Watching Simpsons

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.

Okay, so this blog is shilling for Burger King. But, you know, it does have Kane and Kodos in it! And no matter my own fast food preference, it’s still funny!

Of all the ways to promote a movie, 7-11 has cashed in by turning some of their stores in real life versions of Apu’s Kwik E Mart. These remodeled 7-11’s among other tings, Squishees, instead of their trade-marked “Slurpees.” According to ABCnews.com, business has been brisk:

While the Simpsons might be a fictional family, the very real cereal, soda and doughnuts from their cartoon world are flying off real-world shelves.

For the past three weeks, 7-Eleven has transformed 12 of its convenience stores into caricatures of the Kwik-E-Mart widely recognized as a staple of the cartoon family’s fictional town, as part of a promotion for the soon-to-be-released “The Simpsons Movie.”

One item didn’t make the transition from animation to real life:

Though one key Simpsons beverage, Duff Beer, did not make it to the shelves, fans of the hit TV show seem to be jumping at the chance to buy the other once-fictional products. The number of customers to walk through the doors at these special stores has roughly doubled, as have have sales, according to the company.

The votes have been tallied, and Springfield, Vermont has won the right to host the premiere of the Simpson’s movie. The contest, hosted by USAToday.com, featured competing videos from Springfields across the nation. Vermont’s winning entry featured a chubby man — like Homer — chasing a large rolling donut across town, causing mayhem. According to Reuters, one of Vermont’s prominent politicians expressed congratulations to the winners:

“After 18 years, it’s good to finally welcome the Simpsons home. Vermonters love The Simpsons,” Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said in a statement.

“Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will look great on that yellow carpet with the green mountains as a backdrop.”

The Vermont town beat Springfields in Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana in the video contest to best portray the “Simpsons’ spirit.”

Vermont won by less than a 1000 votes:

It landed 15,367 votes of 109,582 votes cast. Springfield, Illinois, coming in second with 14,634 votes and Springfield, Oregon, ranked third at 13,894.

Sometimes, a trip to YouTube can prove how much a show has really entrenched it’s, for better or worse into the minds of people, and as a result, culture. Here is a guy who, in his spare time “mashed” the themes of Star Trek and The Simpsons together by playing a keyboard, a funnel, and a theremin.

Many television shows, actors and directors will attest, are destroyed by the meddling of studio execs. Often, this comes by way of meddlesome “notes” that carry the weight — in terms of network authority — akin to an executive order or a regal fiat. It goes without saying that this cramps the creative process, to a large extent. In this regard, consider the following comment by Harry Shearer, as reported by Hollywood.com, the voice of Ned Flanders, Doctor Hibberd, Mr. Burns, Smithers, and many other Simpsons chacters:

The Simpsons star Harry Shearer insists the animated show is such a big hit because the company behind it is not allowed to interfere with the scripts.

That even goes for mogul Rupert Murdock, who is more then used to getting his way, politically and business-wise, across many continents:

He says, “Rupert can’t get involved. We had it written into our script that Fox weren’t allowed to meddle with our scripts.

“In fact, I’m pretty sure the reason we’ve been so successful is because no one’s been able to interfere.”

It’s always interesting to see the Simpson’s voice actors go in and out of character on live TV. Add to this Conan’s presence, and you have something interesting. Conan started off his career writing for The Simpsons, before he took off after replacing David Letterman on NBC Late Night.

This is you’re basic 101-type of clip. Clearly, due to the dress and the quality of the film, this is a bit dated, but Albert Brooks and Matt Groening, here, answer some of the more basic questions about the series — like who inspired the characters, how Groening learned to draw the way he did, and much more. For those with limited exposure to The Simpsons and the the creative minds behind them, this clip is one of the best places to start.

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

For the record, I’m not a big fan of mash-ups on YouTube. For example, there seems to be a couple of Wu-Tang versions of the Simpsons, and you know, the humor in seeing Homer, Lisa, Maggie, and Bart lip sync Ghostface Killah, Method Man, U-God, and the rest of the crew. Still, once in awhile, you find something that’s so well done, it’s just hysterical. Take the following 300-Simpsons combination. Thematically, it’s all 300, warriors, and Sparta; it is, after all, the audio from 300’s coming attraction, and so the voices are not what one would expect while looking at, say, Homer. As with other fan films on YouTube, it’s all about the editing. Judge for yourself: