Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, Homer Simpson
November 30, 2005 7:18 AM Subscribe
Tom Wolfe is screaming. "Aaaaaaaahh! Wait, no, that wasn't good, let me start over." "How did you scream last time a boulder was hurtling toward you?" asks Carolyn Omine, executive producer of The Simpsons.
Slowly, Wolfe transforms. Even now, this episode's director, Mark Kirkland, is circling Wolfe, snapping pictures. Soon, a team of animators will render Wolfe bug-eyed and yellow-skinned. A year from now Wolfe -- with fellow guest stars Gore Vidal, Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen --
will appear on television alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the bartender Moe in an episode of "The Simpsons" parodying highfalutin literary culture.
The Simpsons hasn't been funny for nine years.
posted by interrobang at 7:24 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by interrobang at 7:24 AM on November 30, 2005
The Simpsons hasn't been funny for nine years.
They've been running new episodes in the last nine years? Every time I tried to watch one, I got the feeling I'd already seen one like it three times.
posted by Godbert at 7:25 AM on November 30, 2005
They've been running new episodes in the last nine years? Every time I tried to watch one, I got the feeling I'd already seen one like it three times.
posted by Godbert at 7:25 AM on November 30, 2005
I'm sorry, i love the simpsons, but this FPP is just lame.
posted by yonation at 7:28 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by yonation at 7:28 AM on November 30, 2005
I'm so tempted to riff out "Metafilter: The Simpsons hasn't been funny for nine years." But I really don't want to insult Metafilter's collective credibility that severely.
Otoh, I do anticipate at least a few "dude, FPP wtf?" posts, and wouldn't entirely disagree with them...
posted by lodurr at 7:29 AM on November 30, 2005
Otoh, I do anticipate at least a few "dude, FPP wtf?" posts, and wouldn't entirely disagree with them...
posted by lodurr at 7:29 AM on November 30, 2005
The Simpson's hasn't been funny for nine years.
Complete derail.
However, the worst Simpson's episodes are the ones with special guest stars... so I have low expectations for this one.
Further, Franzen has a long way to go before he can be in the same room with Vidal and Wolfe.
posted by wfrgms at 7:29 AM on November 30, 2005
Complete derail.
However, the worst Simpson's episodes are the ones with special guest stars... so I have low expectations for this one.
Further, Franzen has a long way to go before he can be in the same room with Vidal and Wolfe.
posted by wfrgms at 7:29 AM on November 30, 2005
This might be fun. When does it air?
(Jonathan Franzen is one of my favorite authors.)
posted by caddis at 7:32 AM on November 30, 2005
(Jonathan Franzen is one of my favorite authors.)
posted by caddis at 7:32 AM on November 30, 2005
The show was clever, and more importantly, subtle, once upon a time. Now it's all about the obvious, and how to squeeze the guest star(s) of the week into the "plot." In conclusion, feh.
posted by Gator at 7:37 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by Gator at 7:37 AM on November 30, 2005
... the worst Simpson's episodes ...
A lot of them, sure. But what about Hank Scorpio?
And I do enjoy the Ron Howard cameos. Gotta love the perpetual martini and ratty bathrobe. I remember reading somewhere that Howard inisisted that they had to make him "look bad".
posted by lodurr at 7:38 AM on November 30, 2005
A lot of them, sure. But what about Hank Scorpio?
And I do enjoy the Ron Howard cameos. Gotta love the perpetual martini and ratty bathrobe. I remember reading somewhere that Howard inisisted that they had to make him "look bad".
posted by lodurr at 7:38 AM on November 30, 2005
Give me a Mailer-Vidal feud reference and I'll be happy.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:40 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:40 AM on November 30, 2005
I heard prince wanted to be on the show, but actualy mailed in his own script.
posted by delmoi at 7:52 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by delmoi at 7:52 AM on November 30, 2005
Metafilter: Because bitching about FPPs is totally cool.
posted by symphonik at 7:56 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by symphonik at 7:56 AM on November 30, 2005
Metafilter: The Simpsons stopped being cool before we were born.
posted by lodurr at 8:08 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by lodurr at 8:08 AM on November 30, 2005
MetaFilter: because striking an ironic pose bitching about people complaining about FPPs is totally the coolest.
posted by yonation at 8:10 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by yonation at 8:10 AM on November 30, 2005
Pynchon was on the show a few years ago. It was his first public appearance ever, I think.
posted by mr_roboto at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by mr_roboto at 8:26 AM on November 30, 2005
We previously talked about The Simpson's decline in this thread, and a lot of people made some very good points.
posted by cyphill at 8:41 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by cyphill at 8:41 AM on November 30, 2005
What does Tom Wolfe have to do with "highfalutin literary culture"?
posted by davy at 8:44 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by davy at 8:44 AM on November 30, 2005
Yeah, I agree about the simpsons not being that great in the past few years, and how guest stars just make it worse, but Ron Howard scenes are awesomly funny.
Ron speaking to Homer: You have children? Here have some money.
posted by parallax7d at 8:57 AM on November 30, 2005
Ron speaking to Homer: You have children? Here have some money.
posted by parallax7d at 8:57 AM on November 30, 2005
Someone get the sharp objects away from Ben Marcus. I sense a rumble comin' on.
Confession: I like Marcus's writing.
posted by safetyfork at 8:59 AM on November 30, 2005
Confession: I like Marcus's writing.
posted by safetyfork at 8:59 AM on November 30, 2005
Hasn't Tom Wolfe already been on an episode? He was at a book fair or something doing a signing and his white suit was ruined. Something along these lines.
posted by aburd at 10:34 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by aburd at 10:34 AM on November 30, 2005
Hasn't Tom Wolfe already been animated (though not voice acted) on the Simpsons?
From the episode Insane Clown Poppy:
"% At Timothy Lovejoy's stand, he's promoting his book "Someone's in the
% Kitchen with Jesus". Marge tries a stigmuffin, and Homer tries Mary
% Magdalene's chocolate orgasm, an eclair. When Homer bites it, the chocolate
% filling squirts out of it and hits Tom Wolfe's white suit. He tears off
% the suit revealing an identical suit underneath."
posted by Sangermaine at 10:48 AM on November 30, 2005
From the episode Insane Clown Poppy:
"% At Timothy Lovejoy's stand, he's promoting his book "Someone's in the
% Kitchen with Jesus". Marge tries a stigmuffin, and Homer tries Mary
% Magdalene's chocolate orgasm, an eclair. When Homer bites it, the chocolate
% filling squirts out of it and hits Tom Wolfe's white suit. He tears off
% the suit revealing an identical suit underneath."
posted by Sangermaine at 10:48 AM on November 30, 2005
Oh, uh, what aburd said...
posted by Sangermaine at 10:49 AM on November 30, 2005
posted by Sangermaine at 10:49 AM on November 30, 2005
That episode actually had some pretty good literary-type zingers in it, like this one (I'm paraphrasing):
Announcer: ...and now, Maya Angelou.
Moe (stunned): Wait, Maya Angelou is black?!??
posted by whir at 11:07 AM on November 30, 2005
Announcer: ...and now, Maya Angelou.
Moe (stunned): Wait, Maya Angelou is black?!??
posted by whir at 11:07 AM on November 30, 2005
Pynchon was on the show a few years ago. It was his first public appearance ever, I think.
Yeah, with a bag on his head. I got such a kick out of that. More here.
posted by spiderwire at 12:19 PM on November 30, 2005
Yeah, with a bag on his head. I got such a kick out of that. More here.
posted by spiderwire at 12:19 PM on November 30, 2005
Oh god. The guest stars just keep getting more and more ridiculous. I mean, Gore Vidal? That's as bad as when they ran into J.K. Rowling for no discernable reason (except that they happened to be in England at the time).
Let the damn show die already, Fox.
posted by Target Practice at 5:16 PM on November 30, 2005
Let the damn show die already, Fox.
posted by Target Practice at 5:16 PM on November 30, 2005
Simpsons is still better than 99% of anything on TV, but I was gonna say I've seen this episode already. Must have been that book fair one, which was quite funny.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:05 PM on December 1, 2005
posted by mrgrimm at 5:05 PM on December 1, 2005
Oh, and Jonathan Franzen is an overrated hack. So is Chabon. Wolfe still rules (though even I didn't bother with Charlotte Simmons).
posted by mrgrimm at 5:07 PM on December 1, 2005
posted by mrgrimm at 5:07 PM on December 1, 2005
Can't you people just say "worst. episode. ever" and get it over with?
posted by stevil at 9:16 PM on December 2, 2005
posted by stevil at 9:16 PM on December 2, 2005
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