Season 19 Press Conference

[Stretch_Dude]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=22267

Next Friday, the beloved cartoon family The Simpsons will be coming to the big screen in The Simpsons Movie and ComingSoon.net had a chance to attend a small press conference with the creators, where they told us a bit more of what to expect on the show's next season and the ubiquitous question of a sequel.

"This coming season on the TV show, which is in the works, is just about our most ambitious yet," "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening admitted, before passing the baton to producer Al Jean, the current showrunner, for a brief preview.

"Yeah, the premiere is September 23rd," Jean told us, "Stephen Colbert plays a life coach that Homer gets because he wants to turn his life around and he's great, the next week we have a show that has Placido Domingo and Maya Rudolph as guest stars, where Homer becomes an opera star, and he has these groupies who are these middle-aged matrons that chase him around and Marge is really jealous. We also have Jon Stewart coming up later in a political show where they move Springfield's primary to first in the nation and the candidates come and invade the town and the town is so disgusted, they all write in 'Ralph Wiggum' so we're actually trying to start a 'Ralph for President' boom in 2008."

Jean also told us that there would be a "couch gag" at the beginning of the first episode of the new season that refers back to what happens in the movie. "The key to the show is that each episode sort of goes back to Square One, it's like a cosmic Moebius Strip, so the movie will work its way into the show, but you don't have to have seen the movie to like the show."

Having just finished the movie after working on it for four years, it was probably way too early to say whether or not they'd want to make a sequel to the movie, even though it's likely to make a bucketload of money next weekend.

"We've finished the movie so recently," series creator James L. Brooks concurred. "As you know, we have a joke about it."

Al Jean took the more serious approach to the question: "I would think too that it would be the same role of this movie in that we'd do a sequel if we had a great story, and we wouldn't do it just to do a sequel. You see movies that come out where you're like 'Why did they do another one? I loved the first one so much.'"

Groening got the last word on the sequel question with, "So what we're saying is 18 years from now."

Matt Groening also briefly spoke about his other series "Futurama" which will be returning in a big way later this year. "We're doing four straight-to-DVD 'Futurama' movies and then new episodes on Comedy Central starting in 2008. The first DVD for 'Futurama' will be out for the holidays."

VOTE WIGGUM!

[c_nordlander]

Define "most ambitious yet", Mr Jean.

[Kif White]

Define "most ambitious yet", Mr Jean.

Isn't it obvious? The following will happen:

• In one single episode, Homer will get three, count'em THREE, new jobs.
• In another episode, Homer and Marge will get into an argument, break up, then come together and get into another argument and break up again
• One regular character will be revealed to be a gay/lesbian
• You will hear each of the three main four-letter swear words unbleeped through the season at least once.
• Skinner will become a necrophiliac after having got a taste of it with that mummy in that previous episode
• Homer will be tempted by another woman, and actually sleep with her (note: may link in with the second episode in list)
• Bart will take a hard drug
• One character will get a sex change accidentally, but then decide to keep it for the episode's duration due to a flimsy pretense
• Homer will get a main character killed while being an ass, but suffer no guilt or penalty. Instead, he gets a parade.
• Patty/Selma incest.
• One episode will parody 10 movies, and mention the title of each movie during the parody at least twice.
• The Jockey Elves return for revenge on Homer, revealing they weren't really elves at all, but were merely Lepechauns.
• Breaking a new record, one episode will feature 20 celebrities, all playing themselves, and all Scientologists. This will be possible due to the episode simply being a big advertisement for the cult. "We finally found a way to get Tom Cruise on the show," comments Al Jean.
• One episode will be completely live-action.
• One episode will be completely in CGI, animated by Dreamworks.
• Guest directors George Lucas, Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay.
• Simpsons/Family Guy crossover.
• Herb Powell returns, revealing he's a Drag Queen now.
• Special Guest Star Spongebob Squarepants.
• Half the season will be those three-part story styled episodes in the vein of "Simpsons Bible Stories", "Simpsons Tall Tales", etc. Themes include Valentine's Day, Easter, Kwanzaa, Soap Operas and Reality Shows.
• Marge's breasts will be shown uncensored at least once.
• One episode will feature Homer rounding up internet nerds and killing them for having opinions, as ordered by his new boss Ian Jean-Scully.
• An episode where Lisa must save her newest role-model, Paris Hilton (playing herself), from prison with a wacky plan.
• Flanders the Pimp.

[archonix]

• Flanders the Pimp

FLANDERS: Well, pim-diddley-impin ain't easy Bart!

[Stretch_Dude]

I heard they're actually doing a Valentine's Day three-story episode...

[missy_misery]

*awaits the big angry backlash that'll happen when thousands of stoned college kids write 'Ralf Wigemsz" on their ballots come next October.*

[c_nordlander]

Since this thread is already up, I might as well pre-empt Stretch Dude and post the unique promo for the first episode of Season 19:

KABF01: Path of Emo

After falling in love with an emo, Lisa adopts the emo lifestyle, feeling that her parents don't understand her.

In a subplot, Homer gets a new job as sidekick to legendary bad video game reviewer, guest star Angry Nintendo Nerd (real name James Rolfe). However, when Homer introduces him to spectacularly awful Nintendo Wii game Nerdhunt (a parody of Rockstar's Manhunt), Rolfe hates it so much, he goes on a killing spree in order to track down Homer.

Promo picture

[c_nordlander]

So OK, I lied. Angry Nintendo (Video Game?) Nerd isn't guest-starring on The Simpsons.

He's reviewed their games, though.

Not worksafe, obviously.

EDIT: Funny thing. It's been years since I played "Bart vs. the World" (it was even before I became a Simpsons fan), and I can still recall being vaguely upset by the fact that the Great Wall of China level was swarming with dragons. Isn't The Simpsons supposed to be a realistic series? Dragons don't exist!

Funny how some things never change...

[archonix]

I had Bart vs The Space Mutants on the amiga way back. I never got past the first level.

[Jar_Jar_Binks]

I never had any trouble completing either vs the Space Mutant nor vs the World when I was 9. In fact, after I saw the AVGN review last week, I loaded up my old NES with both cartridges (one at a time of course) and completed them without trouble. Don´t talk about Bartman meets Radioactive Man though, now THAT´s a hard, annoying game!

PS I must admit I really, really hated the first North Pole stage in Bart vs the World

I also have this Bart NES joystick; which makes Simpsons NES games double the fun they barely are! http://www.nesplayer.com/database/acces ... impson.htm

[Stretch_Dude]

I had Bart vs The Space Mutants on the amiga way back. I never got past the first level.

Same here. There was that one blockade that I could never jump over no matter how I tried.

I actually beat Bart Meets Radioactive Man once, though...after playing it umpteen-bazillion times. It was the labyrinth in Lava Man's stage that always got me.

[missy_misery]

I bought "Bart Versus The Space Mutants" instead of Bubble Bobble 2 and I STILL regret it.  Let's just say I still can't make the damn trashcans change color.

[Meghan]

Since this thread is already up, I might as well pre-empt Stretch Dude and post the unique promo for the first episode of Season 19:

KABF01: Path of Emo

After falling in love with an emo, Lisa adopts the emo lifestyle, feeling that her parents don't understand her.

Promo picture

Lisa as a emo......meh, why not I have seen her as a goth. Lets see how that works out.

Preppy Lisa will probably be more scarier to look at though *shudders*

[gkscotty]

... so emo is a lifestyle now?

[Stretch_Dude]

... so emo is a lifestyle now?

They like to think so.