Simpsons Roundup!

Whooey, it's been awhile.

What can I say, I've been busy. My middle-grade novel, Flotsam, is off to a fantastic start and I hope to have it published sometime in 2011. A lofty goal perhaps, but I feel I've got a solid idea backed by a solid outline and even more solid marketing plan. That's all thanks to my friends at The Institute of Children's Literature, with whom I've been working for the past twenty or so months. It's a great program and I've learned quite a bit about the most lucrative fiction market around - children.

More on that another time. Right now, it's all about...

Whaa! Sideshow Bob! Or is it...?


"The Bob Next Door"
05/16/10
Bart becomes convinced that his new neighbor, Walt, is his archenemy, Sideshow Bob (guest voice Kelsey Grammer), disguised and back for revenge. But when Marge tries to convince Bart otherwise by taking him to visit the state penitentiary, a disturbing truth is revealed."


It's always good to see Bart's old nemesis. No, not Dr. Demento, (although that would be pretty good too). Kelsey Grammar reprises his greatest role, (I know, I know, but I stand by that statement), in this, his one-millionth Simpsons appearance, (or something close). It amazes me they keep coming up with ideas for old Bob, but they do and this one, a take-off of that John Woo classic, "Face/Off," works pretty well.

Everyone is, of course, smitten with their new neighbour, except for Bart, who would know that sultry, sinister voice anywhere, which leads to the best line of the episode: Marge: "A lot of people sound like Sideshow Bob. Like Frasier on Cheers." "Or Frasier on Frasier." "Or Lieutenant Commander Tom Dodge in Down Periscope." That one had me rolling in the aisles.

Bob's plan was refreshingly diabolical as well.
Not only did he go to such lengths as to trade faces with his cell mate, "Why do you keep measuring my face?", he also comes up with a great way to kill Bart without being prosecuted, namely to go to the five corners of Springfield and shoot him in one State, let the bullet hit him in another, have him fall in yet another, and have the police respond in still another State. Taken individually, where's the crime? Moohaahaahaa!

Great to have you back, Bob.

Here are a few other noteable standouts in this, the penultimate episode of The Simpsons, Season 21:

Bart: Mom, can I go?
Marge: Is your room clean?
Bart: No.
Marge: Good, that will give me something to do while you're at the game.

Homer: Aw, nothing is ever boobs or ice cream.

Waitress: All the good men are either gay or have no face.

Also watch for the memorable appearance of Homer's new, new, new neighbour, who moves in after Walt/Bob is shipped back to the big house - Flanders' fast-talking cousin.

Nice touch, guys.

I'll soon be back with my last roundup of the season, plus lots more good stuff, so don't you go surfing around.

Later,

D.A.

Simpsons Round-up!

Man, I've done a lot of these.
I don't know why but I can't seem to churn these out till we're about twenty-four hours away or less from another new one. I think it's new anyway. I'll have to check.

Last Sunday's Mother's Day ep. continued the trend of strong home-stretch outings. Only one or two more left. What really sucks is the finale just so happens to fall on the exact same night of LOST, (dear God, I can't wait!), so I'll have to rearrange my ususal Simpsons-watching tradition. Okay, onto the goodness.

"Moe Letter Blues"
05/09/10
As Mother's Day approaches, Moe narrates an episode in which he writes a letter to Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy, who are vacationing with their children, and threatens to run away with one of their wives. While the trio tries to determine whose wife Moe is referring to, Homer, Lovejoy and Apu flashback to the imtimate moments they inititally ignored between Moe and Marge, Manjula and Helen Lovejoy. But when the boys return from their trip, they're in for the surprise of their lives.


In keeping with season 21's string of firsts, a Mother's Day episode is added to the pantheon. I'm pretty sure this is the first such episode of it's kind, anyway. Perhaps I'm forgetting something. This one was a little out there, which I don't mind, particularly when the last few have been more structured and linear. The narration by Moe seemed like more of a novelty than a story device, but again, there's nothing wrong with a show that's been everywhere and done everthing trying new shit. Thank God there's still new shit to try. I just checked my online source actually and apparently, this story was a loose take-off of the 1949 movie, 'A Letter to Three Wives', so maybe there was some structure in there, after all. Matt Groening has often said one of the show's more affluent inspirations has always been TCM, (Turner Classic Movies). For me too, by the way. Seriosly, that channel's a goldmine.

It was nice to see a few underused faces in the mix. Manjula (not the Jan Hooks version) and Helen Lovejoy. Hell, even Reverand Lovejoy, for that matter, who at least has had a few juicy storylines thrown his way. Also, Mrs. Bouvier, Marge's mom. Glad to see she's still with us, and fiesty as ever. I even caught her talking to her ex, Grampa. Careful, Abe.

Some other stuff I enjoyed was the awesome Itchy and Scratchy silent movie. Perhaps another nod to TCM, the Indian radio station featuring the show, Mahatma or Manotma, The Krusty cruise line, (no doubt, a first-class operation), weasel island, (a great place to get away...and see weasels, lots of'em), Low Blow Boxing and The Zii Dance game, but perhaps the peice de resistance, a guest shot from legendary Price is Right announcer, Don Pardo. You still sound great, Don.

Now for a few funny lines...

Moe: I moved here because on a calculator, the ZIP Code spells "boobs."

Homer: Go ugly up someone else's house, you penis-curling she devils.

Moe: Think of it as a wake-up call from a man with nothin' but a blow-up doll. And even she left me. Shouldn't have used helium.

Manjula: My eyes have more bags than the Darjeeling Limited.
Moe: Hah, that's probably a good one. (That Moe)

Kurt: Milhouse and I are next.
Otto: There's no suspense at your place. Even I hooked up with your old lady. Sorry, kid.
Milhouse: You were my favorite uncle, Uncle Otto.


All in all a fun entry. Onto next week!

D.A.

Simpsons Round-up!

Yes, it's that time again. Time for a r-r-r-round-up! (tryin' something new there, sorry). Gotta say I loved the heck outta last week's episode. Ditto the one before that. This year's shaping up to be pretty strong. Here's the official synop:

"To Surveil With Love"
05/02/10
A bomb squad mistakenly blows up Homer's unattended gym bag, releasing radiation into the city and authorities react by suspending civil liberties. Wiggum and his men install surveillance cameras around Springfield and round up suspected terrorists, inclusing groundskeeper Willie, but when monitoring the nonstop flow of video imagery proves to be too much, Wiggum enlists concerned citizens to help keep the city safe. Meanwhile, Lisa becomes fed up with being blonde so she dyes her hair a dark color.

As I said, a fantastic ep firing on all cylinders.
I thought it had a great story with some truly funny bits. All the stuff about cameras across Springlfield made for very solid satire chock full of biting social commentary. It really felt a lot like The Simpsons of old. I particularly enjoyed the B-story about Lisa going Brunette, (though I never really saw her as blonde; just yellow), and then, of course coming to her level-headed senses. The children's book about 'A Circle in Squaresville' (or something like that) was clever and spot-on. I also dug the bit when Bart found 'the blind spot' with his butt and Homer turned it into a zone of lawlessness. That's my doh-awg!


And now for a few memorable lines:

Mayor Quimby: Is this what the framers of the Constitution would want?
Wally: Well, I'm Wally of Wally's Framers, and this is exactly what I want.

Chief Wiggum: Now, just follow a little formula called PB & J. Peer at the monitor. Be judgmental. And jot it down. One way to remember that is A-B-C. Always Be Considering PB & J. But the single most important rule is the four As. Always Act According to A-B-C.

Queen Elizabeth: I'll miss that Ralph Wiggum. Reminds me of my boy.
Prince Charles: Oh, mummy, my cat's breath smells like cat food.

Principal Skinner: Ralph Wiggum will be standing in for your lectern.
Ralph: I'm a furniture.


Next week it's another new one. I can't remember when there's been this many in one strecch...not that I'm complaining...

Peace out,

D.A.

What Am I Reading? - Today I Am a Man

I suppose I should remame this post, What was I Reading? cuz I finished this one about a month ago already, but I've been meaning to give it a little love ever since, and not just because I'm a friend of the author.

"Today I Am A Man" is a solid first novel by my friend, Larry Rodness, who, as I understand it, has been wrestling with this story in one form or another for many years, first as a screenplay, then a novel. His ability to find a publisher and get it out there is a testament to his hard work, passion and persistence and I, for one, really apreciate that, considering I have a few similar ambitions of my own.

The story is divided, not-quite-evenly, into two perspectives; that of an adult Steve Goldman, (the main character), following a bold decision to dish out a little street justice on his son's fifteen year-old bully - and the other, that of Steve, the young man, a recipient of bullying himself during an adventrous school year in sunny Califoria in the 1960s.
The majority of the story centres on the latter perspective as we learn Steve's sorted history with bullying and the lingering pain that went with it. By the time we get all the details, adult-Steve's motives for protecting his son at any cost are considerably more clear. The title refers, not only to young-Steve's impending Bar-Mitzvah, but also the journey of a thousand steps every boy must endure to discover what it truly is to be a man in this world - namely, taking responsibility for yourself, standing up for what you feel is right, and facing your own problems with dignity and courage.

I found the book to be a solid read with a few neat surprises thrown in. The prose moves quickly and the balance between the two time-periods was well-paced, creating a sense of urgency that kept me reading.

As I write this, Larry is hard at work on the daunting task of selling books. I had the pleasure of attending his book launch at Indigo Books here in Toronto, where he performed a series of selected readings and book signings. Since then, he's done a few more and is actively pursuing write-ups and reviews from around the country and beyond.
Recently, he was reviewed by The Jewish Tribune. You can read it here: http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/201004202899/First-time-novelist-takes-on-bullies.html

Great job, Larry. Keep up the good work and I'll be waiting to read the next one.

D.A.

Simpsons Round-up!

Yikes, maybe I should change the name of this blog to Simpsons Round-up, huh?

For the record, it is my intention to get back to other posts. I've just been really busy trying to get something going and the Round-up allows me to keep one foot in this blog-o-mine. I've recently started writing information articles for Demand Studios, which produces all sorts of content for sites like eHow, Answerbag and others. I'm still getting a feel for it, as I'm not much for non-fiction, (too disciplined), and the guidelines are pretty strict. I am having fun with it, though. Go figure.

Anyhoo, onto the Round-up:

"The Squirt And The Whale"
04/25/10
The Simpsons decide to embrace a cheaper, alternate source of energy by erecting a wind turbine in their backyard. But when Homer realizes some of the power is being directed to the local electric company, he decides to remove his home from the grid and becomes completely dependent on an unreliable source of power. Meanwhile, a storm erupts, trapping a 150-foot long blue whale ashore, and Lisa and Homer attempt to help the poor creature."


This is the kind of quirky, sweet, off-beat story The Simpsons did so well once upon a time and, in the climate of cynical, angry-disguised-as-hip humor The Simpsons actually had a hand in starting, it's nice to see them attempting to buck the trends by being lighter with more artful and heartfelt sensibilities. Don't get me wrong, I love South Park, (as do Mike Reiss and Al Jean as per this week's chalkboard gag). I also think Seth McFarlane is a talented, funny satirist, (despite certain other's opinions). But The Simpsons at its best is so much more than just mean-spirited parody, and even witty social commentary. It is that perfect blend of humor and heart that makes most forms of storytelling work for me and The Simpsons, to their credit, do not seem to have forgotten. They've just been around a long time and produce a much more varied array of stories.
My point is, I apreciate them standing out from the crowd with a simple, dare I say sweeter story to play off the whole Matt and Trey drama. I doubt that was their intention, per se, but it just reinforced for me why the world may still need The Simpsons.

The opening joke about TIC-TAC-TOE: The Movie was classic as was all the stuff about wind energy up until Lisa discovered the whale, Bluella. It was kind of surprising to see them blow up the whale and I actually believed there would be some explanation after the break - but there wasn't. After the whale died and Homer and Lisa tried to save it's mate, I felt they were going for something a little more serious, which threw me in a good way. I'm always delighted to see this show get back to the art of storytelling. Did everything work? Probably not, but as I say over and over on these roundups, most episodes iron out their wrinkles with repeat viewings. I've little doubt this one will live up to that premise.

Here's some other good stuff from the ep:

- The chalk board gag, which read: "South Park--we'd stand beside you if we weren't so scared." (Nicely done)

- Ralph Wiggum's "Kid-power" and Barney's "Burp-Power" at the Energy Expo.

- Homer comforting Lisa, then turning to Bart: "I'm trying to be a sensitive father you unwanted moron!"

- The bits with the endangered sharks and Homer's invisible dog.

Homer: "From now on, the Simpsons are living...intermittently."

Comic Book Guy: "Behold! I am Captain Kirk from Star Trek 1! 2 ... 5 ... Generations ... Boston Legal." (As an unabashed Star Trek fan, that had me in stitches)

Homer: "I'm not made of money, I'm made of man meat and an a skeleton."

Antonine: "Without that horn, I can't make a living."


Next blog will be about something other than The Simpons, folks. Promise.

D.A.