South Park Appreciation

[ono]

Comedy Central orders more 'South Park'

Why?

[Pas]

Because it's great.

[ono]

Oh.

[squints]

Tom Cruise should come out of the closet

[Gamblour.]

I didn't think it was that spectacular. Unless you didn't Scientology was a hoax, this episode didn't really come off as edgy. The closet joke was buried deep in the ground, and the best part was the retelling of Scientology's history with the "SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE THIS" on the screen, that was really funny. Everything else was kinda "ok, big deal?"

[squints]

The "Margarine" episode has been my favorite from this season...i always love seeing the Pet Cemetery guy and watching butters crying and playing with his hair in the bathroom saying "you said i was flat" made me laugh a lot

[Gold Trumpet]

I guess I'm the rightful person to post this.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=412127

Criterion....South Park....works for me.

Only if true.

[squints]

[MacGuffin]

Isaac Hayes Wants Out Of 'South Park' Due To Religious Jokes
Voice of Chef upset with show's 'growing insensitivity.'
Source: MTV

After nine seasons, more than 100 episodes and thousands of hot lunches served, Chef is apparently hanging up his apron and leaving the tiny town of South Park, Colorado.

Or at least the man who cooks up Chef's voice is. On Monday (March 13) Isaac Hayes — who's provided the booming baritone for "South Park" 's cafeteria employee and resident ladies' man since the show began in 1997 — released a statement announcing his desire to be released from his contract with "South Park," blaming the program's "growing insensitivity towards personal spiritual beliefs."

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," Hayes wrote in the statement. "Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil-rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

"South Park" has taken potshots at just about every religion (episodes include such titles as "Christian Rock Hard" and "All About the Mormons?"), but the breaking point for Hayes might have been "Trapped in the Closet," a November 2005 episode that makes several scathing attacks on Scientology, the religion he practices.

A spokesperson for Hayes confirmed to MTV News that the soul legend is a Scientologist but would not elaborate on whether or not the "Trapped in the Closet" episode had any impact on his decision to leave "South Park." Spokespeople for Comedy Central could not be reached for comment.

In an interview published in GQ earlier this year, show co-creator Trey Parker said, "To be honest, what kept us from [parodying Scientology] before was Isaac Hayes. We knew he is a Scientologist and he's an awesome guy. We were like, 'Let's just avoid that for now.' ... Finally, we just had to tell Isaac, 'Dude, we totally love working with you and this is nothing personal, it's just we're "South Park," and if we don't do this, we're belittling everything else we've ripped on.' "

The "Trapped" episode is slated to air again at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central. The 10th season of "South Park" begins March 22.

[The Red Vine]

sad to hear. Chef will never be the same.

[GoneSavage]

I would guess they will write him off rather than replace the voice.

10th season?  Never in a million years would I have guessed this would have lasted this long. 

[Garam]

They'll write him off like they did with those girl characters that were done by that woman that died. Chef was hardly ever used since South Park started becoming a current events satire show anyway.

[I Don't Believe in Beatles]

I don't know if this should go in this thread or the Tom Cruise one...

SCIENTOLOGIST TOM CRUISE BLACKMAILS VIACOM INTO PULLING THE "TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET" EPISODE OF SOUTH PARK

Sources from inside Paramount and South Park Studios report that parent company Viacom pulled last night's scheduled repeat of the high-rated "Trapped in the Closet" episode after the humorless Scientologist movie star Tom Cruise threatened to cancel all publicity for Mission Impossible:3 if Comedy Central aired the episode that satirizes Scientology and mocks his sexuality again.

Not only is this the first time that the South Park creators have been officially censored in their ten hit seasons with Comedy Central, Viacom officials also reportedly ordered Matt Stone and Trey Parker not to discuss the reason why their episode was cancelled.

The South Park boys are said to be angry, but will probably get revenge with the manner in which they deal with Scientologist Isaac Hayes' departure from the show.

http://hollywoodinterrupted.com/cblog/

[Pubrick]

I don't know if this should go in this thread or the Tom Cruise one...

SCIENTOLOGIST TOM CRUISE BLACKMAILS VIACOM INTO PULLING THE "TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET" EPISODE OF SOUTH PARK

haha seriously? if he hadn't said anything, everyone would have forgotten about the episode just like they've done with the million other topical gimmick episodes they've done in the past whatever years. the south park joke is that it's only relevant for a week and then you may as well never watch it again. it's funny for that week tho, but it's not sumthing tom cruise should give a shit about.

the reason no one can believe south park is up to 10 seasons is cos no one can even remember the last 7.

[MacGuffin]

'South Park'-Scientology Battle Rages On

"South Park" has declared war on Scientology. Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the animated satire, are digging in against the celebrity-endorsed religion after a controversial episode mocking outspoken Scientologist Tom Cruise was yanked abruptly from the schedule Wednesday — with an Internet report saying it was covert warfare by Cruise that led to its departure.

"So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun!" the "South Park" creators said in a statement Friday in Daily Variety. "Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies... You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail!"

The Internet blogger hollywoodinterrupted.com said Thursday that Cruise threatened to not promote "Mission: Impossible 3," a surefire summer blockbuster, if the offending episode ran. Comedy Central is owned by Viacom, as is Paramount, which is putting out the film.

But Cruise's representative, Arnold Robinson, told The Associated Press Friday that the mega-star made no such demands.

"Not true," Robinson said. "I can tell you that he never said that."

A call by The Associated Press to a Paramount representative was not returned Friday.

The episode in question, "Trapped in the Closet," which first aired last November, shows Scientology leaders hailing Stan, one of the show's four devilish fourth-graders, as a savior. A cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out. An animated John Travolta, another famous Scientologist, enters the closet to try to get him out.

The battle began in earnest earlier this week when Isaac Hayes, another celebrity Scientologist and longtime show member — voicing the ladies' man Chef — quit the show, saying he could no longer tolerate its religious "intolerance and bigotry."

Stone and Parker didn't buy that either.

On Monday, Stone told The Associated Press, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith in Scientology...He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

A Comedy Central spokesman said Friday that the network pulled the controversial episode to make room for two shows featuring Hayes.

"In light of the events of earlier this week, we wanted to give Chef an appropriate tribute by airing two episodes he is most known for," the spokesman said.