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Satirist Draws from Life for New Bush Cartoon
When Mr Bush appeared at the White House correspondents' dinner last year beside an impersonator, anyone other than those at the front tables had trouble telling who was who. A new cartoon due to go out last night on the US cable channel Comedy Central could pose the same dilemma.
Lil' Bush portrays the Bush administration as a gang of children - Lil' Bush, Lil' Condi and Lil' Cheney - running wild in the White House and worldwide.
Compare Lil' George speaking about his role in life - "I hate doing what I'm told. I want to be a decider" - with Mr Bush's: "My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision - if the job description were, what do you do, it's decision maker. And I make a lot of big ones and I make a lot of little ones."
Lil' Bush began life in the autumn as a series of short cartoons made specifically for mobile phones.
But the first of the made-for-televison episodes was due to reach a much wider audience last night with its debut on Comedy Central, which has about 90 million subscribers. It began with Lil' George visiting Iraq to hunt for some good news as a Father's Day present for dad, the first President Bush.
In the second episode Lil' Cheney, who bites the heads off chickens and sucks their blood, has an affair with Barbara Bush, with scenes that might be too crude for some tastes.
According to Donick Cary, creator of the new cartoon series, the transformation of Mr Bush into a cartoon character proved to be relatively easy: his short, simplistic and often confused statements helped.
Mr Cary, whose credits include the Simpsons, said: "Somehow, this president that we have lends himself to thinking in a simplistic, cartoony fashion. He's always been about soundbites, one-word answers, move ahead, act from the gut."
Mr Cary sees Washington politics as a schoolyard. At one point Lil' George, left unsupervised by his father in the Oval Office, launches nuclear weapons at schoolmates Lil' Hillary (Clinton) and Lil' John (Kerry).
Iggy Pop provides the voice for Lil' Rummy. With the departure of Donald Rumsfeld as defence secretary in November the makers considered dropping the character, but decided against in order to keep the singer.
Comedy Central has since 2001 been a source of tough satire about the Bush administration. Jon Stewart's Daily Show is a riposte to those Europeans who think Americans are not critical of the Bush administration.
The initial reviews of Lil' Bush have been poor, with critics judging it to be too obvious and too crude. Newsday said yesterday: "So. Who knew South Park was such a beacon of taste and restraint? At least it is by comparison with Comedy Central's new animated satire."
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007
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14 Comments so far
Show AllAnything that draws attention to the Bush administrations' ineptness, the anti-american, prioritization of corporate interest over US citizens interest making a mockery of the Commander In Chief is........FINE BY ME.
Bush deserves every mocking, critical, condescending word he gets.
This might be difficult to pull off. It's hard to
satirize something that's a joke to begin with.
Evidently it opts for crudeness instead of wit. Sounds like as much of a failure as the "That's My Bush" series.
Too bad the real Bush can't be erased as easily as Lil' Bush. The reality of the disasterous Bush Administration will leave an indelible imprint on the world for years to come
Lil' Bush, Big Bush, Medium Bush, who cares. I think GW got what he wanted out of the Presidency.
The first episode was a crude attempt at payback. But making these monsters seem cute is an impossible task. It can still be saved if Cary stops trying to emulate South Park and the Family Guy and turns to the Simpsons, the best show on tv.
About the best, and most subtle joke, in the first episode was Little Laura, who does nothing but smile, never says a word. That's hitting the mark.
In the second segment Little Cheney has sex with Barbara Bush (not shown, thankfully) and somehow ends end up her uterus. George Sr. then escorts Babs to an abortion clinic. It was at this point I turned the set off.
Satire and ridicule are the ugly cousins of anger and rage....
The problem with the jokes is the joke is on us and the million Iraqis and Afganis killed by the little PSYCHO Bu$h and Darth Cheney...
Oh I nearly forgot, while everyone gets their little psychic release..... These 2 nut-cases get to continue their ghoulish psycho-drama....
Satire of Bu$h the inferior is impossible without portraying intelligence, competence, morality, honesty, and clear and inspiring speeches.
Then how would anyone recognize who the show is about?
bush and most politicions are a disgrace and a mockery of our country, and our law. Isn't it obvious what our policies should be. I worked at the White House, Unfortunately, during bush's 1st. and part of his 2nd. reign. I never called him President. That is a title above all of mans titles, it is one reserved for the great men who lead.
The power is out of control.
Much as i hate GWB, i can't make myself watch even a mockery of him. i hope it is a pointed program which will allow the masses to begin to digest the profound evil of the man, but there is nothing funny about his reign of terror. The real laughers come straight from his mouth on video. It need not be reinterpreted in animation. The benefit of this show might only be in its possible side effect of getting those who don't question and who have blindly accepted the lies of this administration to reassess their gullibility.
puke and vomit! I detest all things Bush but this sounds like nothing more than purile hormonal puke. You want to see Bu$h fried the way he deserves? Go watch Stephen Colbert's presentation at the 2006 White House correspondents dinner.
W isn't incompetent at all, as this criminal keeps agetting away with his crimes. The Democrats are incompetent, playing as they do, the role of the Keystone Cops. They couldn't nail this crook if they had to, and I make an exception of Edward Kennedy, Dennis J Kuncinich, many of the blacks and a few others.
Wow!
Some years ago a friend and myself were going to write a play about the man and his presidency. We didn't in the end as we did not want to insult the United States as a whole.
Reading some American news items about Bu$h, i get the idea that a lot of people just want him and his group gone.
No impeaching, just get him outta there and forget the past 8 years.
I still can't get over the fact about him invading Iraq when binny was in the area of "The Ghan" and Pakistan and the news media went along with the whole disaster.
Anyone who had watched or read any news about warfare since WW2 would know this was going to happen. Anyone who followed news from the region since modern times knew this was going to happen.
The troops have to be pulled out. It is a no-win situation and a Holy War now.
Afghanistan can be fixed. Actually it can probably be fixed over a few cups of tea!
I'm sorry so many American soldiers died in Iraq. I know that, to many people( especially Widows, Widowers, and Orphans), pulling out would betray what these people died for.
This is who, more than anyone, (except the Widows, Widowers and Orphan Iraqis) Mr Bush must answer to.
I'm also angry at the "peace movement". I noticed that a lot of these celebrities only jumped on that bandwagon when it was safe.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't a certain rock star who was very big in the '70's and 80's... a "poet" etc "American Hero" who was lambasting the government in the "80's about Vietnam ... didn't this person just get into this peace thing just recently?
Anyway, i've strung this rant on as long a string away from the original subject as I can.
I want to get cable now so I can see this show.
Have a nice day.