PHIL AND CLAIRE ON THE TOOBWORLD TIMELINE

Phil and Claire Dunphy went to see the Tournament of Roses Parade when Angela Lansbury was the Grand Marshal. That would have been in 1993.

Phil concluded that reminiscence with "Good times, she wrote." Although we know that to be a reference to Ms. Lansbury's TV series 'Murder, She Wrote', within the "reality" of Toobworld, it could have meant anything else. (Phil's always saying clueless stuff.)

BCnU

AS SEEN ON TV: PETER FINCH

PETER FINCH

AS SEEN IN:
"Darlings Of The Gods"

AS PLAYED BY:
Jerome Ehlers (seen above)

&

'E! Mysteries & Scandals'
- "The Vivian Leigh Story"

AS PLAYED BY:
David Violi

From Wikipedia:
Peter Finch (28 September 1916 – 14 January 1977) was a British-born Australian actor. He is best remembered for his role as 'crazed' television anchorman Howard Beale in the film "Network", which earned him a posthumous Academy Award for Best Actor, his fifth Best Actor award from the BAFTA, and a Best Actor award from the Golden Globes. He was the first of two people to win a posthumous Academy Award in an acting category; the other was fellow Australian Heath Ledger.

BCnU!

ENTITLEMENT

Earlier this year, there was a lot of speculation about 'Cougar Town' - since the show had veered so much from its original premise of an older woman dating younger men, critics wondered if there would be a change in the title.

With the sophomore season opener, Bill Lawrence & Co. addressed the situation:

Another show that played with its title was 'The Defenders'. As a billboard advertising the law firm of Morelli & Kaczmarek made its debut, Pete Kaczmarek shouted "The Defenders!"

(I realize it's a generic title, but couldn't they have found one that didn't step on the memories of the earlier classic?)

BCnU!

JUST WONDERIN'......

In the series debut of 'Boardwalk Empire', when the Federal agents were being sworn in, the FBI chief led the recitation of the oath with: "I - state your name....."

Did anybody else get that "Blazing Saddles" vibe? BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MEAT LOAF

MEAT LOAF

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Chris Farley

From Wikipedia:
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947), better known by his stage name Meat Loaf is an American rock musician and actor. He is noted for the Bat Out of Hell album trilogy consisting of Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Bat Out of Hell has sold more than 43 million copies. After more than 30 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and stayed on the charts for over nine years.

Although he enjoyed success with Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for a track on the latter album, Meat Loaf experienced some initial difficulty establishing a steady career within his native United States. However, he has retained iconic status and popularity in Europe, especially the UK, where he ranks 23rd for number of weeks overall spent on the charts. He ranked 96th on VH1's '100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock'.

Meat Loaf has also appeared in over 50 movies or television shows sometimes as himself, or as characters resembling his stage persona. His most notable roles include Eddie and Dr. Scott in the American premiere of The Rocky Horror Show, Eddie in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Robert "Bob" Paulson in Fight Club, Dennis the Spice Bus Driver in Spice World, and Jack Black's father in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (a character who, ironically, hates rock music and believes it to be evil).

Meat Loaf was born on this day in 1947......

BCnU!

MATERNAL MIX-UP

From the 'Have Gun Will Travel' disk for the episode "Les Girls":

Isabel Randolph played Clara Petrie, except for one episode in which Carol Veazie was the recastaway.

Mabel Albertson played Dick Preston's mother in 'The New Dick Van Dyke Show'......

BCnU!

HOWEVER, I WIKI'D THE INFORMATION.....

Google was founded on this date in 1998.

Inner Toob would have been nearly impossible to do so quickly each day if it weren't for the access to the site....

Happy B'day, Google!

VIDEO SUNDAY: MIXED BAG

It's a "mixed bag" for Video Sunday.....

First up, because Petula Clark was referenced in a 'Mad Men' scene last Sunday, followed by this song playing in the background of the very next scene.....








'Hawaii Five-O' - the new version - proved to be more interesting than I thought it would be. In fact, I think it was the only new show that I really enjoyed seeing during premiere week. Despite my Toobworld O'Bsessions, it will be most likely added to my DVR queue. As a show taking place outside of Earth Prime-Time, it looks to be this season's 'The West Wing' for me. (And only for that reason - that comparison has NOTHING to do with quality!)

Here's the new version of that classic theme song:





And now here's the classic opening for you to compare:





And here's how the credits for "Star Wars" would look with that theme song:





I'm adding the next clip to the "As Seen On TV" showcase for Arnold Rothstein from earlier last week. But since it won't get as much traffic there, I'll share it here today - a 'Boardwalk Empire' coming attraction:





Here are two variations on the opening credits for 'That Girl':








And, just to be goofy, are two riffs on that classic:


THAT GAY



THAT GAL



Finally, because the visuals for 'That Girl' served as a great advertisement for New York City, here are two variations on the theme for another sitcom set in the Big Apple:







Aloha!

THE RETURN OF "BORED TO DEATH"

HBO brings back 'Bored To Death' for its sophomore season tonight. It's the story of a writer trying to find some meaning/fulfillment in his life by becoming an private eye. It's pretty off-beat, with a great cast, and it serves as a picture postcard advertisement for the borough of Brooklyn.....

Ep. 9: Clip - Ray & Leah do yoga

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JOHNNY TORRIO

'Boardwalk Empire' got off to a great start last week, with the biggest debut for HBO in six years. Based on just that one episode, the show has already been renewed for a second season.

Here's another member of the rogues' gallery in 'Boardwalk Empire':

JOHNNY TORRIO

AS SEEN IN:
'Boardwalk Empire'

AS PLAYED BY:
Gene Antonacci

From Wikipedia:
John "Papa Johnny" Torrio, also known as "The Fox" (February 1882 – April 16, 1957) was an Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that would later be inherited by his protege, Al Capone. He also put forth the idea of the National Crime Syndicate in the 1930s and later became an unofficial advisor to the Genovese crime family.

BCnU!