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."

Labels: WRITER WATCH

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.

Labels: ANNOYED GRUNTS

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.

Labels: CULT LIFESTYLE, VOCAL VOCATIONS

THE PROPOSPHERE
posted 15 February 2008 source ?

Simpsons prop designer Jefferson Weekley has set up a blog, where he showcases his artwork, some of it Simpsons-related. I am only posting this so I can use the word "proposphere".

Labels: THE PROPOSPHERE, WEB-WATCH

WAGON TRAIN
posted 10 February 2008 source animation magazine

Matt Groening and David X. Cohen provided one of the night's several references to the writer's strike as they approached the podium with strike signs to collect their award for Futurama: Bender's Big Score (Best Home Entertainment Production). Cohen joked that the writers had granted the Annie Awards a waiver for that one category alone. After winning the Annie for Music in an Animated TV production, The Simpsons composer Alf Clausen thanked Groening for using L.A. studio musicians and a 35-piece orchestra for every episode of his long-running show. He was modest as always comparing himself to Elizabeth Taylor's eighth husband. "I know what to do, but I don't know how to make it interesting!"

Hey idiots, the strike's over!

Labels: WAGON TRAIN