Animation Domination, Live Action Surrender

[vovat]

Isn't it a bit late in the game to do a Simpsons episode promoting American Idol? The show has been on for years now, and just about every joke you can make about it has been made, many of them on Idol itself. Simon is mean, Randy spouts a lot of slang, and there's a shit-ton of product placement. It was mildly amusing, but didn't really have much to say, and would have made more sense a few years ago. Especially considering that Simon is supposedly leaving Idol, and he was the main guest in the episode. Did Kara even get a joke? Mind you, she's dead weight on AI anyway. The thing is, the rest of the episode was pretty good. Homer had already gone through a golf phase, though (in the seventh season's "Scene from the Class Struggle in Springfield," to be specific), so that scene didn't make much sense. And the ending, with a topical joke inserted at the last minute over the animation of Jay Leno, was rather awkwardly done. Oh, well. Since I think bethje and I are the only people on the Internet who don't watch Lost, we're probably the only ones who watched it anyway.

And since the Family Guy homage to The Empire Strikes Back has been out on DVD for a while now, we might be among the last FG fans to watch that. I can't say I liked it as much as their first Star Wars parody, as too many of the jokes fell flat. You would think Cookie Monster playing a Wampa would be funny, but they just didn't do enough with it. As for the FG counterparts for other characters who first appear in Empire, Carter Pewterschmidt as the Emperor worked, and the chicken as Boba Fett was all right for the short while he appeared (I never quite got why Boba is such a popular character when he hardly does anything; I guess it's all about the costume). But otherwise, it kind of just seems that they ran out of regulars. I don't see any particular reason why Mort was Lando, and while I'm sure I've seen the character who played Yoda, I didn't recognize him. But I did like that they continued to mock some of the dumber lines and scenes from the movie, and some of the observational jokes were also effective. The car interrupting the lightsaber battle, the obnoxious couple following Luke to Dagobah, and R2-D2's niece's violin recital all come to mind.

As for the rest of the weekend, I did a little bit of census work on Saturday, and we had dinner at Charlie Brown's Steakhouse that evening. I actually still have some carrot cake left over. And at night, Beth and I went to Atlantic City. All we really did was walk on the Boardwalk, but that's enjoyable, aside from having to listen to and get out of the way of all the drunk people there. And those guys with the carts just won't leave anyone alone. Come on, if I want a ride, I'll come to you, dudes.

Comments

[burningofroissy.livejournal.com]

I've never seen an episode of Lost and I'm proud to say I don't care.

I went to Atlantic City once with my aunt and uncle when I was 10 and got to walk on the boardwalk and browse the shops with them. I bought some jelly shoes, the only ones I got a chance to own before I outgrew the biggest size they made.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

I've never watched Lost either, although certain aspects of it do sound interesting.

I think my first trip to Atlantic City was when I was eight, and I was excited to see all the Monopoly streets.

[jenhime.livejournal.com]

Scot and I haven't ever watched Lost either. I've been listening to the BBC all night and I find it amusing that the Lost finale is a top story...

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Slow news day in the UK, I suppose. {g}

[revme.livejournal.com]

Yoda's the guy who runs the convenience store where Chris works. (Voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, who is awesome.)

I pretty much agree with you on the Simpsons. The first half or so was pretty good, but the second half, with Moe on AI was just kinda lame and really seemed like Crossover Town. LIke, Matt Groening took his name off the Critic episode, but not that one? Feh. But yeah -- I thought the same about Golf. Particularly since Homer's GOOD at golf, to boot.

I didn't get the ending either and what Rupert Murdoch was doing there. I was kinda hoping for a Leno slam (other than just Leno doing a shitty "topical" "joke"), but... yeah. I don't know. The idea of Moe as a judge (in general) was kinda funny, and the thing of Marge getting sick of having Homer around could have been mined for laughs pretty well, and was decently until the golf payoff, but... yeah, it just didn't come together. I'm surprised that was the season finale. (Also, isn't Simon leaving after this season? So why would he care if Moe does the same schtick for cheaper?) But yeah -- I think the Sideshow Bob one would have been a better finale. Or, well, much of anything. (And, seriously, why bury your finales on Lost night? Seems that that's just asking folks to go to Hulu. Except for us, I suppose, who don't watch Lost.)

I did already see Something Something Something Darkside, so I'm guessing you guys're alone on that one. But I thought it was decent. I'm not a huge Star Wars dork, but in a way, I kinda appreciate that it's the same movie with an hour shaved off.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Yoda's the guy who runs the convenience store where Chris works.

Yeah, I think I remember him now.

I didn't get the ending either and what Rupert Murdoch was doing there.

As far as I could tell, the entire joke was that even Murdoch hates his own network, which isn't that funny. It kind of seemed like they felt they needed to get in a dis at Fox since much of the rest of the episode was a blatant promotion of a Fox show.

Also, isn't Simon leaving after this season? So why would he care if Moe does the same schtick for cheaper?

All I can figure is that he hadn't made up his mind to leave at the time they were recording his parts for the episode. If that's true, though, it was pretty bad timing to have a show about Simon worried about keeping his job broken up by commercials announcing his last episode.

I noticed one scene they didn't include in "Something Something Something Dark Side" was the infamous Luke/Leia kiss. Of course, the way this is playing out means that, within the Star Wars parody continuity, Stewie is the father of Chris and Lois. Just points out the awkwardness of placing a family into these roles, I suppose.

[revme.livejournal.com]

The weird thing is the Murdoch bit just seemed.... I don't know. It felt like it was more a dis of NBC than Fox, and made Moe's earlier "Thank god I can't watch Fox" type comment a "ha-ha, just kidding" type of feel. I don't know. It was just... so poorly done.

With the line-record that might be the answer. I'm kinda suprised they didn't have him re-dub them. And, it's not like it would have been hard to think of a replacement joke -- instead of what it was, just throw in "Well, turns out I actually AM a huge dick." and call it good.

I'm really hoping they do something about the whole Stewie begat Chris/Lois thing in the inevitable 3rd one. If they don't, that'll be lame.

I can't remember if in the DVD version if they do the kiss at all -- if they do, it's played straight, nothin' Oedipal or anything.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

The weird thing is the Murdoch bit just seemed.... I don't know. It felt like it was more a dis of NBC than Fox, and made Moe's earlier "Thank god I can't watch Fox" type comment a "ha-ha, just kidding" type of feel.

Maybe it was kind of a "Fox sucks, but it's no worse than the other networks" thing? I don't know. I agree that it was poorly done.

I'm really hoping they do something about the whole Stewie begat Chris/Lois thing in the inevitable 3rd one. If they don't, that'll be lame.

I agree, although there have been other FG episodes with the characters playing other roles and not acknowledging their real-life relations. The one with Stewie as a king who wanted to marry Lois comes to mind.