Michiko Kakutani Writes Review As Brian The Dog From 'Family Guy' (POLL)

The New York Times lead critic Michiko Kakutani made a splash on the internet this morning by publishing a review of Andrew O'Hagan's new book "The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe" in the voice of Brian the dog from the TV series "Family Guy."

Kakutani's review begins:

Brian the dog here. You know, the talking dog from "Family Guy": best-selling author, actor, television writer, movie director, song-and-dance ace, civil rights crusader and, yes, animal companion. Because of my sterling literary credentials, I've been asked to review this British pooch's new memoir: "The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe," ghosted by this novelist guy Andrew O'Hagan.

Sites including New York Magazine, Video Gum, and The Atlantic Wire have all weighed in on the piece.

One choice bit hints at the reviewers justification for writing the review:

I can't help wondering if this O'Hagan dude didn't take a little inspiration from me, Brian, in embellishing little Maf's autobiography. I mean, how many erudite, liberal-minded, book-writing, talking dogs can there be?

Another includes a cringe-worthy pun:

Before getting to all the juicy Marilyn material, Maf gives us an awful lot of back story, a whole dog-and-pony show about how he came to be the esteemed author of this book.

But what do you think?

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Comments

[BadIdeaSociety]

11:42 PM on 12/09/2010

It would have been funnier if she just cut and pasted excerpts from "Faster Than the Speed of Love."

[John Dav]

02:29 AM on 12/09/2010

When I think of Michiko Kakutani, "humor" isn't one of the words that immediately pops to mind. This serves as ample confirmation.

[Luanne72]

02:43 PM on 12/09/2010

I second this.

[BlackJAC]

09:57 AM on 12/08/2010

She should've collaborated with a Family Guy staff writer to get Brian's voice down, although the show did establish that Brian's not that good a writer to begin with.

[Luanne72]

02:43 PM on 12/09/2010

Hahaha!

[gappedtoothgodwarrior]

04:51 PM on 12/09/2010

To be in keeping with the character shouldn't the review be a rehash of other reviews unbeknown to the writer her(him)self?

[gappedtoothgodwarrior]

10:48 PM on 12/07/2010

Anything that starts thus:

Brian the dog here. You know, the talking dog from "Family Guy"

Has already signposted the failure of its conceit.

[Luanne72]

02:44 PM on 12/09/2010

Exactly.

[tucsoncindy]

08:41 PM on 12/07/2010

I'm confused. Brian is not real, but in this world he might be.

[jessiaia]

08:38 PM on 12/07/2010

Kakutani drove me away from the Times Book Review. I see I haven't missed much.

[shthar]

08:34 PM on 12/07/2010

How old is that dog?

[BlackJAC]

09:56 AM on 12/08/2010

Eight.

[SpencerDeck]

04:24 PM on 12/07/2010

Dumbest woman in New York