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GROEN DRAIN

The Simpson [sic] creator Matt Groening has snubbed new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown by insisting he’ll never have a cameo on the hit animated series. While Brown’s predecessor Tony Blair guest starred on a show in 2003, cartoon genius Groening is adamant there won’t be another British statesman on the show for years. He says, “One Prime Minister per century is enough.”

Could this lead to a British boycott of The Simpsons??? Developing… [Starpulse]

WRITER WATCH

“Matt Groening rang me up because he’d seen The Office on a flight, ages before it was shown in America. I did a very rough sketch and wrote a song. So the only things that were mine were the song, a couple of jokes and the Wife Swap idea, which was Jane’s anyway. So I mustn’t take too much credit – I said as much once, but they said no, no, that’s always the case. Whoever it says ‘wrote’ the episode goes through the same process. So that made me feel slightly less guilty.”

[The Guardian]

PANEL PIECES

  • Jon Bon Jovi was going to guest star, but he backed out because “the writers had his character covered with melted cheese at one point and insult Richie Sambora at another point in the script.”
  • The Beatles don’t like talking about The Beatles.
  • Matt Groening authorized a Bart Simpson asthma inhaler.
  • Executive Producer Tim Long: “America doesn’t love Gil.” So why would you base an entire episode around him?

[Zap2it]

WHAA...?!

It can be hard to get noticed amid the hustle and bustle of a red carpet — just ask Minnie Driver. “I’m in ‘The Simpsons Movie’!” the Oscar-nominated acress piped up… Reluctant to let plot points slip because, she said, “I could tell you about it, and then I’d literally get shot by [‘Simpsons’ creator] Matt Groening,” Driver nevertheless revealed she’ll be playing “a patronizing grievance counselor in one hilarious scene.”

Ruh-roh! We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one… [MTV]

COMING ATTRACTIONS, PARDON MY ZINGER

Comics legend Alan Moore will be playing the role of the hitherto unseen “Uncle Gareth,” a creepy uncle who will take Bart aside during a family reunion to show him some disturbing x-rated drawings of Wendy from Peter Pan, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and Alice from Alice in Wonderland. [Northants News]