[The long of it]
Okay, here's a hypothetical question. Consider the following two halftime shows.
Show 1: Features a selection of musical artists who appeal to a young-skewing audience, and several elaborate (and suggestive) dance numbers. At the end of the show, one of the female singers "accidentally" exposes a breast. FCC switchboards are immediately flooded with complaints.
Show 2: Features a concert by a popular but old-skewing artist. He plays four of his many hits, each song being about 35 years old. It's pretty much a straight-up concert -- just the singer, the band, the audience, and some Super Bowl-quality light and pyrotechnic displays. (Hey, it is the big game after all.)
One of these halftime extravaganzas aired on "The Tiffany Network," CBS, while the other aired on Fox, the network that brought you "Man Vs. Beast." Now, the question is, if you could go back in time two years, and ask people to figure out which network aired which show, how many do you suppose would have answered correctly?
"Sir Paul's" classy concert on Fox was just the first unlikely halftime show this evening. In "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass (GABF02)," Homer gets a shot at planning the show. And if Homer's organizing it, you just know it has to be good!
Of course, the NFL doesn't just hand the job to Homer. His odyssey begins when he does an exaggerated victory dance after winning a carnival sideshow game. A video of Homer's performance makes it to the internet, where it attracts the eye of Deion Overstreet, a star football player. He hires Homer to be his victory dance choreographer, and soon Homer's client list includes LeBron James, Michelle Kwan, and Warren Sapp, among others. Eventually, the NFL is impressed enough to offer Homer the job of coordinating the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXIX. (Evidently, not one of the NFL board members saw Homer's disastrous halftime performance in "Faith Off (BABF06).")
The writers of the "A" story weren't overwhelmingly victorious, in my opinion. Some of the dances were pretty cool. I liked the one where Overstreet mimes going to sleep in the end zone. Homer's backward attempts at negotiating with the NFL board are funny, too. The people's reaction to the show is an interesting take on religious versus secular concerns. In spite of this, the main plot wasn't that funny. Most of the dances tend to blur together in my mind, and real- life end-zone dances are so over-the-top anyway that they're hard to satirize.
The guest star list looks great on paper, but individually they're given almost nothing to say. Michelle Kwan gets off a couple good lines, but rest of the dialogue could be assigned to just about any pro taken at random. The story would have been better served if fewer stars each had been allowed to say more lines, given them a sense of separate personalities. (Yes, "Homer at the Bat (8F13)" had a long cast list and handled it well. But the players were given more face time, and each one had a unique, if not deep, screen persona.)
The "B" story, on the other hand, is surprisingly interesting. At the same event where Homer does his first victory dance, Ned Flanders wins a video camera. He uses it to make a movie of the story of Cain and Abel. The pious but violent film leads to other productions, each one gorier (and less true to the source material) than the one before. This plot is an interesting commentary on some of the controversies surrounding Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." In fact, this would have made for a good "A" plot, perhaps ending with Ned realizing that his inaccurate (if well-intentioned) reading of Scripture can wind up teaching people the wrong religious lessons. As it stands, both plots are wrapped up abruptly, as if the writers (Tim Long was the lead this time) either didn't quite know how to finish, or ran out of time. And this is despite getting the plots rolling refreshingly early in the first act.
Note to "Simpsons" nerds: This episode casually reveals Comic Book Guy's name. So casually, in fact, that I have already forgotten it. I can understand the humor in *not* making a big deal of revealing a long-kept secret, but a little build-up here would have been more fun to watch. (Oh, I just had an idea: Revelation by FFF, so only the biggest fans of the show -- the ones who might actually care what CBG's name is -- would get the answer.)
But that's the way it goes; a potentially good episode becomes a so-so one. Paul McCartney and Homer Simpson both had halftime shows on Super Sunday, and the ex-Beatle's was more fun. If you could go back in time two days and ask me which show I would end up liking more, I might have said Homer's. Care to guess what my answer would be today?
[The short of it]
I liked the main premise, but in execution it wasn't that funny. End- zone dances are already ridiculous, so they're hard to spoof. The galaxy of guest stars looks impressive on paper, but individually, they don't get much to say; fewer stars with more lines might have worked better. I was surprised to like the parallel plot better, with Ned's skewed take on Bible movies making an interesting commentary on the "Passion" controversy. The ending to both plot threads was oddly abrupt. CBG's name was revealed a bit too casually for me, but at least this answers a long-running question. On the whole, the best halftime of the night wasn't Homer or Ned's, but Paul McCartney's. (C+, albeit a strong one)
[DYNs]
... the schoolkids were watching the Dorks Gone Wild footage on what looks like a QuickTime viewer? ... Homer's right about the reason why the internet was invented? ... Homer thinks the lone man with a tuba put on a great halftime show?
[References]
Port-o-Potty (portable toilet) - Homer answers nature's call in a "Port-A-Squat"
"Girls Gone Wild" (racy video series) - CBG hosts dorks-gone-wild.com
Donkey Kong (videogame) - the whole encounter between Homer and the Italian tourist is similar to the first game in the "Donkey Kong" series - Homer moves like Kong - the tourist is a Mario clone - Homer tosses trash cans the way Kong tosses barrels - the cans roll down the tilted treehouse steps, the way the barrels in the game roll down the tilted floor of a building - Mario and the tourist jump over obstacles the same way - if the tourist runs into an obstacle, he "dies" the way Mario does - sound effects are right from the game
Dallas Cowboys (U.S. football team) - Deion Overstreet plays for the San Antonio Cow Skulls
the USFDA food pyramid - Homer used it as the model for his showboating pyramid
Genesis 4:1-16 - the story of Cain and Abel
"The Passion of the Christ" (movie) - Ned's Cain and Abel film has a similar title - Ned's films could be criticized both for being too violent and not entirely accurate - Churches had organized viewings "Passion of the Christ," just as with Ned's film (although in real life, congregations usually traveled to the theater, rather than having the film come to them)
Exodus 32 - it appears Ned was filming the worshipping of the golden calf at one point, going by the statue in his back yard
the "... for Dummies" series of books - Bart has a copy of "The Bible for Wise-Asses"
Columbia Pictures (movie studio) - Burns' movie studio logo similar
Jonah 2 - Ned re-tells the encounter with the whale
I Samuel 3:17-28 - the story of Solomon and the baby
"Harry Potter" (series of books) - this is probably what Ned's thinking of when he refers to the "liberal humanist wizard school"
"Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan" (movie) - Michelle Kwan tells judges to beware the "wrath of Kwan"
terrorist warning system - church sign has a Rapture threat level of Orange
Michael Moore (documentary filmmaker) - Ned Flanders likens himself to this filmmaker, only slimmer, neater, and loved by the Lord
Genesis 6:5 - 9:17 - Ned and Homer's halftime show based on the story of Noah
[Previous Episode References]
[4F11] "Everybody Dance Now" heard [AABF14] Story of Solomon spoofed [AABF14] Jonah, too [GABF01] Homer refers to "Jerkass" Homer [BABF06] Homer does something poorly-received for a halftime show
[FFF]
Springfield Park sign:
SP INGF ELD P RK
FE L THE PRID !Carnival sign:
"SAVE OUR PARK"
CHARITY CARNIVALPortable toilet sign:
PORT-A-SQUAT
CBG's T-shirt:
NERDS
DO IT
RARELYComputer lab sign:
COMPUTER LAB
FOR
RESEARCH
OnlyDorks Gone Wild!:
DORKS-GONE-WILD.COM
/-----------------\
|BEST WEBSITE EVER|
\-+---------------/
[CBG] / [ ] BOXER SHOT [ ] LUTE
[ ] BY WIFE [ ] FRUST [ ] BEAUTY PAGEANT [ ] BIG ASS
[ ] DIARRHEA [ ] BARYSHNIKOVHomer's whirlwind dance tour:
France, Japan, Botswana, and Antarctica.
Tour bus:
Italians Touring America
Homer's showboating pyramid:
\ || | | | /
/--------\
- | CROTCH | -
- |GRABBING| -
\--------/
/ | | | || \ IN
YOUR
FACEMOONING THE BIRD
POOR
OBNOXIOUSNESS SPORTSMANSHIP SHOWBOATINGED commercial:
--------
JAMMITIN
--------Sign at stadium:
TOMORROW
SIMON
VS.
GARFUNKELHomer's client list:
Client List
Tom Brady Mon 1PM
Deion Overstreet Tues
3P
Yao Ming Wed 11PM
Warren Sapp Thurs 2PM
Michelle Kwan Fri 1PM
Lenny Wed NoonFlanders' first movie:
THE
P A S S I O N
OF CAIN & ABELHeadlines from Hell:
MASSACHUSETTS OKAYS STEM CELLS
GAY MARRIAGE CURE ALZHEIMERSBart's Bible reference:
THE BIBLE
FOR
WISE-ASSESHomer's academy sign:
HOMER SIMPSON
SHOWBOATING
ACADEMYMovie Marquee:
NED FLANDERS'
"TALES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT"
RUNNING TIME 800 MINUTESStudio logo:
BURNS' CELLULOID WHIMSIES
Tom Brady's banner:
EVEYONE SUCKS
BUT MEChurch sign:
RAPTURE THREAT LEVEL:
ORANGE <- and this is in orange lettering[Oops!]
Cain and Abel weren't Adam and Eve's only child; they later had Seth. (Not that this would have helped answer Todd's question.)
[Personal Comments & Observations]
"Everybody Dance Now," by C+C and the Music Factory, plays during the victory dance montage.
Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" plays during the Pac-Man halftime show.
Another reference is made to "jerkass" Homer (and for the second week in a row).
I'm not a major sports fan, so these will be a bit sketchy
Tom Brady -- Quarterback for the New England Patriots. Normally, a quarterback playing in the game wouldn't have time to participate in the halftime show. Obviously, this episode was written and made before anyone knew for sure the Patriots were going to the Super Bowl. It's funny he should say everyone should give him "all their love," since the Patriot players are for the most part a selfless, team-oriented bunch. LeBron James -- Talented basketball player who signed for an astronomical amount of money with the NBA right after graduation. That's his *high school* graduation, by the way, not college. Michelle Kwan -- Figure skater who was upset in the 1998 Olympics by Tara Lipinksi. She bounced back, returned to the 2002 Olympics ... to be upset by Sarah Hughes. Since then, she's turned pro, which is why she's hanging around with other professional athletes. Dorothy Hamill -- Olympic gold medallist (in women's figure skating) from the 70s. She doesn't remind me of Milhouse. Yao Ming -- Basketball player who hails from the People's Republic of China (as he mentions in the halftime show). Warren Sapp -- Right Defensive Tackle with the Oakland Raiders, although most of his career has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While in Tampa, Sapp had a reputation as being an exuberant motor-mouth, so he seemed oddly quiet tonight. Joe Torre -- Manager for the New York Yankees.
The following aren't athletes, but they are in show biz.
Ashley Judd -- Movie actress and kinfolk to the country singing family. She's pretty, despite what Ned thinks I don't think she has a "looser" persona than most other Hollywood starlets. J. Giels Band -- Rock band who hits include "Love Stinks" and "Angel in the Centerfold."
It's funny that the Simpsons' Super Bowl should have such a lopsided score at the half. In real life, many of the games were blowouts, but not Super Bowl XXXIX. This year's game was tied at halftime -- only the second time that's happened, according to the announcers.