FRIDAY HALL OF FAMERS 03/06/20 - PENNY MARSHALL

Last year, Laverne DeFazio was inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame in tribute to Penny Marshall.  (She had been eligible for years, but it always felt as though we had time to do it.)

This year we complete the tribute to the late actress and director by inducting her as herself during the month in which we celebrate the League of Themselves.

From Wikipedia:
Carole Penny Marshall (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director, and producer. She came to notice in the 1970s for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom ‘Laverne & Shirley’ (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her portrayal.

Marshall made her directorial debut with “Jumpin' Jack Flash” (1986) before directing “Big” (1988), which became the first film directed by a woman to gross more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. Her subsequent directing credits included “Awakenings” (1990), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, “A League of Their Own” (1992), “Renaissance Man” (1994), “The Preacher's Wife” (1996) and “Riding in Cars with Boys” (2001). She also produced “Cinderella Man” (2005) and “Bewitched” (2005), and directed episodes of the TV series ‘According to Jim’ and ‘United States of Tara’.

Here are the TV series in which she played herself and which qualified her for membership in the TVXOHOF:

Bosom Buddies
- Cablevision (1982)

From the IMDb:
Kip & Henry and their friends put together a cable TV show, to help keep a client and advertise his business. As well as promising him celebrity guest Penny Marshall.

Taxi
- Louie Moves Uptown (1983)

From the IMDb:
Louie has a revelation, he lives like he is so he sets his sights on a high rise condo. All he needs to do is borrow money from Jim and beat out Penny Marshall for the flat.

Tracey Takes On...
- Hollywood (1998)

From the IMDb:
Chic heads to Hollywood with a hot property left behind in his cab by Penny Marshall.

I'm with Her
- The Kid Stays in the Picture (2004)

O'Bservation:
I have no information on this....

Entourage
- Crash and Burn (2006)

PENNY MARSHALL:
- Hey, Ariel Gold.
ARI GOLD:
- Hey, Penny. Only my mom calls me that and still I better have a fever of 103.
PENNY MARSHALL:
- How are you?
ARI GOLD:
 - Okay.
PENNY MARSHALL:
- I was just up seeing one of your guys.
ARI GOLD:
 - Oh yeah? Who?
PENNY MARSHALL:
We're looking at Jimmy Whitaker for the Encyclopedia Brown trilogy.
ARI GOLD:
Jimmy Whitaker, the pride and joy of my young burgeoning teen division.
PENNY MARSHALL:
Yeah, I'll tell you what, let's make a deal. You do the whole "schlemiel, schlimazel, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated"
ARI GOLD:
- he's all yours, all right?
PENNY MARSHALL:
- Don't be a schmuck, Ari, okay?
ARI GOLD:
- What?
PENNY MARSHALL:
- It's a great project. It's gonna be a heck of a franchise. The first one takes place in the Kremlin.
ARI GOLD:
Really? Good luck faking Moscow in Vancouver.
PENNY MARSHALL:
No no no. The hell with Vancouver. We're doing it right.
ARI GOLD:
- Kazakhstan?
PENNY MARSHALL:
- Mm-hmm.
ARI GOLD:
Jimmy Whitaker is a spoiled prick. You want to hire Max Ballard. He's Dakota Fanning with a dick.
PENNY MARSHALL:
I heard Ballard was difficult.
ARI GOLD:
He's my next-door neighbor. He is humble as pie. I have been trying to sign that kid for years.
PENNY MARSHALL:
Wow, Ari. He's not even one of your guys.
ARI GOLD:
I am a team player. Boom! You owe me.
PENNY MARSHALL:
Come here.
[They hug it out.]
ARI GOLD:
- Max Ballard.
PENNY MARSHALL:
- Ballard.
ARI GOLD:
 - Quit smoking.
PENNY MARSHALL:
 - All right.

Bones
- The Woman at the Airport (2006)

REPORTER:
I'm here with Penny Marshall, one of the most prolific "hyphenates" in Hollywood. Actress, producer and director of such hits as "A League Of Their Own" and "Big". Her latest project is "Bred In The Bone", a thriller based on the bestselling novel by crime-fighting anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan. OK, so how did this all come together?
DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN:
I have no idea.
PENNY MARSHALL:
Well, my brother Garry gave me the book, and I liked it, And then this whole bidding war started, and I usually don't get into that kind of thing, but in this case….
REPORTER:
A bidding war? That's got to be a thrill for a first-time author.
DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN:
I wasn't actually there.
REPORTER:
You must be a big fan of Penny's films. So which one's your favorite? I enjoyed her humorous treatment of the time/space paradox.
REPORTER:
"Big"! Very funny.
PENNY MARSHALL:
"Time/space paradox"….
REPORTER:
Penny, who is going to write the script?
DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN:
Don't I get to do that?
PENNY MARSHALL:
We'll talk.

The Bronx Is Burning
- Past Combatants (2007)

O’Bservation:
Her appearance in this was archival footage, so somebody on the Yankees or at the police precinct was probably watching ‘Laverne & Shirley’.

Welcome to the Hall, Ms. Marshall....

MARK IN MARCH! 03/2020 TVXOHOF - MARK HAMILL

For me, March is a boring month, save for my brother’s birthday and the occasional Easter.  So for this month’s Television Crossover Hall of Fame big crossover induction – as well as for the weekly inductions as Friday Hall of Famers – we have what I believe is an interesting theme to liven things up.

The League of Themselves!  Those are the people – usually famous in some fashion – who appear as their own “televersions” in a fictional setting.

And this year, we have someone who became famous for one of the best known movie characters, a character he’s finally said goodbye to after 42 years (on-screen, that is.)

MARK HAMILL

From Wikipedia:
Mark Richard Hamill (born September 25, 1951) is an American actor, voice actor, and writer. Hamill is best known for playing Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films, which won him the Saturn Award for Best Actor three times. He is also known for his voice acting in animation and video games, especially for his portrayal of the Joker, beginning with ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ in 1992.  

In 1980, he also made a guest appearance on ‘The Muppet Show’, both as himself and as Luke Skywalker in “The Stars of Star Wars”; this episode also starred C-3PO and R2-D2 who were along with him on a search for Chewbacca.  

He appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ playing himself being sold on a “Star Wars”-themed home shopping sale.  Hamill appeared in single episodes of ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’ in 1997, ‘Just Shoot Me!’ in 1998, and ‘The Big Bang Theory’ – the episode in which Sheldon and Amy got married.

Mark Hamill is a member of a very select group within the TVXOHOF – he is being inducted twice over, once for his appearances as himself in Earth Prime-Time, and as his animated self in the Tooniverse.  Off-hand I can only think of one other League of Themselveser who pulled that off – Adam West.  Which figures – two genre icons.

Here are the roles he’s being inducted for in the main Toobworld: 

The Muppet Show
- The Stars of Star Wars (1980)

America 2-Night
- Legalizing Prostitution (1978)

3rd Rock from the Sun
- Fifteen Minutes of Dick (1997)

Just Shoot Me!
- The List (1998)

Player$
- May The Crunk Be With You (2004)

The Bronx Bunny Show
- Episode #1.3 (2007)

Nightcap
- The Show Must Go On: Part 2 (2017)

The Big Bang Theory
- The Bow Tie Asymmetry (2018)

In 1997, the Toobworld Mark Hamill communicated with Space Ghost in the Tooniverse:

Space Ghost Coast to Coast
- Switcheroo (1997)

As was the case with Ice-T, an inductee from last month, Space Ghost was interviewed the live-action Hamill while he had a Tooniversion Hamill available to be in the studio.

Hrmmmmm

And here are his qualifications from the Tooniverse:

Freakazoid!
- And Fan Boy Is His Name/Lawn Gnomes Chapter IV: Fun in the Sun/Freak's French Lesson (1995)

O'Bservation:
Just my opinion, but this was the best representation of Hamill in the Tooniverse.

The Simpsons
- Mayored to the Mob (1998)

Pepper Ann
- The Finale (2000)
- Unhappy Campers/The Search for Pepper Ann Pearson (2000) ...
- Beyond Good and Evel/One of the Guys (1999)
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young Milo/The Sisterhood (1998)

Johnny Bravo
- Johnny Bravo Goes to Hollywood (2004)

O'Bservation:
He was recognized as being the CGI version of himself.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
- Amazamoose and Squirrel Wonder: Chapter Three (2019)

O’Bservation:
This might have been an appearance by the Toobworld Mark Hamill instead of a Tooniverse Hamill. That might be him in the picture, dressed as Shakespeare; I have no clue.

As mentioned in the Wikipedia excerpt, Hamill appeared as himself in a sketch on 'Saturday Night Live', but that belongs in Skitlandia.  One day he'll have enough credits playing himself in sketches - he might even have enough now! - to have his Skitlandean version inducted.

Hamill is also known for being the actor who has portrayed the Joker the most times.  And apparently there's an animated short out there in which the Joker kidnaps Mark Hamill.  But I don't know if that's just a rumor or if it actually exists.

Welcome to the Hall, Mark Hamill.

May the F--#  No.  I’m sure you must be sick of hearing that….

THE FRIDAY HALL OF FAMER, 02/28/20 - LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT

So this month, February has had Detective Odain Tutuola as the TVXOHOF showcase, and Ice-T has been inducted as a member of the League of Themselves with some connection to the fact that his televersion plays Fin in the Toobworld version of ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’.

And as we’ve just started inducting the televersions of TV shows from our world, then the next logical step would be….

WELCOME!

The televersion of L&O: SVU may have certain episodes which are similar to those seen on the series from the Real World, but the casting is different.  Several fictional characters are known to have appeared on it.

Here now is the evidence in favor of the inclusion of ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame…..

3rd Rock from the Sun:
Dick'll Take Manhattan: Part 1 (2000)
Seen on the NBC lineup calendar

The Sopranos:
University (2001)
Mentioned by Len Tannenbaum with regard to producer Dick Wolf.

Neighbours:
Keeping Mum (2004)
Stingray mentions he got an idea from this show to search for clues

30 Rock:
SeinfeldVision (2007)
A clip is shown of this show in "Seinfeld-Vision" (One of the shows Jerry Seinfeld is digitally inserted into.)

Nip/Tuck:
Joyce and Sharon Monroe (2007)
comment that Mariska Hargitay won a TV award

Nip/Tuck:
Candy Richards (2008)
Candy Richards says she had a role on both ‘Law & Order SVU’ and ‘Law & Order Trial by Jury’

Flight of the Conchords:
The Tough Brets (2009)
Dave says Mos Def is on "Law & Order: SUV."

Psych:
He Dead (2009)
Shawn and Gus discuss a series of "Law & Order" D.A.s, including Angie Harmon and Mariska Hargitay.

Scrubs:
Our New Girl-Bro (2010)
Mentioned in dialogue

Entourage:
Dramedy (2010)
mentioned by Drama as "SVU"

Gossip Girl:
The Undergraduates (2010)
Blair mentions "Law & Order: SVU"

30 Rock:
Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
Jack says his telethon got NBC's best ratings since an episode of the show where the detectives watched "American Idol"

30 Rock:
¡Qué Sorpresa! (2011)
Jack tunes to an episode of the show on his voice-activated remote control television

CSI: NY:
Do or Die (2011)
Mac mentions the NYPD sex crimes unit

30 Rock:
Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whiskey (2012)
Kenneth is assigned to review a script for the show for offensive content

Raising Hope:
Inside Probe (2012)
Virginia says, "I watch a lot of 'CSI,' 'SVU,' 'NCIS.'"

Happily Divorced:
Cesar's Wife (2012)
Cesar says that Teresa "dozes off after 'Law & Order: SUV'."

Bunheads:
Blank Up, It's Time (2012)
Conor mentions that he tried out for a role on the show.

The Mindy Project:
Pilot (2012)
title mentioned by Mindy while in jail

New Girl:
Fluffer (2012)
Shelby wants to watch the show.

30 Rock:
Hogcock!/Last Lunch (2013)
Jenna is hired to play a role on the show

2 Broke Girls:
And the Extra Work (2013)
TV series is referenced.

Raising Hope:
Adoption (2013)
Burt says that his and Virginia's specialty is in "cases with special victims, criminals with intent"; Virginia adds, "Ripped from the headlines."

Awkward.:
Karmic Relief (2013)
Mentioned in dialogue

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:Kimmy Goes to the Doctor! (2015)
Kimmy watches it on TV.

The Mysteries of Laura:
The Mystery of the Deceased Documentarian (2015)
Laura talks about wannabe PIs watching a couple of SVU's and then think they're experts

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:
Kimmy Sees a Sunset! (2016)
Guest star Ice-T refers to a recently deceased man as a "very special victim"

The Night Of:
Ordinary Death (2016)
The copy guy assumes Stone's copies are props for the show.

Sweet/Vicious:
Fearless (2017)
Ophelia calls Harris "Olivia Benson" when he tells her he's researching crimes.

Stalked:
Dia Does Her Own Investigative Work (2017)
Title is referenced

Portlandia:
Friend Replacement (2017)
Referenced in the meninist movie reviews sketch

Powerless:
I'ma Friend You (2017)
Van: "Law & Order: IBS"

Brockmire:
Kangaroo Court (2017)
Charles mentions the show.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt:
Kimmy Is... Little Girl, Big City! (2018)
SVU mentioned by Mikey.

Claws:
Crossroads (2018)
Dean says he knows what an unmarked police car looks like because he watches this show.

Greenleaf:
Closing Doors (2018)
Zora says she is listening to Ice-T's music from before he was on this show

Will & Grace:
Dead Man Texting (2019)
Grace explains that in order to determine whether someone is dead, she used a technique she saw on SVU

Good Girls:
I'd Rather Be Crafting (2019)
Ruby and Annie discuss evidence transport on various shows

Brooklyn Nine-Nine:
The Therapist (2019)
Sheena: "I was on 'SVU.'"

The Good Place:
A Girl from Arizona (2019)
Eleanor mentions the show by name but then admits she never saw it.

Welcome to the Hall, SVU......

FRIDAY HALL OF FAMERS FOR 02/21/2020 - ICE-T

Detective Fin Tuotola of ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ was inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame at the beginning of the month as the February showcase.  Today we dip into the League of Themselves to induct the actor who portrays him. Ice-T has a healthy collection of credits for playing himself in fictional settings.

From Wikipedia:
Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician, rapper, songwriter, actor, record producer, and author. He began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays; the second hip-hop album to carry an explicit content sticker after Slick Rick's La Di Da Di. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip-hop artists called the "Rhyme $yndicate") and released another album, Power, which went on to go Platinum. He also released several other albums that went Gold.

He co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count, which he introduced on his 1991 rap album O.G.: Original Gangster, on the track titled "Body Count". The band released their self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer", the lyrics of which discussed killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion, was released later in February, 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late-1990s.

Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective/Sergeant Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’.

Many of his appearances as himself in TV shows are related to him playing Fin in ‘L&O:SVU’.  There is no Zonk in this because the cases solved by the SVU would make a great TV series in Toobworld and Ice-T does bear an amazing resemblance to Detective Tuotola.

Here is a list of TV shows in which Ice-T played the fictional televersion of himself.

30 Rock
- Hogcock!/Last Lunch (2013)

O’Bservation:
‘TGS’ star did a cameo on ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’… as a corpse.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Kimmy Sees a Sunset! (2016)

O’Bservation:
Ice-T eulogized an actor who was an extra on ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’.

Younger
- Secrets & Liza (2016)

O’Bservation:
Ice-T was one of the onstage guests at the launch of a new book, “Crown Of Kings” by Edward I.L. Moore.

Deadly Class
- Saudade (2019)
... Ice-T Slot Machine (voice)

O’Bservation:
Even though it was just his voice, having a slot machine about Ice-T confirms his presence in the TV Universe.

Saturday Night Live
- Kit Harington/Sara Bareilles (2019)
... Fin Tutuola (uncredited)

O’Bservation:
Eventually ‘Saturday Night Live’ should be inducted into the TVXOHOF as part of its TV & Television Museum.  And although he was listed in the IMDb as the character he plays, he was actually playing himself playing Fin in a ‘Game of Thrones’ sketch.

And then there’s the Geico TV commercial in which Ice-T is chaperoning a lemonade stand on the front lawn….

And now we come to the multidimensional additions to Ice-T’s tally….

We begin with his televersion from the main Toobworld conversing with Space Ghost from the Tooniverse:

Space Ghost Coast to Coast
- Needledrop (1997)

O'Bservation:
What’s interesting about this particular exchange which separates Ice-T from the other Toobworld guests who have appeared on Space Ghost’s talk show is that he also has a Tooniversion, not just a televersion….

Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man
- A Star Is Abhorred (1997)

O’Bservation:
Cornfed sat next to Ice-T at the MTV Music Video Awards.

American Dad!
- The Census of the Lambs (2018)

O’Bservation:
Tooniverse Ice-T met Hailey Smith at the Law & Order Fest in Langley, where they made a real connection.  Later, Ice-T rescued her and Stan from an old lady making a man suit out of skin.  Ice-T killed the old lady.

Within Skitlandia, Ice-T had further experience in dealing with the Tooniverse, when Dora the Explorer crossed over to the ‘Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’.

Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Ice-T!   

FRIDAY'S HALL OF FAMERS, VALENTINE'S DAY 2/14/2020 - DR. RAINBOW JOHNSON

The Friday Hall of Famers entry for this week falls on Valentine’s Day in Black History Month.  So we’re using the forum to send a Valentine to Tracee Ellis Ross’ character of Rainbow Johnson who first appeared in the sitcom ‘Black-ish’.  But this isn’t a tribute just to Tracee Ellis Ross, because the character is played at an earlier age by Arica Himmel. (Recastaways due to aging are automatically accepted.)

So let’s salute our latest member of the TVXOHOF….

DR. RAINBOW CINNAMON JOHNSON

"If I'm not black,

can someone please tell my hair
and my ass?" 

From Wikipedia:

‘Black-ish’ follows an upper middle class African-American family led by Andre 'Dre' Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross). The show revolves around the family's lives, as they juggle several personal and sociopolitical issues.

The show also features the characters Zoey Johnson (Yara Shahidi), Andre Johnson, Jr. (Marcus Scribner), Jack Johnson (Miles Brown), and Diane Johnson (Marsai Martin).

In 2014, Ross was cast in the ABC comedy series ‘Black-ish’, opposite Anthony Anderson.  She plays the female lead role of Dr. Rainbow Johnson. The series debuted with generally positive reviews from critics. Ross received three NAACP Image Awards and received nominations for two Critics' Choice Television Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performance in the series.

Ross's 2016 nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series was the first for an African-American woman in that category in 30 years.

From the ‘Black-ish’ wiki:
Rainbow Johnson is an anesthesiologist, the bi-racial wife of Dre Johnson and mother of Zoey, Junior, Diane, Jack and DeVonte Johnson. She is kind, funny, selfless and nice - usually, the person to put Dre and his craziness in his place.

She was raised by an interracial hippie couple.

Her surname was already Johnson before she and Dre were married.

She speaks Spanish.

She and her siblings have very unusual names - Johan and Santamonica.

She went to Brown University in Rhode Island.

Bow is terrified of birds.

Bow has met Rick Fox.

BORN:
October 29, 1976 (age 43)

FAMILY:
Alicia Johnson (mother)
Paul Johnson (father, deceased)
Johan Johnson (brother)
Santamonica Johnson (sister)
Andre Johnson (husband)
Zoey Johnson (daughter)
Andre Johnson, Jr. (son)
Jack Johnson (son)
Diane Johnson (daughter)
Devonte Johnson (son)
Earl Johnson (father-in-law)
Ruby Johnson (mother-in-law)
Rhonda Johnson (sister-in-law)
Sharon Johnson (sister-in-law by marriage via Rhonda)
June Bug (cousin-in-law)
Kyra (cousin-in-law)

OCCUPATION:
Anesthesiologist

PORTRAYED BY:
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)
Arica Himmel (Mixed-ish)

Here are the roles that have qualified “Bow” for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

2019-?
Mixed-ish  (ABC)
14 episodes

From the IMDb:
Follows Bow's parents, Paul and Alicia, who are forced to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs to better provide for their family after the dissolution of their cult.

2014-?
Black-ish (ABC)
133 episodes [so far]

From the IMDb:
A family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood.

And to make the third requirement fulfilled, it only needed one episode....

Grown-ish (Freeform)

From the IMDb:
A spinoff of ABC's "Black-ish," Zoey Johnson is off to college and must live outside the nest, dealing with drugs, sex, and relationships along the way.

- Cashin' Out (2018)

From the IMDb:
Zoey faces a difficult decision that may change her future after she gets put on the spot on national television.  
(And guess who sees her daughter on TV at that moment?)

Welcome to the Hall, Dr. Johnson.

And happy Valentine's Day….