That's some serious Futurama drama.
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00:00 Futurama is a big hit with some A-list celebrities out there.
00:03 Known for its wacky storylines and scientific anomalies, the show clearly attracts a certain
00:08 kind of viewer, and occasionally they happen to be famous.
00:11 Of course, when you're famous, people will bend over backwards for you and even write
00:14 you into their show.
00:15 So who really wanted to time travel through space, and what demands did they have while
00:20 doing so?
00:21 In this list, we'll take a look at some of the guest appearances on the show and what
00:24 was going on behind the scenes.
00:26 Whether it be stars who wanted to appear on the show to boost their presidential campaign,
00:31 or stars who wanted to make fun of themselves more, there have been some interesting requests
00:35 and demands made while recording this hit animated series.
00:39 And so, with that in mind, I'm Ellie with What Culture, here with 7 unusual demands
00:43 made by guest stars on Futurama.
00:46 7.
00:47 Larry Bird didn't want to be a part of the show
00:50 This cameo is so much more hilarious when you know the backstory.
00:53 The episode follows the story of Leela trying to learn how to pitch for Blurnsball.
00:57 While seeking out the help of Hank Aaron the 24th, who actually did agree to voice his
01:02 character, the Scooby Doo spoof episode soon turns to Bird and his recorded message is
01:07 repeatedly played during his cameo.
01:09 One of the funnier entries on this list, this celeb barely spoke a word when recording for
01:13 the series.
01:14 His lines were, in fact, the same lines, just repeated.
01:17 This is due to the fact that the star never actually agreed to be on the show, but rather
01:21 called the producers and left a voice note, which was eventually used to voice the cartoon
01:25 version of himself.
01:26 In the voice note, the basketball player explains how his agent had sent him the script and
01:30 he'd read through the lines and immediately decided he wanted to be no part of it.
01:34 Groening obviously didn't catch that part of the message and featured the star in the
01:38 episode.
01:39 6.
01:40 George Takei wanted to be funnier
01:42 George Takei has featured in quite a few episodes of Futurama over the years, but his first
01:47 episode is perhaps one of the more iconic occasions the star has appeared.
01:50 This episode was one that went down extremely well with the Futurama superfans and supernerds
01:55 around the world.
01:56 The episode, where no man has gone before, starts off with Fry learning that Star Trek
02:00 has been banned on his home planet, Earth, for a few hundred years.
02:05 In an attempt to right this wrong, he tracks down the actors from the show, and thus the
02:08 greatest sci-fi animation baby is born.
02:11 George Takei featured alongside a number of the original Star Trek cast members, including
02:15 William Shatner, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, as well as Jonathan Frakes from The
02:19 Next Generation.
02:20 Takei was reportedly a great sport while filming, and made very few demands besides having a
02:25 more humorous character.
02:26 He hadn't made much of a social media presence for himself, but after the episode started
02:30 airing and everyone realised the wicked sense of humour he had, it all changed.
02:34 Who would say no to a star asking to have more jokes added in?
02:38 5.
02:39 Ad Rock wanted to record lines via telephone
02:42 This episode is one of the first times the show had guest appearances from well-known
02:46 celebrities.
02:47 In true Futurama style, the members of the Beastie Boys show up as heads in jars and
02:51 perform a concert.
02:52 Backstage, Leela Fry and Bender meet the band.
02:55 This brief tangent is interrupted by the Robot Devil as he challenges Bender to a music-off.
03:00 The rest of the episode is consumed with Bender and his struggles as he grapples with his
03:04 electricity addiction and takes on the Robot Devil, voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
03:08 The Beastie Boys do not return during the episode, much to the dismay of the fans.
03:13 One of the stranger requests from a guest on the animated series, Beastie Boys' Ad
03:16 Rock, claims that they accepted his request to do all of the recordings over the phone.
03:21 The episode in which this band feature has only two of the band members' real voices.
03:25 Mike, Dee and Ad Rock were the only two available to do the voices, and so MCA had to be impersonated
03:31 by Rock.
03:32 Some have questioned his confession, stating that the sound quality was too good to be
03:36 a phone call.
03:37 Who knows, maybe they accepted the request because two out of the three is better than
03:40 only one.
03:41 4.
03:42 Mark Hamill demanded not to voice Bender
03:45 Mark Hamill is one of the few guest stars who hasn't played themselves.
03:49 Instead, this Star Wars actor featured as the rather bland Hanukkah Zombie during the
03:54 episode "Bender's Big Score".
03:56 While some believe this was a waste of a cameo, Hamill was reportedly happy to play any part
04:00 in the series.
04:01 His demands for the show actually came later on, once the series had already been cancelled
04:06 in 2013.
04:08 When fans learned that the show would be renewed but without the help of the original voice
04:12 of Bender, John DiMaggio, there was a major upset and public reaction from a number of
04:17 celebs.
04:18 Hamill tweeted out in support of the voice actor, requesting that he be returned to the
04:21 show while reassuring fans that he would not be auditioning for the voice of fake Bender.
04:26 Hamill is one of many to take a stand in support of the incredible voice actor, so hopefully
04:31 Hulu will listen and up the payments so that everyone's favourite pissy robot can return
04:35 to our screens, along with the rest of the much-loved team.
04:39 3.
04:40 Stephen Hawking Demanded to Voice Himself
04:43 This one made everyone very happy, including the star himself.
04:47 To have such an icon appear on the show was a real highlight for the sci-fi enthusiast
04:52 behind the scenes, and to have him request to do the recording himself was the cherry
04:56 on top.
04:57 Unlike when he recorded for Family Guy, Hawking was actually in the studio for the recording
05:01 of his lines when he featured on Futurama and The Simpsons.
05:05 As his voice can be replicated on most computers, he wasn't actually needed for the recording,
05:10 but he had made a close friend with Matt Groening and the two agreed he would record it himself.
05:16 Hawking was apparently a fan of the show and was more than happy to have a little sci-fi
05:20 fun with the team.
05:21 He cameoed on the show twice in the episodes Anthology of Interest 1 and Reincarnation,
05:27 in which he plays Dungeons and Dragons while trying to save the world and shoots freeze
05:31 beams while trying to distract two professors from a fight.
05:34 Hawking was definitely at the top of the list for guest stars that had to appear on Futurama,
05:39 and his legacy will live on through the animation and comedy that everyone has come to know
05:43 and love.
05:44 2.
05:45 Al Gore Demanded To Be Made Fun Of
05:48 Perhaps one of the sweetest scores Futurama has ever made in terms of guest stars, Al
05:53 Gore voiced himself on the show, even while preparing to run in the elections.
05:58 Whether this did more harm than good is uncertain, but he definitely came away with a new audience
06:02 of devoted supporters.
06:03 Al was a fan of the show, but his family connection is what really sealed the deal.
06:08 His daughter, Kristen Gore, was a writer for Futurama across seasons 3 and 4.
06:12 While preparing for the role as himself, Al was a great sport and actually requested for
06:16 more jokes to be put in that poke fun at things he has said or done in the past.
06:21 His line in the show "Invented the environment" directly mocks how the politician likes to
06:26 say he "invented the internet".
06:28 This move was most probably strictly political, as he wanted everyone to know he's one of
06:32 the cool vice presidents who uses comedy to relate to potential supporters.
06:37 Definitely one of the more standout guest appearances on the show, and it's amazing
06:40 he returned so many times.
06:43 1.
06:44 The Richard Nixon Library Demanded Promo Materials
06:48 Despite debuting on TV screens across the world five years after the death of this former
06:53 president, Futurama still managed to feature Richard Nixon on the show during the episode
06:58 "A Head in the Poles", where he uses Bender's body as his own while his head has been preserved
07:03 in a jar.
07:04 Although it wasn't his own voice, but rather the voice of Billy West, it still ruffled
07:09 a few feathers at the Nixon family HQ.
07:11 In the show, Nixon is played as himself, but with more of a nightmarish edge and his bold
07:16 claims to be president of the earth.
07:18 With the villainous connotation surrounding this portrayal, the Richard Nixon Library
07:22 got in contact with the show and requested that he no longer be involved, as they did
07:26 not like what the show was doing for his reputation.
07:29 A few years later, the Richard Nixon Library had done a full 180 and actually requested
07:34 that the creators provide them with some materials so that they could be put on display during
07:38 the Nixon in Popular Culture exhibition.
07:40 A strange turnaround, but at least everyone's happy now, and the ex-president won't be
07:44 rolling in his grave anymore.
07:47 And that concludes our list.
07:48 If you can think of anything that we missed, then do let us know in the comments below.
07:52 And while you're there, don't forget to like and subscribe and tap that notification
07:56 bell.
07:57 Also, head over to Twitter and follow us there @whatculture, and I can be found across various
08:00 social medias just by searching Ellie Littlechild.
08:03 I've been Ellie with What Culture, I hope you have a magical day, and I'll see you