SKED ALERT: "THE DOCTOR'S WIFE"

Here's a not-so-sneak preview of tonight's episode of 'Doctor Who':

It's called "The Doctor's Wife" and it's eagerly awaited by not only the fans of the show, but of writer Neil Gaiman as well!

BBC-America at 9 PM EDT.

BCnU!

"DOCTOR WHO" - "TODAY"

The 'Today' show visited the set of 'Doctor Who' this past week as they sent their various hosts to TV shows made in other countries. Meredith Viera got this assignment and the best I can say is - maybe it's a good thing she's leaving the show....

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

BCnU!

COME WITH ME, BACK TO THE PROMOVERSE!

On Wednesday I wrote about the Promoverse, and gave a few video examples of its existence. My choices for that post were to illustrate why they can't be considered part of Earth Prime-Time - while some TV characters may exhibit talents like serlinguism outside of their home base TV series with the pozz'bility that they could do the same in their own shows, those three examples were just too flagrant to be believable for the regular depiction of the characters.

But these other interstitials combining USA Network shows could be pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, as scenes unseen.......

(Gus would just have to make a trip to the East Coast. Not insurmountable.... And while he was in the New York area, he may have had this encounter at a bar.)

(For alls we know, Hank might have been in that same establishment.)

(Unlike his friend Michael, Sam Axe is not tied down to the Miami area.)

(I guess this took place in Miami, since Michael is somewhat quarantined there. And he must have had to call in a major favor to get FBI agent Peter Burke off his back.)

(Both Shawn Spencer and Adrian Monk may have been waiting to get interviewed for the chance to consult on a murder investigation, somewhere outside of both San Francisco and Santa Barbara.)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JAMES BUCHANAN

PRESIDENT JAMES BUCHANAN

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Peter Carlisle

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

STATUS:
Recastaway

From Wikipedia:
James Buchanan, Jr. (April 23, 1791 – June 1, 1868) was the 15th President of the United States (1857–1861). He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a life-long bachelor, and the last one born in the 18th century.

After unsuccessfully seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 1844, 1848, and 1852, "Old Buck" was nominated in the 1856 election. Throughout most of Franklin Pierce's term he was stationed in London as a Minister to the Court of St. James's and therefore was not caught up in the crossfire of sectional politics that dominated the country. Buchanan was viewed by many as a compromise between the two sides of the slavery question. His subsequent election victory took place in a three-man race with John C. Frémont and Millard Fillmore. As President, he was often called a "doughface", a Northerner with Southern sympathies, who battled with Stephen A. Douglas for the control of the Democratic Party. Buchanan's efforts to maintain peace between the North and the South alienated both sides, and the Southern states declared their secession in the prologue to the American Civil War. Buchanan's view of record was that secession was illegal, but that going to war to stop it was also illegal. Buchanan, first and foremost an attorney, was noted for his mantra, "I acknowledge no master but the law."

President Buchanan serves as a link between this British mini-series and the American sitcom 'My Favorite Martian'. But when Tim O'Hara and Exigius 12½ (aka "Uncle Martin") crossed his path on a riverboat, they had traveled back in Time to 1849. By 1860, the turmoil in the nation over the question of slavery had taken its toll and aged Buchanan.....

For more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesbuchanan

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2009/01/as-seen-on-tv-james-buchanan.html

This concludes our mini-marathon theme of "World Leaders Of The Victorian Age".....

BCnU!

WU WHO

From Pat Coleman, a member of Team Toobworld:

Ugly Betty's Suzuki St. Pierre ( ABC ) just crossed over to Rules of Engagement ( CBS ).

Suzuki didn't give his name. but the actor's clothing, hair and mannerisms were him.

So I caught the episode on cbs.com and sure enough - there he was as the manager of a restaurant who offered the young couple champagne and cake because he thought they were in a proposal.

Suzuki St. Pierre was the alter-ego of Bryan Wu, a serious journalist. So.....

What if he finally got called on the carpet for trying to pass himself off as somebody he's not? With the profession in dire straits these days, journalists have to keep themselves on the straight and narrow.

If he did lose his job as Suzuki St. Pierre and then couldn't find employ under his own identity, perhaps Bryan Wu took the job as restaurant manager in order to keep the roof over his head.....

Yeah, it's a theoretical connection and wouldn't pass muster in strictly maintained TV Universe sites, but it works perfectly for the Toobworld concept.

Thanks, Pat!

AS SEEN ON TV: CHRISTIAN IX

CHRISTIAN IX

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Anthony Douse

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:
Christian IX (8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906. He became known as "the father-in-law of Europe", as his six children married into other royal houses; most current European monarchs are descended from him.

Four of his children sat on the thrones (either as monarchs or as a consort) of Denmark, the United Kingdom, Russia and Greece. A fifth, daughter Thyra, would have become Queen of Hanover, had her husband's throne not been abolished before his reign began. The great dynastical success of the six children was to a great extent not the favor of Christian IX himself, but due to the dynastical ambitions of his wife Louise of Hesse-Kassel . Some have compared her dynastical capabilities with those of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Christian's grandsons included Nicholas II of Russia, Constantine I of Greece, George V of the United Kingdom, Christian X of Denmark and Haakon VII of Norway. He was, in the last years of his life, named Europe's "father-in-law". Today, most of Europe's reigning and ex-reigning royal families are direct descendants of Christian IX.

There is a story that, while on an outing with his children and their families, they happened across a lost man whom they helped to find his way. Upon reaching the road, the man inquired as to the identities of Christian and his family. Christian replied truthfully, stating the names and titles of all present. Not believing Christian but instead taking it in humour, he proclaimed himself to be Jesus Christ before thanking them and departing.

Christian died peacefully of old age at 87 at the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen and was buried in Roskilde Cathedral.

That story is depicted in 'Edward The King', only it's Czar Alexander, Albert Edward the Prince of Wales, and King George I of the Hellenes (Christian IX's son) who encounter a passing farmer and hitch a lift on his wagon. Upon introducing themselves, the farmer lets them in on a little secret - he's Napoleon Bonaparte!

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 05/2011: HONEY WEST

As usual, we're running late with the monthly induction into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, which I'd like to blame on the recent Blogger troubles. But the truth is - I'm just lazy.

By tradition, May usually has a "Queen Of The May" theme, mostly to ensure that at least one woman is inducted into the Hall each year. (No fear on that score - Aunt Bee Taylor and Joan Rivers were inducted in January and March, respectively.) But it also gives me a chance to showcase a smokin' TV babe, one worthy of the "Homina Thrice".

There was a sad reason why our choice for this May was selected - actress Anne Francis passed away earlier this year, always one of the sexiest women in television. And among the many TV characters she brought us (recurring roles in 'My Three Sons', 'Riptide', 'Dallas', 'The Drew Carey Show' and 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.', plus memorable guest appearances in 'Columbo' and 'The Twilight Zone'.), was the sexy investigator Honey West.....

In Toobworld, Honey West first appeared in a second season episode of 'Burke's Law' ("Who Killed The Jackpot?") and by the next season had her own series (although it lasted only the one year). Decades later, when 'Burke's Law' was revived with Amos Burke now working with his grown son, Anne Francis returned to the role in "Who Killed Nick Hazard?"

However, her character's name was now Honey Best. (It's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble that this was an attempt to avoid paying royalties to the original creators of the role.) But for Toobworld, she was still Honey West - O'Bviously her last name changed because at some point in the years following the cancellation of her own series, Honey got married to someone named Best.

Perhaps he was a descendant of Marshal Sam Best, a Western Legend known as 'Best Of The West'. And it could be that Honey Best gave birth to Jerry Best in 1970, a character later seen in 'The Bernie Mac Show'.

With those three appearances, Honey West qualifies for entry into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. But there is another reason as well - she is a multiversal, at home in several fictional universes created by Mankind's imagination.

She began life in novels by a husband-and-wife team who went by the pen name "G.G. Fickling". And at the height of her fame on TV, she was seen in comic books as well. (If there is a fictional universe based on board games, then she has a home there as well!)

So here's our salute to Honey West, the latest inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame. Sadly, it's in memoriam, as I think Honey passed away around the same time as the woman who portrayed her. She could still be alive, but if anyone ever attempts to bring her back to television, it will have to be a show located in the Land of Remakes.

Because for Toobworld, there can be only one......

BCnU!

For More:
http://www.mysteryfile.com/Honey%20West/Honey_West.html

O'BSERVATIONS: "YOU THINK I KILLED HIM!"

Every so often a phrase pops up that I hear far too often in TV dialogue. One of the first that I noticed was "He is, of course, quite mad." You'd think that one should have been unique, rarely used.

Two guys fed a ton of movie and television scripts into a computer to find out which phrase was the most often used. They went into the project with the preconceived notion that it would be "I love you."

It turned out to be "Let's get out of here."

The one that bothers me most is "It's complicated." I see it as a lazy writing crutch.

The latest one to ping on my radar is "You think I killed him?" and its variations. In fact there has been an example each week for the last three weeks. And that's just from the shows I watch.

'THE KILLING'
Bennet Ahmed, one of Rosie Larsen's high school teachers, made the question more specific: "You think I killed Rosie?"

'THE MENTALIST'
Shelley was the victim's girl-friend and she was the first on the list of suspects. "You think I killed him?"

'BODY OF PROOF'
The latest example was another teacher, Professor Jack Elliott, and he also made it specific to the victim: "You think I killed Lizzie?"

The accent can be placed on "I" if the speaker can't believe the police suspect him or her. If it's placed on "killed", that usually means the body hasn't been found yet. And if the accent is on "You think", then it's more of a statement of fact than a question.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: FREDERICK III

FREDERICK III

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Michael Byrne

From Wikipedia:
Frederick III (German: Friedrich III., Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen; 18 October 1831 – 15 June 1888) was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days in 1888, the Year of the Three Emperors. Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl known informally as Fritz, was the only son of Emperor William I and was raised in his family's tradition of military service. Although celebrated as a young man for his leadership and successes during the Second Schleswig, Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian wars, he nevertheless professed a hatred of warfare and was praised by friends and enemies alike for his humane conduct. Following the unification of Germany in 1871 his father, then King of Prussia, became the German Emperor. On William's death at the age of 90 on 9 March 1888, the throne passed to Frederick, who had by then been Crown Prince for 27 years. Frederick was suffering from cancer of the larynx when he died on 15 June 1888, aged 56, following unsuccessful medical treatments for his condition.

Frederick married Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The couple were well matched; their shared liberal ideology led them to seek greater representation for commoners in the government. Frederick, in spite of his conservative militaristic family background, had developed liberal tendencies as a result of his ties with Britain and his studies at the University of Bonn. As the Crown Prince, he often opposed the conservative Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, particularly in speaking out against Bismarck's policy to unite Germany through force and in urging for the power of the position of Chancellor to be curbed. Liberals in both Germany and Britain hoped that as emperor, Frederick III would move to liberalize the German Empire.

Frederick and Victoria were great admirers of the Prince Consort of the United Kingdom, Victoria's father. They planned to rule as consorts, like Albert and Queen Victoria, and to reform the fatal flaws in the executive branch that Bismarck had created for himself. The office of Chancellor, responsible to the Emperor, would be replaced with a British-style cabinet, with ministers responsible to the Reichstag. Government policy would be based on the consensus of the cabinet. Frederick "described the Imperial Constitution as ingeniously contrived chaos."

"The Crown Prince and Princess shared the outlook of the Progressive Party, and Bismarck was haunted by the fear that should the old Emperor die--and he was now in his seventies--they would call on one of the Progressive leaders to become Chancellor. He sought to guard against such a turn by keeping the Crown Prince from a position of any influence and by using foul means as well as fair to make him unpopular." However, his illness prevented him from effectively establishing policies and measures to achieve this, and such moves as he was able to make were later abandoned by his son and successor, William II.

The timing of Frederick's death and the length of his reign are important topics among historians. The reign of Frederick III is considered a potential turning point in German history; and whether or not he would have made the Empire more liberal if he had lived longer is still discussed.

BCnU!

WELCOME TO THE PROMOVERSE!

TINA FEY'S ALIEN FETUS
BENZOLATING ITS F'RVAAN

One of the tiniest of the major TV dimensions is that of the Promoverse. In this world, the TV characters we know from various shows appear in quick interstitials, sometimes in concert with characters from other shows.

This would be a dream for crossoverists, but too many problems - not exactly Zonks - crop up, which put them at odds with how they're portrayed in their home shows.

Such problems include serlinguism (talking directly to the Trueniverse audience), tele-cognizance (an awareness of being a TV character), and inter-action with characters from the lesser, parallel dimensions (those dimensions which are off-shoots of the major TV dimensions). The home dimension of Earth Prime-Time has all of these off-shoots, primarily the "Evil Mirror Universe" but also all of the parallel worlds from 'Sliders'.)

USA Network has had the most success in populating the Promoverse, with blipverts that combined 'Monk' with 'Psych', 'The 4400', and 'The Dead Zone' (a series that shifted its focus from the John Smith of Earth Prime-Time to that of John Smith who lived on a Toobworld that had a different President than the one for Earth Prime-Time and the Trueniverse.

Lately USA has also been mixing and matching between 'Psych', 'White Collar', 'Burn Notice' and 'Royal Pains'.

Here are a couple of examples of the residents of the Promoverse, displaying some of the qualities mentioned above:

The Promoverse also accommodates members of the League of Themselves, and as could happen in Skitlandia (mostly - but also in the main Toobworld), there could be major differences with their alternate TV counterparts.

For example, here's a serlinguistic Tina Fey revealing that she has been impregnated with alien seed during her sked alert about hosting 'Saturday Night Live'.

By the way, 'Saturday Night Live' as a whole is not part of Skitlandia; only the individual sketches are. 'SNL' is a TV show within the TV Universe as it is in the Trueniverse.

In real life, Tina Fey is married to Jeff Richmond. I don't see any reason why she shouldn't be married to him in the Promoverse as well. But he's an alien who has always been disguised as Jeff Richmond, or only recently replaced Jeff Richmond in Tina's life. Since she seems happy about carrying this alien hybrid spawn, I'm guessing the former - and she's okay with that.

Ecce Promo!