The Simpsons in HD (finally)

[MartyS (Gromit)]

My local NBC has stopped showing widescreen stuff. This doesn't mean they show it letterboxed; no, it's widescreen format, with the edges chopped off. I miss half of The Office every week.  My guess is that it's loudly-complaining elderly people who caused this (I used to zoom in and get the whole thing--albeit grainy, and now I just can't see half of it).

I don't know if Fox does the same thing here; hope not. I'll be tuning in next week to see WIDESCREEN Simpsons!

Yeah I had to disconnect my HD Cable for a couple weeks to make room for the PS3 (I have an HDMI cable now that fixes the need to do that) and I was watching Conan in lo-def. They literally chopped Conan in half, and chopped the guest in half. You didn't get to see all of anyone.

So they are not even bothering to pan and scan, just zooming in on the center?  That's really bad.  Even worse than the stations that cut the top and bottom off of older shows to make them widescreen.   For a while most shows were framing their shots so the 4:3 center got most of the action, seems they are now assuming everyone has a widescreen TV. 

Back to the Simpsons, I'm guessing the new intro will be cut shorter for future episodes, it was at least twice as long as the normal intro.  I did laugh at what Bart was writing on the blackboard.

[Doctor Who?]

Yeah it's pretty dumb to just zoom in.

I have a feeling those same old people are going to still be calling them.

[MrTorso]

Apparently the NBC affiliate here in the Boston area does it too.

[mrbasehart]

I'll throw the story in here.  From the BBC:

Animated comedy The Simpsons is to become the longest-running prime-time series in US TV history after makers Fox ordered another two seasons.

The show is currently in its 20th season which matches the record of Western drama Gunsmoke, shown on CBS, which ended in 1975.  The 21st season will begin in the autumn with the 22nd airing next year.  The Simpsons was first shown in December 1989, and made its UK debut on Sky in September 1990.  The new commission of 44 episodes over two seasons will bring the total number of shows to 493.

[Doctor Who?]

I think they just should have ordered seven more and make it an even 500 episodes.

[bratpop]

Announcing another season of The Simpsons is like announcing that milk is still available at your local supermarket.

Oh my God, can I still buy stamps tomorrow?

[Doctor Who?]

I'm I the only one who hopes that they don't make us wait to get the HD seasons on Blue Ray?

[Johnny Unusual]

So who watched tonight's episode.  I don't think it was nearly as... unpleasant as the Lady Gaga episode (am I alone in REALLY hating that one.  I think it's the only episode I out and out hated.) but I thought it was pretty weak.  I really like Breakfast at Tiffany's and like the idea of a parody, but the whole episode felt like there wasn't really a point to all the running around the characters are doing, and we aren't really given any stakes.  To quote Homer "it's just a bunch of stuff that happened."  Only this time, it wasn't so memorable.

There were some surprisingly strong episodes last season, so I hope this won't be par for the course.  Also, what the Hell is Bart's deal.  He's 10.  He's had far more girlfriends than I've had up till now!  I think the idea of Bart feeling like he can't be loved is an interesting idea (especially since he infuriates his loved ones on a regular basis), but why did the writers decide to give him the problems of a 20-something.  And it's weird that no-one is saying "YOU'RE 10!", even addressing that as some throw away joke.  There can be a way to have Bart and Lisa have adult problems without betraying the fact that they are kids, but this is just lazy.  When pointing out the ridiculousness of the situation or having an internal logic that makes the idea of a kid having a string of past girlfriends can work, but here it's just strange.

Well, next week is... the Halloween episode?  So early?  OK, well, I tend to like those, even when they are weaker.

Still, despite the show's long run, I'm still hoping for episodes as good as "The Book Job", "A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Get To Do Again" and the really impressive "Holidays of Future Passed" from last season.

[Thrifty]

I liked the line to Homer: "New York will be nicer now that your two least favorite buildings are gone."

Also like the callback to the Kraukalash guy.

[Johnny Unusual]

Finally caught the rather early Treehouse of Horror this year.  Good, but not great.

The opening segment was a little cute, but didn't really do all that much for me.  "And it will be Obama's fault!"

The first segment felt like it had a lot of potential for Futurama-style science gags or more cool visual stuff (and it did, a little bit), but it all felt a little perfunctory.  Kind of nice that they had a segment that didn't spoof a specific thing and it had some moments, but overall, it could have been a lot cooler.  I loved the gag of "what happened to the cat", as well as the black hole refusing to to take Bart's homework.

The second segment was the strongest in my opinion, though I feel again there was a lot of lost opportunity in both spoofing the movie and using the fast forward gag (I'll admit, I did enjoy Homer's long pee).  I feel like the writers wanted to do more with it, didn't have the time and stuck with some more pedestrian gags.  Still, I rather liked this one, especially the last joke.  "CINNAMON!  CINNAMON!"

The third segment was fun, but I think like they had to cram in some jokes and didn't have time to get clever.  Still, Jon Lovitz is always a treat and the Homer's throughout history was fun.  I kind of wish past Homer just forgot about his quest and decided to indulge himself in what we take so for granted now (It's like Patton Oswalt said: Obama made time travel way cheaper.  You only need to go back to 1999 and show people a black president named Barrack Hussein Obama and an iPod and you've blown some minds.)  "Even you Caveman Homer" "That's Renaissance Homer."

[Starman!]

I liked the line to Homer: "New York will be nicer now that your two least favorite buildings are gone."

Holy shit, they actually said that?!

[Johnny Unusual]

I liked the line to Homer: "New York will be nicer now that your two least favorite buildings are gone."

Holy shit, they actually said that?!

Yeah, but the joke is that Bart goes on to say “old Penn Station and Shea Stadium!”

[MrTorso]

I also think Bart used the word obliterated!

[Johnny Unusual]

Seth MacFarlane to guest voice on the Simpsons.  Bob Burger's to become the last bastion of an animated show that doesn't have Seth MacFarlane on it that night.

From AV Club

The playful rivalry that sort-of-exists between The Simpsons and Family Guy may finally come to the peaceful end that it never really needed in the first place, now that Seth MacFarlane has booked a guest spot on The Simpsons. According to Entertainment Weekly, MacFarlane will at last address the fact that there remains a half-hour of Fox's Sunday night that does not feature his dulcet baritone, dropping by The Simpsons to voice a charming stranger who woos Marge over a dating website, thus causing The Simpsons' landmark 300th threat to Homer and Marge's marriage. "But does Seth MacFarlane get to sing?" asks everyone who worries about the number of opportunities afforded to Seth MacFarlane to sing an old-fashioned, big band-style number, which is to say everyone. "MacFarlane croons 'The Way You Look Tonight' in the episode," EW reports, so we're good. We're good, everyone. 

[Johnny Unusual]

Check it out, old Simpsons writers take a trip down memory lane!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/DtJ28qOEG1g" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/DtJ28qOEG1g</a>