Watching Simpsons

First let me apologize for not posting a recap of “Boys of Bummer” which aired last night. My VCR(yes I still use a VCR) fizzed out and thus I missed it. Sorry.

Now onto the subject at hand. In Simpsons news recently, it has been revealed that Bart will have a full frontal nude shot in the beginning of the movie. This comes about because Homer dares him to ride his skateboard naked throughout Springfield. If you’re any kind of Simpsons fan, you have probably seen Bart’s bare hindquarters numerous times, but we’ve never been exposed to full frontal nudity. This is, I find, very weird and I think I’ll only believe it when I see it. The creators of this film have been giving us false information the entire time and phony trailers and teasers. This seems like another perfect stunt on the part of the Simpson’s creators Matt Groening and Mel Brooks in order to get more buzz going about the movie.
Numerous articles have been spread throughout the web on Bart’s nude shot, but the one I found most interesting is the one where we learn that The Simpsons almost got a ‘R’ rating for the probably 5 second shot of Bart O’Natural. IF they put in the nude shot, THEN I wonder why they could escape an ‘R’ rating.
After I’ve read and read about this, I can’t find a concrete answer as to why the Simpsons are an exception to the rule.
Here’s what they’re saying on the topic.

According to AssociatedContent.com, this gives “The Simpsons” the unique distinction of being the first film, animated or live action, to escape the Restricted rating despite depiction of full frontal nudity.

That’s pretty much it. Perhaps being animated is the key. More likely, though, it’s because they are The Simpsons and you can’t really deny The Simpsons anything these days.

Like I said, I’ll believe it when I see it. We already know that much of the stuff that has been leaked about The Simpsons Movie has been utterly fake/false/misleading/a tease.

However, to satisfy my curiousity, I would like to know if you, the fans, believe that a full frontal nude shot of Bart is going too far and that an ‘R’ rating is necessary or if it’s no big deal.

Vote below on the poll and I’ll post results tomorrow.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Matt Groening, Mel Brooks, FOX

-Anna

I like the Simpsons as much as the next person, but an article I came by today seems to be a little far-fetched. This is also the second article I’ve found of late that ties The Simpsons the study of the mental health or the human mind. Very strange.

The main point of the article that I found was that by watching The Simpsons we are exposed to a non-chalant attitude toward mental health and that this is actually helpful for people that might suffer common mental health problems like anxiety, depression, or phobias.

Simply acknowledging mental health on such a popular television show might help ‘normalise’ the illnesses, say Australian trainee psychiatrist Dr Hannah Mendelson and director/cinematographer Gil Poznanski from Melbourne.
And it means viewers, especially children, who may later have a mental health crisis, might not feel so isolated as they relate back to a Simpsons character or experience.

So what I’m getting here is that if I, later in my life, experience perhaps some depression or anxiety, I might be able to find comfort knowing that a Simpsons character went through it as well and that it was no big deal. Did I get that right?
The article also proposes that mental health issues addressed on The Simpsons might help other people find help for their own problems.

In one episode, for example, Homer attempts to cure his depression with his ‘homemade Prozac’ mixture of chocolate and ice-cream after he is unable to get help. “Homer says ‘My last chance is homemade Prozac’. Even though he’s an idiot, he acknowledges an antidepressant could help,” Poznanski says.

Poznanski is a director/cinematographer from Melbourne, Austrailia.

I don’t know if I buy it, but who knows how TV affects us these days.

Interestingly enough, a related article link at the bottom of the page was “Chocolate May Deepen Depression.” I guess Homer’s homemade Prozac would have just made things worse.

To view the entire article, go to ABC.net.

If you have a favorite episode that you think deals with mental health, pass it along to me and I’ll see if I can find it on youtube.

The Simpsons, Mental Health, FOX

-Anna

Thanks to SimpsonsChannel.com for the preview.
“Stop Or My Dog Will Shoot” will be airing not this Sunday but the next Sunday May 6th. Here’s a short description of the episode.

Homer is upset when he realizes that Marge brought him and the family to a boring Harvest Fest instead of his much-anticipated day of debauchery at October Fest. Attempting to leave, Homer accidentally drags the family into a puzzling cornfield maze. When the whole family manages to escape except for Homer, they send out Santa’s Little Helper, who sniffs out Homer and rescues him. Santa’s Little Helper becomes a local hero and the Simpsons decide to enroll him in Police Dog Academy, where he’s teamed with a grizzled veteran cop named Lou and they become a crime-busting duo.

Also, did anyone catch American Idol last night? It was a supersized show where lots of different artists and actors make appearances to order to help raise money for poverty-stricken areas in our own country and in Africa. The Simpsons contributed as well with a skit where Homer, Marge, and Lisa critiqued Simon Cowell. It was rather humourous. As reported by TheSunOnline.com…

SIMON COWELL met his match when the Simpsons panned his attempt at singing The Pussycat Dolls’ hit Don’t Cha in a special TV charity show.
A cartoon version of Mr Nasty appeared in a Simpsons skit as an American Idol wannabe.
Homer gave his verdict on Cowell’s singing by saying “Lose the accent, Mary Poppins. This is American Idol.”

Here’s a clip of the skit.

The Simpsons, American Idol, Stop Or My Dog Will Shoot, FOX, spoilers

-Anna

Did you happen to catch last Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons entitled “Marge Gamer?” I forgot all about it and I’m supposed to be on top of every new Simpsons episode. But according to the ratings, I’m not the only one who missed the show. According to SimpsonsChannel.com…

A total of 6.4 million viewers tuned in to watch Marge Gamer last night. If you do the math based on our last ratings post, this makes the episode the second-least watched premiere episode on record (behind Season 15’s The Way We Weren’t with 6.2 million). At 8pm, The Simpsons was in third place behind Extreme Makeover and The Amazing Race All Stars.

I guess though that we shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that The Simpsons are becoming less popular. Other shows, other supposedly great shows, are struggling as well.

It was a night for new lows, as ABC’s Desperate Housewives also scored an all-time low in the adult demographic.

But one does have to ask oneself what the deal is. Has 18 seasons of The Simpsons become to much for the viewing public? Have other shows superceded The Simpsons as better comedies? Some would argue that with shows like South Park and Family Guy who have more cutting edge humor will win out every time over The Simpsons. I don’t watch South Park or Family Guy, so I can’t tell you. Another question we might have to ask ourselves is The Simpsons Movie going to suffer at the hands of scantily watched weekly episodes? However, perhaps “Marge Gamer” was fluke and this next episode “The Boys of Bummer” will do better. Actually, the original schedule was for the episode entitled “Stop or My Dog Will Shoot” to air this Sunday, but apparently the content might be insensitive in the wake of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. It will be interesting to see how well that episode is recieved even if they air it later.

The Simpsons, Simpsons ratings, Marge Gamer, The Simpsons Movie

-Anna

Bongo Comics have come out with 3 new Simpsons comics this month. Here’s a preview of each one.

Simpsons Comics #129: (Out Now!)
Homer is guilty of yet another Seven Deadly Sin when he purchases the latest in scooter technology - the Sloth-Around! How will the world react to a man who refuses to walk let alone stand up again?

Bart Simpson Comics #35: (Out Wednesday)
Otto and Bart find the once high and mighty Truckasaurus in a junkyard and share dreams of its resurrected glory; Bart and Milhouse imagine themselves in an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon; Professor Frink returns with another lesson in weird science; and Bart enlists the help of a certain someone to get the best of Principal Skinner!

Simpsons Classics #12: (Out Wednesday)
Springfield super-capitalist Mr. Burns gets his Squishee on, and drafts the town’s other savvy salesman Apu Nahasapeemapetilon to manage a new Mega-Kwik-E-Mart. Then, Bart returns to France and this time he’s bringing the clown and Milhouse.

Thanks to the SimpsonsChannel.com for the tip.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons comics, The Simpsons merchandise, FOX

-Anna

I found a rather candid interview with the creators of The Simpsons, Matt Groening and Mel Brooks. They speak still very vaguely about the movie and even admit that some of the stuff they leaked was fake, so who knows if they’re telling the truth now. Here are some excerpts from that interview.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How concerned were you with making a movie that satisfies die-hards but still appeals to the uninitiated?
MATT GROENING: We’re trying to entertain ourselves. We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we’ll surprise the fans. There’s certainly some attention paid to the idea of rewarding the die-hard fans for paying attention for all these years. At the same time, we want people who may not be die-hard fans to have a really enjoyable time.
JAMES L. BROOKS: There’s nothing where we do really basic exposition on who Homer is. I mean, if you’re gonna be surprised that he strangles his son a few minutes in, we’re gonna have a rough go with you. [They laugh.]

Why all the secrecy? What are you hiding?
BROOKS: First of all, what we’re calling secrecy is just keeping the work private until you’re ready to show it. But it started out as people wanting to know what it was about, and then we were having fun with it, putting out false story lines. We’ve revealed more with each successive trailer. We’ll continue to do that.
GROENING: Even though there are some very misleading things in the trailer.
BROOKS: We saw a trailer the other day, and somebody said 70 percent of the things in it — based on where we were eight weeks ago — are no longer in the movie, because we keep on fooling around.

You assembled an all-star team of current and former Simpsons producers and writers, as well as longtime director David Silverman, to work on the movie. What was that like?
BROOKS: It was a romantic notion and a good one to begin with: Just gather together anybody who was here at the very beginning or who ran the show.
GROENING: We have a shared vision, but everybody adds different kinds of jokes. And it’s not a chorus by any means.
BROOKS: No, we have arguments. And one of the good things about a table is that nothing gets in unless the table laughs.
GROENING: I’m just amazed that we were able to order from the same pizza place for so many weeks.
BROOKS: Occasionally, it was an angry discussion.
GROENING: You’re in a room with some of the most creative guys in the world, and they’re ordering from the same pizza place every night. Come on!

To read the rest of the interview, you can visit EW.com.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Mel Brooks, Matt Groening, FOX, spoilers

-Anna

According to an article I found at News.com, Deakin University is using episodes of The Simpsons to help train students in their psychology program.

Deakin University education psychologist Dr Helen McGrath said Charles Schulz’s Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and Pigpen had long been used in practical courses for psychologists and social workers.
She said Simpsons episodes featuring Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie now played the same role. “They are useful to look at dysfunctional family patterns, marriage, parenting, family relationships etc,” she said. “Both Peanuts and The Simpsons parody and exaggerate real human behaviour, but Peanuts is more gentle.”

Simpsons episodes have also been used to teach children about things like bullying.

Dr McGrath uses a Simpsons episode, in which Homer tells Bart to kick a bully only to see Bart bashed in return, with schoolchildren.
“Bart got bullied in one episode that I recommend that schools use to initiate discussions about bullying,” she said.

So it looks like TV can be educational. The article also mentioned that Simpsons episodes used for instruction is not a common practice, but many professors use it as a starting point in order to spark conversation and debate.

The Simpsons, Psychology, FOX

-Anna

Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

April 16, 2007, will be remembered as one of the darkest days in the history of the Virginia Tech community and the world beyond.

To remember and honor the victims of those tragic events, the university has established the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund to aid in the healing process and generate financial support.

The fund will be used to cover expenses including but not limited to:

• Grief counseling
• Memorials
• Communication expenses
• Comfort expenses
• Incidental needs

If you plan to give, please click the link below:

The Simpsons first appeared in an animated short that appeared on The Tracy Ullman Show back in 1987. Now, in 2007, The Simpsons can celebrate that they’ve not only lasted from the last 20 years, they’ve thrived for the last 20 years.
Some of the shows creators, Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon spoke recently about the first season of the Simpsons and the birth of side characters like Comic Book Guy.

“When we first came up with that character[Comic Book Guy], I could not believe we were doing it, a comic book guy as a featured character was unheard of. But everyone knew a guy just like him growing up. Obnoxious and condescending, “Comic Book Guy” mocks everyone—and everything—that crosses his path. Simpsons veteran Hank Azaria reached into his own past and found the perfect voice for one of the show’s most mimicked characters.
Hank based Comic Book Guy’s voice on someone he went to college with. One of that guy’s favorite phrases was, ‘You are on my list.’” “Hank must be on that guy’s list now.”

The article goes on to say…

Though The Simpsons has inspired many imitators, no other show has matched its impact on pop culture. The sitcom is written about in scholarly journals, discussed at water coolers across the country, and chronicled in painstaking detail on innumerable Web sites (The Simpsons Archive and AllSimps among them).

Now The Simpsons are onto the big screen, about to make another first. Congrats to all those who worked so hard these last 20 years.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, FOX

-Anna

Not much in the way of news today, so I thought I would introduce some excellent Simpsons sites that some of you may not be aware of.

First off, we have The Official Simpsons Site. This site has episode guides, although not as detailed as some fan sites that I’ve seen. They also have a zombie shooting game, character profiles, quote of the day and so forth. The animation on this site if far above others, but it the official one so what did you expect.

Next we have a very thorough Simpsons Quote Site. They’ve really done their homework over there and if you’re looking for something witty to use at parties or something to impress someone who you just realized is a major Simpsons fan, you could probably find a suitable quote here.

Next, and this one is one of my favorites, is a site that delivers quotes, graphics, video, episode guide(not all that up-to-date however) and a lot more. It can be hard to navigate at times, but I still think it’s a fairly good site for any Simpsons fan.

This next little site is also well-crafted and is titled LardLad.com. First off I like the decor, it looks professional and it looks to be worth my time. It too has a seemingly endless supply of quotes, pictures and such. It also carries current news(most of the time) and has a few games for your gaming pleasure. You can also choose to support the site and get more involved with the LardLads.

The Simpsons Channel is mainly devoted to upcoming news on the Simpsons family. It’s not updated as much as I’d like, but it still gives quite a bit of info from everything about products, movie details and upcoming episodes.

Well, that’s it for now. If you spot a Simpsons site that you’d like to share via this site, please let me know.

The Simpsons, FOX, Simpsons news, Simpsons movie, Simpson products, Simpson quotes, Simpsons sites, Simpson episode guides

-Anna

I came across a rather well-crafted article the other day concerning the ambiguous nature of the long-awaited Simpsons movie.
Let me quote some of this for you, because I really like the writing style.

In Geneva, 3,000 scientists are harnessing Cern’s vast computer network to understand the fundamental nature of matter. In terms of man hours and a driving desire to know the truth, the physicists are running a poor second to Simpsons fans trying to uncover the plot of this summer’s movie.
Despite the involvement of 11 writers, 17 actors, and a huge team of South Korean animators, as well as News Corp’s licensing, video, book and TV operations, the film’s shroud of secrecy is covered by a veil of ambiguity and further draped in a pall of enigma.

I know this post is supposed to about The Simpsons Movie, but I do have to take a moment and remark on how cool the intro to this article it. Hey, I’m a writer at heart. Okay, moving on with what this article had to say about the movie.

Apparently in a press junket a while back Matt Groening spilled a few beans about the movie before his publicist shut him up.

“The animation is more ambitious, and the story itself is an epic,” he began. “We’re trying to reward the fans who have been following the show from the very beginning, and we want to get new people into the theatre. So it’s a combination of gags and a story with some real emotion.” He was promptly shushed by a publicist and further movie questions were forbidden - although Groening made a sly reference to “Homer’s odyssey” before they carried him away.

The writer of this article, Stephen Armstrong, has tracked enough of the slim information given out about the movie and has come to the following conclusion about what exactly this movie is about.

In disposing of some pigswill Homer unwittingly places Springfield in jeopardy. The townsfolk storm his house, putting his family in mortal peril, so he embarks on an epic quest to find a buried idol and save the world. There is almost certainly a subplot involving a mysterious stranger aiming to assassinate the president, and practically everyone appears nude at some point.
Of course, this may all be hokum. The only thing News Corp has officially revealed is that it expects to make several hundred million dollars from the movie.

Your guess is as good as mine.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Matt Groening, FOX, spoilers

-Anna

Universal Studios has called it quits for the long-time favorite ride “Back to the Future.” But the sunny side is that it might be replaced by a similar ride featured after The Simpsons.

L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke, using that time-honored method of citing unnamed sources, revealed the Simpsons ride will be called “Travel with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie” and it will essentially be the same kind of ride as Back to the Future. That is, the Simpsons ride will be a motion simulated ride in which visitors board a stationary “car” that shifts in conjunction with the camera movements of an animated film projected onto a screen. The brain will process the coordinated movements so as to trick the viewer into thinking they are actually in transit.

Apparently the ride was supposed to be titled as “Simpsons: Sprint Through Springfield.” However the name was changed. Here is why…

Apparently, some of the suits at Universal Orlando must have gotten convinced that people not fervently and fanatically tied to the show wouldn’t understand that Springfield is the town in which the show takes place and might think the ride was about O.J.’s search for the “real killers.” As a result, the fun and alliterative original title has been changed to the utterly lackluster and uncreative “Travel with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.”

The fact that someone would have really thought that the title “Simpsons: Sprint through Springfield” would bring to mind O.J. Simpson and his clouded past seems rather absurd. Even if they didn’t know the Simpsons intimately, I’m sure the ride entrance would have had colorful decorations of the family and all thought of a possibly wife killer would have gone out the window. OR no one would have thought about O.J Simpson because what idiot would have a ride featured on a guy who may or may not be a murderer at a place where children visit frequently. Whatever.

The ride is not due to open until Summer 2008, so we have a ways to go.

For more on this story go to The People Media Company.

The Simpsons, Univeral Pictures, Simpsons Ride, FOX

-Anna

Just a quick post for now. It looks like 64% of those who voted want the Simpsons to stay on indefinitely. Second place went to 19% of you who want it to only stay until the end of the season. So it seems that you either really love it or not, not a lot of middle ground to speak of.
Well, I guess we’ll have to just keep watching and see what the writers think. I’m amazed actually that they’ve kept it going for so long. You’d think they would want to move on.

The Simpsons, FOX, poll

-Anna

I thought it might be fun to see how much we all know about The Simpsons. Here are some trivia questions. Take the quiz and then tell me how you did. Answers are at the bottom, but resist the urge to peek.

1. True or False. In “Last Exit to Springfield,” Lisa is shown a set of braces that periodically release Calvin Klein’s Obsession for Teeth.

2. True or False. Dr. Nick will perform any operation for $129.95.

3. Which of the following is not a type of Duff Beer?
a. Lady Duff
b. Raspberry Duff
c. Junior Duff

4. In “Two Bad Neighbors,” what do Pres. Bush and Ned say in unison?

5. True or False. Researchers discovered that Homer has a crayon lodged in his brain.

6. In “Homer’s Odyssey,” the Duff Beer TV announcer addresses people who are umeployed, out of work and what?

7. In “Lisa the Iconoclast,” Apu is afraid he could land in a predicament as red-hot as what?
a. The candy that bears that name
b. Pamela Anderson’s nightie
c. Kato Kaelin’s career

8. In “Hurricane Neddy,” what does Dr. Foster give young Ned as therapy?

9. In “Homer to the Max,” according to Trent, which trees can defend themselves?

10. True or False? The slogan for the Springfield Community Church gift shop is, “Heavenly Deals.”

Okay, let’s see how you did.
Answers:

1. True
2. True
3. C- Junior Duff
4. “Fine and dandy, like sour candy.”
5. True
6. Sober
7. A- “The candy that bears that name”
8. A really long spanking
9. Mexican fighting trees
10. False- It’s “Nobody Beat The Rev.”

The Simpsons, Trivia, FOX

-Anna

This idea came to me from several venues. After I started writing for this site and started reading viewer comments and especially after reading what the critics were saying, I realized that there are quite a few people out there that believe that the Simpsons have taken a creative dive ever since season 10. They believe the show has changed too much from what made it good. During our last poll where we decided who the top ten characters were, a comment was made that the Simpsons feel the need to slip in political debate more than the public would like. I happen to agree with this. I don’t watch the Simpsons to engage in a political debate or to be reminded constantly of what CNN just told me. But being satirical and critical has always been the way for the writers.
What’s changed then? It’s hard to tell, I mean it’s been 18 long seasons and one can lose sight of what the Simpsons were like in the beginning. So today’s poll will now ask a very important question. How much longer should the Simpsons stay on the air? After 18 seasons,you start to wonder just how much longer they can keep this up. Well, I want to know what you think. Vote below for only one option. I will allow voting until midnight on Friday and I’ll post the results on Saturday. Also, I would like to see a lot of comments; you know a discussion on why you voted the way you did.

The Simpsons, FOX, Poll, Seasons

-Anna