Category: The Simpsons

‘The Simpsons’ Set to Start 16th Season
LOS ANGELES – Bart Simpson is acting like himself, which is to say naughty. And he sounds like himself, with that familiar mischievous lilt.
But Bart’s voice is coming out of a petite blonde wearing a fluffy, bright-pink wrap. Dumpy Homer has morphed into a lanky fellow, and mom Marge’s towering blue hair is brown and tastefully cropped.
The event was a “table read,” when the cast of “The Simpsons” gathered with a roomful of writers, producers and guests, using their imaginations to conjure up the animated family with the distinctive mustard hue.
It was just one of the steps toward crafting an episode of the Fox series that begins its 16th season Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT with its annual “Treehouse of Horror” special. The run is remarkable for any show ó but especially for one like this.
Irreverent, witty and willing to take on anything from politics to religion to family values, “The Simpsons” has provided a rare bit of spice for the oatmeal-bland bowl of TV broadcasting.
The table read, held in an oversize trailer at the Twentieth Century Fox studio where the series is produced, itself is a symbol of the show’s enduring popularity. A decade ago, it finished the season as the 67th most-watched show; it was No. 69 last season with 10.7 million viewers and won its time period among the coveted 18 to 49 age group.
Actors, producers and writers sit at a massive conference table littered with water bottles and note pads. Invitation-only visitors ring the table. (Noticeably absent are the network executives who always haunt rehearsals; “The Simpsons” has a rare stipulation, won by executive producer James L. Brooks, limiting Fox meddling.)
“It’s sort of the hottest ticket on the lot,” said Yeardley Smith, who voices young Lisa, the wise Simpson daughter.
“I’ll look around and go, ‘Hey, there’s Elvis Costello,'” said Al Jean, an executive producer who’s been with the series since it was spun off in December 1989 from Tracey Ullman’s Fox series.
Singer-songwriter Costello, who provided his voice for one episode, popped up at the table read for another.
“People often come for the fun and bring their children,” said Jean.
It’s a treat for observers but serious work for the cast and producers. This is the first time a script has been performed after months of writing and revision.
This particular week it’s also the first time the actors have seen the script. Finished at the last minute, it couldn’t be provided until the cast arrived at the studio for the rehearsal last Thursday.
The assembled performers include Smith; Dan Castellaneta, who received his third Emmy this year for voicing Homer and whose other characters include Krusty the clown and Grampa Simpson; Nancy Cartwright as Bart; Julie Kavner as Marge; and Harry Shearer, who does an array of voices including Ned Flanders and Mr. Burns.
Absent is Hank Azaria, who was in New York rehearsing a new musical. Azaria’s characters, including convenience store owner Apu and police Chief Wiggum, are voiced for now by another actor.
They’re working on an episode that won’t air until next season, typical for a labor-intensive animated series. A roughly 21-minute episode takes about nine months to create, including the animation work done domestically and in South Korea.
In the script at hand (written by Danny Chun), Marge and Bart are engaged in unusual mother-son bonding, breezing through Springfield on a tandem bicycle and singing “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Marge: “I can’t remember our last outing together.”
Bart: “It was to see that court-appointed psychiatrist.”
Marge: “Oh yeah. He should never have let you near that letter opener.”
The actors move briskly through their lines and most of the jokes draw guffaws from the room. But one shaggy-haired figure proves a tough customer, rarely even smiling ó series creator and executive producer Matt Groening.
“He’s not an easy laugh, so when you get a laugh out of him you feel like, ‘Yes!’ It’s a big deal,” said Smith.
Groening follows the script carefully, jotting down notes for the writers. Among his suggestions: omit a giggle from baby Maggie Simpson in one scene, and beef up another in which Marge finds herself without a partner for her new bike built for two.
“He wanted more of a visual with Marge being lonely, so we put in a parody of ‘Midnight Cowboy’ where Marge and the bicycle are walking around Springfield to that harmonica music,” Jean said.
After all these years, Jean has developed his own script shorthand: a check mark for a joke that gets a laugh, an “X” for one that falls flat. “Something that’s sweet but doesn’t necessarily get a huge laugh will stay in,” Jean said.
After all these years “it’s a fairly well-oiled machine,” observed Smith. Actors who are out of town, like Azaria, can record their lines at a convenient studio.
When the cast is finished the animators step in. The Los Angeles-area animation house Film Roman creates a black-and-white draft, called an animatic, which reveals what works and what doesn’t, Jean said.
“Sometimes we do a considerable rewrite with the animatic. Once it’s in color, the cost of changing too much is prohibitive,” he said.
The revised animatic is sent to South Korea for creation of the final version ó or almost final. If a line remains troublesome, the characters’ lip movements provide enough leeway for another phrase to be subbed in.
No matter what changes, though, the characters stay the same.
“It’s a bratty boy and a sensitive, intellectual girl and a dumb but well-meaning husband and a wife who’s sweet and knows a little better than him,” said Jean.
The show remains a success overseas, airing in Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere. A reinvigorated marketing push expanded the multimillion-dollar “Simpsons” brand of products in recent years, with hundreds of companies worldwide selling figurines, board games, apparel, snacks and more.
Just how durable is “The Simpsons,” which has the cast signed through season 19? There will be a 20th season at least, Jean figures, allowing it to match “Gunsmoke” as the longest-running scripted show in prime-time.
Can the comedy keep its spark? He points to the latest table read as assurance.
“I thought it still rang true and was funny,” Jean said.

D’OH OR DIE
The upcoming “Simpsons” movie will either “kill the show or completely reinvigorate it,” the long-running animated series creator says.
While still in the earliest stages of production, a “Simpsons” movie is definitely on the way, creator Matt Groening said in an interview with London’s Guardian newspaper.
“Everyone on the show this year seems really re-energized, and we’re starting to throw out ideas for the movie and I think that will either kill the show or completely re-invigorate it,” Groening says.
“We’re trying to tell a story that we wouldn’t do on television and take advantage of a longer process and a more ambitious process for animation,” he says.
Meanwhile, the paper says that “The Simpsons” may finally come to an end in 2009 ó after it reaches its 20th season, according to buzz at the offices where it is produced.
“It’s not a machine,” says Groening of how difficult the show is to produce, even after all these years. “It’s a bunch of humans working really hard. It doesn’t get any easier because we’re still faced with the problem of having a history. We’re trying not to repeat ourselves and we’re also competing with people’s memories of their favorite episode.”
If “The Simpsons” does wrap up in 2009, it will top “Gunsmoke” as the longest running entertainment show on television ó a record that’s also being challenged by the “Law & Order.”
With “The Simpsons” entering its 16th season, many fans have worried about the creative direction of the show. Some feel that over the years, Homer and company have lost their zing.
Groening says he was also concerned, but thinks the show is back on track.
“A few years ago I though, well, we’ve got to run out of steam soon and that we’d be done by now,” he says. “We’re not, in fact we’re going full steam ahead.”
Yeardly Smith, who plays the voice of Lisa Simpson, says that if the show is going to end soon, she hopes it happens while “The Simpsons” is still a ratings topper.
“I would hope that the writers would pull the plug while we’re still on top of our game so we can go out with a bang instead of a piffle in terms of quality and stuff,” she says.

Mr Burns’ voice slams The Simpsons
The actor behind The Simpsons’ evil millionaire Mr Burns and Homer’s annoying neighbour Ned Flanders has slammed the comedy, claiming the last three seasons of the hit animation have been the “worst”.
Voiceover star Harry Shearer believes the 15-year-old show is beginning to run out of ideas and he is getting bored providing the speech for Flanders, Burns and his assistant Waylon Smithers, Reverend Lovejoy and Principal Skinner.
Shearer says: “It makes me sad. They used to have whole scenes. Season four looks very good to me now. I’d rather not be there right now. Fortunately I’m doing a lot of other things.”
The “This Is Spinal Tap” funnyman has angrily denied reports the cast threatened to strike over a pay dispute earlier this year.
He explains: “We were never on strike. The day those stories appeared, I was at Fox doing vocal services for that week’s show.
“What I can say is that’s possible to make a very nice living and still get totally screwed.”

‘Simpsons’ Tackles Homersexual Marriage
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) First, Homer Simpson learned to respect homosexuals after gay antique dealer John (voiced by John Waters) saved him from a herd of angry reindeer in “Homer’s Phobia.” Then, in “Three Gays of the Condo,” Homer moved to Springfield’s gay neighborhood, moved in with a pair of flamboyant housemates and even enjoyed a same-sex smooch. Homer’s ties to the gay community will get even tighter this coming season.
Over the weekend, fanatics flocked to a panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con convention hoping to get information about the upcoming season of “The Simpsons” and got an earful about the latest scandal to hit Springfield.
“We have a show where, to raise money, Springfield legalizes gay marriage,” producer Al Jean told clamoring fans. “Homer becomes a minister by going on the Internet and filling out a form. A longtime character comes out of the closet, but I’m not saying who.”
Instantly, speculation has centered on the possibility that Waylon Smithers is the most likely candidate for outing, but is Smithers really in the closet? The musical loving, Malibu Stacy collecting, bootlicking Smithers has made his intentions clear to his employer, Montgomery Burns, on numerous occasions.
On the other hand, the show has gone to occasional lengths to obfuscate Smithers’ sexual identity. In “The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular,” Ambassador Henry Mwabwetumba of the Ivory Coast sent in a presumably fake letter asking what the “real deal” with Waylon Smithers was.
After a series of clips of Smithers’ homoerotic exchanges with Mr. Burns, noted actor Troy McClure declared, “As you can see, the real deal with Waylon Smithers is that he’s Mr. Burns’ assistant. He’s in his early 40s, is unmarried, and currently resides in Springfield. Thanks for writing.”
Will this episode find Lenny and Carl moving from platonic life partners to spouses? Will either Patty or Selma decide that they’ll never meet a man who lives up to the standards set by MacGyver? Will Ms. Hoover and Ms. Krabappel find love? Will the Sea Captain return from a long voyage with a new First Mate?
“It’s Homer,” says Matt Groening. We think he’s joking, but you won’t know for sure until “The Simpsons” returns for its 16th season this fall.

‘Simpsons’ to Have Own Super Bowl Controversy
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) On Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005, FOX will host Super Bowl XXXIX. And while the announcers will more than likely go out of its way to not mention Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s “wardrobe malfunction” from this year, don’t expect the same of the post-game entertainment.
FOX will air an original “Simpsons” episode following the game entitled “Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass.”
In the hapless way that Homer has, he will stumble across a new career as a “victory dane choreographer.” After working for defensive tackle Warren Sapp, basketballers LeBron James and Yao Ming, and figure skater Michelle Kwan (all voicing themselves), he’s called upstairs to choreograph the Super Bowl halftime show. In over his head, Homer turns to neighbor Ned for help. Together they create a clean and classy production, only to have America turn on them for such a “blatant display of decency.”
Other voices signed for this season include Ray Romano as Homer’s new best friend, Kim Cattrall as Marge’s old pal from high school who’s now a journalist, and architect Frak Gehry, author Thomas Pynchon and rapper 50 Cent as themselves.
“The Simpsons” 16th season with premiere Sunday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ET with the annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween special.

Doh! – Homer’s Catchphrase Tops British Poll
LONDON (Reuters) – Homer Simpson’s emphatic exclamation “Doh!” has topped a British poll of favorite TV comedy catchphrases, easily beating an array of home-grown classics.
The bumbling hero of American animated TV series “The Simpsons” — who often accompanies his trademark saying with a slap to the forehead — topped Nuts Magazine’s poll with 34 percent of the vote.
“Doh” has even found a home in the Oxford English Dictionary, which defines it as:
“Expressing frustration at the realization that things have turned out badly or not as planned or that one has just said or done something foolish. Also implying that another person has said or done something foolish.”
The rest of the poll’s top 10, published Wednesday, all come from British television hits.
At No. 2 was “Don’t Panic!” from 1970s war comedy “Dad’s Army,” one of Britain’s best-loved programs about a group of aging Home Guard soldiers ill-prepared for a feared German attack.
“I wan’ that wun’ (I want that one)” from Little Britain, a new satire on life in the UK, was third in the poll. “You plonker” from long-running series “Only Fools and Horses” was fourth while “I don’t believe it,” grumpy Victor Meldrew’s favorite saying from “One Foot in the Grave,” was No. 5.
The rest of the top ten in the poll of 3,000 men were:
“Proper Bo” from sketch show “Bo Selecta” at six; “Suits You” from the “Fast Show” at seven; “Ah, ha!” from “Alan Partridge” at eight and “Booyakasha!” from “Ali G” at nine.
Rounding out the top 10 was “Loadsamoney!” from “Harry Enfield.”

‘The Simpsons’ Cast Returns to Work with More D’oh
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The actors who provide the voices for Homer, Bart and the rest of the cartoon stars of Fox TV’s “The Simpsons” will return to work this week with twice as much “D’oh” in their pockets, having won a new contract collectively valued at $33 million a year.
The agreement ended a month-long strike that had threatened to shorten the upcoming 16th season of America’s longest-running television comedy.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday that the show’s six principal cast members doubled their pay from $125,000 to $250,000 per episode.
That would boost the earnings of each actor to $5.5 million a year for a 22-episode season, a tidy sum for what amounts to a day’s work per show but is far less than the $8 million originally sought by the cast. Collectively the deal was valued at $33 million a year.
Sources said the actors also gave up their key demand for a share in profits from the show, which reportedly has generated roughly $1.5 billion in revenues for producer 20th Century Fox Television since its 1989 debut.
“We couldn’t be happier to have reached a multiyear deal with the enormously talented cast of ‘The Simpsons,”‘ the studio said in a statement. “Fans will be pleased to know that despite our recent production delay, we are optimistic that they can look forward to a full season’s episodes next year on Fox and hopefully many years to come.”
Both the studio and the Fox network are units of Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Ltd.
FINAL OFFER
The show centers on the antics of a bald, gluttonous family man and nuclear plant worker named Homer Simpson (known for his anguished exclamation “D’oh!”), his spiky-haired misfit son, Bart, and their friends and relatives in Springfield.
The producers and cast members — Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (sister Lisa), Julie Kavner (family matriarch Marge), Hank Azaria (bartender Moe and Apu the convenience store clerk) and Harry Shearer (Homer’s tyrannical boss, Mr. Burns, and his loyal assistant Smithers) — closed their deal late Friday, a studio spokesman said.
According to entertainment trade paper Daily Variety, the final agreement was presented by the studio as a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer that expired at the end of the business day on Friday. One or two of the actors pressed their cohorts to drop their profit-participation demand and accept the deal, which they did, Variety said.
Production on “The Simpsons” had been stalled since late March, when the actors first refused to show up for script readings until a settlement was reached.
The show currently averages about 11.3 million viewers a week on Sunday nights, down from its peak ratings several years ago, but it remains a critical favorite and worldwide pop culture phenomenon seen in dozens of countries. It also is a cash cow for 20th Century Fox TV for the handsome revenues it generates in syndication.
This season, “The Simpsons” surpassed the real-life Nelson family on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” as the longest-running weekly comedy series on American TV.

Fade To Yellow?
USA Today outlined Fox’s options since the vocal cast behind THE SIMPSONS are holding out for more money. The net has enough episodes in the can to last them to January next season, but they are looking at either canceling the show, recasting the main roles, or replacing it with AMERICAN IDOL, which will start its next season in January.

‘The Simpsons’ Creator to Guest Star
NEW YORK – Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons,” will make his first guest voice appearance on Sunday’s show, Fox network said.
Although Groening’s image has appeared on “The Simpsons,” including a framed photo on the wall of Comic Book Guy’s store, this will be his first speaking role on the animated series, Fox said Wednesday.
In the episode, titled “My Big Fat Geek Wedding,” Principal Skinner gets cold feet before his pending nuptials and his fiancee, Edna Krabappel, calls off the wedding. Skinner asks Homer to help him win her back, while Marge convinces Edna she can do better.
Edna rebounds into the arms of Comic Book Guy, who whisks her off to a sci-fi convention. While at the convention, they run into Groening ó guest-starring as himself ó who is signing autographs for his fans.

Smith Wants to Kid Around for ‘Simpsons’ Movie
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) – Yeardley Smith, who plays the squeaky-voiced Lisa Simpson on “The Simpsons,” hopes that the series’ writers will maintain her character’s childlike qualities for the feature film.
“If they just make her too esoteric, too philosophical, too bright, too much the voice of reason then she really becomes insufferable,” she tells the AP. “You have to always, always, always remember that she’s 8 and that she’s a huge ‘Itchy and Scratchy’ fan, that she loves Krusty the Clown. And that in spite of her beliefs and her issues, she’s a kid.”
Although the screenplay is currently in the works, the film won’t be made until the series is over, which is at least two years away. Fans of the yellow-skinned family will have three more years to wait on top of that though, since, as Smith explains, “animation takes forever.”
According to industry sources, the primary cast all have agreements in their contracts that hold them to doing three movies based on the show in the future. Besides Smith, “Simpsons” regulars include the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer.
The show has been renewed to run through 2005, which would be its 16th season, making the series the longest running comedy series in U.S. television history except for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” In 1997, “Simpsons” beat “The Flintstones” as the longest-running prime time animated series.
Smith has appeared in a number of films already, including 1991’s “City Slickers” and 1997’s “As Good As It Gets.”