‘Homer At The Bat’ Is 20 Years Young!

Penn Collins — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:40:46 +0000

On the heels of The Simpsons‘ 500th episode, we’ve got another milestone for the show – the seminal episode “Homer at the Bat” turned 20 years old yesterday, which makes me incredibly old.

Read an in-depth essay on this classic episode at Deadspin.com.

“Homer at the Bat” was probably the first funny episode that stood out for me. “Stark Raving Dad” with the Michael Jackson song is probably more enduring due to its sweetness, but “Homer at the Bat” is much, much funnier and set the tone for the show’s golden years.

It featured Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly, Ozzie Smith, Jose Canseco, Mike Soscia, and Daryl Strawberry, among others. The fact that the producers were able to cram in some of the episode’s ephemeral baseball stars (Steve Sax?) and still make it funny is a testament to how great it was.

In honor of the anniversary, here’s a clip of Barney and Wade Boggs getting into a fistfight over who was the greatest Prime Minister of England…in Spanish.

Every Musical Guest That Ever Appeared On ‘The Simpsons’

Wookie Johnson — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:03:14 +0000

The recent announcement that Lady Gaga will appear as herself on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons (“Lisa Goes Gaga”) sent us wandering down memory lane. Over the past few decades, there has been no shortage of musical talent on the show. From Aerosmith to “Weird” Al, the cameos have spanned several generations and nearly all genres.
In honor of the massive amount of musical star power that has appeared on The Simpsons, here’s a rundown of the 72 musical guest stars who have awkwardly found themselves touring through Springfield.

Note: We didn’t count repeat appearances. Sorry, Weird Al.

Season 2

Tony Bennett – “Dancin’ Homer” S2 E5

Tony Bennett stops by just long enough to sing the Capitol City theme song.

Ringo Starr – “Brush with Greatness” S2 E18

As a teenager, Marge gave up her dream of becoming a painter when she received no reply from Ringo Starr after sending him his portrait for his opinion. Several years later she receives kind words from Starr when he comes across her work while catching up on fan mail.

Season 3

Michael Jackson – “Stark Raving Dad” S3 E1

Homer is sent to a mental health facility after Bart causes his white shirts to turn pink in the wash. There, he rooms with a man who thinks he is Michael Jackson. For contractual reasons, he was not credited until much later.

Aerosmith – “Flaming Moe’s” S3 E10

With Homer’s secret drink recipe in hand, he turns Moe’s into Springfield’s hottest nightspot attracting the likes of Aerosmith and a very boozy Edna Krabappel.

Sting – “Radio Bart” S3 E13

When Bart creates a hoax that a little boy has fallen down a well, Sting and other celebrities team for the charity single, “We’re Sending Our Love Down the Well.”

Spinal Tap – “The Otto Show” S3 E22

Spinal Tap comes through Springfield, even though they’re not sure what town they’re in.

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