A DECADE OF `SOUTH PARK' CONTROVERSY.

Byline: David Kronke Television Critic

What does it say about ``South Park's'' Trey Parker and Matt Stone that they presided over Comedy Central's most thoughtful and reflective session Thursday morning at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena?

``We don't want to lose our edge, but we also want to grow old gracefully,'' said Parker. ``We're still doing some really (expletive)-up (yet another expletive). We're losing our edge, but hopefully we're gaining something else.''

Parker and Stone discussed, among other things, their controversial Scientology and ``Cartoon Wars'' episodes with TV reporters on the occasion of the 10th season of ``South Park,'' coming in October. After winning an Emmy and a Peabody Award, one of TV's most anarchic programs has become -- shudder -- respectable.

``(Being nominated for) the Emmy was our worst nightmare, but when we won, we were really happy,'' Stone said. ``So it is kind of hypocritical.''

Parker added, ``We were the punk-rock kids who suddenly became Student of the Month.''

Students of the Month who can still stir up a lot of controversy.

``South Park's'' Scientology episode, which mocked the religion as well as offered a withering opinion about Tom Cruise's sexuality, was yanked from the network after one airing -- until it received an Emmy nomination for its script (it returns next week).

Parker and Stone put the script up for nomination to protest the network's pulling the episode. ``That was what we had to do,'' he said.

``I don't think it was our best show, not by any means.''

``We were just being (expletive), really,'' Stone added.

Initially, the two shied away from the subject out of fear of the religion's reputation for litigiousness but proceeded after getting an OK from network attorneys. They then wrote and produced the episode in four days; it aired on the fifth.

``If ours was a show where episodes sat on a shelf for two months, it would've never made it to the air,'' Stone said.

``They (Scientologists) were actually extremely happy -- they were, `You go, guys,''' Parker joked.

In fact, the two have heard nothing from the religion's officials.

``Their reputation is for intimidating people,'' Stone said, ``but it's all b.s. The press has made them into these monsters, and they enjoy that reputation because people won't mess with them.''

They've won the war against Scientologists but have yet to triumph over fundamentalist Islam --- or the timidity of Comedy Central executives, who refused to allow the duo to present an image of Mohammed after deadly riots followed the publication of Danish cartoons mocking Islam's prophet.

Parker said that when he initially saw TV reports about riots under the headline ``Cartoon Wars,'' he thought they were in response to an earlier ``South Park'' episode that depicted Mohammed as a super hero whose power is the ability to turn into a beaver. (One, he pointed out, that continues to air uncensored.)

``As soon as I saw (the news reports), I said, `OK, so we're doing (an episode about) that,'' he said.

``Who wouldn't do a show about that?'' Stone added.

At the end of the two-part episode in which all of America, fearful of terrorist reprisals, buries its heads in the sand to avoid seeing an episode of ``Family Guy'' that includes the controversial image, the image itself was censored by the network.

Doug Herzog, president of Comedy Central, said, ``It was a judgment call. You feel bad, because (Parker and Stone are angry) at you and calling you a coward in Variety. Did we overreact? Sure. History will probably show that.'' Nonetheless, when the episode appears on DVD, the image will likely still be omitted, Herzog said.

Parker said, had the image aired as intended and riots had in fact broken out, ``We would've felt super-(expletive), but you can't back down. We rip on everyone. If they threaten violence and get away with it, then why can't Catholics or Christians or anyone threaten violence?''

On the other hand, the two were lauded by other animators who also enjoyed the poke at ``Family Guy,'' whose writers were depicted as manatees in a tank.

``The day after that episode aired, we received flowers from `The Simpsons,''' Parker said. ``We heard from some people over at `King of the Hill' that we were doing God's work. It's not just our opinion.''

By contrast, the network's press conferences for two upcoming series bordered on chaos. For ``The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show,'' stars Dave Allen (the trucker) and David Koechner (T-Bones), conducted their press conference in character, as two surreally erudite Southern dopes.

And yes, Allen was indeed naked (a guitar covered the parts you can't see on TV), or at least as naked as one can get. When one reporter pointed out he was wearing an athletic supporter, the two threatened to deprive him of his laptop computer.

They performed an intermittently filthy and occasionally amusing song titled ``I Like,'' which will definitely not be mistaken for ``My Favorite Things,'' then Allen put on a robe.

The press conference resulted in precious little information, instead becoming an opportunity for the two to do shtick. Koechner asked a female reporter for her room number at the hotel, and when a male reporter asked him for his thoughts on the film ``Deliverance,'' he took vehement umbrage -- ``Are you asking straight out if you like to have sex tied to a tree?'' The reporter withdrew the question.

David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin's session for the upcoming animated series ``Freak Show,'' about freaks who double as mediocre superheroes, was even more hostile, though admittedly funny. The two openly mocked questions, some of which were pretty stupid. One reporter asked them about pitching shows for the Internet, which neither man had ever done.

Another asked Cross -- a cult-favorite comic who starred in ``Arrested Development'' and ``Mr. Show'' -- about an article he wrote for a magazine. ``I've had people reference the article in a way that starts out as a question and doesn't end up as much of a question,'' he replied. At one point, Cross asked one reporter to wake up another reporter. Asked about the show's animation, Cross tried to explain the process, then simply said, ``Nobody really cares.''

When a reporter prefaced a question with, ``This is for David,'' Cross pushed Benjamin out of his chair. Later, when all of the questions were directed toward Cross, the comic ordered his writing partner to leave the stage.

He did, momentarily, then when a reporter finally deigned to ask Benjamin a question, Cross interrupted, ``I'm not done not answering (my) question.''

Benjamin's query concerned the initial ``H'' in his name. ``That's the one I get?'' he groaned, then refused to answer. ``It's a letter in the alphabet that signifies a sound,'' he said.

Cross concluded, ``There's a distinct schism in this room between people who are amused by us, who find us delightful, and people who do not like us at all.''

David Kronke, [phone]

david.kronke(at)dailynews.com

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``South Park'' creators Trey Parker, left, and Matt Stone discussed the show's Scientology episode, among other irreverent topics, at the TV critics press tour in Pasadena.

Ann Johansson/Associated Press