My ideas for the show,,,

Chris Baird

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Feb 24, 1992, 7:50:51 AM2/24/92

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Myself and several others have been talked about our own suggestions for
the show through email for several months. I've now decided that my
rantings deserve a wider audience,, :)

... it all started when Catherine Stanton wanted to know what OFF was
really about for a writing class, and the creative juices of several
people have been stewing ever since -- too bad we've yet to produce a
complete script. Several of my ideas below where thought up some time
ago, and surprisingly a couple have appeared!

((Maybe this could start a new thread,, keep everyones minds off `Where is
Springfield'))

[ Suggestions to base an entire episode on ]

- "A Tale of two Smithers" One of Marge's cousins rides into
Springfield on a Harley. After the removal of the beard and
putting on glasses, he becomes a doppelganger for Smithers
- The kids get involved with a computer (Nintendos need not apply!)
- "Bartholomew the First" Bart declares himself Emperor of
Springfield,, and the idea takes off
- OFF goes on a overseas Vacation -- idea for a 40 minute episode?
- For that explicit Australian reference,, How about a story based
upon the `Rum Rebellion', the Eureka stockade, Ned Kelly or
Rememberance Day 1975 (Bart gets kicked out of school and says
before all the students "..`cause nothing will save Principal Skinner")
- Why not a Star Trek ref??? (why not, everyone else has) Bartholomew J
Simpson as Captain, Lisa as Science officer (with suitible aural
attachments), or maybe her as a lowly red-suit? (since it's Bart's
fantasy) Also starring:

Otto as Sulu (Navigation officer)
Homer(s) as Klingon(s) (he's got the forehead for it!)
Marge as ??? (do you think there's a slight resemblence to the
Alien from `Alien'?)
Maggie as ??? (A tribble?)
Martin as Scotty (with an `affected' scottish accent)
Milhouse as Dr McCoy (?)
??? as Chekov
??? as Uhura

Maybe it's time we have a _real_ reference to Australia during the show,,
Space Mutants V and mentioning Paul Hogan just isn't enough!
{Waddawe want?}
Decent references to the Southern Hemisphere!
{Whennawe wantit?}
Now!

[ Some not-so-serious suggestions ]

My brother suggested a scene he'd like to see,, Bart as Freddy Kruger and
Lisa as Jason,, eek!

{I did have several `Alternative' suggestions located on this spot, but
good taste prevailed (and the threat of being flamed for all eternity), so
I won't be disclosing what a few sick minds have concocted}

[ Sub-plots ]

What I would also like to see happen,,

- Lisa tries establishing a vegetable garden (`self sufficiency') but
Bart has more intoxicating intentions for her rye and potatoes
- Marge enters a car derby (at the Springfield Speedway-Speedway-
Speedway) Oh My!
- Lisa goes a busking in Springfield Mall
- Lisa gets an 'F'
- Bart gets an 'A' {Which could be just as devastating as the above}
- Marge enters a beauty pageant :)
- Kids see an optometrist/dentist
- Thoroughly Modern Marge with her hair down (while washing it or
something)
- Maggie being cruel to Bart (like she used to do during the Tracy
Ullman shorts, like tripping him down the stairs)
- One of the regular characters (ie: Skinner) driving a VeeDub
- The `real life' of one of the Springfield television personalities
(Krusty, Brokman,,)
- Free Sideshow Bob! (with every purchase over $25)
- A 21 year-old college/Uni student appearing in one of the episodes !:-)
- Elvis alive and well and living in Springfield!

[ My idea for OFF, ~25 years in the future ]

One dissenter said this would sort of take the fun and suspence out of
watching the past/future episodes,, oh well - who cares?

Maggie: Although Television as we know it will (hopefully) be radically
different to what it is today, I can still see her under its influence,,
I see her employed as an anchorman (ok whinger - anchorperson) &/or
reporter for a regional information network,, but appearing on
television won't be the highly revered, or a highly paying occupation
that it is today

Lisa: Makes her living as a musician, after abandoning an academic career
[do I smell smoke? :)]

Bart: A SNPP employee -- wish I could think of a better one though. After
the CIS's first orbiting fusion globalpowerstation is launched into
orbit (the day after Homer retires?), the 'plant is not going to be
justifiable (in a ecological and economical sense), and Bart will find
himself continually promoted as the 'plant crumbles to an end

Marge + Homer: Current trends predict that Welfare to cost more to operate
than it actually distributes after 2010, so when Homer retires, his
Superannuation better last for a rather long time,,

Due to the economical `situation' (Marge&Homer retired, Lisa without a
steady job, Bart working at the SNPP, and Maggie because she's got nothing
better to do), everyone is still living at Evergreen crescent. The kids
continually make noises about leaving home, but circumstances beyond their
control will keep them put

... any good ideas what the world will be like in 25 years time?

Suggestions include:
The Western world's Conservative `New World Order' in it's golden
age,, the culminative effects of pollution,, the USA a sociological mess,,
a Depression truely on the scales with the 1930's,, contact with Aliens,,
a stupendious American President,, Paul Ehrlich recieves the Nobel prize,,
the collapse of Usenet because of too many teenagers,,

[ Misc ]

Sam Simon once mentioned in a newspaper interview that the episodes where
basically just jokes strung together by a plot. He also mentioned that
Jeff Brooks wanted the show to express `a cartoon characters right to be
sad'

Scriptwriters, don't forget -- Donuts and cupcakes are essential parts of
the American psyche

Maybe Mr Groening could develop a SimpsonsII to take into account the
aging of the characters?

[[ This is where the list shall end for the moment,, I'll think of a few
more when lectures recommence ]]

{and thanks to Dave Hall for the criticism}

--
Chris J. Baird, Esq. ,--_|\ MG10: ``Just think Maggie; someday
Impoverished BSc undergrad / o O \ if you're lucky, you'll grow up
@ Newcastle Uni \_.--._/~ to be just like us''
c892...@mystra.newcastle.edu.au v

Cat Stanton

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Feb 24, 1992, 10:07:54 AM2/24/92

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In article <kqhqhb...@cs.widener.edu> c892...@frey.newcastle.edu.au (Chris Baird) writes:
>
>Myself and several others have been talked about our own suggestions for
>the show through email for several months. I've now decided that my
>rantings deserve a wider audience,, :)
>
>... it all started when Catherine Stanton wanted to know what OFF was
>really about for a writing class, and the creative juices of several
>people have been stewing ever since -- too bad we've yet to produce a
>complete script. Several of my ideas below where thought up some time
>ago, and surprisingly a couple have appeared!

Chris, I'm flattered. :-) :-)

For those of you who want to write a complete script, email me. Its not
too hard to do. I finished mine in just over a week and got a 94 on it
(I think, maybe a 96) for my class. Right now, I'm in the process of
getting a list of agents so that I can send it to one and get it to "The
Simpsons" properly.

As for ideas, I've got some but its gonna take awhile to get them together
in some semblance of order suitable for this newsgroup. :)

>((Maybe this could start a new thread,, keep everyones minds off `Where is
>Springfield'))

God I hope so! ;-)

> - Lisa goes a busking in Springfield Mall

Ummm....what does 'busking' mean?

> - Lisa gets an 'F'

Great idea!

> - A 21 year-old college/Uni student appearing in one of the episodes !:-)

How about a 20 year-old college/Uni student appearing in one of the episodes?

> - Elvis alive and well and living in Springfield!

Barney!!!!! Okay, so maybe not. :)

>Scriptwriters, don't forget -- Donuts and cupcakes are essential parts of
>the American psyche

Chris, I have my prerequisite "mmmmmmmm......." in my script.
An essential these days!

>[[ This is where the list shall end for the moment,, I'll think of a few
> more when lectures recommence ]]

Fritz albert Boehm

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Feb 24, 1992, 11:09:56 AM2/24/92

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I've been reading this newsgroup for about a month so I'm not sure if
ya'll have noticed this, but...

DYN that when the show first starts, a cloud covers the 'ons' of Simpsons,
making their name 'The Simps'?
If ya'll have already figured this out, no "No Duhs" are necessary...

Ray Charbonneau

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Feb 24, 1992, 2:20:17 PM2/24/92

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...from Chris Baird...

[ Suggestions to base an entire episode on ]

- OFF goes on a overseas Vacation -- idea for a 40 minute episode?

-----------------
Anything, if done properly, can be the basis for a good show. But this plot
has been used by so many shows (esp. in irritating 'continued next week' shows)
when the Sit in sit-com runs dry. I hope we never come to this. Though it would
be fertile ground for many shots at the Brady's, My Three Sons, etc...

--
Ray Charbonneau | I feel so inar-inar-inar-inar tic-u-late
rcha...@athena.mit.edu | -- Roger Taylor (Queen)
MIT and the Library Systems Office are glad that I'm posting my opinions
here so that they don't have to listen to them anymore.

Alan J Rosenthal

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Feb 24, 1992, 7:20:15 PM2/24/92

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c892...@frey.newcastle.edu.au (Chris Baird) writes:
> - Thoroughly Modern Marge with her hair down (while washing it or
> something)

ah, you haven't seen "Homer Alone" yet have you?

Frank Stuart

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Feb 25, 1992, 5:39:05 PM2/25/92

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In article <kqhqhb...@cs.widener.edu> c892...@frey.newcastle.edu.au (Chris Baird) writes:
>

> - Elvis alive and well and living in Springfield!

Great idea! I'd like to have him hidden somewhere in the background.
At least maybe it might change the argument from "Where is Springfield?" to
"Where is Elvis?" :>

| 'Despite my thirty years of research into the fem-
| inine soul, I have not been able to answer...the
Frank Stuart | great question that has never been answerd: what
fst...@eng.auburn.edu | does a woman want?' --Sigmund Freud

Knut Torgersen

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Feb 26, 1992, 5:01:39 AM2/26/92

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In article <1992Feb24.1...@athena.cs.uga.edu>, sta...@athena.cs.uga.edu (Cat Stanton) writes:
>
> For those of you who want to write a complete script, email me. Its not
> too hard to do. I finished mine in just over a week and got a 94 on it
> (I think, maybe a 96) for my class. Right now, I'm in the process of
> getting a list of agents so that I can send it to one and get it to "The
> Simpsons" properly.
>

So, it is finished, now, Cat. :)

> As for ideas, I've got some but its gonna take awhile to get them together
> in some semblance of order suitable for this newsgroup. :)
>
> >((Maybe this could start a new thread,, keep everyones minds off `Where is
> >Springfield'))
>
> God I hope so! ;-)

I have always wondered where Springfield REALLY is. My personal idea of that, is this:
Springfield is entirely in Matt Groening's head. A usual way of making up a city, is to
insert material relating to _Several_ real cities. Just to make everyone go on and on
and on and... about where is...?

> > - Lisa goes a busking in Springfield Mall
> Ummm....what does 'busking' mean?

Don't you know? 'busk' is Norwegian for bush. (No, no... not Bush)

> How about a 20 year-old college/Uni student appearing in one of the episodes?

I didn't quite get the name of the 20 year-old student, Cat...