The Simpsons hasn’t been transcendent television in a long
while, but the show is still gracefully chugging along, and last night
they utilized Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” to charming effect. After Bart is
haunted by a devilish embodiment of puberty in the form of the squeaky
voiced teen, he decides to participate in his school dance, which is
soundtracked by the Pharrell-sung track. (Pharrell made an appearance in an episode of the show earlier this year, and the Daft Punk helmet made a cameo back in 2012.) Watch Bart and his crush of the week dance it out below.
The Simpsons theme song has gotten increasingly experimental in the show’s twilight years (see: the thoroughly weird one
from the season premiere) and this week, they paid homage to Cat
Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, by playing Stevens’ “Tea For The Tillerman”
from the 1970 album of the same name instead of the show’s regular
theme. The Simpsons even provided their own take on the lyrics and album cover.
Until very recently, Stereogum/Black Market contributor Aaron Lariviere worked at Gracie Films, in the same offices as The Simpsons production team. Frequently, when a notable celebrity would stop by, Aaron would inform me via Gchat. The only time he seemed genuinely flustered by the appearance of a star, though, was last July, when Judas Priest singer Rob Halford came to the Gracie offices to work on a Simpsons guest spot. “ETIQUETTE BE DAMNED,” I wrote back to Aaron. “GET A PICTURE WITH HIM.” Alas, etiquette won, and Aaron merely sat there hyperventilating silently. Anyway, that Simpsons episode finally aired last Sunday, a week after Aaron left Gracie. And in it, unforgivably, one character referred to Priest as a “death metal” band.
Earlier this month, we learned that Sigur Rós would guest on, and provide music for, an episode of The Simpsons entitled “The Saga Of Carl,” one that involves Homer’s friend Carl returning to his homeland in Iceland. Well, last night, the episode aired, and Sigur Rós were indeed in it
for a split second. (There’s also a quick cameo from someone who looks
like Björk.) But the real draw, from a music standpoint, is that Sigur
Rós gave the episode a whole lot of dreamy, slow-floating music,
including an ethereal end-credits rendition of the show’s theme song. As
Pitchfork points out, you can now watch the episode online here; you’ll find Björk at 11:15 and Sigur Rós at 17:20.
As you might know already, Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake” fueled an
Internet meme last month, seeing hundreds of thousands of individuals
posting YouTube videos of themselves doing random dances set to the
song. It’s a cultural phenomenon for sure, but as the New York Times
pointed out yesterday,
the videos are not inspired by the actual Harlem shake, a dance that
originated in New York City over 30 years ago. Now, the writers behind The Simpsons
have picked up on meme as well. Check out “The Homer Shake” below,
which sees a cast of characters from the show doing random dances set to
a parody of the song. (Spoiler alert: still no actual Harlem shaking to
be found.)
And in case you missed it on Videogum last month, also check out a video of Harlem residents responding to “Harlem Shake” videos.
The Simpsons: It’s still on! Last night’s episode of the
venerated animated institution, which I did not watch, concerned the
hipsterification of Springfield, and the episode’s guest voices included
Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Patton Oswalt, and the Decemberists,
who managed to look smug even as cartoons. Watch a quick glimpse of the
band, in Simpsons form in the clip.
In case you missed the latest episode of The Simpsons, here is the only part of the show that really mattered-a strange yet rather touching couch gag by the king of sketchy animated sequences Billy Plympton!
Watch as a bizarro version of Homer struggles with his feelings for both the couch and Marge, with frenetic lines dancing across the screen and an overall style that can only be described as Plymptonian.
"Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart" is the fifteenth episode of the Season 23. It originally aired on March 4, 2012. Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal guest star and Nick McKaig performed the end title song.
Sypnosis
In order to get back at his dad, Bart goes undercover as a graffiti street artist and plasters Homer's unflattering image all over Springfield. But one night, Bart and Milhouse get caught in the act by established street artists Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal (guest voicing as themselves), and to Bart's surprise, they invite him to exhibit his satirical artwork in his very own gallery show. Meanwhile, a hip, new health food superstore opens in Springfield that threatens to put Apu and the Kwik-E-Mart out of business.
John Kricfalusi, the animator for the legendary Ren & Stimpy Show, got a chance to direct the couch gag for last night’s episode of The Simpsons. Kricfalusi is not one to hold back his creative vision, even for a children’s show (Nickelodeon ultimately fired him). His work in this short is deliciously weird and psychedelic.
The time has come for players to carve their name in history. One touch, tackle or free kick could crush a nation's hopes or cause them to build a statue in your honour. Drogba, Rooney and Ronaldo are ready to Write The Future.
Write yours at http://www.nikefootball.com
Although this film has only been bouncing around for about 24 hours, it’s already been garnering claims of one of the most epic spots of all time. This World Cup Anthem features Drogba, Cannavaro, Ribery, Rooney, Walcott and Christiano Ronaldo who even cameos in a SImpsons episode within the spot. Who else to bring it to you but Nike and the folks at W+K Amsterdam who brought in the heavy hitting leadership of Alejandro G. Iñarritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel) to direct.
Since the birth of the swoosh, Nike has always been about the big and simple idea. As they’ve evolved, the executions may have become more elaborate, but the ideas have remained universal and pure. This spot is no exception. W+K Amsterdam examines the phenomenon of single moments changing the world. In sports, these moments literally resonate through the hearts, eyes and minds of millions in a single moment.
Credits:
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam Client: Nike Creative Director: Mark Bernath Creative Director: Eric Quennoy Copywriter: Stuart Harkness Art Director: Stuart Harkness Copywriter: Freddie Powell Art Director: Freddie Powell Producer: Elissa Singstock Producer: Olivier Klonhammer Executive Creative Director: Jeff Kling Head of Broadcast: Erik Verheijen
Production Company: Mokkumercials – Amsterdam, Independent Films – London Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Stuart Harkness, Pablo Casacuberto Executive Producer: Jani Guest, Richard Packer Line Producer: Arttu Sesselaar, Elissa Singstock, Olivier Klonhammer Director of Photography: Jeroen van der Poel
Editorial Company: Work Post London Editor: Charlie Moreton Post Executive Producer: Jane Dilworth
VFX Company: The Mill VFX 3D Artist: Neil Davies, Tom Busel VFX 2D Artist: Neil Davies, Tom Busel Telecine Artist: Seamus O’Kane VFX Executive Producer: Stephen Venning VFX Producer: Matt Williams VFX Producer: Allison Cain
Sound Designer: Phaze UK, Grand Central Studios Mix Company: Grand Central Studios Mixer: Raja Seghal
