'The Boondocks’ invades a civilized TV near you The newest addition to Cartoon Network's 'Adult Swim' lineup premieres Sunday at 11 p.m. BY KRISTEN GERHARD PULSE REPORTER Aaron McGruder wanted to bring to life the characters of his ac claimed and infamous cartoon strip, "The Boondocks," from the moment they graced the pages of major newspapers in 1999. Today, more than 350 newspapers nationwide feature the still-framed satire of the dysfunctional Freeman family— Huey, Riley and granddad Robert. This Sunday, McGruder's dreams of breathing life into the Freemans' sto ries will become a reality when "The Boondocks" joins the Adult Swim lineup on the Cartoon Network at 11 p.m. with the series premiere titled "Garden Party." Like the strip, the show focuses on the two black Freeman brothers — 10-year-old Huey and 8-year-old Ri ley — who are forced to live in the Chicago suburbs when their grand dad becomes their legal guardian. Huey, a young leftist revolutionary, and Riley, a wannabe thug, in evitably clash with their predomi nantly white neighbors, creating ma terial ripe with humor, as well as social and political commentary. McGruder said that compared to the comic strip, the format of the show has been very liberating cre atively. Developing the characters and creating more complex story lines are just a few examples of whatthe new, more open medium will allow him to do. The only real limitation to the television format, in which episodes can take months to reach the screen, is the chal lenge posed by maintaining rele vancy while focusing on issue or event-based jokes. "Whenever you're doing something tied to real life and the news, even though you try your best, you're throwing curveballs," McGrudersaid. "Unpredicted things happen and you just got to deal with it." Therefore, jabs at pop culture icons and other public figures will occur less in the show than in the strip, although McGruder said they're still trying to get in a few when they can. For in stance, in the premiere episode, an unintelligent, gun-toting, trust-fund-dependant character named Edward III is intended to be loosely representative of President George W. Bush. "We didn't want to tell a bunch of Bush jokes that would date the show," McGruder said. "So this seemed to be kind of a funny way to accomplish the same thing without being right on top of current events." In much the same way, many of the heavier points made by "The Boondocks" fall more on the subversive side. Overall, when it comes to crafting come dy versus encouraging dialogue, McGruder said comedy comes first. "We don't sit around thinking, 'Gosh, what do we want the young kids talking about today?"' he said. "We always start in the place of 'OK, Courtesy what's going to make the young kids laugh?' because I do think, at any point in your life, you're watching TV for entertainment, and the politics COMIC, page 11 CAREER FAIR Thursday, November 10 ■ EMU Ballroom ■ 2:00—7:00pm mess MAKING THE MOST OF THE CAREER FAIR Tuesday, November 8 EMU Alsea Room, 4:00-5:30pm Visit the Career Center web site to preregister Career Center 220 Hendricks Hall 346-3235 * http://uocareer.uoregon.edu Career Center DREAM IT. PLAN IT. DOIT. 023621 4 ft V ■ Copper Penny’s 25th v/V] Antiques &f Collectibles Show & X Sa{e November 4, 5, 6 ♦ Admission $3 - good all 3 days Children under 12 free with adult Fri 10 a.m. -8p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. - 7p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Lane County Fairgrounds ♦ For more information: 683-5435 Oak, Pine, Walnut & Mahogany Furniture ♦ Fine & Collectible Glass Books ♦ Quilts ♦ Linens ♦ Fine & Costume Jewelry ♦ Silver ♦ Vintage Clothing ♦ Rugs ♦ Advertising ♦ Radios N yfrints ♦ Pottery ♦ Lighting ♦ Kitchen Glassware J IV