Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with simpsons

Life Is Swell?

surenoproblem — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:23:48 -0800

Where can I read Matt Groening's comic strip Life in Hell (which has been retitled Life is Swell) online? Are there any regularly updated web pages featuring this strip? Any advice on how I can follow this strip would be appreciated!

Name that vaguely show-tuney tune

miriam — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:53:40 -0800

What song plays over the closing credits in the last episode of The Simpsons? It's season 21, episode 6, "Pranks and Greens," guest-starring Jonah Hill. The song starts around 20:47 here. We thought maybe it was Holst, Vaughan Williams, or Gilbert & Sullivan, but can't identify it. I don't see any mention of it in the closing credits or in the googles.

Help me find a Simpsons screensaver I remember from the 90's.

Pope Guilty — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:59:42 -0800

Is the Simpsons Screensaver I remember from my youth still available? When I was a kid, my dad's computer has this amazing Simpsons screensaver on it. This was maybe ten or fifteen years ago, on an ancient 386 running Windows 3.1. While the screensavers I've found on the web just show shots from the show or publicity images, this screensaver was incredibly varied; Itchy and Scratchy would do battle on your desktop, Homer would slowly eat the screen, Grandpa would doze fitfully, that sort of thing. It was a really great screensaver and I'd love to have it again. Can anyone tell me the name of the product and whether or not it's available?

Where can I find more goofy, archaic terms?

gern — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:53:08 -0800

Where can I find more goofy, archaic terms? I'm writing a comic book where one of the characters is an upper-class fellow from the 1800s, and I want to put some outdated slang in his mouth, along the lines of the phrases Mr. Burns sometimes spouts on the Simpsons: flimshaw, goldbrickers, slug-a-beds, aeromail, autogyro, petroleum distillate... A recent online discussion used the phrase "sockdologizer," which I thought fit the bill nicely. Anyone have suggestions for phrases or sources where I might find more?

What on earth happened to The Simpsons?

schmichael — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:58:32 -0800

What happened to The Simpsons? My family used to love The Simpsons. And I know that everyone says that, but we were nuts. My Dad was an American emigre, and I think The Simpsons helped him to connect in a small, sad way with his lost country. In the days before DVDs with HDD recorders and TiVo, he used to tape every single episode on (severely limited) NZ TV. Over time he managed to get an almost-complete collection of grimy old VHS tapes (current to the current season, at the time about 14). And I used to watch them relentlessly, over and over.

But then I grew up - and, it seemed to me, Simpsons grew down. I grew increasingly bored with the new episodes, and by season 15, I stopped watching. Now, whenever I watch a new episode - which is not often - I usually give up after a couple of minutes. The sense of humour is wrong, the characters are all wrong, the plots are gasping for air... it feels like the show's heart is gone.

When I go back and watch episodes in the vicinity of season 6, I still love it. Episodes like Homie the Clown are just, it seems to me, on a completely different level than current efforts.

How much of this feeling is really coming from the decline in show quality? And can someone explain what exactly has changed in the nature of the show? I saw a recent episode with a slick new intro, and it just felt wrong. It was like they've had to sex the show up, make everything shiny and spotless, increase the tempo to breaking point, to continue to grab people's attention as the competition between media becomes more and more vicious, and TV gets louder, faster, and gaudier.

And am I paying to much creedence to the mementoes of my childhood? Maybe my nostalgia covers up for weaker jokes in the old stuff. Maybe the new episodes are perfectly good without this inbuilt assumption of how the show should work and how the characters should act. And I'm just turning into an old codger sniffing distrustfully at the new-fangled.

Or maybe The Simpsons really has jumped the shark - maybe it's jumped it more than once.

Teach me, Askmefi!

I suspect it's Gen X, damn them.

Diablevert — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:06:00 -0800

When, exactly, did Halloween become so frickin' popular? I have the sense that over the past, say, 10 or 15 years, Halloween has become much more popular, to the point where it's now the 2nd-ranking holiday behind Christmas. Particularly, Halloween has become much more important to adults, to the point where most people in their 20s and 30s assume and plan that they'll have to come up with some kind of costume. Halloween now seems to have the rep of the "fun" holiday: as opposed to the irksome family obligations/religious associations with Christmas, Halloween is all about sex, candy, and a little light deviltry.

What I'm trying to figure out is, what caused this change? Has anyone studied this stuff? What were the markers of the shift? I can think of three things: The Simpsons, Rosanne, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. All circa the mid-90s.

Are there any ore such markers? Are they earlier? Is there any other evidence of the Halloween explosion? Can anyone, for instance, point me to a good source of stats on Sexy Nurse rentals?

Or am I just wrong and Halloween has always been this popular? I'm not saying that there was no such thing as a costume party before 1993, that's clearly not the case. But it does seem like Halloween used to be for kids and now it's not. Can anyone help me prove that?

How to make a Flaming Moe cocktail from the Simpsons

willie11 — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:27:45 -0800

Help me figure out how to make a Flaming Moe (Flaming Homer) for a Simpsons Costume Party tonight, please! 1) Yes, I'm open to actually using children's cough syrup, though not thrilled about it.
2) It absolutely must catch on fire
3) I've seen the stock recepes online and they look disgusting.

So, have any ideas about how to make a decent Flaming Moe?

Could you please explain this joke from The Simpsons?

therubettes — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:53:20 -0800

Could you please explain this joke from The Simpsons? I know this makes me appear as dumb as Wiggum but its bugging me. Here is the joke/quote:

Chief Wiggum: [reading a tombstone, talks into his "radio"] Put out an APB on a Uosdwis R Dewoh. Uh, better start with Greektown.
Joe Friday: That's Homer J Simpson, chief. You're reading it upside down.
Chief Wiggum: Uh, cancel that APB. But, uh, bring back some of them, uh, gyros.
Joe Friday: Uh, chief, you're talking into your wallet.

What are gyros?

In my defense I have only read the quote and have not seen or been able to find the clip. Thanks

p.s. its from the episode Mother Simpson details here:

Not so fast.

StopMakingSense — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:44:50 -0800

Everybody who knows the origin of this gag, take one step forward... Not so fast, internet. Where has this gag been used/what are it's origins?

I remember initially hearing it (seeing it?) as something like a military setting where the general(?) says , "Everybody whose mother is still alive, take one step forward...Not so fast, [name of soldier]."

Or alternately, "Everyone who's still a member of [organization], step over the line...Not so fast, [ousted member]."

Quotes from the ultimate role model.

Octoparrot — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:31:01 -0800

Need some Homer Simpson quotes that somehow relates to men being pregnant, birthing children, or men dealing with childbirth. I'm doing a short paper on Couvade Syndrome aka sympathetic pregnancy. I have been challenged to include a quote from Homer in all my papers and I'm coming up blank. Help me hive mind!

Examples of double-meanings in movies, shows, cartoons?

iamkimiam — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:39:34 -0800

Looking for scenes with dialogue in G-rated movies, shows or cartoons that have hidden references for adults. The examples I am looking for need to meet the following criteria:
• Found in movies and tv shows geared specifically toward a younger audience or a general audience (both kids and adults).
• Dialogue must contain a second/hidden meaning that only adults would understand.
• The hidden message is expressed through the spoken dialogue (not by gestures, signs in the background, etc.)

An example of the type of thing I'm looking for is typical in shows like the Simpsons, where kids watching are laughing at something Homer says because it sounds silly, but adults are laughing AT THE SAME DIALOGUE, but for a different reason...because it's a reference to something in the news, politics, etc. that kids would not understand or have access to.

Yes, this is for a paper. No, you are not helping me with my homework by answering this question. Not even close.

Making Milhouse a channel

unsliced — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:17:49 -0800

In a very old episode (The Last Temptation of Homer), Milhouse watches Bart be Bart and mourns, I fear to watch, yet I cannot turn away. This sounds like it must be taken from somewhere, who was Milhouse quoting, or was it a Simpsons original?

Homer sings a patriotic song

cebailey — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:26:58 -0800

SimpsonsFilter: help me find this five-second clip of Homer singing a patriotic song. There was a bit in a Simpsons episode from a few years ago that goes roughly like this: Someone (Marge or Lisa, I think) is describing some sort of American excess--if I remember correctly, it was food-related. In response, Homer tearfully sings a few words from a patriotic American song--something like the national anthem, God Bless America, or America the Beautiful.

Can anyone remember the episode, or at least the song Homer sings?

Homer Attends a Job Interview

Tzarius — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:29:55 -0800

Trying to find an episode of the Simpsons wherein Homer attends a job interview, and answers the "What is your greatest weakness?" question with an explanation of his kleptomaniac tendencies. Homer's answer goes along the lines of how he's an alcoholic, so early on in the job he'll start stealing little things like paperclips and staplers, but will eventually move up to fax machines, chairs etc.

I've tried searching for combinations of keywords from the above, but so far the only two likely candidates were "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" and "He Loves to Fly and he D'ohs", but they weren't it.

Does anyone remember that episode, or am I making things up?

Has The Simpsons ever attacked President Bush directly?

Effigy2000 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:47:21 -0800

I haven't watched The Simpsons regularly since about season 12 or 13, but in those episodes I did happen to catch on TV, I have never seen them directly attack President Bush. I do remember back in the 'golden age' they used to regularly poke fun at Clinton (to name but one example, Clinton playing the sax and Moe telling him to "get back to work"). I'm wondering if regular watchers of The Simpsons can point me to episodes from season 13 onwards where they did directly parody or attack Bush.

does whatever a spider pig does

meijusa — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:43:20 -0800

spider pig, spider pig: where can I get the sheet music for piano and the choir libretto for this simpsons movie song? My google searches haven't turned up anything useful with these keywords. I tried to just play it until it sounds about right, but so far it doesn't. Also, I'd like to get the instructions for the choir. Oh, and then, eventually, I'd like to get it out of my head.

Who needs the [Chicago-area] Kwik-E-Mart? I do.

trixie_bee — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:34:16 -0800

We have connecting flights through Chicago O'Hare this month and would like to visit the Kwik-E-Mart. Is that feasible? Mr. trixie_bee and I want to visit the Kwik-E-Mart at:

6754 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60638

Kwik-E-Mart Chicago

Google maps shows that it is a 27 mile/37 minute journey.

We will be flying into Chicago this Thursday (19th), at 12:35 pm. Our connecting flight (domestic flight) leaves at 4:30 pm.

Our return flight is on Saturday the 28th. We arrive in Chicago at 2:05 pm and depart (international flight) at 7:20 pm.

So on the 19th, we have 4 hours between planes, and on the 28th, we have 5 hours.

Other complications include having to go through customs and recheck bags on the 19th. Only one of us is American, so we have to expect some time in the non-nationals line, yes? For the return, we need to be back at the airport early enough for an international flight on the 28th.

So, questions:

What is typical traffic like on our route on a Thursday early afternoon vs. Saturday late afternoon?

Is the 27 mile/37 minute journey estimate accurate?

Does the Chicago airport efficiently process passengers or should we expect to spend that 4/5 hours between flights in line?

And finally, even though we have less time on the journey in, I'm tempted to try it then, as it will be easier to rebook a domestic missed flight (worst case scenario) than an international flight.

Any other issues I might be missing?

Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying

jbickers — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:37:35 -0800

A question for talented lip-readers: What did Homer and Lisa really say at the end of the Simpsons season finale? There's a great scene at the end of "You Kent Always Say What You Want" (last link, bottom-right, on this page) where Homer and Lisa are supposedly divulging nasty secrets about the Fox network. But they're overdubbed in very obvious fashion. Can anybody discern what they actually said, by their lip movements?

I've talked to some people who think they didn't say anything, that they were just random lip movements, but that doesn't seem very Simpsons-ish - I can't believe the writers would miss such a great chance to embed a hidden joke, even if they use it for nothing more than a Buzz Beer ad or something like that.

I'm sure Homer has said great things.

typewriter — Thu, 17 May 2007 23:52:34 -0800

Help me with a Homer Simpson-esque quote for a keynote speech! (Please.) I am giving a keynote speech to about a thousand people very very soon. I am writing said speech right now. The tone of the whole thing is pretty casual and funny and hopefully inspiring. The beginning of the speech, I send up the cliches of graduation speeches with their overused quotations from old dead guys and that 'go into the world young man' attitude. I then go into what I think is practical advice. I would like to end coming back to a quirky inspirational quote from something completely pop-culture and unexpected, like Homer, or Stewie, or South Park or Spiderman or something like that. So the end would be something like: "Seemingly an inspirational quote from old dead writer - Homer Simpson, Season 5." And maybe some laughs, and then I congratulate them and boot off the stage, taking care not to trip on the damn gown. Anyway, any suggestions for a quote like that?

Where can I find comprehensive ratings information for The Simpsons?

aftermarketradio — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:55:52 -0800

Where can I find comprehensive ratings information for The Simpsons? I have tried looking around for information on Simpsons ratings, but I have had trouble finding a definitive source for comparing the ratings throughout the year. Does anyone know of a good website with a searchable database for TV ratings?

Pray for Mojo

saintsguy — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 01:45:36 -0800

Pray ... for ... Mojo - wav/mp3 sample needed! Google is failing me... am looking for a sample (or link to one) of the Simpsons episode with Mojo the helper monkey. Specifically, when Mojo types out "Pray for Mojo" on the speak n' spell toy.

Did someone else die first?

oats — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 21:12:57 -0800

What'sThatFromFilter: "Stop, stop, he's already dead!" Homer: Ohmigod! He's stealing all the burglars! Why you little --
[jumps Krusty Burglar, starts pummeling him]
Emcee: Oh, Homer, it -- it's all -- it -- it's all j -- jus -- just
an act!
Child: [crying] Stop! Stop, he's already dead.
[two men drag Homer off]
-- Homer, "Homie the Clown"

Does this phrase have an origin predating The Simpsons?

Who played Gloomy Sunday at Hotel Hitler?

crypticgeek — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:58:01 -0800

Help me find what version of the song "Gloomy Sunday" this is. But course there's The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XVII used this hauntingly beautiful, yet melancholy, song in one of the stories. I of course immediately googled it afterwards and easily found it was Billie Holiday's version of the song "Gloomy Sunday". The song is quite lovely, and it even has an interesting history complete with it's very own urban legends.

My question to the filter is about the version of the song that plays after Holiday's version. The show cuts to Marge and Homer dancing to the song playing from the fabulous Hotel Hitler. However, instead of a blues song with plenty of brass and wind, it's ballroom music with lots of strings. Is this still Gloomy Sunday or am I imagining it? If so, what version of Gloomy Sunday is this? Bonus points if you can point me in the direction of obtaining it. My endearing love if it's also free. :)

How does syndication work?

hoverboards don't work on water — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 09:44:56 -0800

How do syndication fees for TV shows like The Simpsons work? Does every episode cost the same to show? Or is it priced by season? Or by episode? Do the good ones cost more to show than the bad ones? Or the new ones more than the old ones?

The Robotic Fanfare

I EAT TAPAS — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 18:11:44 -0800

What's with that awful, seemingly random series of electronic notes played over the Fox logo at the end of the credits on the Simpsons? At the end of each episode, it seems to be a coin-toss as to whether you'll hear the well-known Fox horn fanfare, but occasionally it sounds like, well, Kraftwerk getting drunk or something. Is that a new official corporate fanfare, or is something else happening?

Note that this isn't the DTMF "telephone dialing" sound that you occasionally hear to activate commercials on affiliates or cable networks.