“At some point during its run, The Simpsons turned into one of the best sitcoms on television – and that’s not a compliment. At one time, to call The Simpsons the best show on Fox would have been a vast understatement; to say it was the best sitcom on television would have been inadequate; and to describe it as the greatest TV show in history would minimize its importance by limiting its cultural impact to the small screen. Who knows when it happened – maybe it was when Homer visited the leprechaun jockeys in Season 11, or when he was raped by a panda in Season 12 — but for several years, watching The Simpsons chase Ozzie & Harriet’s record for the longest-running sitcom has been like watching the late-career Pete Rose: There’s still greatness there, and you get to see a home run now and then, but mostly it’s a halo of reflected glory.” Read More >>>
Simpsons Dolls Travel World
“Applause and Fox Licensing & Merchandising have joined forces to launch the first ever collection of limited edition “The Simpsons” plush dolls with exclusive international distribution rights. The first launch, which became available in January, featured talking Homer and Bart plush with collectible keychains and stands. The second wave of plush dolls spotlights the Simpsons family including Marge, Lisa and Maggie. It will also include the characters of Bartman, Little Miss Springfield, and Radioactive Man. Additional characters will be released throughout 2003, surrounding key seasonal special days such as Christmas, and will be available at specialty retail outlets.” Read More >>>
Yellow, But Not Mellow
“The characters may be yellow but The Simpsons hasn’t mellowed as it marks its 300th episode Sunday. If anything, the Fox animated comedy born in 1989 is more boldly iconoclastic in the 21st century. Given that timidity is programmed into television’s very DNA, how does “The Simpsons” thrive? By being very good at being naughty, so much so that Fox simply can’t afford to tinker with success. In its 14th season, the series can still field top 20 episodes and is the heart of a merchandising empire. “There were many reasons the show was successful, one of which was we were in the right place at the right time,” said series creator Matt Groening. “I don’t think ‘The Simpsons’ could be on any other network, even today.” Read More >>>
TV Guide Grand-Slam Homer
TV Guide is celebrating the 300th episode of The Simpsons by putting Homer on the cover! The “Grand-Slam Homer” picture appears on the cover for the week starting Feb 15th, but only if you are fortunate enough to be a subscriber. The magazine contains three articles on the show. If you are not a subscriber but want the limited edition cover, there are 100 available at the TV Guide Store so be quick!
“Groundbreaking” Simpsons
UK’s Radio Times magazine has named The Simpsons among a list of 24 other shows as being a show which has changed the face of television. The show was recognized for “comprehensively filleting every family value”. Click Here for the full list.
Homer’s “First Time”…. On ET
On tonights episode of Entertainment Tonight, Mary Hart revealled that Homer Simpson will appear on her “Stars’ First Time On Entertainment Tonight” special. The hour-long special airs on CBS this Friday night at 8:00pm. Mary said that Homer will tell us about the time he drank a little too much before his first appearance on ET. From what we’ve heard, you can expect him to be in full animated form, rather than Dan Castellaneta talking to Mary. Other stars featured on the show include Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Halle Berry.
Standing The Test Of Time
Dusty Saunders writes: “I was struggling through AUSA, NBC’s (and Richard Appel’s) new comedy, wondering how many weeks this series will be on the air. Based on the quality of the premiere, AUSA deserves a two-week run. My thoughts then turned to The Simpsons and Frasier, which have had much more than two-week runs. It would be redundant to go on about the success of The Simpsons. Matt Groening recently summed it up, pointing out the characters are blessed with “eternal youth” because of the animated format.
300 Reasons To Love OFF
USA Today’s Bill Keveney has compiled hundreds of tidbits from 14 seasons, and had a rare studio visit with the people who bring Springfield’s favorite family to life. Their special Simpsons feature includes 12 sub-stories which outline some of the writers favorite episodes and toys, spoilers for this season and beyond, and numerous lists which you may or may not have seen before. There’s simply too much info here to list on our main page, but if you don’t want to read all of it, we recommend you check out “6 peeks into the future”.
Enter The Sweepstakes!
The official Simpsons website is celebrating the airing of the 300th episode next week with a giveaway you wont want to miss. The prize package consists of a Limited Edition 300th Episode Skateboard, a 300th Episode T-Shirt, Limited Edition Series 1 Bendable Figurines and a 300th Episode Simpsons Poster! The sweepstakes is only open to US residents over the age of 15. To enter, visit FOX.com, click the link in the top right corner, and enter the details required.
OFF Gets WGA Nomination
The nominations for the 55th Annual Writers Guild Awards were announced today, with HBO’s “Sex and the City” and FOX’s “The Simpsons” dominating their categories with three nominations apiece. The “Simpsons'” episodes “The Bart Wants What It Wants,” “Blame It on Lisa” and “Jaws Wired Shut” were all nominated in the new animation category, along with “Futurama’s” “GodFellas,” “King of the Hill’s” “My Own Private Rodeo” and the FOX Christmas special “Santa, Baby!” Read More >>>
Once An Outsider, Now Beloved
“As he was in the process of being tossed off the Paramount Studios lot by overzealous guards in Hollywood in 1987, it never occurred to semi-starving cartoonist Matt Groening he would be a multi-millionaire cultural icon someday. But two years later the creator of The Simpsons was on his way to lots of fame and considerable riches. The reason why The Great American TV Show still works, according to its creator “is that the show is continually tinkered with, from the first draft of the script to the final touch in post-production. “Working hard, we make it work in the end,” Groening continues, shaking his shaggy head.
Simpsons Yanked Off The Air
“Television networks quickly yanked material from the air to avoid appearing insensitive after Saturday’s disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia. An Albany Fox affiliate received complaints from viewers on Saturday when it aired a rerun of The Simpsons. The offending scene (pictured) included Bart building a rocket and firing it, and it falls to the ground, burning down a church. WXXA-TV pulled the episode mid-stream and replaced it with another rerun of The Simpsons” said Jeff Whitson, the station’s general manager. “It wasn’t as if we got hundreds (of complaint calls), but it was enough for us to pay attention to the episode,” Whitson said. “We had no way of knowing. The episode title (She Of Little Faith) didn’t give us any indication.” Read More >>>