TOOBWORLD TAKE-AWAY: "RINGER"

I thought I might post some quick thoughts about various new TV series for the 2011 Fall season. Overall, I'd have to say this is one of the least interesting crop of new shows I've ever seen. I won't say they're the worst batch ever, but far too many of them are just not candidates for my DVR queue.

So here's the first one.....

'RINGER'
(The CW)

I found the wole plotline in the pilot episode to be unbelievable. And there wasn't one character I liked; it's the type of hook that I must have in order to stay invested in a show. But here? I ended the hour not caring what happened to any of them, not even the ones played by actors I really like (and there were only three of them in this show.)

And as for that ending, I pegged that even before the episode started.

Apparently, the level of disbelief keeps rising each week. My friend Mara, who's studying to be a lawyer, had this to say about a later episode:

"Watching 'Ringer', and there's a scene where the FBI agent picks up Bridget's phone while she's in the next room and just goes through her outgoing calls list -- the lawyer in me was like, "Nuh uh, G-Man, you can't do that!" *shakes finger*"

But the important thing for Toobworld Central is this: From what I saw in that pilot episode, there was nothing to keep 'Ringer' out of Earth Prime-Time. But that could still happen farther down the line... if it lasts that long.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: BRETT FAVRE

Yesterday marked the birthday of Brett Favre, and a year ago this past Saturday he had been investigated by the league.....

BRETT FAVRE

AS SEEN IN:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Jason Sudeikis

From Wikipedia:
Brett Lorenzo Favre (born October 10, 1969) is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), Green Bay Packers (1992–2007), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010). Favre is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 70,000 yards, over 500 touchdowns, over 300 interceptions, and over 10,000 pass attempts. He officially retired on January 17, 2011.

On October 8, 2010, the NFL began investigating Favre for allegedly sexting and leaving inappropriate voice messages for Jets "Gameday host" Jenn Sterger during the 2008 season. The investigation was in response to the voicemail recordings and photos posted by the website Deadspin the day before. In late October 2010, Favre was rumored to have admitted to NFL officials investigating the allegations that he indeed left the voicemail messages on Jenn Sterger's phone, but denied sending photos. On December 29, 2010, Favre was found not to be in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy, but was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with the investigation.

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! A "REALI-TV" CROSSOVER!

I'm really cutting it close with this one for a sked alert, as the show is airing in less than half an hour, Eastern time. But I'm only just learning about it.

It seems we've got a rarity - a "reality" crossover.

From David Hinckley of the New Daily News:
[A] good moment is what we get from this crossover collaboration between PBS' "Antiques Roadshow" and "History Detectives" over a Civil War tintype that shows a white and black man seated next to each other in Confederate Army uniforms.

Wes Cowan, who assesses the value of antiques and collectibles on "Antiques Roadshow," now becomes a history detective. He combs family archives and public records, then asks experts to analyze the evidence.

Cowan is an appropriate middleman, since the tintype was first brought to him by Chandler Battaile, its current owner and a descendant of the white Chandlers, for an "Antiques Roadshow" episode that aired in June 2009.

That 2009 episode will be rerun Monday, followed Tuesday by a new "History Detectives" with Cowan's report.

Read more

If you do miss the first part, you'll eventually find it online at the 'Antique Roadshows' page in the PBS.org website.....

For more on 'The Antiques Roadshow' and its place in Toobworld, click here.
BCnU!

BLIPVERTS: JOHN MIS-HEARD

Here's a blipvert currently making the rounds....

Confession time: For me, the lyric was

"Burning off his shoes, his hair is long"

BCnU

O'BSERVATIONS: BUT IF SHE WAS EVIL, WHERE'S THE GOATEE?

After watching tonight's presentation of 'Masterpiece Mystery'......

TVXOHOF, 10/2011 - BASIC BELACK (IN MEMORIAM)

In the New York Times obituary for actress Doris Belack, who passed away at the age of 85, two roles are given special mention - her soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie", and the judge she played in ten episodes of 'Law & Order'.

Judge Margaret Barry deserves to be inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame because she meets the basic requirement for membership - besides presiding over those court cases in the 'Law & Order' mothership, she also appeared in two episodes of the spin-off 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'. That makes her second required appearance.

And although it was never acknowledged as being part of the franchise, 'New York Undercover' was a Dick Wolf production which had several small connections to 'Law & Order'. Judge Margaret Barry's appearance in the episode "Catharsis" was one of those links, even if she was never identified by name.

And that makes three.

Ms. Belack played a Judge Venezia in an episode of 'Cosby'. Had her character gone nameless, we might have included her as well.

(It should be noted that in her first appearance, in the episode "Happily Ever After", her nameplate displayed the name "Barrie Morton". But then, all of the judges in that episode had that same nameplate. Whoever was the court bailiff that day wasn't firing on all cylinders.)

'Law & Order'
Happily Ever After (23 October 1990)
The Torrents of Greed: Part 1 (12 February 1991)
Cradle to Grave (31 March 1992)
Golden Years (5 January 1994)
Old Friends (25 May 1994)
Wannabe (15 March 1995)
Girlfriends (1 May 1996)
Denial (8 October 1997)
Venom (18 November 1998)
School Daze (16 May 2001)

'New York Undercover'
Catharsis (1999) … Judge

'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Closure: Part 2 (3 November 2000)
Pique (4 May 2001)

Her Honor is not the intended inductee to represent October; that will be revealed next weekend. But in the past, I've always mentioned how certain minor characters deserved to be inducted after the actor passes away and then never get around to paying them such a tribute. I don't want to make the mistake ever again.

Toobworld Central salutes you, Justice Barry, and Doris Belack as well. 

Good night and may God bless.

BCnU......

AS SEEN ON TV: ORSON WELLES

Orson Welles passed away on this date 26 years ago.....

ORSON WELLES

AS SEEN IN:
"RKO 281"

AS PLAYED BY:
Liev Schreiber

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time (conditional)

From Wikipedia:
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985), best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio. Noted for his innovative dramatic productions as well as his distinctive voice and personality, Welles is widely acknowledged as one of the most accomplished dramatic artists of the twentieth century, especially for his significant and influential early work—despite his notoriously contentious relationship with Hollywood. His distinctive directorial style featured layered, nonlinear narrative forms, innovative uses of lighting such as chiaroscuro, unique camera angles, sound techniques borrowed from radio, deep focus shots, and long takes. Welles's long career in film is noted for his struggle for artistic control in the face of pressure from studios. Many of his films were heavily edited and others left unreleased. He has been praised as a major creative force and as "the ultimate auteur."

After directing a number of high-profile theatrical productions in his early twenties, including an innovative adaptation of "Macbeth" and "The Cradle Will Rock", Welles found national and international fame as the director and narrator of a 1938 radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel "The War of the Worlds" performed for the radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was reported to have caused widespread panic when listeners thought that an invasion by extraterrestrial beings was occurring. Although these reports of panic were mostly false and overstated, they rocketed Welles to instant notoriety.

"Citizen Kane" (1941), his first film with RKO, in which he starred in the role of Charles Foster Kane, is often considered the greatest film ever made. Several of his other films, including "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942), "The Lady from Shanghai" (1947), "Touch of Evil" (1958), "Chimes at Midnight" (1965), and "F for Fake" (1974), are also widely considered to be masterpieces.

In 2002, he was voted the greatest film director of all time in two separate British Film Institute polls among directors and critics, and a wide survey of critical consensus, best-of lists, and historical retrospectives calls him the most acclaimed director of all time. Well known for his baritone voice, Welles was also an extremely well regarded actor and was voted number 16 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list of the greatest American film actors of all time. He was also a celebrated Shakespearean stage actor and an accomplished magician, starring in troop variety shows in the war years.

For More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles

Orson Welles was voted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame as a member of the League of Themselves.  The argument could be made for him to be inducted again due to the various actors who have played him in different TV productions - everything from 'Studio One' to 'The War Of The Worlds' and 'Pinky And The Brain' 
 
BCnU!

BUDDY & SALLY'S HEAD CASE

The 50th anniversary for 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' may have been last Monday, but I'm still finding ways to celebrate. Can you blame me?

This would be the last time we ever saw Buddy and Sally together, as played by Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. Sally would show up once more, the reunion TV movie from six years ago.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CHARLEMAGNE

On this date in 768, Carloman I and Charlemagne were crowned Kings of The Franks......

CHARLEMAGNE

AS SEEN IN:

"Pippin: His Life And Times"

AS PLAYED BY:

Benjamin Rayson

TV DIMENSION:
ToobStage*

From Wikipedia:

Charlemagne (possibly 742 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800. His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define both Western Europe and the European Middle Ages. He is numbered as Charles I in the regnal lists of Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and France.

Today he is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as a Pater Europae (father of Europe): his empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans, and the Carolingian renaissance encouraged the formation of a common European identity.

In Earth Prime-Time, he met the Time Lord known as "The Doctor".

The Doctor:

"I was deep in the Ardennes, trying to find Charlemagne.

He had been kidnapped by an insane computer."

Agatha Christie:

"Charlemagne lived centuries ago!"

The Doctor:

"I've got a very good memory."

'Doctor Who'

BCnU!

* As this was a musical, they were probably visited by the dimension-hopping demon, Mr. Sweet (TV Crossover Hall Of Fame member from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'.)

SKED ALERT: 'BOARDWALK EMPIRE' - TONIGHT!

Here are a couple of clips from tonight's episode of 'Boardwalk Empire' on HBO, with the coming attractions trailer for the episode as well:

'Boardwalk Empire' airs on HBO Sunday nights at 9 PM EST. Check your local listings.

BCnU!