In an episode that’s sure to be controversial, The One-Eyebrowed Baby attempts to assassinate the president in order to win Maggie’s affections. [Entertainment Weekly]
Homer To Get Colonoscopy
According to The New York Post, Homer is going to undergo a colonoscopy this season. Actually, it’s not going to be part of the long-running FOX show, it’s going to be part of the multi-network cancer benefit on September 5 titled Stand Up To Cancer. The Post even quotes a line from the segment that already has me laughing, from Marge: “There’s his wedding band! He told me he was having it polished!”
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
THE SIMPSONS
[TV Squad]
Huell Howser Calls Producers With List Of Demands
Huell Howser is a big-time TV guy who was parodied in the gay marriage episode (the guy at the beginning who falls off a turnip truck). Upon finding about the parody, he did the following:
I got into the office the next morning and called Matt Groening and said, ‘This is Huell Howser,’ and there was this quiet on the other end of the phone because I knew he thought I was upset. I said, ‘If you’re going to do a parody of me, I could use the money and the exposure. If you’re gonna continue, just let me be my own voice next time.
It is unknown if Howser had any hostages at the time. [Pasadena Weekly]
Animation Domination Dominated By White Men?
A critic at a Television Critics Association panel asked a panel of nine FOX animated show producers why they’re so white:
A critic gets a laugh by starting a question with,”Here’s a question for the women and people of color up there” (there are none) … and asks about the lack of diversity in the genre.
[Family Guy creator Seth] MacFarlane: “There’s something about the medium of animation that it’s male dominated … might also have something to do with the demographics of animation also skewing male.”
SIMPSONS WRITERS SPREADING VIRUSES???
In an episode aired in early 2003, Homer’s e-mail address is revealed to be Chunkylover53@aol.com. E-mails sent to that address would receive a response from “Homer,” which was actually written by writer Matt Selman (see some of the responses here). That account has remained largely dormant until recently, when it resurfaced on AIM to spread malware to those who had added “Homer” to their buddy list:
Since then, the screen name has been inactive, until a few days ago when Chunkylover53’s “Away” message appeared, prompting people to click on a link and run an executable in order to see “a *new* Internet-only exclusive Simpson’s episode.”
Of course, the file doesn’t show a Simpsons video. It infects the machine with a Trojan that throws up error messages, crashes the computer when attempting to open Windows Explorer and drops other nasty files onto the machine, making it part of what is believed to be a Turkish botnet, according to FaceTime, which secures IM, collaboration and Web apps for corporations.
The real question: why are Matt Selman and his Simpsons co-workers spreading viruses to their fans??? Developing… [CNET]
George Carlin Hated Sam Simon
Apparently The Simpsons was not the only show where former executive producer Sam Simon, whom Matt Groening once called “mentally unbalanced,” was difficult to work with. Hot off the heels of quitting The Simpsons and subsequent court proceedings, Simon created The George Carlin Show, a sitcom starring the late George Carlin, which ran for 27 episodes on FOX in 1994. Later, in a timeline page on his website, Carlin wrote the following reflection: “Lesson learned: always check mental health of creative partner beforehand.” [Macleans.ca]
Insanely Detailed Simpsons Quake III Map
Some guy made an incredibly detailed “Springfield” skin for Quake III Arena, with all kinds of nerd-salivating props from past episodes – Big Butt Skinner balloon, pig tracks on the ceiling, etc. Hopefully Fox Interactive, hot off the heels of Simpsons Crazy Taxi, Simpsons Grand Theft Auto and Simpsons Myst will hire this guy to make the next Simpsons video game, Simpsons Quake.
[YouTube via Boing Boing]
NAZI GOLD UNCOVERED!!!
For years, The Simpsons Archive has had a page documenting a long-lost Simpsons short called “Nazis on Tap” involving Hitler, Stalin, and talking dogs. It was supposed to air in Season 2, but was never animated and apparently forgotten about. I always assumed it was a joke, but apparently it’s very real — Simpsons Archive webmaster Jouni Paakkinen recently discovered the long-lost audio track on YouTube, probably uploaded by some disgruntled show staffer who’s about to get 20 years of jailtime.
“Aye carumba, the Fuhrer!” [YouTube via Simpsons-L]
Is The End Near?
Remember when Troy McClure asked, “who knows what adventures they’ll have between now and when the show becomes unprofitable?” Thirteen years later, that eventual day of unprofitability may be coming sooner than you think, according to a Newsday blogger. Verne Gay examines the rising costs of the show, dwindling viewership and curiously-worded contracts and concludes cancellation may be imminent:
I’ll give you the answers right now, born of a quarter century following this business: Because Fox is covering its bets. If ratings continue to fall, as they have precipitously in recent years, then let’s get ready to say goodbye to one of the greatest treasures of our TV lives.
[Newsday]
Swartzwelder Scared Stupid By Corpse
Reclusive former Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder has a new* book out called Dead Men Scare Me Stupid that you can purchase on Amazon or through eBay. I am only posting about this so I can use the category “GENERAL SWARTZ-WATCH.”
*Came out two months ago [Amazon via Simpsons-L]