Makeup Quote of the Day

“Hurry up and finish eating.” – Bart Simpson “You’re steering fine, boy. . . . Hard to the right! Hard to the left! Cat! Deer! Old man!” – Homer Simpson “Ahhhh!” – Abe “Grampa” Simpson

Makeup Quote of the Day

“Honey, if you get too competitive, you’ll never be happy. No matter how good you are, there’s always gonna be someone better than you. I always thought I had the tallest hair, but that trip to Graceland really opened my eyes.” – Marge Simpson

Saturday Morning Cartoons

“Young lady, cow hearts belong in a butcher’s window, not the classroom. Well, maybe in an older student’s biology classroom. But that’s none of my business. Elementary school is where I wound up and it’s too late to do anything about that!” – Principal Skinner The above is yet another example of how The Simpsons was able to cram jokes into every conceivable place in its episodes. It comes right as Lisa has set up Allison for failure at Diorama-Rama. For the middle of it, the sound even fades out on Skinner as the camera pushes in on Lisa, revealing her growing horror at what she’s done. The music darkens as Lisa is racked with guilt and Allison begins to crack, but we can still hear Skinner’s latest rant, again revealing the bitterness and rage that he barely masks with his store bought haircut and excellent posture. It’s a hilarious self-own, with Skinner revealing how desperately unhappy he is, just as he does when he flashes back to Vietnam, or laments how awful the talent show is backstage before instantly switching gears and praising it on-stage. At the same time, the episode itself is chugging along toward its emotional climax, which is also a running Edgar Allen Poe parody. That’s a lot of elements to have going on all at once, and The Simpsons handles them so deftly that you can enjoy each one without stopping any of the others. And, of course, the whole thing is simultaneously acting as setup for the bigger punchline when both Lisa and Allison lose to Ralph because the diorama contest they care so much about is less important to the adults than Miss Hoover’s desire to go to lunch. Zombie Simpsons (which often struggles to handle one thing at a time) doesn’t even attempt densely layered jokes and storytelling like this. The Simpsons did it routinely.

Quote of the Day

“I did tip off the Feds as to the whereabouts of our good friend, Milhouse.” – Bart Simpson “I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything.” – Milhouse van Houten “I don’t care.” – Not Tommy Lee Jones (Sorry for the very late quote.)

Quote of the Day

“But she’s better than me at everything that makes me special.” – Lisa Simpson “Believe me honey, she’s more scared of you than you are of her.” – Marge Simpson “You’re thinking of bears, Mom.” – Lisa Simpson

Quote of the Day

“Don’t worry, buddy: here’s a quarter. Call for help at the nearest phone. I’ll keep an eye on things here.” – Homer Simpson “If only the sugar were as sweet as you, sir.” – Hans Moleman

Quote of the Day

“It’s your turn, Jimbo. . . . Someone’s been practicing over the summer, welcome aboard!” – Mr. Largo Happy birthday Alf Clausen!

Quote of the Day

“And you didn’t think I’d make any money.  I found a dollar while I was waiting for the bus!” – Homer Simpson “While you were out earning that dollar, you lost forty dollars by not going to work.  The plant called and said if you don’t come in tomorrow, don’t bother coming in Monday.” – Marge Simpson “Woo-hoo!  Four day weekend!” – Homer Simpson

Quote of the Day

“Now, here’s what we do.  Tomorrow morning, when Allison comes out of her house, we spray her with the hose, soaking her from head to toe!  Leaving us relatively dry.” – Bart Simpson “Relatively?” – Lisa Simpson “Well, there’s bound to be some splashback.” – Bart Simpson

Quote of the Day

“I’ve got to stop being so petty.  I should be Alison’s friend, not her competitor.  I mean, she is a wonderful person.” – Lisa Simpson “Way to go, Lis.  Why compete with someone who’s just gonna to kick your butt anyway?” – Bart Simpson “I prefer my phrasing.” – Lisa Simpson Happy birthday Yeardley Smith!

Quote of the Day

“Let’s see, our foreign exchange student Uter has chosen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. . . . But this is just an empty box.” – Principal Skinner “I begged you to look at mine first.  I begged you.” – Uter

Quote of the Day

“Sure is quiet in here today.” – Bee Robin “Yes, a little too quiet, if you know what I mean.” – Bee Batman “I’m afraid I don’t.” – Bee Robin “You see, bees usually make a lot of noise.  No noise suggests no bees.” – Bee Batman “Oh, I understand now.  Oh, look, there goes one.” – Bee Robin “Too the Bee Mobile!” – Bee Batman “You mean your Chevy?” – Bee Robin “Yes.” – Bee Batman

Quote of the Day

“Lisa, what’s the answer to number seven?” – Ralph Wiggum “Sorry, Ralph, that would defeat the purpose of testing as a means of student evaluation.” – Lisa Simpson “My cat’s name is Mittens.” – Ralph Wiggum

Reading Digest: Favorites Edition

“There’s another girl at school who’s smarter, younger and a better sax player than me.  Ugh, I feel so average.” – Lisa Simpson “Well, you’ll always be number one to me.” – Marge Simpson “Hello?  First born within earshot.” – Bart Simpson “I meant my number one girl. . . . Oh, for crying out . . .” – Marge Simpson This week we’ve got four links (to three sites) naming or trying to name the #1 Simpsons episode of all time.  I always like reading people’s thoughts on the show, but I remain convinced that this is an impossible task.  I don’t even think I could pick a favorite season, much less an episode.  As soon as I chose one, I’d immediately start second guessing myself about how much I love all the ones I didn’t pick.  Madness lies down that path.  In other news, we’ve got plenty more on the new Springfield theme park area, an interview about Bartkira, Aasif Mandvi crediting Apu with influencing him, Apu (and others) reading the Dodgers starting lineup, new shoes, and lots more.  Enjoy. ‘Bartkira’ Is the Parodic Bastard Child of the ‘Simpsons’ and ‘Akira’ – Smooth Charlie’s Link of the Week is this interview with the guy who’s coordinating the Bartkira project.  I’d be in favor of this even if he hadn’t described it as spreading like fungal spores.    Best. Episode. Ever. (First Quarter Round-Up) – The giant episode tournament has gotten 1/4 of the way through the epic first round, and it’s time to look back with a couple of charts.  With a nice nod to us (glad to link it!), Zombie Simpsons is getting killed: The all-red bars from season 11 forward are pretty telling. Sooner or later one of them will produce a winner (round 41 is season 17 vs. season 19, for example), but over all the story the graph tells is clear. Best. Episode. Ever. (Round 32) – And just like that, Season 6 nukes Season 18.  Hank Azaria Dodgers Lineup – Azaria announced the Dodgers lineup earlier this week using the voices of Moe, Apu, and Chief Wiggum, whom the park announcer calls “Wiggins” at the end. The Simpsons // Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Collection – Click through for pictures of the officially licensed shoes.  They go on sale tomorrow.  TV – The Top 15 episodes of The Simpsons (Part 3) – Ahh, the list concludes with no Zombie Simpsons and “Lisa’s Substitute” at #1.  FILM REVIEW The Purge – Moderate usage: THERE’S a scene in ‘The Simpsons’ episode ‘Dog of Death’ where the phone rings at police headquarters. Eager to get back to watching the lottery draw, Chief Wiggum answers the call and delivers the immortal words: “No … sorry, you have the wrong number, this is 912.” ‘The Purge’, the new film from James DeMonaco, imagines a dystopian America in the near future where, for one night each year, all crime is legal. Including murder. During the 12-hour window, there’s no point…

Quote of the Day

“My, these seas are certainly heaving.” – Marge Simpson “Well, no more than your bountiful bosom, m’lady.” – Not Fabio “Does that earring mean you’re a pirate?” – Marge Simpson “Kinda.” – Not Fabio

Quote of the Day

“Well, as a matter of fact, my refrigerator wasn’t running.  You spared me quite a bit of spoilage.  Thank you, anonymous young man.” – Principal Skinner “D’oh!” – Bart Simpson