io9: The Simpsons

On The Simpsons, Neil Gaiman was "the British Fonzie"

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:40:00 PST

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Or at least that's how Homer referred to the author on Sunday's episode of The Simpsons, "The Book Job." This was the 492nd installment of the long-running cartoon sitcom. And while the show hasn't been at the loopy zeniths of "Worker and Parasite" and Homer's vision of the ballet or Ned Flanders' apple cider lesson or Mr. Burns' ether binge or — well, I'm going to rein myself in here — a bunch of gags lately, "The Book Job" did justice to Gaiman's guest appearance...in that it made the author look like a total nutcase. More »

The Absolute Best Scenes from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXII!

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:37:20 PDT

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Last night marked the 22nd Treehouse of Horror for The Simpsons — and it wasn't the greatest ever, by any means. There were three stories with cute names: "The Diving Bell and Butterball," "Dial D for Diddly," and "In the Na'Vi," and lots of science fiction in-jokes and references. More »

Stare Into the Unseeing Eyes Of Real-Life Zombie Homer Simpson

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:07:37 PDT

You know we're suckers for real life portrayals of any fictional cartoon — but real life zombie Homer Simpson is twice the amazing. It's two great tastes that taste great together, people. More »

10 Greatest (and Weirdest) E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Spoofs

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:00:00 PDT

It's been almost 30 years since E.T. and his uncomfortably shaped finger ruled movie screens. But Paul, opening this weekend Stateside, is full of little E.T. jokes, most of them featured in the film's trailer. More »

The original Being Human is back! Can you handle it?

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:00:00 PST

This week on television, the original British Being Human returns to America's screens. And it looks like yet another one of the other shoes is dropping on Fringe. Clark inches closer to wearing a costume on Smallville, and Dean reunites with his surrogate family on Supernatural. And you'll never guess who's getting frozen in carbonite in our clip from this week's Star Wars: The Clone Wars! More »

Behemoth: Syfy's biggest, craziest monster movie yet!

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:00:00 PST

Screw Sharktopus. Frak Mansquito. This Saturday, Syfy has a planet-sized kaiju: Behemoth! Also, this week's television is weirdly obsessed with mega-earthquakes. Alyson Hannigan joins The Simpsons. Jeff Bridges meets a flying blow-up doll. Plus Adventure Time, V and Clone Wars. More »

Coolest Shakespeare Riffs in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Charlie Jane Anders and Lauren Davis — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:10:35 PST

With The Tempest, opening tomorrow, Julie Taymor and Helen Mirren bring a splashy fantasy vibe to the Bard. But science fiction and fantasy have been playing with Shakespeare forever. Here are the greatest Shakespeare homages and cover versions in SF. More »

Warehouse 13 and Eureka brighten the season, plus Obama becomes a Mythbuster!

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:00:00 PST

There's some damn fine television this week, including new Christmas specials from Warehouse 13, Eureka and Robot Chicken. President Obama guest stars on Mythbusters. Jack Bristow fights a rogue icecap. Vin Diesel saves the baby Jesus. Plus Fringe and Smallville. More »

The End Is Near! A collection of the greatest end-of-the-world signs

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:50:41 PST

What's the perfect fashion item to be wearing when disaster strikes? A big sign that says "The End is Near." So we rounded up our favorite signs that forewarn the end of days — or at least made us laugh. More »

Jewel Staite meets an angel. Plus Colin Ferguson's dinosaurs and Young Justice's origin!

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:00:00 PST

How can you get through television's Thanksgiving lull? We're here to help. There are half-kaiju, half-teenager rebels, walking dinosaur skeletons, a team of superhero sidekicks, and Jewel Staite romancing Flash Gordon. Plus Chuck, Walking Dead and Sanctuary. It'll be okay. More »

The only thing you need to see from last night's Simpsons Treehouse of Horror

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:00:00 PST

Maybe our expectations were a little high, after compiling the best moments of past Treehouses of Horror, but last night's Simpsons special was a bit lackluster. However, there were at least two few funny jokes — and here they are. More »

The 10 best moments from The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror

Meredith Woerner — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 15:05:00 PDT

Tomorrow The Simpsons will unveil their 22nd Treehouse of Horror episode. In honor of this creepy cavalcade, we've rounded up Treehouse's top 10 horror stories. What made the cut? Dolphin overlords, doughnut rain, and an extraterrestrial Bob Dole. More »

Peter Jackson wants to make dwarves sexy, Deadpool may have its director, and Noomi Rapace talks Alien rumors!

Lauren Davis — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 06:00:00 PDT

Peter Jackson offers some insight into The Hobbit's dwarven heartthrobs. Deadpool may have its director, another Spider-man role's up for recasting, and Noomi Rapace talks Alien and Sherlock Holmes. Plus, more on Megamind, Ouija, Transformers 3, Supernatural, SGU, and Smallville. More »

Blotting out the Sun to slow down global warming could be outlawed

Alasdair Wilkins — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:30:00 PDT

Blocking out the Sun is being seriously considered as a temporary solution to slow down global warming. But the U.N. might ban these solar shades, perhaps because someone there knows The Simpsons already did it...and it didn't work out well. More »

Banksy's special Simpsons opening proves unicorns and clones are harmed in the making of the show

Charlie Jane Anders — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 23:45:40 PDT

Tonight's Simpsons "couch gag" was storyboarded and directed by world-famous street artist Banksy, and it reveals the depths to which the production team will stoop. Behold horrific unicorn abuse, toxic waste, and disenfranchised clones. Greatest Simpsons opening ever? [Wooster Collective] More »

First look at The Simpsonized Daniel Radcliffe, as a sparkle vamp!

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:00:00 PDT

The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror's big celebrity cameo this year is none other than THE Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe. But in a twist, he's playing another beloved teen icon — "Edward" the vampire. Check out Radcliffe's Simpsons-meets-Twilight look. More »

The new Doctor Who era gets a Simpsons twist

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:00:00 PDT

Check out the latest Simpsonized characters: the new Doctor Who cast! They even got the Weeping Angels. It's available as wallpaper. [Springfield Punx via The Daily Wh.at] More »

The 11 greatest, craziest sci-fi crossovers in television history

Alasdair Wilkins — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:48:14 PDT

Tonight's conclusion of the already epic Eureka/Warehouse 13 crossover is just scratching the surface of science fiction's greatest TV crossovers. You may not believe some of what we're about to tell you about actually happened...that's why we brought video evidence. More »

A summer comic smorgasbord of mutants, Predators, and Dana Scully

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:30:21 PDT

What's in comic shops Wednesday? A lot of new X-titles, the Predators comic book sequel, and the X-Files meets 30 Days Of Night. Comic-Con may be next week, but there's plenty of four-panel action on the racks. More »

Tasty Foods That Would Rather Eat You for Dinner

Lauren Davis — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:00:00 PST

Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US, a time when families gather around the table and chow down on tasty treats. But, when it comes to being eaten, some foods are less agreeable than others; some would rather eat you. More »

This Is What Happens When You Don't Vote For Kodos

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:11:41 PST

Kodos comes to a coffee plantation to lay hundreds of alien eggs, so his offspring can bust out of people Ridley Scott-style. And women can't resist walking towards Kodos' glowing eye. It all leads to the funniest death scene ever. More »

The Greatest Nerdware We'd Steal From Our Favorite Fans

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:15:00 PDT

You think your science fiction memorabilia is impressive? The scifi fans depicted in movies and TV have way cooler shit than you do. Here are 10 nerds who don't even exist in real life, and whose collections still pwn yours. More »

15 Convention Disasters We Hope Comic Con Avoids

Lauren Davis — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:00 PDT

If you're headed to Comic Con this weekend, you may worry that you won't get into the best panels, or humiliate yourself in front of a movie star. But it could be much worse, as 15 classic tales have proved. More »

100+ Science Fiction Characters Drawn In The Simpsons Style

Alasdair Wilkins — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:00:00 PDT

This news may come as a shock, but people who like science fiction often also like The Simpsons. (I know...shocking!) And when those fans want to combine their two loves through art, the results are often quite awesome. More »

Ugly Americans Offers Jokes, Weird Rationalizations

Graeme McMillan — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:00:29 PDT

Comedy Central has ordered a new cartoon from a former Simpsons writer, set in a world where humans, aliens and robots co-exist and work schlubby jobs. Apparently, it's not called Futurama. Could've fooled us. More »

Headless Vader Finds Love On The Simpsons

Meredith Woerner — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:07:41 PST

Who knew Lisa Simpson was such a gifted little fanfic writer? With the help of her new bestie, Emily Blunt, Lisa imagines a world of two-horned ponies, and uncovers one character's secret Star Wars fetish. More »

10 Mall Massacres With Robots, Freaks And Monsters

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:03:44 PST

Black Friday! Even its name conjures visions of a horrifying battle for survival in the most hostile environment known to humanity — the overcrowded shopping mall. But it could be worse. Science fiction has given us several stories of death and destruction in malls. Just to console you as you battle crowds today, here's our rundown of the 10 deadliest fictional mall massacres of all time. More »

Homer Simpson Meets Roger Corman!

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:00:00 PST

Do you remember that episode of the Simpsons where Homer gets covered with seaweed and toxic waste, and everybody mistakes him for a sea monster? Me neither. But apparently it was filmed in 1961 and directed by the one-and-only Roger Corman. The Homer resemblance in this poor creature is pretty unmistakable — he obviously just wants a donut, and everybody is freaking out and attacking him. To be honest, the sea monster in Creature From The Haunted Sea looks better underwater, as you can see in our second clip. More »

Build Your Own Treehouse of Horror

Graeme McMillan — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:00:12 PDT

What better way to celebrate the holiday than with your own Zombie Simpsons? These undead versions of the KidRobot Simpsons figures come from the mind (and brush) of etsy's GammaRayBots, taking a break from his usual life of creating robot sculptures to provide us with the most topical way to spend $20 we can imagine. Click through to see more. More »

Homer Votes For Obama...Pisses Off President McCain's Death Bots

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:00:00 PDT

Poor Homer — our favorite Simpsons dad never gets a break, even when he's trying to vote. We mentioned earlier that this years "Treehouse of Terror" episode was going to have a lot more creepy scifi in it, so check out what happens when Homer tries to vote for Obama. The special will air on November 2. More »

New Season Of Simpsons Goes Scifi

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:33:13 PDT

The season premiere of The Simpsons this Sunday, but we're bringing you all the new season's details now. What happens when Comic Book Guy joins the ranks of all those comic writers-turned-movie producers? Al Jean, executive producer and head writer, went on a conference call with reporters and spilled all the details about celebrity cameos and explains about the upcoming "Treehouse of Horror" episode which includes an evil Charlie Brown parody of "The Great Pumpkin" where the humans are punished for their abuse of pumpkins. More »

Simpsons Goes Halloween on Transformers

Nisha Gopalan — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:36:32 PDT

It's about time, give or take a month, for a new Simpsons Halloween episode (a.ka. Treehouse of Horrors)-and, man, have we missed Kang and Kodos. This year, SciFi Wire reports that the installment will spoof the Transformers movie. We talked to executive producer Al Jean about what to expect. Previously, Jean told SciFi Wire:

What happens is Bart gets a Christmas present from a 99 Cent store, and it turns out to be a Transformer. They take over Springfield, and they're fighting all over the place. Then Marge says to the Transformers, ‘Why do you have to fight?' And they go, ‘We agree. We'll just team up and take over you guys.'

When io9 contacted Jean to expound further on the plot, he would say only:

You haven't been parodied till The Simpsons parodies you.

We're rooting for at least some attempt to parody that robo-watersports moment in the flick. And of course, it won't be difficult to make something funny-scary out of lying on top of your best auto-friend to make out with your girlfriend. [via SciFi Wire] More »

Greatest Badasses From Scifi... Simpsonized

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:30:00 PDT

Springfield Punx is Simponsonating the scifi world. Creepy psychopaths like the Joker and the Riddler look totally adorable as little residents of Springfield. My personal favorite is Lion-O from the ThunderCats. [Springfield Punx] More »

D'Oh! Simpsons Director Makes Human Into Aliens' Pet

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:20:00 PDT

A group of aliens make a human their pet in a new Disney movie directed by David Silverman (The Simpsons Movie.) Silverman already has a pretty extensive scifi resume including, Robots, Monsters Inc., and RoboCop 3. Even though he has massive experience in animation and computer graphics, rumors are The Pet will be a live-action comedy. For the pet's sake I hope neutering is an Earth tradition only. [Hollywood Reporter] More »