AN EARTH PRIME-TIME PRIMER

Two new series have appeared in the TV Universe recently... but not in the main TV dimension. Both of them are remakes of shows that have already claimed their place in Earth Prime Time.

Usually, remakes are relegated to Earth Prime Time-Delay, but only one of these series will end up in that alternate dimension. We'll have to come up with a new classification for the other show's homeworld.

The shows? 'Little House On The Prairie' and 'Kojak'.

First, let's review the dimensional crap.....

Earth Prime - That's our Earth. The World We Live In. Reality. Some of you might be familiar with the concept. Earth Prime Time - The main TV Land. Here we call it Toobworld to give it our own brand. People from "Real Life" may appear in Toobworld, but you'll never see those fictional characters inhabiting our world. And if you do, seek help.

There are many off-shoots of Earth Prime Time; in fact, there are thousands. The premise is best splained by Quinn Mallory's prologue in every episode of 'Sliders':

"What if you could find brand new worlds right here on Earth where anything's possible? Same planet - different dimension."

Among the many dimensions we have to deal with in the Toobworld Dynamic (and the shows that are situated there) are:

The "Evil Mirror" Universe - featured in 'Star Trek', 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys', and 'Blake's Seven' The

Tooniverse - For the most part, human cartoon characters are considered just the artistic representation of real human beings. Cartoon series like 'Futurama', 'The Critic', and 'Where's Huddles?' would be part of the main TV Universe.

But if the characters interact with talking humanoid animals, then they get tossed over to the Tooniverse. That's where you would find all the 'Scooby Doo' variations, 'Underdog', 'Wally Gator', 'Family Guy' and yes, even 'The Simpsons'. ('The Flintstones' would be an exception due to the fact that there were talking 'Dinosaurs!' on Earth Prime Time.)

Because of the difference as to who occupies the White House, shows like 'The West Wing', '24', and eventually 'Jack & Bobby' get their own TV dimensions. And at least on Earth Jed-Prime (for 'The West Wing'), there are other series which occupy the same dimension, among them 'Mr. Sterling' and 'Smallville'.

But for all of the many TV shows that are remakes of earlier series, they are placed in a dimension we have dubbed Earth Prime Time-Delay.. They are looked upon as being the same shows, but occurring later in the timeline than the originals over in the main TV Universe.

For example - 'Dark Shadows', 'The New Addams Family', '87th Precinct'.

Apparently, in quantum physics, there is no such thing as absolute time. There is only relative time which is relative to the location and the speed of the observer.

So, although the stories of the '87th Precinct' might have taken place in the early 1960s, new viewers in the 1990s saw the same characters - but as they now acted and looked for that time period. As the audience changed and the writing matured, so did the texture of the show, making it impossible to keep on the same world where once we saw it.

'Star Trek' has a term for this type of splainin, you know. Techno-babble.

Of course that rule could be absolved for shows set in the far past, like those about Zorro, Sherlock Holmes, and Robin Hood. And that's the situation in which we find ourselves with the first show under consideration, 'Little House
On The Prairie'.

[To Be Continued....]

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE POPES OF TOOBWORLD

I received some responses to my posts re: the Pope in TV Land.....

Two other Gene Greytak possibilities....

He was the Pope in one of the Naked Gun movies, which backtracks through the cineverse to Police Squad! (In Color).

Also, I remember an ad for Father Dowling Mysteries with Gretak in Papal garb, offering a silent thumbs up.

So the Pope hits the Adverse and Cineverse along with the Televerse.
- Hugh
~~~~~~~~~
If you're going to use that episode of "Just The Ten Of Us" in which the Pope appears only in a dream sequence, then you oughtta use the two-part "ALF" episode in which he dreamed about hosting the "Tonight" show.

The Pope shows up in that dream as one of ALF's guests on the couch. I think there's even a website out there that's got a picture of the two of them together....
Jaia

"Tonight, Tonight (1+2)"
gs: Ed McMahon [ Himself ] ALF hosts "The Tonight Show", with Ed McMahon. b: 24 Oct 88 pc: 3006 w: Lisa A. Bannick, Steve Pepoon, Al Jean, Michael Reiss d: Burt Brinckerhoff
~~~~~~~~~
Okay, now with this one, I'm thinking you didn't go to the IMDb.com. Or maybe you didn't use it right.

Maybe you were too specific with the names you were looking for?

Cause I know Bob Hoskins played Pope John the 23rd once. "Papa Bono" I think was the name of the tv movie, you'll have to look it up. I remember seeing the soundtrack for it by Morricone.

Okay, maybe you should go back to the IMDb.com and just type in "Pope". I quick ran down the list on that first page and saw at least one more for Pope Paul the 6th, and for Pius the 12th as well.

And I'm talking the TV stuff only, not the movies. Looks like that's all you'r einterested in here or otherwise you'd of put in all the movies that Greytack made where he played the Pope.
Jaia
~~~~~~~
So I seemed to have been remiss in listing Popes other than John Paul II who have been portrayed on TV. I had a listing or two for the others in the last half of the 20th Century, most notably John XXIII, but totally missed out on portrayals of Paul VI and Pius XII it seems.

Here then, is a list of all the Popes who have been portrayed in TV productions. This is a telecentric blog, so we do not mention here Rex Harrison in "The Agony And The Ecstasy" nor (especially!) Ringo Starr in "Lizstomania".

But there are two portrayals that do have links to movies so we included those as well......

F. Murray Abraham (Pope Julius II)
. . . Season of Giants, A (1991) (TV)
Ed Asner (John XXIII)
. . . Papa Giovanni - Ioannes XXIII (2002) (TV)
Christopher Benjamin (The Pope)
. . . Leonardo (2003) (TV)
José-Maria Berzosa (Le pope)
. . . Île bleue, L' (1983) (TV)
Raymond Burr (Angelo Roncanelle, Pope John XXIII)
. . . Portrait: A Man Whose Name Was John (1973) (TV)
Carlo Croccolo (Pope Gregory I)
. . . "Inside the Vatican" (1993) (mini) TV Series
Milorad Daljevic (Pope)
. . . List (2001) (TV)
Dom DeLuise (The Pope (This Is The Life))
. . . 'Weird Al' Yankovic Video Library: His Greatest Hits, The (1992) (V)
Dom DeLuise (The Pope)
. . . Johnny Dangerously (1984)
[Obviously this must be a fictional pope, but what the heck, we decided to keep him in!]
James Deuter (The Pope)
. . . Charley Hannah (1986) (TV)
Hans Dornbusch (Pope Alexander VII)
. . . Christina (1988) (TV)
Charles Durning (Pope John XXIII)
. . . I Would Be Called John: Pope John XXIII (1987) (TV)
Albert Finney (Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II))
. . . Pope John Paul II (1984) (TV)
Manfred Freyberger (Pope John Paul II)
. . . Papocchio, Il (1981)
Richard Gant (Pope)
. . . Men Don't Tell (1993) (TV)
John Gielgud (Pope Pius XII)
. . . Scarlet and the Black, The (1983) (TV)
John Glyn-Jones (Pope Paul)
. . . Malatesta (1964) (TV)
Eugene Greytak (The Pope)
. . . Hot Shots! (1991)
. . . Just the Ticket (1999)
. . . Miss Cast Away (2004)
. . . Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
. . . Repossessed (1990)
. . . Sister Act (1992)
[Greytak is the actor most often called upon to portray John Paul II in TV shows. We listed those credits a few days ago.]
Norman Henry (Pope Pius VII)
. . . "Napoleon and Love" (1972) (mini) TV Series
Michael Hordern (Pope Urban VIII)
. . . Lamp at Midnight (1966) (TV)
Bob Hoskins (Angelo Roncalli/Pope John XXIII)
. . . Papa buono, Il (2003) (TV)
Eliasz Kuziemski (Pope)
. . . Aktorka (1971) (TV)
Henri Labussière (Le pope)
. . . Procès de Shamgorod, Le (1982) (TV)
Burt Lancaster (Teobaldo Visconti/Pope Gregory X)
. . . "Marco Polo" (1982) (mini) TV Series
Heinz Lyschik (Pope)
. . . "In aller Freundschaft" (1998) TV Series
T.P. McKenna (Pope Julius II)
. . . Raphael: A Mortal God (2004) (TV)
Cezary Morawski (Karol Wojtyla/Pope John Paul II)
. . . From a Far Country (1981)
Arnaldo Ninchi (Pope Pius IX)
. . . Don Bosco (2004) (TV)
Ferenc Némethy (Pope Paul the Sixth)
. . . Devictus Vincit (1994) (TV)
John Phillips (VI) (Pope Grigoris)
. . . "Christ Recrucified" (1969) (mini) TV Series
Anthony Quayle (The Pope)
. . . Confessional (1989) (TV)
Remo Remotti (Pope Julius II)
. . . "Inside the Vatican" (1993) (mini) TV Series
Andrew Schofield (I) (Pope)
. . . Sharpe's Mission (1996) (TV)
László Sinkó (I) (Pope Pius)
. . . Devictus Vincit (1994) (TV)
Yordan Spirov (Pope)
. . . Papa Giovanni - Ioannes XXIII (2002) (TV)
[Most likely he was portraying Pius XII.]
Rod Williams (I) (The Pope)
. . . Garbo (1992)
John Wood (I) (Pope Pius VII)
. . . "Napoléon" (2002) (mini) TV Series

It's always possible some of these characters only have the name of "Pope", or have it as a nickname. I apologize for any possible errors.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK

'THE APPRENTICE' & DOMINO'S PIZZA
VS.
PAPA JOHN'S PIZZA

Ordinarily, a TV crossover is supposed to work as a team; one half of the crossover should be in support of the other, either beginning or finishing off a shared storyline.

Normally, one wouldn't expect the crossover to be at cross purposes with itself.

But that's what happened with the Crossover Of The Week on this past Thursday.......

The challenge for the two teams competing on 'The Apprentice', Net Worth and Magna, was to create a new pizza sensation for Domino's. Why? Probably because Domino's poured a ton of money into the show's production to get some product placement publicity out of the deal.

The episode also marked Donald Trump's debut as the commercial spokesman for Domino's, at least for two blipverts which would trumpet the new "American Classic Cheeseburger" pizza. (Whoop-ti-doo. It sounds like their Bacon Cheeseburger pizza but with added layers of tomatoes and onions and three cheeses.)

This occurs, by the way, nearly ten years after Trump sold himself out to be the spokesman for Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza in an ad that he did with his wife at the time, Ivana. Ya gotta wonder if he'll be whoring himself out for yet another pizza company in a decade and with yet another trophy wife on his arm.

And now for the tasty extra: like a virus attacking the host body from within, the crossover occurred during the episode itself, in the form of a commercial from rival pizza-maker Papa John's. It reminded me of one of those trash-talking answer songs from back in the early sixties.....

The delivery chain aired a 30 second spot during the show which featured John Schnatter, founder and chairman of Papa John's, in a boardroom setting that was meant to evoke the image of Trump in his lair.

"Why eat a pizza made by apprentices when you can call the pros at Papa John's?" he asks. And considering the jerks that toady to curry favor with Trump, it's a valid question.

(Ewwwww. Now I can't get the image of a Domino pizza with the flavor of curried toad out of my head. Maybe a Crunchy Frog from the Whizzo Quality Assortment might get rid of the taste.)

I hope it was considered a big black eye for Trump. (Personally I think he should have been hawking a different flavor for his pizza - jerk sauce.) Although he kept harrumphing that they were doing a meatball pizza on his say-so - after all, as far as he's concerned, the show is still "the hottest show on television." Yeah, right. Peddle that paper to 'Desperate Housewives' or 'Lost'! - Domino's stuck to their guns and pushed the Classic Cheeseburger flavor instead. Apparently, their marketing meat-heads claimed that meatball pizzas aren't staggeringly popular in the manor, squire.

I'm sorry. Did I call them meat-heads? That was an insult... to Mike Stivic.

I meant yam-heads.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"LOST" IN THOUGHT

It's been stated by the producers of 'Lost' since the beginning that somebody was going to die before the season ended. And with the plane "crash" last week, it's beginning to look a lot like it's Boone Carlisle who's going to buy the farm.

In the promos for next week's episode, Boone begs Jack to "let me go". When they first crashed on the island, Jack was totally against the idea of mercy killing, and only dispatched the federal agent because Sawyer botched it when he stepped in to do it.

But they've been on the island now for a few months now. Such a hardship could change a man's way of thinking. Maybe Jack would ease Boone's suffering and help him cross over to the other side.

Or it could be that Jack will stick to his Hyppocratic oath - isn't the title for next week, "Do No Harm"?

So someone else has to step up to the plate and relieve Boone's slow suffering death, and there are three possibilities:

Shannon - out of her too-late realization of how much she really did love her step-brother, she kills him.

Sayid - because of his feelings for Shannon, he agrees to her request to do it using the skills he gained in the Republican Guard.

or my personal favorite because it's kind of out of left field.....

Sun - with her knowledge of the various plants on the island, she must know of something Boone could chew on that would kill him and end his suffering. And I think she has the "compassion" to help him....

Hrmmm..... the three "S"'s

But then again....... what if the promos are misleading? What if we're only being led to believe that it's going to be Boone and we're being set up for a bigger shock of a surprise?

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

THE CATHODE CATHOLIC

Except for the two TV movies bracketing this list, Gene Greytak portrayed Pope John Paul II in all of these TV shows. Perhaps there were other actors who played him in a fictional setting; maybe there are TV shows in which he played a part but was not seen in doing so. If so, I'm hoping someone out there reading this might let me know about these additions to his onscreen "presence"......

POPE JOHN PAUL II
[1984]
Bio-drama tracing the life and career of Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla from his days as a young activist in Poland, witnessing the havoc and intense nationalism wreaked on humanity in World War II, to his rise and installation in 1978 as Pope of the Catholic world.

The highly-acclaimed English actor Albert Finney stars as the Pope in this film that begins in his youth, and covers his love for the theater, devotion to his father, Poland's sufferings during World War II and after, his ordination, rise to the episcopacy and great influence on the Polish church, and climaxing with his surprising election as Pope. An excellent film on this great spiritual leader.

Starring Albert Finney as Pope John Paul II and Michael Crompton as the young Karol Wojtyla.

NIGHT COURT
95. Another Day in the Life
gs: Pat Corley (Otis Edwards) Brian Stokes Mitchell (Morley) Hennen Chambers (Mr. Sanders) Marcia Wallace (Miss Phillips) Boyd Bodwell (Roper) Dennis A. Pratt (Murdock) Sandy Martin (Sister Mo) Cathy Cahn (Sister Laurie) Marji Martin (Sister Carla) Gary Grossman (Shouting Man) Lou Hancock (Mrs. Klemper) Karl Johnson (Dave Costanza) Molly David (Martha) Lenore Woodward (Velma) David Garlile (Harris) Ron Boussom (Mr. DeYoung) Steve Devorkin (Mr. Shafer) Eugene Greytak (The Pope) Steven R. Bannister (Reilly) Gayle Woods (Hooker) Larry Wright (Quartet) Peter Neushul (Quartet) Doug Anderson (Quartet) James Kline (Quartet) Steffanie Siebrand (Cheerleader)

Panic grips the courtroom as the gang races to clear 207 cases in one session so a millionaire will donate money to save an orphanage and so Dan can win an office pool for the most convictions.

b: 18-Feb-1988 pc: 186217 w: Larry Strawther and Gary Murphy d: Jeff Melman

JUST THE TEN OF US
24. Rock-n-roll Fantasy
gs: Evan Arnold (Gavin "Jacques" Doosler) Johnny Dark (Danny/Dani/Larry) Rich Reinhart (Writer) Kevin Thompson (Toulouse) Michael Gilbert Lewis (Priest) Eugene Greytak (Pope) Holly Haber (Doctor) Lawrence H. Toffler (Bridegroom)

After 8 weeks of performing at Danny's, the Lubbock Babes each fantasize about being rich and famous. Marie dreams of singing for the Pope; Wendy dreams of working on a sitcom; Cindy dreams of finding the man of her dreams; and Connie dreams of singing in Paris.

b: 27-Apr-1989 pc: 186550 w: Dan Guntzelman , Mike Sullivan

THE GOLDEN GIRLS
"The Pope's Ring"
gs: Steven Gilborn [ Priest ], Fred McCarren [ Detective ], Gene Greytak [ The Pope ] rc: Miles

Sophia is off to see the Pope's Mass and has exchanged two bad tickets for one good ticket "way up front." Dorothy was looking forward to seeing the Pope, but Sophia explains that she had to trade in Dorothy's ticket to get close enough to the Pontiff to request a special blessing for her friend Agnes in the hospital.

After the Mass, Sophia tells the girls how she snuck into the "crippled and lame" section to "cop a blessing," and just as she bent down to kiss the Pope's ring, security whisked him away, leaving the jewel encrusted ring in Sophia's hand! Dorothy demands that the ring be returned immediately, but Sophia feels that "this is a sign" and is "supposed to make a miracle."

She eventually gives in and agrees to give it back. There's only one problem. Sophia lost the ring!

Dorothy helps Sophia retrace her steps, and figures out the ring isn't lost. Sophia had the ring in her possession the whole time and was using it as leverage to get the Pope to pick up the ring in person. But when one of the Pontiff's priestly entourage picks up the ring in proxy, Sophia's plans to get him to personally bless Agnes is extinguished.

At the hospital, Rose finds out that Miles is having cosmetic surgery for his eyes. He's tired of looking old while working in a youthful environment. Rose is relieved that it's nothing serious, and knowing this means a lot to Miles, supports him.

After visiting Agnes, Sophia stops by Miles' room to use his bathroom. Unfortunately, she misses the Pope walking down the hospital corridor blessing patients. Sophia's miracle came true!

b: 14 Dec 91 pc: 167 w: Kevin Abbott d: Lex Passaris

MURPHY BROWN
119. The World According to Avery
gs: John Hostetter (John) Gene Graytak (Pope John Paul II) Jane Leeves (Audrey Cohen) Brenda Lilly (Didi)

When Eldin becomes sick, Murphy brings Avery to work. While Murphy is out searching for an interview for that night's show, everyone takes turns baby-sitting and sharing their most personal feelings with him.

b: 15-Feb-1993 pc: 187418 w: Lee Aronsohn d: Lee Shallat-Chemel

PICKET FENCES
75. Witness for the Prosecution
gs: Cully Fredericksen (Special Agent Johnston) Robert Foxworth (Attorney General Lane) Eugene Greytak (Pope John Paul II) Geoffrey Nauffts (Ben Speers) Lisa Chess (Rebecca) Madison Mason (Bishop Cole) Karen Landry (Gloria Borth) Cully Fredricksen (Special Agent Johnston) Mary-Pat Green (Forewoman) Mel Hampton (Bailiff) Harry Smith (Himself)

Rome is in a flutter when Mayor Bey announces that the Pope himself is coming to visit the town. It's a day of celebration as His Holiness arrives, but the walk down main street ends in chaos when someone in the crowd opens fire, killing a man. The resulting investigation reveals the death was suicide, according to the dead man's gay lover... until the Pope announces he saw the whole thing and that it was, in fact, murder. The court case that follows threatens to end Judge Bone and Wambaugh's tempestuous friendship for good.

b: 15-Dec-1995 pc: 3K09 w: David E. Kelley d: Dennie Gordon

THE WAYANS BROTHERS
"Recipe for Success"
gs: Joel Brooks [ Archibald Frost ], Eugene Greytak [ Pope ], Brett Miller [ Guard ]
Shawn and Marlon try to warn an enthusiastic Pops that the chili he is entering in a high-class food festival has one "un-gourmet" ingredient -- dog food.

b: 15 May 98 pc: 466421 w: Maiya Williams d: Fred Parker

KAROL: THE STORY OF A MAN WHO BECAME POPE
[2004]
Late last year, Italian producers made a television film about the life of Pope John Paul II in southern Poland, where the pontiff grew up and began his church career.

The film crew shot scenes of a young and athletic Karol Wojtyla kayaking in Lake Dobczyce near Krakow, where he served as bishop from the 1950s, said Marcin Marcinkiewicz, a spokesman for the producers.

"Karol, the story of a man who became pope" is to be broadcast in two 90-minute segments on Italian television sometime this spring.

The film is adapted from a historical account by Italian writer Gian Franco Svidercoschi, with the first part set during World War II and the second in postwar Poland. While most of the movie was filmed in Poland, some scenes were shot at the Vatican.

It will be about another fifteen to twenty days from now before the Conclave of Cardinals is sequestered to choose a new spiritual leader for the 1.1 billion Catholics around the world. But I'm sure the politicking for the position began years ago.

Whoever is chosen to lead the Flock, only (prime) Time will tell if he has as much presence in the TV Universe as did Pope John Paul II......

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

POPE-UP VIDEO

In the past thirty years or so of Toobworld's reflection of the events and people in the Real World, we've come to expect to see the current world leaders portrayed within various TV shows.

President and Mrs. Clinton met Fran Fine at a ski lodge. ('The Nanny')

Premier Gorbachev corresponded with Rose Nylund, thinking she was a little girl. ('The Golden Girls')

Prime Minister Tony Blair greeted 'The Simpsons' at Heathrow Airport.

Even over in his own splinter dimension, Leo McGarry held clandestine meetings with Fidel Castro in Cuba. ('The West Wing')

And George W. Bush even had his own sitcom. ('That's My Bush!')

But before Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became the Shepherd of Rome, it would have been hard to imagine the Holy Father as being considered a viable candidate for any storyline in a TV show.

So far as I can determine, Pope Pius XII only figured as a secondary figure in the TV movie 'The Scarlet And The Black' (which was about a priest's determined effort to rescue Jews from the Nazis).

Had Television been as "progressive" as it was in the 1970s, post Archie Bunker, perhaps Pope John XXIII might have been utilized in a few TV shows During his short tenure as the Pontiff, (only five years), the former Angelo Roncalle seemed ready-made to be a TV character: affable, personable, downright cuddly. In a way, he was reminiscent of 'Columbo', but as played by Al Molinaro - he was a simple man of the people, yet crafty enough to stand his ground with those who moved in the circles of power and of high society.

John XXIII was portrayed at least twice on TV - first, by Raymond Burr in 'Portrait: A Man Called John', and most recently in a movie made for Czech Television with Ed Asner as the Pope.

Pope Paul VI seemed to be the exact opposite of John. He seemed to be cold, aloof, austere, stern; an aesthete. I could find no example of anyone actually portraying him in any TV show or TV movie. But then those were turbulent times (the late 60s through most of the 70s), and it seemed at least to me that his time as pope was defined by the debate over birth control. I doubt any network would have wanted to risk dealing with that and bring the Pope into the plotline as well.

There is only one instance I can remember seeing Pope Paul VII outside of news coverage of his mass at Shea Stadium and the like. His image was seen scurrying about in blackout sketches during the only episode ever broadcast of the comedy disaster 'Turn On'.

And then there was John Paul I...... The head of the Church for only 33 days, John Paul I made no more of an impact on the fictional universes than as part of dark conspiracies like in the movie "The Godfather III". (Actually, I'm surprised we never saw the Cigarette Smoking Man take credit for the Pope's sudden death on an episode of 'The X Files'!)

Which brings us to Pope John Paul II.......

It was a combination of factors that made the former Karol Wojtyla so popular a figure in TV shows. He showed up (usually as played by actor Gene Greytak) in shows as varied as 'Picket Fences' and 'The Wayans Brothers' because he made so many visits to the United States; eight in all - more than any other pope ever, - and so it never seemed outlandish that he might show in the tele-version of our country at any point. If 'Green Acres' was still on the air, we might have seen John Paul II clambering up the telephone pole in order to make a call back to the Vatican.

And he was a vital man of action, as could be seen in films of him skiing. And growing up and becoming a priest under both Nazi and Communist regimes, his life seemed perfect for dramatization in TV movies. And so it was with two films that bracket his "life" in Toobworld. First up was the eponymous movie starring Albert Finney as the Pope and Michael Crompton as the young Wojtyla.

And then just last year, a Polish/Italian production began filming in November with Piotr Adamczyk as the young man who would become the most travelled pope in history and the first non-Italian chosen to lead the Church in nearly 500 years. As mentioned in the last blog entry, the Pope himself told Adamczyk that he was crazy for taking on the role.

If he needed proof, he should probably talk to Gene Greytak who's made a career out of the role for the last twenty years or so.

Greytak must know by now how Vaughn Meader must have felt.....

(Coming up next.... John Paul II's "life" in Toobworld)

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

"KAROL, KAROL, KAROL....."

Following on the heels of the news that - as a Vatican spokesman said yesterday, - "Christ has opened the door for John Paul II", here is a story from last November about the TV movie that was being produced on the life of Karol Wojtyla, who would become John Paul II........

Actor Who Will Play John Paul II Gets Papal Advice
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 17, 2004 (Zenit.org).

- John Paul II had some lighthearted advice for the Polish actor who will portray him in the TV miniseries "Karol Wojtyla: Story of a Man Who Became Pope."

"You are crazy to make a film about me," the Holy Father reportedly said when he received Piotr Adamczyk in audience.

The account of the meeting between the Pope and Adamczyk, as well as with the producer of the television series, appeared today in Italy, complete with 10 pages of photographs, in the magazine Sorrisi e Canzoni.

Adamczyk, a well-known actor in Poland, revealed details of his meeting with the Pope.

"When I learned that I would be meeting with the Pope, I was overwhelmed, but at the same time I was somewhat worried: What could I say to him?" the actor recalled.

"I must interpret his role and I had dozens of questions to ask him," Adamczyk said. "But when the moment came and his secretary introduced me with the words: 'Holy Father, this is the man who will interpret Karol Wojtyla,' for the first time in my life I forgot the text."

In the end, the only thing the actor was able to say was: "I am very happy, I am really very happy."

Nevertheless, Adamczyk was discreet about revealing details of the meeting. The film's producer, Pietro Valsecchi, is somewhat more explicit: "The Holy Father looked straight in Piotr's eyes and said: 'You are crazy to make a film about me. But, what have I done?'"

The film, which has a budget of more than 10 million euros ($12.9 million), is being produced by Taodue Film, and will be broadcasted on Channel 5 in Italy this spring. The producer hopes to sell the television rights to channels worldwide.

Valsecchi said that he is already planning new episodes in addition to the two he is filming.

The television series includes some of the best-known Italian actors, such as Raoul Bova, Ennio Fantastichini and Violante Placido. The director is Giacomo Battiato. For some scenes, more than 12,000 extras were used.
Piotr Adamczyk acknowledges that playing the part of the Pope is difficult.

The "fact that he is a real person, especially contemporary, is a problem for an actor, especially if he is Polish," he said.

"To try to imitate his gestures and words might prove a pitfall," Adamczyk added. "It must be clear that the film is not a documentary but fiction, with which we try to offer the climate and atmosphere of those times, narrating as a novel the life and works of a person who has influenced history."

Scenes for the film are now being shot in Krakow.

A TOUGH MAN

Frank Perdue, 84, Chicken Merchant, Dies
By MELANIE WARNER
Published: April 2, 2005
The New York Times

Frank Perdue, a Maryland farm boy who became a household word, face and voice in folksy ads for his brand of fresh chickens, died on Thursday at his home in Salisbury, Md. He was 84.

He died after a brief illness, his company said, but it did not announce a cause.

In the 1970's, Mr. Perdue started the ad campaigns that would make him famous. He appeared in 200 different ads from 1971 to 1994.

It helped that he looked like a chicken. And Ross Perot. And Edward I. Koch, the mayor of New York. His bald head, droopy-eyed expression and prominent nose made people smile and feel comfortable with him. They tended to trust him more than they did slick-looking announcers.

It helped, too, that he had a nasal twang that contrasted with the unctuous tones of the usual pitchmen.

"It takes a tough man to raise a tender chicken," he said in his most familiar line. It made him believable - a hard-nosed yet likable American businessman who knew what he was talking about, who knew how to be tender and how to be tough.

"My chickens eat better than you do," he told his audience. "A chicken is what it eats. If you want to start eating as good as my chickens, take a tip from me - eat my chickens."

"Freeze my chickens? I'd rather eat beef!" was another line. He told his viewers that if they were not completely satisfied, they should write him directly and he would give them their money back. Do not write the government, he said: "The president of the United States? What does he know about chickens?"

Mr. Perdue's ads had an enormous effect on the company's business. According to a Perdue Farms survey taken in early 1972, brand recognition in New York, where most of the ads first appeared, rose to 51 percent in several months. The ads transformed Perdue into the first nationally recognized brand of chicken.

FOOL'S GOLD

It's April Fool's Day!

I'd pull a prank on you, but you're reading the blog so I figure you've suffered enough.

When it comes to the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, we celebrate April Fool's Day by inducting TV characters who've made us smile over the years; not just the because they're clownish, oafish, buffoonish and just plain foolish.

So among those we've inducted over the years during April are Detective John Munch and Commander Montgomery Scott and Lucille Ball, as well as the usual suspects Homer Simpson, Luther Van Dam, and Gilligan.

And the great thing about the TV Universe is that there's practically no end to the list of fools who qualify......

This year, as I celebrate my 50th birthday, there is one rule of thumb for the Hall of Fame: What I say, goes. The requirement of three different credits attributed to a character's list of crossovers usually still applies; but we go pretty far out on a limb to justify some of them.

And so it is with our inductee for April 2005, one year shy of the 20th anniversary memorial for the actor who portrayed him. And when it comes to TV fools, it could be successfully argued that this man set the gold standard.

Fool's gold, that is.

TED BAXTER
'THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW'
'RHODA'
'MARY'
'GOMER PYLE, USMC'

The popularity of Ted Baxter in the early seventies established a template for all the sitcoms to follow - that there should be one dim bulb in the array of lights that made up the ensemble. Those who followed had their own variations - some were innocents; others were absent-minded; a few were eccentrics. But they all owed their existence to Ted Baxter:
Howard Borden - 'The Bob Newhart Show'
Johnny Danko - 'The Associates'
Herb Tarlek - 'WKRP In Cincinnati'
Eldin Bernicky - 'Murphy Brown'

'Taxi' divided up the qualities amongst Latka Gravas, Tony Banta, and Reverend Jim Ignatowski. But it was 'Newhart' that actually created a trinity who will one day enter the Crossover Hall of Fame together: Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.

Officially, Ted Baxter stepped out of the WJM studio environs only once, so that he could attend Rhoda's wedding on her own spin-off.

But there are two other shows that can be accredited to him, so long as we liberally apply Toobworldian philosophy.

Zen toobism, if you will......

After 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' ended, Ms. Moore applied her talents to an hour-long variety show. It was a career misstep, as the death knells for the variety were being tolled. And her repertory of players, while all talented and some of them even considered geniuses, - none of them could carry off the song and dance as well as the comedy.

All that was missing were the Ed Asner Dancers.

But for the purposes of this induction ceremony, we're only interested in one sketch from the three shows that aired. In it, David Letterman played an announcer at the WJM studios in Minneapolis.

Now, the premise of the 'MTM' finale was that everybody behind the cameras at WJM Channel 12 who struggled to make Ted Baxter look good in front of the camera had been fired - and Ted was allowed to stay.

So that means that - even though we never saw him, - somewhere in the building Ted Baxter was klutzing about while Letterman's character worked as an announcer.

Yes, it is a stretch. That's the whole point this year, isn't it? But we always said that in Toobworld, Life goes on even if we can't see it. And that doesn't apply just to commercial breaks and series cancellations.

But if you don't like that one, maybe this theory will suit your fancies:

Ted Baxter appeared in the TV Universe about four years before 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' premiered!

Back in 1966, USMC Sgt. Vincent Carter of Camp Henderson in California, foiled a robbery. But because he had reasons to keep his involvement a secret, (I think it involved a woman... actually, two women!), he let Private Gomer Pyle take the credit instead.

As a result, 'Gomer Pyle, USMC' was hailed as a "Would-be Hero" and interviewed by a radio reporter who was played by none other than Ted Knight.

Ted Knight, of course, was the actor who played Ted Baxter on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'.

And the name of that reporter was.....

(wait for it......)

DON MILLS!!!!!!

(At this point, I'd like to give credit to my brother Bill for pointing out a solution to the discrepancy. If you don't like it, then he's the one to blame as well.)

I don't know if it still holds true, but radio personalities often would take on stage names with each new market where they worked: Tony Pigg, The Greaseman, Wolfman Jack....

And Toobworld itself provides two examples: Dr. Johnny Fever (Johnny Caravella) and Venus Flytrap (Gordon Simms).

We know that while at WJM in Minneapolis, close to where he grew up, Ted Baxter went by his real name. We can verify this by the visit of his brother Hal Baxter.

So Don Mills must be the alias.

And this is what really makes us excited by the idea of Ted Baxter being Don Mills - Ted's career, as he often stated, began as a 5000 watt radio station in Fresno, California.

So that means we can situate Camp Henderson not just in California, but more specifically near Fresno.

And just by location alone, we have a link to the comedy mini-series 'Fresno'. (And that's not to mention all of the connections through 'The Andy Griffith Show'!)

Like I stated at the beginning: what I say, goes. And that's why, despite the flimsy evidence presented, we are inducting Ted Baxter into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

And I pity da fool who objects.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

QUICK HITS

ZONK!
On the most recent episode of 'House', Dr. Foreman revealed that as a kid, he was known as "Rerun", from the TV show.

We're supposed to be able to make the connection that he was referring to Fred Berry's portrayal of the character on 'What's Happenin'?'

But since the show wasn't mentioned, and we want to avoid poking yet another hole in the integrity of the TV Universe, I suggest we just assume there was another TV show in which there was a character named "Rerun".

There's always the cartoons based on the comic strip "Peanuts". Rerun was the younger brother to Lucy and Linus.....
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REAL 2 REEL
As revealed in this past episode of 'Blind Justice', Detective Jim Dunbar's former partner was working out of the 77th Precinct. In the Real World, that precinct gained some notoriety a few years back for illegal activities. Most of the officers at that time were reassigned or forced out in disgrace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAMILY TIES
There's always the chance we may one day meet the parents of private investigator Harlan Judd on the new ABC series 'Eyes'. So I won't go too far out on a limb of that family tree with the suggestion that perhaps Harlan Judd is a nephew to Texas defense attorney Clinton Judd, once seen in his own show 'Judd For The Defense'. (As well as in a crossover with 'Felony Squad'.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES
I'm not sure if it was teen queen Mallory or Schuyler, (Quite frankly, I couldn't tell them apart.), but one of them appeared on the Howard Stern radio show and all he wanted to talk about was her ass.
('Jake In Progress')

Also on the same series, Jake Phillips hired Neil Sedaka to serenade the girl he was trying to win back, although it was Jon Secada that she was really into. The ploy still worked, however, and all Sedaka wanted in return was one last Rolling Stone cover.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TV TELEVISION
Two new TV series grace the airwaves and can be seen on any TV set provided you live in the TV Universe:
'Forensic Team International' which starred Ryan Henderson until he rashly quit to make movies just as
'Forensic Team Underwater' was about to hit the air and make the first series even more popular.
('Jake In Progress')


BCnU!
Tele-Toby