Saturday, April 14, 2007

A fading memory may return

Absence is said to make the heart grow fonder, but in some cases, it just breeds forgetfulness. But every once in a while, one's memory can rebound.
Such is the case with one of my favorite pop culture features, "The Boondocks."
Earlier this week, I wondered where my favorite cartoon for grown-ups and the smarty-pants comic strip had gone.
For those of you not in the loop, The Boondocks comic strip first appeared in 1999. The strip follows two young brothers, Huey and Riley Freeman, as they leave their neighborhood on the south side of Chicago for suburban life. The strip was smart, snarky and unapologetically liberal. I loved it.
Then in late 2005, the cartoon version of the strip appeared and I loved it just as much (though I will say the fact that main character Huey was voiced by Regina King was a little disconcerting considering she does voice-overs for Always feminine hygiene products). (By the way, I don't have verification for that, but it sure does sound like her.)
But about the time the first season ended, so did the strip. It was just supposed to be a six-month hiatus, but now the buzz is it may not be coming back.
The strip, though controversial, was well-read and the show recently won a Peabody Award. But that doesn't help me.
About a month ago, I stopped reading rerun strips on MSNBC.com because I was tired of reading jokes I hadn't even forgotten yet.
In theory, I could go and get the DVD of the first season of the TV show, which aired on Comedy Central, but quite frankly, I'm cheap and have a bad habit of buying DVDs that I never watch, so I kept my money.
But as I was researching this blog entry, I found an answer to at least one of my queries.
November. That's when the show will be back. There's still no definitive answer on the strip.
This makes me a little sad. I'm a big fan of smart comedy, which I think there's too little of to begin with, and "The Boondocks," to me, qualified for that designation.
Am I the only one that misses Huey and Riley?
What are your favorite, but now unavailable, pop cultural goodies?

7 comments:

Janelle Rucker said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Janelle Rucker said...

No, Melinda, you're not the only one. I miss Huey and Riley too. Shoot, I even miss Grandad and Uncle Ruckus. lol.
I've got access to the complete first season and watch it regularly. It's been holding me over until some fresh episodes come out. I can't wait until November.

Da Arsonist said...

Yeah the new season is on it's way. And I can't wait. I even heard Lil Wayne is in this season as one of their cousins that lost it all in Katrina. So I have high expectations.

What was your favorite episode? Mine is between: A Huey Freeman Christmas, Granddad's fight, or Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner...

Donecia Pea said...

NO! My faves are the ones with the gangster rappers, the R.Kelly one, and the one where Huey says Jesus was black, Bush was responsible for 9/11 and something else I can't remember (Dang, y'all I can't remember the titles, I need to get the DVD!)
I absolutely LOVE The Boondocks too! I'm crossing my fingers that this new season is actually coming, but I'm not holding my breath...

Janelle Rucker said...

Yeah DP...I'm with you on some of those favorites. I LOVE the R. Kelly one. I think that's my absolute favorite. Followed by the Garden party (the one where Huey talks about Jesus being black, Bush was responsible, etc...)and, though controversial, I like the one when MLK comes back too.

Melinda Williams said...

Donecia, the last part is that Ronald Reagan is the devil.
I figured they would talk about Katrina, but I can't imagine what they're going do with that. It might be the Martin Luther King episode all over again (as far as controversy).

Donecia Pea said...

Ooh yeah! I love the MLK episode the MOST, like in a serious way though. The others I like in a serious way, but they make me laugh too. Well, now that I think about it, the MLK eppy DOES make me laugh, especially when Grandpa bitterly reminisces on how Rosa Parks supposedly stole his moment in the Civil Rights movement, lol!!! Man I need to buy that DVD!

Oh and thanks for helping me figure that out Melinda, that was gonna drive me crazy until I could remember it, lol.

Oh you know another one that was my favorite? The one when Grandpa and the rich neighbor open that fast food restaurant and everybody's starts pigging out on the house favorite: The Luther! LMAO!!!!