TVSquad

Those of you who read my Simpsons reviews know I'm somewhat of an apologist for the series, defending it against those who say it's no longer a worthwhile show. I will say, however, that I don't think newer episodes always earn the emotional resonance they strive for. Many of the episodes from the first few seasons were genuinely heart-warming, but that emotional center isn't as prevalent in later episodes, though I hasten to add it's not gone completely.

In a brief interview on Rotten Tomatoes, voice actor Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Barney, Krusty the Clown, many others) talked about how doing voices for the movie was different than doing voices for the TV series. James L. Brooks, who has helmed such blockbusters as Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets, and has been an executive producer on the series from the very beginning, helped direct the voice actors to get them to enhance the emotional aspects of the characters. The result, says Castellaneta, is a movie that will be not unlike the TV series, but with levels of emotion reached that don't necessarily work on the small screen.

The movie comes out July 27.

Thanks to fellow Simpsons nut Wild Bill for the link.

(S02E04) Although I am a big fan of this show, I was never high on the Randy character. Except for a few moments here and there, I thought his non-sequitors and otherwise sheer "dumbness" brought each episode down or notch or two. That is, until last night's episode, where Randy shined like the noonday sun.

I mentioned in an earlier post where I expected to see more character development this season, and we're already seeing it with a good chunk of time devoted to Joy and Catalina. However, last night we saw the spotlight on Randy, and we learned that despite his "Baby Huey" persona on the outside, he really is a sensitive soul looking for love and respect. (Aren't we all, on some level?)