The Smarmy Carny

With the Simpsons Movie out now, I might as well toss in something movie-related. Here are a small assortment of some minor characters from The Simpsons:

• Barney Gumble: B Barney is the town drunk who makes Homer look sober. He has a good line now and then but rarely carries a scene. Favorite line: "Aaah! Natural light! Get it off me! Get it off me!"
• Comic Book Guy: C+ Jeff Albertson is the owner of The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop. His character is intentionally annoying, but often not to a comic effect. Favorite line: "Worst episode ever."
• Disco Stu: C It's always fun to see Disco Stu enter the frame, but in comparison to the other characters on the show, Disco Stu just doesn't shine through. Favorite line: "Disco Stu loves disco music!"
• Dr. Nick Riviera: B+ The graduate of Hollywood Upstairs Medical College always makes me laugh. Favorite line: "Hi, everybody!"
• Nelson Muntz: A- Ha ha! Need I say more? Nelson needn't, that's for sure.
• Ralph Wiggum: A Everyone embraces the lovable dumb kid. Until he turns into a prepubescent. Ralph is lucky that time stands still in the Simpsons universe. Favorite line: "Me fail English? That's unpossible!"

Please feel free to leave a comment. What do you agree or disagree with, and why? Which items do you wish were included that I didn't cover here?

Springfield, Vermont has been announced the Simpsons' home state in a vote organized by USA Today. It will host the official premiere for The Simpsons Movie on July 21.

The Simpsons' mystery home state has long been a running gag in the series. For instance, Marge once gave their address over the phone as "742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, Oh-hiya Maude, come on in!," leading the audience to falsely believe that Ohio was about to be named the home state.

According to some research posted on The Simpsons Archive, there are 71 Springfields in 36 states. Each of the following 14 Springfields submitted a video promoting their own Springfield as the home to The Simpsons:

• Springfield, Colorado
• Springfield, Florida
• Springfield, Illinois
• Springfield, Kentucky
• Springfield, Louisiana
• Springfield, Massachusetts
• Springfield, Michigan
• Springfield, Missouri
• Springfield, Nebraska
• Springfield, New Jersey
• Springfield, Ohio
• Springfield, Oregon
• Springfield, Tennessee
• Springfield, Vermont

See the promotional videos from each of these Springfields at USA Today. The other towns will be rewarded with screenings of The Simpsons Movie the night before the movie opens nationwide.

As usual this July 11th (7-11), you can stroll into participating 7-11 stores for your free 7.11 oz Slurpee. While supplies last — "supplies" being the tiny cups. (I'll warn you that if you have to go far out of your way, it's not worth it due to the size of the cup.)

Something much more interesting is happening at a dozen 7-11 stores around the country: They are transforming into Kwik-E-Marts, the convenience store run by The Simpsons' own Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. From the logo on the store to the products inside, The Simpsons will rule the store. You can get a Squishee, the Simpsons version of the ever-popular Slushee. Also available are Buzz! Cola, Krusty-Os cereal, and Radioactive Man comic #711. Sorry, no Duff available, and you can't eat my shorts, either!

7-11s in the following locations will turn into Kwik-E-Marts for a limited time:

• Burbank, CA
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Lake Buena Vista, FL/Orlando, FL
• Las Vegas, NV/Henderson, NV
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York City, NY
• San Francisco, CA/Mountain View, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Vancouver, BC/Coquitlam, BC
• Washington, DC/Bladensburg, MD

To find out which 7-11 in each city gets the transformation, head over to the Kwik-E-Mart page.

You can also register for a chance to be animated in The Simpsons Movie.

Twenty years ago today, The Simpsons first appeared on television. On April 19, 1987, the Simpsons short Good Night aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. It was the first of 48 shorts.

If you're curious about The Simpsons show as we know it now, a half-hour Simpsons Christmas special episode titled Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire aired on December 17, 1989. The series itself premiered on January 14, 1990.

The series has set several notable records:

• February 9, 1997: Longest-running prime time animated series (passing The Flintstones).
• 2004: Longest running sitcom (passing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet).

These facts come from Wikipedia and The Simpsons Archive, the most extensive and reliable source for Simpsons information for over 10 years.

There is a live-action version of The Simpsons' opening sequence for the show. Initially, I wasn't sure if this was an official project, but Simpson Crazy reports that Matt Groening has approved the live-action version to promote Season 17 on Sky One in the UK.

The show was reportedly filmed in Bromley, England. The clip re-enacts the title sequence from start to finish, including the chalkboard and couch scenes.

There are, of course, several discrepancies. The only major one is the reversed seating positions as Marge and Maggie are riding in the car. This is due to the fact that the video was filmed in England. Homer's car has him sitting on the proper side. I'm guessing that the only car they could find that fit the description had the steering wheel on the right side. The rest of the discrepancies I noticed tend to be nit-picky, particularly when the task of recreating a cartoon is the work in question. Nonetheless, there are some surprising details included in the live-action version, including a purple-clad Sherri and Terri.

FYI, the house used in this version is located on Lansdowne Avenue, Orpington.