THE INSIDE SCOOP VIGINTENNIAL GROEN DRAIN
The Simpsons turn 20 today (that is, if you don't count the Christmas special as the first episode and completely ignore the original shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show), and there's been a number of retrospectives to mark the occasion. An oft-repeated claim in many histories is that creator Matt Groening, fearing the loss of his Life in Hell characters, came up with the Simpsons in fifteen minutes before a meeting with Ullman producer James L. Brooks. But the characters actually originated nearly 40 years ago, in an unpublished novel Groening wrote in high school:
Chat Transcript (April 6, 1999)
And now you know... the rest of the story.
The Simpsons turn 20 today (that is, if you don't count the Christmas special as the first episode and completely ignore the original shorts from The Tracey Ullman Show), and there's been a number of retrospectives to mark the occasion. An oft-repeated claim in many histories is that creator Matt Groening, fearing the loss of his Life in Hell characters, came up with the Simpsons in fifteen minutes before a meeting with Ullman producer James L. Brooks. But the characters actually originated nearly 40 years ago, in an unpublished novel Groening wrote in high school:
Chat Transcript (April 6, 1999)
Question hobgoblin: How old were you when you first came up with the idea for "The Simpsons"? I know that the show has been on for a long time.Interview with Robert William Kubey, published in Creating Television: Conversations with the People Behind 50 Years of American TV (Late 1991)
[...]
Matt_G "The Simpsons" originated in high school.
Matt_G I wrote a bleak little novel called "The Mean Little Kids" starring a teenage Bart Simpson with buckteeth and a very bad complexion.
How quickly did The Simpsons gel in your mind?
I needed to come up with an idea really quickly. In the back of my mind was the idea of doing something that might possibly end up spinning off into its own TV show, so I created a family which I thought would lend itself to a lot of different kinds of stories. In high school I had written a novel, a sort of a very sour Catcher in the Rye, self pitying, adolescent novel starring Bart Simpson as a very troubled teenager. I took that family and transferred it, made them younger, and then drew. It took about 15 minutes to design the characters the first time out.
Were they all the same characters that we now know and love?
Yes, but they've been transformed.
Why didn't you leave Bart as an adolescent?
TV does children really badly, and I thought there was room for something different. Teenagers are already running rampant on television, but kids are done very unrealistically in sitcoms. Sometimes, a particular character gels with an audience and becomes the star.
Was Bart at the center all along?
Yeah. The rest of the Simpsons in my original conception were in a struggle to be normal and Bart was the one who thought that being normal was boring.
And now you know... the rest of the story.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN, THE INSIDE SCOOP, VIGINTENNIAL
posted 1/14/2010 | permalink
How Either Matt Groening or Sam Simon Saved Drew Carey's Life
GROEN DRAIN SUDDENLY SIMON
From a British tabloid article about WWE wrestler guy Glenn "Kane" Jacob:
From a British tabloid article about WWE wrestler guy Glenn "Kane" Jacob:
One of Kanes [sic] finest hours was the 2001 Royal Rumble where he went an hour before sailing over the top. He remembers the occasion fondly, because he nearly killed celebrity guest Drew Carey.If this anecdote is true, it is very likely that Kane confused Groening with former executive producer Sam Simon, who was the 2004 World Boxing Manager of the Year and a producer, writer and director for The Drew Carey Show. [Daily Star]"Two things I remember the most hitting Honkey with the guitar, I should have done the shuffle!! The Drew Carey deal was funny too."
"He was there with Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, a friend of his and we were in the locker rooms, I was showing him what we were going to do with the chokeslam deal.
I grabbed him and picked him up and Matt starts yelling stop stop stop, and I looked up. The roof was so low I nearly put Drew Careys [sic] head through the ceiling. I almost became infamous for killing Drew Carey before he got out there."
Labels: GROEN DRAIN, SUDDENLY SIMON
posted 8/18/2009 | permalink
BREAKING NEWS: MATT GROENING IN ARGENTINA TO MEET WITH MISTRESS???
THE MARGE REPORT
Or something, I can't read Argentinian [Perfil.com]
Or something, I can't read Argentinian [Perfil.com]
Labels: GROEN DRAIN, THE MARGE REPORT
posted 7/05/2009 | permalink
Conan O'Brien Still Afraid Of Matt Groening
FORMER WRITER WATCH
Upon being reminded that Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up in Portland, former Simpsons writer and future Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien said this:
Upon being reminded that Simpsons creator Matt Groening grew up in Portland, former Simpsons writer and future Tonight Show host Conan O'Brien said this:
"He'll always be my boss. You know how you feel when you run into your third-grade teacher at the supermarket? Your worry that you're going to get in trouble, even if you're 45? That's how I feel when I see Matt Groening."Oregon Live]
Labels: GROEN DRAIN, WRITER WATCH
posted 3/22/2009 | permalink
Matt Groening Gets Fired
GROEN DRAIN
posted 5 March 2009 source CNN
The LA Weekly has dropped Matt Groening's comic strip "Life in Hell" after 22 years.
posted 5 March 2009 source CNN
The LA Weekly has dropped Matt Groening's comic strip "Life in Hell" after 22 years.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 3/05/2009 | permalink
Simpsons Creator Now Go-To Guy For Comments on Family Guy Creator
GROEN DRAIN
posted 6 September 2008 source myspace finance
Simpsons creator Matt Groening has always enjoyed a favorable relationship with the press. Serving as a sort-of go-to cultural commentator, the head of Fox's billion-dollar cartoon franchise is often quoted on everything from animation to music to high school to Olympic mascots. These days, however, he is often asked to comment on Fox's other billion-dollar cartoon franchise, Family Guy. In a Wall Street Journal article about Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, MacFarlane's contemporary is relegated to a handful of sentences, including a paragraph which curiously reads like a line from a Fox press release:
posted 6 September 2008 source myspace finance
Simpsons creator Matt Groening has always enjoyed a favorable relationship with the press. Serving as a sort-of go-to cultural commentator, the head of Fox's billion-dollar cartoon franchise is often quoted on everything from animation to music to high school to Olympic mascots. These days, however, he is often asked to comment on Fox's other billion-dollar cartoon franchise, Family Guy. In a Wall Street Journal article about Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, MacFarlane's contemporary is relegated to a handful of sentences, including a paragraph which curiously reads like a line from a Fox press release:
Cartoonist Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons," says, "He's laid the groundwork with this smash hit show and now, with new media opening up and Seth's specific kind of rapid-fire visual humor, how to exploit it just depends on how ambitious he wants to be."Given that Fox and the Journal are corporate siblings, could this be another sign of The Simpsons's diminishing stature in the eyes of Fox executives?
Labels: FROM THE FRONT LINES OF THE CARTOON WARS, GROEN DRAIN, NEWS CORP. NEWS
posted 9/06/2008 | permalink
Groening: "Give Him A Jew Nose"
GROEN DRAIN
posted 16 December 2007 source ny post
posted 16 December 2007 source ny post
Perhaps the funniest commentary moment demonstrates how un-PC comedy writers' rooms can be. When discussing the appearance of the spider-pig, one says, "I think what Matt [Groening] said was, 'Give him a Jew nose.'" When the laughter subsides, we hear someone say, "One of the many similarities Matt has with Walt Disney."
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 12/16/2007 | permalink
The Future Mrs. Matt Groening?
GROEN DRAIN
posted 22 August 2007 source tmz.com
Popular celebrity-stalking website TMZ has posted an article by Melissa-Mindy Trump Hilton, who bares strong resemblance to comedienne Amy Sedaris, in which she declares her intentions of becoming the Akbar to Matt Groening's Jeff:
posted 22 August 2007 source tmz.com
Popular celebrity-stalking website TMZ has posted an article by Melissa-Mindy Trump Hilton, who bares strong resemblance to comedienne Amy Sedaris, in which she declares her intentions of becoming the Akbar to Matt Groening's Jeff:
People have been saying that I have "set my cap" on becoming "Mrs. Matt Groening." And they say that for the entire summer, I have been drunkenly throwing myself at Matt, in a way that appears almost desperate, making plans to cross his path during movie industry events and parties and receptions, always popping up at his side. And that one incident where I got kind of drunk at the Viper Room with Matt that caused my banning. Anyway: Matt Groening and I are "just friends," as they say. We do like to go to the beach together, we've been to a few local spas, we enjoy board games like Twatch and Scrabble. But we are just friends. Period. Oh, well, I have my hopes ... like any girl does. But for now those hopes are private and I know that TMZ won't betray my confidences.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 8/22/2007 | permalink
Matt Groening in Playboy!!!
GROEN DRAIN
posted 5 May 2007 source ny daily news
posted 5 May 2007 source ny daily news
Rupert Murdoch can take a joke - at least if he's making money off it - but his Fox News minions don't like being teased by their corporate siblings at "The Simpsons."
Matt Groening, creator of the modern cartoon classic, notes that the Fox overlord was willing to do a cameo on the show - introducing himself as "the evil billionaire tyrant Rupert Murdoch."
"He said he liked the show," Groening says in June's Playboy, which features his drawing of himself as Hugh Hefner, flanked by foxy-looking Marge Simpson and her sisters, Patty and Selma. "He seemed sincere … [though] there were little dollar signs in his eyes."
But "Fox News gives me a headache," says Groening, especially "the spinning logos and American flags and music designed to scare you s-less." He fondly remembers the "Simpsons" episode where "we had a news crawl like [Fox News] across the bottom of the screen. It said things like … 'Brad Pitt plus Albert Einstein equals Dick Cheney,' 'Study: 92 percent of Democrats are gay' … We were forbidden ever to do it again. Fox said it would confuse viewers."
With the 400th "Simpsons" episode and "The Simpsons Movie" approaching, Groening recalls how Elizabeth Taylor once agreed to play little Maggie saying her first word, "Daddy."
"We did 24 takes, but they were always too sexual. Finally Liz said, 'F— you,' and walked out."
Another time, his staff heard that "Prince wanted to do the show, so we wrote him a script. It didn't work out, because his chauffeur had written a script too, and Prince wanted to use that one."
As a parent, Groening says, "I'm the dad I wished I had. I try to let my kids have a good time." His reward? "[My kids] tell me I'm not funny anymore. … My son said he wishes ['Family Guy' creator] Seth MacFarlane were his father."
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 5/05/2007 | permalink
Groening Makes Good On Threat, Axes Minnie Driver
HOMERCIDE
posted 3 May 2007 source mtv.com
's character's scenes from the movie
Previously: Groening To Shoot Minnie Driver
posted 3 May 2007 source mtv.com
's character's scenes from the movie
Previously: Groening To Shoot Minnie Driver
Labels: GROEN DRAIN, HOMERCIDE
posted 5/03/2007 | permalink
Al's Pal
GROEN-DRAIN
posted 21 April 2007 source straight.com
In a top ten list of the top ten environmental films (#9: FernGully), Ken Eisner rounds off his appraisal of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth with a solicitation to "look for some of these themes to emerge in The Simpsons Movie, from Al's pal Matt Groening."
posted 21 April 2007 source straight.com
In a top ten list of the top ten environmental films (#9: FernGully), Ken Eisner rounds off his appraisal of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth with a solicitation to "look for some of these themes to emerge in The Simpsons Movie, from Al's pal Matt Groening."
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 4/21/2007 | permalink
Groening Talks Simpsons Finale
THE MARGE REPORT
posted 21 March 2007 source iF magazine
iF: For everyone who worked on [Futurama], it’s been off the air much longer, since Fox had a whole season left in the can to air once production had stopped.
GROENING: That’s the nature of animation. When the SIMPSONS finally ends, there will probably be another season and we’ll do a long farewell tour and wave to people.
posted 21 March 2007 source iF magazine
iF: For everyone who worked on [Futurama], it’s been off the air much longer, since Fox had a whole season left in the can to air once production had stopped.
GROENING: That’s the nature of animation. When the SIMPSONS finally ends, there will probably be another season and we’ll do a long farewell tour and wave to people.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 3/21/2007 | permalink
Groening On Post-"Golden Age"
GROEN DRAIN
posted 8 March 2007 source the wave
TW: Fans talk of the golden age, seasons three through eight or nine. Now that you're into season 18, haven't there been other phases, maybe a new renaissance?
MG: I don't feel like I want to defend the show to people who don't like it, but I would say that the animation is better, that we're doing shows that I defy anybody to say that we've already done. We're coming up with, I think, ideas that are certainly surprising to us. And the show still makes me laugh. That's all I care about. I hope that it makes other people laugh, too.
For comparison to other executive producers:
Al Jean: "I think the last couple years have been among our best"
James L. Brooks: Season 17 is "a classic"
Matt Groening: Animation is better, surprising new ideas, still makes him laugh
posted 8 March 2007 source the wave
TW: Fans talk of the golden age, seasons three through eight or nine. Now that you're into season 18, haven't there been other phases, maybe a new renaissance?
MG: I don't feel like I want to defend the show to people who don't like it, but I would say that the animation is better, that we're doing shows that I defy anybody to say that we've already done. We're coming up with, I think, ideas that are certainly surprising to us. And the show still makes me laugh. That's all I care about. I hope that it makes other people laugh, too.
For comparison to other executive producers:
Al Jean: "I think the last couple years have been among our best"
James L. Brooks: Season 17 is "a classic"
Matt Groening: Animation is better, surprising new ideas, still makes him laugh
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 3/08/2007 | permalink
Matt Groening Is Ugly
GROEN DRAIN
posted 31 January 2007 source buffalo news
At least according to the author of a new book, Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and Rich: Spike's Guide to Success.
"I'm not saying that being good looking won't get you a date, but as for success - forget it," said [Richard] St. John, who names multimillionaires Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates as examples of that principle.
"I apologize for calling them ugly," he said. "In fact, I think they are just average, but there's an inverse relationship between looks and success. The uglier they are, the richer they are."
Ugly people discussed in the book include Groening, Rudy Giuliani, Barbra Streisand, Russell Crowe, Martha Stewart, Norman Lear, Quincy Jones, the Google founders, the discoverer of DNA and Ben of Ben & Jerry's.
posted 31 January 2007 source buffalo news
At least according to the author of a new book, Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and Rich: Spike's Guide to Success.
"I'm not saying that being good looking won't get you a date, but as for success - forget it," said [Richard] St. John, who names multimillionaires Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates as examples of that principle.
"I apologize for calling them ugly," he said. "In fact, I think they are just average, but there's an inverse relationship between looks and success. The uglier they are, the richer they are."
Ugly people discussed in the book include Groening, Rudy Giuliani, Barbra Streisand, Russell Crowe, Martha Stewart, Norman Lear, Quincy Jones, the Google founders, the discoverer of DNA and Ben of Ben & Jerry's.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 1/31/2007 | permalink
Memoirs of an Ice Cream Man
GROEN DRAIN
posted 9 November 2006 source glide magazine
You've given out ice cream backstage at numerous festivals. Who are some of the artists who have enjoyed your treats and what are some of your favorite moments in how is it received by them?
There have been so many. I just remembered the other day that I once gave Matt Groening and his son some ice cream. He gave me his business card and it had a big picture of Homer Simpson's head on it. That was cool.
posted 9 November 2006 source glide magazine
You've given out ice cream backstage at numerous festivals. Who are some of the artists who have enjoyed your treats and what are some of your favorite moments in how is it received by them?
There have been so many. I just remembered the other day that I once gave Matt Groening and his son some ice cream. He gave me his business card and it had a big picture of Homer Simpson's head on it. That was cool.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 11/09/2006 | permalink
Matt Groening Is A Talking Car
GROEN DRAIN
posted 8 October 2006 source the new york sun
No, really.
posted 8 October 2006 source the new york sun
No, really.
Mr. Mann, whose subjects have included underground cartoonists ("Comic Book Confidential") and avant-garde jazz musicians ("Imagine the Sound"), takes a light, zippy approach to his material. His main conceit is to have much of the story told by the hot rods themselves, voiced by sympathetic celebs like Jay Leno (a car and motorcycle hobbyist), the Smothers Brothers, and "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, with John Goodman as the disembodied voice of Big Daddy himself, speaking to us from the great body shop beyond.
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 10/28/2006 | permalink
Matt Groening Loves Trash
GROEN DRAIN
posted 31 August 2006 source KVOA
As a cartoon animator, Mike Gerard always wanted to produce the best drawings he could.
posted 31 August 2006 source KVOA
As a cartoon animator, Mike Gerard always wanted to produce the best drawings he could.
But when he started work on [the first season of "The Simpsons"], he was astonished to be told that the creators did not want good animation.
...
"Matt Groening (creator of "The Simpsons") was adamant that the show should be about humor, the characters, and that the animation should not look good. That was really difficult for me and I would get frustrated when he would tell me something was too good. So one day I picked up a scene I had thrown in the trash and he loved it."
Labels: GROEN DRAIN
posted 10/28/2006 | permalink
