A Star Is Born-Again
Encyclopedia
"A Star Is Born Again" is the 13th episode
from The Simpsons
' fourteenth season
, which first aired on March 2, 2003. The episode owes much of its plot to Notting Hill
(1999). While that film is about an actress (Julia Roberts
) finding happiness with the owner of an independent bookstore
, the Simpsons episode features Hollywood movie star Sara Sloane (Marisa Tomei
) falling for Ned Flanders
after visiting the Leftorium.
This is the only Simpsons episode in which the same person has been accredited with two different names, where James L. Brooks
is credited as the Executive Producer and Executive Creative Consultant, and again as Jim Brooks as a Special Guest Voice.
becomes depressed because he is alone. The other adults have partners with whom to spend a romantic evening at the Jellyfish Cotillion, and this is Ned's first festival without his wife Maude.
Ned returns to the Leftorium to work on his taxes and take his mind off things. There he meets a beautiful woman (voiced by Marisa Tomei
), who is after a pair of left-handed eyelash curler
s. After chatting to Ned she asks him out on a date. After she leaves Ned notices a movie poster with the woman's face on it: she is movie star, Sara Sloane (who once dated Rainier Wolfcastle but broke up with him because of the way he spoke).
Sara and Ned hit it off, with Sara loving Ned's simple, quaint lifestyle and honesty. They go on several dates and encounter some problems, especially from tabloid
reporters following them. Also, Sara is more uninhibited than Ned, causing some tension.
When her movie wrap
s, Sara asks Ned to return to Hollywood with her. Ned has a horrible dream about the evils of Hollywood in a sequence that includes a cameo by series producer James L. Brooks
, and also the "Hollywood" sign
reading "Hollyweird", and refuses. Sara therefore tries staying in Springfield
, to be with Ned. She slowly starts settling in with the locals, joining Marge's
book club (where author Helen Fielding
makes a brief appearance) and going shopping with Ned.
At a concert, to which Sara wears a low-cut dress, Sara tells Ned she wants to have sex with him. Ned eventually relents, but insists on marriage if they are to continue a sexual relationship. Sara is unwilling to get married, and they break up and she returns to Hollywood. She gets a quickie marriage and divorce to Bob Balaban
. Ned finds that he is now more attractive to women because of his famous relationship. Homer and Marge congratulate him, then try to avoid Helen Fielding as she is being chased by policemen.
named Marisa Tomei
's role as Sara Sloane as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
from The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
The Simpsons (season 14)
The fourteenth season of the animated television series The Simpsons was originally broadcast on the Fox network in the United States between November 3, 2002 and May 18, 2003. The show runner for the fourteenth production season was Al Jean, who executive produced 21 of 22 episodes. The other...
, which first aired on March 2, 2003. The episode owes much of its plot to Notting Hill
Notting Hill (film)
Notting Hill is a 1999 British romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London, released on 21 May 1999. The screenplay was by Richard Curtis, who had written Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy and directed by Roger Michell...
(1999). While that film is about an actress (Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
) finding happiness with the owner of an independent bookstore
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
, the Simpsons episode features Hollywood movie star Sara Sloane (Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
) falling for Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
after visiting the Leftorium.
This is the only Simpsons episode in which the same person has been accredited with two different names, where James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
is credited as the Executive Producer and Executive Creative Consultant, and again as Jim Brooks as a Special Guest Voice.
Plot
During the annual Jellyfish Festival, which welcomes back the Stinging Red Jellyfish to the shores of Springfield, Ned FlandersNed Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
becomes depressed because he is alone. The other adults have partners with whom to spend a romantic evening at the Jellyfish Cotillion, and this is Ned's first festival without his wife Maude.
Ned returns to the Leftorium to work on his taxes and take his mind off things. There he meets a beautiful woman (voiced by Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
), who is after a pair of left-handed eyelash curler
Eyelash curler
An eyelash curler is a hand-operated mechanical device for curling eyelashes for cosmetic purposes. Usually only the upper eyelashes are curled. Before using, the device can be shortly heated with hair dryer, but not to the extent to burn the delicate skin above the eyes...
s. After chatting to Ned she asks him out on a date. After she leaves Ned notices a movie poster with the woman's face on it: she is movie star, Sara Sloane (who once dated Rainier Wolfcastle but broke up with him because of the way he spoke).
Sara and Ned hit it off, with Sara loving Ned's simple, quaint lifestyle and honesty. They go on several dates and encounter some problems, especially from tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
reporters following them. Also, Sara is more uninhibited than Ned, causing some tension.
When her movie wrap
Wrap (filmmaking)
Wrap is a phrase used by the director in the early days of the film industry to signal the end of filming. Nowadays, the call is more commonly "that's a wrap!"...
s, Sara asks Ned to return to Hollywood with her. Ned has a horrible dream about the evils of Hollywood in a sequence that includes a cameo by series producer James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
, and also the "Hollywood" sign
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
reading "Hollyweird", and refuses. Sara therefore tries staying in Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
, to be with Ned. She slowly starts settling in with the locals, joining Marge's
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
book club (where author Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding
Helen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...
makes a brief appearance) and going shopping with Ned.
At a concert, to which Sara wears a low-cut dress, Sara tells Ned she wants to have sex with him. Ned eventually relents, but insists on marriage if they are to continue a sexual relationship. Sara is unwilling to get married, and they break up and she returns to Hollywood. She gets a quickie marriage and divorce to Bob Balaban
Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
. Ned finds that he is now more attractive to women because of his famous relationship. Homer and Marge congratulate him, then try to avoid Helen Fielding as she is being chased by policemen.
Cultural references
- This episode is largely a parody of the 1999 film Notting HillNotting Hill (film)Notting Hill is a 1999 British romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London, released on 21 May 1999. The screenplay was by Richard Curtis, who had written Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy and directed by Roger Michell...
. - The episode title is a play on the 1937 film A Star Is BornA Star Is Born (1937 film)A Star Is Born is a 1937 Technicolor romantic drama film produced by David O. Selznick and directed by William A. Wellman, with a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as an aging movie star who...
. - The little song Ned sings when he first meets Miss Sloane at the Leftorium, "I've got a date with a girl with no name", goes along to the tune of "A Horse With No NameA Horse with No Name“A Horse with No Name” is a song written by Dewey Bunnell and originally recorded by the band America. It was the band's first and most successful single, released in early 1972, topping the charts in several countries...
" by AmericaAmerica (band)America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
. - When Helen FieldingHelen FieldingHelen Fielding is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, a sequence of novels and films that chronicle the life of a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life and love.Her novels Bridget Jones's...
runs around being chased by bobbiesPoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and a man in a gorilla suit following the book club meeting and the end of the episode, it is an homage to the UK sketch comedy The Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
. The music featured in the sequence is "Yakety SaxYakety Sax"Yakety Sax" is a piece of music written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and popularized by saxophonist Boots Randolph.The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
", the music used in that series. - Debussy's "Arabesque No. 1Arabesques (Debussy)The Two Arabesques , L. 66, is a pair of arabesques composed by Claude Debussy. They are two of Debussy's earliest works, composed between the years 1888 and 1891, when he was still in his twenties....
" and "Clair de Lune" were used as the background music for several scenes. - A CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
-crowScarecrowA scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
is used to distract the tabloid press. Cher's song "Gypsys, Tramps & ThievesGypsys, Tramps & Thieves"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is the first single released by Cher for the album of the same name, her seventh solo album. It was her first chart-topper as a solo artist in the United States.-Song information:...
" plays in the background. - Ned says that Sara's movie is starting to get like "SpongeBob NoPants", a reference to the television show SpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePantsSpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
. - The poster outside Ned's store is one for a movie called "My Best Friend's Gay Baby", a reference to another Julia Roberts film, My Best Friend's WeddingMy Best Friend's WeddingMy Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by P. J. Hogan. It stars Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Philip Bosco.The film received mostly positive reviews from critics...
. - Sara Sloane's three hour marriage is a reference to short Hollywood marriages.
Reception
In a 2008 article, Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
named Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
's role as Sara Sloane as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on The Simpsons.
External links
- "A Star Is Born Again" at The Simpsons.com