SNEAK PEEK - "HOT OFF THE WIRE"

Here's a sneak preview of tomorrow's TV Classic episode.  

As you can imagine because of the guest star seen in the preview, I'll have a lot more to say on the subject tomorrow!

BCnU!

"STAR WARS" - AS WRITTEN BY SHAKESPEARE

And since we were on a JJ Abrams kick earlier with the 'Star Trek' sketch, why not a "Star Wars" sketch as well, since he's commandeered that franchise as well.....

A TREK THROUGH SKITLANDIA

With the second JJ Abrams "Star Trek" movie still in theaters, I thought we should check out one of its incarnations in Skitlandia:

In Skitlandia, the physical features of TV characters can change without notice.  Sometimes they will look like the original televersion from Earth Prime-Time (if that actor is playing the role on 'Saturday Night Live' for example), but most times they look like the cast members from that show.

For example, Captain James Kirk was first played by John Belushi on 'Saturday Night Live', but then William Shatner himself hosted the show and played the role - bringing Kirk in line (for a very short time) with his appearance in Earth Prime-Time.

 

In this case, Kirk is played by Ronnie Corbett and Spock is played by Ronnie Barker.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - LEBRON JAMES

LEBRON JAMES

From Wikipedia:
LeBron Raymone James (born December 30, 1984), nicknamed "King James", is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association(NBA). Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and weighing in at 250 lbs (113 kg), he has played the small forward and power forward positions for Miami, as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. James has been a two-time NBA champion, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an NBA scoring champion, and the NBA Rookie of the Year. He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams, and is the Cavaliers' all-time leading scorer.

James won his first championship in 2012 when Miami defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award for his play. In 2013, the Heat won their second consecutive title and he repeated as Finals MVP. His career achievements and leadership role during the Heat's 2012 and 2013 championship runs have led many basketball analysts, experts, and writers to consider him the best player in the NBA today.

Off the court, James has accumulated considerable wealth and fame as a result of numerous endorsement contracts. His public life has been the subject of much scrutiny, and he has been ranked as one of America's most disliked and influential athletes. He has also been featured in books, documentaries, and television commercials, and has hosted the ESPY Awards and 'Saturday Night Live'.

AS SEEN IN:

Nike commercial

"Chamber Of Fear"

TV DIMENSION:

The dream-state of James' televersion - Dude's got deep anxiety issues!

O'BSERVATIONS:

I'm not a basketball fan at all, so I didn't feel any desire to mark the occasion of the NBA finals with any kind of Toob-related post.  However, the recent death of martial arts actor Jim Kelly, best known for being Super-Bad in "Enter The Dragon", gave me a reason to reconsider.  (He appears in this blipvert.)

Good night and may God bless, Jim Kelly....

BCnU!

(And with that, I guess we can say we paid the bills for this week!)

SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE - JOHN O'CREAGH'S BLIPVERSE

It's time once again for Team Toobworld's Poetry Man, John O'Creagh......

I’ve just lately noticed how often commercials
Claim their product will “change everything”
I’ve looked rather closely and haven’t discovered
Such breadth in the changes they bring
Shampoo still basically gets your hair clean
And razors still shave off your beard
And cars, for example, aren’t flying as yet
And for the most part, must be steered
So all of the claims the commercials are making
Just seem to put me in a doze
And all of these changes they’re raving about 
Remind me “Plus c’est la meme chose”

Thanks, John!

TWIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES - KITT'S COMEBACK?

The L.A. Times is reporting that The Weinstein Company has plans to bring 'Knight Rider' into the Cineverse with a feature film with a draft screenplay by Brad Copeland.

It's doubtful that David Hasselhoff would be playing Michael Knight.  But it might be possible that he'll be given a cameo in the production, something that's always good for publicity value.  (Ray Walston in the movie version of "My Favorite Martian", Ernest Borgnine in Tom Arnold's update to 'McHale's Navy', and the original 'Starsky & Hutch' in a reboot of their series are good examples.)

As for the voice of KITT?  They already revamped the remake TV series with the voice of Val Kilmer instead of William Daniels, and I don't think they'd even consider continuing with him, let alone "Mr. Feeney".  

My suggestion for a new voice for KITT?

David Tennant.

Yes, I know I'm O'Bsessed with 'Doctor Who', but I think the voice-over work for KITT needs somebody who has a distinctive, recognizable voice, one that could go either way in the snark department.  In my mind (what's left of it), I've always thought Roddy McDowall was always a perfect choice for such voice-over work.  And there's something about Tennant that always reminded me of McDowall.  (In fact, I've always wanted him to play the Bookworm in a revamp of 'Batman'.)

And speaking of publicity ploys, what could be better for a non-screen appearance than one of the actors associated with 'Doctor Who'?

BCnU!

LIFE DURING PRIME-TIME - JENNIFER TRICIA BAGOLY BUNCE

Everybody in the Trueniverse has a doppelganger in the TV Universe, living on Earth Prime-Time.  Sometimes they even have more than one, living in the alternate dimensions like Skitlandia or the Tooniverse.

Best known of course are the celebrities who play themselves in various TV shows, and I've been featuring them all year in the daily showcase "The League Of Themselves."

But ordinary folk like you and me would also be in this Brave View World.  Most of us would lead the same lives we do in the real world, with some adjustments.
 

This week, our feature shines the spotlight on another one of my Facebook friends, whose life during prime-time is currently being showcased on network television.

Jennifer Tricia Bagoly Bunce is a recent addition to my friends' list, who responded to an "Under The Dome" reference I made in the comments for a common friend's status update:

I am an actual resident of Chester's Mill, Maine, and already "Under the Dome", Toby. We film it here in Wilmington, NC. You might see me in the pilot tomorrow night. I am in a grey sweatshirt following our Sheriff (played by Jeff Fahey of 'Lost') and his Deputy Linda into the Sweet Briar Rose Diner.

Since as of just that first episode Jennifer's character had no name, I see no reason why she couldn't have been playing herself.  Therefore, she's now a citizen of Chester's Mill, Maine, instead of living in North Carolina as she does in the real world (and where the series is being filmed.)

Jennifer is a member of that unsung assembly of actors known as background artists - or "atmosphere people" as I like to call them.  They serve as the building blocks for the foundation of the Toobworld Dynamic, for oftentimes their characters remain unnamed - and therefore could be the same characters seen in other productions in which they have acted.

Jennifer has worked in over fifteen film and TV projects in North Carolina, so it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that she has other TV appearances that could be considered part of her resume in the League of Themselves.  All of them could be the same character - her own televersion.

In this second screen capture - you can see Jennifer's head just popping into view in the doorway of the diner:

(I apologize for the quality of this frame grab, but I do have limited resources - and talent! - here at Toobworld Central.)

I contacted Jennifer about the scene and learned that her "televersion" is also a "recastaway" - that is, she is played by two different people.  The woman we see from behind following the law officers into the diner wasn't available to film the interior shots, so Jennifer was chosen to continue the role.  

Because we never saw the other lady's face, it's basically a "recastaway" that didn't really need to be mentioned.  Nor does it need to be "splained away" as to why she gained a whole new face.  So Jennifer is spared the usual splainins like magic, plastic surgery, alien impersonation, or look-alike.

And there's the major difference between Jennifer's real life in the Trueniverse and her life in Earth Prime-Time.  Over there she lives in Maine and is currently trapped "Under The Dome" in Chester's Mill......

I'm sure there will be plenty of other opportunities for Jennifer to appear in TV productions there in North Carolina.  And it could work out that they could be continuations of her televersion's life story.

That is, of course, unless something apocalyptic should happen to Chester's Mill while it's still 'Under The Dome'......

Thanks for playing our game, Jennifer!

By the way, since this actually "happened" in Toobworld, and isn't Wish-Craft on our part, I'm making Jennifer Tricia Bagoly Bunce our League of Themselves showcase for the day!

BCnU!

SUPER SIX LIST - WILD, WILD INDEPENDENCE DAYS

MARSHAL MATT DILLON: 

Well, Chester here, was in charge of keeping order in our streets on that Fourth of July, you know, making sure that there wasn't any fights or men getting drunk in public. That sort of thing. I had made Chester dress up in our national colors: red, white and blue and wear a top hat and white beard to look like a man from the Revolutionary War.

from 'Gunsmoke' Fanfic

by Kenneth Avery

In August, Toobworld Central will once again follow tradition and concentrate on TV Westerns.  So as a teaser for the month-long special, I thought I might as well combine the genre with today's celebrations in a Super Six List......

SIX WESTERN EPISODES THAT TAKE PLACE 

ON THE FOURTH OF JULY 

1)  LAREDO

Episode: Pride of the Rangers (1965)
The Rangers and the Army have a continuing battle over who is the best. The Army is putting up its boxing champ against the best the Rangers can produce on the Fourth ofJuly. Ranger Moran is goaded into taking the challenge. 

2) THE VIRGINIAN

Episode: Big Day, Great Day (1962)
Steve and Judge Garth along with Trampas sneaking along head to Casper to pick up Betsy's long overdue Christmas present, an Italian canopy bed, on the Fourth of July.  The Judge runs into a professional wrestler, Frank Krause, an old friend who is there for a world championship match and to get married.

4)  HIGH CHAPPARRAL
Episode: Champion of the Western World (1968)
Blue is saved from being killed by a highwayman by Paddy O'Bannion, a prize fighter in the Tucson Fourth of July celebration. 

3)  THE TALL MAN

Episode: The Liberty Belle (1961)
Elena, Pat's former girlfriend, returns to Lincoln looking for protection. The man she left Pat for, Joe Durango, is an outlaw and a deadly gunfighter. The gunfighter plans to exact his revenge on both Pat and Elena using the town's Fourth ofJuly celebration to cover his gunplay.

5)  FATHER MURPHY
Episode: The Rockets' Red Glare (1983)
Garrett ruins Gold Hill's benefit Fourth of July show by stealing all the fireworks from Murphy'''''''s barn. He puts them in his saloon safe. A comical old safe cracker, an escaped convict, befriends Murphy and the kids and liberates the firecrackers.

6]  KING OF THE HILL
Episode: Born Again on the Fourth of July (2009)
As the Fourth of July nears, Bobby becomes an overzealous born again Christian after attending Lucky's evangelical church, and destroys Hank's giant Uncle Sam decoration, believing it to be a graven image. 
[Gotta have a Tooniverse entry!]

All the descriptions come from the IMDb.......

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - KATY PERRY

It wasn't easy coming up with a member of the League of Themselves for the Fourth of July.....

KATY PERRY

From Wikipedia:
Katheryn Elizabeth "Katy" Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known by her stage name Katy Perry, is an American pop singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and actress. She was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. Having had very little exposure to mainstream pop music in her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teen and released her debut self-titled studio album. She also recorded a second solo album which never received release. In 2007, she signed with Capitol Records and adopted her current stage name.

Her commercial breakthrough came when she released her first mainstream studio album One of the Boys (2008). This was preceded by the release of her single "I Kissed a Girl". Other singles included "Hot n Cold", "Thinking of You" and "Waking Up in Vegas". She embarked on the Hello Katy Tour in support of the album.

She followed this up with her second studio effort Teenage Dream which was an instant commercial success, topping the album charts in several countries. It spawned five number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)"; it became the first album in history recorded by a female artist to achieve this, and the second album after Michael Jackson's Bad (1987).

In support of the album, she embarked on the California Dreams Tour. Teenage Dream was re-released in March 2012 as Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection which spawned an additional number one, "Part of Me".

AS SEEN IN:
'Wildfire'
"Life's Too Short"

SYNOPSIS:
Katy Perry performed "Thinking Of You" at the local night club.

But wait!  There's more!

What's Fourth of July without fireworks?

Well, at least Katy Perry dresses the part when it comes to the Fourth of July......



BCnU!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S "DICK VAN DYKE" DISLIKE

This week's issue of Entertainment Weekly has their list of Top 100 movies, TV shows, music, books, and plays. So I decided to check if my Super Six favorite TV shows made the grade. 

First off, here's my list of six favorite TV series:

1) 'The Prisoner'

2) 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'

3) 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'

4) 'Columbo'

5) 'Doctor Who'

6) 'Lost'

So how did they stack up in EW's list of the Top 100?

'The Prisoner' - #67

'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' - #4

'Columbo' - #37

'Doctor Who' - #65

'Lost' - #24

Something's missing, right?

My problem is that (in case you didn't notice) my #3 never made the grade - 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. How can you omit a series that has been called the Camelot of Sitcoms? 

But then these shows get included instead - 'Good Times', 'Chappelle's Show', 'The Comeback', 'American Idol', 'In Living Color', 'The Real World', 'Project Runway' and 'Beavis and Butthead'! I'm not going to get into whether they deserved to be on the list, just that 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' should have been included before them. 

I didn't see any point in continuing to read the various entries of their list because the lack of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' as one of the Greats calls all of Entertainment Weekly's judgements into question.

By not choosing 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' to be in the Top 100 (It should have been in the Top 20!), their arguments for all of the other TV shows are invalid.

They even did a caricature of the great sitcom couples and Rob and Laura weren't included. Ridiculous!

BCnU!