We've seen some strange crossovers in the past when it comes to the TV Universe. There have been movies which either feed into, or which grow out of, Toobworld, like the 'Star Trek' franchise, the 1966 'Batman' movie, or David Lynch's prequel to 'Twin Peaks', "Fire, Walk With Me".
There have also been stories told only on the Internet which provide additional material for the canon of their particular show. Lately these have included 'Rescue Me', 'Battlestar Galactica', 'The Office', '24', 'CSI: Miami', and the 'Doctor Who' "Tardisodes". Coming soon will be an ancillary tale connected to 'Lost'.
And speaking of 'Lost' there was the whole Dharma Initiative experience that played out over the summer and which included an "interview" with an employee of the Hanso Organization and a staged interruption at a comic book convention by the hacker known as "Rachel".
And of course, there are the tie-in novels like the ones Lee Goldberg has been writing for 'Monk' and 'Diagnosis Murder'. Tie-in novels have a long tradition concerning TV shows, with 'Star Trek' probably reigning as the king. (My favorite from this batch was "Ishmael" by Barbara Hambly, which combined 'Star Trek' with 'Here Come The Brides', and with a dash of 'Bonanza' and 'Maverick' along the way.)
Along those same lines have been comic books based on TV shows and not all of them have been sci-fi oriented. Again with the 'Star Trek', but also 'The X-Files', 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker', 'CSI', 'Secret Agent Man', even 'Run, Buddy, Run'!
So this latest multi-verse, multi-media crossover shouldn't be all that shocking, had it not been for the proposed plotline.
According to several online sources for both TV and comic news, Marvel Comics will be teaming up with the producers of the CBS soap opera 'Guiding Light' to introduce a new superhero before he (or she) goes on to glory in the pages of a comic book team-up with Marvel heavy-hitters Spiderman and Wolverine.
Soap operas have been delving into comic book territory ever since Mikos Cassadine tried to freeze Port Charles, NY, with his weather machine on 'General Hospital' back in 1980. Since then we've seen angels, living dolls, demonic possession, underground empires, aliens from the planet Luminos, and Governor Jesse Ventura show up in the various soaps. (And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface for the old soap standbys like evil twins and characters who return from the dead.)
Not only will the new superhero appear in the town of Springfield and thus gain a Toobword existence, but several of the soap opera's characters will find themselves in the comic book. So they will have become true multi-verse characters like Bilbo Baggins, Mr. Spock, Sherlock Holmes, the Doctor, Radar O'Reilly, and the Pigeon Sisters.
(This is because the townsfolk of Springfield found themselves immortalized in a stand-alone novel back in 2002 called "Lorelei's Guiding Light" which purportedly was Lorelei's intimate diary. It's publication played a significant role in the soap's plotlien for awhile as everyone had to come to grips with their secrets being revealed.)
The superhero will debut on 'Guiding Light' on November 1 and in various titles from Marvel beginning October 25th.
It's an example of synergy in which Marvel and Procter & Gamble (which produces "Guiding Light") are teaming up, with hopes that soap fans will pick up a comic book and that Marvel addicts will tune in to the daytime series.
The comic book will have the Avengers, as well as some of their super-powered foes, showing up in Springfield to determine if the new character has what it takes to join one side or the other. But even though that 8 page story will be found in other comic books beginning with October 26th's releases, it won't be until November 1st when the character is officially introduced on 'Guiding Light' with a reveal of his (or her) origins and powers.
Of all the soap operas out there, how come Marvel teamed up with 'Guiding Light' for this cross-promotional experiment?
It turns out that Shawn Dudley, costume designer for 'Guiding Light' created the wedding dress worn by the superhero Storm of 'The X-Men' for her wedding to T'Challa in his comic book "Black Panther #18". Apparently that first collaboration got both sides to think about other joint endeavors.
As Marvel's Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada described this new venture, "This is just one more way that we're trying to reach out beyond our usual audience in an effort to expose those who don't know anything about the greatness of comics and hopefully come back with a few new converts. And hopefully some of our fans will find themselves with a new habit as well - Guiding Light!"
Along with the cross-promotional blipverts for Marvel which will run during the episode, (as well as material to be found in the comic books which urge their True Believers to watch 'Guiding Light'), the episode on November 1st will also include plenty of Easter Eggs and perhaps even in-jokes to keep the whole hour interesting.
These are the titles in which the crossover will be appearing:
10/25
CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES
SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE 11
MARVEL SELECT FLIP MAGAZINE 18
MARVEL TALES FLIP MAGAZINE 17
11/1
MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN 21
SPIDER-MAN AND POWER PACK 1
MARVEL ADVENTURES FLIP MAGAZINE 18
MARVEL HEROES FLIP MAGAZINE 18
11/8
AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL 2
FRANKLIN RICHARDS: HAPPY FRANKSGIVING!
MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR 18
11/15
ULTIMATE MARVEL FLIP MAGAZINE 19
ULTIMATE TALES FLIP MAGAZINE 19
EXCELSIOR!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Saturday, October 21, 2006
CROSSOVERS: VEGAS, BABY!
I've got quite a backlog of stuff I've wanted to write about this week. Still, I should have mentioned this on Tuesday after seeing my tape of the episode.
Once they landed in the United States, Hiro and Ando rented a car and headed for Las Vegas. They were following the lead provided in the comic book, but Ando was more interested in gambling.
And where did he get the chance to play games of chance?
The Montecito. Star location of the TV series 'Las Vegas'.
It only makes sense. NBC is on a cost-cutting campaign - they fired 700 staffers and delared the 8 pm hour on all nights to be a fiction-free zone (because game shows and "reality" shows are cheaper to produce).
So why not use a set from a TV show you already have in production? And since there are no unions to protect the rights of TV sets, the casino was a lot cheaper to use than bringing in some character from 'Las Vegas'.
This means that 'Heroes' can be linked to 'Las Vegas', 'Crossing Jordan', and 'Passions' officially. Unofficially, in true Toobworld style, there are also the following shows:
'CSI'
'Vega$'
'Lucky'
'Dr. Vegas'
Probably even more shows that my sleep-deprived mind and pain-wracked body (muscle spasm) can't remember which could be added as well.
Feel free to send me your suggestions for links to 'Heroes'.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Once they landed in the United States, Hiro and Ando rented a car and headed for Las Vegas. They were following the lead provided in the comic book, but Ando was more interested in gambling.
And where did he get the chance to play games of chance?
The Montecito. Star location of the TV series 'Las Vegas'.
It only makes sense. NBC is on a cost-cutting campaign - they fired 700 staffers and delared the 8 pm hour on all nights to be a fiction-free zone (because game shows and "reality" shows are cheaper to produce).
So why not use a set from a TV show you already have in production? And since there are no unions to protect the rights of TV sets, the casino was a lot cheaper to use than bringing in some character from 'Las Vegas'.
This means that 'Heroes' can be linked to 'Las Vegas', 'Crossing Jordan', and 'Passions' officially. Unofficially, in true Toobworld style, there are also the following shows:
'CSI'
'Vega$'
'Lucky'
'Dr. Vegas'
Probably even more shows that my sleep-deprived mind and pain-wracked body (muscle spasm) can't remember which could be added as well.
Feel free to send me your suggestions for links to 'Heroes'.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Friday, October 20, 2006
THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY: "LOST"
When Locke brought Eddie into the commune on this past week's episode of 'Lost' ("Further Instructions"), the hitch-hiker was wearing a "Geronimo Jackson" t-shirt which he claimed belonged to his dad.
"Geronimo Jackson" is the fictitious musical group from the late sixties/early seventies who were probably comparable to Charlie's Driveshaft (as in "one hit wonders").
To get a good closeup of the t-shirt picture, checkout this image courtesy of DarkEcho:
Notice the band member standing in the front.
Cuts quite a Sawyerish figure, doesn't he?
Could it be that he is James Ford, Sr.?
We don't know much more about Sawyer's dad than that he was bilked out of his money by the real Sawyer and that he killed his wife and himself.
So what if it turned out that he was a member of "Geronimo Jackson" at one time? Even as a one-hit wonder, the band must have made some money, and the elder Ford might have invested it wisely.
Only to lose it to a con man.....
As Vincent Van Gopher would say, "It's pozz'ble. It's pozz'ble...."
When it comes to 'Lost', this would hardly be the wildest circumstance yet.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
"Geronimo Jackson" is the fictitious musical group from the late sixties/early seventies who were probably comparable to Charlie's Driveshaft (as in "one hit wonders").
To get a good closeup of the t-shirt picture, checkout this image courtesy of DarkEcho:
Notice the band member standing in the front.
Cuts quite a Sawyerish figure, doesn't he?
Could it be that he is James Ford, Sr.?
We don't know much more about Sawyer's dad than that he was bilked out of his money by the real Sawyer and that he killed his wife and himself.
So what if it turned out that he was a member of "Geronimo Jackson" at one time? Even as a one-hit wonder, the band must have made some money, and the elder Ford might have invested it wisely.
Only to lose it to a con man.....
As Vincent Van Gopher would say, "It's pozz'ble. It's pozz'ble...."
When it comes to 'Lost', this would hardly be the wildest circumstance yet.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
KIRK SERLINGUA
No, that's not a baseball player from the Dominican Republic....
Another Classic TV character has revealed himself to be a serlinguist, that subset of tele-cognizants who know that they are in a TV Universe, but who also confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with home-viewing audience. (All serlinguists are tele-cognizent, but not all tele-cognizants are serlinguists.)
The ability is named after TV Giant Rod Serling, who created and hosted 'The Twilight Zone'.
This new serlinguist is James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise. While being pursued by a Klingon bird of prey, Kirk took a moment to address the audience. His mission? To boldly extol the virtues of DirectTV's crystal clear on screen.
And because TV supposedly will cease to exist at some point in the future, Kirk isn't bothering to pitch his product to the audience of his own era. (With no TV, there's no need for DirectTV....)
No, he's somehow created a serlinguistic wormhole through which he can address different TV characters from the 20th Century face to face.... Over four hundred years back into his own future.
By the way, it appears that this blipvert happened around the same time that Kirk and his crew were battling the mutinous Klingon general, Chang ("Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"). I base this assumption on the age of the crew, the presence of Spock, and that approaching Klingon "wessel".
Speaking of loose Changs.....
On the other hand, the latest appearance by Kwai Chang Caine III for Yellowbook.com o'bviously is different: he's not practicing serlinguistic skills like Kirk. But instead, he's talking to a man in the same room with him.
Even when it looks as though Caine is talking directly to the camera, the camera actually represents the other man's point of view.
So Kwai Chang Caine is not a serlinguist.
He's just an ordinary schill......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Another Classic TV character has revealed himself to be a serlinguist, that subset of tele-cognizants who know that they are in a TV Universe, but who also confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with home-viewing audience. (All serlinguists are tele-cognizent, but not all tele-cognizants are serlinguists.)
The ability is named after TV Giant Rod Serling, who created and hosted 'The Twilight Zone'.
This new serlinguist is James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise. While being pursued by a Klingon bird of prey, Kirk took a moment to address the audience. His mission? To boldly extol the virtues of DirectTV's crystal clear on screen.
And because TV supposedly will cease to exist at some point in the future, Kirk isn't bothering to pitch his product to the audience of his own era. (With no TV, there's no need for DirectTV....)
No, he's somehow created a serlinguistic wormhole through which he can address different TV characters from the 20th Century face to face.... Over four hundred years back into his own future.
By the way, it appears that this blipvert happened around the same time that Kirk and his crew were battling the mutinous Klingon general, Chang ("Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"). I base this assumption on the age of the crew, the presence of Spock, and that approaching Klingon "wessel".
Speaking of loose Changs.....
On the other hand, the latest appearance by Kwai Chang Caine III for Yellowbook.com o'bviously is different: he's not practicing serlinguistic skills like Kirk. But instead, he's talking to a man in the same room with him.
Even when it looks as though Caine is talking directly to the camera, the camera actually represents the other man's point of view.
So Kwai Chang Caine is not a serlinguist.
He's just an ordinary schill......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
OFF THE WATERFRONT
There will no longer be any need for me as a Toobworld caretaker to find a way to have 'Brotherhood' and 'Waterfront', both shows set in Providence, Rhode Island, exist in the same TV dimension. That's because CBS has cancelled 'Waterfront' after four episodes were shot, but before any of them had the chance to be broadcast.
This marked the third series starring Joe Pantoliano (who would have played the corrupt mayor a la Buddy Cianci) to have been cancelled by the Great Eye. But it's the first to never make it to the air. (The other two series were 'The Handler' and 'Dr. Vegas'.)
Those four episodes could eventually find their way onto the TV screens elsewhere; perhaps as fodder for a "Brilliant But Cancelled" limited run on Bravo or some other network, in much the same way as Trio used to do when it was a real network.
In the meantime, 'Brotherhood' will begin shooting a second season for Showtime in March 2007. I don't know if they have a mayoral figure in that show (I think the politician brother is a congressman or city councilman?), but maybe they could work in an appearance by Pantoliano as his "Mayor Buddy" character just as a tip of the hat to 'Waterfront'.
There is at least one show, already cancelled, which doesn't look as though it will ever be cause for Zonking when it comes to its reconciilation with 'Brotherhood'. That would be 'Providence', in whose world we can allow the appearance of the mobbed-up brother.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
This marked the third series starring Joe Pantoliano (who would have played the corrupt mayor a la Buddy Cianci) to have been cancelled by the Great Eye. But it's the first to never make it to the air. (The other two series were 'The Handler' and 'Dr. Vegas'.)
Those four episodes could eventually find their way onto the TV screens elsewhere; perhaps as fodder for a "Brilliant But Cancelled" limited run on Bravo or some other network, in much the same way as Trio used to do when it was a real network.
In the meantime, 'Brotherhood' will begin shooting a second season for Showtime in March 2007. I don't know if they have a mayoral figure in that show (I think the politician brother is a congressman or city councilman?), but maybe they could work in an appearance by Pantoliano as his "Mayor Buddy" character just as a tip of the hat to 'Waterfront'.
There is at least one show, already cancelled, which doesn't look as though it will ever be cause for Zonking when it comes to its reconciilation with 'Brotherhood'. That would be 'Providence', in whose world we can allow the appearance of the mobbed-up brother.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, October 19, 2006
WELCOME TO THE BLUE PUSSYCAT CLUB
It's not what you think.....
Sanrio and Viacom, whose Nickelodeon unit controls the 'Blue's Clues' property, plan to develop a limited edition product line combining the characters of Blue and 'Hello Kitty' for sale at select retailers. Those products should hit the shelves in summer 2007.
Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, told Reuters that Blue, the animated star of the Nickelodeon series, had to be redrawn to tailor her to Japanese tastes and ensure she is compatible with her kitty co-star.
"The character has become rounder and it has been adjusted and modified in a creative way so that Blue works in the Hello Kitty world," she said.
An interesting concept in teamups, but it has no official effect in the Tooniverse. This deals only with merchandizing tie-ins and not with actual cartoons which unite 'Blue's Clues' and 'Hello Kitty' in adventures.
Although I will not be surprised if that should happen......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Sanrio and Viacom, whose Nickelodeon unit controls the 'Blue's Clues' property, plan to develop a limited edition product line combining the characters of Blue and 'Hello Kitty' for sale at select retailers. Those products should hit the shelves in summer 2007.
Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, told Reuters that Blue, the animated star of the Nickelodeon series, had to be redrawn to tailor her to Japanese tastes and ensure she is compatible with her kitty co-star.
"The character has become rounder and it has been adjusted and modified in a creative way so that Blue works in the Hello Kitty world," she said.
An interesting concept in teamups, but it has no official effect in the Tooniverse. This deals only with merchandizing tie-ins and not with actual cartoons which unite 'Blue's Clues' and 'Hello Kitty' in adventures.
Although I will not be surprised if that should happen......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
CAUGHT DEAD ON TAPE
'Picket Fences' is no longer on the air, but if they ever did "ripped from the headlines" stories like 'Law & Order', then this story out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, would be on the air before the season ended.
Interestingly enough, 'Picket Fences' took place in Wisconsin as well, in a third incarnation of Rome which can only be found in Toobworld. (Apparently, there are two Rome, Wisconsins, in the Real World.)
It's the type of story that still might find its way into a CBS crime drama, specifically, 'Close To Home'.......
I feel sorry for the family of Seth Hammes. It's not the memory of a loved one you want preserved on videotape.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Interestingly enough, 'Picket Fences' took place in Wisconsin as well, in a third incarnation of Rome which can only be found in Toobworld. (Apparently, there are two Rome, Wisconsins, in the Real World.)
It's the type of story that still might find its way into a CBS crime drama, specifically, 'Close To Home'.......
I feel sorry for the family of Seth Hammes. It's not the memory of a loved one you want preserved on videotape.....
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
"EUREKA" IN "LOST", NOT LOST IN EUREKA
In tonight's episode of 'Lost', John Locke pulled over to ask a hitch-hiker where he was heading. The young man responded, "Eureka", as he heard there were logging jobs up there.
More than likely he was referring to Eureka, California, located practically in the heart of the redwood forest territory.
Ah, but that's as far as it goes in Earth Prime. On Earth Prime-Time, farther on just over the border to the north is 'Eureka', Oregon, a secretive place not exactly known for logging... unless it's online.
It's all moot, of course. As it turned out, it was just a cover story.......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
More than likely he was referring to Eureka, California, located practically in the heart of the redwood forest territory.
Ah, but that's as far as it goes in Earth Prime. On Earth Prime-Time, farther on just over the border to the north is 'Eureka', Oregon, a secretive place not exactly known for logging... unless it's online.
It's all moot, of course. As it turned out, it was just a cover story.......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
"LOST" IN THOUGHT: LOST CLAUS
Before her appearance in the season premiere of 'Lost' as Juliet, I don't think I had ever seen Elizabeth Mitchell before. Or if I had, she failed to register with me.
I could check the IMDb.com to be sure, but if you weren't aware of it yet, I am inherently lazy and that effort, to me, constitutes "work".
But in just two episodes of the show, she has dominated my thoughts as to where the show might go. (Which, let's face it, is a waste of time. I have yet to be able to guess where the show was taking me without the help of outside spoilers.)
I think of all the "Others" we've met so far, Juliet is the one that scares me the most. If Ben Linus was as smart as he tries to appear, he should be scared too - I sense some bad vibes between the two of them.
And I fear for Jack, who, as I've stated before, is my nominee for "Lostaway" that won't be seeing the other side of the winter hiatus. There's just something creepy about the way she says "Hello, Jack" that makes me think she'd have no problem dispatching him with an equally icy "Goodbye, Jack".
So have you seen the blipverts for the third Santa Clause movie starring Tim Allen as the jolly old elf? (I think it's called "Escape Claus".) Apparently, Elizabeth Mitchell was in the second movie as the new Mrs. Claus and now she's back for another go-round.
Martin Short is also starring as the villainous Jack Frost, but I see Ms. Mitchell standing there in the commercial and I can't shake the feeling that she's the one that could prove to be the undoing of Santa........
Just sayin' is all......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
I could check the IMDb.com to be sure, but if you weren't aware of it yet, I am inherently lazy and that effort, to me, constitutes "work".
But in just two episodes of the show, she has dominated my thoughts as to where the show might go. (Which, let's face it, is a waste of time. I have yet to be able to guess where the show was taking me without the help of outside spoilers.)
I think of all the "Others" we've met so far, Juliet is the one that scares me the most. If Ben Linus was as smart as he tries to appear, he should be scared too - I sense some bad vibes between the two of them.
And I fear for Jack, who, as I've stated before, is my nominee for "Lostaway" that won't be seeing the other side of the winter hiatus. There's just something creepy about the way she says "Hello, Jack" that makes me think she'd have no problem dispatching him with an equally icy "Goodbye, Jack".
So have you seen the blipverts for the third Santa Clause movie starring Tim Allen as the jolly old elf? (I think it's called "Escape Claus".) Apparently, Elizabeth Mitchell was in the second movie as the new Mrs. Claus and now she's back for another go-round.
Martin Short is also starring as the villainous Jack Frost, but I see Ms. Mitchell standing there in the commercial and I can't shake the feeling that she's the one that could prove to be the undoing of Santa........
Just sayin' is all......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
NEW @ TOOBWORLD CENTRAL
Hoping to fill the hours after work but before my doctor's appointment this morning, I went to Coliseum Books and to FYE.
Here's a list of my loot:
"The Discontinuity Guide" by Paul Cornell, Martin Day & Keith Topping
[The Definitive Guide To The Worlds & Times Of DOCTOR WHO]
I already had this in a different edition. I hope it's been updated, but I'm getting the feeling it hasn't been. It definitely doesn't contain anything about McGann, Eccleston, or Tennant.
~~~~~~
'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Volume One.
I read online this week that the Mysties will soon be losing the rights to the movies in this collection, and I'd hate to miss out on pulling out one of these atrocities sometime in the future, only to find out that my well-used tapes have worn away.
Movies included:
"Bloodlust"
"Catalina Caper"
"The Skydivers"
"The Creeping Terror"
~~~~~
TV'S LOST SHOWS: ACTION
A collection of episodes from seven different shows:
'Combat' - "Mail Call"
'Sea Hunt' - "Mark Of The Octopus"
'Fury' - "Joey Finds A Friend", "The Search For Joey", "Joey's Father"
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' - "The Apprentice", "The Cheney Vase"
'Mannix' - "The Name Is Mannix", "Skid Marks On A Dry Run"
'Peter Gunn' - "Let's Kill Timothy", "The Fuse"
'Wagon Train' - "Alias Bill Hawkes"
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
Here's a list of my loot:
"The Discontinuity Guide" by Paul Cornell, Martin Day & Keith Topping
[The Definitive Guide To The Worlds & Times Of DOCTOR WHO]
I already had this in a different edition. I hope it's been updated, but I'm getting the feeling it hasn't been. It definitely doesn't contain anything about McGann, Eccleston, or Tennant.
~~~~~~
'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Volume One.
I read online this week that the Mysties will soon be losing the rights to the movies in this collection, and I'd hate to miss out on pulling out one of these atrocities sometime in the future, only to find out that my well-used tapes have worn away.
Movies included:
"Bloodlust"
"Catalina Caper"
"The Skydivers"
"The Creeping Terror"
~~~~~
TV'S LOST SHOWS: ACTION
A collection of episodes from seven different shows:
'Combat' - "Mail Call"
'Sea Hunt' - "Mark Of The Octopus"
'Fury' - "Joey Finds A Friend", "The Search For Joey", "Joey's Father"
'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' - "The Apprentice", "The Cheney Vase"
'Mannix' - "The Name Is Mannix", "Skid Marks On A Dry Run"
'Peter Gunn' - "Let's Kill Timothy", "The Fuse"
'Wagon Train' - "Alias Bill Hawkes"
BCnU.....
Tele-Toby
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