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The Irish Sun
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
The Simpsons secrets revealed as show hits huge milestone including special episode spoilers, predictions & best cameos
FURIOUSLY sketching a yellow family on the back of a piece of paper, cartoonist Matt Groening had just minutes to impress a room full of waiting TV executives. The small-time comic strip maker had been given a shot at coming up with the next big animated series to fill a slot on American sketch series The 12 The Simpsons is preparing to celebrate the show's 800th episode, 35 years after it first aired Credit: Alamy 12 The early sketches of The Simpsons make the famous characters almost unrecognisable Credit: Fox 12 Show creator Matt Groening (L), screenwriter Matt Selman and producer David Silverman have been behind The Simpsons' success Little did he know that the rushed doodle of a dad slumped on the sofa, a mother with towering hair and three kids — one loud, one weird and one mute — would soon take the world by storm. Now, more than 35 years on, The Simpsons is on the brink of celebrating its 800th episode. In a rare interview, While receiving an Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, he joked: 'It's a little-known fact that my parents' real names were . . . Itchy and Scratchy. 'No, seriously, I have a real father called Homer, a real mother called Marge, real siblings called Lisa and Maggie and a real grandfather called Abe.' Contrary to popular opinion , that does not mean that Matt based cheeky Instead, he thinks of himself more like Bart's nerdy and awkward best friend Milhouse. The idea for the cartoon may have been simple, but Matt has never run out of steam . Most read in News TV Now in its 36th series, The Simpsons is currently on episode 790, with the milestone instalment due to air soon. Actress Yeardley Smith, who has been the voice behind Lisa Simpson since the start, revealed that the cast had already gathered for a table read to test out the script for the 800th show, which is believed to be the finale of the current run. The Simpsons reveals new actor for iconic character – as original star quits after 35 years She was joined by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Sabrina Carpenter's aunt Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe and Chief Wiggum) and Pamela Hayden (Milhouse). Matt teased: 'Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves. 'We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we will probably surprise the audience as well. 'We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes. 'As it goes on, we become known for different kinds of jokes.' One constant that fans love though is the celebrity cameos. 12 The Simpsons has stood the test of time thanks to the show's combination of humour and creativity Credit: Alamy 12 Singer Billie Eilish was a recent guest star on the long-running show, appearing in a scene with Lisa Simpson 12 The Simpsons has had uncanny success at predicting future events on the world stage Huge names who have featured over the years include Ringo Starr , George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. And the writers also famously have a spooky knack for predicting the future . From Donald Trump becoming President to the creation of Apple's FaceTime, viewers heard it from Springfield first. But even with hundreds of episodes under his belt, Matt has no plans to shelve the series any time soon. In fact, he even hopes it lives on long enough to catch up with the timeline of another hit Groening production, Futurama. Matt joked: 'The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000! 'Unfortunately, critics will say the show has really been going downhill in the last one thousand years.' Here, we take a dive into The Simpsons' history books to look at its famous cameos and amazing predictions. The predictions 12 The Simpsons forecasted many technological advancements like video calling Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk IT'S not just the gags that have fans hooked , but the fact the hit series has long had an uncanny habit of predicting major future events. Through the show's 36 series, a number of storylines have been manifested into real life after first making their appearance in the form of cartoon animation. In 2000, Bart To The Future saw Lisa Simpson becoming US President, but a billboard in the background of one shot had a billboard ad for 'TRUMP 2024'. Another episode in 1993 predicted COVID-19, when a flu spread through Springfield residents, while the EBOLA outbreak was predicted in a 1997 scene. 12 The show featured Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl years before she took centre stage Credit: 20th Century Fox Elsewhere, the cartoon predicted the 2013 HORSE MEAT scandal, in its episode aired in 1994, which saw schoolkids unknowingly served horse meat for lunch. In a 1995 episode titled Lisa's Wedding, people were seen using SMART WATCH-like devices to communicate – an entire two decades before Apple launched their wearable gadget, while technology similar to FACETIME also featured. 12 Mr Burns attended an exclusive celeb gathering spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties' Credit: Fox And in 1998, Homer appeared to figure out the mathematical equation behind the HIGGS BOSON discovery, 14 years before particle physicists confirmed the concept. A 2012 episode, Lisa Goes Gaga, saw the young character watching singer LADY GAGA at the Super Bowl – suspended from the air in the same manner as the star's real-life 2017 show. And in 2019, Mr Burns attended an exclusive gathering for celebrities, which was spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'. The celebrity cameos THE Simpsons is not short on memorable characters. But that hasn't stopped some of the world's most recognisable stars from wanting to have their moment being reimagined in yellow. The Beatles' RINGO STARR was the first of the group to make an appearance in 1991, where he appeared as himself to encourage family matriarch Marge to pursue a career in the arts. He was soon followed in series five's Homer's Barbershop Quartet by 12 The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is one of the famous celebrities to star on The Simpsons Credit: 20th Century Fox SIMON COWELL first appeared in the series in 2004 as a brutally honest telly talent judge, while Space X tycoon ELON MUSK landed in a spaceship in an episode in 2015 and TONY BLAIR met with Homer in a 2003 episode that featured an animated version of the Queen. Needless to say, Her Majesty did not guest star. While Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN sang in an animated concert as part of the series in 2010, telly chef GORDON RAMSAY made his appearance in 2011. 12 Controversial billionaire Elon Musk had an appearance on the show - on a spaceship And comedian RICKY GERVAIS cropped up not once but twice, starring in 2006 episode This Is Your Wife, and lending his voice to Season 22's Angry Dad: The Movie in 2011. Read more on the Irish Sun There's been no shortage of pop stars either, with Other big chart names who have featured include TOM JONES, 12 Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy featured in The Simpsons' famous Monorail episode
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
The Simpsons secrets revealed as show hits huge milestone including special episode spoilers, predictions & best cameos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FURIOUSLY sketching a yellow family on the back of a piece of paper, cartoonist Matt Groening had just minutes to impress a room full of waiting TV executives. The small-time comic strip maker had been given a shot at coming up with the next big animated series to fill a slot on American sketch series The Tracey Ullman Show. 12 The Simpsons is preparing to celebrate the show's 800th episode, 35 years after it first aired Credit: Alamy 12 The early sketches of The Simpsons make the famous characters almost unrecognisable Credit: Fox 12 Show creator Matt Groening (L), screenwriter Matt Selman and producer David Silverman have been behind The Simpsons' success Little did he know that the rushed doodle of a dad slumped on the sofa, a mother with towering hair and three kids — one loud, one weird and one mute — would soon take the world by storm. Now, more than 35 years on, The Simpsons is on the brink of celebrating its 800th episode. In a rare interview, Matt, 71, told how inspiration for the family could not have come from closer to home. While receiving an Honorary Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week, he joked: 'It's a little-known fact that my parents' real names were . . . Itchy and Scratchy. 'No, seriously, I have a real father called Homer, a real mother called Marge, real siblings called Lisa and Maggie and a real grandfather called Abe.' Contrary to popular opinion, that does not mean that Matt based cheeky practical joker Bart on himself. Instead, he thinks of himself more like Bart's nerdy and awkward best friend Milhouse. The idea for the cartoon may have been simple, but Matt has never run out of steam. Now in its 36th series, The Simpsons is currently on episode 790, with the milestone instalment due to air soon. Actress Yeardley Smith, who has been the voice behind Lisa Simpson since the start, revealed that the cast had already gathered for a table read to test out the script for the 800th show, which is believed to be the finale of the current run. The Simpsons reveals new actor for iconic character – as original star quits after 35 years She was joined by Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Sabrina Carpenter's aunt Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Harry Shearer (Ned Flanders), Hank Azaria (Moe and Chief Wiggum) and Pamela Hayden (Milhouse). Matt teased: 'Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves. 'We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we will probably surprise the audience as well. 'We have parodies of cinema and references to books, TV shows and personal autobiographical anecdotes. 'As it goes on, we become known for different kinds of jokes.' One constant that fans love though is the celebrity cameos. 12 The Simpsons has stood the test of time thanks to the show's combination of humour and creativity Credit: Alamy 12 Singer Billie Eilish was a recent guest star on the long-running show, appearing in a scene with Lisa Simpson 12 The Simpsons has had uncanny success at predicting future events on the world stage Huge names who have featured over the years include Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Paul McCartney, Gordon Ramsay, Elon Musk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. And the writers also famously have a spooky knack for predicting the future. From Donald Trump becoming President to the creation of Apple's FaceTime, viewers heard it from Springfield first. But even with hundreds of episodes under his belt, Matt has no plans to shelve the series any time soon. In fact, he even hopes it lives on long enough to catch up with the timeline of another hit Groening production, Futurama. Matt joked: 'The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000! 'Unfortunately, critics will say the show has really been going downhill in the last one thousand years.' Here, we take a dive into The Simpsons' history books to look at its famous cameos and amazing predictions. The predictions 12 The Simpsons forecasted many technological advancements like video calling Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk IT'S not just the gags that have fans hooked, but the fact the hit series has long had an uncanny habit of predicting major future events. Through the show's 36 series, a number of storylines have been manifested into real life after first making their appearance in the form of cartoon animation. In 2000, Bart To The Future saw Lisa Simpson becoming US President, but a billboard in the background of one shot had a billboard ad for 'TRUMP 2024'. Another episode in 1993 predicted COVID-19, when a flu spread through Springfield residents, while the EBOLA outbreak was predicted in a 1997 scene. 12 The show featured Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl years before she took centre stage Credit: 20th Century Fox Elsewhere, the cartoon predicted the 2013 HORSE MEAT scandal, in its episode aired in 1994, which saw schoolkids unknowingly served horse meat for lunch. In a 1995 episode titled Lisa's Wedding, people were seen using SMART WATCH-like devices to communicate – an entire two decades before Apple launched their wearable gadget, while technology similar to FACETIME also featured. 12 Mr Burns attended an exclusive celeb gathering spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties' Credit: Fox And in 1998, Homer appeared to figure out the mathematical equation behind the HIGGS BOSON discovery, 14 years before particle physicists confirmed the concept. A 2012 episode, Lisa Goes Gaga, saw the young character watching singer LADY GAGA at the Super Bowl – suspended from the air in the same manner as the star's real-life 2017 show. And in 2019, Mr Burns attended an exclusive gathering for celebrities, which was spookily similar to rapper P Diddy's infamous scandal-hit 'white parties'. The celebrity cameos THE Simpsons is not short on memorable characters. But that hasn't stopped some of the world's most recognisable stars from wanting to have their moment being reimagined in yellow. The Beatles' RINGO STARR was the first of the group to make an appearance in 1991, where he appeared as himself to encourage family matriarch Marge to pursue a career in the arts. He was soon followed in series five's Homer's Barbershop Quartet by GEORGE HARRISON, in 1993, and SIR PAUL McCARTNEY in 1995, who convinced Lisa to go vegetarian. 12 The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr is one of the famous celebrities to star on The Simpsons Credit: 20th Century Fox SIMON COWELL first appeared in the series in 2004 as a brutally honest telly talent judge, while Space X tycoon ELON MUSK landed in a spaceship in an episode in 2015 and TONY BLAIR met with Homer in a 2003 episode that featured an animated version of the Queen. Needless to say, Her Majesty did not guest star. While Coldplay's CHRIS MARTIN sang in an animated concert as part of the series in 2010, telly chef GORDON RAMSAY made his appearance in 2011. 12 Controversial billionaire Elon Musk had an appearance on the show - on a spaceship And comedian RICKY GERVAIS cropped up not once but twice, starring in 2006 episode This Is Your Wife, and lending his voice to Season 22's Angry Dad: The Movie in 2011. There's been no shortage of pop stars either, with BILLIE EILISH recording alongside Lisa in an animated short in 2022. Other big chart names who have featured include TOM JONES, STING, ELTON JOHN, MERYL STREEP and DOLLY PARTON.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Oregon Principal Calls Police On Black Parents Who Demanded Answers About Their Son And Then This Happened
Parents in Portland, Oregon who say they were advocating for their Black son at the Catholic school he attends are now looking for answers after their questions for the administration led to their fourth grader's expulsion. According to Fox 12 Oregon, Mike Phillips and Karis Stoudamire-Phillips went to The Madeline School after they learned their son was called the N-word on campus. But when they expressed concerns for their son's safety in a meeting with the principal, Tresa Rast, they say she got the police involved and their son expelled. KATU News Portland obtained a copy of the principal's complaint, which called the incident a 'disturbance.' The 911 dispatcher noted that the TKs were 'In the office, parents here yelling at the employees and ref[uses] to leave,' a claim the Phillips say simply isn't true. According to Fox 12, the school's parental code of conduct allows parents to express their concerns but says they 'may not do so in a manner that is disrespectful, discourteous, scandalous, rumor-driven, disruptive, threatening, hostile or divisive.' But Karis Stoudamire Phillips says she and her family were the ones who were disrespected. 'We were met with defense, dismissiveness and not wanting to take accountability for what had happened,'she told Fox 12. 'We have been the victims here. We have been completely disrespected, completely dismissed, completely demoralized. And then we're the ones that are kicked out.' According to Fox 12, Tresa Rast was placed on leave and the vice principal is serving as acting principal. But the Phillips and the rest of the school community want to A petition demanding accountability and an apology from The Madeleine and the Archdiocese of Portland has received nearly 5,000 signatures. 'No child, whether they attend a public or private school, should be subject to racist treatment and every school should be committed to creating a welcoming environment free from discrimination,' the page reads. Dad Mike Phillips says getting the police involved was an intimidation tactic by the administration. 'As an African American male, having the police called on you historically has so many implications. So when you call the police on me, there's fear on how it was weaponized, to make sure I knew who was in power. And that's something that was wielded towards me,' Mike Phillips told KATU. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Yahoo
Diver Recalls 'Heartbreaking' Experience of Finding Body of Oregon Boy, 2, Who Died by Drowning in River: 'There's No Words'
The diver who recovered the body of 2-year-old Dane Paulsen is recalling the moments and hours after he discovered the toddler. Search and recovery diving instructor Juan Heredia, founder of the nonprofit Angels Recovery Dive Team, found Dane after a two-hour dive in the frigid waters of the Siletz River in Lincoln County, Ore., about three miles downstream from the boy's home, per CNN. Heredia told the outlet that he left a vacation early after learning about the case and drove 12 hours from his home in Stockton, Calif., to offer his services to the Paulsen family. While speaking to local news outlet Fox 12, Heredia said he used photos as well as information provided by Dane's mother about what her son was wearing at the time of his disappearance in order to identify him. 'When I found him, I [brought] him to the shore because he was around six feet deep. I just waited for the sheriff, then the medical examiner to come," he recalled. "It was miserable.' 'I think every single [body discovered on a dive] is heartbreaking, but it's a boy, 2 years [old]. It's just hard to believe,' he added. Related: 2-Year-Old Boy Who Vanished from Front Yard Found Dead 3 Miles Away in Oregon River Heredia further told Fox 12 that he refused to accept money from the family. 'I just wanted to help them find closure,' he said with tears in his eyes. In an interview with KATU News, Heredia shared that he ultimately found Dane's body at the bottom of the river near a tree. He also said he spoke to the child's mother after finding him. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'She was very thankful. There's no words. She didn't have words. I didn't have words. It was a hard moment,' he recalled. Dane was last seen playing outside his family's rural Oregon home on March 1 and was found dead in the Siletz River on Tuesday, March 11, at around 11:13 a.m. local time, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Dane's body was found about 3 miles downstream from his family's home. Related: Search Enters 3rd Day After Boy, 2, Disappears from Front Yard of Rural Oregon Home In a press briefing on Thursday, March 13, Lincoln County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jess Palma said that the results from a March 12 autopsy confirmed that Dane's cause of death was drowning and that there were no other signs of trauma to his body. A GoFundMe has been set up on behalf of the Paulsen family. As of Friday, March 14, it has received $25,950 towards its goal of $30,000. Read the original article on People
