[The long of it]
I think it was one of the writers who said he's rather live next door to prim Ned Flanders than Homer Simpson. And who can blame him? I mean, who would you rather live next do to -- the man who donates a kidney to the hospital on a "first come, first served" basis, or the guy who tries to steal the air conditioner out of your wall? As "Home Away From Homer" shows, Homer can do a lot worse than having Ned Flanders for a neighbor. The unexpected thing is, Ned can do worse than having *Homer* next door.
Tonight's episode can be divided into three parts, all of which are pretty good. The show opens with Lisa winning, from an NPR radio giveaway, tickets to "Kosovo Autumn," an esoteric foreign film. It's a pretty easy victory, since she was the only person to call in. (I liked the announcer's surprised reaction at the incoming call.) The scenes at the "Limited Appeal Theater" ring true, right down to the vintage architecture, small screen, and sparse audience attendance. It might have helped that, by coincidence, I visited almost exactly the same type of theater that afternoon. (Except I was watching something more crowd appeal -- "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.")