Watching Simpsons

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

During the annual Groundwater Festival put on by the Central Platte NRD had the pleasure of showing an animated film produced by Matt Groening about the precious resource of groundwater. The Festival is centered around teaching school-aged children about groundwater and about how we can protect that natural resource. Matt Groening supplied the animated “Nobody Knows Where It Goes” where a talking walleye speaks about groundwater and the issues that surround it.

In other news, there is a lot of talk that a new Simpsons game will be released by EA Games. A countdown site was put up on the web yesterday (it has since been taken down) and most thought it was counting down to some announcement about the prospective Simpsons game. The countdown graphic had similiar font used by the Simpsons and the standard yellow and pink colors surrounding it. Thus, everyone suspected The Simpsons as being behind this. No word yet on the game, but folks over at Pro-G forcast more info to come out soon on The Simpson game.

Lastly, it has been announced that The Simpsons Season 10 DVD will be released to its adoring public on August 7th. The SimpsonChannel gives the details on the DVD…

In addition to the 23 episodes, the set will contain Deleted Scenes, Animation Showcases, Animatics, Simpsons Movie DVD Sneak Peek, Butterfinger, Intel and CC’s commercials, Crank Calls feature, and a bit from the animators.

The DVDs will look to sell at around $50 for the US and around $70 for Canada.

The Simpsons, FOX, Matt Groening, Simpsons game, Simpson Season 10 DVD

-Anna

Sad but true. MTV.com is reporting that even after Minnie Driver recorded her lines and felt confident about her role in The Simpsons Movie, she was cut from the movie.

“My whole story line got cut.” The “Good Will Hunting” star had recorded her lines months ago — intended as one of many celeb cameos in the highly anticipated, highly secretive adaptation of TV’s longest-running comedy — but recently got word from the producers that it ended up on the cutting-room floor. “I was playing a grievance counselor,” she said of the scene. “It was terribly funny, and it was still one of the funnest afternoons I’ve ever had, working with them. It was one great scene.”

Driver says she’s not angry, however, with Simpsons creators Matt Groening and Mel Brooks. “No, I was sad, but I understand. … I haven’t had mad words with them.”
I suppose it’s a reality for any celebrity cameos that they may get cut in the end. They were nice enough though to call Ms. Driver personally to tell her about the cut. That would be a lot better than telling all your friends and then finding out in the theater that you’re not in the movie.

Minnie Driver, The Simpsons movie, Fox

-Anna

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

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

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

But which Springfield will it be? If you know anything about the Simpsons then you know that they reside in Springfield, but through all the seasons, the writers never told us where Springfield is. In the United States, there are 32 Springfields; only 16 are being considered. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt.

According to our source, Fox has asked the 16 Springfields to lobby on why their town should host the “Simpsons” flick premiere. Springfield, Illinois, seems to have the inside edge in that they actually have some nuclear power plants. Springfield, Oregon, might get just a little special treatment, if only because “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening was born and raised in Portland.

This is obviously part of a huge promotional plan and it seems to be working. Plus, a huge movie premiere in a comparatively small town should provide for a lot of fun. I happen to live in a small town (not a Springfield), and I can only imagine what a small town would do with big Hollywood types. Hey, wasn’t there a Simpson episode with this same premise? Anyway, if my town hosted the premiere there would probably be a big banner on Main Street, booths up and down the street selling Simpson merchanise and there would probably be a booth as well that would protest the movie. That’s small town conservatism for ya.

I’m sure we’ll hear which Springfield will get the special treat of hosting a premiere in the coming month or two and I’ll be sure to pass it along.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie, Springfield, Fox

-Anna

This is just a quick post for everyone. This week’s episode was a rerun that had Bart getting a license and almost getting married titled “Little Big Girl.”
A new episode, titled “Marge Gamer” will air on the 22nd.

Marge becomes a spectacle during a PTA meeting for not having an e-mail address, and she decides to take a chance on using the Internet. Amazed and delighted by all the Internet has to offer, Marge decides to join a popular role-playing fantasy game named “Earthland Realms.” To Marge’s dismay, the game has her interacting with practically the whole town of Springfield, including Bart, who happens to be the game’s most feared and destructive player. Meanwhile, Homer saves Lisa’s soccer game from cancellation after he volunteers to take the place of a referee who recently quit. However, Homer’s refereeing skills only exasperate Lisa, and her competitive streak gets the best of her.

The Simpsons, spoilers, Marge Gamer, FOX

It just goes to show that there are more awards out there every year. So many that by the end of award season, everybody should have received something. One award show I’ve never heard of, The Genesis Awards, presented The Simpsons with the Sid Caesar Comedy Award. The show won the award for the episode “Million Dollar Abie.” They won the award “for attempting to take the ‘bull’ out of the so-called bravery of bullfighting. Exec producer Al Jean accepted the award and joked, ‘No animals were harmed in the filming of this cartoon.’”
Well congratulations Simpsons. Apparently the awards are given out every year to shows that address animal issues in a positive way. Can you guess whose behind these awards? That’s right. The Humane Society.

The Humane Society of the U.S. is the nation’s largest animal protection organization with 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country.

For more information about the society or for a full list of winners, go to hsus.org.

Here’s a promo clip of “Million Dollar Abie”

The Simpsons, Genesis Awards, Million Dollar Abie, Humane Society

-Anna

Here’s a fairly interesting story for you. Apparently, as a huge promotion for the show and the movie, The Simpsons will be turning some 7-Elevens into the fictional convenience store from the show; the Kwik-E-Mart run by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

Customers also will be able to buy products inspired by the nearly two-decades-old show, including KrustyO’s cereal, Buzz Cola and iced Squishees (the cup says Squishee, but the contents will be Slurpee).
The chain also will use pictures of Simpsons characters to promote 7-Eleven’s line of fresh foods, such as placing the face of Homer and his classic “Mmmm . . . sandwich” quip on sandwich wrappers.

Also, there will be a staged robbery before by a Snake look alike. For those not familiar with the character of Snake, he is a jewel in the eye of the rotating penial system who talks like he’s been surfing the waves in California his whole life.

You know, and this is embarassing to admit, but on my low days when I’m so sick of the world and everything in it, I pop in one of my Simpsons DVDs and all of the sudden I’m happy. I’ve often commented to my husband that I wouldn’t mind living in Springfield and apparently now is my chance; although I don’t think I live anywhere near one of these 7-Elevens. Ah well.

No word yet on the locations of these lucky 7-Elevens, but I’m sure if it will be in your area, the media should be big enough for you to find out.

The Simpsons, FOX, 7-Eleven, Kwik-E-Mart