‘Simpsons’ 400th sends up web, FCC and local news
Steve Safran May 21st, 2007
Imagine my joy that The Simpsons celebrated its 400th episode last night by sending up three of my favorite topics: the FCC, the web and local news. Homer winds up on the local news for buying the one-millionth ice cream cone at a local restaurant. (The station and the ice cream restaurant are owned by the same company, anchor Kent Brockman bitterly notes.) He spills coffee in Kent’s lap, causing Kent to utter a “super swear.” Ned Flanders starts an online protest, the FCC imposes a whopper of a fine and Kent gets fired. Kent then takes to the web to tell the story of a conspiracy at Fox News. (”Thank you for inviting me into your laps.”) It was a Very Lost Remote Simpsons.
5 Comments Add your own
1. Alyssa | May 22nd, 2007 at 10:13 am
Missed it. Where else can I find it?
2. Drew Robertson | May 22nd, 2007 at 10:41 am
Alyssa, Ep22 is available for downloading from your favorite illegal file sharing site.
Did you notice that except for the Simpsons themselves the other characters watched the “news” on their PCs?
Ironic, huh?
3. Don T. | May 23rd, 2007 at 5:01 am
I just watched the 399th Simpsons show from this weekend and I have to say that the best episode of 24 this year was done by animated characters with four fingers.
4. Dan.p | June 11th, 2007 at 12:38 am
Saw this last night in england, have to say it was one of the worst ever.
didnt smirk once throughout.
as opposed to the bolwing classic that ran afterwards (300 game), that was v funny.
shows that they have run out of good plot ideas, and i feel the movie will be the final nail in the coffin for this once grand cartoon.
5. velveteen | August 21st, 2007 at 11:29 am
I cannot imagine why the Brit didn’t think it was funny, unless he has no clue about American culture!!! As a programmer and employee of an independent community radio station, fear of the FCC hangs heavy over our heads and this was an outrageously funny, extremely clever send-up of a situation that as ridiculous as it seems, is all too close to the truth. In addition, the points made about consolidated media ownership and how it affects the news don’t seem to get through to people when reported in news sources, so if they’re portrayed in a comedy it might actually garner some attention.
I agree that the Simpsons isn’t as original as it used to be and it re-uses a lot of plot lines so it’s getting kind of hit-or-miss. But I really, really recommend this episode as one that hits home very well for many of us. Cultural differences, I guess. Over here we often don’t get a lot of the joke references made on British comedies, but I try to find out what they’re talking about before simply dismissing them as ‘not funny’ like you did.
The movie is good, but not great. They waited too long. Still, it beats so much Hollywood crap that’s out there. I just think they should have been much more outrageous on the big screen.
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