rubbercat.net/simpsons - In The News

Huell Howser Calls Producers With List Of Demands

2008-08-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

ANNOYED GRUNTS
posted 21 August 2008 source pasadena weekly

Huell Howser is a big-time TV guy who was parodied in the gay marriage episode (the guy at the beginning who falls off a turnip truck). Upon finding about the parody, he did the following:

I got into the office the next morning and called Matt Groening and said, 'This is Huell Howser,' and there was this quiet on the other end of the phone because I knew he thought I was upset. I said, 'If you're going to do a parody of me, I could use the money and the exposure. If you're gonna continue, just let me be my own voice next time.

It is unknown if Howser had any hostages at the time.

Animation Domination Dominated By White Men?

2008-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

ANNOYED GRUNTS
posted 15 July 2008 source the live feed

A critic at a Television Critics Association panel asked a panel of nine FOX animated show producers why they're so white:

A critic gets a laugh by starting a question with,"Here's a question for the women and people of color up there" (there are none) ... and asks about the lack of diversity in the genre.

MacFarlane: "There's something about the medium of animation that it's male dominated ... might also have something to do with the demographics of animation also skewing male."

Simpsons Writers Spreading Viruses???

2008-07-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

WEB-WATCH
posted 12 July 2008 source cnet

In an episode aired in early 2003, Homer's e-mail address is revealed to be Chunkylover53@aol.com. E-mails sent to that address would receive a response from "Homer," which was actually written by writer Matt Selman (see some of the responses here). That account has remained largely dormant until recently, when it resurfaced on AIM to spread malware to those who had added "Homer" to their buddy list:

Since then, the screen name has been inactive, until a few days ago when Chunkylover53's "Away" message appeared, prompting people to click on a link and run an executable in order to see "a *new* Internet-only exclusive Simpson's episode."

Of course, the file doesn't show a Simpsons video. It infects the machine with a Trojan that throws up error messages, crashes the computer when attempting to open Windows Explorer and drops other nasty files onto the machine, making it part of what is believed to be a Turkish botnet, according to FaceTime, which secures IM, collaboration and Web apps for corporations.

The real question: why is Matt Selman and his Simpsons co-workers spreading viruses to their fans?

George Carlin Hated Sam Simon

2008-06-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

SUDDENLY SIMON
posted 25 June 2008 source macleans.ca

Apparently The Simpsons was not the only show where former executive producer Sam Simon, whom Matt Groening once called "mentally unbalanced," was difficult to work with. Hot off the heels of quitting The Simpsons and subsequent court proceedings, Simon created The George Carlin Show, a sitcom starring the recently deceased George Carlin, which ran for 27 episodes on FOX in 1994. Later, in a timeline page on his website, Carlin wrote the following reflection: "Lesson learned: always check mental health of creative partner beforehand."

Insanely Detailed Simpsons Quake III Map

2008-06-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

NOISELAND ARCADE
posted 25 June 2008 source youtube via boing boing

Some guy made an incredibly detailed "Springfield" skin for Quake III, with all kinds of nerd-salivating props from past episodes - Big Butt Skinner balloon, pig tracks on the ceiling, etc. Hopefully Fox Interactive, hot off the heels of "Simpsons Crazy Taxi," "Simpsons Grand Theft Auto" and "Simpsons Myst" will hire this guy to make the next Simpsons video game, "Simpsons Quake."

NAZI GOLD UNCOVERED

2008-06-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

AZTEC THEATRE
posted 16 June 2008 source youtube via nohomers.net

For years, The Simpsons Archive has had a page documenting a long-lost Simpsons short called "Nazis on Tap" involving Hitler, Stalin, and talking dogs. It was supposed to air in Season 2, but was never animated and apparently forgotten about. I always assumed it was a joke, but apparently it's very real -- Simpsons Archive webmaster Jouni Paakkinen recently discovered the long-lost audio track on YouTube, probably uploaded by some disgruntled show staffer who's about to get 20 years of jailtime.

"Aye carumba, the Fuhrer!"

Is The End Near?

2008-06-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

READING DIGEST
posted 16 June 2008 source newsday via simpsons-l

Remember when Troy McClure asked, "who knows what adventures they'll have between now and when the show becomes unprofitable?" Thirteen years later, that eventual day of unprofitability may be coming sooner than you think, according to a Newsday blogger. Verne Gay examines the rising costs of the show, dwindling viewership and curiously-worded contracts and concludes cancellation may be imminent:

I'll give you the answers right now, born of a quarter century following this business: Because Fox is covering its bets. If ratings continue to fall, as they have precipitously in recent years, then let's get ready to say goodbye to one of the greatest treasures of our TV lives.

Swartzwelder Scared Stupid By Corpse

2008-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

GENERAL SWARTZ-WATCH
posted 16 June 2008 source amazon via simpsons-l

Reclusive former Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder has a new* book out called Dead Men Scare Me Stupid that you can purchase on Amazon or through eBay. I am only posting about this so I can use the category "GENERAL SWARTZ-WATCH."

*Came out two months ago

Oil Have Some Of That

2008-06-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

WHAA...?!
posted 16 June 2008 source local6.com

Guests aboard one vehicle of The Simpsons Ride at Universal Orlando on Friday were sprayed with a nontoxic oil.

Park officials told Local 6 News that they know where the oil came from but do not what caused the incident.

Well that narrows it down

Voice Actors' Pay Dispute Settled

2008-05-23T15:33:00.001-07:00

VOCAL VOCATIONS
posted 23 May 2008 source telegraph.co.uk

The cast of The Simpsons finally got around to renegotiating their contracts, thus putting an end to the pay dispute that threatened to tear apart humanity and resulted in at least thirty artists losing their jobs while production was halted. Dan Castellenta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Maggie), and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns) will now each get ~~$500,000~~ $400,000 per episode, an increase from $360,000, to donate to Scientology. Ironically, this pay increase comes at a time when viewership has dwindled by nearly fifty percent over the past five years. Aye carumba!

It's Splitsville For Smith

2008-05-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

LET'S BEE FRIENDS
posted 23 May 2008 source e! online

E! reports Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson, has filed for divorce from husband ~~Ralph Wiggum~~ Daniel Erickson.

Fox Uses Journal To Plug Flanders Book

2008-05-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

READING DIGEST
posted 23 May 2008 source wall street journal

The newly News Corp.-owned Wall Street Journal had Mark I. Pinksy, author of The Gospel According to The Simpsons review the new Flanders' Book of Faith in a move that's totally synergystic!

PTC: Why Does Fox Hate Moms?

2008-05-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

THE SNUH ZONE
posted 20 May 2008 source parents television council

The Parents Television Council, a media watchdog organization that aims to "promote and restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry," recently examined the Fox network's hatred of mothers:

In 1987, TV's respectful treatment of mothers began to be replaced by an attitude of mockery and contempt - and unsurprisingly, it was the Fox network that began the trend. Married with Children's Peg Bundy was portrayed as shallow, vapid, incompetent at domestic chores (and everything else) and obsessed with sex. Dressed to resemble a prostitute, the Peg Bundy character also seemed to act and think like one. The constant put-downs directed at Peg by her crude and moronic husband character were echoed by equally intense contempt from her children.

And in the two decades since Married with Children's premiere nothing has changed, except that the mockery, contempt and even hatred shown towards mothers on Fox has become even more vicious and sadistic.

The May 11th episode of The Simpsons focused on the death of Homer's mother, a former radical who abandoned him as a child. The now-deceased mother leaves her daughter-in-law Marge a purse made of hemp, as Bart informs his father that Grandma said "you don't suck...THAT much."

Yet The Simpsons' depiction of motherhood was as nothing compared to that seen on Seth MacFarlane's animated "comedy" Family Guy. In celebration of Mother's Day, Fox chose to rerun an episode in which Baby Stewie murders his own mother - after plotting to torture her...

For shame, Fox.

Artists Drawn To Unemployment Lines

2008-05-09T23:41:00.000-07:00

PENCIL PUSHING
posted 10 May 2008 source tag blog

According to an artist at Film Roman, about 30 Simpsons artists were fired, with more lay-offs on the way, because the voice actors still haven't signed their contracts for the next season (see earlier post). At least the economy's not in a recession or anything.

Grampa Simpson Mashed Up On YouTube

2008-05-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

AZTEC THEATRE
posted 6 May 2008 source wonkette

Here are two video mashups featuring Grampa Simpson. Watch them now, you won't be disappointed.

Recent Episode Gets Lowest Ratings Ever

2008-05-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

THE D'OH REPORT
posted 5 May 2008 source simpsons channel
Last Sunday's episode, Any Given Sundance, was supposedly the least-watched first-run episode in recent history.

Superbad Writers To Pen Episode Next Season

2008-05-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

PARDON MY ZINGER
posted 1 May 2008 source empire

in addition to the usual ~20 other episodes that season. Also, Superbad screenwriters Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen will write one.

Homer Created With CSS

2008-05-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS
posted 1 May 2008 source nedbatchelder.com, via del.icio.us

Some nerd created an image of Homer using only CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, a web stylesheet language thingy), and then another nerd animated the process. Or something. I don't know.

Simpsons Writer Has Good Taste In Music

2008-04-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

WRITER WATCH
posted 26 April 2008 source office tally

In a fan Q+A, The Office writer Mindy Kaling (Kelly) namedrops Simpsons writer Danny Chun, who was apparently "raving about Hot Chip and Vampire Weekend like fifteen years ago." Given Mike Scully's love for NRBQ and Al Jean's love for on-the-nose musical montages, Chun needs to be promoted to executive producer immediately.

Greg Daniels Predicts Simpsons Ending

2008-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

SMARTLINE
posted 13 April 2008 source nbc.com

Former Simpsons writer and current The Office executive producer Greg Daniels answered a question about how long The Simpsons will go on:

Simpsons will be on until the computers develop intelligence and shut down the meat people's world, or until a Mega Volcano destroys our culture, or until the per episode syndication price falls below the cost of producing an episode.

Voice Actors Still In Contract Negotiations

2008-04-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

VOCAL VOCATIONS
posted 9 April 2008 source TAG blog (via livingfruitvirus)

The voice actors and powers-that-be are in contract talks for like the 30th time over the past 10 years probably because they don't think they're getting enough royalties from bart simpson meat thermometers or something who knows

Since I didn't have to be sitting in negotiation this afternoon, I drove over to the Starz Media/Film Roman facility, where I discovered (via the employees) that Fox and the six voice actors on The Simpsons are deep in talks for a renewal of contracts. And that all parties, according to the artists, have imposed a news blackout.

Ten years ago, Fox was on the brink of replacing all the actors. If contracts aren't renewed this time, maybe they'll just get Seth McFarlane to do all the voices.

Correcting the Record

2008-04-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

TREEHOUSE OF ERROR
posted 9 April 2008 source meta

Here at rubbercat.net/simpsons, we take our reporting seriously. Nevertheless, a few mistakes manage to slip themselves through. We would like to take this opportunity to correct the record.

In our previous post, we said that writer Bill Odenkirk posted on a Simpsons message board. It was actually someone from Australia pretending to be Mr. Odenkirk.

Maggie Roswell did not at any time refer to fellow voice actress Marcia Mitzman-Gaven as a "slut-ass ho bitch."

rubbercat.net/simpsons specifically retracts all statements made on the website that state or suggest in any way that Matt Groening or his associates orchestrated or played any role in the assault on Sam Simon or that they lured him into an ambush at the Quad studios.

We regret the errors.

Writers Mad At Pun-Hating Internet Nerds

2008-02-29T23:31:00.000-08:00

WRITER WATCH
posted 29 February 2008 source no homers club

Simpsons writer Bill Odenkirk posted a thread on the No Homers Club message board to respond to internet criticism for the punderful title of upcoming episode "Mona Leaves-a" (now retitled "RaMona Milendo"... or is that a joke?) and defend the use of titular punnage:

Most of you are showing hate towards the episode title, Mona Leaves-a. I'm the writer for this episode, and also pitched the title. I'm here to say that it's supposed to be a bad pun...

We don't mind you people criticizing the episodes after they've aired, but judging them like you do, when all you know is the title, really makes us mad towards you. Hey, what a great pun! New episode title here we come!

Also, thanks to intrepid reporting courtesy of yours truly, we now know the reason for the heavy usage of puns over the past five years: "Al Jean likes puns."

Anti-Smoking Group: Simpsons Movie Endorses Smoking

2008-02-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

SIN STICKS
posted 15 February 2008 source canada.com

The Simpsons Movie got a thumbs-down at something called "The Hackademy Awards," an event run by an anti-smoking group called Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails designed to counter positive portrayals of cigarette smoking in movies. The scene that raised their ire: the 3-second shot of Jimbo smoking with Dolph, "which is the kind of potent endorsement of smoking the group opposes." Remember: smokers are jokers.

Cartwright Gives $10 Million to Scientology

2008-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

CULT LIFESTYLE
posted 15 February 2008 source sfgate

Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson, has donated $10 million dollars - twice her annual salary and twice what Tom Cruise has donated over the past four years - to the controversial Church of Scientology, thus ensuring herself a first-class seat on the spaceship to Blisstonia.