|
« June 2007 |
Main
| August 2007 »
July 26, 2007
Springfield (Mass.) man tells of work on 'Simpsons Movie'
No place like Homer
Massachusetts scribe Mike Scully
tells of work on ‘Simpsons Movie’
By John Breneman
What’s a mild-mannered jokester from Springfield doing
in a place like . . . Springfield?
Living the dream, you might say. And in Mike Scully’s
dream, all the people are bright yellow. They screw up every
week, but their dysfunctional family is true blue. And now
they’re headed for the silver screen.
Anticipating the Friday release of “The Simpsons Movie,”
Scully -- a producer and writer on the series and blockbuster
film -- took a few moments to discuss his improbable journey
from West Springfield, Mass., to the animated Springfield
(location: undisclosed) inhabited by Homer, Bart and the rest
of the metropolis’ four-fingered citizenry.
Scully is a 50-year-old family man whose adopted clan debuted
as a strange cartoon in 1987 and evolved into an American
cultural phenomenon (in 1999, Time magazine named “The
Simpsons” the 20th century’s best TV show).
But growing up in West Springfield, Scully said, “I had
hoped to be a musician or a hockey player.” The music
thing didn’t work out. But hey, sitting on a couch going
over a script with Mick Jagger ain’t a bad consolation
prize.
“I definitely wanted to break into comedy,” said
Scully, but “I really had no reason to believe I could
succeed at this.” Nevertheless, he packed his bags for
the proverbial trip to L.A., knowing he could always “go
back to Springfield and get a job as a janitor or a driving
instructor,” the last two positions he held before moving
to California.
Humor writer helped
Stones paint it yellow
Longtime “Simpsons” writer and producer
Mike Scully says he’ll never forget “the
days Mick Jagger and Keith Richard came in.”
The Stones rolled in to voice a 2002 episode (“How
I Spent My Strummer Vacation,” written by Scully),
in which the family takes Homer to a rock ’n’
roll fantasy camp.
"Mick’s manager came in and said ‘Mick
would like to see you in the green room.’ He
patted the couch for me to sit down next to him.
He had the script in his hand. ... We went through
the script page by page,” said Scully. “On
the outside, I was trying to project the image of
a television professional, but on the inside I was
screaming like a 12-year-old girl: ‘Oh my God,
it’s Mick Jagger!’”
Also among the countless musical acts who have “appeared”
on “The Simpsons,” Michael Jackson, Britney
Spears, Kid Rock, Willie Nelson, Elton John, 50
Cent, Aerosmith, The Who and U2.
|
Scully got his start penning punch lines for Ukrainian yukster
Yakov Smirnoff and honed his craft at comedy amateur nights
(“stand-up comedy with the emphasis on amateur”),
which he now describes as “a crash course on how to write
jokes.”
The aspiring humorist bought some old TV scripts (“Taxi”
among them) to teach himself the half-hour comedy format and
began “bouncing around Hollywood working on some of the
lousiest sitcoms in history.”
His break came when then-executive producer David Mirkin read
some sample scripts and hired him to work on “The Simpsons,”
long known for hiring Harvard talent. “I started as a
writer on the show in 1993,” said Scully, who attended
Holyoke Community College for one day.
In retrospect, he said, “I think if I had actually succeeded
at college and gotten a degree in accounting or something,
I might have given up too quickly on writing. Having no marketable
job skills was a tremendous incentive to keep trying to succeed
as a writer.”
Scully considers himself “incredibly lucky” to have
hooked up with “The Simpsons,” now the longest-running
sitcom in American history (surpassing “The Adventures
of Ozzie and Harriet”).
The show has won 23 Emmy Awards and a Peabody. Time named
Bart Simpson one of the 20th century’s 100 most influential
“people” and Homer’s signature catchphrase
-- “D’oh!” -- is now listed in the Oxford English
Dictionary.
As for the movie, Scully said it was fun doing “certain
scenes that would have a visual scope and scale that just
wasn’t possible on the series.”
Eighteen years in the making, “The Simpsons Movie”
is receiving intense promotion. Homer appeared at the baseball
All-Star Game and on “The Tonight Show.” Select
7-Elevens were converted into Kwik-E-Marts. Burger King is
on board, sponsoring simpsonizeme.com (upload a photo to see
a Simpsonized version of yourself or a friend). And the nation’s
leading Springfields squared off in a contest to host the
premiere (Vermont won despite a Bay State Springfield pitch
featuring an appeal by Sen. Ted Kennedy, the inspiration for
Springfield Mayor "Diamond Joe" Quimby).
“Simpsons” creator Matt Groening appeared on “The
Daily Show With Jon Stewart” on Wednesday and shared
this nugget about the creative process, “Homer falls
in love with a pig and the rest just wrote itself.”
Scully says he’s had to remain pretty tight-lipped about
the plot, even though one of his gags involving Bart and some
full-frontal cartoon nudity has appeared on one of the trailers.
 “My
own family didn’t even know what the script was,”
he said.
Scully’s wife, Julie Thacker, is also a comedy writer;
together they co-created “The Pitts” for Fox and
“Complete Savages” for ABC. They have five daughters
ages 17-24. His brother, Brian Scully, is a writer on “Family
Guy.”
One secret to “The Simpsons’ ” success is itsemphasis
on family and community values.
At the beginning of each episode, the Simpson family gathers
(to put it mildly) at the couch, in effect inviting all of
us to join them in front of the TV. Their hometown of Springfield,
said Scully, “is supposed to represent Anytown, USA.”
So for Scully, “It’s a huge kick when somebody tells
me it’s one of the few things the family does together
as a family is watch ‘The Simpsons.’ ”
A “Simpsons” musical CD (“Testify”) is
set to drop in September, timed to coincide with the start
of season 19. Having now surpassed 400 episodes, Scully said
of the show, “I think it has become an institution in
this country.”
The Oscar buzz hasn’t started yet but “I know the
expectations are really high and we certainly hope we don’t
disappoint anybody,” said Scully, joking that he’s
been on a “one-man mission to lower expectations.”
So what happens? Scully’s not saying, but (spoiler alert)
“I can tell you that Homer does something stupid.”
John
Breneman is an editor and writer at the Boston Herald.
The above story appeared in the Herald on July 22, 2007.
Posted by John Breneman at 8:28 AM | Permalink
July 25, 2007
Bush docs secure 'Brown Zone'
 Operation
Polyps: Bush
doctors secure 'Brown Zone'
By Ernie Pyles
WASHINGTON -- Army phycisians revealed yesterday that they
extracted a large insect known as the Saddamus Husseinious
from the rectum of President George W. Bush during his weekend
surgery and expressed wonder that the commnader in chief had
apparently been living with such a giant Iraqi bug up his
ass for more than a decade.
"If we'd only known he had the Saddam bug up his ass
seven years ago, we'd have extracted it then and maybe spared
our nation a giant wretched smelly mess," said Army surgeon
Lt. Col. Wink Martindale. "As it was, it was pretty deeply
embedded in the colonic wall and we had to use an improvised
explosive scalpel to get it out."
The White House issued a statement declaring that Bush was
"whiny and uncomfortable" and that the president
hoped "the brief but intense surge he is currently experiencing
would allow for a smooth transition to a more cohesive and
stable movement in the direction of regularity ... in Iraq,
I mean, of course."
 The
Saddamus bug is described as a cross between a giant tick
and a giant sand weevil. Doctors said they were forced to
decapitate the painful insect with a makeshift surgical noose
and extract its body followed by its head.
Related stories:
Cheney
accidentally detonates nuclear weapon -- Feb. 14,
2006
French
doctors perform first ass transplant -- Dec. 5,
2005
Posted by John Breneman at 12:11 PM | Permalink
July 12, 2007
Sharpton slaps Santa for 'ho'
Sharpton
slaps Santa for saying 'ho'
 By
Chris Elliott
The
Rev. Al Sharpton has set his sights on the North Pole
over what he calls "Santa's casual and constant use of
the word 'ho'."
 "Calling
any woman a 'ho' is demeaning and abusive and it should not
be tolerated on any level. With Santa it's always, ho this,
and ho that, and then pretty soon it's ho ho ho with that
fat old cracker," said Sharpton. "People cut him
slack because of his philanthropy, but I am tired of watching
him denigrate our beautiful black sisters. I didn't let Imus
get away with it and, as popular as he is, Santa won't get
away with it either. Racism in America is perpetuated by ignorance
and hate, and I plan to micromanage the language people are
permitted to use by claiming that the word 'ho' is a setback
to civil rights and the advancement of equality."
Santa issued the following terse statement via reindeer express:
"Tell Sharpton I'm making him a Tawana Brawley doll.
It tells lies until you slap it around a little bit, ho ho
ho!"
Related story:
Bush
eyes Santa for Cabinet post -- Dec. 19, 2006
Posted by John Breneman at 9:00 PM | Permalink
July 1, 2007
Revisionist History -- July 1
THIS DAY in (REVISIONIST) HISTORY -- July 1
 On
this day in 1862, Russia founded its national library,
with fines for overdue books starting at 10 years had labor
down in the gulag.
On this day in 1874, America's first zoo opened in
Philadelphia, featuring daily battles bewteen the donkeys
and the elephants.
On this day in 1881, the first international telephone
call took place between New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais,
Maine. Several months later, a pizza arrived.
On this day in 1979, Sony introduced its new technologival
marvel, the Walkman, a gadget capable of playing music
on something called a "cassette tape."
On this day in 1987, excavation began on the Channel Tunnel,
but work was suspended when Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz found
out about the scheme.
On this day in 1991, Court TV made its debut. It has
since lost its appeal.
BIRTHS
William Strunk Jr. (1869-1946): co-author of "The
Elements of Style," a classic book that teaches Americans
how to write good.
Estée Lauder (1906-2004): cosmetics entrepreneur
who made a fortune tricking women into buying expensive salves
and potions.
Olivia de Havilland, 91: actress, won Oscar for "Gone
With the Wind," then starred in the classic driver's-ed
safety vidio "Gone With the Windshield."
Jamie Farr, 73: actor best known as Cpl. Max Klinger
on "M*A*S*H," also turned up in "Star Trek
14" as the wacky, cross-dressing Cpl. Max Klingon.
Fred Schneider, 66: singer with the B-52's, later
performed with the F-16s and the M-2 Bradley Armored Infantry
Vehicles.
Dan Aykroyd, 55: inventor of the Bass-O-Matic, first
Conehead to star in a major motion picture.
Princess Diana (1961-1997): beloved yet doomed fairy-tale
princess who thought she was marrying a dashing British prince
but ended up with a boring, old toad.
Pamela Anderson, 40: actress, former star of "Baywatch"
and "home Improvement" is set to star in a cosmetic-surgery
reality show called "Ho Improvement."
Posted by John Breneman at 10:32 AM | Permalink
|
