A Star Is Torn

"A Star Is Torn"
The Simpsons episode
Krusty with Clarissa Wellington (Fantasia Barrino)
Episode no.	353
Prod. code	GABF13
Orig. airdate	May 8, 2005
Showrunner(s)	Al Jean
Written by	Carolyn Omine
Directed by	Nancy Kruse
Couch gag	In a parody of the opening of the 1960s sitcom, Get Smart, Homer goes through many futuristic doors and passageways until he reaches the phone booth, falls through the floor, and lands on the couch (with the rest of the family already seated).
Guest star(s)	Fantasia Barrino as Clarissa Wellington
Season 16 November 7, 2004 – May 15, 2005 "Treehouse of Horror XV" "All's Fair in Oven War" "Sleeping with the Enemy" "She Used to Be My Girl" "Fat Man and Little Boy" "Midnight Rx" "Mommie Beerest" "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass" "Pranksta Rap" "There's Something About Marrying" "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister" "Goo Goo Gai Pan" "Mobile Homer" "The Seven-Beer Snitch" "Future-Drama" "Don't Fear the Roofer" "The Heartbroke Kid" "A Star Is Torn" "Thank God, It's Doomsday" "Home Away from Homer" "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star" List of all The Simpsons episodes
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"A Star Is Torn" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons' sixteenth season. The episode first aired on May 8, 2005. Fantasia Barrino guest stars as Clarissa Wellington.

Plot

After being unable to shop at the Kwik-E-Mart because it is being held up, Lisa suggests the Simpsons have a vegetarian meal with ingredients purchased from a nearby stall, which they enjoy until Bart, Homer, Marge, and Maggie feel queasy and begin vomiting. Because she is a vegetarian, Lisa seems to be fine. Lisa points out that the rest of them are so used to processed foods that their bodies were not prepared for organic foods. As the family sits on the couch, wrapped in blankets, Lisa feeds them dry toast, and gently sings them to sleep with the "Hush, Little Baby" song. The next morning, the family is feeling better, eating fried chicken while watching TV. They see Krusty make an endorsement for his "Li'l Starmaker" competition, a children's American Idol-style competition. Bart convinces Lisa to enter because of her beautiful singing voice.

At the competition, another child (played by guest star Fantasia Barrino) sings a perfect version of Lisa's planned song, "Hush, Little Baby." Lisa starts to panic, but Homer comes to her rescue by going to the nearby music store and writing a song for her to sing. She sings the song "I'm Talking Springfield", which praises Springfield (except Ned Flanders), delighting the crowd. Soon, the competition enters its knockout stages. Homer, now Lisa's manager, starts using every means at his disposal to make Lisa feel comfortable. He even gets her the right spotlight, by beating up the technician.

The competition progresses and contestants are eliminated, leaving just the fans' favorite Cameron and Lisa in the final to take place the next day. However, Homer's aggressive treatment of staff at the competition makes Lisa mad. As a result, Lisa fires him as her manager, causing him to be upset. Later that night, as the rest of the family eat dinner, Homer enters to announce that he has become Cameron's manager. Lisa is sad that Homer is upset with her.

During the competition final, Lisa sings a song that she has written herself, called "Always My Dad", dedicated to Homer. The song expresses how much she loves her dad, and how sorry she is for hurting him. After she finishes, everyone loves it. Cameron, now restyled as Johnny Rainbow, then goes up, and sings a rather condescending song "Privileged Boy" that Homer wrote. The lyrics say how much better he is than the audience. Cameron is booed off the stage, with a few rotten vegetables as an accompaniment. Lisa is moved when Homer explains that he sabotaged Cameron, in order to help Lisa gain the prize. He tells her that he will always be there for her.

Cultural references

• This is the third episode with the title parodying the film A Star Is Born, the other two being "A Star Is Burns" and "A Star Is Born-Again".
• Li'l Starmaker is a parody of American Idol and this is even referenced in the episode ("Not affiliated with American Idol; we've never even heard of American Idol").
• This episode draws heavily from Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer and the Broadway musical Gypsy.
• Homer's line "Everything I did, I did for you" is a reference to a song from Gypsy, a musical about a vicious stage parent who pushes her (or, in this case, his) child to stardom.
• Cameron's character could be seen as a parody of American Idol contestant Clay Aiken.
• When Bart says "Because she sings like Whitney Houston brought to life?" in reference to Lisa's competitor in the Lil' Starmaker auditions, Clarissa Willington, he is possibly referring to a review of Whitney Houston's 2002 album (Just Whitney) by the San Francisco Chronicle, which said of Whitney: "...did show signs of life, but not enough to declare a resurrection."
• The piano store that Homer walks into is called "The Toothless Elephant", a reference to ivory's previous use in the white keys on a piano.