'As The World Turns' celebrates its fiftieth anniversary on Sunday, and the soap opera closed out the week with the first of two episodes marking the occasion. (The second one opens next week and looks to be a lock on the Crossover Of The Week on 4/10.)
This certainly wasn't a run-of-the-mill episode of 'ATWT', but the type of offbeat diversion that many of the soap operas have mounted in the last quarter century.
Three of the main characters, "teenagers" Will, Gwen, and Casey, helped Maddie with her project's research into the leading families of Oakdale. So they all visualized the pertinent residents in town as the characters in five different classic sitcoms:
"THE SNYDER HILLBILLIES"
"I DREAM OF CARLY"
"THE MUNSONSTERS"
"I LOVE KATIE"
"HAPPY OAKDALE DAYS"
The show also utilized one of the old opening credit sequences, including the opening iris shot of the CBS logo.
I'm not familiar with 'As The World Turns', so I can't say whether or not the characters properly fit the dynamics of the original sitcoms. But as far as recreating the look of those old shows, from the costumes to the sets, the soap's crew did a bang-up job, especially with the living room of 'The Munsters' and with the genie costume worn by Carly.
Best acting job of them all was by Trent Dawson doing double duty as Henry and Henrietta, the Fred and Ethel stand-ins. His first off-stage line as Henrietta did evoke Viviane Vance, but that evaporated once he stepped onto the set and we could see him in drag. As for his William Frawley impersonation, however, that was classic; well done!
And although Don Hastings looked great as Grandpa in 'The Munsters' spoof, it was a mistake for him to attempt a Transylvanian accent. Everybody knows the late Al Lewis sounded like he'd be more at home among the Bowery Boys than with the Drac Pack.
The 'I Dream Of Carly' sequence had the best lines, both very suggestive:
"He is not worthy of polishing your helmet."
Say no more!
and
"Now I can bend you."
I bet she does, I bet she does! Know what I mean? Nudge nudge wink wink!
What really puzzled me is why CBS didn't step in and tell the writers to come up with two classic CBS sitcoms to replace the spoofs of NBC's 'I Dream Of Jeannie' and ABC's 'Happy Days'.
Like I said, I don't have a clue about the relationships nor the personality quirks of the characters involved, but couldn't they have found a way to use 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', 'Hogan's Heroes', 'The Honeymooners', 'The Andy Griffith Show', 'All In The Family', 'Green Acres', or even 'Mr. Ed'?
Will, Casey, Gwen, and Maddie would have fit perfectly into a recreation of 'The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis'.
Just sayin', is all. At least it was a nice touch that with the 'Happy Days' scenes, the writers were able to work in the show's spin-off by having Gwen and Maddie play 'Laverne & Shirley' respectively.
And just so's you didn't think I forgot one of the classic CBS sitcoms, the show kicked off the episode with Maddie watching 'Gilligan's Island' on her VCR. Of course it was the unmistakable theme song that we heard, rather than any of the stranded castaways.
How to splain it all? I'm at a loss. All of those shows should exist in the same universe as 'As The World Turns'. But even so, it was a nice touch to give the current cast of the soap opera the chance to cut loose a bit from their characters; sort of a way to celebrate an anniversary as a costume party.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Lots of things
I think I am siao already. Recently I keep getting obsessed over editing my photos...
Not in the way to make me prettier because I am already so accustomed to that I can do each photo in like 3 seconds, but with putting on additional rubbish such as making corners rounded, or like adding flowers and pointless decorative text.
Geez.
I don't even think anyone appreciates this artsy bullshit on graphic-y pictures, but I am just doing it to satisfy myself - which is stupid coz I piss myself off also when I see people hurrying me to blog, and all I am doing is adding rounded corners to my photos.
Pui.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the past few days.
Was invited to the grand opening of the Creative store at Marina Square!
I already said those glasses are phony. I KNOW! But what to do, I have a sore eye!
I was milling around when I saw the player I will be getting!
Creative Vision: M
Models were all standing around.
Eh girls, he is taken. Bah.
Look at my terrible bitchy face!!
We asked this waiter to help us take a photo, and he tried twice to simply push the camera button and let go.
Which, of course, failed to snap a photo at all.
I moved from my position and told him, "Press and hold the button".
He nodded, and did the immediately lift up his finger thing again.
Exasperated and in a bad cranky mood coz of my sore eye and tiredness, I said to Eileen, "Is Press and hold that difficult to understand?!" - not loudly enough for the waiter to hear, I hope.
Fucking stupid people all around.
At that point the camera when off and there you go... My bitchy face.
We go into the show!
I hope you didn't notice that the text doesn't seem to match the happiness level of the photos.
That is because I am in a fucking bad mood. GAH!
Not in the way to make me prettier because I am already so accustomed to that I can do each photo in like 3 seconds, but with putting on additional rubbish such as making corners rounded, or like adding flowers and pointless decorative text.
Geez.
I don't even think anyone appreciates this artsy bullshit on graphic-y pictures, but I am just doing it to satisfy myself - which is stupid coz I piss myself off also when I see people hurrying me to blog, and all I am doing is adding rounded corners to my photos.
Pui.
Anyway, here are some pictures of the past few days.
Was invited to the grand opening of the Creative store at Marina Square!
I already said those glasses are phony. I KNOW! But what to do, I have a sore eye!
I was milling around when I saw the player I will be getting!
Creative Vision: M
Models were all standing around.
Eh girls, he is taken. Bah.
Look at my terrible bitchy face!!
We asked this waiter to help us take a photo, and he tried twice to simply push the camera button and let go.
Which, of course, failed to snap a photo at all.
I moved from my position and told him, "Press and hold the button".
He nodded, and did the immediately lift up his finger thing again.
Exasperated and in a bad cranky mood coz of my sore eye and tiredness, I said to Eileen, "Is Press and hold that difficult to understand?!" - not loudly enough for the waiter to hear, I hope.
Fucking stupid people all around.
At that point the camera when off and there you go... My bitchy face.
We go into the show!
I hope you didn't notice that the text doesn't seem to match the happiness level of the photos.
That is because I am in a fucking bad mood. GAH!
"WHO" NEWS: TARDISODES
The folks behind 'Doctor Who' have coined a new term - "Tardisodes".
This refers to one-minute mini-dramas, "like little prequels to the episode playing that week." As can be expected with this growing trend, these "Tardisodes" will be available for download to mobile phones "a few days" ahead of each episode of 'Doctor Who', which broadcasts on Saturday nights over in the U.K. They will also be made available on the official website.
The production team was also responsible for the interactive adventure 'Attack of the Graske': Gareth Roberts (writer), Ashley Way (director), Sophie Fante (producer), Simon Winsone (editor), Edward Thomas (designer) and The Mill will be providing the special effects.
The "Tardisodes" will not feature David Tennant or Billie Piper, as the actors have been too busy, but Roberts claims that it's okay, because this way, they can expand the particular corner of the universe which they're exploring.
Simon Winstone mentioned that they will "show you something you wouldn't have seen otherwise … An element of back story. Some are live action… We didn't want these to be previews … They're part of the show's world".
Gareth Roberts sees them as pre-credits sequences, and as examples of "what Tardisodes might present", he suggested:
a computer graphic of a Cyberman being formed
Jackie talking to camera
an excerpt from a TV show
He also mentioned that the "Tardisode" for "The Girl in the Fireplace" will "follow suit" in being "very scary".
Luckily for those of us in other TV markets, Winstone also suggested that they will probably be included on a DVD release.
There's just something goofy about that word, "Tardisodes". It just makes me think of neat little packages of turds all shrink-wrapped.
But at least it's not as bad as that word coined by Dick Wolf to describe his latest attempt to cash in on his 'Law & Order' world, 'Conviction'....
"Charactercedural".
Ugh. If that doesn't make you want to rinse out your mouth with vinegar......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
This refers to one-minute mini-dramas, "like little prequels to the episode playing that week." As can be expected with this growing trend, these "Tardisodes" will be available for download to mobile phones "a few days" ahead of each episode of 'Doctor Who', which broadcasts on Saturday nights over in the U.K. They will also be made available on the official website.
The production team was also responsible for the interactive adventure 'Attack of the Graske': Gareth Roberts (writer), Ashley Way (director), Sophie Fante (producer), Simon Winsone (editor), Edward Thomas (designer) and The Mill will be providing the special effects.
The "Tardisodes" will not feature David Tennant or Billie Piper, as the actors have been too busy, but Roberts claims that it's okay, because this way, they can expand the particular corner of the universe which they're exploring.
Simon Winstone mentioned that they will "show you something you wouldn't have seen otherwise … An element of back story. Some are live action… We didn't want these to be previews … They're part of the show's world".
Gareth Roberts sees them as pre-credits sequences, and as examples of "what Tardisodes might present", he suggested:
a computer graphic of a Cyberman being formed
Jackie talking to camera
an excerpt from a TV show
He also mentioned that the "Tardisode" for "The Girl in the Fireplace" will "follow suit" in being "very scary".
Luckily for those of us in other TV markets, Winstone also suggested that they will probably be included on a DVD release.
There's just something goofy about that word, "Tardisodes". It just makes me think of neat little packages of turds all shrink-wrapped.
But at least it's not as bad as that word coined by Dick Wolf to describe his latest attempt to cash in on his 'Law & Order' world, 'Conviction'....
"Charactercedural".
Ugh. If that doesn't make you want to rinse out your mouth with vinegar......
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
DR. PHIL MAKES HIS "BONES"
Sorry, but the following dialogue exchange is paraphrased....
Agent Booth:
You're a regular Dr. Phil, aren't you?
Dr. Brennan:
I don't know who that is. Who's Dr. Phil, some kind of expert?
Agent Booth:
He likes to think so.
('Bones')
In just a few years, since he first gained nationwide recognition from his appearances on 'Oprah!', Dr. Phil has become a pop culture reference. He now has his own daily TV show and has done prime-time specials as well.
'Bones' isn't the first series to recognize Dr. Phil's place in the TV Universe, but it's probably the first one to make fun of the guy. Perhaps it's a sign that Dr. Phil's status in pop culture has begun the inevitable shift into becoming a national joke, as so often happens.
Just ask Michael Jackson.
But if he's lucky, Dr. Phil will ride it through as William Shatner and Adam West did; embracing the ridicule and scorn until once again he's re-established as "cool".
Like Shatner and West, Dr. Phil has certified his presence as a fictional character in Toobworld via appearances on 'Frasier', 'The Norm Show', and 'The Bernie Mac Show', as well as in a 'Sesame Street' special and in blipverts for Match.com. Having met the requirements, he's now eligible for entry into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, League of Themselves wing.
Once there, he can talk shop with Dr. Joyce Brothers, a member since 2000.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Agent Booth:
You're a regular Dr. Phil, aren't you?
Dr. Brennan:
I don't know who that is. Who's Dr. Phil, some kind of expert?
Agent Booth:
He likes to think so.
('Bones')
In just a few years, since he first gained nationwide recognition from his appearances on 'Oprah!', Dr. Phil has become a pop culture reference. He now has his own daily TV show and has done prime-time specials as well.
'Bones' isn't the first series to recognize Dr. Phil's place in the TV Universe, but it's probably the first one to make fun of the guy. Perhaps it's a sign that Dr. Phil's status in pop culture has begun the inevitable shift into becoming a national joke, as so often happens.
Just ask Michael Jackson.
But if he's lucky, Dr. Phil will ride it through as William Shatner and Adam West did; embracing the ridicule and scorn until once again he's re-established as "cool".
Like Shatner and West, Dr. Phil has certified his presence as a fictional character in Toobworld via appearances on 'Frasier', 'The Norm Show', and 'The Bernie Mac Show', as well as in a 'Sesame Street' special and in blipverts for Match.com. Having met the requirements, he's now eligible for entry into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, League of Themselves wing.
Once there, he can talk shop with Dr. Joyce Brothers, a member since 2000.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
THE LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES: "THE SOPRANOS"
Tele-journalist Bill Kurtis, host of 'American Justice' on A&E, appeared within the framework of his own series when he made a cameo appearance on this week's episode of 'The Sopranos'.
However, it was in a fictional episode of the show, focusing on the Soprano crime family and primarily on AJ Soprano (at least in the segment we saw). So in that sense Bill Kurtis was appearing as his own tele-version.
Not that he's really got other credits like that; most of his work is still in the reality/news programming realm of the TV Universe. Technically eligible, but boring as all hell.
Seems apt.
Who said dat????
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
However, it was in a fictional episode of the show, focusing on the Soprano crime family and primarily on AJ Soprano (at least in the segment we saw). So in that sense Bill Kurtis was appearing as his own tele-version.
Not that he's really got other credits like that; most of his work is still in the reality/news programming realm of the TV Universe. Technically eligible, but boring as all hell.
Seems apt.
Who said dat????
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
RE-CASTAWAYS: "SLINGS & ARROWS"
When the second season of 'Slings & Arrows' opened, it was the last day of performance for the New Burbage production of "Hamlet". Rachel MacAdams and Luke Kirby returned for just the one episode to bring a close to their sweet love story as stars of the play Kate McNab and Jack Crewes.
However, it wasn't a seamless transition from one season to the next when it came to the actors and the characters they played. When "Hamlet" opened in the final episode of the first season, the role of Claudius was played by a tall, lanky, somewhat big-eared actor who might one day be considered for playing the role of Abraham Lincoln.
But with Season Two, we saw that Claudius was being played by Brian Cabot (as portrayed by Leon Pownall). Brian was shorter and quite rotund, with a small white beard and a manner of dress that seemed to suggest to me that he grew up near the sea. (Hence, I'm thinking that he may somehow be related to the town founders of Cabot Cove, Maine, as seen in 'Murder, She Wrote'!)
This is a "Re-Castaway" case in which we can actually cite re-casting as the reason behind the change in characters. Such a reason can't be used in most cases as that's a behind-the-scenes decision made in the Real World and thus can't be considered within the inner reality of Toobworld. But this time it works, mate!
For reasons unknown, the actor originally hired to play the role of Claudius must have dropped out of the production. Perhaps he got a role in a TV series to be filmed in Toronto, or headed west to Vancouver to film a role in a movie that was supposed to look like New York City.
Brian Cabot was a long-standing member (up to that time) of the troupe at the New Burbage Shakespeare Festival; his association with the late Oliver Welles, who used to be the festival's artistic director, went back many years. We know from the very first episode of Season One that there were certain actors in the company for whom there were no roles that season and so as a thank you for past contributions they were given complimentary ducats to opening night of "Midsummer's Night's Dream". Perhaps Brian Cabot was one of those actors.
Or more likely, since he did have the perfect bearing for playing Claudius, it could be that he was not available at the time of casting and rehearsal for "Hamlet" to play the murderous King. (Ooh! Is that a spoiler?)
Mayhaps he was the one who was busy in Toronto or Vancouver filming some other production. (If the character's life mirrored that of the actor, that's likely - it seems from the IMDb.com, that Leon Pownall has been quite in demand for his services on both sides of the border.)
So that's the easy way out splainin for the two different characters portraying Claudius from one season to the next. And I must say it's nice to be able to come up with a reason that doesn't depend on plastic surgery, alien/android impersonations, or quantum leaping!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
However, it wasn't a seamless transition from one season to the next when it came to the actors and the characters they played. When "Hamlet" opened in the final episode of the first season, the role of Claudius was played by a tall, lanky, somewhat big-eared actor who might one day be considered for playing the role of Abraham Lincoln.
But with Season Two, we saw that Claudius was being played by Brian Cabot (as portrayed by Leon Pownall). Brian was shorter and quite rotund, with a small white beard and a manner of dress that seemed to suggest to me that he grew up near the sea. (Hence, I'm thinking that he may somehow be related to the town founders of Cabot Cove, Maine, as seen in 'Murder, She Wrote'!)
This is a "Re-Castaway" case in which we can actually cite re-casting as the reason behind the change in characters. Such a reason can't be used in most cases as that's a behind-the-scenes decision made in the Real World and thus can't be considered within the inner reality of Toobworld. But this time it works, mate!
For reasons unknown, the actor originally hired to play the role of Claudius must have dropped out of the production. Perhaps he got a role in a TV series to be filmed in Toronto, or headed west to Vancouver to film a role in a movie that was supposed to look like New York City.
Brian Cabot was a long-standing member (up to that time) of the troupe at the New Burbage Shakespeare Festival; his association with the late Oliver Welles, who used to be the festival's artistic director, went back many years. We know from the very first episode of Season One that there were certain actors in the company for whom there were no roles that season and so as a thank you for past contributions they were given complimentary ducats to opening night of "Midsummer's Night's Dream". Perhaps Brian Cabot was one of those actors.
Or more likely, since he did have the perfect bearing for playing Claudius, it could be that he was not available at the time of casting and rehearsal for "Hamlet" to play the murderous King. (Ooh! Is that a spoiler?)
Mayhaps he was the one who was busy in Toronto or Vancouver filming some other production. (If the character's life mirrored that of the actor, that's likely - it seems from the IMDb.com, that Leon Pownall has been quite in demand for his services on both sides of the border.)
So that's the easy way out splainin for the two different characters portraying Claudius from one season to the next. And I must say it's nice to be able to come up with a reason that doesn't depend on plastic surgery, alien/android impersonations, or quantum leaping!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
BY ANY OTHER NAME: "MONK"
On the season finale of 'Monk', Adrian Monk found himself stuck on jury duty. Among his fellow members of the jury were the following actors:
VAN EPPERSON - Postal Worker Juror
KEVIN BERNTSON - Sports Fan Juror
CARLEASE BURKE - Teacher Juror
BRYAN COFFEE - Sneezing Juror
KIMI REICHENBERG - Pierced Girl Juror
BONITA FRIEDRICY - Housewife Juror
BENITO MARTINEZ - Ex-Marine
Should any of these actors ever appear again in a TV series set in San Francisco (or if they already did), then we might be able to claim that they are playing the same characters they played on that jury, since none of them were known by more than their description or at best, by their seating number.
Some of the above jurors seem to have very specific identities - "Teacher Juror", "Postal Worker Juror", "Ex-Marine". But a character's occupation or background history, especially among the lesser supporting cast, is rarely mentioned. And even then, splainins can be found: for example, I'm sure there are plenty of teachers who have to moonlight in a second job because of the notorious low pay in their chosen profession.
At any rate, by remaining nameless these characters may one day provide the trivial links needed to connect 'Monk' to shows like the current ABC offering 'The Evidence', as well as to past series like 'Killer Instinct', 'Midnight Caller', or maybe even as far back as to 'The Streets Of San Francisco'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
VAN EPPERSON - Postal Worker Juror
KEVIN BERNTSON - Sports Fan Juror
CARLEASE BURKE - Teacher Juror
BRYAN COFFEE - Sneezing Juror
KIMI REICHENBERG - Pierced Girl Juror
BONITA FRIEDRICY - Housewife Juror
BENITO MARTINEZ - Ex-Marine
Should any of these actors ever appear again in a TV series set in San Francisco (or if they already did), then we might be able to claim that they are playing the same characters they played on that jury, since none of them were known by more than their description or at best, by their seating number.
Some of the above jurors seem to have very specific identities - "Teacher Juror", "Postal Worker Juror", "Ex-Marine". But a character's occupation or background history, especially among the lesser supporting cast, is rarely mentioned. And even then, splainins can be found: for example, I'm sure there are plenty of teachers who have to moonlight in a second job because of the notorious low pay in their chosen profession.
At any rate, by remaining nameless these characters may one day provide the trivial links needed to connect 'Monk' to shows like the current ABC offering 'The Evidence', as well as to past series like 'Killer Instinct', 'Midnight Caller', or maybe even as far back as to 'The Streets Of San Francisco'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
A COUCH POTATO EXORCIZES
I was just kidding myself if I thought posting about all the funereal TV references I saw during this past downer of a week would make it all stop.
Right after I posted "Mom", I turned on the TV to catch up on the tapes I made in the last few days. The toob was already tuned to the Hallmark Channel, and there was little Laura Ingalls talking to an old woman who had staged her own wake and funeral with the help of Charles Ingalls. (They were discussing why it was - is! - that people always make the effort to show up for your funeral, when they should instead be there for your birthday party so that you have the chance to appreciate their presence in your life.
And then it was on to the second episode of 'The Sopranos' for this season, which of course centered around the bedside vigil in the hospital as Tony lay in a coma after being shot by his Uncle Junior.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Right after I posted "Mom", I turned on the TV to catch up on the tapes I made in the last few days. The toob was already tuned to the Hallmark Channel, and there was little Laura Ingalls talking to an old woman who had staged her own wake and funeral with the help of Charles Ingalls. (They were discussing why it was - is! - that people always make the effort to show up for your funeral, when they should instead be there for your birthday party so that you have the chance to appreciate their presence in your life.
And then it was on to the second episode of 'The Sopranos' for this season, which of course centered around the bedside vigil in the hospital as Tony lay in a coma after being shot by his Uncle Junior.
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
MOM
You'll notice that between last week's big crossover and the big crossover of this week there are no other entries. The stats in my profile used to boast an average of 14 posts per week.
Wha' hoppint?, as Ricky Ricardo might ask?
My Mom passed away last week at the age of 75. She was a fighter and a survivor, the strongest woman I'll ever know. But after sixteen years bouncing back from everything else that was thrown at her - from strokes and a heart attack, to a process that seared her lungs so that they wouldn't fill with fluid, and the amputation of her leg last October, Mom finally was defeated by a breakdown of the inner works. Had she been younger and stronger, surgery might have been the answer; but her healing process had long since been compromised. She never would have made it through the operation.
So Mom was placed in hospice mode, at the hospital where she herself worked as a nurse for nearly forty years, and made comfortable. Thankfully the end wasn't too long in coming, and my three brothers, my sister, and I were all there with her as she passed over to be with all the loved ones who left before her.
Although I was away from the blog the whole week, the concept of Inner Toob was never far from my notice. I've mentioned before the sense of a higher power guiding the serendipity of my channel surfing; landing on a channel just in time to see something that I could use to expand the makings of the TV Universe.
But this time, it was as if Television wasn't going to let me stray from thoughts of the week's events.
Mom passed away last Wednesday morning. That night, Chef died as well on 'South Park'.
Thursday night, the episode of 'Everybody Hates Chris' was "Everybody Hates Funerals". It dealt with the death of a grandparent as seen by the grandchild.
Friday night's episode of 'Doctor Who' on the Sci-Fi Channel was "The Unquiet Dead", which took place in a mortuary in 1869 Cardiff, Wales.
Sci-Fi Channel also premiered a new movie on Saturday night, entitled "Mortuary".
And Sunday night's episode of 'The Wing' ended with a preview that seemed to suggest that the death of actor John Spencer will be reflected in the death of his character of Leo McGarry next week.
Add to this that I brought a DVD of 'Sings &Arrows' home with me, to fill the downtime of that long week, which contains a death, a very theatrical funeral, and scenes in a mortuary and the morgue. I also brought along a DVD of "Remembrance Of The Daleks", the 20th anniversary celebration of 'Doctor Who' which also has scenes set in a mortuary - something I didn't know was coming.
And as if to rub it in, I got back to NYC to find the latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" in my mailbox; its cover proclaiming "TV IS KING".
There is no escape from Toobworld's reflection on my life, and by extension, on my Mom's. As a matter of fact, her love of 'The Young & The Restless' - and her prized possession of a personally autographed picture of Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott - were mentioned by my sister in her eulogy.
At any rate, if this all seems a little irreverent, well, that's who I am. And I can't be too sad, as Mom is past all her suffering and on the next part of her journey. The faith she helped instill in me says that this life is just a stage, a way-station along the Way. How can I be sad that she's now reunited with my Dad, her parents (hopefully her Dad made it.....), her godson Norman and her neice Linda, as well as all the pets she had through life?
My sister said that Mom's now free of all the pain and suffering of the last sixteen years, but I think Father Tucker had it right in his homily - Mom's trials and tribulations started fifty-one years as she began her second career, that of raising "those five characters" (as Father Tucker dubbed us).
BCnU, Mom. I know I'll never be able to watch 'The Price Is Right' or 'The Young & The Restless' without feeling you near.
Tele-Toby
Wha' hoppint?, as Ricky Ricardo might ask?
My Mom passed away last week at the age of 75. She was a fighter and a survivor, the strongest woman I'll ever know. But after sixteen years bouncing back from everything else that was thrown at her - from strokes and a heart attack, to a process that seared her lungs so that they wouldn't fill with fluid, and the amputation of her leg last October, Mom finally was defeated by a breakdown of the inner works. Had she been younger and stronger, surgery might have been the answer; but her healing process had long since been compromised. She never would have made it through the operation.
So Mom was placed in hospice mode, at the hospital where she herself worked as a nurse for nearly forty years, and made comfortable. Thankfully the end wasn't too long in coming, and my three brothers, my sister, and I were all there with her as she passed over to be with all the loved ones who left before her.
Although I was away from the blog the whole week, the concept of Inner Toob was never far from my notice. I've mentioned before the sense of a higher power guiding the serendipity of my channel surfing; landing on a channel just in time to see something that I could use to expand the makings of the TV Universe.
But this time, it was as if Television wasn't going to let me stray from thoughts of the week's events.
Mom passed away last Wednesday morning. That night, Chef died as well on 'South Park'.
Thursday night, the episode of 'Everybody Hates Chris' was "Everybody Hates Funerals". It dealt with the death of a grandparent as seen by the grandchild.
Friday night's episode of 'Doctor Who' on the Sci-Fi Channel was "The Unquiet Dead", which took place in a mortuary in 1869 Cardiff, Wales.
Sci-Fi Channel also premiered a new movie on Saturday night, entitled "Mortuary".
And Sunday night's episode of 'The Wing' ended with a preview that seemed to suggest that the death of actor John Spencer will be reflected in the death of his character of Leo McGarry next week.
Add to this that I brought a DVD of 'Sings &Arrows' home with me, to fill the downtime of that long week, which contains a death, a very theatrical funeral, and scenes in a mortuary and the morgue. I also brought along a DVD of "Remembrance Of The Daleks", the 20th anniversary celebration of 'Doctor Who' which also has scenes set in a mortuary - something I didn't know was coming.
And as if to rub it in, I got back to NYC to find the latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly" in my mailbox; its cover proclaiming "TV IS KING".
There is no escape from Toobworld's reflection on my life, and by extension, on my Mom's. As a matter of fact, her love of 'The Young & The Restless' - and her prized possession of a personally autographed picture of Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott - were mentioned by my sister in her eulogy.
At any rate, if this all seems a little irreverent, well, that's who I am. And I can't be too sad, as Mom is past all her suffering and on the next part of her journey. The faith she helped instill in me says that this life is just a stage, a way-station along the Way. How can I be sad that she's now reunited with my Dad, her parents (hopefully her Dad made it.....), her godson Norman and her neice Linda, as well as all the pets she had through life?
My sister said that Mom's now free of all the pain and suffering of the last sixteen years, but I think Father Tucker had it right in his homily - Mom's trials and tribulations started fifty-one years as she began her second career, that of raising "those five characters" (as Father Tucker dubbed us).
BCnU, Mom. I know I'll never be able to watch 'The Price Is Right' or 'The Young & The Restless' without feeling you near.
Tele-Toby
Jean Marie Griffin O'Brien
1930-2006
1930-2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK - 3/27/06
This week's crossover came at the beginning of last week (on 3/19), in a throwaway line which I had forgotten about until I was reminded by a reader of the blog for Tommy Westphall's Mind.
While running through a list of the upcoming appearances Congressman Matt Santos would have to make on TV for the final push in his presidential campaign, Josh Lyman mentioned taping an appearance for 'Good Morning Miami'. This show is obviously following the 'Today' show - NBC wouldn't want to tout any other network, would they?
Like I said, it was a throwaway reference, but it was enough. What made it surprising was that it brought back memories of an NBC series that didn't do very well during its only season on the air, and which had no other real connections to other NBC shows except for 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy', which airs on Bravo (owned by NBC).
Of course, there aren't really any other shows on NBC right now that deal with fictional TV shows, (unless you count the Out TV network on 'Will & Grace'), so they went with the recent past. (Had they dipped into the archive of classic NBC programs, then they could have invoked such fake shows as 'Lateline'.)
Overall, using 'Good Morning Miami' works out well for Toobworld purposes. 'The West Wing' had to be relegated to an alternate TV dimension because of Jed Bartlet being the President, when in Earth Prime-Time, the POTUS must always be the current Commander-In-Chief for Earth Prime. As I mentioned, 'Good Morning Miami' never lasted long enough, or wasn't prized enough by the Powers That Be, to get crossovers and tie-ins to any of the other fictional shows on the Peacock Network. This means we don't have to worry about banishing any other shows with 'Good Morning Miami' to Earth Prime-Time/Jed (for lack of a better classification).
As for 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy', there's no problem with this - that's a "reality" series and the Fab Five appear as themselves. There have been a few other people who have appeared as themselves on 'The West Wing' (Jay Leno, David Hasselhoff, and this past week, Atrios perhaps?) and others have been mentioned, like Matt Drudge. (And there was a real-world scientist portrayed by Christopher Lloyd as well.)
So, like many other real-world celebs, the Fab Five have counterparts in at least one other TV dimension.
And this doesn't mean we have to lose 'Good Morning Miami' from the main Toobworld, although there's no real compulsion to keep it. The local TV show within a network series could just as easily have its own doppelganger in several different TV dimensions.
The TV dimension housing 'The West Wing' now has several TV shows joining it Among them are:
'The West Wing'
'Mr. Sterling'
'Good Morning Miami'
Smallville'
And even after it shuffles off its mortal coil with the end of this season, 'The West Wing' may still have a "life" should it ever be mentioned by some show in the future.
Hey, it happened for 'Good Morning Miami'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
BTW ~
With the episode of 3/26, options were bandied about as to Santos making an appearance in a pre-taped Halloween-themed sketch for 'The Tonight Show'. Go-betweens handled the details and we didn't see Jay Leno, but as mentioned above, he has appeared on the show in the past.
I bring this up now so I don't feel the temptation to cite it for next week's Crossover Of The Week. Just this weekend, I noticed a great one that had been flying under the radar for weeks since the Super Bowl.......
'THE WEST WING'
&
'GOOD MORNING MIAMI'
&
'GOOD MORNING MIAMI'
While running through a list of the upcoming appearances Congressman Matt Santos would have to make on TV for the final push in his presidential campaign, Josh Lyman mentioned taping an appearance for 'Good Morning Miami'. This show is obviously following the 'Today' show - NBC wouldn't want to tout any other network, would they?
Like I said, it was a throwaway reference, but it was enough. What made it surprising was that it brought back memories of an NBC series that didn't do very well during its only season on the air, and which had no other real connections to other NBC shows except for 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy', which airs on Bravo (owned by NBC).
Of course, there aren't really any other shows on NBC right now that deal with fictional TV shows, (unless you count the Out TV network on 'Will & Grace'), so they went with the recent past. (Had they dipped into the archive of classic NBC programs, then they could have invoked such fake shows as 'Lateline'.)
Overall, using 'Good Morning Miami' works out well for Toobworld purposes. 'The West Wing' had to be relegated to an alternate TV dimension because of Jed Bartlet being the President, when in Earth Prime-Time, the POTUS must always be the current Commander-In-Chief for Earth Prime. As I mentioned, 'Good Morning Miami' never lasted long enough, or wasn't prized enough by the Powers That Be, to get crossovers and tie-ins to any of the other fictional shows on the Peacock Network. This means we don't have to worry about banishing any other shows with 'Good Morning Miami' to Earth Prime-Time/Jed (for lack of a better classification).
As for 'Queer Eye For The Straight Guy', there's no problem with this - that's a "reality" series and the Fab Five appear as themselves. There have been a few other people who have appeared as themselves on 'The West Wing' (Jay Leno, David Hasselhoff, and this past week, Atrios perhaps?) and others have been mentioned, like Matt Drudge. (And there was a real-world scientist portrayed by Christopher Lloyd as well.)
So, like many other real-world celebs, the Fab Five have counterparts in at least one other TV dimension.
And this doesn't mean we have to lose 'Good Morning Miami' from the main Toobworld, although there's no real compulsion to keep it. The local TV show within a network series could just as easily have its own doppelganger in several different TV dimensions.
The TV dimension housing 'The West Wing' now has several TV shows joining it Among them are:
'The West Wing'
'Mr. Sterling'
'Good Morning Miami'
Smallville'
And even after it shuffles off its mortal coil with the end of this season, 'The West Wing' may still have a "life" should it ever be mentioned by some show in the future.
Hey, it happened for 'Good Morning Miami'!
BCnU!
Tele-Toby
BTW ~
With the episode of 3/26, options were bandied about as to Santos making an appearance in a pre-taped Halloween-themed sketch for 'The Tonight Show'. Go-betweens handled the details and we didn't see Jay Leno, but as mentioned above, he has appeared on the show in the past.
I bring this up now so I don't feel the temptation to cite it for next week's Crossover Of The Week. Just this weekend, I noticed a great one that had been flying under the radar for weeks since the Super Bowl.......
Muahahaha!!
FINALLY!!!! After waiting for so long, here's the...
fabulous
amazing
rare
and mostly very unlucky
13 YAO!!!!!!!!!
I am a complete person now! After 8 years of playing mahjong, here's my first 13 yao and now to better skies! I'm gonna tian hu and di hu and da san yuan and 18 luo han and da si xi and si an ke and tian hu da si xi! MUAHAHAHA
(Sorry to people who don't play mahjong you wont understand what I am talking about but you should start playing coz it is a fabulous game. You don't know what you are missing out!)
So anyway, it is kinda eerie how I won coz it was the very last game (of the 3 rounds we played). I was the overall winner of that day's games so I delibrately didn't win the last round with my lousy chou ping hu cards, and that got me rather pissed off as well.
In the end Tim won and he was banker, so we went one additional round. Without this one additional round I won't have gotten 13 yao!
I started off with 7 cards and thought, since it's the last round and I'm up, I might as well do it.
I had all the winds except bei with 2 dongs and hong zhong fa cai (no bai ban) and like one of the one-nine cards.
Then like 3 cards came in a row, and in between I threw away all my nice adjoining number cards. I got rubbish cards for a while - was kinda pissing.
The 13 yao cards came again and I got my 9 shuo and 1 tong within 1 round and almost hyperventilated to death.
Once I ting pai it took 1 round for Tim to threw his bird card and I WONNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!
I tell you, since I got my 9 shuo I was trembling all the way until 20 minutes later my hands were still trembling can!
I think I learnt one thing... If you are meant to win 13 yao, your 13 yao cards won't come in doubles, coz mine never did.
(OK I just asked Sandra about hers and she said her 13 yao cards came in doubles and she had to decide between 13 yao and da pai yao jiu)
That's not the point.
THE POINT IS I FINALLY WON 13 YAO!!! Congratulations to me!!!
Haha I think I am siao.
p/s: I don't think I am very unlucky coz Creative just gave me a $599 player.(more about that later!)
But I did see an accident... No dead bodies though, and the accident was at Orchard road and the entire bus saw the accident with me... And they can't have all won 13 yao recently, can they?
p/p/s: I think people who go like, "Oh, I don't do 13 yao coz it's suay!" are just having sour grapes. I bet you just don't have that kinda luck to do it, haha! Everyone I know who did it said they weren't unlucky after winning.
p/p/p/s: Ain't it so pretty. And count the number of pictures in that row. :D
fabulous
amazing
rare
and mostly very unlucky
13 YAO!!!!!!!!!
I am a complete person now! After 8 years of playing mahjong, here's my first 13 yao and now to better skies! I'm gonna tian hu and di hu and da san yuan and 18 luo han and da si xi and si an ke and tian hu da si xi! MUAHAHAHA
(Sorry to people who don't play mahjong you wont understand what I am talking about but you should start playing coz it is a fabulous game. You don't know what you are missing out!)
So anyway, it is kinda eerie how I won coz it was the very last game (of the 3 rounds we played). I was the overall winner of that day's games so I delibrately didn't win the last round with my lousy chou ping hu cards, and that got me rather pissed off as well.
In the end Tim won and he was banker, so we went one additional round. Without this one additional round I won't have gotten 13 yao!
I started off with 7 cards and thought, since it's the last round and I'm up, I might as well do it.
I had all the winds except bei with 2 dongs and hong zhong fa cai (no bai ban) and like one of the one-nine cards.
Then like 3 cards came in a row, and in between I threw away all my nice adjoining number cards. I got rubbish cards for a while - was kinda pissing.
The 13 yao cards came again and I got my 9 shuo and 1 tong within 1 round and almost hyperventilated to death.
Once I ting pai it took 1 round for Tim to threw his bird card and I WONNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!
I tell you, since I got my 9 shuo I was trembling all the way until 20 minutes later my hands were still trembling can!
I think I learnt one thing... If you are meant to win 13 yao, your 13 yao cards won't come in doubles, coz mine never did.
(OK I just asked Sandra about hers and she said her 13 yao cards came in doubles and she had to decide between 13 yao and da pai yao jiu)
That's not the point.
THE POINT IS I FINALLY WON 13 YAO!!! Congratulations to me!!!
Haha I think I am siao.
p/s: I don't think I am very unlucky coz Creative just gave me a $599 player.(more about that later!)
But I did see an accident... No dead bodies though, and the accident was at Orchard road and the entire bus saw the accident with me... And they can't have all won 13 yao recently, can they?
p/p/s: I think people who go like, "Oh, I don't do 13 yao coz it's suay!" are just having sour grapes. I bet you just don't have that kinda luck to do it, haha! Everyone I know who did it said they weren't unlucky after winning.
p/p/p/s: Ain't it so pretty. And count the number of pictures in that row. :D
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Nonchalance
It's funny how when you are happy, you can just not care about anything else in the world.
Just as I told Kenny just now on msn.
He was talking to me about some recent incident in the blogosphere which involves me.
I was smiling away as he spoke, and I told him I don't really care at all, coz there's only four things in my life that matters right now, which is:
Mike, money, mahjong, and friends. Not in order of importance.
(Family is included in friends in case you people wanna nitpick) I then realised that everything seems to start with an M, and decided to change friends to mates.
So yeah, Mike, money, mahjong, and mates.
Everything within these four catergories are going very well, with the exception of Mahjong, because I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO WIN 13 YAO.
I am building tiles like crazy and they would all come, but repeats of each other.
Imagine you get almost all the 13 yao cards, and you have two hong zhongs, two fa cais and two bai bans... DO YOU NOT PONG WHEN SOMEONE THROWS A HONG ZHONG?!
It's crazy.
So anyway, I am relentlessly gonna play mahjong until I win 13 yao, because both Kelvin and Russell, who have only started playing late last year, have won that before, and I DON'T BELIEVE I CAN'T DO IT!
Chicken mcnugget! Kelvin you wait. Stop saying I don't have the luck. I will hu on the 13 yao card YOU throw!
I am also quite delirious happy coz I am planning to take a trip to the states soon...
To meet Mike and to go to LA and Vegas! Imagine walking down Hollywood bvld and smacking bunny girls on their asses while rolling in high cash at the MGM grand!
Man, life cannot be more perfect than that.
Except Momo is not really happy about this coz she reckons that Mike will chop me up into little pieces and sell my Chinese kidneys on ebay, but Momo will be changing her mind when I win millions on the Russian roulette!
Wahahhaa!
I'll go back to Singapore with my suitcase filled with crisp green notes, and I will go like, Momo, you like Lincoln, eh, eh?, and I will shower her with all the moolah till she hyperventilates and I have to lie her down on the floor to breathe.
Heehee
I am such a happy girl!
And I seriously can't be bothered about the petty ongoings in the blogosphere. For goodness sake I am about to be 22, not going 16!
I remember some time ago this 30 year old saggy bitch went on about how I was not included in a magazine interview but she was. (oh but all the magazine interviews I have been in will engulf you, you insignificant underinterviewed person! Ha ha ha)
She was laughing and saying how I deserve it etc.
I didn't even mention anything, but everyone knows she is the one making a fool of herself, because, according to the magazine, the only reason why I was not included is because there wasn't enough space, and the editors felt that it was right to axe me, to give the less famous girls a chance.
:)
Loser.
But who cares about all these? I'm happy, and these people don't even deserve to have me acknowledge their presence. :) So what if my readership goes down or I lose my businesses here?
As I said before, I still have a media and comm diploma which I have yet to collect from SP.
Do whatever, man.
Further proof of my happiness?
Photos of me, well, just being happy. And yes, I heard 598 of you. Mike's photos too.
Get fresh girls, and stop smoking!
Had no idea there was press! When I told Howard this he said "What do you think a launch party is for, stupid?!" and scoffed at me. He's so mean!
p/s: The PS brushes are downloaded and not my original works. But I can't credit them simply because I don't know who created them, I just downloaded from deviantart. Sorry if you are the creators!
Just as I told Kenny just now on msn.
He was talking to me about some recent incident in the blogosphere which involves me.
I was smiling away as he spoke, and I told him I don't really care at all, coz there's only four things in my life that matters right now, which is:
Mike, money, mahjong, and friends. Not in order of importance.
(Family is included in friends in case you people wanna nitpick) I then realised that everything seems to start with an M, and decided to change friends to mates.
So yeah, Mike, money, mahjong, and mates.
Everything within these four catergories are going very well, with the exception of Mahjong, because I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO WIN 13 YAO.
I am building tiles like crazy and they would all come, but repeats of each other.
Imagine you get almost all the 13 yao cards, and you have two hong zhongs, two fa cais and two bai bans... DO YOU NOT PONG WHEN SOMEONE THROWS A HONG ZHONG?!
It's crazy.
So anyway, I am relentlessly gonna play mahjong until I win 13 yao, because both Kelvin and Russell, who have only started playing late last year, have won that before, and I DON'T BELIEVE I CAN'T DO IT!
Chicken mcnugget! Kelvin you wait. Stop saying I don't have the luck. I will hu on the 13 yao card YOU throw!
I am also quite delirious happy coz I am planning to take a trip to the states soon...
To meet Mike and to go to LA and Vegas! Imagine walking down Hollywood bvld and smacking bunny girls on their asses while rolling in high cash at the MGM grand!
Man, life cannot be more perfect than that.
Except Momo is not really happy about this coz she reckons that Mike will chop me up into little pieces and sell my Chinese kidneys on ebay, but Momo will be changing her mind when I win millions on the Russian roulette!
Wahahhaa!
I'll go back to Singapore with my suitcase filled with crisp green notes, and I will go like, Momo, you like Lincoln, eh, eh?, and I will shower her with all the moolah till she hyperventilates and I have to lie her down on the floor to breathe.
Heehee
I am such a happy girl!
And I seriously can't be bothered about the petty ongoings in the blogosphere. For goodness sake I am about to be 22, not going 16!
I remember some time ago this 30 year old saggy bitch went on about how I was not included in a magazine interview but she was. (oh but all the magazine interviews I have been in will engulf you, you insignificant underinterviewed person! Ha ha ha)
She was laughing and saying how I deserve it etc.
I didn't even mention anything, but everyone knows she is the one making a fool of herself, because, according to the magazine, the only reason why I was not included is because there wasn't enough space, and the editors felt that it was right to axe me, to give the less famous girls a chance.
:)
Loser.
But who cares about all these? I'm happy, and these people don't even deserve to have me acknowledge their presence. :) So what if my readership goes down or I lose my businesses here?
As I said before, I still have a media and comm diploma which I have yet to collect from SP.
Do whatever, man.
Further proof of my happiness?
Photos of me, well, just being happy. And yes, I heard 598 of you. Mike's photos too.
Get Fresh launch at Indochine!
Get fresh girls, and stop smoking!
Had no idea there was press! When I told Howard this he said "What do you think a launch party is for, stupid?!" and scoffed at me. He's so mean!
With Howie and new ambassador Veron.
Cute and mine. Haha! The white stuff is my drool.
Cute and mine. Haha! The white stuff is my drool.
(Everytime I see that ba zhi mei I just go like, Awwwwwwwww)
Short singing by Shirley. She's great!
Ha! Reminds me of someone's cheesy commercial!
Then dancers came to the stage... Hot!
Had a free manicure there too! :D
Lastly
I am happy, and don't smoke!
Ha! Reminds me of someone's cheesy commercial!
Then dancers came to the stage... Hot!
Had a free manicure there too! :D
Lastly
I am happy, and don't smoke!
p/s: The PS brushes are downloaded and not my original works. But I can't credit them simply because I don't know who created them, I just downloaded from deviantart. Sorry if you are the creators!
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