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D'Oh! The Simpsons TV makes it to iTunes
Back in 2005, TUAW conducted a poll of its readers to see what TV series they wanted to purchase through iTunes. Among the top five was The Simpsons.The Simpsons Movie was previously available through iTunes, but it is one of the movies that has disappeared in the past few weeks. In the past couple of days, however, the main Simpsons TV series has finally made it into the iTunes lineup.Only the eight episodes aired thus far in season 20 are uploaded in standard definition. Hopefully earlier seasons will arrive, along with high-definition once it starts. The Simpsons (link opens iTunes) can be purchased from the U.S. iTunes Store for $1.99 an episode with a season pass for $37.99. Or, for those wanting a free alternative in the U.S., the episodes are also on Hulu and can be streamed onto Apple TV using boxee.Thanks for the tip, Tyler!
The Simpsons mocks (m)Apple
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/The_Simpsons_mocks_m_Apple_2'; Few have been spared the satire of Matt Groening's long running animated sitcom. Last night, The Simpsons took on Apple, or uh, Mapple for a full 6 minutes of lampoonery -- a pretty harsh ride at a two-joke per minute pace. It all starts when the Springfield mall gets its very own Mapple store, "it's so sterile," gasps Lisa upon entering. Perhaps the best exchange comes from Bart's dubbing of a Steve Mobs' product announcement in front of a crowd of gaping nerds, "You think you're cool because you buy a $500 phone with a picture of a fruit on it. Well guess what? They cost 8 bucks to make and I pee on every one!" A Mapple store employee then angrily responds, "Who dares question the boss we fired 10 years ago and then brought back!" Yuk yuk. Videos after the break for as long as it takes for the copyrighters to wake up.[Thanks, holycow]
Google embiggens iPhone services with single-screen UI
I've been checking my dictionary, but it's hard to find an adequately cromulent word to describe the dramatic enbiggening embiggening of Google's iPhone-specific services. The big G now offers single-screen access to Gmail, Calendar, and Reader among other services, as well as the homerific Search capability, when accessed on iPhones and iPod touches. Rather than introubulating their service, this screen redesign applies a debigulator to the overall Google experience and allows you to use many of the most belovedest features directly from a single screen.
Six Simpsons box arts, one happy Homer
The Simpsons and Matt Groening have never done anything by the book, so it's only fitting that they release six different box art covers for the upcoming The Simpsons Game. You read correctly, EA will be releasing six slightly different box art covers for each version of the game all showcasing Homer in the forground with a crowd of Springfield natives in the back. And we're also quite proud to point out that the Xbox 360 box art is the only one to feature a happy Homer who's excited doing his "WooHoo!" pose. The other five covers have angry or scared Homers being attacked, bitten or put in an awkward position. Is happy Homer on the 360 cover a coincidence? We think not.[Via Game Stooge]
Buying a Simpsons 360 is easier than winning it
Has trying to win a Simpsons themed Xbox 360 got you down, tired and depressed? Have you given up all hope and believe owning a rare Simpsons 360 is impossible? Well, if you have the cash to back up your desires then we have good news for you.Up for auction on eBay one of these yellow Simpsons themed Xbox 360s that was won during a taping of MTV's TRL by tossing donuts into Homer's mouth. The winning donut tosser didn't want her yellow 360 and decided auction cash would suit her better. Currently, the high bid is at a whopping $1,900 with five days to go, so you better be packing a fat wallet.As the old saying goes, one person's winning TRL moment is another person's high bid which creates a profit-pay exchange that ends in a owner and a seller who are both happy, happy excited![Via Xbox 360 Rally]
E3 07: Hot diggity! The Simpsons DS videos!
Though the Nintendo DS version of The Simpsons Game won't have the 3D frills that its console counterparts will feature, that's perfectly fine with us! We didn't need 3D to enjoy The Simpsons' license when it was an arcade game in the 90s, and we don't need it now!Judging by these first two video previews, the family's first foray onto our dual-screened system looks fantastic! As expected, the 2D platformer is teeming with references and characters from the show, even including a a level where you get to eat your way through the Land of Chocolate. According to Game|Life, Electronic Arts will be packing the handheld title with 2000 lines of spoken dialogue.We weren't impressed with most of the minigames we saw unlocked in Noiseland Arcade, but the "Pet Homer" Nintendogs spoof definitely made us smile. We've always wanted a donut-chomping lout of our own to poke, feed, and care for. Do the Bartman and dance past the post break for GameTrailers' developer walkthroughs.
Fight Matt Groening to beat The Simpsons
It seems the upcoming The Simpsons video game from Electronic Arts is positively full of surprises. First and foremost, obviously, is that it actually looks pretty good (visually at least). Add to that the news that Matt Groening, creator of television series, will star as the game's final boss (or one of them at least). Groening has stated, according to gamesindustry.biz, "They did a send-up of videogames. It's a videogame about videogames; and I'm in the videogame. I'm a boss that you have to fight at the end of the game." Groening added that he has enjoyed recording his voice for the game. Eager Simpsons fans can get their hands on the game this fall.[Via Joystiq]
Another way to win a Simpsons 360
Previously, we mentioned that you could win a yellow Simpsons themed Xbox 360 by participating in the Cloning Clyde Play and Win contest. Fine and dandy except for those of us who don't have or want to purchase Cloning Clyde to enter. Well, Microsoft has those of you covered by giving away another Simpsons 360 AND a trip to the movie premiere in LA to one lucky entrant who sends them an email. That's right, all you have to do is send shoot an email off to xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject "Simpsons Movie Premiere" by July 14th and you are entered. Very simple. Again, one lucky winner will receive the coveted yellow Simpsons Xbox 360 and a trip to LA for The Simpsons Movie premiere. Good luck everyone!
Homer says burgers are good for Play and Win
The Simpsons + yellow Xbox 360 = greatest Play and Win prize ever! Over on Xbox.com they've posted details about two new Play and Win events going down in July involving The Simpsons Movie and McDonalds' Burgercon. First up is the Burgercon Play and Win event which supposedly kicks off today through July 5th although we don't see any way to sign up. What we do know is that you'll have to play Forza 2 and they'll be giving away Microsoft points and 360 HD DVD players. Not too shabby, but not nearly as exciting as The Simpsons Movie Play and Win. This promotion runs from July 2nd through July 17th where you can win the sexy yellow Simpsons Xbox 360 featured to the right. They are giving away five of these yellow wonders and all you have to do to enter is play Cloning Clyde during the promo period for an entry each day. What's also nice about The Simpsons Play and Win is that you can actually sign up right now. How convenient.Two Play and Win promotions, one involving a yellow 360 and one we can't sign up for yet. No matter, it's fun and it's free, so go play already and win!Read - McDonalds Burgercon Play and WinRead - The Simpsons Movie Play and Win
Wii version of Simpsons contains exclusive gluttony
Surprisingly, the new Simpsons game, called The Simpsons Game, doesn't follow the storyline of the Simpsons movie (The Simpsons Movie). Instead, it puts the player in the roles of the Simpson family as they become aware that they are inside a video game, which enables them to use ingame abilities (Remember Bartman? No? Ask your parents.) The game draws from video game culture, poking fun at games like Grand Theft Auto and Zelda.The Simpsons Game is a platformer with two-player cooperative gameplay and a cast of 200 characters. Troublingly, the developers say that of those 200, 100 come from the show. Is EA creating 100 new Simpsons characters? Jiminy jillikers!Wii owners will get a special treat: an exclusive minigame in the form of an eating contest. Using the Wiimote like a fork, players will cram as much imaginary food into their avatar's gaping maw as possible in a limited time.
Limited edition Simpsons Xbox 360
We hope you like yellow. In celebration of the upcoming Simpsons movie, Microsoft has created 100 limited edition Simpsons Xbox 360s. Yup, there are only 100 of these babies in the entire universe. How do you get your hands on one? Well, we don't really know. According to the press release, they will be given away "through a series of special events and promotions." May we make a suggestion? Donut eating contest for the win. The special editions should be given away prior to the movie this july, but right now that's all we know.By the way, if you haven't heard, the game (which is unrelated to the film) is actually looking pretty good. Anyone interested in scoring one of the limited edition 360s to play it on?[Via Joystiq]
Video: The Simpsons are looking good
Officially revealed yesterday, The Simpsons game from Electronic Arts looks to be shaping up nicely. A handful of videos of the game have popped up across the internet (the ones in this post courtesy of GameVideos). The gameplay looks more or less like standard 3rd person action fare, complete with double jumps, super powers, and gliding. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen. However, one thing we know for sure is that the game looks great. The Simpsons uses cel shading to give the characters a cartoonish look. What makes The Simpsons more interesting is that EA has employed a technique that flattens the characters from whatever angle they are being viewed. This helps retain the 2D nature of the show itself. In action, it looks great. Truth be told, short of The Simpsons arcade game, there has never been so faithful a rendition of the actual show. Another video is posted after the break.
Microsoft unveils limited edition Simpsons-themed Xbox 360
It may have taken forever for The Simpsons to reach the big screen, but it looks like Fox isn't wasting any time turning products yellow to tie-in with the movie, following up its Simpons-branded Samsung cellphone with a Homer-fied Xbox 360. Obsessive collectors could be in for a hard time tracking one of these down, however, as Microsoft's only producing 100 units to be given out at a series of special events and promotions. While they've gone all out with the branding, Microsoft has skimped on the console itself a bit, using the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro instead of the Elite. From the looks of it, you also won't be getting EA's just-announced Simpsons game with it, which, for a change, isn't actually based on the movie.[Via Reg Hardware, thanks Ajv2809]
Simpsons details emerge, not a movie tie-in
New details about the Electronic Arts Simpsons game emerged today. First and foremost, the entire Simpson family (save Maggie) will be playable in the upcoming game. The premise of the game is amusing: a few minutes into the game, the Simpson family discovers that they're trapped in a video game. With this newfound knowledge, they devise appropriate powers for themselves. This premise is being used to lampoon the game industry itself, which seems appropriate for the Simpsons. The game is divided into several "episodes" each telling an original story (penned by the show's actual writers). Each level will be played by two members of the Simpson family. Players will be able to switch between the two at any time, or a second player can join in for co-op play.Perhaps the biggest tidbit of all: the game isn't tied in with The Simpsons Movie. In fact, the new game is scheduled to come out this fall, long after the movie premieres. Dare we dream that a good Simpsons game is on the way?[Via Evil Avatar]
The Simpsons coming to 360
LiveGamer's dpcough came across another game that otherwise hasn't yet been announced. EBGames has a listing for Simpsons: The Game, which also says the ship date is 11/1/07, which will probably be around the same time as the DVD for The Simpsons Movie, which will hit theatres sometime this summer. The alleged developer and publisher for the game is EA. So given the track record of console Simpsons titles, could this be good news? Hopefully they'll pull a TMNT, and have a little surprise waiting for us in XBLA around the same time as the retail release.[Via LiveGamer]
The Simpsons presents Death Kill City II
Maybe the writers of The Simpsons are PSP fanboys like us, angered by the impending release of the PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The once-PSP exclusive is moving to the home console, and The Simpsons takes a shot at it through the parody game Death Kill City II: Death Kill Stories. As Siliconera reports, the goal of the game seems quite fun: "You have destroyed all human life on Earth. Level one complete."
Widget Watch: Simpsons Movie Countdown
This one's for you Simpsons fans. The Simpsons Movie is coming to a theater near you on July 27, 2007. What better way to pass the time between now and then, than to stare at this Simpsons Movie Countdown widget! Unfortunately, it doesn't countdown minutes, hours and seconds - only days. Handy, nonetheless. 227 days to go!
D'oh! Simpsons Movie trailer on XBLM
The Simpsons may have jumped the shark so long ago that the shark has long since died of natural causes, but that isn't stopping Matt Groening and Co. from creating the long awaited movie. Our close and oh so personal friend, Major Nelson, informs X360F that a trailer for the Simpsons movie is now available on Marketplace. It is available in every region except France, but, as groundskeeper Willy would say, the French are nothing but a bunch of "cheese eating surrender monkeys" anyway. (Seriously, I love France. Paris is a lovely place and it's actually given me some posts in the last few days. If you've got a problem with the phrase "cheese eating surrender monkeys," I suggest you take it up with Matt Groening.)
Death-by-iPod on the Simpsons
Did you catch The Simpsons on Fox last night? Grandpa Simpson decided that he had had enough of life, and sought out a doctor that would perform an assisted suicide for him. Once the arrangements had been made, Grandpa was wheeled into the execution room and connected to the diePOD, which was the device that would get the job done (while simultaneously providing the soundtrack). As grandpa lay on the table, awaiting the inevitable, the diePOD played "Instant Death" by Megadeath.Now that's satire, folks.Screen capture by Rex Hammock
Eat Up Martha
Of all the snarky Apple references in pop culture, my all time favorite is this brief clip from The Simpsons. During a school assembly, Kearney tells his buddy, "...take a memo on your Newton: Beat up Martin." He scribbles away only to see the Newton's handwriting recognition interpret his memo as "Eat up Martha."A few years ago, a number of plastic Simpsons characters were issued, and the Kearney character actually shipped with a tiny Newton with "Eat up Martha" on the screen. I have one in my office.Update: Here is a picture of the Kearney toy.
