44ea084c   
   From: mxg77@case.edu   
   Copy: mxg77@cwru.edu   
      
   Well, that sure was an appropriate spectacle for a season premiere   
   (AIR SEASON premiere, yes, but for those of us watching episodes as   
   they air, the division into air seasons is still important   
   psychologically). But in between all the NYC jokes, the core Bart   
   story was interesting and (amazingly) new-ish, with the whole can't-   
   keep-a-girlfriend thing. I know Zooey Deschanel's hot right now and a   
   nerd magnet besides, but she *is* a good actress and her character was   
   not a bad choice for this role. Actually, there's a good chance I'm   
   forgetting one, but is this the first real second (non-cameo)   
   appearance for one of these girls?   
      
   So, hooray. I liked it. And as Kang and Kodos also point out, next   
   week's TOH sure is going to be early! See you then...   
      
   P.S. I bet there's some great freeze framing in that long Shakespeare   
   line and other fast pans in the episode, but I'm not feeling the   
   effort tonight.   
      
      
   DYN:   
   ...Bart's still got a VCR?   
   ...a ZILLION guest stars (5 of them for execs of Bart's, including   
   Zooey, and many more non-impersonated celebrities)?   
      
   Previous episode stuff   
   8F18, MSI:TLD?: Ayn Rand daycare center (in couch gag)   
   3F15: Among many signs in the grand prix sequence I noticed the   
   "neAT&Tidy piano movers", I think in the original font   
   EABF08: "Jellyfish" (instrumental) played at the post-race ball   
   NABF05: Fairly ballsy WTC/9-11 joke (this time, Bart saying Homer   
   likes NYC now that his two least favorite buildings are gone)   
   4F22: Various hints at the previous trip, but only one fairly direct   
   reference (Klau Kalash!)   
   5F10: Canyonero now comes in a hybrid   
      
   Bart's exes   
   2F04: Jessica Lovejoy (the only girl I recognize in the stack of   
   photos - the others seemed kind of generic)   
   The 4 he visits (first two I didn't recognize until I checked cast -   
   may be out of order):   
   LABF07: the goody-goody girl played by Anne Hathaway   
   JABF04: the Natalie Portman girl Bart thought he got pregnant   
   FABF11: Sarah Michelle Gellar's juvenile delinquent   
   MABF07: Sarah Silverman's character   
   and of course, KABF10: Zooey Deschanel's Mary Spuckler   
      
   Meta-reference   
   A sidewalk artist is drawing Bart by starting with circles and one   
   cylinder (the cylinder is also mentioned in Mary's song).   
      
   Opening   
   I'm pretty behind on my files (not for long I hope) but this one cuts   
   from Homer at the plant to Lisa's solo (skipping the checkout) as well   
   as from the solo to the driveway, which may be another first. Also,   
   Lisa plays the tuba again, but I don't know if that's new.   
      
   Also, I didn't see "The Longest Daycare". Was the couch gag   
   specifically a reference?   
   And I can't believe this couch gag contest is for real. I am curious   
   to see how repeats (though mostly the syndication version) handle that   
   announcement, in the same spirit as NABF15 (Ned/Edna voting).   
      
   Andy Williams   
   He died on 9/25, and there was a dedication to him tonight (between   
   the credits and the Gracie logo, where they used to put these things   
   anyway). Is this the first celebrity dedication that isn't for a guest   
   star (his notable scene/Nelson fanhood in 3F17 aside, since he didn't   
   do that)? Funny, though, given the title (as in "Moon River" - the   
   song Nelson wanted to hear in fact! - and the credits music). Also, I   
   guess it won't appear any other time.   
      
   For Don Del Grande's football watch:   
   The game ended pretty late; I tuned in about 7:55 when the game had   
   apparently just ended but "The OT" was to come up; at about 7:57-58,   
   the guys were talking football when suddenly a typical "thanks for   
   watching Fox Sports" announcement came on mid-sentence, then a few   
   commercials, in time to start the episode at 8. So, now you have that   
   info. (I'm in Cleveland.) Incidentally, I missed the football   
   situation last week, and all I know is that the 7:30 Simpsons ran at   
   least in part; not sure if it or the 7:00 American Dad was joined in   
   progress. Do you know?   
      
      
   PABF07 (At Long Last Leave) airing #3   
   It was 8/19/12 but I had a busy month! Anyway, the couch gag montage   
   matches the original two airings (missing ones not reinstated/order   
   not fixed). And I noticed something else that I hadn't spotted before,   
   but did indeed change for the second airing as well. The "thanks" card   
   at the end was rejiggered slightly (mostly wording, some spacing/   
   size). Originally, it said   
   Thanks for 500 Shows.   
   All we ask is that you go out   
   and get some fresh air   
   before logging on the internet   
   and saying how much this sucked.   
   ...The second and third airings say   
   Thanks for 500 shows.   
   All we ask is that you go out   
   and get some fresh air   
   before logging onto the internet   
   and saying how much this sucked.   
   (If you missed the changes, "shows" got de-capitalized, and "logging   
   on" was changed to the more correct "logging onto".) It's minor, but   
   it didn't go unnoticed.   
      
   PABF14 (Lisa Goes Gaga) airing #3   
   That was 9/23/12, and where the first two airings had short promos for   
   the Maggie short (The Longest Daycare) before the Ice Age movie - each   
   one different, consisting of about 10 seconds of promotional material   
   and then the executive producer credits (mostly silent). Airing #3   
   excised the promo completely (the movie had already come out, after   
   all), and the execs are silent. Unfortunately, my recording didn't   
   catch most of the rest of the episode, so I don't know if the time was   
   made up in any other way.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)