Showing posts with label Reali-TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reali-TV. Show all posts
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Saturday, December 27, 2025
BENOIT BLANC & TOOBWORLD'S MANIFEST DESTINY
We don't know when it happened at any point in Blanc's unseen life between the three movies ("Knives Out", "Glass Onion", and the current entry, "Wake Up, Dead Man.") Benoit Blanc appeared as a guest on the fictional televersion of 'The View'.
'The View' is a member of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.
In fact, it may have happened even before that first movie, because Blanc was already a celebrated private detective with enough notoriety to make him recognizable to the average viewer of the talk show.
The following shows are all part of Earth Prime-Time and their characters have acknowledged the existence of ‘The View’ as being a TV series in their lives:
‘The Mountain’, ‘‘The Nanny’, ‘Gilmore Girls’, ‘Third Rock From The Sun’, ‘Just Shoot Me’, ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’, ‘Will & Grace’, ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’, ‘Scrubs’, ‘Reba’, ‘Veronica Mars’, ‘Bones’, ‘Entourage’, ‘Law & Order: SVU’, ’10 Things I Hate About You’, ‘Greek’, ‘Community’, ‘Cougar Town’, ‘Modern Family’, ‘Psych’, ‘Chuck’, ‘The Office’, ‘Drop Dead Diva’, ‘Hot In Cleveland’, ‘Happy Endings’, ‘90210’, ‘Workaholics’, ‘Us & Them’, ‘The Neighbors’, ‘Looking’, ‘Melissa & Joey’, ‘Faking It’, ‘Last Man Standing’, ‘Revenge’, ‘2 Broke Girls’, ‘Justified’, ‘The Jack and Triumph Show’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘Orange Is The New Black’, ‘’Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, ‘The Muppets’, ‘Fuller House’, ‘Loosely Exactly Nicole’, ‘NCIS’, ‘The Goldbergs’.
O'Bservation - Since I posted that in 2021, other TV series may have acknowledged its existence in Toobworld.
‘The View’ also gets mentioned/watched in shows which take place in other Toobworlds – ‘The West Wing’, ‘Doom Patrol’, and a couple of shows in the horror world known as “Nosferatoob” – ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘iZombie’. Plus it has become a cottage industry to be spoofed in Skitlandia (thanks to ‘SNL’ and ‘MAD-TV’) and in the Tooniverse. (‘Family Guy’ and ‘The Simpsons’ for example.)
Plus, there are several series in which ‘The View’ is not only mentioned, but characters from those shows appear on the talk show and interact with the televersions of the real-life hosts – Jenna Maroney of ’30 Rock’, Casey McCall of ‘SportsNight’, and a fictionalized ‘Bette’ Midler whose life in the eponymous sitcom is very different from that of Trueniverse Bette.
Surprisingly, Daniel Craig has never appeared on 'The View'. It would have been fun to include a screen grab from an appearance and claim it was Benoit Blanc.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
TVXOHOF TRIBUTE - A SATURDAY SALUTE TO JILL SOBULE
Jill Sobule, who raised eyebrows with her cheeky 1995 anthem "I Kissed a Girl," has died. According to her publicist David Elkin and manager John Porter, the 66-year-old singer-songwriter died in a house fire in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota on Thursday.
A statement issued by the Woodbury Public Safety Department on Facebook said when first responders arrived at the home early in the morning, it was engulfed in flames. A woman in her 60s was found dead inside the property. The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
Sobule was staying with friends in Minn. before heading to her hometown of Denver to perform songs from her autobiographical coming-of-age musical “F*ck 7th Grade” on Friday. Instead, the venue in which she was scheduled to perform, Swallow Hill Music, has arranged an informal gathering in her memory.
"Jill Sobule was a force of nature whose music is woven into our culture," said Porter. "I hope her music, memory and legacy continue to live on and inspire others."
I was a fan of Jill Sobule. She’s one of the few celebrities I actively followed on social media. And I think I owe my interest in her to Vin Scelsa, the retired radio deejay who was one of the last of the free-form disk-spinners.
To become a member of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, one must have three separate showcases as a character; this includes the fictional televersions of those who are members of the League of Themselves. (I am an example of that.)
And the TVXOHOF can honor her memory officially because she fulfills that requirement.
From Wikipedia:
Jill Sobule (January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. Autobiographical elements, including Sobule's Jewish heritage and her adolescent battles with anorexia and depression, frequently occurred in Sobule's writing.
Sobule released eight studio albums of original songs, four EPs, and a greatest hits compilation album. Sobule's output also included original songs available only via the Internet, a cover of Robert Earl Keen's Christmas novelty track "Merry Christmas from the Family," and a version of the late Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick" included on both Sobule's acoustic album and on a posthumous Zevon tribute record.
In the late 1990s, Sobule toured with Richard Barone as "The Richard & Jill Show". Their songs have been used on 'The West Wing,' 'Felicity,' 'Dawson's Creek,' 'South of Nowhere,' and other television shows.
In 2005, Sobule contributed music to 'Unfabulous', a popular Nickelodeon TV series about a 13-year-old aspiring songwriter, including a title song performed by Sobule under the program's opening credits.
Jill’s fictional televersion is actually a multidimensional in the greater TV Universe – There is a Jill Sobule in three different Toobworlds.
EARTH PRIME-TIME
TREME
Season Three Finale. Davis McAlary and Cheeky Blakk go 'full ghetto' on McAlary's goodbye to the musician's life. Tim Feeny reveals himself and his intentions to Desautel when he finds out that she's throwing an unauthorized benefit for Gigi's. Delmond Lambreaux parts ways with the powers that be. Toni Bernette sees hope that Joey Abreu's killer may be prosecuted.
O’Bservation:
Jill played at that unauthorized benefit. When she posted about it on Instagram, she was excited that she had six trombonists backing her up. The song she played was “When My Ship Comes In”, my personal favorite.
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
SEASON 3 EPISODE 171 (1996)
Jill Sobule (January 16, 1959 – May 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter best known for the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl", and "Supermodel" from the soundtrack of the 1995 film Clueless. Her folk-inflected compositions alternate between ironic, story-driven character studies and emotive ballads, a duality reminiscent of such 1970s American songwriters as Warren Zevon, Harry Nilsson, Loudon Wainwright III, Harry Chapin, and Randy Newman. Autobiographical elements, including Sobule's Jewish heritage and her adolescent battles with anorexia and depression, frequently occurred in Sobule's writing.
Sobule released eight studio albums of original songs, four EPs, and a greatest hits compilation album. Sobule's output also included original songs available only via the Internet, a cover of Robert Earl Keen's Christmas novelty track "Merry Christmas from the Family," and a version of the late Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick" included on both Sobule's acoustic album and on a posthumous Zevon tribute record.
In the late 1990s, Sobule toured with Richard Barone as "The Richard & Jill Show". Their songs have been used on 'The West Wing,' 'Felicity,' 'Dawson's Creek,' 'South of Nowhere,' and other television shows.
In 2005, Sobule contributed music to 'Unfabulous', a popular Nickelodeon TV series about a 13-year-old aspiring songwriter, including a title song performed by Sobule under the program's opening credits.
Jill’s fictional televersion is actually a multidimensional in the greater TV Universe – There is a Jill Sobule in three different Toobworlds.
EARTH PRIME-TIME
TIPITINA (2012)
Season Three Finale. Davis McAlary and Cheeky Blakk go 'full ghetto' on McAlary's goodbye to the musician's life. Tim Feeny reveals himself and his intentions to Desautel when he finds out that she's throwing an unauthorized benefit for Gigi's. Delmond Lambreaux parts ways with the powers that be. Toni Bernette sees hope that Joey Abreu's killer may be prosecuted.
Jill played at that unauthorized benefit. When she posted about it on Instagram, she was excited that she had six trombonists backing her up. The song she played was “When My Ship Comes In”, my personal favorite.
LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN
SEASON 3 EPISODE 171 (1996)
O’Bservation:In her first appearance on the show, she performed “The Secretive Life.” I don’t know what she played when she came back about a year later.
SEASON 4 EPISODE 137 (1997)
O’Bservation:
Normally, I don’t include talk show appearances as qualifications for inclusion in the Hall. But I’m just bringing these two appearances to your attention because Conan O’Brien is a member of the TVXOHOF already. Even that wouldn’t be enough technically.
However! There is a televersion of this show in Toobworld. For example, Dr. Greene was seen watching the show in the ‘ER’ episode “Good Touch, Bad Touch”. And Paula received a job offer from the show as seen in the episode “Montana” from ‘The Larry Sanders Show’.
It even exists in the Tooniverse, thanks to shows like ‘The Simpsons’, ‘South Park’, and ‘The Critic’. For the most part, all those TV characters were watching the same episodes as we saw in the Trueniverse. (Although we would never see the ‘Late Night’ episode in which Vince planned to talk about the threesome in which he took part.) And that would mean the TV characters probably saw the fictional televersion of Jill Sobule on the show.
ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD
THE WEST WING
INAUGURATION PART 2 – OVER THERE (2003)
O’Bservation:
The club where Josh, C.J., and Toby listen to Jill Sobule sing “Heroes” is Iota, which used to be in Clarenden, Arlington, Virginia, but it closed in 2017.
The IMDb trivia section for this episode has not been updated. It claims that this was Jill Sobule’s only TV series appearance. That held true until 2012 when she appeared in that aforementioned ‘Treme’ episode.
THE TOONIVERSE
THE SIMPSONS
MARGE THE LUMBERJILL (2019)
O’Bservation:
Jill Sobule is not seen in animation form in this episode, but as seen in the pictures, the reference to her proves that she does exist in the Tooniverse.
HOMER:
Um, I like what you're wearing.
MARGE:
Thank you.
These are locally-sourced dungarees and Pendleton flannel.
It's what Jill Sobule wore when she played the Crystal Ballroom.
LISA:
Jill Sobule?
Like every other place we go, I love Portland.
And she is heard as well, singing the “Ballad of the Lumberjill:”
I walked into the forest
So beautiful and green
And there I saw a woman
Who was chopping down a tree
The sawdust was flyin'
She was spinnin' on a log
On her waist was strapped a tool belt
With a Black & Decker saw
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
She continued the song over the end credits:
I walked out of the forest
Before we said goodbye
The birds were all a-singing
As she pointed to the sky
She said, "Can't you see the rainbow?
They made it just for you"
She handed me her toolbox
Said, "Now you know what to do"
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
This has brought me small comfort, because I can’t help but think of the horror of such a death. It may not be much, but I hope this tribute to her “life” in the TV Universe brings a smile to others who loved her music.
As Red Skelton would say, “Good night and may God bless….”
O’Bservation:
Normally, I don’t include talk show appearances as qualifications for inclusion in the Hall. But I’m just bringing these two appearances to your attention because Conan O’Brien is a member of the TVXOHOF already. Even that wouldn’t be enough technically.
However! There is a televersion of this show in Toobworld. For example, Dr. Greene was seen watching the show in the ‘ER’ episode “Good Touch, Bad Touch”. And Paula received a job offer from the show as seen in the episode “Montana” from ‘The Larry Sanders Show’.
ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD
THE WEST WING
INAUGURATION PART 2 – OVER THERE (2003)
O’Bservation:
The club where Josh, C.J., and Toby listen to Jill Sobule sing “Heroes” is Iota, which used to be in Clarenden, Arlington, Virginia, but it closed in 2017.
THE TOONIVERSE
THE SIMPSONS
MARGE THE LUMBERJILL (2019)
O’Bservation:
Jill Sobule is not seen in animation form in this episode, but as seen in the pictures, the reference to her proves that she does exist in the Tooniverse.
HOMER:
Um, I like what you're wearing.
MARGE:
Thank you.
These are locally-sourced dungarees and Pendleton flannel.
It's what Jill Sobule wore when she played the Crystal Ballroom.
LISA:
Jill Sobule?
Like every other place we go, I love Portland.
And she is heard as well, singing the “Ballad of the Lumberjill:”
So beautiful and green
And there I saw a woman
Who was chopping down a tree
The sawdust was flyin'
She was spinnin' on a log
On her waist was strapped a tool belt
With a Black & Decker saw
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
She continued the song over the end credits:
I walked out of the forest
Before we said goodbye
The birds were all a-singing
As she pointed to the sky
She said, "Can't you see the rainbow?
They made it just for you"
She handed me her toolbox
Said, "Now you know what to do"
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill
Vroom, vroom, pull the cord
Buzz, buzz, just one more
Roar, roar, what a thrill
With Lumberjill.
As Red Skelton would say, “Good night and may God bless….”
Thursday, February 1, 2024
TVXOHOF: FEBRUARY, 2024 - JIM BROWN, A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE
Last year we lost a man who is considered the greatest professional football player who ever played the game. He also appeared in three incredibly powerful movies in the last three years of the 1960s:
- THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967)
- ICE STATION ZEBRA (1968)
- 100 RIFLES (1969)
Even though he passed away last year in May, I decided he shouldn’t be tossed into the Hall as merely a memorial induction. Instead, his ceremony deserves to be the February showcase in honor of Black History Month, especially since he played a big role in that….
From Wikipedia:
James Nathaniel Brown (February 17, 1936 – May 18, 2023) was an American football fullback, civil rights activist, and actor. He played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history, Brown was a Pro Bowl invitee every season he was in the league, was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times, and won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons, and by the time he retired, he held most major rushing records. In 2002, he was named by The Sporting News as the greatest professional football player ever.
Brown earned unanimous All-America honors playing college football at Syracuse University, where he was an all-around player for the Syracuse Orangemen football team. The team later retired his number 44 jersey, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. He is also widely considered one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, and the Premier Lacrosse League MVP Award is named in his honor. Brown also excelled in basketball and track and field.
In his professional career, Brown carried the ball 2,359 times for 12,312 rushing yards and 106 touchdowns, which were all records when he retired. He averaged 104.3 rushing yards per game, and is the only player in NFL history to average over 100 rushing yards per game for his career. Brown was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. He was named to the NFL's 50th, 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams, comprising the best players in NFL history. Brown was honored at the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as the greatest college football player of all time. His number 32 jersey is retired by the Browns.
Shortly before the end of his football career, Brown became an actor. He retired at the peak of his football career to pursue an acting career. He obtained 53 acting credits and several leading roles throughout the 1970s. He has been described as Hollywood's first black action hero and his role in the 1969 film "100 Rifles" made cinematic history for featuring interracial love scenes.
Brown was one of the few athletes, and among the most prominent African Americans, to speak out on racial issues as the civil rights movement was growing in the 1950s. He participated in the Cleveland Summit after Muhammad Ali faced imprisonment for refusing to enter the draft for the Vietnam War, and he founded the Black Economic Union to help promote economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses. Brown later launched a foundation focused on diverting at-risk youth from violence through teaching them life skills, through which he facilitated the Watts truce between rival street gangs in Los Angeles.
Brown died of natural causes, at the age of 87 on May 18, 2023, at his home in Los Angeles. He died with his wife by his side. Tributes from the sports world and beyond soon poured in:
- Former NFL running back Barry Sanders posting on Twitter that "You can't underestimate the impact Jim Brown had on the NFL."
- Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards, wrote "He is and was a true legend in sports and in the community using his platform to help others."
- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said "Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to ever step on any athletic field — but also a cultural figure who helped promote change."
- LeBron James, an NBA star, wrote in tribute that "We lost a hero today. Rest in Paradise to the legend Jim Brown. I hope every Black athlete takes the time to educate themselves about this incredible man and what he did to change all of our lives. We all stand on your shoulders Jim Brown."
- Barack Obama, the 44th president and the first Black president of the United States, wrote, "I was too young to remember Jim Brown's playing days, but I knew his legacy. One of the greatest football players ever, he was also an actor and activist – speaking out on civil rights, and pushing other black athletes to do the same."
1964
THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW
Episode S18.E13
O'Bservation - Since Ed Sullivan and 'The Ed Sullivan Show' are members of the TVXOHOF, I felt it should be included (unlike many other variety programs.)
1965
VALENTINE'S DAY
FOR ME AND MY SAL
Valentine enlists the aid of his former college friend, professional footballer Jim Brown. It seems their aging English professor, Charles Marks, is lonely and hasn't slept well in fifty years. With Jim's help, Val hopes to reunite Mr. Marks with his long lost love. [IMDb]
1967
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
1967, 1969, 1973
THE TONIGHT SHOW with JOHNNY CARSON
1991
GOOD SPORTS
THE BIGGER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY HIT
Gayle (Farrah Fawcett) wants to tackle football's Jim Brown after he runs through Missy (Christine Dunford) during an interview. Bruce Jenner also plays himself. [TV GUIDE]
1997
LIVING SINGLE
LIVING SINGLE UNDERCOVER
Synclaire tries to help Overton cope with the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore. [IMDb]
1998
BETWEEN BROTHERS
KUNG FOOLS
An article by Charles (Kadeem Hardison) angers former NFL star Jim Brown (guest starring as himself). [Rotten Tomatoes]
O'Bservation - Jim Brown's fictional televersion did a 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' special with Susan Lucci (who should probably be inducted into the TVXOHOF as a member of the League of Themselves.)
O'Bservation - Jim Brown's fictional televersion did a 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' special with Susan Lucci (who should probably be inducted into the TVXOHOF as a member of the League of Themselves.)
2000
ARLI$$
YOU CAN PICK YOUR FRIENDS...
Arliss attended the Jim Brown Film Festival because Jim was his client. Jim received an award at the event from Leonard Maltin.
2003
THE TONIGHT SHOW with JAY LENO
Episode 11.218
O'Bservation - Both 'The Tonight Show' and Jay Leno are members of the TVXOHOF.
LARRY KING NOW
O'Bservation - The reason I'm including this talking head appearance is because Larry King is also a member of the TVXOHOF. His appearance on an episode of 'Larry King Live' could also be included for the same reason.
Welcome to the TVXOHOF, Mr. Brown….
Welcome to the TVXOHOF, Mr. Brown….
Monday, January 1, 2024
EARLY GATWA SHOTS
From the moment Ncuti Gatwa was announced as the “next Doctor” (which eventually had to be revised to him being referred to as the 15th Doctor*), the pictures began flooding the Interwebz of Gatwa with the TARDIS. And once Millie Gibson was announced to play Ruby Sunday, she was added to the mix as well.
Many of those pictures were professional, produced as either press releases from the BBC, or publicity shots for various media outlets. But there were also those images made by the fans, which I hope the suits at the Beeb accepted with grace because it all translated to good mojo for the upcoming transition.
Now that we have marked that auspicious occasion, here’s a look at some of that Who15 fandom….
All credit goes to those who made these works of art.
* Here at Toobworld Central, he is the 15th Incarnation. There is only the one Doctor....
* Here at Toobworld Central, he is the 15th Incarnation. There is only the one Doctor....
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