Posted on 10/02/2010 9:34:08 AM PDT by raccoonradio
Rush On Why He Agreed To Family Guy Starring Role
*** EXCLUSIVE LIMBAUGH INTERVIEW ***
While Rush Limbaugh is more than accustomed to incoming flak from the left, criticism from the right is a bit less common. A starring role in an episode of Family Guy, however, has turned the usual order of things upside down.
Due to air Sunday October 3, the plot centers around Limbaugh's "conversion" of far-left Brian, which subsequently goes awry:
When Brian learns that Rush Limbaugh (guest-voicing as himself) is going to be at the Quahog Mall for a book-signing, he decides to go down there and give him a piece of his left-wing mind. But when Rush unexpectedly comes to Brian’s rescue, Brian has a political change of heart in the all-new “Excellence in Broadcasting” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Oct. 3 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX
While this does have the potential to reach a large new audience not normally part of Rush's demographic, some conservatives are less than happy about his association with the Hollywood left. From Daniel Foster at National Review Online:
It is to Mr. Limbaugh’s credit that he can make fun of himself. But Seth MacFarlane, the whiskey-soaked Dada creator of Family Guy, is responsible for more sophomoric cartooning than the combined patrons of America’s truck stop and dive bar bathrooms. His shows are full of misanthropic, misogynist, racist, and anti-Semitic jokes admixed with just enough ironic distance and liberal cheerleading to stave off the blanket condemnation of the PC Left.
So, as someone who has in the past suggested that if MacFarlane really cared about liberal causes, he’d stop associating himself with them, I can only look at the Limbaugh-MacFarlane mash-up with a wary eye.
With that in mind, your Radio Equalizer asked Limbaugh for insight into his decision to appear on a notorious lefty program:
RADIO EQUALIZER: Rush, I'm getting emails asking why you're appearing "on that disgusting program."
My answer to one: He's reaching out to millions of young people who've only heard horrible things about him. He needs to lure them to the talk radio medium or we will eventually be winding it all down for good. These kids live in a world where that kind of content is all around them. The only way to reach out is to enter their environment long enough to invite them to our side.
RUSH LIMBAUGH: Exactly right. (It's the) same reason I did the Playboy interview in 1993. Same reason I took the Rush to Excellence Tour to a Vegas hotel. It's called crossover.
And this episode is not disgusting. It's hilarious. It's a CARTOON.
RADIO EQUALIZER: Did you get a lot of flak at the time for the Playboy interview? Similar to this? A question I've received: "why's he helping lefty Hollywood types who hate us?"
RUSH LIMBAUGH: Yes, I did. And on other occasions I can't recall. This is my third Family Guy but first as the star. Seth MacFarlane doesn't hate me. Or Andrew Breitbart, who he met on Maher's show and really liked.
Besides, it was a new career challenge, a new experience. It was a LOT of work. I sing, and I'm deaf! Getting the melody down was next to impossible. It was challenging on many levels. And it is an unpredictable thing to do. It will stymie critics. I'm a performer. This was fun. Seth wants to do even more.
Seth was among the FIRST to reach out to me in Hawaii when I had that heart scare. I am not helping the Hollywood Left. His show is going to be on the air regardless what I do.
BUT, the better way to look at this is that they bent for me. I did not bend to them. It's not as though I endorse or support libs on this show. The other way around. A huge lib character becomes a conservative.
RADIO EQUALIZER: Thanks, Rush, we'll be watching.
Talk radio is trying to appeal to some younger listeners—in some cases simulcasting or moving to FM (AM? What’s that). Rush has listeners on the Right to be sure but I’m sure some moderates and liberals tune in, even if he makes them mad. As I like to say:
CALLER: “I just want to say I think you’re disgusting.”
HOST: “Really? And how often do you listen to me?”
CALLER: “Every day”
(cash register: ka-ching!)
Some stations like WXKS (1200) Boston and WRNO (99.5) New Orleans have dubbed themselves Rush Radio and carry
shows like El Rushbo, Beck, Hannity, Levin, etc. The
“Rush Radio!” jingle rocks and the man who helped save
AM and talk radio booms forth, “How’s that hope and change workin’ out for you?”
http://rushradio1200.com/main.html
Hope this gets Rush and conservative talk radio more
listeners.
Things are a-changin. Yesterday, I was talking with a very liberal friend (who is gay, in the theater, the whole nine yards) and he said, “not that I want to sound like a conservative or anything, but...” and then went into a spiel that could have practically made him a mini-Rush.
I think Bambi’s radicalism has made even goofy liberal people suddenly realize that the left is not unicorns and flowers but is a vicious, tyrannical thing, in alliance with Islam, ready to crush us all and wipe out everything that is good in life.
Also probably tickles Limbaugh to say in character and ironically, things that his ememies have accused him of for years but can’t prove (because they’re wrong) - sexist, homophobe etc.
Probably will leave them foaming at the mouth.
I have not had TV since 1997, but I’ve been exposed to family guy. It contains some of the most disgusting, and some of the funniest, stuff I have ever seen. I have very strong mixed emotions about the show, similar to how I felt about The Simpsons.
As will all of mankind, I try to throw out the crap and appreciate the good stuff. I’ve now watched a few episodes on hulu. One of the funny exchanges is here:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/148113/family-guy-meeting-quagmires-dad
Sorry, but I was rolling over that one.
Auto spell correct, eh? One episode had them watching Wheel of Fortune and the message was MY HAIRY _UNT. Of course
the missing letter was not a consonant but a vowel:
MY HAIRY AUNT. Was reminded of that.
It can be funny, it can preach lefty stuff but sometimes
they throw a bone to us—as does the Simpsons. One ep. showed a Fox News van pulling up somewhere and it’s blaring (song) “Celebrate good times, c’mon!” (just after Bush’s re-election) To the left, it was “hey, look they’re biased.”
To me, it was “hey, damn right. Celebrate, man!”
I think the show is 90% disgusting so it will take Rush some shaking to get brian’s doo off his shoe. Yeh, brian isn’t even the dog. I guess meg will turn into O’Donnell at some point, big leftie yuck yuck. It’s quicksand but not sand.
Do people really watch that garbage?
On the bias thing. I plugged a wire into the back of my tv to watch the election results after midnight during the 2000 election. You remember, everyone was watching Florida. ;)
Anyway, the anchor man (i forget which network but it was not Dan Rather) was alone and looking like the morning after a drinking binge as he rambled on and on about nothing, trying to fill air time. Then he suddenly got excited and said, “We got Florida!”
Yeah, the news had just come in that Gore was the winner. ‘Cept he wasn’t. ;)
The “oops” moment cracked me up though. We? WE?!!!
And the rest is history... :)
Family Guy? Trash! This is a mark on Rush’s brand in my opinion.(I love Rush,,,can’t stand it when I can’t listen)
OMG, I laughed.
I agree, the show will either HIGHLY OFFEND ME or make me laugh til I hurt!
THis one was funny as well.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/149845/family-guy-would-you-rather
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