On Friday night Sky One broadcast the UK TV premiere of the much-hyped Simpsons episode featuring Tony Blair, complete with a voice provided by the British prime minister himself. The Simpsons: the Regina Monologues, featured Homer and the gang on a visit to London, during which they are welcomed to Britain by Mr Blair at the airport and also run into JK Rowling and Sir Ian McKellen. Sky One was watched by 1.1 million viewers and attracted an 8% share of the multichannel audience between 8pm and 8.30pm on Friday, when the new Simpsons episode was on air. This was well below the highest ever rating Simpsons on Sky One, which was 1.65 million for an episode broadcast in February 2001. However, The Regina Monologues proved more popular in multichannel homes than BBC2’s Hidden Gardens, a Friends repeat on Channel 4 and Channel Five’s Moving to Mars.
Tag: uk
Blair Appearance Aired In UK
In what will probably be the first of many articles hounding tonights airing of The Regina Monologues in the UK, the Telegraph has posted their thoughts. “The Prime Minister might have been trying to impress his children. But if he wanted to win fans, he should have played it more for laughs, reports Tom Cox. Mr Blair’s appearance – the subject of eight months of negotiations between Alastair Campbell and the show’s producers, lasted well under a minute. Were it not for Homer’s comment of “I can’t believe we met Mr Bean!”, it could almost have been scripted by Mr Campbell. The episode did nothing to dissuade you from the impression that America thinks of Britain as a nation of top-hat wearing, mini-driving, well-spoken wimps who make films about running to pop music and cling to a defunct monarchy; nor, if you had any kind of sense of humour, would you have wanted it to.” Read More >>>
Al Jean Talks Tony Blair
For a moment, Al Jean couldn’t believe his ears. Here was the British Prime Minister, the man to whom he had sent an irreverent script, shaking his hand in a quiet ante-room at 10 Downing Street and saying, “You’re my hero”. As a writer and executive producer of The Simpsons, Jean wasn’t used to being called a hero, let alone being greeted so effusively by a statesman. But these were exceptional circumstances. British premiers won’t get the chance to be immortalised as a character in The Simpsons very often. Tony Blair knew an opportunity when he saw it and, after 8 months of negotiation between his director of communications and the producers, he agreed to make an appearance. “We never, ever thought he would agree. And, even up to the last minute, we never thought it would happen,” explains Jean. Read More >>>
David Beckham.. Re-Rejected?
After Hello magazine published a tidbit on David Beckham scoring a role in The Simpsons, we were quick to follow and so did countless other British media sources. It was inevitable that the creators of The Simpsons would hear this eventually, and Al Jean was just as shocked to hear the news as we were. David Beckham WILL NOT appear in The Simpsons. The producer took time out to personally inform snpp.com contributor Jonah Flynn that Beckham had not scored a cameo and any information saying otherwise is 100% untrue. A week’s worth of chatter is probably enough to keep the rumor alive for years, so be sure to spread the word, and hopefully this’ll be the last time you see Beckham’s head on our front page.
Beckham Rejected Accepted
We previously reported that champion sportsman David Beckham had been rejected to appear on The Simpsons. Hello! magazine has today reported otherwise. “Star footballer David Beckham is following in the footsteps of famous Brits from Prime Minister Tony Blair to Mick Jagger, with his animated alter-ego making a one-off appearance on TV cartoon hit The Simpsons. While he was passed up for a cameo earlier this year for not being famous enough stateside, the athlete’s whirlwind PR tour of the US apparently had the desired effect. With David’s popularity now on the rise, producers of the popular programme have had a change of heart.” It is likely that Beckman’s appearance will be in next year’s Season 16.
The Fans Speak Out On BBC
In what may be a case of selective editing, US fans of The Simpsons have told CBBC Newsround that last night’s episode featuring Tony Blair and J.K. Rowling was one of the funniest they’ve seen. Of course, this isn’t the opinion of everyone, but a number of opinions were posted on BBC for the UK fans who want to know if they were treated right. Nicole-Leigh, 14, said: “Oh my gosh, the episode of The Simpsons with JK Rowling was great. For all you Brits, YOU GOTTA SEE IT!!!!!” The episode will air in the United Kingdom in January, where it is bound to rake in the viewers. More Opinions >>>
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 >>>
Beckham Vows Revenge!
David Beckham is set to star in a worldwide Disney cartoon in which he displays fantastic powers on the pitch and unreal ones off it. The cartoon could be shown in 150 countries and would feature team-mates Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Raul. A club source said: “Superhero Becks has huge potential. We want it to be bigger than The Simpsons.” As you may remember, Beckham was rejected a guest role on The Simpsons this season and this is apparently his payback. Will his diabolical plan work and will we be known as the “Superhero Becks Channel” a year from now? Stay TUNED!
OFF Give Hornby A Rev Up
“The Simpsons are helping create a new generation of Scalextric fans, the toy car racers that have entertained kids since the Sixties. Scalextric owner Hornby told shareholders at today’s annual general meeting that sales of both its Hornby and Scalextric ranges are ‘encouraging’, helped by a number of new product launches including ‘The Simpsons Micro Scalextric’. Group trading in the first few months of the year has met expectations, the company said. Retailing at £29.99, the Simpsons model contains two cars, one with a Homer figure and another with son Bart on a skateboard, allowing kids to chase each other’s cars. ‘Our prospects remain pretty bright,’ said chairman Neil Johnson.” Original Article >>>
OFF Not Welcome In Court
Do you have the Simpsons theme song on your cellphone? Maybe you should rethink that. “Of all the embarrassing places where a mobile phone can ring, a coroner’s court must be on a par with a funeral. Inquests are often emotionally charged, as tearful bereaved relatives answer questions about the deceased from a coroner whose duty is to establish the cause of death. When the theme tune from The Simpsons suddenly clangs through the courtroom, people involved in the inquest can react with anger, red faces, tears or sometimes even laughter. Dewi Pritchard-Jones, coroner for North-west Wales, has seen this happen too many times. In one recent inquest, he warned that if proceedings were interrupted once more by a ring tone, the phone’s owner would be ordered to pay £25 to charity.” Read More >>>
Aberdeen Loves Willie
“One of television’s top stars has revealed a secret love for a Scots football team. But it’s highly unlikely this famous Aberdeen FC fan will ever be spotted eating pies in the stands of Pittodrie – because he’s a cartoon character. However, Dons fans are still delighted to add Groundskeeper Willie, the Scottish janitor from TV series The Simpsons, to their number. In the latest episode of the hit animated series (‘Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky’ aired there this week), he made it clear where his footballing allegiances lie when he woke from a deep sleep to shout: “Go Aberdeen.” The club were delighted with the mention on the show, which is watched by millions of people. Club spokesman Dave McDermid said: “The fact that Willie is an expat fan goes to show just how popular Aberdeen are. It’s great to be involved in something like the Simpsons because of its massive following. I’m sure there are some teams who would crawl over hot coals for such a mention.” Read More >>>
Second Chance For Becks?
Reportedly, the producers of The Simpsons dropped plans for Beckham to feature in an episode on the grounds that he wasn’t famous enough in the US. They may soon be amending their guest list, after his name is getting exposure as part of the movie title ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, released in America recently. “This is the ‘tipping point’ for David Beckham in the United States,” says Marc Ganis, the president of SportsCorp, a Chicago consultancy. He was echoing the title of a recent book about that indefinable moment when a fad turns into a mega-trend. “He won’t achieve the sporting status of a Michael Jordan or a Namath, but he’s poised to become part of the popular culture of the US.” Read More >>>