Since we know Seth MacFarlane has never met a line he didn’t cross on
Family Guy, the potential for his
Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show to offend every human being was, to say the last, massive. And true to form, the Larry Flynt of Fox’s animation lineup delivered a doozy last night with a bit on his variety special.
Lampooning Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin (a frequent
Family Guy target), MacFarlane’s partner-in-crude Alex Borstein joked that the deaf actress was planning to release a CD of pop-tune covers and then launched into a barely identifiable and blatantly insulting rendition of Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face.” While it was one of those moments you hate yourself for laughing at, the shame soon evaporated once Matlin herself stormed the stage to berate Borstein and offer her own impersonation of the less-than-modelesque woman mocking her. Making the moment freakin’ sweeter was the gamely graphic Matlin’s parting lesson in sign language that involved a raised middle finger and an uproarious reaction from the crowd.
You've gotta love when something starts off so wrong and ends up hitting all the right notes.