TVSquad

The popularity of SpongeBob SquarePants amongst kids (and many adults) is almost beyond explanation.

Don't get me wrong. It's a fun show that skillfully blends little kid appeal with occasional bursts of adult-worthy humor. It also boasts an impressive voice cast, including Tom Kenny and Clancy Brown. But there are kids who can't live without this little tie-clad yellow blob.

To celebrate the little champ's tenth birthday, Nickelodeon has announced SpongeBob's 10th Anniversary Celebration (Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.) with a list of A-list celebrities, including Rosario Dawson, Craig Ferguson, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, LeBron James, Pink, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and Robin Williams.

That impressive collection will appear in an hour-long special featuring SpongeBob flashbacks.

The special is hosted by Patchy the Pirate, "President of the SpongeBob Fan Club (Encino Chapter)." He sets off for Burbank -- home of Nickelodeon. (It's on Olive, near Victory -- in case you were wondering.)

With Arrested Development, Mitchell Hurwitz went through the ringer with critical support, winning awards, and grassroots campaigns to convince Fox to keep the show on the air that ultimately failed. So what does Hurwitz do for a follow-up? He takes some of the same cast (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman), goes back to the same network (Fox), and back to an idea he had before Arrested hit the airwaves.

The new show is Sit Down, Shut Up, an animated series that debuts April 19th at 8:30 PM, in between The Simpsons and Family Guy.

"It's funny, this is a show that I actually wrote in the year 2000, and it was an adaptation of a live-action show from Australia," Hurwitz said in a recent conference call. "I kind of kept it in the drawer for a long time, and finally brought it out, mostly because I needed money, which - I enjoy money, and I also use it for all sorts of different things in my life, but mostly for food and shelter."

It's 'toon news time. Here's some stuff my fellow animation freaks might find interesting:

• First off, thanks to reader Ytoabn for telling us about the Frederator Films, a new animation studio (spun off from Frederator Studios) that has a Samurai Jack feature film slated as one of its first projects. Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky will write and direct the movie.
• The Onion's AV Club has two cool interviews with fans of new and not-so-new 'toons: Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi and Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants (and many other voices).

Every Sunday throughout June and August, Tom Kenny (Mr. Show, SpongeBob SquarePants) will be hosting Funday Night at the Movies, a showcase of classic family films on Turner Classic Movies that both children and adults can enjoy. The weekly summer movie showcase will air at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday nights and feature the following films:

• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
• Bringing Up Baby (1938)
• Little Women (1949)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
• Oliver! (1968)
• Pride of the Yankees (1942)
• Shane (1953)
• Singin' in the Rain (1952)
• Sounder (1972)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
• The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Treasure Island (1934)
• 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1954)

And all through the house, a heck of a lot of voice talent was stirring ... even the ones who have a voice like a mouse. When was the last time you saw Eddie Deezen? It's probably been awhile, however he's been heard a lot -- most recently in Kim Possible. As far as all of the other voice over actors in this piece? Legendary. You've got everyone from The Unit's Dennis Haysbert to SpongeBob's Tom Kenny to Don LaFontaine, trailer announcer extraordinaire reading you this classic tale.

Gather around your computer, and warm everyone with this holiday classic. I can't imagine all of this VO talent assembling again, so enjoy it while you can.

All right, you SpongeBob SquarePants fanatics! Go ahead and mark Thursday, November 9th on your calendar, clear your schedule, and make sure your DVR is absolutely empty. Nickelodeon has announced a 45-episode SpongeBob marathon that will start at 8:00 pm on Thursday and end 24 hours later with a brand new episode. And you, rabid SquarePants fans, get a chance to vote on which episodes will air.

But, that's not all! Before the new SpongeBob episode (titled "Best Day Ever") airs a new song and video based on the episode will premiere on October 26th. Shortly afterward a new SpongeBob CD will be released featuring performances by Tommy Ramone and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. The CD will be produced by Tom Kenny, who is the voice of the lovable sponge.

So, if you want your voice to be heard this election year, go to Nickelodeon's new TurboNick website and select ten episodes you would like to see in the marathon. Then, sit back with a Krabby Patty and enjoy.

(S02E06) This is an early review, courtesy of Adult Swim Fix. The actually episode will air Sunday evening, as usual.

I never would have thought Robert Loggia and Tom Goes to the Mayor would be a good match, but his role in this episode as the owner of a waterbed store was just one of the things that made this episode probably the best one of the season so far. Loggia plays Lew, the owner of Lew's Waterbed Galleria, a store that's actually on the lake, so people don't pay local taxes. While Tom is hanging out on the boardwalk where the store is located, he runs into a street musician he calls "Saxman" (Tom Kenny). Saxman not only plays soprano saxophone, but he also plays a "digital chime box" with his feet. Tom loves the Saxman's music, and when he finds out the Saxman is going to be kicked off the boardwalk by Lew the waterbed man, Tom decides to let him stay in his front yard in a pup tent, even though his wife is out of town visiting her ex-husband and doesn't like Tom to have men over when she's away.