Andy Richter can make any situation funny. Or so I thought until I watched "Scared of Bees," a Funny or Die clip that both promotes and spoofs Honey Nut Cheerios' summer "Tour Across America," in which brand spokesbee Buzz hands out samples to fans across our sugar-addicted land. In the video, a film crew arrives at Richter's door and attempts to reward him with a free year's supply of cereal, but when the comedian spies Buzz doing a jig on the lawn, he goes ballistic: "What's wrong with you? Are you trying to kill me! I'm allergic to bees!" Upon being assured that Buzz isn't a bee, but a person, Richter explodes at the announcer: "You mean you made some kind of sick bee-human hybrid? No wonder it's so huge. Who are you to play God, TV man?" There's a chase though his house and around the yard, Richter twice squirts bug spray in the announcer's face, and it all ends with Conan's sidekick donning bee-keeper garb. Richter tries his best, and I enjoyed his patented smarmy/whiny line deliveries. But he's miscast in such tame fare, which culminates in a non-payoff when a freaky twist or outrageous sting in the tail seems sorely required.
