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What would happen if you pitted Bart Simpson against his father Homer in a simple fitness test? You guessed it, Bart would come out of the test still standing, while Homer would be struggling for breath with his heart rate going through the roof. Young Scientist magazine, published by Institute of Physics Educational Publishing, is running a national investigation into school children’s activity levels. If Bart took part in this, he would have no problems. He obviously hasn’t been taking notes from his father, as Homer would not do nearly as well. The Institute did some research into the Simpsons’ lifestyle. By watching videos of the cartoon and recording how much activity Bart and Homer do in the episodes, as well as how much they eat, Institute staff then worked out how fit and healthy they are. Read More >>>

Scholarly academics and enthusiastic fans of The Simpsons and King Of The Hill filled an auditorium in the Stanford Psychology building Friday afternoon for a discussion with Paul Lieberstein, Greg Daniels and John Collier, three veteran writers of the animated shows. The event was called “Homer, Hank & the American Dream: Social & Political Satire on American Television.” The discussion was preceded by a series of short clips from The Simpsons that drew loud bursts of laughter from the audience, including one clip that made fun of Stanford. The discussion developed into a question-and-answer session on the writers’ approaches to creating episodes and storylines. Read More >>>

D’oh!? Perhaps it really should be ‘Dough!’ With original shows in production, several reruns a day in syndication and thousands of items that now feature the faces and voices of its unforgettable characters, The Simpsons is an industry unto itself. New Simpsons episodes do just fine in the ratings — often in the top 25 for the week — though they rarely break the top 10. But that doesn’t really matter: What the show delivers consistently is a spectacular audience mix of kids and adults, often topping its time slot among viewers 18-34. One of Fox’s key strategies has always been to program to that younger audience, which remains a coveted prize among advertisers, but The Simpsons delivers it in addition to younger children and teens. Read More >>>

Opinion: “Three years ago, I argued The Simpsons had lost its soul and devolved into an uneven, slapsticky mess that needed to be put to a respectable death. At that point, it seemed that the show’s creators were hopelessly on a track to TV hell, allowing the show to drift toward ever-coarser humor and a lowbrow view of the world that bore little resemblance to the subtle work of earlier years. I won’t say they’ve fully cured themselves. Jerkass Homer, as old-time fans called him, can still dominate the screen. But the show has finally evolved into a modern incarnation that retains its heart without feeling tired or bouncing from gag to gag like Homer tumbling down the side of Springfield Gorge.” Read More >>>