“We would’ve gotten even more if Lisa could walk faster.” – Bart Simpson “I didn’t select this costume for mobility. I wore it to salute the noble Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest.” – Lisa Simpson
Tag: Treehouse of Horror II
Makeup Quote of the Day
“Behold mighty Caesar, in all his glory!” – Homer Simpson
Quote of the Day
“Moe’s Tavern? . . . Hold on, I’ll check. Hey, everybody, I’m a stupid moron with an ugly face and a big butt and my butt smells and I like to kiss my own butt.” – Moe
Quote of the Day
“Ahhhhhh!” – Moe “Kneel before my slingshot, puny Earthling!” – Kodos “Well, I guess my first wish is to get rid of those awful aliens.” – Ned Flanders “Ahhhhh! He’s got a board with a nail in it!” – Kodos “Enslave humanity, will ya?” – Moe
Quote of the Day
“Oh, Smithers, I was wrong to play God! Life is precious, not a thing to be toyed with. Now take out that brain and flush it down the toilet.” – C.M. Burns “Sir, his family might appreciate it if you returned the brain to his body.” – Mr. Smithers “Oh, come on! It’s 11:45!” – C.M. Burns
Quote of the Day
“The problem is that you don’t care whether you get good attention for, say, getting high marks in school, or bad attention for, say, turning your father into a jack-in-the-box. Homer, I see you agree with my theory.” – Dr. Marvin Monroe “I’m not nodding. It’s the air conditioning.” – Homer Simpson
Quote of the Day
“Well, Kang, it seems the Earthlings won.” – Kodos “Did they? That board with a nail in it may have defeated us, but the humans won’t stop there. They’ll make bigger boards and bigger nails, soon they will make a board with a nail so big it will destroy them all!” – Kang
Quote of the Day
“Hey, here’s a good job, Dad. Oh, wait, you have to know how to operate an ultra-sonic lithotripter.” – Lisa Simpson “How hard can it be?” – Homer Simpson
Animation Alley: Treehouse of Horror II
I kind of miss the wrap-arounds, mainly because as a “consequence” of these yearly specials, we never really get to see the Simpsons celebrating Halloween in-universe. But for a few years, we got a brief glimmer of it, as wonderfully shown here. The kids’ costumes are perfect: Marge slapped a scary witch mask on Maggie, Bart the hooded executioner, and Lisa honors Native American heritage with her totem pole. We see them enter the room at their level, and when Lisa comes through and gets stuck, we zoom out to show her costume unable to clear the doorway. Excellent framing. Also, look at that pile of wonderful treats. And what the holy hell is Homer shoving into his mouth? Looks like a mashed up mound of pumpkin goop. All three segments are directed by Jim Reardon. As a whole, this show isn’t quite as atmospherically spooky as the last one, but that has a lot to do with the stories being told. Last time we have overtly creepy locales like a haunted house and a flying saucer, here the stories are a bit more grounded. The Monkey’s Paw segment is more a creepy cautionary tale about tampering with life’s natural order. And about the power of a board with a nail in it. Anyway, I love the Midnight Express bit as the Simpsons attempt to leave Morocco. What a great shot, with a wonderfully dumbstruck drawing of Homer. Kang and Kodos cement their status as annual regulars in this episode, but what I always remembered is how they look slightly off in this show. Their skin is more an olive green here, and they appear a bit lumpier. Also, love Kang’s bright pink king sash. It matches quite well with their bright pink ship interior. Moving to the “It’s a Good Life” segment. What an amazing design for the transformed Snowball II. It’s like an exquisite corpse come to life. Also, fantastic animation of it transforming. Telling three entire stories in a little over twenty minutes ain’t easy. This segment has to establish this entire new universe where everyone cowers in fear of the almighty Bart. We see Bart taking the school bus wheel from Otto, and, of course, driving like a maniac. Cut to this shot as we go into our school section. You don’t need to see the bus crash or any ridiculous sequence like that. This is all you need; you see the fallout of the bus incident as we have our school establishing shot leading to the next scene. How economical. Absolutely phenomenal posing and animation of sleep-deprived Krusty. I believe Brad Bird did the key drawings on these, he sure did love him some Krusty. To me, this is akin to the amazing heart attack from “Krusty Gets Busted.” You just don’t see this level of freedom in the animation on the show anymore. Quick bit, I love Homer having to tuck Bart in with his teeth. It’s hilarious and adorable seeing him struggle with…
Simpsons T-Shirt Designs Galore!
“Eighteen bucks for this? What a ripoff!” – Some Guy Yesterday was the entry deadline for Threadless’s Simpsons design contest. All told they accepted 820 submissions (and there was a real rush at the end because that number was 494 when I checked it yesterday afternoon). You can view all of them here, and scoring goes on until Tuesday, so you’ve got plenty of time to vote. I’m not sure how many they are going to actually print, but there are definitely a couple that I’d consider actually buying. Below are some of the ones I liked best, but there are a lot more at the site. Wow! Chocolate, half price! – It’s a little busy as a design, but it’s a very recognizable scene so it shouldn’t be a problem. BONESTORM – Oh, nothing, just the Bonestorm logo. Hitmen… best friends – Lenny and Carl in a fantastically well drawn guns out version of Travolta and Jackson from Pulp Fiction. Movie Poster – Man Getting Hit By Football, an official selection of the Springfield Film Festival. The Stingy & Battery Show – The black and white broadcast look is a nice touch. Monorail Emblem – Just what it says. They Fight & Bite – Giant Itchy head. They Fought & Bit – Scratchy version. Lincoln Squirrel – This is one of those you could basically never wear to anything but a gathering of geeks, but if someone recognized it you could probably be their best friend forever. You don’t win friends with salad! – Illustrated with all the constituent parts of a common hot dog. I got toasted at Flaming Moe’s – This shirt would be ideal for taking off before you sit down to a family dinner. Lisa&Marge&Homer&Maggie&ElBarto – Nice usage of the “bunch of names” t-shirt design. The Fraternity – The Stonecutters emblem with “Stonecutters” and “Est. 776 BC”. I’d like this better if it was just the emblem, make people figure out what it is. (Also, they were established long after 776 BC if their “fifteen-hundredth anniversary” was in 1995.) Simpson & Son Tonic – You look like a man who needs help satisfying his wife. A Vintage Intro – There are a lot of these that involve using the outlines of the characters, and this is probably my favorite. The clouds are great, but it’s especially nice the way they worked in Snowball II and Santa’s Little Helper. Duff Beer Can Pop Art – Andy Warhol Duff is a great idea, and the colors are fantastic. Spruce Moose – This could’ve done with a few less elements, plane and airport names alone would’ve been enough, but I can’t design for shit, so what do I know? dnjk – The bullies. Duff Ad ! – A pinup Marge selling Duff! Viva life! Silhouette Night – Again, this one is very obscure, even moreso because it comes from “The Principal and the Pauper”, but it’s still pretty cool. The Simplesons – Another silhouette one, but very, very…
Halloween Playlists
“Now, children, you can have one piece of candy tonight and save the rest for-” – Marge Simpson Ah, after weeks of waiting Halloween is finally here with costumes, candy and, of course, lots of “Treehouse of Horror”. In Chicago tonight there will be a Classic Simpsons Trivia night, but it will also include: 3 classic TREEHOUSE OF HORROR episodes on the big screen! On Twitter, our old friend @dailysimpsons has been taking votes for which episodes will get shown, but it looks like you’ll have to show up to find out. Along similar lines, Kaplan Test Prep Daily had an article about good Halloween playlists: After 23 years of Halloween themed-episodes — the most recent one aired earlier this month — Bart, Marge, Kang, Kodos and the rest of the “ghoulish” Groening gang have given us plenty of options from which to choose. Of course, the easiest thing to do is simply view the first five or six “Treehouse of Horrors” in a row since those are clearly the best ones. But I believe it’s possible to mix it up a bit more to come up with eight devilishly d’oh-y installments that make the perfect complement to a night of jack-o’ lantern carving or, if you’ve lost power courtesy of Sandy, to watch on a battery/generator-powered DVD player. I’d forgo the crap from Season 20, which the article tactfully calls “a bit uneven”, but they don’t have a terrible list there (even if it does incomprehensibly not include “Treehouse of Horror II”). Finally, the other day we got an e-mail from reader L who put together a couple of Halloween playlists that go beyond just “Treehouse of Horror”: Playlist 1 Treehouse of Horror Bart Sells His Soul Treehouse of Horror II Cape Feare Treehouse of Horror VII Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 1 Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 2 Treehouse of Horror VI Playlist 2 Treehouse of Horror V Bart of Darkness The Mysterious Voyage of Homer Treehouse of Horror IV Some Enchanted Evening The Springfield Files Treehouse of Horror III There are some good additions in there, “Bart Sells His Soul”, “Cape Feare” and “The Springfield Files” especially have some creepy, Halloween-esque elements to them. Personally, I tend to just watch the Treehouse of Horror episodes in order through “Treehouse of Horror VIII”. After that I’m usually bordering on insulin shock from all the deliciously processed sugar and cocoa, so I just skip ahead to: “Starship Poopers” from Season 10 which contains “I absolutely refuse to go along with this, but since I have no choice, I’ll take the alley”. I’ve always thought that was a very subtle abortion joke, and those are damn near impossible to sneak onto American television. “Desperately Xeeking Xena” from Season 11, which gave us “a wizard did it” and “best death ever”. And even “Night of the Dolphin” from Season 12, which has “alcohol and night swimming” as well as “we’re all frightened and horny”, and it uses “glory hole” on network…
Quote of the Day
“Look, Smithers, a twitch! It’s moving, it’s alive! Oh, that fellow at Radio Shack said I was mad, well who’s mad now?” – C.M. Burns
Quote of the Day
“Well, class, the history of our country has been changed again to correspond with Bart’s answers on yesterday’s test. America was now discovered in 1942 by ‘some guy’, and our country isn’t called America anymore, it’s ‘bonerland’.” – Mrs. Krabappel
Quote of the Day
“Oh, Homer, this is awful.” – Marge Simpson “Come to think of it, the guy that sold me this thing did say the wishes would bring grave misfortune. I thought he was just being colorful.” – Homer Simpson
Zombie Simpsons Lives In Brentwood, Thinks Everyone Else Does Too
“Look everybody, my purse exploded!” – Marge Simpson “Come on everybody, we’re going to the fanciest restaurant in town!” – Homer Simpson There once was a show called The Simpsons. It was about an upper-lower-middle class family that lived in small town Anywhere, USA. That family wasn’t quite poor, but they could only barely make ends meet. Their city wasn’t a thriving metropolis, it was another beat up burgh whose past was brighter than its future. Part of what made the show so searingly funny was the way it took unpleasant realities like staving off poverty and living in America’s worst city and made them jokes. The bleakness of the Simpsons’ life was an integral part of not just the setting and the stories, but of the show’s entire outlook on life. None of that is true on Zombie Simpsons. There’s a rainbow at the end of everything and the streets are paved with gold. The Simpson family is now so prosperous that they have three laptops, go on expensive outings, and eat at nice restaurants every night of the week. Springfield itself is filled with trendy eateries and the well fed yuppies who love them. The whole thing is all but unrecognizable to anyone who hasn’t spent time in or around the posh sections of Los Angeles. Even the meth labs are nice. That cozy, upper-upper-middle class sensibility is a big reason why Zombie Simpsons is so punchless, even when they set their sights on a fat target like celebrity chefs and food fads. Instead of skewering something, they hold it up for the gentlest of ribbings. Instead of making fun of pompous celebrities, they invite them on the show to be feted in yellow. “The Food Wife” was less a satire of foodie culture than an advertisement for it. Of course the episode was also shot through with the usual list of Zombie Simpsons problems. People acting wildly out of character (when did Bart and Lisa become the same person?), scenes that make no sense (why don’t you strangers join us for dinner?), teleporting characters (wasn’t Wiggum inside before Marge got there?), and a story so thinly conceived that they needed to have Marge exposit how she was feeling no fewer than half a dozen times. As if to underscore how weak Zombie Simpsons has become, the episode’s lone standout was a song written for them by Adult Swim darlings Tim and Eric. And while they had a few video game ideas that rose to the level of cute, most of the episode was a mash note to the perks of living relatively high on the hog. Anyway, the numbers are in and they are rotten and stale. Just 7.53 million viewers wondered why they weren’t watching the Food Channel last night. That’s down about half a million people from last week and keeps Season 23 well on track to be the lowest rated ever. It’s almost like celebrity chefs only appeal to a narrow slice of people. …
Quote of the Day
“Before last year’s Halloween show, I warned you not to let your children watch, but you did anyway. Well, this year’s episode is even worse. It’s scarier and more violent, and I think they snuck in some bad language too.” – Marge Simpson Happy 20th anniversary to “Treehouse of Horror II”! Original airdate 31 October 1991.
Reading Digest: Marge Costume Edition
As I’m sure everyone knows, Monday is Halloween, and while there were lots and lots of previews for Sunday’s Zombie Simpsons episode, you will find none of them linked below. Why bore yourself more than once? Instead we have several links to Marge costumes past and present. Sadly, the only picture is of a lame store bought one, but a quick Google Image search will net you plenty of great looking homemade ideas and tips. In addition to that, we’ve got a Homer video game customization, a wildly overzealous copyright takedown notice, lots of usage, a kick ass home made skateboard, and a guy who agrees with us so much that he actually uses the word “zombie”. Enjoy. Duff Brewery – Jaw dropping, fan made, wood burned, skateboard of Captain McAllister. Here’s a picture from slightly farther back with a bottle opener attached. Wow. by TW Collins Minimalist Lisa Simpson – The blue makes it look a bit more like Maggie to me, but the resemblance is uncanny. 10 Sitcoms That Actually Moved Women Forward – Simpsons checks in at #9 among good company. Unfortunately, the YouTube is from Zombie Simpsons (via). Which leads me to . . . What’s the deal with airline food and Asian people? – . . . this article about 2 Broke Girls and where the line gets drawn between stereotype comedy that’s funny, and stereotype comedy that’s just stereotypes. I’d like to add this sentiment to the cost of Zombie Simpsons: Buuut, comedy isn’t just pointing and laughing. If it were, all comedy would be incredibly mean-spirited. A good chunk of comedy is laughing with the protagonists, at ourselves. “We’ve all been there.” This means that while our protagonists may get humiliated and hurt, they also get the character development, the funny lines, the big checks—while the women and black people stand off to the side, being kind of sagely and disappointing and not funny. In a comedy. Call it the Lisa Simpson Problem. That Lisa has become a scold, set off to the side to cast disapproval, and not funny is all on Zombie Simpsons. She didn’t used to do that, she used to do things like lose her faith in democracy, gamble on pro football, and play hockey, and it was hilarious. Now? Not so much. The Critic–The Live Action Movie – Attempting to cast a live action movie of The Critic. There are some good choices in here, but I can’t see Gary Busey or Robert Redford as Duke Phillips. We’d need someone who can play a megalomaniacal Southerner, did Jerry Reed have any kids that went into acting? Mike Argento: A burger and a shake, all in one – Excellent usage: "We take eighteen ounces of sizzling ground beef, and soak it in rich, creamery butter, then we top it off with bacon, ham and a fried egg," the announcer, a woman with a voice soaked in sex, intoned, breathlessly. "We call it the Good Morning Burger." That episode aired…
Quote of the Day
“And to conclude this Halloween newscast on a scary note, remember, the presidential primaries are only a few months away.” – Kent Brockman “Hey, if you don’t like it, go to Russia.” – Homer Simpson
Quote of the Day
“Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!” – Kodos
Quote of the Day
Left image taken from Wikimedia commons. “You know Smithers, I’ve always despised the laziness of the common worker. Then I realized his spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. So I replaced the flesh, which is weak, with steel, which is strong. Behold, the greatest breakthrough in labor relations since the cat-o-nine-tails!” – C.M. Burns