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“Aren’t you going to watch the rest of your cute cartoons?” – Marge Simpson
“Nah, come on Lis.” – Bart Simpson
“Maybe there’s something else to do on this planet.” – Lisa Simpson
Thank Jebus, most of the Lego hoopla has fallen down the internet memory hole and we’ve got a full set of great links for what feels like the first time in forever. There’s crazy people driving a Simpsons car across Australia, tons of cool fan made stuff (everything from Homer as a serial killer to a nice Malibu Stacy cross stitch), some fun lists, several people who agree with us, and the most bizarre Bart(ish) statue I’ve ever seen. Better yet, even though the season finale is two days away, nobody seems to care in the least. A few people linked to the typically lifeless preview video, and that was it. Even the recently announced (and sure to be godawful) Family Guy crossover didn’t get any internet love outside of the dutiful stenography of the entertainment press.
Enjoy.
Are Weezer The Simpsons of the Music World? - Smooth Charlie’s Link of the Week is this excellent comparison of two faded 90s icons that completely agrees with us:
When looking at the latest Weezer song or the latest Simpsons episode, what’s maddening is that they come off as imposters of their past selves – almost like a cover band or bad fan fiction.
Worth the click.
Part I: The End of Easter - There is much discontent in virtual Springfield:
It is no secret that the Easter event was met with a variety of negative emotions; including disappointment, anger, stress, and frustration.
Part II: What Went Wrong - And it’s well justified:
Investing your time was the priority, as it should be. Players who stick with something for years are more likely to buy something down the road, as oppose to this event which clearly just wanted players to invest their money, because there was never going to be enough time to win all of the prizes through regular game play.
Part III: Economic Voices - But not unexpected:
If you truly don’t like these types of events, you’ll have to break the Pokémon mentality (i.e. “Gotta catch ‘em all!”) and accept that you’re not going to be able to earn certain prizes, no matter how often you play the game. Of course this is easier said than done.
Much easier said than done, deliberately so.
Malibu Stacy - Fan made cross stitch with quote. Bravo, Chloe.
Dan LuVisi – Cartoon Heroes As Serial Killers - Very impressive fan made art of just what it says. Homer and Yoshi are particularly cool.
For My Bucket List: With gratitude to The Simpsons - A second “to do before death” list inspired by the family.
Round 109: Lisa’s Wedding vs. Treehouse of Horror XIV - Welcome back, Nebel. (Oh, and Season 6 obliterates Season 15, but you knew that already.)
Losing the Why and How for the What: A Case for Spoilers - There is no such thing as “overfamiliartiy” when it comes to the show:
While I can’t speak to the specifics of the original Dallas story line (as neither was I born, nor have I ever watched Dallas), I have a fair understanding of the story entirely based on my familiarity (some say overfamiliarity, I say go fuck yourself) with The Simpsons episode.
Huzzah.
Wishlist - This is (partially) about collecting the Lego minifigs, but it’s also worth clicking for the awesome Milhouse blog header.
Return of Bartzilla! - We must flee!
From the extended edition. - From the same blog as the above, Marge would’ve made those much better movies.
umm That ain’t me kid. - One more. Heh.
The Zombie Simpsons Family - Not sure of the source, but it’s a black and white image of the family as zombies.
cape_town - Reader Frank C. sent in this picture of a statue in Cape Town, South Africa writing simply “Don’t know what it means, but here you go”. Well put:
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Thanks, Frank!
In Defense Of Zac Efron: We’ve Rounded Up Some Of TV’s Worst Neighbors - You know who’s #1:
The Simpsons — Homer Simpson
Offenses: Uh, let’s see. Being indirectly responsibly for the death or your first wife. Getting you married to a Las Vegas hooker. Not returning borrowed household items. To list them all would require more time than this writer has.
Bad Neighbor Rating: 10.0
The episode where Maude dies sucks, but “War Rocks” always gets me.
List O’ the Week: 20 Worst episodes of The Simpsons (Classic era) – Part. 1 - Oof, picking bad episodes out of Seasons 3-8 seems basically impossible to me, but to each their own.
Scanning the Simpsons - Scanner pictures of the Simpsons Lego characters. Cool.
It Was A Simpsons Sky - Fan poem. Neat.
Why ‘The Simpsons’ Is the Best TV Show Ever - A long love note to the great years of the show.
The Simpsons! - Cool fan made sketch of the family. But how come Maggie’s head isn’t being vomited out by someone else?
It’s The Simpsons! - A handy fan made fact sheet, including the depressing fact that FOX owns the show until 2082.
Tuesday “News:” 90s-Related Media I Discovered Last Week - The 90s Project rolls on.
Simpsons – Gun Accessories - Big screen grab of Homer’s gun purchase.
BREAKING: Beloved TV series eerily predicted Hank Scorpio’s takeover of the eastern United States - A lot of people wrote up that goofy story about Syria’s government blaming the show for something. This one is the best I’ve seen:
OK, first of all, “New Kids on the Blecch” is a mediocre effort at best. The boy band parodies are OK but too on the nose, and the navy stuff is just flat. Second of all, say whaaaaaa?
Toy Review – LEGO Simpsons House (71006) - Serious minded review of the Lego set:
I also really like the items the family gets. Not just the things like the couch and a kitchen table, but they also get a piano, and accessories for every bedroom. It also may be the first product to feature an official LEGO toilet.
If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.
GAME REVIEW: The Simpsons – Bart vs The World - A review of the second Simpsons game. Bonus points for using the Sega Master System version instead of the NES one. Don’t see that much.
A “Simpsons” and “Family Guy” crossover episode is coming whether you like it or not - Oh, relentlessly positive corporate PR, don’t ever change:
Fox chairman Kevin Reilly was delighted to share the news, saying, “Generations of fans will be talking about this one.”
What was I laughing at now? Oh, yes, that crippled Irishman.
Yeppoon trio ready to drive The Simpsons through the bush - Some rather awesome people are going to drive a Simpsons themed VW Bug around Australia. That license plate is fantastic.
Chomet the way to Springfield: Sylvain Chomet on turning TV’s favourite family French and the virtues of hand-drawn animation - A little more about how that couch gag came about:
The 50-year-old can trace his relationship with The Simpsons back to when he had a studio in Scotland while working on The Illusionist. “We had this actor, Harry Shearer, who does a lot of voices for the show, including Mr Burns,” he explains. “He said ‘you know they [Groening and long-time Simpsons producer Al Jean] really like your work’.”
Even in its senile years, Harry Shearer does what he can to brighten Zombie Simpsons. Also, that would be the animated 2010 The Illusionist, not that crappy 2006 Edward Norton movie.
The 10 Worst Simpsons Episodes of All Time - A perfectly cromulent list:
With that in mind, we present the 10 worst episodes in The Simpsons’ history. Unsurprisingly, none of these episodes come from the peak of the show’s run, when it was considered nigh universally great. Perhaps surprisingly, they all come from a period in the show’s run even later than the time when you most likely stopped watching. (You’re such a quitter.)
I kinda thought the talking bar rag would be higher, and there’s no Lady Gaga, but those were all certainly terrible and forgettable.
Product Launch – AUS: Duff Beer - The real Duff soon won’t just be for Aussies and tourists at Universal Studios:
Duff has only been available previously through counterfeits and imitations.
“Australia as a beer-loving nation felt like the perfect place to launch the official Duff Beer,” a spokesperson told just-drinks.
A global roll-out over “the next few years” is planned, the spokesperson added.
I’ll bet it is.
The Simpsons x Johnny Cupcakes - The merchandising has now reached the frosted arts.
THE SIMPSONS x CONVERSE JAPAN JACK PURCELL SLIP-ON JP - Also, more shoes.
The Simpsons 25th Anniversary 5″ Celebrity Guest Stars Action Figure – Series 03 - And more collector crack.
Brief thoughts on the Simpsons - This is far gentler on Zombie Simpsons than I’m willing to be, but this is a pretty cool story:
When I was five my family was called by the Nielsen people wanting to know what we were watching on television, it just so happened that we were watching a very early episode of the Simpsons. While I might not have fully understood what I was watching, I knew that I liked the show. I can remember my mom telling the woman on the phone that we enjoyed the show and hoped to see more of it.
Crossover: The Simpsons x Family Guy - I smell another cheap cartoon crossover.
The Simpsons: The first year - Our old friend Stefan Grasso does an epic writeup of the entirety of Season 1. He concludes:
25 years later, the show’s producers had betrayed Groening’s original vision, causing The Simpsons to become the same mainstream trash that Groening didn’t want to make, and that’s where The Simpsons had gone wrong. Unfortunately, by the time Mike Scully’s reign of terror ended, the damage had already been done.
I maintain that Scully attracts way more blame than he deserves, but there’s no arguing that when he stepped down the show was kaput.
Nielsen Infographic: How Long It Takes To Binge Watch Popular TV Shows - Uh, Nielsen? I think you’re missing one there.
The Simpsons Sucks Now - And finally, I get to end the way I prefer, with someone who epically agrees with us:
We have been sucked dry by the series and have little to show for it aside from distant memories. The Simpsons sucks now.
Gone are the detailed plots that show the shenanigans of the town. There is no longer a running story. The episodes now are simply a one and done experience. We are hit over the head with “guest appearances” and it is painful. It legitimately upsets me how little the writer’s care about the loyal fans who have been keeping up with the show for the 20 plus seasons.
Preach, brother. Preach.
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