The 500th episode of The Simpsons aired on Fox last night, and there was no shortage of interviews, celebrations, and lists marking the occasion. Here are some of our favorite tributes to have been inspired by the anniversary
Singer Alison Krauss and Union Station released a bluegrass-tinged version of the show's theme. It was a lovely tribute, but we still preferred the a cappella version. [Stereogum]
Slate assembled an interactive map charting every country the family has visited over the past 22 seasons. The map is limited to places that actually exist in the real-world, so anyone looking for directions to the beach at Little Pwagmattasquarmsettport, Cyprus Creek, Ogdenville, or the Shelbyville impound lot with have to look elsewhere. [Slate]
The folks at Kissing Suzy Kolber conducted a five-team, five-round draft of the show's best quotes. Inexplicably, "You've been watching too many hideout movies" was not selected. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]
For the world record types: fans Jeremiah Franco and Carin Shreve watched the show last weekend for 86 hours and 37 minutes straight, winning $10,500 in a Fox-sponsored competition. They beat the old record for continuous television viewing by 31 minutes. [BBC]
Bart Simpson has written many things on the chalkboard during the show's opening credits, which you can now read in a single, very long blog post. [CableTV.com via The AV Club]
Longtime show music editor Chris Ledesma has been writing a fascinating blog about the lead-up to episode 500 from the perspective of the show's staff. He also posted invaluable video of both the dessert table and speeches delivered by showrunner Al Jaan and creator Matt Groening at the show's 500th episode bash held last week at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. [Simpsonsmusic500.wordpress.com]
On Twitter, former showrunner Bill Oakley shared his ten favorite episodes that were "pitched, discussed, written but not aired." Here's the list, in descending order:
10. Homer's Sexual Fantasy by Dan Greaney - @dangreaney
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
9. [Homer Privately Tells Bart He Loves Him Best] by Ken Keeler
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
8.Bart Gets 144 Jeeps by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
7.Homer the Narcoleptic by David X. Cohen
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
6.thirtysimpsons by David M. Stern
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
5. [Amusement Park] by Matt Groening
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
4.Homer vs. Dr. Hibbert on the Issue of Race by Greg Daniels
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
3.[Homer's $1000 Suit] - index card left on bulletin board by Sam Simon - @simonsam
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
2.Lisa the Scientopteran by George Meyer
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
1.Prince Comes to Springfield by Conan O'Brien
— Bill Oakley (@thatbilloakley) February 17, 2012
Show blog Rubbercat.net helped fill in the gaps with information about what -- if anything -- was known about the scripts.
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Ray Gustini



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