Synchronicity

Do these examples represent coincidences, collusion, plagiarism, or synchronicity?

• Queen of the Night
  • On CBS on 12 July 2009,
    • On a rerun of Two and a Half Men, Charlie told Jake about his unwitting fling in Bangkok with a drag queen. Later, Angus T. Jones in drag portrayed Jake's younger sister, Marlene, 14 years in the future in Alan's fantasy.
    • On a rerun of The Big Bang Theory, Howard mentioned Raj's encounter with a drag queen at Comic-Con.
  
  
  
• Booty calls: The following aired the same week:
  • On CBS on 7 January 2009,
    • On Two and a Half Men, an opera fan had a cell phone surgically removed from colon.
    • On Rules of Engagement, Jeff said to Russell, "Can you text with that phone lodged in your colon?"
  • On FOX, in a rerun of The Drew Carey Show: "Isomers Have Distinct Characteristics" (originally broadcast 20 December 1995), Mimi commented that Drew had a "phone ringing out of your butt".
  
  
  
• The Most Unkindest Cut: The following aired on CBS on consecutive weekdays:
  • On 28 December 2007,
    • On a Late Late Show rerun from 2 May 2007, Craig Ferguson mentions in his monolog that he wouldn't sue a dry cleaner for $67 million over lost pants unless he had left something valuable in them -- like genitals.
  • On 31 December 2007,
    • In How I Met Your Mother, Lily painted a picture of nude Barney holding a sword overhead -- with no genitals.
    • In a rerun of the premiere of The Big Bang Theory, two men sharing an apartment in Los Angeles County met an unattached woman from Omaha who has moved in next door.
    • In Two and a Half Men, the two Harper brothers sharing a house in Los Angeles County met an unattached woman from Chicago who moved in next door. When she offered to do them both, Charlie said, "No crossing swords!"
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• Across the hall or across the continent: On 14 December 2007, the following aired:
  • On a rerun of the Late Show from 11 September 2006, David Letterman congratulated Ellen DeGeneres, who had been chosen to host the Oscar award ceremony.
  • On a rerun of the Tonight Show from 8 November 2006, Ellen DeGeneres, whose studio was across the hall, was the first guest.
  
  
  
• Hot seat: The following aired in the duration of a day on NBC:
  • On 10 December 2007 at 1:35 a.m. (morning of 11 December 2007), the prop craft artist on "Last Call" made a bass guitar out of toilet seat.
  • On 11 December 2007 at 11:35 p.m., in a rerun of the Tonight Show from 25 February 2005, Tom Green interviewed a toilet seat salesman.
  
  
  
• Spelling disagreement: On 10 December 2007 (morning of 11 December), the following aired:
  • At 1:37 a.m. on CBS, the Late Late Show reran an interview with Billy Connolly from 28 February 2007.
  • At 3:04 a.m. on NBC, Late Night reran an interview with Jennifer Connelly from 5 October 2007.
  
  
  
• Visiting friends and relatives: On 10 December 2007, the following aired:
  • CBS reran the following:
    • In The Big Bang Theory: "The Luminous Fish Effect" at 8:30 p.m., Sheldon suggested buying tampons in bulk. Later, his mother came to visit.
    • In Two and a Half Men at 9:00 p.m., while in a shoe store, Charlie used a shoehorn to scratch his genital rash.
    • In Rules of Engagement at 9:30 p.m., Audrey told her visiting sister that she caught Jeff using a spatula as a backscratcher while flipping burgers.
  • At 11:30 p.m., NBC reran the "Tonight Show" from 19 January 2004, including the display during "Headlines" of a Thanksgiving special on Tampax.
  
  
  
• Breathing room: On 9 December 2007, CBS aired the following:
  • In the 60 Minutes report, "Cure for Addiction", at 7:00 p.m., an addict described a "craving for drugs like person with head in plastic bag craving air".
  • In Cold Case at 9:00 p.m., a Japanese family moved from California to Philadelphia in 1945.
  • Shark at 10:00 p.m. opened with an asphyxiation by plastic bag at a druggy party. Later, members of a band recalled moving from Philadelphia to California.
  
  
  
• Magic: On 3 December 2007 (morning of 4 December), the following aired:
  • On a rerun of the Tonight Show from 14 November 1995, Penn & Teller revealed sleight-of-hand techniques.
  • In a rerun of the Late Late Show from 1 May 2007, Craig Ferguson's monolog mentioned a suit by Japanese magicians against a TV network that broadcast their trade secrets.
  
  
  
• My mother, the car: On successive days, CBS affiliate WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke aired these programs:
  • On 1 December 2007, a bank robber was concerned that Jesse Stone might take her away from her mother, dependent after a stroke.
  • On 2 December 2007,
    • Hallmark Hall of Fame: "Pictures of Hollis Woods" included these scenes:
      • A boy overturned a truck.
      • Hollis was afraid she would be taken away from Josie, who could not live independently because of Alzheimer's.
    • the 11:00 news included these reports:
      • A car ran off Hollins Road in Roanoke and landed upside-down on railroad tracks.
      • Police tasered a driver who ran into several cars. The driver turned out to be a boy.
      • Danville police reported the disappearance of an 85-year-old man suffering from Alzheimer's.
  
  
  
• The light that shines from above: On 30 November 2007, Roanoke's WDBJ-TV 7 6:00 news contained these related reports:
  • A description of scaled-down plans for a resort on Mill Mountain mentioned the star above the city that glows with neon light.
  • PBS planned to air Slash Coleman's "The Neon Man and Me", which was originally performed at Mill Mountain Theatre. The play describes the author's friendship with local neon artist Mark Jamison, who was electrocuted while installing one of his signs.
  
  
  
• Off the wall: On 27 November 2007, the following aired on WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke:
  • On the Ellen DeGeneres Show at 4:00 p.m.,
    • Howie Mandel played a game called "Thru The Wall Or Take A Fall"; and
    • Ellen interviewed Anderson Cooper, whose brother died in a fall from an apartment building (although that was not a topic of conversation).
  • Roanoke's WDBJ-TV 7 5:00 news reported that
    • a student's fall from a seventh-story window was believed a suicide; and
    • a bullet was found in a pillow after penetrating the wall of a home.
  • The Andy Griffith Show: "My Fair Ernest T. Bass" at 5:30 p.m. began with a complaint of a rock entering a home through a window.
  
  
  
• Domestic violence: On successive days, network dramas included the following plot elements:
  • On 26 November 2007 at 10:00 p.m. on CBS, rerun of CSI: Miami on CBS began with a child's bloody footprints being traced back from a yard party to the corpse of her nanny.
  • On 27 November 2007 at 10:00 p.m. on NBC, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, blood on the shirt of a lost child turned out to be from the corpse of his nanny at home.
  
  
  
• Courage in a bottle: On 12 November 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On The Big Bang Theory: "The Grasshopper Experiment" at 8:30 p.m., Raj Koothrappali got drunk to get up the nerve to endure a date arranged by his parents.
  • On Two and a Half Men: "Is There a Mrs. Waffles?" at 9:00 p.m., Charlie got drunk to overcome his stage fright and get up the nerve to perform live as Charlie Waffles.
  
  
  
• Hold that tiger! On 1 November 2007, the following appeared:
  • On the Tonight Show on NBC, Dave Salmoni visited with a young Siberian tiger.
  • On the Late Show on CBS, David Letterman held the album, "Easy Tiger" during his introduction of Ryan Adams.
  
  
  
• De-tux: On 29 October 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On Two and a Half Men: "Help Daddy Find His Toenail" at 9:00 p.m., loopy Charlie made a spectacle of himself by romancing his girlfriend while she accepted a professional award, ruining the ceremony (to which she was reluctant to bring him).
  • On Rules of Engagement: "Old School Jeff" at 9:30 p.m., drunk Jeff made a fool of himself at a wedding with an off-key serenade to his wife at a wedding, ruining the ceremony (which he initially chose not to attend).
  
  
  
• What's the buzz? On 28 October 2007, the following two programs examined the disappearnace of honey bees:
  • CBS's 60 Minutes.
  • PBS's Nature.
  
  
  
• Playing house: On 22 October 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On Two and a Half Men: "Putting Swim Fins on a Cat" at 9:00 p.m., Evelyn, a real estate agent, dressed as a schoolgirl being disciplined hy her headmaster.
  • On Rules of Engagement: "Bag Ladies" at 9:30 p.m., Audrey and Jeff attempted to play real estate woman and customer.
  
  
  
• Spare dog: On 16 October 2007, the following aired:
  • On the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen described her sorrow after mistakenly giving a puppy away that she was contractually obligated to return to the agency that provided it.
  • On The Unit, roasting frankfurters over a campfire, Jonas Blane said to his daughter, "I've got an extra dog. You want one?"
  
  
  
• Glow, little glowfish: On 15 October 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On The Big Bang Theory: "The Luminous Fish Effect" at 8:30 p.m., Sheldon Cooper mixed genes from a fish and a jellyfish. When his mother turned off his bedroom light, the fish in a bowl on his nighttable glowed in the dark.
  • On the Late Late Show, Michael Caine recounted a childhood memory of being scared by what he thought was a ghost in his bedroom. It turned out to be a stack of smoked haddock, full of phosphorus that made it glow in the dark. His father, who had pilfered the fish from his workplace, had stored it there because it was the coldest room in the house.
  
  
  
• Watch the time! On 15 October 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On Two and a Half Men: "City of Great Racks" at 9:00 p.m., Jake tries to alert Charlie to a pretty woman "at 12:00" based on the reading of his digital watch.
  • On Rules of Engagement: "Guy Code" at 9:30 p.m., Adam's glamourous but ditzy assistant asks to go to lunch at 8:30 because she is wearing her watch upside down.
  
  
  
• Sex and videotape: On 8 October 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On Two and a Half Men: "Dum Diddy Dum Diddy Doo" at 9:00 p.m., responding to Charlie's phone message that he was not ashamed of his life, Berta commented that he had videotaped most of it.
  • On Rules of Engagement: "Mr. Fix It" at 9:30 p.m., Russell advised Jen and Adam how to videotape their sex acts, using examples he had posted on the Internet.
  
  
  
• Jailbirds of a feather: On 2 October 2007, the following interviews appeared:
  • On the Tonight Show on NBC, Jason Lee spoke of his character's imprisonment on My Name Is Earl.
  • On the Late Show on CBS, Sarah Silverman told David Letterman not to ask about her time in prison.
  
  
  
• Bi-coastal: On 13 September 2007, the following aired:
  • A contestant on "The Audience Wants to Know" segment on the Tonight Show incorrectly guessed that the guest celebrity tapping his foot in a bathroom stall was Fred Willard. (It was actually Joey Fatone.)
  • David Letterman's second guest on the Late Show was Fred Willard.
  
  
  
• Teacher's pet: On 29 August 2007, the following aired:
  • On Roanoke's WDBJ-TV 7 11:00 news, a story about rodent infestation in a Roanoke school was accompanied by a graphic showing a rat putting a green apple on a desk.
  • A few hours later at 3:05 a.m. on NBC's rerun of the 18 May 2007 Late Night, Conan O'Brien said that a teacher who received a box of marijuana remarked, "It sure beats the hell out of an apple."
  
  
  
• Eye, eye, eye: On 29 August 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • CBS's CSI: New York episode #321 "Past Imperfect", from 10:00 to 10:59 p.m., concerned the search for a killer who cut his victims' eyelids off.
  • In a promo at 10:59 for The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper asked, "When was the last time there was a naked woman in our apartment who didn't make us want to put our eyes out?"
  
  
  
• Don't give me any lip: The following aired on successive days:
  • On 27 August 2007 on CBS, on a rerun of Two and a Half Men: "Tucked, Taped and Gorgeous", a girl offered Jake the opportunity to taste her strawberry lip gloss.
  • On 28 August 2007, on a rerun of the Ellen DeGeneres Show from 14 February 2007, Drew Barrymore said that Chapstick prevented her from identifying the actor whose lips she was shown.
  
  
  
• Closer to heaven: On 27 August 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 8:30 p.m., on The New Adventures of Old Christine, Ritchie heared a lesson about the Sermon on the Mount during a Sunday school class in a church basement.
  • At 9:00 p.m., on Two and a Half Men: "Tucked, Taped and Gorgeous", discussing a single-parent support group, Charlie said that when men and women unfold chairs in a church basement, it is only a matter of time before they mount each other.
  
  
  
• Egregious: On 22 August 2007 after 11:35 p.m., the following aired during simultaneous monologues:
  • On the Late Show, David Letterman spoke of a 90-year-old man becoming a father, then congratulated Regis Philbin.
  • On the Tonight Show, Jay Leno showed Regis Philbin injured while working out.
  
  
  
• Without You: On 20 August 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 9:00 p.m., on Two and a Half Men: "Aunt Myra Doesn't Pee a Lot", the groom's former girlfriend told Alan she would have sex with him or without him.
  • At 9:30 p.m., on a rerun of the pilot of Rules of Engagement, Jeff responded to Audrey's threat to cancel their annual erotic tradition with the words, "The birthday deal will proceed with you or without you." They went through with it, in a women's restroom.
  
  
  
• Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady: On 15 August 2007, the following aired:
  • At 8:00 p.m., CBS broadcast The Power of 10, including asking contestant Dewey Moorman the question, "How many Americans think Mormons should be able to practice polygamy on First Amendment grounds?"
  • At 9:00 p.m., ABC broadcast the Primetime report, "Polygamists Practice Big Love In Arizona".
  
  
  
• Guests
  • On the 6 August 2007 Tonight Show on NBC, Jay Leno interviewed Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonah Hill.
  • On 7 August 2007, CBS aired a rerun of the Late Show from 16 July 2007, on which David Letterman interviewed Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonah Hill.
  • On 8 August 2007, Craig Ferguson interviewed Michelle Pfeiffer on the Late Late Show on CBS.
  • Also on 8 August 2007, Conan O'Brien interviewed Jonah Hill on Late Night on NBC.
  
  
  
• Dead ringer: On 6 August 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • On How I Met Your Mother
  • On The New Adventures of Old Christine
  • On Two and a Half Men
  • On Rules of Engagement, Jeff had trouble removing his wedding ring from his finger before cruising a bar (to settle a bet with his wife).
  • On CSI: Miami, a criminal removes a ring.
  
  
  
• Baby steps: On 30 July 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 9:00 p.m., on a rerun of Two and a Half Men: "Walnuts and Demerol", when told that Herb was a pediatrician, Kandi asked if he was into feet.
  • At 9:30 p.m., on a rerun of the pilot of Rules of Engagement, when a nurse mentions dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon, Russell asks if she wants to work on feet.
  
  
  
• Bent in deep thought: On 29 July 2007, the following aired on Blue Ridge Public TV:
  • At 5:00 p.m., Disbelief visited the preserved bones of utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham at University College London.
  • At 6:00 p.m., Scientific American Frontiers featured the Alvin submarine, based at Woods Hole, used to explore the bottom layer of the ocean, the benthos.
  
  
  
• Strange bedfellows: On 24 July 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 8:00 p.m., Lily and Barney were shocked to wake up together in How I Met Your Mother.
  • At 8:30 p.m., Old Christine and her brother-in-law were shocked to wake up together in The New Adventures of Old Christine.
  
  
  
• Unseen: On 24 July 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 9:00 p.m., on Two and a Half Men, Rose the Stalker entered Charlie's house. Later, Alan claimed not to be able to find his wallet, which Charlie spotted on his dresser.
  • At 9:30 p.m., How I Met Your Mother, Lily stalked Chloe, then entered Marshall's apartment to stalk him and Chloe. Later, Chloe claimed not to be able to find her keys, which were on the coffee table.
  
  
  
• Nuptials: On 14 May 2007, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 8:00 p.m., there was a wedding on How I Met Your Mother.
  • At 8:30 p.m., there was a proposal on Three and a Half Men: "Prostitutes and Gelato".
  • At 9:00 p.m., there was a wedding on The King of Queens.
  
  
  
• Desert fossils: On 9 May 2007, the following aired:
  • At 8:00 p.m., on Thank God You're Here on NBC, Paul Rodriguez played a dinosaur named Tyrannosaurus Mex, from New Mexico.
  • At 9:00 p.m., on Crossing Jordan on NBC, Shawn from New Mexico suffered from poisoning.
  • At 12:30 p.m. on the Late Late Show on CBS, the musical guest was Dinosaur Jr.
  
  
  
• Lidsville: On 25 April 2007, the following aired:
  • CBS's CSI: New York episode #321 "Past Imperfect", from 10:00 to 10:59 p.m., concerned the search for a killer who cut his victims' eyelids off.
  • From 10:30 to 11:00 p.m., PBS affiliate WBRA-TV aired Eyes Wide Open.
  
  
  
• Biologist Charles Darwin scoped out his theory of evolution in the South Pacific. On 4 April 2007, the following aired on WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke, Virginia:
  • At 10:30 a.m., on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Meredith Vieira asked a contestant the name of the island chain where Darwin made his observations. The answer was the Galapagos Islands.
  • At 7:30 p.m., on Jeopardy, Alex Trebek gave an answer concerning a book that came out of Darwin's observations in the Galapagos Islands. The book was The Origin of Species.
  
  
  
• What's brown, sounds like a bell, and rings a bell? On 25 September 2006, the following aired on CBS:
  • On CBS at 8:30 p.m., on How I Met Your Mother, Robin tripped in horse dung.
  • On CBS at 9:00 p.m., on Two and a Half Men: "Who's Vod Kanockers", Charlie fell in dog dung.
  
  
  
• A Caiman is a small crocodilian. On 4 September 2006, the following aired:
  • news reports that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin had died.
  • at 10:00 p.m. (9:00 CDT), an episode of Medium in which Allison dreamt of the Angel of Death on the Cayman Islands.
  
  
  
• Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was an early modern Austrian painter.
  • On 3 September 2006 at 12:00 noon (11:00 CDT), PAX aired "Back to School", omitting the reference to a painting by Gustav Klimt.
  • On 4 September 2006, PBS aired a Charlie Rose interview of Ronald Lauder discussing the acquisition of a masterpiece by Gustav Klimt.
  
  
  
• Crying time, again. On 3 September 2006, the following aired on CBS:
  • At 6:30, during the U.S. Open tennis competition, Andre Agassi tearfully announced his retirement.
  • During a 60 Minutes report on Tiger Woods,
    • Ed Bradley mentioned that Woods had cried after his father died; and
    • Woods said that he developed his hacky-sack routine of bouncing a golf ball off his club after "I saw Andre Agassi" do the same with a tennis ball and racket.
  
  
  
• Picnic at Hanging Rock, a 1967 novel by Joan Lindsay (filmed by Peter Weir), deals with a mystery about the disappearance of school girls. On 20 August 2006, Roanoke's WDBJ-TV 11:00 news featured these stories:
  • John Karr, suspected of the mysterious 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, was being extradited from Thailand.
  • There was a tournament at the Hanging Rock Golf Club in Salem, Virginia.
  
  
  
• The eyes have it! On 11 August 2006, Jay Leno asked if Dick Cheney was starting to look more like the Penguin (a monocle-wearing villain played by Burgess Meredith as the Penguin in Batman). Then, on 17 August 2006, the following aired:
  • On CBS at 11:30 p.m. (10:30 CDT), the Late Show included a clip of Bob Schieffer chuckling about an astronomer's monocle.
  • On NBC at 12:30 p.m. (11:30 CDT), Late Night included a still of Dick Cheney snarling.
  
  
  
• The sound of change: On 27 June 2006, the following aired:
  • On CBS at 8:30 p.m., on How I Met Your Mother, Barney pulled a coin from behind an ear.
  • On CBS at 9:00 p.m., on Two and a Half Men, Alan (or someone else) pulled a coin from behind an ear.
  
  
  
• Powdered groin: On 15 July 2006, the following aired:
  • On NBC at 3:35 a.m., in a rerun of Late Night from 16 March 2006, comedian Greg Fitzsimmons described powdering his testicles.
  • On WSET-TV at 4:35 a.m., a rerun of Taxi episode #105 "Sugar Ray Nardo" from 5 February 1983 included Jim Ignatowski's advice to Alex Rieger to put baby powder in his underwear.
  
  
  
• Stockholm Syndrome: On successive days in June 2006, two warden's wives showed sympathy for their kidnapers:
  • on 23 June on CBS, Close to Home: "Escape"
  • on 24 June on NBC, Law and Order: Criminal Intent "Prisoner"
  
  
  
• Wipe-out: On successive days in June, 2004, the following aired:
  • On 7 June 2004 on CBS, the following aired:
    • At 8:00 p.m., there was a clogged toilet on Yes, Dear.
    • At 8:30 p.m., Bill carried a roll of toilet paper on a shovel for a hunting trip on Still Standing. (Star Jami Gertz had previously appeared as Jane in Seinfeld: "The Stall", telling Elaine she could not "spare a square" of toilet paper.)
    • At 9:30 p.m., Porky the guinea pig had poop in his cage on Two and a Half Men.
  • On 8 June 2004, in an interview on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Betty White was featured in a scene from The Practice discussing dog crap with James Spader.
  
  
  
• Pontius Pilate: On 9 March 2004, the following aired:
  • On Blue Ridge Public TV, 10:30-11:30 p.m., Heart of Pilate; and
  • On NBC, 11:35 p.m.-12:36 a.m., Tonight Show with Mel Gibson and Chris Pontius.
  
  
  
• Cock fighting: On 11 December 2002, the following aired:
  • At 7:00 p.m. on WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke, Kramer discussed a cock fight with Jerry Seinfeld.
  • When Robert and Debra went dancing, Raymond suggested taking his mother to a cock fight. (Everybody Loves Raymond, 7:30 p.m., Fox)
  
  
  
• Private Ryan?
  • On 9 November 2002, at 8:00 p.m., ABC aired the war drama, Saving Private Ryan, starring Tom Hanks, with Matt Damon in the title role. According to Edward Burns, the film's actors had anticipated a pornographic spoof called Shaving Ryan's Privates.
  • On 9 November 2002, at 11:30 p.m., NBC's Saturday Night Live included a bikini wax performed by Nia Vardalos, who made the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding with Rita Wilson, who is married to Tom Hanks.
  • On 10 November 2002, at 1:00 p.m., Fox aired the war drama, Courage Under Fire, starring Meg Ryan, who has starred with Tom Hanks in three movies.
  
  
  
• Cuts of meat: On 13 August 2002, the following aired on WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke:
  • On I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ethel put a freezer in the basement and stocked it with a side of beef. They tried to sell various cuts of meat at a butcher shop.
  • On the Late Show, Dave Letterman asked an audience member to identify cuts of meat.
  
  
  
• Bears: On 19 August 2002, the following aired:
  • On the evening news, it was reported that an infant in the Catskills had been killed in the jaws of a bear.
  • On the Tonight Show, Robin Williams quoted bears in Alaska: "We can either eat you or take you home."
  
  
  
• Handcuffs: On 19 August 2002, the following aired on WDBJ-TV 7 in Roanoke:
  • On I Love Lucy, Lucy handcuffed herself to Ricky.
  • On the Andy Griffith Show, Aunt Bee mentioned a complaint from the school principal that Opie had locked a classmate to a flagpole.
  
  
  

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