Simpson Crazy Newsfeed

Hollywood Reporter Simpsons 500 Episode Cover

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:34:36 PST

In case you missed it, the Hollywood Reporter did some amazing coverage of the Simpsons milestone of reaching 500 episodes. The cover story of the February 17th, 2012 issue features stories from Matt Greoning, Al Jean, James L. Brooks and the main members of the Simpsons voice cast.

Since its premiere in 1989 after an early incarnation on the then-fledgling Fox network's sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show, The Simpsons has never been just a "cartoon." Birthed from the antsy mind of creator Matt Groening, the series resurrected the animated primetime comedy, not seen since The Flintstones had gone extinct 23 years earlier. Today, The Simpsons can claim much of the credit for Fox's animation domination -- from Family Guy to Bob's Burgers to its reimagining of Napoleon Dynamite. It's not only the chief creative linchpin for 20th Century Fox Television -- (Simpsons has won 27 primetime Emmys and 30 Annie awards) but also is the most lucrative property on television, with a billion-dollar merchandising empire.

Ralph Wiggum Gets His Own Comic

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:04:58 PST

Simpsons character Ralph Wiggum is to star in his own comic book later this month.

Bongo Comics announced the title as part of its quarterly series of 'One Shot Wonders', which will focus on various lesser-known residents of Springfield.

"At signings and conventions, interest in Ralph is always off the charts. I'm happily amazed by the wide swatch of people who claim him as their most beloved Simpsons character," said Bongo creative director Nathan Kane.

"Not only is Ralph Wiggum an everyman, he's everyman's unintentionally hilarious, and unflappable younger brother."

Creators including Sergio Aragonés, Mike Kazaleh, Carol Lay, James Lloyd, Jesse McCann, and Mary Trainor will work on the series of one-shots. Future titles will focus on Milhouse, Homer during his childhood, and Maggie Simpson.

Garrett Popcorn Releases 500th Episode Special Tin

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:00:09 PST

Chicago’s famous Garrett Popcorn Shops are selling a limited-edition tin featuring the whole Simpsons clan to celebrate the show’s 500th episode, which will air Sunday on Fox. And really, what better way to celebrate the show that gave us Homer’s iconic “Mmmm...” than with a mouthful of Chicago Mix? Mmmm... Chicago Mix....

The tin features Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Santa's Little Helper and Snowball II.

Matt Groening Get Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:59:46 PST

Matt Groening, whose crudely drawn cartoon strip for an alternative newspaper led to the creation of "The Simpsons," received the 2,461st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just 2 days ago (Feb. 14th).

This isn't the first time though that Groening has been present for a Walk of Fame Star unveiling. Back in 2000 The Simpsons show received its own star on the Walk of Fame. The Simpsons is also celebrating its landmark 500th episode this week (Feb. 19). The show holds the record for the longest-running comedy show, clocking in at 23 years to date.

Jeremy Scott x Simpsons Collaboration

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:42:03 PST

This past week, Jeremy Scott showcased his new Fall/Winter 2012 Collection on the runway in New York. Of course the designer did not shy away from bold graphics, that much we know by now. Next to emoticons and Internet screens, The Simpsons were a central graphic theme in the new collection. Actually Bart Simpson was… appearing as all-over patterns on lots of knitwear for men and women in the new collection.

Scott, whose previous pop culture collections included those inspired by The Flinstones and Mickey Mouse, told The Hollywood Reporter he was dreaming of things he wanted to wear when he came up with the 8 Bart Simpson pieces. And Fox, who holds lock and key over all Simpsons merchandising, totally got his vision: "I wasn’t really sure how to go about this. I got someone on the phone and took it from there. And it was kismet, synergy, this was supposed to happen. They totally got it: the way I am, who I am. They seemed very aware of my work and were very enthusiastic."

Matt Groening Figure for 500th Episode Celebration

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:37:46 PST

To celebrate the 500th episode milestone which is coming up this month the Kidrobot company has come up with something very special. Introducing the very first "official" Matt Groening figure to honor the creator and father of the show.

Complete with goatee and glasses, director's jacket, and pad and pencil accessories, it is the first EVER Simpsons Matt Groening toy. This is the fourth 6inch figure that the company has released; previous ones include Ralph, Kang and Kudos and Lardlad. The Kidrobot company also has a line of Simpsons mini-figures available which feature over 20 characters in each series (currently 2 series available).

Season 14 DVD Out Now

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:24:07 PST

Season 14 of The Simpsons is out right now and features on the cover Kang and Kodos who invite you to add this Emmy Award winning season to your collection filled with your favorite guest stars (Mick Jagger, Lenny Kravitz, Tony Hawk, Blink 182, and more) and exclusive features that will satisfy your hunger.

In the 14th season DVD, there is commentary on every episode. Though only four episodes have Matt Groening, each episode has at least seven people commenting with one episode containing 12. Guests Joe Mantegna, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Tony Hawk, Mark Hoppus, Scott Thompson and David Byrne join the regular writers, animators, directors and cast during the commentaries. In fact, there are noticeably more visits from the cast in these commentaries (no Harry Shearer or Julie Kavner, though).

Simpsons Movie NOT Suitable for Children

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:16:51 PST

No this isn't the rumored second Simpsons movie we're talking about but instead Larry Flynt Productions (Hustler) and Full Spread Entertainment (known for its XXX parodys) has taken are favorite TV family and showed what would happen if Homer made a "celebrity sex tape" with him and Marge. Of course you also have such characters as Moe, Barney and McBain involved in the film. I have to admit that the guy who does Homer's voice is pretty good and the preview (available after the jump) makes the movie seem pretty funny... don't worry the preview doesn't have any nudity.

Artists Banksy Does Controversial Opening Sequence

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:02:36 PDT

This past Sunday night, Simpsons fans got more than they expected from the series' "couch gag" (what happens in the intro when Homer, Marge and the kids hit the sofa before the credits), as famed, enigmatic U.K. street artist/activist Banksy directed the scene and took it in a distinctly dark direction. The extended sequence took viewers to an Asian sweat shop, where children work in toxic waste, kittens are murdered to stuff little Bart and Lisa dolls, and a malnourished unicorn is enslaved to poke holes into Simpson DVDs.

The opening was originally available on YouTube when Fox decided that it should be pulled. Shortly after, when fans became upset at Fox's actions, the video was put back online. Abused pandas, dolphins, unicorns and children await. Watch at your own risk after the jump.

Artist writes out all of Bart's blackboard gags!

Wed, 26 May 2010 14:15:41 PDT

Every six months, Work Club, a London based ad agency, invites an up-and-coming artist to decorate its 22m long blackboard wall. This time illustrator Matt Williams, in the guise of Bart Simpson, wrote out every one of Bart's cholkboard gags from the series!

See the video below:

Season 13 DVD details and cover art

Wed, 05 May 2010 14:05:47 PDT

Details for the Simpsons Complete Thirteenth Season on DVD have been announced! The Season will be released on August 24th, on both DVD and Blu-Ray for some reason, despite this Season not having any high-definition episodes.

It's lucky number 13 for Ralph

The cover art features Ralph Wiggum holding some raffle tickets, on a purple background.

Special features are sketchy at this stage, but there will be commentaries on every episode as normal.

BREAKING: Seth MacFarlane to take over The Simpsons

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:27:28 PDT

Note: this was an April Fool's Day 2010 joke, it is not real news.

We've just got word that the creator of the much-loved Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, has been signed on to The Simpsons as the new showrunner. He will replace current showrunner of nine years, Al Jean, for the next production run of episodes, which will begin airing around the middle of next Season (the 22nd).

MacFarlane, who also created American Dad, The Cleveland Show and the upcoming Suburban Family Time, said of the role, It's a dream come true - the Simpsons is my absolute favorite show. As you can see from my shows, they are just poor imitations of The Simpsons' brand of wacky humor, panda rape gags and jockey elves.

Could Peter Griffin be appearing at Moe's in an upcoming episode?

MacFarlane did not rule out the possibility of a crossover episode. Oh yeah, a crossover would be inevitable. We've had characters from American Dad popping up in Family Guy. I'm throwing around some ideas for Homer and Peter having a drinking contest at Moe's.

We'll keep you posted on any upcoming developments.

Cast of Glee to appear in The Simpsons

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:41:04 PST

Three cast members of the hit Fox series Glee have confirmed they will be providing voices on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons.

Cory Monteith, Lea Michele and Amber Riley all stated via their twitter accounts that they had recorded a guest spot on the show. They did not state if they will play themselves or original characters, or whether the other cast members will also be appearing.

There is also no word yet on the episode's theme, but you can bet it's going to be a musical episode.

Coca-Cola Superbowl ad in full

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:02:18 PST

Here's the Simpsons-themed Coca-Cola ad that aired during the Superbowl. Called Hard Times, it sees Mr. Burns losing his wealth, but learning to appreciate life’s simple pleasures as he joins other characters enjoying Coke:

Ullman Shorts page redesigned

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:08:36 PST

I've redesigned the Ullman Shorts page to match our episode guide look and feel. We have better screenshots - well, as good as you can get from old, low quality video - as well as airdates and the correct titles (unlike a certain encyclopedia).

You can still download all the shorts as usual. At some point I hope to add a way to watch them online, YouTube-style.

Tracey Ullman Shorts

Coca-Cola to run Simpsons advert during Superbowl

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:01:46 PST

Coca-Cola has partnered with Facebook to support the "Boys & Girls Clubs of America", and have commissioned a Coke advertisement featuring Simpsons characters! The synopsis, according to the press release:

"Hard Times” features a variety of characters from the television show The Simpsons, most notably greedy billionaire C. Montgomery Burns, who has fallen on difficult times. Just when all hope seems to be lost, Mr. Burns learns to appreciate life’s simple pleasures as he joins other characters enjoying Coca-Cola and Opening Happiness in a neighborhood park.

The ad will air during Superbowl XLIV on February 7, but you can see a sneak peek by visiting the Coca-Cola "Live Positively" fan page on Facebook and sharing a virtual Coke with friends. Coca-Cola will also donate $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, so it's a good cause!

Upcoming episodes and a promo card

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:53:25 PST

We have some new titles confirmed and a promotional picture featuring Coldplay:

Middle-of-the-road indie band Coldplay star in a new episode

Upcoming episodes

Jan 31: Million Dollar Maybe
Homer wins a million dollars on the lottery, and hires Coldplay to play a concert for Bart.

Feb 14: Boy Meets Curl
Airing during the Winter Olympics! Homer and Marge form a mixed-doubles curling team with Principal Skinner and his mother, Agnes.

Feb 21: The Color Yellow
Lisa discovers that her Southern ancestors helped a slave escape to freedom and presents her family's story during Black History Month.

Season 20 DVD released, lacks special features

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:21:41 PST

The Simpsons Season 20 was released this week (Jan 12th) on DVD and Blu-ray, to a highly critical reception by fans. Previous Simpsons DVDs have been loaded with special features, including commentary for every episode, deleted scenes and various promos. This set, however, features almost nothing and has only two stars on Amazon.com.

This DVD/Blu-ray set is very bare bones...

In addition to the 21 episodes (which are far from the best the show has done), is a "sneak peek" for the Simpsons documentary, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special, In 3-D! On Ice! - except the documentary aired in full on Fox last Sunday.

There was also supposed to be an updated Simpsons character poster included, but we've seen loads of reports that the poster is not included. The final "special feature" is menus hand-drawn by Matt Groening himself. Unfortunately, they purely consist of a white line drawing doodle on a black background.

And that's it! Absolutely nothing else is on this set, yet is roughly the same price as the fuller DVD sets. Since a Season 13 complete set is also in the works (with commentary etc), it is very likely that in a few years they will release a proper Season 20 set with all the usual features. If you still need (un)convincing, Adam over at the Simpsons Channel has published a short article, Ten Reasons To NOT Buy This Set.

Simpsons documentary airs tomorrow

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:20:13 PST

A special documentary, presented by Morgan Spurlock (of 'Super Size Me' fame), airs tomorrow (Sunday Jan 10th) as part of the Simpsons 20th Anniversary celebrations on Fox.

The programme, titled The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!, examines the cultural phenomenon that is The Simpsons. It will focus on the fans of the series rather than the show itself, and includes interviews with the most-Simpsons-tattooed man, a couple who had a Simpsons-themed wedding, and a man who grew real life ToMacco!!

It was originally scheduled to air on Jan 14th, which is the 20th anniversary of the official Season One premiere, Bart the Genius. However, it has been brought forward and will air after what Fox is calling the 450th episode, Once Upon a Time in Springfield. Though as usual, their counting is off and that accolade goes to last week's episode, Thursdays with Abie.

You can see an out-take from the documentary below...

Vatican gives blessing to The Simpsons

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:47:47 PST

Despite the many times that The Simpsons has mocked or satirized religion, it has earned an endorsement from the official Vatican newspaper on the occasion of the show's 20th anniversary, the Associated Press reported. In an article published on Tuesday in L'Osservatore Romano under the headline Aristotle's Virtues and Homer's Doughnut, the show was praised for its realistic and intelligent writing (and rapped on the knuckles for excessively crude language, the violence of certain episodes or some extreme choices by the scriptwriters).

Keep an eye on it.

Noting plots in which Homer Simpson has variously renounced his faith and mispronounced the name of Jesus, L'Osservatore Romano wrote that Homer nonetheless finds in God his last refuge and that the character's attitudes toward religion were a mirror of the indifference and the need that modern man feels toward faith.