OK, the game's over. Time to make fun of America. The Simpsons go deep with Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass, airing immediately following The Super Bowl (approx. 9 p.m. tonight on Fox and Global).
Sports-happy Fox has once again stacked the episode with pro-athletes. Guest voices include NFLers Tom Brady and Warren Sapp, NBAers Yao Ming, LeBron James and figure skater Michelle Kwan.
Usually these all sport star Simpsons episodes suck, but tonight's show is an exception, mainly because the athletes only come off the bench for a couple of lame gags, leaving the funny stuff to the Simpsons starters.
And, boy, do they deliver. Catch the Super Mario gag near the beginning; my son still hasn't stopped laughing.
The episode finds hambone Homer giving tips on showboating to various NFL stars. The league finds out and hauls him on the carpet -- where they ask him to run this year's halftime show.
Given the apocalyptic fallout from last year's Boob Bowl, this is nipplicious. Like America's stupidest dad would be allowed anywhere near this touchy job. D-oh! The NFL has snipers on the roof with orders to shoot to kill if Sir Paul McCartney so much as picks his nose during this year's halftime hullabaloo.
Surprise, surprise. With the help of goodnik neighbor Ned Flanders, Homer comes up with a halftime show that would please Jerry Falwell. What happens next is The Simpsons at its best, pulling America's pants down two legs at a time. It's smart, cheeky and hilarious -- a rare shot of sanity and satire in a scared, sanitized TV landscape. That it comes from a show that's been on for 16 seasons, well, God bless America,
Tonight also brings a sneak peak at Fox's new animated comedy, American Dad (approx. 9:30 p.m. on Global and Fox). The series is from Family Guy boy wonder Seth MacFarlane.
A series with such a devoted cult following that it has been uncancelled three times, Family Guy (which returns with new episodes May 1) has its laugh-out-loud moments. Still, at times it seems to me like re-typed Simpsons (right down to the dumb-ass dad, long-suffering mom and bratty kids).
American Dad is re-typed Family Guy, so at least MacFarlane is now stealing from himself. The jut-jawed title character, Stan Smith (voiced by MacFarlane), owes more to mid-'60s cartoon stiff Roger Ramjet than Family Guy gasbag Peter Griffin. This dude is a flag-waving, CIA straight arrow who sees terrorists in gum wrappers. There's a horny, talking goldfish (with a German accent) subbing here for Family Guy's talking dog. There's also a squid-like alien named Roger (who sounds a lot like Paul Lynde) adopted after an Area 51 bust.
Basically, something for everybody, especially if you think the Super Bowl is really just a four hour pre-show.
It's mean that they say McFarlane steals his stuff. I mean, the family isn't original, but neither was the simpsons (Honeymooners mixed with the bundies, mixed with I love lucy or any other series you can think of. Plus the flintstones and jetsons, then set it in modern times). You don't watch Family Guy (or American Dad, now) for the original story lines, you watch it for the hilarity!
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
02-07-2005 07:19 AM
