#(celebrity guest on a sitcom applause)

[jendoe]

“Oh yeah, mister? Name one bad idea then.” She let out an offended scoff when he opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t actually tell me, Kris. I get the freakin’ point.”

template 1 by @unholymilf | template 2

[mx-piggy]

It’s the Muppet Show with our very special guest star Cecil! (or, the post about my Muppet OC, Cecil)

DISCLAIMER: I am not an artist. That said, I think my drawings are neat and I like them, despite the low quality.

To find out more about Cecil, keep reading! And, if you’re interested in learning any other facts about Cecil that aren’t listed, ask away, and I’d be happy to answer!

Cecil is the Muppet Show’s resident poet, thespian, playwright and director. 

As part of their act, they read out poetry or put on their own renditions of famous theatrical scenes (as an actor, playwright and/or director) often involving their fellow castmates and the celebrity guest stars. Sometimes, their act would be a condensed summary of a famous piece of literature, acted out by their fellow castmates and/or the celebrity guest star, and narrated by Cecil themself. Unfortunately, their monotone voice and direction ruins their productions. Cecil will accidentally instruct their performers to read several of their lines in the same monotonous way as them.

Their most notable traits are their lack of discernible emotion, their tendency to say profound things and their fascination with the macabre, which often disturbs Kermit and their other Muppet castmates to no end. Although their monotony can be misconstrued as apathy, they do care about their work and their friends (their closest friend being Scooter), so much so that they will endanger themself for both with little reservation. In the past, they sacrificed their dignity in order to bring joy to others, which carries over into their loyalty to their friends. A more subtle trait of theirs is their quick-wittedness. As they often look and sound deceptively melancholy and are known for their serious drama productions and bleak poetry performances, people tend to forget that Cecil is actually knowledgeable about comedy.

Before being cast in the Muppet Show, Cecil used to be a successful clown- hence their vibrant hair and their irreversibly pinkened nose. They come from a large family of successful clowns (all of whom share a small car). Whilst majoring in clown studies at Chuck L. Honks University (and minoring in stand-up comedy), they dated a girl from a nearby liberal arts college, who introduced them to literature and the theatre. Unfortunately, this girlfriend broke up with Cecil because she believed that Cecil hid themself behind a shield of humour and that they were incapable of being serious. They could only yearn from afar for this high brow life that they had only just gotten a taste of, and went on to graduate as the valedictorian; their speech was met with raucous laughter and thunderous applause.

They found working as a clown to be demeaning and cheap, despite the joy they brought to others. This caused conflict for Cecil, who didn’t want to rob the world of laughter. Upon realising how truly unfulfilling being a clown truly was for them, they decided to become involved in what they perceived as more meaningful art, much to the disappointment of their parents.

Initially, Cecil tried to find a happy medium between comedy and their desire to be a writer, so they created a sitcom called ‘A Funny Bunch’, which followed the wacky misadventures of a normal teenager and his all-clown family (sounds familiar, right?). The show was known for its ability to be simultaneously hilarious and its uncompromising tackling of serious issues that was groundbreaking for the time. Cecil wrote every episode of the award-winning first three seasons, and it was on the set of the show that they met Scooter, an intern who had been hired at the behest of executive producer J.P. Grosse. After Cecil left to pursue other projects, the show went on for four more seasons, which fans claimed was when the show saw a sharp drop in quality due to the absence of Cecil as the writer. Cecil is still very proud of the sitcom, despite pursuing more ‘serious’ creative endeavours.

Their debut poetry collection was met with critical acclaim, though their directorial debut- a stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Miss Piggy as Blanche du Bois- was panned for ‘the wooden acting of its lacklustre cast’. Thankfully, their acting debut as Ophelia was referred to as ‘not the worst part’ of a particularly disastrous production of Hamlet. Not long after the release of their short story collection, Cecil was cast in the Muppet Show, which allowed them to gain confidence as an actor and director.

Although Cecil became more immersed in projects they perceived as more meaningful than clownery, they have frequently referenced their past as a clown. On rare occasions, they have also been known to temporarily come out of retirement as a clown on the Muppet Show- typically to save Fozzy’s stand-up acts- much to the delight of the audience.

Following the Muppet Show, Cecil worked as a writer, particularly as a poet, playwright and screenwriter. They lost confidence in acting and directing after a particularly scathing review of their production of the Crucible, which they directed and starred in. Additionally, they dated Janice for a while. They travelled with the Electric Mayhem on tour for around a year, allowing them to work on their writing projects. Cecil got to see Janice and the band’s success first-hand, and as their own dwindled, Cecil concluded that Janice would be better off without them, especially after Janice expressed concern about their ‘like, totally negative energy’. So, they left without telling her and the band, and went back to living with Scooter.

When the Muppets reunited to save the Muppet Theatre, Cecil was finally convinced to return to acting and directing. They put on their favourite scene from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (despite Kermit’s reservations). They also read Frost’s Nothing Gold Can Stay and Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H., despite the fact that the poems are highly depressing and  heavily implied that the Muppets are past their prime, if not deceased. The latter poem was particularly in reference to their breakup with Janice, who got back together with Cecil in the end.

As of 2015, Cecil is a writer and occasional performer for Up Late With Miss Piggy. They once appeared as a guest on the show whilst promoting their memoirs and the release of their upcoming film which they wrote, co-written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. During this period, the Electric Mayhem helped compose Cecil’s first ever song.

Cecil has learned to embrace their gift for comedy, so now writes for many well-received comedy-drama series, and they have even written a couple of comedy-horror films that are all critically acclaimed (such as the one referenced below).

Cecil’s best friend is Scooter. They became friends years before the Muppet Show, when Scooter worked as an intern on the set of Cecil’s sitcom. They are on-and-off roommates, but their friendship is constant. The pair of them are highly loyal to one another and always try to help each other out with things. Scooter will always give Cecil feedback on their work when they ask and will always buy a copy of their books (adorably, he also asks them to sign them). Meanwhile, Cecil will always speak up for Scooter when he needs someone to. All in all, they care deeply about one another.

Despite the fact that he’s often unnerved by them, Kermit appreciates Cecil. Even if they’re not much of an actor, and their direction leads to their actors speaking in monotone voices, Cecil will often deliver an oddly touching poem that will bring a tear to his eye. He also recognises their writing talent, and will always buy their latest book. Not only does he find them to be an asset to the show, but he also finds them to be helpful and insightful, and a really good friend.

Miss Piggy and Cecil are not close friends, but Cecil tends to direct her in their scenes, and will sometimes even act alongside her. Miss Piggy doesn’t care much for Cecil in the same way that she doesn’t care much for anyone, but she’ll always tolerate Cecil because they’re always eager to feature Miss Piggy in their productions. In fact, Miss Piggy starred as Blanche du Bois in Cecil’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Ever since then, she has held a grudge against Cecil for tarnishing her reputation like that. Miss Piggy often ends up expressing fury towards Cecil when they’re directing her or acting alongside her, because their monotonous voice and direction often undermine/ruin her own performances. One time, Cecil ended up asking Kermit to cancel their performance segment because Miss Piggy’s acting was ‘too wooden’. Miss Piggy proceeded to chase Cecil around the theatre in a blind rage for the entire episode.

Another frequent actor in Cecil’s performances is Gonzo. Most notably, he played the eponymous Raven in Cecil’s reading/performance of Edgar Allan Poe’s the Raven, in which Cecil took on the role as the unnamed Narrator (a painting of Janice, or ‘Lenore’, also appeared in the sketch). Gonzo and Cecil get along well as fellow weirdos. Cecil is willing to help Gonzo out with his stunts in any way they can, though they care about Gonzo’s safety enough to attempt to deter him from doing something too dangerous. Gonzo’s never read any of Cecil’s books, but he thinks their shows and movies are ‘pretty darn cool’, and he will excitedly rave to them about how much he enjoys them.

Cecil became friends with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem during the Muppet Show, but was a fan of theirs long before then. They own a sizable collection of Electric Mayhem t-shirts. Of all the band, they are closest with Janice, Dr. Teeth and Floyd, and the latter two view Cecil as their ‘freaky little dude’. Dr. Teeth bonded with Cecil over their complicated family dynamics. Floyd has taught Cecil how to play the bass, though they’re not as good a bassist as him. Lips thinks that Cecil is cool and they get along just fine, and Zoot definitely has a few photos of them from Cecil’s time on the road with the Mayhem. Animal probably likes them well-enough, too, though it’s unclear. It was well known to everyone but Janice- and likely the rest of the Mayhem- that Cecil had a crush on Janice, something they expressed throughout the Muppet Show via love poetry that Janice had no idea was about her. Though, Janice would always compliment Cecil on their performances regardless. Their romantic history has been previously stated, so I won’t re-iterate it. Now that they are back together, Cecil finds themself a part of the Electric Mayhem’s polycule. 

[nyrarachelle-plays]

"Excuse me, MISSY."

Yall know when a celebrity guest appears on screen for your favorite old school sitcom and the audience just applauses and cheers...?

That's what I'm hearing here, because Tiffani has finally returned home from her first day back at Plumbob Studios <3, ready to save the day—well, night. The timing was perfect. (Ughhh MY GAME, it amazes me sometimes!)

Previously. (SIKE.) | Next. (And She Does It, Again.)

[say-narry]

The Tonight Show

>> Versão em PT-BR

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Sorry, english isn't my first language! Hope you all like!

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"Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for our friend and singer Harry Styles and his friend and new Marvel's actress, Y/N Y/LN!" Jimmy raised his arms pointing to the stage entrance and Harry and Y/N entered side by side.

They smiled and waved to the audience, who returned the whistling and clapping.

Harry greeted Jimmy with a brief hug and Y/N did the same, giving kisses.

Jimmy pointed to the two dark armchairs next to his table and Y/N sat down next to Jimmy and Harry next to him.

The whistling and clapping ceased. They were both smiling for the cameras and sure enough, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon was scoring very high ratings.

"Great to have you here, everybody! " Jimmy started "We've been on this marathon interviewing friends in the business world and you're closing with a bang!" there was some applause "How long have you been friends?"

Y/N and Harry looked at each other and posed as if they were thinking.

"About three years, right?" Y/N looked at his friend, who agreed. "I wasn't so well known yet, I was participating as a co-star in This is Family, Harry was very nice to send invitations to everyone to his show. From that moment on, we started our partnership."

"Very nice that! And you must hear this question a lot..." a chill went through their stomachs, they knew what it was going to be "Nothing ever happened between you?" Jimmy let out a chuckle and their cheeks flushed.

It was more the discomfort of the question than the act that never happened. They were very close friends, nothing more than a tight hug and kisses on the cheek.

On social media, it was clear that Harry was the friend every woman would want to have, and to S/N fans, there was nothing going on between them since she had a few quick flings with Chris Evans, but only one person knew how much Harry was in love with his best friend, ever since he saw her in the sitcom she acted in, it motivated him to give input to the cast. He himself was that person. He wanted to see if the energy she conveyed on the small screen was the same, but it wasn't. It was simply much better. Y/N was Harry's fit, he had known that since they had spoken in person and Harry had already pulled strings to keep her around.

"No, we never had anything." Harry answered.

"Okay!" Jimmy joked making a funny face. "Kidding guys, it's uncomfortable this kind of question, but I think that just like me, your fans also think that you would make a cute couple."

"We see this a lot on twitter, I often take screenshots and send them to Harry, we laugh a lot, but we have a mutual respect. " Y/N tried to close the subject.

"And about your new song, Harry..."

"We are back with our guests, guys, and they agree to play our "hit the target" game!" Jimmy pointed to three dolls with the picture of himself, Y/N and Harry. There were scores written on part of each one's body.

"It's just a game, but we want to test your aim!" Jimmy continued "As you can see, there are points on every part of our body. Whoever manages to get the five arrows with the most points can choose a charity to donate 50 thousand dollars!" Harry and Y/N clapped side by side again "The loser will have to answer a question from our little box." Jimmy waved a dark red cube and his friends agreed.

The game began with Jimmy aiming at the head height of his paper doll. He fired all five plexiglas and accumulated 100 points.

The next player was Y/N, who ended up taking off her heels to make her move firmer, being assisted by Harry, who made the audience gasp for the act of affection when he held her to take off her shoes.

Y/N shot the first one, hitting the heart of her dummy, starting with 300 points. The next two missed, and the last one hit his dummy's forehead, adding another 100 points.

Harry just looked at her amused. She was good at this, sometimes you guys played this at his parties, it was a game that got on his nerves, because he wasn't good at it.

"Come on, Harry!" The host handed the little arrows to Harry and he positioned himself as Y/N did, maybe if he followed her way, he would be able to hit more points.

Big mistake.

The first arrow hit his wrist, starting with ten points. He made a snapping motion of his neck, drawing a few laughs from the audience. Harry shot two more arrows, one of which hit his arm, and the other fell before it hit the dummy.

"I think it's those rings." He complained loudly and took them off, giving them to Y/N who put them on, showing his fingers to the cameras, making a joke to the home audience.

Harry pointed to the heart of his dummy. If he got it right, he wouldn't have to answer the question.

And he shot. The arrow made a turn and unfortunately stopped in his arm, giving him another 50 points.

Harry would have to answer the damn question.

He groaned in despair as Jimmy and Y/N celebrated their victory.

The announcer walked away and picked up the red box and waved it at Harry. Who pouted in disappointment, sure all his fanclubs would be commenting on his cute expression.

"Take a little paper and read it to us, Harry." Jimmy held out the box and Harry put his hand inside, feeling some papers on his fingers.

He moved his hand a little and brushed at a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read.

His breathing had suddenly become heavier. It seemed as if he was out of breath, his fingers holding the small paper trembled.

"Er... Your challenge is: declare yourself to your crush!" The audience let out a few shouts and Y/N, always very expressive, opened her mouth and her eyes widened. Harry denied it with his head, laughing sideways, trying not to show his nervousness.

As close as they were, Harry didn't mention his girlfriends. She followed his fans that were also Harry's fans and sometimes she saw news about him dating some woman, but if he didn't say anything, it could be just his friends and if it was, she wouldn't invade his intimacy, she would wait for him to say something. Nothing had to be heavy in that friendship, she was aware of that, sometimes they would rather spend their time talking about random things like constellations and signs than their boyfriends and that was fine with her.

"Is this really necessary?" Harry asked in a playful tone.

Jimmy laughed and nodded positively.

They had formed a sort of open wheel on the stage.

"Come on, H! You can do it, because that's what I want to know too!" Y/N teased him.

He looked at her, closing his eyes as if she had failed in some secret plan of theirs.

"Okay... The person I like is very special..." He took a breath, playing with the paper in his hand "I won't say the name, but I will tell the situation we lived."

Y/N squatted down next to Jimmy, who hugged him in a friendly way while they listened to Harry.

"We were at a party among friends. We drank a lot, which we never did. It was on our friend's yacht, it was really an exciting day. I remember that we drank so much that this person... vomited a green liquid on my feet." Jimmy made a face of disgust and the audience murmured with disgust as well, Y/N remained static, because she knew this story. She had been there. She had vomited on him, which got a good laugh when she sobered up. "It's disgusting, I almost followed this person, but seeing this person so vulnerable, so sensitive in my arms... It made me see how much she was the perfect person for me, showed me how completely in love I was with her."

Y/N's heart soared, but as an actress who had conquered Hollywood, she made the best expression of curiosity, pretending not to know what it was all about.

"Do you have any idea who it is, Y/N?" Jimmy asked.

"I have no idea, I wish I could use my mind reading powers right now." She joked, referring to her character.

On the other side of the stage, there was an embarrassed Harry. His heart was tight, because he knew his best friend wasn't stupid and hadn't forgotten that day on the boat, when he took care of her, so much so that she slept on his lap and thanked him for it. He knew how spontaneous she was, he was dying for her to run out of Jimmy's side and jump on his lap and kiss him in front of everyone.

On the social networks, there was no other talk. Both of their names were at the top of the world trends topics, and in the news of the famous as well.

Y/N had donated the amount to the institution that cared for homeless people in New York. In a game of scenes, she returned the rings to Harry and didn't look at him, just went along with Jimmy's antics, leaving her friend completely out in the cold.

She didn't want to even think about it. Harry had never given the slightest sign of interest, he had gone out with a woman in the last few days... She was just another friend, no?

Jimmy thanked them both for their presence. They posed for some pictures with the host and the fans in the audience, both of them swallowing dryly and not looking at each other.

Soon the Y/N's accessory called her over and they left. She couldn't look at Harry, couldn't imagine that her favorite teenage singer, her current best friend, was in love with her, a foreigner new to show business.

It had been 15 days since the show had aired. There was still some murmuring on the social networks, Harry and Y/N had come in to check what they were talking about and most had picked up on Harry's words, they had even gotten pictures of them both from the day of the party on the yacht. It was clear from the whole thing.

But they hadn't exchanged a word, their friendship was shaken and Y/N couldn't stand it anymore.

On her day off in London, she took a coat since it was autumn and considerably cold in the late afternoon. She had always been a person who liked to dot the i's and cross the t's. Why was she running away this time? It was Harry there. It was Harry declaring that he was in love with her. What was the problem? She had been in love with him since she was a teenager, the Hollywood world was attractive and fantastic, but to whom could she be sincere, be herself, be the Y/N who left Brazil in search of opportunity and conquered the world? Except for her family, Harry was the only person fit for the job. Him. Only him.

Harry lived a few blocks away, she closed the apartment door and left the condo, there were no paparazzi, not that she had seen.

She pulled up her black hoodie and put her hair over her face, walking quickly through the cold streets of the chic neighborhood.

Braving some closed pedestrian signals, she arrived after a few minutes at the brown stone wall and black gate.

She had the key, they were so close at that point. They trusted each other.

Entering and closing it quickly, she saw some lights on. Y/N hadn't wondered if Harry was accompanied by someone else, his producers or his family.

Her finger slid between the detailed gold knob and opened the door, the wind and the smell of Harry's perfume went straight to her nostrils, filling her lungs.

She stepped inside and took a deep breath. Her heart seemed to throb close to her throat, and as cold as it was, she was sweating.

"Harry?" She called out. "H?"

No sound, no "I'm here!" The alarms hadn't gone off, he could be in the shower or in the studio composing something.

"Harry! It's Y/N, we need to talk!" She said a little louder "If you're with someone, I'm leaving..."

She walked to the center of the huge decorated room, there were some golden items, it was Harry's face. Y/N smiled as she touched a beautiful vase on the table. She couldn't lose him. She loved him, loved his way, his voice, his everything.

"Y/N." She heard Harry's husky voice, behind her between two sliding doors. It was his home office.

Harry was wearing a robe, his face had a sad, tired expression. His hair was not as she was used to seeing it. It was just the way it was. His nose was red, as if he had just cried.

That was it.

"Hazza!" Y/n murmured, walking slowly over to him, who bowed his head in shame.

"What was it?" Without denying his Aquarius side, Harry answered short.

The woman took a breath of air, until she walked more quickly in front of her best friend, stretching her hands until she held his face and joined their lips.

If you could see their stomachs, it would be something similar to fireworks in Copacabana on New Year's Eve.

Harry pushed the doors aside and took his best friend by the waist, pressing her against him.

How much he had dreamed of this. How much he wished it would happen. Their lips were warm, their tongues met, caressing each other, the sighs were audible, Harry couldn't help but smile at that.

"Forgive me." Y/N pulled away minimally whimpering, stroking between his best friend's jaw and neck. "I'm not afraid when I'm the superhero, but in real life... I'm a coward."

Harry shook his head negatively.

"I shouldn't have exposed us like that." Harry passed his hand over his girl's face "But I had to tell the truth."

Y/N agreed, putting her arms around her best friend's neck, hugging him tightly.

"I'm glad you came." Harry murmured. "I couldn't stand another day without talking to you."

"Not anymore, babe. I'm yours from now on."

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Any suggestions?

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To @leeroysdancer ;)

[imagining-supernatural]

The First Interview

Part 13 of Seventy Percent

Series Summary: When you left on your trip to Vegas, you’d planned on letting loose for one last weekend before heading back to reality and getting your affairs in order so your best friend wouldn’t be left cleaning up your mess when your cancer finally ended your life. What you hadn’t counted on was waking up married to a celebrity who has a knight-in-shining-armor complex, connections with an oncologist, and amazing insurance…

Chapter Summary: Sebastian talks about you on his interview with Seth Myers, and something shifts in your relationship when he gets home that night

Word Count: 1,874

“Sebastian Stan everyone!” Seth Meyers announced. You watched through the screen as Seb walked onto the stage.

You hadn’t watched any of his other interviews, but this was the first one where he was going to talk about you, and you were nervous. You weren’t nervous about what he was going to say, per se. You hadn’t lied when you said you trusted Seb’s judgment. You were just nervous about what came after. What nosey journalists or fans might dredge up. So you figured it was best to be prepared.

While Seb greeted Seth, you decided that you needed to tell him about your past. You wanted him to know. Maybe tonight when he got back…

“So, besides your movie coming out, you’ve been in the headlines a bit lately.” Seth moved on from the small talk about Seb’s upcoming movie.

Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, I have.”

“And you haven’t been alone,” Seth prodded.

“No, Seth, I haven’t been. We had hoped to keep it to ourselves a bit longer, but I suppose a drunken wedding in Vegas isn’t the most secure of wedding venues.”

Seth laughed good-naturedly. “No, it is not. For anyone who hasn’t seen the picture yet, here is Sebastian and his wife in Vegas.” He held up the picture that had been circulating of the two of you and Elvis. That night (or rather, morning after) felt like so long ago. “Now, we were chatting backstage before the show and this is quite the story.”

That understatement made you snort from your blanket nest on Sebastian’s couch. Your snort matched Sebastian’s and he grinned. “That’s one way to put it.”

“First off, this wedding… it wasn’t planned, was it?”

“No. Not at all. That night was basically the most cliché night I’d ever had.”

“Sounded like it belongs in the beginning of a quirky rom-com,” Seth offered.

“My wife, when we discussed this, mentioned how much the people who write or read fan fiction are going to love our story.”

So he was going with the truth. You sighed in relief. Before this moment, you hadn’t thought you would have minded either way. But not having to come up with a lie or half-truth in the future would make your life so much easier.

“We actually just met each other that night. Most of the night was a blur, but the next morning I about had a heart attack when I woke up next to her and saw that ring on her finger and the marriage certificate on the hotel dresser…”

“And the pictures of Elvis on your phone.” Sebastian laughed at Seth’s words, nodded in agreement. “Then you went out to breakfast before heading to the courthouse, is that right?”

“What kind of a husband would I have been if I didn’t take my wife out to eat before going to get the marriage annulled?”

“Not a good one, that’s for sure.” Seth sat forward. “You never got the annulment though. Why was that? Most people, when they wake up married to a complete stranger in Vegas would get the annulment as soon as possible.”

“That was the plan. She was very insistent on the annulment. Kind of a bruise to my ego, you know?” The joke played well and you could tell the laughter of the audience calmed his nerves some. “But her reasons for wanting the annulment became my reasons for putting it off. See, she has cancer and didn’t want to pull anyone into that.”

As soon as he said the c-word, a hush fell over the room. The tension was palpable even through the TV screen.

“The treatment options she had weren’t promising, and there were a few other complications that led her to decide that she didn’t want to pursue treatment. That Vegas trip was supposed to be her last hurrah.”

“Hell of a last hurrah,” Seth said. “So, it was your idea to not get the annulment?”

“Yes. I had to practically force her to get on a plane and see my friend, who is an oncologist, for a second opinion. She was insistent on not getting me involved. And the entire time, I wasn’t sure why I was pushing the issue so hard for someone I had just met.”

“But you’re glad you did.” Since it wasn’t phrased like a question, you had to assume Seb had spoke to Seth at length before the show.

“I am, yes.” No hesitation. “We got her into a promising treatment plan and, though it hasn’t been easy, and even though she has horrible taste in music, I have absolutely no regrets.”

Seth waited a moment for the applause to die down. “From what you told me backstage, she sounds like a wonderful, strong woman. I’m sure it was quite the adjustment to go from bachelor life to living with someone who doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Seb laughed. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But, no. It wasn’t that hard. I’ve liked getting to know her and becoming really close friends with her. And you’re right, she is so great. And strong. But cancer treatment is really tough and the idea of being hounded by the press has caused her stress that she shouldn’t have to deal with while going through this.”

“I’m sure that after a day in the hospital, the last thing she wants to do is be bombarded with cameras and questions, right?”

“Right. She’s strong, but all of her energy needs to go towards focusing on getting better. We’ll be putting out an official statement soon, but I’d like to use this opportunity to request that everyone respects our privacy. Our relationship isn’t conventional, and I know that makes us exciting, but we need to focus on her health right now. Not the curiosity of the media.”

“It’s obvious you care for her quite a bit, and we hope both of you the best. Hopefully the next time you’re in that seat, your wife will be cancer free.”

Seth finished up by reminding the audience about Sebastian’s movie that was coming out and the camera panned away to commercials now that the allotted time for the interview was up.

Not caring for the rest of the interviews, you turned off the TV. Before the TV even went dark, you turned it on again and put on an old sitcom for background noise.

It’s obvious you care for her quite a bit.

What the hell had Seth meant by that?

Your phone vibrated and you checked the text from Seb.

Sebastian: You see it yet?

Me: I have bad taste in music, huh?

Me: That’s rich coming from someone who has never heard a Weird Al song before he met me

Sebastian: You made me listen to that song about Albuquerque and Sauer kraut so now it’s a valid opinion, since I have heard a Weird Al song

Sebastian: What’d you think about the rest? Did I fuck up anywhere?

Me: It was good. I’m glad you went with the truth

Sebastian: It’s a good story

Me: makes you sound like a selfless hero

Sebastian: I AM a selfless hero, thank u very much

Sebastian: But it’s also our story and I like it

Sebastian: Wouldn’t change a single thing

You stared at his texts for a good minute before getting the courage to type what came next.

Me: No regrets? Really?

His answer came almost instantly.

Sebastian: None at all

Sebastian: That fight over the weekend sucked, but I think we needed it. Cleared some things up for me at least

The fight hadn’t been what you’d been going for. You weren’t fishing for any apology. In fact, you weren’t really sure why you’d asked.

Sebastian: I should be home in an hour or two. Think you’ll be up still?

Me: I make no promises, but I’ll try

Sebastian: See you soon sweetheart

A hand on your shoulder woke you. Groggily, you opened your eyes to see Sebastian smiling at you from where he was knelt in front of the couch.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah. Unless you’ve been ignoring my texts, you fell asleep like, five minutes after you said you’d try to stay awake.”

“Shit, I suck.”

“Nah,” he assured you. “Blame Helen and Dr. Chowdhury. They’re the ones making your body literally attack itself.”

“Mmm.” You blinked a few times, trying to clear the sleep from your eyes. As you looked at his face, you remembered your decision to tell him about your family. ���Hey, Seb? I wanna talk to you about something.”

He smoothed his hand over your hair, cupping the back of your neck. “Can it wait ‘til tomorrow? We’ve both had a long day and I’m beat.”

“Suppose it can.”

“Good.” Before you could say anything, he slid one arm under your knees and the other around your back, lifting you easily. “Then let’s get a good night sleep and talk about it tomorrow.”

“What are you—I can walk, you know.”

“And I can carry you.” Any response you’d had was cut off when he walked past the guest room and nudged open his bedroom door with his hip. He set you down on his bed and leaned over you, arms straight with hands next to your shoulders. “We done saying obvious things?”

No. “This is your room.”

“Yeah,” he raised an eyebrow. “That okay?”

Was it? You searched his eyes, looking for something… a reason, perhaps? Why were you in his room? “I—I guess.”

“Yeah?” Behind his bravado, you could finally see a slight hesitation. A little insecurity. That flicker helped calm your nerves. Sure, you still didn’t know why he wanted you here, but it was nice to see that he wasn’t sure about it either. Equal ground and all that.

“Yeah. Long as you don’t steal the blankets.”

Your teasing unlocked his grin and he pressed a kiss to your forehead before standing up straight. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

There it was again.

“I, uh, I need to wash my face and, uh, grab my pajamas.” And have a moment alone to think so I don’t explode from whatever the fuck this feeling in my chest is. “Can I walk myself, or do you want to carry me?”

“Hurry back,” he said in lieu of an answer.

When you closed the guest bedroom door to change clothes, you leaned back against it for a second and tried to calm your heart.

Sure, you’d cuddled on the couch over the last few weeks. It wasn’t like this was much different.

But it was.

He’d started calling you sweetheart. He’d started kissing your forehead. He’d started holding your hand more. You’d started holding his hand. As in initiating the physical contact.

This wasn’t just cuddling, you thought to yourself as you grabbed your pajamas from the dresser. The thought was scary, but you almost didn’t care.

And, after you’d gone through your bedtime routine and hesitantly pushed open his door, all of your concerns flew away when he grinned at you and held open the sheets for you. As soon as you were secure in his arms, you came to the terrifying realization that there was nowhere else you’d rather be.

Sleeping in the same bed!?! The world knowing about her cancer!? Her wanting to tell Seb about her past?! What is the next thing that’ll go wrong? (Because you know it’s not all smooth sailing from here)

Chapter 14: The First Conversation

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY SUBLETS THE OFFICE

S4;E21 ~ January 31, 1972

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by George Balzin and Sam Perrin

Synopsis

Harry is losing money so a loan officer instructs him to put Lucy in charge. Her first act as boss is to lease office space to an eccentric toy salesman (Wally Cox) who turns the Unique Employment Agency into a playground!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)

Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter) does not appear in this episode, although her name does appear in the opening credits. Lucy is on the phone with Kim as the episode opens. Despite not being in the episode, Lucie Arnaz does the introduction on the series DVD.  

Guest Cast

Wally Cox (Tommy Tucker, Toy Tycoon) was one of Lucille Ball’s favorite character actors and best remembered for being a panelist on TV’s “The Hollywood Squares” (1965-73) as well as his hit series “Mr. Peepers” (1953-55). 

Cox played a nervous musician on “Lucy Conducts the Symphony” (TLS S2;E13), a shy bachelor in “Lucy and Wally Cox” (S2;E21), a reformed safe cracker in “Lucy and the Ex-Con” (S1;E15), and an on-edge jeweler in “Lucy and the Diamond Cutter” (S3;E10). Cox and Lucille Ball both appeared in the 1967 film A Guide for the Married Man. This is his fourth and final appearance on “Here’s Lucy.” Cox died of a heart attack in 1973 at age 48.

Tommy Tucker was the name of the cue card man on “Here's Lucy.” Lucille Ball and Tucker would often play word games together.

Richard Deacon (Elmer Zellerbach, Loan Officer) is probably best remembered as Mel Cooley on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-66). He appeared as Tallulah Bankhead’s butler in “The Celebrity Next Door,” a 1957 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” He was employed again by Desi Sr. as a regular on “The Mothers-in-Law” (1968). This is the second of his two appearances on "Here’s Lucy.”

Mr. Zellerbach has two college-age children. His first name is never used in the dialogue and the final credits only list him as “Loan Officer.”

The date this show was originally aired, Time Magazine published a cover story on Flip Wilson, TV's first black superstar. Wilson was a guest-star on “Here's Lucy” on September 13, 1971.  

This episode was originally sponsored by Lipton Tea, Wesson Oil, and Whirlpool. On the DVD, commercials for each are included.  

Lucy tells Mr. Zellerbach that she has two children, Kim and Craig, who are both in college. Craig has been mentioned consistently over the past four episodes after not being mentioned for more than 3 months.

LUCY (to Harry): “The reason this business is failing is because your head is full of 20 year-old, tired business techniques. While my head is new and fresh. It has nothing in it!” 

Lucy charges Tommy Tucker $75 a month to sublet a corner of the office. To come up with the cash, Tucker reaches into his pants pocket...jacket pocket...breast pocket...sock...shoe...and change purse!  The studio audience gives Cox a round of applause for the extended exchange. Harry (or, as Lucy calls him here, ‘HC’) has the miraculous ability to know how much money is in his hand without even looking! This too, garners a small round of applause from the studio spectators. 

Amidst his loose change Tommy hands Lucy, is a streetcar token, which he quickly takes back. From 1873, the streetcar served as a popular mode of transportation throughout the Los Angeles area. Widespread adoption of diesel buses ultimately led to the abandonment of streetcars on March 31, 1963, nine years before this episode first aired.

Harry slides down the sliding board into the kiddie pool, getting soaking wet. Getting Harry wet was part of most all episodes of the series. Off screen, Lucille Ball joking called Gale Gordon ‘old soggy crotch’ and here he lives up to the name!

One of the three inflatable punching bags in the office is Bozo the Clown. The character first appeared on television in 1949 starring Pinto Colvig. In 1964, Colvig did all the dog barks and howls in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (TLS S2;E23). After the creative rights to Bozo were purchased by Larry Harmon in 1956, the character became a common franchise across the United States, with local television stations producing their own Bozo shows featuring the character.

The large wide-eyed rag doll under the slide was previously seen in the 1969 musical film Sweet Charity as set decoration for Charity’s apartment. It is just behind Chita Rivera in the above scene. Both “Lucy” and Charity were filmed at Universal. 

The toy-filled Unique Employment Agency looks very similar to the Ricardo living room when Lucy wanted to convince Ricky that their tiny apartment was not big enough for their growing family in “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (ILL S2;E26).  

Both featured inflatable punch toys, plush animals, and a sliding board that served as the only entrance into the room.  

When Tommy Tucker is demonstrating the remote control somersaulting dog, there is a wind-up drumming bear on the desk nearby that does not get demonstrated. This toy is very similar to the one used in “Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (ILL S6;E4). To help his son overcome his fear of drumming in public, Ricky wound up the drumming bear to show him he had nothing to be afraid of. Although very similar, the toys are different models.

Mr. Zellerbach says that he usually advises financially strapped companies like the Unique Employment Agency to hire an efficiency expert, which is exactly what Mr. Mooney did for the Westland Bank in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (TLS S5;E13), an episode of “The Lucy Show” in which toys also play an integral part of the story. The Efficiency Expert was played by Phil Silvers who sends Lucy to work the assembly line at a toy factory. 

Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley played with some super-sized toys as part of an age-regression experiment in “Lucy the Stockholder” (TLS S3;E25). 

The Ricardos sublet their New York apartment to the nervous Mr. Beecher (Jay Novello) in “The Sublease” (ILL S3;E31).

The Ricardos sublet their Connecticut home to the Williams Family in “Lucy Makes Room for Danny” (LDCH S2;E2). 

Miss-Take! Mr. Zellerbach calls Lucy “Miss Carter” despite noting that she has two dependent children.

What’s My Line? Richard Deacon often glances off at the teleprompter.

Gag Gift! This episode features a new desk for Harry in order to accomplish the novelty hand in a box gag. In order to hide the “hand” actor, this version of Harry’s desk goes all the way to the floor, where Harry's usual desk had dowel legs. The ‘hand in a box’ is reminiscent of Thing, a helpful hand in a box on TV’s “The Addams Family.”

Edit Room! Tommy Tucker is never shown re-setting the Rube Goldberg-like “Tantrum Breaker” (aka “Spanking Machine”). In order for the machine to work again with Harry at the show's finale, the entire mechanism would need to be re-set. Although the action of the scene is continuous, the re-set is never shown on screen. 

For a closer look at “Lucy’s Toy Chest” - a complete look at the toys seen on all the Lucille Ball sitcoms - click here! 

“Lucy Sublets the Office” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5

Two things about this episode save it from being bland: First, Lucy running the Employment Agency gives us a bit of a glimpse into the sort of no-nonsense executive Lucille Ball really was. Second, Lucy's child-like joy playing with the toys with Wally Cox. The range is worth a watch!

[namejason13-blog]

‘Love Boat’ link helps Blues City Cultural Center turn 40

Actor Ted Lange praised the 40-year legacy of Blues City Cultural Center (BCCC) and reminded the crowd of just how many other such entities were no longer in existence.

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell, Special to The New Tri-State Defender

During an evening of pageantry, spectacle, drama and dance Tuesday at Hattiloo Theatre, Levi and Deborah Frazier were lauded for their work – a 40-year labor of love at the Blues City Cultural Center.

Nearly 200 thespians, dancers, musicians and lovers of the arts joined family and friends for the momentous occasion. Featured guest and well-loved ’70s sitcom star, Ted Lange (pronounced “Lunge”), who played Isaac Washington on the “Love Boat,” did not disappoint.

Lange praised the 40-year legacy of Blues City Cultural Center (BCCC) and reminded the crowd of just how many other such entities were no longer in existence.

“I’m from Oakland, Calif., and I grew up back in the ’60s. There were not many black theatres at all,” he said. “Forty years, forty years, and many of these institutions are gone. There was The New Shakespeare Company, where I first started acting. It’s gone. There was the Ebony Showcase. Gone.

“The Inner-City Cultural Center. It’s gone. There was PASLA, the Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles. Gone. The Watts Writers Workshop. Gone. The Zodiac Theatre. Gone. Forty years? We should be playing the ‘Mission Impossible’ theme song when we talk about the Blues City Cultural Center. They faced the same obstacles and problems as those other institutions, and yet, they are still here. This is really something to celebrate.”

Joyce Cox, BCCC board chair, was one of the first to speak on the organization’s behalf. “Our true mission is art for a better way of life,” said Cox. “When we see the character of women come alive as they are creating the dolls, and we see the effect our work has on the lives of homeless people and women, we know that they are given a little ray of hope. We need some help. Catch the vision. Believe in what we see and what we do.”

Ekundayo Bandele, proprietor of the Hattiloo Theatre, made his directorial debut in theatre production under Levi Frazier.

“Hattiloo was built on the foundation of Blues City Cultural Center,” said Bandele. “We were not successful in a vacuum. These wonderful people came before us, and we are building on the legacy they have set. Hattiloo will continue that legacy. Our vision is bigger than the Hattiloo. If there is any way to uplift the community, we must be about doing that.”

And as in any gathering of showbiz types, there were profound and unscripted moments that defied prediction.

So, Ekpe, the renowned African drummer, who performed at Alex Haley’s funeral procession in Henning, Tenn., created a mellow, syncopated vibe with his beats. People were mingling and enjoying the light refreshments and drink when suddenly, a thin, older woman moved closer to the drum and began graceful, magical movement. She was crowned with natural, gray hair, and a delightful, impromptu dance ensued.

People chanted “Silver Bird, Silver Bird.” She moved in oneness with the drumbeat, and the scene was mesmerizing. Silver Bird drew cheers and applause when her performance was done.

Levi Frazier Jr. offered words of appreciation on behalf of his wife, Deborah, and himself.

“We want to thank all of you who have been a part of this 40-year legacy,” he said. “Strengthening the local community in the arts has been our goal. Arts for a better way of life, that is our path moving forward.

Ayana Williams, the effervescent presence who emceed the program and eldest daughter of the Fraziers, will be taking over the organization as the administrator. But, said the Fraziers, they will be “somewhere around.”

Williams has worked with her parents as Production & Development director. Blues City Cultural Center is located at 314 A.W. Willis Ave., in downtown Memphis.

Source: https://www.blackpressusa.com/love-boat-link-helps-blues-city-cultural-center-turn-40/

[softestkabru]

MAGNUS SHOWS UP AND IT'S LIKE A SITCOM WHERE THE CELEBRITY GUEST COMES ON SET WITH A ONE LINER AND THEN THERE'S A HUGE PAUSE FOR CHHERING AND APPLAUSE FROM THE STUDIO AUDIENCE

[huntertales]

Part Three: Stand There and Look Pretty. (Changing Channels S05E08)

Useful Links: Last Part | All Episodes Word Count: 3,904. A/N: This is just a tad bit shorter than what I was originally planning on, but I wanted to give you guys something to hold you over until the last part. (Which should be hopefully soon.

Your name: submit What is this? // <![CDATA[ function replaceAll(find, replace, str) { return str.replace(new RegExp(find, 'g'), replace); } function myHandler() { var input = document.getElementById("inputTxt").value; document.body.innerHTML = replaceAll('Y/N', document.getElementById("inputTxt").value, document.body.innerHTML); } // ]]>

“Son of a bitch!”

"You can say that again."

You'd been on a medical drama, played for a chance not to get hit in the balls, and you advertized for a medication that would help keep someone’s genital herpes in check. You though the trickster was done having his fun of making all of you feel ridiculous. But he was just getting started. He wanted to see how much he could push on your very thin nerves before you would snap in half. He decided the next adventure would be something a bit more lighthearted to cheer all of you up. Yet it was doing the complete opposite for you. From the looks of the brightly lit room with its vibrant colors and manic laugh track, you and the boys were staring in your own sitcom, cringe-inducing opening credits included.

You’ve been here for less than a few minutes and you could tell from the shenanigans that he was making all of you play out was to make it seem like you were in one of those cheesy half an hour shows that aired in the late nineties. It was those sitcoms where people tuned in to see what kind of problem the characters would face that would be neatly wrapped up in thirty minutes. Sometimes they could be silly, other times it taught everyone a valuable lesson about heavy topics they liked to approach with an after school special feel. You stood in the bathroom doorway with your cheeks beginning to blossom a tint of red when you realized what you were wearing. And you wondered why, yet again, of you were being degraded.

"What the hell does a girl have to do around here to get some pants?" Your question wasn't meant to be funny as you asked between clenched teeth. But the anger was dismissed by your cheery smile as you slowly looked around the room, wondering where that laugh was coming from. It seemed to have come from out of thin air, because you and the boys were the only ones here. Someone had to be watching you without your knowledge because they sure found everything you said and did quite hilarious, even when it and wasn’t supposed to be. You could feel your smile falter as you looked over at the boys, who were standing across the room, looking uneasy as you were. "How long do we have to keep doing this?"

"I don't know." Sam admitted with a nervous smile. He stepped away from the door he'd arrived in as he looked over to his right, wondering if the audience that was supposed to be watching you would start laughing. You felt like somebody was watching your every single move with a hawkeye, waiting for just that little slip up to send you into a show that would be a thousand times worse than this. If you were the trickster, you had a few ideas to make things get worse. But it seemed all of you were playing your roles exactly how the audience liked. You furrowed your brow slightly when you began to just walk across the room to where the boys were, which caused a quiet round of applause and a few cheers before it quietly died down. "Maybe forever? We might die in here."

The audience seemed to have found the idea of slowly rotting away into a fictional world with no escape hilarious from the sound of a roar of laughter. You didn't know if you should start forcing yourself to smile to keep them happy, but it seemed that Dean wasn't in the mood to play nice anymore. "How is that funny?" He asked the room, almost as if he was going to get a response from the obvious silence that followed after. "Vultures."

Despite everything you and the boys coming off as funny, there was still one element in your sitcom that was missing in order to be successful. The comic relief, of course. You needed someone who was awkward and acted naturally clueless of what a human being should do to act normal. And you had the perfect angle friend for that role. Without a warning, the motel door swung open, and came in Cas with a bit of a stumble. He looked like he had put up one hell of a fight with whatever the trickster tried putting in his way from the bruises around his eye and  bloody nose. But it was no match for the angel. You furrowed your brow in concern from how he looked, yet it seemed he was rather more confused at what you were wearing than himself.

“You look cold.” Cas pointed a finger at your outfit, seeming to think the idea of your wardrobe choice was most important to start the conversation with. You rolled your eyes in annoyance, but the audience, of course, burst out laughing from the hilarious remark. Cas furrowed his brow in confusion as he cautiously looked around the room from the noise that appeared out of nowhere. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know. I don't care. But it's freaking me and I want to get out here." You whispered to him, thinking if you kept your voice down they could hear. But you could hear a few chuckles that were quiet as your voice. "You okay, Cas? Looks like you came out from an MMA fight."

"I don't have much time. I got out." Cas said. You didn’t give him much of a chance to explain himself as you jumped every chance to ask him what was going on. "Listen to me. Something is not right. This thing is much more powerful than it should be."

"What thing—the trickster?" Dean asked, wondering if that was what the angel meant.

Cas looked uneasy from the title you'd been using on this creature, "If it is a trickster."

You found the question what Cas meant by the assumption at the tip of your tongue, but before you could verbally speak it, the thought was thrown out of your mind just as Cas was tossed across the room. He landed roughly against the wall before tumbling to the ground. The audience let out respectable gasp in surprise, seeming to be taken back at the spike in violence against the angel just as you were. Before either one of you could help Cas, it seemed all of you had a special guest, and it was a face you wanted to do terrible things to that wouldn't have been allowed on basic cable. Your lips stretched into a snarling frown when you watched as the trickster popped into the motel room to make his grand entrance with a toothy grin. The audience seemed to have loved him the most, cheering and applauding for him, you only rolled your eyes as he thanked the invisible crowd.

"Thank you. Thank you. You're too kind." The trickster ate up the attention like it was candy. Cas might have taken the opportunity to stand up back on his feet, but before he could say anything, he was silenced by the duct tape on his mouth. You looked over the trickster, and from the look on his face, it was almost as if he was reunited with a good friend. And his greeting to the man made you feel like something was off here. "Hi there, Castiel."

You brow tightened in confusion from what was going on here. Cas had never met the trickster until today, and you doubt the angel was for friendly greetings from the creature that was attempting to drive all of you insane, or kill you. Slowly, you were wondering if Cas was right about the trickster not being who he said he was. "How do you know him?"

"Where did just send him?" Dean's question overshadowed yours.

"Relax. He'll live." The trickster brushed off the hunter's threatening tone with a nonchalant one of his own. Neither you or the boys fell for the promise when you glared at him, but it seemed he wasn't the least bit scared. "Maybe.”

"That's it, I'm done! I'm done with your stupid games and whatever monkey dance you're putting us through." You found yourself snapping much quicker than you had anticipated. But you were honestly at your breaking point. You avoided any chances of being held back by the brothers as you made your way forward to the trickster. He had your fun, now it was your turn. "We get it, okay? Send us back home, now. Or else."

"Or else, what?" The trickster asked, seeming only amusing at your attempts of acting brave. He arched a brow up as his lips stretched into a smirk when he knew damn well he was getting you all wound up. You narrowed your eyes on him with a threatening gaze as his eyes was lingering somewhere it shouldn't be. it only lasted a moment before he was making eye contact with you again. "This whole 'I am woman' persona...it's a good look on you, sugar."

"Watch it, buddy. You're going down a slippery slope of me punching your heart out." Dean hissed at the other man. You didn't realize he was standing behind you until you felt his hand on your shoulder, guiding you behind him so he could take a crack at the trickster. There was a lot of things Dean could handle, but know it was turning personal for him, and he was getting tired of being treated like a puppet. "Y/N's right. We get whatever stupid lesson you’re trying to make. I'm done with this monkey dance."

"Yeah?" The trickster asked. "Get what, hotshot?"

"Playing our roles, right?" Dean questioned the other man. "That's your game?"

"That's half the game."

"What's the other half?"

"Playing your roles out there." The trickster said in a showy voice as he wiggled his fingers in the air for added effect. You narrowed your eyes on the man, asking him what he meant by that. "You know—Sam, starring as Lucifer. Dean, starring as Michael. Your celebrity deathmatch. Play your roles."

"You want us to say yes to those sons of bitches?" Sam asked, you could hear the disbelief in his tone from what he was hearing.

The trickster was nothing but serious as he grinned, "Hells, yeah. Let's light this candle!"

"We do that, the world will end." You said with a hardening tone, wanting to make it clear of what trouble he was starting. "Or does your brain not comprehend the consequences? Cockroaches like you won't survive the nuclear war. Unless—”

"Last time I checked, you don't have any speaking roles in the script, Y/N. Dumb and dumber get to have all the big action scenes. I mean, who broke the first seal? Who popped Lucifer out of the box, again?" The trickster cut you off, keeping your assumptions to yourself for a few moments longer. You crossed your arms over your chest, knowing there was something going on here that you didn't realize without Cas' help. "Look, it's started. You started it. It can't be stopped. So let's get it over with."

"Heaven or Hell—which side are you on?" Dean asked a simple question, wondering if the trickster was all about his virtues. He did only go after people who deserved it. But he also had a thing for overindulging in the sweeter things in life, and everyone had vices. Nobody was without sin. The trickster laughed off the presumption by saying that he wasn't siding with either one. "Yeah, right. You're grabbing ankle for Michael and Lucifer. Which one is it?"

The trickster chuckled underneath his breath as he took a step forward to the man. While he might have been just a few inches shorter, size wasn't a factor about showing who had more power here. It was all about how you carried yourself that mattered. "You listen here, you arrogant dick. I don't work for either one of those S.O.B.'s, believe me."

Dean always liked a little competition, and in true male fashion, he decided to hit below the belt at making a side remark. "Hmm. Oh, so you're somebody's bitch."

It might have been a funny at first, but the joke only lasted so long. The trickster retaliated by grabbing Dean and roughly turning him around in his spot before throwing him against the door. Your first instinct was to show the man all of the pent up rage you'd been building up during this entire adventure. While you wanted nothing more than to kill him right here, Sam knew it wasn't a good idea to poke the bear. He reached out a hand to pull you back into reality before you could make things even worse. You exhaled a sharp breath and stared straight at the trickster.

"Don't you ever, ever presume to know what I am." He told the older Winchester with a dead serious tone, wanting to make his point clear. Dean could tell he had touched a very sensitive nerve in him. You narrowed your eyes slightly when you stared at the trickster. "Now, listen very closely. Here's what's gonna happen. Y/N, you're gonna swallow your pride and face the facts—you've already contributed to this big family affair. Stand there and look pretty. That's your big role. There's nothing you can do to change fate. And as for you two knuckleheads. You're gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play your roles destiny has chosen for you."

"And if we don't?” You asked him.

"Then you'll stay here in TV land...forever." The trickster answered for you. "Three hundred channels and, uh, nothing's on."

And with the snap of his fingers, you and the boys were off to your next TV show.

+ + +

You found yourself in the middle of a park in the middle of the night, but with people surrounding the entire area dressed in police uniforms and flashes coming from cameras, it seemed you had landed yourself right in the middle of an active crime scene. You had a bit of a hard time seeing in the dark with the sunglasses you found yourself wearing. But you were nevertheless happy when you glanced down at your outfit; it was a black pant suit with a dark blue button up. But it was hard to see much of anything with the sunglasses that you were wearing, for whatever reason why. You looked over at the boys, only to make the horrifying discovery that all of you were wearing the exact same outfit. You found yourself cringing at what was going on here, and how ridiculous you felt. Without an ounce of hesitance, you dropped the sunglasses to the ground. You lifted up your foot, and by using your heel of your shoe, you brought all your body weight down and crushed the lenses.

"Nope." You muttered underneath your breath. "Not doing this."

"So," You looked up to see onof the coroners had crossed the yellow police tape to greet all of you. His question was innocent enough, but you scoffed in annoyance. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" You repeated after him, wondering that was what he meant. When he nodded his head, you answered his question. "Go screw yourself, that's what I think."

"Uh, can you give us a sec, please?" Sam jumped into the conversation by giving the man an apologetic smile from the aggression you were tossing at him. You only threw your anger to the younger Winchester when he placed a hand on your shoulder to give you some advice. "You need to calm down, Y/N."

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down. I'm wearing sunglasses at night. You know who does that? No-talent douche bags." You hissed at him. "God, this is so stupid! I hate the trickster. And I hate this stupid, freaking game."

"Tell me about it. Why couldn't we land in something decent?" Dean complained. "I hate that we're in a procedural cop show. And want to know why? Because I hate procedural cop shows! There's like three hundred of them on television. They're all the freaking' same. It's, 'Ooh,a plane crashed here. Oh, shut up!"

"No. They're not all the same. Law and Order is pretty damn good—Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent. Not to mention the original CSI. Also, you can't say Criminal Minds is the same. I mean, they're profilers, not..." You found yourself defending the cop shows. All though there had been a thousand of them out there, you had a few special ones that you secretly loved. Dean, however, was giving you a look from what you were rambling on about. "Oh you think Dr. Sexy is great. But I can’t like my cop shows that actually deal with serious topics—”

"Hey." Sam cut off an argument before it could start. He brought you and his brother back into the reality of the situation you were currently dealing with. You looked over your shoulder to see that Sam was pointing at the man that had briefly talked to you. He was now back on the other side of the tape talking to a few forensic workers and a cop. What Sam noticed was the lollipop he was sucking on. "Check out sweet tooth over there."

"Think that's him?" You asked.

"Just, uh, follow my lead." Sam said, seeming to have a plan already in action.

Sam slipped his sunglasses back on to complete the look as Dean hesitantly followed in the man’s actions, slipping the tacky accessory back on his face before walking for the crime scene. You stood in your spot for a few moments, watching as the boys played their ridiculous roles, adding all the dramatic effects of walking and making you roll your eyes at how terrible this was turning out. You pulled up the yellow police tape and followed behind, wanting nothing more than to be done with this mess. If the trickster wanted you to be playing a detective, you were just fine with that. With your extensive knowledge of cop shows and murder mysteries you loved to read, it would be fairly easy to solve this in just the matter of minutes. Lucky for you, the killer wasn't that too far ahead of all of you.

"Uh," The coroner pulled out the lollipop from his mouth as he furrowed his brow slightly, wondering why the boys had arrived in a rather slow fashion. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah." Dean replied with a gravelly tone. He turned his head to the side and placed his hands on the waistband of his slacks, giving the man a side-profile of his face. "What do we got?"

"You got anymore of those..." You pointed at what the man was holding in his hand, and at first he thought you were talking about his lollipop, but you were gesturing to the gloves he was wearing. You thanked him when he managed to fetch out a pair. Slipping them on, you decided to examine the dead body for yourself. In a way, you've always wanted to do something like this. You studied biology in school and the anonymity of the human body always interested you. Crouching down, you took notice of everything, coming up with a conclusion just a mere seconds later. "Well, aside from the ligature marks around his neck, he has what appears to be a roll of quarters jammed down his throat. You could say his killer left him...all choked up."

"Well, I say..." Sam joined in on the terrible puns, making you roll your eyes. "Jackpot."

"Hmm. Not bad." The man said as he joined down to your level.

"I can't let you boys have all the fun. And don't let looks be deceiving. I'm much more than a pretty face." You made a sly remark, but you didn't dwindle on it for too long. You pointed your finger to the blood soaked spot on the victim's shirt, Dean grabbed a stick that was nearby to lift up the wound to see there was a small slit in the shirt, indicating something had ripped the fabric. "There was a stab wound to the lower abdomen there."

"Well, I say," Dean pushed himself to his feet as you joined him just a few moments later. You snapped off your gloves as he slipped his sunglasses back on to deliver another tacky one-liner. "No guts, no glory."

Sam followed in his brother's actions, delivering another. "Get that guy a...tums."

“Gutterball.” Dean said with a smooth delivery.

The coroner chuckled to himself, finding all of this funny as he was too distracted by skimming over the notes he'd been taking. You watched as Dean easily made his way over to the man, who was unsuspecting of the demise that he was about to put himself through. You watched as the boys surrounded the man, Dean was still holding the stick he'd grabbed from the ground, and without warning, he rammed it into the man's stomach. Your lips stretched into a satisfied smirk as blood began pouring from the man's wounds as Dean pulled out the stick to do the most damage. But the angle he’d penetrated, you knew for sure it was a clean stab wound to the heart. It was only a matter of moments before the man’s body dropped to the ground, dead after he choked on his own mood.

While it seemed like you might have caught the right guy, things weren't always what they appeared. You could hear the sounds of someone laughing, breaking the silence that followed after. The trickster was here, after all, but he wasn't the guy you were looking for. All of you had screwed up, yet again. "You got the wrong guy, idiot." The trickster taunted Dean, chuckling to himself at the man's failure.

"Did we?" You asked him. But you weren't anywhere near in his sight. You were right behind him with a much bigger branch than Dean had used. Without a single warning, you jammed the branch into the trickster's stomach, giving you the ending you'd been dreaming about for three years. You let out a breath as you watched his body drop to the ground, no sign of movement, except for the few twitches of his limbs before he stopped all together a few seconds later. "Don't mess with the bull unless you want to get the horns."

The trickster had pulled his final move. You stepped back when you watched in the blink of an eye as your surroundings turned from the crime scene in the park turned back into the warehouse you and the boys had originally been. To be safe, you glanced down at your clothes, a sigh of relief fell from your lips as you ran your hands down your jacket, suddenly overwhelmed with joy at being back in your own reality. You glanced down at the ground to make sure the lifeless body was surely dead. But...there was a small part of you that was just a bit hesitant to say this was over. Just like TV shows, the writers liked to pull a few more twists and turns. You had a feeling another one was coming your way if the dead wouldn’t stay dead.

[blackkudos]

Arsenio Hall

Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is best known for hosting The Arsenio Hall Show, a late-night talk show that ran from 1989 until 1994, and a revival of the same show from 2013 to 2014.

Other television shows and films Hall has appeared in are Martial Law, Star Search (host), Coming to America (1988), and Harlem Nights (1989). Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke's sidekick on the talk show Thicke of the Night.

In 2012, Hall won NBC's reality-competition game show Celebrity Apprentice 5.

Early years

Arsenio was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Fred and Anne Hall. His father is a Baptist minister. Hall performed as a magician when he was a child. He graduated from Warrensville Heights High School in Warrensville Heights, Ohio in 1973, after he briefly attended John F. Kennedy High School. After he graduated, he attended Ohio University, where he was on the speech team with Nancy Cartwright. He then transferred to and graduated from Kent State University in 1977.

Career

Hall later moved to Chicago, and then Los Angeles, to pursue a career in comedy, making a couple of appearances on Soul Train. In 1984, he was the announcer/sidekick for Alan Thicke during the short-lived talk show Thicke of the Night (a role for which he has on occasion noted his confusion with Monty Hall). Arsenio was the original voice of Winston Zeddemore in the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters from 1986 to 1987. In 1988, he co-starred in the comedy film Coming to America with Eddie Murphy.

Talk shows

In 1986, the Fox network introduced The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, created to directly challenge The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After a moderate start, ratings for the show sagged. Behind-the-scenes relations between Rivers and network executives at Fox quickly eroded, and Rivers left in 1987. The series was subsequently renamed The Late Show, and featured several hosts, including Ross Shafer, Suzanne Somers, Richard Belzer and Robert Townsend before it was cancelled in 1988. Hall was also chosen to host the show in the fall of 1987, and his stint proved to be immensely popular, developing a cult following which eventually led to Hall landing his own show in syndication.

From January 2, 1989 until May 27, 1994, he had a Paramount contract to host a nationwide syndicated late night talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show. The show became a breakout, late-night success, especially rating high among the coveted younger demographic and known for its audience's distinctive alternative to applause: chanting "Roo, Roo, Roo!," while pumping their fists. The practice soon became such a ritual that by 1991 had become a "pop culture stamp of approval" — one that Hall said had become "so popular it's getting on people's nerves." The gesture made it into films of the time: the title character played by Julia Roberts did it in a polo scene in Pretty Woman (1990), and characters played by Penny Marshall and Michael J. Fox did it in The Hard Way. In Disney's Aladdin (1992), the Genie character voiced by Robin Williams performs the gesture while mimicking the physical appearance of Hall. This popular gesture can also be found in the 1993 Mel Brooks' comedy, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It was also seen in the movie Passenger 57, in which an old woman confuses the character played by Wesley Snipes with Arsenio Hall. After saving the day, the passengers on the hijacked plane do the gesture toward the protagonist.

He also had a rivalry with Jay Leno, after the latter was named host of The Tonight Show, during which time Hall said that he would "kick Jay's ass" in ratings.

Hall used his fame during this period to help fight worldwide prejudice against HIV/AIDS, after Magic Johnson contracted the disease. Hall and Johnson filmed a PSA about the disease that aired in the early 1990s.

Other television and radio work

Between 1988 and 1991, Hall hosted the MTV Video Music Awards. Over the years, he has appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows, in special features, as a voice actor, on game shows and other award shows. Since The Arsenio Hall Show ended, Hall had a leading role on television shows such as the short-lived sitcom Arsenio (1997) and Martial Law with Sammo Hung (1999–2000), as well as hosted the revival of Star Search (2003–2004). While hosting Star Search, he popularized the catchphrase "Hit me with the digits!".

Hall appeared as himself in Chappelle's Show in March 2004, when Chappelle was imagining "what Arsenio is doing right now" in a dinner scene. Hall has guest co-hosted Wednesday evenings on The Tim Conway Jr. Show on KLSX 97.1 FM radio. Hall also hosted MyNetworkTV's comedic web video show The World's Funniest Moments and TV One's 100 Greatest Black Power Moves. Hall also appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher in May 2012, in a discussion commemorating the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Hall was considered to be the host of the syndicated version of Deal or No Deal and filmed a pilot (there were six taped). However, by the time the syndicated series began on September 8, 2008, Howie Mandel was chosen as the host.

He also appeared regularly on The Jay Leno Show, and was a guest on Lopez Tonight. George Lopez credits Arsenio for being the reason he had a late night show; Lopez appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show more times than any other comedian. Lopez requested Hall be a co-host on Lopez Tonight (November 25, 2009) since he regarded Hall as his inspiration and the first "late night party show host". Hall has filled-in as guest host for NBC's Access Hollywood Live (2011) and CNN's evening talk/interview program Piers Morgan Tonight in 2012.

In 2012, Hall was a contestant on the fifth edition of The Celebrity Apprentice, which began airing February 19, 2012. Hall represented his charity, the Magic Johnson Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing economic and social equality by engaging minorities in every aspect of their communities; increasing academic and innovative achievement; and raising HIV/AIDS awareness, treatment and prevention. While Hall clashed with Aubrey O'Day, he befriended a majority of the cast. On May 20, 2012, in the live season finale, Hall was chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice winner, being "hired" by billionaire real estate investor Donald Trump over the other celebrity finalist, singer Clay Aiken. For winning The Celebrity Apprentice, Hall won the $250,000 grand prize for his charity, in addition to any money he won for his charity for tasks he and his team won when he was a team leader on the show.

A revival of Hall's syndicated late-night talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, premiered September 9, 2013 on Tribune owned stations and other networks via CBS Television Distribution. It was cancelled after one season due to low ratings. The last taping of the new Arsenio Hall Show aired May 30, 2014.

Personal life

In 1997, after being out of the public eye for three years, Hall took an interview to dispel rumors regarding what had driven him off stage stating, "I went on the Internet and read I was in detox at Betty Ford, I got on line under a fake name and typed in, "I know Arsenio better than anyone else and he's not in detox, you idiots!"

Hall has one son, born in 1999. Since his birth, Hall mostly took time off to raise his son before resuming The Arsenio Hall Show in 2013. Hall had an interest in returning to the business eventually, but his decision wasn't confirmed until he appeared on Lopez Tonight in 2009 (although he initially considered a weekend show because he didn't want to compete in ratings against his friend George Lopez).

On September 4, 2014, Hall had lost legendary comedian, mentor and longtime friend Joan Rivers to anoxic encephalopathy. Prior to her death, he said it was her that "put me on The Tonight Show first! And it was her apprentice victory, that motivated me to give it one hundred!"

On May 5, 2016, Hall filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against Sinéad O'Connor after she claimed he had fueled Prince's drug habit.

In July 2016, Hall became the host of the ABC television program Greatest Hits. As of that same month, he is scheduled to appear in the telefilm Sandy Wexler.

Recognition

1988 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Coming to America)

1989 American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Coming to America)

Hall received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, Spring 1992.

Wikipedia

[joronomo]

Viacom Scores 18 Emmy Nominations for a Diverse Roster of Programming – Viacom Corporate

New Post has been published on https://joronomo.com/viacom-scores-18-emmy-nominations-for-a-diverse-roster-of-programming-viacom-corporate/

Viacom Scores 18 Emmy Nominations for a Diverse Roster of Programming – Viacom Corporate

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July 21, 2017 @ 12:37 PM

Sketch comedy, potluck, political satire, lip syncing, drag queens, kid-friendly rock and roll and animated, nostalgic purple grapes: these are a few of our fans’ favorite things. And it turns out that the esteemed voting committee for the 69th Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards likes them quite a bit too.

Between VH1, Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon, and our Paramount Television production studio, Viacom brands scored 18 nominations.

Take a look at Viacom’s diverse roster of brands and the eclectic shows that impacted TV’s most prestigious award celebration:

Created by Viacom Catalyst

VH1 – 8 Nominations 

In April, VH1 announced its new tagline: “Where pop culture comes to party.”

Two of the network’s most buzzworthy shows—RuPaul’s Drag Race and Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party—truly exemplify this sentiment and embody VH1’s brand. They’re also up for Emmy awards.

Following its most-watched and highest-rated season to date, RuPaul’s Drag Race garnered the most Emmy nominations out of all Viacom shows, snagging eight bids for its groundbreaking series.

.@RuPaul‘s #DragRace strut into the Emmys with significant nominations #ConDRAGulations t.co/X1ACIxyQvi pic.twitter.com/sqF5oyZ2bv

— Variety (@Variety) July 14, 2017

Drag Race strutted over to VH1 from Logo earlier this year after host RuPaul Charles’ won an award for best reality show host at the 2016 Emmy Awards.

“The Emmy win really cemented the show in mainstream pop culture, and VH1 is more broadly available in homes across the U.S.,” said Pamela Post, VH1’s original programming senior vice president in an interview with IndieWire. “[The network switch] was an opportunity to broaden the show’s viewership even further.”

Thank you Television Academy for honoring the cast & crew of #DragRace w/ 8 nominations. It takes a village, people! @VH1 @WorldOfWonder pic.twitter.com/zvAz2VQ2yI

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) July 13, 2017

VH1’s Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party also earned a nomination for outstanding host for a reality or reality-competition program. The VH1 show premiered last fall, and viewers were clamoring for a taste of the unlikely duo’s hospitality. The hosts delivered one of the most lit parties in unscripted TV, bringing along a bevy of celebrity guests, chill vibes and smokin’ side dishes—which proved to be a recipe for stellar ratings.

“The show’s premiere episode debuted to three million viewers,” wrote Business Insider, “Winning its time slot and becoming 2016’s highest-rated new unscripted show on cable for 2016.”

And while the D-O-G-G has yet to win a Grammy, VH1’s cult show offers the hip-hop legend a chance to win his first Emmy.

  Check out the full list of VH1 nominations:

Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) • RuPaul’s Drag Race • “Oh My Gaga!”

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Or Competition Reality Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program • RuPaul’s Drag Race • RuPaul Charles

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program • Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party • Martha Stewart & Snoop Dogg

COMEDY CENTRAL – 7 Nominations

Comedy Central, an enduring favorite among the Emmy voters, brought in seven nominations this year, including one for South Park’s iconic Member Berries episode—in which animated grapes accommodated the fictional town’s nostalgia for the past.

At first, the sour grapes incessantly dropped pop culture references from yesteryear, but quickly evolved to giving sentient reminders about racist ideologies from the “good ol’ days.”

Drunk History, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and Broad City all earned nominations for episodes and themes that are, for the most part, politically provocative, with progressive themes, diversity and topical conversation.

Watch Drunk History‘s Emmy-nominated episode:

Watch Broad City‘s Emmy-nominated internet short:

Check out the full list of Comedy Central’s nominations:

Outstanding Variety Series • Drunk History

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series • Drunk History • “Hamilton”

Outstanding Production Design For A Variety, Nonfiction, Reality Or Reality-Competition Series • Drunk History • “Hamilton”

Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming • Drunk History • “Bar Fights”

Outstanding Animated Program • South Park • “Member Berries”

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series • The Daily Show  • “Between The Scenes” (thedailyshow.com)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series • Broad City • Hack Into Broad City (ComedyCentral.com)

NICKELODEON – 1 Nomination

 Outstanding Children’s Program • School of Rock

Nickelodeon’s dazzling slate of live-action and animated shows have earned Emmy attention in the past, and this year is no exception. The no. 1 brand in kids’ entertainment was recognized for its Paramount Television-produced musical sitcom School of Rock.

The show is lauded by both critics and parents for teaching kids the merits of teamwork, self-confidence and loyalty through the school of hard rock—aka a fictional prep school.

Its combination of charming gags and original, head-banging beats (along with guest stars like Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz) has made diehard fans out of the show’s target demographic—kids ages 6 to 15. School of Rock was adapted from Paramount’s wildly successful feature film of the same name, and is now in its third season.

SPIKE – 1 Nomination

Outstanding Structured Reality Program • Lip Sync Battle

Spike’s Lip Sync Battle earns an Emmy nomination for the second consecutive year.

In recent years, Spike has attracted a broad set of viewers with a focus on powerful storytelling and universally beloved shows, like Lip Sync Battle. This fall, the network will officially rebrand as the premium Paramount Network.

Think of Lip Sync Battle as a stripped-down version of fellow Emmy favorite RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosted by LL Cool J. Unlike Drag Race, where the contestants compete for a cash prize and the coveted title of “Next Drag Superstar,” Lip Sync Battle features known stars vying for a kitschy Lip Sync Battle Championship Belt. The winner is determined by a rousing round of applause, rather than a panel of judges.

Zoe Saldana’s winning moment. (Courtesy of SpikeTV)

But Lip Sync Battle has earned a massive, diverse audience with its low-key pageantry. Spike TV brings together a menagerie of oddball celebs like Anne Hathaway, John Legend and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to bust out bizarre dance moves and sing karaoke. The network actively eschewed creating a “brand” for Lip Sync Battle, opting instead to make the show as all-encompassing as possible. Executive producer Casey Patterson told Vulture in 2014 that this tactic reflects the broad spectrum of lip-sync fans.

“Lip-syncing is for everyone,” said Patterson. “If you go online, it’s dads and daughters, it’s moms, it’s women at work, it’s ageless, it’s genderless.”

This approach is what made Lip Sync Battle Spike’s highest-rated program, and its one reason the show will stick with the network when it changes names early next year.

PARAMOUNT TV – 2 Nominations (1 shared with Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Children’s Program (in association with Nickelodeon) •  School of Rock

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) • A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix)

Viacom’s production and distribution unit works behind-the-scenes to create our own content and hit shows on other networks, including Netflix’s recent mini-series 13 Reasons Why and Fox’s Grease Live, which won four Emmys at the 2016 ceremony.

This year, Paramount TV earned an Emmy nod for its work on Nickelodeon’s fellow Emmy hopeful, School of Rock. It also was nominated for creating the ethereal, haunting score for Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Mark your calendar for the Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 17 at 8 p.m. on CBS, hosted by Comedy Central alum Stephen Colbert.

Related Posts

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[wavenetinfo]

Jalal Haddad looks at 2017 Emmy supporting comedy races and the potential for Emmy voters to make a political statement with their ballots.

In recent years, Emmy® voters relied on the supporting comedy races to celebrate comedic actors overdue for recognition. Fred Armisen. Niecy Nash. Keegan-Michael Key. Last year’s winner Louie Anderson. Voters still find the word “comedy” important. Some of the biggest surprises in these races simply link to being a funny person all-around. Still, without any overwhelming buzz behind any new show, Emmy voters risk resorting to their worst tendencies and recycling past nominees.

Some of the major contenders in the supporting comedy races are difficult to sort between viable options and dream nominees. This year, they seem to all blend together. Well liked names like Jenifer Lewis (black-ish) and Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) have gone unrecognized for three seasons now, but as their comedic performances continue to be popular, their chances might increase. Voters also have the opportunity to elevate plenty of lesser known names including Sam Richardson of Veep, Yvonne Orj of Insecure, and Zazie Beetz or Bryan Tyree Henry of Atlanta.

Notable Casts

Veep Last year with six acting nominees, Veep was a clear favorite among the actors in the Television Academy. When it appeared that the show was heading into its final season, dominance in terms of total nominations seemed certain. After HBO announced the show will return for a seventh season and the current season proved to be lackluster in many ways, it isn’t as clear just how well voters will respond. Emmy favorites like Tony Hale and Anna Chlumsky will return, but a second nomination for Matt Walsh seems less likely especially since he faded into the background this season against costars like Timothy Simons and especially Sam Richardson who in a perfect world would be winning the Emmy this year.

Saturday Night Live After years of fading out of popular culture, Saturday Night Live finally regained its footing throughout the political season. First, Kate McKinnon’s Emmy-winning performance as Hillary Clinton (among dozens of other characters) led the charge, and second, Alec Baldwin’s season-long residency as Donald Trump sealed the deal. Both McKinnon and Baldwin enter the supporting races as front-runners in their respected categories, particularly because voting for them would be the easiest way for Hollywood to send a giant “fuck you” to the current administration, especially with a win for Baldwin. With such a high profile season, it’s possible (although unlikely) that another member of the cast surprises like Kenan Thompson or Leslie Jones or if there were any justice in the world Aidy Bryant.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt The actors branch sends a lot of mixed signals regarding the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt cast lately. The show suffered a sophomore slump at last year’s Emmys only to turn around and receive SAG nominations for both Kemper and Burgess. The third season makes it abundantly clear that Titus Andromedon is the MVP of the show. He is likely the only sure bet of the supporting cast and, with the popular vote system, might be the dark horse to win.

The supporting actress race is a little more up in the air. Voters left out Jane Krakowski for Season 2 after initially bringing her into the race for the first season. Yet, with five nominations, she clearly lands on voters’ radars. However, her tired story line risks losing steam to costar Carol Kane who besides Tituss is the most consistently hilarious. As voters catch up with the series, there is a good chance they might recognize the two-time Emmy winner with her first nomination in 20 years.

(Photo: Netflix)

Transparent Emmy voters embraced the Pfefferman clan with open arms for the past two years, but as the dramedy takes even more dramatic turns, the question needs to be asked if there is a growing resistance against the show for competing in the comedy races. SAG voters chose not to include the cast in the comedy ensemble race this year, and the overall buzz around the show seems to be diminishing. Gabby Hoffman (who has already been nominated twice for her work as Ali) is likely on her way out at the Emmys. Judith Light, who has her strongest material to date, might be the only supporting comedy player to survive. If the entire supporting cast is left out come nominations morning, it might be due to the fact that seven worthy actresses are all competing in the supporting comedy race and could potentially split the vote.

Modern Family The 5-time Outstanding Comedy Series champion steadily dropped in total nominations over the past few years. Last year, Ty Burrell was the only member of the ensemble left in the race. Without any major competition, Burrell will continue receiving nominations since Emmy voters have a soft spot for goofy naïve characters (which explains why Betty White outlasted her Golden Girls costars at the Emmys). In a weaker year, someone like Julie Bowen might be able to sneak back in, but as voters move on from the once-beloved sitcom, it seems less and less unlikely.

Girls  Small clues indicated that the acting branch still pays attention to Girls from repeat nominations for Adam Driver to last year’s shocking Peter Scolari win. The final season proved to be one of the show’s strongest, and voters might finally choose to honor some of the supporting cast like Andrew Rannells and Allison Williams who both gave their best performances in the history of the show. On top of that, Allison Williams might be entering the race with her highest profile to date fresh off of her performance in Get Out which is still the most acclaimed movie of 2017.

Atlanta Donald Glover dominated the Emmy conversation in multiple categories (series, actor, writing, directing), so it’s hard to tell if the admiration for Atlanta extends to the supporting cast in terms of potential nominations. Bryan Tyree Henry and Zazie Beetz deserve to have their names thrown into consideration, and their surprise nominations would be huge indicators that Atlanta might be gearing up for a surprise Outstanding Comedy Series win. In categories with much more well-known actors, it might take a few seasons for either of them to be recognized.

Standout Performances

Louie Anderson (Baskets) Louie Anderson’s surprise win last year is clear proof that the new popular vote system at the Emmys has the ability to celebrate and award smaller performances with passionate supporters. This year, Anderson’s role on Baskets grew even more to the point where he could have even considered going lead. The Emmy winner has a good chance of returning this year even if Baskets has struggled to be noticed by voters aside from his performance.

Jennifer Lewis (black-ish) There is no comedic performance more overdue for an Emmy nomination than Jenifer Lewis on black-ish. Now that the show is the new favorite sitcom of Emmy voters this might finally be her year. No other member of the cast delivers as consistently as Lewis, and all ABC has to do is make sure every voting member has a copy of the Halloween episode “The Purge” to ensure she gets nominated. On top of that Emmy voters love to embrace overdue character actors in the supporting race. With a new popular vote system, she could easily win if she just gets over the hurdle of receiving her first nomination.

(Photo: ABC)

Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time) The EGOT winner literally appears to audiences through the opening of a curtain to uproarious applause. The 85-year-old legend’s return to television excited fans and immediately spurred Emmy talk. One Day at a Time might be a hard sell to Emmy voters who are constantly sticking up their nose at traditional multi-cam sitcoms, but if voters get through the first cringe-worthy 10 minutes, many of them can easily be won over.  In the end, a huge amount of peer respect for Moreno mixed with the fact that Netflix put a lot of effort into sending voters both physical and digital copies of the entire season makes her a serious contender.

Molly Shannon (Divorce) Molly Shannon’s name automatically associates with comedy. So much so that she could sneak into the supporting actress race solely because Emmy voters know how funny she can be. Her character on Divorce is easily the most broadly comedic, and she snuck in for an HBO dramedy before (her guest performance on Enlightened). Still, there probably isn’t enough excitement around Divorce to get voters interested.

T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley) Over the years, the acting branch has been the one major holdout in terms of major Emmy nominations for Silicon Valley. Before last year’s surprise nomination for Thomas Middleditch, the ensemble largely received no love from their peers both at the Emmys and at the SAG awards. T.J. Miller is the loudest of the supporting actors. Because of that, he remains the most likely to breakthrough if one ever does. With the recent announcement that this will be Miller’s final season, he might have an extra boost of publicity heading into voting to finally be nominated.

 Supporting Actress

1. Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

2. Judith Light, Transparent

3. Anna Chlumsky, Veep

4. Jenifer Lewis, Black-Ish

5. Carol Kane, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

6. Allison Williams, Girls ———————

7. Rita Moreno, One Day at a Time

8. Gabby Hoffman, Transparent

9. Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

10. Molly Shannon, Divorce

Other Names in The Race: Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Andrea Martin (Great News), Yvonne Orji (Insecure), Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live).

Supporting Actor

1. Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live

2. Titus Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

3. Tony Hale, Veep

4. Louie Anderson, Baskets

5. Ty Burrell, Modern Family

6. Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine ———————

7. Matt Walsh, Veep

8. Andrew Rannells, Girls

9. Timothy Simons, Veep

10. Bryan Tyree Henry, Atlanta

Other Names in The Race: TJ Miller (Silicon Valley), Sam Richardson (Veep), Walton Goggins (Vice Principals), Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

2 June 2017 | 5:41 pm

Jalal Haddad

Source : Awards Daily

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

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[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND JOE NAMATH

S5;E5 ~ October 9, 1972

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob O'Brien

Synopsis

While Craig is home from college and playing tennis, he is eyed by quarterback Joe Namath for his potential as a football player. First, however, they have to convince Lucy to give permission for Craig to play the dangerous sport.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)

Guest Cast

Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Cartrer) is the real-life son of Lucille Ball. His 1953 birth was worked into the plot of “I Love Lucy” although Desi Jr. never played the role of Little Ricky Ricardo. He did, however, appear on the final half-hour episode of the series “The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue” (ILL S6;E27) in a crowd scene. He was occasionally seen as Billy Simmons and other minor characters on “The Lucy Show.”  At the time of filming “Here’s Lucy” he was part of the band Dino Desi and Billy along with Dean Martin Jr. and Billy Hinsche. Arnaz was married to actress Linda Purl from 1980 until 1981. In 1987, Arnaz married Amy Laura Bargiel. They lived in Boulder City, Nevada, with their daughter, and own the Boulder Theatre, a cinema converted into a theatre and home to the Boulder City Ballet Company. Amy died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer. Desi Arnaz has a daughter, Julia.

This is Craig's first appearance since the end of season 3 in February 1971.

Joe Namath (Himself) born in 1943, Joe Namath was a record-setting and award-winning professional football player.  His career on the gridiron began in 1965 with the Jets and ended 1977 with the Rams. Nicknamed ‘Broadway Joe’, he also was an actor doing stage, screen, and television commercials.  He hosted “The Joe Namath Show” (1969) and other television shows.  Namath appeared in summer stock productions of Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, and Lil' Abner, and finally legitimized his nickname as a cast replacement in a New York revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial in 1983.  

Bob Harks (Joe Namath’s Stand-In, uncredited) was seen in the background of Mame (1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here's Lucy.” He died at age 83 in 2010.

Namath tells Lucy his friends call him ‘Joseph’. Lucy says the papers call him ‘Broadway Joe.’  

Dick Patterson (Coach Hennessy) made his Broadway debut in David Merrick’s Vintage ‘60, and appeared in The Billy Barnes People, the national touring company of Bye Bye Birdie, and opposite Carol Burnett in Fade Out, Fade In. His last musical was Smile, a spoof of beauty pageants. He was seen in “Lucy Helps Danny Thomas” (TLS S4;E7). This is the third of his four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  

Coach Hennessy was teammates and roommates with Joe Namath at the University of Alabama.

Kenny Endoso (Jimmy) was a Hawaiian-born actor and stunt performer whose career began in 1967 and racked up hundreds of credits.  He died in 2010.  

The voice of the TV announcer and the other college football players (including one named Murphy) are uncredited.

This episode was inspired by Lucille Ball's appearance with Joe Namath on “The Super Comedy Bowl,” a TV special aired the night before the January 1971 Super Bowl game, although the segment was taped on November 23, 1970. In the sketch, Lucille Ball played an ER nurse who 'manhandles' football player Joe Namath after an accident. The sketch was written by Arnold Kane, who remembers in his book, My Meteoric Rise to Obscurity: 

“Lucy was a comedy genius. Namath was naturally frightened and nervous about doing comedy but the thought of working with Lucy scared the crap out of him.” 

A year later, Lucie Arnaz appeared on the second “Super Comedy Bowl” special, which was taped on November 22, 1971 and aired January 12, 1972. Lucie's comedy partner was football great Bubba Smith.

On the episode's DVD introduction and in The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, Desi Arnaz Jr. said: 

"I came back to the show after not being heard from for two years. I'm sure for some of the viewers it was like, 'Craig? Craig who?'  I was hardly ever referred to in the show once I was gone." 

Arnaz is right to say that for the first part of season 4 his absence went unexplained.  He was finally mentioned in “Lucy's Bonus Bounces” (S4;E16), and several more times for the rest of season 4.

Coincidentally, “Here's Lucy's” main competition during the 1972-73 season was “Monday Night Football” on ABC TV. The night this episode first aired the Oakland Raiders bested the Houston Oilers 34 to 0.  

This episode aired on Columbus Day 1972.  This was only the second time in US history that the federal holiday was celebrated on a Monday.  Before 1971, the holiday was celebrated on October 12, no matter which day it fell on.  Lucy Carter spoke about Christopher Columbus during the Secretary Beautiful Contest in “Lucy Competes with Carol Burnett” (S2;E24). 

Namath put on his NY Jets uniform for publicity photos, but he never wears the famous #12 jersey during the actual episode. 

This episode is the fifth installment in the longest story arc (Lucy’s broken leg) of the series. This storyline was dictated by the fact that Lucille Ball actually broke her leg skiing, necessitating scripts for the first half of season five be tailored to her being in a cast. 

After the show was over, Namath sent Lucille Ball an autographed football.

In real life, Desi Arnaz Jr. was an avid tennis player, so writer Bob O'Brien included that into the script.

At the end of scene two, Namath vows to get Lucy to give Craig permission to play or he'll give her his mink coat! Joe Namath had long worn fur, even on the bench.  Lucille Ball was also a fan of furs - especially mink.  In 2014 Namath caused an internet stir when he appeared at the Super Bowl game wearing a fur jacket.

Harry says back when he was playing college football for State he was known as “Twinkle Toes Carter.” In the stage musical about college life in “Lucy, the Co-Ed” (S3;E6), Harry plays a football player for Bullwinkle University nicknamed ‘Crazy Hips.’  Two episodes later, in “Lucy's Wedding Party” (S3;E8), we again hear of Harry's football career at Bullwinkle State (BS).

Lucy and Namath watch “The National Football League's Salute to the Quarterback” on her TV.  

Actual clips of Namath on the field for the New York Jets (#12) are featured. Namath is delighted, but Lucy cringes at the physical violence.  

For the final scene on the field. Lucy's golf cart wheelchair is back – this time without the canopy that Harry destroyed at the end of “Harrison Carter, Male Nurse” (S5;E3).  

Namath tells Craig that he should give up football and join some rock group. This is an inside joke referring to Desi Arnaz Jr.'s own rock group with Dino Martin and Billy Hinsche called Dino Desi & Billy.

When Harry dresses up in his college duds in “Lucy's Wedding Party” (S3;E8), Lucy tells him that he looks as handsome as Joe Namath!  

Nearly a decade earlier to the day, Desi Arnaz Jr. played pee-wee football... 

and Lucie Arnaz looked on from the sidelines in a October 1962 episode of “The Lucy Show” where Lucy Carmichael referees her son Jerry’s game.

Professional sports figures that have played themselves on “Lucy” sitcoms:

Jockey Johnny Longden - “I Love Lucy”

Golfer F.G. Bo Wininger - “The Lucy Show”

Baseball Player Jimmy Piersall (above) - “The Lucy Show”

Golfer Jimmy Demaret - “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show”

Football players Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, and Jimmy Phillips were all mentioned (but not seen) in “Lucy is a Referee” (TLS S1;E3) in 1962. In his high school football uniform, Craig was compared by Kim to football player Y.A. Tittle in “Lucy the Fixer” (S1;E14).

Character Consistency!  We learned that Craig played High School football in 1969's “Lucy the Fixer” (S1;E14).  It is never mentioned here.  Lucy's over-reaction to the dangers of the sport in this episode, three years later, would surely have been tempered by past experience.

Oops! When Harry goes to sit down next to Lucy, he accidentally knocks the chair cushion to the floor and must retrieve it before sitting.  This is the second time this has happened to Gale Gordon.

One Hand Clapping!  After Craig's blustery exit speech in the first scene, exactly one person in the studio audience gives Desi Arnaz Jr. a round of applause. Ouch!

Age Check! Although the Coach and Namath were supposedly roommates and teammates at college, Dick Patterson (Coach Hennessy) is actually 14 years older than Namath. 

“Lucy and Joe Namath” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5 

Yes, it is good to see Desi Arnaz Jr. again, but I wish it was in a better episode. With “Monday Night Football” as new competition for Lucy, what could be better than a celebrity football player - and Namath fit the bill perfectly.  Besides being contrived, there’s not much funny here.  

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY GETS HER MAN

S1;E21 ~ February 24, 1969

Directed by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs

Synopsis

Harry's old Army buddy is working in Counter-Intelligence and needs a stenographer to help get the goods on a suspected spy (Victor Buono). Naturally, Lucy gets the assignment.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Victor Buono (Arthur Vermillion) was a character actor whose screen career began in 1959. He was nominated for a 1963 Oscar for his portrayal of Edwin Flagg in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, which he quickly followed up with Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, both starring Bette Davis. He is perhaps best remembered for playing arch-villain King Tut on “Batman” (inset). Buono died in 1982 at the age of 43.  

Buono uses a thick middle-European accent as Vermillion. According to the dictionary, ‘vermillion’ (or ‘vermilion’), describes a deep, brilliant shade of red. ‘Red’ is slang for a communist, based on the color of the communist flag, which ties into the spy theme of the episode.   

Mary Wickes (Isabel) was one of Lucille Ball’s closest friends and at one time, a neighbor. She made a memorable appearances on “I Love Lucy” as ballet mistress Madame Lamond in “The Ballet” (ILL S1;E19). In her initial “Lucy Show” appearances her characters name was Frances, but she then made four more as a variety of characters for a total of 8 episodes. This is the first of her 9 appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” She also played Isabel in “Lucy Goes on Strike” (S1;E16). Their final collaboration on screen was “Lucy Calls the President” in 1977.

Wickes only has 40 seconds of screen time at the very start of the episode.  Before Mary Jane Croft joined the show, the character of Isabel was intended to be a secretary friend of Lucy Carter’s who works in her building. Wickes only played the character twice before moving into different characters for the rest of the series.

Robert Carson (Buzzy Brock) was a busy Canadian-born character actor who appeared on six episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is the second of his five appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Buzzy was an Army Colonel at the Pentagon during World War II. He got a Purple Heart when his desk collapsed! He is currently working with 'Counter-Intelligence'.

Chicago Tribune, February 24, 1969

This is the third spy story on “Here’s Lucy” in just five months, preceded by “Lucy's Impossible Mission” (S1;6) and “Lucy and the Great Airport Chase” (S1;E18). Spy series' such as “Get Smart” and “Mission: Impossible” were tremendously popular at the time. Craig mentions a show called “Spy Mission” and Kim talks about “Counter Agent,” both made-up TV spy programs.

Lucille Ball and Victor Buono were both featured in “Like Hep!”, a Dinah Shore special that aired a few months after this episode. In it, Ball did a variety of sketches, including one set in a speakeasy with Buono as a mob boss.  

Upon arriving at work, Lucy off-handedly says “another day behind the iron curtain.” The Iron Curtain was the name for the imaginary boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The use of the term contributes to the spy nature of the story, but seems a bit precipitous considering the plot has yet to be revealed! 

Isabel calls Harry Jack the Ripper, comparing him to the famous London serial killer. There was also a character named Jack D. Ripper in the 1964 iron curtain comedy Dr. Strangelove. Could this be another vague and precipitous reference to the episode’s theme?   

After Isabel and Harry continually bump into one another going out the door (doing a sort of ‘after you’ dance) Harry calls her St. Vitus. Saint Vitus (290-303 AD) was a child saint from Sicily. In the late Middle Ages, people celebrated the feast of Vitus by dancing before his statue. The name "Saint Vitus Dance" was given to neurological disorders like epilepsy. It also led to Vitus being considered the patron saint of dancers.

We learn that Harry was an Army major during World War II and worked at the Pentagon.

Buzzy calls Harry 'Foamy' because he wore out twelve foam rubber cushions on his swivel chair. Clearly Buzzy and 'Foamy' (aka Harry) were desk jockeys during the war. The script doesn't specify, however, why Buzzy is named Buzzy.  

When Kim comes home from school, she asks her mother if Jerry called. Presumably, Jerry is her boyfriend. Jerry was also the name of Lucy Carmichael's son on “The Lucy Show.” She uses her childrens’ questions as a memory test for her upcoming spy assignment. 

Kim says her birthday is the 17th of next month. In real life, Lucie Arnaz's birthday is the 17th of July.  

The song Kim and Craig play for Uncle Harry, to show him what life with teenagers in the house might be like, is a jazzy version of “I Know A Place” by Tony Hatch. The song was recorded in 1965 by Petula Clark. It is here performed without lyrics with Kim dancing and Craig playing the drums. Lucy danced to the song in “Mod, Mod Lucy” (S1;E1). Clark will do a guest appearance on the series in season 5, although she will not sing “I Know A Place.” 

When Lucille Ball enters Vermillion's hotel suite at the (fictional) Crescent Palms Hotel wearing a black wig, she gets a round of applause from the studio audience.  

If the horse statue in Vermillion’s hotel room looks familiar, it is likely the same horse used later that year on the set of “The Brady Bunch” (1969-74). Both shows were filmed at Paramount Studios. Similar horses also turned up on “Bewitched” (1964-72) and in the film Bell, Book and Candle (1958) starring Ernie Kovacs. This iteration of the horse statue has its saddle and reigns painted black, but they are otherwise identical. Equine statuary was quite common in mid-century decorating. 

Vermillion, under the guise of a greeting card writer, dictates correspondence to 

Gregory Schmidt, General Delivery, St. Louis, Misery 

and another to 

Igor Shaffsky, Hotel Scimitar, Istanbul 

He eats his notes.  Is he really a spy or just really hungry? 

When Vermillion looks around the room to see that they he and Lucy are alone, the soundtrack plays “Mission: Impossible” style music. The TV score by Lalo Schifrin was extensively used in “Lucy's Impossible Mission” (S1;E6).  

Victor Buono is best known for his role in the Bette Davis / Joan Crawford 1962 horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, a movie that was mentioned on “No More Double Dates” (TLS S1;E21). Lucy Carmichael rejected the film for date night as “too scary”.  Coincidentally, both shows were the 21st aired episodes aired in their first seasons!      

This is not the first time Lucy has mined humor from being sat on by a larger actor. She was underneath a tubby tourist (Audrey Bentz) in “The Tour” (ILL S4;E30) and a girthy granny (Reta Shaw) in “Lucy Misplaces $2,000″ (TLS S1;E4). 

Lucy Ricardo also “wore a wire” when trying to record a confession by who she thought was a Texas oil swindler in “Oil Wells” (ILL S3;E18). Both times her urge to be wired for sound was misguided. 

Thinking they were enemy agents, Lucy Ricardo also spied on the “New Neighbors” (ILL S1;E21). Like Vermillion, the O'Briens were not who Lucy first assumed they were but they sure talked a good game! 

This is not the first, nor the last, time Gale Gordon will get into unconvincing drag without shaving off his mustache!

FAST FORWARD!

On August 16, 1971, Victor Buono and Lucille Ball were both guests on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”.  Kaye Ballard was the musical guest. 

Vermillion is not the last character to be a writer of greeting card verses... 

It would also be the occupation of Ben Fletcher (Don Knotts) when “Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date” (S5;E16).

Sitcom Logic Alert!  Craig just happens to own a pocket-sized miniature tape recorder. Doesn’t every teenager in 1969?

Color Blind! Vermillion tells Harry (as the Bellboy) that he “never wears blue” yet he is clearly wearing a powder blue tie. Is he just trying to get rid of Harry through intimidation? 

Product Dis-Placement!  The brand name of Craig’s drum set is partly taped over. The top loop of the ‘R’ reveals that it is made by Rogers. Founded in 1849 in Farmingdale, NJ, by Joseph Rogers, the company went out of business in 2006. 

Where the Floor Ends!  In the lower right corner of the above screen shot, viewers get a glimpse of where the Carter’s wall-to-wall carpet ends and meets the cement stage floor! 

“Lucy Gets Her Man” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

A nearly five minute scene without Lucille Ball, when Kim and Craig convince their Uncle Harry to keep an eye on their mother, is a bit awkward and too long. Mary Wickes is given virtually nothing to do in this episode. Her lines could just as well have been spoken by an uncredited day player. Lucille Ball's scene with Victor Buono, however, is quite good and Gale Gordon in maid drag (with his trademark mustache) is well worth the wait. The surprise ending actually makes sense and is very funny, if a bit abrupt.    

“Ja. Yust like mama!” 

[papermoonloveslucy]

Lucy Meets the Law

S5;E19 ~ February 13, 1967

Synopsis

Lucy thinks she's being arrested for littering when she is actually being mistaken for a red-haired jewel thief.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis)

Roy Roberts (Mr. Cheever) does not appear in this episode. 

Guest Cast

Claude Akins (Lieutenant Finch) appeared as himself (playing a giant native) in “Desert Island” (ILL S6;E8). He is perhaps best remembered for playing Sheriff Lobo in “B.J. And the Bear” (1978-79) and its sequel “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo” (1979-81). Akins died in 1994.

Iris Adrian (Hard Head Hogan) appeared on Broadway in the 1930s and was a Ziegfeld girl. In Hollywood she did more than 160 films. This is her only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Hard Head is a bouncer in a beer hall. She is in jail for assault and battery. 

Ken Lynch (Officer Peters, below left) started playing policemen on TV in 1950 and continued to do so for much of his career. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Joseph Perry (Officer Miller, above right) started his screen acting career in 1956. His final credit was playing Nemo for seven episodes of “Everybody Loves Raymond” in 1999. He died the following year. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.  

Byron Foulger (Mr. Trindle) had played the leader of the Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25). He previously appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “My Fair Lucy” (S3;E20).

Mr. Trindle is the proprietor of the jewelry store that was robbed. 

Jody Gilbert (Matron aka ‘Tinkerbell’) had appeared with Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon on the 1952 special “Stars in the Eye” celebrating the opening of CBS's new Television City studios. She was a regular on the CBS series “Life With Luigi”. She will also appear in two episodes of “Here's Lucy,” in one of which she also plays a prison matron.  

Two passersby, the other women in the line-up, and the actual red-haired jewel thief (above) are all uncredited. Interestingly, Hazel Pierce, who was Lucy's stand-in and frequent day player, is not in this episode.

Some video releases title this episode "A Case of Mistaken Identity." This is one of more than 30 episodes of “The Lucy Show” that have fallen out of copyright protection and are in the public domain, resulting in its appearance on many inexpensive video and DVD releases. 

There was no new “Lucy Show” episode on Monday, February 6, 1967. Instead, CBS showed a repeat of “Lucy Gets Caught Up in the Draft” (S5;E9).  

The final draft of the script was dated December 27, 1966. The above copy belonged to Julian Davidson, “The Lucy Show” music coordinator. The episode was filmed January 6, 1967, the first to be filmed after the holidays.

This was the first and only episode written by Alan J. Levitt. It was also his first script for television. He went on to write for “Maude” (1972-74) and one of Lucille Ball's favorite sitcoms “Three's Company” (1977-78). Levitt shows a firm grasp of writing farce, balancing Lucy's belief that she has been arrested for littering, with the audience's knowledge that she is believed to be a jewel thief, using cleverly worded dialogue that allows both Lucy and police to have a conversation without giving away the misconception.

Mary Jane tells Lucy that littering is against the “Keep America Beautiful” Campaign. ‘Keep America Beautiful’ was founded in 1953 by a consortium of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, concerned individuals, and American businesses (including original “I Love Lucy” sponsor Philip Morris). ‘Keep America Beautiful’ joined with the Ad Council in 1961 to dramatize the idea that every individual must help protect against the effects litter has on the environment. These included the popular 1963 television campaign "Every Litter Bit Hurts" and the character ‘Susan Spotless’ in 1964. The organization is still active today.  

In order not to implicate her friend, Lucy tells the policemen that Mary Jane is the name of her cat. She says she likes to call the cat up and say “What's new, pussycat?” What's New Pussycat was the name of a hit film of 1965 written by Woody Allen. Its title song was nominated for an Oscar and was a big hit for Tom Jones.

When thrown in the cell with a growling Hard Head, Lucy says she doesn't feel very welcome. The Matron remarks that “You're as welcome as the flowers in May.”  “Welcome as the Flowers in May” was a song written by Anne Young round 1903.

Trying to be tough, Lucy tells Hard Head Hogan her 'handle' is “Steel Knuckles Carmichael” but her friends call her “Knuck.” Hogan continually gets the name wrong, calling her ‘Muck’ and ‘Cluck.’

Mr. Trindle can't positively identify the jewel thief in a line up of red headed women. He says he didn't anticipate so many red heads. Lt. Finch replies “What did you figure on?  A bunch of Yul Brynners?”  

Yul Brynner (1920-85) was an actor known for his bald head. He was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” several times, generally comparing him with Fred, who was nearly bald himself. At the time of filming, Brynner had just been seen in The Return of the Magnificent Seven, a sequel to 1960's hit The Magnificent Seven, in which he also appeared.

Finch says the women in the line up would make Ma Barker look like a camp fire girl. This is the second episode in a row to mention Ma Barker. Kate Barker (1873–1935) was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers. Barker was also mentioned in “Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (S3;E5) and ���Lucy Puts Main Street on the Map” (S5;E18). Ma Barker was parodied as Ma Parker in a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” (above) played by Carole Cook. 

Entering the action late in the episode to vouch for Lucy, Gale Gordon gets a smattering of entrance applause from the studio audience.

Callbacks!

Although never incarcerated before, Lucy Carmichael's previous brushes with the law include: “Lucy and the Runaway Butterfly” (S1;E29), “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23), “Lucy the Meter Maid” (S3;E7) and “Lucy Makes a Pinch” (S3;E8).  

Behind Bars! Lucy Ricardo was arrested and in jail in several episodes: “New Neighbors” (S1;E21) in New York City, “Tennessee Bound” (ILL S4;E14) in Bent Fork, and “Lucy Takes a Cruise To Havana” (1957) in Havana. Lucy also comes very close to going to jail in “Ricky and Fred art TV Fans” (ILL S2;E30) for stealing change from a cash register, and in “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18) for forging Francs! 

More Mistaken Identity! In “Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (ILL S2;E30) Lucy Ricardo is mistaken for jewel thief ‘Sticky Fingers Sal’, and hauled down for questioning, just as Lucy Carmichael is here.

Fast Forward! 

Lucy Carter voluntarily goes to jail in a 1973 episode of “Here's Lucy” that also features Gale Gordon and Jody Gilbert as a Matron. This time her cellmate is Mumsie Westcott, played by Elsa Lanchester, who may (or may not) have been criminal hatchet murderess Eleanor Holmby when Lucy and Ethel go “Off to Florida” (ILL S6;E6).  

Lucy Carter also got her mug shot taken in “The Case of the Reckless Wheelchair Drive” (HL S5;E6). Again, she makes her ‘criminal face’ for the camera. 

Intentional mistaken identity is behind “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (HL S6;E22) where a look-alike contest brings out several Lucy doppelgangers, including Lucille Ball herself!  

“Lucy Meets the Law” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5

This woman looks a bit like Lucille Ball!  Also, the book’s former owner’s initials are “LR” - Lucy Ricardo!  

[papermoonloveslucy]

Lucy the Fight Manager

 S5;E20 ~ February 20, 1967

Synopsis

When Mr. Mooney has an argument with his wife, he orders flowers that are delivered by ex-prize fighter Eddie Rickles (Don Rickles). Eddie wants to buy a flower shop that will cost $3,000. When Mr. Mooney won't loan it to him, Lucy is determined to get him back in the ring to earn it.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)

Roy Roberts (Mr. Cheever) and Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) do not appear in this episode, although Lucy does have a phone conversation with Mary Jane. 

Guest Cast

Don Rickles (Eddie Rickles) worked as a stand-up comic in nightclubs for nearly 20 years before making his film debut in 1958. Rickles was known as an insult comic and became a staple of Hollywood roasts. This is his first and last acting appearance with Lucille Ball, but would be seen with her on variety shows and specials through 1988. Rickles was the voice of Mr. Potato Head in the animated Toy Story franchise.  e died in April 2017 at age 90.  

Eddie is a former boxer now working as a delivery boy for Finley's Florist, which he wants to buy from Mr. Finley.  

Cliff Norton (Ike, Sonny Shaw's Manager) makes the second of his two appearances on “The Lucy Show,” returning for three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” He did a 1972 episode of “The Don Rickles Show.”  

The character is never referred to by name in the dialogue.  

Lewis Charles (Nick, above left) was seen in eleven Broadway plays between 1939 and 1947.  In Hollywood, he is credited with over 160 films and TV shows. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.

The character is obviously supposed to be a mobster. He bets on Sonny Shaw and tells his trainer that he'd better win.  

Stanley Adams (Louie, Sonny Shaw's Trainer, above right) makes the first of his three appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He was also seen with Lucille Ball in Critic's Choice (1963). In 1960, he was seen with Don Rickles in the film The Rat Race. 

Bruce Mars (Sonny Shaw, a Young Prize Fighter) makes his only appearance on the series but returns the following year for an episode of “Here's Lucy.”

Mars has no dialogue, but he looks good in his boxing trunks!  He shows more skin than has been seen before on “The Lucy Show.”  

Sonny's ‘Tomato’ and others at the gym go uncredited.

This is the only episode written by Ronald Axe and Les Roberts. The pair also wrote an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” (filmed at Desilu) that aired earlier in February 1967. “The Lucy Show” was the lead-in to “The Andy Griffith Show” on CBS's Monday night primetime schedule.

This is one of more than 30 episodes of “The Lucy Show” that is in the public domain and not under copyright.  Because of this, it appears on many low-quality, low-priced videos. 

While most actors got to use their own first names on the series (Lucy, Mary Jane, Mel Torme, Joan Blondell) Don Rickles is called Eddie, but uses his real surname.  This is a rare example of Rickles doing scripted comedy NOT based on his brand of insult humor.  

Stand-up comic Don Rickles made quite a name for himself as a sitcom guest star at this time. Lucille Ball reportedly had a hard time working with him because she never knew when he was kidding and when he wasn't.

The episode opens with Mr. Mooney on the telephone with his wife Irma.  The character is often mentioned on the series, but never seen. Later in the episode, we learn that Irma is in charge of the Flower Show and wants to hire Eddie. The name ‘Irma’ was doubtless chosen for its association with the film, radio and television series “My Friend Irma” which starred Gale Gordon’s mother, Gloria Gordon, who died in 1962, the same year “The Lucy Show” began. 

Lucy says she likes flowers because she used to live over a funeral parlor, although where and when we never find out!   

Mr. Mooney says he saw Eddie Rickles knock out Joey Mitchell at Madison Square Garden in 1962.  Although there was a real professional boxer named Joey Mitchell, his career began and ended in 1923 and ever got anywhere near Madison Square Garden!  But Lucy Ricardo did, when she performed in “Lucy Goes to a Rodeo” (ILL S5;E8) in 1955.

Mr. Mooney says former baseball players generally open bowling alleys and boxers open saloons. Eddie wants to open a flower shop.  Mr. Mooney may have been thinking of Jackie Tavener (1897-1969), who was a professional baseball player from 1921 to 1934 and later was the proprietor of a bowling alley in Fort Worth known as Tavener's Playdium. In 1935, former heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey opened Jack Dempsey’s Bar in midtown Manhattan.  It closed in 1975, but was seen in many movies and television shows. 

Lucy mistakenly thinks Sandy Koufax is a boxer. Sanford Koufax is a former American Major League Baseball player who pitched 12 seasons for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Koufax was first mentioned on the series in “Lucy and Viv Play Softball” (S2;E3). 

More than once, the episode mentions ‘the Manassa Mauler’ Jack Dempsy. William Harrison Dempsey (1895–1983) was a professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. He was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” several times, mostly by Fred Mertz, who was a boxing fan and former Golden Gloves champion. 

When asked if Eddie Rickles is training at Lefty Lattimer’s Gym, Lucy replies that he training at Killer Carmichael’s!  She decorates her apartment with boxing posters, sets up a make-shift ring in the kitchen, fills her laundry bag up for sparring practice, replaces her lampshade with a bell, hangs a volleyball as a punching bag, and puts a mattress on the floor for calisthenics.  She lies to Mr. Mooney about being sick, saying she has the mumps!  

When putting Eddie on the bathroom scales she makes him hold two big books: “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” and “Aunt Fanny's Cookbook” because the scales are off and that is the only way to get an accurate reading. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was written by English historian Edward Gibbon, which traces the trajectory of Western civilization from the height of the Roman Empire to the fall of Byzantium. It was published in six volumes from 1776 to 1889. Hardly reading one associates with Lucy Carmichael. Aunt Fannie's Cookbook, on the other hand...

Ball and Rickles get a round of applause from the studio audience when they jump rope in tandem.  

At the end, Lucy knocks Eddie out with one punch and he realizes he has a glass jaw. This is a boxing expression for one who can easily be knocked out by punches to the jaw, a major drawback for a prize fighter. 

Callbacks!

Lucy played a fight manager named Kitty Williams in a November 1958 episode of the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” titled “K.O. Kitty” starring Matt Lundigan and Aldo Ray as the prize fighter. The anthology series (hosted by Desi Arnaz) also presented episodes of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” Lucille Ball was supposed to play several more non-Lucy Ricardo roles on the series, but this was the only one that ever materialized. It was produced by Quinn Martin, who also came up with the story. It was written by Martin's wife, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll Jr., the “I Love Lucy” writers who also worked on the first few seasons of “The Lucy Show.”  

Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz ended up at the fights in the last scene of 1951's “The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub” (ILL S1;E1), the very first “I Love Lucy” episode ever aired.  

Everyone but Lucy and Ethel seem to be watching the fights on television in “Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (ILL S2;E30).  

FAST FORWARD

Two years after this “Lucy Show” episode, Don Rickles played himself on the Desi Arnaz sitcom “The Mothers-in-Law” (S2;E24) produced and directed by Elliott Lewis, husband of Mary Jane Croft and was written by original “Lucy” writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis. 

Rickles was mentioned on “Lucy and Sammy Davis Jr.” (HL S3;E3) in 1970, jokingly saying her grouchy neighbor writes fan letters to Don Rickles.   

Rickles is mentioned again in 1974′s “Milton Berle Is The Life of the Party” (HL S6;E19) when Berle calls him “the merchant of venom” on a telethon! 

In February 1975, Rickles was on the dais to roast Lucille Ball on “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.” “Lucy Show” cast mates Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon, Dick Martin, Dan Rowan, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Gary Morton, and Jack Benny (in his final TV appearance) were also on hand.  

In 1976, both Rickles and Ball were part of “Bob Hope’s World of Comedy” although the two did not share any screen time. 

Blooper Alerts!

Where the Floor Ends! When the camera pulls back for a long shot of Lucy's living room, the point where Lucy's wall-to-wall carpeting meets the cement floor of the soundstage can be seen.  

Super Hearing? Lucy hears the timer buzzer on the washing machine and says her laundry is done. In “Lucy and Joan” (S4;E4) it was established that Lucy's apartment complex has a laundry room.  

Shoeless Joe!  After throwing an air punch at Eddie and twirling to the ground, Lucy’s left shoe goes flying off her foot into the living room!  A few moments later, Lucy steps out of her other shoe to finish the scene. 

“Lucy the Fight Manager” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5