D'OH! UNTO OTHERS ON THE EVE OF EPISODE NO. 300, THE BRAINS BEHIND 'THE SIMPSONS' REFLECT ON THE SHOW'S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.Byline: David Kronke Television Writer CONSIDER for a moment a hypothetical episode of ``Friends'' in which Ross trivializes the power of prayer, throws a decadent beer bash in a church and plays air guitar on a cross in his underwear. NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. would likely be burned to the ground by outraged former fans. Last Sunday, Homer Simpson did all that. And more. Not a peep. ``I was told by the censor that when we aired that, that would be the end - not just of 'The Simpsons,' but of civilized America - and I haven't heard a thing,'' says Al Jean, ``Simpsons'' head writer and executive producer, backstage before an event commemorating tonight's 300th episode of the comedy juggernaut at the Museum of TV and Radio. ``Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced 'greɪnɪŋ', rhymes with raining helpfully points out, ``This wasn't the first time we had Homer dance in his underwear in church. Actually, last time he was naked.'' ``But last time he wasn't playing the cross,'' Jean notes. ``And also, he got his comeuppance come·up·pance n. A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one's just deserts: "It's a chance to strike back at the critical brotherhood and give each his comeuppance for evaluative sins of the past" ; he was punished by God in the end,'' Groening adds. ``In our show, you box with God and he electrocutes you. You know, there was a story I read on the Internet that 'The Simpsons' is recommended viewing at some Baptist church, so they can talk about it at Sunday school Sunday school, institution for instruction in religion and morals, usually conducted in churches as part of the church organization but sometimes maintained by other religious or philanthropic bodies. In England during the 18th cent. . And the article came out just before that episode aired, so I'm wondering if that's still the policy.'' If not, that may be the only place not obsessively tuning into ``The Simpsons,'' which will become the longest-running sitcom in television history, since its contract runs through May 2005. It's hard to believe, given its stature today, that when the animated show erupted on the TV landscape in 1990 (after appearing in brief vignettes on ``The Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born 30 December, 1959) is a British-born, now U.S. citizen comedian, actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, and author, who is most famous for being the host of her eponymous variety television show. Show'' from 1987-89), Bart's rebellious nature and the show's anarchic an·ar·chic or an·ar·chi·cal adj. 1. a. Of, like, or supporting anarchy: anarchic oratory. b. Likely to produce or result in anarchy. 2. wit pegged it as an insidious menace to all that is good and noble in our society. ``We were going to bring America down back in 1990,'' Groening says wryly. ``Either our critics and detractors have gotten tired of complaining, or today's outrage is tomorrow's beloved classic.'' ``It's amazing what a difference 14 years can make,'' says Robert Thompson Robert Thompson may refer to:
Indeed, the accolades keep pouring in for this series that threatened to rain anarchy upon our shores. Time magazine declared it the best TV show of the 20th century, and last week, the cast appeared on ``Inside the Actors Studio Inside the Actors Studio is the Emmy-nominated, longest-running original series on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. It is produced and directed by Jeff Wurtz. .'' Jean - who estimates that the show has blown through more than 100 writers in its 14 seasons - says the secret to the show's enduring freshness is simple: the unique nature of executive producer James L. Brooks' deal with the network. ``His deal stated no network notes - we've never had a network note in the history of the show.'' ``Successful shows become templates for endless imitation, and certainly there were some animated shows that followed us,'' observes Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943 in Los Angeles, California) is an American comedic actor and writer. Shearer, a voice actor on The Simpsons (1989 to present), provides the voices of Mr. , who provides voices for Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders Nedward 'Ned' Flanders is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He and his family live next door to the Simpsons. A devout Christian, he is generally considered a pillar of the Springfield community, but is often overly pompous in nature. and virtually half of Springfield. ``And yet, no network ever said, 'Hmm, intelligent, satirical comedy - gee, there's a formula to copy.' '' Here's life in a comedy factory: This past week, Jean and Groening were working on three different episodes from two separate seasons. They were dissecting dis·sect tr.v. dis·sect·ed, dis·sect·ing, dis·sects 1. To cut apart or separate (tissue), especially for anatomical study. 2. the rough-sketch, pencil version for next year's - season 15's - ``Treehouse of Horror'' episode. They were huddling with the writers on next season's Christmas episode. And they were mixing the sound on episode 301, which brings us to one of the most-asked questions of ``Simpsons'' talent. ``The episode that's most vivid in my mind is the one we're working on, and now the one airing (tonight) is one of my favorite My Favorite is an independent synthpop band from Long Island, New York. They released two CDs: Love at Absolute Zero and Happiest Days of Our Lives. My Favorite broke up on September 14, 2005, when singer Andrea Vaughn left the band. shows,'' Groening said. ``The 301st episode - we stacked them a little awkwardly,'' Jean interjects drolly. ``The best one comes after the milestone.'' ``Lisa's in an international spelling bee spelling bee n. A contest in which competitors are eliminated as they fail to spell a given word correctly. Also called spelldown. Noun 1. , and that features George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. Biography Plimpton was born in New York. He attended St. Bernard's School, Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University. making fun of himself - he's kind of a villain in this,'' Groening explains. Jean elaborates: ``He beats Lisa - his own candidate wins the spelling bee - and he says, 'Now I'll go back to doing whatever it is that I do.' '' Tonight's 300th episode, in which Bart discovers he was a child star as an infant and that Homer blew through all his money, includes a surprisingly timely gag at Michael Jackson's expense. ``They can change little things in the animation, like a few frames, at a late date,'' explains Yeardley Smith Yeardley Smith (IPA: /ˈjɑrdli/; born July 3, 1964[1]) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress and voice actor who is known for providing the voice of Lisa Simpson on the animated television series , who brings Lisa to life. ``It's very expensive and quite complicated, but if the payoff is gonna be that good, they'll spring for it.'' ``What turns out to be the most surprising thing about the show's longevity for me is how flexible we can be, and still keep people caring about the characters,'' Groening notes. ``The show is able to do all sorts of things - there are no hard and fast rules that we can't violate,'' he continues. ``We have rules, but we violate them for a fantastic joke.'' Jean manages to come up with one thing ``The Simpsons'' wouldn't try: ``There are some things you just wouldn't want to see - if Homer ever beat Marge, for instance.'' Groening qualifies that: ``No bruises, at least. Meanwhile, it's OK for him to be abusive to Bart.'' Having reached the 300th-episode milestone, just how long can Homer continue to torment Bart (and vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. )? ``Episode 307,'' Groening deadpans. Jean considers the question more seriously. ``There's already a season 15. A 16th season if the cast returns. The cast getting tired is the only thing I can think of that could stop it.'' Smith notes, ``It won't happen to me! I don't foresee the actors making that decision.'' ``The ratings actually improved from a year ago,'' Jean adds. ``So I can't answer. In season three, I thought eight seasons would be great.'' ``It's not like Fox has much else,'' Groening shrugs. ``Unless they go all reality - and that's always a possibility.'' THE SIMPSONS What: The series' 300th and 301st episodes. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 8 tonight. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) ``I read on the Internet that 'The Simpsons' is recommended viewing at some Baptist church, so they can talk about it at Sunday school.'' Al Jean, ``Simpsons'' head writer and executive producer |
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