M-O-O-N... that spells COACH Print

Tom Cullen is a major character in the novel The Stand. In the 1994 TV miniseries, he is portrayed by Bill Fagerbakke. In the 2020 miniseries the character is portrayed by Brad William Henke. WARNING: Spolier Alert Early Years: Tom Cullen is a mentally handicapped man from May, Oklahoma, where he lived with his mother and borderline-abusive father Don. Several years before the superflu outbreak, Don Cullen abandoned his family to run away with a cocktail waitress named DeeDee Packalotte, a fact Tom frequently mentions. Tom is of Scandinavian background and appears youthful, though at the time of the plague he is actually in his mid-forties. He works as a handyman for a neighboring farmer called Norbutt, performing simple odd jobs and manual labor. Tom is barely literate and had to make superhuman efforts in formal education. When he was 16 years old, despite his best efforts, he only earned certification equivalent to Grade 3. Cheerful, good-natured and helpful, Tom has a childlike personality. His speech pattern includes a number of verbal tics: repetition, the phrases "M-O-O-N spells (x)", and frequent interjections of mild oaths like "Laws yes!" and "didn't it/they just?" In order to make simple deductive leaps, Tom has developed a unique ability to hypnotize himself. Entering this altered state of consciousness leaves him temporarily slack-jawed and limp, which formerly caused him to be a figure of ridicule in town and greatly annoyed his father; however, for Tom these were "instances of nearly normal thinking." His ability to make connections by going within himself is cited as evidence that his mental handicap is not actually very severe. Tom picks up the hobby of decorating as a medium of self-expression, which would probably be considered "outsider art". He first decorates the abandoned town of May, then later his house in Boulder: chiefly he collects and arranges a variety of props, such as mannequins, lawn ornaments, advertising posters, and taxidermied animals. The Plague: Tom loses his mother to the superflu, and ends up being the last living resident of the town of May. He is the first plague survivor Nick Andros encounters after leaving Shoyo, Arkansas. The two become traveling companions and close friends, although they initially have difficulty communicating. When dealing with non-deaf people, Nick has developed the habit of "talking" via scribbled notes; as Tom cannot read, Nick is forced to pantomime a lot (he can, however, read Tom's lips.) Thus, for the first leg of their journey together Tom does not even know Nick's name, even though Tom's quick reaction to an approaching tornado manages to save them both. Boulder Free Zone: When the Boulder Free Zone Committee decides to send scouts westward to spy upon Randall Flagg's activities in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tom is nominated as the third candidate. He is given his instructions via hypnosis; while under trance, Tom startles the Committee by displaying both intelligence, and heightened psychic perception. This aspect of his personality refers to itself as "God's Tom" — or, in Stuart Redman's words, "the man forever denied". Tom is spotted in Las Vegas by fellow spy Dayna Jurgens, but she suicides rather than give up his name to Flagg. He is, however, positively identified by the spiteful Julie Lawry, and manages to flee just ahead of apprehension by Flagg's henchmen, escaping the destruction of the city itself. Tom's mental disability shielded him from direct discovery by Flagg: he was vaguely aware that there was another spy, but could not discern who it was (saying that every time he mentally looked for the last spy, all saw was the Moon). Flagg's combined failure to capture Tom or to prevent Dayna from killing herself revealed to many in Las Vegas that Flagg wasn't actually omnipotent, and his hold on power started to unravel. In the Utah badlands Tom encounters Stu Redman, waylaid by a broken leg and dying from exposure; together they reach shelter in Green River, Utah. With the aid of Nick's ghost, Tom saves Stu's life by treating his pneumonia and spends several weeks nursing him back to health. Tom and Stu winter for a month in Grand Junction, Colorado and finally return to the Boulder Free Zone. Source: Stephen [The] King Wiki The Stand is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a pandemic of a weaponized strain of influenza that kills almost the entire world population. The few survivors, united in groups, establish a new social system and engage in confrontation with each other. In writing the book, King sought to create an epic in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings that was set in contemporary America. King started writing The Stand in February 1975. The book was difficult for him to write because of the large number of characters and storylines. In 1990, The Stand was reprinted as a Complete and Uncut Edition. King restored over 400 pages from texts that were initially reduced from his original manuscript, revised the order of the chapters, shifted the novel's setting from 1980 to 10 years forward, and accordingly corrected a number of cultural references. The Complete and Uncut Edition of The Stand is, Stephen King's longest stand-alone work at 1,152 pages, surpassing his 1,138-page novel It. The book has sold 4.5 million copies. The Stand was highly appreciated by reviewers and is considered one of King's best novels. It has been included in lists of the best books of all time by Rolling Stone, Time, the Modern Library, Amazon and the BBC. Reviewers praised the believability of the story, the relevance of the issues raised and the liveliness of the characters, but criticized the protractedness of individual episodes, the plot dualism, and the deliberate denouement. A eponymous miniseries based on the novel was broadcast on ABC in 1994. From 2008 to 2012, Marvel Comicspublished a series of comics written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and illustrated by Mike Perkins. A miniseries debuted on CBS All Access in December 2020, and finished airing in February 2021. The Stand, alternatively known as Stephen King's The Stand, is a 1994 American television post-apocalyptic horror miniseries based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Stephen King. King also wrote the teleplay and has a minor role in the series. It was directed by Mick Garris, who previously directed the King adaptation Sleepwalkers (1992). In order to satisfy expectations from King fans and King himself, The Stand is a mostly faithful adaptation to the original book,[citation needed] with only minor changes to material that would otherwise have not met broadcast standards and practices, and in order to keep ABC content. The Stand includes a cast of more than 125 speaking roles and features Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Rob Lowe, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Jamey Sheridan, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald, Corin Nemec, Adam Storke, Ray Walston, Ed Harris, and Matt Frewer. The miniseries was shot in several locations and on 225 sets. Each episode was given a $6 million budget so to reduce cost, the miniseries was shot on 16mm film. The Stand originally aired on ABC from May 8 to May 12, 1994. Reviews were positive and the miniseries was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two for its makeup and sound mixing. Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 63 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories, most of which have been published in book collections. King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2003, the National Book Foundationawarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire bibliography, such as the 2004 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. In 2015, he was awarded with a National Medal of Arts from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature. He has been described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture. Coach is an American sitcom television series that aired for nine seasons on ABC from February 28, 1989 to May 14, 1997, with a total of 200 half-hour episodes. The series stars Craig T. Nelson as Hayden Fox, head coach of the fictional NCAA Division I-A Minnesota State University Screaming Eagles football team. For the last two seasons, Coach Fox and the supporting characters coached the Orlando Breakers, a fictional National Football League expansion team. The program also starred Jerry Van Dyke as Luther Van Dam and Bill Fagerbakke as Michael "Dauber" Dybinski, assistant coaches under Fox. The role of Hayden's girlfriend (and later wife) Christine Armstrong, a television news anchor, was played by Shelley Fabares. Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom Coach (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 1980 film Stir Crazy, Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist [“You moved the cemetery, but you left the bodies, didn't you?"], Peter Dellaplane in Action Jackson [Painting], Chief Howard Hyde in Turner & Hooch(1989), Alex Cullen in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Chief Jack Mannion in The District (2000-2004), The Warden in My Name is Earl, and Mr. Incredible in the 2004 film The Incredibles and its 2018 sequel. He also starred as Zeek Braverman in the television series Parenthood. William A. "Bill" Fagerbakke (/ˈfeɪɡərbɑːki/ FAYG-ər-bahk-ee; born October 4, 1957) is an American actor. He voices Patrick Star in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants and played Michael "Dauber" Dybinski on the sitcom Coach. He also appeared in 12 episodes of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother as Marshall Eriksen's father Marvin. Source: Wikipedia