ANIMATED FOR THE PEOPLE

Disney's latest release, "Enchanted", is about characters from an animated movie version of the Tooniverse who cross over to the "real world" (for them, the "Cinverse") and become flesh and blood, rather than pen and ink.

I'm no expert, but I think the last time this happened in the movies was in "The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle".

In Toobworld, however, it happens quite often. But visitors from the Tooniverse remain as animated people rather than as flesh and blood beings. (The most recent example may be Brian and Stewie of 'Family Guy' on the Emmy Awards.)

Characters crossing over from Toobworld comic strips and comic books, on the other hand, do transform from sketches to actual people. We've seen it happen with the Swedish comic strip in the A-Ha music video for "Take On Me", and with Captain Justice from Pizzazz Comics in 'Once A Hero'. And there was a comic book artist in an episode of 'Tales From The Crypt' whose illustrations would come to horrific life.

If Mad Dog could do that, 'Bob' might still be on the air!

BCnU!
Toby OB

BLACK FRIDAY - ONE OF THE DOG DAYS

If Toobworld Central got anything out of "Black Friday", it was another example that in the TV Universe a human can be reincarnated as a dog.

In the commercial for Kohl's After Thanksgiving Sale, a small dust-mop of a pup awoke before 4 am to get the coffee maker ready, to blend up some kind of breakfast, and to pull the drapes open. And then it padded over to the bed of its mistress to wake her up.

But it didn't bark. It actually spoke English! With a feminine voice, the dog urged the young woman to get up out of bed and get out there for the After Thanksgiving Sale at Kohl's department store. Its job done, the dog then went back to bed.

A cute little blipvert, but for Toobworld it meant so much more. O'Bviously, that dog could speak English because it retained the ability from its previous life as a human.

Most of these reincarnated dogs who can actually talk usually end up with someone they were close to in their previous lives. So based on the voice, I'd say the dog had been the young woman's best friend in college. Perhaps she was a materialistic fashionista and it was one trait that her soul had not transcended in the new life.

Or maybe it might have even been her mother, reborn! And just like a Mom, the dog was doing all it could to help her daughter.

Whoever the dog may have been in the previous life, it seems apparent that the two of them have been together long enough so that the concept of a talking dog really wasn't shocking to the young woman.

I guess it would have been unseemly to have a male-voiced mutt show up in her boudoir at that time of the day......

Woof.

BCnU!
Toby OB

NOT A MESSAGE FROM THE AMPTP

CLICK ON THE PIC!

TOOBWORLD DISCLAIMER:
This is NOT the real Nick Counter.
[In case there was any confusion.]

BCnU!
Toby OB

TOBY'S TOOB TUBBIN'

I had a most traditional Thanksgiving this year.....

At least it better be a tradition from here on out!

Spent a couple of days with my cousins in Dunn's River, Connecticut, and once everything was prepared and ready to go, or was in the oven already, we went outside to the pool area to enjoy the hot tub! [Pictured from left: my cousin Marilee, her husband Allan, my brother Bill, and Yours Truly]

And as I sat there wallowing in my own decadence, sipping on "pumpkintinis" made from Bols Pumpkin Smash, the perfect Thanksgiving quote came to mind.

From TV, of course.....

"We'ze gonna get silly, Bitches!"
Orson Bean (as Bob)
'How I Met Your Mother'

I hope you had a great holiday as well!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

WHO'S THE HIT MOM?

Okay, maybe my legions of readers - er, scores - um, dozens....

Maybe you guys who read "Inner Toob" can help me identify this actress.

You've seen the "Hit Moms" blipverts from Burger King, right? Three women who contract a hit on the Burger King because their kids like the meals better there than the sandwiches they make?

It's driving me nuts as to where I've seen the short redhead before. Can anybody tell me who she might be?

Thanks!

BCnU!
Toby OB

"THE HOGFATHER"

"The Hogfather"
Sunday, November 25th
7 PM EST/6 PM Central
ION Television

Generally, Toobworld is considered Earth Prime-Time, the world where most TV shows actually exist and share the same universe.

But some shows have to be banished to alternate dimensions because they clash with the established rules of the majority. My favorite example? Most TV series will refer to the current President of the United States as being their POTUS as well. But shows like '24', 'The West Wing', 'Prison Break', 'Commander-In-Chief', 'The Agency', 'Mr. President', 'Traveler', etc? Off they go to their own dimensions.

TV shows that are remakes of earlier series end up in a separate dimension because Earth Prime-Time already has a version. 'Smallville', 'Battlestar Galactica', 'The New Addams Family', all fall into that category.

And TV cartoons have the Tooniverse.

Television, like the English language, is this giant maw absorbing everything it comes in contact with. By that, I mean works of literature have been adapted and become part of the TV Universe. The works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Twain, Agatha Christie, Tony Hillerman, Norman Mailer. 'The Martian Chronicles' of Ray Bradbury and 'Between Time And Timbuktu' by Vonnegut. Some of those are part of Toobworld; others are sent packing to the alternate Toobworlds.

Works of fantasy find their way into Toobworld and by the nature of their created worlds end up in alternate dimensions: the works of 'Tolkien' ("The Hobbit"), Mervyn Peake ('Gormenghast'), L. Frank Baum ('The Shirley Temple Storybook' - "The Land of Oz"), and now Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" series of books, starting with 'The Hogfather'.

There's no way the Discworld could exist in the world of Earth Prime-Time. Discworld is not only flat, but it's resting on the backs of four elephants who themselves are standing on the back of a giant turle. Having never read Pratchett, I don't know if this is fact or mythology.

As far as Toobworld is concerned, we should get a pretty good idea Sunday night with the premiere of "The Hogfather". In this story, the Santa Claus of Discworld, the Hogfather, is kidnapped by Mr. Teatime (described as a combination of Peter Lorre and Willy Wonka) and so the personification of Death fills in for him.

I guess the Discworld version of Hannukah Harry wasn't available.....

"The Hogfather" aired last holiday season in the UK, so its alternate dimension is already established. Now we finally get the chance to view it for ourselves.

Here's the info again:

"The Hogfather"
Sunday, November 25th
7 PM EST/6 PM Central
ION Television

Click the Hogfather's hat to see the trailer......

BCnU!
Toby OB

SYNCHRONIZED EXPIRING

The Fates have a twisted sense of humor when it comes to snipping the threads.....

This past week, Dick Wilson passed away at the age of 91. He is best known, immortalized even, as George Whipple of "Please Don't Squeeze The Charmin" fame.

He died the same day Charmin launched their promotional port-a-potties in Times Square.

The other day, Verity Lambert passed away at the age of 71. She is best known as the first producer of 'Doctor Who', and as the first female producer at the BBC, as well as one of the youngest they had at that time. (I may be wrong on those last two claims.)

She died one day shy for the 44th anniversary celebration of 'Doctor Who'.

Like I said, Clotho, Lachesis, and the other one can be mean.....

BCnU.....
Toby OB

HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY?

And no, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving......

Apparently, Wednesday was World Television Day.

Here's the scoop from Wikipedia:

"The UN General Assembly established November 21 as World Television Day to encourage nations to exchange cultural programming focusing on peace, security, economic and social development.The announcement was made in resolution 51/205 at the 99th plenary meeting of the Assembly, on December 17, 1996. The day November 21 was chosen because the first World Television Forum was held on that day in 1996, where media figures organized to discuss the increased significance of television in the world.No other public records besides resolution 51/205 have documented observances of World Television Day."

I must have missed the memo.

Well, hopefully we here at Toobworld Central will remember to celebrate World Television Day next year on November 21st.

If we're not bemoaning the Presidential election a few weeks earlier....

BCnU!
Toby OB

WEEKEND REMINDER

The holiday weekend is underway,

And talks resume between the WGA and the AMPTP on Monday,

But the strike is still on!

SLAPSGIVING

HAPPY SLAPSGIVING!
I mean....
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

FROM ALL OF US AT TOOBWORLD CENTRAL