Simpsons still on top

According to the BBC Simpsons have been nominated for numerous awards, "Animated comedy The Simpsons is leading the charge for the Writers Guild of America's (WGA) annual broadcasting awards, with five nominations. The series was one of five nominees for best comedy series, along with Entourage, Weeds and previous winners 30 Rock and The Office."

Read the whole article.

The Simpsons Movie

I know I have posted about the the Simpsons Movie before but I found a comment that completely resonates with my feelings toward the movie. Robert Matheson is responding to a movie review that lauds the Simpsons Movie. Robert mirror my precise feelings! You can read his wonderful comment here.

Mixing it up with the Simpsons!

The Church of England has caused quite a stir! One of the Church's Archbishop has written a book to try and stimulate church attendance with young teens involving the Simpsons and their ideas concerning religion. This is from Christianity Today. And this article is from ABC News.

Make sure to read the first comment someone posted on Christianity Today it was very interesting and I completely disagree with this persons comment especially his/her tone.

The Simpsons have Soul

I have been finding a slew of very fascinating articles pertaining to the Simpsons and religion here is one more article that is very thorough and as always thought provoking. The article is written by John Dart who was formerly the LA Times Religion writer. I hope by presenting these last few articles in previous posts you may now understand the intricacies and complexities of The Simpsons.

Simpsons and Religion

I found an excellent article at "Simpson Crazy." It's about The Simpsons and how the show deals with religion specifically Christianity, here is an excerpt, "As cartoonist Matt Groening's show approaches a new season Sept. 26, it continues to be a source of controversy, now drawing criticism from a Roman Catholic watchdog organization. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights cited several jokes about the church. In one case, pressure from network officials this past season forced the show's producers to alter a line about the Catholic Church from the original show when the program aired in rerun this summer." Read the full article it was very intriguing.

Ned Flanders

Ned Flanders is Homer's next door neighbor. He is the epitome or trying to be of a Christian, he is also rather "square" or lame. Homer hate Ned with a passion, though in a few episode's Homer befriends Flanders but by the end of the episode everything is back to "normal." I found a great article about Ned here is an excerpt, " Ned Flanders, the endlessly optimistic neighbor of Homer Simpson, has emerged as an unlikely icon for churchgoers, who say they are embracing their inner nerds." Read the whole article here. Though I don't agree with some points the article makes it does paint a wonderful picture of Ned Flanders. Here is a another bio about Ned. Also, this is a flash-site that has some fun sound-bites from Ned (if you have never heard Ned talk I highly suggest you go listen).

Simpsons' Quotes

I stumbled upon this website, "The Simpsons Quotes." I found it quite useful and you can actually find quotes categorized by who said them or what the quote pertains too (i.e. religion, life theme etc.). It's a useful site considering the different ways the quotes are classified making it easier to find something specific but it is by no means exhaustive. Here is the link!

The Burns and the Bees

I just recently watched the newest episode of The Simpsons and I very much enjoyed it! It's a wonderful example of Lisa's character, Mr. Burn's character and Homer. It's the epitome of how the Simpsons use to be in the earlier years. It's an awesome I episode thoroughly enjoyable. Just watch for the things I've talked about regarding Lisa and Homer.

Maggie Simpson

Maggie Simpson, is the youngest Simpson, she always has a pacifier in her mouth and is wearing her blue "onesy." She never speaks except for a few instances (At the end of the Simpson's Movie, and in a few other episodes) she is most seen taking a few steps and then tripping on her onesy hearing a thud as she hits the floor (she is never hurt). She shot Mr. Burns and whilst the Simpson cast assumes it was an accident the audience is led to believe otherwise. She is also noted to have an impeccable shot with a rifle. Many times Maggie has been shown to have a child prodigy like intellengice especailly since she is one year old. She knows what a VCR remote is used for, spelling out "E=MC sq" with toy blocks, communicating with bears, Maggie shows Lisa an "Aztec" flashcard after seeing the Olmec head, doodling 'Maggie Simpson' on an 'Etch-A-Sketch,' spells "redrum" on blocks ( Here is the Link if you'd like to read more). Here is an another short bio on Maggie.

Hulu

Hulu is a great way to watch full episodes of the Simpsons among many other programing. There are about only 3 commercials per 20 minutes of viewing. It has a good amount of episodes and if you miss a new episode Hulu has it up the next day. The video quality is amazing and you can watch anything in Standard Definition (360p) or High Drfinition (480p). Also, Hulu provides closed captioning for all of it's media which is most likely a first in streaming video.

Here is the link to the Simpsons section of the site.

Lisa Simpson

Lisa Marie Simpson is the middle child and first daughter of Homer and Marge Simpson. Lisa is 8 years old; she attends Springfield Elementary and is in 2nd grade. Her intelligence far exceeds her age she has an IQ of 156. Lisa enjoys playing her saxophone; (She is quite good) reading Moby Dick, teaching Maggie (her baby sister) about Zebus, Aztecs and many other things that are far above her age level. She has also ridden a public transit bus across Springfield to the other side of town. Though, Lisa usually scolds Bart for his unruly antics, she has on numerous occasions teamed up with him to terrorize the people of Springfield. Lisa is a foil for many characters on the show, she is the one solving problems and saving the town from destroying itself over a minor issue.

Here is a very thorough article on Lisa.

The Simpsons Many Philosophical Uses

The Simpsons have been cited and used for philosophical teaching purposes in the classroom.
This is from a BBC article pertaining to the hidden wisdom one can glean from the Simpsons:
"The Simpsons is more than a funny cartoon - it reveals truths about human nature that rival the observations of great philosophers from Plato to Kant... while Homer sets his house on fire, says philosopher Julian Baggini. With the likes of Douglas Coupland, George Walden and Stephen Hawking as fans, taking the Simpsons seriously is no longer outre but de rigeur.It is, quite simply, one of the greatest cultural artefacts of our age. So great, in fact, that it not only reflects and plays with philosophical ideas, it actually does real philosophy, and does it well.How can a comic cartoon do this? Precisely because it is a comic cartoon, the form best suited to illuminate our age."

Read the full article here.

Also, there is a published book, "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer" I first saw this book in the Bethel bookstore under the philosophy section of course and I was immediately intrigued. Here is the publishers website

Here is another article about the Simpsons in philosophy.

Homer Simpson

The Simpsons most well known character is Homer Simpson. Homer is the father of the family with his three kids Bart, Lisa, Maggie and his wife Marge. Homer is a very dynamic character throughout the series seasons. In the earlier seasons (seasons 1-8) he is seen as mis-happen prone, crazy scheme inventing bumbler. Yet he cares deeply for his family and never tries to maliciously hurt anyone. He sold his ticket on the Duff blimp to enter Lisa into a beauty pageant to help raise her self-esteem, among many other things. Though as the show progresses into the later seasons Homer becomes stupider and less aware of other's feelings and the consequences of his actions. However, in Season 20 Homer seems to be caring once again and more aware of his actions as cited in episode 5 season 20 Dangerous Curves.

Here is a small biography about Homer: Click Me!

This is what John Frink & Don Payne (from Esquire) have learned from Homer: Click Me!

Marge Simpson

Marge Simpson is the wife of Homer and mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. She was raised by her parents, Jacqueline and Clancy Bouvier. She has a pair of sisters, the joyless Patty and Selma, both of whom vocally disapprove of Homer. In "The Way We Was" (season two, 1991), it is revealed via flashback that Marge attended Springfield High School, and in her final year met Homer Simpson. She was at first wary of Homer, but agreed to go to the prom with him, although she ended up going with Artie Ziff. However, she regrets going with Artie and ends up with Homer. After the two started dating for several years, Marge discovered she was pregnant with Bart, and she and Homer were married in a small wedding chapel across the state line. Lisa was born soon after, and the couple bought their first house. The episode "That 90's Show" (season 19, 2007) contradicted much of the established back-story; for example, it was revealed that Marge and Homer were childless in the early 1990s although past episodes had suggested Bart and Lisa were born in the 1980s. As with many Simpsons characters, Marge's age changes to serve the story. In season one (1990) episodes "Life on the Fast Lane" and "Some Enchanted Evening", Marge is said to be 34. In "Regarding Margie" (season 17, 2006), Homer mentions that Marge is his age, meaning she could be anywhere between 36 and 40. Marge has been unemployed for most of the series, choosing to be a homemaker and take care of her family. However, she has held several one-episode jobs in the course of the series. These include working as a nuclear technician alongside Homer at Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in "Marge Gets a Job" (season four, 1992), owning her own pretzel business in "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" (season eight, 1997), and working at an erotic bakery in "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes" (season 20, 2008). While Marge has never expressed discontent with her role as a homemaker, she has become bored with it. In "The Springfield Connection" (season six, 1995), Marge decides that she needs more excitement in her life and becomes a police officer. However, by the end of the episode, she becomes upset with the corruption in the force and quits. An original idea the animators had for when Marge walked through doorways was that her hair would be forced down as she walked through, then once clear of the door, it would spring back and forth. This was never used. According to Matt Groening, the original idea behind Marge's hair was that it would conceal large rabbit ears. The gag was intended to be revealed in the final episode of the series, but was scrapped early on due to inconsistencies, and also to the fact that rabbit ears would be too fictitious even for The Simpsons

Montgomery Burns

Montgomery Burns' biggest accomplishment is he once attempted to block out the sun to force Springfield residents to increase their use of electricity produced by the Nuclear Plant and was subsequently shot by Maggie; Homer Simpson has claimed to have been the one who shot Burns and framed Maggie for the crime in "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Three Times." The town routinely is subject to Burns' abuse and there is a general dislike of him throughout the town. Burns resides in a vast, ornate mansion on an immense estate called Burns Manor, located at 1000 Mammon Street, on the corner of Croesus and Mammon streets in the 'Springfield Heights' district. It is protected by a high wall, an electrified fence, and a pack of vicious attack dogs known as "The Hounds even though they are most likely German shepherd mix," one of whom is named "Winston." At times, he has employed for protection a force of Wizard of Oz-style guards, a personal paramilitary force, a riot police squad, and a robotic Richard Simmons. The inside of the mansion includes a room containing a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters, a bottomless pit, a human chess board, the largest television in the free world, a 'Hall of Patriots' commemorating his ancestors, a laboratory, a botanical garden of vultures bearing his likeness, a safe containing a Beefeater guard, a model train that takes 3 hours and 47 minutes to complete its circuit and comes back with snow on it, and a theater showing round-the-clock plays regardless of whether there is an audience. The mansion is also home to many rare historical artifacts including the only existing nude photo of Mark Twain, the suit Charlie Chaplin was buried in, King Arthur's mythical sword Excalibur, and a rare first draft of the Constitution with the word "suckers" in it. Burns has been engaged at least three times: a woman named Gertrude who died of loneliness and rabies, to Jacqueline Bouvier, and to a policewoman named Gloria. He once had an affair with Countess von Zeppelin.

Burns' state of mind is the subject of frequent jokes on the show. At times, he appears to be completely removed from modern conventions and, sometimes, reality. He continually fails to recognize Homer Simpson or remember his name, despite many of the recent major events in Burns' life having involved Homer in some way. Burns is also for the most part unaware of the townspeople's general dislike of him. His lack of knowledge was showcased in "The Burns and the Bees", in which he is shown to have no knowledge of 20th Century history past the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Mr. Burns uses archaic phrases and old time expressions that have either changed meanings or fallen out of common usage in American English, including score (meaning 20), twain (two), post-haste, petroleum distillate, velocitator and deceleratrix (a car's accelerator and brake. He also answers the telephone in the same way that the man widely credited for the invention of the Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, is purported to have answered it ("Ahoy, Hoy?"). In one episode, he also rings Smithers and says, "Smithers, come here, I want you." A take on what are reputedly the first words spoken by Alexander Graham Bell on his telephone. He also displays mannerisms which are considered outdated, such as practicing phrenology, writing with a quill pen, driving a Stutz Bearcat while wearing an Edwardian motorist's outfit which includes hat, driving gloves, and goggles, carrying a mace for self defense, driving without regard to traffic laws in the manner of early 20th century motorists, and using an antique view camera to take photographs. In Homer at the Bat, to secure victory in the game, Mr. Burns decides to hire major league stars and assembles a team that includes Honus Wagner, Cap Anson, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, and a right fielder who has been dead for 130 years.

Charles Montgomery Burns was named Forbes #6 richest fictional character! Here is the full article.