Saturday, January 8, 2011

HAPPY 103RD, WILLIAM HARTNELL!

Today marks the 103rd anniversary of William Hartnell's birth.....

William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. During 1963-66, he was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who.











BCnU!

VERY RARE JONI

My thanks to Neil Shovlin for pointing this out....

MORE FROM WTF-TV

I'm pretty sure David brought that to my attention as well....

FROM THE ARCHIVES OF WTF-TV

With thanks to my FB friend, David Widagdo.....




Okay, one comment: you know that dog has to be a reincarnated human......

A TOONIVERSE TRIBUTE TO GERRY RAFFERTY

SKED ALERT! "BEING HUMAN" - THE AMERICAN VERSION

AS SEEN ON TV: THE KING OF SIAM

KING MONGKUT


AS SEEN IN:
'Anna And The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Yul Brynner

From Wikipedia:
Klao Chao Yu Hua (or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut (18 October 1804 – 1 October 1868), was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868. He was one of the most revered monarchs of the country.

Outside of Thailand he is best-known as the King in the play and film "The King and I", based on the 1956 film "Anna and the King of Siam" - in turn based on the writing of Anna Leonowens about her six years at his court.

In his reign, the pressure of Western expansionism was felt for the first time in Siam. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of Siam, both in technology and culture—earning him the epithet "The Father of Science and Technology" in Siam.

Mongkut was also known for his appointment of his brother, Prince Chutamani, as vice-king. Prince Chutamani was crowned in 1851 as King Pinklao. Mongkut himself assured that Pinklao should be respected with equal honor to himself.

Mongkut's reign was also the time when the power of the House of Bunnak reached the zenith and became the most powerful noble family of Siam. In 1862, on recommendation by Tan Kim Ching in Singapore, an English woman named Anna Leonowens, whose influence was later the subject of great Thai controversy, was hired. It is still debated how much this affected the worldview of one of his sons, Prince Chulalongkorn, who succeeded to the throne. Her story would become the inspiration for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I", as well as the Hollywood movies of the same title, which, because of their incorrect historical references and supposedly disrespectful treatment of King Mongkut's character, were for some time banned in Thailand as the Thai government and people considered them to be lèse majesté (an illegal insult to the king or monarchy).




As played by Yul Brynner, King Mongkut is a multiversal - he would look like this in the fictional dimensions of theater, movies, and television....

BCnU, et cetera et cetera, et cetera!

Friday, January 7, 2011

A PROGRAMMING NOTE

I never learn. Every year I wait until the last minute before I start writing up the copy and collecting the pictures and video for the annual Toobits Awards. Thankfully I'm collecting examples all year long or I'd never remember half of the possible winners by the end of December!

So I'm a little shagged out from all the work on those five segments posted during the night at Inner Toob. Which means that it's not enough to be lazy and post videos for Video Weekend; I'm going to skip writing up commentary for them as well......


BCnU!

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS: ALL THE LINKS!

The winners of the 2010 Toobits Awards were announced here in the blog today. In fact, if you scroll down, they descend in the proper order.

But this list of their links is being posted for my Facebook friends so that they can easily reach them all. (And hopefully they'll check them out! After all, some of them were winners this year!)

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-toobits-awards-part-one_07.html

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-toobits-awards-part-one.html

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-toobits-awards-part-two.html

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-toobits-awards-part-three.html

http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-toobits-awards-part-four.html

BCnU!

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS PART ONE

2010 TOOBITS
It's that time of year again, when we all make lists and think back over the past year, in whatever field of interest concerns us, and chronicle the high points and the lows. For the past few years I've been presenting this compilation as an awards show, the Toobits, which of course celebrates my two bits about Toobworld.

As it is with any such list you'll find in TV columns across the country these last few weeks, these are my opinions. You're welcome to your own and I hope you'll share them, but I'm sticking to my weapons of choice. (It could be you won't see something that was a favorite of yours because I just never got around to seeing it. There's only so much time in the world - even for a do-nothing-else-anyway sort like me! - and I've only got the two eyes, even if they do operate independently of each other at times.)

Unlike the Emmy Awards which will just keep handing out trophies to some shows forever, only shows, characters and what-not that debuted in 2010 can be considered. (And by "debuted", I mean that which I first came in contact with in 2010. It could be a few years old, but if it's my first time seeing it, it's new.)

This one-time-only rule includes characters who have been recast (although there are two Recastaway awards); those are still the same characters who already exist in Toobworld. (But there were a few notable appearances that deserved honorable mention, and they get it.)

So without further ado, let's have at it:

BEST NEW TV SERIES
COMEDY:

'The Ricky Gervais Show'
DRAMA:

'Rubicon'

BEST TV MOVIE
'Sherlock' - "The Great Game"

It is technically part of a series, but as each episode runs 90 minutes, I consider each one to be a TV movie.

BEST MINI-SERIES
'The Pacific'

BEST IMPORT
Comedy:

'The In-Betweeners'
Drama:

'Sherlock' & 'Luther'

BEST EPISODE, ANY GENRE
"Eleventh Hour" - 'Doctor Who'

An exciting introduction to not only the new Doctor, but also to Amy and Rory, new aliens, and a new TARDIS interior.....

BEST TWO-PART EPISODE
"Death of the Doctor" - 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'
(with the Doctor and Jo Grant)

This will prove to be very important to the overall mythos of the Doctor - at least in Television - not only for the return of the Doctor and a re-introduction to Jo Grant, but also for the revelation about the Doctor's ability to regenerate.

BEST SERIES RETURN
'Futurama'

BEST SEASON FINALE
'Doctor Who'

It had everything - humor, pathos, adventure, romance, death, rebirth, sacrifice, and fezzes. It was silly and sad, a roller coaster of a fairy tale!

BEST SERIES FINALE
'Lost' & 'Ashes To Ashes'

Best of all is that they shared a common theme about Limbo, which can unite them - along with the A2A prequel, the original 'Life On Mars' and the old Richard Widmark series based on his movie, 'Madigan'.......

BEST CLIFF-HANGER
'White Collar'

I'll just say that it happens right after this shot. It's just a shame that the promos for the new season give it all away......

WORST SERIES CONCLUSION
'Happy Town' & 'Persons Unknown'

As the audience numbers failed to support these shows, they had to limp to their finales online. And neither one gave a decent send-off, as if they both thought they had any chance of renewal. ('Rubicon' was guilty of the same thing, but there was some hope of renewal at first.)

BEST SPIN-OFF
'Law & Order: Los Angeles'

I didn't personally care very much for the Left Coast continuation, but it does help expand Toobworld....

BEST SEQUEL
"New Man In Charge" - 'Lost'

It's the way of the future - DVDs will play a significant role in expanding the TV Universe.

BEST REMAKE
'Sherlock'

It was brilliant of Moffat and Gatiss to modernize the canon and yet everything about the basic dynamic - characters, methods of detection, storylines - felt true to the original. Yes, it's a massive Zonk, but we'll deal with that before the awards presentations are over......

BEST PILOT
'Human Target'

BEST REVIVED SERIES
'Dollhouse'

Unfortunately, like 'Enterprise' before it, this was a case of too little, too late......

BEST CROSSOVER
'Warehouse 13' - 'Eureka'
Even if they weren't on the same network, this would have been a natural. And that's due more to the characters than the story, which is why we also have this category:

BEST CROSSOVER PLOTLINE
'Life Unexpected' - 'One Tree Hill'

Even though the shows were across the country from each other, there was a logical reason for 1TH characters to show up on 'Life Unexpected' - to play at a concert sponsored by the radio station where an LU character worked.

BEST TRIVIAL CROSSOVER
A tech manual used by Abed in 'Community' had "SUNNYDALE" written on its spine.

WORST TRIVIAL CROSSOVER
Characters on 'Cougar Town' get their coffee fix from Coffee Bucks - just like the characters from 'Scrubs'. One problem: in the episode "Stop Dragging My Heart Around", the characters were watching 'Scrubs' as well.....

BEST INTER-DIMENSIONAL CROSSOVER
'Family Guy' - 'Real Time with Bill Maher'

FIRST CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR
'Doctor Who' - "The End Of Time (Part Two)" with 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and 'Torchwood'


FIRST THEORETICAL CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR
'Better Off Ted' with 'Doctor Who'
There was a dead Dalek in the background in the Veridian Dynamics basement. It's probably the same one that would be later sold to Henry Van Statton, seen in the 'Doctor Who' episode "Dalek"......

BEST THEORETICAL CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR
'The Walking Dead' with 'Dead Set'

Welcome to the Zombie TV dimension!

BEST CHRISTMAS-THEMED EPISODE OF THE YEAR
DRAMA:
'Doctor Who' - "A Christmas Carol"
COMEDY
'Community' - "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas"
(My only complaint on that one was the episode title. To keep it close to the general theme of school-related titles, I would have called it "Christmas Break". That would also tie in to Abed's break from reality.....)

WORST CHRISTMAS-THEMED EPISODE OF THE YEAR
'Psych' - "The Polarizing Express"


Blerg.

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS PART ONE-A

Originally, I thought this would be a four-part series this year, but by the time I got ready to do Part One, I realized that segment was too large. Hence, the Part One-A.....

BEST COMMERCIAL
USPS Creepy Clown Doll





WORST COMMERCIAL
Quizno's with the kitties

I won't torture you by running the video or even showing a frame grab from it.....

BEST PUBLIC SERVICE COMMERCIAL
The cast of HIMYM raising awareness for the TJ Martell Foundation and their fight against cancer





BEST COMMERCIAL/SERIES CROSSOVER
(3 way tie)
Honda Accord Crosstour with 'Chuck' and the Winter Olympics
(starring Elle, Morgan, and Captain Awesome)




'30 Rock' with 'Dr. Pepper'

Geico Caveman and 'Deadliest Catch'





BEST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER WITH A DIFFERENT MEDIUM
"Back To The Future"/Scream Awards




BEST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT
'Eastbound & Down' with Tubes trainers

I consider it the "best" because it works perfectly for me. I didn't like 'Eastbound & Down' (and can't believe it was renewed!) and I have no interest in fancy sneakers.

WORST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER
The use of the "Free To Be You And Me" theme song in the Target advert




Mostly because of news reports about Target's business practices and then having them sully one of my favorite TV memories of the early 70's.

BEST ONLINE CROSSOVER

http://www.kabletown.com/

BEST ADAPTATION FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE (aka MEDIUM)
BOOK to TV
"Murder On The Orient Express"
The producers of 'Poirot' even improved on Dame Agatha's book by combining two of the characters, which made for a more believable and tighter plot point.

COMIC BOOK to TV
'Human Target'

BEST MOVIE THAT SHOULD BE ADAPTED INTO A TV SHOW
"Inception"

BEST BOOK THAT SHOULD BE ADAPTED INTO A TV SHOW
"Jim Anthony, Super Detective: The Hunters"

BEST TIE-IN
"Crossovers" Volumes 1 & 2 by Win Scott Eckert

The Wold Newton Universe covers much more than just TV shows - books, short stories, comic books, comic strips, movies, radio shows.... But this two-volume chronology is an excellent source of information that shows how they all tie in together.

BEST HISTORICAL RECREATION
'The Pacific'

Runner-Up:
'Boardwalk Empire'
Nucky Thompson throws it all out of whack, but there were still great appearances by Lucky Luciano, Warren G. Harding, Sophie Tucker, Eddie Cantor, and Houdini's brother.

BEST SENSE OF ONE'S OWN HISTORY
'The Sarah Jane Adventures' - "Death of the Doctor" (Part Two)
Thanks to the Memory Weave, we were treated to the memories of Sarah Jane and Jo Grant about their individual adventures with the Doctor. Plus, later they caught us up to date on what happened to various other former Companions.

BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD CELEBRITY
'Bored To Death' (Kevin Bacon in "42 Down")
It's always a treat when a celebrity pokes fun at his own reputation.

BEST CLASSIC TV EXPERIENCE
'Colonel March Of Scotland Yard'
I get the feeling the producers of this old series with Boris Karloff didn't really want to delve into the realm of the supernatural like the original source material. In fact, the mysteries are rather bland. (Karloff is a delight, however, as the one-eyed Scotland Yard investigator.) But this show could have been so much more, the 'X-Files' or 'Fringe' of its day.

Still, it was an enjoyable excursion into Toobworld's past......

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS PART TWO

Now we're paying tribute to certain TV characters who joined Toobworld in 2010.....

BEST RECASTAWAY
(excluding the Doctor)
Deputy Andy, 'Eureka'
This was caused by the destruction of the genial android's synth-skin and modification of his skeletal/mechanical structure.

WORST RECASTAWAY
Shawn Spencer as a child, 'Psych'
Since the younger Shawn appears almost every week in the opening flashback, the change in actors was really noticeable. And even this "meta" exchange of dialogue in a dream sequence didn't help smooth over the discrepancy:

“Who is this?” – Tony
“Us. As a kid.” – Young Shawn
“Doesn’t look like Us as a kid.” – Tony
“Well we changed. Sometimes week to week, huh?” – Young Shawn
“It’s true.” – Shawn

The only splainin that could possibly help with this Zonk would be that we're not seeing the actual events as they happened in those flashbacks. Instead, the actual events are being filtered through Shawn's memories.

BEST NEW MALE CHARACTER
COMEDY:

Jimmy Chance, 'Raising Hope'

DRAMA:
Nucky Thompson, 'Boardwalk Empire'

BEST NEW FEMALE CHARACTER

DRAMA:
Amy Pond, 'Doctor Who'

COMEDY:
Virginia Chance, 'Raising Hope'

BEST NEW MALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER
COMEDY:

Jay Cartwright, 'The In-Betweeners'
I hope the actor one day gets the chance to play the Doctor - or the son of a Tim Roth character.

DRAMA:
Truxton Spengler, 'Rubicon'
Most interesting line readings since McGoohan.....

BEST NEW SUPPORTING FEMALE CHARACTER
DRAMA:

Ida Blankenship, 'Mad Men'
COMEDY:

Maw-Maw, 'Raising Hope'

BEST NEW RECURRING MALE CHARACTER
Gilroy, 'Burn Notice'
I'm probably alone in this estimation, based on what I read in some of my favorite TV blogs. But I just liked the way he delivered his lines and that wastrel sense of evil about him. But those who never liked his character don't have to worry about him any more......

BEST NEW RECURRING FEMALE CHARACTER
HG Wells, 'Warehouse 13'
Even if she was a walking Zonk!

BEST NEW CAST ENSEMBLE
Drama:
'Rubicon'
Mini-Series: 'The Pacific'
Comedy: 'Raising Hope'

BEST ADDITION TO AN EXISTING CAST
Male
(3-way tie)

Rory Williams, 'Doctor Who'
Dr. Trevor Grant, 'Eureka'
Richard Harrow, 'Boardwalk Empire'

Female

Marcia, 'My Boys'
It was short, but sweet. The series unfortunately ended with the announcement of Marcia's engagement to Mike. It would have been nice to see where their relationship would have gone from there.

BEST NEW GUEST APPEARANCE
Male
- David Haddas, 'Rubicon'
Female - Linda Shand, 'Luther'


BEST HISTORICAL CHARACTER
Vincent Van Gogh, 'Doctor Who'

A heart-breaking portrayal.....

WORST HISTORICAL CHARACTER
Winston Churchill, 'Doctor Who'

As much as I like Ian McNiece as an actor, I didn't find him convincing at all as Churchill.

BEST NEW CHILD CHARACTER
FEMALE
Amelia Pond, 'Doctor Who'
MALE
Jeff Cargill, 'The Glades'
BABY
Hope Chance, 'Raising Hope'

CHARACTER MOST DESERVING TO BECOME A REGULAR
Kathryn Joiner - 'Bored To Death'

BEST NEW COMMERCIAL CHARACTER
"MALE"
Mayhem - All-State Insurance







"FEMALE"
Peggy - Discover Card







They're perfect together - one assumes the form of a male, the other assumes the persona of a female.....
WORST NEW TV COMMERCIAL CHARACTER
"The Sprint Bitch"
Barney Stinson was right - if they've got crazy eyes, run!

BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES APPEARANCE
Comedy
“I’m the actor James Franco, damn it, and I’m in love with, and common law married to, a Japanese body pillow!” — James Franco, '30 Rock'


Drama
Davina McCall - 'Dead Set'
It first aired in the UK about two years ago, but it only crossed my path this past October.






BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES APPEARANCE IN A COMMERCIAL
Male
- Isaiah Mustafa, 'Old Spice'

Female - Betty White, 'Snickers'
BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES APPEARANCE IN SKITLANDIA
The "Born To Run" Glee Club ensemble from the 2010 Emmy Awards show







BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES APPEARANCE IN THE TOONIVERSE
Karl Pilkington, 'The Ricky Gervais Show'


BEST CHARACTER RETURN
'Lost' - "Happily Ever After"
Eloise Hawking Widmore, Penny Milton, Daniel Widmore, George Minkowsky, and Charlie Pace

BEST INTRODUCTION OF A REGULAR CHARACTER

Amelia Pond, 'Doctor Who'

BEST NEW ALIENS
The Atraxi, 'Doctor Who'

BEST NEW ALIEN VILLAIN
Prisoner Zero, 'Doctor Who'

BEST NEW MALE VILLAIN
Russell Edgington, 'True Blood'

''Why would we seek equal rights? You are not our equals… We will eat you. After we eat your children.'' The Vampire King of Mississippi smiled, then looked into another camera. ''Now, time for the weather. Tiffany?''


BEST NEW FEMALE VILLAIN
Alice Morgan, 'Luther'

BEST NEW CHARACTER NAME
AMELIA POND, 'Doctor Who'

The Doctor was right - it does have a fairy tale quality about it. I like the way it rolls off the tongue and ends with a little pop.

WORST NEW CHARACTER NAME
ILSA PUCCI, 'Human Target'

A beautiful woman, a wonderful actress, a horrible name. It brings to mind Ilsa the She-Wolf brought back to life as a mongrel.....

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS: PART THREE

Still more of the presentation of the 2010 Toobits Awards!

BEST LINE
I can never pick just one in this category......
But if I had to choose:

"Could you repeat that in English? I don't speak the language of the square-jawed cum puppets." - Phil, 'Better Off Ted' (uncensored version)

"If there's grass on the pitch, play ball!" - Jay Cartwright, 'The Inbetweeners'

"You snooze, you lose boobs." - Jeff, 'Chuck'

"The concept of extinguishing a human life is quite an arousal for me. It's called the Murder Boner." - Rafi, 'The League'

I don't know why they're all sex-related....

BEST SPEECH/MONOLOGUE
"To me, Van Gogh is the finest painter in the world. Certainly the most popular, great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of color is magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world.... No one had ever done it before; perhaps no one ever will again.

"To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artists, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.
"
- Doctor Black,
'Doctor Who' - "Vincent And The Doctor"

BEST ZONK-FILLED SPEECH
"H
e has got to go, you need to be like you are the weakest link goodbye! Punchy, the tribe has spoken. Please pack up your knives and go. Your work of art, didn't work for me. You're times up. I have to ask you to leave the mansion. You must leave the chateau. Your tour ends here. You've been chopped! You've been evicted from the Big Brother house. Your desert just didn't measure up. Sashay away! Give me your jacket and leave Hell's kitchen! You did not get a rose. You have been eliminated from the race. You are no longer in the running to be America's Next Top Model. You're fired. Auf Wiedersehen."
-Barney Stinson, 'How I Met Your Mother'

BEST NEW THEME SONG
'The Ricky Gervais Show'



BEST MUSICAL MOMENT
DRAMA

"Abigail's Song" - 'Doctor Who' - "A Christmas Carol"

COMEDY
"Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit" - 'How I Met Your Mother'




BEST NEW TOOBWORLD LOCATION

Haplin, Minnesota - 'Happytown'

BEST NEW ALTERNATE TV DIMENSION
The Realm of the Fairies, 'True Blood'

This has theoretical connections to episodes of 'Supernatural' - "Clap Your Hands If You Believe" and 'The Twilight Zone' - "The Bewitchin' Pool"

BEST NEW FICTIONAL COUNTRY
San Lorenzo, 'Leverage'
According to Hardison, San Lorenzo was a British colony until it gained its independence in 1969. The official language is English (even though all the surnames are Spanish). Less than 300,000 people live on 120 square miles of island. The population of the capital city couldn't even fill the cheap seats at Fenway.

BEST FIGHT SCENE
Caroline/Echo & Clyde/Claire, 'Dollhouse' - "The Hollow Men"
This picture doesn't do it justice, but there were no clips available. Trust me - it was really kick-ass!

BEST EXIT FOR A CHARACTER
Sheriff Bud Dearborn, 'True Blood'

Once such a laid-back man, he filled the air with a litany of curses when he resigned on the spot after finding a mutilated corpse.




BEST DEATH SCENE
Jack Shepherd, 'Lost'

Not because he died, but because it was so heart-breakingly beautiful. And even after seeing it several times, I can no longer resist once Vincent shows up to lie by his side.





SADDEST DEATH SCENE
Elliot Milbarge, 'Chuck'
Yes, the guy was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to die - especially not that way. And then to have his death covered up so that his family - if he had any - would never know what happened to him....?

WORST DEATH SCENE
Tom, 'Persons Unknown'
Grisly.

BEST NEW FICTIONAL BOOK
"Internity" - 'Psyche'

Mostly because it was an audio-book version and we got to follow along with the story from this spoof of the "Twilight" series.....

BEST NEW FICTIONAL MOVIE
Actually, it's a series of movies all starring Raymond St. James. His filmography proved to be a definite health hazard in an episode of 'Warehous 13':
"Showdown At Laramie"
"Sword Of The Gladiator"
"Operation Dragon-Wolf"
"Dark Memento"
"Dr. Doomsday"
"I Return To Kill"

THE 2010 TOOBITS AWARDS: PART FOUR

Here 'tis: the final installment of the 2010 Toobits Awards!

BEST BEHIND THE SCENES
'Masterpiece: David Suchet on the Orient Express'
You could actually feel Suchet's glee at the chance to experience the glamour of an age long past. This was shown in preparation for the long-awaited (and proper) version of "Murder On The Orient Express" with Suchet as Poirot. (The version with Alfred Molina was a travesty.)

BEST EPISODE TITLE
"Eleventh Hour" - 'Doctor Who'

Get it? He's the Eleventh Incarnation of the Doctor; it's an hour; it was a last minute rescue..... Well, I like it.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Home-grown:
'Freaks And Geeks'

I don't know why I was so resistant to this series, even after I finally started watching it via IFC. I liked it a lot and recognized its genius in capturing the tone of that time, but I don't know if I would have stayed with it for long haul had it gone on to more seasons. Most impressive of course is the number of careers that were launched by the show.

Imported:
'Callan'
'Lord Peter Wimsey'

Sadly, the main reason I delved into these classic Brit series was because of the deaths of their leading actors, Edward Woodward and Ian Carmichael respectively. Two altogether different views of English life in crime fiction.....

BEST ADVANCEMENT FOR TOOBWORLD
The elevation in the status of Faerie, courtesy of 'True Blood'


BEST SERIES MARATHON ON DVD
'Foyle's War'

I resisted this series when it first came out because I didn't think I'd be interested in murder mysteries set during that time period, even though I was a big fan of 'Combat!' and 'Twelve O'Clock High'. What made it a must-see once I started watching was the performance of Michael Kitchen as Christopher Foyle - Foyle quickly rocketed to the top echelon of favorite TV characters.

BEST COINED WORDS and PHRASES
spermatorium - 'Better off Ted'
an insult directed at a co-worker

beflusterment
- 'Psych'
bewilderment

Wincest
- 'Supernatural'
fandom term for the relationship between the Winchester brothers

Walternate
- 'Fringe'
The alternate dimensional version of Dr. Walter Bishop "Over There"

Innoventually
- '30 Rock'
coined by Jack Donaghy to signify that once something eventually got done, it would be an amazing result. (I think.....)

phrase
"Dick-infested man mattress" - 'Better Off Ted'
another insult towards a co-worker

BEST ZONK OF THE YEAR
HG Wells is a woman! ('Warehouse 13')

Toobworld splainin: She was crazy. Helena was Herbert's sister (in Toobworld) and being a brilliant inventor wasn't enough for her - she tried to steal credit for his writing as well.

WORST ZONK OF THE YEAR
'Sherlock'

There is no way the world in which this version of Holmes and Watson works could be the main Toobworld. TV columnist and critic Alan Sepinwall said it best:

"[I]f Holmes and his methods are brand-new - and the London cops, as well as partner John Watson (Martin Freeman from the British “Office”), all act as if they’ve never seen anyone like him before - then is this a world without Dr. House, Gil Grissom, Temperance Brennan, Patrick Jane and all the other contemporary sleuths who owe a huge debt to Holmes’ superhuman powers of observation?"

Besides, the official version of Sherlock Holmes in Earth Prime-Time was played by Jeremy Brett and was set during the proper Victorian period (even though Ronald Howard and others played the role before him.)

Toobworld splainin: Cumberbatch's Holmes is the soul of Jeremy Brett's, trapped in a Limbo which is shared by the shows 'Lost', 'Ashes To Ashes' (as well as the original version of 'Life On Mars') and Richard Widmark's 'Madigan'. Like Gene Hunt, Holmes no longer looks like his true self as he shepherds new arrivals through this way-station between Life and the Afterlife. And his current "padiwan" is another Doctor John Watson. (We can interpret Watson's introduction as he awoke from a nightmare of war in Afghanistan to be his arrival in Limbo after he was killed during combat.)

Having said all that to satisfy my Toobworld needs, I put it all aside and just enjoy the series as presented by Messrs. Moffat and Gatiss.

ZONK QUOTE OF THE YEAR
"This is Carolyn Jones... like Morticia." ('Mad Men')

This was splained away here.

BEST CLASH BETWEEN TOOBWORLD & THE REAL WORLD
Spaced flash mob



The Doctor's appearance at the annual Proms


MOST TRIVIAL CLASH BETWEEN TOOBWORLD & THE REAL WORLD
Filling in the census with race listed as "Vulcan"

WORST CLASH BETWEEN TOOBWORLD & THE REAL WORLD
Charlie Sheen actually became Charlie Harper - but not in a sitcom way.

WORST TV EXPERIENCE
Watching an episode of 'Hoarders' with my friend Michael.....

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN A SHOW
'Terriers'

I really enjoyed the pilot episode; I'm always a fan of Donal Logue. But when I realized that this would be a series with at least one story arc, I had to bail. I'm burned out on making that kind of commitment and would much rather have some good old fashioned episodic TV which doesn't require a viewing commitment on my part.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN A NETWORK
AKA "The Nibbled To Death By Ducks" award
The cancellation of 'Better Off Ted'
I
doubt it would have stood a chance even with a better time slot and more promotion, but at least ABC should have tried.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE GENERAL AUDIENCE
The lack of support in 'Better Off Ted'

The TV audience wouldn't recognize good comedy if it bit them on the ass. And as long as it happened to somebody else and not to them, getting bit on the ass would be their version of good comedy.

Paul Lynde played a character in an old sitcom ('That's Life') who said "People make me sick. I'm glad I'm not one of them."

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT IN MYSELF
I couldn't support 'Terriers'. Maybe I'm not as different from the unwashed masses as I hoped.

But it wasn't just 'Terriers'. Even though I enjoyed the pilot episode and the season finale, I couldn't bring myself to watch the middle four episodes of 'The Walking Dead'. And as much as I enjoyed the work of Scott Caan as a rebooted Dann-O in the 'Hawaii Five-O' pilot, I dropped that show before the next episode aired. I think the main reason is that working the Toobworld beat has become a curse - if I can't place a show in the main Toobworld, then I quickly lose interest in it, no matter how good the show's quality is, nor how much I enjoy watching some brain-munching zombies.

Thank jacklord this didn't prevent me from watching the 'Sherlock' movies or 'The West Wing' when it was on TV!

BEST CRITIQUE BY AN ONLINE COMMENTER
Tavie P

"I know they're unrelated, but I find it striking that over 40 years after the death of MLK we now have rallies to protest injustice toward... TV hosts..." (01/18/10)

WORST CRITIQUE BY AN ONLINE COMMENTER
Here We Go Again
by ant_monkey
Jan 1st, 2010
05:17:29 PM
Well. Here we go again. •Okay. So. I’m suddenly watching Babylon 5. No. Wait. Sorry. It's just everyday run of the mill shit CGI, besides, Babylon 5 was pretty good sometimes considering that they were using a Sinclair Spectrum and a wad of used toilet roll. •The super-advanced-god-like-scient ists run their most important decisions by a mad old witch. Who’s just babbling away, spouting nonsense as prophesy. Actually wasn’t there a sisterhood of Gallifreyan witches that were cast out countless centuries ago for being retarded? I thought that was a bit mean but then they did know that there was a hated Timelord brain just over the road who was super-duper, mega evil and being cared for by that fucking cock Solon who was trying to create a new body for him. And did NOTHING about it. For centuries. Yeah. Good choice of sounding board. •You can tell that the witch is really deep and spiritual despite her babbling illness because of all the Henna that she’s covered in. I didn’t see it but I’m sure she has one of those red thread bracelets things as well. It all adds deeper layers to her character. •Well he wasn’t going to kill one of the men was he? Fucking bitch should just keep her damned mouth shut. •Re-telling the schism story. The audience has now guessed what is going on but will inevitably have to wait half an hour for the characters to catch up. •The Master is everyone and everyone is the Master. Why are they taking his orders and not trying to kill him and take over? •Shoot the Master and you’ve won. Go on Wilf shoot him while he’s down. You have a gun and he’s unconscious. Shoot him. That’s what you were told you would have to do. You were all prepared to do it. At least make the fucking effort. Shoot him damn it. . . or just run away . . . *sigh* •Who needs a cloaking device when all you need to do is turn the fucking lights off. Can UNIT not afford a telescope? •Why are they flying over the sea instead of just going straight down? They’re in orbit after all. Is it a way of drawing the missiles away from populated areas or an excuse for some crap CG action? •War changes a person. It scars you. Takes away your humanity. You do things you’re not proud of because you have no choice and then have to live with the consequences of those very actions for the rest of your life. You never forget the horror that you’ve endured but more importantly, the horror that YOU inflicted on others. That’s why you always end up becoming a cunt. •Rassilon. The president of the Timelords is Rassilon. I can see the moment now. It’s as clear as day. The main man is sitting there at his computer writing the final episode and he suddenly realises: “Shit. I forgot to give the villain a personality, a motivation, a reason for being beyond simply not wanting to die. Wait. I know. I’ll make him Rassilon. NOW he has a personality and I didn’t even have to try. I’m brilliant I am. The fucking retards British public will love this” •Hera is someone really important to the Doctor. You can tell. It’s going to be a HUGE shock to us when he tells us who she was. •There wasn’t actually any real conflict. No hard choice that had to be made. All he had to do was turn the machine off. He probably didn’t even need to waste a bullet shooting the bloody thing. •Oh. It was Wilf knocking all the time. Oh god. Wilf’s in danger! This is absolutely gripping stuff right here. I’m on the edge of my seat. Hurry Doctor, hurry before it’s too late. Save poor, dear Wilf’s life. Hurry. There’s not much time left he’ll die very soon. Very soon Doctor. He will die very, very soon and only you can . . . ah fuck it. Just waffle on. •Hang on. Hang on. I’m sorry. Let me get all of this clear. He’s got enough time to wander back and forth through time doing all manner of nonsense before he regenerates but not enough time to find a receptacle to contain his regenerative juices thereby negating the need to regenerate? Are we absolutely sure that this wasn’t written by a spastic in a nuthouse sitting in it’s own faeces? •Peter Jackson has a lot to answer for here JUST FUCKING END PLEASE DEAR GOD JUST FUCKING DIE YOU WHINGING COCK. •I know I’ve said this before but this is the thing that is bugging me the most. He’s being all weepy, weepy about having to die but Rusty made sure that he doesn’t need to die. It’s established now and is canon. He doesn’t have to regenerate if he doesn’t want to. All he needs is something to channel the energy into. This is fucking retarded. It’s dumb. It’s really, really fucking dumb. •That’s genius that is. You create a mysterious character with mysterious motivations doing mysterious things who is clearly important to the Doctor and then you don’t tell the audience who. The fuck. She was. Even after the character the audience is supposed to be identifying with ASKS that very fucking question. Or maybe, just maybe she’s going to re-cur and we’ll slowly and surely learn whom this woman really is. I mean why else would you leave an important plot thread like that dangling? Unless you were a completely stupid cunt. •Rose fucking Tyler is back again. I bet Rusty typed this rubbish one handed. •Fucking Ood. •They are really, really struggling to fill the allocated time here. •“I don’t want to die”. This is really just the worst kind of cheap melodrama. They’re trying desperately for pathos and all we’re getting is pathetic. Please just die already. •“Change my dear. And not a moment too soon. That last life was a whinging twat”. And he started off with such promise despite the script quality. •Matt Smith. Kept hoping it was all just some elaborate subterfuge and that the Doctor was going to regenerate into an actor. Oh well. There’s not much there to really judge him on so I guess I’ll have to wait and see. Ah who am I kidding? I’m done with this panto. •No trailer just an Eight year olds Doctor Who graphic design for the new series. I honestly didn’t think they still made Blue Peter. Oh well. Good for him/her. •Is that your legacy Rusty? Is that it? Christ. Some would say that we should be thankful for you bringing Doctor Who back from oblivion. For giving SF a new lease of life on British TV but no. I’m sorry no. British SF used to be quite daring but now it’s just . . . this . . . •Went to the BBC website to check the above was roughly in the right order and there was a teaser for Smitty. He’s a bit of a battler this one punching, shooting and shouting oh my.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
The regeneration from David Tennant to Matt Smith as the Doctor.
As always with the recasting of the Doctor in 'Doctor Who', the Gallifreyan Time Lord makes the honors list because the Toobits Awards doesn't do repeat nominations. But just so's ya know, Smith has jumped to the top four of my favorite Doctors (right up there with Troughton, Tom Baker, and Tennant!)
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.
It kills me that I can't have this exciting interpretation of the Great Detective in Earth Prime-Time but at least with my splainin, it is connected to the main Toobworld.

And there we are, the 2010 Toobits Awards. I hope you enjoyed them. Tough tiddles if you didn't.
BCnU!