A Star is Torn

"A Star is Torn" is the eighteenth episode of Season 16.
==Synopsis==
After her family falls ill from organic food, Lisa uses her singing voice to comfort them, and Homer sees his daughter's talent as a chance to compete on a reality talent show for kids.
== Full Story ==
After being unable to shop at the Kwik-E-Mart because it is being held up, Lisa suggests the Simpsons have an organic vegetarian meal with ingredients purchased from a nearby stall, which they enjoy until Bart, Homer, Marge, and Maggie feel queasy and begin puking. Later, when Bart questions why everyone but Lisa got sick, Lisa explains that they got ill because their bodies are so used to processed foods that it is a shock to their systems to eat organic foods with "vitamins, minerals and trace amounts of bug feces," which Lisa, as a vegetarian, is used to eating. As the family sits on the couch, wrapped in blankets, Lisa gives them dry toast and seltzer water, and gently sings them to sleep with the "Hush, Little Baby" song. The next morning, the family is feeling better, eating fried chicken while watching TV. They see Krusty make an endorsement for his "Li'l Starmaker" competition, a children's American Idol-style competition. The family convinces Lisa to enter, with Bart even saying that Lisa has a beautiful singing voice.
At the competition, another child (potrayed by guest star Fantasia Barrino) sings a perfect version of Lisa's planned song, "Hush, Little Baby." Lisa starts to panic, but Homer comes to her rescue by going to the nearby music store and writing a song for her to sing. She sings the song "I'm Talkin' Springfield", which praises Springfield (except Ned Flanders), delighting the crowd. Soon, the competition enters its knockout stages. Homer, now Lisa's manager, starts using every means at his disposal to make Lisa feel comfortable. He even gets her the right spotlight, by turning the tables on the technician.
The competition progresses and contestants are eliminated, leaving just fan favorites Cameron and Lisa in the final to take place the next day. However, Homer's aggressive treatment of staff at the competition makes Lisa ruffled, and as a result, she fires him as her manager, causing him to be uncomfortable. Later that night, as the rest of the family eats dinner, Homer enters to announce that he has become Cameron's manager. Lisa is crestfallen that Homer is irritated with her.
During the last competition, Lisa sings a song that she has written herself, called "Always My Dad", dedicated to Homer. The song expresses how much she loves her dad, and how sorry she is for hurting him. After she finishes, everyone loves it. Cameron, now restyled by Homer as "Johnny Rainbow," then goes up, and sings a rather condescending song called "Privileged Boy" that Homer wrote. The lyrics say how much better he is than the audience. Cameron is booed off the stage, with a few rotten vegetables as an accompaniment. Lisa is thrilled that Homer sabotaged Cameron in order to help her gain the prize. Homer tells Lisa that he will always be there for her.
During the first half of the credits, Homer is with Lisa in the yard doing the jazz hands that Homer taught Cameron, and even Maggie joins in.
== Citations ==
fr:Krusty chasseur de talents
pl:A Star is Torn
pt:Destroi-se um Astro
Category:Lisa episodes
Category:Homer episodes
Category:Krusty the Clown Episodes
Category:Episodes featuring guest stars
Category:Musical-themed Episodes
Category:Episodes named after previous episodes
Category:Episodes on DVD
Category:Apu episodes
Category:Cletus Episodes
Category:Marge episodes
Category:Bart episodes
Category:Episodes with alternate end credits
Category:Highly Rated Episodes
Category:Directed by Nancy Kruse
Category:Written by Carolyn Omine
Category:Lisa seeks understanding episodes
Category:Episodes named after a film or TV Show