It was enough to make Matt Groening yelp “D’oh”! Last year, after an interviewer asked The Simpsons creator how long his animated juggernaut could go on, it was reported around the world that Homer was about to scarf down his last donut. “But it looks like we’re going to be on forever. That’s my new line.” Groening tells the Sun. The same isn’t true for his other cartoon comedy, the space-age Futurama. For that, Groening squarely blames Fox. “The people at Fox didn’t ever support the show and it wasn’t to their taste and, in my opinion, they’re out of their minds. But they don’t like The Simpsons either. The idea of a TV show that they haven’t gotten their greasy fingers all over creatively drives them nuts. That’s why almost everything else is so lousy.” And as any Simpsons fan knows, Groening and his writers relish the chance to mock the once-fledgling fourth network. “I love the strength of The Simpsons — that we can get away with so much. They don’t like it. We took jabs at Fox News and we were told not to, so we decided to do it more.” Read More >>>
C. E. D’oh! Ratings Are In
Much of the same continued in the Sunday ratings this week, with the only notable difference being that NBC came out on top for the night. “At 8 p.m., CBS stayed in the lead with the comedy pair of “My Big Fat Greek Life,” which continued its minor ratings ebb at 8.4/13, followed by the 7.4/11 brought in by “Becker.” A new episode of “The Simpsons” in which Homer took ownership of the power plant scored a 7.4/12 and was followed by a decent showing for “Oliver Beene” (6.5/10) to give FOX second for the hour. With a 6.2/10, NBC’s “American Dreams” was third, followed by ABC’s conclusion of “The Emperor’s New Groove.” On The WB, “Charmed” conjured up a 2.9/4. Read More >>>
The Simpsons On Your Phone
“If you’ve ever wanted your cell phone to say “D’oh!” when someone calls, you’ll soon have the chance. Twentieth Century Fox on Monday said it has licensed The Simpsons to the wireless division of video game publisher THQ Inc. to be developed into games, ring tones, screensavers and messaging tools around the world. “The fact that (the show) is in so many countries and so many languages, we think this will be pretty successful for us,” Doug Dyer, the general manager of THQ Wireless, told Reuters. THQ would like to begin releasing wireless products based on the show in the third quarter of this year. He also said the company plans to develop “channels” of Simpsons content, so wireless carriers could offer their subscribers games, sounds and logo packages based on themes from the show. Jim Beddows, for wireless entertainment at Fox, said the company waited to license “The Simpsons” because it is “one of the top-tier properties of the 20th Century Fox Co.” and they wanted wireless technology, like color phone screens and high-speed networks, to develop further.”
Berkeley Course Uses OFF
“The Simpsons, believe it or not, now grace the syllabus of at least one course at Cal, one of the country’s most prestigious public universities, home to Nobel Prize winners, renowned scientists and more famous authors than there are hemp clothing sellers on Telegraph Avenue. This two-unit course, called ‘Simpsons and Philosophy,’ is part of the university’s De-Cal program, student-sponsored initiatives in cooperation with UC Berkeley faculty meant to ‘broaden the education, and the university experience, of all Cal students.’ A word of advice to all of those doubting academic highbrows out there. To quote that animated miscreant Bart Simpson, ‘Don’t have a cow, man!’ This actually is an academically rigorous class, not a dumbing down of either philosophy or ‘The Simpsons.'” Read More >>>
Wedding Bells For Elfman
ridget Fonda won’t be a single white female much longer — she’s engaged to film composer Danny Elfman. Elfman, 49, is best known for his work on such Tim Burton films as “Batman,” “Beetlejuice” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Sleepy Hollow,” but our visitors will know him as the composer of the theme song for the “The Simpsons.” For Fonda, star of films such as “Single White Female” and “A Simple Plan,” it will be her first marriage, and the second for Elfman, the former Oingo Boingo lead singer. Read More >>>
Season Three Set For July
With Fox keeping somewhat quiet in regard to the release of The Simpsons Season 3 DVD, we have to rely on other sources to bring us a piece of news that all of our visitors are demanding an answer to. Latest developments tell us that we could be waiting a little longer for the third season release. While we previously reported that May was to be the release date, May is just around the corner and it is seeming more unlikely that Fox will be able to deliver. Most recently, TVShowsOnDVD.com has reported that the third season of The Simpsons will be released in early July. While it has been a long wait, they know the set will be a quality release. Now stop emailing me.
Free Simpsons Magnets
“Children can now start collecting any one of the five Simpsons magnets found in some of Kellogg’s cereal packs. These are Ricicles, Rice Krispies, Honey Loops, Frosties, Coco Pops Crunchers, Coco Pops, Frosties Chocolate, and Corn Pops. This promotion will last till the end of March. Each magnet features one of the comical members in the Simpsons family. All five magnets when collected and connected together make up one long picture of the Simpsons family sitting on the couch with their pets.” Read More >>>
The Success Of TV On DVD
“Sales of tv shows on DVD have become the fastest-growing segment of the home entertainment business, generating an estimated $800 million to $1 billion a year. When the digital disc format debuted five years ago, most studio executives figured that there would be little interest in shows from the small screen. Not so with the digital format. “TV DVDs are white-hot,” said Peter Staddon, senior vice president for marketing at Fox Home Video. “Everyone is rushing out DVD releases of their TV shows.” It’s no surprise that hits still on the air, such as The Simpsons and The Sopranos, are top sellers. But nostalgia also is fueling the trend.
From White To Yellow?
The White Stripes’ drummer Meg White has been feted by the likes of Drew Barrymore and The Rolling Stones – but what she really wants is a guest slot on The Simpsons. “A guest appearance would be amazing,” stated Meg. “I wouldn’t want to be in a Lisa episode. They’re kind of boring. Maybe a Homer one would be better.”
Ratings Pattern Continues
Last week saw new CBS series “My Big Fat Greek Life” triumph over The Simpsons in the national ratings. This week was much of the same. While both “My Big Fat Greek Life” (9.0/14) and “Becker” (8.0/12) were down from last week, both still held on to their half hours. FOX was again second with a new episode of “The Simpsons” (7.8/12) in which Krusty was elected to congress; while the heavily touted premiere of “Oliver Beene” scored a decent 7.2/11 opening. NBC was third with “American Dreams” earning a 5.7/9, followed by the conclusion of “Tarzan” on ABC. “Charmed” brought in a 3.1/5 on The WB. Read More >>>
Vivendi Nabs Fox Interactive
“Vivendi Universal Games and Fox Interactive have announced a new agreement that gives VU the right to publish and distribute all Fox video games currently in development. The agreement, which grants VU the ability to publish games based on The Simpsons and Buffy, expands a smaller co-publishing deal the two companies signed in 2001. Financial terms were not disclosed. “Though we’ve had great success over the years with both home-grown and acquired properties, this deal presents terrific opportunities and the best business model for our content,” said Fox Interactive president Steve Bersch. “We feel certain that our games, and the Fox properties they are based upon, will be best served through this expanded relationship with Vivendi Universal. We have some fantastic games coming and believe this is the right step toward helping them reach their greatest potential in the marketplace. With this deal, Fox Interactive will join VU’s already expansive line of publishing labels, which includes Blizzard, Sierra, Black Label and Universal Interactive.” Read More >>>
Turning 300 All Over Again
Bet you thought you’d heard the end of the 300th episode madness, but the rest of the world is yet to screen the episode, and it’s quite normal for them to make a big deal out of the event when it does arrive. SKY|one in the United Kingdom will air the 300th episode of The Simpsons, Barting Over on Sunday 20th April at 9:30pm. Leading up to this event, SKY|one will be showing “The Simpsons Golden D’ohnut Awards”, a celebration of 300 episodes consisting of 12 episodes to be shown over the Easter weekend (18th – 20th April). Viewers will vote for their favourite episode from 12 different categories, and the 12 winning episodes will be shown. To view more information, check out the United Kingdom episode listings at The Simpsons Archive.