Nancy Cartwright is a Scientologist... and so is Bart Simpson
I knew the Church of Scientology had a lot of reach in Hollywood to enlist big names like Tom Cruise, Edgar Winter and the guy from Taxi who keeps popping up on celebrity weight loss and rehab shows. But now they have either grown too powerful or have completely lost whatever grip they had left on reality, which wasn't a whole hell of a lot to begin with. They have recruited a cartoon character.
Bart Simpson's voice appeared in a phone recording advertising a Scientologist gathering in Hollywood that was clearly voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Of course, the audio found its way to the Internet. 20th Century Fox has been scrambling to pull it off every corner of YouTube ever since Perez Hilton broke the story and Fox made him remove it. You can hear it here before Fox spoils the fun for the rest of us.
The recording starts with a droll and unoriginal, "Hey man, this is Bart Simpson," and Cartwright brings the funny down and reveals to the disappointed caller that it's really just her. Shoot, and I thought I was getting an actual phone call from the real Bart Simpson.
Note to the Church of Scientology: if you are going to hijack one of the most beloved characters in the history of whatever to fulfill your whackjob agenda, at least put some creativity into it. Have Nancy ask the caller if "Cy Kyatrykills" is there.
The rest of the message proceeds to advertise her latest Scientology gathering appearance sprinkled with Bart-isms like "It's gonna be a blast man!" and "I hope you can make it man!" Even the real Bart Simpson doesn't say "man" this much.
Fox, of course, is pissed. They've been pulling copies of the audio left and right. It's not the first time a Simpsons actor has used his or her voice for something else before getting Fox's permission. Dan Castellaneta introduced satirist Paul Krassner as Homer for his Irony Lives! album. The difference is they made sure Fox was kosher with it before printing copies. When someone finally told the Fox executives who Krassner was and what he talked about, they made him pull the audio.
Will Fox seek any justice against Cartwright or the church for hijacking their trademark? It's unlikely. As long as the Church complies with Fox's orders, they will have one less lawsuit to worry about. And even if they did sue, it's like throwing a pebble at King Kong.

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