Hugh Laurie on The Simpsons

TV Guide has the first look of Hugh Laurie's character on The Simpsons on November 7th.  They definitiely got the face right, but I think the body is a little too perfect. Might give Flanders a run for his money ;-)

Check out the pic and Laurie's friendly words about The Simpsons here.

Recap: "MoneyBART"

Oh no, I'm running way behind...don't worry expect a full recap soon :-)

Recap: "Loan-a-Lisa"

Coming soon :)

Controversial Banksy Opening to The Simpsons

The latest Simpsons beginning has been getting a great deal of press. The titles for "MoneyBART" was made by a controversial British artist known as Banksy. When I saw this news on EW, I was in shock because I was only confused by the new opening. I saw it's meaning about mass production and it's relation to underpaid asian workers and sweatshops, but I couldn't understand why they decided to do this.  I thought it was just another Ke$ha thing, but I had no idea how attention it would get. But I have to admit I love seeing The Simpsons on the news for being provocative and controversial. It's like the olden days :) Check out the Banksy opening on Hulu and check out more work from Banksy here.

Daniel Radcliffe on The Simpsons First Look

Check out a first look of Daniel Radcliffe's Vampire Character on The Simpsons via Mugglenet. I'm so excited for this episode!

Recap: "Elementary School Musical"

Cable TV Listing episode description: Marge sends Lisa to a performing arts camp, where counselors and fellow campers inspire her to embrace her creative side; upon returning to Springfield, Lisa grows restless with her boring suburban life."
Check back soon for a full episode recap!

New Season of The Simpsons

The new season of The Simpsons starts September 26th (tonight). I will be writing episode recaps for this new season as well. I haven't been able to keep up with a lot of the news this summer, but I plan to get back into it with this new season. I hope you all had great summers. In terms of pop culture I've been watching Big Brother

As usual, the Amazing Race is also starting tonight, so the recaps won't be next day recaps, but always check back a few days later. Enjoy the episode tonight :)

Glee Cast on the Simpsons

As previously mentioned, some members of the cast of Glee will be on The Simpsons this season. And here is your first look at Rachel and Finn courtesy of EW.com.  Also look for details about the episode.

Follow Homer Simpson on Twitter

Not sure if this is an official account, but the daily updates are fun :)
You can follow Homer here --> http://twitter.com/HomerJSimpson

The Simpsons Guest Stars for this Upcoming Season

There's been a lot of news lately about the guests that will lend their voices for this upcoming season of The Simpsons.  The names include Halle Berry, Paul Rudd, Jon Hamm, Martha Stewart, some stars from Glee, Kristen Wigg, Cheech and Chong, Danielle Radcliffe (I mentioned that before), Mark Zuckerberg, Russell Brand (not too sure) and the return of Ricky Gervais. 

The news of Ricky Gervais' return is super exciting. I thought he was super funny during his appearance and I had absolutely no idea who he was. 

Looks like this will be a memorable season of the show and they The Simpsons are irrelevant....

Check out a bit of British Humor from Ricky Gervais' appearance on The Simpsons below and get some additional info from EW.com.

Avatar Spin-off! and some other Avatar News

Well the unexpected turn out for a critically panned The Last Airbender is that they will be making an Avatar: the Last Airbender spin-off.  The spin off is entitled Avatar: The Legend of Korra and will follow a teenage girl named Korra who is a waterbender avatar 100 years after Aang. I read somewhere that she will live in a town where Benders are looked down upon (kind of like the mutants in X-men). Are you excited? Check out a some interesting and in depth info from MTV.

In other news, I read in Indian Express  that Dev Patel was really disappointed by The Last Airbender and it's general reception.  Unfortunately for him, he was really trying to develop a career in the movie business and starring in a flop puts him at a disadvantage.  I feel sorry for the guy, but these things happen.  I doubt he'll get a part in a remake of the film, but hopefully he'll find work somewhere.

Short Summer Movie Reviews

I've officially started my summer movie viewing season. So far I've to two huge blockbuster summer films, Toy Story 3 and Eclipse.  Check out my brief reviews below (coming soon). My next movie will probably be The Last Airbender despite horrendous critic reviews (hence my lack of movie news).

Sex & the City 2
So my first brief review is of Sex & the City 2. I think I wrote about this movie before, so I'll real short. It was insufferable, fake and a disappointment. I don't care to see the DVD and I rather just pretend like the movie was never made.

Iron Man 2
This sequel was not as disappointing as SATC2, but it wasn't exactly astounding.  It was funny, had good characters (I thought Whiplash was a good addition), but I didn't really feel a good connection to the characters and their problems.  It's been a while since I've seen this movie, so I don't think I have much else to say.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Overall, this movie was pretty good. I admit I've mostly enjoyed these movies for their eye candy, so I can't say that the plot has really been a deciding factor for me.  I fell in love with Edward in Twilight and drooled at Jacob's abs in New Moon, this movie didn't really have that factor.  There was no new hot dude, although Riley was defiinitely attractive.  However, the story, special effects and just the look of this movie was great. The actors have obviously learned to act without being awkward.  There were some awkward lines ("I'm hotter than you"), but they didn't distract from the interesting and well paced plot. I would definitely recommend that you see it.

Toy Story 3
So, I wasn't really sure I was going to see this movie in theaters, but after hearing about how brought most viewers to tears I figured it wouldn't hurt to see it in the movie theaters in 3D.  I am so glad that I made that decision.  This movie is one of the best of the year.  I guess it meant a great deal to me because Toy Story was one of the first kiddy movie that I saw as a child.  It was also the first feature length computer animated film, so the touching story of Andy giving up his toys meant a great deal to me.  I managed not to cry by the end of the film, but it did solidify to me the significance of this film in my life.  I would say see it enjoy it and even buy the DVD.

Inception
WOWWW!!! I think that is the one word that sums up this movie to me.  This film pretty much established that Christopher Nolan is my favorite director.  Before I saw the film I read an article about some of the films Nolan directed which includes many of my favorites like The Dark Knight, The Prestige (blew my mind), and Batman Begins.  But by the end of the article I learned that he also directed Memento another movie that blew my mind and really challenged the way I thought a movie story could be told.  I decided from that moment that if I really liked Inception Nolan would be my fave director. 

Now, I've already said that he is my fave director, so now you know that I loved this movie.  First of all the look of the movie.  I love a movie that is clean cut and clear. Second, the cast.  All members of the cast were good characters, believable, and good looking.  Third, but most importantly, the intricate and intense plot.  A lot of reviewers said that the movie was really confusing, but luckily it wasn't that confusing. I didn't really grasp a moment at the end, but I was able to get through the story with a good understanding of everything that happened. The ending was open ended, but I feel like that it didn't need to end any other way.  A huge part of my appreciation for this movie is that I decided not to overanalyze it.  I think Lost took away my ability to get too deep into what can be an inexplicable plot.  I've learned to "let go" and enjoy something for what it is.  So, no, I didn't go home thinking about kicks and totems.  Instead I went home thinking about the incredible and challenging experience that I had in the movie theaters.  It could only compare to The Prestige, which I also saw in theaters. I hope to see this movie again soon, but in IMAX. Can't wait! If you haven't seen it yet, see it now!

Still haven't seen The Last Airbender and may not be able to (they're not playing it in the city much), but hopefully I'll get a chance to see it soon.  There no other movies on my movie horizon at the moment, but I hoping to see some other things and give some more reviews in the future.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had it's grand opening in Universal Orlando studio last week. I wish I was there :( but there has been a lot of great coverage from  MuggleNet (my fave Harry Potter website)and The Leaky Cauldron.  Check it out when you can :)

Update: Happy I didn't go...an 8 hour wait would be too much for me and I LOVE Harry Potter.

Futurama Premeires Tonight!

If you're a huge Futurama/Matt Groening/Simpsons style drawing fan tonight is the night you've been waiting for.  Futurama premieres on Comedy Central tonight at 10pm. I guess I'm a little late, but just in case you didn't know you can tune in now or scan for the repeats.  I'm personally not a fan of the series, but I just want to support Matt Groening and any fans out there with this post.  Enjoy having you're fave show back.

2010 Summer Movies

I don't think there has been a year that I've been less excited about Summer movies.  This is probably because the few movies that I have seen have been pretty underwhelming.

The first movie I saw was Iron Man 2. I guess it was more like a Spring movie, but I consider it Summer anyway.  It had it's funny moments (Tony Starks competitor) and exciting moments (Whiplash at the race track), but it still didn't make it to that epic level of the first Iron Man.  The final fight was really short and the overall movie was kind of long. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but it didn't live up to my expectations.  It was a typical sequel...not as good as the original. 

The next movie I saw was Sex & the City 2. Once again another sequel and an unneccessary one at that.  I saw the scathing reviews, but I thought I loved the show and the first movie.  So, I figured it would be one of those times that being a fan would make it better, but I was wrong.  I tried to like it, but the storyline didn't move me and didn't even really entertain me.  It was trying to hard and was a little too much.  I felt that stories like Miranda quitting her job could've been explored a little further versus Carrie and Big's boring relationship (I think I like it better when they're fighting or struggling with their relationship).  The part in Abu Dhabi made them seem like ignorant Americans versus worldly women of New York City.  I expected more from my NYC girls.  So yeah this movie got a thumbs down from me, I'm not getting that DVD.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any other big movies, but I do have a new obsession that I might be blogging about in the future. It is called Avatar: The Last Airbender.  The movie The Last Airbender is coming out on July 1st or 2nd (I've seen 2 different dates). I just started watching the show about 3 weeks ago on Nicktoons and I have to say it is a really interesting show.  It is so well thought out that it reminds me of the Harry Potter books and as a AVID Harry Potter fan that is saying a great deal.  I love Aang, Sokka, Katara, Zuko, Iroh...everybody.  This is the one movie that I'm hoping won't disappoint me this summer. Hopefully, I'll catch some news to keep everyone informed :-) In the mean time check out the trailer below.

Homer Best in 20 Years

Homer is officially considered one of greatest characters of the last 20 years. I have to say I'm not surprised. Almost any character on the show could've easily made it on the list in my opinion. Check out an EW interview with Matt Groening and Dan Castellaneta at the link below. Congrats to Homer :-)
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/09/simpsons-matt-groening-dan-castellaneta-greatest-character-homer-simpson/

FIFA World Cup

While the Simpsons are in repeat and the summer shows have yet to begin, the perfect distraction is Football! By football I mean soccer of course.  The World Cup started this past Friday and so far the games (especially the USA vs. England game) have been pretty good. I watched my first World Cup in 2006 and it's great for it to return with the players I still remember. The games are daily and air on ABC and ESPN. I encourage you to check at least one USA game before the cup ends on july 11th.

Also check out the Nike Football ad below.  At around 2:22 you see Ronaldo kicking the ball past Homer. Who says Ronal-doh! Gotta luv it. The Simpsons are everywhere.

Recap: "Judge Me Tender"

I'm super late on this recap, so I'll keep it brief, but as informative as I can based on my notes.

Well, the chalkboard was really interesting because Bart wrote "End of Lost: It was all the dog's dream."  This was particularly striking because Lost had just come to a beautiful, but disappointing end.

The episode starts with Bart and Homer giving Santa's Little Helper a makeover, so he can win the ugliest dog contest at their local dog expo. When they arrive at the expo Lisa and Marge begin to explore.  The get to a booth where Flanders has Jesus fish that bred himself. Lisa asks him "So that natural selction was the origin of the species?" (Some good old Darwin evolution talk) Initially Flander agrees, but when the fish attempts to evolve and walk out the fish tank, Flanders stops it and says not on my watch.  Meanwhile at the ugliest dog contest Moe, who can't find a seat at the contest,  argues with Krusty over the quality of his judging.  Moe then shows that he has good judging skills, one of his judgements include saying "PETA called saying you could kill this one" to describe one really ugly dog. When Bart presents Santa's Little Helper's backside as his dog he wins the ugliest dog contest.

After the contest, everyone in town is impressed with Moe's judging skills.  Moe is then picked to judge the crazy beard contest. In order to close the bar early he has the flicker the lights to make Homer and the rest of the drunks to leave like pests or rodents.  This leaves Homer to spend more time with Marge which actually freaks her out.  After messes up the house she drives Homer to a sports bar, but he only feels out of place.  Back at home Homer does more dumb stuff like taking apart their washing machine. Abe encourages Marge to push Homer toward golf.

After the beard contest the Rich Texan encourages to judge/hate on a great deal of  other contests including the bonsai, bully, and car competitions.  Moe then goes to LA to judge on American Idol. Moe meets Simon Cowell and Simon reveals that he is impressed by Moe, but he also encourages Moe not to be the mean judge because it will make him lonely. Everyone is mean to Moe and even Ralph curses about him while Simon just blends into the shadows with his black shirt.  After the first performance of an American Idol contest Randy used all his usual comments ("dog" "pitchy" ....the usual), Kara said you rocked it, Ellen just rambled on, and Moe loves the performance due to Simon's encouragement. Finally, Simon gives very harsh feedback and even mocks Moe's comments. Moe realizes he has been doubel crossed and attempts to kill Simon with a broken coke bottle (classic Moe <3). During the struggle, Moe is encouraged by Ryan to keep the bottle's label toward the camera, but he quickly hauled away by security.

Meanwhile, back in springfield Marge has to stop Homer from getting addicted to golf.  Moe returns to Springfield and is back in the bar.  He laments that he didn't rip out Simon's voice box, but is comforted by the fact that he did stretch out his shirt. There was bit with Murdoch and Jay Leno at the end, but my notes aren't clear. Overall, the episode was an okay way to end the 21st season. I love Moe, so that helped. Having all the Idol judges (the old ones) was good, too.

My Goodbye to Lost :-)

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I started watching Lost right before the second season premeire.  They were airing reruns of the 1st season on ABC in anticipation of the second.  I remember wanting to watch the series premiere, but I was hooked on some other show, so I only saw bits and pieces during the commercial break. I was interested, but too committed to my other shows.  But once I caught the pilot I was hooked.  I had so many questions that I knew I had to watch the second season to get on with my life. Little did I know the questions would not be answered and each season I would be presented with more questions than answers.  Still I loved every moment of it (minus Strangers in a Strange Land...you know the infamous Bai Ling/Jack's tattoo episode). 

On Sunday night (in May) the series ended and I wasn't disappointed. I got the hint from the creators (Damon and Carlton aka Darlton or Cardam) that there would probably be little answers, so I let go of my expectations and took the episode for what it was. I can only describe the finale as beautiful.  It's difficult to remember moments where I wasn't trying my best to fight back tears. The tears started with the Jin and Sun reawakening, came back full force with the Claire and Charlie reawakening, and as the episode concluded in the church and Jack straggling back to the bamboo forest where he first met the island they wouldn't stop. The pictures from the credit were just as painful to watch. I couldn't believe that that's where it began and that the journey was over.  No more Tuesdays where I turn up the tv and prepare to get LOST.  It was like an escape to a world beyond comprehension and that forced me to go to message boards and led me to EW.com (my fave pop culture website).

Although the series is over and many questions were left unanswered (why were Walt and Aaron so special? What were the exact effects of the Incident?), but I felt that it was still a very satisfying finale.  I haven't been through many planned series finales, but if they were all as touching as these I would always be satisfied (I'm looking at you Simpsons).  Just wanted to say thank you to Darlton and J.J. Abrams for creating such a wonderful show that really changed what TV meant to me and thank EW's Doc Jensen for both illuminating and spoiling a lot of the show for me.

Can't wait to find my next TV addiction.  It's comforting to know that there are some decent summer shows coming up like my fave Big Brother and new additions like Bad Girls Club (yup there is a summer season in the works) and Jersey Shore (I'm sure nothing will top the original, but there is always hope).

Until next time.

Recap: "The Bob Next Door"

Recap coming soon. The Survivor finale is my excuse this week. Oh yeah and my laptop will be unavailable for a few days :-)

In this episode of the Simpsons they took the concept of craziness to another level, but that made it even more enjoyable. However, I am getting ahead of myself. This episode e started with the City of Springfield going through a budget crisis. At a town hall meeting they decide to make cutbacks. These cutbacks mean no more dead animal cleanups (cut to a scene where Krusty is shipping these dead animals for use at Krusty Burger). They also decided to release all low level criminals who do things like steal grapes and take multiple newspapers out of those weird newspaper boxes. Many people decide to sell their homes and move to Detroit for better lives (and that’s saying something).


As a result of all this movement the Simpsons get a new neighbor. Lisa and Marge are already fond of him after seeing his furniture and his hybrid car. Bart decides to introduce himself to new neighbor, but is freaked out when the stranger says “hello Bart” in a voice extremely similar to that of Sideshow Bob’s. But Walt, that’s the neighbor’s name, argues that he sounds like a lot people including Frasier

Everyone in town is smitten with Walt because he is really nice, but Bart remains suspicious. He tries to prove Walt is really Sideshow Bob by tempting him with Gilbert and Sullivan songs. They sing Three Little Maids from the Mikado (I think that’s the name of the musical), but Walt is shows no desire to join them. When Walt is out Bart searches his house and this forces Marge to take Bart to jail to check if Sideshow Bob is still there. When Marge arrives with Bart in the prison the prisoners start to catcall her, but in true fashion once she announces that she is married they leave her alone and apologize. When they arrive at Bart’s cell they see Sideshow Bob with pen in his mouth writing things on Bart dying. This comforts Bart, so he leaves with Marge. But Bob manages to escape when the guards attempt to help him as he chokes on the marker in his mouth.

Back at home Walt offers to take Bart to a baseball games and Bart happily accepts. While on their way to the game Sideshow Bob shows up at the Simpsons’ home and he is immediately attacked by Homer and Marge. But he manages to tell them that he is the real Walt Warren and it is believable because his voice is nothing like Sideshow Bob’s. They then wonder who is with Bart. We then cut back to the scene where “Walt” is driving Bart to the baseball game, but they drive right past the stadium. When Bart asks about them passing the theater “Walt” uncurls his feet from the tiny shoes and reveals that he is the really Sideshow Bob. He also uses this as an opportunity to sing all the Gilbert and Sullivan he wants.

Bob then explains how he performed a face transplant while in prison in order to take on Walt Warren’s appearance. And because Walt was a mild offender he was released a low level criminal. Back at home with Marge, Homer and Walt they search Bob’s home and find a room where he has dozens of pictures of Bart with knives through them (“Man that guy does not like Bart”). So, Homer and Marge take the car and go after Bart and Bob. Bart and Bob stop at rest stop and a diner waitress pulls a loose thread she finds on Bob’s neck and it loosens his face and it falls off and he rushes away with Bart. Walt, Homer and Marge stop at the same space and she pulls a loose thread on Walt’s collar and his Sideshow Bob face begins to fall off and the lady becomes convinced that she won’t find a man with a face that won’t fall off. She also convinces Homer and Marge that Bart has been taken to Mexico, but Warren heads in another direction because he isn’t convince

So, Bob takes Bart to the 5 corners in order to shoot him from on state, get hit in another state and then die in a third state which would make prosecution impossible. And he declares that it would be the “Best murder since Snape killed Dumbledore!” I was super excited to hear this Harry Potter reference, but Bart was disappointed because he hadn’t read the Half Blood Prince yet. Bob argues, and rightfully so, that it’s a 4 year old book. So, Bob tries to kill Bart, but Bart hops into the same state as Bob every time he moves. Eventually Walt arrives, steals Bob’s gun and tries to save Bart, but a Bee underneath his face distracts him and Bob gets his gun back. Meanwhile Homer and Marge are trying to translate Taco to a street vendor in Mexico. Luckily, Wiggum and police from many states show up to help them out. They found them because all hybrids have tracking devices because of the government. After Bob is put back in jail Ned’s cousin Ted Flanders moves in next door which equals pure torture to Homer- “Stop! Stop!”

Overall it was an awesome episode. I thought they would have been out of good Sideshow Bob ideas, but this was good. I was happy they decided to leave out his Italian family; they weren’t really fun for me. I especially like the whole loose thread bit. Great penultimate episode to this season of the Simpsons.

Eclipse Stars on Oprah

I know I should be writing my Simpsons Recaps right now , but I just wanted to put up some pop culture news while it's sort of fresh. So the principle cast of the Twilight series was Oprah this past week. Only Oprah has the power to do this while the trio are at the height of their fame. So she spoke Robert about his crazy fame, Kristen about her shyness, and Taylor about his muscles...or at least that's how I remember it. 

Some notable things were Rob's sense of humor he used to be as shy and nervous as Kristen, but I now feel he is a lot more comfortable and is able to be really funny. It also helps that he is goodlooking and has a natural charm about him. Taylor seemed rehearsed, but was well spoken as usual. Kristen explained her general shyness/nervousness and Oprah hugged her for it, but it didn't help with her stuttering (but I get it...it is OPRAH!)

Overall though it was an awesome special. I forgot to mention Dakota Fanning, but she was forgettable. If you haven't seen it yet there's probably a video on Oprah.com.

Recap: "Moe Letter Blues"

Watching the 7:30 Simpsons because I know I'll miss the 8pm episode. Once again, I can't watch them because tonight is the Amazing Race season finale (let's go Cowboys!). I think I'll be able to catch next weeks episode though. Until next time :)

Well a quick update, the Cowboys did not win the Amazing Race. Disappointing, but it's been a while so I'm already over it. But onto the Simpsons.

This touching episode began with Moe leading the narration. He mentions something about zip code spelling boobs (80085), but we move to the Moe’s bar where all the fun is going on. As Homer rides Barney like a bull, the camera pans to Moe tells the camera to get off of him because he narrating. He then talks about how as a bartender he knows about all the problems his patrons deal with, specifically Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy.

We then join the Simpsons watching Krusty a few days before Mother’s Day. During a commercial break they learn about a place called Weasel Island that is perfect for Mother’s Day. They encourage families to go to the Island and leave the mom’s at home, so they have free time to do whatever they want (sounds realistic right?). Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy are all sold on the idea, so they take their families to Weasel Island. But while on the boat they receive a letter from Moe stating that while they’re gone he intends to leave town with one of their wives. Before going to commercial Moe laments that narrating is hard, but Don Pardo argues against him saying that he makes a lot is very happy doing it.

So, Homer, Apu and Reverend Lovejoy attempt to contact their wives, but they can’t get a signal with their cell phones. When they reach Weasel Island they each contemplate their marital problems in an attempt to figure out if their wife is likely to be stolen. Homer shares about the time when the in-laws visited. He remembers taking a picture of Patty and Selma and calls them “penis curling she devils.” This obviously made Marge really upset.

Meanwhile on the island Bart reenacts Civil War by putting the Apu’s octuplets in jail. Lisa notes that Bart knows his history of cruelty, but luckily the kids know how to fight back. They then go on rides. The ride operator tells Bart and Lisa “you had that scar before you got on,” Bart asks “what scar” and the operator responds “oh you’ll find out.” Eventually the ride stalls.

We then learn about Apu’s recent issues. He obviously cheated on Manjula, but he then he thinks about a time that Moe was able to witness his issues. This leads Apu into a recent issue he and Manjula encountered in their marriage. He tells Homer and Lovejoy about how his family got caught in the rain afar a cricket match and they were all extremely miserable. They stop by Moe’s in order to use the rest room, but once they leave and arrive home they discover that one of the kids was missing. Just in time they get a call from Moe letting them know that he has the kids. Although assures them that he is by no means threatening them, it would be welcome if they brought a million dollars in exchange for the kid. But he emphasizes that it is not a required ransom. Manjula decides to go back for their 8th child, but when she returned she smelled of beer and pickled eggs which now worries Apu. But Homer who happened to be there that night is able to assure Apu that all they did was play the Zii’s Dance Evolution game to Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” Another great song featured in the Simpsons.

Next, we get in Reverend Lovejoy’s marital problems. We learn that his wife Helen is mad because they don’t talk. His adviser tells him that Helen is mad and is about to blow. Moe shares his problems with Helen who is the town gossiper, so this in a way was Moe comforting her. Apu reveals that he saw Helen touching Moe’s knee. This new information makes everyone want to get back to town to see which wife was stolen. But before they go Lisa needs help get the carousel horse off of her.

When they arrive in town Homer finds Marge packing and he assumes the worst. Luckily it turns out that she is just painting. We then see Helen telling Rev. Lovejoy that she leaving, but it turns out that she is going to Istanbul with him, so they’re fine. This leaves Apu and he knows it and he is very sad. However, it turns out that Moe convinced Manjula to stay with Apu.

It turns out that Moe’s actions and letter were his attempt to help his friends fix their marriages and encourage them to appreciate their wives. The episode ends with a Mother’s Day tribute with pictures of mother’s accompanied by the “I’ll Always Love My Mama” song. So nice.

Overall, I really enjoyed the episode and it’s surprisingly direct message for Mother’s Day. I thought it would be an episode with some wacky attempts by Moe to steal their wives, but was surprised to find that Moe would do something good for their marriages. I think Moe is symbol for all of us to be more appreciative of what we have in life.

Recap: "To Surveil with Love" Coming Soon

Sorry that I'm running behind on Simpsons recaps, but last week was my birthday and shortly after that I got really sick and finally I lost my home internet connection (thank God for my smartphone...Droid!!!). As soon as it's back on I'll get the last recap up and I'll also get a chance to see this Sunday's episode (I reallyyy want to see that Ke$ha moment). Check back soon :)

Well, I saw the Ke$ha title moment and it was a pretty good. I'm surprised that they managed to animate that whole thing while the song was still relevant.  In the clip a lot was going on, but there were cool moments like Bart singing Diddy's lines and Otto getting a little bit tippppssy.

fsWell the episode itself started in Moe’s bar where Duffman and co come by to refill the beer. While there they gave out a ton of free swag including Duff USBs. When Homer gets home he shows off all his free stuff including his Duff earrings. Homer uses his duff bag to bring things to work and when Smithers tells Mr. Burns about excess nuclear waste, Burns tells him to put it in Homer’s bag. When Homer goes to the Union Station to try their mac and cheese, he leaves his bag unattended it causes a ruckus in the station. When the authorities, which include a look alike of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character, detonate it there is a massive nuclear explosion. It’s considered a terrorist attack, so the mayor hires a British anti-terrorism consultant. This consultant is qualified because he tackled the problem of overzealous flower sales people (very My Fair Lady) and also encouraged the use of surveillance in Britain.

Meanwhile at school Lisa is invited to join the debate team after showing her use of logic. It’s the perfect extracurricular it requires no funding, so it can’t be cut. But they still manage to take away Ralph and the throw up kid who were being used as podiums. During one of her first debates Lisa takes on a girl named Meghan. Initially, Lisa does well, but soon Meghan starts to degrade Lisa for being a blonde. This makes the judges take her less seriously and undervalue her arguments.

When they consider using surveillance to help secure Springfield during the town hall meeting Lisa argues that it is an infringement upon their rights. But Lisa point is dismissed because they think that she is just a dumb blonde. When the call for the vote, they ask those in favor say cheese. Most people in the auditorium say cheese. They then asks those who disagree to say I hate America. Lisa almost says it, but stops just in time to realize that she and any others who disagree were being tricked.

Marge buys Lisa a book entitled Sally the Circle when realizes that Lisa feels out of place due to her blonde hair. But the dismal ending doesn’t help Lisa feel better. Even Bart starts to feel low when Krusty decides to make blonde jokes about boys. Lisa decides to do the unthinkable and dyes her brown. Lisa competes in a debate with her new brown hair and she receives compliments like “she is as bright as her hair is dark.” Once she finds that they convinced by her hair she exposes her blonde roots and they are all scandalized. She uses this as an opportunity to denounce all stereotypes. She tells them that not all blondes are dumb, not all fat people are jolly (Comic Book Guy is mad that Comic Con may be moving to Anaheim), and that some old people can drive.

Meanwhile, the cameras are installed and the cops hire a group of Butt-in-skis (includes Ned and Marge) to surveil and reprimand the townsfolk through the use of a nagging speaker. Marge is not comfortable with the position because she feels like she is prying and she is uncomfortable with Maggie watching people in a gay bar who she thinks are a part of Sesame Street (they really did look like Bert and Ernie and Big Bird). Ned really annoys the townsfolk with all his prying and judging. While mooning Flanders Bart discovers a blind spot for the cameras behind his house. When he tells Homer they begin to charge people to access this space and do whatever they want in the blind spot. Cletus’ wife drinks some alcohol to stop the kicking of her unborn child and they even drag race for about 2 feet. They try to hide it from Marge, but she finds out tells Ned and the blind spot terrifies him. He tells Rodd to make sure that they both stay in the house, but he replies that Todd’s not in the house (he’s being fed mice in the blind spot).

When Ned sees the area for himself he describes it as compressed super evil. In the end, they reach an agreement and decide take down the cameras (they use crossbows like normal people). That ends the episode of American Oafs, which is the reality show that the consultant made out of the Springfield footage. The Queen is upset, but not more upset than her Ralph-like son Prince Charles who ends the episode with the classic line: “my cat’s breath smells like cat food.”

Recap: "The Squirt and the Whale"

"South Park- We'd Stand Behind You if We Weren't So Scared" and thus begins another high profile moment on the Simpsons. My Google Alerts have been going crazy with this homage to South Park by Simpsons writers. I'm just getting around to watching the episode now (I know I should of watched it earlier since LOST was a repeat tonight [still Ab Aeterno is an incredible episode], but I've been distracted).  Expect a recap of the whole episode soon, especially now that my internet is reconnected.

So, this episode starts with Bart and Lisa watching a trailer for a movie called Tic-Tac-Toe: X vs. O.  It is very Star Wars like, but Homer quickly puts the plug out of the TV. He does this because he their electricity bill is really high and quickly goes around the house pulling out all things that run on electricity in their house.  Lisa urges Homer to consider alternative energy and go to an expo featuring these innovations in energy.  But before they leave the house Homer turns on all the lights in order to deter criminals.  But Snake, who is waiting outside, is just annoyed that they think he is stupid enough to be tricked. So they go to the expo and they go to a booth for the Royal Danish Wind Society and learn about wind energy.  Homer decides to buy a fan although they said it would take him several lifetimes to pay it off.

When they install the enormous fan, Homer decides to cancel his electricity and declares "the Simpsons are off the grid!" (great for a Earth Week episode).  But living off of wind power alone proves to be very difficult.  They don't live in the Windy City, so when the wind stops blowing they are left with no electricity.  This leads Homer to declare that "the Simpsons are living intermittently."  When the Zii goes off Bart and Lisa fight and when the air starts to decrease in the kids' bouncy house they start to get wary.  Eventually, Homer uses regular fans powered by Ned's electricity in order to keep his fan going.  When Ned complains Bart and Lisa are forced to take turns pushing the fan, so they could watch TV.  But their luck changes when a storm comes to Springfield and they receive so much electricity that the TV lights are like X-Rays.

The next day Lisa and Bart decide to take a ride to the ocean.  There they find a beached whale that Lisa names Bluella. Lisa cares deeply for the whale, so she encourages people to keep it wet.  She even enlist the help of her dad.  He leads a group to try to push the whale into the water and a group of boats that try to pull it into the water, but all their efforts fail.  One night Lisa reads Bluella stories for Walt Whitman.  When she wakes up she finds that the military is using Black Hawks to lift the whale into the water.  Lisa is thrilled, but she when the whale jumps into the sky and floats in the stars she realizes that she is dreaming.  When she wakes up she finds that Bluella has died.  This was a really sad moment for me. I couldn't believed that it was dream sequence and that the whale actually died, but it got worse...more on that in a second.

Well Homer tries his best to comfort Lisa (Homer to Bart: "I'm trying to be a sensitive father you unwanted moron"), but she is still really hurt. Meanwhile, Bart and Milhouse head to the beach to poke the whale (it'll be the biggest dead animal we've ever poked).  But when they get there they find the police and other townsfolk attaching dynamite to the whale.  They then blow up part of Bluella and whale chunks fly everywhere.  This part of the episode really shocked me! I mean I guess it shows what they do with beached whales when they die, but it was pretty brutal and disgusting. Or maybe I'm just a sensitive person. 

The mayor then declares that they will make use of all parts of Bluella's body.  They Bluella perfume (I'm guessing it smells pretty fishy, but then whales aren't fishy, so maybe oceany) and whalebone corsets.  Homer tries to get Lisa over the loss by getting her a pet that will never die, an invisible dog, but the dogs proves to be unruly LoL.  This doesn't help Lisa though. She starts to hear whale wails (LoL whale wails). When she ventures to the ocean she hears the sounds again, but this time she isn't hallucinating. The wails were coming from Bluellas babies/calfs/whatever they're called.  But before she can even enjoy them they are surrounded by sharks.

Homer comes to the rescue using a boat that he took for a test drive.  He tries to kill the sharks with a harpoon, but an environmental duo in the Seahuggers stop him because they believe it's wrong to kill any kind of wildlife. Homer isn't convince and still tires to kill them, but Lisa sides with Seahuggers and Homer not to kill them.  As Homer declares his hate for sharks he falls into the water and the sharks surround him.  Luckily, the whales' father shows up just in time to save Homer.  As the entire Simpsons watches as the whales swim away, Lisa ponders whether they will be okay.  Homer responds yes and that the father whale is young and has two cute kids. He also says that he will probably move in with a "sexy, lady octopus," although he'll have to sell his old place - too many memories - and they will be some whale-a-puses on the way. Marge tells the family they will draw pictures of the story Homer just told.  And then they roll the credits with pictures of father whale and his new family and that Let's Go Sailing song in French.

Overall, I loved this episode. It was sweet and made you care about what was going on. I did not like the brutality of the disposal of Bluella, but like I said maybe this is what happens in real life. I also loved whole leave the lights on so robbers will think we're home bit, sounds like someone I know.  I also thought it was perfect for Earth Week.

Recap: "Chief of Hearts" ...So Bromantic :-)

Yay I'll be able to watch this episode of the Simpsons live because The Amazing Race is not airing tonight. So check back for a recap soon.  I missed the Amazing Race, but it was great watching this episode in HD on an HDTV was awesome

OMG what a cute episode of the Simpsons.  Clancy Wiggums hasn't been the focus of many Simpson’s episodes, so this episode was really appreciated by me.

So, the episode starts with Marge driving Bart and Lisa to a birthday party for a kid named Dylan. The kids don't want to go because they don't remember Dylan and can't even remember what sex Dylan is. All I could think is who would name their daughter Dylan? Marge looks at the card to get an idea of who Dylan is but it is a fish themed invitation, so they still had no clue. They decide that they would know once they arrive and see the theme of the party. However, it is still impossible to tell because there was both a girly/princess theme table on one side and a superhero rumble on the other. Even the cake makes it difficult to tell. When Bart takes a bite of a cupcake he realizes it's carrot cake, so he spits the chewed piece out, puts it back in the cupcake and puts the cupcake back on the platter. A kid then picks up the same cupcake takes a bite and says "mmm moist"...gross!

The most important part of this party was that Bart encounters a group of kids playing with Battle Balls which they claim make "Digimon look like Pokemon." I have some insights on this. First of all these Battle Balls on based on these transforming magnetic balls called Bakugan. They are after my time, but I know about them because as a former summer camp counselor I had to deal with kids bringing these balls to camp all the time. They are pretty cool being that they transform when they attach magnetically to the cards or to other metal objects, but I'm way too old for that stuff. However, I am old enough that I watched both Pokemon and Digimon....and Yu-Gi-Oh. I liked each of these shows and find it strange that they implied that Digimon is better that Pokemon. Digimon was good until they aged 10 years after one season and started with a whole new group of kids. It threw me off and stopped watching the show and I'm pretty sure it was cancelled in America. But I think I'm done with this tangent.

Ok back to the episode. So, next we see what Homer was up to. He was walking to the bank while eating a candy apple (an odd snack choice), but when he gets to the bank we sees a sign that says no food allowed. So he puts the apple in his pocket and keeps his hand inside. But when the bank patrons see him with his hand in his pocket they assume he has a gun (he is 1/64th black LoL). When he tries to explain himself he finds himself unable to talk due to sticky candy apple. As he mumbles they assume that he is saying that he is demanding money and threatening their lives. The cops in the bank eventually taze him and he sentenced by the lady judge (oh no I forget her name) to 100 hours of community service. Homer is mad that he got community service ("but that's work!") and begs to go to jail instead. Good ol' lazy Homer :-).

So Homer's community service is supervised by Chief Wiggum. Initially Wiggum seems like he going to be really tough, but when Homer offers him a parmesan sandwich (Wiggum's wife banned him from parmesan) he begins to favor him. Instead of making Homer work with the rest of the other community service workers he allows him to chill and talk with him. When Krusty calls Homer Teacher's Pet, Wiggum grabs his nose throws and tells him to find his nose. Krusty chases it screaming "there was cocaine in there." Looks like Krusty has a really bad drug problem. Homer and Wiggum discuss things like their weight including sleep apnea and the fact that Wiggum has his underwear specially made in another country where they call him Daddy Round Round LoL. They then plan to hang out at Moe's while Lou and the other officer make of this budding bromance. As Homer waves Wiggum squeals "he likes me. Officer up! Officer up!"

The next day Homer and Wiggum have breakfast. When Homer complains about possibly being late, Wiggum escorts him with his sirening cop car and Homer feels like a pregnant lady. Meanwhile at school, Bart plays Battle Ball and challenges Ralph for his balls because they are the best. Ralph agrees to battle on the condition that if Bart wins he will teach him how to play Battle Balls (oh Ralph I missed you LoL). As they play Martin and Skinner listen in on their playing and suspect that something odd is going on with Bart.

We then go back to Homer and Wiggum who are spending a lot of time with each other. This time they are riding the cop car and Homer ask to search for himself on the computer (you know the one where they look up your license and stuff) and Wiggum allows him to delete his record. But Homer accidentally puts himself on Amber Alert and to fix it Wiggum just puts Moe in his place. After this Wiggum confides him Homer that he doesn't have many friends because people tend to fear him, but suddenly the get a call from Lou about a burglary. When they arrest Snake he charges him with burglary and killing a moment.

Back at school, Chalmers and Skinner tell Marge that they suspect that Bart is dealing drugs. When she goes home and eavesdrops on Bart and his friends playing Battle Balls, she hears them saying suspicious things like "you know how to roll them" and "this product is unbelievable. It's imported you know?" After hearing this out of context remarks, Marge is convinced that Bart is selling drugs.

Once again we get another moment of Homer and Wiggum hanging out. Wiggum confides in Homer that Ralph has a lot of worries, for example he worries what would happen if Superman suddenly decided to kill everyone LoL that is a scary thought. Homer tells Clancy that he is a good dad and Wiggum thanks him. They then get a call from Lou about an armed robbery. Turns out it was Fat Tony and his goons. When they go to arrest them Homer asks to cuff them, but when he tries one of the mobsters whips out a gun Wiggum rushes to Homer's aid and gets shot in the process. Wiggum is in a coma at the hospital and Homer keeps him company by reading to him and watching television while Wiggum is just laying there or falling off the bed. When Homer cries for him, he wakes up and calls him a good friend. When Homer asks to leave so he can see his family, Wiggum gets him to stay and read a story to him with a guilt trip

At the Simpsons home, Marge searches Bart’s room for the drugs. She rips open is toy and pulls out his drawers, but finds nothing but itching powder. When she asks Bart where he has been, he tells Marge that he has been getting higher and higher...scores on Battle Ball. Marge is relieved and finds the Battle Balls really cute. Immediately after learning this Bart flushes the ball down the toilet because if his mom likes it can't possibly be cool. The toilet clogs as he tries to flush it, but Bart believes that if the toilet can handle Homer it can handle the Battle Balls.
Meanwhile, Homer and Wiggum's friendships are facing some difficulties. Homer thinks that Wiggum has become needy and Wiggum thinks that Homer is a bad friend. They spend time apart, but the cop shows and pigs he sees on TV make him miss Wiggum. Homer then learns that Wiggum has gone missing and Homer is the only one who knows that Wiggum must be at the top of the Springfield hill. Homer meets Wiggum there and they bond over a bucket of fried chicken, Soon, they encounter Fat Tony who Wiggum tries to bust with only a chicken drumstick instead of gun. Needless to say they end up in Fat Tony's trunk. In the trunk Homer and Wiggum apologize to each other for the neediness and ungratefulness and Wiggum comes up with an escape plan. He uses his tongue to change the music CD in Fat Tony's car. When one of the mobsters comes to the back to change the music they attack him. When Wiggum sees the tire changer rod he figure out that it was poking him in the back..."explains a lot" (LoL one of those undercover jokes of the Simpsons that you don't really get until you're an adult). After this experience, Homer and Wiggum are happy to say that their friendship has found a happy medium. The episode ends with a montage of all the fun things that Homer and Wiggum have done together.

Overall, I thought this was good episode. It didn't exactly capture the heart that the Simpsons earlier episodes are known for, but it was still really cute to see this bromance grow, struggle then find a happy medium. I thought the story of the Battle Balls was a good secondary story. Funny in a typical Simpson’s way. And like I said in the beginning, I don't remember the last time there was a Wiggum’s centric story. It was nice hear about what he thought of Ralph.  This episode is currently streaming on Hulu.

My Favorite Simpsons Episode

"Trilogy of Error" was on FOX last night. It's my favorite episode because of the story telling technique.  Each (well most) of the Simpsons had a story that told their day and they each of them connected in the end.  I'm a huge fan of comoplex story telling techniques. For example, the backwards story telling in Memento and the story within storie technique found in The Prestige. I also enjoy twists in the end like in Fight Club and The Sixth Sense. I also love the connections that are made in epic stories like the Harry Potter series. This is why I love Trilogy of Error.

Simpsons Links Update

Trying to catch up with Simpsons news. Here are some interesting links:

• Check out the best Season 2 links according to TV Fanatic.
• Check out the best Season 4 links according to TV Fanatic (Ralph: I Choo-Choo-Choose you).
• Want to learn even more about curling? Check out ESPN.
• Pop Culture forces collide. The Glee stars are going ot be on the Simpsons. The news originally broke on Twitter...I Love Twitter!
• Interview with Harry Shearer (aka Mr. Burns and Smithers) on Gather .
• The Simpsons Mocking Apple and Ipods...oops I mean Mapple and MyPods.
• Writer Rebecca Stead loves the Simpsons.
• Marge is Britain's favorite mom. I love Marge too because she is such a mom...very much like my own mom.
• If you enjoyed the Itchy and Scratchy House oops I mean Mouse, MD episode.

Happy One Year Anniversary of my blog!!

Just wanted to mention that it has been exactly a year since I started my blog. And in true Simpsons fan fashion I got an awesome Simpsons surprise in the mail.

I ordered if from Kohls the other day. The original price was 29.99, but with the help of some online tips I managed to get it for exactly $5.40.  That includes shipping in handling. I don't know if it's still on sale for 5.99, but you can check.

But yeah thanks for visiting the site and I hope you find my insights interesting.  I'm going to try to stay on top my recaps and news (you know instead of the whole links thing I have been doing recently). Oh yeah and I need to include some more pop culture news (like Lost is in it's last season and I still haven't given my review of New Moon). But keep looking out for new stuff. Until next time :-)

Recap: "American History X-cellent"

Expect a recap soon. Haven't seen the episode yet, but I hope it is nothing like the movie (American History X) that I refuse to watch....no promo image yet, but maybe I'll use a regular one.

Luckily this episode did not contain the graphic scene I feared from American History X.  This episode begins with a visit to the Springfield Penitentiary. We follow as a group of security guards as they pass various jail cells containing some very crazy people, including some guy who lit his blanket on fire and still covered up with it.  Finally, the guards open the cell of a particularly skinny inmate who turns out to be Mr. Burns. The episode, which is narrated Mr. Burns, proceeds to tell the story of how he ended up in the Spring Penitentiary. 

So rewind to the time where Burns is working at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He tells the employees that he will be hosting a 4th of July Picnic, but only for himself (D'oh). It is the employees job to setup picnic and serve Burns. One of the workers has the unlucky task of dressing up the hounds in Uncle Sam beards and top hats.  Burns makes other crazy demands, including having the workers put on a play and he even asks a worker to break a leg. When asked again the employee actually uses a hammer to break his own leg.  Burns then shouts "It's a figure of speech! You're fired!"  Burns's selfishness really angers Homer, Lenny and Carl.  They decide to retaliate by taking Burns's wine. Homer drinks from a huge $60,000 bottle of wine which he claims is worth what he makes in a year.  After drinking copious amounts of wine Homer and friends proceed to trash Burn's Mansion.  They even play twister on his art masterpieces.  When the police arrive to help Mr. Burns, they discover that these are stolen portraits and they arrest Burns instead.  So, Lou cuffs Mr. Burns around the waist (yes he is that skinny). 

As Mr. Burns is carted away to jail in a 1870s style wooden cart, the townsfolk of Springfield watch and carry signs saying things like "Burn in Hell."  Meanwhile, Moe sells rotten fruit (fresh fruit is at a discount).  Marge meets Homer on his way of out of the house with a rotten pumpkin. Marge asks Homer what the pumpkin is for, Homer replies that it is his lunch, Marge says eat it then, Homer asks what?, Marge says you say it's your lunch, so eat it, Homer says ok I will, Marge says I don't see any eating,  Homer says I will, Marge says go head then...It goes on like this for some time.  Finally, Homer stops taking pretend bites and actually bites the rotten pumpkin and surprisingly he enjoys it. 

Marge then leaves to go shopping because the malls are usually empty during town riots. She leaves Bart and instructs him to play with Lisa.  Bart doesn't want to play with Lisa, but Lisa reminds them that they should keep communication open because they might need organ transplants from one another in the future.  Lisa asks him to play with her ant farm, but Bart doesn't want to because the ants don't grow or plant things. 

Meanwhile, Burns has Smithers run the plant in his absence. Smithers intends to be a employeed friendly boss by doing things like making a suggestion bos that is not a guillotine for the hand (a person with claw hands claps profusely).  In order to show appreciation to Snimithers for his niceness Homer gives Smithers a view of his chest.  They then ask Smithers to leave early and he allows them to. When Smithers steps away form them they proceed to call him a marshmallow and make fun of how stupid he is. After this Smithers understands why Mr. Buns is so cold to his workers.

At the jail, Burns  is not haing much fun.  They took everything from him.  He tries to "befriend" the warden, but befriending is just another word for blackmailing to Mr. Burns. His blackmailing fails because he isn't sure what H drug the warden is using (it's actually Helium).  So, the warden has Burns treated horribly.  They use a hose to wash him and the flash of his mugshot pushes him to ground.  He is paired with another white collar criminal who digusts Burns because he went to Dartnouth.

At the Simpsons home, Lisa find somthing odd in her ant farm.  Se learns that Bart put some pop tart pieces in it. This makes Lisa angry and shet tells him that she is glad she is not his mother.  Bart replies that "If I was in your tummy I'd poo in our throat." Lisa gets mad because she doesn't want that image in her head and she fights with Bart over her ant farm. During the fight the farm breaks and before they can collect the ants Santa's Little Helper eats them all. He does however burp up on that Lisa names Annie...you know because she is an orphan. Bart is sad because he didn't intend to kill the ants and he and Lisa bond over their love for her.  They both watch over Annie, but they decide to set her free because she only has a fews day left to live.  They release her in the yard together and thank her for bringing them together. Unfortunately, Santa's Little Helper is there to gobble her up as soon as she touches the ground.

Meanwhile at the plant Smithers has started treating the workers like dogs. This causes Homer and his friends to miss Mr. Burns.  They decide that they are going break him out of prison.  Mr. Burns has taken a turn at the jail. A black man who looks a lot like the Green Mile guy provides Burns with guidance and sucks all the evil out of him and turns him to Jesus. Burn feels the love in his vein.  He joins the choir and the Beatles band (at some point during this collection of scenes we see Snake washing and drying Sideshow Bob). Soon Homer, Lenny and Carl show up in the jail dressed as prison guards (the ones we see at the beginning of the episode) and attempt to lead him out of the prison.  The large black prisoner who has been Burn's spiritual guide tries to stop them and we find out the reason he took an interest in Burns in the first place is because he has killed many old, rich men just like him in the past.  Burns decides to leave because he still had a bit of evil in that managed to multiply and overtake his soul once more.  Burns is then back in charge of the plant and the black prisoner decides to help out Fat Tony.

Overall, this was a really good episode. It was very funny and the story was original and fun.  I thought Duncan (the guy from the Green Mile) did the voice acting, but it was actually a guy named Kevin Michael Richardson who has huge career in voice acting according to IMBD. Some notable roles for me are him playing Bishop in Wolverine and the X-Men (more new episodes please) and the Joker in The Batman.  No original Marvel cartoons, but still good stuff. But yeah I'm mad they didn't give his prisoner a name, but he was still pretty effective and funny.

"The Greatest Story Ever D'Ohed" Recap

My recap will be up later, but I will say I was underwhelmed by this episode. A big step down from last week, but as usual it did have its good points. Check back for the full recap soon.

I have to say this episode started out pretty well, but soon the problems started. But lets just get into it.  The episode starts with Ned hosting a Bible Study group.  In order to keep the youth (Jimbo) interested he is forced to use computer words like twitter and download.  But the group becomes distracted by Homer sliping and siding naked next door.  Ned tries to fix the naked problem by bringing a leaf (very Adam and Eve), but Homer just annoys Ned.  As a result, Ned is depressed by his inability to save Homer who along with Bart and Lisa is playfully worshipping Santa's Little Helper.  But with Reverend Lovejoy's encouragement, Ned decides to invite Homer and family on a trip to Holy Land. Homer ponders this invite by saying things like should I take my children to a war zone where they don't believe in eating pork? Based on that information you would think no, but Marge is humbled by Ned's generosity and agrees to go on and pay for the trip. 

Once they're in Jerusalem the episode quality quickly deteriorates. Krusty is on the trip, but once he learns there is no hell in Judaism he quickly heads to the Gaza Strip Club.  In  Jerusalem we see the typical scenery jokes. There is the fiddler playing the violin on the roof although he is supposed to be cleaning the gutters and they stay at the Wailing Waldorf.  Then we are introduced to their tour guide Jacob who was voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen. I was expecting great things from Cohen, but I can't say he delivered consistently.  He said some funny things like that his English was so good that he sounded like Hugh Grant (it was quite the opposite). He also said some things like "Please shut your face." These lines were funny because they were delivered under a strong accent that initially added to the humor, but after a while it got just annoyting.  For example, while starting the tour he started yelling and cursing at a random Israeli for listening to the tour for free.  At one point he was only yelling in Hebrew and there were some bleeps to let us know that he was cursing, but it still didn't make it very funny. 

Meanwhile, Homer and Bart were just acting crazy on the tour. Homer recorded Bart as he went for a handstand record and Flanders prayed.  Flanders asked Homer to have more reverence and so they prayed together. However, Homer ordered a falafel with extra chees and other condiments ("Yes I know what a falafel is") right afterwards.

The next stop on the tour was the Wailing Wall. There people write their prayers on pieces paper and put them in wall.  Krusty put a note in the wall asking to have his parking tickets fixed while Bart reads the prayers at random. Homer tells Bart that they need to behave "religousy."  But Bart doesn't care and decides skateboard on top of the wall. Jacob's, the tour guide, helper girl tries to stop Bart.  When he attempts to use his Karate against her, she uses her Israeli Karate against him and wins.  It turns out she works for the army and they know all about Bart.  I like when Bart is viewed as notorious, but not all the way in Jerusalem.  Also the scene was way too long and not funny.

So yeah, toward the end of the tour Ned finds Homer sleeping in the Tomb of the Savior (a very sacred place). This gets Ned so frustrated that he actually gets himself kicked.  Ned then declares that Homer is not worth saving.  Ned then storms out.  Homer goes to look for Ned in the desert not knowing that Ned went for tea and then went to watch the Reformers (it's kind of like the Clownomorphs and Transformerbots...oh yeah and exactly like the Transformers).  Meanwhile, Homer is having a Lawrence of Arabia like journey in the desert.  He gets lost, sings a thirsty song, and sees the vegetables of the Veggietales who call him the chosen one. However, it is all a hallucination from drinking salt water.  But when he is found, Homer genuinely believes that he is the Messiah.  Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Homer with Jerusalem syndrome or the tendency of people to think they are the messiah while on a trip to Jerusalem. 

Before they know it Homer has disappeared, but Lisa deduces he could be found at the the Dome of the Rock which is a place that is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims.  They find Homer dressed in white robes at the Dome of the Rock as declares a new religion of Chrimajews. In this religion they would celebrate their commonality, like their love of chicken. Peace and Chickens. As they all leave on Israeli Air we see there are many Jerusalem Syndrome sufferers dressed in Messiah robes.

Overall, this was an odd episode. I don't know much about Jerusalem, so many of the locations none of the locations ring a bell. But then again I haven't heard much about many of the locations that the Simpsons have visited. I just guess they didn't do a really good job. Also, Cohen's accent was over the top and sometimes difficult to understand and the little subplot of Jacob's assistant just seemed unneccesary and long. Also, the plot was a little too similar to some past episodes. But it did have its moments. I love the Simpsons regardless, maybe it will be funnier when I watch it a second time. 

Congrats to Taylor Lautner!

Congratulations to Taylor Lautner for winning the Kids Choice Awards for Best Movie Actor and Best Couple with Jacob and Bella!...yup thats right they beat out Edward and Bella.  That means these kids are definitely Team Jacob. A lot of people complain because they were never officially a couple, but they were definitely on the brink of a relationship. Only the whole imprinting thing would've been an issue :-) Congrats again Taylor.

New Moon DVD: Borders Special Edition DVD and Midnight Release Party Photo Post

On Saturday March 19th I attended the New Moon DVD at the Borders at Columbus Circle, NYC. I went to this location because Twilight Lexicon and Twilight Moms were hosting a live podcast. It was interesting to hear their stories about visiting the set of New Moon and the video from the stars of Twilight were also pretty great.

I went to the Borders DVD release party because I wanted their edition of the DVD.

I got their editon of the Twilight DVD as well. It was signed by Edi Gathegi. I might post pictures of that Midnight Release Party as an update on this post.

This is what you see when you open the first flap. Looks a lot like the Eclipse One Sheet right? The eclipse one sheet and sneak peek are so much of what we've seen before. But the Walmart edition did have some interesting Eclipse footage. You can check it out on youtube.

When you open it all the way you have the second DVD and then it has the necklace that comes out of the pouch in the middle.  The necklace has two sides. The side that is showing has the Cullen Crest and the other side has the wolf pack tattoo. I would wear on the Wolfpack side of course.

LoL I saw this shirt in Target the other day. Team Jacob all the way :)

"Stealing First Base" Recap

Can't wait to watch this episode in its entirety and give the recap. Just saw the kissing montage phenomenal...LoL. Check back soon for the recap.
Okay, so title started with Radioactive Man and Fall Out Boy flying by which I thought was notable because we haven't seen them in a while ("Watch out! ...Radioactive Man!"). The couch scene took place in the Simpsons' garden. They were bugs and they sat on the squash.

The episode started with Homer using GPS directions to drive Bart and Lisa to school. Like all GPS devices it's pretty faulty and so he is led into a construction site. I thought this was particularly interesting because last year Homer's voice was featured on a car GPS. I don't think this is a good marketing tactic. But yeah, they eventually make it to school thanks to the guy towing their partially destroyed car.

Once Bart arrives at school, his classroom is in chaos. We learn that Mrs. Krabbappel is in Portland, so Skinner decides to merge the two fourth classes. Each student in Mrs. K’s class has to share a desk with a student. Milhouse sits next to a surfer kid, Nelson sits next to a blind child who he swears to protect and teach the ways of the bully and Bart sits next to a dark haired Asian girl named Nikki (voiced by Sarah Silverman). As Bart reads The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar (“Damn this caterpillar can eat! [turns page] Damn! [turns page] Damn!”), Nikki reads Red Moon. I hope I don’t have to explain that this is a reference at Stephenie Meyer’s New Moon of the Twilight Saga.

When Bart realizes she is reading Red Moon he says “you girls ruin everything including vampires…vampires don’t put product in their hair like this loser.” Then they zoom into a cover of the very Rob Patz-esque Edward or whoever the vampire is in Red Moon. This was a LoL moment for me. Look for a New Moon post very soon. Nikki explains she likes the vampire because he likes girls who don’t like cheerleading and who are emo. Bart proceeds to draw a picture of real vampire and this really impresses Nikki.

Meanwhile, Lisa receives her first F is Ms. Hoover’s class. She thinks it’s a dream, but after failing at an attempt to fly she realizes it’s real. After the bad grade Lisa suddenly becomes more popular. However, after we learn that her paper was accidentally switched with Ralph’s, the kids make fun of her because she is considered a gifted student again. Lisa complains about the other children on her blog (Monday Mulching) and a commenter named Flotus1 encourages her to continue to overachieve.

Bart, on the other hand, is dealing with his crush on Nikki. He goes to Homer for advice, but eventually ends up going to Grandpa for advice. Grandpa encourages him to steal first base or to give Nikki a kiss when she doesn’t expect it. After skateboarding with Nikki he follows Grandpa’s advice and kisses Nikki on top of a slide, but Nikki freaks out and Bart becomes really sad. Nelson encourages his blind friend to say “ha ha.” The next day at school Nikki’s parents threaten to sue the school and Homer and Marge for Bart’s unwanted kiss.  So, Homer and Marge get really mad at Grandpa and tell Bart to leave Nikki alone. In addition, Homer decides to take Bart to see “Koyanis Scratchy: Death Out of Balance” which is essentially a 3D Itchy and Scratchy movie. In the movie, Scratchy’s body searches for its head. It goes to many strange places and when he finally finds his head he is shot by Itchy. The movie was based on Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance. Wikipedia say that “film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States.” Seeing this on The Simpsons was pretty odd, but now I get it.

So, back at school Skinner holds an assembly against unwanted kissing and touching. In the sketch Skinner plays Bart and Willie plays a girl. For the sake of the play Willie and Skinner are forced to kiss each other. When Nelson asks “Hey Willie, does he taste like failure,” Chalmers forces them to kiss until the kids stop laughing. This takes an incredibly long time. As the children laugh Skinner and Willie go from tentative kissing to passionate kissing to exhausted caressing each others arms.

After the assembly signs pop up around the school discouraging kissing and touching. There’s one with Alaska Nebraska (I love her LoL) that says “Alaska Nebraska says: I took the no touching pledge” and another with the motto: “loose lips sink (scholar) ships.” But Bart encounters Nikki and she kisses him which just confuses him and he calls Nikki a psycho.

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama (voiced by Angela Bassett) visits the school via White Hawk and tells the children that she was once a young overachiever. Skinner tries to interrupt her, but Chalmers explains that he is their Joe Biden which is immediately understood by Michelle. She also tells the children that she got A’s when A’s were hard to get and she praises Lisa for being an overachiever like she was. Lisa figures out that Flotus1 stood for First Lady of the United States and then Mrs. Obama then uses her buff arms to open the White Hawk doors.

When she leaves we see Bart and Nikki on the roof. Bart accidentally falls off the roof in his confusion. Nikki loves him when she thinks he’s dead, but when she sees he’s breathing she loses her interest…umm this is more a bipolar thing than a girl thing I think. So yeah Skinner and Chalmers hesitate to give Bart CPR because of a fear of getting sued, but Nikki decides to do it herself. As Bart is being revived he begins thinking of some famous kissing scenes. The ones I recognized are the following: Lady and the Tramps spaghetti kiss, Planet of the Apes’ man and ape kiss, Ghost (Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze) kiss, Spiderman upside down kiss, Star Trek 2009 movie kiss with Spock and Zoe Saldana, Alien or Predator kissing Sigourney Weaver (not sure if that was real) and the Godfather kiss (I think it’s Michael Corleone giving that guy the kiss of death).

So yeah, Bart is revived and all is well. Nelson blind friend touches his face to see him and tells him that he asked to touch his face, not his butt. Nelson replies with a punch in the face and the blind kid thanks him for restoring his vision, but he sikes and ha-has Nelson and Nelson fears that the student has become the master. Bart on the other continues to get mixed messages from Nikki.

Overall, I really loved this episode. I loved the one liners and the story was pretty good. I didn’t like Nikki’s whole hot and cold act, but Sarah Silverman did a good job. The love for Michelle Obama was great because I really like her too. Angela Bassett did an okay job, but I think either the material or delivery weren’t very funny. My favorite part was the pop culture references. I need to find out where the other kisses came from. Do you have any ideas? Ok until next time.