It’s odd: I don’t like “American Dad,” I’m never going to watch “The Cleveland Show,” and it’s been years since I’ve cared about “Family Guy,” yet I don’t really mind Seth MacFarlane. He can go ahead and get wealthier than the Mormon church off of bad TV shows, but he’ll never get my bile pumping like Leno or reality TV.
That said, this College Humor video really nails how lazy he’s been with creating new shows. The believability of the talking animals here is especially on point, from French cat to Nazi hamster to right-wing anteater to hip-hop pterodactyl and beyond. Saaaaaayyyy… hip-hop pterodactyl? That reminds me of this. If you don’t think bear-o-dactyl’s awesome, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.
“It looks like you’re writing an abortion joke. Can I help?”
“Family Guy” creator/star Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein (who voices Lois Griffin) were supposed to do a special on Fox called “Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show” sponsored entirely by Microsoft’s Windows 7, but the computer giant has backed out due to the racy content of MacFarlane’s and Borstein’s jokes.
“Almost Live Comedy Show” was announced earlier this month as part of a major marketing partnership Microsoft had sealed with a wide range of News Corp. properties to promote the launch of the computer giant’s Windows 7 operating system. As part of the deal, “Almost Live Comedy Show” was set to run commercial-free, with Microsoft marketing messages built into the special instead.
But that was before Microsoft execs attended the special’s taping Oct. 16… For most of the special, MacFarlane and Borstein made typical “Family Guy”-style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest. [Variety]
What a surprise! Who could have expected that the writers for “Family Guy” would write the exact kind of jokes they always write? Couldn’t they have told some more Macintosh jokes?
Oh, corporate executives, don’t ever change. “What do the kids like? We need to look hip and edgy! … WHOA! That’s hip and edgy! There’s no way we could do that. We might get letters from Christians.”
I just wrote 200 words about “Family Guy” doing a commercial-free episode sponsored by Microsoft Windows 7, but my Internet connection failed and I lost the work. And now I don’t have the heart or desire to re-write what I wrote before, but that kind of makes my point: “Family Guy’s” sponsored episode isn’t really worth the time or effort it takes to discuss it.
“Family Guy” is continuing its push to garner Emmy votes with this video that pokes fun at fellow nominee “The Office.” Well, it kinda pokes fun at “The Office.” Mostly it’s just Stewie beating the crap out of Brian. But at the end Stewie does say, “Indians and Hispanics don’t live in Scranton.” To which “Office” actress and noteworthy Indian-American Mindy Kaling responded on her Twitter feed:
I love Family Guy! but shhh you guys about no Indians in Scranton. I need to work!
Ha ha ha! Everyone has a healthy respect for each other! But seriously, “Family Guy” really shouldn’t win for Best Comedy. I like it in small doses, but let’s face it: for every non sequitur or gag that works, another one (or two or three) falls flat. My vote: “Two and a Half Men” all the way, baby! That Charlie Sheen sure likes vaginas!
Still probably not enough to make me watch it again. Louis C.K., who some would argue is the greatest stand-up act of his generation, will have a major role in the second season of “Parks and Recreation”. [Videogum]
Affianced! Anna Paquin is engaged to True Blood costar Stephen Moyer. Haha, Stephen, I’ve seen your fiancee’s tits. [Gabby Babble]
Don’t stop…impulse buying! The cast of Glee will be making a series of appearances at Hot Topic stores nationwide. It would probably make more sense for the cast of Twilight to do that, since that’s where vampires are made. [PopWatch]
Not as good as the X-Men relationship map, but it’ll do. A graphical representation of all the connections among characters in the Seinfeld universe. [MovieFill]
And here I thought “The Cleveland Show” was the abortion! POW ZING! The never aired Family Guy abortion episode will be given a table reading by the show’s cast. So, basically Seth McFarlane doing 600 voices, plus Mila Kunis? [Variety]
There are certain cheap, lazy ploys that blogs do to raise traffic. Lists are one of the most popular, because they involve little research and no cohesive writing. Caption contests are despicable, because bloggers ask readers to do the work that they should have done if they cared about entertaining their readers. But perhaps the most offensive ploy is to ask a preposterous open-ended question without taking an actual stance.
Cue the New York Times’ Arts Beat blog, which wonders if “Family Guy” has surpassed “The Simpsons” because the former is nominated for the Emmy for Best Comedy Series, an honor never achieved by the show that will become the longest-running series in television history:
It’s only the second time that an animated show has been nominated in this category — the last series to get the nod was “The Flintstones” — and readers are reacting strongly. They’re especially surprised that another long running animated comedy, “The Simpsons,” has never been similarly honored…
What do you think? Should “Family Guy” have been nominated for a comedy series Emmy? Has it now surpassed “The Simpsons”?
A couple things here. The Emmys expanded the number of nominees this year from five to seven. “Family Guy” launched a heavy campaign to get nominated this year; “The Simpsons” only tried to get nominated twice in the ’90s before giving up and settling for “Best Animated Series.” taking into account “The Simpsons’” place in pop culture and television history, how someone so short-sighted and weak-minded found the temerity to ask such a galactically stupid question under the banner of the venerated New York Times is positively mind-boggling.
I can’t wait for what’s up next on Arts Beat… “Better sequel: The Godfather Part II or Transformers 2?”; “Space Heaters: Warmer than the Sun?”; and “Ouch! I Thought These Were Safety Scissors!”
