Jacko freaked out 'Simpsons'

I'd have loved to see his face when he found out Bart wasn't really voiced by a little boy.

SIMPSONS co-creator Sam Simon remembered that Jackson wanted one scene in that episode rewritten. He and Bart spent all night in the living room writing a birthday song for Lisa, and MJ asked the producers, "Why *can't* I spend the night in Bart's bedroom?"

In article , [email] said... :

<snip> :I'd have loved to see his face when he found out Bart wasn't really :voiced by a little boy.

LOL.

In that episode, Jackson wasn't mentioned in the credits like most 'guests' were.

Article below is taken from http://www.snpp.com/news.html .

There's also an excerpt (Introduction) from the book at http://www.snpp.com/other/special/history.html

Jouni

-CLIP-

Simpsons' History, Totally Unauthorized October 18, 2009

Over the two decades of The Simpsons, the world has seen dozens of unauthorized books about the show (see full list). They have usually observed the show from a certain viewpoint. Books examining The Simpsons in the contexts of religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, science and so forth have been successfully explored by authors with expertise in those particular subject areas.

The latest unofficial book to hit the shelves is set to create some controversy. John Ortved's "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History" delivers what it promises. The book is an oral history of the show, particularly its genesis and formative years, told by dozens of people including writers, animators, actors, producers and network executives. Not only was it unsanctioned by Fox and the creators of the show, they actually took steps to influence the author before publishing the book. In The Daily Beast blog, Ortved reveals that he received a letter he felt vaguely threatening, stating that the lawyers would be "carefully reviewing" the book for accuracy.

The genesis of the book was in an oral history article Ortved wrote for Vanity Fair back in 2007. In resarching that article, Ortved started asking people about Sam Simon, one of the show's original developers alongside James L. Brooks and Matt Groening; he believes this is where his problems started. In the book, the significance of Sam Simon in shaping the show into what it became after the Ullman shorts is underlined by many of those quoted, including some of the show's original writers. Sam Simon left the show after the fourth season, reportedly due to creative differences and personal issues between him and Groening. While Simon is still credited on every episode as a part of his compensation deal, his major role in the success story is practically silenced to death. However, while focus is indeed placed on Simon at times, Ortved makes it clear that there is more to the show than just one, two or three major contributors: the collaborative nature of creating a Simpsons episode is the running theme that one can find within the book.

So, obviously, and despite the many problems along the way, the book deal went ahead. "I had a huge amount of material that hadn't made it into the piece," Ortved tells The Simpsons Archive. The oral history approach of the book gives it a very special tone and style. Ortved is a fan of the form, one that he finds practical and the best way to remain true to the sources. "The people involved are so singular, interesting, and above all, funny, that I wanted the reader to hear as much of their own voices as possible," he says. The response from Fox and Gracie Films only strengthened the choice of style. "I think having it right there on the page � that these are people's memories and opinions, and not the one true version of events � was really important to me."

Ortved, 29, has been a fan of The Simpsons since he was nine, when the show premiered. "I watched the show, quoted it, and referred to it constantly," he describes. One of the things that truly hit him during his research is the amount of work the writers put into each script: "It's a year-long operation, not like any other sitcom on TV." There is a story in the book about the writers pitching jokes based on the exact syllabic format that mimicked Homer's mouth's movements. "Now that kind of attention to detail, and comedy, and the same time, just blows my mind," Ortved says with astonishment.

The 332 pages of the of the book paint a many-sided picture of the world's most famous animated TV show and the people who launched it and made it a success. The center of everything in Ortved's history is the writing room � as it actually is with the show as well. Not only has it a chapter of its own, its the focal point throughout the book. The animation part of the show is given less attention, but not ignored. Discussed are the humble beginnings of The Simpson family, how Matt Groening first turned photo-copied comic strips into a syndicated success with the help of his wife, before being invited to television to draw little "bumper" animations that would result in TV history. The transition from the shorts to the 30-minute shows, early 90s Bartmania, key writers, showrunners, guest stars and the issue of the quality of the show are among the other topics thoroughly covered. It's a great read for both Simpsons buffs, and those generally interested in learning more about the background of the show everyone knows and loves.

In addition to The Simpsons, the one thing John Ortved cares about are bears. Unlike Homer, he would never protest to a bear tax. "I'm for it," he asserts. For more information, visit Ortved's Bear News.

The introduction to the book is exclusively available at The Simpsons Archive.