Alex Rodriguez

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. Had he attended the first class, the Mariners would have been unable by Major League Baseball rules to sign him, and no one would have been able to draft him for 2 more years.
. He had even enrolled in classes, but on his way to the first class he met a scout for the Mariners who offered a large signing bonus and he signed ending his college career before it began. Their latest collaboration is the marionette action/comedy, Team America: World Police. While in high school, Rodriguez had signed a letter of intent with the University to play baseball. The pair starred in the 1998 film BASEketball directed by David Zucker (in a recent episode in which the boys see the Passion of the Christ and subsequently decide to get their money back for watching a lousy film, Stan comments to Kenny, "This is just like that time we got our money back from BASEketball," commenting on the film's box office failure).

In 2003, Alex Rodriguez gave a $10 million gift to the University of Miami to build a new baseball stadium. Later they created Orgazmo, a comedy about a Mormon starring in a pornographic movie, which found distribution thanks to the success of South Park later that same year. was the previous record holder by reaching 400 home runs at 30 years and 141 days old. While in college, Stone and Parker collaborated on the movie Cannibal! The Musical, a Western satire with humorous musical numbers (the "Braniff" tune that plays at the end of many South Park episodes is an excerpt from the Cannibal! song, "Shpadoinkle"). Ken Griffey, Jr. Stone and Parker later claimed that their episode prevented any alterations from happening when they appeared on a VH1 special, Inside South Park. On June 8th, Rodriguez hit his 400th career home run, becoming the youngest player in Major League history to do so at 29 years and 316 days old. Soon after "Free Hat" aired, the real Lucas and Spielberg announced that they would not be altering Raiders of the Lost Ark for DVD release (contrary to rumors surrounding it).

Alex Rodriguez's salary of $25,705,118 is the highest in Major League Baseball in the 2005 season. In this episode, prompted by Kyle's comment on Ted Koppel's Nightline that changing E.T. would be like changing Raiders of the Lost Ark, the South Park depictions of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decide to alter the first Indiana Jones film. But the umpires huddled and ended up calling him out, which made Jeter return to first base. This action by Rodriguez has given him a bad image, especially among Red Sox fans. In 2002 the episode "Free Hat" was aired. Rodriguez was called safe at first, and Derek Jeter scored from first base. In the audio commentary on the season 4 DVD set, Parker and Stone remarked that beginning with episode 408, "Chef Goes Nanners," they began to consistently make episodes centering on a single issue, rather than having different sub-plots going on. During the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, Alex Rodriguez caused controversey when he "slapped" the baseball out of pitcher Bronson Arroyo's glove when running to first base. In the case of this and the Elian Gonzalez episode, they stopped and changed production of an episode to focus on these events.

2 spot in the batting order, directly behind Jeter. forces, even referring to the "spider hole" where he was found. Near the end of the season, Yankees manager Joe Torre moved Rodriguez to the No. For instance, the December 17, 2003 episode depicted the capture of Saddam Hussein a mere three days after his capture by U.S. Rodriguez performed well, though average by his standards, in his first season with the Yankees, hitting .286 with 36 home runs and 106 runs batted in, his seventh consecutive season with at least 100 RBI. This allows for a short production schedule which enables the creators to respond quickly to current events. There was some speculation as to what his number would be, but in spring training he showed up with uniform number 13, answering the question. The pilot episode was produced using construction paper and traditional stop-motion animation techniques, but current episodes duplicate the original, amateurish look using modern computer animation tools (first Power Animator, then Maya).

He had worn uniform number 3 his entire career, but that number on the Yankees is retired in honor of Babe Ruth. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina," which incorporated uncensored footage of sex reassignment surgery. In addition to moving from shortstop to third, Rodriguez had to make another change upon joining the Yankees. Season 9 premiered with the episode "Mr. After Rodriguez agreed to switch positions and play third base, the deal between New York and Texas was consummated. This was very evident in the first half of season 8: events in its episodes include Michael Jackson visiting South Park, the boys seeing The Passion of the Christ, blue-collar workers in South Park losing their jobs to immigrants from the future, and an episode featuring a "Paris Hilton" toy video camera. Since New York already had a star shortstop in team captain Derek Jeter, the trade developed only after New York's third baseman, Aaron Boone, suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing a game of pickup basketball during the off-season. South Park's early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented, but the more recent episodes are often oriented more toward poking fun at current events.

In the trade, the Rangers will have to pay $67 million of the $179 million left on Rodriguez's contract. In fact, a recent ad ran on Comedy Central listing many categories of people South Park has made fun of (including blacks, gays, politicians, transsexuals, Jews and the disabled) and stated afterward "We apologize if South Park has left you out.". On February 15, 2004, after a period in which he had been courted by the Boston Red Sox and named as the Rangers' captain, Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees for second baseman Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later. At any rate, the show has consistently made fun of all sides of the political spectrum. He hit .298 with 47 home runs, won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award and was named the league's MVP, despite the Rangers remaining mired in last place. In other interviews Trey Parker and Matt Stone described themselves as being (small 'l') libertarian-Republicans. Rodriguez 's last season with Texas, 2003, was another productive year for A-Rod. Trey Parker stated in an interview that he was a "registered Libertarian".

Although Tejada had lesser numbers than Rodriguez, he played for a championship-caliber team. The Mariners didn't miss him; they won 116 games in their first year without him. This has in turn prompted the use of the phrase South Park Republican to describe the attitudes of some of the show's viewers. Unfortunately, the Rangers made no real improvement in the two years he played there, finishing last both times, and it likely cost him the MVP award in 2002, as he finished second to fellow shortstop Miguel Tejada. However, unlike many other satirical shows, South Park's political humor is often seen as mocking liberal celebrities and pet causes. Despite the enormous pressure carried by the contract, Rodriguez continued to produce, and has been even better than before. He hit 52 home runs in 2001, and followed that up with a major league best 57 home runs in 2002, the most ever for a shortstop. He put a bookend on that year by winning his first Gold Glove Award. The show has drawn widespread criticism from both conservatives and liberals for its themes and its offensive language. A free agent after the season, Rodriguez, who wanted to go to a Series-caliber team, was immediately rumored to be heading to the Mets because of his appearance at Shea, but instead chose to go to the Texas Rangers (last in their division in 2000), signing what is the largest contract in American sports history, a 10-year contract worth an astounding $252 million. Because of the contract, considered outrageous by many fans, Mariners fans that loved him immediately turned on him for taking the money and running instead of staying with a winner; to this day he's regularly booed every time he returns to Seattle. The political leaning of South Park has been open to some debate.

He still made an appearance in the Series, sitting in the stands of Shea Stadium watching his friend Derek Jeter play in that year's all-New York World Series between the Yankees and New York Mets. But another high point of the series is its dramatic score, for it dramatizes common and deep parts with a very heartwarming, melancholic or mysterious soundtrack. Winning the AL West in 2000, Rodriguez hit well in the playoffs, but the Mariners lost to the World Series champion New York Yankees in the LCS. Additional musical contributions to the show come from themselves and from Isaac Hayes, who voices the character Chef, and from the band Primus, which performed the original opening and ending themes for the show. Rodriguez continued to put up great numbers as the team's remaining superstar, and hit 41 more HR's in 2000 as he hit .316, doing so playing in the best pitcher's park in the AL. In The Death of Eric Cartman he sings "Make it Right" with Butters in a weak attempt to reconcile his sins. in the past two seasons. Hankey and Santa Claus that he is worthy of Christmas presents.

The Mariners entered 2000 with A-Rod as the cornerstone of the franchise, having dealt superstars Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr. In Red Sleigh Down, he sings "Poo-Choo Train", an unnervingly cheery Christmas carol, in an obvious attempt to convince Mr. Despite missing 30+ games with an injury and playing home games at Safeco Field (a considerably less hitter-friendly ballpark than the Kingdome) for the second half of the season, he matched his HR total in 1999. The character of Eric Cartman will often burst into song to convey a false altruism or optimism that belies his baser motivations. He recovered with authority in 1998 by becoming the 3rd member of the 40 homers/40 stolen bases club, racking up 42 HR and 46 SB. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have, on occasion, performed these and other songs (some unrelated to the show, such as "Dead Dead Dead"), under the band name DVDA. He hit for the cycle with them in 1997, but slumped that year with only 23 home runs and a "mere" .300 average; the Mariners nonetheless won the division but were quickly eliminated from the playoffs. The film's soundtrack featured songs like "Mountain Town", "Uncle Fucka", "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" (a song to which Brian Boitano has been known to figure skate), "I'm Super", and "Blame Canada" (nominated for an Oscar, see below).

Rodriguez was a favorite with Mariners fans. Popular songs such as "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" originated on the show, but the creators' musical abilities were not frequently used until the release of South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. He came close to being the youngest MVP in baseball history, but fell 3 points short to Juan González; possibly denying him this honor were the two Seattle-area sportswriters who voted for the award, as they gave him 8th and 9th place votes. The fact that the lines are unintelligible helped them slip past network censors. He took over as the regular shortstop the following year, and immediately became a superstar, hitting 36 home runs and pacing the American League with a .358 batting average, and leading the league in runs, total bases, and doubles; great numbers even by the standards of the Kingdome, one of the American League's best hitter's parks. Kenny always wears a parka over his head and most of his face. One of his most important contributions in the playoffs was consoling second baseman Joey Cora, who memorably broke down in tears after the Mariners' loss in the League Championship Series. It should be noted that Kenny's lines in the song, as well as all but one of his lines throughout the show (episode 807, "The Jeffersons") and one in the movie, are muffled.

After his major league campaign in 1994 was cut short by the players' strike, he split most of 1995 between Seattle and their AAA club 30 miles away in Tacoma before staying on the major league roster in August, making a pair of postseason appearances on the Mariners' playoff run. The show's opening theme song is:. He made a rapid rise through the organization and made his major league debut at just 18 years of age, becoming one of the youngest players to appear in a game at shortstop. Although South Park is well known for its humor and controversial plots, viewers are also treated to an original musical score. His skills were rewarded when the Seattle Mariners made the 17-year old the #1 pick of the amateur draft in 1993. According to the episode "Red Hot Catholic Love", virtually all the major and recurring characters in South Park are Roman Catholic, except:. Rodríguez was a star player at Miami Westminster Christian High School. See list of celebrities on South Park for more persons who have appeared on the show in one way or another.

Rodríguez has said in interviews he can forgive his father for abandoning the family, but that he will never forget. Examples include:. There, Alex's father announced he had to go to New York for a short time; he never returned. Celebrities often appear (usually "impersonated.....poorly"). They moved to Miami, Florida 4 years later. And also Towelie the towel who always gets, or wants to get high (off cannabis). Born in New York City, Rodríguez moved back with his parents to their native Dominican Republic when he was 4. Hankey "the Christmas poo", who adds to the holiday festivities in much the same spirit as the 1960s Rankin-Bass cartoons.

Less than three weeks later, he was traded to the Yankees, the first reigning MVP to be traded in the history of Major League Baseball. Notable appearances include God, who appears as a small creature resembling a hippo-rodent hybrid; Jesus, a recurring character, who owns a home and hosts a public-access television show in South Park (Jesus and Pals); Satan and his lover Saddam Hussein; Moses, who appears exactly as the Master Control Program (MCP) does in the Disney film Tron and demands macaroni pictures; the alien Marklar race; the jakovasaur; Death; and Mr. Then on January 25, 2004, he was named captain of the Rangers. Part of the show's surrealist nature derives from the minor characters who appear in the series. The Players Association blocked the deal, however, because the Red Sox wanted to cut Rodriguez's salary. There are many other frequently recurring characters, besides the boys and their families. The following month the Rangers tried unsuccessfully to trade Rodriguez and his hefty salary to the Boston Red Sox. Main article: Recurring South Park characters.

It was the second time in MLB history that a player of a team finishing last in the league was given the award (Andre Dawson also won the award for the last place Chicago Cubs). Jefferson," an alias of Michael Jackson, in the episode "The Jeffersons", and in the ninth season, he was killed by the Chinese mafia in the episode "Wing," as well as the following episode, "Best Friends Forever" (in fact, he dies twice in the latter). On November 17, 2003, Rodriguez won his first American League Most Valuable Player award. He was also killed once during the eighth season, unmasked, by "Mr. He has been married to the former Cynthia Scurtis since November 2, 2002: the couple's first child, Natasha Alexander, was born on November 18, 2004. Kenny was killed by Saddam Hussein in "It's Christmas in Canada," the final episode of season seven. In 2003 he became the youngest player in major league history to reach 300 home runs, and, on June 8, 2005, he became the first to to hit 400 home runs before the age of 30. He came back to life for an unexplained reason in "Red Sleigh Down" and is now the same regular kid he was before, except his deaths are much rarer now.

Rodriguez began his career as a shortstop, but switched positions to third base upon joining the Yankees. For some time (after the 5th season episode "Kenny Dies"), Kenny had actually died "permanently." In the 6th season episode "A Ladder to Heaven," Kenny's soul became entrapped inside of Cartman's body, but an exorcism performed by Chef's mama in "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" undid this. Starting his major league career with the Seattle Mariners, he signed an unprecedented free-agent deal with the Texas Rangers, before being traded to the New York Yankees. After this Stan would say, "Oh my god, they killed Kenny!" and Kyle would add, "You bastards!" Kenny would be back in the next episode, the incident forgotten. Alexander Emanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975 in New York City), nicknamed A-Rod, is widely regarded as one of the best players in Major League Baseball today and at a young age is already being talked about among the all-time greats. The show's earliest well-known gimmick was that in every episode, Kenny would die in some horrible, unexpected way. In recent seasons, two other characters have gained prominence:.

The main characters of the show are four elementary school students:. Craig" and "Cat Orgy"). Some episodes have sections of regular film edited in (e.g., "Tweek vs. To put the efficiency of this process in perspective, consider that the average episode of The Simpsons takes 8 months to create while episodes of South Park have been completed in as little as 3 days.

Paper cutouts were indeed used in the original pilot Parker/Stone animation and in the very first Comedy Central episode, but every subsequent episode aired on TV has been produced by computer animation that provides the same crude look. The characters and backgrounds of South Park are made to appear deliberately crude, as if they are simply made of cut-out pieces of paper. Her husband, Dino Andrade, founded the Mary Kay Bergman Memorial Fund at the Suicide Prevention Center of Greater Los Angeles in an effort to help and educate people with the same type of depression that his wife suffered from. After her death it was revealed that she suffered from a severe form of clinical depression.

theatrical release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, actress Mary Kay Bergman, who had provided all of the female voices on the South Park television series and in the full-length movie, committed suicide using a gun in her suburban Los Angeles, California home. On November 11, 1999 shortly after the U.S. It's more likely that "Blame Canada" was chosen because it plainly expresses the movie's main theme. It has often been said that "Blame Canada" was chosen from other Oscar-worthy songs in the movie on the basis that it was the only one that could be performed on live TV with its lyrics relatively intact; however, this is somewhat unlikely, as "Blame Canada" contains a swear word, whereas "Up There," a sentimental and inoffensive song sung by Satan, does not.

It also presented a twisted but seemingly sincere tribute to the film musical with a number of songs, including "Uncle Fucka" and "Blame Canada." The latter was nominated for an Oscar and was performed by Robin Williams during the awards show. The film managed to satirize both itself and the anticipated reaction that it engendered from moral conservatives. The following year, the full-length animated feature film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to generally enthusiastic reviews. It was apparently a well-planted April Fools Day gag, meant to poke fun at season-ending cliffhangers.

Four weeks later, the airing of an episode about Terrance and Phillip (two Canadian comedians the main characters idolize) prompted outrage, and also prompted Comedy Central to push the true season premiere up earlier than expected. The episode ended with the announcement that it would be revealed in four weeks' time. In February 1998, one episode of South Park posed the question of who Eric Cartman's father was. Comedy Central defended South Park by noting that the show is given a "Mature Audiences" TV rating (TV-MA) and that it only airs the show during nighttime hours and never during the day when children may be more likely to see the show.

The show's provocative, frequently offensive, and unquestionably adult-oriented material quickly drew howls of protests from various conservative spokespersons, and South Park merchandise (especially T-shirts) were banned from a number of public schools, day care centers, and other public places in a manner similar to the prohibition of Bart Simpson T-shirts in the early 1990s after The Simpsons was accused of contributing to juvenile delinquency. This led to talks to create a series, first with Fox, then with Comedy Central, where the series premiered on August 13, 1997. The video was a hit and was quickly shared, both by underground duplication and over the then-burgeoning Internet. Entitled The Spirit of Christmas, it closely resembled the style of the later series, and featured a martial arts duel (and subsequent truce) between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas.

Executives at the Fox network saw the film, and in 1995 executive Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film to send to friends as a video Christmas card. The baby Jesus then saves the day by decapitating the monster with a halo. The crudely made film featured prototypical versions of the kids of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but called "Kenny", bringing a murderous snowman to life with a magic hat. South Park got its start in 1991 when Parker and Stone, then film students at the University of Colorado, created an animated short called Jesus vs Frosty (also known as The Spirit of Christmas).

An episode that aired after the September 11, 2001 attacks had the boys stow away on a military transport to Afghanistan, where they encounter Osama bin Laden, and more recently the 2005 Terri Schiavo case was parodied in an episode in which the town is at odds over the removal of a feeding tube from Kenny McCormick. Attorney General, as a murderous Easter Bunny. For example, an episode involving the repatriation of Romanian quintuplets aired during the Elián González issue, and depicted Janet Reno, then U.S. The show is noted for its characteristically blunt handling of current events while they are still current.

Recent seasons have aired in two parts; for example, half of the episodes from the eighth season were put on hiatus for Team America: World Police, another Stone and Parker production. New episodes in the show's ninth season began airing March 9, 2005. South Park satirizes many aspects of American culture and current events, and challenges deepset convictions and taboos, usually using parody and black humor. Distributed by and airing on Comedy Central (and its current owner, Viacom) since 1997, it follows the surreal adventures of four young boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado.

South Park is a comedy animated series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Parker animated a South Park version of a joke called The Aristocrats for the documentary of that name. Eventually an ending showing crude cut outs of Terry Gilliam, Venus de Milo, and the Monty Python foot appear. A short tribute sketch was shown for the 30th anniversary of Monty Python which parodied the "Dead Parrot sketch." The parody takes part in a friends store, where Eric Cartman walks in and complains that this friend (Kenny) that he bought is dead.

In fact, Cartman says the expert (introduced as "Geoffrey Mainard") played the lead in a production of Les Misérables. Characters on The Simpsons, perhaps not coincidencially, often have the number 24601 as well. Les Misérables has had several cameo roles throughout the series, including Cosette's appearance, Cartman's prison number, 24601 (Jean Valjean's number), and an entire song in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut that is based on a song from the musical named "One Day More." Also, in episode 414 "Helen Keller! The Musical," the "musical theater expert" sounds similar to Colm Wilkinson, who played the original Jean Valjean on Broadway. They have said the appearance of Moore as a suicide bomber in their 2004 film Team America: World Police is their sardonic response to this incident. It became a point of contention between them and the filmmaker, Michael Moore, as they believed Moore meant to imply they had contributed to his film.

Stone's appearance was followed by an uncredited cartoon in a style strongly reminiscent of South Park that was not the work of either Stone or Parker. Stone presents a vision of Littleton as painfully normal, and highly intolerant of non-conformist behavior. The film Bowling for Columbine includes a brief interview with Matt Stone that suggests South Park was largely inspired by Stone's childhood experiences in Littleton, Colorado. The Harrisons, who are Mormon.

The Broflovskis (Kyle's family), who are Jewish. Clooney also appeared as a voice actor for Sparky, Stan's homosexual dog, in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride". George Clooney, who appears in "Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" as himself, portraying an emergency room doctor similar to his character Doug Ross in the TV series ER. Patrick Duffy, who appears upside-down as one of the legs of a mountain creature called Scuzzlebutt.

Christina Aguilera, who is portrayed as a hideous creature. Paris Hilton as spokeswoman for the "Stupid Spoiled Whore" clothing store chain. Jefferson comes to South Park to hide out because he is being accused of child molestation; such accusations were made against Jackson in late 2003. Mr.

Jefferson" who moves to South Park with his young son, Blanket. Michael Jackson as a new neighbor named "Mr. Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks as a goat in the Afghanistan episode. Radiohead, playing themselves, with the band telling lead singer Thom Yorke to stop reading fan mail and mocking Scott Tenorman for crying.

Sally Struthers, portrayed as a Hutt (as in "Jabba the Hutt" from Star Wars) saving "Starvin' Marvin" and his people in Africa. David Blaine, founder of the fictional "Blainetology" religion. Madonna, who is ridiculed. Russell Crowe, star of the TV show "Russell Crowe: Fightin' Around the World," in which he travels the world in a cartoon tugboat and picks fights with random strangers based on perceived insults.

Brian Boitano, who is a superhero. the band Toto (an 80s band). the band Korn, who played themselves and solved a Scooby Doo-type mystery. Simpson, part of a support group for relatives of murder victims.

J. O. Bill Clinton, who slept with Cartman's mom. Garrison tried to assassinate.

Kathie Lee Gifford, whom Mr. Robert Smith of the '80s band The Cure, who transformed into a moth-like creature (a parody of Mothra) to battle Mecha-Streisand; Smith provided his own voice. Barbra Streisand, who was transformed after a mystical artifact Kyle found while digging and became Mecha-Streisand, a mechanized Godzilla-like creature. Scott has appeared in minor roles in at least two subsequent episodes.

Cartman later takes revenge on Scott by feeding him Scott's own parents at Cartman's chili con carnival. Scott Tenorman, a much older schoolmate, originally introduced when he cons Cartman out of his allowance money in the episode Scott Tenorman Must Die. The goth kids, originally featured in episode 714 (Raisins). Token is also a frequent target of Cartman's racism.

Token Williams, a schoolmate of black descent who often accompanies the boys on their adventures. He is afraid of getting an erection and took steroids to win the Special Olympics. Often performs stand-up comedy. Jimmy, a handicapped schoolmate with crutches and a speech impediment.

He has a limited vocabulary, usually only consisting of his own name, Jimmy's name, and his usual babble that sounds like "Livin' a lie!", though, on occasion, has managed a few other words. Timmy, a schoolmate confined by handicap to a wheelchair. Wendy Testaburger, a schoolmate and Stan's sometimes girlfriend. Officer Barbrady, the incompetent town police officer.

kay?" to the end of his sentences. Mackey, the school counselor who often appends "Mmmm.. Mr. Jesus and Santa Claus, who are frequently depicted as gun-toting heroes.

Satan, portrayed as the insecure and overly sensitive gay lover of Saddam Hussein. Jerome "Chef" McElroy (voiced by Isaac Hayes), the school cafeteria chef whom the boys seek out for advice. Hat). Garrison's gay live-in lover until his sex change in episode 901 (replacement for Garrison's beloved puppet companion, Mr.

Slave, Mr. Mr. Choksondik (pronounced "chokes-on-dick") who dies in season 6. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina), and Ms.

Herbert Garrison (currently Mrs. Garrison after receiving a sex change in episode 901, Mr. the boys' teachers Mr. Tweek (replaced Kenny during the second part of the 6th season, though Kenny was brought back for the 7th season): like Butters he is very nervous; he is constantly given caffeine by his coffee-shop-owning parents, he is visited nightly by the "underpants gnomes" and his eyes "tweek." Since Kenny returned, he has returned to playing a minor role. His birthday is September 11.