Tag Archives: Dan Castellaneta

06/25/2016 · 12:56 am

Helping Millennials Understand The Simpsons

The world is tough on young people, especially when there are forces trying to control them, often by coddling them. Every awkward feeling teenagers have is commoditized and acknowledged, no matter how insignificant. Their bad moods are notated with special emoticons. Their hormonal bullshit is all validated as worthy expression.

This gag’s humor outlived the technology that inspired it.

Coincidentally, almost everything sucks.

I make an effort to be unprejudiced about millennials, I really do. I refuse to become the stereotype of the old man screaming at the kids to get off his proverbial lawn. But you have to understand the frustration. 20 years ago, I had to argue with people my age who claimed Quentin Tarantino was God. Now I’m dealing with the children of those people. Continue reading →

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Filed under Animation Analysis, Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Idiot's Delight, Late To The Party, Nostalgic Obsessions, Unfairly Maligned

Tagged as 1980s, 1989, 1990s, Bill Cosby, comedy, corporate crap, Dan Castellaneta, Family Guy, Futurama, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner, Klasky-Csupo, laughter, Looney Tunes, Mike the Pod, millennials, Nancy Cartwright, political correctness, prank calls, Quentin Tarantino, sellouts, Star Wars, The Simpsons, The Tracey Ullman Show, Tom & Jerry, whores, Yeardley Smith

01/30/2016 · 11:54 pm

Fresh & Fruity

Fruit is a humorous word, as is fruity; “fruitiness” is inherently funny. I’ve never been called a fruit, but I don’t think this affects my judgment of it; I’ve been called a “faggot”, and I still laugh at that word. How can you not crack up at words that rhyme with “agate” and “toot”, particularly when they’re barked in anger? “Agate” is funny-sounding. “Faggot” is just “agate” with a funny hat. See what I mean?

Okay, I know it’s a fine line. What isn’t these days, when it comes to sharing dialogue? My point is, “fruity” used to be a thing. One needn’t necessarily be gay to be fruity, or even queer. Fruity is a sort of indefinable mien, typically the product of societal constraints, resulting in a general state of fruitiness. Like weirdos, fruits don’t refer to themselves as such, but are so named by the more ignorant of the species. To the unknowing, it’s like calling someone a “chair”, or a “table”.

As entertainment continues to move away from “hurting feelings”, a load-bearing pillar of basic comedy, another flavor of humor has been lost.

Fruit flavor.

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Filed under Bad Influences, Faint Signals, Nostalgic Obsessions, Saturday Movie Matinee

Tagged as 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Albert Molina, American Dad, Boogie Nights, comedy, Dan Castellaneta, fruit, Hollywood Squares, John Waters, laughter, movies, Paul Benedict, Paul Lynde, political correctness, Rick Springfield, Rip Taylor, Sesame Street, The Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap, Tony Hendra

12/27/2015 · 2:09 am

Tracey Ullman

Fame is a funny thing. When it gets too big, it works against you, and you become overexposed. You’ve seen it time and time again; a company pushes a performer or a movie so hard, you can’t recall a time when you weren’t sick of them. Even their positive qualities become tiresome.

Then eventually, we acknowledge their talents, allowing that they were revealed during a time of intense corporate saturation.

Before 1986, there were three television networks; CBS, NBC, and ABC. Then in October of that year, Fox became the fourth, co-founded by the tyrant Rupert Murdoch. Fox would introduce a slate of unusual programming over the following two years, which included Married… With Children, The Arsenio Hall Show, 21 Jump Street, and a variety program (with animated bumpers) called The Tracey Ullman Show.

tracey1 Continue reading →