Notes for KABF20 (Mypods and Broomsticks)

Pretty fun, pretty good, no complaints. The terrorist plot (har) wasn't particularly edgy or anything, and it's been done already in a fairly early American Dad (surprise!) ("Homeland Insecurity"), but worked well, and they even managed to keep Homer from lapsing into Jerkass by having Lenny/Carl/Moe instill fear in him instead. Lisa's story was fine, mostly an excuse for a series of Apple gags, but they were fun. (The universal name-altering technique of putting an "m" sound at the start reminds me of Monty Python's Flying Circus, though, in their season 1 Nazi sketch about "boncentration bamps" etc.) I guess that's all for now though.

DYN: ...another new sax solo? (That's 2 this season so far, for 32 total.) ...for the I&S episode, Lisa appears to have an iPhone (sorry, Myphone) with a self-rotating screen? ...there was a new commercial for a new MacBook (an eco-friendly one at that) right after act 2? ...Mapple bills customers directly, but after the fact, for music downloads to its products? ...Lisa's username is jazzgal62? (Compare smartgirl63[_\] in EABF20.)

Previous episode references 5F09: Blackboard gag in the couch gag (though this also has a normal blackboard too) HABF22: The threat of whipping Lisa with iPod buds similar to the futuristic gag at the end of this episode 9F01: Moe and goofy religions EABF03: Lisa plays a track for Sherri and Terri from Miles Davis' "Birth of the Cool" (why'd she buy it new, then, and act like it was new to her, huh??) 2F03: Time machine in I&S sounds just like Homer's (not sure offhand about those in DABF19 and JABF07) 5F03: It's fun and easy to judge people based on religion; reminds me of how it's very easy to criticize (fun too!)

Other references -Bart's voiceover prank in the Mapple store reminds me of a similar gag in South Park's "Scott Tenorman Must Die". -1984 Mac ad parody - possibly a first on this show? -Extended Aladdin reference! (It's one of my favorite Disney movies [because I'm male?]!) It featured vague musical and visual motifs of "A Whole New World" and "Friend Like Me", along with the genie, who (here at least) did a lot of Robin Williams character types. It may be the first undeniable reference to the movie on the show (a brief look at snpp suggests a possible one in 3F24), too. For what it's worth, I noticed as I flew home for Thanksgiving that USAir is showing Aladdin on some flights around this time, which came as a surprise. Finally: Maurice LaMarche has been a frequent guest on OFF recently, and does a good Robin Williams impression (even fairly recently in "Bender's Game"), but didn't seem to do it this time! For those of you who know of the Williams/Disney scuffle, it didn't really sound like Dan Castellaneta's Genie though.

Goofs -The "O Christmas Tree" parody takes place on 12/26, but says it's 2 months until changing of clocks (which now happens in late March). -Most over-12-month calendars have 16 months, in my experience.

That title is actually "Mypods and Boomsticks" (no "R" in the third word.) Where did you get the idea that it was "Broomsticks"? What do you MEAN, from the last three weeks' worth of "Upcoming Episodes" posts, where it quite clearly says each time, "MyPods and", er, "Broomsticks"?

(I almost posted that title again tonight, until I wondered why it would be called that and checked the Fox press release a little more closely.)

-- Don

On Nov 30, 11:02 pm, Don Del Grande wrote:

Ooohh... BOOMsticks. I get it now.

-- R Flowers

On Dec 1, 12:02 am, Don Del Grande wrote:

Ah... that makes a lot more sense. A LOT more. I was wondering about the title myself, but figured maybe that out of the "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" title, the latter was just kept to refer to a witchhunt or something (witches, broomsticks, you get the idea).

(Haw-Hawked Couple?)

Until something else comes along that makes more sense, I'm going with this explanation:

http://www.snpp.com/episodeguide/season18.html

-- begin quote -- This episode may actually be titled "The Haw-Hawed Couple" (a reference to The Odd Couple), but the Fox press releases all say "Haw- Hawked" ... Note: this episode has also been called "The Haw-Hawked Couple" and just "Haw-Hawked Couple", but "The Haw-Hawed Couple" is the title that appeared on the Emmy nomination list, and seems to make the most sense (a play on The Odd Couple)

-- end quote --

-- R Flowers

Matt Garvey wrote:

It sounded to me, actually, like it was actually Robin Williams. Wouldn't be the first time that a major star appeared uncredited. Anyone know?

Also, you usually don't get three (or four) extra pages--the extra months usually share a page and a picture.

Brett A. Pasternack wrote:

Remember that Dan Castellaneta was the voice of the genie in the second Aladdin movie, after Williams refused to do it because of some argument about using his voice in merchandising/commercials.

-- Don

The trees also had all their leaves.