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Sam Simon wrote a radio sitcom for Sirius’ “The Howard Stern Show” titled “The Bitter Half,” which offered a fictionalized look at the show’s stars, staff and spouses. It aired Oct. 25 and was far funnier than any new “Simpsons” episode I’ve seen in a decade.
Why is “The Simpsons” no longer as it was? My personal prevailing theory is it no longer has Sam Simon. Before Homer and Bart made their leap from “Tracey Ullman Show” to their own half-hour series in 1989, Simon was one of the key creative forces behind “Cheers,” one of the funniest sitcoms every produced. About 12 years ago, Simon appears to have left the “Simpsons” to pursue other comedy opportunities; draw your conclusions.
Season nine , which ran over 1997 and 1998 and is the last I’m likely to buy, begins with Barney Gumble parking Homer’s car between the towers of the World Trade Center. Later, principal Seymour Skinner is discovered to be an imposter named Armin Tanzarian, Homer joins the NRA, Homer replaces Ned as Bart’s Pee-Wee Football coach, Marge pretends to be Apu's wife, the skeleton of an angel is found buried under sacred ground, Lionel Hutz hires Marge as a realtor, Bart blames a burglar after he accidentally burns down the Christmas tree and all the presents, the family finds carnies squatting in their house, Springfield falls into the thrall of a religious cult (one of which Flanders and Lovejoy do not approve), the Springfield Elementary kids are marooned on a desert island, Homer’s new Internet company provokes the ire of Bill Gates, Krusty develops an edgier act, Homer and Moe perpetrate an insurance scam, Lisa fears a latent “Simpson gene” will make her as stupid as Homer and Bart, Homer captains a nuclear sub and nearly starts a war, Homer becomes a government mole, Lisa and Bart become news anchors, Homer runs for sanitation commissioner, Homer begins training at movie star Rainier Wolfcastle’s gym, and Homer and Marge start having sex in public places.
Treehouse of Horror VIII, with teleplays credited to Ned Goldreyer, David X. Cohen and Mike Scully, parodies “The Omega Man,” “The Fly” and “The Crucible.”
ER: The Complete Sixth Season contains what I gauge to be the single most dramatic and moving episode of the series ever produced. The Valentine’s Day installment, “All in the Family,” portrays the bloody the aftermath of John Carter and Lucy Knight’s assault, and how Greene, Corday, Weaver, Kovac, Lockhart, Chen, Anspaugh, Benton, Romano and others struggle together to save their colleagues’ lives. I find it impossible to watch this episode without dissolving into a puddle of tears. Spoilers follow in invisotext.
Discover that David Krumholtz, of “Numb3rs” and “Serenity” fame, played John and Lucy’s schizophrenic attacker and that 17-year-old Liza Weil, subsequently high schooler Paris Geller on “Gilmore Girls,” played the attacker’s wife. One of the deleted scenes from an earlier episode depicts Lucy’s unremarkable first meeting with her killer.
And though last season is billed as George Clooney’s last, this season actually marks the last appearance of Dr. Doug.
Extras include a gag reel and loads of deleted scenes from 14 of the 22 episodes.
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I am - Hercules!!
Ooo, that gun to John Carter's head! I would feel such fear if Noah Wylie weren't signed for another season!
And Rachel is six kinds of horny tonight.
And on CSI, they use forensics to solve a crime.
"Friends": 8 p
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I am - Hercules!!
Kovac goes boom! I wouldn't mind hearing more about Luka's run-in with Abby this week, but "Mr. Zambano" only mentions that Carter has skipped town without his girl. Guess we'll have to wait till tonight.
24 2.7 FAQ
What
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I am - Hercules!!
Weaver goes public with the big news, Kovac hits the hookers, and Abby's brother gets tossed in stir. "Mr. Zambano" says tonight's installment is better than most motion pictures:
ER 9.7 FAQ
What's it called'
"Tell M
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I am - Hercules!!
ER 9.6 FAQ
What's it called'
"One Can Only Hope"
What does TV Guide Say'
Tensions between the nurses and doctors hit a fever pitch as a petition
against Luka leaves the ER short-staffed; Abby's brother (Tom Evere
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I am - Hercules!!
No real review on tonight's "ER" for some reason, but we did read most of the script a couple months ago. From our Sept. 2 spoiler post:
Halloween falls on the first day of sweeps this season, and we've gotten a big chunk
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I am - Hercules!!
ER 9.4 FAQ
Kovac gives it to a MILF in the ER storage closet! Abby returns to the sauce! Weaver makes a potentially life-threatening error on a live TV show!
What's it called'
"Walk Like A Man."
Who's responsibl
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I am - Hercules!!
ER 9.3 FAQ
Jing-Mei hits the mosh pit and Abby's sib turns up. You're going to miss this'
What's it called'
"Insurrection."
What does TV Guide say'
Carter takes drastic steps to improve security conditions at C
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I am - Hercules!!
Can John Carter of Mars stay faithful to Abby "The Hurricane" Lockhart with that pretty blonde from "Popular" lurking about County's trauma one'
Here's "Mr. Zambano":
ER 9.2 FAQ
What's it called'
"Dead Again."
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I am - Hercules!!
A Coaxial News post from July 15:
How do you top losing the star of your show to brain cancer'
Reliable sources indicate that in the first episode of ER's ninth season, a major character will undergo a trauma so shockin
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I am - Hercules!!
Halloween falls on the first day of sweeps this season, and we've gotten a big chunk of "ER's" Oct. 31 Halloween installment, titled "A Hopeless Wound."
* The episode introduces Don Cheadle as Paul Nathan, a middle-aged med
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I am - Hercules!!
How do you top losing the lead character of your top-rated drama to inoperable brain cancer'
Reliable sources indicate that in the first episode of "ER's" ninth season, a major character will undergo a trauma so shocking i
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I am - Hercules!!
Attack indeed! Harry's board has been so clogged with clone-heads, I couldn't get through to post any talkbacks for the last Thursday of sweeps until 3 a.m.
So it's old news that Dr. Zambano knew what he was talking about
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I am - Hercules!!
How does "ER" soldier on following Mark Greene's untimely demise' With a deadly mystery epidemic, and lots of doctor-on-doctor action! "Mr. Zambano" explains it all:
ER 8.22 FAQ
What's it called'
"Lockdown."
What does
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I am - Hercules!!
It's never easy to watch Anthony Edwards die. As with last week's installment, "Dmann" bestows three and a half stars.
ER 8.21 FAQ
What's it called'
"On the Beach"
What does TV Guide say'
" Anthony Edwards, who ha
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I am -
Hercules!!
Wow! Looks like NBC's promo department was kept out of the loop again. Note please that some inviso-text below reveals mammoth spoilers for tonight's episode and smaller spoilers for next week's.
Here's "Dmann," who tells
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I am -
Hercules!!
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I am - Hercules!!
"Orion in the Sky"
Almsot a decade later, America can't stop watching. Years after the departure of Doug and Carol, new episodes of "ER" continue to dominate the Nielsens; the show has already aired longer than "Hill Street B
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I am -
Hercules!!
Can you resist the Goo Goo Dolls promos touting Greene's final storyline' Things have been hopping since Peter Benton bolted: Abby's evil neighbor, a vengeful Luka, an ecstacy overdose, an empowered Jing-Mei, Kerri's love life
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