I want to take a moment to mark the passing of Al Lewis today at the age of 95. I'll have more thoughts later on the passing of the man who Brooklynized Dracula, but I wanted to make sure Toobworld tipped its hat to a very funny man as soon as possible.......
TV SERIES
"The Munsters" (1964) TV Series .... Grandpa
"Car 54, Where Are You?" (1961) TV Series .... Officer Leo Schnauser (1961-1963)
THE TOONIVERSE
The Mini-Munsters (1973) (TV) (voice) .... Grandpa Munster
TV MOVIES
Here Come the Munsters (1995) (TV) .... Cameo appearance
Save the Dog! (1988) (TV)
The Munsters' Revenge (1981) (TV) .... Grandpa Munster
Ring of Passion (1978) (TV) .... Mike Jacobs
The Night Strangler (1973) (TV) .... Tramp
TV RELATED MOVIES
Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) .... Leo Schnauzer
Munster, Go Home (1966) .... Grandpa Munster
TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Hi Honey, I'm Home"
- Grey Skies (1991) TV Episode .... Grandpa Munster
"Mathnet"
- The Case of the Masked Avenger (1990) TV Episode .... Ring Announcer
"Best of the West"
- They're Hanging Parker Tillman: Part 2 (1981) TV Episode .... Judge
- They're Hanging Parker Tillman: Part 1 (1981) TV Episode .... Judge
"Taxi"
- On the Job: Part 2 (1981) TV Episode .... Night Watchman
"Here's Lucy"
- Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers (1973) TV Episode .... Lionel Barker
"Love, American Style"
- Love and the Amateur Night/Love and the Cheaters/Love and the Love Nest/Love and the Unbearable Fiance (1972) TV Episode .... (segment "Love and the Love Nest")
"Green Acres"
- Star Witness (1971) TV Episode .... Charlie
"Night Gallery"
- Make Me Laugh (1971) TV Episode .... Myron Mishkin
"The Jackie Gleason Show"
... aka The Honeymooners (USA: rerun title)
- Episode #4.15 (1970) TV Episode .... Himself
"Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."
- Hit and Write (1968) TV Episode .... Harry Whipple
"Lost in Space"
- Rocket to Earth (1967) TV Episode .... Zalto
"Route 66"
- A Long Way from St. Louie (1963) TV Episode .... Wait
"Naked City"
- No Naked Ladies in Front of Giovanni's House! (1963) TV Episode .... Mr. Carrari
- ...And If Any Are Frozen, Warm Them... (1962) TV Episode .... Mr. Tanner
- The Pedigree Sheet (1960) TV Episode (as Albert Lewis) .... Gus
- Ten Cent Dreams (1959) TV Episode
"The Phil Silvers Show"
- The Weekend Colonel (1959) TV Episode .... Bruno
- Bilko's Credit Card (1959) TV Episode .... Mike
"The United States Steel Hour"
- Trouble-in-Law (1959) TV Episode (as Albert Lewis) .... Paul Gordon
"Decoy"
- Queen of Diamonds (1959) TV Episode .... Chi Chi
[thanks to the IMDb.com]
BCnU, Grandpa.....
Tele-Toby
Saturday, February 4, 2006
MR. MONK AND THE POLICE COMMISSIONER
If you know how fanatical I can get regarding the concept of the TV Universe, hopefully you'll understand why I felt so light-headed as the latest episode of 'Monk' began.
To establish the scene, we were shown outside a museum in San Francisco. It was the MacMillan Museum, at which the Crowther Collection was being shown, including the Alexander Diamond.
The MacMillan Museum! In San Francisco!
Immediately the gears began turning - Rock Hudson played the Police Commissioner of San Francisco back in the 1970s and his name was Stuart -#
This is where the gears locked up. He played Stuart McMillan. Not Stuart MacMillan.
I went into denial; tried googling "Stuart MacMillan" in connection to Rock Hudson, but got no hits. Site is swarming with "Stuart McMillan" mentions, though.
And then I thought - well, maybe there was a gaffe at the sign company who made the -# And then I gave up; it just wasn't worth it.
Because if Mr. Monk had arrived at that museum, knowing it was named for former Police Commissioner McMillan (whom he probably met), then he never would have made it inside to invetigate the diamond theft. He would have been still outside, kvelling about the misprint in the sign.
But it would have been nice to make the link. Here's how I saw it play out:
Before he died, Stuart "MacMillan" revised his will to endow the museum in memory of his late wife, Sally. Or it could have been funded by his mother's estate, if Stuart "MacMillan" was still alive. (Just because the actor dies, it doesn't always mean the character dies as well.)
But it's all just a daydream. One small letter makes all the difference.
Oh well, you can't win them all.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
To establish the scene, we were shown outside a museum in San Francisco. It was the MacMillan Museum, at which the Crowther Collection was being shown, including the Alexander Diamond.
The MacMillan Museum! In San Francisco!
Immediately the gears began turning - Rock Hudson played the Police Commissioner of San Francisco back in the 1970s and his name was Stuart -#
This is where the gears locked up. He played Stuart McMillan. Not Stuart MacMillan.
I went into denial; tried googling "Stuart MacMillan" in connection to Rock Hudson, but got no hits. Site is swarming with "Stuart McMillan" mentions, though.
And then I thought - well, maybe there was a gaffe at the sign company who made the -# And then I gave up; it just wasn't worth it.
Because if Mr. Monk had arrived at that museum, knowing it was named for former Police Commissioner McMillan (whom he probably met), then he never would have made it inside to invetigate the diamond theft. He would have been still outside, kvelling about the misprint in the sign.
But it would have been nice to make the link. Here's how I saw it play out:
Before he died, Stuart "MacMillan" revised his will to endow the museum in memory of his late wife, Sally. Or it could have been funded by his mother's estate, if Stuart "MacMillan" was still alive. (Just because the actor dies, it doesn't always mean the character dies as well.)
But it's all just a daydream. One small letter makes all the difference.
Oh well, you can't win them all.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE "CRIMINAL MINDS" ZONK!
'CRIMINAL MINDS' - "THE FOX"
[first broadcast 11/09/05]
While the BAU team was temporarily stumped over why someone was killing families who were supposed to be on vacation, Special Agent Jason Gideon said:
"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
(Or at least a near paraphrasing of that original quote.)
Special Agent Derek Morgan understood the origin of the quote, but dismissed it:
"Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character."
I don't know if they cut back to show Gideon's reaction or not, but I can picture him with a quiet, knowing smile about Morgan's claim. No matter which world you're in, even the Trueniverse, people make that assumption all the time - that Holmes was a literary creation of Arthur Conan Doyle who lived only in the pages of the Strand.
Here in the Real World, the organization known as the Baker Street Irregulars knows the Truth - Holmes lived; Dr. Watson wrote the stories based on their true-life adventures; and Conan Doyle served merely as their literary agent, but for which he eventually became linked to the authorship of the stories. After about 120 years of this view holding sway, most of the world thinks of Holmes as being fictional (even if many still write to him at 221B Baker Street, hoping he might solve their problems).
And that's just the way Sherlock Holmes most likely preferred it.
He tried on his own in the past to just disappear from the public stage several times, usually in connection with a case of high import like the destruction of Professor Moriarty's web of a criminal empire. But somehow, despite extensive globe-trotting under the assumed name of Sigerson, no matter where he went his fame was always close behind. He could never escape it. It hindered him; hobbled his pursuits and he tired of it all.
There would have been only one person capable of helping Sherlock Holmes to completely erase the notoriety of his life so that he might pass among the populace undeterred by his preceding fame - and that would be his older brother with a far greater intelligence, Mycroft Holmes.
Although his position was never fully revealed, Mycroft served as some kind of advisor to the Crown. More than likely he was truly the "power behind the throne", an entire National Security Agency all rolled into one man.
And he had been successful in keeping his contributions to the world a secret from almost everyone. To the public eye, he was a retired gentleman of means who spent his days idling at the Diogenes Club in Pall Mall. But in fact, his massive intellect was trained on the kingdom's safety in the face of a looming threat as Europe grew ever more like a powderkeg with the dawn of the 20th Century fast approaching.
Mycroft's analytical mind foresaw that war would be inevitable, and if the entire world was a giant chessboard, Mycroft meant to stay many moves ahead in planning. He saw the need for his brother's services decades into the future, but for which Sherlock would have to go undercover to establish a new identity.
For that, Sherlock Holmes would have to be "disappeared", as if he had never even existed, in fact. And so Sherlock became the Victorian version of 'The Nowhere Man'.
The groundwork had already been laid. Even though the stories chronicling his cases had been written by his friend John Watson in the first person, they always were presented in the Strand Magazine with the name of Arthur Conan Doyle affixed as the author. In fact, he only served as the go-between the publisher and his aquaintance, a fellow doctor.
Mycroft built on this; feeding the public image of his brother as just a fictional character while Sherlock weaned himself from society. He stopped working cases, moved away to Sussex, and used the time in preparation for his work to prevent a world-wide war. To keep his mind clear and to avoid the boredom that might have led him back to the seven percent solution of cocaine, Sherlock studied bees and learned the longevity secrets of the royal jelly.
And all the while, he quickly faded from the memory of the people of London as having lived there at all. As for those whose lives touched upon his (Watson, Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade), their fame had always been reflected in that of Holmes. So while his fame diminished over time, theirs faded even more quickly. In some cases, it was completely snuffed out. And none of them saw anything untoward in their blending back into the anonymity of the general populace.
So that's why there is no Zonk! in the statement made by Special Agent Morgan. As far as he was concerned, Sherlock Holmes had been fictional and yet the Great Detective actually existed back in the 19th Century and well into the early decades of the 20th.
Is Holmes still alive? Well, in some alternate dimensions of Toobworld, yes. In at least two of those worlds, Holmes found himself cryogenically preserved, only to be revived in the latter part of the 20th Century. Over in the Tooniverse, he didn't come back into play until the 22nd Century!
But I think reality has to be observed when it comes to Earth Prime-Time. Despite the amazing extensions made to his lifespan by the royal jelly, eventually (as it does for all men) Death came for Charles Fost- er, Sherlock Holmes.
And how can we be certain of this? Because for the main TV Universe, Jeremy Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes, despite the fact that others before him - like Ronald Howard and Peter Cushing, - assayed the role on Television. And with the death of Brett, we should consider Holmes to have eventually passed away as well.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
[first broadcast 11/09/05]
While the BAU team was temporarily stumped over why someone was killing families who were supposed to be on vacation, Special Agent Jason Gideon said:
"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
(Or at least a near paraphrasing of that original quote.)
Special Agent Derek Morgan understood the origin of the quote, but dismissed it:
"Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character."
I don't know if they cut back to show Gideon's reaction or not, but I can picture him with a quiet, knowing smile about Morgan's claim. No matter which world you're in, even the Trueniverse, people make that assumption all the time - that Holmes was a literary creation of Arthur Conan Doyle who lived only in the pages of the Strand.
Here in the Real World, the organization known as the Baker Street Irregulars knows the Truth - Holmes lived; Dr. Watson wrote the stories based on their true-life adventures; and Conan Doyle served merely as their literary agent, but for which he eventually became linked to the authorship of the stories. After about 120 years of this view holding sway, most of the world thinks of Holmes as being fictional (even if many still write to him at 221B Baker Street, hoping he might solve their problems).
And that's just the way Sherlock Holmes most likely preferred it.
He tried on his own in the past to just disappear from the public stage several times, usually in connection with a case of high import like the destruction of Professor Moriarty's web of a criminal empire. But somehow, despite extensive globe-trotting under the assumed name of Sigerson, no matter where he went his fame was always close behind. He could never escape it. It hindered him; hobbled his pursuits and he tired of it all.
There would have been only one person capable of helping Sherlock Holmes to completely erase the notoriety of his life so that he might pass among the populace undeterred by his preceding fame - and that would be his older brother with a far greater intelligence, Mycroft Holmes.
Although his position was never fully revealed, Mycroft served as some kind of advisor to the Crown. More than likely he was truly the "power behind the throne", an entire National Security Agency all rolled into one man.
And he had been successful in keeping his contributions to the world a secret from almost everyone. To the public eye, he was a retired gentleman of means who spent his days idling at the Diogenes Club in Pall Mall. But in fact, his massive intellect was trained on the kingdom's safety in the face of a looming threat as Europe grew ever more like a powderkeg with the dawn of the 20th Century fast approaching.
Mycroft's analytical mind foresaw that war would be inevitable, and if the entire world was a giant chessboard, Mycroft meant to stay many moves ahead in planning. He saw the need for his brother's services decades into the future, but for which Sherlock would have to go undercover to establish a new identity.
For that, Sherlock Holmes would have to be "disappeared", as if he had never even existed, in fact. And so Sherlock became the Victorian version of 'The Nowhere Man'.
The groundwork had already been laid. Even though the stories chronicling his cases had been written by his friend John Watson in the first person, they always were presented in the Strand Magazine with the name of Arthur Conan Doyle affixed as the author. In fact, he only served as the go-between the publisher and his aquaintance, a fellow doctor.
Mycroft built on this; feeding the public image of his brother as just a fictional character while Sherlock weaned himself from society. He stopped working cases, moved away to Sussex, and used the time in preparation for his work to prevent a world-wide war. To keep his mind clear and to avoid the boredom that might have led him back to the seven percent solution of cocaine, Sherlock studied bees and learned the longevity secrets of the royal jelly.
And all the while, he quickly faded from the memory of the people of London as having lived there at all. As for those whose lives touched upon his (Watson, Mycroft, Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade), their fame had always been reflected in that of Holmes. So while his fame diminished over time, theirs faded even more quickly. In some cases, it was completely snuffed out. And none of them saw anything untoward in their blending back into the anonymity of the general populace.
So that's why there is no Zonk! in the statement made by Special Agent Morgan. As far as he was concerned, Sherlock Holmes had been fictional and yet the Great Detective actually existed back in the 19th Century and well into the early decades of the 20th.
Is Holmes still alive? Well, in some alternate dimensions of Toobworld, yes. In at least two of those worlds, Holmes found himself cryogenically preserved, only to be revived in the latter part of the 20th Century. Over in the Tooniverse, he didn't come back into play until the 22nd Century!
But I think reality has to be observed when it comes to Earth Prime-Time. Despite the amazing extensions made to his lifespan by the royal jelly, eventually (as it does for all men) Death came for Charles Fost- er, Sherlock Holmes.
And how can we be certain of this? Because for the main TV Universe, Jeremy Brett WAS Sherlock Holmes, despite the fact that others before him - like Ronald Howard and Peter Cushing, - assayed the role on Television. And with the death of Brett, we should consider Holmes to have eventually passed away as well.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
"It's not who you are, it's who people think you are."
Sheriff Lucas Buck
'American Gothic'
Sheriff Lucas Buck
'American Gothic'
LA TV TRIVIA-TA
In hopes that some producer might think of using fictional products from other shows (and thus help create new links between shows), here are some recent items I've culled from various TV series in the last few weeks:
'BONES'
KBC Systems - made defective body armor
'COMBAT!'
World Magazine
"Trois Anges (The Life And Death Of A French Village") - article by Eleanora Hunt
'CRUMBS'
"Thicker Than Water" - movie based on the Crumbs' life
'CSI:NY'
The Rough Sex - a girl band
'DIAGNOSIS MURDER'
Pox Network
MBC
"Dr. Danger" tv show
'HOUSE'
"Lesbian Prison Stories" - a paperback book
'HU$TLE'
Moores Bank
'IN JUSTICE'
National Justice Project
KYOQ - radio station in Oakland
"The Prosecution Files" - TV show
Black Network Television
Wade played for an "SP" team - San Pedro?
Cruz Delgado was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1998.
'LAS VEGAS'
The Green Phantom (a comic book character)
Mothwoman (ditto)
'MONK'
"Richer Than God" by Daniel Thorne
The Vegas Voice - Las Vegas newspaper
'NCIS'
The Recovery Channel, a cable tv network
'TALES OF TOMORROW'
NY Daily Globe - newspaper (episode: Search for the Flying Saucers)
'THAT 70S SHOW'
Smack-A-Doodles - breakfast cereal
What's Up, Wisconsin? - TV show
And if you find anything of trivial interest in the shows you watch, let me know. I can't catch everything and can always use the help!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
'BONES'
KBC Systems - made defective body armor
'COMBAT!'
World Magazine
"Trois Anges (The Life And Death Of A French Village") - article by Eleanora Hunt
'CRUMBS'
"Thicker Than Water" - movie based on the Crumbs' life
'CSI:NY'
The Rough Sex - a girl band
'DIAGNOSIS MURDER'
Pox Network
MBC
"Dr. Danger" tv show
'HOUSE'
"Lesbian Prison Stories" - a paperback book
'HU$TLE'
Moores Bank
'IN JUSTICE'
National Justice Project
KYOQ - radio station in Oakland
"The Prosecution Files" - TV show
Black Network Television
Wade played for an "SP" team - San Pedro?
Cruz Delgado was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1998.
'LAS VEGAS'
The Green Phantom (a comic book character)
Mothwoman (ditto)
'MONK'
"Richer Than God" by Daniel Thorne
The Vegas Voice - Las Vegas newspaper
'NCIS'
The Recovery Channel, a cable tv network
'TALES OF TOMORROW'
NY Daily Globe - newspaper (episode: Search for the Flying Saucers)
'THAT 70S SHOW'
Smack-A-Doodles - breakfast cereal
What's Up, Wisconsin? - TV show
And if you find anything of trivial interest in the shows you watch, let me know. I can't catch everything and can always use the help!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Friday, February 3, 2006
O'BSERVATIONS: "THE CHRISTMAS INVASION"
I realize I'm very late with this - here it is, Black History Month, and I'm talking about a Christmas special! But since I'm not a Gallifreyan Time Lord, I don't have the capability to personally backdate my entries.
It took far longer than expected for me to finally see this 'Doctor Who' holiday special because I just couldn't coordinate an earlier opportunity with my guardian angels, "Markhael". And then there were just so many other stories which I needed to give attention first in the last two weeks.
By the way, there will be spoilers within, so proceed if you dare.
Anywho, here it is.
First let me assure the Americans who won't see this for awhile that, despite being a sci-fi holiday special, there is nothing on a par with the 'Star Wars' atrocity from nearly thirty years ago.
~~~~~
When this special was being filmed, I read some behind-the-scenes reports about the scene in the town center. There was mention that one of the props dressing the set was a copy of a newspaper that had as its headline: "Footballer's Wife In Sex Scandal". (Or something to that effect.)
That was pretty exciting - I thought I had a lock on a link between 'Doctor Who' and 'Footballers' Wives'. But I kept an eye out for a shot of it in those scenes when the "pilot fish" show up, but if it was there, I missed it. Seems to me it was just an attention to detail in case the camera did happen to pick up a shot of it in the chaos.
~~~~~
I was happy to see that nothing in the special negated my assertion that the mention of Arthur Dent by the Doctor was a legitimate crossover. I always hate having to go back and rescind a previously declared crossover of the week.
Which is what I had to do the last time the Doctor and Rose visited stateswoman Harriet Jones of Flydale North (in the episodes "Aliens In London" and "World War Three"). Because those episodes saw the Prime Minister (presumably Tony Blair) assassinated and Big Ben demolished, they no longer could jibe with the established view of the world in either Earth Prime or Earth Prime-Time.
When I did a weekly spotlight over the summer on each episode of the revived 'Doctor Who', I tried to place that story in the same dimension as 'The West Wing'. But as was rightly pointed out to me by Will Devine, 'The West Wing' established a different female Prime Minister for that dimension at the same time when Harriet Jones should hold the post.
I finally settled on the dimension in which three TV series now exist - 'The Agency', 'The District', and 'Prison Break'. (You can read those essays here and here.)
Because of some innate sense of cosmic balance with the TARDIS, the Doctor and Rose once again arrived in this dimension when their counterparts had departed it for another. And since the Doctor was incapacitated for much of the adventure, and since Rose, Jackie, and Mickey wouldn't have noticed the difference, all of them acted as if they truly did belong in each other's lives.
(By this point in Time, Rose probably knew this wasn't her true Mom and best friend if Harriet Jones was Prime Minister, but she was savvy enough not to rock their alt. world by telling them.)
For all I know, that dimension's Doctor and Rose will spend Christmas 2006 with the Jackie Tyler of the main Toobworld.
~~~~~
If we do assume there to be an alternate dimension for TV sketch comedy, there must be a connection to this episode, thanks to one of the Sycorax pilot fish that took on the appearance of a Christmas tradition. One of the most memorable sketches to come out of the original incarnation of 'Saturday Night Live' was "Killer Christmas Trees", and the whirling dervish of a terrible Tannenbaum might have found inspiration in that alternate dimension.
(Thanks to a Lenny Henry sketch and the Comic Relief vignette "The Curse Of Fatal Death", we know the Doctor would exist in that world.)
~~~~~
Every writer for 'Doctor Who' should have the option to bring something new to the character that was never revealed before. That's how we got the whole concept of Gallifrey and the other Time Lords, and regeneration. But it shouldn't feel too jarring a concept, as if it came out of left field. That's the sensation I got from the 8th Doctor's declaration that he was part himan in the 1996 TV movie; the same uneasiness I felt watching the 6th Doctor go through his crazy spell after regeneration.
It happened again this time, during the battle with the Sycorax leader. The Doctor's fightin' hand was sliced off. But because he was still within the 15 hour safety zone of his regeneration, he was able to grow a new one.
It just didn't feel kosher, not that I know if they keep kosher on Gallifrey or not. But now it provides a crutch for future Doctors to pull off weird amendments to their regenerations as well.
~~~~~
We got our second mention of 'Torchwood' in the series. (The first was by the Anne Droid during that futuristic version of 'The Weakest Link'.) We learned that Torchwood is an organization so highly classified that not even the Prime Minister is supposed to know about them.
They are the Black Ops group who will be operating out of Cardiff in their own spinoff series, as they rush to protect Great Britain's interests in UFO and alien activity before UNIT or America's CIA can get involved.
~~~~~
To defeat the Sycorax, Torchwood utilized an alien device they recovered from an incident ten years before. I'm not sure if that was meant to refer to the chronology of 'Doctor Who' or not. In the Real World, we got the TV movie of 'Doctor Who' in 1996, but it took place at the dawn of the new Millennium.
It might be interesting to look at the timelines for such shows as 'The X-Files', 'Stargate SG-1', and the various 'Star Trek' series to see if there's anything that might correlate to the energy beam used by Torchwood.
~~~~~
Somehow Captain Jack Harkness will be brought back from the Future where we last saw him so that he will come a new member of Team Torchwood. And considering what Torchwood did to bleep off the Doctor, I think it might be likely that he's responsible for escorting Jack back in Time to serve as his mole within that organization.
But I could be wrong. I often am. Maybe we'll find out once 'Torchwood debuts next year.
~~~~~
Of course, if the world of Harriet Jones is in an alternate dimension, that probably means I have to leave 'Torchwood' behind in that dimension as well. It all depends on whether or not we see the Prime Minister again during the run of the series.
~~~~~
For the true 'Who' aficionado, I'd guess the scene in the TARDIS wardrobe room was a high point, as the 10th Doctor picked out his new duds to fit his new look and personality. We got to see the clothes worn by the 3rd Doctor and maybe a pork-pie hat and a long scarf as well. (I only got to see that scene once so far, so I can't be certain on those.)
I like the new look for the Doctor. It's a stylish updating for the 21st Century that still suggests the flow of the 4th Doctor's comically bohemian look. It's distinctive without standing out too much from those around him - when he's among the people of Earth, at any rate. He should be able to blend in with most places he visits on Earth within 100 years in either direction from the present.
~~~~~
When this finally comes out on DVD, it better include the vignette from last year's "Children In Need" telethon as part of the story!
~~~~~
Well, that was my take on 'The Christmas Invasion'. Just a little while longer and the new series will begin, and I already know of one link I'm hoping to make - with 'Red Dwarf'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
It took far longer than expected for me to finally see this 'Doctor Who' holiday special because I just couldn't coordinate an earlier opportunity with my guardian angels, "Markhael". And then there were just so many other stories which I needed to give attention first in the last two weeks.
By the way, there will be spoilers within, so proceed if you dare.
Anywho, here it is.
First let me assure the Americans who won't see this for awhile that, despite being a sci-fi holiday special, there is nothing on a par with the 'Star Wars' atrocity from nearly thirty years ago.
~~~~~
When this special was being filmed, I read some behind-the-scenes reports about the scene in the town center. There was mention that one of the props dressing the set was a copy of a newspaper that had as its headline: "Footballer's Wife In Sex Scandal". (Or something to that effect.)
That was pretty exciting - I thought I had a lock on a link between 'Doctor Who' and 'Footballers' Wives'. But I kept an eye out for a shot of it in those scenes when the "pilot fish" show up, but if it was there, I missed it. Seems to me it was just an attention to detail in case the camera did happen to pick up a shot of it in the chaos.
~~~~~
I was happy to see that nothing in the special negated my assertion that the mention of Arthur Dent by the Doctor was a legitimate crossover. I always hate having to go back and rescind a previously declared crossover of the week.
Which is what I had to do the last time the Doctor and Rose visited stateswoman Harriet Jones of Flydale North (in the episodes "Aliens In London" and "World War Three"). Because those episodes saw the Prime Minister (presumably Tony Blair) assassinated and Big Ben demolished, they no longer could jibe with the established view of the world in either Earth Prime or Earth Prime-Time.
When I did a weekly spotlight over the summer on each episode of the revived 'Doctor Who', I tried to place that story in the same dimension as 'The West Wing'. But as was rightly pointed out to me by Will Devine, 'The West Wing' established a different female Prime Minister for that dimension at the same time when Harriet Jones should hold the post.
I finally settled on the dimension in which three TV series now exist - 'The Agency', 'The District', and 'Prison Break'. (You can read those essays here and here.)
Because of some innate sense of cosmic balance with the TARDIS, the Doctor and Rose once again arrived in this dimension when their counterparts had departed it for another. And since the Doctor was incapacitated for much of the adventure, and since Rose, Jackie, and Mickey wouldn't have noticed the difference, all of them acted as if they truly did belong in each other's lives.
(By this point in Time, Rose probably knew this wasn't her true Mom and best friend if Harriet Jones was Prime Minister, but she was savvy enough not to rock their alt. world by telling them.)
For all I know, that dimension's Doctor and Rose will spend Christmas 2006 with the Jackie Tyler of the main Toobworld.
~~~~~
If we do assume there to be an alternate dimension for TV sketch comedy, there must be a connection to this episode, thanks to one of the Sycorax pilot fish that took on the appearance of a Christmas tradition. One of the most memorable sketches to come out of the original incarnation of 'Saturday Night Live' was "Killer Christmas Trees", and the whirling dervish of a terrible Tannenbaum might have found inspiration in that alternate dimension.
(Thanks to a Lenny Henry sketch and the Comic Relief vignette "The Curse Of Fatal Death", we know the Doctor would exist in that world.)
~~~~~
Every writer for 'Doctor Who' should have the option to bring something new to the character that was never revealed before. That's how we got the whole concept of Gallifrey and the other Time Lords, and regeneration. But it shouldn't feel too jarring a concept, as if it came out of left field. That's the sensation I got from the 8th Doctor's declaration that he was part himan in the 1996 TV movie; the same uneasiness I felt watching the 6th Doctor go through his crazy spell after regeneration.
It happened again this time, during the battle with the Sycorax leader. The Doctor's fightin' hand was sliced off. But because he was still within the 15 hour safety zone of his regeneration, he was able to grow a new one.
It just didn't feel kosher, not that I know if they keep kosher on Gallifrey or not. But now it provides a crutch for future Doctors to pull off weird amendments to their regenerations as well.
~~~~~
We got our second mention of 'Torchwood' in the series. (The first was by the Anne Droid during that futuristic version of 'The Weakest Link'.) We learned that Torchwood is an organization so highly classified that not even the Prime Minister is supposed to know about them.
They are the Black Ops group who will be operating out of Cardiff in their own spinoff series, as they rush to protect Great Britain's interests in UFO and alien activity before UNIT or America's CIA can get involved.
~~~~~
To defeat the Sycorax, Torchwood utilized an alien device they recovered from an incident ten years before. I'm not sure if that was meant to refer to the chronology of 'Doctor Who' or not. In the Real World, we got the TV movie of 'Doctor Who' in 1996, but it took place at the dawn of the new Millennium.
It might be interesting to look at the timelines for such shows as 'The X-Files', 'Stargate SG-1', and the various 'Star Trek' series to see if there's anything that might correlate to the energy beam used by Torchwood.
~~~~~
Somehow Captain Jack Harkness will be brought back from the Future where we last saw him so that he will come a new member of Team Torchwood. And considering what Torchwood did to bleep off the Doctor, I think it might be likely that he's responsible for escorting Jack back in Time to serve as his mole within that organization.
But I could be wrong. I often am. Maybe we'll find out once 'Torchwood debuts next year.
~~~~~
Of course, if the world of Harriet Jones is in an alternate dimension, that probably means I have to leave 'Torchwood' behind in that dimension as well. It all depends on whether or not we see the Prime Minister again during the run of the series.
~~~~~
For the true 'Who' aficionado, I'd guess the scene in the TARDIS wardrobe room was a high point, as the 10th Doctor picked out his new duds to fit his new look and personality. We got to see the clothes worn by the 3rd Doctor and maybe a pork-pie hat and a long scarf as well. (I only got to see that scene once so far, so I can't be certain on those.)
I like the new look for the Doctor. It's a stylish updating for the 21st Century that still suggests the flow of the 4th Doctor's comically bohemian look. It's distinctive without standing out too much from those around him - when he's among the people of Earth, at any rate. He should be able to blend in with most places he visits on Earth within 100 years in either direction from the present.
~~~~~
When this finally comes out on DVD, it better include the vignette from last year's "Children In Need" telethon as part of the story!
~~~~~
Well, that was my take on 'The Christmas Invasion'. Just a little while longer and the new series will begin, and I already know of one link I'm hoping to make - with 'Red Dwarf'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
THE HAT SQUAD: WENDY WASSERSTEIN
Not being familiar with Wendy Wasserstein's work, I didn't feel comfortable commenting on it in terms of her TV contributions. I knew who she was, what she wrote, what her plays were basically about, but I never saw them to familiarize myself with them.
So now Virginia Heffernan has done an excellent job of looking back at the work Ms. Wasserstein did on TV since 1979, with adaptations of her own plays as well as new versions of stories by the likes of John Cheever. You can read it here.
Here, from the IMDb.com, are a list of most of her TV credits....
AS WRITER:
An American Daughter (2000) (TV) (play An American Daughter) (teleplay)
The Heidi Chronicles (1995) (TV) (play The Heidi Chronicles) (teleplay)
Kiss-Kiss, Dahlings! (1992) (TV)
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play (1988) (TV) (written by) (segment 2)
3 by Cheever: The Sorrows of Gin (1979) (TV)
Uncommon Women... and Others (1979) (TV) (also play)
AS HERSELF:
Broadway: The Next Generation (2006) (filming)
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) .... Herself
"The Rosie O'Donnell Show"
- Episode dated 5 June 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Herself
The Beatles Revolution (2000) (TV) .... Herself
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV) .... Herself
The 51st Annual Tony Awards (1997) (TV) .... Author of "An American Daughter"
"Where's Elvis This Week?"
- Episode #1.4 (????) TV Episode .... Herself
New Passages (1996) (TV) .... Herself
"Late Show with David Letterman"
- Episode dated 27 December 1993 (1993) TV Episode .... Herself
BCnU...
Tele-Toby
So now Virginia Heffernan has done an excellent job of looking back at the work Ms. Wasserstein did on TV since 1979, with adaptations of her own plays as well as new versions of stories by the likes of John Cheever. You can read it here.
Here, from the IMDb.com, are a list of most of her TV credits....
AS WRITER:
An American Daughter (2000) (TV) (play An American Daughter) (teleplay)
The Heidi Chronicles (1995) (TV) (play The Heidi Chronicles) (teleplay)
Kiss-Kiss, Dahlings! (1992) (TV)
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play (1988) (TV) (written by) (segment 2)
3 by Cheever: The Sorrows of Gin (1979) (TV)
Uncommon Women... and Others (1979) (TV) (also play)
AS HERSELF:
Broadway: The Next Generation (2006) (filming)
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) .... Herself
"The Rosie O'Donnell Show"
- Episode dated 5 June 2001 (2001) TV Episode .... Herself
The Beatles Revolution (2000) (TV) .... Herself
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV) .... Herself
The 51st Annual Tony Awards (1997) (TV) .... Author of "An American Daughter"
"Where's Elvis This Week?"
- Episode #1.4 (????) TV Episode .... Herself
New Passages (1996) (TV) .... Herself
"Late Show with David Letterman"
- Episode dated 27 December 1993 (1993) TV Episode .... Herself
BCnU...
Tele-Toby
SIMON COWELL MEETS BIG ED?
Simon Cowell and NBC have teamed up to find "the next great Las Vegas headliner". This new show is planned for the summer, and NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly (not to be confused with Enterprise helmsman Kevin Thomas Riley on 'Star Trek') has promised that it will give "a shot of adrenaline to the variety format."
They'll be looking for performers in other categories besides singers, including comics, magicians, ventriloquists (I hope!), animal acts, and "novelty acts."
Cowell says, "Personally, I hope to find the next Siegfried and Roy." Presumably so he can watch the lion eat the next William Hung.
NBC is offering as the grand prize the chance to be the featured act in a Las Vegas showroom. But they have as of yet not chosen the venue to be the setting. It could be a trick - there are car dealers in Las Vegas and they have showrooms......
I think it should be obvious where this featured act should play - in the Montecito on an episode of 'Las Vegas'! Last year, they did a blended lead-in from 'Fear Factor' to 'Las Vegas', so this isn't too far out of the range of possibility.
But even better..... 'CSI' should now spoof the idea and have the featured act murdered before he/she/them/it ever gets its turn in the Sin City spotlight.
I would have suggested it should be the Roman-a-clef Simon Cowell stand-in, but after seeing the "real thing" go down in "Scary Movie 3"......
Accept no substitutes!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
They'll be looking for performers in other categories besides singers, including comics, magicians, ventriloquists (I hope!), animal acts, and "novelty acts."
Cowell says, "Personally, I hope to find the next Siegfried and Roy." Presumably so he can watch the lion eat the next William Hung.
NBC is offering as the grand prize the chance to be the featured act in a Las Vegas showroom. But they have as of yet not chosen the venue to be the setting. It could be a trick - there are car dealers in Las Vegas and they have showrooms......
I think it should be obvious where this featured act should play - in the Montecito on an episode of 'Las Vegas'! Last year, they did a blended lead-in from 'Fear Factor' to 'Las Vegas', so this isn't too far out of the range of possibility.
But even better..... 'CSI' should now spoof the idea and have the featured act murdered before he/she/them/it ever gets its turn in the Sin City spotlight.
I would have suggested it should be the Roman-a-clef Simon Cowell stand-in, but after seeing the "real thing" go down in "Scary Movie 3"......
Accept no substitutes!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, February 2, 2006
THE STENCH OVER DENCH
Okay, I'm supposed to be all about the fictional reality of Toobworld; I should leave the stuff that happens on talk shows to others more capable of dealing with it. But I can't help it.
I also like to run with scissors.
According to Harvey Weinstein, who produced "Mrs. Henderson Presents", Dame Judi Dench was snubbed by three big morning shows when she was promoting the movie for which she's been nominated for an Oscar. And why? Allegedly because of her age. Weinstein claims 'Good Morning, America', 'Today', and 'The View' all refused to have her on the show because, at 71, she didn't fit their target demographics.
I don't think he has much of a case against 'The View'; not when that show's High Priestess is a walking blipvert for Depends.
But at least with 'Today', I think he's got a point. However, Lauren Kapp, a spokeswoman for the 'Today' show, saidd: "We've been honored to have Dame Judi Dench as a guest countless times over the years. In this case we weren't able to offer coverage of her new movie. We look forward to seeing her again on 'Today' soon."
They couldn't find room to give her movie one measly segment to plug it, and yet when 'The Producers' came out, - and which got less than stellar reviews, - 'Today' was able to do segments on the movie for at least three consecutive days just before Christmas.
The only upside to that is that Nathan Lane cut Katie Couric down to size for being so artificially maudlin and fawning on the Friday morning when he appeared. (I won't say he ripped her a new one - the last thing we need is a split-screen of her getting two colonoscopies at the same time!)
You could tell she was being manipulative in order to eke out some pathos regarding Mel Brooks and the loss of his wife, Anne Bancroft. But with her attempt to tug at the heart-strings at the end of the interview, Homey wasn't going to play dat game.
Hey! I said "Homey"!
She said something about how nice it was that with this movie, Mel Brooks would have something he could hold in his hand at the end of the day. Lane screwed up his face and said to the effect of: "Hold in his hand at the end of the day? What have you been drinking? Don't you get enough sleep at night?"
Gaaah. God help CBS if they hire her to be the anchor for their nightly news!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
PS:
Full disclosure - After opening night for a Broadway play Dame Judi was doing right across the street from where I work, some of her friends passed through our lobby to give us the leftover custard tarts from the backstage party. "Courtesy of Dame Judi", we were told.
But this is NOT a case of tit for tart.
I also like to run with scissors.
According to Harvey Weinstein, who produced "Mrs. Henderson Presents", Dame Judi Dench was snubbed by three big morning shows when she was promoting the movie for which she's been nominated for an Oscar. And why? Allegedly because of her age. Weinstein claims 'Good Morning, America', 'Today', and 'The View' all refused to have her on the show because, at 71, she didn't fit their target demographics.
I don't think he has much of a case against 'The View'; not when that show's High Priestess is a walking blipvert for Depends.
But at least with 'Today', I think he's got a point. However, Lauren Kapp, a spokeswoman for the 'Today' show, saidd: "We've been honored to have Dame Judi Dench as a guest countless times over the years. In this case we weren't able to offer coverage of her new movie. We look forward to seeing her again on 'Today' soon."
They couldn't find room to give her movie one measly segment to plug it, and yet when 'The Producers' came out, - and which got less than stellar reviews, - 'Today' was able to do segments on the movie for at least three consecutive days just before Christmas.
The only upside to that is that Nathan Lane cut Katie Couric down to size for being so artificially maudlin and fawning on the Friday morning when he appeared. (I won't say he ripped her a new one - the last thing we need is a split-screen of her getting two colonoscopies at the same time!)
You could tell she was being manipulative in order to eke out some pathos regarding Mel Brooks and the loss of his wife, Anne Bancroft. But with her attempt to tug at the heart-strings at the end of the interview, Homey wasn't going to play dat game.
Hey! I said "Homey"!
She said something about how nice it was that with this movie, Mel Brooks would have something he could hold in his hand at the end of the day. Lane screwed up his face and said to the effect of: "Hold in his hand at the end of the day? What have you been drinking? Don't you get enough sleep at night?"
Gaaah. God help CBS if they hire her to be the anchor for their nightly news!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
PS:
Full disclosure - After opening night for a Broadway play Dame Judi was doing right across the street from where I work, some of her friends passed through our lobby to give us the leftover custard tarts from the backstage party. "Courtesy of Dame Judi", we were told.
But this is NOT a case of tit for tart.
TOOBWORLD LINKS UPDATE
Great news! Thom Holbrook has updated his site!
Huzzah hooray!
His celebration of "Crossovers & Spinoffs" (you'll find the link up near the top of the list to the left) is one of the best online. It really goes deep into the method to the madness of linking certain shows together.
But it had not been updated since back in August of last year, and I was afraid he might have lost the interest needed in keeping track of this ever-expanding concept in Television. However, near the end of last month he posted some new additions to the site, and it's a pretty good collection to mark his return:
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air crosses over with Blossom.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Beavis And Butt-head cross over with The Head.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Drew Carey show crosses over with Norm/The Norm Show.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Gilligan's Island evloves into The Real Gilligan's Island
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Strange Luck name drops The X-Files
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Surreal Life spawns some Strange Love
Here's hoping it's just the beginning of regular updates!
ANOTHER UPDATE!
I just looked in at Crossovers & Spinoffs, and Thom has added even more crossovery goodness in the last two days. Check it out; he has a fun way of looking at this venerable building block for the TV Universe!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Huzzah hooray!
His celebration of "Crossovers & Spinoffs" (you'll find the link up near the top of the list to the left) is one of the best online. It really goes deep into the method to the madness of linking certain shows together.
But it had not been updated since back in August of last year, and I was afraid he might have lost the interest needed in keeping track of this ever-expanding concept in Television. However, near the end of last month he posted some new additions to the site, and it's a pretty good collection to mark his return:
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air crosses over with Blossom.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Beavis And Butt-head cross over with The Head.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Drew Carey show crosses over with Norm/The Norm Show.
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Gilligan's Island evloves into The Real Gilligan's Island
Article Added 01/26/06 --> Strange Luck name drops The X-Files
Article Added 01/26/06 --> The Surreal Life spawns some Strange Love
Here's hoping it's just the beginning of regular updates!
ANOTHER UPDATE!
I just looked in at Crossovers & Spinoffs, and Thom has added even more crossovery goodness in the last two days. Check it out; he has a fun way of looking at this venerable building block for the TV Universe!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
NEW @ TOOBWORLD CENTRAL
I finally got hold of the boxed set for 'Nowhere Man', the last show before the current 'Lost' for which I got so fixated. The show debuted around the same time as my introduction to the Internet, and the combination led me to spend hours in the AOL bbs for the show.
I wish now I had kept the transcripts of everything I wrote about each episode to see how my ideas then held up.
At any rate, tracking it down has led me to switch my allegiance in retail DVD buying from the Virgin Megastore to FYE. FYE at least had it in stock. And the other DVDs I picked up were cheaper than they were listed over at Virgin.
(I know - I could have made it even easier - and most likely, cheaper - for myself, had I bought them online at Amazon or wherever. But my wallet was all the way over on the other side of the apartment, and I was already so comfortably ensconced if front of the computer....)
'Cheyenne' - As was the case with my purchase of 'Maverick' last week, this has only three episodes on it. Despite the fact that the show is on weekly on the American Life network, I'm not familiar with any of these three. But I know which one I would have liked to have seen on here - "The Dark Rider" with Diane Brewster as Samantha Crawford, a character she would go on to play in several episodes of 'Maverick'.
At any rate, it was at least a dollar less at FYE.
Looking at the cover of the disc, I can't help but see an echo of Jake Gyllenhaal from 'Brokeback Mountain' in Clint Walker's pose and expression. Without going the same route as that movie, I could see Gyllenhaal playing a modern-day descendant of Cheyenne Bodie should the day ever come when he turns to TV work.
I'm not saying that he can't play it the same way he played Jack Twist, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that it would have been a case of "been there, done Heath" already.
And finally there's the two-disc/twenty episode box of 'The Beverly Hillbillies', which cost only 9 bucks. The boxed set for 'Entourage' has only eight episodes and it costs 40 quatloos. I suppose it'll come down to 9 bucks once it's been around for 40 years.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a die-hard fan of the show or anything, but it'll be nice here at Toobworld Central to pop in an episode if ever I feel the need, and not have to worry about sitting through the commercials and the sacrilegious editing of the show by TV Land (who's supposed to be preserving our Television Heritage).
My only regret is that my favorite episode, "The Giant Jack-Rabbit", isn't in the collection.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
I wish now I had kept the transcripts of everything I wrote about each episode to see how my ideas then held up.
At any rate, tracking it down has led me to switch my allegiance in retail DVD buying from the Virgin Megastore to FYE. FYE at least had it in stock. And the other DVDs I picked up were cheaper than they were listed over at Virgin.
(I know - I could have made it even easier - and most likely, cheaper - for myself, had I bought them online at Amazon or wherever. But my wallet was all the way over on the other side of the apartment, and I was already so comfortably ensconced if front of the computer....)
'Cheyenne' - As was the case with my purchase of 'Maverick' last week, this has only three episodes on it. Despite the fact that the show is on weekly on the American Life network, I'm not familiar with any of these three. But I know which one I would have liked to have seen on here - "The Dark Rider" with Diane Brewster as Samantha Crawford, a character she would go on to play in several episodes of 'Maverick'.
At any rate, it was at least a dollar less at FYE.
Looking at the cover of the disc, I can't help but see an echo of Jake Gyllenhaal from 'Brokeback Mountain' in Clint Walker's pose and expression. Without going the same route as that movie, I could see Gyllenhaal playing a modern-day descendant of Cheyenne Bodie should the day ever come when he turns to TV work.
I'm not saying that he can't play it the same way he played Jack Twist, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that it would have been a case of "been there, done Heath" already.
And finally there's the two-disc/twenty episode box of 'The Beverly Hillbillies', which cost only 9 bucks. The boxed set for 'Entourage' has only eight episodes and it costs 40 quatloos. I suppose it'll come down to 9 bucks once it's been around for 40 years.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a die-hard fan of the show or anything, but it'll be nice here at Toobworld Central to pop in an episode if ever I feel the need, and not have to worry about sitting through the commercials and the sacrilegious editing of the show by TV Land (who's supposed to be preserving our Television Heritage).
My only regret is that my favorite episode, "The Giant Jack-Rabbit", isn't in the collection.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
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