Three Emmy Nominations for The Simpsons
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - July 15, 2004
     As usual, The Simpsons is nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour) Emmy Award. 15th season episode "The Way We Weren't" is competing against Matt Groening's Futurama ("The Sting"), Samurai Jack ("The Birth of Evil"), South Park ("Christmas In Canada") and SpongeBob SquarePants ("SpongeBob BC").
     Alf Clausen (music) and Dana Gould (lyrics) are nominated in the Music & Lyrics (i.e. Original Song) category for "Vote for a Winner" from episode "The President Wore Pearls".
     The third nomination is also for music. In the category of Music Composition For Series (Dramatic Underscore), Clausen is nominated for his work in "Treehouse Of Horror XIV."
     The "Creative Arts" awards will be handed out September 12 and the "main" awards on September 19. Visit the Emmys site for details.
     In addition, there are no announced nominations in the "juried" Voiceover Performance and Individual Achievement in Animation categories. The winners, if any, are announced sometime in August.
     For information about The Simpsons' past nominations and wins, see Awards & Honors page.

Lisa Cries Freedom for Cornwall
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - July 8, 2004
     In the UK, this year's alternative Christmas message is going to be done by our favorite family. Channel 4 is preparing a four-minute Simpsons special to be aired at the same time as the Queen's speech.
     The special will feature Lisa Simpson supporting Cornwall's independence campaign by running around the living room and shouting in the Cornish dialect "Rydhsys rag Kernow lemmyn," which translates to "Freedom for Cornwall now" and "Kernow bys vykken," "Cornwall forever."
     Cornwall is Britain's southernmost county with half a million residents. A group of them is actively campaigning for a Cornish Assembly, and some 50,000 people have signed declarations calling for an autonomous administration.
     The plans became public when writer-producer Tim Long contacted The Cornish Language Fellowship last week and asked the phrases translated into Cornish. The organization also gave pointers to Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa, in the proper pronunciation. Cornish is a language spoken fluently by only 300-400 people, yet up to 10,000 people understand it a little.
     "Lisa Simpson is a great ally. She is a cult icon and a cool character, and to attach some of her coolness and cult status to the Cornish language movement is obviously good," said spokesman Matthew Clarke to local media. "I don't get the impression they are looking to directly poke fun."
     Expressing support for people overseas is nothing new for the 8-year-old Lisa. In the 14th season episode of The Simpsons, she protested against the Chinese occupation in Tibet.

The Complete Fourth Season Reviewed
By Wesley Mead (wesley@snpp.com) - July 2, 2004
      "The Complete Fourth Season" DVD set, featuring all 22 episodes from the series' fourth season (1992-1993), was released in the USA and Canada on June 15th and it will hit the stores worldwide by the end of summer.
     The fourth season of the show that has truly defined an era, is arguably the best season to be released thus far. For many fans, this is the point where the show reached a peak it would never reach again; and merely reading the episode list will make many a heart feel warm. Episodes known and loved by every self-proclaimed Simpsons fan and nerd in existance, such as " Homer The Heretic" and "Last Exit To Springfield", are complimented wonderfully by hilarious, satire-filled episodes such as "Marge Vs The Monorail", "Mr Plow" and "Whacking Day". In fact, many will tell you there isn't a dud in the season, and I wholeheartedly agree. Even the show's first attempt at a clip-show, a typically lacklustre event during other shows history, has an entertaining story and many jokes of its own.
     This season also brought along the third annual Treehouse Of Horror, by this point in the show's career an event every fan would look forward to; "Krusty Gets Kancelled", an attempt at utilizing several A-list guest stars in a single episode (at which it succeeds without exception); "A Streetcar Named Marge", a musical of epic proportions, which is great entertainment for everyone (except maybe residents of New Orleans) and "Lisa The Beauty Queen", in which we get a second in- depth look at Lisa's emotion and morals (the first being season one's Moaning Lisa). By this season, the special guests were coming thick and fast - Elizabeth Taylor, voicing Maggie's first word in the ironically-titled " Lisa's First Word"; Adam West as himself in "Mr Plow", Barry White in "Whacking Day"; and an array of stars including celebrities as diverse as Johnny Carson, Bette Midler, Hugh Hefner and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the aforementioned "Krusty Gets Kancelled".
     The packaging for this set is certainly the most detailed, bold, bright and beautiful yet. The front cover, a very nice metallic shade of bright blue, displays a shot of the family (plus Ralph and Barney) on the couch, similar to previous seasons. Remove the disc case from the outer box, and you are left with another interesting letter from Matt Groening himself, and detailed disc and box art featuring tens of characters from around Springfield (interestingly, some of which didn't appear at all in season four!) The discs are held well, and as we are accustomed to by now, a nice booklet detailing all 22 episodes is enclosed; this time with an extras key, letting you instantly know what bonuses your favourite episode includes.
     So, after drooling over the boxart and avidly reading the booklet (for several seconds at least!), I inserted the first disc. I was greeted with a menu listing all the episodes, "Extras" by the side of each episode, a play all option, "A Word From Matt Groening" and a "More Extras" menu. I decided to watch MG's intro first, and whilst moderately interesting, it was mostly just a recap of his letter on the packaging read over clips from the season. Nevertheless, a good idea, well implemented.
     After that I clicked an episode to watch, and was pleased that the episode instantly played (well, almost instantly... more on that later). I was of course very pleased - and later realised that the "Extras" listed by each episode contained the various language/subtitle options and scene selections; saving time if you just want to watch the episode, without losing some basic features. A "Play All" option is included; as are chapter stops after each episode's opening.
     The staple extras of the sets so far, as collectors will know, are the commentaries, and fans will be glad to know this set continues this excellent tradition. Each and every one of the 22 episodes includes a complete full-length commentary, featuring Matt Groening, Al Jean, and various other cast and crew members such as Mike Reiss, David Silverman, Jim Reardon, Mark Kirkland, Jon Lovitz and Conan O'Brien (woo-hoo!) amongst others. Unfortunately, the cast members are nowhere near as present this time round, with the only regular ever featured being Hank Azaria, on a mere one episode.
     The commentaries are filled with snippets of information that even the most knowledgable fan may not know, including information on backstage events, and guest stars' popularity amongst the crew. Jon Lovitz and Conan O'Brien are perhaps the funniest commentators - unfortunately, they only appear on a couple of episodes each - and literally bring everyone in the room to tears of laughter. Jon Lovitz in particular makes a few jokes about Al and Mike being in a relationship together, and how Matt Groening thought the Critic was great (for those not in the know, Matt had his name withdrawn from a Season 6 episode starring Jon Lovitz due to him thinking the episode was "just one long commercial for The Critic"). Conan jokes often about how he invented the Simpsons and Groening stole his idea; whereas showrunners such as Mike Reiss and Al Jean more often infirm and educate the viewer, with how the ideas for episodes came about, and tell us about behind-the-scenes "gossip". (For instance, did you know Mike Reiss wanted "Kamp Krusty" to become the first full-length Simpsons movie, despite the fact they could barely fill up their 23-minute allocated space with the script, or that they often use guest stars' lines twice to save bringing them back into the studio a second time?). The commentaries are some of the best I've heard - they combine interesting information with hilariously funny dialogues; something I've only ever seen here and on Futurama sets. Hopefully these commentaries on every episode will continue for every season; it really does give the set a lot of added value.
     Most DVD producers (and indeed, collectors) would think 22 commentaries was enough - many sets don't even get a single commentary. However, as usual, Fox go one step further to please the fans. The two "bonus" bonus features that will be of most interest to the show's fanbase are two rather short, but informative, documentaries; discussing two interesting controversies that were sustained during season 4.
     "Bush Vs Simpson" gives us a close look at George Bush, Sr, and his wife, Barbara, and their dislike of the show. It discusses Barbara's mention of how she found the show ridiculous, though she "supposed it was clean". Apparently, the show's creators penned her a letter from Marge, to which she promptly replied, and all was forgotten... that is, until George Bush, Sr.'s later comments on how "American families should be more like the Waltons and less like The Simpsons!" The featurette, running at a mere 5 minutes, was originally planned for S3, but later dumped, so this is a pleasing addition. "The Cajun Controversy" runs even shorter, at just over 2 minutes, and discusses New Orleans' disgust at the lyrics to one of the songs during the musical extravaganza in "A Streetcar Named Marge".
     As well as this, there are deleted scenes for two episodes ("Homer's Triple Bypass" and "The Front"); several commercials featuring the show's characters from 1992-1993; and a 15-minute behind-the scenes promotional featurette, which despite worth watching, won't provide any avid viewer with new information. Also packed on to the set is an "Animation Showcase" for one episode on each disc; comprising animatics, storyboards and an interesting idea called "illustrated commentary" - sections of the animatic with commentary, with notes and useful images popping up on screen at various points. A great idea - although personally I would have preferred another "Pop-Up Simpsons" like "Colonel Homer" on the season three set. The deleted scenes are in general very short; but do add some extra laughs to the episode, and it's quite often confusing as to why the scenes were cut.
     For the true home theater connoisseur, however, the audio and video quality is just as important as every other aspect of the set. Thankfully, Fox does the show justice, but like previous sets, all is not perfect. Audio is presented in a respectable Dolby Digital 5.1, but some would argue the show does not warrant such strong sound. This is perhaps true - rear speakers are rarely used - but it does add to the effect of the show as a whole, and directional effects, while few, are present and correct. Spanish and French stereo tracks are also included, as are subtitles for the hearing impaired on all three languages (main feature only tough, folks - nothing for the commentaries or extras).
     Video quality is gradually improving over the seasons, but unfortunately is still not perfect. The episodes look better than they ever did on television, but unfortunately for those with extra-large televisions, some minor problems are evident - distortion of colour is ocassionally a problem, and some thinner lines do "disappear" (but bear in mind that this is likely a source problem, and not a problem with the DVD transfer). These quibbles don't distract from the viewing enjoyment however, and if you expect realistic quality (ie, for animation produced in 1992 and 1993), you won't be disappointed. It's still improved on the past three sets, at least
     Overall, this set is truly a credit to Fox, Matt Groening and the show's cast and crew, and the DVD producers. Perhaps the greatest season of the greatest show of all-time, on a DVD boxset packed to the brim. You'd be hard-pushed to complain.

The Simpsons - The Complete Fourth Season

EPISODES: A+ - Can't fault them.
PRESENTATION: B+ - Great audio, fair video, excellent menus.
EXTRAS: A+ - A wide array, and finally some deleted scenes, too.
OVERALL: A

     Future news concerning the DVDs, including the forthcoming Season 5 release, and various other compilation discs, will be added to our DVD News page.

Fourth Season Comes To DVD
By Wesley Mead (wesley@snpp.com) - June 4, 2004
     After a long wait, fans of The Simpsons have finally been blessed with the fourth season of the show on DVD. The first three seasons have sold millions of copies between them, making The Simpsons the most popular TV show on DVD of all-time.
     "The Complete Fourth Season" DVD set, featuring all 22 episodes from the series' fourth season (1992-1993), will be released in the USA and Canada on June 15th, and in the UK on August 2nd.
     The set is packed with bonus features, as fans will have come to expect from the previous three seasons. The arguably most important feature will take you as long to get through as the episodes themselves – the commentaries on every episode from creator Matt Groening, plus different staff and cast members on every episode. But that's by no means all there is to look forward to.
     Other bonus features planned for the set are guaranteed to be of interest to hardcore fans. A featurette entitled "Bush Vs. Simpson", previously listed for the third season DVD but removed later, should provide some insight into the controversy surrounding comments by George Bush, Sr. on how America should be less like the Simpsons; whereas "The Cajun Controversy" looks set to inform the viewers of the controversy surrounding the offensive remarks made about New Orleans in "A Streetcar Named Marge".
     More features listed include deleted scenes, a feature bizarrely not included on any of the previous DVD sets, and ones that most fans will be gagging for; various animation-related features on many episodes, including storyboards and animatics; and an intoduction to the DVD by Matt Groening himself.
     The recommended retail price of "The Complete Fourth Season" will be $49.98 in the USA and $69.98 in Canada. The 22 episodes will be spread across the four discs, and presented in 1.33:1 full frame with DD 5.1 sound in English, as well as DD 2.0 sound in French and Spanish, and English and Spanish subtitles (R1 edition).
     Complete disc contents follow.

Disc 1

EPISODES:
"Kamp Krusty"
"A Streetcar Named Marge"
"Homer The Heretic"
"Lisa The Beauty Queen"
EXTRAS:
Commentary on all episodes
Optional audio feature on "Kamp Krusty"
"A Word From Matt Groening" introduction
"The Cajun Controversy" featurette
"Bush Vs. Simpson" featurette
Promotional syndication reel
Animation showcase

Disc 2

EPISODES:
"Treehouse Of Horror III"
"Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie"
"Marge Gets A Job"
"New Kid On The Block"
"Mr Plow"
"Lisa's First Word"
EXTRAS:
Commentary on all episodes
Animation showcase

Disc 3

EPISODES:
"Homer's Triple Bypass"
"Marge Vs. The Monorail"
"Selma's Choice"
"Brother The Same Planet"
"I Love Lisa"
"Duffless"
EXTRAS:
Commentary on all episodes
Deleted scenes for "Homer's Triple Bypass"
Easter Egg hidden commentaries
Animation Showcase

Disc 4

EPISODES:
"Last Exit To Springfield"
"So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show"
"The Front"
"Whacking Day"
"Marge In Chains"
"Krusty Gets Kancelled"
EXTRAS:
Commentary on all episodes
Deleted scenes for "The Front"
Easter Egg hidden sketches
Animation showcase

     The "Animation Showcase" on each disc is said to consist of a variety of sketches, storyboards, animatics, commercials and more.
     Future news concerning the DVDs will be added to our DVD News page.

The Simpsons Strike Again
By Nicolás Di Candia (nicolas@snpp.com) - April 2, 2004 - Updated May 1, 2004
     The six leading voice actors behind The Simpsons have again fallen into dispute with Fox over contract renewals, Variety reported yesterday.
     The actors, who together voice over 50 characters on the series, did not appear for two table readings last month according to Variety's source, delaying the start of production on the series' 16th season.
     This is the second time that a salary dispute has lasted beyond the onset of production, with the first occurring in 1998 prior to season 10. At that time, Fox took steps to replace the actors by hiring casting agents in six different cities -- and reportedly received little support from the voice acting community abroad. An agreement was ultimately reached in which the actors received $50,000 for each episode of the tenth season, with $10,000-per-episode increases for each subsequent one through the twelfth. Three years later, the actors again entered into contractual negotiations for 3 more seasons (the latter of which, season 15, still has five episodes yet to air in the U.S.). While those negotiations were comparatively more expeditious, they nonetheless spawned the creation of a 13th season clip show to meet broadcasting deadlines.
     This time around, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, and Hank Azaria are each reportedly asking $360,000 per episode, an increase of $235,000 from their individual $125,000 per episode earnings during season 15. In contrast with these figures, USA Today reports that Fox earns $2.5 billion from the series each year.
     During the initial 1998 dispute, Harry Shearer wrote on alt.tv.simpsons: "It's tough to equate any of the money talk in TV with the real world, but it's equally tough to read Fox execs bragging about the astronomical profitability of the show with the greedy stance they've taken toward the cast."
     Initial reports of this most recent dispute broke on April Fool's Day. When asked by The Simpsons Archive whether they were true, a source close to the actors confirmed it, but hinted that Fox's use of the word "strike" was more symptomatic of PR than all-out mutiny. "Their contracts expired in November," the source said. "In Fox talk, that becomes a strike."
     A long dispute like the first in 1998 might shorten the upcoming 16th season. If the negotiations were to fail, it would probably mean the end of the show; although the actors have already agreed to provide the voices for future Simpsons feature films. This makes it unlikely that Fox would want to replace them this time. There's also the fact that a sudden introduction of 50 replacement voices would likely alienate the series' long-time fans significantly.

     Update (April 19, 2004) - USA Today reports that the sixteenth season will begin in November following post-season baseball coverage, and that Fox may only have enough unaired season 15 hold-over episodes to broadcast the series from then until January should the voice actors' salary dispute continue.
     Without a speedy resolution, USA Today reports that Fox's options would include replacing the voice actors, cancelling the series entirely, or most likely, temporarily filling The Simpsons' 8 PM Sunday timeslot with episodes of That '70s Show or American Idol.
     As a result of the dispute in general, the sixteenth season will assuredly be shorter than the usual 22 episodes.

     Update (May 1, 2004) - The cast has signed a new multiyear contract. Terms of the new deal were not announced. Each cast member was seeking about $360,000 US per episode, or $8 million for the 22-episode, 2004-2005 season. The actors previously earned $125,000 per episode.