Question: In the Disney movie Aladdin, there's a scene in which Aladdin is on Jasmin's balcony, and when you turn the volume up, you can hear him say, "Take off your clothes...." What's the true story behind this big oops?
Answer: The true story is that it isn't true. This persistent rumor has been winging its way around the Internet ever since the movie was released in 1992. Similar stories about a minister with a visible erection in The Little Mermaid (1989) and a dust cloud in The Lion King (1994) that spells out the word "SEX" have proved equally durable. Animators are notorious pranksters, and of the three rumors, I find the one about The Lion King least unbelievable, if only because having been told that the letters are there, it's hard not to see them. But I immediately have to qualify that statement by pointin
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Question: Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anyone talking about the absolute best comedy on TV at the moment. The show Extras consistently makes me laugh out loud and is thoroughly enjoyable overall. Matt, have you had a chance to take in this hidden gem on HBO, which has received hardly any promotion? If so, what are your thoughts?
Answer: I reviewed it quite positively when it premiered in late September, and now having watched the last few episodes — as with The Office, Ricky Gervais does only six at a time — I am still a fan. I love the fact that it isn't the same exact show every week; the episode when he stepped into an ill-fated holiday, panto stage production of Aladdin as a gay genie, playing opposite a sad-sack comic, was a terrific change of pace. Like the original Office, it is painfully, often brutally funny, but it doesn't surprise me that the show hasn't exactly caught the culture on fire, especially considering how far HBO has slipped under the radar on Sundays lately.
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