REDFORD'S LOSSES

Here's a press release from the Sundance Channel via Verne Gay's Newsday TV Zone blog (link to the left):

"Sundance Channel will pay tribute to Paul Newman tomorrow with the airing of “Iconoclasts: Redford and Newman” as well as “The Making of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” beginning at 6pm ET/PT. These two programs will be airing throughout the week...

Robert Redford also had a quote to go with this: "I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it."

Redford just lost his friend and less than two months ago he lost his cousin, actor Jeff MacKay, who played Mac on 'Magnum P.I.' and Corky in 'Tales Of The Gold Monkey'........

BCnU....
Toby O'B

OUT OF THE JUNK DRAWER.....

After seeing Captain Awesome's "junk" in the shower, a traumatized 'Chuck' Bartowski was eating "Nuts & More" cereal.
But there's more to the joke than that......

The commenters at Alan Sepinwall's blog "What's Alan Watching?" (see the link to the left, Super Troopers!) are some of the most knowledgeable televisiologists I've ever "hung out" with (no "junk" involved). And Pamela Jaye added this tidbit o' trivia:

"Apparently it's a cross-network cereal, as Cristina has also eaten it, on 'Grey's Anatomy' - twice."

I'm taking her word for it. As a fictional product that enriches the TV Universe, "Nuts & More" can now link 'Chuck' to 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Someday I'm going to get the necessary pics that shows the breakfast cereal which links 'My Favorite Martian' to 'The Courtship Of Eddie's Father'!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

BIG BANG BAG O' ZONKS!

When Sheldon had to splain how he was able to pack so quickly on the season premiere of 'The Big Bang Theory', he told Leonard, "It's my pre-packed disaster evacuation bag. It’s recommended by the Department of Homeland Security and Sarah Connor." ("The Bad Fish Paradigm")

I love this kind of Zonk! The writer of the episode knew he didn't have to beat the audience over the head with who Sarah Connor was or what TV show/movie she's in, etc. This gives us plenty of leeway in disabling the Zonk.

Because the "Terminator" movies and the TV series 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" were not mentioned by Sheldon, we can make the assumption he was talking about the actual woman.

Sheldon probably spends a lot of time on the internet, and he's probably come across websites that deal in revolutionary themes - survivalist manifestos, the Anarchist's Cookbook, that sort of thing. I don't think Sarah Connor herself would have posted about the do's and don'ts of survivalist preparedness, but her advice to others while she was hiding out with those South American rebels might have been passed on via the web.

And that's how Sheldon would have stumbled across the information... information... information.....

Zonk terminated!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

COMING SOON: "CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS"

On the trip to the train station last week so that I could get back to Toobworld Central, my brother and I were talking about old TV mini-series. I mentioned my favorite, 'Centennial' and how I now owned the DVD boxed-set; the two-part TV movie 'Vanished', based on a novel by Fletcher Knebel and starring Richard Widmark with an all-star cast; and 'Captains And The Kings', based on the novel by Taylor Caldwell.

'Captains And The Kings' came up because of a blackmail sequence near the end of the original movie version of "All The King's Men", which we saw on TCM that Wednesday night. It reminded me of a scene between Richard Jordan and Henry Fonda in the mini-series.

When I got home, this e-mail was waiting for me from TV Shows On DVD:

We've added a news item for "Captains and the Kings (mini-series)" to the site. Here it is:

The Classic 1976 Drama Miniseries is Coming to DVD in January - 1:05 PM 9/29/2008 "Captains and the Kings" is on the way to DVD, and we've got the release date and cover art for you in the TVShowsOnDVD News!

Here's the cover art for 'Captains And The Kings'.

Suze Orman says that I should lay off using the plastic and bring down my debt in these perilous financial times and I'm going to take her advice. But right after I order this, a Toobworld holy grail!

BCnU!

Toby O'B

TODAY'S TWD: PLATO'S RETREAD

The Greek philosopher Plato is the last in the triumvirate of historical figures whom Paul Newman portrayed on 'You Are There'.......

Plato (428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), was a Classical Greek philosopher, who, together with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy. Plato was also a mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world. Plato was originally a student of Socrates, and was as much influenced by his thinking as by what he saw as his teacher's unjust death.

Plato's sophistication as a writer can be witnessed by reading his Socratic dialogues. Some of the dialogues, letters, and other works that are ascribed to him are considered spurious. Although there is little question that Plato lectured at the Academy that he founded, the pedagogical function of his dialogues, if any, is not known with certainty. The dialogues since Plato's time have been used to teach a range of subjects, mostly including philosophy, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, and other subjects about which he wrote.

The trial of Socrates is the central, unifying event of the great Platonic dialogues. Because of this, Plato's Apology is perhaps the most often read of the dialogues. In the Apology, Socrates tries to dismiss rumors that he is a sophist and defends himself against charges of disbelief in the gods and corruption of the young. Socrates insists that long-standing slander will be the real cause of his demise, and says the legal charges are essentially false. Socrates famously denies being wise, and explains how his life as a philosopher was launched by the oracle at Delphi. He says that his quest to resolve the riddle of the oracle put him at odds with his fellow man, and that this is the reason he has been mistaken for a menace to the city-state of Athens.

Here's an interesting look at the Cult of Plato.....

Aliens from another world came to Earth and were caught up by the teachings of Plato, which they took with them when they departed the planet. However, by the time the crew of the starship Enterprise met those same beings thousands of years later (in the 'Star Trek' episode "Plato's Stepchildren"), those values had been corrupted by their long-lived petty cruelties.

Others who have played Plato in Toobworld are Peter Needham in "The Apple", an episode of 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys', and J.G. Hertzler in the "Double Time" episode of 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch'.

BCnU!
Toby O'B

TODAY'S TWD: NATHAN HALE

I'm not sure it will work out, but I'm going to try for a Paul Newman-related Tiddlywinkydink every day this week. We'll see how it goes.

Paul Newman played three different historical figures on 'You Are There' - Brutus, Plato, and Nathan Hale.

There have been several portrayals of Nathan Hale on television over the years:

Kevin Anderson (I) (Nathan Hale)

. . . Hale the Hero (1992) (TV)

Brandon De Wilde (Young Nathan Hale)

. . . "Young Rebels, The" (1970) {To Hang a Hero (#1.4)} TV Series

Paul Newman (I) (Nathan Hale)

. . . "You Are There" (1953) {The Fate of Nathan Hale (September 22, 1776) (#2.1)} TV Series

Jeremy Slate (I) (Captain Nathan Hale)

. . . "Great Adventure, The" (1963) {The Story of Nathan Hale (#1.5)} TV Series

The TV movie starring Kevin Anderson should probably be considered the official standard bearer for Hale's life in the TV Universe, as it may be more detailed. But I always have a soft spot for those portrayals of historical figures in scripted TV series, when they interact with fictional characters. So I'm also leaning towards De Wilde's Nathan Hale in 'The Young Rebels', especially as the episode doesn't really interfere with established facts. The three main characters, members of the Yankee Doodle Society of spies and saboteurs, act on the periphery of the historical account.

Here is a biographical thumbnail sketch of Nathan Hale, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an officer for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Widely considered America's first spy, he volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission, but was captured by the British. He is best remembered for his speech before being hanged following the Battle of Long Island, in which he reportedly said, "I only regret that I have but one life to give my country."

Hale has long been considered an American hero and, in 1985, he was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut (my home state).

You can read more about him at his Wikipedia page.

That episode of 'The Young Rebels', "To Hang A Hero", shows Nathan Hale giving the full quote as "I am well satisfied with the cause in which I have engaged. I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country!"

In Toobworld, his sacrifice inspired the parents of Nathan Bridger ('Seaquest DSV') to name him after Hale. (However, this show probably takes place in an alternate dimension, perhaps the one that is home to Jeremy Slate's portrayal of the Revolutionary War hero on 'The Great Adventure'.

Coincidentally, Newman and De Wilde appeared together in the movie "Hud".........

I've always been honored that I share the same birthday as Nathan Hale, separated by 200 years......

BCnU!
Toby O'B

LINKIN' WHOOPI

Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, and Elizabeth Hasselbeck all appeared as their televersions in the Toobworld version of 'The View' on this week's "Fire Sale" episode of 'Entourage'. For Whoopi, it's another notch in her League of Themselves tally as she brings more shows together in the TV Universe.

"30 Rock" .... Herself

- The Rural Juror (2007)

Jiminy Glick in Lalawood (2004)

[A movie, but spun off from a TV character]

"Cursed" .... Herself

- ...And Then the Sex Freaked Jack Out (2001)

"Movie Stars" .... Herself
- Oscar Wild (2000)

"The Nanny" .... Herself

- Making Whoopi (1998)

"L.A. Doctors" .... Herself

- A Prayer for the Lying (1998)

"Muppets Tonight" .... Herself

- Episode #1.9 (1996)

For alls I know, there may be others.....

And as the reflection in this funhouse mirror, here's a picture of the cast from 'Entourage' on the real version of 'The View' in Las Vegas:
BCnU!
Toby O'B

ZONK OF THE BEASTMASTER!

The Netflix of Toobworld gained seven more movies with "The Mousetrap", the latest episode of 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'. We got to see a clip from "Beast Wizard 7", a movie that starred George Lazlo and which was a direct to video cheapie that didn't make any money... until the Terminator that looked like Lazlo killed 20 FBI agents.

According to Elisa, who posted a comment on Alan Sepinwall's blog (link to the left, T-1000s!): "The B-Movie within the show was a direct scene steal (lines and everything) from Beastmaster, a cheesy B-movie from the 80s starring Marc Singer (of V fame) and Tanya Roberts (Sheena lives!) that spawned some sequels including cheesy syndicated TV-show."
If so, we don't have to worry about any Zonks here. The Beastmaster actually lived in Toobworld back in the Time of Legend, and instead of having movies titled "The Beast Master" - as we do in the real world - Toobworld had at least seven movies in the "Beast Wizard" franchise, which would have been based on the life of the Beastmaster. The Marc Singer movie has no place in Toobworld.

(When Crow T. Robot queries "Beastmaster?" while watching "Pod People" on 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000', he was riffing on Dar, the actual Beastmaster, not the movie character. And "Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Beastmaster' on 'Robot Chicken' belongs in a different TV dimension.)

BCnU!
Toby O'B

TOO LATE NOW....

Paul Newman would have been quite a coup in casting as Mark Valley's father in just about any project. But especially in an episode of 'Keen Eddie', back when he was healthier.

Just sayin', is all.....

BCnU!

Toby O'B

TODAY'S TWD: ET TOOB, BRUTE

As I mentioned in my tribute to Paul Newman, I mentioned the rumor that Brutus was the bastard son of Julius Caesar. (Paul Newman played Brutus on an episode of 'You Are There'.)

Here's some more about Brutus from Wikipedia:

Marcus Junius Brutus (85–42 BC) or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. He is best known in modern times for taking a leading role in the assassination conspiracy against Julius Caesar.

Brutus was the son of Marcus Junius Brutus the Elder and Servilia Caepionis. His father was a legatus to Pompey the Great; his mother was the half-sister of Cato the Younger, and later became Julius Caesar's mistress. Some sources refer to the possibility of Caesar being his real father, but this is unlikely since Caesar was 15 at the time of Brutus' birth.

Brutus' uncle, Quintus Servilius Caepio, adopted him when he was a young man and Brutus was known as Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus for an unknown period of time.Brutus held his uncle in high regard and his political career started when he became an assistant to Cato, during his governorship of Cyprus. During this time, he enriched himself by lending money at high rates of interest. He returned to Rome a rich man, where he married Claudia Pulchra. From his first appearance in the Senate, Brutus aligned with the Optimates (the conservative faction) against the First Triumvirate of Marcus Licinius Crassus, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar.

Around this time, many senators began to fear Caesar's growing power following his appointment as dictator for life. Brutus was pressured into joining the conspiracy against Caesar by the other senators and he also discovered messages written on the busts of his ancestors. Brutus, influenced by his loyalty to Cato and Porcia, finally decided to move against Caesar in 44 BC. His wife was the only woman privy to the plot.

The conspirators planned to carry out their plot on the Ides of March that same year. On that day, Caesar was delayed going to the Senate because his wife, Calpurnia Pisonis, tried to convince him not to go. The conspirators feared the plot had been found out. Brutus persisted, however, waiting for Caesar at the Senate, and allegedly still chose to remain even when a messenger brought him news that would otherwise have caused him to leave.

When Caesar finally did come to the Senate, they attacked him. Publius Servilius Casca was allegedly the first to attack Caesar with a blow to the shoulder, which Caesar blocked. However, upon seeing Brutus was with the conspirators, he covered his face with his toga and resigned himself to his fate.

The conspirators attacked in such numbers that they even wounded one another. Brutus is said to have been wounded in the hand.

BCnU!
Toby O'B