BLOOD WILL OUT

Last week I watched the latest three episodes of 'True Blood' with good buddy NYMarkie. These eps had piled up over my vacation, and seeing them in a mini-marathon helped stoke my enthusiasm for the finale tomorrow night.

Seeing it with Mark also gave me a new perspective on what was happening in Bon Temps within the reality of Toobworld. It was Mark who pointed out to me that if Eric could now sense where Sookie was and how she was feeling because she drank his blood, then why doesn't the same thing happen between those people who use 'V' and the vampires who supply it?

When it comes to that, how come Sookie didn't have trippy visions after tasting Eric's blood?

Showrunners - no matter the series - must hate people like me.......

Thanks for pointing this out, Mark! And sorry for corrupting the way you watch the Tube.....

BCnU!

ECHOES OF A RED SHIRT

Myka:
Having intel in the field keeps an agent alive, Pete.
But Artie acts like keeping us alive isn't a priority.
To him we're just...

Pete:
Redshirts?

Myka:
Yeah.

Pete:
Okay. First, he doesn't think we're redshirts.
And second, that's so cool you knew what I meant.
'Warehouse 13'

Boone:
Red shirt.....
You ever watch 'Star Trek'?

Locke:
No, not really.

Boone:
The crew guys that would go down to the planet with the main guys,
the captain and the guy with the pointy ears,
they always wore red shirts and they always got killed.

Locke:
Yeah?

Boone:
Yeah.

Locke:
Sounds like a piss poor captain.
'Lost'

BCnU!

NEW 2 VIEW @ TOOB HQ

I took advantage of a sale held by the Cinema Titanic gang and picked up five more releases from this 'MST3K' offspring:

"The Wasp Woman"

"Blood Of The Vampires"

"Legacy Of Blood"

"Frankenstein's Castle Of Freaks"

"Santa Claus Conquers The Martians"

I've already seen that movie - once in its unadorned state, and once as it was "treated" by the original 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' series. Along with the "Frankenstein" movie, I can pop these into the computer and just listen to the commentary while I work on Toobworld-related projects, since I've already seen them both. (I picked up "Frankenstein's Castle Of Freaks" via Netflix, just so I could see another role played by Michael Dunn, my third favorite actor of all time.)

I already own "The Doomsday Machine" and "The Oozing Skull", so I think I'm pretty much caught up on the DVD releases. (I think the three other movies offered are still only available as downloads....)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DAVID BUSHNELL

Every so often I feel the need to tip my hat to others who hailed from Connecticut....

DAVID BUSHNELL

AS SEEN IN:
'Liberty's Kids'

AS PLAYED BY:
Tony Wike

David Bushnell (1742 - 1824) of Saybrook, Connecticut, was an American inventor during the Revolutionary War. He is credited with creating the first submarine ever used in combat, while studying at Yale University in 1775. He called it the Turtle because of its look in the water. His idea of using water as ballast for submerging and raising his submarine is still in use today, as is the screw propeller, which was first used in the Turtle.

While at Yale, he proved that gunpowder exploded under water. David Bushnell also made the first time bomb. With this, he also came up with mine barrage in 1777. He combined his ideas in an attempt to attack British ships which were blockading New York Harbor in the summer of 1776 by boring through their hulls and implanting time bombs, but failed every time due to a metal lining in the ships hull to protect against parasites in their previous station, the Caribbean. David Bushnell then created the Turtle. The Turtle eventually sank.

On June 8, 1781 he was promoted Captain of Sappers and Miners. Bushnell later traveled to France and then settled in Warrenton, Georgia where he taught at the Warrenton Academy and practiced medicine. He died in 1824, but before he died David was honored with a medal by George Washington. David Bushnell's Submarine Model is on display at the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum and Library in Groton, Connecticut.
[from Wikipedia]

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: REMEMBERING 9/11

MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI

AS SEEN IN:
"Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story"

AS PLAYED BY:
James Woods

BCnU.....

TVXOHOF, 09/2009-B: AARON SPELLING, AGAIN?

Last week, Aaron Spelling was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame as the September entry under the category of "The League Of Themselves". But he's inducted this week as well for the category of "As Seen On TV".

The mega-producer was portrayed in Toobworld in three different productions, which is the
requirement necessary for entry into the Hall of Fame.....

1] by Dan Castellaneta (pictured) in the 2004 TV movie "Behind The Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels'" 2] by Nicholas Hammond in the 2005 TV movie "Dynasty: The Making Of A Guilty Pleasure"

3] and by Mark Capri in the series 'So noTORIous' from 2006. (In the show - in which Tori Spelling played herself, Spelling would call in to check on Daddy's Poor Little Rich Girl. But they also used the old standby of showing him from the back in a chair, a la Steinbrenner on 'Seinfeld'.)
Those are enough to satisfy me that Aaron Spelling deserves to be the first back-to-back entrant into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. (And here I always thought it would be Orson Welles who was going to be the first to be inducted in both categories. I guess it just didn't work out in the voting process.....)

Writer and director Mark Evanier runs the "News From ME" blog which is higly featured to the left in my list o' links. Here's what he thought about the TV movie which featured Castellaneta:
http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2004_03_11.html#008251

BCnU!

A PRIME SUSPECT FOR AN AMERICAN VERSION

My blog buddy Joe Bua (His "I Am A TV Junkie" link is to the left.) tipped his readers off that NBC plans to make a two-hour movie which will serve as a pilot for an American remake of 'Prime Suspect'. The original series starred Helen Mirren and was about Jane Tennyson, who fought for the right to lead a British homicide division and it's about the resistance she got from the detectives who were supposed to work for her.

'The Closer' comes closest to being about the same subject over here, but now it looks we might get an actual clone - especially if they keep the character's name. (My O'Bvious recommendation would be to give this new character a whole new identity. Toobworld Central should have no problem in making sure both series fit into Earth Prime-Time, but key differences would make everything easier. But then, who cares about my needs?)

Joe put out a general query as to who would be the best possible actress to play this role, with his opinion that Meryl Streep is the only perfect choice - and of course, we all know she's desperate for work!

I offered my own suggestion, which is why Mary McDonnell's lovely face graces this post.

Recently, she played a police captain on the aforementioned 'The Closer', and as I told Joe in my comments, she has the age, strength, and vulnerability to do the character properly.

I'd be pushing for her with all the powers accorded me, but unfortunately, this blog marks the boundary of my influence. Maybe somebody reading knows a network suit and could pass it on......

BCnU!

COPPIN' A PLEA

So here's the thing.....

I'm looking for an episode of 'Homicide: Life On The Street' or 'The Wire' or any other show set in Baltimore which had a scene set at a Toobworld movie theater. That is, the movie theater can't actually exist, but could only be found in that TV show.

There's an episode in the seventh season of 'H:LOTS' in which the primary murder investigation takes place at a movie theater. This would have been perfect, except that it's definitely established that the the movie house is The Senator, a landmark in Charm City. As such, it won't fit my purposes in trying to forge a theoretical link with 'Spooks' (known over here in the States as 'MI-5'.)

If you can think of such a scene, let me know what TV show it is. I'd appreciate it!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: RALPH "DUTCH" HENNINGS

RALPH "DUTCH" HENNINGS

AS SEEN IN:
"The Big Story"

AS PLAYED BY:
Frank Marth

This may be the most O'Bscure subject that will be done for the "As Seen On TV" showcase.....

"Dutch" Hennings was a reporter in Indiana whose best friend was a state trooper. In fact, Dutch was going to be the best man at his friend's upcoming wedding.

The trooper invited Dutch for a ride-along, which could always be good publicity for law enforcement, and who knows? Dutch might end up getting a story out of the night's work.

But that night, they ran into two brothers, local farm boys on a crime spree. The brothers killed the state trooper, but Hennings was able to run away. Working with his friend's fellow troopers, Dutch Hennings was able to be there at the shoot-out when the surviving brother was captured; and he identified the low-life as his friend's killer. When the guy was strapped into the electric chair, Dutch was there as a witness. At the end of this episode of the anthology series (hosted by Burgess Meredith), the audience got to meet the real Dutch Hennings who told about what happened after the killer was apprehended. (Yeah, too bad we didn't get to see him executed!) BCnU!

PS:
One reason I'm posting this today is because New York City is currently celebrating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in the NY harbor. Surprisingly, I can find no indication that anybody ever played Henry Hudson on TV - so if I have to have somebody who's "Dutch", it may as well be Ralph Hennings.....

SKED ALERT: TYRA ON SEPT. 14

As the new season began tonight with the remake of 'Melrose Place', the returning shows are going to do their best to gain eyeballs with all the new shows premiering.

On Sept. 14th, 'Gossip Girl' (in its third season) will have Tyra Banks as its guest star. I'm told the host of 'Top Model' will be playing herself. Which means 'Gossip Girl' could be linked not only to 'America's Next Top Model', but also to 'Just Shoot Me' and 'Space Ghost: Coast To Coast'.

This is the best way to accept so-called "reality" shows as part of Toobworld.

BCnU!

IN SEARCH OF.... TELE-VASSAR

Ivan Shreve of "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" (link to the left!) sent one of his readers to me with a request:

I’m working on a longstanding project in developing a clip library of film/tv mentions of Vassar, my alma mater. There’s a wonderful variety and bounty of stuff out there. My informants have indicated that there are mentions in Beverly Hillbillies, Sanford & Son, and the Addams Family, but were not able to give me any additional specifics that could help me find which episodes in particular it appears. I’m confident it’s true about Hillbillies – everyone has said that Miss Jane Hathaway was a Vassar grad. Given the frequency with which I hear this I wouldn’t be surprised it’s a running gag and appears multiple times. I am not so confident it’s true about Sanford & Son or Addams Family. As I can’t watch hundreds and hundreds of episodes for something that might not even be there, I thought I’d ask if you knew which episodes (if any) it’s mentioned in any of these shows? I don’t know how contemporary your interests range – I’ve also heard it appears on Facts of Life and Blossom, but again have not been able to determine which episodes or even if it’s true.

He adds:

Among the TV mentions that I’ve located already (and have in my collection) are:


2 episodes of Gilligan’s Island

4 of Dharma & Greg

1 from The Nanny

1 from Designing Women

1 from Ed

5 from Law & Order

1 from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1 from Batman

1 from Friends

1 from Beverly Hills 90210 (there might be more so if you’ve got some reference/resource here, would be appreciated; the one I know it’s in is “Highwire”)

1 from NYPD Blue

1 from Mystery Science Theater 3000 – in the movie, Girls Town

2 from the Daily Show

1 from Babylon 5

1 from Cedric the Entertainer Presents

1 from The District

3 from Gilmore Girls

1 from Happy Days

2 from Leave it to Beaver

1 from The Monkees

1 from Party of Five

3 from The Simpsons

1 from Sledge Hammer

1 from Tanner ‘88

1 from Obsessed (tv movie with Jenna Elfman)


Don’t have in my collection but I know it exists:

At least 3 from St. Elsewhere

1 from Late Show with David Letterman


I’ve been tipped but don’t know which episodes or really if it’s true

Beverly Hillbillies

Blossom

Facts of Life

Leap of Faith

Sanford & Son

Rags to Riches (tv movie)

Women & Men: Seduction (HBO movie)



So I'm opening this up to the readers of Inner Toob. Can you help him confirm that Vassar was mentioned in any of the shows in that last batch he mentioned?

Thanks for your help!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CLARK CLIFFORD

Clark McAdams Clifford (December 25, 1906 – October 10, 1998) was a highly influential American lawyer who served Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson and Carter, serving as United States Secretary of Defense for Johnson.
[from Wikipedia]

CLARK CLIFFORD

AS SEEN IN:
"Path To War"

AS PLAYED BY:
Donald Sutherland

Here's a picture of the real Clark Clifford, as he was depicted on the cover of Time magazine:

Now THAT is what a tele-version is all about! It would have been the classic sixties sitcom proto-type: politician is saddled with a partner who's a ghost!

BCnU!

A TWIN DILEMMA

Lt. Randy Disher:
That's your doppelganger.
They say everybody's got one.

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer:
Who says that?

Lt. Randy Disher:
People.
And their doppelgangers.
'Monk'

The TV Universe loves to repeat itself, in situations, events, even characters; Toobworld is awash in the "Identical Cousin" syndrome which can be attributed to a variety of reasons - genetic relations, plastic surgery, impersonation, cloning, etc.

So that's not uncommon. What is rare, however, is when these doppelgangers team up with someone else who is a doppelganger of somebody from the life of that first doppelganger's "other life".

Confused? Sorry about that, Chief.

Here's what I mean:
In the 'Warehouse 13' episode "Duped", Gary and Jillian Whitman had a coin that helped them predict the future, which they used to win in roulette when they went to Las Vegas.

At the same time, but farther to the Northwest in the town of 'Eureka', Deputy Jo Lupo was romantically involved with Zane Donovan, a scientist employed by Global Dynamics. Both couples look exactly the same.

So far as we know, there is no genealogical link between Jo and Jillian or between Zane and Gary. However, in Toobworld, where Coincidence reigns supreme, it's not unlikely. What is strange is that both couples should be drawn together in this way. As if it was Destiny, or at the very least some kind of pull on the chromosomal level. This wasn't the first time it's happened this year in Toobworld. At the FDNY house depicted in 'Rescue Me', the company's Chief is "Needles" Nelson and the Lieutenant on one shift is Kenny Shea. At the same time elsewhere in Manhattan, there are two NYPD detectives working in the Vice Squad who look exactly like "Needles" and "Lew". (We saw them in the "Pilot" episode of 'The Unusuals' as the backup surveillance team keeping an eye on Detective Casey Shraeger, who was working undercover as a prostitute.)

Toobworld Central isn't prepared to give a splainin as to why this happens; we just wanted to point it out. But here's something we do worry about:

Hopefully, these couples will never meet up.....

FBI Special Agent Dana Scully:
Over time, nature produces only so many originals
that when two original copies meet that the result is often unpredictable.
If four should meet, the result is...
well, suffice to say it's better just to avoid these encounters altogether
and at all costs.
'The X-Files'

BCnU!

THE SIGN OF FOUR (WITH A DIFFERENT VICTORIAN DETECTIVE)

As a police detective in 1895 Toronto, William Murdoch worked out of Station Four, as mentioned in "Under The Dragon's Tail", the last of 'The Murdoch Mysteries' TV movies to star Peter Outerbridge as Murdoch.

The number four is part of the sequence of "The Numbers" that have held great sway in the series 'Lost' and whose influence in the TV Universe have been around for a long time......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: FRANZ SCHUBERT

And now, for the "Two for Tuesday" edition of "As Seen On TV", a little Schubert:

FRANZ SCHUBERT

AS SEEN IN:
"The Temptation Of Franz Schubert"
aka
"The Double Life Of Franz Schubert"

AS PLAYED BY:
Simon Russell Beale


AS SEEN IN:
'Peabody's Improbable Adventures'

AS PLAYED BY:
Paul Frees

Franz Peter Schubert: January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828) was an Austrian composer. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music. He is particularly noted for his original melodic and harmonic writing.
[From Wikipedia]

Here is the Wikipedia list of his compositions.......

And here is a clip of Beale as Schubert singing "An Die Musik":



BCnU!

NUMBERS RUNNING: "PRIME CRACKER"

That "Prime Cracker" sketch from the Red Nose Day festivities earlier this year may have been banished to the sketch comedy universe, but that doesn't mean it can't still contribute to the main Toobworld.

As Detective Jane Tennyson faced off against Dr. Fitz Fitzgerald in the interrogation room, she asked the forensic psychologist how many murder convictions resulted from his methods. He had 17, but she trumped him with 42.

"42" is one of "The Numbers" from the Valenzetti Equation, a sequence supposedly found only in 'Lost', but which is universal throughout Toobworld and its many dimension - in this case, even in Skitlandia.

It's just a shame Fitz couldn't claim 15 or 16 convictions, both of which are also 'Lost' numbers....

BcnU!

SKETCHY DETAILS: "PRIME SUSPECT" & "CRACKER"

Established TV characters don't just have doppelgangers in the evil mirror universe; their twins can also be found in the Tooniverse - like FBI Agents Mulder and Scully of 'The X-Files' in an episode of 'The Simpsons' - and in Skitlandia, the sketch comedy universe. That's where we have to go to find the long wished for team-up of Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald of 'Cracker' and Detective Jane Tennyson of 'Prime Suspect'. The two damaged detectives made this off-beat crossover earlier this year for the Red Nose Day celebration for Comic Relief over in the UK. And until half-way through the minisode, I was holding out hope that despite its origins, it could be considered part of Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld. After all, claiming that 'Seinfeld' and 'Oz' can be considered linked in Toobworld (if not in other established versions of a TV Universe) still holds up years after it was suggested by a filmed 'Saturday Night Live' sketch.

But then the characters played by Helen Mirren and Robbie Coltrane both started talking about how much they drink per episode, and those dreams were dashed with such a Zonk. And from there, it got more absurd as they broke out into song! Had it not been for the earlier Zonk, even this could have been splained away as an attack by Mr. Sweet - the musical demon of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. But eventually the final revelation proved to be too damaging to the established shows in Toobworld to be allowed to co-exist. So it's off to Skitlandia for Jane and Fitzie. (In my head - where lots of voices reside! - I could hear Emil Sitka chirping, "Hold hands, you lovebirds!") Care to see the sketch? Maybe you'd like to donate to Comic Relief as well? The information... information... information* can be found at the end of the video:



[My gratitude to TV blog buddy Joe Bua of "I Am A TV Junkie" - link to the left! - for pointing this out to me.]

BCnU!

*Can you imagine what it might have been like if Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern did a Red Nose Day sketch of 'The Prisoner' back when they were both alive?

WHAT HAPPENS IN "WAREHOUSE 13"...

While we're in Vegas....
When 'Warehouse 13' got "Duped" in Las Vegas, two of "The Numbers" from the 'Lost' sequence came up. Among the winning roulette numbers that came up for Gary and Jillian were Red 23 (twice!) and Black 15. (They also had a room on the 15th floor.)

The casino where they played was too old-fashioned and stodgy to be the Montecito of 'Las Vegas', but wouldn't that have been cool for an official link? No matter, we can always say it was one of the gaming halls that have been seen in 'CSI', 'Lucky', 'Dr. Vegas', or 'Vega$'. It could even be the one from that one-armed bandit episode of 'The Twilight Zone'!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JERRY LEWIS

When it comes to Labor Day, there's only one historical figure to feature in the "As Seen On TV" showcase.....

JERRY LEWIS

AS SEEN IN:
"Martin & Lewis"

AS PLAYED BY:
Sean Hayes

The TV movie ends with their break-up July 25, 1956. As for the Labor Day telethons he's hosted for the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America, here's how they started [courtesy of Wikipedia]:

Lewis began hosting telethons to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America in 1952 after a plea from a staff member who worked on Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' editions of the Colgate Comedy Hour. The shows first originated from a variety of locations in New York City in 1954, as local telethons seen exclusively on WABD-TV Channel 5 (later WNEW-TV, now WNYW). After Lewis conducted many 4 hour shows in the NY area to benefit the organization, the idea of a big Telethon came about. The organization (MDAA) approached Lewis to host the big event and he agreed. Organizers of the telethon chose Labor Day weekend as it was the only time available to hold the event. Many expected that the Labor Day broadcast would fail with many people out of town or away from their TVs on Labor Day weekend. Even New York City officials were skeptical that it would succeed, which made them reluctant to issue them a fund-raising permit. Nevertheless, in 1966, the first Labor Day telethon—a 19-hour affair—was so successful that Lewis had to paint a "1" on the 6-digit tote board when the final tote reached $1,002,114.

If you want to see, the "Martin & Lewis" movie, you can find it at Youtube, but I have to warn you - it's in thirteen segments. Still, here's the first part if you want to get started:



Have a great Labor Day, every-a-body! Or as we call it in the hotel biz, Monday......

BCnU!

400 YEARS AGO TODAY....

New York’s Coldest Case: A Murder 400 Years Old
By SAM ROBERTS

The victim: John Colman.

Not much is known about him, much less about his murder. His body was hastily buried and has never been found. A weapon was recovered, but it vanished. The only account of the crime is secondhand, pieced together from a few witnesses, some of whom might have harbored a grudge. The chief suspects were singled out because of racial profiling but were never questioned. No one was ever prosecuted.

It was on Sept. 6, 1609 — 400 years ago Sunday — when this, the first recorded murder in what became metropolitan New York, was committed. Colman was killed only four days after the first Dutch and English sailors arrived.

“There’s a reason it’s still a cold case,” said Detective Michael J. Palladino, president of the city detectives’ union, mulling the scant evidence that remains today.

“He was English, the crew was Dutch,” said Detective [William] McNeely. “You couldn’t rule anybody out. We’d detain everybody, including the injured sailors. You couldn’t just take the word of somebody else. They could say he was attacked by Indians; it would be easy to make that up. I don’t know if that’s racial profiling, but it’s definitely scapegoating.”

You can read the full NY Times story here.

There are so many ways this little-known story could be played out in Toobworld - and Toobworld is always craving new stories! It could be a straight account of the events leading up to the murder, with several possible outcomes portrayed. It could be a modern-day ghost story, even with Colman's ghost as a supporting member of the regular cast in some show. (He could have made a guest appearance on 'New Amsterdam' had it lasted this long.) Or it could be one of those Syfy Saturday night movies in which time travel is used to go back and solve the crime.

Or the 'CSI: NY' team could have a light-hearted episode in which they use some downtime to try and solve it themselves...... Too bad 'NCIS' wasn't around back then!

Just throwing out some ideas......

[My thanks to Bill Crider for pointing this out....]

BCnU!

A MISSING LINK QUICKIE

The Katana blade from the 'Warehouse 13' episode "Implosion" was a 14th Century blade that could cause "invisibility". Hiro Nakamura time-shifted back to the 17th Century, but some of those blades could have been legacies, handed down over generations and originally made by that same craftsman. That same swordmaster might have also forged the Katana blades used by several of the immortals encountered in 'Highlander' and in its sequel, 'Highlander: The Raven'.

Just putting it out there as possibilities.....

BCnU!

WHO-TREK FANFIC, VISUALIZED

Usually when I find TV mash-ups via Youtube, they're basically just scenes from one show set to the theme song of another. (My favorite of these has 'Doctor Who' set to the music of 'Quantum Leap'; as Nine would have said, "It's fantastic!")

But here's one that creates its own little story and really leaves me hankering for more!

"DOCTOR WHO MEETS STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION"



Any experts on 'Doctor Who' chronology want to take a shot as to when in the timeline this might work best? It can't be after "Earthshock" unless you then come up with a way to splain how the Enterprise went back to the Age of the Dinosaurs and rescued Adric. But it does have to be after Turlough's first declared intention to go home (which doesn't have to have ever been televised.)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: TED KENNEDY

While I was on vacation, a Kennedy died. It wasn't the first time - that would have been ten years ago with the plane crash of John Jr. (Not that I'm saying there's a connection!)

Ted Kennedy, proclaimed all week by pundits on TV as "The Lion Of The Senate", succumbed to brain cancer and was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetary near his brothers John and Robert. When the news of his illness first became public last year, I wrote a Tiddlywinkydink post about the various actors who have played Senator Kennedy on TV over the years, and then added a Wish-Craft in which I expressed my hopes of who could play him in his later years.

And so on this Sunday, just over a week since he was laid to rest, Toobworld Central would like to salute the man in the daily "As Seen On TV" showcase:

EDWARD M. "TED" KENNEDY

AS SEEN IN:
'Kennedy'

AS PLAYED BY:
Kevin Conroy

These pictures are from the early days in his young adult life; the bottom one is on the night of the 1960 election, as they awaited the returns in Hyannisport.

BCnU.....