SIMPSONIAN

A rope leash · Post by **A rope leash** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 2:18 pm

I just love The Simpsons.

Over the years, we can't help but notice small curiosities about the Simpsons world. Almost all Simpsons characters are either thin or pot-bellied, and while most of them are yellow (caucasion), there is the occasional brown one. The Simpsons is probably the last show where ethinic stereotypes are directly poked at with fun, and caucasions are continually portrayed as dumb, ignorant, greedy and manipulative.

Then again, there's that sickly white kid who is actually pale, not quite yellow. Most Simpson's characters have big, poppy eyes, but once in a while we see one with small, colorless eyes, such as Hans Moleman. Of course, they all have four fingers. Bart and Lisa don't seem to have a hair line: the yellow just continues up into the spikey top. While most people have normal-colored hair, Marge and her sisters have an almost natural blue. I'm surprised this color isn't seen more often on real hair in the real world, since it looks so "right" on these characters.

Then, of course, there's the little on-going idiosynchracies of Simpson world... the extremely violent cartoons of Itchy and Scratchy that are appalling to us, but the Simpsons find hilarious...the gauranteed beating of anyone who says anything remotely intelligent in front of the schoolyard bullies...and the constant exposing of hypocracies evident in our society, especially the hypocracies of church and government.

As Fat Tony once said, after watching an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon with a Mafia plot, "it's funny because it's true". Some say this show is going downhill, but I still find it to be one of the few shows worth watching every day and every week, and I sincerely hope it lasts forever.

Here's a question: I know Nelson, and I know Jimbo, but what is the kid's name who has the straight hair that covers one eye?

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:00 pm

I don't remember, but the bald one is Kerney.

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:07 pm

I think it's Dolph

A rope leash · Post by **A rope leash** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:17 pm

Yeah, I like Kearney! Dolph, eh? I'll have to watch out for that...

Have you noticed this sales guy called Gil, who can never sell anything? He seems like he's based on Jack Lemmon's character in Glen Gary Glen Ross.

Another new guy is the waiter-type that always says "Yee-esss!" Who's he based on?

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 5:20 pm

The "Yeeees" guy is great.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 7:09 pm

I like Lenny's homoerotic infatuation with Carl..

...and the Comic book guy..

Comic Book Guy: Yes, finally. I would like to return your quote-unquote ultimate belt.

Salesman: I see, you do have a receipt, quote-unquote, sir?

Comic Book Guy: No, I do not have a receipt. I won it as a prize at the Star Trek convention, although I find their choice of prize highly illogical as the average trekker has no use for a medium size belt.

Salesman: Whoa, whoa, a fat, sarcastic Star trek fan! You must be a devil with the ladies.

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 7:43 pm

You left out the best part:

Salesman: ...gee, I hate to let you down, Casanova, but no receipt, no return.

Bart: I'll give you four bucks for it.

Comic Book Guy: Very well. I must get back to my comic book store, where I dispense the insults rather than receive them.

A rope leash · Post by **A rope leash** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 9:34 pm

Great show tonight. The bullies were rather prominantly featured, but I still didn't catch the one kid's name, if it was even mentioned.

Also, the spectre of Death was upon this episode, as it has been in the past. That's fairly unique in the cartoon world, isn't it, for long running characters to die? They'd never kill off Betty Rubble!

And ol' Gil makes a special appearance, too! I laughed my ass off.

I love the Simpsons!

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 9:41 pm

I was quite let down by this week's episode. I thought the writing lacked compared to last week's, which I found to be one of the best in a while.

Still, I thought it was funny that they pick the day you ask that one bully's name to have him mention his name!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 2:36 am

Missed tonight's show, but I thought I'd put out this fun fact about Gil who, to my mind, was DEFINITELY inspired by Jack Lemmon's character in "Glengarry". One reason. Gil's first appearance was actually voiced by Lemmon!

Another possible inspiration -- it has always seemed to me as if Mr. Burns' voice is inspired by actor George Coulouris's character from "Citizen Kane" (Coulouris played the nasty banker who acts as Charlie Kane's guardian.) Am I right? Well, probably only Harry Schearer knows for sure.

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:17 am

Are you guys into Futurama as well? Initially I didn't give it a chance, but about a yr ago I watched a few and fell in love with it..Ive bought all the boxsets now.

Im a massive cult/classic sci fi fan, so any reference to sci-fi shows is amazingly brilliant in my book. I also like the fact that so many celebs take the mick out of themselves....Bob Dole as the King of Mars ---genius!

noiseradio · Post by **noiseradio** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 10:54 am

I adore Futurama. In some ways, I think it's a funnier show than the Simpsons, although I'll always consider the Simpsons to be the best show ever. I have seasons 1 & 2; are any others out yet?

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 11:22 am

Simpsons series 1-3 are available on DVD, plus loads of DVDs with about 4shows on, but personally I can't be arsed with those..just getting the series sets.

Futurama series 1- 4 all are available, and seeing as it got cancelled (

), I hope they can put the Simpsons ones out quicker now.

They're also gonna release The Critic on DVD soon..hopefully in region 2 too...but like King of the Hill which was criminally never released her, I doubt it will be.

pip_52 · Post by **pip_52** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 2:07 pm

"The simpsons began their dream on a wing and a prayer. But now that wing was on fire, and the prayer had been answered . . . by Satan."

"He got shot 3 days before retirement. In the force we call it 'retirony.'"
- Chief Wiggam

I miss the Simpsons. I need a tv . . .

whtesde · Post by **whtesde** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 5:42 pm

Is the straight-haired kid name Kearny, or am I thinking of someone else?

Post by **BlueChair** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 5:43 pm

Kearny is the bald bully, who hangs out with Dolph (straight hair in face) and Jimbo (the most popular of the three older bullies)

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Jan 12, 2004 9:38 pm

"Futurama" started out hilarious and gorgeous, but was shaky in terms of story at first. I think mainly because Fry at first was just a younger, less likable, crasser version of Homer Simpson.

Fry finally found his heart and soul, I thought, on the wonderful "Titanic" parody episode. From there on, sheer genius IMO.

Another fun fact -- one of the writers was Al Gore's daughter. (A friend of mine works for Groening's comic book company, which at one time shared offices with "Futurama", and one day Al showed up.)

A rope leash · Post by **A rope leash** » Tue Jan 13, 2004 10:03 am

The thing about Futurama is that there is just no limit to the possibilities. A lot of what I admire about The Simpsons goes for Futurama as well, an I suppose that's due to Matt Greoning.

Do you remember when the kids got a rental car and drove to Knoxville? They had an Al Gore doll that said "You are hearing me talk". Excellent!

I've noticed that Dana Gould produces a lot of the episodes lately. I assume that's the stand-up guy?

Misha · Post by **Misha** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 1:43 am

I like The Simpsons, don't get me wrong, but Matt's best work, for me, has always been the Life in Hell stuff.

I rue the day they stopped making the calendars......

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:13 am

A rope leash wrote:Do you remember when the kids got a rental car and drove to Knoxville?

How about when they had to stop to watch Andy Williams? And then seeing Nelson's face? Fantastic!

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:06 am

''Wow, I didn't think he was gonna do Moon River, but BAM, second encore!''

I like the one where they torture Principal Skinner with bad grammer, making him write 'I AIN'T NOT A DORKUS' on the blackboard!

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 12:07 pm

A rope leash wrote:I've noticed that Dana Gould produces a lot of the episodes lately. I assume that's the stand-up guy?

Dana Gould the brilliant comedian -- who I once saw do, I swear, 45 hyserterical minutes on "The Island of Lost Toys" from the Rankin/Bass "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" -- is, indeed, a regular writer on "The Simpsons."

He was also the "Summer George" on a Seinfeld episode.

He actually created a really funny show for MTV who's name I can't remember, but which was a riff on the marionette TV adventure shows of the sixties/seventies. (I think it was "The Super Adventure Team.")

Don't remember seeing his name on "Futurama", but why not?

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 12:10 pm

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SUMMER OF GEORGE!

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