“When comic actress Yeardley Smith got tired of hearing herself complain about her erratic fame and fickle fortune, she decided to write a show about it. Best known as the voice of Lisa Simpson, the 8-year-old baritone-sax player and improvisational poet on Fox-TV’s ‘The Simpsons,’ Smith has been acting professionally since she was a teenager. She made her Broadway debut at age 19 in Tom Stoppard’s ‘The Real Thing’ and won an Emmy Award for ‘The Simpsons.’ While her movie career hasn’t been stellar – or even stable, Smith points out – she is a familiar enough figure on the big and small screens that a pharmacist once discussed her psychotropic prescription loudly before asking her for Lisa Simpson’s autograph. Teenage girls recognize her in shopping malls, says Smith – and exclaim to one another: ‘I can’t believe she went out looking like that!’ Read More >>>
Review: Road Rage Advance
IGN.com have posted their review of The Simpsons Road Rage for Game Boy Advance. We think it fared pretty well for a Simpsons game, receiving a total of 7.5 out of 10. The closing comments for the game were “As poorly as the console versions of The Simpsons Road Rage ranked, I honestly didn’t think the Game Boy Advance version was nearly as bad…in fact, there’s a lot of fun, enjoyable modes in the GBA’s game design, and it doesn’t have a hard time being a better Crazy Taxi clone than the handheld version of Crazy Taxi. But it’s both the lack of character and lack of cartridge save that hurt the product; without Simpsons catchphrases, it just feels like the Simpsons license was slapped onto an existing game design (which it was, honestly). And without the cartridge save, it makes it a far less friendly portable game design.” You can read Craig Harris’s full review here
LETS Report The Webnews
Last Exit To Springfield was redesigned today, after being offline for just half a day. The new design is completely different than before, featuring a Springfield road, which is very fitting with the title. The site has incorporated flash elements to make it more compact, while the interiors have their own design which has similar elements to before. This is the first major change since October 2001.
Cowell Embarks On Odyssey
New York Post’s “Starr Report” has some more details about guest star Simon Cowell’s upcoming Simpsons appearance. Spoilers follow. “If American Idol judge Simon Cowell is brutally honest in real life, can his animated alter-ego be far behind? Cowell recently taped a turn for The Simpsons, playing a ‘brutally honest’ admissions screener at one of Springfield’s most desirable pre-nursery schools, according to a report in TV Guide. On the episode, airing next March, “Homer and Marge are trying to get Maggie into the school, but she has to interview [with Cowell’s character] first,” a show insider tells TV Guide. Cowell recorded his “Simpsons” dialogue June 27 in London – and apparently has some dicey things to say when he learns Maggie can’t talk.”
God And The Simpsons
The Simpsons — that rowdy, sometimes raucous ensemble that has become the epitome of dysfunctional family fun — have questioned the status quo, overthrown the fashion world and secured a permanent place in pop culture. This clan has been attacked by some for a lack of family values and then heralded by others for their family values. Some go so far as to call the Simpsons theologically relevant. There have been papers as well as books published about finding the spiritual messages within the show that depicts the Simpson family foibles. It’s a phenomenon that’s even been discussed in houses of worship, and it’s currently the theme of a Sunday morning class at the First Presbyterian Church of Bonita Springs. Read More >>>
Barry White Dead At Age 58
Velvet-voiced R&B crooner Barry White, whose lush baritone and throbbing musical compositions oozed sex appeal on songs like “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” died Friday. He was 58. His canyon-deep, butter-smooth vocals emphasized his songs’ sexually charged verbal foreplay, like on 1975’s “Love Serenade,” which began with White purring: “I want you the way you came into the world, I don’t want to feel no clothes.” The heavyset musician enjoyed three decades of fame for songs like “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” and “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me.” White had a guest role on two Simpsons episodes in 1993: “Whacking Day” and “Krusty Gets Kancelled.” Read More >>>
Road Rage Advance In Stores
THQ today have issued a press release informing us that The Simpsons Road Rage game for Game Boy Advance has been shipped to retail stores in North America. “Handheld game players can now control over 15 Springfield residents, including Bart, Homer and Marge, as they drive vehicles inspired by the longest running comedy on television. The Simpsons has been a highly successful television show for over a decade,” said Tiffany Ternan, Senior Vice President, North American Sales and Distribution, THQ. “We’re excited to give fans of The Simpsons a videogame with all the fun and humor of the series.” Road Rage is the seventh Simpsons game available on Nintendo’s handheld, but this one is the first for Game Boy Advance. Read More >>>
Happy Birthday, Yeardley!
Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson, turns 39 today. Happy birthday! Speaking of which, she will be among the many artists who will take part in the third annual “Women Center Stage” festival at The Culture Project’s 45 Bleecker space. Playbill has posted details of the event, running through July 13. Yeardley’s performance follows “A woman’s darkly comic journey through her life in and out of show-biz.”
Meanwhile, Sky News has posted a rather vague article which we’ll relay anyway. “Did you know that cartoon show The Simpsons has received its highest audience figures yet in the US? The stats were boosted by the guest appearance of wrinkled rocker Mick Jagger. A source told me: “Bosses were really keen to land Mick, and when he agreed they were over the moon.” These figures prove they were right. Go, Mick, Go!”
Groening Visits The Archive
An Argentinian newspaper has spoken to Matt Groening on the wake of 300 episodes. The article reveals that when stuck for ideas or when needing to refresh their memories, the creators of the show turn to Simpsons fan sites. Groening mentions The Simpsons Archive by name in this following excerpt, translated by none other than the snpp.com staff. “Sometimes we have to look at fan sites to remember [what we have done before]: one of the best is www.snpp.com. I have no idea what those initials mean, but it has a lot of stuff. Though for them, every episode is the worst ever.” Maybe a quote to show the people at Fox, huh? Congratulations to The Simpsons Archive, and hello to Matt Groening.. because you just never know who is visiting your website!
Aberdeen Loves Willie
“One of television’s top stars has revealed a secret love for a Scots football team. But it’s highly unlikely this famous Aberdeen FC fan will ever be spotted eating pies in the stands of Pittodrie – because he’s a cartoon character. However, Dons fans are still delighted to add Groundskeeper Willie, the Scottish janitor from TV series The Simpsons, to their number. In the latest episode of the hit animated series (‘Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky’ aired there this week), he made it clear where his footballing allegiances lie when he woke from a deep sleep to shout: “Go Aberdeen.” The club were delighted with the mention on the show, which is watched by millions of people. Club spokesman Dave McDermid said: “The fact that Willie is an expat fan goes to show just how popular Aberdeen are. It’s great to be involved in something like the Simpsons because of its massive following. I’m sure there are some teams who would crawl over hot coals for such a mention.” Read More >>>
Simpsons Fans Get Real Team
“There is nothing fictional about the Albuquerque Isotopes. They play in the Pacific Coast League and draw an average of 8,000 people a game in a revival of minor league baseball in New Mexico. In a Simpsons episode involving the baseball franchise, Homer discovers Duff Beer’s plan to move the Springfield Isotopes to Albuquerque and saves the franchise when he exposes the plan.” … “Al Jean, head writer and executive producer of the show, thought it was amusing that the Isotopes had come to life in Albuquerque and told the Albuquerque Tribune that he hoped “we got a Duff beer concession for the new team.” That’s not going to happen. Apparently, Simpsons officials draw the line at their suds. An Australian company tried making Duff beer but got the word from Fox attorneys to cease and desist. But they have not stood in the way of the Isotopes name. “They have allowed us to use the name but not anything else,” Bearman said. “They did let us use Homer and Bart mascots for Opening Day.” Read More >>>
Hit And Run Box Art Revealed
Vivendi Universal have just released the box art for the upcoming video game “The Simpsons: Hit And Run”. The cover, pictured to the right (PS2 version available here) shows Homer running from a police car among other objects. The family can be seen in the background. This game is set for release in Fall 2003 on every platform. Thankyou to Robert for letting us know about this.