Brooks Files for Divorce
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - May 2, 1999
James L. Brooks, former executive producer and executive creative
consultant to The Simpsons, has filed for divorce from his wife Holly
Beth Holmberg of 20 years. Irreconcilable differences were cited.
Brooks spearheaded the birth of The Simpsons while serving as
executive producer on The Tracey Ullman Show, where he brought aboard
Matt Groening to create Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie for a
series of interstitial animated shorts. Brooks has also produced
several Oscar-winning movies, including "Jerry Maguire" and "As Good
As It Gets."
The couple was married in July of 1978 and reportedly separated
in September. Brooks is currently seeking joint custody of their three
children, ages 5, 12 and 14.
"Simpsons Virus" Spreading Rapidly
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - March 29, 1999
There's a new piece of Simpsons-related software that even the most
dedicated fans don't want to run on their computers. A computer virus known as
W97M/Melissa is spreading very rapidly around the globe. It was first discovered on
Friday, March 26, and within hours it had infected thousands of computers all over the
world.
What makes this story relevant for a Simpsons news page is that
when activated, the virus modifies user's documents and inserts quotes from
The Simpsons, such as "Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty
points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here" from
[7G02] Bart the Genius. The author of the virus
also calls him/herself "Kwyjibo", which is a reference to the same episode.
For more information about the virus, read Data Fellows'
press release.
No More Crab Juice!
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - March 16, 1999
Twentieth Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising has green-lighted
a new ensemble of soft drinks bearing The Simpsons' likeness. The
manufacturer, Hall & Woodhouse, will launch six new drinks for
British consumers featuring the characters:
- "Itchy & Scratchy" (cherry pop)
- "Manic Mallow" (cream soda)
- "D'oh" ('bad apple' crush)
- "Blues" (grape and cherry)
- "Cherry Bomb" (cherry cola)
- "Krusty Cola" (yellow cola)
"Itchy & Scratchy" and "Manic Mallow" will be sold in 150 ml miniature
cans while the other drinks will be available in 330 ml cans, six-packs
and 500 ml bottles. Lisa's "Blues" is labeled "100% pure depression
soul," while the "Krusty Cola" can contains slogans such
as "100% SAFE!" and "9 out of 10 children can't tell the difference!"
Research suggests the Simpsons carbonates are likely to become
successful in the United Kingdom. According to Hall & Woodhouse
marketing manager Graham Jacobs, 80% of people said in a poll that
they would buy a branded Simpsons drink.
"The brand is backed by £130m worth of annual TV exposure on Sky and
BBC and has an unparalleled momentum we have yet to discover", Jacobs concluded for The Grocer.
Source: The Grocer. Thanks to Lee Maguire
Stanley Kubrick Dead
By Andrew A. Gill (andrew@snpp.com) - March 7, 1999
Stanley Kubrick, the esteemed movie director, died Sunday, March 7, 1999.
The cause of death was not released, but police did say that it was not
suspicious. Kubrick was believed by many to be one of the greatest
filmmakers of all time. Instead of pandering to an audience, he prefered
to allow them to develop their own ideas about the situation.
Kubrick's love of experimenting was probably what made him so popular,
and why the creators of The Simpsons enjoyed parodying his films. A
list of these parodies includes:
- Paths of Glory [7F03]
- Spartacus [2F18], [3F15],
[5F03], [5F06]
- Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the
Bomb [1F08], [1F09],
[3F08], [AABF07]
- 2001: A Space Odyssey [8F23],
[8F06], [9F01],
[1F13], [4F02]
- A Clockwork Orange [8F17],
[8F18], [9F04],
[9F07], [9F14],
[2F02], [3F14],
[4F14]
- The Shining [7F04],
[9F12], [1F07],
[1F10], [1F19],
[2F03], [3G01]
- Full Metal Jacket [7G05],
[7F08], [3F08]
Kubrick also made two films that are likely not to be parodied by The
Simpsons: Lolita, based on Nabokov's book about a love affair between
a 12 year-old girl and a middle-aged man, and Eyes Wide Shut, which
(according to Kubrick) is supposedly a porno made by a good director.
Kubrick had lived in seclusion since receiving threats while filming one
of his movies, which accounts for the secrecy surrounding his death. At
this point, no official word has come from Groening&Co. about Kubrick's
death.
More Videos Ready To Roll
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - February 19, 1999
After a slight delay, 20th Century Fox
Home Entertainment has marked April 13 for the release of The Best
of The Simpsons IV. Available as a boxed set or on three VHS videos
sold separately, the new release will feature six classic episodes.
On volume 10, “Mr. Lisa Goes to
Washington” (8F01) and “When
Flanders Failed” (7F23). Volume
11 will feature “Bart the Murderer”
(8F03) and “Like Father, Like
Clown” (8F05). Finally, on volume 12,
“Treehouse of Horror II” (8F02)
and “Lisa's Pony” (8F06).
Meanwhile, on a hapless note, an official at
Fox informed us that plans for the long-awaited laserdisc box set,
originally advertised in a summer 1997 issue (#32) of Bongo Comics, have been
indefinitely abandoned. The collection was to be a collaborative effort
between Gracie Films and Fox, featuring the entire first season uncut
along with ancillary materials and special audio tracks for
commentary from the show's creators.
According to the official, should the box set
be resurrected, Fox will instead release it on DVD. There are, however,
no plans for such a release in the foreseeable future.
Info on videos for sale in the United
Kingdom is available at
The Unofficial UK Simpsons Site.
Go Simpsonic Isn't Gone
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - February 16, 1999 -- Thanks to Richard Katz
Abandon all fears of abandonment. Rhino Records
has confirmed with The Simpsons Archive that the follow-up album to
“Songs in the Key of Springfield,” entitled “Go
Simpsonic With The Simpsons: A Whole Lot More Music From The Television
Series,” is still under the microscope, despite a September, 1998
report suggesting it had been indefinitely shelved.
While no further clarification was available
on the licensing issues that have postponed the album three times thus
far, Rhino assured us that it has “good reasons” for the wait,
and hopes to announce a release date later this year.
Go Simpsonic will feature four out-takes never
before broadcast on the show, including a duet between sisters Patty &
Selma, entitled “We Love To Smoke.” Further information
can be found in Rhino's only press release
for the album to date.
|
