Author: Adam

“Double, double, toil and d’oh? Doughnuts and beer may go hand in hand in Springfield, but one performer will test whether Shakespeare and the Simpsons are as appropriate a match Wednesday night at 7:30 in the Bama Theatre. Rick Miller’s “MacHomer” will present a one-man show featuring an 85 percent “Macbeth” script with more than 50 different Simpson voices. University Programs performing arts director Leslie Hines lucked out when she snatched up a cancellation date and booked the Toronto-based actor/writer to perform in Tuscaloosa. “We haven’t sold out yet, but I hope we don’t break his six-year streak of sellout shows,” Hines said. “We suggest that everyone get there early. Miller’s “MacHomer: The Simpsons Do Macbeth” features Homer as Macbeth and Marge as Lady Macbeth. The Toronto Star praised the show, giving it five stars and calling it, “truly awesome. A one-man, comic tour de force. … This is Shakespeare done just the way he’d like it.” Read More >>>

“Watching Fox honor the 300th episode of ‘The Simpsons’ Sunday night was like watching the American Film Institute honor Jack Nicholson in 1994 for lifetime achievement. Both celebrations were heartfelt, to an extent, but both also were heavy with the implication that careers were entering a twilight, that a prime had been passed, and that a look backward was better than a glance into the beyond.” Read More >>>

“When our generation thinks of The Simpsons, there are mixed reactions. One cannot deny the essence of this animated sitcom: Social satire reaching new peaks of intelligence. The Simpsons episodes constantly analyze and create comedy from societal blunders. Sometimes the parodies exceed our knowledge (considering the fact that most of the writers of the show are Harvard and Yale alumni).

“Although everyone would agree that some shows are better than others, The Simpsons has not grown stale; it continues to add to the pop culture lexicon. Homer’s description of the appeasing French as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” is currently being tossed about on various Internet blogs. Naturally, there are some overly involved Comic Book Guy-like viewers who have misty, water-colored memories of the early Simpsons years. Groening once predicted rather wearily that The Simpsons will still be on in the year 3000, but there will be “fans on the Internet complaining that the last 500 shows haven’t been as good.” Current show runner Al Jean says “One of the things that’s kept the show on for 14 years is you have a universe of about 50 or 60 characters,” explaining that the writers therefore don’t have to worry about creating new story arcs and characters to keep the show fresh. Read More >>>