(S19E08) Welcome to the Frasier reunion. Yes, not only did we have Kelsey Grammer reprising his role as Sideshow Bob Terwilliger in this episode of The Simpsons but we also had David Hyde Pierce return as Cecil Terwilliger and John Mahoney come in as the boys' father. While Pierce and Mahoney did have their moments it was all Grammer this episode as a Sideshow Bob coming apart at the seams.

And, that's appropriate, as it was the tenth time that Bob has appeared on the animated comedy. I fear there is a bit of a discrepancy, though, since Bob didn't attempt to murder Bart in each of those appearances. For instance, in the first season episode "Krusty Gets Busted" Bob attempted to frame Krusty rather than kill Bart (he barely even knew who the boy was). In "Brother From Another Series" it was Cecil, not Bob, who attempted to kill the young Simpson lad. So, technically, you could say that Sideshow Bob directly attempted to kill Bart in five episodes (including tonight's). This, I am sure, will bring debate to the board.

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The new trailer for The Simpsons Movie is now online-- it also aired on Fox last Sunday night during The Simpsons. It doesn't show much, except a fluffy bunny and Homer getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. The Wikipedia page for the movie says Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, and Albert Brooks all have roles. Plus, we'll see old, familiar characters such as SideShow Bob and Fat tony. The plot of the movie is being kept under wraps.

The Simpsons Movie trailer is on the Apple Trailers website. The movie comes out July 27, 2007.

[Via Pop Candy]

Kelsey Grammer has won a voice-over Emmy for his work on The Simpsons episode "The Italian Bob." The voice-over Emmy is a tad different than other categories since winners are determined by a jury rather than a nomination process. Either way, I'd say the award is richly deserved, since I really couldn't imagine anyone else playing Bart's poofy-haired nemesis, Sideshow Bob. That particular episode was also a great showcase of his voice talent, since he got to not only speak but also perform opera. Other cartoons also received awards, including Robot Chicken and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.

(S06E05) Sideshow Bob: No children have ever meddled with the Republican party and lived to tell about it.

One of the benefits of being a satirical show like The Simpsons is that for the most part, the gags remain somewhat timeless. I say "somewhat" because once in awhile there will be moments that really date that particular episode. In this episode it's a reference to Rush Limbaugh in the guise of Springfield's loudmouth celebrity radio yakker Birch Barlow, author of Only Turkeys Have Left Wings. I know Rush is still around, but I think it's safe to say he's no longer in his heyday.

The Simpsons has been using guest stars since the very first season. Some have returned on several occasions, sometimes as different characters (Albert Brooks), sometimes as the same character (Kelsey Grammer), and sometimes as both (Jon Lovitz). By my calculations there have been exactly twelve thousand guest stars on the show so far, so obviously a list of just five is going to be lacking just a tad. Nevertheless, these are five guest stars who stick out in my mind. Got some more? That's what the comments are for. Here we go:

Albert Brooks: Brooks first appeared in season one as Jacques, the man with the fake French accent who tries to woo Marge away from Homer with his knowledge of bowling and women. He later appeared as Hank Scorpio, a rather paradoxical character who is both very friendly and yet extremely evil. I think my favorite Brooks episode, however, was the episode "The Heartbroke Kid" when he played Tab Spangler, a ticking time bomb of a coach who tries to coerce Bart back to health after Bart gains weight and suffers a heart attack. "Every sign is wrong!" He'll also be appearing in the Simpsons movie, which is very cool.