The Remote Island : The Simpsons

Lisa Simpson vs. Hannah Montana [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Or rather wholesome, girl-adored teen singing sensation "Alaska Nebraska" - as voiced by Ellen Page. That's right, Juno. Coming up on this Sunday's Simpsons, but you can check it out now...

"Could you tell I lip synched that whole speech?" Excellent.

PREVIOUSLY:

"Hannah Montana" Hooks Up With David Archuleta

Miley Cyrus Is Really Into Her Virginity

Miley Cyrus Thinks Disney's Alice In Wonderland Is "Perverted" And "All About Ecstasy"

"The Simpsons" Video Contest On MySpace

Jake Kalish — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:22:00 GMT

MySpace is launching a new video contest in commemoration of The Simpsons 20th anniversary - users create their own live-action videos inspired by The Simpsons opening sequence. Here are details:

To enter the competition, fans need to create live-action videos of their own original couch gags, that are no more than 45 seconds in length, and upload them to 'The Simpsons' MySpace page.

Entrants, who must be 18 years and over, are allowed to use the audio files of 'The Simpsons' theme song, which can be found on the contest page.

The live-action videos must be submitted by May 18 and a winner will be selected by a judging panel, including 'The Simpsons' producers, on June 22.

The winner and a guest will receive a trip to Los Angeles to attend 'The Simpsons' 21st season premiere party, a home entertainment system and a custom drawing of 'The Simpsons'.

Additionally, a fan favourite winner will be chosen by users. That winner will be awarded a 'The Simpsons' prize pack.

Not to grouse or anything, but shouldn't the prize be better? Shouldn't there be some cash, and shouldn't your video at least be featured on the Simpsons website? Guess it's a matter of that not being necessary - you know Simpsons fanatics with video cameras will go apeshit over this contest even if the grand prize was a six pack of Duff.

PREVIOUSLY:

"Simpsons" Stamps, For Those Of Us Who Still Mail Letters [VIDEO]

"The Simpsons" Are Going To The Holy Land [VIDEO]

Brand New "Simpsons" Intro Reveals About A Billion More Jokes, Mocks Your TV

TV Soundtrack: Theme Song Covers to Make Your Friday

Lindy Parker — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

True story: one of our proudest moments ever from high school was buzzing in with the most correct answers during a school-wide "Name that TV theme song" contest. Even now, years later, we're still basking in the glow of that victory (that sophomore couldn't even get South Park!) so you can imagine how thrilled we were with Best Week Ever's compilation of outstanding youtube theme song covers.

Here's a couple of our favorites including Baywatch, MacGyver, The Simpsons and a folk-rock version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...

Baywatch...

It's not so much the song itself that we love, but more that inexplicable creepiness of this shirtless guy with the impossibly serious expression.

MacGyver...

This is awesome! How does he do that? It's like the first time we ever saw someone on Sesame Street playing the spoons on his leg.

The Simpsons...

The crush we have on this guy right now is not small.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...

Okay, we know that Best Week Ever panned this chick, but we have to say, we're kind of into it. It's like on American Idol when someone does something crazy that doesn't really sound that good but you still have to applaud the fact that they didn't just do a karaoke version. We're not saying we'd buy her CD or anything, but it made us laugh on a Friday afternoon. Not unlike Will Smith in that way.

For BWE's full selection click here.

Previously:

TV Soundtrack: Band From TV Performs on The Tonight Show

TV Soundtrack: Oprah Debuts "America's Song" By will.i.am

TV Soundtrack: Erin McCarley

"Simpsons" Stamps, For Those Of Us Who Still Mail Letters [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Nice. The U.S. Postal Service has announced it will launch Simpsons stamps, in part to commemorate the show's 20th anniversary. This marks the first time an ongoing prime-time show has gotten its own stamps.

There'll be five different stamps: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie. By The Simpsons the USPS meant the Simpsons. Baby Maggie? Really? No Moe, no Apu, no Sideshow Bob? No Ralph Wiggum? No Ned Flanders? No Krusty? Grrrrrr....

We're okay now. Anyway, the announcement reminded us of the time Springfield Elementary got a post office tour...

PREVIOUSLY:

"The Simpsons" Are Going To The Holy Land [VIDEO]

"The Simpsons" Try To Bring In Barack Obama

Fox & Friends Can't Say D'Oh

Gay Rights Group Demands Apology From Nelson Muntz, Animated Homophobe

"Simpsons" Character Quiz Best Ten Minutes You Will Spend In The Next Ten Minutes

"The Simpsons" Are Going To The Holy Land [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Next season the Simpsons will be going to Israel - and the premise of the episode is pretty funny. Here's what Simpsons exec producer Al Jean had to say:

I think we're going to do one next year where they go to the Holy Land as we haven't been there yet. The premise will be that the Christians, the Jews and Muslims are united in that they all get mad at Homer. It's the only thing they can agree on.

Heh. Our fondest hope is that the ep is half as funny as the Creedocide fake ad on Important Things With Demetri Martin:

&lt;a href="http://www.joost.com/076rwpa/t/Demetri-Martin-Power-Creedocide"&gt;Demetri Martin: Power - Creedocide&lt;/a&gt;

PREVIOUSLY:

"Simpsons" Episode Praised By The Council On Islamic-American Relations

Fox & Friends Can't Say D'Oh

"The Simpsons" Try To Bring In Barack Obama

Olivia Purnell — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Simpsons producers James L. Brooks and Al Jean want Barack. And why wouldn’t they? We already know he’s funny, charismatic, and that tenor tone of his would work so well punctuated by a “D’oh!” or two. Brooks and Jean say they’re on it. They say they’re “putting all the right signals out.” But are they really?

We’re pretty sure that The Simpsons could have Barack with bells on if the producers just do one simple thing . . .

Call Malia. You just know those girls have Daddy Obama wrapped around their adorable little pinky fingers. He’ll do anything they ask!

Sasha is a little too young for The Simpsons, but Malia probably watches from time to time. She definitely likes Bart but identifies with Lisa’s smarts and sensitivity (you can just tell, can’t you?) Get Malia on the phone and lay out the proposal. Tell her how awesome it would be to see an animated version of dear old dad getting a wedgie from bully Nelson. Barack could philosophize with the doped up bus driver about the spiritual implications of tax reform, befriend Apu at the Kwik-E-Mart, or even take young Lisa under his wing.

Malia is a smart girl. We know she’ll get the joke. Brooks, Jean: make the call.

(thesun.co.uk)

Previously:

Barack Obama's Goodwill Trip To L.A. Includes Insulting Special Olympics, "American Idol"

Fox & Friends Can't Say D'Oh

Brand New HD "Simpsons" Intro Reveals About A Billion More Jokes, Mocks Your TV

Fox & Friends Can't Say D'Oh

Jake Kalish — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:33:00 GMT

After twenty years of the Simpsons, how can anyone not know how to say Homer's catchphrase? Gretchen Carlson of Fox & Friends did a miserable job attempting "D'Oh" - so terrible it couldn't be ignored. So her co-hosts tried to bail her out with their own "D'oh'"s, which were nearly as bad. And Gretchen defended herself by saying she doesn't watch the show. (And we suppose, has also been in the caves of Afghanistan the past two decades.) After the jump, watch the F&F crew lay waste to a pop-culture phenomenon. Which, incidentally, has been on their network since the Eighties. It's enough to make you say "D'oh"...

Fox and Friends Can't Say "D'oh" - watch more funny videos

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Simpsons Archive

Brand New HD "Simpsons" Intro Reveals About A Billion More Jokes, Mocks Your TV

Bryan Christian — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:34:00 GMT

The Simpsons is now in HD! Just in time for that changeover that didn't happen! Meaning that next time you watch it on your $1,200 plasma screen, you'll wonder how you could ever stand it standard d, what with those crummy,. monochromatic yellows and blues not, um, being HD and stuff.

Also: more space means more jokes! Click through to see the whole thing!

"The Simpsons" Go High-Def February 15th

Jake Kalish — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:02:00 GMT

We love The Simpsons, and we love HD, but we're not sure that we will love The Simpsons more in HD. It is awfully modern, and it made us wonder if the Simpsons themselves ever imagined any of this way back when they debuted on Tracey Ullman on April 19, 1987. Probably not. Because they're not real. Still, this announcement made us think about the myriad changes in the world over the past 21+ years, and how this cartoon family has been around to mock them all. Even Bart couldn't have imagined all this...

PREVIOUSLY:

Our Simpsons Archive

Who's The New "Simpsons" Poster Child?

Lindy Parker — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:20:00 GMT

The Simpsons are celebrating 20 years y'all! To ring in their second decade, the creators are launching a poster contest to find original artwork designed by fans. After all, what better way to say, "hooray for funny!" than by whipping out a glue gun and some crayons (maybe a bedazzler? What is a bedazzler exactly?) and letting those creative juices flow...

"Whether it’s a cob of corn that reminds them of Marge, a billowing cloud that looks like Homer or a picket fence that resembles the spikes of Bart’s hair, inspiration can be found anywhere," Fox said in a press release. Deadline for poster submissions is 11:59 p.m. EST on March 4, 2009. The top 10 entries will be posted on the Simpsons site, where the winner will be revealed April 5. The creator will receive a trip to Los Angeles to attend a Simpsons season premiere party and tickets to The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. (Wired)

Perhaps The Simpsons' creators had in mind something slightly more sophisticated like original photography or graphic design, but we're just saying there could be a certain poetry to re-creating the familiar visage of Bart Simpson entirely out of arborio rice.

Simpsons Fans Rejoice, “The Simpsons” is Finally Available on iTunes

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:29:00 GMT

The Simpons are here! The iGods have finally brought Springfield to your iPod, your Macbook, your Powerbook, your iPhone, and that iTouch, despite the fact that . . .

The Simpsons have called our collective iWorship into question:

Mapple - The Simpsons
by aarplane

(gizmodo.com)

Not the smartest thing in the world since Apple clearly controls the universe.

The fact that Bart, Lisa, Homer and Marge are available via iTunes even though they’ve taken the Mac name in vain proves that iJehovah is benevolent in all things.

"Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp", The Reality Series?

Jake Kalish — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:38:00 GMT

Mark Burnett of Survivor fame wants to do a reality series about Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp, and is shopping it to broadcast and cable networks. The camp is a good subject for a reality show, and this could be excellent -- but could it be as good as the classic Simpsons episode? (Come on, we had to squeeze one more Simpsons reference in today -- it's our new record!)

"Simpsons" Porn Is Real Kiddie Porn, Says Australian Court

Bryan Christian — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:30:00 GMT

These kids were not involved... we don't think. But it's OK. The actual story will leave you just as dirty feeling.

A court in New South Wales has declared that drawing members of The Simpsons having sex with each other counts as real-life child pornography.

Alan John McEwen was appealing his February conviction for possessing child pornography and using his computer to access child pornography.
"The alleged pornography comprised a series of cartoons depicting figures modelled on members of the television animated series The Simpsons," the judge said.
The cartoons showed characters such as Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson having sex.
McEwen was convicted and fined $3000 and placed on a good behaviour bond.

You know, the trick to being a smart ass about crazy news items like these is there's gotta be one thing in a story that's less offensive or idiotic than the other. And here... here... well, let's just say we'll get back to you.

"Simpsons" Episode Praised By The Council On Islamic-American Relations

Jake Kalish — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:27:00 GMT

The November 30th episode of The Simpsons was praised by The Council On American-Islamic Relations for attacking prejudice against Muslims. If you didn't catch the ep, it featured a Jordanian family moving into Springfield. Bart befriends the son, while his pop, ever ignorant, is convinced the parents are terrorists. They aren't, and as always, Homer winds up looking really stupid.

If you're keeping score, The Simpsons is now 1-1 in terms of being publicly praised and condemned over just the past five weeks; loved by Muslims, but hated by homosexuals. No comment as of yet from The Coalition of Blue Haired Women.

Gay Rights Group Demands Apology From Nelson Muntz, Animated Homophobe

Jake Kalish — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:36:00 GMT

A gay rights group called GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) is demanding an apology from Nelson Muntz of The Simpsons, who is a child and also not real.

See, on last week's Halloween ep, Nelson insulted Milhouse by saying "that's so gay." Now GLSEN wants Nelson to send an apologetic e-card to Milhouse -- on their website. Self-promote much? Nice try, you crafty homosexuals you. That's how they get you, you know -- first it's a website, and then next thing you know... the gay.

No response from the Simpsons producers, except to say they'd received no other complaints about the episode, other than from recurring character Waylon Smithers, who was disappointed in not having much screentime with his boss, Montgomery Burns.

-- Jake Kalish is the author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights

PREVIOUSLY:
"Simpsons" Season Premiere Titles To Feature "Mad Men" Inspired Couch Sequence

"Simpsons" Season Premiere Titles To Feature "Mad Men" Inspired Couch Sequence

Bryan Christian — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Lord, are we happy they're putting this in the opening credits, and not jamming it in the middle of the story, you know, when they could be telling actual jokes. You guys remember their Sopranos episode, right? Where they did the entire driving sequence opener from the show? Cripes, that was interminable.

[Best Week Ever via Videogum]

Ringo Starr to Fans (and Marge Simpson): No More Mail!

Ben Kallen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:15:00 GMT

In one of the best-ever episodes of The Simpsons, guest star Ringo Starr is still answering bags and bags of mail from his Beatles days, including a letter Marge sent him as a girl. "Dear Sally," he writes to one fan, "In response to your letter of December the 12th, 1966, me favorite color is blue, and me real first name is Richard. Thanks for the snapshot -- you're a real cute bird. Love, Ringo. P.S.: Forgive the lateness of my reply."

When his butler asks if he really intends to answer all that piled-up mail, Ringo says, "They took the time to write me, and I don't care if it takes another 20 years -- I'm going to answer every one."

Well, it looks as if that time is up, because now Ringo is announcing that he doesn't want any more mail, ever.

In a brief video on his personal website, Ringo tells fans that he won't answer anything he receives after October 20. "It's going to be tossed. I'm warning you, with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing! Anyway, peace and love, peace and love."

We'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, and assume he's been inundated with signature requests from dealers who want to sell the items to Beatles fans on EBay. Because, other than that, could he really be getting that much fan mail these days?

The video is below, along with a recent Starr performance on The Early Show.

Previously:
Video Fun: Adam Sandler Spoofs the Who

Sunday-Night TV Party!

Ben Kallen — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Okay, so Friday night we get two guys debating over whose plan will fix the economy (answer: neither), and Saturday is mostly reruns because the networks assume you're out getting drunk. That leaves Sunday as the next big night for new shows and season premieres.

So here are your many choices for Sunday-night viewing entertainment:

ABC: Extreme Makeover, Home Edition Boo-hoo, then yay! Either you like this sort of thing or you don't.

ABC: Desperate Housewives The whole show moves five years into the future. Does this mean everyone can stop using all the Botox?

ABC: Brothers & Sisters They bicker! They make up! They sleep with each other! (Okay, just former siblings Justin and Rebecca, but still -- eww.)

CBS: 60 Minutes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson explains why the government's giving billions of dollars to the bank that's foreclosing on your home. Plus, the scientist who's testing that new supercollider device explains why it probably won't destroy the universe, he hopes. Fun!

CBS: The Amazing Race 13 Everyone's always saying that this is the best reality-competition show out there. So how come we always watch it with our finger on the fast-forward button?

CBS: Cold Case Detectives figure out who murdered someone a long time ago, while pop music from that era plays in their heads. You were expecting something different?

CBS: The Unit The team attempts to stop the assassination of the president-elect and vice-president elect. Guess that means neither of them owns a moose gun.

NBC: Sunday Night Football If this wins in the ratings, all the networks execs will be thinking, "Now, why do we pay writers again?"

Fox: The Simpsons As the 20th season begins, Homer and Marge get unlikely new jobs. Look for a joke about how many times this has happened on the show before, then another joke about how many times they've made a joke like that before.

Fox: King of the Hill Bill's love of sweets causes him to develop diabetes, which is totally different from the time Bobby's love of fatty foods caused him to develop gout. Sorry, these shows are great, but maybe it's time for something new around here.

Fox: Family Guy Brian and Cleveland get into a love triangle, which reminds us of the time we saw Raquel Welch eat 20 pounds of raw bacon at the People's Choice Awards.

Fox: American Dad It's Roger the alien's birthday, and he continues to creep us out in ways we don't entirely understand.

HBO: Entourage Johnny Drama goes on The View -- and we can't imagine that not being funny.

HBO: Little Britain USA In its new American version, the British sketch comedy is still all about the dick jokes.

HBO: The Life and Times of Tim A young dude suffers through all kinds of hardships and humiliations. It's like Worst Week, but darker. And animated.

Showtime: Dexter Some critics have complained that the third season is too similar to the first two. To us, that's a good thing. Watch this show.

Showtime: Californication Sure, there's something weird about diagnosed sex addict David Duchovny playing an undiagnosed sex addict. But as much as we hate to like Californication, we like it anyway.

AMC: Mad Men Make that the Emmy-winning Mad Men. What else is there to say?

Photo collage: Egregiously "borrowed" from Alan Sepinwall on NJ.com

Previously:
TV Orgy Tonight!

Hey, It's the "Simpsons" Opening in Legos

Ben Kallen — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:26:00 GMT

Think you have too much time on your hands? Check out this stop-motion Legos version of The Simpsons' opening credits. (This has been around for a while, so thanks to CNet and TVTattle for the tip.)

In other Simpsons news, this fall's "Treehouse of Horrors" Halloween episode sounds as if it could be the best one in years. It'll feature parodies of zombie movies, The Transformers, and -- best of all -- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Of course, they won't be the first to spoof Linus' pumpkin-based theology.... Click through for the truly terrifying segment from Robot Chicken.

Previously:
More D'oh: Is This Worth $400,000 Per Voice?
Remember the Farce: Robot Chicken: Star Wars Is Getting a Sequel
RIP, Peanuts Animator Bill Melendez

18 "Memorable TV Moments" That The Emmy People Missed

Bryan Christian — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Dear Emmys People,

Hi guys. Listen, we know that you're really busy ignoring The Wire and all, but we here at The Remote Island have a bone to pick with you. What's up with those "memorable TV moments" you got us all voting on? Not to put too fine a point on it, but we don't actually remember that many of them. And some of them aren't even moments; they're just, like, parts of important episodes.

So, we cooked up a list of our own most memorable moments that we think should have been included for voting. Have a look, let us know what you think. Maybe you could even vote on your favorite!

Oh, and not that they're in any particular order or anything -- but number one is totally "Mahna Mahna."

Better luck next time!

Cheers,
Yr pals at The Remote Island

Mahna Mahna

Reverend Jim takes his driving test on Taxi

The bomb goes off in The Day After

The end of Star Trek: The Next Generation

The confrontation between Chandler and Phoebe in "The One Where Everyone finds Out" where Phoebe knows that Chandler and Monica are hooking up and Chandler and Monica know that she knows and Phoebe knows that they know that she knows and so Chandler and Phoebe act like they wanna have sex with each other to see who'll crack first

Homer falls down Springfield Gorge. Twice.

Stringer Bell meets Omar and Brother Mouzone on The Wire

Gus McCrea buys the farm on Lonesome Dove

The lizard alien reveal in V

Ellen comes out

Elvis Costello bails on "Less Than Zero" and launches into "Radio, Radio" live on SNL

Jessie's drug freakout in Saved by the Bell

the Moldavian massacre on Dynasty

Arnold Drummond ditches his best friend alone with a child molester on Diff'rent Strokes

Agent Dale Cooper's Dream on Twin Peaks

Sam and Diane say goodbye

Beatles on Sullivan. Duh.

Luke rapes Laura on a dance floor on General Hospital

PREVIOUSLY:
Emmy Wants You To Pick The Most Memorable Moments In TV History
What Did We Think Of The Emmy Nominations?

TV Columnist Admits TV Stars Hate TV

Ben Kallen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:25:00 GMT

We all know people who claim they don't ever watch TV, except maybe Mad Men and Masterpiece Theatre and the occasional roundtable debate about the effects of global warming on penguin habitats. But now we have confirmation from AP television writer Frazier Moore that this group of Hills-despising, How I Met Your Mother-ignoring snobs includes TV performers themselves.

"Among the scads of TV stars I've talked to, I never made a point of grilling them on their TV consumption," Moore writes. "I don't recall how often it came up. But over time I started to realize (and marvel) that, out of everyone who did address the issue with me, fewer than a dozen of them copped to being TV fans.

"The rest: Well, they don't shun just the programs they appear in. They don't watch TV, period. Or so they claim."

Well, sure -- it's one thing to play Horny Nerd at Sci-Fi Convention on The Big Bang Theory, and another to admit you watch the thing. What would you tell your friends when you run into them at Pinkberry? In fact, Moore points out, it's obvious what Hollywood's attitude toward the medium itself is, given that the TV-watchingest TV characters tend to be fat louts such as Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin and Tony Soprano.

Luckily, not all performers feel that way about their own audience. The actors who Moore says do admit to being fans of the tube also participate in some of the smartest, most pop-culture-relevant shows: The Office and Extras writer-actor Ricky Gervais, Robot Chicken cocreator Seth Green, and Mad Men star Jon Hamm.

So if you ever catch yourself saying all you watch is Mad Men and The Office, keep in mind that the people on the screen are home with a bowl of popcorn and Two and a Half Men or some Law & Order marathon, just like everybody else.

Image: Fox

Previously:
Mad Men Recap: Sunday Worst
Even More Great Office News
How I Met Your Mother Secrets Revealed (No, Not That One)

Charlie Sheen Makes Way More Money Than You Do

Ben Kallen — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:25:00 GMT

TV Guide has just come out with its annual survey of the top earners on television. And guess what? In case you didn't know it already, you're in the wrong profession.

Charlie Sheen tops the list as the highest-paid actor in a series -- Denise Richards' ex pulls in $825,000 per episode for Two and a Half Men, in which he has an ownership stake. Yes, that's for dick jokes. And fart jokes. And, yes, the kid's funnier.

That's followed by CSI's William Petersen, who makes $600,000 per episode (just when he's planning to leave the show -- guess you can have enough money), 24's Kiefer Sutherland at $500,000 (hey, torture-boy earns it), and Law & Order: SVU's talented Mariska Hargitay at $400,000. And after two decades of service, the voice actors on The Simpsons now make $400,000 per episode each -- so you'd better keep watching the ads if you want Fox to continue making new ones.

At the bottom of the list is Burn Notice's poor Jeffrey Donovan at $55,000 per -- darn cable! Even The Hills' Lauren Conrad makes more than that, $75,000 per episode, for doing whatever the heck it is she does.

But while that all may seem like a lot, it's peacock feed compared to the incomes of multitasking hosts, many of whom produce their own shows. Oprah Winfrey's company reportedly took in $385 million last year -- she could buy her own country if she didn't already run this one. Simon Cowell makes $50 million annually for pushing Coke on American Idol. Meanwhile, David Letterman makes $32 million annually (though a lot of that reportedly is spent on the show), with Jay Leno following closely behind at $27 mil. But wee Craig Ferguson gets by on just $2.5 million annually -- no wonder he keeps recycling the same Michael Caine and Prince Charles impressions over and over.

Oh, and Miley Cyrus took in $25 million for both acting and singing last year. But don't worry, she'll probably manage to earn some real money when she turns 16.

Image: CBS

Previously:
Emmy Nominations -- A Complete-ish List
Billionaire Tycoon Oprah Winfrey Advises College Grads That Money Isn't Everything

Weird Question: Has Any Prime Time Scripted Show Avoided Rescheduling Longer Than "ER"?

Bryan Christian — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:29:00 GMT

So, we were getting hammered at a Lower East Side watering hole the other day, shooting le merde with a former co-worker, when all of a sudden, after our 4th beer, it hit us: ER's never had any time slot other than Thursdays at 10PM, EST. Which, considering at the end of this, its final season, it will have been on the air for 14 years, that's saying something, right? Law & Order and The Simpsons are older, sure, but they've both been rescheduled a few times, right? (Heck, we seem to remember something about The Simpsons going up against the Cos for a while -- and losing.) Even if maybe The Simpsons has been on Sundays at 8PM longer than ER's been on Thursdays at 10, has any other network show held the same timeslot its entire life?

We're dying to answer this one categorically, so we command you, internetizens, to unleash your collective powers and Google this question into answeration!

Creepy Giant Homer Simpson Pitches for the Dodgers

Ben Kallen — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:35:00 GMT

It's been a quite some time since Homer Simpson became "Dancin' Homer," mascot for the Springfield Isotopes minor-league baseball team. But a mascot's life is not an easy one -- as four people recently learned when they had to don enormous Simpsons costumes so "Homer" could throw out the first pitch at a real-life Dodgers game.

It all had something to do with promoting the new Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. (And if you have a problem with that kind of crass marketing, you probably don't belong in L.A. anyhow.) Check out the video:

Image: Fox

Previously:
More D'oh: Is This Worth $400,000 Per Voice?

"Simpsons" Character Quiz Best Ten Minutes You Will Waste In The Next Ten Minutes

Bryan Christian — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:33:00 GMT

You don't have to explain yourself; just go. We understand.

[via Scanner]

Previously:
Test Your Troy McClure Memory

Test Your Troy McClure Memory

Ben Kallen — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Troy McClure, the Phil Hartman-voiced, fish-fetishizing has-been movie star, was one of the greatest characters on The Simpsons (or any other show, for that matter). You may remember him, of course, from such films as "P" Is for Psycho and The President's Neck Is Missing! But can you differentiate Troy's filmography from the titles of actual bad movies made by actual movie studios? The fine folks at Mental Floss have created a quiz to help you find out.

Plus: When you're done with that, check out this groovy Troy McClure fan site. And when you're done with that, watch Troy in the classic musical Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off! It's the part he was born to play!

Pictured: Troy McClure figure from The Simpsons Celebrity Series 1

New "Sopranos" Box Set To Feature Secrets, Extras, Awesomeness

Ben Kallen — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:00:00 GMT

HBO will release its biggest-ever DVD box set when the complete Sopranos collection hits store shelves in November. The 10-pound brick will include all 86 episodes of the show on 28 DVDs, along with three soundtrack CDs and two bonus discs. And the extra material will really be something special: never-aired scenes (Tony kisses Dr. Melfi!), panel discussions with the writers and actors, a lengthy interview with creator David Chase conducted by Alec Baldwin, and even show satires from Saturday Night Live, Mad TV and The Simpsons. (Marge: "You know, I've never met your wife." Fat Tony: "Sadly, my Anna Maria was whacked by natural causes.")

The list price will be $399.99... unless, of course, your copy happens to fall off the back of a truck.

After the jump, some choice nuggets of Sopranos intel from USA Today's preview of the DVD extras:

-- During the first season, the producers considered having Dr. Melfi write a book about Tony, which would be turned into a show-within-a-show starring Anthony LaPaglia (the actor selected to play Tony in the original Fox incarnation of the show).

-- Chase predicts that Tony's son A.J. won't end up as much, but "he's not going to be a killer"; meanwhile, daughter Meadow will have a (non-mob-related) "career of some kind."

-- Like Tony, Chase grew up in New Jersey with a difficult mother, and many aspects of the show resemble his own life. He says, "Everybody in the show is annoyed.... Without the profanity and without the violence and sexuality, that's a fairly good representation of family."

-- The producers shot several fake endings to the final episode, and removed pages from the scripts, to keep the details from getting out. But when director Alan Taylor read the real script, complete with the ambiguous sudden-blackout ending, he assumed they were "hiding 15 pages."

Photo: HBO

More D’oh: Is This Worth $400,000 Per Voice?

Nicole Ankowski — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:04:00 GMT

Evolution of Homer Simpson

Sure! why the hell not. Bart, Homer, Marge and Lisa deserve their fair share of the Hollywood gold, don’t they? As Variety reports, The Simpsons’ “cast have sealed a new four-year deal that hands them more ‘D’oh…’”

Production has been delayed for several months on the show as voice actors and 20th Century Fox TV hammered out a deal (Daily Variety, May 20). New pact bumps the stars' salaries up to around $400,000 an episode; the thesps previously made somewhere in the mid-$300,000 range.”

Deal, solidified over the weekend, means the key "Simpsons" cast members - Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe) and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns) - will be back to work and attending the show's first table read of the season on Tuesday morning.”

More “d’oh” – get it? Punny.