Simpsons scribe Mike Reiss' Queer Duck recently got the DVD treatment as a straight-to-video movie. Reiss told a crowd at NewFest, an LGBT Film Festival, that Paramount ordered his writers not to make fun of Tom Cruise and his perceived sexual orientation, taking objection to one line in a song about Gay Day that went, "'Let's call Tom Cruise. What can we lose?" Reiss, trying to be diplomatic, had the line changed to "'Don't call Tom Cruise. He's straight and he sues," but that line wasn't acceptable either. So, if you're thinking of creating a cartoon that gently mocks Tom Cruise, you should know that you're not allowed to call him gay, or straight. I think that's only fair, since everyone knows he reproduces by exploding a cloud of spores from the top of his head.

[via Best Week Ever]

Man, not having Showtime really sucks sometimes. It means I can never watch Penn and Teller: Bullshit!, one of my favorite shows, nor was I ever able to catch Queer Duck, the animated series about a gay fowl and his fellow gay animals. It was written and created by The Simpson's Mike Reiss and began as a Web series. The show only lasted one year, and was gone shortly before gay-themed programs became more prevalent and accepted. There's been talk for awhile now about a Queer Duck movie, and AnimatedBliss is reporting that the 75-minute made-for-DVD movie will be out on July 18. The movie was written by Reiss. Despite this movie being made, the actual series is still not available on DVD. Did anyone out there actually watch Queer Duck? Was it any good?