Giant Inflatable Spider Pig

Is it a bird? is it a plane? No - it's a giant inflatable Spider Pig.

The cartoon balloon rose above London's iconic Battersea Power Station to mark the release of The Simpsons Movie on DVD.

The stunt was a cheeky recreation of Pink Floyd's Animals album cover shoot in 1977 - when their pig broke loose, shot up into Heathrow's flight path and startled pilots at 40,000ft.

This time, to make sure history did not repeat itself, an SAS trained marksman was on standby to take Spiderpig down if he looked like flying off.

--Channel 4 News

"E. Pluribus Wiggum"

Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, will be making a guest appearance as himself on the January 6, 2008 episode of The Simpsons, along with Dan Rather.

"It's truly a great honor and I'm very excited about it," said Stewart.

Synopsis:

After Springfield becomes the first city in the nation to hold a presidential primary election, excitement builds as reporters from around the country, including Jon Stewart and Dan Rather, descend upon Springfield to cover the debates. When the candidates turn out to be less than compelling, Kent Brockman announces an unexpected turn of events: Springfield voters rejected all of the candidates and embraced a write-in: notorious bed-wetter Ralph Wiggum.

With Ralph as the new presidential front-runner, Republican and Democratic party leaders fight to win him over as their candidate. Find out if Ralph can make the leap from Sesame Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Comics Continuum has a video of Jon Stewart recording his dialogue for the episode here.

"Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind"

Airing December 16:

Homer wakes up one morning only to find himself outdoors and covered with snow. With no recollection of what happened the night before, he makes his way home only to find his entire family missing. Hopelessly confused, he goes to Moe's bar, where Moe reveals that Homer drank a "Forget-Me-Shot" the night before - a drink so potent, it wipes out a the last 24 hours of one's memory.

When Wiggum informs Homer of a domestic disturbance at the Simpson house the night before, Homer begins to worry that he may have done something awful. Homer turns to Professor Frink, who hooks him up to a device that allows him to explore his memories to piece together the night's events.

Click the image to enlarge.

"Funeral for a Fiend"

Airing November 25, 2007:

When Bart accidentally kills his old nemesis Sideshow Bob (voice of Kelsey Grammar), Bob's brother Cecil (David Hyde Pierce) and father (John Mahoney) invite Bart to attend the memorial service to bury the hatchet for good.

Keith Olbermann makes a guest appearance as himself.

"Husbands and Knives"

Airing November 18:

Much to the Comic Book Guy's chagrin, Bart, Lisa and Milhouse check out a new comic-book store called "Coolsville Comics & Toys," where they are treated like royalty by a friendly comic book buff named Milo (guest voice Jack Black). Coolsville attracts some real-life comic book creators, such as Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Dan Clowes (guest-voicing as themselves), and the Comic Book Guy wages war on Coolsville in an attempt to win back his customers.

Meanwhile, Marge decides her middle-aged physique could use some help, and she launches a gym for 'regular women.' Marge's gym becomes wildly successful and as her fame grows, Homer fears she will dump him for a younger, more fit guy. Homer decides to take matters into his own hands to get into shape.

90 Minutes of "The Simpsons" on November 4

Sunday, November 4, 2007:

In addition to the new Treehouse of Horror XVIII, Fox will air the "24" parody 24 Minutes and last year's Treehouse of Horror XVII, which includes "Married to the Blob", "You Gotta Know When to Golem", and "The Day the Earth Looked Stupid."

Treehouse of Horror XVIII

The frightfest begins in "Mr. and Mrs. Simpson" as Homer and Marge leave for what appears to be an ordinary day. But Homer is living a double life as a secret agent, and he is assigned to eliminate Kent Brockman. When a mysterious woman blocks Homer's shot and tries to kill Brockman herself, Homer finds that his competition "hits" a little too close to home.

In "E.T. Go Home," Bart and Lisa come to the aid of Kodo the space alien, who's hiding from the government. Kodo asks them to help him obtain a long list of devices so he can reconnect with his home planet, but his intentions prove to be anything but friendly.

In the final Halloween scare, "Heck House," Bart, Lisa and their friends spend Halloween night pulling pranks on unsuspecting people in Springfield. But when they go too far, Flanders decides he's going to spook them straight. Transforming the church into the "Heck House," Flanders is filled with supernatural power and subjects the children to his wrath of seven deadly sins in the "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, Nov. 4 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-1816) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Simpsons Star Wars

"The Homer of Seville"

Episode JABF18

"After a freak accident, Homer becomes an opera singer and finds himself star of the Springfield Opera. Soon he becomes mobbed by fans and gains himself a female stalker."

Guest stars: Maya Rudolph and Placido Domingo (pictured) as himself.

"The Homer of Seville" airs Sunday, September 30.

Stephen Colbert Gets Simpsonized

"He Loves To Fly And He D'ohs"

The nineteenth season of The Simpsons begins on Sunday, September 23, 2007. Stephen Colbert and Lionel Richie will guest star on the season premiere, "He Loves To Fly And He D'ohs."

Synopsis:

"After Homer saves Mr. Burns from drowning in a mall fountain, Burns thanks him by taking him on a whirlwind trip to Chicago on his private plane. Homer is smitten with the luxury jet and all the perks that come with it, including flying with song legend Lionel Richie, who serenades him with a customized version of 'Say You, Say Me.' After returning home, Homer makes it his mission to find a job that offers him the chance to fly on a corporate jet and enlists a life coach, guest-star Stephen Colbert, to help fulfill this dream."

Bart Simpson Art Exhibit

From the LAist:

"Using a sweet ten inch D.I.Y. Bart Simpson Blank Platform Qee Figure as a blank canvas, 50 artists from Doink to Rentals frontman Matt Sharp to Simpsons creator Matt Groening himself have created one-of-a-kind Simpsons art that will be unveiled today in Hollywood."

Meltdown Comics and Collectibles held the opening on August 1st, 2007.

Click on the flyer to the left to enlarge.

See also: Cool pictures of the DIY Bart Simpson Qee Worldwide Tour.

Simpsons DS

Krusty Burger Commercial

"Homer Eats Whopper"

Homer's "Tonight Show" Monologue

Burger King Commercial

Springfield, Vermont Movie Premiere

Springfield, Vermont, winner of the Springfield Challenge with 15, 367 votes, hosted the world premiere of The Simpsons Movie on Saturday, July 21, 2007.

Matt Groening and the Simpson family were in attendance.

For more information, a quick search turns up plenty of news stories, photos, and videos of the event.

However, I have yet to find a photo of any "Duff & D'oh-Nuts," the beer-and-donut-flavored ice cream created by Ben & Jerry's for the movie premiere. It was available for one day only, and only in Springfield.

Entertainment Weekly

Coverage of The Simpsons Movie in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, available at EW.com:

D'oh! - Conan O'Brien jokes about being one of just two early "Simpsons" writers not asked to collaborate on the movie version.

Homer's Odyssey - After 18 years, theaters will finally echo with the sweet sounds of D'oh! Go behind the scenes with Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the other good citizens of Springfield for an inside look at what better be the Best. Movie. Ever.

Inside 'The Simpsons Movie' - Nope, it's not a cruel joke -- we got producers Matt Groening and James L. Brooks to give us the scoop. Go ahead and have a cow, man.

Also, for collectors, EW.com is offering all four Simpsons covers for $10.00 here.

180 Foot Tall Homer Simpson

To promote The Simpsons Movie, a 180 foot tall Homer Simpson was painted next to the Cerne Abbas giant in Dorset, England, using a water-based biodegradable paint that will wash away with the first rain.

Despite the painting's extremely temporary nature, the humorless Pagan Federation was not amused, and vowed to wash it away with "rain magic."

Wow. You've got to love organizations that are self-satirizing.

The Pagan Federation's complaint that the painting of Homer is "very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing" was met with a typical internet response. (The animated gif is hilarious, but it didn't animate when I posted it here, so you'll have to follow the link to see it for yourself).

Jay Leno, "Testify" Soundtrack

Left: Homer Simpson is set to make an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Tuesday, July 24, during Jay's opening monologue.


Below: Another music CD to add to your Simpsons collection... "Testify" is set to be released on September 18, 2007.

For a complete list of tracks, check out the Simpsons Channel, via Shout! Factory.

Trailer for the New Simpsons Video Game

The Simpsons on Channel 4

"The Simpsons Go to Paris"

The Simpsons (and Simpsonized models and fashion designers) in a fashion spread from the August issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine. Click images to enlarge. (via TV Squad, via LiveJournal).

Kwik-E-Marts Revisited

The 7-Eleven website has more info on the Kwik-E-Marts, including where to find them, and what you can buy there, like Radioactive Man #711.

There are great Kwik-E-Mart photosets on Flickr. Check out photos of the Kwik-E-Marts in Burbank, Mountain View, and Bladensburg. See what these converted 7-Elevens look like inside and out.

Washington Post coverage.

Previously mentioned here and here.

Thank you, come again.

"Final" Simpsons Movie Poster

Yet Another Simpsons Movie Poster

Another Simpsons Movie Poster

Kwik-E-Mart Conversions

Advertising Age has an update on the plan to convert 7-11 stores into Kwik-E-Marts, previously mentioned here.

Specialized merchandise that will be on sale include Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal, and Radioactive Man comics from Bongo.

There haven't been any 7-11s in my area for years, so I guess I'll be picking this stuff up on eBay.

Simpsons-Themed Xbox 360

According to Engadget, Microsoft will be giving away 100 limited edition Simpsons-themed Xbox 360s.

EA Officially Announces New Simpsons Game

GameSpot ran a couple of articles this week on the new Simpsons video game being developed by Electronic Arts.

For a description of the game, check out The Simpsons First Look.

For the official announcement, and a list of what platforms it will be available on, click here.

Click on the promotional art at left for a larger view.

Good Housekeeping

There's a new Simpsons Safety Poster available from Safety World: Good Housekeeping.

Simpsons Movie Teaser Posters

Via Russia's Present Cinema.

JABF14: "24 Minutes"

Synopsis: "With the help of Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brian, Bart and Lisa must stop bullies Dolph, Jimbo and Kearney from releasing the ultimate stink bomb at Springfield Elementary's annual bake sale."

"24 Minutes," previously mentioned here, will be the 400th episode of The Simpsons. It airs on May 20 as part of the one-hour season finale.

Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub guest star, providing the voices of their characters from the Fox series "24."

JABF15: "You Kent Always Say What You Want"

You can't always use the title you want. Case in point: The 399th episode of The Simpsons, "The Kent State Massacre," was renamed "You Kent Always Say What You Want" in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. Since the original title unapologetically referred to the 1970 Kent State shootings, this would seem to be a textbook example of the "too soon" philosophy of acceptable comedy.

Synopsis: "Homer purchases the one millionth ice cream cone at an ice cream store and is featured on Kent Brockman’s nightly news program. However, the innocent interview turns into trouble when Brockman uses a shocking expletive and Ned Flanders wages an anti-indecency campaign."

The rapper Ludacris (left) guest-stars as himself.

"You Kent Always Say What You Want" airs May 20 as part of the one-hour season finale.

The Simpsons as American Idol Judges

JABF12: "Stop, Or My Dog Will Shoot!"

"Homer is upset when he realizes that Marge brought him and the family to a boring Harvest Fest instead of his much-anticipated day of debauchery at October Fest. Attempting to leave, Homer accidentally drags the family into a puzzling cornfield maze. When the whole family manages to escape except for Homer, they send out Santa's Little Helper, who sniffs out Homer and rescues him. Santa’s Little Helper becomes a local hero and the Simpsons decide to enroll him in Police Dog Academy, where he’s teamed with a grizzled veteran cop named Lou and they become a crime-busting duo. Bart’s excitement quickly dissipates when a jaded Santa’s Little Helper bites him, and the Simpsons send the dog away to live with Chief Wiggum. To appease Bart’s depression after the loss of his dog, Marge agrees to buy him a huge pet snake. But when the snake causes a life-threatening situation at Bart and Lisa’s school, Santa’s Little Helper gets a chance to redeem himself."

Rudy Giuliani and Stephen Hawking guest-star as themselves. Airs April 29.

JABF10: "Marge Gamer"

"Marge becomes a spectacle during a PTA meeting for not having an e-mail address, and she decides to take a chance on using the Internet. Amazed and delighted by all the Internet has to offer, Marge joins a popular role-playing fantasy game called "Earthland Realms." To Marge’s dismay, the game has her interacting with practically the whole town of Springfield, including Bart, who happens to be the game’s most feared and destructive player. Meanwhile, Homer saves Lisa's soccer game from cancellation after he volunteers to take the place of a referee who recently quit. However, Homer’s refereeing skills only exasperate Lisa, and her competitive streak gets the best of her."

"Marge Gamer" airs April 22, 2007.

"Thank You For Coming, I'll See You In Hell!"

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Real Kwik-E-Marts? Woo-Hoo!

7-Eleven may convert some stores to coincide with 'Simpsons Movie'

It appears as though the world's largest convenience store will get Simpsonized, though 7-Eleven Inc. said the deal isn't done yet.

But at a company event yesterday in Richmond, officials showcased their planned promotional efforts with major upcoming films, including "The Simpsons Movie."

If all goes as planned, the convenience store chain plans to refit 11 stores across the U.S. -- Richmond is an unlikely choice -- to resemble the front of the Kwik-E-Mart, the convenience store that Homer and other characters frequent in the classic cartoon TV series.

Customers also will be able to buy products inspired by the nearly two-decades-old show, including KrustyO's cereal, Buzz Cola and iced Squishees (the cup says Squishee, but the contents will be Slurpee).

The chain also will use pictures of Simpsons characters to promote 7-Eleven's line of fresh foods, such as placing the face of Homer and his classic "Mmmm . . . sandwich" quip on sandwich wrappers.

Details of 7-Eleven's plans were showed to employees in a booth at a company event at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. It was unclear yesterday which 11 stores of the more than 4,700 nationwide would receive a cartoony facelift or sell inventory of the Simpsons-inspired products.

The movie hits theaters July 27.

JABF06: "Homerazzi"

Airing tomorrow night (March 25), episode 394:

"After the family photo album is destroyed, Marge decides to restage all of the family’s photographs, and when a celebrity dating scandal is captured in the background of one of their photos, the Simpsons strike tabloid gold. Tasting success and seeing money to be made, Homer takes to the streets as one of the paparazzi."

Guest stars: J.K. Simmons, Peter Wolf, Harry Hamlin, Betty White and Jon Lovitz.

Simpsons Movie at Showest

Courtesy of Latino Review.