Celebrity References

Celebrity References
Appearances: "Borderline Personalities", "Red Hairing"

Celebrity References are used often throughout the Arrested Development series.

Season Two[]

"Motherboy XXX"[]

Buster was in the stair car he started to sing "Mr Roboto" by Styx, before piercing the car with his hook - Tony Hale was in a TV ad that had the same song playing in it before he became an actor.

Season Three[]

"Development Arrested"[]

Ally McBeal - Actress Portia de Rossi played a character named Nelle in this series, mirroring the revelation of Lindsay's identity in this episode

Risky Business - Ted is dressed like Tom Cruise in Risky Business (sunglasses, collar up, no pants) under the "Risky Business" banner. He can be heard saying "I couldn't see through the glasses and I slid into the ladder", implying he (unsuccessfully) attempted to re-create the famous "sliding in front of the stairs" scene from the movie, in front of the ladder

Season Four[]

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - During the scene when Young Lucille plots to disrupt Cinco de Mayo, her face cream gives her the appearance of being green-skinned, much like the Grinch in this Dr. Seuss classic. Like the Grinch, she is plotting to upset a holiday for which she has a personal disdain. The narration also mimics the film, and again during the discussion of why Michael opened the fourth ballot. The film version of the Seuss book was produced by Imagine Entertainment.

Seinfeld - Michael buys a plane ticket and boards a flight he didn't plan on taking, just to get a magazine that mentions him. Similarly, in the Seinfeld episode "The Airport," George buys a plane ticket and boards a flight he didn't plan on taking, right after buying a magazine with a blurb that mentions him. The discussion about proper tipping practice is a reference to a common motif on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Workaholics - The cast of the show Workaholics appear as flight attendants for OutWest Airlines.

"Borderline Personalities"[]

Halliburton - The oil drilling conglomerate has rebranded two divisions into "Halliburton Teen" and "Hal & Burton's Frozen Goat Cream".

Ray Romano - When George is mocking the man who he thinks is an Indian, he asks for tickets to his casino to see Ray Romano perform standup comedy.

Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton - Oscar hallucinates about the celebrities while eating maca.

"Indian Takers"[]

David Spade - Lindsay buys a knockoff Kate Spade jacket called a "David Spade". The says that anything smaller than a size small is a "David Spade".

David Spade - Rebel later brags that her handbag is a David Spade in "Colony Collapse".

"Red Hairing"[]

Nat King Cole - Marky Bark and Lindsay think a picture of Nat King Cole is Herbert Love.

Captain and Tennille - When Lucille Austero gives Lindsay the orange wig she says "I used to wear that with the captain, and I was..." Lindsay then responds with "Tennille?". Lucille then says "... and not make eye contact. Yes!". This misconception occurs becuause of a play on words. Lucille thought Lindsay said "To kneel" not "Tennille", as in the recording artist. What Lucille meant was that she had to kneel and not make eye contact with whoever her captain was.

Hillary Clinton - Lindsay wears Hillary Clinton hair in the last scene.

Queen B.[]

The Sterile Cuckoo - Lucille 2 was called a sterile cuckoo bird by Lucille Bluth. The Sterile Cuckoo was one of Liza Minnelli's first films.

Bob Fosse - Lucille Austero's clinic contains a poster of Bob Fosse. Fosse directed the film Cabaret, for which Minnelli won an Oscar for best actress. He also produced and directed the television concert, Liza with a "Z", which she starred in.

Señoritis[]

George Maharis - George Michael's name is a reference to George Maharis, the star of the 1960s series Route 66, who was once arrested for having homosexual sex with a hairdresser named Perfecto Telles in a gas station bathroom.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song plays during the flashback of Mort sneaking into Sid's office. In Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jeff Garlin plays the role of Larry David's manager.

Liza Minnelli's entertainment career - The Ultimate Event (Rat Pack concert tour) / hip replacements - Maeby gives George Michael Lucille 2's 1988 yellow Cadallic that she drove to and from "hip replacements" and says "that's only funny if you know who she is". In 1988, Minnelli replaced Dean Martin in a Rat Pack (Martin, Davis, Jr., Sinatra) concert tour called The Ultimate Event'. Minnelli also had multiple hip replacement surgeries.

Liza with a "Z" - The outline for Lucille Austero's body on the stair car matches Liza Minnelli's pose on the cover of her album Liza with a "Z".

Modern Family - Perfecto Tellessees the kids from Modern Family while talking to Maeby at The Opie Awards.