For many who likely don't know who that is, that is Looney Tune's Pepe le Pew and the target of his affections, Penelope. Looks like he was not able to mask his odorous scent underwater! Still, the animation makes us think of Narnia's longest tenured couple.
LOL, hey that may not even be that big of an exaggeration either! There they go, on their way to go pile into that Ford Transit and another visit to Mammoth Springs. 😉
Anyway, off we go. Day 34.
• With grateful thanks to a visitor of Narnia, we salute their kind heads up to a Jake and Austin sighting because it was totally missed by us.
On July 12, 2023, Austin had posted a video of himself in France while the Tour de France was going on. We know that he and Jake have been in France during the time of the Tour de France in 2012 when we had Austin appearing at a Comic Con in Paris and Jake was spotted at a hotel.
And these two were famous for their many pap bike rides, although we should make note that this was Lime Bike B.C. 😉.
2007
2007
2009
Look at those two kids! Boy, that was sure back in the day. 😇
And of course, Austin had his bike with him when filming in Wilmington, NC for One Tree Hill and he was the grand marshal of the L.A. River Ride in 2011.
So, lo and behold, out of the blue, this author follows Austin and Jake both on Instagram, but totally dropped the ball on spotting this moment at the end of Austin's video from the area of the Tour de France in 2023!
And at the end, you see the back of Austin and a buddy fist bumping from their bikes and as our viewer/reader pointed out, you can totally see the buddy being Jake.
Booty shot! 2023
And a full screenshot!
Looks like the post had the sign of approval by Jake, doesn't it? And if you look closer, you see that Austin gets into a brief Insta convo with someone who met him and Jake over there.
And sure enough, there is a "Chicken Cafe" in Le-Borg d'Oisans. The person made their comment on Austin's post in 2024. You never know with these social media comments!
Oh, and look! The choice of dining location makes sense as it looks like Chicken Cafe has Tex Mex on their menu!
One last thing on that Instagram post of Austin's - the fist bumping reminds Narnia of that time when Jensen and Jared crossed the finish line together in the Seattle marathon on 11-25-18.
😊
And so there we go - Day 34.
"Turning and turning
The world goes on
We can't change it, my friend
Let us go riding now through the days
Together through the end
To the end"
songwriters - Barry Mason / Les Reed, Donna Music Ltd.
Sung by: Englebert Humperdinck
pic sources: notaperfectmetaphor, Just Jared, IHeartJake, USAGIF, facebook, Chicken Cafe
our playlist: Les Bicyclettes De Belsize - Englebert Humperdinck
Narnia can't let this day go by without wishing a very Happy Birthday to the Daddy-o, the Gyllynichols patriarch, Austin Don Nichols, who turns 46 today!!
Now, Narnia has long learned, that we can't hardly believe either him or his hubs Jakers, wherever they're saying they are. 😂😂 That's why at the present time, Austin is Nomad Austin.
And so wherever he and the fam are, Narnia sends the happiest of birthday wishes for the years accomplished and a blessing for the upcoming year.
Let's have some pictorial evidence of his 46 trips on Earth around the Sun.
Austin and his mom
who could ever forget this one? 😉
2004
2014
2011
2017
2016
2023
Dad in his specs in the library! '24
2026
2018
It doesn't matter what year, Austin always looks better than ever!
Happy Birthday wherever you are. We love ya!! 💖
When a story rolls out so quickly and with quite the heavy hand ... at this point, sometimes the antennae just goes up with no hesitation at all. Narnia is wondering out loud.
Thursday, Apr 2, the Kansas City Royals were playing the rubber match game vs. the Minnesota Twins. They had won the first two games and were looking for a sweep of all three. No doubt, both teams were kind of tired because Wednesday night's game was played in a constant blanket of rain and/or fog.
(It was amazing the entire nine innings from Wednesday night were completed, taking about 3 1/2 hours to do so. The grounds crew worked their you-know-what's off between innings trying to bring some level of dryness to the mound, the base paths and whatnot. It was a miserable night for all, but at least the Royals hung on to win.)
Originally, 22-year old catcher Carter Jensen was in Thursday's game lineup instead of Salvador Perez. Usually when there is a day game after a night game, "Salvy" does not catch, but DH's instead. Later, Carter was pulled from the lineup without any explanation and Perez was going to need to catch.
It was concerning - hopefully Carter didn't injure himself during warm ups, right? Well, come to find out towards the end of the game, it is relayed on Twitter that Carter had allegedly overslept that morning and missed reporting to the stadium in time for the game.
KC Star Sports Editor Sam McDowell's tweet
Then you had sports anchor McKenzie Nelson from NBC's local affiliate Channel 41, with the video from Vinnie Pasquantino's Town Hall:
Sam McDowell provided us the full transcript from Vinnie's Town Hall:
Looks like that may not have even been the entire speech. While Vinnie tried to later say that "first and foremost", he was glad that Carter was okay, what took precedence over that was all about the "36 year old" veteran who was the martyr in this entire incident. Because that was brought up before his concern about Carter's well-being. It was about pointing out the obvious. Which again brings us to another example of the player with the C on his uniform not being anywhere in the vicinity of the local press when it comes to interviews involving anything remotely controversial. In this case, Bobby Witt, Jr. was nowhere to be heard from either.
No, no... as usual? It was Vinnie who was propped up?, I mean - was the one to speak up. In this instance. We had video and everything. Who wrote this for Vinnie?
Luckily for all the players, the focus wasn't on the outcome of the game at all, but all on Carter Jensen and oversleeping. Fans were lucky to be able to find the score.
Instagram:
It's always a clue what gets emphasized
Today, it's a top story in the MLB and the like. Oh look - there's that scandal-chaser, TMZ. 👀👀
Wow. Well, SOMEone needed this to be a big story, didn't they? 😠Since when is People.com looking at anything the Kansas City Royals are doing? Carter wasn't even one of the team's star players in the WBC like Vinnie, Maikel or Bobby were. Where was Carter when the WBC was going on? He was back in spring training. Working.
And so back to Vinnie's Town Hall, which did what? The popular first baseman is idolized around these parts. The WBC brought out the outstanding leadership quality the man possesses. So fans pay attention to him and what he says. No doubt, his speech didn't exactly discourage fans from piling on the 22 year old rookie, on Twitter/X as one would hope they wouldn't on a matter like this, on a player who has done nothing but bust his tail for his hometown team and fans.
"KittyCat", who just happens to be a big Salvy fan, had to get her shots in:
I mean, what is this one? 🠇 This is irresponsible.
Interesting whenever I see "kitty" or "cat" in social media names now, a cautionary pause is highly recommended. It dates back to this author's early J2 days is all that will be said. 😉 Of course, the account above has had my X blocked for awhile. Imagine that ...
Everything was too much with this story. Did the young man make .. eh ...a significant error? Yes, of course he did (if it really happened at all). But did it warrant a very-public chastising and back-handed expression of concern from a teammate for the press? No, it didn't. Leave that for the privacy of the clubhouse, for pete's sake. No one likes to be embarrassed like that in front of the whole world.
It was because of the very public criticism that made Narnia raise our eyebrows. It was out of character for the KC Royals, who normally despise scandal and anything that tarnishes their brand and image. They're an extremely private organization. Except in this case. This time, for reasons unknown for sure, the blowhorns came out.
Things about this story that make Narnia go hmmm:
• And it just so happens that this player's very good friend and teammate had a Golden Boy story come out yesterday as well. One of those great-character stories. Not that the teammate wouldn't do something like that. But the timing was extraordinary.
• Also, it just so happens the Royals had conducted this fun spring training video on what? Wake-up alarms. IMAGINE that. What a coincidence. You can't make this stuff up.
Rather, this is what you could call, a planted seed.
• TMZ's coverage - I'm sorry. This is everything the Royals have NEVER been about. They aren't about scandal, no mis-behaviors. They are no porn allowed (inside joke within the fandom). They are clean cut, fresh-faced, well-mannered, cross-displaying, white picket fence, SUV in the garage, nuclear family, Leave It To Beaver, the whole nine yards. Yes, they have had, do have so many great players over the years in their organization. But this is also what they're about. Very controlling of their entire image, their broadcast media, and the local media. One needs to play nice. That's been the history.
Instead, veteran Salvador Perez had to ditch his planned DH day and jump behind the plate on short notice … with starting pitcher Cole Ragans counting on him.
Jensen eventually showed up -- in what he described as a
“full panic” -- and even got into the game late … but by then, the
damage was done, both on the lineup card and the scoreboard in a 5-1
loss. - TMZ source
So TMZ is blaming Carter for the loss? Really? 😬
All that had to ever be said was expressed by Manager Matt Quatraro:
“Carter had an oversight,” manager Matt
Quatraro said after a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins dropped the Royals
to 3-3 on the season. “He overslept and wasn’t here on time and we made
the decision to scratch him from the lineup.”
Perez
was pinch-run for by utility man Tyler Tolbert after reaching base in
the bottom of the eighth inning on a fielder’s choice. That left Jensen
to replace Perez defensively in the ninth inning.
“He
feels terrible,” Quatraro said of the Park Hill alum, who is six games
into his first full season with his hometown team. “And he’s accountable
to it and it’s not something that has been a pattern or any of that
kind of stuff.
“Nobody feels worse than he does and I think he’ll admit to that and we’ll move on past it.”
Simple. And professional. Move on. Anything else should've stayed in the privacy of the clubhouse. That's how Andy Reid handles his locker room.
Yet ... look what happened. Garish headlines on major tabloid sites. Scandal. Public berating and scolding. Followed by memes, jokes, schoolyard taunting - over something that may not have really even happened. Narnia leaves that door cracked.
Did Carter know this was coming? Is that part of the reason for his unexpected swing-and-miss struggles so far this season? I know it's caught me by surprise as I've watched the games. Or was it all an opportunity that just presented itself and taken full advantage of for several reasons? Narnia has several possible reasons, but we'll continue to monitor for awhile.
Let's hope the Royals organization realizes that this kind of stunt is very damaging to mental and psychological well-being. For an employer who likes to act like they care about their players, this kind of OTT display sure doesn't help endorse that image.
For the player? Narnia hopes that he can be allowed to grow and prosper without interference. Already this blog has had to point out two other on-line attempted smears of two different teammates. It's troublesome to say the least.
POV: When you thought you could just enjoy a classic, documentary-style, fictional and fandom drama-free, 50+ year old television show based on real-life fire/rescue calls (along with mostly fictional characters), but suddenly some strange activity begins and so, well - here we are.
Back in November, in the post "Narnia Dispatches:It's Break Time! Time for Narnia's Appreciations - Part Two", we introduced at the end, an "old but new" pair of faves -from the 1970's show Emergency! The series was originally set to be more focused on activity at a fictional hospital supplemented by the work of the paramedics and fire station 51. But the high level of fan mail and popularity with the viewers stemming from the characters "John Gage" and "Roy DeSoto" led to the show quickly adjusting the focus onto the two lead paramedics and the firemen at their station.
Emergency! is still shown twice a day on two different networks, in addition to being available for streaming. There are a lot of long-time fans who have at one time or another followed/watched/been influenced by the show, as evidenced by numerous online thread comments. There is a fairly small active group of fans on Tumblr and a few fan fiction writers on A03. It also seems there is a loyal following on Facebook as well. This is all a tremendous testament to the impact of the show and appeal of all its actors, not even counting its historical effect on the expansion and growth of EMT's and paramedics and the whole United States EMS system.
Despite the show's loyal following, there has been no talk of reboots, no reunions - the show first aired in 1972, so we're talking a lapse in time of nearly 54 years for there to be any kind of current chatter of activity.
Until now.
And only because our attention has become snagged on a few questions surrounding a documentary that we were already aware Randy and Kevin had been spearheading, along with a talented team. Due to some recent oddities, we're now here to ponder on these questions and observations, with no definitive answers, but we feel it's still important enough to share.
As was mentioned in the post from November linked above, the two gentlemen had started a podcast called "Into the Unknown", and thus far (with three episodes) the series had focused on the show Emergency!, but also on the documentary by the same name “Into the Unknown”which was going to be about paramedics across the country and the tremendous jobs they have been performing, as well as the challenges they face today. As late as this past early January, this author was listening to the podcast through the website's provided links.
The website for the documentary is also called Into the Unknown and provides lots of information, including bios on the team leaders, their advisory board, a film trailer, photos from the different cities they visited, and a link to the podcast. Randy and Kevin had built an expansive, highly credited team (including Randy's sister Tonya as producer), which boasted Emmy awards, a former surgeon general, retired fire chiefs, members of the EMS across the country and other accredited members of the film industry. The group of collaborators were quite impressive.
Basically, what happened is this: The documentary "Into the Unknown", which has not been officially released yet, appears to be in limbo-land if not possibly permanently shelved. And now, we have a new project called "This Life, After All", a documentary based on the life and impact of James O. Page, the man who is widely considered to be one of the main founding fathers of the EMS system. He is the individual who Randy's Emergency character, John Gage, is named after. Randy talks about it in this video clip from his interview from the Archive of American Television, "Emmy TV Legends", and how Jim Page was a consultant for the show.
The oddities that we have noticed and question:
• Sometime after January 2, 2026, the links for the podcast were deactivated and/or totally removed. Oh, they still appear on home pages and in browser searches...
but these links are now a dead end to nowhere. Here's a look at some of the multiple platforms the project was available on.
And there were even more links, but Narnia blog space is at a premium. 😊Some of the links may take you on a brief journey that makes it look like the podcast is going to be available, but then buffering ensues, leading to nowhere. Others? Simply a 404 or dead-end displays. Fans have been left wondering what's become of the documentary?
• Supposedly, "Into the Unknown" was to be part of the San Diego International Film Festival in October 2024.
ABC 10 News had a clip from the documentary and anchor Kimberly Hunt announced that the project was set to premiere on the 19th and 20th.
For such an exciting event, one would think that there would be some kind of footage and celebration. Particularly, since Randy's sister Tonya has helped to mediate the interviews that have been done about the documentary, and is one of the producers AND is the CEO and Artistic Director of the San Diego International Film Festival since 2012. She has photos on Instagram from the 2024 festival, but there's not one photo or mention of "Into the Unknown". Anywhere. There also isn't any footage, photos or mention of "Into the Unknown" on the San Diego International Film Festival Instagram account.
So while there's no sign of anyone promoting the documentary specifically, look who we happened upon on the San Diego Film Festival Instagram account, posted on October 21, 2024. Oh hey, isn't that just a few days before the Festival? Huh. 😲 Small world.
And look who the caption identifies in the photo - "Stephen Gyllenhaal" on the far left, Jake's dad! LOL. These G-haals, you just never know with them. They pop up when you least expect them to. And, in fact, in Stephen Gyllenhaal's instagram, he uploaded a video sweep, along with other photos. from this very attendance. Jakers, were you still celebrating Baby Tile #1 son's birthday? 😉 By the way, Tonya Mantooth is in the front of the group, seated. #WhenFandomsCross
• Then there are the Facebook posts from a Mark Jacobs, writing (along with several other authors) under the FB account called "@ Emergency TV Series - Squad 51 Fans". This account was where a new documentary called, "This Life, After All" was announced on March 5, 2026. Our question is, what happened to director Tom Putnam's, "Into the Unknown" documentary from late 2024?
Who's Mark Jacobs? Well, he was selected to be the director for "This Life, After All". Evidently, this project began on July 4, 2025.
• Another oddity (thus far) is the high profiling of Kevin Tighe. This photo of Kevin with Mark Jacobs, which the latter posted on his Facebook account, was shared within a few hours by "The Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth Appreciation Society". [Emergency! continues to have a popular following on Facebook].
Now, Mr. Jacobs made (what seems to us) a critical mistake in his post by mentioning how he went on a hike with Kevin. And there was a reply in the comments by someone who had attended the Reunion panel at the 50th anniversary of Emergency! held in Cerritos, CA, in 2022. And even at that time, the fan said Kevin (who has some physical limitations now due to Parkinson's) was just not mobile enough for her to believe he would even be up to hiking. She was there and witnessed herself.
Jacobs also posted a photo of an interview he was conducting with Kevin for the new documentary, "This Life, After All", posted March 17. Interesting that Randy was not included or mentioned.
Number one, that photo looks like a Manip. Why is Kevin so small, particularly in comparison to Mark Jacobs? The proportion is quite off.
Nonetheless, Kevin is involved in this new documentary, stated in the Facebook caption by Jacobs. "And hearing it through the voices of those who were there, like Kevin Tighe, makes it all the more meaningful."
Well, it ought to make it more meaningful since they're using a Facebook account which uses the television show's name as well as Kevin/Randy's squad, aka Squad 51, for promotion and "behind the scenes". Even though the new documentary is supposed to be about James O. Page.
• There are two important members of the team who worked on "Into the Unknown" who are now also listed as working for "This Life, After All."
1) Keith Griffiths is listed as an executive producer. He was also part of the Advisory Board for "Into the Unknown". The company that he is partnered with (Red Flash Group) is also listed for "This Life, After All".
2) The L.A. County Fire Museum was a major sponsor for "Into the Unknown". The Engine 51 and Squad 51 that were used in the show are housed at the museum.
credit: Untwisted Vintage
credit: Roadside America
The press release quotes Paul Schneider, third generation firefighter and Captain of the LA County Fire Dept. Engine 16 "C" Platoon (and past President and current Treasurer of the LA County Fire Museum):
"For nearly 30 years Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe have not only been steadfast supporters of our museum but also friends to us all. We have partnered on many worthy projects but this one is special - its potential impact is enormous. Our mission to honor and remember the special men and women in EMS is only strengthened with this documentary. The story of the modern paramedic needs to be told and we're honored to help."
• What makes all of the new social media activity interesting is that Randy and Kevin had already been making footprints about "Into the Unknown" via Randy's Instagram and the "Into the Unknown Instagram". There were excited-sounding posts about the work their team was doing, new episodes of the podcast "now uploaded"; it's all there. Now? It's radio silence.
• Founded by Mark Jacobs, Individually Wrapped Films is the production company behind "This Life, After All". On Individually Wrapped Films' website, the focus of the documentary has shifted to James O. Page:
• Another oddity in this story is that Steve Buscemi is added late in the game as an "executive producer" of the "Into the Unknown" documentary on June 26, 2025, along with Wren Arthur, per the film's website. The documentary film had been released (and, as mentioned above), was allegedly shown at the San Diego International Film Festival in Oct. '24) - so these two additional executive producers were announced, after the fact????
*The project is not listed under Buscemi's IMDb Producer Credits either.
Steve Buscemi's IMDb Producer credits for 2022-2026
• Apparently, there was a private screening for "Into the Unknown", held at UCLA on February 21, 2026. But, according to the source of this information, the release of the documentary is still forthcoming. Curious.
• In what seems like a less significant observation, but sometimes even in the smallest of situations that means, something. How one treats a fandom is important.
The Facebook account called "Emergency TV Series - Squad 51 Fans" which has been used to promote the new documentary in addition to all of the actors from the series, could use a better bedside manner. They repeatedly ask members to report where they're from, as though to show proof of existence. Members are told if they don't reply and show that they're an active account , they'll be dropped from the rolls. This frequent treatment is irritating several of the members. I mean, you're a Facebook group for a 50+ year old show; be grateful for the members that you have. You certainly don't want to antagonize anyone needlessly. They also ask fans to reply if they'd like to see additional Emergency! TV when the show has 1) been off the air since 1979 and 2) most of the actors from the show have either passed on or they're no longer working. It's bizarre behavior.
Truly an interesting situation and one with several moving parts, most of them not even beginning to really move until the last 30 days.
We at Narnia aren't here to profess that we know what is behind these oddities, the shift in direction. Is "Into the Unknown" still going to be released? Has it really been shelved and now a different documentary being released instead? If so, why this change?
Hopefully, "Into the Unknown" is still being released. The photos, social media activity, videos, the film trailer, the vast production team all are a reflection of years of work invested to put out this important piece of work. If it is indeed never released, would footage from "Into the Unknown" actually be used in "This Life, After All"???
According to Mark Jacobs, a test screening of "This Life, After All" is scheduled to show at the Pinnacle EMS Conference in San Diego, CA (July 13-16) to be followed by festival appearances in August.
In the meantime, status quo ensues. A 54 year old TV show and all its actors will continue to be enjoyed, even if it now too, has seemingly been bitten by the alright-what's-going-on bug.
All we can do going forward, is plan on watching what unfolds, even though it's not looking favorable for the home team.
Special Credit: to Methodical Muser's intense researching skills that started us on this
investigative journey to begin with one Saturday morning just because
something "didn't seem right or make sense"
pic sources: IntoTheUnknowndoc, Individually Wrapped Films, LA. County Fire Museum,
Classic Movie Hub, Emmy TV Legends on You Tube, ABC 10 News on You
Tube, San Diego International Film Festival, classic movie hub, firerescue1,
IMDb, Facebook
our playlist: Hero - David Crosby and Phil Collins
