alt.tv.simpsons LISA (FAQ) - June 1998
Ondre Lombard
Last Modified: 98-6-2
"Hi! I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from such show business funerals
as ``Andre the Giant: We Hardly Knew Ye'' and ``Shemp Howard: Today We Mourn a
Stooge.''"
-- "Bart the Fink"
List of Inquiries and Substantive Answers (LISA) <May 1998, v5-3>
------------------------------------------------
Maintained by: Ondre Lombard
Overseas-Production-By: Akom Production Company
Blackboard-Quote: I did not see a dancing baby. I did not see a dan/
In-Memory-Of: Christopher Collins, Phil Hartman, Doris Grau, Homer Groening,
"Doc Quack," Dr. Marvin Monroe, "Bleeding Gums" Murphy, Snowball
I
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C .---_) ,_C (##) | (o)(o) (o)(o) <__. .--\ (o)(o) /__.
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- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.simpsons, to
be posted to the newsgroup as required and pointed to users asking about
topics covered here.
- A current version of the LISA is always available at <rtfm.mit.edu> in the
directory /pub/usenet-by-group/alt.tv.simpsons or by sending Email to
<li...@lyris.snpp.com> with the word "LISA" as the subject of your message.
- The official HTML version of this document is available on the WWW at the URL
<http://www.wcat.com/lisa/> or
<http://www.artist-bros.org/olombard/lisa/>. Accept no substitutes!
FAQ Translation URLs:
* German: <http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/~tokra/simpfaq.txt>
* Japanese: <http://www.wcat.com/simpsons/j-lisa.txt>
* Spanish: <http://www.wcat.com/simpsons/pmf.txt>
(Note: The Spanish LISA is three years old.)
- Corrections and Suggestions encouraged! Please direct all comments to
<olom...@lombard.dialup.cyberverse.com>
NOTE: This document is by no means all-inclusive. It is intended to serve as
a general guide to the series and pointer to other sources with more
detailed information on specific aspects of the series and newsgroup.
-> NEW! In This Edition:
---------------------
+ New information regarding European Simpsons video releases.
-===========================< Table of Contents >==========================-
SECTION I - General Interest
--------------------------------
_1.1_ alt.tv.simpsons Basic History
_1.2_ "The Simpsons" Basic History
_1.3_ "The Tracey Ullman Show" Simpsons History
_1.4_ The Simpson Family
_1.5_ Series Timeline
_1.6_ Relevant Associated Newsgroups, Fanclubs, and FTP/WWW Sites
_1.7_ Frequently Used Acronyms and Local Terminology
_1.8_ Topics That Tend To Go Nowhere
SECTION II - Frequently Asked Questions
------------------------------------------
_2.1_ Characters, Places, and Internal Consistency
_2.2_ Background, Production, and Broadcast (UPDATED)
_2.3_ Comics, Music, Contest and Newsgroup-Specific
SECTION III - Commonly Requested Lists
----------------------------------------
_3.1_ The Episode Capsules
_3.2_ Required Reading
_3.3_ The alt.tv.simpsons Mail Server
SECTION IV - Closing Remarks
-------------------------------
_4.1_ Acknowledgements
_4.2_ Contributors (UPDATED)
_4.3_ Disclaimer and Copyright
-=====================< Section I - General Topics >======================-
1.1 alt.tv.simpsons Basic History
--- -----------------------------
Newsgrouped during the third week of March 1990, alt.tv.simpsons, a Usenet
newsgroup, is a free forum for discussing various aspects of the television
series "The Simpsons".
A separate mailing list also exists for discussing the show,
simps...@digimark.net. To subscribe, send mail to
simpsons-...@digimark.net.
1.2 "The Simpsons" Basic History
--- ----------------------------
"The Simpsons" is an animated television series produced by Gracie Films
for Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Network. It began as a series of
interstitals (also called bumpers or shorts) for "The Tracey Ullman Show" on
April 19, 1987, and premiered as a series on December 17, 1989 in the 8PM time
slot. Regular broadcasts began on Sundays beginning January 14, 1990. Seasons
Two, Three, Four, and Five were broadcast by Fox on Thursday nights in the 8PM
slot, before returning to Sunday nights beginning with Season Six. For a brief
while, "Classic Simpsons" was running, beginning at 7 pm to lead the failed
block of comedy Fox scheduled for Winter of 1995.
Seasons One, Two, and Three were animated by Klasky-Csupo (pronounced
"CLASS-key CHOOP-oh"), who also worked on "The Tracey Ullman Show" bumpers.
Subsequent seasons have been animated by Film Roman, with in-between work being
done for both animation houses by Akom Production Company, Anivision, and Rough
Draft Studios in Korea.
The Simpson family was created in ~15 minutes while Matt Groening waited
in the foyer to Brooks' office, a long-standing legend confirmed in the Oprah
Winfrey Interview by Groening himself.
Production on The Simpsons as a series began in April 1989.
1.3 "The Tracey Ullman Show" Simpsons History
--- -----------------------------------------
It was under the suggestion of Pauly Platt, a "Life in Hell" (see Sec 2.2)
fan in the "Tracey Ullman Show" offices, that brought Simpsons creator Matt
Groening to work on _Ullman_.
According to Producer/Director David Silverman, production on the _Ullman_
Simpsons shorts lasted approximately four weeks. Currently, production takes
approximately six months for an episode of The Simpsons.
David Silverman and Wesley Archer, animators for the _Ullman_ shorts,
were friends who worked at Filmation during the mid-80s. Wes brought David to
Klasky-Csupo, the then-relatively new animation company which had recently
landed a contract to animate the _Ullman_ shorts.
1.4 The Simpson Family
--- ------------------
Family Member Voice Talent Description
Homer J. Simpson Dan Castellaneta Father, "D'oh!"
Marjorie Bouvier Simpson Julie Kavner Mother, "Hmmmmmmmmm"
Bartholomew Jo-Jo Simpson Nancy Cartwright Son, "Don't Have a Cow, Man!"
Lisa Marie Simpson Yeardley Smith Daughter, "I'll be in my room."
Margaret Simpson Liz Taylor Daughter, "<Suck, Suck>"
Santa's Little Helper Frank Welker Family Dog
Snowball II Frank Welker Family Cat, Second-In-Line
Abraham J. Simpson Dan Castellaneta Homer's Father, aka Grampa
Penelope Olson Simpson Glenn Close Homer's Mother
Herbert Powell Danny DeVito Homer's Half-Brother
Jacqueline Bouvier Julie Kavner Marge's Mother
Patty Bouvier Julie Kavner Marge's Celibate Sister
Selma Bouvier Julie Kavner Patty's Twin Sister
-> A complete cast list is available. (See Sec 3.2)
1.5 Series Timeline
--- ---------------
1955 1956 1974-1975 1980 1983 1989
| | | | | |
... --+---+--------+----------+++-----++--------++--
| | | ||| || ||+--SLH becomes family dog
| | | ||| || |+--Tenth Anniversary
| | | ||| || +--Maggie Born
| | | ||| |+--Lisa born
| | | ||| +--They move into Evergreen Tce.
| | | ||+--Bart born.
| | | |+--Homer gets job at SNPP.
| | | +--Married
| | +--Marge & Homer graduate High School
| +--Marge born (Within 1 year of Homer.)
+--- Homer born (05/10/1955)
According to the 1993 "Simpsons Fun Calendar" Maggie was actually born on
19th August 1985, and Bart was born on 17th December 1979. These Calendars are
MG's productions, and thus can not follow the continual updating the writers
impose upon the series. However, from MG's view, these dates are approximately
correct, considering the first airings of "The Tracey Ullman Show" bumpers and
the fact that MG has plainly stated the characters do not age.
This is however, a little inconsistent with the UFA, another MG production
which unfortunately is inconsistent with the series. In this, it is said that
Bart was born on the April 1st, 1980. However, this production appears to have
been written before Season Three season was completed, and thus has great
inconsistencies with Season Three episodes like "I Married Marge". And
according to the Olympic events scheduled on her birthday in "Lisa's First
Word", Lisa was born on August 2, 1984. However, Homer also held up a
newspaper on her birthday which puts the date closer to March.
More trickiness: Bart says he is two years and thirty eight days older
than Lisa in "My Sister, My Sitter," which would make Bart's birthday June
25th, 1982.
-> At this time, it appears that the production staff has chosen to ignore
certain established continuity references beginning with Season Five,
and as such the LISA has chosen to reciprocate and ignore subsequent
continuity where it interferes with previously established events.
1.6 Relevant Associated Newsgroups, Fanclubs, and FTP/WWW Sites
--- -----------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups:
alt.tv.simpsons - For discussing "The Simpsons"
de.alt.tv.simpsons - For German fans of "The Simpsons"
uk.media.tv.simpsons - For fans of "The Simpsons" in the U.K.
alt.binaries.pictures.cartoons - For images related to "The Simpsons"
alt.binaries.sounds.cartoons - For sounds related to "The Simpsons"
alt.fan.itchy-n-scratchy - For fans of Itchy & Scratchy
alt.tv.simpsons.itchy-scratchy - For discussing "The Itchy & Scratchy Show"
alt.tv.tiny-toon.fandom - For the "drooling fanboy" types
alt.tv.king-of-hill - For discussing "King of the Hill"
FTP and WWW:
<ftp://snpp.com> <http://www.snpp.com>
Known as "The Simpsons Archive", it is the current archive site with a
large collection of documents and texts (listed in Sec 3.2). For specifics
on digimark, send Email to Gary Goldberg <o...@digimark.net>.
<http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~weirdguy/scode.txt> The Simpsons Geek Code
The Simpsons Geek Code file is a guide maintained by David Kendall which
instructs its reader on how to arrange a code for their favorite character,
episode, least favorite character, etc... regarding the The Simpsons, to be
incorporated into a .plan or .sig file.
-> The following World Wide Web sites represent only a sampling of the dozens
of Simpsons-related pages in existence. These sites are included on the
basis of relative quality, uniqueness, and contribution to the field.
The site of the Year:
<http://nerd.simplenet.com/fuxworld/sampsons/>
Pages dedicated to the show in general:
<http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~kwyjibo/>
<http://www.cyberspc.mb.ca/~davehall>
<http://www.wupper.de/sites/kender/simpsons/>
<http://gpu.srv.ualberta.ca/~jelofson/simpsons/trivia.htm>
<http://www.teleport.com/~jrolsen/simpsons/simpsons00.html>
<http://members.aol.com/bobakabob/simpsons/index.html>
<http://members.aol.com/IBIASS/>
Pages dedicated to specific characters:
<http://www1.kingston.net/ik/lee/hutz.html>
<http://history.hanover.edu/student/cheek/willie.htm>
<http://kwaziwai.cc.columbia.edu/~mrr18/original.html>
<http://www2.umdnj.edu/~yospin/rwiggum.html> (Closed by Fox)
<http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~adean/maggie.html>
<http://www.alphalink.com.au/~bucky/Wiggum/index.html>
Multimedia sites:
<http://www.eden.com/~maverick/simpsons.htm>
<http://sunsite.sut.ac.jp/multimed/sounds/cartoons/simpsons>
Commercial pages:
<http://www.harryshearer.com> (Harry Shearer's site for his Santa Monica based
Public Radio program, "Le Show")
<http://www.wnol.com/wnol/simpsonschat.html>
<http://bbs2.tvguide.com:8086/television/homer>
<http://www.tvguide.com/simpsons/game/>
<http://www.pdi.com/PDIPage/screening/special/simpsons.html>
<http://www.blender.com/blender1.1/digest/groening/groening1.html>
<http://www.foxworld.com/simpindx.htm>
<http://www.thezone.pair.com/tv>
<http://www.ultimatetv.com/UTVL/utl.html?card+1007>
<http://www.yahoo.com/News_And_Media/Television/Shows/Cartoons/Simpsons__The/>
<archie.au> and <nic.funet.fi> are two servers suggested as starting points
for Archie users.
Fanclubs:
The Lisa Simpson Fan Club is devoted to the girl who is arguably the
smartest character on television today. To join the mailing list, visit the
LSFC home page at <http://www.wcat.com/lsfc>, or send email to the address
<majo...@wcat.com> with the phrase "subscribe lsfc" in the body. Contact
Matthew Kurth <mku...@wcat.com> for more information.
The Homer J. Simpson Fan Club is dedicated to worshipping the one and only
Homer the Great. Send Email to <anta...@aol.com> for more information.
1.7 Frequently Used Acronyms
--- ------------------------
Acronym Translation
a.t.s - The Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.simpsons
MG - Matt Groening
OFF - Our Favorite Family (The Simpsons, of course)
SLH - Santa's Little Helper (the Simpsons' family dog)
DYN - Did You Notice, Didja Notice
LIH - "Life in Hell" (MG's comic strip)
I&S - Itchy and Scratchy.
FFF, FF - Freeze-Frame Fun
SI(xx) - Simpsons Illustrated (us) U.S. (oz) Australia
SNPP - Springfield Nuclear Power Plant
IMHO, IMO - In My (Humble) Opinion
BTW - By The Way
WRT - With Regard(s) To, With Respect To
ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing
IYKWIM - If You Know What I Mean
AFAIK - As Far As I Know
WTF - What The [Heck]
Other Terms:
Production Code - The four character episode number given to each episode.
P-Code - Production Code, ie: 7G08, 7F24, 2F05
Couch Gag - Part of the title sequence when the family runs into the
house and something unusual happens.
Ref - Reference, where an event or scene in the show parodies
another show, movie, or event.
Blackboard Quote - What Bart writes on the chalkboard at the beginning of the
title sequence.
Cutoff - The last thing Bart writes on the chalkboard as he is
dismissed during the title sequence.
Episode Capsule - A compilation file for each episode. (See Sec 3.1)
1.8 Topics That Tend To Go Nowhere
--- ------------------------------
As with most newsgroups, certain threads have been beaten to death.
These issues generally revolve around topics that are based on individual
interpretations of the evidence presented. As such, there are no set answers,
and a large percentage of the readers have either already made up their minds
on the subject, or have been bombarded with the topic before.
In the fall of 1997, Ben Collins <szy...@hotmail.com> held a monthlong poll
on alt.tv.simpsons which got a pretty respectable response that would determine
what is considered the best episode of The Simpsons, and what is considered the
worst. After a total of 128 votes, "Last Exit to Springfield" was voted the
best episode ever, pulling in 12 votes. Meanwhile "The Principal and the
Pauper" was the winner of the award for worst episode ever, with 36 votes. The
results of this poll will hopefully be helpful in putting an end to this tired
debate. There is a possibility that this poll may run with frequency, in case
the consensus changes. Ben Collins is also responsible for a series of polls
which provide conclusive collective opinions on some of the Topics that Tend
to Go Nowhere which plague alt.tv.simpsons.
The following is a list of topics which competantly meet the requirements
for being a "topic that tends to go no where." As such, it's probably a good
idea to try and avoid them.
- Favorite Quotes
- Favorite [insert character name] Quotes
- Favorite Episodes
- [insert episode name here] is the Best Episode Ever.
- [insert episode name here] is the Worst Episode Ever.
- [insert character here] Sucks.
- [insert season number here] was the Best Season Ever.
- [insert season number here] was the Worst Season Ever.
- Character development is better than cheap gags.
- If you don't like the way the show is headed, then stop watching it.
- You shouldn't complain about new episodes, everything else on TV sucks.
- Stop complaining about new episodes, one day the show won't be here
to complain about anymore.
- Smithers is gay, Burns-sexual or bisexual.
Be respectful of other people's opinions. If there are people posting
negative/positive reviews for episodes of later/earlier years, let it be.
Some of the above listed topics tend to generate strong emotional feelings from
some people, and if you wish to discuss them, it's best to take it to private
e-mail or not to discuss it at all if you don't wish to discuss it rationally
and courteously. (See Sec 2.1, Sec 3.2)
Also, it is asked that binary files (GIFs, JPEGs, WAVs, MPEGs, etc.) be
directed to the appropriate alt.binaries.* newsgroup rather than posting them
to a.t.s directly.
-===============< Section II - Frequently Asked Questions >================-
2.1 Characters, Places, and Internal Consistency
--- --------------------------------------------
Q: How much does Maggie cost in the opening titles?
A: Maggie is listed as costing $847.63, a figure once given as the amount of
money required to raise a baby for one month in the US.
Q: Where *is* Springfield, anyway?
A: "Springfield" is a fictional location. MG says he chose the name because
it is one of the most common city names and the setting of the antithesis
to the Simpsons, "Father Knows Best". Indeed, from Groening's
childhood perspective, that Springfield was "the next town over" from his
home in Portland, Oregon.
According to Producer/Director David Silverman, Springfield is in the state
of North Takoma, eight miles from Toon Town. In Mr Lisa Goes to
Washington, the Simpsons' address is 59 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield,
TA--TA probably representing Takoma. See next question.
According to some sources on the group, Matt Groening has said that
although Springfield is basically "anytown USA" it does have features
somewhat similar to towns in Oregon, where Matt grew up.
-> Read "Where Is Springfield" if you're still not convinced. (See Sec 3.2)
Q: What is the Simpsons' home address?
A: That depends.
In "Blood Feud" 94 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, USA
In "Bart the Lover" 94 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, USA
In "Mr. Lisa goes to Washington" 59 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, TA
In "Kamp Krusty" 430 Spalding Way, Springfield, USA
In "New Kid on the Block" 1094 Evergreen Terrace
In "Marge In Chains" 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield
In "Homer the Vigilante" 723 Evergreen Terrace
In "Bart vs. Australia" 742 Evergreen Terrace
In "Much Apu About Nothing" 742 Evergreen Terrace
In "Lisa's Date with Density" 742 Evergreen Terrace
In the Oprah Winfrey Interview 742 Evergreen Terrace
-> It has been suggested that the address used in "Kamp Krusty" hints to
monologist and actor Spalding Gray, whose humor is also considered subtle,
poignant, and yes, generally irritating to Republicans. The Evergreen
Terrace address is in honor of the street MG lived on as a boy. The others
were undoubtedly inspired by MG's alma mater.
Q: What is the Simpsons' home phone number?
A: Homer's phone numbers, according to Principal Skinner's rolodex card at
Springfield Elementary are:
Before "Simpson and Delilah" After
Home: 555-6528 555-6832
Work: 555-7334 555-6754
In Season Three, their home number was 555-8707.
And the phone numbers from Homer's television debut in "Mr. Plow" are:
Home: 555-3223
Business: 555-3226
In "The Canine Mutiny," Bart fills out a credit card application form with
the phone number 555-3126.
Q: Where did Matt Groening get the names for the Simpson family?
A: Homer and Margaret ("Marge") are the names of his parents (Mrs. Simpson
is Marjorie); the names of Matt Groening's sons are Homer and Abe. His
siblings are, in birth order, Mark (unused so far), Patty, (then came
Matt), Lisa, and Maggie (named Margaret like her mother but called Maggie).
The name Bart, on the other hand, is simply an anagram for "brat", although
on several occasions MG has said he is strongly influenced by both himself
and his brother Mark.
The surname Simpson is a natural choice for the family as the name
"Simpson" literally translates to "Son of a Simpleton".
-> There has also been debate on the group about the film "Day of the Locust."
It seems a character from this film has exhibited characteristics with
uncanny similarities to Homer Simpson, and the character's name actually is
Homer Simpson. It is unknown for sure whether this film has ANY connection
with MG's choice of name, whether it is pure coincidence, or whether MG
just took advantage of that coincidence.
Incidentally, MG's mother's maiden name is Wiggum, and many of the
secondary characters are named after streets in Portland, Oregon.
Q: Is it just me or are several of the characters left-handed?
A: No, many of the characters are indeed left-handed. This is because MG is
infact left-handed himself. Viewers with eagle eyes may notice that this
is not always consistent however, especially in later episodes.
Q: It seemed to me that Homer's voice sounds different in some early episodes.
Did they change actors, or is it just my imagination?
A: When Dan Castellaneta originally began voicing Homer, he basically imitated
Walter Matthau to get the voice. However, Dan reportedly had trouble with
certain emotional registers and intonations with the voice, so beginning
with Season Two, he changed it slightly to create its present sound.
-> According to David Silverman, episode 7F22, "Blood Feud," is when Homer's
character began to gradually change into what it is now. (Notice that the
"letter" Troy McClure gets in 3F31 about Homer's stupidity is answered with
clips from each season of Homer doing stupid things, beginning with the
second season episode "Blood Feud.") The Tracey Ullman Short "The Pagans"
he sets as the point where Bart's character became set as the brat everyone
knows and loves.
Q: There are still a few characters who sounded different in the first season.
Were all the same actors doing the voices?
A: Christopher Collins played Moe Szyslak in "Some Enchanted Evening" and Mr.
Burns in "Homer's Odyssey." He left The Simpsons to pursue a stand-up
career. Sadly, Collins died June 12th, 1994 after a two-year illness.
(Thanks to his son, Ben, for this information and corrections on this
date and some of the information).
Q: What does the "J" stand for in Homer J. and Bart J. Simpson?
A: MG says that Homer's and Abraham's middle initial is a token of admiration
for Rocky and Bullwinkle (Rocket J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose),
whose initials were in honor of their creator, Jay Ward.
According to MG, Bart's middle name is Jo-Jo, and not Jebediah as stated
previously in the _Rainy Day Fun Book_. One can only guess that some facts
got lost when the RDFB was made. The name was given to him by none other
than Nancy Cartwright.
Q: Which one's Itchy and which is Scratchy?
A: As Lisa and Bart explained to Herb Powell:
Lisa: "The mouse's name is Itchy, and the cat's name is Scratchy."
Bart: "They *hate* each other."
Lisa: "And they're not shy about expressing it."
Q: Which one's Patty and Which one's Selma?
A: Sometimes referred to as the "Gruesome Twosome". Patty usually wears a
necklace with round beads and doesn't part her hair. Selma wears a
necklace with oval beads and does part her hair. Selma wears earrings
shaped like the letter "s", and Patty wears triangle-shaped earrings.
Marge differentiated them for Homer in 7F15 thusly:
Homer: "Which one's Selma, again?"
Marge: "She's the one who likes Police Academy movies and Hummel
figurines, and walking through the park on clear autumn days."
Homer: "Oh, yeah yeah yeah. But I thought she was the one that didn't
like to be ... you know ... touched."
Marge: "It's Patty who chose a life of celibacy. Selma simply had
celibacy thrust upon her."
Q: What are the names of the bullies who pick on Bart, and which is which?
A: Their names are Jimbo Jones, Dolph, and Kearney.
- Jimbo is the tall kid with the purple stocking hat and black T-shirt.
- Dolph is the short kid with the hair that hangs over his eyes.
- Kearney is the stocky kid with the shaven head.
Q: How come the Halloween Specials don't follow established continuity?
A: The "Treehouse of Horror" series is, according to MG, non-canonical and as
such the writers can do whatever they choose, such as put Mr. Burns'
country home in Pennsylvania, have the family appear to have long forked
tongues, or give Bart a twin brother named Hugo.
Q: Where did they get the money to animate the THOH short "Homer^3"?
A: Writer David S. Cohen approached David Silverman with the idea of a
computer-animated sequence. Simpsons staff went to California-based
computer animation company Pacific Data Images, which set aside a portion
of their budget for self-promotional projects. PDI was quite eager to get
world-wide exposure and sank their self-promotional budget into "Homer ^3"
--giving "Treehouse of Horror VI" a segment animated free of charge.
Q: Are Smithers and Karl gay (or bisexual)?
A: According to Producer David Silverman, Yes, Waylon Smithers and Karl
(Homer's secretary from 7F02, not Lenny's co-worker) are both gay. End of
discussion.
Q: Wasn't Smithers black in one episode?
A: Sort of. When "Homer's Odyssey" was being produced, Smithers was
accidentally animated with the wrong color. This goof is entirely the
fault of Klasky-Csupo and Producer David Silverman assures us that Waylon
was always meant to be yellow.
David suggests that you imagine that Smithers had just come back from a
vacation in the Caribbean with a deep tan when the episode took place.
Q: Who is that bee guy?
A: Springfield's TV show starring a man in a bumblebee costume is similar
to the show "Lo Mejor De Chespirito" from the Miami-based Univision
network. Correlation has also been made to the show "El Show de
Luis De Alba."
For a long time the character's only known name was "Bumblebee Man",
however, in "Team Homer" we learn that his real name is Pedro.
Q: And the guy who runs the comic shop, what's his name?
A: According to the production staff, the owner of the comic shop is simply
known as "Comic Book Guy". CBG is supposed to sound like Ralph Bakshi.
Q: What's that thing Homer says? Doh? Dough? D'ohh?
A: The correct way to spell it is "D'oh!" "D'oh!" according to staff writer
Jennifer Crittenden, is however referred to as "Annoyed Grunt," thereby
making the official title of the episode.
"SimpsoncalifragilisticexpialaD'ohcious"
"Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious."
Q: Exactly how old is Homer? 35? 36? 38???
A: Contrary to strange developments in recent years, Homer is really 36, as
confirmed in 9F02, "Lisa the Beauty Queen." And since characters don't
age in the series, the LISA chooses to acknowledge his age as being 36, not
38.
Q: How old is Mr. Burns?
A: 104 ("Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One") and/or 81 ("Simpson and Delilah").
Q: Is Bart's friend named Milhous or Milhouse?
A: Although it is true that he is named after former U.S. President Richard
Milhous Nixon, his full name is correctly spelled as Milhouse Van Houten.
Q: What are the names of Milhouse's parents?
A: Kirk Van Houten and Luanne Van Houten. They divorced in the eighth season
episode "A Milhouse Divided."
Q: What is the "Dreaded Rear Admiral"?
A: More than one a.t.s reader has attempted to correlate it to the insertion
of one's finger into another person's "rear", through their clothes or
underwear.
However, the official word according to Bill Oakley is that the "Rear
Admiral" simply doesn't exist. The writers used it because they thought
it sounded like a particularly nasty prank someone might pull.
Q: What's the deal with the rake scene in "Cape Feare" (9F22)?
A: According to the writers, the truth is that the episode was running short,
and so the rake scene was stretched out in order to fill time.
Q: The trivia questions in 3F31 said the cash register in the titles read
"NRA4EVR", and that both B.G. Murphy and Dr. Marvin Monroe died during
Season Six. When did Dr. Monroe die, and the FAQ just said the register
reads "847.63". What's going on here?
A: The trivia questions in 3F31 are gags made to troll the audience, just like
the images of Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon in the episode
are not what those people really look like. The cash register question is
a gag referring to the people who have labeled the show as "the most
liberal on television" by portraying it as having an ultra-conservative
slant.
"Bleeding Gums" Murphy died in episode 2F32, "'Round Springfield".
Doctor Marvin Monroe, a character much-disliked by some of the writers,
passed away quietly sometime during the season, his death marked only by
the appearance of the Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital in 2F20.
Q: What is the song that plays during the montage of Lisa playing her
saxophone in "Lisa's Sax" (3G02)?
A: "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty. It can be found on his album "Right Down
The Line - The Best of Gerry Rafferty."
2.2 Background, Production, and Broadcast
--- -------------------------------------
Q: Who is Matt Groening?
A: Matt Groening, born February 15th, 1954, is the creator of "The Simpsons"
and "Life in Hell". Intending to be a professional writer after leaving
Evergreen State College, WA (graduated in 1977 at 23), his disappointing
career in L.A. came to an end with the unexpected success of his "Life in
Hell" comic strip. It was "Life in Hell" that attracted the attention of
James L. Brooks of Gracie Films, who in 1985 invited MG to develop an idea
for a future project that later became the animated Simpsons shorts shown
during "The Tracey Ullman Show".
Q: What exactly does he do for "The Simpsons"?
A: Matt Groening is officially known as the show's Creative Consultant, and
has a hand in almost every phase of the production process, like one can
if they're the CC. However, it is stressed that the talented people
employed by Gracie Films, Film Roman, et al. are responsible for the bulk
of what happens. Additionally, he's an executive producer. (The Internet
Movie Database has a broader explanation of what an executive producer's
duties are at <http://us6.imdb.com/Glossary/E#executive_producer>.
His name appearing on all Simpsons merchandising is a trademark
requirement, by agreement with the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, who
bought the rights and ownership of "The Simpsons".
Incidentally, the distinctive font ("Matt") used by the show and magazine
were specially designed in PostScript by Apple Computer employees, and
based on his own handwriting (surprise). Sorry, but they're proprietary.
However, a look-alike font based on MG's "Life in Hell" script called
"Groening" is available.
Q: Why wasn't MG's name on 2F31?
A: MG asked that his name be removed from the credits to "A Star Is Burns"
because he felt the episode was one very long commercial for "The Critic",
and that it creates the image that the two shows are somehow linked
together, which of course isn't the case.
Q: What are all these hexidecimal numbers people keep talking about?
A: The numbers (7G06, 7F19, 9F08, 2F05, AABF01 etc.) refer to the production
code assigned by the production team. Each story has its own p-code which
refers to the season which it was produced for, but not necessarily the
one it was broadcast in. One or two episodes are usually held over for
broadcasting early the following season, hence 7F24 was the Season Three
opener. As a general rule of thumb:
7G codes refer to Season One episodes
7F codes refer to Season Two episodes
8F codes refer to Season Three episodes
9F codes refer to Season Four episodes
1F codes refer to Season Five episodes
2F codes refer to Season Six episodes
3F codes refer to Season Seven episodes
3G codes refer to special episodes commissioned during S7
4F codes refer to Season Eight episodes
5F codes refer to Season Nine episodes
AABF codes refer to Season Ten episodes
The p-codes do not appear to be actual hexidecimal numbers. James L.
Brooks said he got the idea for the Season One codes for "The Simpsons"
from the fact that Homer works in sector 7G at SNPP.
-> Consult the Episode QuickList or the Episode Guide for a listing of stories
and p-codes. (See Sec 3.2)
Q: Where do you get the production codes from?
A: Watch the closing credits to each episode. The credit page with the
copyright information (usually the fifth page from the end) contains the
line "THE SIMPSONS EPISODE #____" which is the p-code for that episode,
with the exception of 7G08 where the p-code immediately follows the
copyright notification. The p-codes for the music videos are found on
the broadcast tapes' slates (special title cards for TV station personnel).
Q: I've noticed that new show "King of the Hill" has the same style p-codes.
Are the shows related in any way?
A: No. Although 5E is very similar to 5F, the series are not in anyway
intertwine and King of the Hill isn't produced by Gracie Films. The
series, created by Mike Judge and co-created by former Simpsons writer Greg
Daniels, does however have a few Simpsons writers and producers on its
staff: Jonathan Collier, Greg Daniels, Brad Bird, Wesley Archer, Richard
Raynis, Joseph A. Boucher and Jon Vitti.
Production codes for 20th Century Fox productions seem to be undergoing
revamps. Conclusive information on this change is not yet available. See
snpp.com's Season Ten information page
<http://www.snpp.com/episodes/season10.html> for information on The
Simpsons' particular change in production codes.
Q: Where do the episode titles come from?
A: Some newspapers print the episode titles. The book _Simpson Mania_ lists
Season One titles; Brian Howard was able to get "inside" information for
Season Two and Three titles. Season Four, Five, Six, and Seven titles were
provided by David Mirsky, and later by Bill Oakley. Episodes 7G07 and 7F10
were actually broadcast with their titles. The titles for the shorts are
listed in the credits to "The Tracey Ullman Show". The music video titles
are, of course, taken from their song titles.
Q: How is a Simpsons episode created?
A: Production on a given season begins in December, when the writers go to one
of two "writers' retreats" to pitch and develop approximately 16 story
ideas, which end up developed into about 12 scripts. Episodes from season
one were often animated with about 12,000 drawings. The number gradually
increased to about 24,000 drawings, but not due to the change from Klasky-
Csupo to Film Roman.
Q: What was the first episode?
A: The Simpsons is one of those series that don't have one specific first
episode. Production wise, the first episode created was 7G01 "Some
Enchanted Evening" (pushed over to the end of the first season because a
scene was being re-animated). The first broadcast half hour was 7G08
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." The pilot episode to launch the
series on Fox was 7G02 "Bart the Genius."
Q: Why do the production codes in Season Six jump from 2F22 to 2F31?
And what about 3F31 in Season Seven?
A: The current production staff at "The Simpsons" has only enough resources to
put together roughly 22 episodes a season. However, for Season Six an
arrangement was made with the staff of "The Critic" to produce two
additional episodes. Those two episodes were given the p-codes 2F31 and
2F32.
Currently, Fox is demanding the production of 25 episodes per season.
In 1994 to 1996, the arrangement was 24 new shows and 1 clip show.
For Season Six, a former writer was called in at the last minute to hack
together 2F33, even going so far as to use a pseudonym - "Penny Wise"
(implying that Fox is "Pound Foolish" of course!) and so the episode was
given the highest p-code available to distance it from the other episodes.
Similarly, the Season Seven clip show was designated as 3F31 - and this
time "Pound Foolish" was even named as the director!
Season Nine saw The Simpsons' fourth clip show, "All Singing, All Dancing"
(5F24).
-> David Silverman admitted to using the alias `Pound Foolish' as director of
3F31. He also directed 2F33, "Another Simpsons Clip Show."
Q: And what's the deal with the 3G episodes? When will the remaining ones
air?
A: The 3G episodes (3G01, 3G02, 3G03 and 3G04) are a handful of shows which
were produced by Al Jean Mike Reiss, much like 2F31 and 2F32 were.
Q: What's this I keep hearing about "The Simpsons" being cancelled?
A: It's just a rumor. With the growing amount of discontent among the fans,
the rumor mill occassionally churns out a story about Fox wanting to get
rid of the show. Nielsen-wise, the series averages in the top 30 programs
out of 100-plus. Fox has renewed the series for the 1998-1999 season.
However, all sources strongly indicate that Season Ten is likely to be the
last. Stay tuned.
Q: How do I pronounce...
"Groening"? A: In one of the Life In Hell strips and in the "Rolling
Stone" article, MG mentioned that it rhymes with
"complaining"; the "Newsweek" article rhymes his name with
"raining".
"Yeardley"? A: "Yeardley" is a variant spelling of the British name
"Yardley", whose pronunciation is non-problematical.
Q: Have any of the episodes been released on video?
A: A set of 12 SECAM VHS tapes featuring 24 episodes from Season One and
Season Two is available in France, released by Fox France.
A set of 4 PAL VHS tapes featuring 8 episodes from Season One is also
available in Finland.
A set of 3 PAL VHS tapes featuring 6 episodes each from Season One were
released to Italy in 1991.
Several videos have been released to the U.K., and as imports to the rest
of Europe. In April, 1997, videos released were "Sex, Lies and the
Simpsons" and "The Dark Secrets of the Simpsons"; in September, the video
released was "Springfield Murder Mystery"; in November, "Crime &
Punishment"; and in May, 1998, "The Simpsons Against the World."
Details on the releases are as follows (supplied by Torsten Kracke):
0411S Sex, Lies and the Simpsons (released April 14th, 1997)
The Last Temptation of Homer (1F07)
Bart After Dark (4F06) / New Kid on the Block (9F06)
Lisa's Rival (1F17)
4182S The Dark Secrets of The Simpsons (released April 28th, 1997):
The Springfield Files (3G01) / Homer the Great (2F09)
Lisa the Iconoclast (3F13) / Homer: Bad Man (2F06)
6019S Springfield Murder Mystery (released Sep. 29th, 1997):
Who Shot Mr. Burns? Parts 1+2 (2F16 / 2F20)
Black Widower (8F20) / Cape Feare (9F22)
7797S Crime & Punishment (released Nov, 3rd 1997):
Marge in Chains (9F20) / Homer the Vigilante (1F09)
You only move twice (3F23) / Bart the Fink (3F12)
0387S The Simpsons Against the World (released May 26th, 1998)
Homer vs. Patty & Selma (2F14) / Marge vs. the Monorail
(9F10) / Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment (7F13)
Bart vs. Australia (2F13)
Each video costs 12.99 UKP.
In North America, the Christmas special (7G08) is available on Fox Video
on a single NTSC VHS tape, title #1915. Two triple-packs of VHS tapes
containing two uncut episodes on each tape were released to NA. The first
triple-pack contained various Season One episodes, plus a Tracey Ullman
Show short per tape (and was released to Germany with German dubovers), and
the second features Season Two episodes. Information on these videos is
available through <http://www.foxworld.com/simpsons/shppr03.htm>.
Q: What's all this about syndication?
A: Episodes that have already had their seasonal run on Fox have been made
available as a syndication package by Fox. This means that any station can
buy it and show it at any time they choose, not just Fox Network
affiliates.
The Simpsons began their syndication run in September, 1994, a little after
it reached its 100th show. Once a series reaches its 100th show, it will
wind up in syndication.
Q: Why are the syndicated episodes being cut?
A: Syndicated episodes are edited to fit the standard length of any other
syndicated show to allow more commercials to be shown. This means that
some scenes are shortened or removed entirely. As such, the first
material to be edited usually includes the title sequence (which is why
the syndicated titles are even shorter than the standard abridged
sequence in recent US broadcasts by Fox) and scenes that are not integral
to the plot - often meaning some of the most memorable lines are missing
from the syndicated versions.
There are a few exceptions, however. Some episodes are left uncut, but
compressed to gain additional seconds. Also, sometimes, the last two
seconds of an act is cut for a commercial break. Here's the list of
episodes that were never cut:
7G04 There's No Disgrace Like Home 8F23 Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes
7F05 Dancin' Homer 9F01 Homer the Heretic
7F07 Bart vs. Thanksgiving 9F12 Brother from the Same Planet
8F03 Bart the Murderer 9F15 Last Exit to Springfield
8F11 Radio Bart 2F08 Fear of Flying
8F15 Separate Vocations 2F32 'Round Springfield
8F19 Colonel Homer 4F16 The Canine Mutiny
7G04 is the shortest episode of The Simpsons ever. Keep in mind
that the only episode that appears in syndication with full-length
openings are 7F06 "Bart the Daredevil" (borrowed from 7F10) and 4F19
"Homer's Enemy."
The episode "Team Homer" was modified in syndication. A scene in which
Homer anticipates winning a bowling tournament showcases him flushing a
stolen supporting actor Oscar down the toilet. The name engraved on the
award was Haing S. Ngor, an actor who was murdered February 25th, 1996.
In syndication, the name was changed to Don Ameche.
Q: Why was the Tracey Ullman Show short "Babysitting Maggie" cut on Fox?
A: There was a protest over the 1987 airing of a scene in which Maggie sticks
a fork in an electric socket. The scene was clipped from the Fox reairing,
and wasn't shown in syndication, either.
The scene, however, was based upon an actual incident, according to David
Silverman. As a boy, MG was at a party when the lights flickered. A
moment later, a boy walked into the room holding a fork. He pointed to it,
and said, "Hot."
Q: Has The Simpsons won any Emmys/awards?
A: The Simpsons has received 23 Emmy nominations, and 9 wins. The series
won Outstanding Animated Program awards in 1990, 1991, 1995 (for "Lisa's
Wedding") and 1997 (for "Homer's Phobia").
Composer Alf Clausen received Emmy nominations for the song "Senor Burns"
from 2F20 and the songs in "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed
Grunt)cious." He won an Outstanding Music & Lyrics Emmy for "We Put the
Spring in Springfield" (from "Bart After Dark").
The series won its sixth consecutive Annie Award November of 1997 for the
episode "Homer's Phobia." Additionally, the series won a Peabody award
sometime at the end of March, 1997.
Q: What's this rumor I keep hearing about a Simpsons movie?
A: MG is doubtful that will ever happen, and most likely an animated or live
action movie similar to "The Flintstones" will not be produced, and
no plans for a film exist.
Q: Where did the inspiration for Itchy & Scratchy come from?
A: Tom and Jerry, and the less obvious cartoon team of Herman & Catnip (from
Harvey Productions), a more violent cat-and-mouse team.
2.3 Comics, Music, Contest and Newsgroup-Specific
--- -------------------------------------
Q: How do I contact Matt Groening or the producers/writers of the show?
A: You can send your praises, questions, comments, sympathy cards, and
requests for nude pictures of Marge Simpson to:
The Simpsons
c/o Twentieth Television
Matt Groening's Office
PO Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
Q: What about Email addresses for Matt Groening or the production staff?
A: If MG has an Email address, he has not made it public. Several of the
writers and producers do have Email addresses, but they are not publically
available and should not be given out as a matter of courtesy.
However, there is an Email address for questions and comments about Fox
shows in general, ask...@foxinc.com.
Q: I have a script/story idea I want to show to the producers...
A: The best advice here is to get yourself an agent. Due to potential legal
problems, the producers and writers aren't supposed to read unsolicited
scripts or story materials, and so it's best not to bother them in the
first place. This isn't because the writers are being snobs, it's because
of union rules, the violation of which _could_ cause people to get fired,
or even sued.
Q: What's Bongo Comics Group/Simpsons Illustrated?
A: "Simpsons Illustrated" was a quarterly "fan" magazine that is no longer
in print. Issues of SI include cast and production staff interviews, fan
artwork, and lots of trivia. A Simpsons annual and a special 3-D issue
were also published. Back issues are nearly impossible to find.
The publishers of the magazine (at least in the US) have gone on to
collaborate with Matt Groening to form the Bongo Comics Group. Titles
include three-issue limited series: "Radioactive Man", "Krusty Comics",
and "Itchy & Scratchy Comics"; a one-off I&S holiday issue, and a Lisa
comic, all of which have run their course.
Currently in production is one bi-monthly title, "Simpsons Comics."
A limited series featuring Ned Flanders was rumored for Fall 1996, however,
it did not matieralize.
-> Bongo Comics does not offer subscriptions at this time.
Q: What are the words to "The Itchy & Scratchy Show" theme?
A: "They Fight! And Bite!
And Bite and Bite and Fight!
Fight Fight Fight!
Bite Bite Bite!
The Itchy & Scratchy Show!"
Q: Where can I get the music from "The Simpsons"?
A: Currently two albums and singles associated to the first released have
been released. "The Simpsons Sing the Blues" and "Songs in the Key of
Springfield." Singles from the former include:
The Simpsons Sing the Blues Album CD, MC, Vinyl.
Do the Bartman Single
CD single, release version. 12" vinyl release.
Deep, deep trouble Single
CD Single, Promotional & release version. 12" vinyl release.
Sibling Rivalry Single
CD Single, release version. (12" Vinyl?)
The tracklist for "Sing the Blues" (and the singing character for each
song) is as follows:
Do the Bartman (Bart) God Bless the Child (Lisa)
School Day (Bart) I Love to See You Smile (Homer/Marge)
Born Under a Bad Sign (Homer) Springfield Soul Stew (Marge)
Moanin' Lisa Blues (Lisa) Look at All Those Idiots (Mr. Burns)
Deep Deep Trouble (Bart) Sibling Rivlary (Bart and Lisa)
The opening theme from Season One appears on Danny Elfman's CD, "Music for
a Darkened Theatre." The version of the theme used in subsequent seasons
is available on "Television's Greatest Hits" volume 7, `Cable Ready'
(Catalog# - TVT 1900-2). A longer guitar rendition is on Danny Gatton's
disc "88 Elmira Street."
There are also CD singles in existence for "Do The Bartman" and "Deep, Deep
Trouble" which contain remixes of those songs not on the album or cassette
singles. Information on these, and the tracklist for "Songs in the Key of
Springfield" exist in the FAQ on the WWW. Rumor has it that a "Sibling
Rivalry" CD single was also created, but no confirmation exists for this.
Q: Wasn't there supposed to be a second album?
A: Yes. The second album, "The Yellow Album", was confirmed as having
been in production at one time. The title is meant to be a take-off of
Prince's album "The Black Album" rather than The Beatles' "The White
Album" as some have suggested. The album is said to include the single
"My name is Bart, and I am funky", a take-off of the Prince single of
similar title.
The album is complete and was scheduled for a January 1993 release.
Rumors of a pending release circulate continuously, usually based on
statements made by Geffen Records employees, however, over half a dozen
prospective release dates have come and gone with no album, so any
announcement of a new release date should be regarded with skepticism.
Feel free to call Geffen Records at 310-278-9010 and inquire for yourself.
Q: The Soundtrack Album, "Songs in the Key of Springfield" is great. Will
there be a follow-up to it?
A: Rhino Records, which released a 51-track complilation of songs aired on
the series on March 18th, 1997, gave composer/album producer Alf Clausen
the go-ahead to produce a follow-up album. It will be entitled "Go
Simpsonic: A Whole Lot More Music from the Television Series," and is
scheduled for a September 1st release. Music to be featured will be
include music from more recent seasons, and a few older song segments that
were not featured in the first album.
Q: Is my local station cutting the episodes?
A: Probably not, unless you're watching the syndicated versions of the
episodes, which are edited. Episodes broadcast in England and Australia
are routinely censored to abide with younger children's viewing guidelines
because of the time slots used by these countries. In Germany, the series
runs now, usually without its end credits, at a late time slot. The
abridgement of the title sequence in the US is done by the Fox network.
Canadian viewers, who don't get the episodes through Fox are usually
granted the pleasure of a full episode each week.
In Belgium, the commercial broadcast station VT4 airs uncut
episodes of The Simpsons on an irregular, but usually daily basis.
Only the episodes 8F15 and 2F09 were edited. Thanks for Werner
Peeter for supplying this information (corrections are welcome).
Q: Why are some clips shown in commercials not in the transmitted episode?
A: Each episode is produced with extra and alternate animation, to allow the
directors the freedom to decide just what will and won't work, up until a
few days before a show goes to air. Fox has access to the footage before
the final cuts are made, and so it's not unusual for extra material to
materialize during the promotions.
Also, the Fox network has taken to mixing clips from previous episodes
with clips from upcoming episodes, supposedly to make episodes more
enticing or exciting. The best example of this is the commercial for
"The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show" in which Homer's character
Poochie is on TV and Lisa says "The network has sunk to a new low,"
the footage coming from 9F22 "Cape Feare."
Q: What's this I hear about a real life version of the Simpson house?
A: Kaufman and Broad has designed a 2,200 square ft., 4-bedroom house in
Henderson, NV just outside of Las Vegas which looks exactly like the
Simpsons' house. Pepsi-Cola Company set up a contest to give this very
house away to someone. With certain beverage products came a game piece
with a number, which, if matched with the number flashed during the ninth
season premiere of The Simpsons, would be the winning number. The winning
number was 9786065.
The winner, 63-year-old great grandmother Barbara Howard from Richmond,
Kentucky, was given the keys to the $120,000 house December 10th, 1997.
Q: And who was the winner of 1995's "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" 1-800-COLLECT
contest?
A: Fayla Gibson. And unlike the promos said (which led most to believe the
winner would be animated with the Simpsons in the series), she was given a
drawing of herself with the Simpsons.
Q: Is the "Simpsons" production staff aware of Usenet and a.t.s?
A: Yes. Although Matt Groening has never appeared on the Internet publically
as himself (as far as anybody knows anyway), he has dropped several clues
in references to certain discussion threads from a.t.s. which appeared in
his "Life in Hell" comic strips. His presence was finally confirmed by the
December 7, 1994 edition of the _Philadelphia Inquirer_ which ran an
article dealing with alt.tv.simpsons, in which MG admitted:
"I lurk [on a.t.s] but the other writers on the show were reluctant to
have me admit that."
However, in June 1993, MG did accept an invitation from the Prodigy service
to chitchat with their users, personally answer a few of those annoying
standard questions, and detail the reality of his involvement with the
show.
-> A transcript of the Prodigy session is available. (See Sec 1.6)
Other producers of the show have made brief appearances on the Internet
and America On-Line, and the Simpsons drinking game has apparently
circulated through the production offices, and seems to have been
well-received.
-> The drinking game is also available. (See Sec 3.2)
In the past, many postings have claimed to have originated from Matt
Groening and other identities. One should immediately be skeptical of
*any* messages that claim to have been sent by a notable personality - it
is a trivial exercise to fake an article so that it appears to have come
from another person.
-===============< Section III - Frequently Requested Lists >===============-
3.1 The Episode Capsules
--- --------------------
The episode capsule is perhaps the ultimate resource file for every
episode of "The Simpsons" outside of the production offices. It contains a
summary of the script, reviews, and observations posted to the newsgroup for
each episode. For more details, see the episode capsule FAQ or check out one
of the capsules themselves.
With the exception of the second music video, 7F76, capsules exist for
every episode, short, and music video preceeding season eight. Due to certain
circumstances, several of the last few episode capsules for Season Eight and
the first batch for Season Nine have been delayed but are being worked on, and
will be made available later on.
Frederic Briere <caps...@lyris.snpp.com> is the current capsule compiler,
replacing the previous maintainer, Ricardo Lafaurie, at the start of Season
Eight. The originator of the episode capsules is Raymond Chen, who produced
most of the capsules through Season Four. James Cherry took over capsule
duties from Season Five until midway through Season Seven. Chris Baird, Dave
Hall, Scott Simpson, and Juha Terho are responsible for the remaining handful
of capsules not produced by Raymond Chen, James Cherry, or Ricardo Lafaurie.
The episode capsules are available at <http://www.snpp.com/episodes.html>
The Episode QuickList is available at <http://www.wcat.com/simpsons/seq.txt>.
3.2 Required Reading
--- ----------------
In addition to the LISA, several other reference works are available,
such as cast lists and episode guides. These documents are highly recommended
for persons interested in more details on these particular aspects of the show.
Episode Guides and Technical Documents: Maintained By:
"The Simpsons" Episode Quicklist Matthew Kurth
"The Simpsons" Episode Guide Dave Hall
"The Simpsons" Writers & Directors Dave Hall
"The Simpsons" Cast List Dave Hall
"The Itchy & Scratchy Show" Episode Guide J.D. Baldwin
Couch, Blackboard Punishment, & Airdates Listing Don Del Grande
Bart's Prank Calls To Moe's Tavern Don Del Grande
Episode Capsule FAQ James Cherry
Miscellaneous Documents: Maintained By:
Upcoming Episodes List Don Del Grande
List of Syndication Stations and Air Times Jason Hancock
The List of Lists Dave Hall
Where is Springfield? Dave Hall
"The Simpsons" Drinking Game Joey Berner
Syndication Cuts Guide Frederic Briere
There are also many other documents available that are not listed here,
such as character files, song lyrics, ASCII pics, and much more. See the List
of Lists for more information, or browse the FTP and WWW sites. (See Sec 1.6)
3.3 The alt.tv.simpsons Mail Server
--- -------------------------------
Many of the documents referred to here are available via the
alt.tv.simpsons mail server. With this service, you can request these files to
be sent right to your Email box quickly and easily without the use of FTP or
WWW.
To request more information about the server, as well as instructions and
a list of documents currently available through the service, send Email to
<a...@lyris.snpp.com> with the phrase "Info" as the subject of your message.
-=====================< Section IV - Closing Remarks >=====================-
4.1 Acknowledgements
--- ----------------
I want to take this time to thank the previous FAQ maintainers for making this
document possible with their past hard work on making the LISA as informative
as it is. Those people are: Matthew Kurth, Gavan McCormack, Chris Baird,
Raymond Chen and Brendan Kehoe.
Personal thanks to Matthew Kurth for helping me in my freshman month of
maintaining the LISA. He is a good friend and had a certain dedication to The
Simpsons that is particularly admirable. And, a VERY big thanks to Mr. Kurth
for supplying me the information he attained during his April 8th, 1997
interview with David Silverman. Also, thanks to Fox Legal for not bothering me
about maintaining this file.
4.2 Contributors
--- ------------
These people have contributed in some fashion to this document, both with and
without their knowledge, and I'd like to thank as many as I can think of at
this point.
Chris Baird Joey Berner Frederic Briere
Chris Cammack Paul Canniff Cristina Cebba
Vince Chan Raymond Chen James A. Cherry
Terri Clendenin Ben Collins Chris Courtois
Christopher Dent Rick Diamant Gary Goldberg
Don Del Grande Geek Boy Dave Hall
Tim Harrod Tony Hill Tammy J. Hocking
David Kendall Torsten Kracke Matthew Kurth
Chad Lehman Bren Lynne Gavan McCormack
Gary S. Nabors Werner Peeters Brian Petersen
Matt Rose Sarah Rosenbaum John Schulien
Paul Shandi Tony Shepps Juha Terho
Elson Trinidad Aaron Varhola Julien Villeret
Ohbuchi Yutaka
Acknowledgement is also given to all the Simpsons-related publications which
have also provided key background information for this document.
Special acknowledgement also goes out to Matt Groening for his Bongo Comics
columns and David Silverman's lectures which have been invaluable in tying up
certain nagging details, and to those of the production staff that occasionally
come down from the mountain to enlighten those of us outside of the loop.
Thanks guys!
4.3 Disclaimer and Copyright
--- ------------------------
This document is Copyright (c) 1997-1998 Artist Bros. Enterprises and may
not be modified and/or distributed, or used for-profit without consent of the
current maintainer. This includes, but is not limited to: CD-ROMs, magazines,
books, newspapers, or television broadcasts. Free distribution is encouraged
provided the document is unabridged, unmodified, and unaltered.
This Copyright does not extend to, and is not intended to infringe upon,
the characters, names, and related indica of "The Simpsons" which remains
Copyrighted by, and a Trade Mark of, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
The information in this document has been checked where appropriate, and
is considered as accurate as possible. However, Pobody's Nerfect. As such,
Artist Bros. Enterprises takes no responsibility for incorrect or inaccurate
information beyond correcting the error in the next official LISA release.
-= Don't have a cow, Man! =-