EYE ON SPRINGFIELD

Even some of Springfield’s biggest fans admit that Americans know little about the city beyond its Lincoln connections. If they have any impression, it’s probably of a pleasant, nondescript midwestern city.

“It’s Every Place,” said Curtis Mann, manager of the local library’s Sangamon Valley Collection.

[Associated Press]

ROCK BOTTOM

Yes, according to some random guy on the internet. Here’s a made-up quote purportedly from Matt Groening:

Die hard fans may get a long overdue recurring gag. Remember the episode where Lester and Eliza saved the day instead of Bart and Lisa? That was disturbing, and I personally expected them to come back and wreak more havoc. A decade later, we may finally get closure. “I think we put them in The Simpsons movie. They were in one draft. I’m not sure if they survive.”

[Rotten Tomatoes]

 

3/8/2007 UPDATE: I guess the quote wasn’t made up! You can see it here in this interview with Crave Online.

GROEN DRAIN

At least according to the author of a new book, Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and Rich: Spike’s Guide to Success:

“I’m not saying that being good looking won’t get you a date, but as for success – forget it,” said [Richard] St. John, who names multimillionaires Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates as examples of that principle.

“I apologize for calling them ugly,” he said. “In fact, I think they are just average, but there’s an inverse relationship between looks and success. The uglier they are, the richer they are.”

Ugly people discussed in the book include Groening, Rudy Giuliani, Barbra Streisand, Russell Crowe, Martha Stewart, Norman Lear, Quincy Jones, the Google founders, the discoverer of DNA and Ben of Ben & Jerry’s. [Buffalo News]

SPRINGFIELD SHOPPER

Matt Groening:

“The scripts evolved incredibly. Characters have come and gone, story twists have changed, huge sequences have been storyboarded and then deleted. One of our favourite new characters is totally out, just to streamline the story. Nothing’s sacred. As good as the film is going to be, the DVD, with all our deleted scenes, is going to be a hell of a bonus package.”

[Empire via No Homers Club]

BROOKS BLOTTER

The Simpsons Movie, which has been anticipated for nearly two decades, and in production over the past three years or so, is finally coming out in only six short months from now! What’s the latest status on its progress?

“We’re still trying to figure out what the movie is about,” admitted show producer James L. Brooks during a recent Television Critics Association panel discussions attended by FilmStew.

[FilmStew.com]

BONGO BEAT

Girl draws an anime version of The Simpsons which gets posted all over the internet, gets a job offer from the comics company that makes Simpsons comics. More people on DeviantArt try anime-izing other Western cartoons in attempt to achieve their own 15 minutes of internet fame. Digg, modest as ever, downplays its role, if any, in parlaying the job offer. [The Star]

BART ART

Here’s a pretty generic update on the upcoming movie from the LA Times, with some mildly entertaining new tidbits – the producers seem to advise walking in with low expectations, Groening doesn’t know off-hand how many spikes of hair Bart has, director David Silverman wants it to be as wide as possible. But the real highlight of this article is this delightful Silverman drawing of Homer and Bart being chased by Silverman, Groening, Al Jean and James L. Brooks:

[Los Angeles Times]

SPRINGFIELD SHOPPER

Not to be outdone by TVs that look like Spongebob, Samsung has made some cell phones with The Simpsons Movie logo plastered on them, which probably also come with some annoying Simpsons ringtones. According to the reporter, “if done right, these have the potential to be the geek phone of the year.” He probably should have waited a day before making such a pronouncement. [The Inquirer]

SUDDENLY SIMON

Ivy Supersonic, who according to Wikipedia is “a New York fashion designer, entertainer, publicist, promoter, event planner, and animated character designer,” sent out a press release claiming that former Simpsons producer Sam Simon helped steal her idea for the squirrel thing from the Ice Age movies and tried to blackmail her into starring as his wife in a TV show (????):

“Sam Simon is not a man of his word — he is a man of many words that do not hold true. He said Howard Stern asked him to be a writer on the show,” Supersonic said. “He was considering it but said he would not do it unless I had a starring role as his wife. I was blown away when Ice Age 2 hit the theaters. Simon’s partner and writer Matt Groening, was one of the writers on Ice Age 2, released by 20th Century Fox. Sam Simon’s Simpson cartoon short premiered in front of Ice Age 2. There is nothing more I hate than someone who is dishonest to land me in the sac. I am more than outraged, I am eternally livid!” Supersonic says angrily.

[Ivy Supersonic press release]