South Park Episode Guide: Super Best Friends
Posted on 07/14/2006 5:38:52 PM PDT by JR0tten
PASADENA, California (Hollywood Reporter) - The creators of "South Park" lambasted Comedy Central Thursday for removing an episode that lampooned Scientology and Tom Cruise from the network's repeat schedule and for blanking out the image of Muhammad during another episode.
"So there are two things we can't do on Comedy Central: show Muhammad or Tom Cruise," Trey Parker said during the MTV Networks portion of the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour.
Parker and Matt Stone said they had no doubt that the "Trapped in the Closet" episode was yanked as a result of Cruise's starring this summer in "Mission: Impossible III," the movie from Paramount, Comedy Central's sister company.
However, a Comedy Central spokesman countered that all episodes get rotated in and out of the schedule on a regular basis and indicated that it was always the plan to restore the episode into the schedule. The episode will repeat Wednesday.
Stone added that the duo chose not to grant any media interviews at the height of the controversy several months ago.
"We didn't do any press because we were just going to get in a pissing war with Tom Cruise, and we didn't want to be in the same article as that guy," he said. "But we picked the wrong guy to parody because we're going to be asked about Tom for the next two years."
They added that they have not been contacted by Scientology representatives but did sit down the week after the episode aired with a "very upset" Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist who portrayed the character of Chef. Hayes has since exited the show.
"We didn't want to be hypocrites," Parker said. "We thought it could piss Isaac off, but we had to do it for that very reason" of not being labeled hypocrites.
Regarding the decision not to air the image of Muhammad during the "Cartoon Wars" episode, the pair said it was a corporate decision that could become a slippery slope if other groups begin making threats and affecting content. They also noted that Muhammad seems to be off limits, while it is "open season" on Jesus, who happens to be a "South Park" character. (Depictions of Muhammad are strictly prohibited in Islam.)
Comedy Central president Doug Herzog admitted, "It's tough, but I think I would say we did overreact. ... Matt and Trey enjoy a fair amount of creative freedom. History might show that we overreacted, and we will live with that."
He added that the image probably will not be shown on the DVD version either, but "I look forward to the day when we can uncover it."
What's with this cr**? Let's see Muhammad!
Tom, you're not fooling anyone. Come out of the closet.
"Trey Parker...come out of the closet!"
He added that the image probably will not be shown on the DVD version either, but "I look forward to the day when we can uncover it."
Maybe when you get some b*lls
I would be surprised if the duo does not create a character that would represent Muhamed. Something like a character that always marbled out with some vague reference to who it really is.
I am beginning to think that one cannot show Muhammed's image....because he does not really exist....LOL!
Ping!
South Park Episode Guide: Super Best Friends
Remember the old invisible man moveis from the 50's? There was just empty space with objects moving around it to portray the invisible man.
Why can't they do that on Southpark? No image, just space.
(in the shape of a pig would be nice). Why can't they have a pet pig named Mohammed?
You Bastards!
It alarms me that someone took the time to find that out. It isn't like they were picking out MechaStreisand.
Thanks for all the links. The create your own was fun.
"Maybe when you get some b*lls"
Part of me is with you. Part of me knows that if I were in the same boat, I'd be hard pressed to walk. South Park is their bread and butter, Comedy Central is the gal that brung `em. I do think that I would have made a bigger stink about it, but I'm not them and I don't know their situation. I do know I would do my best to work in attacks on Islam just as they did on Scientology in the farewell to Chef, attacks that the network couldn't censor without looking completely anti-Muslim, and given their record, I expect it will happen.
The funny thing is that the noisier extremist Christian groups simply don't care any more. They have been stupidly bitching about South Park so long they miss the subtle messages from the network, and don't even get that Comedy Central has just made it clear that Christianity is fair game, but Islam is holy. If I were an extremist Christian, I would make a point of finding out who the Comedy Central executives were. Then I would do the same thing to them Islamists do to those who malign Porkhammud, making the networks fear to show Christ as much as they obviously fear to show Porkhammud now. It seems that no matter how many stories are run about the extremist Christian right, they're still not as f'in crazy as Islamists, at least, not so crazy enough as to fear making fun of their holy-of-holies on a national TV network as the networks fear to do with Porkhammud.
OK -- I had my DVR set to record the scientology episode Wed, night and got one from '99 instead. Was there a switcheroo, or did I have the wrong date?
It's Wed. July 19th. You've still got time ;o)
I think they mean Wednesday the 19th.
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