“Asked why he wanted to record his voice as a character on The Simpsons, British Prime Minister Tony Blair turned to producer Al Jean and said, “I just want to do one thing that will impress my kids.” When he paid his visit to Homer Simpson, Blair followed in the footsteps of Michael Jackson, Mel Gibson, Sir Elton John and Dr. Stephen Hawking. Blair’s episode is set to air in November, and he will be the first politician to guest on the show. It used to be that the ultimate mark of celebrity was hosting NBC’s Saturday Night Live or appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. But somewhere along the line, Rolling Stone started putting pop-punks Good Charlotte and actress Asia Argento on the cover, and Saturday Night Live started asking U.S. Senator John McCain and skier Johnny Mosely to host. Now playing yourself on The Simpsons is the true measure of celebrity. It means you have become so important in the real world that you can transcend the fictional boundaries of the animated world.” Read More >>>
