Futurama News during the 2011 Futurama run

[#200 :]

South Park.

Which ep?

[#201 :]

Apparently "Crack Baby Athletic Association".

[#202 :]

Apparently "Crack Baby Athletic Association".

I love South Park, but that ep wasn't the best...

[#203 :]

I'm glad that South Park, for whatever reason, entered one of their weaker episodes to the Emmys this year as it means Futurama doesn't have any real competition. It's got an incredibly good chance at winning (given that The Cleveland Show is terrible, Family Guy entered themselves into the best comedy category rather than animated show, Robot Chicken has no chance and The Simpsons is crap now... and the episode they entered isn't one with much emotional drive behind it either, despite it being one of the best they've made in recent years).

So yeah. Not only is Futurama the most deserving, but it seems to me to be the most likely to win too.

[#204 :]

Apparently "Crack Baby Athletic Association".

Really? Had the South Park episode "You're Getting Old" been the nomination, Futurama may have had some competition. Nevertheless, seeing as it's not that episode, "The Late Philip J. Fry" easily blows all of them out of the water.

[#205 :]

I was confused why South Park entered such a weak episode, but I think "You're Getting Old" missed the cutoff date. But now Futurama doesn't really have competition...unless there's a ridiculous snub, which is certainly a possibility.

[#206 :]

Seems odd that South Park didn't enter "You're getting Old", perhaps it will be entered next year instead.

The Simpsons seems like it will be the greatest competition for the show. I may be biased, but Futurama has still lost to the Simpsons on many occasions, despite entering much better episodes.

Here's hoping Futurama gets the nod, TLPJF really deserves to win.

[#207 :]

Billy West's 5 Favourite Futurama Eps

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/906dYB/ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2011/07/14/billy-wests-five-favorite-futurama-episodes/

He's a Clamps fan!

[#208 :]

Seems odd that South Park didn't enter "You're getting Old", perhaps it will be entered next year instead.

Yeah, it aired too late by a matter of days. A shame, because it deserves to be nominated, but it would eligible next year, assuming Matt and Trey don't decide another episode is more deserving.

"Crack Baby Athletic Association" was a pretty great episode actually, but I'd still say "The Late Philip J. Fry" is the most obvious winner here. The big question is whether one of those shows will get it or The Simpsons will win just for being "The Simpsons"....I hope not but it's happened before. I can't see Robot Chicken or Cleveland Show (bleeech!) pulling it off.

[#209 :]

Riding on my wave of bad feelings about "The Silence of the Clamps," I figured I might as well compare my episode ratings from last season with my ratings for this season thus far:

Season 6A
Rebirth - 9/10
In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela - 7/10
Attack of the Killer App - 8/10
Proposition Infinity - 6/10
The Duh-Vinci Code - 7/10
Average: 7.4/10

Season 6B
Neutopia - 7/10
Benderama - 8/10
Ghost in the Machines - 7/10
Law and Oracle - 8/10
The Silence of the Clamps - 5/10
Average: 7/10

This means pretty much nothing, I suppose, but it does show that thus far--for me, at least--seasons 6A and 6B are comparable in quality. And I suppose that's something to be pleased about.

[#210 :]

Interesting.

My 6A ratings: 9/10, 5/10, 7/10, 8/10, 8/10 Average = 7.4

My 6B ratings: 5/10, 7/10, 8/10, 9/10, 6/10 Average = 7.0

...this seems to support my earlier claim that sometimes I think we are the same person. No, that wasn't intentional.

Even without the math, I think they're comparable.

[#211 :]

...this seems to support my earlier claim that sometimes I think we are the same person. No, that wasn't intentional.

At least we seem to rate the individual episodes differently--it's only our averages that are the same. That ought to make you feel like less of a pathetic loser (which is to say, less Gorky-like).

[#212 :]

My averages show that season 6B is off to a much better start for me, which is good I suppose.

6A:
Rebirth - 7/10
In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela - 1/10
Attack of the Killer App - 1/10
Proposition Infinity - 4/10
The Duh-Vinci Code - 7/10
Average: 4/10


6B:
Neutopia - 6/10
Benderama - 8/10
Ghost in the Machines - 6/10
Law and Oracle - 8/10
The Silence of the Clamps - 3/10
Average: 6.2/10

[#213 :]

Preview of "Yo Leela Leela" (6ACV21). Air date: 21 July, 2011.

[#214 :]

Preview of "Yo Leela Leela" (6ACV21). Air date: 21 July, 2011.

Anyone got a UK working link? It's not been uploaded to the Slurmed FB page yet...

[#215 :]

Preview of "Yo Leela Leela" (6ACV21). Air date: 21 July, 2011.

this clip leaves me feeling neutral about the episode. i'm glad to see that the toddler wrestling is just a brief clip, though.

[#216 :]

Thanks for the clip, Just Fan (and also, welcome to PEEL). I enjoyed that clip; the

TV show previews themselves weren't terribly amusing (I did like the toddler wrestling, though), but the return of Doubledeal and the Orphanarium makes me happy. So it looks like Leela has been visiting the Orphanarium to read to kids or tell them stories or something, and will probably become outraged by the programming they've thus far been subjected to? That's not an awful premise by any means, and I always like seeing the orphans and how Leela interacts with them. This episode could be good.

[#217 :]

A reasonable assumption, Gorky. Also...

The Tickleoden Rep might see how much they like her, and he offers her a show because it. Leela 'does it for the kids', but gets disillusioned with TV in the end. But that's a little simple, as would be it going to her head. I hope the writers can come up with a nice twist.

[#218 :]

I imagine that El-Man is dead on, although I don't see any crazy twist coming up in this episode. Seems like it's going to be a straight-forward, shallowly-plotted kids TV industry parody.

Although I will admit that I thought the clip was pretty funny.

[#219 :]

From Maurice Lamarche's Facebook (this is a caption to a picture of him and Seth Green):

Within 3 hours of learning I'd been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Voiceover Performance (for Futurama), who do I bump into while walking into the studio (to record our 3rd episode of season 7), but fellow nominee in the same category, Seth Green! We had a great chat about what fans we are of each other's shows (I think Robot Chicken is AWESOME, and personally, my money's on Seth on awards night, and he deserves it!) and how the nomination made us each feel, and then we went in to work our individual shows, but not before Seth snapped this nice pic of us on his iPhone.

Despite not being much news, I decided to post it to make sure somebody else didn't post it saying "Z0MG SETH GREEN 0N FUTUREAMA!!!" By "our 3rd episode of season 7", I believe he didn't mean that Seth is appearing on the episode but rather that "our" refers to the Futurama staff. Regardless, good to hear that things are progressing well on recording next season.

[#220 :]

Preview of "Yo Leela Leela" (6ACV21). Air date: 21 July, 2011.

Anyone got a UK working link? It's not been uploaded to the Slurmed FB page yet...

Here's one I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWXuH9Kgqp0

Also posting videos links from USA onto your facebook, allows you to watch the videos.

[#221 :]

Also posting videos links from USA onto your facebook, allows you to watch the videos.

Shame I don't have Facebook...

Thanks for the link.

[#222 :]

Looks like a nice clip from "Yo Leela Leela", and I think TLPJF has a real chance of getting the Emmy award.

[#223 :]

I think Yo Leela Leela looks pretty great, though I think the "Popular Slut Club" could have been a lot funnier considering what they were making fun of.   (In the UK for example, our big supermarket chain was selling a stripper pole with play money and toy garter belt in the toys section.  They were also selling padded bikini tops to eight year olds.)   

"Rusty only comes on Tuesdays" and the "harmless snuggle rays" were hilarious.  I hope the episode ends with Leela making things better for the orphans though, they do deserve to catch a break, especially little Sally.

[#224 :]

Mentioning Rusty just made me think of Rusty Nails, who Groening has credited as the inspiration to Krusty the Klown.

[#225 :]

Same here, Aki. I'm glad I wasn't the only one dorky enough to notice that.

And that "Popular Slut Club" theme song is so funny to me, even if it's not the most, uh, subtle parody.

[#226 :]

I didn't get what "Popular Slut Club" was a reference to. Isn't it just the general type of childrens' programming that has slutty girls thinking of things they shouldn't think of in another ten years (or less)?

[#227 :]

Yeah, I just took it as a lampoon of stuff like those Bratz dolls and shows like "Pretty Little Liars" and the typical fare on, like, the CW. In short: bullshit stuff in which I have no interest and that is setting the feminist movement back by decades. I don't think it was one specific reference to one specific show. My point is just that calling it "Popular Slut Club" is very, you know, pull-no-punches.

[#228 :]

Exactly, it lampoons the culture that seems to want little girls to look like little sluts or at least make eleven year olds act like teenagers (padded bras to eight year olds, Bratz dolls, just about every Hannah Montana type show aimed at young girls) ect. 

I think they could have made Extreme Toddler Wrestling funnier by making it Extreme Toddler Beauty Pagent wrestling, and have the kids from Toddlers and Tiaras be the wrestlers.  (Man the people in that show need to be ripped, and they need to be ripped HARD.)

[#229 :]

God, I watched Toddlers and Tiaras with some friends last night. It made me feel worse than usual about being an American.

And I thought Extreme Toddler Wrestling was the funniest of the three potential shows presented in the clip. I wonder if Leela's show is going to be a straight-up parody of "Yo Gabba Gabba," or if it's going to be more an amalgam of the various programming available to li'l tykes these days.

[#230 :]

Toddlers and Tiaras makes me want to throw things at the television.  The worst part is you can look at the fat trailer trash moms, and know the future of those poor girls.  (I used to be Miss Teen Dairy Queen, til I got knocked up and lost my figure, so now I force my dreams onto lil Kendra Anne.)  I don't know why I watch it so much (its oddly compelling) and I suppose adding my own running commentary means I can make fun of the horrific human beings on display.

What do you think would be better, if they stuck to one show, or parodied many?  I think I prefer when they stick to one show and it comes off as more focused, but not many people outside of the US know what the hell a Yo Gabba Gabba is (lucky them).  It depends how funny it is.  I probably would like No Fan Has Gone Before a lot more if I was a Star Trek fan, but I still really enjoyed it.   I felt Law and Oracle tried to parody too many shows at once, and it came off as a bit feeble (the only thing i liked about it was the introduction of Chief O Mannahan.)

[#231 :]

Why do you watch these programmes? I just stay away from them when I realize they're not good, and I spend my time doing useful things (or less useful things that I enjoy).

[#232 :]

I don't know why I watch it so much (its oddly compelling) and I suppose adding my own running commentary means I can make fun of the horrific human beings on display.

Oh, rest assured, my friends and I were mocking the show the entire time. It still just makes me sad to think that this is the way real people live, and they enjoy something so exploitative and creepy.

As far as the question of what to parody goes: I agree with you that it can be nice for the parodies to be more concentrated and focused, but I guess what I'd prefer is a sort of middle ground. The writers don't have to parody one particular TV show, just the tropes of the children's programming genre in general, without being too specific. That said, I wouldn't hate it if they stuck strictly to Yo Gabba Gabba; I just feel like that's a pretty narrow focus, and one that would alienate viewers who have no idea what it's a parody of (whereas the Star Trek stuff in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" works because it's mocking an entire sci-fi institution; Yo Gabba Gabba isn't an institution, it's just one part of this Nick Jr./Playhouse Disney/Noggin conglomerate).

[#233 :]

I have absolutely no idea.  They are just oddly compelling.  Like watching a car crash.  Or an especially sadistic black comedy.  Plus they give me good ideas for my writing.  

As for shows like Yo Gabba Gabba, I usually watch them when I have to babysit.  I can't figure out what is worse: shows like Gabba, or being forced to watch the Disney Princess movies five times a day.

I agree, a show that mocked Gabba exclusively would be rather dull or perplexing.    Then again I have watched some of the songs, and there is plenty of them to work with.  (I can't really describe them.  They are so... strange, and seem to be under the impression that small children are idiots who need to be patronized, and don't need songs with tunes/melody).   I would also like them to mock the trend of celebrity children's books.  Being an aspiring children's book author myself, I think celebrities who think they can write Were the Wild Things Are or Very Hungry Catapillar in their lunchbreak, or write books about sharing whilst leaving the illustrator's name off the cover deserve a good ripping.    Its something I can imagine Calculon doing, since he is a parody of the celebrity who are so in love with themselves that they think everything they do is fantastic.

[#234 :]

The difference between a car crash and lousy television is that a car crash is enjoyable.

[#235 :]

Some Volume 6 DVD news, including cover art:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Futurama-Volume-6/15695

There might be some very mild spoilers in the "blurb" at the top (nothing that isn't known, though).

The featurette on Christopher Tyng sounds awesome.

[#236 :]

The difference between a car crash and lousy television is that a car crash is enjoyable.

  I wouldn't call Toddlers and Tiaras lousy television, it feels like a documentary on a truly disturbing phenomenon in the south. 

If we were talking about Jersey Shore or Keeping up the the Kardashians, I would say touche.  Jersey Shore makes me more ashamed to be Italian American then the mafia does, and the Kardashians need to shrivel back into obscurity the way Paris Hilton seems to have done.  Haven't heard a peep out of her for a long time, and the world is a better place for it. 

I love the artwork for the cover. 

[#237 :]

Some Volume 6 DVD news, including cover art:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Futurama-Volume-6/15695

Thanx. Otis officially approves of the cover art!...

[#238 :]

Thanks for the info, DtB. Guess I know what I'm asking Mommy and Daddy to get me for Christmas...

[#239 :]

Thanks for the info, DtB. Guess I know what I'm asking Mommy and Daddy to get me for Christmas...

An albino humping worm? Remember, an albino humping worm is for life, not just for christmas.