Watching Simpsons

The Academy has chosen to not nominate The Simpsons Movie in its animated film category. Seinfeld’s Bee movie also got a snub, but comparatively speaking, that’s almost understandable Three others were recognized:

* Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics; Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parronaud, directors)
* Ratatouille (Disney/Pixar Animation; Brad Bird, director)
* Surf’s Up (Sony Pictures Animation; Ash Brannon and Chris Buck, directors)

Of those three, Persepolis seems the more independent. The other two are pretty much family fair. Yet, while I do think the Simpson’s sharply critical satire of the EPA and environmental issues deserved at least an Oscar nod, I can fully understand if Ratatouille wins the category. Story wise, Ratatouille was a very well written movie that used a very strong screen play. Typically, the Academy tends to reward films that are both well made and financially lucrative at the box office.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, The Academy Awards, The Oscars

Watching awards shows can be a test of one’s patience sometimes. Still, hosting them is nothing but exposure and a good paycheck for comedic talent. Harry Shearer, who is Mr. Burns, Reverend Lovejoy, and many others on the Simpsons, will host the Art Directors Guild Awards on Feb. 16, According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Eight ADG awards for excellence in production design will be handed out in TV, film and commercials categories, along with a lifetime achievement award to production designer Stuart Craig and a cinematic imagery award to Ray Harryhausen. Five legendary production designers will also be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame that evening.

The Simpsons, Harry Shearer, ADG, Artist Directors Guild, Artist Directors Guild Awards

The Simpsons and politics always goes together, partly because politics, as subject matter, is ripe for satire. Whether it’s Tony Blair appearing on the Simpsons, or Kang and Kodos subverting the Clinton/Dole election of 1996, there’s always fun to be had.

Currently, the race for the presidency is about to heat up, as Iowa will kick off the primary voting season. For anybody watching the news, it would be interesting to watch the field narrow a bit. After all, there are many, many democrats and republicans vying for their party’s nomination. So much so, there’s already, for some, a sense of fatigue setting in. It’s going to be interesting, though, to see this reflected on The Simpsons.

There’s an upcoming episode that tackles the subject matter head on. Basically, Springfield will cast their ballots, and the result is bound to be hilarious. Instead of endorsing a candidate – which the show has never done, and will likely never do – The Simpsons will feature the rise of an independent, dark horse candidate. His name is … wait for it … Ralph Wiggum! Via TVsquad.com:

Ralph will announce his candidacy on the January 6th episode of The Simpsons. Actually, he isn’t the one who announces it; rather, the voters of Springfield, who reject all of the other candidates in their first primary, write the young Wiggum in as a candidate. He quickly becomes an independent presidential front-runner that party leaders for both the Republicans and the Democrats want to have in their court.

As usual, The Simpsons will air this Sunday at 8:00 pm. Guest voices include Jon Stewart (hopefully utilized a bit better than pal Stephen Colbert) and Dan Rather, who descend upon Springfield to cover the primary debates.

Wiggum seems like a apt choice, in many respects. In a current culture of 24 hour news cycles, as well as Gotcha! Journalism, it’s easy to mistake a number of candidates as a bunch of inept boobs, sometimes. Ralph just fits that to a tee, and much more. Plus, it should be funny to watch Ralph debate. After all, he’s the type of kid who has given the TV watching public such memorable lines as “My Cat’s mouth smells like cat food!” And, as the above block quote states, it would be nice to see Jon Stewart appear as himself, and not as a “character” – which is what happened to Stephen Colbert.

Ralph’s platform can be seen, once it’s up, here.

The Simpsons, Ralph Wiggum, Politics, Elections

According to Forbes, there will be more to come from the Simpsons once the movie hoopla dies down. The new season is coming, and among many things, good things are coming:

Fans can expect the return of Sideshow Bob, with guest stars John Mahoney as his father and David Hyde Pierce as his brother, said head writer Al Jean. Sideshow Bob will also be part of the new Simpsons ride, set to open in spring 2008 at Universal Studios in Orlando and Universal City, Calif.

A new comic-book store will be coming to Springfield, said “Simpsons” writer-producer Matt Selman. The shop owner will be voiced by Jack Black, with guest stars including Art Spiegelman, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Maus”; and “recluse wizard genius” Alan Moore, the writer behind “V For Vendetta” and “Watchmen.”

The show is already planning for the presidential elections:

Springfield will also become the unlikely site of the first presidential primary in the nation, said writer-producer Michael Price. Jon Stewart and “another giant ‘Simpsons’ nerd, Dan Rather,” lend their voices to the candidates. Springfield residents, tired of the politicking, submit a protest vote.

“They decide to write in the most ridiculous, insane, stupid protest candidate they can think of, which is Ralph Wiggam,” Price said. “But of course it’s taken seriously and Ralph Wiggam becomes the front-runner of the presidential nomination for both parties.”

While that sounds hilarious, I find myself wishing, in the name of the good presidetial satire The Simpsons had for Bill Clinton versus Bob Dole, that Kane and Kodos make an appearance. I doubt it. After all, repeating something funny ad infinitum kills a joke.

On the Burlington Free Press’ website, there’s an article stating that Ben and Jerry’s will be taking part in the movie festivities, given that Springfield, Vermont was chosen to host the Simpsons Movie premiere:

Ben & Jerry’s Homer homage is called “Duff & D’oh-Nuts,” and according to a news release from the ice-cream maker is an “extremely limited, one-time and one-day-only flavor” that’s “a combination of chocolate and cream stout ice creams with glazed chocolate donuts.” Duff is the brand of beer featured in “The Simpsons” television series, and doughnuts are Homer’s culinary raison d’etre.

In another nod to Homer, Ben & Jerry’s will for one day rename its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor “Chocolate Chip Cookie D’oh!” in reference to Homer’s famous exclamation.

Of the many Simpsons promotional campaigns to come, one of the more interesting comes from 7-11, who decided to remodel 11 or so of it’s stores and rename them “Kwick-E Mart.” Sure, each store cannot feature an Apu, but the products sold are all unique to Springfield, whether it’s Buzz Cola, Duff Beer, or Blue Berry Squishees, according to E! News.

The convenience chain has joined forces with 20th Century Fox to convert a dozen of its top-selling stores into Kwik-E-Marts as part of a massive marketing blitz for The Simpsons Movie, which unspools in theaters worldwide July 27.

The Kwik-E makeover, which officially began Monday, not only includes the temporary replacement of 7-Eleven marquees but extends to store shelves, which will now be stocked with everything from Krusty O’s cereal and Buzz Cola to WooHoo! Blue Vanilla Squishee Slurpees and pink frosted Sprinklicious doughnuts.

“The Krusty O’s are flying off the shelves,” laughs 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris. “It’s sort of reverse product placement. We’re bringing the products to the people.”

Before anybody runs out the door, they should know that their local store is likely to NOT be one of the 11 coverted locations, one of which stands in Canada. A list of locations, from 7-11, is located here. Still that doesn’t mean that most of us have been excluded from the fun. Many of the products Bart and Homer would enjoy, will sit on 7-11’s shelves. This includes a special edition comic book from Bongo, the official, Groening-run publisher of Simpson’s books.

With The Simpsons Movie due the July 27th, one is glad that it’s not faced with huge amounts of box office competition. The next Harry Potter, for example, is nearly a week off, and thankfully, one doesn’t have to choose between the two in a conflicting opening week. With that in mind, here’s a clip where the Simpson’s animators take on the Harry Potterverse

Several different “Springfield’s” are currently competing for the right to host the premiere of the Simpsons Movie. The competition is limited to only real-life localities that share their town’s name with the animated show. Basically, to be considered as viable host, each town must submit a video pitch to be publicly voted on later.

The competition is set to be fierce, as producers are stopping at nothing, enlisting local personalities to double as Simpson’s characters. According to the Boston Globe, Springfield Massachusetts enlisted Senator Ted Kennedy to riff the word “chowdah!” Kennedy, for his part, must be demonstrating a good sense of humor. It’s obvious that Mayor Quimby is a parody of Kennedy family politicians. As for Springfield, Massachusetts, the town has opted for an interesting approach:

The three-minute clip takes on a television news show format laced with inside jokes to investigate how Matt Groening, “The Simpsons” creator, came here in the 1980s looking for inspiration to create a fictional Springfield as the home of Homer, Marge and Bart.

As the host of the made-up “Perfect Vision” puts it, Groening’s visit led to “the creation of the most popular cartoon series of all time and the ire of those whose lives he hijacked.”

To emphasize the evil, he bites into a frosted doughnut — Homer Simpson-style — and chews slowly.

What follows is a where-are-they-now look at some of “The Simpsons” characters. Homer and Marge are still sitting on the couch. Bart grew up to be a doctor. And Disco Stu, whose true name the video would have you believe is “Tony Discostu,” still sports an Afro. Proudly.

They all bemoan how a slick-styled Groening swooned into town 20 years ago in a fancy red car offering gifts and promises, only to leave residents in the City of Homes empty-handed.

Other Springfields have opted for other approaches. Springfield, Kentucky, according to the Courier Journal, has produced a courtroom short where the town confronts Matt Groening. They claim that he’s been secretly spying on them, using them as fodder for the show. While different, Springfield, Illinois, according to the State Journal Register, also claims to have the original characters; their segment is a newscast, complete with a local personality after the likes of Kent Brockman, and a local power company General Manager believed to be a “dead ringer” for Mr. Burns.

Time, however, is running out for the 14 Springfields around the nation. Most of the videos have already been submitted to 20th Century Fox. While the results are not up for a public vote yet, the videos should be up at USAToday.com by Monday. Whichever town wins will get the ultimate bragging rights and the “yellow carpet” event.

This Sunday, the 20th, we’ll get to see two Simpsons episodes, the latter of the two bringing The Simpsons to 400 episodes. Ludacris makes his cameo as Luda-Crest, and Keifer Sutherland contributes to the 24 spoof in 24 Minutes. Below are some links to videos provided by IESB.net.

You Kent Always Say What You Want
Clip- Luda-Crest attacks bacteris
Clip- Krusty does his version of Itchy and Scratchy

24 Minutes
Clip- Bart Prank calls Jack Bauer

InsideBayArea.com had a few things to say about this milestone in Simpson’s history as did Al Jean, the producer.

Those 400 episodes means 50 pages per script or 20,000 pages of material. Executive producer Al Jean, who has been with the series from the start, talks about how “The Simpsons” keeps it fresh year after year.

“Even I have to admit there were a couple of times I was doing DVD commentaries and I’d do an ‘Oh, my God, we just did that joke on an episode ten years later,’” Jean says in a phone interview. “It was the one where Homer was having a picnic with Marge and they were watching fireworks and he said, ‘Let’s make some fireworks of our own,’ …we did that joke in ‘Kamp Krusty’ and then in ‘Special Edna.’ We try to avoid that, but sometimes we forget.”

But that’s nit-picking a series that has given us such wonderful devices as the “freeze frame” jokes, from the intro scanning little Maggie with different things popping up on the price to quick jokes you only catch on a second or third viewing.

Have to pay attention

“We throw in things like that, smart and impossible to read in the time that you watch the show,” Jean says. “Because we know people are actually out there who are going to go back and catch it.”

Jean says he is most proud of how “The Simpsons” changed animation on television.

“I love animation,” Jean says. “And one of the best things about ‘The Simpsons’ is how much more animation and how much more adult animation, by which I mean intelligent, satirical animation, there is on TV (now).”

Well that’s it for me. This is my last post on Watching Simpsons. I’ll be passing on this responsibility to whomever 451 Press deems worthy. Hopefully they do a good job.

The Simpsons, 24, Jack Bauer, Simpsons 400th Episode

-Anna

As the 400th episode approaches (airs the 20th), many are reflecting on the unusually long-running sitcom and it torrid past. I have found numerous articles/editorials on the 400th episode and thought I share some links to these articles for your reading pleasure.

Article #1
This one is a well-crafted article that tracks the 18 seasons of the most dysfunctional family aired on American television. Check it out. Here’s a blurb.

If Seinfeld had lasted as long as The Simpsons has, its finale would have featured a graying foursome closing in on 55 (60 for Kramer), far nearer, of course, to that much-derided condo in Miami Beach or to those discounted movie tickets than their selfish, or childish, or birdbrained shenanigans would have you believe.

Article #2
This one is more of a news report, but the author speaks a bit with Matt Groening as he talks about his experiences over the years as The Simpsons and anything related to the Simpsons became insanely popular. Here’s a blurb.

It was a few years back, and he was stopped and searched while going through security at Los Angeles International Airport. “Suddenly, this kid walks by and shouts, ‘Heah! Heah!’ just like (schoolyard bully) Nelson Muntz would have,” Groening recalls.

Article #3
This one discusses just what exactly has help keep The Simpsons boat afloat this long. Apparently is has a lot to do with not changing anything about the characters. Interesting. Here’s a blurb.

For an overweight, doughnut-scarfing, beer-swilling, lazy idiot, Homer Simpson sure knows how to run a marathon. Of course, the residents of Springfield USA possess superpowers all their own. They’ve pulled off the unparalleled feat of remaining hip in the fickle world of pop culture with barely a tweak of the brush.

That’s about it. While there were more, they are fairly lackluster and so I did not included them. The 400th episode, a spoof on FOX’s 24, will air May 20th on FOX.

The Simpsons, Simpsons 400th episode, 24, Matt Groening

-Anna

That’s right, now you can drape yourself in Simpson apparrel. The Canadian Trio groups has secured rights to use Simpson images on their new line of Simpson clothing.

The apparel line would comprise T-shirts, pants, mainly knitted wear. This lounge wear would be among the first of the products under the Simpsons line to be brought to India and plans were afoot to bring other products as well.

Obviously these kinds of things are all over the U.S, but this new clothing line might be very different from what is currently available and so we might see, especially with The Simpsons Movie coming out, a new run on the Simpsons merchandise market as fans flock to get the latest in Simpson products.

In other news, we all know that the numerous towns in the U.S named Springfield have been praying that The Simpsons Movie premiere comes to their town, but it seems two Scottish towns named Springfield are hoping for the same privledge where the UK premiere is concerned.

According to BBCnews.com…

Officials in the Fife and South of Scotland towns said if they were approached by 20th Century Fox to stage the event they would be happy to do so. Despite not having a cinema and a population of less than 1,000, officials at Fife Council said they would jump at the chance to play host to the UK event.
Local authority event co-ordinator Linda Thomson said: “We think the most obvious location to host the UK premiere of the new Simpsons film is Springfield, Cupar, Fife. “Of course, neither Springfield nor Cupar actually have a cinema, but this would just give us the opportunity to create an American drive-in experience, in either the beautiful Haugh Park or Duffus Park, using our new top of the range outdoor projector.”

Well, I don’t think it will happen, but good luck to all of our Simpsons fans in the UK.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Springfield, Simpsons merchandise

-Anna

You’d think that a show like the Simpsons were never be parodied simply because it is the show that does a parody of everything else. But Broadcaster.com has a video on their website that has a Simpsonized O.J. Simpson starring in an episode titled, “If I Did It…”
If you’ve been alive at all in the last year or so, you’ll remember when O.J. Simpson’s book “If I Did It..” came out where he speculates, in a huge amount of graphic detail, how he would have killed his wife. FOX is now demanding that the video be taken off the web.
AllHeadlineNews.com reports that…

Fox has ordered video sharing website broadcaster.com to remove the three “The O.J. Simpsons” clips, claiming they infringe on the studio’s copyright.
The shorts use a similar style to the long-running cartoon and feature O.J. looking a lot like Homer Simpson. O.J.’s two kids, Sydney and Justin, are made to resemble Homer’s children Bart and Lisa.
The clips open with a sequence similar to “The Simpsons” opening credits. The only notable difference is the family’s car is replaced by a white Bronco being chased by police cars.
Of the three clips, the first clip refers to O.J.’s book “If I Did It,” which News Corporation recently prevented from being published, while the third sees O.J. take a fictional family vacation to Iraq entitled “Warzone.”

For now the videos are still available at such places like Broadcaster.com and Youtube.com. The makers of the clips contest that making a parody out of copyrighted material is not against the law. The makers do make sure that the videos end with a note that nothing presented has anything to do with Matt Groening or anyone at The Simpsons. I don’t think that will appease anyone though.

No word yet on what the real O.J Simpson thinks about the videos.

Here is a clip of one of the parodies.

The Simpsons, Simpsons parody, O.J. Simpson, FOX

-Anna

The fairly popular rock band Green Day will be performing on The Simpsons Movie according to TeenMusic.com.
But by doing so, Green Day will subject themselves to The Simpsons way of life, meaning that it is more than likely that the band will be the but of a few jokes or they be made fun of is some fashion.

“They’re really good sports and I think we both honour them and Simpson-ise them. You can take that however you want. They’re really nice guys,” says Matt Groening.

Hank Azaria, who voices numerous Simpsons characters including bar owner Moe Szyslak, adds, “I know that Moe yells out obnoxious stuff to Green Day while they’re performing. That I remember. He yells out stupid stuff to Green Day.”

“(They don’t play) at Moe’s Tavern. They perform elsewhere in the movie; they’re outside. And the whole crowd turns on them.”

I find it interesting that the movie is coming out in about 2 months and they are still announcing who will be in it.

In other news…
For all you gamers out there who were excited by the fact that a new Simpsons Game will be hitting shelves this fall might also be excited that you could play this new game on a limited edition Simpson style XBox 360. TechShout.com explains…

The Xbox 360 maker [Microsoft] has announced that they have entered into a partnership with FOX to offer fans a chance to win one of the 100 limited-edition ‘The Simpsons’ Xbox 360 Pro consoles.

The limited edition ‘The Simpsons’ consoles will be available through a series of special events and promotions. Do keep in mind that the ‘Simpsons’ consoles will NOT be sold in retail. So, you got to stay tuned if you wish to get your hands on one of these pleasantly yellow Xbox 360s.

Details about how exactly anyone wins these Simpsonized XBoxes have not been released yet, so if you’re hankering for one these things, you’ll have to pay special attention to gaming sites.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Green Day, XBox 360, Microsoft, FOX

-Anna

According to GameGuru, EA is offically annoucing a new Simpsons Game to come out this fall.

The game will feature the full cast of voice actors from the TV show who will reprise their roles for the game, which sees Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa use thrilling, all-new powers to save the world from rising pandemonium. Gamers must journey through all of Springfield (as well as vast worlds beyond!), defeat an astonishing collection of villains, and fight their way through parodies of multiple popular games to help the Simpsons.

Scot Amos, Executive Producer, The Simpsons Game says, “Our goal in developing THE SIMPSONS GAME is to create the most original game ever, which is a lofty goal and only possible given the close collaboration with ‘The Simpsons’ creative team. We’re also especially proud of the game’s warm visual feel, which captures - for the first time ever in a game - the look of the TV show.”

The game will be available on PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, and the XBOX 360.

The Simpsons, EA Games, Simpsons game

-Anna

IfMagazine.com interviewed executive producer Al Jean about his feelings on reaching The Simpsons 400th Episode, a significant milestone, and about how The Simpsons have survived for so long. Here are a few blurbs from that interview.

iF MAGAZINE: You’ve been with the show for a very long time, yet it still seems so fresh. Why do you think you haven’t exhausted any ideas?

AL JEAN: There are several reasons why the show has lasted as long as it has. I think the way the show was originally created by Matt [Groening], Jim Brooks and Sam Simon. THE SIMPSONS universe is so rich and varied, we can really do different things every week and I think the fact that the characters don’t age and it’s animation. When you watch LEAVE IT TO BEAVER in the final year and suddenly Beaver is nearly an adult, it seems pretty stupid. It doesn’t age as well. Whereas the kids on our show, they’re eternally ten and so on. And we work very hard. We have staff of 20 writers and many more animators who are very dedicated and on the ball.

iF: You’ve never been very secretive about future episodes coming up with the SIMPSONS, yet everyone’s been very secretive about THE SIMPSONS MOVIE.

JEAN: I’m not even sure why we’re so secretive, but we’ve kept it so well, now we don’t really want to reveal it. There are things we can do with the animation and story we couldn’t do on a television show that’s 30 minutes long. One thing I can’t emphasize enough, when we made the movie, the show had been successful enough. We didn’t want to do something that was an attempt to make money off the show. We really wanted to do something we were proud of and do something that this is a movie that deserved to be a movie.

iF: Do you think you’ve exhausted every idea and permutation for the series?

JEAN: We really haven’t. Coming up up with Season 19, we have new ideas that we’re enjoying doing. We have an episode where Homer flies in Mr. Burns’ private plane. He loves it so much, he never wants to fly in a regular plane again. That might be our season premiere. Stephen Colbert and Lionel Richie are in it.

iF: Is there ever a SIMPSONS idea that you decide is something you won’t do?

JEAN: There is very little we won’t do, but it should have two things, a real human emotion connected to some member of the family or in Springfield and if you can make a satirical point, that’s even better.

iF: At the end of the day, when do you think it would be the end?

JEAN: If the cast didn’t want to do it or if we ran out of ideas. I don’t think the former is imminent and I’m still excited about the shows we’re doing.

I think it’s interesting that the main creators, Matt Groening, Mel Brooks, Sam Simon, and Mr. Jean, haven’t wanted to let the show go. It seems that when other shows go out, you hear comments from those involved in the show that it was time to move on. I’ll be surprised if anyone from The Simpsons say anything like that.

If you’d like to read the rest of the article, visit ifMagazine.com.

The Simpsons, Al Jean, The Simpsons Movie, Simpsons 400th episode

-Anna