"Stark Raving Dad," the season three opener of The Simpsons, is a hilarious and heartwarming half-hour. It reminds me of the show's best days when it delivered that perfect blend of bizarre humor, social commentary and unexpected sweetness. I'll be one of the millions tuning in this Sunday when Fox re-airs the ep as a tribute to uncredited guest star Michael Jackson.
Like Joel reminded us last week, the King of Pop provided the voice for Leon Kompowsky, a large and loveable brick layer who says he is Michael Jackson. In the episode, Homer is charmed by Leon and brings him home from a mental institution, where the rest of the family eventually falls in love with him. The sweetest moment comes at the end when Leon and Bart perform a birthday song for Lisa.
Michael Jackson's impact on TV's infallible mammoth The Simpsons goes far deeper than we previously suspected.
In fact, Jackson is probably one of the many creative minds who helped the show and its characters move into more musical territory and become an even deeper part of global pop culture. When you're a king, you have all sorts of powers, so you might as well use them for the good of your kingdom.
That's why when I become king, I will order all television networks to play nothing but Top Gear and Robot Chicken and that episode of Married...With Children where Al meets a stripper named Rocki Mountains. Anyone who tries to stop me will be thrown into a cell without the benefit of trial and forced to watch reruns of Cop Rock and AfterMASH until their eyes stop working and/or melt right out of their skull. Whadaya gonna do about it? I'm the frigging king!
When I heard that Michael Jackson died, I tried to think of how his career touched the world of TV. What surprised me was that he utilized TV much more than most people realized: from his first appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, to his groundbreaking MTV videos and moonwalk on Motown 25, to even the coverage of his court battles, Michael has been as much a TV fixture as a musical fixture.
But when I think of MJ on TV, my mind will always drift to his memorable appearance on The Simpsons. It was the first episode of the third season (all the way back in -- gulp -- 1991), in an episode called "Stark Raving Dad." Homer is thrown in a mental institution for wearing a pink shirt to work. In there, he meets a huge galumphing patient named Leon Kompowski, who happens to sound like Michael Jackson. Leon leaves with Homer (he's there voluntarily) and helps Bart write a stirring birthday tribute to his sister, "Happy Birthday Lisa."
This wooden Simpsons couch can be yours for only $5000 or so!
It's one of 1500 displays that were sent to movie theaters when The Simpsons Movie came out. Now it's being sold on eBay. You can either bid on it or buy it now for the above price. Might be kind of fun to have the show's couch in your living room next to your own couch.
Gadgets have always fascinated me. And it's not because of what you can do with them. It's what you CAN'T do with them. The day my microwave can cook my dinner, then feed it to me while it's cleaning my toilet, de-crumbing the toaster, and doing my taxes is the day my interest in gadgets dies.
The most impressive aspects of gadgetry are how much you can customize them to fit your taste and personality. Just a few years ago, having a Dilbert screen saver that didn't send your hard drive into an epileptic fit was the epitome of "personal" computing.
Now you can change the way it looks from every angle, the way it thinks, and even the way it talks. TomTom unveiled a new voice skin for their GPS devices. Now Homer Simpson, the actual voice of Homer Simpson voiced by Dan Castellanetta, can guide you to locations and it doesn't have to be a dispensery of donuts.
Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.
Returning Summer:Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, So You Think You Can Dance
Returning Fall/Winter:24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse,, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, 'Til Death (for some reason), So You Think You Can Dance (yeah, two separate seasons summer and fall)
Gone:Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill (though there's still episodes in the can which will air sometime next year), Prison Break (a 2-hour film is being produced that may air next year), Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
New:Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Glee (sneak peek tomorrow), Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show (late night Saturdays)
The schedule and some details on the new shows after the jump.
Was there a theme for last night's animated shows on FOX? First The Simpsons has an episode about letting a neighbor (in this case, Ogdenville residents) into Springfield and then building a fence to keep them out. Then King of the Hill had an episode where the guys battled with a new family from Canada. I actually thought that the King of the Hill episode was funnier, though I did love that one joke where Krusty eats one of his new environmentally-friendly burgers, but it's really a stunt-eater eating it in a close-up.
In the closing credits of The Simpsons last night, this video was played instead of the usual closing theme song. It's not new (it was actually recorded in 2000), but it's the first time it was played on the show. It's the singing group Canvas, doing a rather clever a cappella version of the theme. For some reason, I thought the one shown last night was slightly different than this (more of the closing theme than the opening theme), but their web site says this is the one played last night.
I can vividly remember a time when The Simpsons was the hot new show that every parent had to keep away from their kids or Child Protective Services would show up and take them away. So every time I see the newest thing that The Simpsons are on this week, I can feel myself aging.
I love The Simpsons. It has been my all time favorite show as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen. So I have to have the coolest Simpsons stuff. But every time I see Bart on a TV shirt, I can feel my hair turning gray and thinner.
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of The Simpsons, Fox is going to premiere an episode outside of the United States for the first time ever. The day of this occurrence is today, March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. The country of choice is Ireland and the episode of the show is, naturally, a special St. Patrick's Day-themed episode.
I'm reminded of that episode of South Park called "Simpsons Already Did It". There really aren't many firsts left for a series that has gone on for twenty years, but this would be one of the remaining ones. Will they be following it up with a special Passover episode that premieres in Israel on that holiday?
There are many who feel The Simpsons are past their prime, but I really think the only limits to this show are the imaginations of those who are responsible for it (and the lifespans of the voice actors). Bring on more!
I've often heard from married guys that the best way to test your loved one's love is to change the wedding plans at the last minute to something completely outrageous. I'm assuming they mean an idea more outrageous than marriage.
If you're a football fan, tell them you want a cake in the shape of Dick Butkus' head -- or John Madden, if you've got more than 100 people. If you're a Star Trek fan, tell your bride you want a Mr. Spock impersonator as your best man who will say in his toast, "After today, I now understand this human emotion called love."
The whole thing sounds like a foolproof escape plan, which would explain why married guys are the ones who keep thinking of it. But for one groom who is organizing a Simpsons themed wedding, it seems to have either backfired or fulfilled his deepest dream.
Fox just sent word that they've picked up The Simpsons for two more seasons. So, if you've stopped counting, that means the FOX staple will have completed 22 seasons and an astonishing 493 episodes by the time this pickup runs out. I'd imagine they'd want to push for 500, so don't be surprised to see a 23rd season, as well.
Look, say what you will about what the show has become; it's not as funny as it used to be, it doesn't make news anymore, blah blah blah. It's still quite shocking that in this day and age of quick-trigger-fingered network executives that any show can last as long as The Simpsons has.
I knew the Church of Scientology had a lot of reach in Hollywood to enlist big names like Tom Cruise, Edgar Winter and the guy from Taxi who keeps popping up on celebrity weight loss and rehab shows.
But now they have either grown too powerful or have completely lost whatever grip they had left on reality, which wasn't a whole hell of a lot to begin with. They have recruited a cartoon character.
Bart Simpson's voice appeared in a phone recording advertising a Scientologist gathering in Hollywood that was clearly voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Of course, the audio found its way to the Internet. 20th Century Fox has been scrambling to pull it off every corner of YouTube ever since Perez Hilton broke the story and Fox made him remove it. You can hear it here before Fox spoils the fun for the rest of us.
After I read the press release about The Simpsons 20th year poster contest, one thought came to mind: Fire Prevention Week. If you were raised as a clean-cut boy and/or girl in the America of the last few decades, you'll recall the week in either September or October where you got to climb up on the firetruck parked in the school parking lot and learn all about fires from an honest-to-goodness firefighter. There was also an obligatory poster contest to create free press material for the fire departments in the area.
No matter how hard I tried, I could never win one of those contests. It usually went to someone who spent their time drawing pictures of Camaros on the back of their Trapper Keepers during math. And what do these people do now? Well, they draw Camaros on the back of Trapper Keepers. But, they get paid for it now. Anyway, for some reason that's where my mind went when I thought of this Simpsons' contest.
"Stark Raving Dad," the season three opener of The Simpsons, is a hilarious and heartwarming half-hour. It reminds me of the show's best days when it delivered that perfect blend of bizarre humor, social commentary and unexpected sweetness. I'll be one of the millions tuning in this Sunday when Fox re-airs the ep as a tribute to uncredited guest star Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson's impact on TV's infallible mammoth The Simpsons goes far deeper than we 
When I heard that 
Gadgets have always fascinated me. And it's not because of what you can do with them. It's what you CAN'T do with them. The day my microwave can cook my dinner, then feed it to me while it's cleaning my toilet, de-crumbing the toaster, and doing my taxes is the day my interest in gadgets dies. 
Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.
Was there a theme for last night's animated shows on FOX? First 
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of The Simpsons, Fox is going to 
I've often heard from married guys that the best way to test your loved one's love is to change the wedding plans at the last minute to something completely outrageous. I'm assuming they mean an idea more outrageous than marriage.
One of television's most beloved and historic television shows is undergoing a major change tonight. 
I knew the Church of Scientology had a lot of reach in Hollywood to enlist big names like Tom Cruise, Edgar Winter and the guy from Taxi who keeps popping up on celebrity weight loss and rehab shows. 
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
