LOOK SHARP! FEEL SHARP! BE SHARP!

Electronics company Sharp has launched a complex, integrated ad campaign based on their most recent tagline: "More To See". The effort includes television spots and a labyrinthine online story and treasure hunt.

There is way more to see than the three Errol Morris-directed spots that kick off the campaign. The mysterious commercials send viewers to the campaign's main site, www.moretosee.com, which links to blogs written by three characters involved in a hunt for three mysterious urns, as well as to product information about Sharp's high-end LCD Aquos television and the complex technology behind it.

Through the inter-linking blogs (peter.moretosee.com, natalie.moretosee.com and mike.moretosee.com ) -- which describe the characters' love triangle and double-crossing attempts to unravel various puzzles -- consumers can enter sites relating to puzzles and other mysteries, including Stonehenge, crop circles and the Egyptian pyramids.

Beyond the screen, there will also be a temporary art gallery setup in New York's SoHo that will integrate ideas from the campaign with product displays.

While the creative teams don't expect every consumer to click through to the end, those who do will find clues to a real-life treasure hunt.

--Melanie Shortman

Rich Shapiro, a friend of mine and fellow Iddiot (look it up) decided to check out the weblink and filed his own version of Fodor's Guide for the Idiot's Delight Digest.

With his permission, I'm reprinting his report here:

I saw this odd commercial on the Yanks game, a Karman Ghia diving into a swimming pool, and then the link to www.moretosee.com and finding it odd, I went there.

There, a flash display shows the little mini-movie again, with stills, close up, of certain parts. Some of them link to other places. I clicked on one and found this site about a mysterious puzzle that was just partially solved.... http://www.steinitzpuzzlers.com/index.html

So, on and off, I browsed around. Very odd, and oddly interesting. A story about an eccentric anthropologist, Dagobert Steinitz, who hid 3 urns, and who ever figured out the clues, and found the first one would be given a million dollars. He lived in seclusion for 30 years, dying mysteriously last year. Then, this year, this 40 year old puzzle, nearly ignored by puzzlers, was solved. And, so, the search for urns 2 and 3 started anew.

He created the puzzle to in some way get back at other scientists who had scorned him for his theory of an alternate species of humans, one that created super humans who influenced human development. Kind of like aliens moving mankind around, but a more naturalistic approach. He'd show them with a puzzle they couldn't solve, or some such.

Anyway. It made for interesting browsing while the Yankees don't solve their puzzle. Looking a bit further into this, one can discover a link to the use of interactive advertising fiction, and the underground quiet buzz that this alternative advertising might be able to cause.

Amusing.

(The funny thing was that as I was reading the site, I'd forgotten how i'd gotten there. I completely forgot that I'd linked to it from that tv ad website (which, when I went to it, made completely no sense to me, and I couldn't figure out why there was even a commercial to mention an odd website. But, I got past that pretty quickly.

I was actually enjoying reading the blurbs about the mysterious puzzle, etc...(having forgotten the original website), though, at some point, it seemed that the story was getting more and more far fetched. Thing is, I recall a tv show (or 60 minutes, or something) that did a piece on a mathematical puzzle that someone had left, possibly engraved on a statue, or something, I can't remember.

So, i thought this might be that, at first, until I googled it a bit, and came up w/the adweek. which reminded me i'd started....on the toob...in this little bit of clicking around during the yankees game.)
~~~~~~~
It's going to be a major coup if one of the other two commercials turns out to deal with this theory about super-humans. Think how many TV series that could be linked to! 'Stargate SG-1', 'Babylon 5', 'Farscape', and of course, 'Star Trek'.

We shall see what we shall see!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

With thanks to Melanie Shortman & Rich Shapiro

IN THE NEWS

What's the news across TV Nation?

We have got the information!

(La da di dah!)

Here are just a few of the stories that could or will affect life in the TV Universe:

Alfred Gough, executive producer of WB's Superman-as-a-teenager drama 'Smallville', said the late Christopher Reeve's recurring character, the brilliant scientist Dr. Swann, will pass away in an episode airing later this season.

Margot Kidder, who has already filmed two episodes as Bridgette Crosby, Dr. Swann's emissary, will continue as a link between the young Superman (Tom Welling) and Dr. Swann's research about the teen's alien origins. Kidder played Lois Lane opposite Reeve's Clark Kent in the "Superman'' movies.
----------------
The producers of "Smallville" are continuing to bring characters from the DC Comics universe into the show.

Following Lois Lane and an appearance by the future Flash, Bart Allen, in Wednesday's (Oct. 20) episode, the show will bring one of Superman's nemeses to Smallville for the Nov. 3 episode. Trent Ford will guest-star as Mikail Mxyzptlk, a "foreign exchange student" who comes to Smallville and disrupts the lives of Clark Kent and his friend Chloe.

[In Superman lore, Mxyzptlk is a mischief-maker from the fifth dimension who periodically pops up to torment the Man of Steel.]
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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - USA Network has ordered a second season of 'The 4400', the record holder for the highest-rated series debut in basic cable history.

'4400' became a surprise hit for USA in July, premiering to 7.4 million total viewers, eclipsing previous record holder 'The Dead Zone' by 1 million. The six-hour series, which starred Joel Gretsch and Peter Coyote, chronicled UFO abductees who returned to Earth with mysterious powers.

Production on 13 episodes will begin in February in Vancouver in anticipation of a June launch. Most of the original cast is expected to return.
-----------------
"Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire" was earthshaking. Literally. The castaways on the CBS reality show experienced an island-shaking Pacific earthquake before the gender-split tribes were shook up by host Jeff Probst and tribe-chosen chiefs.
-----------------------------
NBC is developing a sports-themed comedy from Steve Levitan, the creator of 'Just Shoot Me', and John Immesoete, who created the popular Budweiser spots featuring the egotistical football player Leon. The show revolves around the life and family of a black sports superstar, probably a NFL player, who has an extra-large sense of entitlement and is often out of touch with reality.
----------------------------
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Sci Fi Channel is partnering with Steven Long Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle on a futuristic tale at least somewhat inspired by 'The Wizard of Oz'.' Titled 'Tin Man', the project is only in the earliest stage of development.

In 'Tin Man',' a young girl named Dorothy is zapped off to an alternate universe where, as so often happens, nothing is as it seems. She's trapped in the Outer Zone (or 'O.Z.'), a land populated by law enforcement officers known as "Tin Men." In her quest to return home, she meets three unique individuals who join her adventure.Mitchell and Van Sickle will co-write and executive produce what will be a four-hour miniseries.

I like the use of 'Outer Zone' - a combo from 'Outer Limits' and 'Twilight Zone', perhaps?

How much do you wager there will be a character who says, "Welcome to the O.Z., bitch?"

Well, maybe they'll use "Witch" instead......
----------------------------
Writer-director Kevin Smith will guest star in the final three episodes of this season's Canuck teen drama 'Degrassi: The Next Generation'. Smith is in Toronto this week filming his scenes, due to air early next year on CTV in Canada and the N Network in the U.S.. Jason Mewes, Smith's co-star in the Smith-directed "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," will also appear. Both will play themselves.

In the show, the pair have come to Canada to scout a sequel to "Jay and Silent Bob" titled "Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?" and they end up on the 'Degrassi' set.

Smith -- whose directing credits include "Clerks," "Dogma," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy" and "Jersey Girl" -- is a longtime fan of 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and its predecessor 'Degrassi Junior High'.
------------------------------
BCnU!
Tele-Toby

WEEKLY ROUND-UP (FOR TOOB-WONKS)

THE YADA-YADA

"I learned it takes a lot of really smart people,

Working very hard,

To do a crappy show."

Conan O'Brien

THE GREAT LINK
By the time I post this missive, there will be just over a week before the latest "MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR TIME". And the Sundance Channel is leading up to that with a four part sequel to one of the first HBO dramatic series, 'Tanner '88'.

'Tanner '88' was a "mockumentary" looking at the candidacy of Senator Jack Tanner as he made an ill-fated run for the White House. Over fifteen years later, and the new show looks at the attempt by his daughter Alex to make another documentary about those times while capturing footage of her father among the new power-brokers at this year's Democratic convention in Boston.

As it was with its predecessor, 'Tanner On Tanner' is chock-full of celebrities either joining the "League Of Themselves" or adding to their roster of appearances in Toobworld. Some of them have appeared in fictional settings before as themselves, or were portrayed by other actors. In the case of Martin Scorcese, both types of appearances apply ('Curb Your Enthusiasm' & 'The Sopranos', respectively).

And then there are those who have appeared as themselves in shows of either a variety or of a news/informational format. On average, they tend to be discounted unless the people involved were regulars or hosts, or there was just something odd about the appearance. (A good example of this would be Harry Belafonte appearing on 'The Muppet Show'. In Toobworld, he was interacting with living puppet people at that theatre.)

So here's a rundown of a few of the celebrities who make significant contributions to the TV Universe by their crossovers. (Others will be listed farther down the page in the "League Of Themselves" segment.)

Reverend Al Sharpton - The big man on campus last time, (with 'Boston Legal', 'Girlfriends', and the upcoming ), here's another addition to his Toobworld resume for 2004.

(It took me two weeks to catch up on the debut episode of 'Tanner On Tanner', so that's why the show wasn't included with the others last week. But as it premiered in the same week as his 'Boston Legal' appearance, it should have.)

Martin Scorcese - 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', 'The Sopranos',
Harry Belafonte - 'Sugar Hill Times', 'The Muppet Show'
Steve Buscemi - 'The Simpsons'
Vice President Al Gore - 'Futurama'
President Jimmy Carter - 'Angie', 'Carter Country'
Bill Clinton - 'The Nanny', 'Live Shot', 'L.A. Law'
Janeane Garofalo - 'Primetime Glick', 'The Ben Stiller Show'
Governor Gray Davis - 'Yes, Dear'
Al Franken - 'The Al Franken Show', 'Saturday Night Live', Yahoo "Franken/Stein" commercial with Ben Stein
Governor Michael Dukakis - 'Cheers'
Reverend Jesse Jackson - 'Both Sides Now', 'A Different World', 'Lou Grant'
Governor Howard Dean - 'K Street'
Chris Matthews - 'Hardball'
Michael Moore - 'TV Nation'
Secretary Madeline Albright - 'Futurama'
Representative Richard Gephardt - 'Lateline'
Ron Reagan, Jr. - 'TV.com', 'The Ron Reagan Show'
Tom Brokaw - NBC Nightly News, 'Today'
Dee Dee Myers - 'Equal Time', 'The West Wing Documentary'

MISSING LINK
There is no role too small for which one can't make a theoretical link to some other show.

For instance, when Alex Tanner fled her own premiere at the Rough Cut film festival, she wandered into a shoe store where she met a saleswoman who was also studying film.

The character was played by Krysten Ritter, but had no name - a perfect opportunity to claim she could be a character from another series!

And I have the perfect choice - Ms. Ritter played Brynn, the grand-daughter of an elderly woman who lived in the hotel run by Mavis Rae. Brynn took over her grandmother's room once the elderly lady was removed to a nursing facility. But she proved to be more of a disruption than the old lady when she disrupted the place with her loud parties.

I think Brynn's just the type to take a job in a trendy shoe store so that she could support not only her schooling, but also her wild lifestyle.
('Tanner On Tanner' & 'Whoopi')

ZONK
As I've always said, I can't possibly watch everything on TV, so my thanks go out to my friend Nora Lee who caught this clash of the TV Universe on an episode of 'Without A Trace':

"Last night's had a good episode about a missing person with an alien abduction complex. When they go to question his abductee support group, a guy asks: "So you guys are the real Scully and Mulder?" (and they're having an affair as well).

"A side amusing part is that the guy is really up on sci fi and knows what they're talking about in their jargon and she just thinks they're all crazy.

"There's a cute interchange at the end then, when the guy (Eric Close) calls the woman (Poppy Montgomery I think) "Scully" and she notes she hasn't been to his apt. yet and she'll come by later. Which is very Scully-ish ."
('Without A Trace')

SPLAININ
This apparent Zonk clashing 'The X-Files' with 'Without A Trace' can luckily be saved!

In later episodes, the secretive work of FBI agents Mulder and Scully was exposed twice to the general public.

First off, their exploits were fictionalized and featured in a big screen Hollywood movie in which they were portrayed by Garry Shandling and Tea Leoni. And even though their names had been changed, albeit not necessarily to protect the innocent, publicity material supplied to critics would surely have mentioned the background sources for the film.

Secondly, Mulder and Scully were caught on tape dealing with a creature of the Id which fed on fear. This footage was part of a running "documentary" which would later be edited and shown on the TV series 'Cops'. It's a popular series both in the real world as well as in Toobworld, so it's quite likely someone on an episode of 'Without A Trace' had seen it.

THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
Three episodes into its four-part run on Sundance, 'Tanner On Tanner' is chock-ful of politicians, actors, and other celebrities portraying themselves in a fictional setting. And unlike the recent 'K Street', it's a lot more interesting.

Here's a list of those who have appeared so far on the show and who were not mentioned above in the "Great Link" segment of our show:
Elaine Kaufman Robert Redford Carl Bernstein
Dina Merrill Senator Joseph Lieberman Ted Hartley
Kitty Dukakis Senator Joseph Biden Barak Obama
John Podesta Senator Bob Graham Alex Kerry

And there's still one more episode to air before it's over!

Continuing the political bent, the Rock The Vote organization has a new PSA out which features plenty of stars urging people to make a difference in the voting booth.

Among them:
Leonardo Di Caprio Samuel L. Jackson
Benicio Del Toro Justin Timberlake

And U2 performs "Vertigo" in a blipvert for iPod's and iTunes which makes me long for the days when the band (actually the cast of 'The Ben Stiller Show') hawked Lucky Charms in a commercial.......

LA TRIVIATA
Rex Van DeCamp proposed to Bree Mason on Skyline Drive over a bottle of apple wine. And even though she was dating Ty Grant, and her father hated Rex, she said yes.

Rex has an aversion to apple wine now......
('Desperate Housewives')

The comic book that Walt was reading after the plane crash was a Spanish translation of a Green Lantern/Flash team-up from DC. It was entitled "Faster Friends - Part One" and featured a battle with an alien whose intentions ultimately were meant to be peaceful.

One of the show's creators has hinted that the comic book is a lot more important than people might think.
Considering it illustrated a polar bear and soon after a real polar bear showed up on that tropical island, I'd say he's not yanking our crank.
('Lost')

The tattoo on Charlie Pace's left shoulder reads:

Living is easy

With eyes closed

This is a lyric from "Strawberry Fields Forever" by the Beatles.
('Lost')

OBITUARIES
Billy Warren, a New York firefighter, died in the line of duty near the end of the summer. At his wake, the other members of his company learned that Billy's "prodigious talent" had earned him a legacy of two beautiful ex-wives who appreciated the fact that their FDNY sweetie was carrying extra hose.
('Rescue Me')

UNSTUCK IN PRIME TIME
Unless otherwise stated within the show, it's usually a given that episodes of a series takes place around the time it is broadcast. (That's why so many debuts can be found in September of any given year.)

'Desperate Housewives' found a way to play with that chestnut. The dates on Mary Alice Young's tombstone read:

11/18/65 - 9/26/04

This was probably the date they were hoping to premiere. As it was, they debuted a week later on October 3rd.

For anyone thinking of starting a timeline for this show, it makes for a good touchstone on which to build.
('Desperate Housewives')

CRITIC'S CORNER
"The most delicious swirl of real/faux in the media echo chamber is the inclusion of Kerry's daughter Alex Kerry (a real documentary filmmaker) making a film about her father. The real Alex and the actor Alex meet in Episode 3, and end up interviewing Ron Reagan Jr., another presidential candidate offspring who has worked his way into a media career. The satire bites you coming and going, as the three engage in a largely improvised scene.

The 'Tanner' film crew was joined by Alex's phony film crew, plus Alex's film school student (played by Luke MacFarlane), supposedly making a film about Alex. Joining them was Alex Kerry's real-life film crew. And then Ron Reagan appeared with his MSNBC film crew, coincidentally trailed by a film crew for another news show.

As political sage Aretha Franklin asked, 'Who's zoomin' who?'

The viewing public is accustomed to sorting through 'reality TV's' layers of almost real interactions. We're used to spotting 'real people' in cameos with actors, and we've been trained to accept TV that toys with our views of what's real. But seldom if ever do we get to laugh at the current state of the media from such a knowing angle."

thanks to TV critic Joanne Ostrow of the Denver Post

"LUCKY" PIERRE, ESQUIRE

During the 1960s, "Lucky" Pierre was the leading legal representative for the Underworld in Gotham City. His career reached its pinnacle and suffered its greatest debacle when he represented the second Catwoman and the Joker in court in 1968.

I'm assuming that Pierre was his last name and that "Lucky" was his nickname. As to what his first name was, we have no clue, but I think Masson would have worked well. "Masson Pierre" has a nice ring to it......

We have no definitive proof nor confirmation of his death; this is an assumption based on the fact that the actor who portrayed him in the Real World, former spokesman for the Kennedy White House Pierre Salinger, also passed away.
('Batman')

In Toobworld, many characters can live long after their human creators have died. For example, we're fairly certain that even though Andy Kaufman passed away in 1984, his character of Latka Gravas kept working at the Sunshine Cab Company - at least until his widow Simka made mention of her status in 1997, when she gave sportswriter Tony DiMeo a lift in her cab.
('Taxi' & 'The Tony Danza Show')

Sometimes those characters aren't afforded the luxury of living out their lives after their portrayers have passed away. They could have been sent off to live elsewhere off-screen and away from the prying eyes of the audience viewing at home. But instead the writers take the option of either writing up the deaths of the characters as well, or simply recasting them (which to me, seems like an insult to the work of the actor in the role).

The suicide of Pete Duel, who was playing one of the two lead roles in 'Alias Smith & Jones' forced the show's producers to take the drastic measure of recasting; calling on the show's narrator, Roger Davis, to step in as the new Hannibal Heyes/Joshua Smith.

(I've been able to splain this away with a rather lengthy essay calling on a role Davis played in an earlier episode of 'Alias Smith & Jones', as well as on the intervention of my choice for the most powerful character in the TV Universe: Dr. Miguelito Loveless.
('Alias Smith & Jones' & 'The Wild, Wild, West')

We'll see another example of how an actor's death can make an impact on a role in a few weeks, when it will be revealed that Dr. Virgil Swann, young Clark Kent's mentor, will have died. This will be to bring closure to the character now that real-life superman Christopher Reeve has passed away.
('Smallville')

Getting back to "Lucky" Pierre, he would have been the same age as Pierre Salinger, but his health was probably broken by his lengthy incarceration in prison. Or it could be that his underhanded tactics might have antagonized one of his Underworld clients who would have taken revenge.

With all of the modern ills in our society, Pierre would have been lucky indeed to make it to the age of 79.

At any rate, we doff our wishbone-decorated derby to the departed defense attorney and wish him Godspeed.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

VIEWER MAIL

re: the 555-TOOB essay:

Toby:
I can date 555- back to at least 1967. In the Batman episode which crossed over with Green Hornet, Bruce Wayne and Britt Reid are sitting at a table during a fashion show and each is being hit on by models. One tells Van Williams' character when he asks the price, "5,555,555", then explains it is her number (555-5555) not the cost of the dress.

Just for trivia info,
Hugh
--------------------
re: the Debate Strategery essay,
I heard from a friend who related the duck story and who gave me permission to use it:

I thought it fit right in – cool!

I like that tribble-self-impregnation. I’ve been trying to do a similar thing for years with no luck LOL.
Bob
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The blog is great, Toby. But I miss your posts to the IDD...
-stephanie twogeeks
------------------------------------

TELE-GENETICS

No, that's got nothing to do with how you look on TV, nor is it some wacko cult created by a hack sci-fi writer.


The journal "Nature" has published a report by a genealogical research team delving into the mysteries of human ancestry. Their findings state that everybody alive today - no matter where in the world - shares a common ancestor who lived 2-3,000 years ago.

Considering how much she got around, that ancestor's name is probably "Xena".

Team member Steve Olson said, "People are much more closely related to each other biologically than we've suspected in the past."

Another member of the team, Yale mathematician Joseph Chang, claimed that because a person's genes are diluted by half every generation, it's unlikely you share any of the same genes with a forebear who lived even tens of generations ago, Chang explained. But that person is still your genealogical ancestor, even if you are not genetically related.

Of course the scientific laws of the real world don't apply to Toobworld, and vice versa. Otherwise, there would be no secret bases on the moon and time travel in the TV Universe. And we would have manimals and automen roaming about in our midst, saying "Can you hear me now? Good."

In the TV Universe, characters not only share genetic material with ancestors tens of generations back, they can look exactly alike as well. We are used to seeing a character's parent and sometimes even grandparent looking like them, but this seeing double can go back even farther on the family tree. AJ and Rick Simon had carbon copies forebears dating back to the American Revolution.
('Simon and Simon')

And Samantha and Darrin Stephens are both genetic echoes of prehistoric ancestors who also shared the same names. And as if by kismet, these primeval twins also fell in love and married. Samantha's ancestor was even able to practice witchcraft.

[We know it couldn't be the modern-day Sam and Darrin on a magical pre-history tour of Bedrock. It has been stated with certainty that witches can't go beyond that point in time when they were born, or else they risk losing their powers. And the proto-Samantha had full use of her Neanderthal nose-twitch.]
('Bewitched' & 'The Flintstones')

"We make mistakes. Genetic manipulation or not, nobody's perfect."

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

[This was based on an article by Paul H.B. Shin, which was originally published in the New York Daily News on October 3, 2004.]

FLUMMOXED BY FOX

It's been a few weeks since I looked at the line-up of new shows from a particular network and tried to figure out what might be their best crossover options.

So we've tackled ABC and CBS; let's move on to that fair and balanced mothership of Rupert Murdoch's empire, FOX:

'The Partner'
'Renovate My Family'
'Next Great Champ'
'House'
'The Billionaire - Richard Branson's Quest For The Best'
'The Complex: Malibu'

ARE THEY BLEEPING ME????

You know, I was willing to play along and suggest a few links for a so-called "reality show" once in a while for each network..... But to have your line-up stocked with them?

Bleep that!

All save for 'House'. At least I'm looking forward to at least a few episodes of that; to test the waters. I'm a fan of Hugh Laurie and it sounds as if his character is meant to have the type of irascibility shown by Patrick McGoohan when he starred in the poorly received (and I admit it, poorly conceived) 'Rafferty'.

I just don't understand why he's being forced to adopt an American accent. Let the man revel in his natural British diction! Don't vocally castrate him like CBS did with Mark Addy!

Other than that, I'll wait to see a few episodes before I make a suggestion, but seeing as how they've loaded down the sked with so many reality shows, there aren't that many options for crossovers. Off the top of my melon, I'd say an hour in the day of Jack Bauer and '24' might be in order.

'House' - The title suggests it's either a home renovation program or another version of 'Big Brother'.

But it's a medical investigation series about Dr. Ian House.

This will never come up in the series, but I think Dr. House is related, albeit distantly, to Chief Inspector House, a British investigator. It's not exactly a relative Dr. House would be bragging about. (See 'Burke's Law' episode "Who Killed Supersleuth?")

I'd bet that except for my online allies at the Gene Barry website, I doubt that there's anybody else who would have remembered Chief Inspector House.

But as I am a great fan of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', seeing Carl Reiner in the role of Inspector House made qute an impression on a fair-headed yet feather-headed young boy.

Yes! I'm talking about myself!!!!!!

BCnU!
Toby

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

THE GREAT LINK
AL SHARPTON: FREED FOR LINKIN'
Now that he's no longer running for President, Reverend Al Sharpton has a lot of free time for a more prominent position in TV Land. One week after Election Day, Reverend Al will debut as the host of a new reality series on Spike-TV: 'I Hate My Job'.

He'll be serving as a motivational coach to eight guys who quit their jobs and are given three months to pursue the dream job they've always wanted.

And he's been prepping himself by appearing on other shows around the dial as himself. Last December, he hosted 'Saturday Night Live' and proved himself adept at playing characters other than himself. (My personal favorite was his impersonation of Johnny Cochrane.)

But just in the last three weeks he's gone bi-coastal - first, he was practically accosted by Maya when he showed up at William's offices, but at least he got a free copy of her book out of the experience.
('Girlfriends')

And then it was off to Boston where he made a surprise appearance in a court case dealing with a little black girl's chance to play the iconic figure of Li'l Orphan Annie in a roadshow production of the musical.

Reverend Al appeared as a favor to Denny Crane, acting as the "rabbit pulled out of the hat" to shake things up in the courtroom to swing opinion in the favor of Alan Shore's client.

[An interesting side note: the name of the 'Girlfriends' episode was "The Rabbit Died". I hope there's nothing ominous in that.....]
('Boston Legal')

These weren't the first times that Sharpton has appeared as himself in the TV Universe. Of course, there is always the talk show circuit, but we all know that's not the stuff that makes for exciting connections in the Great Link.

Still, here are a list of a few notable appearances in such forums:
"Real Time with Bill Maher" (2003) playing "Himself" 30 July 2004
"Tavis Smiley" (2004) playing "Himself" 29 July 2004
"Dennis Miller" (2004) playing "Himself" 15 & 20 July 2004
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (1993) playing "Himself" 14 July 2004
"O'Reilly Factor, The" (1996) playing "Himself" 1 July 2004
"Tavis Smiley" (2004) playing "Himself" 2 February 2004
"Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The" (1992) playing "Himself" 19 February 2003
"Chris Rock Show, The" (1997) playing "Himself" 21 November 1997
"Howard Stern" (1994) playing "Himself" 13 June 1996
"Howard Stern Show, The" (1990) playing "Himself" 27 April 1991
"Howard Stern Show, The" (1990) playing "Himself" 17 November 1990
[Thanks to the IMDb for the info.]

Al Sharpton has also appeared in that little corner of the TV Universe carved out by Dick Wolf with appearances on 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' and 'New York Undercover'. (Even though those two shows aired on different networks, they are linked by the appearance of Dr. Elizabeth Olivet, as played by Carolyn McCormack.)

I haven't seen either episode, but I think I know how they sussed out. The reverend probably led the protest when the reputation of a college was being protected to the detriment of an investigation into the murder of a female student, allegedly by two of the school's basketball stars.
('Law & Order: Special Victims Unit')

And he probably rose to the defense of a fellow minister, Reverend Hundley, who was being targeted by a cigarette manufacturer.
('New York Undercover')

But there's one appearance by Reverend Al Sharpton that has my curiousity piqued. In September of 1974, he appeared as himself on an episode of 'Soul Train'.

As he just turned fifty this month, he was not yet twenty when he was on the show. So I'm figuring that he was one of the kids dancing to the latest hits.

Now THAT would be something to see!

MISSING LINK
Charlie's loony next door neighbor, Rose, used the term "re-gifted" when talking about the fact that he gave his nephew a fake dog-poop toy which she had given him. (Actually, she broke into the house and left it on his pillow.)

Rose: "But you re-gifted. And I thought you were a classy guy!"

She jumped off the balcony to make her escape before she could reveal how she might have known of a term that was created by a character on 'Seinfeld'.

There was no mention or reference to the classic show about Nothing, so we're free to assume that this is not a Zonk. Instead, it's possible there might be a reason to be found in the show's inner reality.
('Two And A Half Men')

SPLAININ
At some point in time, Rose must have known someone found in the 'Seinfeld' universe. And each of the four main characters could have used the term with her.

Jerry: As a comedian, he would have had plenty of opportunities to visit Los Angeles; they even built a season-ending cliff-hanger around such a trip. And as a single man with dating woes, Rose would have fit in perfectly with his personal rogue's gallery.
George: While he was working for the New York Yankees front office, George must have traveled with the team to the West Coast for any number of road trip series. Perhaps he met Rose while they were both going into a stadium.
Kramer: He's got a reputation for doing well with those ladies who have some kind of emotional problems or who are at least on the rebound. And as he is a quixotic sort, he may have been in the City of Angels on business. (He does have Kramerica, Inc. to run, after all.)
Elaine: Maybe once she got out of prison in 1999/2000, she decided to start her life anew. To accomplish that, perhaps California was the place she ought to be. And once she relocated to Beverly - Hills, that is (movie stars, swimming pools) - perhaps Elaine became friends with Rose.
('Two And A Half Men' & 'Seinfeld')

CLASSIC ZONK
Illya Kuryakin and a scientist's daughter once watched a TV episode about a secret agent who takes the place of a sheik's daughter in the Arabian kingdom of Zalamar, in order to foil the plans of the evil Grand Vizier.
('The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' - "The Her Master's Voice Affair")

The problem is, the show they were watching was the second episode of 'The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.' ("The Prisoner Of Zalamar Affair"). Illya Kuryakin and April Dancer (the secret agent portrayed in the episode) worked for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. He once teamed up with her partner Mark Slade, while she was working with Illya's partner, Napoleon Solo.

This wasn't the only time two TV series that are definitely proven to be in the same universe would later be Zonked by being shown on TV within each other's programs. It happened between 'Ally McBeal' and 'The Practice', as well.

There's a splainin for all of this, I'm sure of it.

Just haven't found it yet......

THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
Mary, Delinda, and Nerissa got lost in the Nevada desert when they hunted for hidden treasure. But before they could be found by the local crime scene investigators (like THAT crossover will ever happen!), they were rescued by singer Clint Black who happened to be staying nearby. Clint Black always seems to have interesting encounters with the Ladies of TV Land; he was once stalked at a party in Boston by bar manager Rebecca Howe. ('Cheers')

The great thing about Toobworld: There's always a celebrity around when you need one!
('Las Vegas')

Tony Kleinman was told by his mechanic that he should borrow a Hummer while his own car was in the shop for repairs. What he failed to point out, however, was that the vehicle was owned by Dennis Rodman. And even after he found out, Tony still wouldn't give it up until his own car was ready.

The sportswriter might not have been so obstinate about the situation had he known that within TV's own reality, Dennis Rodman is not of this world. He is an alien, perhaps even one similar to those pseudo-humanoids to be found in Rutherford, Ohio.

Maybe that's the real reason Rodman is known as "The Worm".
('Listen Up!' & 'Third Rock From The Sun')

Both Black and Rodman are eligible for eventual induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame - and without any appearances on talk shows, music programs, or poker showdowns.

Dennis Rodman also has:
'North Shore'
'L.A. Doctors'
'Baywatch'
'Double Rush'

And Clint Black can also claim:
'King Of The Hill'
'The Larry Sanders Show'

LA TRIVIATA
"Avenue Q", the puppet musical which won the Tony Award this year for Best Musical, is now officially a part of the TV Universe in more than just promotional appearances on talk shows, commercials, or in musical snippets.

Chief Jerry Reilly discovered his wife had Alzheimer's when they went to see the show. (She told him that when her husband showed up, he'd have to give up his seat - for himself.)
('Rescue Me')

The first orchid hybrid was created in 1858, according to Dr. Barrett Moore.
('Nip/Tuck')

The last time Joan Rivers graced the cover of 'People' magazine was in 1994.
('Nip/Tuck')

OBITUARIES
Adrian Moore, totally messed up by his relationship with his "mother", Ava Moore (formerly a man named Avery Tanner), killed himself with a hunting knife plunged into his intestinal organs.
('Nip/Tuck')

Sam Dorian, father of Dan and John ("JD"), was a traveling office supplies salesman. He may have died on the road doing business.('Scrubs')

IN THE NEWS

"The majority of television caters to the majority of Americans,

And is, as a result, garbage."
Grace McCallister
'Jack & Bobby'

*******

LucasFilms is now denying that there are any TV shows based on 'Star Wars' in development.
It doesn't matter. 'Star Wars' is already part of the TV Universe: 'Droids', 'Ewoks', the infamous 1977 Holiday Special......
~~~~~~
The producers of 'Joey' are casting for another Tribbiani sister to join the fold by November. (I knew they would have been better off naming the series 'Tribbiani!'......)

NBC isn't saying, but a Bold-Face name could be playing the role.

To me, that sounds like an act of desperation, and could very well end up being a focal point on the "Jump The Shark" website. (Personally, I'm finding the show to be comedically bankrupt.)

But why not call on Marla Sokoloff to reprise her portrayal of Dina Tribbiani? Audiences know her from 'The Practice', where she played Lucy Hatcher. She's got the comedic chops, as displayed by her one-line zingers and asides in that role....

And she's got spunk. I LIKE spunk!
~~~~~~
Hit 1980s TV action series The A-Team is to be remade as a movie, according to Hollywood trade paper Variety. It said James Bond screenwriter Bruce Feirstein was writing a more serious movie version of the popular US series for the Fox studio.

The TV show followed the fortunes of four Vietnam veterans on the run after escaping from a US military prison. It starred the late George Peppard and made a pop culture phenom out of Mr. T. [Peppard, who played The A-Team leader Hannibal, died in Los Angeles in 1994.] The series, which ran from 1983 to 1987, also starred Dirk Benedict as Faceman Peck and Dwight Schultz as Howling Mad Murdock.

Stephen J. Cannell, who created the original show and is co-producing the new film, said Mr. T could be bought back in a cameo role. He said: "Mr. T and I had lunch last week, and I'd really like to have him in the movie, although we haven't begun casting.

"I always think it's nice to see the stars of the old show in cameo roles in the movie. But obviously he won't be playing BA Baracus."

Cannell added that the remake would be "less cartoony" than the original. He told Variety: "Not to denigrate the TV show, but nobody ever died. We drove cars off cliffs and people got out and walked away. We're not going to do that in the movie. In this, the tone is more dangerous - you can really die. It's very tense and exciting."

~~~~~

Fred Thompson will do double duty on two 'Law & Order' shows. He will continue to play Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch on the original series, but he will also take the character to 'Law & Order: Trial by Jury', which is set to premiere next spring.

"Obviously, Fred is a welcome and quite necessary component of `Law & Order: Trial By Jury' since the action takes place inside the legal system and he is the district attorney," executive producer and series creator Dick Wolf told The Associated Press Wednesday in an e-mail.

'Law & Order: Trial by Jury' will star Jerry Orbach, also of the original 'Law & Order' series, as police Detective Lennie Briscoe. The series also will star Bebe Neuwirth, Kirk Acevedo and Amy Carlson.
~~~~~~~~
'My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss', premiering Nov. 7 at 9 p.m. is a hybrid reality spoof that dupes contestants for laughs.

"What 'My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé' did for romance reality, 'My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss' will do for business reality," said Gail Berman, president of Fox Entertainment.

The show takes 12 contestants and puts them in the employ of N. Paul Todd (played by actor William August). As Mr. Todd, CEO of the fictitious IOCOR, August puts his charges through a series of ridiculous challenges. The last contestant standing will take home a real check for $250,000.
~~~~~~~~
Depending on your way of counting, the new, animated version of 'The Fantastic Four' will be either the third or fourth television take on the first Marvel supergroup, beginning with the 1967 Hanna-Barbera cartoon. The 1978 'The New Fantastic Four' omitted the Human Torch.

[Very few fans are likely to count the 1979 Hanna-Barbera offering 'Fred and Barney Meet The Thing', which somehow managed to mix Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble with the rock-bodied 'Fantastic Four' character.

But of course, this televisiologist accepts the challenge - both the Flintstones and the Fantastic Four exist in the same TV dimension; it's just a matter of splainin away how they bridged the temporal gap!]

Marvel and Antefilms (which produces Cartoon Network's 'Code Lyoko' and 'Funky Cops') hope to give the series an all-ages appeal, to bridge the gap between fans of the original series and new viewers who flock to the coming feature film. Marvel hopes to use the series, as well as a new video game property, as a way to tide fans between the first movie and what the company hopes will be sequels.
~~~~~~
Kirstie Alley is recruiting some old friends for her unscripted Showtime series 'Fat Actress'. John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Jeff Zucker and Mark Curry are set to appear in the show's first episode.

Set to premiere in March of 2005, 'Fat Actress' takes an only slightly fictionalized look at Alley's own experiences with looking for love and work in Hollywood while having to deal with endless media and tabloid speculation about her yo-yoing weight.
~~~~~~~~
Warner Bros. has acquired remake rights to 'Hawaii Five-O', with George Nolfi set to write the script, reports Variety. George Litto, who was the agent of series creator Leonard Freeman, will produce the film.

With its lush Oahu setting, popular theme song and signature lead detective character Steve McGarrett, 'Hawaii Five-O' is perhaps the most remake-friendly TV series not previously under studio control, says the trade. CBS broadcast the series from 1968 to 1980.

Nolfi has begun writing, and filming is expected to start next spring in Oahu for an early summer 2006 release. There is even a time schedule for sequels. Nolfi is reportedly sticking close to the original 'Five-O' series plot.

Personally, I just wish they'd leave the original characters alone and do a continuation with new characters. Perhaps they could bring in James MacArthur to reprise his signature role of Dan-O.
~~~~~~~
Going in the opposite direction (from film to TV), Ricky Tomlinson is in talks to reprise his big screen role of the hapless England football manager Mike Bassett for a TV series. ITV is producing the spin-off of the British movie 'Mike Bassett: England Manager' to be screened next year.

Actress Amanda Redman - who starred in the film - is also in negotiations to play Bassett's long-suffering wife.

The TV series will see Bassett down on his luck and in charge of a third division club.

The sitcom will follow his exploits trying to manage fictional Wirral County Football Club while struggling to keep his marriage on track.

[In the 2001 film Bassett was promoted from the manager of Norwich City to become England supremo, mainly because nobody else could be found to fill the position.]

"Mike Basset was a huge hit in cinemas and we are thrilled to be bringing these great characters back in this new incarnation," said ITV's controller of comedy Sioned Wiliam.

"It's wonderful to be working with such great actors and talented writers."

The series will be made by Artist Independent Television and Smiling Films, and executive produced by the film's writers Rob Sprackling and John Smith.

"We can't wait to bring Bassett to the small screen. His hapless antics at the bum end of the football league are the perfect antidote to the super cool glamour of the Premiership," Sprackling and Smith said in a statement.
~~~~~~~~~~
This was from Hercules, the TV guy at the Ain't It Cool News? site:

"I’m trying to stay off the pipe, but I've got one so good my sponsors - my Spoiler Anonymous sponsors - are encouraging me to drop a hint.

Here's the 2004 edition, as we head into the big fall season: Two – count ‘em – two regular characters on one of Herc’s very favorite TV series of all time will die before the 2004-05 season staggers to completion.

Regulars, I say. Regular regulars. We're talking title credits. Die forever. And completely. Not back at all. Ever. Not a trick, hoax or imaginary story. Really gonna happen.

For those new to the site, just some of the Herc’s all-time favorite series:

Gilmore Girls
The O.C.
The Simpsons
Survivor
24
The West Wing

For the record, I do not regard 'Smallville' as one of my all-time favorite series, though it still stands head and shoulders above 'Lois & Clark.'

That's all you get, bitch. Hug it out, and if you think I lie, we'll talk after Memorial Day. "

I'll be curious to see who it is. I'm figuring it's either the parents on 'Gilmore Girls' or two from 'West Wing'.

[I did like the allusion to 'Entourage'. I think Ari once said, "Hug it out, Bitch." to E.......]
~~~~~~~
Perhaps the second time will be the charm for 'American Idol' wannabe, Donnie Williams. Williams, 20, was chosen last winter to appear on 'Idol', but was arrested for drunk driving after partying the night before he was to fly to Los Angeles to take part in last season's show. When producers learned what he had done, he was disqualified and replaced by George Huff, a likable and talented singer who made it all the way to the finals.

But now the three judges from the popular talent-hunt show have given Williams the green light to go to Hollywood for a rare, second shot at the fame and fortune. Williams got the second chance last week during tryouts in San Francisco when he sang "Happy Birthday" to Simon Cowell, who was celebrating his 45th birthday. "I just decided to sing in honor of his birthday and it worked," Williams says. "Then they all told me I was going to LA"

Cowell says it was Williams' talent, not his song choice, that landed him a slot on the show. "Another singer did the same thing and I booted him," Cowell said. "Donnie was chosen for his singing ability."

"He took care of it," judge Randy Jackson says of the arrest. "And now he's back where he should be, he's got the whole package: great voice, good attitude."
~~~~~~~~~

Classic comedy 'Fawlty Towers' has been voted the top BBC sitcom by foreign viewers - including those in Germany.

The show, starring John Cleese as a hapless hotelier, topped a poll carried out internationally by BBC Worldwide. Germany was among the countries which voted for the 1970s sitcom despite the famous scene in which Basil Fawlty cries: "Don't mention the war!"

'Keeping Up Appearances' was second, closely followed by 'Blackadder Goes Forth' in third. 'Absolutely Fabulous' came fourth.

'Yes, Minister' and 'The Vicar of Dibley' also featured prominently in the poll. 'Coupling' was the most up-to-date offering in the poll, in seventh place, although 'The Office' failed to make the top 10.

'Only Fools and Horses' may have topped a recent poll of British viewers, but international audiences are not as fond of the show, only rating it eighth.

The sitcoms are shown in over 100 countries on the BBC Prime entertainment channel, which is part of BBC Worldwide. BBC Prime boss David Weiland said: "Classic comedy is a big winner internationally and we are delighted Fawlty Towers has come up trumps yet again."

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

HUGHNIVERSAL SHOCK

With the news that Kid Flash will soon appear in the alternate TV dimension shared by 'Smallville' and 'The West Wing', my thoughts have been on superheroes of late. Particularly of an emerald-clad ringbearer and champion of the universe.

But until such time as I get my thoughts tracked down, stunned, roped, branded, and corralled into order, I'd like to share with you another email from my colleague in the study of the TV Universe.

Ladies and gentlemen, here's Hugh:

Toby:
Are you familiar with the cartoon Static Shock? Unfortunately, it was cancelled this past year, but it made many televerse connections.

Produced for the WB, it was an animated adaptation of an Icon Comics character named Static. It told of Virgil Hawkins in Dakota, a teen who got electricity based powers after "the Big Bang", an explosion at the docks. His best friend Richie was the only one with his secret, and, starting in season three (of four total), he started dressing as Gear, using his high IQ to fight crimes as well.

From a real world standpoint, the show featured Shaquille O'Neal as himself in season one (the "Static Shaq" episode), A.J. McLean from Backstreet Boys (in "Duped," also season one), and Lil' Romeo (in "Romeo in the Mix" from season three), and the final season featured Karl Malone (voicing himself) with Tracy McGrady, Steve Nash, and Yao Ming (voiced by other actors) in "Hoop Squad," which had the NBA all-stars becoming a super-team (reminiscent of the Power Rangers).

One late season three episode, "Blast from the Past", introduced Soul Power (the plan to use Black Lightning from the comics fell through), a retired black super hero who came out of retirement to help Virgil. The show also put together a pair of superbly written episodes, "Static in Africa" for season 3 then the sequel "Out of Africa" for season 4, which featured the heroic Anansi and the villainous Osebo, bringing African (and island) legends to animated form, and making a superhero out of folktale figure Anansi. Potential crossover here: the Gargoyles cartoon, when it featured Goliath and company wandering the earth, had an Anansi episode, "Mark of the Panther", where the great spider was a monster/villain instead of a magical hero.

It's greatest crossovers, however, began with the first season of episode two, "Big Leagues," in which Static teamed up with Batman and Robin to beat the Joker (all voiced by their actors from the WB's Batman, the animated series). It turns out Static is firmly in the world of those animated series, as season three began with "Hard as Nails" and found Static in Gotham, helping Batman, Comm. Gordon, Alfred and Harvey Bullock stop Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

Then, in the two-part "A League of Their Own," Static and Gear helped most of the Justice League (Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash, and Hawkgirl) defeat Brainiac. Static finally met Superman in "Toys in the Hood", a direct sequel to the "Obsession" episode of the Superman animated series, as the kids in Dakota teamed with the Man of Steel against Toyman. Season four then offered both "Future Shock", with Static thrown forward to the future of Batman Beyond. And finally, Virgil and his old hero, the John Stewart Green Lantern, fought Sinestro in "Fallen Hero."

The Paul Dini/Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series, later The Advs. of Batman & Robin, later part of the Batman/Superman Advs. hour, later Batman: Gotham Knights, but basically all one show) directly ties into Superman: The Animated Series (also part of that hour with Batman), the sequel series Batman Beyond, and Justice League, which is now called Justice League Unlimited (and looks to be an omnibus of the entire DC universe of characters). It also ties to some of the Webtoons from the WB, with women of Gotham City, such as Harley Quinn, Zatanna, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. Batman Beyond spun off the Zeta Project, but Batman's most remarkable cross (in my mind) was when Mark Hamill's voice was used for the Joker on the live-action Birds of Prey, a rare cartoon to live-action link up.

Also, there's a debatable point as to whether or not Teen Titans fits into this world. It's in a different style anyway. However, in "Hard as Nails," Static asks about Robin, and he's told "he's with the Titans--you'll know about them soon enough," suggesting a crossover was planned.

Another possible cross--the villain Sinestro, from "Fallen Hero", and who has been on JL and Superman, appears in the "Green Loontern" episode of Duck Dodgers (which also has a Samurai Jack cameo); it's a different actor, but all are by WB animators.

Anyway, just info for you.
Hugh
____________
And always welcome, thanks!

Any interesting cross-over/spin-off stories you'd like to share? Send them along! We're always hungry for ways to expand the TV Universe!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby