Funeral for a Fiend/References
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Cultural references[edit]
- The episode title is a reference to the Elton John song (and possibly the band) "Funeral for a Friend."
- The episode title could also be a reference to the title of the comic book story arc following the death of Superman.
- The family lay-out in the popular series Frasier is repeated in this episode. Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce play brothers in both series, while John Mahoney plays their father. Judith Underdunk is not voiced by a Frasier cast member however (Simpsons regular Tress MacNeille voicing her instead), likely because actress Nancy Marchand, who played Frasier's mother on Cheers, had died several years before this episode was made.
- A reference to Clippy, the Microsoft Office helper, is also shown.
- The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon short that the family views on the new TiVo is titled "Spherical on 34th Street", a reference to the Miracle on 34th Street films.
- In "Spherical on 34th Street", Scratchy's demise comes about as a result of Itchy filling him up with hydrogen and igniting him with a flaming arrow. As Scratchy burns up, showering the crowd with viscera, Itchy exclaims, "Oh, the hilarity!", a reference to broadcaster Herbert Morrison's famous cry of "Oh, the humanity!" during the Hindenburg disaster.
- Marge Simpson, for skipping commercials while watching shows on TiVo, is named Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.
- After showing the Simpson family his evil plot, Sideshow Bob says that the commercial gained him position as director of "The Hills Have Eyes 3: The Hills Still Have Eyes."
- At the funeral, Krusty the Clown plays the piano and sings the song "Farewell Sideshow Bob", in a parody reminiscent of Elton John playing "Candle in the Wind" for Princess Diana at her funeral.
- When Moe runs behind the Hibberts' van watching their DVD player, the Sesame Street episode where Derek Jeter guest-stars is playing.
- When Sideshow Bob tries to look up the William Shakespeare quote online, he consults Wikipedia, which is stated when he yells at it to load faster.
- One of the balloons in the Thanksgiving Day parade (during the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon) is Poochie.
- Floats of various other Itchy & Scratchy show characters are also seen:
- Some of the commercials Lisa fast-forwards through while using the TiVo for the first time have been seen previously in the series:
- In the courtroom, when the camera pans back to Bart during Dr. Robert Terwilliger Sr.'s testimony, the doctor can still be seen in the crowd behind Bart.
