Now that the election is over here in the Real World and George W. Bush has been elected President for the first time, let's turn our attention to presidential politics in the world of 'The West Wing'.
Executive Producer John Wells has said that no decision has been made as to who the next President will be to succeed Jed Bartlet. But it will be the driving force of the plotlines for the next year (and hopefully longer) on the show.
The two main combatants will be Texan Congressman/Mayor Matthew Santos (Dem.) and Senator Arnold Vinick (Rep.). Santos was set on retiring from Congress - probably before the Texan Republicans hunted him down for sport! - but a chance conversation made him consider the possibility of running.
As for Vinick, he's a four-term senator who had been long expected to make a run for the highest office in the land.
And then there's a third option, the one that should have been considered as "traditional" - Vice President "Bingo" Bob Russell. I'm not sure he has much support outisde of his own Chief of Staff, Will Bailey. And even there, doubts have begun to take root.
So it'll be interesting to see where the various campaigns take us as viewers.
It'll certainly be a welcome diversion from thinking about the current state of affairs in our own world.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, November 4, 2004
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
RED SOX [TV] NATION
A wise man named Wayne* once said, with regard to baseball:
What an amazing sport with a subtext that reflects a combination of real life, fairy tales (in the lightest and darkest of senses), mythology, filled with tales of redemption, retribution and the always present sense of unlimited possibilities.
He was talking about the Yankee win in the 2003 ALCS, but it better suits the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox.
Here was a team that overcame being 3 games down against the Yanks to win the next four games to win the playoffs - Something that had never been done before! - to then go on and sweep the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The astounding story of the Bosox would make for a great tale of fantasy: a band of warriors up against a Ghost, a Curse, and an Evil Empire to the South. One of the players might have found his strength in the length of his hair like Samson; another beat the odds against a grievous foot injury better than Achilles ever could. And the final battle was played out in the shadow of the Great Arch under a total lunar eclipse.....
An account of this season has been chronicled by fan Stephen King the best-selling author of horror fiction, but perhaps W.P. Kinsella, well-known for his baseball fantasies, ought to give their mythic moments his flourish.
Baseball has been the basis for several fantasy movies - "Angels In The Outfield", "Damn Yankees", and "Field Of Dreams" (based on Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe"), although the story of the 2004 Red Sox may be more in keeping with the magic realism of "The Natural". But the reality of the Sox success is now entwined in the magic of the movies, thanks to the Farrelly Brothers. As it became evident that the Bosox just might pull off a miracle after all, the filmmakers (responsible for such movies as "There's Something About Mary" and "Stuck On You") had to quickly rewrite the ending for "Fever Pitch", their movie about a rabid Red Sox fan and the woman who loves him.
And that's why you saw Jimmy Fallon in a lip-lock with Drew Barrymore in the center of the celebrations on the infield after Game Four.
But "Fever Pitch" won't be telling the Bosox Story. For that they would need to make a mini-series! Only with a story spun out over successive evenings could the full glory of this season be told.
That way, all the angles could be played - the hiring of Terry Francona, the trade of Nomar, and the visit by fans to the grave of Babe Ruth. All of the players would get their showcase moments dramatized - David Ortiz and his game winning blasts, the chance for Johnny Damon to finally shine, the agony and the ecstasy surrounding Curt Schilling's ankle, and the pathetic bitch-slap by A-Rod.
Even the darkest shadow on their quest must be recounted - the tragic death of Victoria Snelgrave, the fan who was fatally shot through the eye by a police pepper spray bullet.
As to who should play the players - I'll leave that up to casting experts like Lin Stalmaster or Mary Jo Slater. There must be plenty of unknowns out there with passing resemblance to Pedro, Manny, and Baby Face Epstein. Just so long as they let Wally The Green Monster play himself.......
Maybe there will never be a mini-series based on the first Red Sox championship since 1918, so let's give another option a chance to make the play at the plate while a third idea warms up in the bullpen. (There's no analogy or metaphor I won't take a swing at!)
I have to figure David E. Kelley will write an episode that weaves the World Series into his own series, 'Boston Legal' on ABC. He must love the town - three of his series were set in Beantown ('Legal', 'Boston Public', and 'Ally MacBeal'). And since he relies so heavily on quirky courtroom cases, having James Spader as Alan defending Ted Williams' frozen head would be a Shore thing!
Well... maybe dealing with the Sox legend's noggin should be left to Jordan Cavanaugh, the Boston medical examiner of 'Crossing Jordan' over on NBC. And what better place to showcase a storyline about the Red Sox than in an episode of 'Clubhouse' on CBS? You could even get a few players - like Trot Nixon and Bronson Arroyo; even the principal owner, John Henry - to play themselves.
If this was a perfect TV Universe, that mini-series idea would also be an opportunity to revisit some old friends from long-ago shows. The most obvious choice would be Sam Malone - wouldn't he have been invited to join the victory parade through the streets of Boston as did other past Sox players like Yaz and Pesky? If it had been still on the air, 'Cheers' could have even rushed out a quick opening for an episode; in which Norm and Cliff and Carla are standing outside the bar and watching the parade pass them by.
Calista Flockhart as 'Allie MacBeal', Avery Brooks as Hawk ('Spenser: For Hire'), Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes ('Goodnight, Beantown'), Chi McBride as Principal Harper ('Boston Public'), and even coverage by the guys on 'SportsNight'... these are just a few of the fictional cameos that could proudly grace the parade route.
And they could even take the opportunity to explore the secret labyrinth of passageways beneath Fenway Park, which were revealed in an episode of 'Relic Hunter'!
At the very least, I'm sure there are plenty of big name stars who are Bosox boosters (Matt Damon, Matthew Perry, Lenny Clarke, and Seth Myers), and who would be more than happy to lend their faces to such a project, either as one of that bunch of Idiots (Ben Affleck as Varitek?), or as themselves. (Is Denis Leary a fan?)
Music could be provided by Aerosmith, the Cars, and the J. Geils Band. And Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore could even recreate their movie moment yet again to twist all of the parallel dimensions into a pretzel!
And depending on how today's election turns out, perhaps a scene could be written which would utilize either fan and candidate John Kerry, or Curt Schilling out on the stump for Bush.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
*I know Wayne's wise. He married Marsha. (It's an Iddiot thang.)
What an amazing sport with a subtext that reflects a combination of real life, fairy tales (in the lightest and darkest of senses), mythology, filled with tales of redemption, retribution and the always present sense of unlimited possibilities.
He was talking about the Yankee win in the 2003 ALCS, but it better suits the 2004 season of the Boston Red Sox.
Here was a team that overcame being 3 games down against the Yanks to win the next four games to win the playoffs - Something that had never been done before! - to then go on and sweep the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The astounding story of the Bosox would make for a great tale of fantasy: a band of warriors up against a Ghost, a Curse, and an Evil Empire to the South. One of the players might have found his strength in the length of his hair like Samson; another beat the odds against a grievous foot injury better than Achilles ever could. And the final battle was played out in the shadow of the Great Arch under a total lunar eclipse.....
An account of this season has been chronicled by fan Stephen King the best-selling author of horror fiction, but perhaps W.P. Kinsella, well-known for his baseball fantasies, ought to give their mythic moments his flourish.
Baseball has been the basis for several fantasy movies - "Angels In The Outfield", "Damn Yankees", and "Field Of Dreams" (based on Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe"), although the story of the 2004 Red Sox may be more in keeping with the magic realism of "The Natural". But the reality of the Sox success is now entwined in the magic of the movies, thanks to the Farrelly Brothers. As it became evident that the Bosox just might pull off a miracle after all, the filmmakers (responsible for such movies as "There's Something About Mary" and "Stuck On You") had to quickly rewrite the ending for "Fever Pitch", their movie about a rabid Red Sox fan and the woman who loves him.
And that's why you saw Jimmy Fallon in a lip-lock with Drew Barrymore in the center of the celebrations on the infield after Game Four.
But "Fever Pitch" won't be telling the Bosox Story. For that they would need to make a mini-series! Only with a story spun out over successive evenings could the full glory of this season be told.
That way, all the angles could be played - the hiring of Terry Francona, the trade of Nomar, and the visit by fans to the grave of Babe Ruth. All of the players would get their showcase moments dramatized - David Ortiz and his game winning blasts, the chance for Johnny Damon to finally shine, the agony and the ecstasy surrounding Curt Schilling's ankle, and the pathetic bitch-slap by A-Rod.
Even the darkest shadow on their quest must be recounted - the tragic death of Victoria Snelgrave, the fan who was fatally shot through the eye by a police pepper spray bullet.
As to who should play the players - I'll leave that up to casting experts like Lin Stalmaster or Mary Jo Slater. There must be plenty of unknowns out there with passing resemblance to Pedro, Manny, and Baby Face Epstein. Just so long as they let Wally The Green Monster play himself.......
Maybe there will never be a mini-series based on the first Red Sox championship since 1918, so let's give another option a chance to make the play at the plate while a third idea warms up in the bullpen. (There's no analogy or metaphor I won't take a swing at!)
I have to figure David E. Kelley will write an episode that weaves the World Series into his own series, 'Boston Legal' on ABC. He must love the town - three of his series were set in Beantown ('Legal', 'Boston Public', and 'Ally MacBeal'). And since he relies so heavily on quirky courtroom cases, having James Spader as Alan defending Ted Williams' frozen head would be a Shore thing!
Well... maybe dealing with the Sox legend's noggin should be left to Jordan Cavanaugh, the Boston medical examiner of 'Crossing Jordan' over on NBC. And what better place to showcase a storyline about the Red Sox than in an episode of 'Clubhouse' on CBS? You could even get a few players - like Trot Nixon and Bronson Arroyo; even the principal owner, John Henry - to play themselves.
If this was a perfect TV Universe, that mini-series idea would also be an opportunity to revisit some old friends from long-ago shows. The most obvious choice would be Sam Malone - wouldn't he have been invited to join the victory parade through the streets of Boston as did other past Sox players like Yaz and Pesky? If it had been still on the air, 'Cheers' could have even rushed out a quick opening for an episode; in which Norm and Cliff and Carla are standing outside the bar and watching the parade pass them by.
Calista Flockhart as 'Allie MacBeal', Avery Brooks as Hawk ('Spenser: For Hire'), Mariette Hartley as Jennifer Barnes ('Goodnight, Beantown'), Chi McBride as Principal Harper ('Boston Public'), and even coverage by the guys on 'SportsNight'... these are just a few of the fictional cameos that could proudly grace the parade route.
And they could even take the opportunity to explore the secret labyrinth of passageways beneath Fenway Park, which were revealed in an episode of 'Relic Hunter'!
At the very least, I'm sure there are plenty of big name stars who are Bosox boosters (Matt Damon, Matthew Perry, Lenny Clarke, and Seth Myers), and who would be more than happy to lend their faces to such a project, either as one of that bunch of Idiots (Ben Affleck as Varitek?), or as themselves. (Is Denis Leary a fan?)
Music could be provided by Aerosmith, the Cars, and the J. Geils Band. And Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore could even recreate their movie moment yet again to twist all of the parallel dimensions into a pretzel!
And depending on how today's election turns out, perhaps a scene could be written which would utilize either fan and candidate John Kerry, or Curt Schilling out on the stump for Bush.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
*I know Wayne's wise. He married Marsha. (It's an Iddiot thang.)
Monday, November 1, 2004
TV Crossover Hall of Fame (November 2004)
With only a day to go (as I write this) before the polls open so that we can pretend we're electing a president, naturally thoughts turn to politics even for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.
In the last few years, the inductees in November have been someone connected to the great American tragedy of forty years ago last year. President and Mrs. Kennedy were inducted in 2002 as a couple in the year of the doubles; their son JFK, Jr. was inducted last year; and Walter Cronkite, whose announcement of Kennedy's death was perhaps the most memorable, was chosen in November of 2001 when he celebrated his 85th birthday.
November just has the right mien to showcase those inductees who are newsmakers in TV Land, whether real or fictional. (Or - as with the four mentioned earlier, - a combination of both.)
And even though our theme this year is 'Star Trek' (the original series), it still holds true.
There is a character in the galaxy of 'Trek' who was closely tied to the political process in the Federation of Planets. And although Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan was not a regular, he still played an integral role throughout the franchise, especially in fleshing out the dual nature of his son's character; that of Captain Spock of Starfleet.
We were first introduced to the Vulcan Ambassador on the original series, when we got to see the bonds of love between father and son (despite a communications breakdown) while they were en route to a peace conference on Babel.
Sarek revealed how much he loved his son when requesting the Vulcan High Priestess to restore Spock's katra (his soul) to his body. When it came to his son, Logic failed him. It was an admission not easy for a Vulcan to make.
He also came to the defense of the "mutinous" officers of the Enterprise before the Federation, against charges pushed by the Klingons. However, it became something of a "moot court" once Kirk & Company saved the Earth by bringing whales out of the extinct past.
We also learned that Spock was not Sarek's only son, but the only one who was half-human. Sarek had been married before to a Vulcan "princess", but his wife died in childbirth bringing Sybok into the world.
Many years later, long after his Earth-born second wife Amanda Grayson had died and he had remarried another human named Perrin, Sarek contracted Bendii's Syndrome in his old age. (The disease is something akin to a Vulcan version of Alzheimer's disease.
Thanks to the assistance of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Sarek was able to keep his sanity together long enough to mediate potentially explosive negotiations. Because of the mind-meld involved, Picard was later able to share the remnants of that link with Spock after Sarek passed away.
Sort of a cerebral Shiva.
So, with appearances on two of the 'Star Trek series and in at least three of the franchise films, Ambassador Sarek qualifies for this rather dubious "honor". It may not be as illustrious as acquiring the emblem of the IDIC, but 'twill serve.
Live Long And Prosper.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
In the last few years, the inductees in November have been someone connected to the great American tragedy of forty years ago last year. President and Mrs. Kennedy were inducted in 2002 as a couple in the year of the doubles; their son JFK, Jr. was inducted last year; and Walter Cronkite, whose announcement of Kennedy's death was perhaps the most memorable, was chosen in November of 2001 when he celebrated his 85th birthday.
November just has the right mien to showcase those inductees who are newsmakers in TV Land, whether real or fictional. (Or - as with the four mentioned earlier, - a combination of both.)
And even though our theme this year is 'Star Trek' (the original series), it still holds true.
There is a character in the galaxy of 'Trek' who was closely tied to the political process in the Federation of Planets. And although Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan was not a regular, he still played an integral role throughout the franchise, especially in fleshing out the dual nature of his son's character; that of Captain Spock of Starfleet.
We were first introduced to the Vulcan Ambassador on the original series, when we got to see the bonds of love between father and son (despite a communications breakdown) while they were en route to a peace conference on Babel.
Sarek revealed how much he loved his son when requesting the Vulcan High Priestess to restore Spock's katra (his soul) to his body. When it came to his son, Logic failed him. It was an admission not easy for a Vulcan to make.
He also came to the defense of the "mutinous" officers of the Enterprise before the Federation, against charges pushed by the Klingons. However, it became something of a "moot court" once Kirk & Company saved the Earth by bringing whales out of the extinct past.
We also learned that Spock was not Sarek's only son, but the only one who was half-human. Sarek had been married before to a Vulcan "princess", but his wife died in childbirth bringing Sybok into the world.
Many years later, long after his Earth-born second wife Amanda Grayson had died and he had remarried another human named Perrin, Sarek contracted Bendii's Syndrome in his old age. (The disease is something akin to a Vulcan version of Alzheimer's disease.
Thanks to the assistance of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Sarek was able to keep his sanity together long enough to mediate potentially explosive negotiations. Because of the mind-meld involved, Picard was later able to share the remnants of that link with Spock after Sarek passed away.
Sort of a cerebral Shiva.
So, with appearances on two of the 'Star Trek series and in at least three of the franchise films, Ambassador Sarek qualifies for this rather dubious "honor". It may not be as illustrious as acquiring the emblem of the IDIC, but 'twill serve.
Live Long And Prosper.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Sunday, October 31, 2004
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
It was a pretty link-loaded week, so let's get crackin'!
THE GREAT LINK
"The Office" told the story of a few people working in a British office working hard to not lose their jobs. It was shown as though it was a BBC documentary about down-sizing ordinary workers in a bland working environment.
A mockumentary about life in a mid-sized suboffice paper merchants in a bleak British industrial town, where manager David Brent thinks he's the coolest, funniest, and most popular boss ever. He isn't. That doesn't stop him from embarrassing himself in front of the cameras on a regular basis, whether from his political sermonizing, his stand-up 'comedy', or his incredibly unique dancing. Meanwhile, long-suffering Tim longs after Dawn the engaged receptionist and keeps himself sane by playing childish practical jokes on his insufferable, army-obsessed deskmate Gareth.
When the series aired the first season, they did not even know how popular it would get in future episodes. The writers at the start did not imagine that a second season would be created; and after bowing to pressure to create one, they would not do it again for a third. The show ended on a high note after two Christmas specials which tied up knots and rounded off wonderfully the first two seasons. But now we have 'The Office Special'.
Picking up three years after he was laid off from Wernham-Hogg, David Brent is barely employed as a door-to-door salesman, having blown his severance on a hellacious cover of ''If You Don't Know Me by Now'' (video included!).
The series wrapped up for good with "The Office Special," which supposes that the BBC documentary crew returned three years after its initial visit to find out how things had changed at the fictional (and relentlessly banal) Wernham Hogg paper products company in drab Slough, England.
In "The Office Special," David Brent is now selling cleaning products, having blown his severance money, which he sued to get, on a disastrously misguided recording career. And the BBC cameras are back, checking in with the office workers and studying what has happened to them in the intervening three years.
(adapted from the review by Tim Goodman, San Francisco Gate)
THE GREAT LINK II
"Once upon a time, there was a boy named John. And John was an astronaut. He lived in a far away place called Earth, which is so far away, you've never heard of it. One day, when John was out doing astronaut things, a big blue wormhole gobbled him up and spat him out at the far end of the universe. Things were looking grim in Mudville, till our hero met an amazing living ship, made some nice new friends, and he hooked up with his dream girl.
"We could've lived happily ever after, but the Peacekeepers raped, chased and tortured us for years on end. And two months ago, we got our asses shot off again. This time it was the Scarrans, big reptiles, oooh! And Moya, our living ship, limped her way to your happy planet for a little R&R, because, we figure, it's empty! Hey, no one is gonna bother us.
"Next thing me and the future Mrs Crichton are having a private moment when you guys fly by, boom bada-bing, squiggly line, squiggly line, crystallised. And it's two months later."
- John Crichton
"Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars"
Which is about as good as you can get for a summary of the series 'Farscape', which leads us to:
'FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS'
In this lavish four-hour series finale, one of the tube's richest character dramas did a dazzling job wrapping the lost-in-space odyssey of its cool cowboy astronaut.
'Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars' gave a strong goodbye to a show that got short shrift when Sci Fi decided in 2002 against funding the show's previously ordered fifth and final season. Which wasn't fair, since the series ended with rock-and-roll astronaut cowboy John Crichton and his pregnant alien warrior squeeze Aeryn Sun blown to crystallized bits right after agreeing to tie the knot. They simply couldn't end the series there.
At least Sci Fi was able to make amends by airing an entire-series repeat leading up to the sequel's premiere, - explaining the Crichton-Aeryn axis, the earthling's coveted knowledge of wormhole technology, the invasion of his consciousness by dastardly cyborg Scorpius, conflict between the nasty Peacekeeper race and the nastier Scarrans, and all those vibrant varied-species pals: D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel. Not to mention their living, sentient spaceship Moya.
Aeryn is pregnant in "The Peacekeeper Wars," (albeit spelled for a bit by surly surrogate Rygel), but the born-and-bred warrior insists on joining a raging skirmish during labor simply because shooting makes her feel better. I've seen 'Murphy Brown' go into labor, and the heroes could have used her warrior birth-rage in that fight as well. Probably Malcolm's mom Lois as well.
('Malcolm In The Middle')
Off-course astronaut Crichton is forever referencing TV shows, rock songs and touchstones such as the Alamo. (He calls the ghost in his head Harvey, like James Stewart's rabbit.) Even though he's a walking, talking Zonk machine, his witty swagger sets a loosey-goosey tone that keeps 'Farscape' from that bane of fantasy fiction: taking itself too seriously. This show likes proceeding off-kilter and it has plenty of opportunities for possible future sequels.
(adapted from the review by Diane Werts of New York Newsday)
THE GREAT LINK III
'Tanner On Tanner' wrapped up its four-episode return to the world of 'Tanner '88' with two great links to other TV series. And appropriately enough for a show that so wonderfully blended reality with fiction, one of those shows was a sitcom and the other was a talk show.
By showing a piece of John Kerry's great acceptance speech at the Boston convention, and by establishing that Jack Tanner had written part of it, 'Tanner On Tanner' could lay claim to kinship with 'Cheers' since Senator Kerry appeared in a quick cameo as himself on that show many years ago.
Later, Jack Tanner appeared with Charlie Rose on his public television talk show, where he dismissed the "rumor" that he had been involved with scripting anything from the speech. This was a big coup for Toobworld - a legitimate link with 'The Charlie Rose Show' without having to rely on somebody appearing who also played themselves on a scripted show. (Legit, but too easy.)
('Tanner On Tanner')
MISSING LINK
During the reunion mini-series for 'Farscape', Scarran Emperor Staleek mentioned that he found it troubling that Humans and Sebaceans could propagate together.
Later, Yondalao, the Eidolon elder, revealed to Aeryn Sun a possible splainin for why it wasn't as difficult as it might have been....
"At the dawn of our period of usefulness, 27000 cycles ago, we developed need of a guard. A race no one had quarrel with. A force to ensure harmony prevailed once negotiations had finished.
"We took great care to choose a species no one had met before. We found your kind primitive, barely clothed, far removed on the galaxy's outer spiral. Having brought some of you back, your evolution was accelerated with generous alterations, until you became our trusted acolytes."
It sounds to me as if Yondalao is referring to the primitive humans of Earth. Perhaps his people harvested an entire community of cavemen for their breeding experiment and turned them into the Peacekeepers.
If so, it could be assumed that the early Eidolons were also those known as the Preservers who seeded worlds with a variety of human cultures. And it could also be argued that if the Eidolons weren't one of the races of the First Ones like the Vorlons and the Shadows, they were at least children of the first generation.
('Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars' & 'Star Trek' & 'Babylon 5')
ZONK
George Lopez fell asleep watching TV while he was wrestling with his conscience over why he had no life insurance.
While he was dreaming, he found himself in three different sitcoms which should have been part of the same universe in which he existed:
'Leave It To Beaver'
'The Munsters'
'The Jetsons'
A few days ago I posted an essay about dream zonks. Feel free to scroll back and find out more about the topic.
('The George Lopez Show')
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
Less than two weeks after his sudden death, actor Christopher Reeve began appearing in a taped appeal to Californians to vote for a controversial ballot measure that would fund a decade of stem cell research.
Reeve filmed the ad shortly before his death on Oct. 10, but proponents of California's Proposition 71 decided to go forward with the campaign after consulting his family.
"Stem cells have already cured paralysis in animals," Reeve says in the TV spot. "Stem cells are the future of medicine. Please support Proposition 71 and stand up for those who can't."
~~~~~~
While traveling through Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Norman Mailer stopped into the Dragonfly Inn and was interviewed by a reporter. Lorelai and Sookie were initially thrilled when the author showed up repeatedly in the dining room, but Sookie's awe turned to annoyance when Mailer refused to order any food.
('Gilmore Girls')
~~~~~~
Yep, that was Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore making out on the field as the Red Sox celebrated their first World Series title since 1918.
The stars of the upcoming Farrelly brothers movie "Fever Pitch", about a Red Sox fan torn between the woman he loves and the team he worships, were shooting a new happy ending, which had been cobbled together furiously in the wake of Boston's historic run to the championship.
So as the rest of the players swarmed the infield at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday night after the team's four-game sweep of the Cardinals, Fallon and Barrymore were in the middle of the madness, with the Farrellys' camera following them.
(The World Series)
~~~~~~
I'm a little late in picking up on this, but skateboard impresario Tony Hawk appeared on an episode of 'Complete Savages'. If I'm not mistaken, this puts him over the top to qualify for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.
('Complete Savages')
~~~~~~~
Senator John Kerry, Charlie Rose
('Tanner On Tanner')
LA TRIVIATA
'American Goddess' is a reality show found only in the TV Universe, similar to 'Extreme Makeover' or 'The Swan'.
('Without A Trace')
The TV Universe has its own version of that old chestnut of a safe driving movie, "Blood On The Highway"; one which features "Officer Steven Cox" (who looks remarkably like Mad Max a la the Village People....)
('Complete Savages')
RE-CASTAWAYS
Jason and Barbara Reshetar of Coon Rapids, Min.., wrote to TV Guide to suggest that Gary Sinise should portray a younger version of Doctor Leonard McCoy. But I'd say Sinise is just about the right age to portray McCoy as he was in the original 'Star Trek' series; perhaps a few years before.
THE BIG HIATUS
KA D'ARGO
Ka D'Argo was a huge, bellicose Luxan — a race of fierce, much-feared warriors known throughout the galaxy for their propensity to conquer anything or anyone in their path. His first reaction to most every situation was to attack first and ask questions never.
D'Argo was framed for the murder of his Sebacean wife, Lo'Laan who was actually killed by her brother, Macton, in no small part due to the belief among many Sebaceans that a Sebacean/Luxan pairing was miscegenation, and an abomination.
D'Argo's son, Jothee, disappeared and was later found to be enslaved. Jothee was rescued and reunited with his father. Sadly, their reunion ended in tragedy when D'Argo's lover, Chiana, betrayed him by having an affair with Jothee.
D'Argo had more difficulty connecting with others than the rest of Moya's crew, although he respected Aeryn as a fellow warrior, and he considered Crichton a brother-in-arms and a trusted friend. He also had great respect for Zhaan and was deeply in love with Chiana until she betrayed him. (Any kind of good relationship between D'Argo and Rygel, however, was likely a lost cause.)
During the Peacekeeper Wars, D'Argo was speared fatally by attacking Scarrans. In a move that must have reminded John Crichton of Mickey Rooney in "Ambush Bay", Ka D'Argo chose to stay behind with enough weapons to give Crichton and Chiana and the others time to get away.
JOOLUSHKO TUNAI FENTA HOVALIS
Jool was a young Interion woman of remarkable academic accomplishment. Strikingly beautiful, with orange-and-yellow-hued skin offset by a mane of wild, silken hair, she had a fiery temper that matched her wild looks.
Raised in a peaceful star system, Jool attended a rigorous series of universities and rose through the meritocracy to earn respect and privilege. Her background, social status and intellect gave her exposure to the arts and the graces of a finer life. Jool was brilliant, but she'd never been tested in the real world. Despite her prodigious factual base, she hadn't proved her mettle in hard experience.
While on an expedition to the other side of the galaxy, her group of fellow young intellectuals was hijacked and forced into slavery. Near death, her body was sold for medical research. For 22 cycles, Jool was in frozen stasis, her organs earmarked for sale to anyone who had the money to purchase them.
However, before she could be dissected and carved up, John Crichton and the others aboard Moya rescued her.
After more than a cycle with the crew of Moya, Jool finally left to follow her own chosen destiny. With the help of Crichton, Chiana and D'Argo, she freed the priests of Arnessk from a 12,000-cycle-long state of suspended animation. As a scholar of Arnesskan history, Jool decided to stay behind with the priests to ease their transition into a vastly changed galaxy.
It was there where she met her fate as Emperor Staleek of the Scarrans ordered the temple of the Eidolons to be vaporized.
"HARVEY"
That was Crichton's name for the neuro-cyborg non-entity that may or may not have been living in his mind. It resembled Scorpius and was a constant mental irritant as it tried to worm its way into whatever part of Crichton's mind housed the knowledge of wormhole technology.
Once that knowledge was removed by the entity known as "Einstein", "Harvey" 's reason for being ended. He faded away in a scene reminiscent of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (although he preferred to go out with a bang like Slim Pickens in "Dr. Strangelove").
WAR MINISTER AKHNA
Ding dong, the Bitch is dead.
HIERARCH YONDALAO
[THE EIDOLON GRAND CONCILIATOR]
He was blasted to death by Akhna before his powers of conciliation and peace could take hold over Emperor Staleek of the Scarrans.
GRAND CHANCELLOR OF THE PEACEKEEPERS
He was poisoned by his pregnant consort Commandant Mele-On Grayza, who did not want the Peacekeepers to even consider the option of seeking a truce with the Scarrans.
(All from 'Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars')
BABY BOOM
Out of the sorrows suffered by the crew of Moya, there came some small cause for joy - John Crichton and Aeryn Sun were married and their baby was born.
It's a boy!
And in honor of their fallen comrade, they have named him "D'Argo Sun Crichton".
UNSTUCK IN PRIME TIME
On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Concert was broadcast to millions of inmates across the U.S. That night, in the melee following the broadcast, an inmate was murdered and quickly disposed of in a prison outside of Philly.
Detective Lilly Rush and the 'Cold Case' team re-opened the case when human bones were found at the site of the now shuttered prison. When it turned out that the bones didn't belong to the dead inmate, the team had to begin a new search for the person who was murdered at the prison 36 years before.
The prisoner was thought to have disappeared when a riot broke out, while listening to Cash's 1968 Folsom Prison concert, and that show is referenced during several parts of the episode with eight of the songs used during the flashback sequences.
The following is the original set list of the Folsom Prison concert recorded live at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968:
Folsom Prison Blues
I'm Busted
Dark As The Dungeon
I Still Miss Someone
Cocaine Blues
25 Minutes To Go
I'm Not In Your Town To Stay
Orange Blossom Special
The Long Black Veil
Send A Picture Of Mother
The Wall
Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog
Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart
Joe Bean
Jackson (with June)
I Got A Woman (with June)
John Henry
I Got Stripes
Green, Green Grass Of Home
Greystone Chapel
l Give My Love To Rose
MULTI-VERSE MEDIA
The daughter of former Presidential contender Jack Tanner isn't the only Alex Tanner out there in the many fictional universes. Here's one from the literary universe, crime novel section, who can be found across the pond:
Alex Tanner
Created by Anabel Donald
Sometimes a journalist can be considered a private eye, and sometimes they can't...
Britain's ALEX TANNER doesn't have to worry. She's both. She's a part-time private investigator, and a part-time freelance TV researcher, with a bit more grit than the average female eye. A product of countless foster homes during her troubled childhood, she's grown up to be a determinedly self-reliant and fiercely independent loner, with a taste for hardboiled private eye fiction.
Not that she's a complete loner. Her relationship with TV producer Barty O'Neill is a total delight and great fun. Alex calls the turf of London's Notting Hill home, but the mean streets Alex goes down are a far cry from the aggressive trendiness of any recent Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts eye candy.
A well-written, engrossing series, with something to say. The pyschological development of women and the emotional issues of troubled youth are recurring themes.
NOVELS
An Uncommon Murder (1992)
In at the Deep End (1994)
The Glass Ceiling (1994)
The Loop (1996)
Destroy Unopened (1999)
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
CRITIC'S CORNER
" 'The Office' was a mockumentary that dared to be astutely subtle in a medium that has beaten the quiet moments out of scripts for years. It never tried to pander, was uncompromisingly British and pulled off -- particularly in the second season -- what is so difficult to do for comedies: creating drama from painful, incisively cutting humor.
The humor in 'The Office' has always been tinged with sadness. And it has always been spot-on insightful. But what's so wonderfully realized in 'The Office Special' is the sense of closure, which comes without gimmicks or sell-out dramatics.
'The Office Special' is a grand finale to one of television's best, smartest and funniest series ever. "
- Tim Goodman
San Francisco Chronicle
"The hearts and minds of people at cross purposes have been the lifeblood of 'Farscape', which was always a character drama employing sci-fi elements, not vice versa. That's why its adult cult boasts more professional and female followers than other 'genre' shows infatuated with less-mature tech talk and arcane hierarchies.
Here, it's every man and woman for him - or her- self. Gadgets and political particulars merely provide milieu for fevered passions run amok. All the main characters are outcasts, banding together on Moya as they forge new lives alone in a hostile universe. When even your ship has an opinion about what to do next, conflicts get pretty interesting. Villains aren't necessarily evil here, which the finale finely reiterates, and the most provocative battles take place not between characters but inside their heads as they struggle with identity and meaning while running for cover.
'Farscape' creator Rockne S. O'Bannon and executive producers Henson and David Kemper work with such clever maturity that few viewers notice, for instance, that the show has at least as many women characters as men, or that they're virtually interchangeable in terms of smarts, strength and status."
- Diane Werts
New York Newsday
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
THE GREAT LINK
"The Office" told the story of a few people working in a British office working hard to not lose their jobs. It was shown as though it was a BBC documentary about down-sizing ordinary workers in a bland working environment.
A mockumentary about life in a mid-sized suboffice paper merchants in a bleak British industrial town, where manager David Brent thinks he's the coolest, funniest, and most popular boss ever. He isn't. That doesn't stop him from embarrassing himself in front of the cameras on a regular basis, whether from his political sermonizing, his stand-up 'comedy', or his incredibly unique dancing. Meanwhile, long-suffering Tim longs after Dawn the engaged receptionist and keeps himself sane by playing childish practical jokes on his insufferable, army-obsessed deskmate Gareth.
When the series aired the first season, they did not even know how popular it would get in future episodes. The writers at the start did not imagine that a second season would be created; and after bowing to pressure to create one, they would not do it again for a third. The show ended on a high note after two Christmas specials which tied up knots and rounded off wonderfully the first two seasons. But now we have 'The Office Special'.
Picking up three years after he was laid off from Wernham-Hogg, David Brent is barely employed as a door-to-door salesman, having blown his severance on a hellacious cover of ''If You Don't Know Me by Now'' (video included!).
The series wrapped up for good with "The Office Special," which supposes that the BBC documentary crew returned three years after its initial visit to find out how things had changed at the fictional (and relentlessly banal) Wernham Hogg paper products company in drab Slough, England.
In "The Office Special," David Brent is now selling cleaning products, having blown his severance money, which he sued to get, on a disastrously misguided recording career. And the BBC cameras are back, checking in with the office workers and studying what has happened to them in the intervening three years.
(adapted from the review by Tim Goodman, San Francisco Gate)
THE GREAT LINK II
"Once upon a time, there was a boy named John. And John was an astronaut. He lived in a far away place called Earth, which is so far away, you've never heard of it. One day, when John was out doing astronaut things, a big blue wormhole gobbled him up and spat him out at the far end of the universe. Things were looking grim in Mudville, till our hero met an amazing living ship, made some nice new friends, and he hooked up with his dream girl.
"We could've lived happily ever after, but the Peacekeepers raped, chased and tortured us for years on end. And two months ago, we got our asses shot off again. This time it was the Scarrans, big reptiles, oooh! And Moya, our living ship, limped her way to your happy planet for a little R&R, because, we figure, it's empty! Hey, no one is gonna bother us.
"Next thing me and the future Mrs Crichton are having a private moment when you guys fly by, boom bada-bing, squiggly line, squiggly line, crystallised. And it's two months later."
- John Crichton
"Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars"
Which is about as good as you can get for a summary of the series 'Farscape', which leads us to:
'FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS'
In this lavish four-hour series finale, one of the tube's richest character dramas did a dazzling job wrapping the lost-in-space odyssey of its cool cowboy astronaut.
'Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars' gave a strong goodbye to a show that got short shrift when Sci Fi decided in 2002 against funding the show's previously ordered fifth and final season. Which wasn't fair, since the series ended with rock-and-roll astronaut cowboy John Crichton and his pregnant alien warrior squeeze Aeryn Sun blown to crystallized bits right after agreeing to tie the knot. They simply couldn't end the series there.
At least Sci Fi was able to make amends by airing an entire-series repeat leading up to the sequel's premiere, - explaining the Crichton-Aeryn axis, the earthling's coveted knowledge of wormhole technology, the invasion of his consciousness by dastardly cyborg Scorpius, conflict between the nasty Peacekeeper race and the nastier Scarrans, and all those vibrant varied-species pals: D'Argo, Chiana, and Rygel. Not to mention their living, sentient spaceship Moya.
Aeryn is pregnant in "The Peacekeeper Wars," (albeit spelled for a bit by surly surrogate Rygel), but the born-and-bred warrior insists on joining a raging skirmish during labor simply because shooting makes her feel better. I've seen 'Murphy Brown' go into labor, and the heroes could have used her warrior birth-rage in that fight as well. Probably Malcolm's mom Lois as well.
('Malcolm In The Middle')
Off-course astronaut Crichton is forever referencing TV shows, rock songs and touchstones such as the Alamo. (He calls the ghost in his head Harvey, like James Stewart's rabbit.) Even though he's a walking, talking Zonk machine, his witty swagger sets a loosey-goosey tone that keeps 'Farscape' from that bane of fantasy fiction: taking itself too seriously. This show likes proceeding off-kilter and it has plenty of opportunities for possible future sequels.
(adapted from the review by Diane Werts of New York Newsday)
THE GREAT LINK III
'Tanner On Tanner' wrapped up its four-episode return to the world of 'Tanner '88' with two great links to other TV series. And appropriately enough for a show that so wonderfully blended reality with fiction, one of those shows was a sitcom and the other was a talk show.
By showing a piece of John Kerry's great acceptance speech at the Boston convention, and by establishing that Jack Tanner had written part of it, 'Tanner On Tanner' could lay claim to kinship with 'Cheers' since Senator Kerry appeared in a quick cameo as himself on that show many years ago.
Later, Jack Tanner appeared with Charlie Rose on his public television talk show, where he dismissed the "rumor" that he had been involved with scripting anything from the speech. This was a big coup for Toobworld - a legitimate link with 'The Charlie Rose Show' without having to rely on somebody appearing who also played themselves on a scripted show. (Legit, but too easy.)
('Tanner On Tanner')
MISSING LINK
During the reunion mini-series for 'Farscape', Scarran Emperor Staleek mentioned that he found it troubling that Humans and Sebaceans could propagate together.
Later, Yondalao, the Eidolon elder, revealed to Aeryn Sun a possible splainin for why it wasn't as difficult as it might have been....
"At the dawn of our period of usefulness, 27000 cycles ago, we developed need of a guard. A race no one had quarrel with. A force to ensure harmony prevailed once negotiations had finished.
"We took great care to choose a species no one had met before. We found your kind primitive, barely clothed, far removed on the galaxy's outer spiral. Having brought some of you back, your evolution was accelerated with generous alterations, until you became our trusted acolytes."
It sounds to me as if Yondalao is referring to the primitive humans of Earth. Perhaps his people harvested an entire community of cavemen for their breeding experiment and turned them into the Peacekeepers.
If so, it could be assumed that the early Eidolons were also those known as the Preservers who seeded worlds with a variety of human cultures. And it could also be argued that if the Eidolons weren't one of the races of the First Ones like the Vorlons and the Shadows, they were at least children of the first generation.
('Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars' & 'Star Trek' & 'Babylon 5')
ZONK
George Lopez fell asleep watching TV while he was wrestling with his conscience over why he had no life insurance.
While he was dreaming, he found himself in three different sitcoms which should have been part of the same universe in which he existed:
'Leave It To Beaver'
'The Munsters'
'The Jetsons'
A few days ago I posted an essay about dream zonks. Feel free to scroll back and find out more about the topic.
('The George Lopez Show')
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
Less than two weeks after his sudden death, actor Christopher Reeve began appearing in a taped appeal to Californians to vote for a controversial ballot measure that would fund a decade of stem cell research.
Reeve filmed the ad shortly before his death on Oct. 10, but proponents of California's Proposition 71 decided to go forward with the campaign after consulting his family.
"Stem cells have already cured paralysis in animals," Reeve says in the TV spot. "Stem cells are the future of medicine. Please support Proposition 71 and stand up for those who can't."
~~~~~~
While traveling through Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Norman Mailer stopped into the Dragonfly Inn and was interviewed by a reporter. Lorelai and Sookie were initially thrilled when the author showed up repeatedly in the dining room, but Sookie's awe turned to annoyance when Mailer refused to order any food.
('Gilmore Girls')
~~~~~~
Yep, that was Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore making out on the field as the Red Sox celebrated their first World Series title since 1918.
The stars of the upcoming Farrelly brothers movie "Fever Pitch", about a Red Sox fan torn between the woman he loves and the team he worships, were shooting a new happy ending, which had been cobbled together furiously in the wake of Boston's historic run to the championship.
So as the rest of the players swarmed the infield at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Wednesday night after the team's four-game sweep of the Cardinals, Fallon and Barrymore were in the middle of the madness, with the Farrellys' camera following them.
(The World Series)
~~~~~~
I'm a little late in picking up on this, but skateboard impresario Tony Hawk appeared on an episode of 'Complete Savages'. If I'm not mistaken, this puts him over the top to qualify for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.
('Complete Savages')
~~~~~~~
Senator John Kerry, Charlie Rose
('Tanner On Tanner')
LA TRIVIATA
'American Goddess' is a reality show found only in the TV Universe, similar to 'Extreme Makeover' or 'The Swan'.
('Without A Trace')
The TV Universe has its own version of that old chestnut of a safe driving movie, "Blood On The Highway"; one which features "Officer Steven Cox" (who looks remarkably like Mad Max a la the Village People....)
('Complete Savages')
RE-CASTAWAYS
Jason and Barbara Reshetar of Coon Rapids, Min.., wrote to TV Guide to suggest that Gary Sinise should portray a younger version of Doctor Leonard McCoy. But I'd say Sinise is just about the right age to portray McCoy as he was in the original 'Star Trek' series; perhaps a few years before.
THE BIG HIATUS
KA D'ARGO
Ka D'Argo was a huge, bellicose Luxan — a race of fierce, much-feared warriors known throughout the galaxy for their propensity to conquer anything or anyone in their path. His first reaction to most every situation was to attack first and ask questions never.
D'Argo was framed for the murder of his Sebacean wife, Lo'Laan who was actually killed by her brother, Macton, in no small part due to the belief among many Sebaceans that a Sebacean/Luxan pairing was miscegenation, and an abomination.
D'Argo's son, Jothee, disappeared and was later found to be enslaved. Jothee was rescued and reunited with his father. Sadly, their reunion ended in tragedy when D'Argo's lover, Chiana, betrayed him by having an affair with Jothee.
D'Argo had more difficulty connecting with others than the rest of Moya's crew, although he respected Aeryn as a fellow warrior, and he considered Crichton a brother-in-arms and a trusted friend. He also had great respect for Zhaan and was deeply in love with Chiana until she betrayed him. (Any kind of good relationship between D'Argo and Rygel, however, was likely a lost cause.)
During the Peacekeeper Wars, D'Argo was speared fatally by attacking Scarrans. In a move that must have reminded John Crichton of Mickey Rooney in "Ambush Bay", Ka D'Argo chose to stay behind with enough weapons to give Crichton and Chiana and the others time to get away.
JOOLUSHKO TUNAI FENTA HOVALIS
Jool was a young Interion woman of remarkable academic accomplishment. Strikingly beautiful, with orange-and-yellow-hued skin offset by a mane of wild, silken hair, she had a fiery temper that matched her wild looks.
Raised in a peaceful star system, Jool attended a rigorous series of universities and rose through the meritocracy to earn respect and privilege. Her background, social status and intellect gave her exposure to the arts and the graces of a finer life. Jool was brilliant, but she'd never been tested in the real world. Despite her prodigious factual base, she hadn't proved her mettle in hard experience.
While on an expedition to the other side of the galaxy, her group of fellow young intellectuals was hijacked and forced into slavery. Near death, her body was sold for medical research. For 22 cycles, Jool was in frozen stasis, her organs earmarked for sale to anyone who had the money to purchase them.
However, before she could be dissected and carved up, John Crichton and the others aboard Moya rescued her.
After more than a cycle with the crew of Moya, Jool finally left to follow her own chosen destiny. With the help of Crichton, Chiana and D'Argo, she freed the priests of Arnessk from a 12,000-cycle-long state of suspended animation. As a scholar of Arnesskan history, Jool decided to stay behind with the priests to ease their transition into a vastly changed galaxy.
It was there where she met her fate as Emperor Staleek of the Scarrans ordered the temple of the Eidolons to be vaporized.
"HARVEY"
That was Crichton's name for the neuro-cyborg non-entity that may or may not have been living in his mind. It resembled Scorpius and was a constant mental irritant as it tried to worm its way into whatever part of Crichton's mind housed the knowledge of wormhole technology.
Once that knowledge was removed by the entity known as "Einstein", "Harvey" 's reason for being ended. He faded away in a scene reminiscent of "2001: A Space Odyssey" (although he preferred to go out with a bang like Slim Pickens in "Dr. Strangelove").
WAR MINISTER AKHNA
Ding dong, the Bitch is dead.
HIERARCH YONDALAO
[THE EIDOLON GRAND CONCILIATOR]
He was blasted to death by Akhna before his powers of conciliation and peace could take hold over Emperor Staleek of the Scarrans.
GRAND CHANCELLOR OF THE PEACEKEEPERS
He was poisoned by his pregnant consort Commandant Mele-On Grayza, who did not want the Peacekeepers to even consider the option of seeking a truce with the Scarrans.
(All from 'Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars')
BABY BOOM
Out of the sorrows suffered by the crew of Moya, there came some small cause for joy - John Crichton and Aeryn Sun were married and their baby was born.
It's a boy!
And in honor of their fallen comrade, they have named him "D'Argo Sun Crichton".
UNSTUCK IN PRIME TIME
On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Concert was broadcast to millions of inmates across the U.S. That night, in the melee following the broadcast, an inmate was murdered and quickly disposed of in a prison outside of Philly.
Detective Lilly Rush and the 'Cold Case' team re-opened the case when human bones were found at the site of the now shuttered prison. When it turned out that the bones didn't belong to the dead inmate, the team had to begin a new search for the person who was murdered at the prison 36 years before.
The prisoner was thought to have disappeared when a riot broke out, while listening to Cash's 1968 Folsom Prison concert, and that show is referenced during several parts of the episode with eight of the songs used during the flashback sequences.
The following is the original set list of the Folsom Prison concert recorded live at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968:
Folsom Prison Blues
I'm Busted
Dark As The Dungeon
I Still Miss Someone
Cocaine Blues
25 Minutes To Go
I'm Not In Your Town To Stay
Orange Blossom Special
The Long Black Veil
Send A Picture Of Mother
The Wall
Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog
Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart
Joe Bean
Jackson (with June)
I Got A Woman (with June)
John Henry
I Got Stripes
Green, Green Grass Of Home
Greystone Chapel
l Give My Love To Rose
MULTI-VERSE MEDIA
The daughter of former Presidential contender Jack Tanner isn't the only Alex Tanner out there in the many fictional universes. Here's one from the literary universe, crime novel section, who can be found across the pond:
Alex Tanner
Created by Anabel Donald
Sometimes a journalist can be considered a private eye, and sometimes they can't...
Britain's ALEX TANNER doesn't have to worry. She's both. She's a part-time private investigator, and a part-time freelance TV researcher, with a bit more grit than the average female eye. A product of countless foster homes during her troubled childhood, she's grown up to be a determinedly self-reliant and fiercely independent loner, with a taste for hardboiled private eye fiction.
Not that she's a complete loner. Her relationship with TV producer Barty O'Neill is a total delight and great fun. Alex calls the turf of London's Notting Hill home, but the mean streets Alex goes down are a far cry from the aggressive trendiness of any recent Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts eye candy.
A well-written, engrossing series, with something to say. The pyschological development of women and the emotional issues of troubled youth are recurring themes.
NOVELS
An Uncommon Murder (1992)
In at the Deep End (1994)
The Glass Ceiling (1994)
The Loop (1996)
Destroy Unopened (1999)
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
CRITIC'S CORNER
" 'The Office' was a mockumentary that dared to be astutely subtle in a medium that has beaten the quiet moments out of scripts for years. It never tried to pander, was uncompromisingly British and pulled off -- particularly in the second season -- what is so difficult to do for comedies: creating drama from painful, incisively cutting humor.
The humor in 'The Office' has always been tinged with sadness. And it has always been spot-on insightful. But what's so wonderfully realized in 'The Office Special' is the sense of closure, which comes without gimmicks or sell-out dramatics.
'The Office Special' is a grand finale to one of television's best, smartest and funniest series ever. "
- Tim Goodman
San Francisco Chronicle
"The hearts and minds of people at cross purposes have been the lifeblood of 'Farscape', which was always a character drama employing sci-fi elements, not vice versa. That's why its adult cult boasts more professional and female followers than other 'genre' shows infatuated with less-mature tech talk and arcane hierarchies.
Here, it's every man and woman for him - or her- self. Gadgets and political particulars merely provide milieu for fevered passions run amok. All the main characters are outcasts, banding together on Moya as they forge new lives alone in a hostile universe. When even your ship has an opinion about what to do next, conflicts get pretty interesting. Villains aren't necessarily evil here, which the finale finely reiterates, and the most provocative battles take place not between characters but inside their heads as they struggle with identity and meaning while running for cover.
'Farscape' creator Rockne S. O'Bannon and executive producers Henson and David Kemper work with such clever maturity that few viewers notice, for instance, that the show has at least as many women characters as men, or that they're virtually interchangeable in terms of smarts, strength and status."
- Diane Werts
New York Newsday
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Saturday, October 30, 2004
VIEWERS' CHOICE
Perhaps in response to the glut of those so-called "reality" shows (at least those which are affected by audience participation), a couple of the scripted series are leaving facets of their fate up to the fickle feelings of their fans.
On a recent episode of 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', two different endings were filmed to show what happened to Detective Goren's arch-nemesis. In one scenario shown on the East Coast, Nicole Wallace lived, killing her protege and making good her escape.
But on the West Coast, Wallace was killed with two shots to the heart by Goren's partner, Detective Eames. But she killed her protege in that scenario as well.
116,000 people logged on to NBC.com to vote as to which ending would be her fate.
The answer was revealed on the following Sunday night's show. As a child-killer, one would think Nicole Wallace was an easy target for getting "voted off the island". Dick Wolf, the 'Law & Order' overlord, has proven time and again that actors are interchangeable and definitely replaceable. But he's a big fan of Nicole Wallace - "Personally I am loath to find permanent solutions for characters who leave shows."
It appears the audience agrees with him. There were 62,074 votes to let her live, and 54,224 wanted to see her dead. (By the way, I voted for Nicole to live. I agree with Wolf: all the great TV heroes should have their arch-nemesis.)
With the other show, the audience participation is not as direct, but its impact has more import. The producers of 'Jack & Bobby' have filmed three endings for the November 3rd episode. One ending has Grace McCallister ecstatic (which probably means, knowing Grace, that Kerry wins), one in which she's downcast but determined to see Hillary Clinton win in the next election, and one in which a recount will be needed.
Which one they use depends on how the presidential election goes the night before.
Perhaps they should have filmed four endings - in case pigs start flying and Ralph Nader wins. Now that would make for an incredible ending; maybe they could get Bruce McCullough to play the Flying Pig! ('The Kids In The Hall')
If there is need of a recount, they might need to do an extra episode just to deal with the injunctions, inevitable court rulings, and the ensuing race wars (as warned by Robb Courdry of 'The Daily Show').
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
On a recent episode of 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent', two different endings were filmed to show what happened to Detective Goren's arch-nemesis. In one scenario shown on the East Coast, Nicole Wallace lived, killing her protege and making good her escape.
But on the West Coast, Wallace was killed with two shots to the heart by Goren's partner, Detective Eames. But she killed her protege in that scenario as well.
116,000 people logged on to NBC.com to vote as to which ending would be her fate.
The answer was revealed on the following Sunday night's show. As a child-killer, one would think Nicole Wallace was an easy target for getting "voted off the island". Dick Wolf, the 'Law & Order' overlord, has proven time and again that actors are interchangeable and definitely replaceable. But he's a big fan of Nicole Wallace - "Personally I am loath to find permanent solutions for characters who leave shows."
It appears the audience agrees with him. There were 62,074 votes to let her live, and 54,224 wanted to see her dead. (By the way, I voted for Nicole to live. I agree with Wolf: all the great TV heroes should have their arch-nemesis.)
With the other show, the audience participation is not as direct, but its impact has more import. The producers of 'Jack & Bobby' have filmed three endings for the November 3rd episode. One ending has Grace McCallister ecstatic (which probably means, knowing Grace, that Kerry wins), one in which she's downcast but determined to see Hillary Clinton win in the next election, and one in which a recount will be needed.
Which one they use depends on how the presidential election goes the night before.
Perhaps they should have filmed four endings - in case pigs start flying and Ralph Nader wins. Now that would make for an incredible ending; maybe they could get Bruce McCullough to play the Flying Pig! ('The Kids In The Hall')
If there is need of a recount, they might need to do an extra episode just to deal with the injunctions, inevitable court rulings, and the ensuing race wars (as warned by Robb Courdry of 'The Daily Show').
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Thursday, October 28, 2004
WHAT DREAMS MAY ZONK
I've only seen a handful of episodes from 'The George Lopez Show' - Those that had some kind of impact for Toobworld. It's certainly not a ground-breaking show, but it's not all THAT bad. The updated entry for Earth in 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy' could be used for Lopez: "Mostly harmless".
Of course, it doesn't help when Lopez blasts a hole through the fabric of the TV Universe with an episode full of "dream zonks".
Dream zonks happen during a TV character's deep sleep cycle, where his dreamscapes have other TV shows as their settings. It happens more often now that TV shows are being written by those who were raised on Television and use it for their cultural touchstones. Older shows involved people of a different generation, a different mindset. For instance, Rob Petrie dreamed his way through a particular marital problem with a silent movie motif. (Considering his admiration for Stan Laurel, this should probably have been expected.)
I should also mention that that particular episode of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' is considered, by Van Dyke himself among others, to be the worst episode of the series.
In the last decade or so, lots of TV characters have slumber-stumbled their way into recreations of other TV shows. 'Roseanne' Conner and 'ALF' both ended up on 'Gilligan's Island' where they could escape the pressures of whatever problem they were facing in the waking world.
'ALF' also found himself hosting 'The Tonight Show' with Pope John Paul II as his guest. This isn't a zonk at all, however. Talk shows, variety shows, news programs, and game shows can exist both in the real world and in Toobworld; and therefore they can be legitimately used in other TV shows.
At any rate, the dream job of hosting 'The Tonight Show' put the Melmacian in good stead to host his own talk show on TV Land.
Here's another example: Ross Harper ('Day By Day') envisioned himself as a member of 'The Brady Bunch', thinking them to be the ideal family; at least, better than his own.
Those 'Perfect Strangers' of Chicago, Larry and Balki, found themselves in Bensonhurst, courtesy of a dream about 'The Honeymooners'. One would have thought portraying Ed Norton might have been easy for Bronson Pinchot, but it was Mark-Linn Baker who nailed the impersonation of Ralph Kramden. Also, my hat's off to them for the way they even recreated the type of gitches found in "One Take" Gleason's show.
Then there are the shows where characters aren't happy just skewering one TV series in their dream fugue state. No, they have to have multiple dream sequences in one dream and blast even more holes through the TV tapestry.
When a perfumed envelope arrived from Connecticut which was addressed to Charles and marked "Private and Personal", his ex-wife Allie struggled with the moral dilemma as to whether she should open it. So after falling asleep while watching late night TV, Allie slipped into the worlds of those TV shows she was watching; TV shows which should have been integral - vital! - components of her own world.
When it came to Allie's particular problem, - opening the envelope - the scenario was perfect for 'I Love Lucy'. And Allie and Kate appeared as Lucy and Ethel, appropriately enough.
The actual scenario and its fallout were played out on 'Here's Lucy' as well, with a memorable bit by Gale Gordon as Theodore Mooney. For those who think Jane Curtin as Kate was better as Ethel and could never portray a man like Mr. Mooney, stay tuned.....
In the next dream vignette, Allie saw herself in the WJM newsroom as Mary Richards from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. And this time, Kate showed up as Lou Grant!
As disturbing enough as it was to see Jane Curtin with a bald head like Ed Asner, we can only thank our lucky stars she never took off her shirt to show how far the follicle impersonation actually went!!!
And now here's 'The George Lopez Show', where George struggled with his fears and issues over life insurance and
Death by falling asleep in front of the TV. This time, he found his situation reflected in his own versions of such TV classics as 'Leave It To Beaver' (hence the episode title: "Leave It To Lopez"), 'The Munsters', and the most intriguing of the bunch, 'The Jetsons', those futuristic visionaries from um... 2002.....
Like I said, the show's not ALL bad and there was plenty to like in these dreams. 'Leave It To Beaver' is always an easy mark, and George's son did a good job of capturing the essence of the Beav. It's too easy to fall into the trap of parodying 'The Munsters' and they did, relying only on the toonish qualities of the characters. And even then, it was (painfully) obvious that George Lopez is no Fred Gwynne.
But at least it was saved by a dream where the toonish aspects actually helped; even Mr. Sprocket and Rosie the Robot were represented by cast member impressions of 'The Jetsons'. All that was missing was the scene of George walking Astro on that slidewalk. But at least they did get him sucked into a machine to accentuate the underlying theme of his fear of death. And he got to use the line "Jane, stop this crazy thing!" so I had no quibbles with it, even if it does wreak havoc on my vision of Toobworld.
My opinion wasn't shared by all, however. Here's what David Bianculli had to say that morning in the New York Daily News:
"For Halloween, the cast of this sitcom takes on the personas of three other TV families: The Cleavers, the Munsters and the Jetsons. The last family, not usually seen in three dimensions, is the closest thing to a reason to watch. Remember, though we're talking about 'George Lopez'. In 40 years, will anyone on TV be dressing up as the Lopezes? (It's a rhetorical question.)"
How are we supposed to splain away dream zonks? The main problem isn't the dreams themselves, it's the fact that the characters drive it home before they go to sleep that their inspirations will be coming from old TV shows. With the dreams, at least they can be dismissed as either the ravings of the sub-conscious mind, or they could be supernatural entries tapping into aspects of other lives in Toobworld.
But when they're actually identified by the characters as being inspired by old TV shows which by all rights should exist in the same universe as they do?
I just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Of course, it doesn't help when Lopez blasts a hole through the fabric of the TV Universe with an episode full of "dream zonks".
Dream zonks happen during a TV character's deep sleep cycle, where his dreamscapes have other TV shows as their settings. It happens more often now that TV shows are being written by those who were raised on Television and use it for their cultural touchstones. Older shows involved people of a different generation, a different mindset. For instance, Rob Petrie dreamed his way through a particular marital problem with a silent movie motif. (Considering his admiration for Stan Laurel, this should probably have been expected.)
I should also mention that that particular episode of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' is considered, by Van Dyke himself among others, to be the worst episode of the series.
In the last decade or so, lots of TV characters have slumber-stumbled their way into recreations of other TV shows. 'Roseanne' Conner and 'ALF' both ended up on 'Gilligan's Island' where they could escape the pressures of whatever problem they were facing in the waking world.
'ALF' also found himself hosting 'The Tonight Show' with Pope John Paul II as his guest. This isn't a zonk at all, however. Talk shows, variety shows, news programs, and game shows can exist both in the real world and in Toobworld; and therefore they can be legitimately used in other TV shows.
At any rate, the dream job of hosting 'The Tonight Show' put the Melmacian in good stead to host his own talk show on TV Land.
Here's another example: Ross Harper ('Day By Day') envisioned himself as a member of 'The Brady Bunch', thinking them to be the ideal family; at least, better than his own.
Those 'Perfect Strangers' of Chicago, Larry and Balki, found themselves in Bensonhurst, courtesy of a dream about 'The Honeymooners'. One would have thought portraying Ed Norton might have been easy for Bronson Pinchot, but it was Mark-Linn Baker who nailed the impersonation of Ralph Kramden. Also, my hat's off to them for the way they even recreated the type of gitches found in "One Take" Gleason's show.
Then there are the shows where characters aren't happy just skewering one TV series in their dream fugue state. No, they have to have multiple dream sequences in one dream and blast even more holes through the TV tapestry.
When a perfumed envelope arrived from Connecticut which was addressed to Charles and marked "Private and Personal", his ex-wife Allie struggled with the moral dilemma as to whether she should open it. So after falling asleep while watching late night TV, Allie slipped into the worlds of those TV shows she was watching; TV shows which should have been integral - vital! - components of her own world.
When it came to Allie's particular problem, - opening the envelope - the scenario was perfect for 'I Love Lucy'. And Allie and Kate appeared as Lucy and Ethel, appropriately enough.
The actual scenario and its fallout were played out on 'Here's Lucy' as well, with a memorable bit by Gale Gordon as Theodore Mooney. For those who think Jane Curtin as Kate was better as Ethel and could never portray a man like Mr. Mooney, stay tuned.....
In the next dream vignette, Allie saw herself in the WJM newsroom as Mary Richards from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. And this time, Kate showed up as Lou Grant!
As disturbing enough as it was to see Jane Curtin with a bald head like Ed Asner, we can only thank our lucky stars she never took off her shirt to show how far the follicle impersonation actually went!!!
And now here's 'The George Lopez Show', where George struggled with his fears and issues over life insurance and
Death by falling asleep in front of the TV. This time, he found his situation reflected in his own versions of such TV classics as 'Leave It To Beaver' (hence the episode title: "Leave It To Lopez"), 'The Munsters', and the most intriguing of the bunch, 'The Jetsons', those futuristic visionaries from um... 2002.....
Like I said, the show's not ALL bad and there was plenty to like in these dreams. 'Leave It To Beaver' is always an easy mark, and George's son did a good job of capturing the essence of the Beav. It's too easy to fall into the trap of parodying 'The Munsters' and they did, relying only on the toonish qualities of the characters. And even then, it was (painfully) obvious that George Lopez is no Fred Gwynne.
But at least it was saved by a dream where the toonish aspects actually helped; even Mr. Sprocket and Rosie the Robot were represented by cast member impressions of 'The Jetsons'. All that was missing was the scene of George walking Astro on that slidewalk. But at least they did get him sucked into a machine to accentuate the underlying theme of his fear of death. And he got to use the line "Jane, stop this crazy thing!" so I had no quibbles with it, even if it does wreak havoc on my vision of Toobworld.
My opinion wasn't shared by all, however. Here's what David Bianculli had to say that morning in the New York Daily News:
"For Halloween, the cast of this sitcom takes on the personas of three other TV families: The Cleavers, the Munsters and the Jetsons. The last family, not usually seen in three dimensions, is the closest thing to a reason to watch. Remember, though we're talking about 'George Lopez'. In 40 years, will anyone on TV be dressing up as the Lopezes? (It's a rhetorical question.)"
How are we supposed to splain away dream zonks? The main problem isn't the dreams themselves, it's the fact that the characters drive it home before they go to sleep that their inspirations will be coming from old TV shows. With the dreams, at least they can be dismissed as either the ravings of the sub-conscious mind, or they could be supernatural entries tapping into aspects of other lives in Toobworld.
But when they're actually identified by the characters as being inspired by old TV shows which by all rights should exist in the same universe as they do?
I just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
"FRIENDS"
In this case, I'm talking about my own......
Shirley is an actress who's appeared on 'Monk', 'Strong Medicine', 'The West Wing', 'Lois & Clark', 'CSI', and 'Angel'. I've known her for so long, we now consider ourselves twins of the soul.
Anyway, she sent out this notice of a small movie she made with Danica ('The Wonder Years') McKellar and I thought I'd share it with you.
(Mostly because I'm on the road and can't do much of an entry today. Bwahahaha!
Hello Everyone,
A short film I did is now in the Century City Film Festival and it's been making the rounds on the circuit (Maryland Film Festival, Crested Butte Reel Fest, and Big Bear Lake In'tl Film Festival). "Intermission" consists of 3 vignettes that take place in the women's room during intermission of a play. The film stars Joanna Cassidy, Danica McKellar, and Julie Brown (my wonderful scene partner).
For more info: http://www.centurycityfilmfestival.com
To book tickets in advance, go to the following website:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=74402
(The CCFF site is all flash so if you're on dialup, it may be a bit slow.)
Date: Wednesday October 27, 2004 · 12:45 PM - 2:45 PM TOMORROW!Century City Film FestivalShorts: Ha Ha Funny/Strange Part 1 (2:00:00)
(1) Hot Sex and Stan (2) Intermission (3) Tea Time (4) Husband School (5) Pol Pot's Birthday (6) Ends of the Alphabet (7) Earl's Your Uncle (8) Maestro
Location: Fairfax 37907 Beverly Blvd.Los Angeles , CA
Directions: Venue number: (323) 655-4010. Near Fairfax/Beverly Blvd. intersection. Across the street from CBS Entertainment Center.
C'mon down if you can!
Shirley
Shirley is an actress who's appeared on 'Monk', 'Strong Medicine', 'The West Wing', 'Lois & Clark', 'CSI', and 'Angel'. I've known her for so long, we now consider ourselves twins of the soul.
Anyway, she sent out this notice of a small movie she made with Danica ('The Wonder Years') McKellar and I thought I'd share it with you.
(Mostly because I'm on the road and can't do much of an entry today. Bwahahaha!
Hello Everyone,
A short film I did is now in the Century City Film Festival and it's been making the rounds on the circuit (Maryland Film Festival, Crested Butte Reel Fest, and Big Bear Lake In'tl Film Festival). "Intermission" consists of 3 vignettes that take place in the women's room during intermission of a play. The film stars Joanna Cassidy, Danica McKellar, and Julie Brown (my wonderful scene partner).
For more info: http://www.centurycityfilmfestival.com
To book tickets in advance, go to the following website:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=74402
(The CCFF site is all flash so if you're on dialup, it may be a bit slow.)
Date: Wednesday October 27, 2004 · 12:45 PM - 2:45 PM TOMORROW!Century City Film FestivalShorts: Ha Ha Funny/Strange Part 1 (2:00:00)
(1) Hot Sex and Stan (2) Intermission (3) Tea Time (4) Husband School (5) Pol Pot's Birthday (6) Ends of the Alphabet (7) Earl's Your Uncle (8) Maestro
Location: Fairfax 37907 Beverly Blvd.Los Angeles , CA
Directions: Venue number: (323) 655-4010. Near Fairfax/Beverly Blvd. intersection. Across the street from CBS Entertainment Center.
C'mon down if you can!
Shirley
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
"OFFICE" REPORT
As a member of the Museum of Television & Radio here in New York City, I get an inside shot at many events held at the museum. Unfortunaetly, because I work an overnight shift, a lot of them I have to let slip by.
But there was a recent seminar that I knew was an opportunity for a friend of mine - yet another of the "Iddiots" I've been mentioning of late, - who would love the chance to attend. It was a chance to meet Ricky Gervais, creator and star of the BBC cult comedy 'The Office'.
He was appearing at the Museum to promote the 'The Office Special' which just recently debuted on BBC-America, picking up the story of the employees at the paper company in Slough two years after the end of the regular series.
So I contacted Kim, who can be heard in the local radio worlds, and gave her the chance to see one of her comedy hotties live and in person.
Since she had the chance to take along someone else, another Iddiot friend of mine, Amy - who owns and operates a neat little teashop on 94th and Amsterdam - joined Kim for the seminar......
From Amy:
Oh, Toby!
What a fine evening Kim and I had at "The Office" screening! And I understand none of it would have been possible without your mighty television power. Thank you so much!
You scored us into the main room (no measly satellite feed for us!) and we got to sit in the second row right at the feet of Mr. Gervais! It was a really good time! Thank you so much!
Hope you're well! What's up there in Tubeworld?
Amy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here's a missive from Miss Kim:
Miss Amy and I sat second row center in the main theater, while most ticketholders to this sold out show were relegated to annex theaters! We had a blast, Toooby.
*I* even got a round of applause. (see http://www.murphguide.com/massengill.htm, 'bout middle of the page)
Thanks again for the hook-up.
You da gov'hah.
~ K
Yes.... I am beneficent AND magnanimous! (For two such lovely ladies, it's not hard to do!)
In Gervais
Probably just as well.
<> <> <>
Here's the link again to Kimberly's website:
http://www.kimberlymassengill.com/
And here's a link to a great website (run by yet ANOTHER Iddiot!) for lots of great things - especially bars! - to enjoy in New York City:
http://www.murphguide.com/
I've added that link because the Murph hosts a regular column by Kimberly and that's where I lifted this essay.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
But there was a recent seminar that I knew was an opportunity for a friend of mine - yet another of the "Iddiots" I've been mentioning of late, - who would love the chance to attend. It was a chance to meet Ricky Gervais, creator and star of the BBC cult comedy 'The Office'.
He was appearing at the Museum to promote the 'The Office Special' which just recently debuted on BBC-America, picking up the story of the employees at the paper company in Slough two years after the end of the regular series.
So I contacted Kim, who can be heard in the local radio worlds, and gave her the chance to see one of her comedy hotties live and in person.
Since she had the chance to take along someone else, another Iddiot friend of mine, Amy - who owns and operates a neat little teashop on 94th and Amsterdam - joined Kim for the seminar......
From Amy:
Oh, Toby!
What a fine evening Kim and I had at "The Office" screening! And I understand none of it would have been possible without your mighty television power. Thank you so much!
You scored us into the main room (no measly satellite feed for us!) and we got to sit in the second row right at the feet of Mr. Gervais! It was a really good time! Thank you so much!
Hope you're well! What's up there in Tubeworld?
Amy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here's a missive from Miss Kim:
Miss Amy and I sat second row center in the main theater, while most ticketholders to this sold out show were relegated to annex theaters! We had a blast, Toooby.
*I* even got a round of applause. (see http://www.murphguide.com/massengill.htm, 'bout middle of the page)
Thanks again for the hook-up.
You da gov'hah.
~ K
Yes.... I am beneficent AND magnanimous! (For two such lovely ladies, it's not hard to do!)
And for those of you who are loathe to click the hyperlink, here's Kim's report on the event:
In Gervais
Monday night your Kimberly was at the Museum of Television and Radio for the premiere of The Office Special, which will air on BBC America Thursday night. Creator, star, and plump hottie Ricky Gervais was live and in the soft, white flesh, just a few feet from me.
Your Kimberly mustered her nerve and asked something like: “Hi, Ricky.” (That part I’m sure about. I had to keep repeating to myself that his name wasn’t David.) “I’ve gotten some interesting response when playing “Paris Night” and “Free Love Highway” on the air, and I’m wondering how many more you have like that, and whether you’ve considered releasing an album of David Brent’s music.” Throw in some “uh”s and “uhm”s, and that’s pretty much it, I think.
I was, of course, too nervous to catch his answer. Mainly ‘cause I was TALKING TO RICKY FREAKING GERVAIS. I think it was something like “no,” followed by some elaboration that sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher talking.
And he said I was “sweet for doing that.” Sweet. For doing that.
I then told him I want to make his babies and hold hands with him whilst shopping at Costco and stuff. But it turns out my lips weren’t actually moving during that part.
Probably just as well.
<> <> <>
Here's the link again to Kimberly's website:
http://www.kimberlymassengill.com/
And here's a link to a great website (run by yet ANOTHER Iddiot!) for lots of great things - especially bars! - to enjoy in New York City:
http://www.murphguide.com/
I've added that link because the Murph hosts a regular column by Kimberly and that's where I lifted this essay.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Monday, October 25, 2004
SATURDAY NIGHT LIE
"The secret of drama is
To make the expected into the unexpected."
Peter Lorre
'Route 66'
Ashlee Simpson had a microphone malfunction on 'Saturday Night Live', scurrying off stage when a production glitch caught her lip-synching the wrong tune.
Simpson, who is the younger sister of singer and TV star Jessica Simpson, sounded great belting out "Pieces of Me" in her first segment on the show. And now we know why - lip-synching!
It was the same song that she butchered at August's MTV Music Video Awards, drawing withering reviews for a flat, out of key performance.
But when she came out to debut the song "Autobiography" for a second set, the hell of live TV bit her in the ass. Whoever was responsible for piping in a studio-engineered rendition for Simpson to mouth screwed up, playing "Pieces" once again.
D'OHHHHHH! (as another Simpson would say.)
Simpson hopped around briefly, looking like a badly manipulated marionette. Then she got off the stage with her tail between her legs as her band half-heartedly faked away. Luckily, mercifully, for them, the show finally cut them off and went into the salvation of a commercial.
When the cast of the live show came out to bid the audience good night, actor Jude Law tried to explain Simpson's slipup."What can I say folks, live TV," Law shrugged.
''Exactly,'' Simpson said. ''I feel so bad. My band started playing the wrong song. I didn't know what to do so I thought I'd do a hoedown.'' A still-humiliated Simpson apologized to her fans - and blamed her band for playing the wrong song.
What might hurt her most about the incident is that she bragged in print about how she hated the practice of lip-synching. "I'm totally against it and offended by it," she said in the magazine "Lucky". "Personally, I'd never lip-synch. It's just not me."
She said, "I'm going to let my real talent show, not just stand there and dance around."
With the technical glitch, she was exposed as not having any real talent and in the end she couldn't even pull off the dancing around.
I had taped the show because I was going to be at work at that time. The story was in the Sunday morning New York Daily News, so I was prepared to see it. Now, I'm one who relishes the sense of scheudenfreude, (forgive me if I spelled that wrong!) that particular delight in the misfortunes of others. And yet even I was left uncomfortable seeing her squirm about onstage, not knowing what to do. But them's the breaks when you try to force yourself onto the public as a "pop star singing sensation" by riding on the dubious coat-tails of your older sister. (And whether or not Jessica Simpon's talented is something I can't figure out.)
It didn't take long for critics to vent their rage on Ashlee Simpson's official Web site.
"Finally, you're exposed for the fraud that you are," wrote an E-mail poster named drdrewby minutes after the embarrassing performance. "You have cheated your fans and people who actually thought that you had a lick of talent. You should quit the music business because you are now and always will be a complete and utter joke."
Said CowboyJeff99: "I knew she sounded like crap live, so I was 'wondering' what was going on when her voice sounded just like the radio edit."
On AngryCountry.com, Michael Allison wrote:
"Concerts and television broadcasts should be required to specify when a performance is not LIVE both vocally and visually. I've been sitting here for twenty minutes trying to figure out a politically correct and kind phrase to serve as the disclaimer for this new rule, but so far I've come up empty.
No one is going to warn viewers or concert attendees that their performance is going to be lip-synched. Perhaps they could label it a "dramatic performance" which would at least admit that they are 'acting' like singers, without actually singing.
Obviously this wouldn't apply to scripted television (such as sitcoms) and movies where the audience expects to see acting and special effects, but when someone gets on stage at a concert or televised show (SNL, award shows, Variety shows, etc) there is an expectation of a genuine musical performance.
Live should mean Live, and if it's not live be honest about it!"
And on the Idiot's Delight Digest, my fellow Iddiot, Tim Hibbs wrote:
"Personal to Ashlee Simpson:
Blaming your band for your lip-syncing breakdown on SNL was weak, girlfriend. Judging from the scuttlebutt I heard my daughter and her friends tossing around this morning, you’d better do some damage control quick before you totally lose your tweens. Right now, they feel like you’re a big phony. And by damage control, I mean SING THE FREAKING SONGS LIVE!!! Jeez, compared to what you did Saturday night, Avril looks like Lou Reed.
Rolling Stone’s David Wild had the best line about your second SNL “song” on this morning’s 'Today' show: “It was like watching the Zapruder film of lips-yncing- you couldn’t believe you actually seeing what you were seeing.”
Catch a clue from your big sis who, underneath all the tuna and buffalo wings jokes, really can sing. Who knows, maybe you can, too, but we’ll never know unless you actually try it live. Talk it over with your 'fatherger' and give the band a big fat raise."
Blaming the band at the end, that's what bugged me the most. I have no trouble with the notion of lip-synching. It's an accepted fluke in the TV Universe, right up there with vocal dubbing. Unlike the real world, there are those people in Toobworld whose lips don't match up to what they are actually saying.
And it's not like I would hold her totally responsible. I'd also lay some blame on Lorne Michaels. I've always had this image of him - and I can't say whether there is any truth to it, - as a tight-ass control freak on that show. Now, the regular cast would probably adhere to his rules; they're under contract and most likely wouldn't want to damage their future careers.
But as we've seen in the past, the musical performances - when they're actually "live", - are something that's outside of his control once they're in progress. The two best examples are of Elvis Costello changing songs without warning on air, and Sinead O'Connor tearing up a picture of the Pope at the end of her song and declaring the Pontiff as the real enemy.
Like Mr. Allison noted, lip-synching on a show that's supposed to have a live, anything-can-happen atmosphere - a show that even has "Live" in the title! - is fraud. But for Michaels, at least he can keep it under his thumb that way.
But what do I know?
At any rate, to pass the buck and play Beat Down The Band...... There was enough time before the end of the show for everybody to realize that the audio glitch had been obvious to all, that the empress was wearing no clothes. And yet Ashlee Simpson tried to continue with the lie and topped it off by shifting the blame to her band-mates in an effort to make it look like it was still a live performance.
If I was in her band, I'd tell her to go bleep herself and quit. It was the ultimate insult and would damage my credibility as a musician if I stayed.
But as Dennis Miller would say, that's my opinion; I could be wrong.
At least we now know that 'Saturday Night Live' still has some oomph in the TV Universe after all these years. The story was picked up world-wide and Simpson is being raked over the coals for the fraud she is.
This came from rediff.com, a site out of India:
"Even as she took her position, the first track started playing again, words and all. As she awkwardly looked around while 'her voice' from Pieces… played on, the studio audience, as well as the world watching the popular television show, burst into raucous laughter.
The 'manufactured MTV darling', said the Boston Herald, has been exposed as a lip-syncing fraud.
The band tried hard to suddenly look like they were rocking appropriately to the music, a task admittedly difficult when trying to play a softer song. A clueless Ashlee tried to gyrate painfully to the music, with an impromptu hoedown, and, after 35 seconds of the humiliaton, scampered off stage."
"Raucous". "Awkwardly". "Clueless". "Painfully". I could just picture that reporter and editor gleefully skimming through a thesaurus for the most cutting of words.
Well, she's performing tonight on NBC at the Radio Music Awards - that is, if she shows up. If for no other reason, NBC should get big ratings thanks to all the people who will tune in just to see if she has the guts to make the appearance.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
(My thanks to the New York Daily News for the original news item.)
Sunday, October 24, 2004
EVEN MORE DELAYED
It seems I shared Hugh's thoughts on the alternate TV universe of Earth Prime-Time Delayed before he had finished. Here are a few more things he had to say on the subject:
You are so swift with postings, that I didn't have a chance to amend one thing I put in. The Batman movie franchise can be linked to one of the Tube Worlds. Follow my logic (and I know, it can be a long, strange trip)...
The Batman movies from Tim Burton, et al were evoked in a few commercials, putting them onto some earth. There was both a Diet Coke ad and an ad for On*Star featuring Michael Gough's Alfred, so I assume that means he and the Batman are part of a BlipVert world or possibly Prime-Time Delayed. The Batman in those On*Star ads is clearly meant to be the Tim Burton-era Dark Knight, with the Batmobile, architecture of Gotham, etc. all matching. That Batman (the stuntman in the Batsuit appearing in the commercials) played Batman in a flashback on Birds of Prey.
As I've written you before, BoP makes a great link to the animated WB shows, with Mark Hamill providing the Joker's voice in a flashback on the live action show and having been the voice of the Clown Prince of Crime throughout the WB's run of shows, which I assume are part of the Prime-Time Delayed.
Ok, that's enough for now!
Hugh
You are so swift with postings, that I didn't have a chance to amend one thing I put in. The Batman movie franchise can be linked to one of the Tube Worlds. Follow my logic (and I know, it can be a long, strange trip)...
The Batman movies from Tim Burton, et al were evoked in a few commercials, putting them onto some earth. There was both a Diet Coke ad and an ad for On*Star featuring Michael Gough's Alfred, so I assume that means he and the Batman are part of a BlipVert world or possibly Prime-Time Delayed. The Batman in those On*Star ads is clearly meant to be the Tim Burton-era Dark Knight, with the Batmobile, architecture of Gotham, etc. all matching. That Batman (the stuntman in the Batsuit appearing in the commercials) played Batman in a flashback on Birds of Prey.
As I've written you before, BoP makes a great link to the animated WB shows, with Mark Hamill providing the Joker's voice in a flashback on the live action show and having been the voice of the Clown Prince of Crime throughout the WB's run of shows, which I assume are part of the Prime-Time Delayed.
Ok, that's enough for now!
Hugh
Pretty much I agree with all of Hugh's ideas, although I'm tempted to dump all of the animated Batmans into the Tooniverse, that alternate realm where animated characters hold sway. And the splainin for the difference between the Batman of 'Super-Friends' and the Dark Knight of the WB canon?
Who knows? Still another alternate to the Tooniverse? (The Twoniverse?) Perhaps the next generation of sons picking up the mantles of their fathers in both the cases of Batman and Robin? Or perhaps a self-adjusting time loop? (Sorry, I've been delving into Douglas Adams again.....)
It's going to take some thunkin' on my part. I don't want to just toss out a theory without working out all the possible Zonks it may create. When it comes to the contradictions to be found in the TV Universe, I'll leave that to the experts - the writers, producers, directors, and actors!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
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