NEWS OF THE NASAL THE BROOKSOSPHERE
Al Jean, executive producer and current showrunner:
Al Jean, executive producer and current showrunner:
"Nobody's perfect," Mr. Jean said in a telephone interview. "But I don't think we have terrible secrets to hide."John Ortved, author of The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History:
The story ran in the August 2007 issue, and by the fall I'd signed on with Faber and Faber to expand the material into a book. When word of this got out, [executive producer James L.] Brooks sent a letter to every current Simpsons employee, and all the former ones he thought mattered, asking them not to speak to me. The writers' agents sent denial after denial for interview requests and eventually stopped responding altogether. When I asked a mutual acquaintance to put in a query with Ari Emanuel, chief of the Endeavor agency (now WME Entertainment) - where many of the Simpsons writers were represented - Emanuel told my friend he couldn't even begin to talk about it. James L. Brooks was on the warpath.
Labels: NEWS OF THE NASAL, THE BROOKSOSPHERE
posted 12/26/2009 | permalink
Nobody Wants To Hire Simpsons Writers
WRITER WATCH
Newsarama tried to stealthily ask showrunner Al Jean why he's been showrunner for the past nine years, and he answered that the writers haven't been getting offers to work on other comedies and that comedy might finally be back on the upswing. I guess all those Judd Apatow-produced movies and animated comedies (some of them not created by Seth MacFarlane) and single-camera sitcoms like Arrested Development and The Office that have popped up in the past couple of years were actually part of a downswing?
Newsarama tried to stealthily ask showrunner Al Jean why he's been showrunner for the past nine years, and he answered that the writers haven't been getting offers to work on other comedies and that comedy might finally be back on the upswing. I guess all those Judd Apatow-produced movies and animated comedies (some of them not created by Seth MacFarlane) and single-camera sitcoms like Arrested Development and The Office that have popped up in the past couple of years were actually part of a downswing?
Nrama: But haven't you always had a philosophy of keeping the writers rotating? It kept new blood flowing.[Newsarama]
Jean: Well, it was never a philosophy. There were two dynamics at work. In the 1990's, there were a lot of comedies on the air. People who were on 'The Simpsons' got all these offers to work elsewhere. So they would leave, often to head their own projects. So we'd replace them.
This decade, unfortunately, comedy has not been doing so well. If people are doing a good job, then I keep them. So it doesn't rotate as much. Still, I'm encouraged by this year's ratings. Comedy might be back on the upswing. 'American Family' has started off really well.
Labels: NEWS OF THE NASAL, WRITER WATCH
posted 9/26/2009 | permalink
The Simpsons is Four Times Better Than The Daily Show
NEWS OF THE NASAL
After twenty years on the air, it should be hard to come up with fresh, new ideas for the show, right? Not so, says executive producer Al Jean:
After twenty years on the air, it should be hard to come up with fresh, new ideas for the show, right? Not so, says executive producer Al Jean:
If you look at The Daily Show, which is obviously on daily, I mean, they're still hilarious after ten years. And we're only on weekly, so we really have the liberty of picking and choosing the ideas that we turn into episodes. The world is a very interesting place and The Simpsons is a great way to view it.See, The Daily Show comes on four times a week and it's hilarious. Well, what if you took only the best parts of those four episodes and crammed them into one episode a week? That would be four times as hilarious, and that's what The Simpsons is, apparently. [TV Squad]
Labels: NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 9/25/2009 | permalink
Homer Votes For Change, Al Jean Becomes Showrunner-For-Life
NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 14 October 2008 source wonkette
In the opening of the upcoming annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, Homer attempts to vote for Barack Obama, remarking that "it's time for change," but his EVIL ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE marks it as a vote for John McCain. A scuffle ensues, and the machine ends up killing him. (SPOILER ALERT: The previous two sentences may contain spoilers).
posted 14 October 2008 source wonkette
In the opening of the upcoming annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, Homer attempts to vote for Barack Obama, remarking that "it's time for change," but his EVIL ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE marks it as a vote for John McCain. A scuffle ensues, and the machine ends up killing him. (SPOILER ALERT: The previous two sentences may contain spoilers).
In an eerie parallel, Al Jean has entered his eighth consecutive season of running the show, more than any other showrunner's "term of office" in the show's history. If his two years co-running the show with Mike Reiss during seasons 3 and 4 are taken into account, Jean will have been a showrunner for half the show's run by the end of this season. Is it time for change? Even Homer thinks so.
Labels: ANNOYED GRUNTS, AZTEC THEATRE, CRYSTAL BALL, NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 10/14/2008 | permalink
Ringo Starr No Longer Accepting Fan Mail
NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 14 October 2008 source the av club
Was the scene in "Brush With Greatness" where Ringo Starr personally answers 25-year old fanmail based on real life? It certainly seems that way, as the former Beatle has kindly asked his fans not to send him any more mail after October 20th. Does this mean he expects to die in late 2033? Developing...
posted 14 October 2008 source the av club
Was the scene in "Brush With Greatness" where Ringo Starr personally answers 25-year old fanmail based on real life? It certainly seems that way, as the former Beatle has kindly asked his fans not to send him any more mail after October 20th. Does this mean he expects to die in late 2033? Developing...
Labels: NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 10/14/2008 | permalink
Al Jean: "I Think The Last Couple Years Have Been Among Our Best"
NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 3 February 2007 source ign
You know those episodes I executive produced? Yeah, they're some of the best ones ever. Not really that surprising if you think about it. I'm pretty much the King Midas of the show. I know it looks like I'm bragging but I'm actually being quite modest here.
posted 3 February 2007 source ign
You know those episodes I executive produced? Yeah, they're some of the best ones ever. Not really that surprising if you think about it. I'm pretty much the King Midas of the show. I know it looks like I'm bragging but I'm actually being quite modest here.
Labels: NEWS OF THE NASAL
posted 2/03/2007 | permalink
