AS SEEN ON TV: JAMIE DIMON, SECOND TIME ROUND

JAMIE DIMON

AS SEEN IN:
"The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers"

AS PLAYED BY:
Michael Brandon

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

Click here to see how Bill Pullman looked in the role of this Diamond Jim, Jamie Dimon.....

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: THE PIED PIPER

We interrupt the look at the major figures involved in "The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers" for this Sunday edition of the Video Weekend ASOTV showcase.

On this date in 1284, the Pied Piper led 130 children out of Hamelin, Germany.....

THE PIED PIPER

AS SEEN IN:

"The Pied Piper Of Hamelin"

AS PLAYED BY:
Van Johnson

From Wikipedia:
In 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation, a man dressed in pied clothing appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the townsmen a solution for their problem with the rats. The townsmen in turn promised to pay him for the removal of the rats. The man accepted, and played a musical pipe to lure the rats with a song into the Weser River, where all but one drowned. Despite his success, the people reneged on their promise and refused to pay the rat-catcher the full amount of money. The man left the town angrily, but vowed to return some time later, seeking revenge.

On Saint John and Paul's day while the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe yet again, dressed in green, like a hunter, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and never seen again. Depending on the version, at most three children remained behind. One of the children was lame and could not follow quickly enough, the second was deaf and followed the other children out of curiosity, and the last was blind and unable to see where they were going. These three informed the villagers of what had happened when they came out of church.

Other versions, but not the traditional ones, claim that the Piper lured the children into the river and let them drown like the rats, or led the children to a cave on Köppen Hill or Koppelberg Hill, outside of Hamelin, then killed them.

Another version relates that the Pied Piper hypnotized the children into following him to the top of Koppelberg Hill, where he took them to a mysterious land and had his wicked way, or a place called Koppenberg Mountain. This version states that the Piper returned the children after payment, or that he returned the children after the villagers paid several times the original amount of gold.

The story may reflect an historical event in which Hamelin lost its children. Theories have been proposed suggesting that the Pied Piper is a symbol of the children's death by plague or catastrophe. Other theories liken him to figures like Nicholas of Cologne, who lured away a great number of children on a disastrous Children's Crusade. A recent theory ties the departure of Hamelin's children to the Ostsiedlung, in which a number of Germans left their homes to colonize Eastern Europe.

The fact that the characters sing and speak in rhyme could mean that the town of Hamelin was under the sway of Mr. Sweet the demon at that time. (Mr. Sweet was seen in an episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and was a 2005 inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.)

BCnU!

PS:
I remember seeing this TV movie when I was a kid, years after its original presentation on the old Dumont Network.  And I remember being disturbed that the crippled kid got left behind.....

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STREEP THE BEATLES!

Supposedly that's Meryl Streep on the left hand side in this CBS news report about kids waiting to see the Beatles.

Years later, she mentioned going to see the Beatles......

But her memories don't seem to jibe with that footage. Of course, maybe she already ditched the sign....

Did you know I can take part in the Kevin Bacon game because of Meryl Streep?  Along with a lot of other UConn Drama students back in the mid 1970's, I was an extra in a TV movie she did called "The Deadliest Season".  (The original title was better - "Penalty Killer".) 

She played Michael Moriarty's wife.  If you ever get the chance to see it, I show up in nine pretty good close-ups in the first half hour at various hockey games.  After that, it's mostly courtroom and domestic scenes.

But she then appeared in "River Wild" with Kevin Bacon, so I can make that connection in two moves.

BCnU!

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OOH, LA LAW

ROSE:

"Every Sunday I watch 'la Law'."

DOROTHY:
"That's 'L.A. Law'!"
(Later)
SOPHIA:

"Very nice 'counselor'!

Just exactly how close are you to the TV when you're watching 'la Law'?"

'The Golden Girls'

With this example of a Zonk, there's no mention of the MacKenzie-Brackman law firm. So it could be that 'L.A. Law' in Toobworld was the generic title for a reality show, along the same lines as 'L.A. Ink'... only about lawyers.

That reality show could still have been about MacKenzie-Brackman, especially since some of the kids left their zip code comfort zone of 'Beverly Hills 90210' and drove by the office building where the law firm was located - and one of them mentioned that he didn't watch the show.

Three of the actors who starred in 'L.A. Law' in the Trueniverse were mentioned in connection to the show - Harry Hamlin (on 'Six Feet Under'), Jimmy Smits (on 'Married... With Children'), and Corbin Bernsen (in episodes of 'Just Shoot Me', 'Seinfeld', and 'Matlock'). But here's a possible splainin: they all appeared as themselves on the reality show called 'L.A. Law', with the law firm handling cases for them.

Another mention of interest - in 'Psych', Henry Spenser was a likely candidate to be the identical cousin of Arnold Becker. And back in 1989, Henry thought the show would be a passing fad (despite the involvement of his cousin.) With all of these mentions - even into the new millennium! -  if it is a reality show in Toobworld, it proved to have legs.

Finally, Alan Rachins appeared in an episode of 'Eli Stone' in which he was credited as a "Familiar Lawyer". Longtime visitors to Toobworld know that I don't put much stock in credits, but I think it would be safe to assume that he was actually Douglas Brackman.

But here's the thing - representing Eli at his disbarment hearing, this "familiar lawyer" was working for a law firm called McKinley-Breckman, not MacKenzie-Brackman.

It's a bit intricate, and built on sand, but here's how it might work.....

'L.A. Law' went off the air in 1994, but its last appearance in Toobworld was in 2002 with the reunion TV movie. So in that six year span, until Rachins showed up in that 'Eli Stone' episode, anything could have happened to Douglas Brackman.

It could be that he finally committed an act of sexual deviance so heinous that the partners of the firm had no choice but to convene and drum him out of the firm with a vote. Desperate to still trade on the firm's name to build up business for himself, Douglas could have incorporated himself as a law firm with fictional partners named McKinley and Breckman. (We've seen that happen before in Toobworld - 'Eisenhower & Lutz'.)

Douglas may have wanted to make the potential client think he was still affiliated with McKenzie-Brackman, hoping they weren't too familiar with the original firm's name. Eli Stone would have known the difference, but it wouldn't have mattered. He wanted the best lawyer for the situation, and probably no one knew the intricacies of office politics in a law firm better than Douglas Brackman.

Anyhoo, it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble.....

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN MACK, MACH II

JOHN MACK

AS SEEN IN:
"The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers"

AS PLAYED BY:
Henry Goodman

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

Click here if you want to see John Mack as he appeared in the TV dimension known (for now) as the Land of Remakes.....

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: HANK PAULSON... AGAIN

HANK PAULSON

AS SEEN IN:
"The Last Of The Lehman Brothers"

AS PLAYED BY:
James Cromwell

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

Click here if you want to read the original ASOTV about the Secretary of the Treasury - as played by William Hurt in "Too Big To Fail".

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN THAIN

JOHN THAIN

AS SEEN IN:
"The Last Of The Lehman Brothers"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ben Daniels

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

JOHN THAIN

AS SEEN IN:
"Too Big To Fail"

AS PLAYED BY:
Matthew Modine

TV DIMENSION:
Land of Remakes

From Wikipedia:
John Alexander Thain (born May 26, 1955) is an American businessman, investment banker, and currently the Chairman & CEO, of the CIT Group.

Thain was the last chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch before its merger with Bank of America. He was designated to become president of global banking, securities, and wealth management at the newly combined company, but he resigned on January 22, 2009. Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, reportedly forced Thain to resign after several controversies, such as losses at Merrill Lynch proved to be far larger than previously estimated, and over the awarding of executive bonuses.

Several media sources have nicknamed Thain "Superman", due to his facial resemblance to the character's alter-ego Clark Kent.

I don't know why, but my original source of publicity materials didn't include a picture of Matthew Modine as Thain. (Love that name!) But that's a good thing, because now I can have a "Two For Tuesday" edition of the ASOTV showcase with both televersions being used for the first time.

I'm curious how well Daniels did with the accent; he certainly fails with the "Looks Like Clark Kent" description.  (Not that Modine is that close a resemblance.....)

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: KEN LEWIS

Since it was James Bolam's role as Ken Lewis that led to my discovery of "The Last Of The Lehman Brothers", we'll kick off this special week of ASOTV with him.....

KENNETH LEWIS

AS SEEN IN:
"The Last Of The Lehman Brothers"

AS PLAYED BY:
James Bolam

From Wikipedia:
Kenneth D. "Ken" Lewis (born April 9, 1947) is the former CEO, President, and Chairman of Bank of America, the largest bank in the United States and second largest in the world. On September 30th, 2009 Bank of America confirmed that Ken Lewis would be retiring by the end of the year. He was replaced by Brian Moynihan as President and CEO and Walter Massey as Chairman of the Board.

During the financial crisis of 2008, he engineered the takeover of Merrill Lynch for $50 billion.

On April 29, 2009, Bank of America shareholders narrowly voted to separate the positions of Chairman of the Board and CEO, effectively removing CEO Lewis from his position as Chairman of the Board of BofA, though he remained both the bank's president and its CEO.

On September 30, 2009, Lewis announced his retirement from Bank of America effective as of December 31, 2009. Lewis released the statement "The Merrill Lynch and Countrywide integrations are on track and returning value already. Our board of directors and our senior management include more talent, and more diversity of talent, than at any time in this company's history. We are in position to begin to repay the federal government's TARP investments. For these reasons, I decided now is the time to begin to transition to the next generation of leadership at Bank of America." It was reported that this move was his own decision and that he did not receive pressure from the bank's Board of Directors.

Based on the company's most recent proxy statement, his full pension benefits total $53 million. Critics of the financial sector's salary scale have cited this sum as indicative of poor oversight by the board of directors and as an example of inflated executive compensation. As his plan dates back more than seven years, he is still entitled to full benefits. Bank of America has since revised their compensation plan for retiring executives.

In October, 2009, at the suggestion of Kenneth Feinberg, the U.S. Treasury's special master for compensation, Lewis decided to forgo salary or bonus in 2009. His 2008 salary was about $1.5 million. "He has taken home $148.8 million from cash and stock sales since taking over the bank in 2001, according to Equilar, a compensation research firm. He is also leaving with more than $135 million in retirement benefits, including the pension and $10 million in life insurance benefits, according to an analysis of corporate filings by James F. Reda & Associates, an independent consulting firm."

The role of Ken Lewis must have been considered insignificant to the casting directors for "Too Big To Fail"; it was given to a relatively unknown actor named Robert Vincent Smith. (Which is not a slap against his acting talents, just his reputation......)

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: WINTON DEAN

Happy Father's Day!

WINTON DEAN

AS SEEN IN:"James Dean: Race With Destiny"
AS PLAYED BY:Joseph Campanella

From the web site "Find A Grave":
Father of legendary actor, James Byron Dean. Mr. Dean was a native of Fairmount, Indiana, where he was born on January 17, 1907, a son of Charles and Emma Woolen Dean. His principal life's work was that of a dental technician. At the time of his death, he resided in Marion, Indiana, and he returned to the spiritual realm on February 21, 1995.

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: PAUL McCARTNEY

On this date in 1942, Paul McCartney was born.....

PAUL McCARTNEY

AS SEEN IN:
"Two Of Us"

AS PLAYED BY:
Aidan Quinn

 

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles (1960–1970) and Wings (1971–1981), McCartney is the most commercially successful songwriter in the history of popular music, according to Guinness World Records.

McCartney gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles, alongside John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. McCartney and Lennon formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and wrote some of the most popular songs in the history of rock music. After leaving The Beatles, McCartney launched a successful solo career and formed the band Wings with his first wife, Linda Eastman, and singer-songwriter Denny Laine. McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles in the UK.

In a 1980 interview, Lennon said that the last time he had seen McCartney was when they had watched the episode of 'Saturday Night Live' (May 1976) in which Lorne Michaels had made his $3,000 cash offer to get Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr to reunite on the show. McCartney and Lennon had seriously considered going to the studio, but were too tired. This event was fictionalised in the 2000 television film "Two of Us".

His last telephone call to Lennon, which was just before Lennon and Ono released Double Fantasy, was friendly. During the call, Lennon said (laughing) to McCartney, "This housewife wants a career!" which referred to Lennon's househusband years, while looking after Sean Lennon. In 1984, McCartney said this about the phone call: "Yes. That is a nice thing, a consoling factor for me, because I do feel it was sad that we never actually sat down and straightened our differences out. But fortunately for me, the last phone conversation I ever had with him was really great, and we didn't have any kind of blow-up." Linda McCartney, speaking in the same 1984 interview stated: "I know that Paul was desperate to write with John again. And I know John was desperate to write. Desperate. People thought, well, he's taking care of Sean, he's a househusband and all that, but he wasn't happy. He couldn't write and it drove him crazy. And Paul could have helped him... easily."

But more importantly about this date, it's the birthday of my friend Mark Thompson!

BCnU!

From Wikipedia:

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AS SEEN ON TV: OLIVER HARDY

Well, we featured Stan Laurel yesterday on my brother's birthday. And although it might seem more appropriate to wait until August 7th to run this, it didn't feel right to separate Stan in the lists from Babe.....

 

OLIVER HARDY

AS SEEN IN:
"Stan"

AS PLAYED BY:
Trevor Cooper

From Wikipedia:
Oliver Hardy (January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.

In May 1954, Hardy suffered a mild heart attack. During 1956, Hardy began looking after his health for the first time in his life. He lost more than 150 pounds in a few months which completely changed his appearance. Letters written by Stan Laurel, however, mention that Hardy had terminal cancer, which has caused some to suspect that this was the real reason for Hardy’s rapid weight loss. Hardy was a heavy smoker, as was Stan Laurel. Hal Roach made the statement they were a couple of "freight train smoke stacks".

Hardy suffered a major stroke on September 14, which left him confined to bed and unable to speak for several months. He remained at home, in the care of his beloved Lucille. He suffered two more strokes in early August 1957, and slipped into a coma from which he never recovered. Oliver Hardy died on August 7, 1957, aged 65 years old. His remains are located in the Masonic Garden of Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood.

Stan Laurel was too ill to go to his film partner and friend's funeral. He stated, "Babe would understand."

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: STAN LAUREL

Today, "Bloomsday" in the literary universe, is my brother Andrew's birthday here in the Trueniverse. I would happily embarrass him by proclaiming how old he is, were it not for the fact that I am twelve years his senior.

So in honor of my youngest brother, today's ASOTV Showcase features one of the greatest celebrities to share his birthday.....

STAN LAUREL

AS SEEN IN:
"Stan"

AS PLAYED BY:
Jim Norton

The one-hour teleplay, based on a radio drama, was about Stan's visit to "Babe" one last time after he suffered a massive stroke, with flashbacks to their past together.  (Not mentioned was the involvement of a certain Time Lord in one of their movies.)

From Wikipedia:
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson (16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965), better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film The Music Box (1932). In 1961, Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy. He has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

In May 1954, Oliver Hardy had a heart attack and canceled the tour [of Europe]. In 1955, they were planning to do a television series, 'Laurel and Hardy's Fabulous Fables', based on children's stories, but the plans were delayed after Laurel suffered a stroke, from which he recovered. But as he was planning to get back to work, Oliver Hardy had a massive stroke on 15 September 1956.  Paralyzed and bedridden for several months, Hardy was unable to speak or move.

On 7 August 1957, Oliver Hardy died. Laurel did not attend his funeral, stating "Babe would understand". People who knew Laurel said he was absolutely devastated by Hardy's death and never fully recovered for the rest of his life.

In 1961, Stan Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy. He had achieved his lifelong dream as a comedian and had been involved in nearly 190 films. He lived his final years in a small apartment in the Oceana Hotel in Santa Monica, California.

Always gracious to fans, he spent much time answering fan mail. His phone number was listed in the telephone directory, and fans were amazed that they could dial the number and speak to Stan Laurel. Dick Van Dyke told a similar story: When Van Dyke was just starting his career, he looked up Laurel's phone number, called him, and then visited him at his home.

Laurel was a heavy smoker until suddenly giving up when he was about seventy years of age. He died on 23 February 1965, aged 74, several days after suffering a heart attack. Just minutes away from death, Laurel told his nurse he would not mind going skiing right at that very moment. Somewhat taken aback, the nurse replied that she was not aware that he was a skier. "I'm not," said Laurel, "I'd rather be doing that than this!" A few minutes later the nurse looked in on him again and found that he had died quietly.

"If anyone cries at my funeral, I will never speak to him again."

Stan Laurel

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: BENEDICT ARNOLD

Benedict Arnold, whose name came to personify a traitor, died on this date in 1801......

BENEDICT ARNOLD

AS SEEN IN:

"Benedict Arnold: A Question Of Honor"

AS PLAYED BY:

Aidan Quinn

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Benedict Arnold V (January 14, 1741 [O.S. January 3, 1740] – June 14, 1801) was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces. After the plot was exposed in September 1780, he was commissioned into the British Army as a brigadier general.

Born in Connecticut, Arnold was a merchant operating ships on the Atlantic Ocean when the war broke out in 1775. After joining the growing army outside Boston, he distinguished himself through acts of cunning and bravery. His actions included the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, defensive and delaying tactics despite losing the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in 1776, the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut (after which he was promoted to major general), operations in relief of the Siege of Fort Stanwix, and key actions during the pivotal Battles of Saratoga in 1777, in which he suffered leg injuries that ended his combat career for several years.

BENEDICT ARNOLD

AS SEEN IN:

'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea'

AS PLAYED BY:

Barry Atwater

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time, pre-temporal reboot

Also perhaps due to the wibbly-wobbly rigors of time travel

From Wikipedia:

In spite of successes, Arnold was passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress while other officers claimed credit for some of his accomplishments. Adversaries in military and political circles brought charges of corruption or other malfeasance, but he was acquitted in most formal inquiries. Congress investigated his accounts, and found that he owed it money after he had spent much of his own money on the war effort. Frustrated and bitter, Arnold decided to change sides in 1779, and opened secret negotiations with the British. In July 1780, he sought and obtained command of West Point in order to surrender it to the British. Arnold's scheme was exposed when American forces captured British Major John André carrying papers that revealed the plot. Upon learning of André's capture, Arnold fled down the Hudson River to the British sloop-of-war Vulture, narrowly avoiding capture by the forces of George Washington, who had been alerted to the plot.

Arnold received a commission as a brigadier general in the British Army, an annual pension of £360, and a lump sum of over £6,000. He led British forces on raids in Virginia, and against New London and Groton, Connecticut, before the war effectively ended with the American victory at Yorktown. In the winter of 1782, Arnold moved to London with his second wife, Margaret "Peggy" Shippen Arnold. He was well received by King George III and the Tories but frowned upon by the Whigs. In 1787, he entered into mercantile business with his sons Richard and Henry in Saint John, New Brunswick, but returned to London to settle permanently in 1791, where he died ten years later.

Because of the way he changed sides, his name quickly became a byword in the United States for treason or betrayal. His conflicting legacy is recalled in the ambiguous nature of some of the memorials that have been placed in his honor.

Not exactly a figure to admire from my home state.....

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

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"ANNE FRANK: THE WHOLE STORY" (PART ONE)

If you're interested in seeing 'Anne Frank: The Whole Story', it appears that the mini-series is available in its entirety on YouTube, in at least fourteen parts.

Here's Part One, which should offer you the option to move on to the next segment directly.......

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: DOCTOR BOB

On this date in 1935, Dr. Robert Smith takes his last drink, and Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio, United States, by him and Bill Wilson.

DR. ROBERT SMITH

AS SEEN IN:
"My Name Is Bill W"

AS PLAYED BY:
James Garner

From Wikipedia:
Robert Holbrook Smith (August 8, 1879 – November 16, 1950) was an American physician and surgeon who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson, more commonly known as Bill W. He was also known as Dr. Bob. He was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where he was raised, to Susan A. Holbrook and Walter Perrin Smith. After graduation from Dartmouth College in 1902, he completed medical school at Rush Medical College. Smith was married to Anne Ripley Smith, who played a vital role in the development of the 12 steps of AA. Smith co-founded the recovery movement Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson, in 1935 in Akron, Ohio.

Smith was called the "Prince of Twelfth Steppers" by Wilson because he voluntarily helped more than 5000 alcoholics. In addition, it was in his home that the basic ideas of AA were developed. Many AA ideas developed initially in an offshoot of the then-popular Oxford Group, which was a Christian movement. Smith said that AA's basic ideas came from their study of the Bible; the Steps, in essence meant "love and service." Although Bill Wilson had helped other alcoholics with little or no success, AA is said to have begun June 10, 1935. This was the day "Dr. Bob" took his last bottle of beer, under the watch of Bill Wilson, to steady his hands for surgery. By applying the spiritual solution of the 12 Steps and working with other alcoholics, Smith was able to stay sober from June 10, 1935, until his death in 1950 from colon cancer.

I'm sending this out to my cousins Peter and Maggie - only for the reasons that today is their birthday (They're twins), and because their family name is Smith.....

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: THE BRITISH HOME SECRETARY, 1913

REGINALD McKENNA

AS SEEN IN:
"The Masks Of Death"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ray Milland

In this TV movie in which Peter Cushing once more assayed the role of Sherlock Holmes (albeit now with Sir John Mills as his Dr. Watson), Holmes was called away from his investigation into the strange deaths of several men by a special request to investigate the disappearance of a German prince which might have international repercussions in that volatile year leading up to World War I.

That request came from no less than Great Britain's Home Secretary, personally.

The Home Secretary was never named, but since we know the affair took place in 1913, it was a simple combination of Google and Wikipedia which led to the information... information... information........

From Wikipedia:
Reginald McKenna (6 July 1863 – 6 September 1943) was a British banker and Liberal politician. He notably served as Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer during the premiership of H. H. Asquith.

Home Secretary
In office
24 October 1911 – 27 May 1915

Monarch: George V

Prime Minister: H. H. Asquith

Preceded by Winston Churchill

Succeeded by Sir John Simon

McKenna was elected at the 1895 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Monmouthshire. He served in the Liberal governments of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Herbert Henry Asquith as President of the Board of Education, First Lord of the Admiralty and Home Secretary.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer in Asquith's coalition government, he opposed the introduction of conscription, and retired into opposition upon the fall of Asquith at the end of 1916.

Even though Cushing's Holmes preceded that of Jeremy Brett with a TV series back in the 1960's (of which only five episodes remain), it is Brett's interpretation that is considered the official version for Earth Prime-Time. Therefore, the alternate dimension in which Peter Cushing portrayed Holmes may have had a different man in the office of Home Secretary.

However, I don't think we have to consider Cushing's Holmes to be living in either the dimension of '24', 'Commander-In-Chief', or 'The West Wing'. (Or - closer to home - the alternate dimension of the 'Human Target' remake, which had an entirely different Royal Family in England.)

Perhaps he could be found in the Land of Remakes, or in the "Evil Mirror Universe" - the two major alternate TV dimensions, where the historical figures should still remain the same as those found in Earth Prime-Time as well as in Earth Prime. And whichever one was not chosen, that could be the home for Ronald Howard's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes.

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: WARREN BUFFETT

Of all the famous names in the 2008 financial crisis to be portrayed in the HBO movie "Too Big To Fail", only one proved problematic for Toobworld:

WARREN BUFFETT

 AS SEEN IN:

"Too Big To Fail"

AS PLAYED BY:

Ed Asner

STATUS:

Recastaway

Unlike all of the other televersions in this historical replay, Warren Buffett had already been portrayed in the main Toobworld. (Timothy Geithner had been portrayed previously, but that was over in Skitlandia on several editions of 'Saturday Night Live'.) Added to that quandary is the fact that it was Warren Buffett as a member of the League of Themselves in an episode of 'All My Children'.

The billionaire may have even been playing himself in the season finale of 'The Office'. Who knows why a man of his status would want to take the position of manager for a paper company branch in Scranton, Pa.? (Perhaps there's even more trouble with the Berkshire Group than previously known.....) Although we don't give credence to credits, Buffett was only listed as "Interviewee". So he could have been playing himself, or he could have been an identical cousin, or some other Doppelganger.)

Leaving his appearance on 'The Office' out of the equation, we still have the recastaway problem between 'All My Children' and "Too Big To Fail".

The HBO TV movie was a re-creation of true events, based on a book chronicling the collapse of the financial markets in 2008. Using documented evidence like scheduled meetings as a guide, certain characters would have met with each other, as seen on TV. There might have been transcripts of those meetings from which dialogue could be drawn. But not all of that interplay could be public record. A lot of dialogue which occurred behind closed doors must have been from the imagination of the screenwriter only.

So at least one aspect of the story had to be fictionalized. Why not then take a quantum leap into supposition and suggest other aspects may have only happened in Earth Prime-Time but not on Earth Prime?

How about this - Warren Buffett was replaced by a time traveler from the Future? (Speaking of 'Quantum Leap'.....)

To the audience viewing at home, if you're familiar with 'Quantum Leap', the Leaper would be visible as himself. But to those within the Toobworld reality, the Leaper would look like the "Leapee".

So, as realistic as "Too Big To Fail" strove to be, it was still the Toobworld version of events, and that is never exactly the same as what happens in the Trueniverse.

We've seen History change all the time in Toobworld - historical figures having their lives changed by the Doctor (Van Gogh, Dickens, Queen Victoria, for example), the Enterprise crew (Mark Twain, for one), and time travelers coming into contact with Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy (as seen on the old and new versions of 'The Twilight Zone'.)

So why can't it happen in recent history as well?

Therefore, the Warren Buffett of "Too Big To Fail" was from the Future (farther along in the timeline than Dr. Sam Beckett), sent back to that critical time in History "to make right what once went wrong." And having accomplished the task, the Leaper returned to the Future and Buffett rejoined his life, already in progress.....

BCnU!

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"THE MASKS OF DEATH"

Video-wise, I'm in a Sherlock Holmes frame of mind lately. I watched the first disk of the 1971 series 'The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes' and an episode from the 1965 series starring Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock. Only five episodes remain of that series and based on "The Hound Of The Baskervilles", it looks pretty good.

Here's a later TV movie from the mid-1980's, also starring Cushing as Holmes, but this time with Sir John Mills as Dr. Watson. If I ever find a worthy splainin for the recasting of David Burke with Edward Hardwicked in the Jeremy Brett series, I think it would also apply to the TV dimension in which we find Cushing's consulting detective.

I hope you enjoy!

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: JAMIE DIMON

JAMIE DIMON

AS SEEN IN:
"Too Big To Fail"

AS PLAYED BY:
Bill Pullman

From Wikipedia:
James "Jamie" Dimon (born March 13, 1956) is the current CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co, and previously served as a Class A director of the Board of Directors of the New York Federal Reserve, a three year term which started January 2007. Dimon was named to Time Magazine′s 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011 lists of the world's 100 most influential people.

In March 2008 he was a board member of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and CEO of J.P. Morgan and made decisions in connection with the $55 billion loan to J.P. Morgan to bail out Bear Stearns.

Following the acquisition of Washington Mutual by JPMorganChase, President Barack Obama had this to say about Dimon's handling of the real-estate crash, credit crisis, and the banking collapse affecting corporations nationwide, including major financial institutions like Bank Of America, Citibank, and Wachovia:

"You know, keep in mind, though there are a lot of banks that are actually pretty well managed, JPMorgan being a good example, Jamie Dimon, the CEO there, I don't think should be punished for doing a pretty good job managing an enormous portfolio."

We've got one more ASOTV showcase to do from this HBO movie, but it's the only one that needs a Toobworld splainin. I'll write it up over the weekend and have it available on Tuesday.

BCnU!

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AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN MACK

JOHN MACK

AS SEEN IN:
"Too Big To Fail"

AS PLAYED BY:
Tony Shalhoub

From Wikipedia:
John J. Mack (born on November 17, 1944) is the current Chairman of the Board at Morgan Stanley, the New York-based investment bank and brokerage firm. Mack announced his retirement as Chief Executive Officer on September 10, 2009, which was effective January 1, 2010. Former Co-President James P. Gorman succeeded him as CEO.

Mack guided the firm through the financial crisis of 2008, building its capital position and overseeing the firm's conversion to a bank holding company. To stabilize the firm, he forged strategic alliances with China Investment Corporation and Mitsubishi UFJ Group and entered into a joint venture with Smith Barney, forming at the time the world's largest wealth management firm. During the crisis, Mack was advised by U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and the head of the Federal Reserve Bank Ben Bernanke to sell Morgan Stanley. He has stated that during negotiations he was under considerable pressure from the president of the New York Federal Reserve, Tim Geithner, to sell or merge Morgan Stanley to one of his competitors such as JP Morgan. Mack saw this as being contrary to the interests of Morgan Stanley shareholders and employees, similar to the demise of Bear Stearns in a forced sale to JP Morgan for $2 per share, (the deal was later revised to $10 a share), and insisted on finding other sources of financing instead.

BCnU!

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