[QUOTE=Fern Forest]
I also enjoy Out Of Jimmy’s Head. Everything is so stupid and the show takes nothing whatsoever as serious that it’s really funny. I love the moron dad and the crazy friend with his schemes like counterfeit soda. The only part I don’t like are the animated characters he sees. I wish they’d get rid of them.
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Out of Jimmy’s Head is entertaining, but the TV-movie that inspired it, Re-Animated, was even more so. The film sets up the basic premise, and spoofs a lot of the Walt Disney mythology and the “Walt is frozen” legend- after an injury at Gollyworld, Jimmy needed a brain transplant. The only brain available was that of the park’s founder, animation legend Milt Appleday, played in “archival footage” by Fred Willard. Now, Jimmy is able to see Appleday’s famous characters, which causes a lot of problems. Mainly because Appleday’s brother has moved in with his family in an attempt to get the brain back.
Another “good TV-movie leads to mediocre series” is, in my opinion, The Naked Brothers Band. The independently produced movie (originally self-released at a film festival) was a very funny, This Is Spinal Tap-style parody story about the formation, breaking up, and re-formation of a rock band…with kids. Although I’m sure you’d find Polly Draper’s picture in the dictionary if you looked up “nepotism,” there were some very funny jokes poking fun at the stereotypical problems rock bands go through from a kid point of view and some amusing celebrity cameos (one band member gets angry because his song is rejected, not realizing the song is just Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with new lyrics; one of the band members gets addicted to Sprite and becomes a sodaholic, eventually getting “sober” after being introduced to milk by Tony Shaloub), as well as some very funny lines (“Don’t say ‘Jesus!’ He was the greatest president we ever had!” “I’m fortified by milk!”) Albie Hecht, the former head of Viacom’s cable division, and now an independent producer, liked the movie and sold the franchise as a series to Nickelodeon. The series has the same mockumentary tone, but for some reason lacks the style and humor of the film. However, I’m not ashamed to say that I find Nathaniel Wolff’s original music for both the film and show very well-written and damn catchy. That’s one talented kid. (Despite the mediocre scriptwriting- well, except for High School Musical 2, which was pretty damn deep for a Disney film- I’m also not afraid to say that I love the original music written for modern Disney franchises, such as Hannah Montana and the High School Musical TV-movies. I’m still convinced that Matthew Girard and Robbie “Ces’t La Vie” Nevil are this generation’s Richard and Robert Sherman.)
When was Josh Peck skinny pre-diet regimen? When he was on The Amanda Show? I seem to recall Peck being extremely fat when the series began, then losing weight during a regimen of diet and exercise. The change is amazing. (My mom and I both like Drake and Josh, as well as Dan “I was on Head of the Class” Schneider’s current project, iCarly, starring Drake’s Miranda Cosgrove.
