TVXOHOF, 06/22/18 - HOISTING HEISLER

With last Friday's inductee into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, we picked up a packet of crisps.  Sorry, Slipped into the Britiom.  We inducted a fictional brand of potato chips - Let's.

So this week, let's have something to wash it down with.......

HEISLER BEER!

From DRAFT:

Everybody drinks Heisler. The beer’s shown up in episodes of “Brooklyn Nine Nine,” “Heroes,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “My Name is Earl” and “Parks and Recreation.” Mexican gangsters sipped some while chatting with Ethan Hawke in 2001’s “Training Day.” Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg had bottles strewn about his apartment in the 2010 movie “The Social Network”. The guys from “Workaholics” love the stuff. Cans of Heisler even appear in an episode of “Star Trek: Enterprise.” It’s the Bud Light of fake beers.

The brewery behind the most popular beer in the on-screen world it isn’t a brewery at all, but a Hollywood prop house called Independent Studio Services. ISS produces an entire portfolio of fake beers, including Cerveza Clara (a favorite of the study group on “Community”), Jekyll Island (seen on both “Lost” and “Dexter”) and a slew of others: Bilson, Penzburg, Haberkern, O’Farren, and even the straightforward Premium Light.

Thanks to the Fictional Companies Wiki, here is a list of the TV shows in which Heisler Beer was quaffed:

• 2 broke girls
• Accidentally on Purpose
• Bionic Woman
• Blue Bloods
• Blue Mountain State
• Blue Collar TV
• Bones
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• Burn Notice
• Criminal Minds
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• CSI: Miami
• Dark Blue
• Desperate Housewives
• Dollhouse
• Eli Stone
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Four Kings
• Gary Unmarried
• Ghost Whisperer
• Gilmore Girls
• Glee
• Goliath
• Grace and Frankie
• Happy Endings
• Hart of Dixie
• Heroes
• House of Payne
• How I Met Your Mother
• How to get away with murder
• It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
• K-Ville
• Key and Peele
• The League
• Legit
• Lie To Me
• Lucifer
• Mad Love
• Malcolm in the Middle
• Mike & Molly
• My Name is Earl
• New Girl
• Parks and Recreation
• The Pretender
• Pretty Little Liars
• Prison Break
• Privileged
• Raising Hope
• Reno 911!
• The Riches
• Scream (TV Series)
• Star Trek: Enterprise
• Roseanne
• Still Standing
• The Shield
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
• Terriers
• Training Day
• Trust Me
• Two and a Half Men
• Tyler Perry's House of Payne
• Ugly Betty
• The Unit
• United States of Tara
• The Vampire Diaries
• Veronica Mars
• Workaholics
• Weeds
• White Collar

And here are the details on some of those entries, also supplied by the Fictional Companies Wiki (a handy resource for Toobworld Central):

Awkward.
In Season 5 Episode 3 during a hangout between a group of high school and college students.

Accidentally on Purpose
In multiple episodes during the series.

Blue Mountain State
In every episode of Blue Mountain State many characters are seen drinking Heisler Beers.

Bones
In season 1 episode 18 during a hangout between one of the treasure hunters and Dr. Hodgins, they drink Heisler.
In Season 10, Episode 4, Booth puts two cans of Heisler in his beer hat in the final scene.

Brooklyn Nine Nine
In season 2 episode 6, Heisler shows up in a bar scene and later in a restaurant scene.And 3 episode 2.
In season 3 episode 2, Heisler is seen at Captain Dozerman's funeral.
In season 3 episode 20, Heisler is seen at Rosa's bachelorette party while they are at a restaurant.
Season 4, episode 16, Peralta and Amy are drinking it.

Burn Notice

Is Sam Axe's beer of choice. Appears in many episodes.

Chicago P.D. jan 3/ 2018
Bar scene

Colony
In the third episode “98 Seconds,” Katie Bowman (Sarah Wayne Callies) opens a case of Heisler beer.

Criminal Minds
Season 2, Episode 3.

CSI: Miami
In the episode "High Octane", Heisler beer bottles are collected from a crime scene and analyzed at the crime lab.

The Finder
In the episode "Swing and a Miss", Walter is found drinking a Heisler after a baseball game.

Fear the Walking Dead
A case is in the back of a military truck when the army leaves the Los Angeles safe zone.

Gilmore Girls
Seen in Season 1, Episode 14. Luke and Lorelai are drinking Heisler beer while picking out paint colors for his diner.

Glee
Seen in Season 3, Episode 19. Puck makes prom queen and king crowns from a Heisler box for him and Becky at the anti-prom.

Goliath
Seen in the first and other episodes of the series.

Hart of Dixie
Seen in many episodes, mostly consumed by Wade Kinsella

Heroes
In the episode "Strange Attractors", Matt Parkman drinks a bottle of Heisler Gold Ale, which affects Sylar, who is trapped in Matt's mind.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Appears in Season 10 Episode 1.

The League
Appears throughout Season 2. In Taco's Notary commercial the "terrorist" is holding a Heisler after Taco stamps him. Season 6, Episode 11. Pete grabs a Heisler Gluten-Free beer from the fridge.

Legit
In multiple episodes.

Lie To Me
Cal Lightman can be seen drinking a Heisler as Clara comes to his house. Season 2 Episode 17.

Lucifer
Pierce brings Chloe some six-packs in "The Angel of San Bernardino".

Malcolm In the Middle
Hal's high school buddy throws him a Heisler as he opens the front door. Season 4 Episode 14.

My Name Is Earl

Heisler beer is seen in many episodes and frequently consumed by characters in the local bar which is known as the Crabshack.

New Girl

Heisler beer is seen in many episodes and frequently consumed by characters.

Parks and Recreation – "Fancy Party" (S03E09)
Bottles of Heisler and Penn Pavel's can be seen on a shelf at the party.

The Pretender
In the episode "Murder 101", Jarod spikes a Heisler beer with a sedative in a plan to get a confession from two guilty students.

Pretty Little Liars
In Season 5, Episode 7, Caleb brings Heisler beer to the his ex-girlfriend Hanna's house.

Prison Break
In the episode "The Message", the character Charles "Haywire" Patoshik purchases Heisler beer for two teenagers.
In the episode S4:E12 "Selfless", Mahone and Sucre enjoy a couple Heisler beers to celebrate the successful Scylla heist.

Raising Hope – "Mongooses" (S01E17)

Jimmy, Virginia, Burt and Sabrina drink Meichtry Draft and Heisler Beer while hiding in the attic.

Roseanne
S10E3 Dan putting it in the fridge

“Scream”
Appears in the Halloween special at the 19 minute mark

Six
Appears in several episodes.

Star Trek: Enterprise
In the episode "Carpenter Street", Heisler beer can be seen in Loomis' refrigerator.

Switched at Birth
Appears in several episodes.

Weeds
In the episode "If You Work For a Living, Then Why Do You Kill Yourself Working?", Heisler beer is consumed by a number of characters on Silas' 18th birthday.

Workaholics
Appears in a number of episodes, more than half of the episodes in the 4 season series features this company.

Criminal Minds
Season 02 Episode 03
A Heisler beer can is seen next to a microwave.

White Collar
Heisler beer is seen in many episodes and frequently consumed by characters.

The Vampire Diaries
In Season 1, Elena and Damon drink Heisler while in a bar in Georgia. 

Can't say thanks enough to the folks behind the Fictional Companies Wiki for that information... information... information....

Welcome to Hall, buds!  I mean, friends!

PS:
I'm dedicating this entry to my nephew Neil, celebrating the big 3-0 on Saturday.  His televersion would be dealing with Heisler's in his line of work.  (But he'd be a weekend explorer, using old maps and blueprints to find trap streets and secret passages....)

JOY OF ZONK DISABLING

Every so often a scrap of paper rises from a deep strata of detritus here at my desk in Toobworld Central, with some TV quote I scribbled down for one of my blog riffs someday.

That day has arrived for this one:

"Joy can tell how a 'CSI' episode will end by the 45 minute mark."
Crabman (probably)
'My Name Is Earl'

'My Name Is Earl' was rife with Zonks. Remember that episode where they acted out 'Friends'? The girl in Earl's class with a mustache, whom Earl tagged as 'Magnum, P.I.'?

Luckily, this Zonk is easy to cross off the list.......

'CSI' is such a generic title that in Toobworld it could be a reality series about crime scene investigations. If the location or the characters on that show are mentioned in any other series, then it's a reality show about the Las Vegas crime lab officers.

And an O'Bservation? I don't think figuring out the ending by the 45 minute mark is all that spectacular. Try figuring out a 'Monk' episode before the opening credits!

BCnU!

NUMBER 1800: THE NBC UPFRONTS

This is the week of "Upfronts", one of the Holy Weeks of O'Bligation in Televisiology, when each day a network steps up to the plate to announce its plans for the coming season - which shows stay, which are goners, and which pilots got picked up to be offered in sacrifice to the Powers That Be (Nielsen families).

NBC was up first on Monday, and they released the following lineup for the fall TV season:

Monday:
8pm: Deal or No Deal
9pm: Heroes
10pm: Journeyman

Tuesday:
8pm: The Biggest Loser
9pm: Chuck
10: Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday:
8pm: Deal or No Deal
9pm: The Bionic Woman
10pm: Life

Thursday:
8pm: My Name Is Earl
8:30: 30 Rock
9pm: The Office
9:30: Scrubs
10pm: ER

Friday:
8pm: 1 vs. 100/Singing Bee
9pm: Las Vegas
10pm: Friday Night Lights

Saturday:
8pm: Dateline
9pm: Repeats of dramas like Law & Order, etc.

Sunday:
7pm: Football Night In America/Dateline
8pm: Sunday Night Football/Law & Order

Sunday (after football ends):
7pm: Dateline
8pm: Law and Order
9pm: Medium
10pm: Lipstick Jungle

Here are the shows that will be returning to serve the Peacock Throne:

Friday Night Lights, Law & Order, Law & Order: CI, Law & Order: SVU, Deal or No Deal, 30 Rock, The Office, Heroes, Scrubs, ER, The Biggest Loser, Las Vegas, My Name Is Earl, 1 vs. 100, Dateline, Football Night In America, Medium, and Saturday Night Live.

I suppose the two real surprises are 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Law & Order: CI', but both of them do come with conditions. 'FNL' will be shown in the telephant's graveyard - Friday nights. And 'L&O: CI' will be shown first on USA Network and then repeated on the mothership network.

To me it looks like the timeslot of 10 pm on Fridays would be good for 'Friday Night Lights'. First off, it reinforces the thought of Friday nights in the viewers' thick skulls, so it will be easier to find on the schedule. (NBC was bouncing it around a bit this past season.) And secondly, it's not likely to have much competition in that time period, one upside to the fact that a lot of the audience are out and about on a Friday night.

But what do I know? I'm the guy who proposed moving 'Lost' to 10 pm so that it wouldn't matter if they lost the audience afterwards to online speculation. And look how well THAT turned out!

The plan for 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' doesn't make much sense to me. I would have thought it would work better to premiere on NBC and then go to USA Network. Perhaps this is a way for the network to gradually shift it over to the satellite network permanently.

The Thursday night comedy lineup will go through a change, but not in content. 'The Office' will move to 9 pm to take up that legendary anchor position now that 'Scrubs' is beginning to look tired, and the medicomedy will shift back to 9:30. That means '30 Rock', one of my three favorite new shows this year, will take up residence in the 8:30 slot.

Now, in the past that timeslot has been considered cursed; that no show could carry the weight of its lead-in and then deliver the audience intact to the biggie at 9 pm. I believe '30 Rock' will be able to do that this year, however!

Here's the list of TV shows that have been cut loose by the network:

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Crossing Jordan, The Black Donnellys, Kidnapped, Andy Barker, P.I., Identity, Raines, 20 Good Years, Grease: You're The One That I Want, The Real Wedding Crashers, Thank God You're Here.

No real surprises there at all, except maybe 'Crossing Jordan'. Most of them were already gone; the "Grease" reality show (which I will have a tenuous connection to once it opens) was always meant to be a one-time thang; and 'Thank God You're Here' served its purpose as a stop-gap, cost-cutting measure, something like the finger in the dike to prevent a few more viewers from leaking away.

Cancelling 'Studio 60' only confirmed the inevitable, and I hope Sorkin & Co. don't try to spin it so that they're not the ones to blame. Their execution of the storylines drove away the viewers after such a phenomenal pilot and they were never able to find the right balance to bring them back.

I just wish 'Raines' could have found a home at USA Network alongside 'Psych' and 'Monk'.....

In other news for NBC, 'Law & Order' will move to Sundays at 8pm (in 2008), after football season is over.

Here's a look at the new shows on the sked:

'Heroes: Origins' will be six special episodes of the series, which will air during the show's hiatus.

'The Bionic Woman' is an updating of the classic ABC show from the 70s. It stars British actress Michelle Ryan.

'Chuck' is about a computer geek who becomes a spy (somehow). It's produced by Josh Schwartz, who did The O.C., and director McG.

'Journeyman' sounds a lot like a 21st century version of Quantum Leap. It stars Kevin McKidd from 'Rome' and is produced by some of the people behind 'The West Wing'. (For me, it sounds like the description of a proposed series that would have starred Eddie Albert back in the fifties. His time-travelling journalist would have been an American 'Doctor Who' type.)

'The IT Crowd' is a new comedy that focuses on the lives of tech people. TVSquad thought it sounded like a nerdier 'Office', but to me it sounds like 'Dweebs' with a fresh coat of paint.

'Life' is a drama about a detective who spends years in jail for a crime he didn't commit and is given a second chance. It stars Damian Lewis from 'Band of Brothers'.

'Lipstick Jungle' is from Candace Bushnell, who did 'Sex and the City', and sounds similar. It stars Brooke Shields and Kim Raver, from 'The Nine'.

'The Singing Bee' is another damn singing competition. (Probably trying to capitalize on what little interest there is in spelling bees mixed with 'American Idol'.)

'World Moves' is a hip-hop competition, and is produced by 'American Idol's Randy Jackson.

'Lipshitz Saves The World' is a comedy starring Leslie Nielsen about a nerdy teen who is chosen to protect the world from danger.

[My thanks to TVSquad.com for the descriptions of these new shows.]

NBCnU!
Toby OB

BTW, this marks my 1,800th post here at "Inner Toob"!

"MY NAME IS EARL": A CASTING SUGGESTION

I don't know if the producers of 'My Name Is Earl' will ever include the character of Earl's father in an episode of the show. If so, I don't even know if they've hired an actor already to fill the part.

But here's a suggestion I freely toss out into the Void for the perfect man to play Jason Lee's father on this sitcom:

Dabney Coleman.

And I'm not just basing that on tele-genetics. It's Nurture as well as Nature, and there's just something about Dabney Coleman, even setting aside the characters we know him as best, that seems to suggest there is a LOT in common with Jason Lee's Earl......

Just sayin', is all.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL

I just received an email notice regarding the Museum of Television & Radio's third annual William S. Paley Television Festival. Since it's being held in Los Angeles, I won't be going, but I thought those few readers I have might be able to use the information....

The Museum of Television & Radio will present the twenty-third annual William S. Paley Television Festival from February 28 through March 15, 2006, in Los Angeles. This Festival, named for William S. Paley, founder of both the Museum and CBS, celebrates television’s rich and diverse programming and the creative process behind it. During these evenings, the audience views episodes or highlights of the featured work and has the opportunity to ask questions of the cast and creative teams or the individual involved in its production.

The Paley Festival will be held at the Directors Guild of America in the DGA Theatre Complex, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA.

2006 Paley Festival Schedule
· Tuesday, February 28 – Grey’s Anatomy
· Wednesday, March 1 – Entourage
· Thursday, March 2 – Everybody Hates Chris
· Friday, March 3 – Battlestar Galactica
· Saturday, March 4 – Supernatural
· Monday, March 6 – Medium
· Tuesday, March 7 – My Name Is Earl
· Wednesday, March 8 – House
· Thursday, March 9 – Family Guy
· Friday, March 10 – The Golden Girls
· Monday, March 13 – How I Met Your Mother
· Tuesday, March 14 – An Evening with Sally Field
· Wednesday, March 15 – Weeds

*All shows begin at 7:00 p.m. with the exception of My Name Is Earl, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Museum of Television & Radio’s Membership Department in Los Angeles is available to answer any questions at 310-786-1066 or you can e-mail them directly at LAMembers@mtr.org. You can also visit our website at www.mtr.org for updated Paley Festival information.

Ticket Sales Schedule
· Ticket sales for MT&R Members begin Thursday, January 26, 2006, at 9:00 a.m.
· Ticket sales for the general public begin Thursday, February 2, 2006, at 9:00 a.m.

How to Order Paley Tickets
· Via telephone toll-free at 1-866-468-3399 (Mon. to Fri. 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sat. 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sun.7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all times Pacific)
· Via the web at www.ticketweb.com
· You will need your Membership number in order to purchase tickets.
· Please provide your Membership number, including any dashes, spaces, etc., and please note that the number zero (0) is not the letter “o.”

Information Sources
· MT&R Website, www.mtr.org.
· MT&R Paley Festival Information Line, 310-786-1010
· MT&R Membership Line, 310-786-1066
· Ads in the LA Times, LA Weekly, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter
Policies
· There is a four (4) ticket limit per Membership per show.
· Please note that a Dual/Family Membership is one Membership, i.e., only four (4) tickets per show can be purchased on Dual/Family Membership.
~~~~
It looks like FOX and NBC come out the better in representation during the festival, but at least all the major nets have entries, which would splain why 'Supernatural' is on the list. But NBC definitely wins out, as night to spotlight a classic series features one of their alumni - 'The Golden Girls'.

And I can't say for certain, but I'm guessing the special night with Sally Field is due more to this being the thirtieth anniversary of her Emmy-winning performance in "Sybill" than it has to do with 'Gidget', 'The Flying Nun', and 'The Girl With Something Extra' (although I hope those do get covered in the Q&A section).

And maybe somebody can ask her about playing Clementine Hale on 'Alias Smith And Jones'.....

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE HAT SQUAD 2022 - BEHIND THE SCENES

 

THE HAT SQUAD 2022 
BEHIND THE SCENES

WRITERS
Bruce Meyer (CBS News Writer)
Eric Chappelle ('Rising Champ', 'Only When I Laugh', 'The Bounder', 'Home To Roost')
Stephen S. Thompson (Won a BAFTA for 'Sitting In Limbo'
Joyce Rebeta-Burditt (Created 'Diagnosis Murder')
Raymond Briggs ("The Snowman", 'Fungus the Bogeyman', 'Jackanory')
Philip Purser ('ITV Play Of The Week', 'The Wednesday Play', 'A Family At War', 'The Wednesday Play')
Dale McRaven ('Perfect Strangers', 'Mork & Mindy', 'Angie', 'The Joey Bishop Show', 'The Partridge Family', 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', 'The Texas Wheelers', 'Gomer Pyle')
Raymond Allen ('Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em', 'The Little and Large Show')
Charles Fuller ("Zooman", "The Sky Is Gray", "A Gathering of Old Men")
John Jay Osborne (Wrote the novel on which 'The Paper Chase' was based.)

DIRECTORS
John Korty ("The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman", 'Sesame Street', "The People", "Go Ask Alice", "The Ewok Adventure", "Ms. Scrooge")
Marvin L. Chomsky ('Holocaust', 'The Wild, Wild West', 'Star Trek', 'Maya', 'Strauss Dynasty')
Sir David Nicholas (ITN Producer/Director)
Ziggy Livnar ('National Geographic Explorer' filmmaker)
Peter Brook ('The Mahabharata', "Mesure pour Mesure", "La Cerisaie"
Wolfgang Petersen ('Das Boot', 'Tatort', 'Die Stadt Im Tal', "Van Der Valk und die Reichen")
Jonathan Stedall (BBC & ITV documentarian)
Mike Hodges ('The Tyrant King', 'Dandelion Dead', 'World In Action', 'ITV Playhouse')


PRODUCERS
Josh Gelman ('48 Hours', "That's The Way It Was")
Jay Wolpert ('The Price Is Right', 'Hit Man', 'Double Dare', 'Whew!')
Julian Fowles (KCET - "Mark Twain Tonight!", "Selma, Lord, Selma", "Leave 'Em Laughing")
Beryl Vertue ('Sherlock', 'Men Behaving Badly', 'Coupling')
Ivan Reitman ('Delta House', 'Beethoven', 'Alienators', 'Atom TV')
Av Westin ('20/20', 'CBS Reports', 'The Twentieth Century', 'ABC World News Tonight', 'Arts & Entertainment Revue', 'Years of Crisis')
Jack Willis ('American Masters', 'NET Journal', 'The 51st State', 'The American Parade', 'The Great American Dream Machine')
Chris Stuart ('Only Correct', 'Celebrity Poker Challenge', 'Oz & James Drink To Britain')
Chase Mishkin ("Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: In Concert")
Leslie Megahey ('Omnibus', 'Hollywood The Golden Years', 'Painting With Light')
Zack Estrin ('Prison Break', 'Lost In Space')
Robert Ferrante ('Nightwatch')
John Miller (BBC & ITV producer, founding member of Television South)
Jules Bass ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty The Snowman")
George Newall ('Co-Creator of 'Schoolhouse Rock')


MUSIC
Stephen Lawrence ("Free To Be You And Me", 'Sesame Street')
Marilyn Bergman ('In The Heat Of The Night', 'Alice', 'Maude', 'Good Times', 'Brooklyn Bridge')
Donald Pippin (Conductor - "Mrs. Santa Claus", "Broadway At The Hollywood Bowl", 'Great Performances: Broadway Sings The Music Of Jule Styne', "Snow White Live")
James Rado (Music from "Hair" used in 'The Simpsons',  'Warehouse 13', 'Glee', 'Head Of The Class', 'The Muppet Show', 'The Benny Hill Show', 'Shindig!', 'The Ed Sullivan Show', 'Fame', 'Throb', 'Family Ties', 'My Name Is Earl', 'M', 'My Little Pony', 'Disjointed')
Manny Charlton ('Supernatural', 'Entourage', 'My Name Is Earl', 'Doctors')
Monty Norman ('Quick Before They Catch Us', 'It's Topol', 'Expresso Bongo', So many TV shows used his James Bond theme)
Lucy Simon (worked on "In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record".  Sister of Carly Simon.  Her older sister Joanna, an opera singer and entertainment reporter, died the day before.)
Angelo Badalamenti (Composer, 'Twin Peaks')

ANIMATION & PUPPETRY
Janibeth Johnson ("From The Top", UConn puppetry professor)
Paul Coker, Jr. (MAD artist, character designer of "Frosty the Snowman", 'Festival of Family Classics', "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Here Comes Peter Cottontail")

EXECUTIVES
Jana Bennett (History Channel, TLC, FYI Network, BBC Worldwide Networks, Horizon.  She launched BBC3, BBC4, CBeebies, CBBC, and iPlayer)
Richard C. Wald (Executive with NBC and ABC)
Thomas S. Murphy (Head of Capital Cities Communications who engineered the takeover of ABC

OTHER CREW
Douglas Trumbull ('The Starlost', and I have to mention "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Silent Running", "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind", "Blade Runner" and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture")
Michael Hopkins (CBS Director of Logistics for Special Events)
Victor Paganuzzi (CBS Scenic Designer, Created original 'CBS Sunday Morning' set)

THE FLYING ZONK

"I bet nuns are awesome basketball players,
Especially the ones that can fly."
Randy Hickey
'My Name Is Earl'

No mention is made of 'The Flying Nun', the ABC sitcom starring Sally Field. Therefore we can safely assume that Randy is talking about the "real" Sister Bertrille, who at 90 lbs. would become aireborne when the wind got hold of her cornet.

It's a long way between Camden County and San Tanco, so it's unlikely that Randy knew Sister Bertille personally. There are so many TV shows and magazines about human interest stories nowadays.

"Doonesbury" once did a story about some guy being profiled by People magazine because he was the only person left in L.A. who had not been profiled by them. Sooner or later one of those magazines would have done a story on Sister Bertrille, so that's how Randy must have known about her.

(And People magazine does indeed exist in Toobworld. It's part of the Glenn Howard publishing empire.)

Besides, even if there was a TV show, that's no problem either. Just like with the Singing Nun, the image and story of the Flying Nun would have been sold to TV, the movies, perhaps even to a cartoon network.

So Randy could have seen the "Flying Nun" on TV. And Sister Bertrille would have donated that money from selling her rights to help save the orphans raised by the Sisters of San Tanco.

As well as the many bastard offspring sired by Carlos Ramirez......

'My Name Is Earl'
'The Flying Nun'
'The Name Of The Game'

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"I saw her kick a nun once...."
Charles Kuralt
'Murphy Brown'

"History is last month's 'People' magazine...."
Miles Drentell
'thirtySOMETHING'

BRACKETSVILLE, ILLINOIS

I only just discovered a few minutes ago that the Chicago Tribune is also running its own TV character March Madness "Bracketsville" competition. The first round is open until 4 pm Chicago time today, so there's really very little time to get your vote in!

REDEYE'S CHARACTER WARS
Greetings, fellow TV addicts. After laboring to compile a list of TV's best characters, we narrowed our list to the 32 bizarre, funny, neurotic and brilliant creations you see below. You have until 4 p.m. on March 12 to vote in this round before we declare winners and move on to the Sweet Sixteen. We've posted YouTube videos of all of them so start watching, start voting and may the best character win.

Here are the pairings for the first face-off:

1. Jack Bauer, “24” vs. Darnell “Crabman” Turner, “My Name is Earl”

2. Denny Crane, “Boston Legal” vs. Adrian Monk, “Monk”

3. Barney Stinson, “How I Met Your Mother,” vs. Sawyer Ford, “Lost”

4. Hiro Nakamura, “Heroes” vs. Dr. Miranda Bailey, “Grey’s Anatomy”

5. Jack Donaghy, “30 Rock” vs. Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, “Prison Break”

6. Glenn Quagmire, “Family Guy” vs. Wilhelmina Slater, “Ugly Betty”

7. Ari Gold, “Entourage” vs. Joy Turner, “My Name is Earl”

8. Lt. Horatio Crane, “CSI:Miami” vs. Darren Lamb, “Extras”

9. Tony Soprano, “The Sopranos” vs. Shawn Spencer, “Psych”

10. Dwight Schrute, “The Office” vs. Celia Hodes, “Weeds”

11. Stewie Griffin, “Family Guy” vs. Veronica Mars, “Veronica Mars”

12. Dr. Gregory House, “House” vs. Dr. J.D. Dorian, “Scrubs”

13. Michael Scott, “The Office” vs. Capt. Kara Thrace, “Battlestar Galactica”

14. Betty Suarez, “Ugly Betty” vs. Tracy Jordan, “30 Rock”

15. Lynette Scavo, “Desperate Housewives” vs. Smash Williams, “Friday Night Lights”

16. Homer Simpson, “The Simpsons” vs. Dr. Christian Troy, “Nip/Tuck”

Several surprises for me as I voted. Hiro is trailing the Nazi, for starters! I voted for Veronica and Darren, thinking them both to be sacrifical lambs (literally a Lamb in Darren's case), but they're actually beating their competitors. The biggest upset looks to be Dwight over Celia.

As with the Sitcom Star Wars from the Florida Times-Union, I'll keep you up to date right down to the final battle.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

BRACKETSVILLE, ILL. (ROUND 2)

Round Two for the Chicago TV Character Wars is underway. Here's how the first round match-ups fared:

First-round results

1. Jack Bauer, “24” def. Darnell “Crabman” Turner, “My Name is Earl”

2. Adrian Monk, “Monk” def. Denny Crane, “Boston Legal”

3. Sawyer Ford, “Lost” def. Barney Stinson, “How I Met Your Mother”

4. Hiro Nakamura, “Heroes” def. Dr. Miranda Bailey, “Grey’s Anatomy”

5. Jack Donaghy, “30 Rock” def. Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, “Prison Break”

6. Glenn Quagmire, “Family Guy” def. Wilhelmina Slater, “Ugly Betty”

7. Ari Gold, “Entourage” def. Joy Turner, “My Name is Earl”

8. Darren Lamb, “Extras” def. Lt. Horatio Crane, “CSI:Miami”

9. Tony Soprano, “The Sopranos” def. Shawn Spencer, “Psych”

10. Dwight Schrute, “The Office” def. Celia Hodes, “Weeds”

11. Veronica Mars, “Veronica Mars” def. Stewie Griffin, “Family Guy”

12. Dr. Gregory House, “House” def. Dr. J.D. Dorian, “Scrubs”

13. Capt. Kara Thrace, “Battlestar Galactica” def. Michael Scott, “The Office”

14. Betty Suarez, “Ugly Betty” def. Tracy Jordan, “30 Rock”

15. Lynette Scavo, “Desperate Housewives” def. Smash Williams, “Friday Night Lights”

16. Homer Simpson, “The Simpsons” def. Dr. Christian Troy, “Nip/Tuck”

This being an election based in Chicago, the adage "Vote Early, Vote Often" certainly applied in some of the challenges. The folks at the Chicago Tribune's "Red Eye" know that there are support factions for certain characters out there, specifically for Veronica Mars.

Apparently there was momentum behind Dwight Schrute as well, since he wiped the floor with Celia Hodes. But those fans of 'The Office' couldn't help Michael Scott in his battle against the late Starbuck.

That's another great election story - losing to a dead TV character!

But the folks at "Red Eye" support such tactics and hope to see it lead to an even bigger response as they move on to the next round.

Here's another great election result that came out this - Sawyer beat Barney by one vote! So your vote really does make a difference!

Here are the match-ups for Round Two:

Sweet Sixteen match-ups

1. Jack Bauer, “24” vs. Adrian Monk, “Monk”

2. Sawyer Ford, “Lost” vs. Hiro Nakamura, “Heroes”

3. Jack Donaghy, “30 Rock” vs. Glenn Quagmire, “Family Guy”

4. Ari Gold, “Entourage” vs. Darren Lamb, “Extras”

5. Tony Soprano, “The Sopranos” vs. Dwight Schrute, “The Office”

6. Veronica Mars, “Veronica Mars” vs. Dr. Gregory House, "House"

7. Capt. Kara Thrace, “Battlestar Galactica” vs. Betty Suarez, "Ugly Betty"

8. Lynette Scavo, “Desperate Housewives” vs. Homer Simpson, “The Simpsons”

The voting for Round Two is open until 10 am on Thursday, so click here to make your vote count!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

SATURDAY NIGHT: THE ELEPHANT'S GRAVEYARD

I'm glad I decided to tape the second half hour of 'Commander In Chief' this past Tuesday. Seeing that it was supposed to be repeated last night, I figured it would be a good time to check out 'My Name Is Earl' again (having missed the second episode while I taped the 'C-In-C' debut).

As it turned out, all three episodes of 'My Name Is Earl' were repeated on NBC Saturday while ABC ditched their sked at the last minute to show 'Desperate Housewives' instead of 'Commander In Chief'.

It doesn't make sense. 'Housewives' is comfortable in its ratings on a Sunday. And just about every network has given up on chasing the numbers on Saturday. Instead, most of them are using that hour to push their fledgling shows. ABC led the way in this regard last season, when they used Saturday nights to build the buzz for both 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives', and both of them flourished.

The Alphabet should keep that repeat hour for 'Commander-In-Chief'. I'm sure it's going to be a hit, but it can use the nurturing for now.

Here's what I think happened - ABC is afraid that 'Invasion' will lose steam with flagging viewer interest. So they buttressed its repeat with 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives' as its bookends, instead of surrounding it with 'C-In-C' and 'The Night Stalker', let's say.

I just wish they had been so considerate to 'Eyes'!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE 2006 SERIES DEBUT REPORT: "UGLY BETTY"

As was the case with 'Heroes', the third time was the charm for getting the chance to see 'Ugly Betty'. Having missed both the Thursday (because of 'My Name Is Earl' and 'The Office') and Friday ('Doctor Who') broadcasts, I caught it on SoapNet Saturday afternoon.

Man! I love this network synergy!

I'm not sure if the experiment will continue, as is the case with 'Heroes' getting a second shot on Sci-Fi Channel. But I hope it does, because my first option will remain the NBC sitcoms.

Not that 'Ugly Betty' needs me in any way but to say what a good show it is. Its debut came thisclose to matching the numbers posted by 'Survivor' on CBS. And my viewing choices came in third.

About two weeks ago I was convinced that ABC had made a mistake in its scheduling strategy by moving 'Ugly Betty' from the Friday graveyard to the highly competitive Thursday night. My mistake was looking at 'Ugly Betty' from my perspective. I'm certainly not in any of its target audiences and because I usually take a Toby-centric view of the world, I made the assumption that everybody would be watching 'Earl' and 'The Office'.

Besides the fact that I just wanted to sample the show, I wanted to catch it for Ashley Jensen, who won my heart as Maggie Jacobs in 'Extras'. Thankfully, as Christina she's one of the good guys in 'Ugly Betty', an ally for Betty Suarez at Mode magazine.

And there are plenty of others in the cast of interest - Tony Plana, whom I first noticed in 'Bakersfield, PD', as Betty's father; Ana Ortiz from last summer's Iraq drama, 'Over There', as her sister; and Eric Mabius as Betty's skirt-chasing boss. Even Vanessa Williams and her sycophantic aide Marc are fun to watch despite being a bit cartoonish.

The scene stealer though will be Mark Indelicato as Betty's nephew who is a fashionista in training. ("I don't want to eat flan; I'll get fat.") EW magazine already aimed their gaydar at his character.

But of course the one to watch is America Ferrara as Betty Suarez. Her combination of determination, optimism, and even the bouts of pathos make it impossible not to. (Her ghastly personal fashion sense and that overload of dental grillwork are factors as well!)

When I mentioned the pathos, I didn't mean that Betty should be pitied. You can tell from the strength of her spirit that no matter what might befall her, Betty will ultimately triumph.

There are also a couple of mystery subplots going on so that it won't always be Betty vs. the Mode medusas (Modeusa?), which could become tiresome fast.

It also looks as though the show will be a great showcase for cameos. The pilot had two - Gina Gershon as a cosmetics queen client, and Salma Hayek as the maid in a telenovela that Betty's father likes to watch. This was a recurring bit throughout the hour and it may show up again in future episodes, perhaps with other Latino stars in typical telenovela roles.

After only one episode broadcast so far, 'Ugly Betty' will wind up the season as one of the best new shows of this TV season.

As for the Toobworld notes.....

Mode is a magazine published by Meade Publications. When Betty went for her job interview, she had her sights on working at just about any other magazine published by the corporation than Mode.

So if there are other magazines being published by Meade Publications, perhaps we'll see copies of them around the office. This way, we could possibly get subtle links to other TV shows in which magazines played a role.

Blush was the magazine around which the comedy of 'Just Shoot Me' took place, and I think it would be likely they'd have copies of the competition around the office. And if there's any one magazine from the world of TV that I would wish Meade Publications would claim as one of their own, it would be Manhattan Magazine.

That's the publication for which Sarah Jane Smith was working when she first met the Doctor on 'Doctor Who'!

Another competitor for Meade Publications would be the Glenn Howard empire from 'The Name Of The Game'. Perhaps it might get mentioned someday in the show.

Various fictional cosmetics lines and fashion houses from the past could also be revived and reused in the show in a similar... um, fashion.

Here's a future casting suggestion for exec producer Salma Hayek (as if she's ever going to take my suggestions!): should they ever need to hire family members for the character of Christina, then Lynn Redgrave should be at the top of the list.

When Christina introduced Betty to two other average-looking women who worked for the magazine at lunch, a Zonk was used to describe the quartet:

Marc: It's a bizarre version of Sex and the City.

But to avoid the Zonking, I'm going to assume that within the framework of the TV Universe Marc was referring to the book by Candace Bushnell, rather than the TV show. 'Sex And The City' as a TV show takes place in the same universe as 'Ugly Betty'.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

D-DAY FOR "CLOSE TO HOME"?

Relax. It's not what you think.....

One thing (among many) we insist on here at Toobworld Central is credibility in the family tree of a character. We've got to believe that the actors cast to play each other's family members must share some of the same DNA strands.

Currently, a great example is Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller of 'Prison Break'.

At least, I'm pretty sure it's not just because of the haircut.

A classic example? Leonard Nimoy and Mark Lenard as son and father on 'Star Trek'.

One of the worst transgressors? Jimmie Walker as JJ Evans in 'Good Times'. Why didn't James and Florida ever admit to stealing him for their own? Because there's no way he was a product of their union. (I think it's more likely his parental units could be found on 'Farscape'.)

I once threw out the idea that perhaps Dr. Gregory House could be the illegitimate son of Dr. Mark Sloan of 'Diagnosis Murder'. If they ever saw it, the producers of 'House' threw the idea out too, and instead cast Lee R. Ermey. But I still think any character played by Dick Van Dyke would have been a better choice genetically. (And I also think Van Dyke could have pulled off the personality part as written.)

Recently I suggested Dabney Coleman for the father of Earl Hickey on 'My Name Is Earl'.

Beau Bridges got the gig.

I can live with that, mainly because he does look like Randy Hickey's biological father. As for Earl? Maybe Bridges' character is his father on paper only, in much the same way Earl is for Joy's two kids.

So maybe Dabney Coleman can be brought in somewhere down the line to be the actual Earl's Daddy.

I've got another suggestion for a father and son reunion. (Actually I have two, but I just want to toss out this quickie and save the other for a more detailed post.)

Christian Kane plays Jack, Annabeth Chase's husband on 'Close To Home'. Watching him embrace his wife in the latest episode, tight close-up, I flashed on the perfect choice to play his dad - Bruce McGill. (D-Day in "Animal House", Jack Dalton on 'MacGyver')

McGill has that man-of-the-people feel as an actor; a trait he might have passed down to his construction worker son - if he was chose to portray Jack's father.

The show is called 'Close To Home' so that it can explore how Annabeth's family is affected by the cases she prosecutes. So that means there will be plenty of opportunities to see various aspects of her home life. And hopefully we can get a chance to meet a lot of the people on both sides of her family - including her in-laws.

So there's my suggestion for casting Annabeth's father-in-law. Once again, I'm throwing the idea out there freely so that the Powers That Be can ignore it as usual.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE 2008 TOOBITS AWARDS (PART TWO)

Here we are with Day Two of the Toobits Awards!

BEST EXIT FOR A CHARACTER
Detective Ed Green, 'Law & Order'There were no histrionics, no over the top death scene; I don't think they even aired it during Sweeps Week. (But I'll check on that.) Instead, Detective Green, a member of the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, was implicated in an on-going investigation - and even though he basically cleared himself of any wrong-doing, he still chose to leave the force.

'Law & Order' doesn't bring back former cast members very often. In two cases, it's impossible. But I think it would be nice to check in on Ed Green at some point in the future. I'm not saying we should see that he became a private investigator like Mike Kellerman on 'Homicide: Life On The Street' (which I still contend would have made for a great spin-off). Nor do I think his character had the makings of becoming an author, but that might have been interesting in their "ripped from the headlines" way - do another spin on the Judith Regan story, with Ed Green as the Bernard Kerik avatar.

BEST DEATH SCENE
Harriet Jones, 'Doctor Who'

In death, the former Prime Minister restored her honor. When we first met her, Harriet Jones was a bit of comic relief, but with the destiny in place to be considered one of the greatest of Great Britain's Prime Ministers. And yet, it seems as though early in her term of office, the Doctor engineered her downfall because of her reaction to the Sycorax situation.

I would have preferred, for the main Toobworld's stake, that she never was shown as becoming the PM. When other TV shows were still referring to Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister, it just creates a giant Zonk when 'Doctor Who' has a different leader. (I can only hope that Steven Moffat will be avoiding the Doctor's involvement with the upper echelons of the government - Damn you 'West Wing'! You made everybody want to do it!)

But at least we now have the 'Primeval' reboot of Earth Prime-Time's timeline to set right what once went wrong. And Harriet Jones could be seen as the vestige of a different timeline.

The best part about how she bravely faced her demise at the hands - er, stalks - of the Daleks was that last insert of humor. As she must have incessantly done with everyone, she identified herself as Harriet Jones and the Daleks replied, "Yes. We know!"

WORST DEATH SCENE
Stephen Hart, 'Primeval' (left to the imagination)
Martin Kilpatrick, 'Brotherhood' (actually seen)

By worst death scene, I mean the most disturbingly graphic which would make the viewer recoil in horror and disgust. It's not enough to just fall to the ground, shudder a bit and then dramatically drop the head to one side.
We didn't get to see it happen, but in the final episode of the 'Primeval' second season, Stephen Hart sacrifice himself to make sure all the prehistoric (and a few futuristic) predators were kept trapped inside the facility. Locked in with them, the creatures slowly circled in, ready to tear him to shreds. Thankfully we didn't have to see it actually happen. Or even hear it.

As for Martin Kilpatrick, he was forced to shoot himself in the mouth in the finale of the second season. In the past, we'd just see the actor convulse for a moment, if that long. Maybe a blood squib would be set up for spatter on the back of the head. But in this case, the bullet exited from the side of the neck and the blood copiously flowed, bubbled and pooled on his neck as he gurgled, spit up more blood, and convulse like he had electricity running through him.

BEST DEATH TWIST
'Ghost Whisperer'

I don't follow the show, but I think it's a great idea - kill off Melinda's husband and have her relate to Jim as a ghost. Of course, those who do follow the show seem to be upset with the concept.

My friend Ivy had it right when she heard about the upcoming plot development: "JLH's character is almost as dangerous to be around as the woman from Murder She Wrote."

BEST NEW TOOBWORLD LOCATION
Royal Australian Observatory (RAO) in the Australian Outback, 'Supernova'

The sitcom was originally broadcast several years ago, but only just now showed up in the United States - so far as I could tell. There's only about 12 episodes, and I found that far too few. As with Fernwood, Ohio, Cicely, Alaska, and Hooterville - um, wherever it is!- I wanted to hang out at the Observatory with its quirky scientists and the local population.

BEST NEW ALTERNATE TV DIMENSION
'Doctor Who' - "Turn Left"

Even though Donna Noble and Rose Tyler were able to "put right what once went wrong" as they used to say on 'Quantum Leap', that altered dimension still existed - at least as far as I understand Professor Everett's "Many Earths" theory. It definitely was not a place you'd want to visit, let alone live in!

BEST LINE

There's never just one winner in this category. I'm always collecting great lines of dialogue, so it would have been impossible for me to winnow it down to one that just blew me away to the exclusion of all others. But these four were definitely at the top of the list this year:

"I once saw a horse kill a clown." - Parker, 'Leverage'

"He's like a Television with only one channel... and not a very good one." - Andi, 'Kyle XY'

"I'm so hungry I could kill a child." - Earl's Mother, 'My Name Is Earl'

"I don't owe you a turd on Christmas." - Earl's Dad, 'My Name Is Earl'

BEST POETRY
'Face The Nation'

Not a category that would show up year in, year out. But this was charming, and considering the source, quite unexpected....

From 12/21/08:

Finally, a little explanation here.
You have been watching TV and looking at me,
and you may see that something's not right.
I'm puffed up like a toad who's been down a hard road.
You're thinking maybe I got in a fight.

Is it a plug of tobacco or a face-lift gone wacko
that gives me this joker's leer?
Are the holiday rounds just adding on pounds?
Mr. Christmas fat face, that's me this year.

Well, thank you for asking, it won't be long lasting.
Dental work has made me balloon.
But Doctors Cohen and Miller, who combined on this thriller,
say the swelling goes down real soon.

In fact, you should have seen me yesterday.
- Bob Schieffer

BEST SPEECH/MONOLOGUE
'Gavin & Stacey'

On her wedding day, Stacey West was given a letter that her father wrote to her in case he wasn't around for the occasion (which he wasn't). Unable to bear reading it herself, she handed it back to her Uncle Bryn and asked him to read it to her.....

"Dear Stacey,If you're reading this, it must be your wedding day. But if it is not, and Bryn has just left it just lying around, then tell him he's a waste of space and never could be trusted to do anything properly.

When I think back to the day you were born, I was the happiest man on the planet. I won't lie to you, Stace, and I'm not ashamed to say it... but I cried. Buckets!

But I never imagined in a million years that I wouldn't be with you on your wedding day; walking you down the aisle; and giving you away.

So sorry I'm not there for you today, Stace. Not in body anyway, but I'll be there in spirit.

And please remember whenever you need me, I'll be listening. Because you'll never stop being my beautiful baby girl.

Have a wonderful, wonderful day, my darling. I love you always. Dad"

If you're able to watch that scene and not be moved, I don't want to know you.

BEST DIALOGUE EXCHANGE
'Torchwood'
Gwen Cooper: Have you ever eaten alien meat?
Captain Jack: Yeah.
Gwen Cooper: Well? What was it like?
Captain Jack: He seemed to enjoy it.

Gotta love that Jack!

SADDEST SIGN-OFF LINE
'Double Shot At Love'

"I have so much to offer. I have a good heart. It's there. It's so big. Maybe it's a little bit hidden." - Kandice Hutchison

Kandice died in a car crash after she was eliminated from the competition.

BEST NEW THEME SONG
'New Tricks'

It's new for me anyway. I have a feeling a lot of people think that Dennis Waterman (who also co-stars in the series) singing this twangy C&W-styled number is out of place for a show about retired detectives working on closed cases. But the show does have a lighter tone than most in that genre, and I think the song helps set that mood.

BEST NEW THEME MUSIC
'The Mentalist'

But for the best theme music, no lyrics, I'm going with 'The Mentalist'. It's simple, minimalist even, and yet it doesn't get stuck in your head to annoy you for days. Something about it makes me want to segue right into the theme music for 'thirtySOMETHING'.

BEST MUSICAL MOMENT

Sarah Silverman & Matt Damon,
"I'm F#@%ing Matt Damon"
- 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'
Jimmy Kimmel & Ben Affleck (and others),
"I'm F#@%ing Ben Affleck"
- 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'

Even more awards tomorrow!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

2006 SERIES DEBUT REPORT: "SHARK"

I plan to watch 'Shark' for its first two episodes. After that, I'll check out 'Six Degrees'. I may come back to 'Shark', maybe not. Thursday nights are my Saturdays, and I'd rather go out without the bother of setting up the VCR (aside from 'The Office' and 'My Name Is Earl', of course.)

And I picked just the first two episodes because I wanted to see the debut and because my friend Shirley will be appearing in the second episode. She's playing Judge Vivian Bell, one of Stark's poker buddies, along with Robert Shapiro playing himself. If the set-up proves to work, who knows? It would be nice for Shirley if it turned into a recurring gig.

Otherwise, I wasn't wowed by the show. I like James Woods a lot and he's great in the role, even though his Sebastian Stark is not a likable guy. But there was nothing compelling about his performance to keep me coming back to see what happens next to him, as is the case with Hugh Laurie as 'House'.

And without that sleek costume as Seven of Nine, there's nothing really about Jeri Ryan as his boss in the D.A.'s office to make me want to keep watching either.

As a matter of fact, it was the dress-down and firing of one of his assistants that turned me against Sebastian Stark. My hope is that the creator of the show has plans to bring that character back again in the future. Perhaps as a defense lawyer who has learned from the experience and gets the chance to wipe the courtroom floor with Stark, wiping that smirk off his face.

Here's the Toobworld take.......

When 'Spin City' premiered with Barry Bostwick as the Mayor of New York City, it had to be placed in a different TV dimension (possibly the same one where one could find 'Hail To The Chief' and 'Mr. President'). If a TV show was going to portray anybody else but Rudy Giuliani as the Mayor (or now, Mike Bloomberg) then it couldn't be the same Big Apple as found in the main Toobworld. (By the way, both Giuliani and Bloomberg have appeared as themselves in their capacity as Mayor on 'Law & Order'.)

So even though I'm unfamiliar with the local politics of the City of Angels, I think the same courtesy has to be accorded to Los Angeles. It's one thing to have a fictional character intent on running for the job of Mayor in L.A., as is the case in 'The Shield', and something else entirely when you have a fictional character holding the position.
In the Real World, as should be the case in Toobworld, the Mayor of Los Angeles is Antonio Villaraigoso. He cemented his credentials for Toobworld by appearing as himself on 'George Lopez'.

But on 'Shark', the Mayor is Manuel Delgado. At least they kept him an Hispanic, but it's still not the right man.

Therefore, 'Shark' has to be shipped out, and so why not to the dimension of 'The West Wing'? It seems as good a place as any, at least until there's some mention of Dubya being in the White House.

No matter which dimension it winds up in, 'Shark' won't have any problem keeping a few of its cultural references. For instance, the defense lawyer's chair in Stark's basement mock-up of a courtroom once belonged to Clarence Darrow. Darrow was portrayed by Henry Fonda, Tol Avery, and Kevin Spacey on Television.

And even though the events of "Inherit The Wind" were fictional and based on Darrow's involvement in the Scopes Monkey Trial, they are also part of the TV Universe thanks to three productions of the play for Television. Surely, one of them must be the real deal for the 'Shark' dimension. So the judge's bench which Stark claims is from "Inherit The Wind" would be either from the movie versioni starring Spencer Tracy, or from the Broadway play; most likely from the movie.

And since those are different universes of Mankind's creative output, the judge's bench has no real bearing on the integrity of Toobworld. (I'd say however that the 1960 movie - as far as Toobworld is concerned, - was based on the "real life" events as seen in the TV production.)

Wolfgang Puck is also appearing this week as himself. But because 'Shark' is now off in some other dimension, the Master Chef's televersion doesn't help make any connections to the many other shows in which Puck has been caught in the act of being himself.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby