nearly three centuries separate the two men; in the TV Universe the "heritage trail" that might connect the two men will probably be so muddied that their relationship could never be confirmed.

At the end of the 'Eleventh Hour' episode, Ben Finney's wife Debbie gave him back her wedding ring because his actions repulsed her. After all, a friend of hers died from his actions. And as she walked away, Ben shouted after her, claiming that he did it for the kids that they might one day have. But it looked as though those children were never going to be.

But that doesn't mean Debbie might not have already been pregnant with their child; she may have in her first trimester and not even aware that she was with child.

If so, that child could begin the family tree that would lead from that disgraced Fish & Wildlife officer to that disgraced Starfleet officer......

'Eleventh Hour' - "Minimata"
'Star Trek' - "Court-Martial"

BCnU!
Toby O'B

GROO TUBE

First off, I have to give credit to my blog buddy Thom Holbrook (Crossovers & Spinoffs, to the left) for suggesting this post. When I posted Deep Six Wish-List of "Return Engagements", he revealed one of his own on my Facebook page: Seth Green's character of "Oz" from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' should team up with the Groosalugg, a recurring character from the spin-off 'Angel'. It would be a buddy road trip show - sort of a cross between 'Supernatural' and 'Route 66'. (Too bad the title of "Route 666" was used for a TV movie.)

I think it's a great idea! The "Buffyverse" created by Joss Whedon is rich enough to support a continuing franchise like 'Star Trek' or the 'L&O'/'CSI' shows. And this permutation would prevent it from becoming formulaic.

You wouldn't need either Sarah Michelle Gellar or David Boreanaz to sell the idea; the fans are out there to welcome any of their old faves back to Toobworld. (But it would be nice if Buffy and Angel could make a special guest appearance during a Sweeps period.) Seth Green certainly has a following, especially as Oz, and Mark Lutz proved the Groosalugg popular enough to last for awhile on 'Angel'.

But in the meantime, in traditional Toobworld fashion, I have another suggestion.....

Anytime Mark Lutz appears on a TV show as a one-shot character, we could make the claim that he was appearing as the Groosalugg - under an alias. (Of course, there's a proviso: the character must still be alive by the end of the episode. We'd like to see Groo live to show up again on TV.)

So far I've got two candidates:

1) 'What About Brian?' - "Moving Day"
According to IMDb.com, Lutz was uncredited as Mitchell Piedmont, and there was no further information to be found at TV.com. However, this summary excerpt from Wikipedia might be a clue: "Deena is torn between staying home with her sick child or accepting a date from the cute divorced dad she met at her daughter's school."

Not sure Groo would be posing as some kid's dad though. Unless maybe she was part demon too.....?

2) 'Twins' - "Blonde Ambition"
In this sitcom, Mark Lutz showed up as Trevor, who was dating Farrah, and her father wasn't too pleased about it. Now, that could be Groo, bouncing back after realizing he was never going to win Cordelia's heart.

Two one-shot appearances, and Groo could walk away to appear on some other TV show.

If Mark Lutz's career can keep providing these one-shot roles, one day the Groosalugg might be inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame on the Birthday Honors list.

Thanks again, Thom!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

AS SEEN ON TV: TOM CLANCY

Since I chose that image of Saddam Hussein for yesterday's "As Seen On TV" showcase out of pure laziness, I figure I might as well just run with it and finish off the series of appearances by famous people in that episode of 'The Simpsons', "Insane Clown Poppy".

First up, author Tom Clancy, who wrote the series of Jack Ryan novels that were adapted into a successful string of movies (for the most part). BCnU!
Toby O'B

MAN WITH A HORN

In the last forty years since 'The Time Tunnel' was produced, Doug and Tony have been falling through Time for alls I know. They might have been rescued, maybe not. But I think the technology of Operation Tick Tock did get the bugs out and was finally operating the way it was meant to. And I think others who worked on the project used the Time Tunnel to go back and correct things in the past, in much the same way the 'Quantum Leap' project was used and the Omni of 'Voyagers!' as well.

I think we saw one example in an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'.....

In 'No Time Like The Past', a man created his own time machine and went back to the 1880s to live. I think Dr. Raymond Swain went back in Time as well to interfere in Paul Driscoll's life there, in order to make sure that the chain of events in that town's history played out.

Posing as a horn player in the local community band which would play on the town green, Dr. Swain gave Driscoll enough clues for him to remember that the school would burn down. Had he never shown up, Driscoll would not have remembered, and thus he wouldn't have set in motion the events that caused the fire.

It seems heartless to think that the Time Tunnel was utilized to make certain that a handful of children died; but what if an alternate timeline was created in which those children lived? And perhaps one of those children may have grown up to become the American equivalent of an Adolph Hitler.......

We can't even prove Zaremba's horn player in that 'T-Zone' episode was his character of Dr. Ray Swain from 'The Time Tunnel', much less declare the reason why he would have gone back in Time to interfere in Driscoll's life.

But it would be a cool link to fill in the blanks!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

THE DEEP SIX: RETURN ENGAGEMENTS WISH-LIST

Every year I put together a list of TV characters and locations that I'd like to see make a return appearance on TV, even if the shows that spawned them no longer are broadcast.

It's not as difficult as it sounds. There have been instances in the past where TV characters from shows long gone have appeared in other programs.

A few examples:

Dr. Bob Hartley ('The Bob Newhart Show') - 'Murphy Brown'

Elliot Carlin ('The Bob Newhart Show') - 'St. Elsewhere'

Warren Coolidge ('The White Shadow') - 'St. Elsewhere'

Alan Brady ('The Dick Van Dyke Show') - 'Mad About You'

Cinnamon Carter ('Mission: Impossible') - 'Diagnosis Murder'
Here is the list of characters I've suggested in the past whom I'd like to see return for one more turn in the Toobworld spotlight:

Zoe Heriot, 'Doctor Who'
Gotham City, 'Batman'
Dr. Joel Fleischman, 'Northern Exposure'
'Honey West'
Mrs. Emma Peel, 'The Avengers'
Agent Dale Cooper, 'Twin Peaks'
James West, 'The Wild, Wild West'
Ford Prefect, 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'
Brother 'Cadfael'
'The Time Tunnel'
Dr. Sam Beckett, 'Quantum Leap'
Ann Marie (Hollinger), 'That Girl'
John Drake, 'Secret Agent'
Dr. Miguelito Loveless, 'The Wild, Wild West'

We have to amend that list this year. Patrick McGoohan died over a month ago, so there goes the chance to see John Drake come out of retirement. (I was hoping to see him give assistance to 'Spooks'/'MI-5'.) And in an interview marking her 70th birthday last year, Dame Diana Rigg expressed disdain for those who approach her about nothing else but her work as Mrs. Emma Peel on 'The Avengers'. So with respect to her feelings, I'm removing her from the list as well.

You'll note that Dr. Loveless is still on the list, even though Michael Dunn has been dead for over thirty years. But it's the Toobworld Central contention that Dr. Loveless was part Gallifreyan and that he could regenerate. Although most of the time when he did so, he kept the same body, eventually he could transfer his intelligence to another person, or regenerate his own body to a new form. (I think Warwick Davis would make for an excellent new incarnation of the not-so-good doctor.)

So here is this year's list of the TV charactes I'd like to see make a return appearance on our screens:

Adam Cartwright, 'Bonanza'
While we still have Pernell Roberts with us (and I have no idea how he's faring in real life), we should get the chance to see the last original member of the 'Bonanza' cast in action. The timeline for the series was roughly 100 years before each episode was broadcast. So to see Adam Cartwright now, it should be set in 1909; and as Adam left the Ponderosa behind to seek his destiny elsewhere, the opportunities are endless as to where the story should be set and what it should be about. But as cultured as Adam was, I think everybody would still like to see him in a Western setting or something akin to that, say in Australia or Africa.

And as such, there's an opportunity in the timeline that might be perfect for inserting Adam Cartwright.

Best option for a return engagement?
This is the ultimate Wish-Craft, in that there's nothing on TV currently to insert Adam Cartwright. So instead, I'd like to see a TV movie about the adventures of Teddy Roosevelt in Africa. We've seen him there before, on an episode of 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'; but this time the story doesn't necessarily have to stick so closely to established history.

On March 23rd, 1909, former President Theodore Roosevelt left New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip was sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. So why can't we claim that Adam Cartwright accompanied the former president and see what adventures they got into there in Africa? I'm not saying Adam has to be the center of attention, just an added bonus in the cast.

Depending on how outlandish the script goes, it could appear on niche cable outlets as extreme as the National Geographic Channel (if they wanted to go for close to realistic) or Sci-Fi (if they wanted to get into Burroughs or Haggard territory).

Kevin Arnold, 'The Wonder Years'
If Kevin's to return in the present day, Fred Savage wouldn't be old enough to take on the role again; the recastaway card would have to be played. And we couldn't cast Daniel Stern, even though he was the voice of the older Kevin because they don't resemble each other.

Instead, I'd suggest Tom Hanks for the role; play out a storyline similar to John Updike's "Rabbit Angstrom" series in which a middle-aged Kevin Arnold has to take stock of his life in the new millenium....

Best option for a return engagement?
An HBO mini-series produced byas well as starring Hanks.

Andromeda, 'My Favorite Martian'
"Andy" was the 400 year old nephew of Exigius 12½ (AKA Martin O'Hara) on 'My Favorite Martian'. (I don't think he was on for more than one episode, But he was probably introduced as a test: to inject a new aspect to the series or as a prospective spin-off.) Although he was 400 years old, he looked to be only 12. Forty plus years onward and we could make him a recastaway with an older actor... say, about sixteen years of age.

Best option for a return engagement?
A teen-oriented sitcom like 'The Suite Life On Deck'.

The Tenctonese, 'Alien Nation'
In the general community of Toobworld, the Tenctonese must have found some way to finally leave the Earth and be relocated to a new planet to be their New Tencton. After all, we don't see them around anymore in TV shows set in Los Angeles, do we? But I imagine there would be a few that might have stayed behind, preferring their life on Earth.

I'd like to think Cathy Frankel and the Francisco family would be among them, but as there were thousands of Tenctonese to choose from, the roles could be completely new - so long as they still had those interesting names given them upon their arrival. (My own choices- Button Gwinnet and the married couple Tip and Brandy Snifter.)

Best option for a return engagement?
As recurring characters on 'Eureka' or 'Sanctuary'.

Alicia, 'Flying Blind'
My all-time favorite Tea Leoni character, and one who was cancelled from our TV screens far too soon. Not sure if she could still handle the fast-paced dialogue still, but as I think she'd like to find a project to take her mind off the events in her life of the past few years, I'm sure she'd give it a shot.

Best option for a return engagement?
Episodes on shows like 'How I Met Your Mother' or '30 Rock' to re-introduce the character, and then a sitcom of her own.

Lorne, 'Angel'
Lorne was too visually striking and too bitchily witty to be left off the small screen; he was the Clifton Webb of the demon world.

Best opton for a return engagement?
Helping out the Winchester brothers on an episode of 'Supernatural'.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

"BEING ERICA" BEGINS TONIGHT

Sked Alert!

Starting tonight on SOAPnet, the CBC drama 'Being Erica' begins airing for the American audience. It's the story about a woman who's able to go back in Time hoping to change "years of bad decisions".

Here's an excerpt from a press release:

“Being Erica” follows the life of 32-year-old Erica Strange, a highly educated, underachieving single woman who struggles to understand why her life is heading nowhere and why she has not found her right path “yet.” She’s made years of bad decisions and has a list of regrets several pages long as a result. Enter Dr. Tom, a mysterious man who is part therapist and part rogue. In each episode he enables Erica to go back in time and re-live an event from her past that caused regret. This time she makes different choices and, in return, gains a new perspective that helps her with her present day life.

Dr. Tom is played by Michael Riley, and Erin Karpluk stars as Erica.

My Brit blog buddy Rob of "The Medium Is Not Eough" (link to the left!) has seen the series and he reviewed it, in case you wanted to learn more about the show.

Rob's review of the first episode

And Rob's patented "Carusometer"

(A look at how the show's doing after three episodes)

Again, the show begins tonight at 10 pm EST on SOAPnet......

BCnU!
Toby O'B