(Image sources: Honeymooners, Flintstones, Phil Silvers (Bilko), Top Cat, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Andy Griffith, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney) “Okay, maybe my dad did steal Itchy, but so what? Animation is built on plagiarism! If it weren’t for someone plagiarizing ‘The Honeymooners’, we wouldn’t have ‘The Flintstones’. If someone hadn’t ripped of ‘Sgt. Bilko’, there’d be no ‘Top Cat’! Huckleberry Hound, Chief Wiggum, Yogi Bear? Ha! Andy Griffith, Edward G. Robinson, Art Carney. Your honor, you take away our right to steal ideas, where are they gonna come from?” – Roger Meyers Jr. Happy (real) Birthday Alex Rocco!
Month: February 2012
“Separate Vocations” Spews Truth
“Looks like you just bought yourself a lottery ticket, to jail!” – Chief Wiggum “He’s unconscious, sir.” – Lou “Ah, they can still hear things.” – Chief Wiggum This post was originally going to go up yesterday for the 20th anniversary of this episode’s first broadcast, but about halfway through I noticed that there was a “hidden” audio track that turned out to be a one man commentary from Al Jean. (Side note: Dear DVD people, drop the “easter egg” crap, will ya? Just like hidden tracks on CDs, the game is up. You can’t hide anything from modern media…
Quote of the Day
“Why is it when I heard the word ‘school’ and the word ‘exploded’ I immediately thought of the word ‘Skinner’!?” – Superintendent Chalmers
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Now, Marge, just remember, if something goes wrong at the plant, blame the guy who can’t speak English. Ah, Tibor, how many times have you saved my butt?” – Homer Simpson Happy birthday Bill Oakley!
Quote of the Day
“Bart, the school is a police state. Students are afraid to sneeze, and I have you to thank.” – Principal Skinner Happy 20th Anniversary to “Separate Vocations”! Original airdate 27 February 1992.
Quote of the Day
“Let us give no more scrutiny to this bawdy house and its small clientele of loyal perverts.” – Mayor Quimby “Oh, I’m afraid this problem goes far beyond Eugene and Rusty.” – Reverend Lovejoy
More of a Good Thing
All these years later, people still love watching The Simpsons. I’m not internet-omniscient or anything, so I don’t actually know if this is more or less prevalent than for any other old television program, but earlier this week I came across another blog dedicated to rewatching the show. (500) Days of Homer popped up one week ago, and is currently through the first five episodes. The about page explains: The idea was born while I was reading countless articles about the huge 500-episode milestone that The Simpsons is hitting. As I read, I realized that I’d only seen maybe a…
Quote of the Day
Image shamelessly yoinked from here. “Asa Phelps spent his entire life in Springfield, except for four years service in World War II and one high school day trip. He worked at the United Strut and Bracing Works as a molder’s boy, until he was replaced by a molder-matic and died.” – Reverend Lovejoy
Reading Digest: Still Digesting Edition
“Oh look, here comes Lumpy, the school snake!” – Principal Skinner The huge spike in on-line chatter leading up to last week’s forgettably indifferent episode of Zombie Simpsons didn’t subside when the credits rolled, so this week’s Reading Digest is just as gargantuan as last week’s. Once again there was just too damn much going on at once to digest (as it were). Below you’ll find a few more “500 yay!” type articles and, just like last week, they are an implicit statement about just how very little people care about Zombie Simpsons. There’s also lots of stuff about Groening,…
Quote of the Day
“You gotta give me back my floor! My customers are walking around on the pipes.” – Moe “Hey, next time, pay your bills.” – Repo Depot Guy “But I don’t want to!” – Moe
Quote of the Day
“And remember, if you’re not sure about something, rub it against a piece of paper. If the paper turns clear, it’s your window to weight gain.” – Dr. Nick
Compare & Contrast: New Towns
“Mr. Scorpio, this house is almost too good for us. I keep expecting to get the bum’s rush.” – Marge Simpson “We don’t have bums in our town, Marge, and if we did they wouldn’t rush, they’d be allowed to go at their own pace. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m in the middle of a fun run!” – Hank Scorpio Though you’d hardly know it from how much screen time it got, the main plot of “At Long Last Leave” was the family Simpson moving to a new town. Coincidentally, this is also the main plot of “You Only…
Quote of the Day
“Smithers, why haven’t I heard of this ‘The Leader’? He’s as rich and wicked as I, but he seems to enjoy tax exempt status.” – C.M. Burns “Actually, sir, with our creative bookkeeping and corporate loopholes, we only pay three dollars a year.” – Mr. Smithers “You’re right, we’re getting screwed!” – C.M. Burns
Crazy Noises: At Long Last Leave
As part of our tireless efforts to demonstrate the many ways Zombie Simpsons fails to entertain, Season 23 will be subjected to the kind of rigorous examination that can only be produced by people typing short messages at one another. More dedicated or modern individuals might use Twitter for this, but that’s got graphics and short links and little windows that pop up when you put your cursor over things. The only kind of on-line communications we like are the kind that could once be done at 2400 baud. So disable your call waiting, plug in your modem, and join…
Quote of the Day
Both images taken from Wikipedia (Kwai, Apes). “Homer, do you ever think about the future?” – Marge Simpson “You mean, like, ‘Will apes be our masters’?” – Homer Simpson “No.” – Marge Simpson Happy (one day late) 100th birthday to Pierre Boulle!
Oh Hell, Let’s Move the Town Again
“Homer, that’s your solution to everything, to move under the sea. It’s not going to happen!” – Marge Simpson “Not with that attitude.” – Homer Simpson Give Zombie Simpsons credit for consistency, for the 500th episode they served up a perfectly banal rendition of their usual hacktacular schlock. They recycled two old ideas (family leaves Springfield, rebuild the town), had an illogical, meaningless and irrelevant celebrity voicing himself, and left plot threads hanging all over the place. No real reason is given for why the town suddenly decides they miss the Simpsons, nothing about the “Outlands” makes sense, either as…
Quote of the Day
“Alright Simpson, let’s go over the signals. If I tuck the bill of my cap like so . . .” – C.M. Burns “Yeah.” – Homer Simpson “. . . it means the signal is a fake.” – C.M. Burns “Uh-huh.” – Homer Simpson “However, I can take that off by dusting my hands thusly.” – C.M. Burns “Got it.” – Homer Simpson “If I want you to bunt, I will touch my belt buckle not once, not twice, but thrice.” – C.M. Burns “Uh-oh, I don’t understand a word he’s saying. Why doesn’t he just let me bat? I…
Sunday Preview: At Long Last Leave
Almost lost amidst all the hubbub about the 500th episode is the fact that it’s just, you know, an episode. It is likely to be forgettably boring: The Simpsons sneak into a secret town meeting to which they aren’t invited and discover it’s about whether to ban the family from Springfield. The town decides to evict the family, forcing them to join an off-the-grid community. Homer and Marge try to sneak back into Springfield, but receive hostile treatment from their former friends and neighbors, and begin to appreciate their new, welcoming home. Sounds like someone dusted off an early version…
Quote of the Day
“Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.” – Apu Nahasapeemapetilon “Never fit on a marquee, love. From now on your name is Apu de Beaumarchais.” – Nigel “Well, it is a great dishonor to my ancestors and my God, but okay.” – Apu de Beaumarchais
Quote of the Day
“I was just in a car accident, can I use your phone?” – Betty “Uh, using the phone’s a four drink minimum.” – Moe