Park And Python
*Michael*
copyrighted Monty Python work, which they will turn into a cartoon
short honoring the comedy troupe's 30th anniversary.
Since a 1976 federal court case ruling against ABC and the BBC, Monty
Python has maintained creative ownership of its sketches. The group's
surviving members (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Terry
Gilliam and Eric Idle) heavily police the alteration of its routines,
including simple editing cuts for TV use.
But with Comedy Central's permission, "South Park" creators Matt Stone
and Trey Parker hoped to spin Monty Python's well-known "Dead Parrot"
skit into a short starring "South Park" fiends Kenny, Stan, Kyle and
Cartman.
The spoof would be part of a special called "It's the Monty Python
Story," which will also include classic Python routines, interviews
and newly written skits performed by Cleese, Palin, Jones and Gilliam.
"South Park" deal negotiator Martin Lewis, a former Python producer,
presented the idea to ex-Python Terry Jones, who OK'd it, telling
Lewis, "'South Park' is a good, fun show in the same anarchic spirit
of Monty Python."'
Jones also approved of the finished product, entitled "The Dead Friend
Sketch," starring Cartman as John Cleese, Kyle as Michael Palin and
Kenny as the parrot.
"We would do anything for the Pythons," Parker and Stone said in a
statement. "We would kill ourselves for them ... We hope this small
piece of animation will suffice."
Cheryl3b
Where did this information appear originally?
barb...@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu
cher...@aol.com (Cheryl3b) wrote:
> Thanks for this background info.
>
> Where did this information appear originally?
>
I found it this morning at:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991011/re/television_monty_2.html
and also at:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991010/en/television-monty_1.html
Barb
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
tai...@beef-cake.com
We've mirrored it.
Taison
In article <38126338...@nntp.netcom.ca>,
Cheryl3b
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991011/re/television_monty_2.html
and also at:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991010/en/television-monty_1.html>>
Thanks for the info, and thanks for sharing!
Cheryl3b
Here is some more from there today:
<<1) Monty Python Reunites For Zany 30th Anniversary By Paul Majendie
LONDON (Reuters) - The creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, the surreal
British show that transformed television and influenced a generation of comics,
reunited Saturday to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
The BBC, which launched the off-beat series that became an international cult,
paid the Pythons the ultimate compliment -- devoting a whole evening of
television to the zany comedians.
The five survivors -- fellow founder Graham Chapman died of cancer in 1989 --
came together for a characteristically quirky collection of old, new and
long-lost sketches.
These ranged from the classic lunacy of the Dead Parrot sketch and the Ministry
of Silly Walks to such gems as boiling nuns and dancing stockbrokers.
The Pythons, like The Beatles, had always vowed they would never reunite. But
the anniversary celebration proved an irresistible temptation for the team
whose ardent fans ranged from Elvis Presley to Robin Williams.
The Pythons, interviewed by the BBC, agreed that Chapman was the best actor
while Terry Jones got the award for being the best Python drag artist.
John Cleese, who went on to international stardom in the hit film ``A Fish
Called Wanda,'' said: ``The lovely thing was there was no spotlight on us. We
were just able to play and had a great sense of excitement as we could throw
out all the conventions.''
American Terry Gilliam, whose cartoons became a Python trademark, was not too
sure about the reunion because ``there is nothing more embarrassing than
watching a gang of middle-aged old farts reliving the halcyon days.''
Michael Palin, now the presenter of popular television travel programs, could
not be accused of nostalgia when recalling the first broadcast before a live
audience in 1969.
``There weren't many laughs. I think the audience were in shock,'' he said.
``We didn't all leap in the air and say this is a great breakthrough in world
comedy.''
Nineties cult comedian Eddie Izzard, who freely admits Python was a major
influence, put it more bluntly. ``The audience stared at them like six pigs
playing banjo at a bar mitzvah.''
In a review of the show, the Pythons remained firmly tongue-in-cheek about each
other.
Eric Idle, now a Hollywood scriptwriter, said: ``John is obviously the
cruel-hearted bastard, Palin was the slightly ineffective middle class person
and Terry Jones was the ratbag and Gilliam was anything that had any unpleasant
make-up.''
And he took his hat off to Graham Chapman: ``That was the smart thing about
dying first. You get everybody at your memorial service.''
2) Friday October 8 3:42 AM ET
Cleese orders train crashes cut from Python special
LONDON (AP) - Monty Python star John Cleese ordered train-crash footage edited
out of the comedy group's 30-year anniversary special due to this week's train
tragedy.
A train collision Tuesday near London's Paddington Station killed at least 33
people and authorities feared the death toll would rise much higher.
"(Monty Python) always specialized in bad taste but there are some jokes you
could never do," Cleese said Thursday.
The special, which will be aired Saturday by the BBC, will include some fresh
Python material and a reworking of the troupe's "dead parrot" sketch by the
creators of South Park.
Kenny, who dies in every episode of the cartoon series, will take the place of
the parrot.
"They sent it to us without us asking," Cleese said of the creators of South
Park. "We're going to send them a bronze Python foot as a thank you, with their
names spelled wrong."
Š The Canadian Press, 1999
3) The remaining members of the Monty Python comedy team gathered in London
for a charity screening - but without comedian Eric Idle, after an apparent
falling-out.
John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones attended a charity
screening of Life of Brian at the Empire cinema in Leicester Square.
But Idle was at home in Los Angeles, and Jones suggested he was angry with his
colleagues over aborted plans for a stage show to mark this week's 30th
anniversary of the first screening of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Terry Jones said: "He actually put a lot of work into the stage stuff and when
we all backed out he quite reasonably felt he'd wasted all that time and all
that credibility.
"He doesn't want to play with us at the moment."
In a newspaper interview earlier this week, Idle said he had no regrets about
the Pythons splitting - adding he would not mind a reunion as long as the
others did not turn up. He later said he was joking.
The fivesome did reunite last month to work on new sketches for BBC Two's Monty
Python theme night on Saturday.
Filming new sketches in West London last monthThe four who did turn up gave a
short, staged performance at Thursday's event - organised by the Paramount
Comedy Channel to promote its Python anniversary programming.
It also raised money for Macmillan Cancer Relief as a tribute to Python member
Graham Chapman, who died ten years ago. Regular Python actress Carol Cleveland
also attended the event.
Contemporary comedy stars also attended, including Paul Merton, Fast Show
performer Charlie Higson, and Simon Pegg from the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced.
Palin said the groundbreaking nature of the Python series made him feel sorry
for newer performers.
"Any comedy gets likened to Python. I think that's a very hard thing to break
free from," he said. >>
rAD
> the anniversary celebration proved an irresistible temptation for the team
> whose ardent fans ranged from Elvis Presley to Robin Williams.
Why do I have a feeling Elvis laughed for the wrong reasons? Nanoo, nanoo