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Squandering much of the good will engendered by the franchise’s silver-screen debut, “The Simpsons”19.1 is mired like so many of the series' 21st century episodes in bizarre comedic misfires (Homer puts lotion on a firearm! Homer makes Lionel Ritchie gratuitously insert the word “beer” into his lyrics! Otto rides a giant tortoise naked!) destined to keep discerning viewers away at least one more season. The best part of the installment is its homage -- in an all-new title sequence -- to "The Simpsons Movie." Which is then immediately forgotten as Homer employs a pair of bowling shoes in a quest to overcome his festering envy of Monty Burns’ private jet. Stephen Colbert, who has already provided the voices of better characters like Professor Impossible, Tek Jensen and Ace of the Ambiguously Gay Duo, tonight turns up as Colby Krause, a not-very-good life-coach.
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I am – Hercules!!
The Museum of Television & Radio’s William S. Paley Festival in Hollywood begins tonight.
A typical night at the museum involves screening an episode of the series being honored (usually an episode not yet aired) followed by a discussion with the series’ cast and crew.
If you, gentle reader, are attending any of this year’s events, kindly forward anything you believe might interest the Ain’t It Cool readership. (If you need some kind of template, you can find my 6-year-old write-up of the Paley Fest’s “Angel” event here.)
The good news for fans of “Jericho,” “Nip/Tuck,” and “The Closer” is tickets for those events appear still to be available. Here’s where the Paley Fest stands as 9 p.m. PT Wednesday:
March 1 “American Idol” SOLD OUT!
March 2 “The Office” SOLD OUT!
March 3 An Evening With George Lucas SOLD OUT!
March 5 “Brothers & Sisters” SOLD OUT!
March 6 “The Closer”
March 7 “Dexter” SOLD OUT!
March 8 "Nip/Tuck”
March 9 “Prison Break” SOLD OUT!
March 10 “Heroes” SOLD OUT!
March 12 “Ugly Betty” SOLD OUT!
March 13 “Jericho”
March 15 “The Simpsons” SOLD OUT!
Find more on the Paley fest here.
Purchase Paley tickets via Ticketmaster here.
Past Paley For Sale!!
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Boston Legal”
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Desperate Housewives”
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Lost”
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I am – Hercules!!
“Simpsons” creator Matt Groening talks to Crave Online about a myriad of topics. Some of what he has to say:
Will “The Simpsons Movie” have dirty parts?
Whoever you don't want to see naked on The Simpsons, you know that's who you're going to see. …
Is Groening as appalled at the quality of “Family Guy” as some of the “Simpsons” writers are said to be?
Seth MacFarlane is a good friend and Family Guy is funny …
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One of the great things about living in Los Angeles is the Museum of Television & Radio’s William S. Paley Festival. It’s like a living special edition DVD. You get to watch your favorite TV shows with an audience, then hear the creators and cast reveal important secrets about said TV shows. What’s more fun than that??
This year’s Paley schedule:
March 1 “American Idol”
March 2 “The Office”
March 3 An Evening With George Lucas
March 5 “Brothers & Sisters”
March 6 “The Closer”
March 7 “Dexter”
March 8 "Nip/Tuck”
March 9 “Prison Break”
March 10 “Heroes”
March 12 “Ugly Betty”
March 13 “Jericho”
March 15 “The Simpsons”
Tickets go on sale to museum members Thursday, Feb. 1. They go on sale to non-members Sunday, Feb. 4.
Those three days between Thursday and Sunday are KEY because many Paley events sell out an hour or two after tickets go on sale. Don’t be surprised if museum members snap up all the “Heroes,” “Office,” “American Idol,” “Ugly Betty,” “Simpsons” and George Lucas tickets and start selling them on eBay for hundreds of dollars long before non-members get a shot at list price.
The good news is museum membership is only $50. And members automatically get discounts of $5 to $10 per ticket - so if you buy enough tickets, membership pays for itself.
But if you want membership, you should probably buy that membership no later than Tuesday, Jan. 30, because I’m told it can take 24 hours for memberships to be processed for online orders.
Find more on the Paley fest here.
Purchase museum memberships and or Paley tickets via Ticketmaster here.
Past Paley For Sale!!
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Boston Legal”
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Desperate Housewives”
$19.95 Paley Festival: “Lost”
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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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