For the First Time on Television, Homer Simpson Appears LIVE, In Episode’s Final Three Minutes!
Homer will answer questions via phone call to 888-726-6660 on Sunday May 15th from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. ET and 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. PT. You can also join the conversation with #HomerLive.
Al Jean, Executive Producer of THE SIMPSONS, talked to us, on behalf of the May 15th episode. Here are the excerpts from the conversation
Art: Hi, Al. How are you?
Al: Good. I just want to say, too, I don’t want to sound like I’m taking a victory lap. I understand it hasn’t happened. This is all presuming it goes well, which I hope it will. The excitement of it is it may not be perfect and we’re trying something different.
Art: That’s sort of cool. I think interactive story telling is definitely big in the future. You’re already doing it. I’m sure it’s going to do great. First I want to congratulate you. I personally am a big fan. You’re an amazing, amazing storyteller. I personally loved The Critic.
Al: Thank you.
Art: I’m a big fan. It stinks that we don’t get to see more of that but again you’re the Steve Jobs of entertainment. You’ve got back to FOX and you’re kicking a** on The Simpsons. So cool.
The question is on that same line. Recently in a lot of awards and festivals and all that we’re seeing a lot of interactive storytelling, VR and these kinds of things coming. A storyteller will start taking a lot of ideas and making wonderful stories through new mediums of entertainment. This is a great start but what do you foresee this particular show going more into that kind of medium in the future? Any other projects yourself with the interactive storytelling, VR and immersive storytelling kind of things?
Al: We’ve actually met with several different people regarding VR and I’ve tried it. I think it’s got enormous potential. I think that we will do something for it at some point and maybe in the near future. I think about Google Glass and we did a show about it and it was something that was supposed to be the wave of the future and it really didn’t take off. You have to be careful judging what the medium is going to be of choice in the future but there’s no question the different media that arise will be part of them. We actually do an episode about VR this fall where Burns wants a family so he hires everybody in the Simpson family except Homer to be the voices of his family and lives in this artificial world. We’re certainly interested in the issue.
What I thought when I put it on was a couple of things when I was doing VR was you wanted more. You wanted to be able to go more places in the world which I think requires a lot more memory which isn’t to say that can’t be done soon. I think people really look stupid when they’re doing it. Like somebody else wearing it, it really isn’t pretty.
Art: Yes and could be dangerous, too.
Al: Yes. Exactly.
Art: That’s awesome. As I said, I’ve been a fan of your work and you’re a wonderful storyteller and a great entertainment business person and of course producer as well. At least I would say, I don’t see as much, of course I’m sure you have a lot of creative control, but see you writing. What’s your personal passion, the producing aspect of it, the writing? What excites you more? Would we see more of you doing writing for The Simpsons or other shows?
Al: To be honest, my main job is a writer. I’m the head writer. Most of my days are spent writing. Honestly, the rewarding part of my day is writing. When I’m doing budgets or editing or dealing with notes or whatever that’s also part of the job but how I got here is as a writer and even though it doesn’t say written by me on that many—whatever, I’ve written 20 scripts, which is not too [indiscernible]. Honestly, I have contributions to over 500 of them that have aired.
TV is like a really collaborative medium. The written by a credit on a script is a very specific thing. It means the money for the person. It’s usually who thought of the idea of the show but not always, but everybody here collaborates. It’s a real group effort.
Art: Can you tell me a little bit about the writing process? I’m a writer myself. A wonderful show like that that’s been going on for 27 years, how’s the writers’ room like for a show like this and how do you guys come up with ideas to work collaboratively with each other? How’s the writing process like for The Simpsons?
Al: We have two rooms. Once a year we pitch all our ideas to Jim and Matt and me. The ideas that go over well are written up into outlines and then stories. Then the rooms just over the scripts again, again and again until we get to a table read with the cast. Then it’s rewritten again and recorded and rewritten several times before it finally airs.
Art: Wow. It seems like a lot of hard work but that’s incredible. Thanks a lot. I look forward to seeing more of The Simpsons and other works from you. I’m a big fan of other things that you have done. Hopefully I get to see more of you.
Al: Thank you very much. Never count The Critic out. It’s been on four different networks.
Art: Yes, absolutely!
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HOMER TRIES IMPROV TO OVERCOME A CASE OF STAGE FRIGHT, ON AN ALL-NEW “THE SIMPSONS” , SUNDAY, MAY 15, ON FOX
After butchering a speech in front of all of his friends at work, Homer turns to improv comedy to gain back his confidence in his public speaking skills. Meanwhile, Marge decides to rebuild Bart’s lackluster treehouse, but tensions rise when Bart questions her building skills. Also, in the episode’s last three minutes, Homerappears LIVE for the first time on television (both for East and West Coast broadcasts) to answer fan questions in the all-new “Simprovised” episode of THESIMPSONS airing Sunday, May 15 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Homer will answer questions via phone call to 888-726-6660 on Sunday May 15th from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. ET and 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. PT. You can also join the conversation with #HomerLive.