That's Lobstertainment!

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Episode Number: 3ACV08

Title: That's Lobstertainment!

Original Airdate:

Starring:

Also Starring:

Special Guests:

Intro Promotion:

Intro Cartoon:

Directed by:

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Plot

Act I: "I'm Writing it in my own ink!"

Zoidberg tries his luck at a comedy club but stinks out. Next day, he tells the crew that he's living up to his uncle, Harold Zoid, a star in silent holograms. He writes a letter to Zoid out of his own ink, who later writes back. Zoidberg then takes the crew to Hollywood, where he meets Zoid. Meanwhile, Bender poises as Calculon's new hot water heater, under the alias of Boiler.

Having lunch with his uncle, Zoidberg is told to drop comedy and instead help direct a film Zoid wrote. However, the investment included a million dollars.

Act II: "I'm programed to be very busy!"

With Bender's help, they managed to secure a million dollars from Calculon, due to the fact that he is a fan of Harold Zoid and that Bender guaranteed that he'd win an Oscar. They create a film, The Magnificent Three, involving the vice president (Calculon), son of the president (Zoid), who doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps like using pens. Bender was also the producer and Zoidberg was a military official. But during the premiere, the film is terrible, as everyone had already left, Calculon swears that they are dead. Meanwhile, Leela refuses to pay the valet for parking, accidentally landing her and Fry in the La Brea Tar Pits.

Act III: "That's the emmy of movie awards!"

Calculon is even more furious that he isn't nominated for an Oscar. Swears to murder them all unless they get him one, so Zoidberg and Bender decide to rig the awards. But when they end up at Zoid's home, he unfortunately reveals that he's an even bigger liar than his nephew. He only wanted people to remember him one last time before he dies; Zoidberg refuses to let his uncle go down in shame.

After a few weeks, Fry and Leela are unable to free the ship. However, they then find the Los Angeles subway, which they use to escape.

As the Oscar awards are given out, Zoidberg takes the place of Billy Crystal to announce Best Actor award. But instead of announcing Calculon, he calls on Zoid. As they celebrate, Calculon then comes in to kill them. Zoid then concedes his Oscar to Calculon; chastened by his hero's acceptance speech, he spares their lives and vows to earn his own Oscar one day. Suddenly, there is an earthquake, as the Planet Express ship emerges from underground. Fry and Leela then enter the awards ceremony due to the fact that they are bringing along the skeleton of Sylvestor Stallone.

Quotes

Calculon: I told you that I don't need a Bender.

Bender : Bender's the name of the other one, I'm Boiler.

Later

Calculon: Nice work, Boiler!

Bender: Thanks, and call me Bender!

---

Calculon: Listen, I'm programed to be VERY busy!

---

Harold Zoid: This film has a juicy part for you! If you finance it with your doctor money!

Zoidberg: Okay, how much do I have to invest?

Harold Zoid: Oh not much, not much, a millon dollars. (Zoidberg spits out of his mouth, head, and both sides) Than it's settled! Another blockbuster hollywood deal!

Waiter: What can I get you gentlemen?

Zoidberg: Is bread free?

Waiter: Yeah.

Zoidberg: We'll split an order!

References

• The title references the 1974 documentary film That's Entertainment!.
• Zoidberg's comedy routine resembles that of the 1980s comedian Yakov Smirnoff.
• Harold Zoid's straw hat and glasses are the same as those of silent film star Harold Lloyd, but the style of his films is much more similar to that of Buster Keaton and other silent film stars. Zoid says "My career went down the tubes the day they invented smell-a-vision", referencing the fact that when 'talkies' became the norm, previously successful silent movie stars were not hired.
• Harold Zoid's movie "A Close Shaving" takes its title from the Wallace and Gromit short, "A Close Shave". The copyrighted year shown is MMCMXXII, the Roman numeral for 2922 (making it approximately 80 years old).
• Harold Zoid's movie, "A Close Shaving" ends by saying "Buy Moxie".
• The film Braveheart is parodied by the 30th C film Bravehead, starring Mel Gibson's head.
• Leela locks up the Planet Express ship with a tool similar to The Club.
• The film made by Harold Zoid is titled The Magnificent Three, a parody of The Magnificent Seven.
• They Call Me MISTER Pibb is a reference to the famous line of dialogue from In the Heat of the Night, which was also used as the title of its sequel: They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
• Snow White and the 7 Ups is a reference to the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the soft drink 7-Up.
• Dr. Zoidberg presents the award for Best Actor. Two of the movies read are The Merchant of Venus (a parody of the The Merchant of Venice) and How Beige Was My Jacket (a parody of How Green Was My Valley.)
• The film Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation is nominated for an Oscar; this is a reference to the Star Trek fan film, Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation.
• The tour bus seen in the episode is called "Star Tours", as in the Disney attraction. It also says "Caution: bus does not leave Earth" on the top!
• When Fry and Leela crash into the Tar Pits, Fry sees the skeleton of Sylvester Stallone floating by.
• Calculon asks Bender, "Do you have an extra goto ten line?"; this is a reference to BASIC.
• The 30th C premiere of The Magnificent Three is at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Grauman's is also referenced in "The Cryonic Woman" episode.
• When Zoidberg reads the wrong name, one of the Oscar officials shushes the officer, saying that it was how Marisa Tomei won the Oscar, referencing Tomei's highly unlikely Best Supporting Actress win for My Cousin Vinny at the 65th Academy Awards.
• Billy Crystal hosts the 30th C Oscars. He hosted the 20th C awards for five years.
• The Daily Variety headline "Fox Exex Bax Sex Pix, Flix Lax Crux Bux, Stox Sinx, Ax Prex" references an old Variety headline from the 1930s reading "Sticks Nix Hick Pix".
• In "The Magnificent Three" Zoidberg's character says, "The president is dead. Congratulations, Mr. President!" This may be a reference to the medieval practice of saying, upon the death of a king, "The king is dead. Long live the king!" (referring in the latter instance to his heir).

Goofs

• It is impossible to reconcile the mere existence of the film Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation, let alone its nomination for an Oscar, with the plot of "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" which states that in the 31st century Star Trek has been banned.

External Links

Episode Transcript

This article is a Stub! If you help Bender improve it, he can get back to killing all humans. Please expand the article as well as you can!