Brian Does Hollywood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Family Guy Episode | |
|---|---|
| "Brian Does Hollywood" | |
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| Episode no.: | 30 |
| Prod. code: | 2ACX20 |
| Airdate: | July 18, 2001 |
| Writer(s): | Gary Janetti |
| Director: | Gavin Dell |
| Guest star(s): | Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy and Ray Liotta |
"Brian Does Hollywood" is an episode of Family Guy. Guest starring Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy and Ray Liotta as themselves.
[edit] Plot summary
The episode continues where "The Thin White Line" left off," introduced with a "Previously on Family Guy..." sequence, which is often used on TV episodes that pick up where the last left off, showing action-packed events which never actually occurred, parodying Hollywood thrillers.
To pursue his screenwriting ambition, Brian moves to Los Angeles, California, where he stays with his gay cousin Jasper. After menial jobs, such as waiter and car washer, he lands a director job for pornographic movies.
Stewie auditions for Kids Say the Darndest Things in order to unleash a mind control device, and the family goes to Los Angeles, forcing Brian to keep up appearances. On Kids Say the Darndest Things, host Bill Cosby grabs Stewie's device and unwittingly foils his plot.
Jasper tells the Griffins the truth about Brian's job, and Peter and Lois arrive at the Woodies (the porn version of the Oscars) just in time for Brian to accept his award.
[edit] Notes
- The actual annual awards ceremony for the American pornographic film industry is the Adult Video News Awards.
- Woody nominees for best musical score include Walter Murphy and Ron Jones, both of whom have scored Family Guy episodes.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title of this episode is a reference to the 1978 pornographic film Debbie Does Dallas.
- Much of the plot concerns the family’s attempts to get Stewie on the Bill Cosby program Kids Say the Darndest Things.
- The opening montage of scenes “previously on Family Guy” (although none of them actually were) parody typical cliffhanger endings in American dramas and action television series. Various trademark settings and characters are featured, e.g. the pastel suits that Peter and Cleveland wear whilst driving a speedboat around a 'Miami-like' environment is an obvious homage to the 80's television show Miami Vice, while Brian's remark that "everyone [he's] told about the brief is dead" is a reference to The Pelican Brief.
- Brian waiters at the Hollywood party. Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Whoopi Goldberg, Keanu Reeves, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson, Dennis Rodman, and Madonna are all seen or said to be present.
- A flashback shows that Peter used to live with mass murderer Charles Manson’s “family.” Peter tells them he got an invitation to a party at Sharon Tate’s house. Manson and his followers murdered Tate and four others in 1969.
- Stewie uses his Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy dolls to practice his future exploits as a supervillain.
- While working at a car wash, Brian runs into then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner who gives him a Mickey Mouse hat with "Brian" on it and says "See you at Disneyland...bring money!".
- A man impersonating Jack Nicholson calls Brian.
- Brian sees two dated movie magazines on Jasper’s coffee table, one featuring Val Kilmer and the other Kevin Costner. Apparently he considers Val Kilmer a slightly better actor than Costner.
- Jasper makes a pun on the title of the series Sex and the City.
- Meg’s star map shows “the actual gutter where the policeman fell over laughing when Eddie Murphy told them he was just giving the transvestite a ride home,” referring to the notorious 1997 incident.
- While talking with a producer, Brian mentions that Halle Berry would “be perfect” for one of the roles in his script.
- The Griffins dine at the Musso & Frank Grill, an actual Hollywood attraction[1]. Brian is correct that writers Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner dined there. Peter wonders where the screenwriter of the 1982 sex comedy Porky's frequented.
- While on the line with his phone company, Peter hears the 1977 Barry Manilow hit “Looks Like We Made It.”
- Porn star Jenna Jameson performs in Brian’s film. She voices herself. Additionally, mainstream actor Samuel L. Jackson is also in the cast as a callback to Chris' comment "I'll bet Samuel L. Jackson is here. He's in everything."
- On the set of Brian's film, Stewie asks: "Does anyone else smell Astroglide?", a reference to a lubricant commonly used in pornographic movies.
- The producer compares the porn he’s hired Brian to direct to the 1973 drama Bang the Drum Slowly, “except the drum is a chick.”
- Peter is beaten by the Los Angeles Police Department in a manner similar to Rodney King, though it seems that he asked them to beat him as a photo opportunity.
- In flashback Peter remembers driving his car onto the stage of the musical CATS during a performance, runs over Munkustrap, then reacts as if he'd just run over an actual cat on the street.
- Stewie refuses to believe his hair stylist when he claims that actor Rob Lowe is heterosexual.
- While hypnotized by Bill Cosby, Stewie says Cosby’s film "Ghost Dad was the greatest movie since Leonard Part 6," another Cosby film. He also says he likes pudding; Cosby was the spokesperson for Jell-O Pudding.
- Jasper tries to convince Brian that the Griffins still love him despite the fact that he made “a few crappy movies,” arguing that actress Blythe Danner still loves daughter Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Brian sees Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa hosting a “red carpet show” before the Woodies for the cable network E!, although later he sees that their microphones and cameras are not plugged-in.
- Brian’s porno films Add Momma to the Train, The Purple Head of Cairo, You’ve Got Male Genitalia, and Shaving Private Ryan are spoofs of actual films Throw Momma from the Train, The Purple Rose of Cairo, You've Got Mail and Saving Private Ryan.
- John Williams, known for writing the scores for films such as Jurassic Park, Jaws, Star Wars and Superman: The Movie, is nominated for Best Score in an Adult Film, as well as Family Guy composers Ron Jones and Walter Murphy. Williams is nominated for a lavish orchestral score (one of Williams' trademarks) whereas the Jones and Murphy scores are performed on synthesizer.
[edit] Trivia
- When Peter, Lois, and Stewie are waiting their turn at the audition for Kids Say the Darndest Things, Peter wears three different outfits in three shots. In the first shot, he wears a blue suit with a red tie and white shirt. In the second shot, he wears the same suit except it's all black and grey. In the third shot, he wears his normal white collared shirt with green slacks.
[edit] References
- S. Callaghan, "Brian Does Hollywood." Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1-3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 132 - 135.
- A. Delarte, "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 3" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, 2.August 2005: 35 - 37 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Au.pdf
| Preceded by: "The Thin White Line (1)" |
Family Guy Episodes | Followed by: "Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington" |
