Family Guy Spoiler

Yes, it's a spoiler.

So, I'm moving this down a bit.

I know this is kind of pointless.

Because, if you follow Family Guy enough to know anything about it. . .

. . .Then you know what this spoiler is all about.

But just the same, I'm putting a little effort into not making it too obvious.

But I've got to ask you. . .

If you've read down this far already, and you still haven't been spoiled, and have no idea what this is about. . .

BUT, you do follow the show enough to be interested in what all the fuss is about. . .

Just how bad are your reasoning skills anyway?

Just kidding, here you go:

[Excerpt] 

Brian Is Alive!

Just a few weeks ago, Family Guy fans were saddened when Brian Griffin got hit by a car and died. . .

Read more at: BuzzFeed

Frivolity Break: HuffPo Matches Cartoon Characters with Their Voice Actors

As a pop culture sponge, I know many of these, but I think some people would be surprised at what the voice actors of their favorite cartoons look like. And since my blogging time was wrecked by my computer woes, I needed an easy one. Enjoy!

[Excerpt]

Meet The Voice Actors Behind 'Bob's Burgers,' 'King Of The Hill,' 'Family Guy' And 'The Simpsons'

Ever wonder what the faces behind the voices of your favorite animated TV characters look like? . . .
See them all at: Huffington Post

Seth MacFarlane Condemns Family Guy Boston Bombing Conspiracy Theory

Seth MacFarlane, image from source Raw Story

As predicted, the conspiracy theorists are already out with a slew of half-baked conspiracy theories around the Boston Marathon bombings of April 15. One of them focuses on Seth MacFarlane and his popular cartoon, Family Guy. Unsurprisingly, MacFarlane isn't pleased with this.*

[Excerpt]

Seth MacFarlane condemns ‘abhorrent’ Family Guy mash-up of Boston Marathon bombing

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane condemned a doctored online clip of the show depicting its star using a cellphone to trigger explosions at the Boston Marathon.
The fake clip was based on scenes from an episode of the cult animated series which aired last month, and which was pulled by broadcaster Fox from online service Hulu.com because of sensitivity after Monday’s blasts. . .

Read more at: Raw Story


*If you really want to send one of these wing-nutters into a tizzy, be sure to tell them that MacFarlane was supposed to be on one of the planes that crashed on September 11, 2001, but was hung over and missed his flight. So he says. Maybe he was tipped off? Okay, wing-nuts. Go!

Futurama Returns from the Dead

Image from source, TV Squad

Every year, a slew of television shows get cancelled, and every year fan groups of some of them mount an effort to get the TV networks to reconsider. Rarely, very rarely, it works. Sometimes the network relents, and the show is given a new season, a partial season, maybe just a reunion movie. They usually sputter out ofter that. Once in a while, a show will move to another network, where it can either live on for years or more likely. . .sputter out.  And even more rarely, the show--long dead--will be revived a few years later.

It happened with Family Guy, and now it's happened to Futurama, the other show by the creators of The Simpsons.  In a way, Futurama didn't ever really go away, having appeared on Comedy Central and other networks, as well as on DVD in a couple of new adventures.  But it is finally back in new episodes. 

[Excerpt]

'Futurama' and 9 Other Shows That Beat Cancellation

It's a miracle! 'Futurama' is back from the dead. Or maybe it's just been thawed out of its cryogenic freeze? Whatever the case, it's back -- with the original voice cast -- on Comedy Central (Thu., June 24 at 10PM ET) and fans are happy.



Canceled in 2003, 'Futurama' got four straight-to-DVD flicks, the last one came out in early 2009. Fan interest was renewed and Comedy Central aired the films as episodes before green lighting the series for new episodes. Yes, Matt Groening is bringing Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the bang for new adventures in space. The cast is signed for 26 episodes. In the one hour premiere, the Professor attempts to resuscitate the crew with his birth machine after a devastating crash. . .

Read more at: TVSquad

Seth MacFarlane on Family Guy, Politics and Religion

Image from source, TV Squad

I am guilty on this blog of posting just about anything relating to a few notable personalities, usually of the political or comedian variety (or a combination of the two). That short--but growing--list includes Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Al Franken, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Seth MacFarlane. Fortunately, just about anything from the above group has the virtue of being good and entertaining, so hopefully my weakness is not too irritating.

This writeup would--I thought--be blogworthy because it includes

MacFarlane and Maher. But they picked the wrong person to write the article. How a person could be both a fan of Family Guy, and put off by political discussions is beyond me. A different writer--me for instance--would likely have come away with an entirely different article. Especially since the reporter says the audience was having a very good time. I'd like to know what really went on, instead of the poo-poohing this guy wrote. Oh well.

[Excerpt]

MacFarlane Takes on the Enemies of 'Family Guy'

It was a communal, sarcastic and distinctly anti-flyover love fest when Seth MacFarlane visited the 2010 PaleyFest Tuesday.

As expected, the event had more of a Comic Con feel to it then the normally more reserved Paley atmosphere. Obsessed fans of 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad' and 'The Cleveland Show' (or fans of all three when you consider they're all kind of the same show). . .

Read more at: TV Squad

FOX Dominates FCC Indecency Complaints

Alas, it is not FOX "News" but FOX-TV that has garnered the most outrage. The funniest part to me, is that idiots are calling the FCC--an agency that does not control cable content--to protest MSNBC's use of the term "teabagger." Idiots.

[Excerpt]

Fox Dominates Indecency Complaints

Members of the "tea party" don't like MSNBC's Rachel Maddow's use of the word "teabagging."

According to FCC records obtained and analyzed by SNL Kagan, viewers have filed 1,239 indecency complaints connected to the ambiguous phrase. The only thing more controversial was a rant delivered by CNN's Jack Cafferty against China on an April 2008 edition of "The Situation Room. . ."

Read more at: ABC News

Family Guy's "Down Syndrome Girl" vs. Sarah Palin

Image from source, Democratic Underground

Well, this is kind of funny. It started out with Sarah Palin wigging out over Rahm Emanuel's admittedly ill-advised use of the word "retard." This was followed by Palin's excuse making of Rush Limbaugh's excessive use of the same word. Palin excused it as satire. Later, after an episode of Family Guy featured a storyline about Down Syndrome, Palin couldn't help herself from criticising it. . .even though it is also satire.

Well, it turns out that the actress in the episode actually has Down Syndrome, and was in on the joke. And she doesn't seem to have a very high opinion of Palin.

[Excerpt]

"Family Guy" Actress with Down Syndrome Puts Palin in Her Place

. . .In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes. . .

Read more at: Democratic Underground

The "Retarded" Family Guy Episode That Annoyed the Palins

I just wrote a post about a Family Guy episode that has Sarah Palin annoyed. To further annoy her, here is a clip from that show! Enjoy it while you can, before Palin gets Rupert Murdoch to have it banished from the internets.

Family Guy's Star Wars Sequel, Something Something Something Darkside

I can't wait!

Family Guy: Stewie Wants His Emmy!

Hilarious. . .

Is Seth MacFarlane Planning for the End of Family Guy?

Image from source, TV Squad!

When Family Guy premiered, I was not a fan. I liked the off-beat humor, and the overall irreverance for everything, but I had a basic problem with it. I didn't like the central character. Peter Griffin has absolutely no redeeming qualities, unlike, say Homer Simpson. I loved Stewie the baby and Brian the dog. But Peter was off-putting in behavior and appearance.

After it came back from the dead (cancellation) though, I warmed to it for some reason. Possibly because I'd become a fan of Seth MacFarlane's other show, American Dad! in the mean time. Also, I became a fan of MacFarlane himself, who is completely on my page politically and (non-) spiritually. So, it makes me a little sad to see him sort of planning for the demise of the show. And it must really freak FOX out.

I can understand the compulsion of a series creator/writer/performer to end things before the show grows stale. But I also think it is a fallacy that every show that goes on for a long time suffers for it. Most do, true. But several, like Friends, Seinfeld, and Cheers manage to keep fans wanting more. With any long stretch, there will of course be clunker episodes. And shows like The Simpsons have been taken for granted by viewers. You'll hear people complaining about it, but since it went HD, it seems better than ever to me.

With three series, I do bet that MacFarlane is tired. I always get irritated when I read about some British show (*cough* Absolutely Fabulous *cough*) where the creator claims to be worn out coming up with new ideas, when their seasons run eight episodes per year!

[Excerpt]

Is the end nigh for Family Guy?

Seth MacFarlane might have one of the most overrated shows on television right now (in my personal opinion, of course), but he hasn't let that cloud his realism when it comes to its future. . .

Read more at: TV Squad!

Family Guy has Abortion Episode Pulled

Image from source, THR.com

I often wondered what it would take to get a Family Guy episode banned by FOX. Unlike FOX "News," where they pretend to be all moral and high-and-mighty, the FOX network has never pretended to have a single shred of decorum. Which, is just how I likes it! Even so, I'll admit to thinking that either Family Guy or American Dad! (both creations of Seth MacFarlane) have gone over the line on occasion. But it has always been easy to shrug off because they lampoon just about everything. The name of the game seems to be taboo-busting, and there has rarely been a punch pulled.

It turns out the one "bridge too far" seems to be abortion. Frankly, it's amazing they haven't gone there before. It's not like it's uncharted territory anyway, with Maude haven broken that barrier decades ago. More recently, I've heard Chelsea Handler make off-color abortion jokes, and certainly on Absolutely Fabulous, which while British, still aired on Comedy Central. Some people, to quote Stockard Channing, are so touchy.

[Excerpt]

'Family Guy' abortion episode unlikely to air on Fox

News Corp. paid Seth MacFarlane the ultimate compliment when it made him 20th Century Fox TV's $100 million crown jewel. But the "Family Guy" creator wasn't exactly returning the favor at Comic-Con.

At the series' panel Saturday, MacFarlane continued his show's tradition of jibing its studio and network. . .

Read more at: THR

UPDATE: As a cross-eyed American (before corrective surgery, but still when I'm tired or drinking), I never noticed before that Seth MacFarlane seems to be a little lazy-eyed himself.

Bill Maher's New Rules, May 8, 2009

Last night's Real Time with Bill Maher was one of the best episodes of the season, or last several seasons. The guests were Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi (one of my favorite journalists), Naomi Klein (one of my favorite writers), and Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane (one of my plain-old favorites). Bill also interviewed James Carville--who I can take or leave--but it was an entertaining interview.

New Rules was again kind of breezy until Bill got to the final one, which is pretty great. Take a look.

Brent Bozell, Right-Wing Crank, Hates Family Guy

Image from source, "News"Busters

I'm still playing a bit of catch-up after my trip. Here's a hysterical take on Family Guy by right-wing nutcase, Brent Bozell. And I mean "hysterical" in both senses of the word. There is no reasoning with Bozell, but it is worth pointing out that there is a parental advisory before each episode of Family Guy (and American Dad! for that matter). Oh, and while I don't find everything about the show the greatest thing ever on TV, it does have inspired moments, and picks on everything and everybody fairly equally. Oh, and Seth MacFarlane is a genius.

[Excerpt]

Bozell Column: Fox's 'Comedic Genius'

Our cosmopolitan elites have embraced the smutty Fox cartoon "Family Guy." A month ago, oh-so-sophisticated National Public Radio used their parody song "Everybody Poops" to report on Julius Genachowski, the incoming chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Perhaps it was NPR’s way of welcoming in an Obama appointee who everyone expects will "lighten up" at the FCC and let Hollywood go wild with its "poetic license. . ."

Read more (if you dare) at: "News"Busters

Seth MacFarlane's Hulu Ad

Family Guy was slow to grow on me, but I was eventually a convert. I was actually an American Dad! fan before I warmed to it. The Other Half was even slower to take to the offbeat, outrageous humor, but is now a rabid fan. So, I was delighted to see the new Hulu ad by FG & AD! creator/producer/writer/voice actor Seth MacFarlane. It's the latest in a series, where stars of NBC and FOX TV shows openly shill for the video service in a most humorous (and offbeat) way.



Previously:

Eliza Dushku's Alien Hulu Commercial

Steelers Win, Whoop-de-do! (Alec Baldwin's Hulu Commercial)

Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane on Olbermann

It's weird when favorite media figures from completely different spheres appear in one place. But that's what happened tonight on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Seth MacFaralane, creator/writer/voice actor of Family Guy, American Dad! and the upcoming The Cleveland Show was on to talk about all of the strange utterances coming from the GOP these days. Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher is featured for saying to a conservative crowd that they make him horny.

It's good stuff, and it's fun to watch Seth doing Stewie Griffin's voice. Enjoy.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Family Guy Excites Parents Television Council

Image from source, Voenix Rising

It's a long way from FOX "News" to FOX TV.

The Parents Television Council (shouldn't there be an apostrophe in there somewhere?) is one of those fussbudget, up-in-your-business groups that exists solely to complain about things. It's actually surprising that they didn't work the word "family" into their name to better fit in with other complaining, hateful groups.

The PTC has set their whiny attention on FOX TV's Family Guy. This is a program that has pushed (and broken) the boundaries of taste for its entire history. But this weekend they got a little too gay for the PTC. And "teh gay" is a surefire way to get a group like this to pull out all stops.

[Excerpt]

Family Guy Gay Orgy Incites Parents' Ire

Fox's controversial Family Guy has angered parents again, this time with storylines concerning bestiality, gay orgies, and babies swallowing semen. . .

Read more at: The Advocate

But the best part is creator/producer/voice actor Seth MacFarlane's response:

"Oh, yeah. That’s like getting hate mail from Hitler. They’re literally terrible human beings. I’ve read their newsletter, I’ve visited their website, and they’re just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Christian values—I mean, I’m an atheist, so what do I know?—they spend their entire day hating people. They can all suck my d**k as far as I’m concerned.”

Source: Voenix Rising

Seth MacFarlane Sings on Talk Show

Since MadTV was cancelled, I've been watching the local news while waiting for Saturday Night Live to start. But weekend news is usually a snooze-fest, so the last couple of weeks, I've tuned back into FOX, and have found a new show called Talk Show with Spike Feresten.

I've never heard of Feresten before, but he's apparently a former writer for Seinfeld. Anyway, the last couple of weeks, he's done some great counter-programming, by interviewing great guests just as SNL is getting ready to start. This week, it was Seth MacFarlane, the creator/writer/voice artist of Family Guy and American Dad! I was impressed that Talk Show played up the resemblance between McFarlane and Christopher Knight (Peter Brady of The Brady Bunch)--something I've noted here on the blog. And I was even more impressed by the (really dirty) song that Seth sang.

I couldn't get just the singing clip anywhere, but here is the entire show, if you're interested, with the song starting at about 22 minutes in. Enjoy.

Separated at Birth: Seth MacFarlane and Christopher Knight

This is just a frivolous post to point out something I noticed (likely others have too). I was reading about Seth MacFarlane, the creator/writer/voice of Family Guy, American Dad! and the upcoming Cleveland Show. I found it most interesting that he was booked on American Flight 11 on September 11, 2001, but missed the flight both due to bad information and a hangover.

While his cartoons have their critics, I'm a fan of both, and think it's amazing how close we came to barely knowing who he is. McFarlane seems to take it in stride, and it is true that we all come close to death many times in our lives (probably more often than we know). This is just one of those times that was huge.

Anyway, that all has absolutely nothing to do with Christopher Knight of The Brady Bunch. It's just a little window into how my brain works. Knight has turned a kid's sitcom from the 70s into a life-long career, with nearly all of his fame based on that one silly show. Or rather, one silly show, countless spinoffs and reality show tie-ins. But Knight, like McFarlane seems pretty affable too, and doesn't seem to take himself very seriously (and he was terrific on Celebrity Circus!). While I know they don't look exactly alike, they do look more alike than the various girls who stood in for the Brady sisters in all those various spinoffs!

Other Separated at Birth Posts:

Sarah Palin Looks Like?
Featured Blog: Totally Looks Like (Cindy McCain and Borg Queen from Star Trek) Cindy McCain Plagiarizes Recipes? (Cindy McCain and Jane Badler, Diana of V)
Separated at Birth: John McCain & Lon Chaney, Sr.
Horrible Monster or Presidential Candidate? (Fred Thompson and Movie Monsters)
Separated at Birth: Obscure Celebrity Edition
Sean Hannity & Lou Costello Separated at Birth

Family Guy's Brian Endorses Barack Obama!

Gotta love those cartoon creations on FOX. They routinely bite the hand that feeds them. What, you didn't know that Rupert Murdoch and his vast empire (most prominently, FOX "News") favor John McCain? Then you haven't been paying attention.

Now, I suppose it's possible that this video is a bootleg, and that Seth MacFarlane isn't actually voicing Brian Griffin, the dog from Family Guy. But if it is an impersonated voice, it's very, very good. Enjoy.