Rob Baur, a huge Simpsons fan, grafted a tomato plant to a tobacco plant, grew it, and tonight he has proof from the lab that it worked. “What we found was nicotine in the leaves”. said scientist Ray Grimsbo. The plant grew off the tobacco roots and sucked up the nicotine, just like Tomacco on The Simpsons. The lab hasn’t tested if the actual tomato has nicotine in it yet, but they say it probably does. “Generally in the fruit there is more material concentrated because that’s what everything’s going through to produce the fruit for the next generation. I would expect there would be more.” And that would make the real life tomacco plant very poisonous. Rob Baur says he grew the tomacco plant just for fun, just to see if it would really work. But what’s next for him? “I’ll have to review my DVD’s to see if there is more Simpsons science available.”
Author: Adam
Mike Reiss Talks Simpsons
One face behind The Simpsons is writer/producer Mike Reiss, who recently spoke to The Michigan Daily about the show. “A little white guy was used to be Michael Jackson’s singing voice. For some odd reason Jackson only wanted to do the speaking voice.” Some guest stars have backed out after episodes have been written for them. “We had a recent episode where Stan Lee was a guest voice, but that part was written for George Lucas, who begged to be on the show, but pulled out at the last minute.” Even after 15 years on the air, Reiss believes The Simpsons can go on forever unless “the network makes a stupid mistake and kills it. The key to The Simpsons is that everything is right about it, I don’t see any end in sight.” He revealed that the oft-discussed movie is in development and that he is working on the script. Read More >>>
The Simpsons On Vodafone
THQ Inc. and Vodafone today announced an agreement for the distribution of ‘The Simpsons’ branded mobile content exclusively to Vodafone customers throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The first content scheduled for release under this agreement, including ringtones, animated picture messages, wallpapers and screen savers, will be available from November, followed by games. “I am delighted that we are able to launch The Simpsons on a global basis with Vodafone. This is one of the most exciting launches in mobile entertainment to date.” said Adam Comiskey, General Manager, EMEA at THQ Wireless. Read More >>>
One Year Of Simpsons News
As we approach our 6th birthday at The Simpsons Channel, I thought we could reflect on the past year. On this day in 2002 I took a gamble to take the site in a huge new direction. Once being a haven for links and web news, in the space of 24 hours we rebranded ourselves as a site offering the latest show news. This was to be a trial for two months, which would result in closure had it not been a success. The gamble paid off. One year on, 410000 visitors later, the site has a following that we had not experienced in the first 5 years. A year ago I questioned renewing the domain. This year, there’s no maybe about it. You’ve kept me updating for 365 days without losing interest. Here’s to another year. The Simpsons Channel. Your source for Simpsons news.
Quimby’s Animated Campaign
“Diamond” Joe Quimby flat-out denies being the individual that allegedly offered a six-figure bribe to opponent John Nunziata to withdraw his candidacy for Toronto’s mayor, he announced today. “Hey, I’m in the business of taking bribes, not making them,” the ‘colourful’ candidate said. A mayor of Springfield for at least 9 terms, Quimby promises to make his run for the big show in Toronto an ‘animated’ race. Knowing he won’t be invited to any all-candidates debates, Quimby has purchased airtime on Toronto’s “The Comedy Network” in the days leading up to the municipal election. His “Vote Quimby-a-Thon” will air during Friday, Nov. 7 through Monday, Nov. 10 at 9pm ET on The Comedy Network. More information can be found at www.votequimby.ca.
Fox Threatened To Sue Fox!
Matt Groening spoke to Terry Gross on her radio show “Fresh Air” this morning and discussed a Fox News lawsuit. In the Season 14 episode “Mr. Spritz Goes To Washington”, a Fox News parody was aired, including use of the news crawl. “Fox fought against it and said they would sue the show and we called their bluff cause we didn’t think Rupert Murdoch would pay Fox to sue itself.” said Groening. “We got away with it but now Fox has a new rule that we can’t do those little fake news crawls along the bottom of the screen, in a cartoon, because it might confuse the viewers into thinking it’s real news” How insulting! Reported by DallasNews.com and transcribed by myself.
Simpsons Comics Sighting
Over the years, the creators of The Simpsons have constantly poked fun at the show’s massive merchandising empire. This time they’re celebrating part of the marketing empire by swinging into Chico and promoting The Simpsons ninth annual Halloween comic book. To commemorate Bongo Comics’ 10-year anniversary, three of its artists signed comic books and cartoon merchandise. Bill Morrison of Bongo Comics wasn’t sure it would last 10 years. “There was a huge buzz at the San Diego ComicCon,” Morrison said of the announcement of the Simpsons comic. “The industry was in a huge slump. We started at the worst time.” The first comic book featuring Simpsons characters was published in January 1993. Read More >>>
Wireless Simpsons Campaign
“The Fox TV network is planning a major new wireless effort centered on one of television’s most well-known families—the Simpsons. Homer, Marge and the rest of the cast of the hit animated series will soon make the jump to wireless, said Jim Beddows, Fox’s vice president of wireless entertainment. The company plans to sell a variety of Simpsons-themed wireless services, including ring tones, wallpapers and games, starting in the fourth quarter. Fox worked with Simpsons writers and animators to create specialized content for its wireless offerings, Beddows said. The Simpsons wireless services will first be launched in Asia and Europe in the United States next year. The content will be organized around character locales, and will be updated monthly.”
Homer’s Voice Hits High Note
Dan Castellaneta, voice of Homer Simpson, has been cast as Aaron Spelling in NBC’s movie about Charlie’s Angels, one of Spelling’s best-known creations. For the part, Castellaneta will don Spelling’s signature turtleneck for “Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ ” – the show dubbed “jiggle TV” by critics during its mid-’70s run. The movie will focus on the show’s tumultuous first season, and is slated to air sometime next year. The ABC series followed the adventures of three sexy private detectives who worked for an unseen boss named Charlie. Critics derided Charlie’s Angels as “massage parlor television” and “voyeurism” which only added to the show’s huge ratings and turned its stars into sex symbols.
Fans Flush With D’oh!
“‘Twas the painting of a menagerie that caught Karl Balluch’s eye. Wee Bartholomew perched in a well-sculpted tree as his mother and father stood in the flesh below. His cherub-like sister glared at an evil serpent that had plucked a round delicacy from the foliage. Crisp lines encapsulated the rich hues — blues, greens, yellows — that lay within. Balluch was one of many who visited the Metro Convention Centre yesterday for Simpsons Mania, an art show dedicated to the hugely popular, long-running animated series. Throughout the afternoon, hundreds queued outside a small gallery of about 300 late-20th Century (pre-Y2K era) pieces ranging from less than $200 to more than $3,000. Balluch, 32, parted with $275 for “The Garden of Springfield,” after a simple appraisal: “It gets the realm of all of the Simpsons — in the (buff).” Read More >>>
Apu Bad For Convenience?
The convenience store has permeated our culture so deeply that people are analyzing Apu of the Simpsons. “Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has stamped both positive and negative images on the industry,” said Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores, whose article on Apu is to appear in November’s NACS Magazine. “There are some retailers who truly think he is one of the worst things that has happened to our industry,” Lenard said. “But Apu is also one of the most honest, lovable, good-hearted characters on the show. He’s a highly educated family man. But he often keeps a loaded rifle behind the counter and chases shoplifters, two dangerous practices that increase the likelihood of violence.” Read More >>>
Christmas DVD Now In Stores!
The second of two holiday themed Simpsons DVD’s has been released in North America today. Christmas With The Simpsons includes the episodes “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire”, “Miracle On Evergreen Terrace”, “Grift Of The Magi”, “She Of Little Faith”, and “Mr. Plow”, and Mr. Burns featurette. The DVD should retail for $14.98 or lower. This DVD will be available in the UK on November 3.