TVSquad

Christmas isn't just about hanging stockings, decorating the tree, buying presents, burning the Yule log and cleaning the vomit off your roof from airsick reindeer. Sometimes it's about shooting your wife and son in the face and sawing through your son's skull, or so animator David Firth imagines in this graphic animated Christmas card (extreme cartoon violence, so be warned). This was supposed to appear on the BBC Four program Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipe, but Brooker rejected it. Firth has apparently made animated shorts for the series before, but this one wasn't family-friendly enough according to Brooker. Like Firth says, more people will probably see it on the Web, anyway. I figured I'd help that along and mention it here, because it really is quite funny if you have a twisted sense of humor.

[via Cold, Hard Flash]

(S01E01) This is an early review.

Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, the brains behind the sorely missed Sealab 2021, just might have another praise worthy series on their hands with Frisky Dingo. The series will focus on a struggle between good and evil as the murderous Killface faces off against super hero Awesome-X. In the premiere episode, we're introduced to Killface, but not Awesome-X, though we do get a glimpse of the mailbox of his alter ego, Xander Crews in the last scene.

I've said it here many times, and I'll say it again. I would much rather have Adult Swim offer a variety of choices even if that means some of the shows don't turn me on personally, as opposed to only offering programs I enjoy. Furthermore, Adult Swim does what many networks don't do, which is allow shows time to find an audience. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't, but the end result is more choices, and that's never a bad thing.

I'm a huge admirer of Peanuts, both the comic strip and the television specials, but I also love to see them satirized. Mad Magazine always had funny parodies of the Peanuts gang, usually having them behave more "adult" than they did at the hand of Charles Schulz. The Simpsons also poked fun at Charlie Brown and his friends on more than one occasion. Matt Groening is actually a Peanuts fan, too, which always seemed to make those moments even funnier.

If you're wondering what Peanuts would be like if the gang had weapons and an insatiable urge to maim and kill one another, I invite you to check out "Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown." This is an old student film from Cal Arts, and I noticed that the name "Jeff Pidgeon" appears in the credits, which is also the name of someone who works at Pixar. I don't think it's a coincidence, but I sent Jeff an e-mail for verification and I'll update this post when I get confirmation, though I'm ninety-nine percent sure it is him. Also, somebody contacted Boing Boing, where I found this video, to inform them that the names of two Simpsons directors, Jim Reardon and Rich Moore, also appear in the credits.

Update: I received a message from Jeff Pidgeon, confirming his involvement with the project: "It is! Jim and I went to school together. I did the wah-wah voice of the Great Pumpkin."

(S06E08) Me fail English? That's unpossible! -Ralph Wiggum

I have a friend who hates what he calls "Lisa episodes" of The Simpsons. It's a good-natured disagreement he and I have had for a long time, because I absolutely love "Lisa episodes." Almost every story ever written has a character that most reflects the writer's own personality, and I think Lisa is, to many of The Simpsons writers, exactly that character. She's the quiet, beleaguered outcast cursed to live in a completely illogical world; the only one who can clearly see the jive bullsh*t that is the guiding ethos of those around her.

A school assembly is held at the beginning of the episode, and Lisa learns she's failing gym. Her teacher says she won't fail Lisa as long as Lisa takes up a sport outside of school. After failed attempts at basketball and volleyball, she joins a rival hockey team opposite Bart's team when it's revealed she has a natural talent as a goalie. Milhouse, on the other hand, does not, even after being tied to the goal.

Okay, I can't be the only one out there wondering what the heck is up with Stroker and Hoop, one of my favorite shows on Adult Swim. There haven't been any reruns on lately that I know of, and I've heard nothing about a new season. However, Adult Swim still has it listed on its list of shows, and the page for the series still exists, too. If you check out TV.com, they have it listed as a "returning series" which is a good sign, I guess. Still, I wish someone who's in the know would let us Stroker and Hoop fans know that the heck is going on. It's sometimes difficult for shows on Adult Swim to stand out, I think, but this one did with its cool 1970s look and hilarious cartoon violence.

UPDATE: The show isn't coming back. Special thanks to Dino Stamatopoulos for the info.