“Al Jean, who’s been a part of The Simpsons since it debuted, is sticking around Springfield. Jean, currently the showrunner for the long-running animated comedy, has signed a new deal with the producer to remain at the show’s helm through at least the 2004-05 season. FOX recently renewed the show for that long. “Al is simply one of the very best, and we’re sick and tired of how he gets overlooked because people have longer names,” fellow Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks tells The Hollywood Reporter. Jean joined the show in 1990, during its first season, and has worked as a writer, producer or consultant for The Simpsons ever since. He’s in his second stint as showrunner.” Read More >>>
News
Lisa Simpson: Role Model
“Remember the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa decides to go vegetarian after petting a baby lamb at the children’s zoo? Sara Schwartzman does. That half-our of television sent the Weston 16-year-old down the road toward vegetarianism five years ago. “See, television can positively affect children,” jokes Sara, a junior at Cypress Bay High School who eats no meat, fish nor fowl, nor candy and gum that contains gelatin. Whether it’s television, peer pressure, concern for animal rights or a way to distance themselves from their family, a growing number of teens and college students are following Lisa Simpson’s lead and giving up meat.” Read More >>>
News
Cast Stage Show In Toronto?
“Don’t look now, but it looks like The Simpsons might be coming back to Toronto. Not as another animated episode, but as in a real live visit from the talented voice-over cast. The cast of the show could all be Toronto bound this July as the live troupe repeats the hit show they put on last summer at Montreal’s Just For Laughs comedy festival. Creator Matt Groening says he would love to accompany the gang to Toronto, the city where he sold his Life In Hell comic strip some 20 years ago. Details about where or when the stage show would take place are still to come. The Simpsons cast stage shows have been a huge hit in London, Australia and Montreal.” Read More >>>
News
Exciting, Crazy Web News
Exciting Springfield is back at a new location and a few new staff members. This nice little site stopped updating a long time ago, so it’s great to see it back and in full promising form. Simpson Crazy has been redesigned. The new look was well received after a preview was announced, and with good reason. It looks great. Last of all, Maggie And Eric has a brand new design. As usual, it’s looking very professional and spectacular.
News
Other Shows Not Even Close To OFF
“Like many of my friends – not to mention the show’s 14.3 million viewers – I adore the ‘The Simpsons.’ My two brothers and I have taped every episode since its debut on Dec. 17, 1989. I was 14 then and the fact that ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Seinfeld’ existed made perfect sense. I thought, ‘This is what TV is supposed to be.’ I remember feeling that as a result, there would be more great shows to come. As we know, that never happened. There have been some very good sit-coms in the post-‘Cheers’ era that had streaks of greatness – ‘Friends’ and ‘Frasier’ to name two – but neither of them matches up to the content depth and staying power of ‘The Simpsons.'” Read More >>>
News
Dysfunction Rules, Man!
“Ozzie and Harriet have nothing on Homer and Marge. That is why The Simpsons is poised to replace “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” as the longest-running sitcom in history. In any contest between a family that is so pretentiously functional and a family that is so ostentatiously dysfunctional, the latter must prevail. Not just because dysfunctionals fight dirty. They win because they are more real, even if they are cartoon characters.
Of television’s 10 most durable sitcoms, eight are about families. But apart from The Simpsons and the crass “Married With Children” (10 seasons), every other show featured nuclear units that were unnaturally wholesome. Remember “Make Room for Daddy” and “My Three Sons”? When, even once in 14 seasons, did Ozzie have to impose real discipline? The boys got rambunctious occasionally. But it amounted to nothing against the subversions of Bart and Lisa Simpson.” Read More >>>
News
Tips For Simpsons Webmasters
Two webmasters have decided to open a site titled Springfield In Pixels. It’s aim is to educate other webmasters about how to create a good website. Features mainly include html and photoshop tips, which are sure to be of use to people, not just those in the Simpsons community. If you’re not experienced in any of these areas, this site is a great starting point.
News
Return Of Simpsons Folder
After disappearing from the net due to the cancellation of irsburger.com, The Simpsons Folder is back, all new, at simpsonsfolder.com. With it comes an original, but wacky design revolving around a train station and 8-bit Simpsons figures. It’s different, i’ll give him that. To make up for lost time, the Folder has updated with some new content that should give you something to keep you busy. Good to see it back.
News
Simpsons Help Fox Breathe
“The yellow-skinned folks known as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie walked (well, Maggie crawled) through hotel hallways among TV critics. On the loudspeakers, Harry Shearer, in the role of Mr. Burns, invited writers to sit down for “our depressing presentation.” Luckily, little of Fox Broadcasting’s presentation on the final day of the winter Television Critics Association Tour was depressing. In fact, it was highlighted by a jolt of pure joy: The cast of “The Simpsons” lined up onstage to perform a live table reading of an episode in which Lisa gets a crush on bad-boy Nelson.
The presentation helped Fox deliver an energy boost to members of the press, and the journalists were grateful for it at the end of 13 days of interviewing and schmoozing with the stars and creators of new and old series.” Read More >>>
News
OFF Loses Out On Golden Globe
The Simpsons did not win the Golden Globe for best “musical or comedy series” tonight, as that honor went to HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The other shows besides OFF that were nominated included “Sex and the City,” “Friends,” and “Will & Grace.” Congratulations anyway to The Simpsons for receiving its first Golden Globe nomination.
Episodes News
300th Episode Confusion
Fox, being the geniuses that they are, have decided to slot another new episode between The Dad Who Knew Too Little (episode 299) and Barting Over (episode 300). Episode 299.5 if you like, titled Strong Arms Of The Ma will be the next Season 14 episode, to air on February 2 as a double feature alongside a rerun of Large Marge, which aired last year.
While it appears that “Strong Arms..” is now the 300th episode, Fox still insists that they will advertise “Barting Over” as the 300th episode to go to air on February 16th, as this has been the plan for months. Fox felt it necessary to add another episode so that fans were not without a new episode for four weeks. Programming at its best, folks. Thanks goes to snpp.com for some of the information presented in this article.
News
Renewal: The Final Word
We started this month by confirming that Fox had renewed The Simpsons until Seasons 16, but a week later, sources were telling us a 17th Season was also on the line. Until now it has been speculation, but Fox has revealled that the show has only been renewed until Season 16; taking it until May 2005. This however, does not rule out the possibility of any further Seasons. King Of The Hill has also been renewed until May 2004.
“The Simpsons renewal means the show will make it through a jaw-dropping 16th full season and roughly 360 episodes, allowing Homer and Co. to edge past “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet” to claim the mantle of longest-running laffer in TV history. “Watch out, ‘Gunsmoke,’ you’re next,” quipped Al Jean, executive producer of The Simpsons. (“Gunsmoke” ran for a record 20 years.)” Read More >>>