Watching Simpsons

In terms of a linear story, it’s always interesting to see that past episodes had Bart born in the 1980’s, and one of the more recent episode looks at The Simpsons during the 1990’s. Nevermind the complications and contradictions in terms of story. The Simpsons, always, have been about satire first and story continuity second. That in mind, here’s a recent YouTube upload depicting Homer singing grunge, and Marge sporting a Jennifer Aniston hairdo….

The Simpsons, Sadgasm, Grunge, Jennifer Aniston

Much like his other off the cuff interviews, Stewart here jumps from being serious to cracking jokes. I think the interview is interesting, but I do wish that instead of incessantly cutting to black, that the interviewer didn’t edit his questions out.

The Simpsons, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Yet another take on The Simpsons theme, from YouTube.

The following aired on the Bob and Tom Show. Somebody put some graphics to it and slapped it up on YouTube.

The Simpsons, Homer, Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta

While this clip is fairly long, it gives the viewer a sense of the game. I suggest turning the volume down, has the cell-phone-techno is a bit annoying. (I hope that’s not that actual game track, and if it is, it could be muted). It’s likely that the clip contains game spoilers, so be wary. While the clip was found on YouTube, it likely originates from Project Next.

The Simpsons, The Simpsons: Minutes to Meltdown, Mobile, Mobile Games, Games

If there’s one thing constant about YouTube, it’s that people will do interesting things on video and post there. True, there’s a lot of terrible stuff there, but that’s just a given. For some people, YouTube has become a creative outlet, a veritable clearing house. It’s also a place where people post their spin and new takes on their favorite bits of pop culture. There have been interesting mash ups and editing jobs, but the best stuff displays a sense of ingenuity. This has been the case with The Simpsons.

For example, there’s the live-action version of the show’s opening, mimicked down to nearly every detail. Then, there’s always people playing instruments, like this guy playing Alf Clausen’s intro music. Or, this guy mashing together the themes of The Simpson’s and Star Trek. All of that’s well and fine. One other bit of YouTube artistry has always been homemade animation.

And, that’s where the below clip comes into play. Somebody saw fit to translate The Simpson’s to Indian culture, creating an opening for a show entitled “The Singhsons.” Many of the names have been changed – Homer, for instance, has become “Omar” – but it’s fairly obvious which characters are modeled off of Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
Much like the real show opener, and the above mentioned live action version, the camera shot zooms in from the clouds to a little boy writing on a classroom chalkboard. As for the animation, it’s not the greatest, but then again, this is only a fan video posted on YouTube.

The Simpsons, YouTube, Animation, India

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!

In the name of not competing with the juggernaut that is JK Rowling, here’s another Simpson take on Potter-mania.

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.

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.

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: