A Star is Torn (GABF13)
... Marge apparently doesn't eat vegetables? ... Bart manages to be mean to both of his sisters at the same time, by taking Maggie's bone and throwing it at Lisa? ... Lisa skips Helen Lovejoy in her song? ... Homer never closes the car doors after the family bails out? ... Homer's lyrics to the Snowball song are so manipulative that even Lisa cries? ... Cameron DOES change his name to Johnny Rainbow?
A Star is Born - title
[7F24] lyrics are written about Snowball's death [8F01], [EABF07] Lisa uses a natural talent to enter a competition [8F06] Lisa uses her musical talent in a contest [9F13], [2F33], [3F03] the Ralph/Lisa romance is mentioned [9F21], [EABF13] Homer's songwriting ability is seen [5F03] Homer lives through one of his children by coaching them (to their chagrin) [DABF18] Maggie imitates Bart's gestures [EABF20] a little girl's song brings Willie to tears [FABF02] Maggie throws her hands up in the air and shakes them after seeing someone else do it
In the crowd at the semifinals (some names thanks to Roger Meyers III at nohomers.net):
Back Row - Becky - Allison Taylor - Celeste
Middle Row - Missy - Janey - Sherri/Terri
Front Row - Wanda - Caitlin Brockman - Jessica Lovejoy
In one of the crowd shots, both Caitlin Brockman and Jessica Lovejoy have the wrong color hair.
Snowball died on Halloween, didn't he/she?
Hmm, I'm not quite sure what to think about this one. On the one hand, Homer was the obnoxious jerk that plagued the show throughout the worst years, and the episode didn't really do enough to parody American Idol, instead using it as a backdrop. But on the other hand, it was funny, with the audition standing out as the best part (Milhouse and Ralph were great), Krusty adding laughs throughout (although he's never really let me down before), and other scattered gags yielding good results, which kept the episode afloat. Also, there were some brilliantly manipulative lyrics in Lisa's songs, taking advantage of Homer's previously established knack for songwriting, and Yeardley delivered each line, sung or spoken, with exactly the right tone (especially "except for Flanders"). That, coupled with some nice character writing and subtle direction, made Lisa interesting and endearing, and helped most of the attempted emotion to succeed, despite Homer's poor characterization. So, in my opinion, the episode succeeded in its humor and emotion, despite some apparent fundamental flaws, earning it an 8/10. (B)
Announcer: It's TV's biggest singing competition, when "American Idol"'s Fantasia faces Lisa Simpson. (Lisa and Clarissa are shown on a split-screen, with Lisa singing on one side, captioned "LISA", and Clarissa on the other, with the caption "FANTASIA". Cut to a scene in the bowling alley from CABF18.) Homer: [excitedly] Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Announcer: And when the contest heats up, who will go on, and who will go home? (Scenes of a happy Lisa with sheet music in one hand and a microphone in the other, Clarissa singing and a crowd of hysterical prepubescent girls cheering are shown. Cut to OFF in the mall, as Homer leans over to talk to Lisa.) Homer: I'm gonna write you a song so great, you can't lose. And that's not just the beer talking! (Scenes of Lisa singing, a crowd of Springfieldians cheering, and Clarissa singing in front of a cheering audience are shown.) Announcer: The Simpsons, part of an all-new hour, 8/7c, FOX Sunday! Part of Animation Domination.