bart

(S04E06) "The hunt begins." - Lou

There's been a lot of talk about how this season of Rescue Me hasn't been that good. People have been disappointed with the lack of continuous plot, the way Tommy has evolved, and lousy way they got rid of Jerry. It's not that I disagree with everyone out there, but I've still loved every episode this season. The show has reached a point where it's starting to evolve. Episodes have much more hidden meaning, there's less of a connection with on-going plots, and often times the ending of an episode doesn't exactly feel like an ending. It feels less like a show and more like a look into the actual life of Tommy Gavin. I agree that it's been tough to watch at times, but I do feel like the show is becoming richer in many other ways.

(S04E05) "Wow... looks like the bottom of my Dustbuster." - Sean

Well there you go. Leary and Tolan still have plenty hidden up their sleeves. After last week's extremely sub-par episode, we came back with this one. That was one hell of an opening, huh? From Janet forgetting the baby in the parking lot to the tractor-trailer truck bowling right into it... just another Tommy Gavin nightmare. If anything though, this is just his way of manifesting his very real concerns for the safety of this still unnamed baby. Tommy has been sober for some time and it doesn't take a genius to see that Janet is going downhill fast. Is his new option really worth pursuing though?

(S04E04) "Next time I'm on the can and I want a drink, I don't want to have to reach back and come up empty!" - Maggie

I think this may have been the first episode in the history of Rescue Me where the cold open didn't have one moment that made you laugh, smile, or chuckle. How could it? A montage bouncing back and forth from Mike's mom's funeral to Needles discovering Jerry's body! Wow. That being said, I wasn't 100% satisfied with this episode. It just felt a little stale, like nothing really moved. I suppose when a close friend kills himself, life comes to a bit of a screeching halt though.

Big thanks to The Simpsons Channel for the following information.

The Web site for The Simpsons Movie has been sitting around not doing much of anything lately, but finally, it has launched. Not all the parts of the site are online just yet, but there's a couple fun games and an avatar builder. The character on the right is the Simpsons version of me, though it doesn't look much like me since eyeglasses aren't an option, and you can't add stubble. It's sorta me as a ten year old boy.

Speaking of the movie, which premieres July 27, I've placed a new trailer at the end of this post. This one gives us an even better glimpse of what to expect. You can tell they went all out to make the movie truly cinematic, and not just another episode of the series slapped up on a theater screen.

Finally, the anticipated premiere date of season 19 is September 23. That's only a few short months away.

Not too long ago I told you about a very cool (and very disturbing) video that showed what Homer Simpson would look like if her were an actual person. The video shows a normal-looking man slowly morphing into a Homeresque manifestation. The New Age music only adds to the surreal, nightmarish quality of it.

Well, Adnan Saleem, the person who created the video, sent us a note to let us know he's also done the same for Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Watch as the line between comedy and complete, unholy terror is slowly erased before your eyes. And I mean that as a compliment, these videos are really cool, but c'mon, they're also really creepy, which is the point, I think.

The image on the right is another creation of Adnan's. It's Snowball II, of course.

Check out the videos here.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Here's my list of what I believe are the top 14 Simpsons episodes in regards to heartstring tuggery. Share your own in the comments and tell me why mine are wrong.

Let's get to it:

(S18E20)

Bart: You can't send him away. He's a dog, not Grandpa.

Special hint: if you're ever lost in a giant maze (corn or otherwise) you can find your way out simply by keeping your hand on the wall and walking.

You know, if Santa's Little Helper is the main focus of an episode, chances are it's not going to be very good. I didn't laugh very much during this episode, but here's what I did like:

(S18E18) Well, what do you know, Mickey Mantle did used to do commercials for Maypo. Thanks, Rich Texan!

In general, I liked this episode. At least, it had a lot more laugh-out-loud moments for me than last week's episode. I don't think the town has turned on Bart so savagely since that time he cut the head off the Jebediah Springfield statue. I thought the absurdity of everyone getting upset over children's sport made it even funnier. I also loved how, in the end, a picket sign that reads "Bart Sucks" lowers and then raises again with the phrase "We're Sorry."

Outside of bootleg T-shirts and posters, we haven't seen much of Bart Simpsons' penis. I'm going to assume most of you are content with that, but Newsweek reports we might be seeing more of Bart than ever before in the upcoming Simpsons movie.

It's not as if cartoon wang has never been seen before: we've seen Cartman's on South Park, and another short-lived animated series on Comedy Central, Bob and Margaret, showed occasional toon frontal nudity, as well. However, the quoted Newsweek piece doesn't say anything about the audience being exposed to Bart, just that Bart exposes himself at one point (which could mean the characters in the movie catch a glimpse but we don't).

(S18E15) Seriously, what is it with Grandpa Simpson falling for Marge's family members? In season five he almost marries her mother, and last night he puts the moves on Selma. Talk about a lot of weird Thanksgivings.

This episode had some good laughs, but overall I wasn't too impressed. The secondary story involving Bart and Lisa building a gigantic castle out of cardboard boxes from ASS --which stood for "American Shipping Services," and is not, as one truck indicates, affiliated with the human ass-- and fighting an apocalyptic battle with the men in brown was more entertaining than the main story, in my opinion.

(S18E11)

Marge: Revenge never solves anything!

Homer: Then what's America doing in Iraq?

I'm always somewhat underwhelmed by these "vignette" episodes, and I think I've figured out why: a full episode allows more room for the comedy to breathe and stretch out. There's more time to let gags simmer, to have better set-ups and thus bigger payoffs. Cramming three mini-episodes into a half-hour doesn't afford this luxury, and I think the episode suffers for it.

(S18E10)

Homer and Bart are trapped on a sinking boat:

Homer: [to captain, whispering loudly] Should I hit him with a shovel to spare him the pain of drowning?

Captain: [also whispering] Not yet.

Homer: [whispering] What's the code word?

Damn you, football. You almost made me miss this episode. Luckily, I also Tivoed American Dad, so I was able to catch the last half of this episode, which aired during the time American Dad would have normally started. That's one of the dangers of recording everything I watch.

(S18E08) At first glance, these newer episodes of The Simpsons are like a box of unbuttered popcorn mixed with M&Ms: even if the whole snack is rather bland, there's plenty of great bits tossed in. I loved Marge uncharacteristically whacking Bart with a wooden spoon, Homer's cry of "Woo hoo! Marital sex!", and Milhouse telling Bart it's better to walk in on both parents being intimate instead of just one of them.

(S18E04) I always try to give the Simpsons Halloween specials the benefit of the doubt, because obviously when they first decided to do one for each season, starting with "Treehouse of Horror I" in season two, they probably weren't thinking they might have to keep coming up with three new vignettes every year for almost two decades, with no clear sign of stopping anytime soon.

So I cut the series a little bit of slack when it comes to these Halloween episodes, because sometimes you just run out of scary things to spoof and you end up creating something like "You Gotta Know When to Golem," about a mystical Jewish creature who becomes Bart's unwitting slave. But even though this was the least of the three stories this year, it did have some funny moments. I loved how the family created a bride for the Golem out of Play-Doh, and how the Golem turned from a silent killing machine to a neurotic freak that won't shut up the moment he's allowed to speak.

No spoilers in this preview, Simpsons fans.

I'll have a few review when the episode airs on November 5, but here's a taste of what you can look forward to:

The first vignette, titled "Married to the Blob," spoofs the classic camp classic The Blob, this time with Homer becoming an ever-enlarging mass of man-blob who just can't stop himself from eating every person he comes across. As always, it takes Marge to finally talk some sense into Homer, with a little help from guest star Dr. Phil.