A Star is Born-Again
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"A Star Is Born Again" is the thirteenth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 2, 2003. The episode owes much of its plot to '' Notting Hill'' (1999). While that film is about an actress finding happiness with the owner of an
independent bookstore An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned. Usually, independent stores consist of only a single actual store (although there are some multi-store independents). They may be structured as sole proprietorships, cl ...
, the episode features Hollywood movie star Sara Sloane ( Marisa Tomei) falling for Ned Flanders after visiting the
Leftorium Springfield is the primary fictional setting of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and related media. It is an average-sized, fictional city within an indeterminate state in the United States. The fictional city's geography, surroundi ...
. The episode title doubles as a reference to the film '' A Star Is Born'' and being
born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
, meaning a person who has converted to Christianity, particularly in American evangelism. This is the only ''Simpsons'' episode in which the same person has been accredited with two different names, where
James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
is credited as the Executive Producer and Executive Creative Consultant, and again as Jim Brooks as a Special Guest Voice.


Plot

During the annual Jellyfish Festival, which welcomes back the Stinging Red Jellyfish to the shores of Springfield, Ned Flanders becomes depressed because he is alone. The other adults have partners with whom to spend a romantic evening at the Jellyfish Cotillion, and this is Ned's first festival without his wife Maude. Ned returns to the Leftorium to work on his taxes and take his mind off things. A woman comes in, looking for a pair of left-handed eyelash curlers. After chatting with Ned she asks him out on a date. After she leaves, Ned notices a movie poster with her face on it; she is Sara Sloane, a movie star. Sara and Ned hit it off, with Sara loving Ned's simple, quaint lifestyle and honesty. They go on several dates, though they encounter some problems, especially from tabloid reporters following them. Also, Sara is much less inhibited than Ned, causing some tension. When her movie wraps, Sara asks Ned to return to Hollywood with her. Ned has a horrible dream about the bad things of Hollywood in a sequence that includes a cameo by series producer
James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
, and also the "Hollywood" sign reading "Hollyweird", and refuses. Sara therefore tries staying in
Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...
, to be with Ned. She slowly starts settling in with the locals, joining Marge's book club hosted by author Helen Fielding and going shopping with Ned. At a concert, to which Sara wears a low-cut dress, Sara tells Ned she wants to have sex with him. Ned eventually relents, but insists on marriage if they are to continue a sexual relationship. Sara is unwilling to get married, and they break up and she returns to Hollywood. She gets a quickie marriage and divorce to Bob Balaban. Ned finds that he is now more attractive to women because of his famous relationship.


Cultural references

*This episode is largely a parody of the film '' Notting Hill'' (1999). *A billboard depicting Los Angeles personality
Angelyne Angelyne (born Ronia Tamar Goldberg, September 12, 1950) is an American singer, actress, media personality, and model who came to prominence in 1984 after the appearance of a series of iconic billboards in and around Los Angeles, California, wi ...
can be seen during Ned Flanders' Hollywood dream sequence. *When
Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirty something singleton in Lo ...
runs around being chased by
bobbies In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several law enforcement agencies, police or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the appli ...
and a man in a gorilla suit following the book club meeting and the end of the episode, it is an homage to the British sketch comedy '' The Benny Hill Show''. The music featured in the sequence is "
Yakety Sax "Yakety Sax" is a pop novelty instrumental jointly composed by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Boots Randolph. Saxophonist Randolph popularized the selection in his 1963 recording, which reached number 35 on the pop charts. Comedian Benny Hill later ...
", the music used in that series. *
Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
's "
Arabesque No. 1 The Two Arabesques (''Deux arabesques''), L. 66, is a pair of arabesques composed for piano by Claude Debussy when he was still in his twenties, between the years 1888 and 1891. Although quite an early work, the arabesques contain hints of Debu ...
" and " Clair de Lune" were used as the background music for several scenes. *After Sara asks Ned out on their first date (when she is leaving the Leftorium), Ned sings a version of America's "
A Horse with No Name "A Horse with No Name" is a song by the folk rock band America, written by Dewey Bunnell. It was the band's first and most successful single, released in late 1971 in Europe and early 1972 in the United States, that topped the charts in Canada, ...
" referring to the date.


Reception

In a 2008 article, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' named Marisa Tomei's role as Sara Sloane as one of the sixteen best guest appearances on ''The Simpsons''.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Star Is Born Again, A The Simpsons (season 14) episodes 2003 American television episodes