Judge rules in favor of parody song “I Need a Jew”

According to reports from both Haaretz and gossip site TMZ, a judge has rejected Disney's claim that a  parody song from a once-banned episode of "Family Guy" infringed upon the rights on the original.

The song in question, "I Need A Jew," was a humorous take on the classic "When You Wish Upon A Star." In the "Family Guy" version main character Peter Griffen looks lovingly toward the sky to wish for a Jew to help him with his money problems. The subversive episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" in which the song was featured, follows Peter as he meets likeable Jewish neighbor Max Weinstein and decides to convert his eldest son to Judiasm.

The court ruled this week that the song was humorous, an obvious parody, and did not infringe upon the rights of Disney.

The episode was originally stalled from broadcast because some FOX network executives were worried the episode could be construed as anti-Semitic. It was eventually aired on the Cartoon Network in 2003 and Fox in 2004.

On the DVD commentary for the episode, creator Seth MacFarlane mentions that he showed the script of the episode to two rabbis who both  approved "because Peter learns the right lesson at the end." MacFarlane also points out that the writer, Ricky Blitt, is Jewish himself, as is stale-voiced Ben Stein, who plays the Rabbi.

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