“We’ve been invited to the wedding of our only graduate to read at an adult level.” – Principal Skinner
“It must be Lisa Simpson, because of course, Martin Prince perished in that science fair explosion.” – Miss Hoover
“Not quite perished, my lady love.  Although some days I wish I had.” – Martin Prince

Lots and lots of people made note of the fact that last Sunday was Lisa’s wedding date.  Most of the blog posts and articles I came across were little more than a screen grab of the invitation and a few words about the passage of time.  I only linked two, one that put some thought into imagining what the show would be like if they’d let them age, and an hilarious FAIL congratulations to Lisa and Hugh.  There’s also links to two posts with eleven things the show did and didn’t get right about 2010.  (As an aside, it actually helps the episode age well that many of the things in it are still fantastical, otherwise it wouldn’t feel like the future.)  Also, we’ve got a couple of right wing essays, two fan takes on The Simpsons Movie, the dramatic conclusion of that top 50 teevee characters list from last week, some usage, and Harry Shearer just being his awesome self. 

Enjoy.

The Lifespan of Every TV Show Ever [COMIC] – Commenter DJYellow sent this in, and it’s pretty much dead on, though the strength of the Simpsons let it stay great for several seasons more than most shows. 

Homer and the suburbs – This is moderate usage:

However, as I read, I worried that Kotkin wasn’t concerned enough. I was reminded of what Homer Simpson said about USA Today: "It’s the only paper with the guts to tell it like it is — everything is just fine."

It’s apt, and the end is on, but the actual quote is “Hey, this is the only paper in America that’s not afraid to tell the truth, that everything is just fine.”

GRAPHICS: Average Daily Food Intake of Homer Simpson, Seinfeld Cast & Garfield – The people at Pleated-Jeans have made up some neat graphics, including Homer with what looks to be an average day’s consumption. 

6 (More) Products That Would Never Sell In The US – Funny product ads found in Buenos Aires.  These include a kitchen sponge called “McPussy” and something where Homer appears to have caught Bart masturbating in the bathroom.  Is “Playsex” a real magazine in Argentina?  Google doesn’t seem to think so, which means this is just something someone made and put up in a window.  Awesome. 

A mysterious language only a select few speak – It’s a whole usage family:

But really, if you come into our abode and try to decipher our internal language, you should bone up on two shows, The Simpsons and Young Frankenstein. So many lines from each of those have permeated our family that I sometimes feel sorry for visitors.

From The Simpsons: “Pray for Mojo.” “There’s the truth, and the truth!” “Sock puppets!” “Well, I am a coyote.” “Oh, all those steps.” “The South shall come again!” “I’m special!” “Mom, that is so annoying.” “There’s a New Mexico?” “Look at me! I’m Davy Crockett!” “The goggles, they do nothing!” “Up yours, children!” “Look out! They’re ruffled!” “You don’t make friends with salad.” And, probably the favorite, “The Internet? Is that thing still around?”

I didn’t check all the quotes, but that is an awfully cromulent looking list.

TV: I wish the Simpsons aged – A lot of people noted that last Sunday was Lisa’s wedding date, but only this guy thought about their real ages and what might’ve been. 

Congrats Mrs. Simpson-Parkfield – This one, on the other hand, fails miserably on account of congratulating Lisa on a wedding that got called off.  Whoops. 

My Favourite TV Characters – Part 4 – Last week, Mr. Burns checked in at #31 on this list.  This week we get Chief Wiggum at #20 and . . .

My 50 Favourite TV Characters – Part 5 – . . . at #1, and master of all that he surveys, Homer Simpson. 

11 Predictions About 2010 That the Simpsons Got Right – This has been floating around quote a bit this week.  And then there’s the companion piece . . .

11 Predictions About 2010 That the Simpsons Got Wrong – . . . and now you’ve got the whole set.

Harry Shearer – A reporter asks Harry Shearer what he would say to President Obama if he got five minutes of the man’s time.  Harry would mostly like New Orleans not to be destroyed again.  Of course, he can’t resist a joke, and Shearer’s one of the best at those:

RB: Would you ever consider a political career?

HS: Never. I worked in the California State Legislature for a year, and I still can’t get the smell of the sausage out of my nostrils.

Sorry, I giggled there.  (via Mediabistro)

Simpsons Quote/Video of the Week – That’s the worst name I ever heard – with YouTube!

The Knoxville Wigsphere – I also didn’t know the fabulous Sunsphere was real until relatively recently.  Nice contrasting photos of the real thing and the Simpsons version. 

Let him eat a po’ boy – The parallel between the fictional Burns and Blinky and the real BP and Gulf seafood:

I was reminded of that gem when I read a news report that "BP’s chief operating officer sought to give the southern US fishing industry a much-need boost Sunday, saying he’d "absolutely" eat Gulf of Mexico seafood after the massive oil spill devastated the region."

Somebody should stick a Gulf oyster po’ boy under his nose and see what happens.

Heh, indeed. 

Is The Simpsons’ Springfield the new Hollywood Hills? – Remember yesterday when I said the guests are a bigger draw than the show now?  Well:

Even though the show is well beyond its best after 21 years and nearly 500 episodes, it never loses its appeal to the movers and shakers of Hollywood. Actors flock to guest star in an episode, in what has become a right of passage for thespians who have "made it".

It then goes on to list all the various guest voices announced for, ugh, Season 22, before ending:

Phew! With all of those stars, including original cast members Dan Castellaneta and Nancy Cartwright, clamouring for a place in Simpson history, it’s going to be hard for any of them to get any voice time at all!

Today’s Pop Five: Scott W.’s top Homer quotes – At least some of these are slightly off, and one is from Season 11, but other than that this is a decent list.  (via)

Why This Generation’s Middle Class Will Never Be Like Last Generation’s – Okay, we’ve been on and on about “Homer’s Enemy” around here the last couple of weeks, but even the Dead Homer Society doesn’t see it as a metaphor for America.  On the plus side, he did take the trouble to properly quote Homer and Grimes, and that’s always appreciated around these parts. 

These Things I Believe – If you’re going to talk about American conservatism, Johnny Calhoun is a good place to start. 

I’ve Narrowed Your Choices Down To Five Unthinkable Options… – Speaking of Republicans, here’s a great Simpsons/Schwarzenegger image.  Though I think the more fitting quote for his reign as governor would be “Maria, my mighty heart is breaking.” 

Hi, I’m Lionel Hutz – Someone in, it looks like Pennsylvania, has a license plate that reads “HUTZ ESQ”.  Sweet.  Click through for art and a Hutz quote. 

Stratus, the flying fox – Using the Space Coyote as inspiration:

Stratus is a character I’ve had on my mind since May. I’m still perfecting a place to put him (that is, I have a few story/script ideas that I’m not sure about yet), but as it stands he’s an interesting character on his own.

Essentially he started out as a dream spirit in a comic for my ethics class featuring Dave ala ‘The Mysterious Voyage of Homer’ in which Homer Simpson meets a space-coyote dream guide. Stratus leads David through a snow globe landscape in which David is shown the meaning and different phiolospher’s views of beauty and the sublime.

Cool.  Now, is your mind in a state of readiness? 

Showcase of ‘The Simpsons’ Inspired Artwork – A large collection of different drawings of the family, largely plucked (and linked) from Deviant Art.  Some of these I’ve seen, many I’ve not.  Radioactive Man and Fallout Boy at the bottom are great, as are most of the others. 

‘Inception’ Breeds A Wealth Of Excellent Mash-Up Trailers – These are videos with the audio from the Inception trailer and video from various movies.  There’s Batman, Bill & Ted, a couple of Pixar movies, and this:

That’s certainly more fun than the actual Simpsons movie. 

Self-Parody or Parody of Self: Why the Last Ten Seasons of The Simpsons Have Faltered – And finally, I get to end the way I like to, with someone who thinks the show has fallen apart.  The whole thing’s worth reading, but I especially liked this:

The Simpsons suddenly became their own institution, a mass identifier which began referring more to itself and its history than the types the show it was built upon. Therefore a Harry Potter send up became not about riffing on the familiar storyline and analyzing the very popular serious through the scope of the Springfield character types, but more about the characters acting out the popular children’s book series.

Preach it!