"Homerazzi" is the sixteenth episode of the
eighteenth season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox network
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
in the United States on March 25, 2007. It was written by
J. Stewart Burns, directed by
Matthew Nastuk
Matthew Nastuk is an animation director on ''The Simpsons''. He started directing during the tenth season, and has since directed over two dozen episodes and continues to direct today.
''The Simpsons'' episodes
He has directed the following episod ...
, and guest starred
J.K. Simmons as the tabloid editor,
Betty White
Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...
as herself, and
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan Michael Lovitz (; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in '' The Critic'' and played a baseball scout in '' A League of ...
as Enrico Irritazio.
The full-length
opening sequence and
couch gag
The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...
ran for over 2 minutes and 20 seconds, making it one of the longest in the history of the show.
Plot
After failing to blow out all the candles on his birthday cake, an exhausted
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
falls asleep, igniting his party hat on the flames. The burning house is saved by the Springfield fire department, and
Marge purchases a fire-proof safe to protect the family's valuables (including the family photo album) as a precaution. Each family member places one item in the safe, but after it is closed, the items combine to start a fire that destroys both them and the safe. Refusing to accept the loss of all their memories, Marge decides to restage all of the family photos. One shot captures a celebrity sex scandal (Duffman dating Boobarella, despite Duffman being in a committed relationship with a homosexual man) and allows the Simpsons to strike tabloid gold. Tasting success and seeing money to be made, Homer takes to the streets as one of the
paparazzi
Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...
.
Overnight, Homer becomes Springfield's most valued tabloid photographer, provoking several local celebrities to commit embarrassing or criminal acts and then snapping pictures of them. After he gate-crashes
Rainier Wolfcastle
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...
and Maria Shriver Kennedy Quimby's wedding, the celebrities turn the tables on him by hiring top paparazzo Enrico Irritazio to get photos of Homer on his worst behavior (showering at a fire hydrant, letting Maggie drive while trying to beat up Enrico, and burning a jury duty card). Seeing these photos in the tabloids prompts Homer to give up the paparazzi business temporarily, but Lenny and Carl persuade him to resume his work, using a camera that Moe had hidden in the ladies' room of his tavern. Immediately after Moe gives Homer the camera, two women enter the bar and ask to use the restroom so they can trade
bra
A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appea ...
s and
panties
Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genit ...
, infuriating Moe since he's no longer have the camera to spy on them.
Homer bursts in on the celebrities at their favorite nightclub during a party celebrating Homer's assumed abandonment of his paparazzi career and takes many compromising photos (of which include
Sideshow Mel
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.
Types
There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:
*The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten seq ...
eating the
American flag
The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
, Paris Texan making out with Milhouse, Drederick Tatum snorting the ashes of Secretariat like cocaine, and Mayor Quimby and Kent Brockman dressed in sexual costumes and roleplaying). Wolfcastle, resigned to having everyone's outrageous acts exposed, asks Homer what he plans to do with the pictures. Homer says that he will not make them public, as long as the celebrities start treating their fans with more respect and stop taking them for granted. Wolfcastle agrees and, in a show of good faith, invites the Simpsons to a barbecue at an offshore "party platform" he owns. Here, Marge shows Wolfcastle a screenplay she has written; he quickly flips through it and turns it down. Not long after the party, though, she and Homer find that Wolfcastle has stolen the idea and turned it into a movie, which is now playing at a local theater. Marge does not mind the idea theft, because, in the end, the movie got made.
Casting
This episode marks the return of several guest stars; it is the ninth appearance of
Jon Lovitz
Jonathan Michael Lovitz (; born July 21, 1957) is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1990. Lovitz starred as Jay Sherman in '' The Critic'' and played a baseball scout in '' A League of ...
and the second of
J. K. Simmons
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
and
Betty White
Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...
. J. K. Simmons had previously guest-starred in "
", playing another editor, while Betty While had previously appeared (as herself) in the
season 11 episode "
Missionary: Impossible".
In both episodes his character was a parody of his
J. Jonah Jameson character from the ''Spider-Man'' films, though the one in this episode does not bear any physical resemblance to Jameson.
Couch gag
This episode's couch gag, often known as "The Homer Evolution" by Internet fans, is the longest Simpsons couch gag to date, running one minute and 30 seconds (this, added with the full opening, made the entire opening run for two minutes and 20 seconds). This is much longer than the typical theme song, which runs one minute and 20 seconds. This couch gag was repeated on the season 19 episode "
The Homer of Seville
"Homer of Seville", also known as "The Homer of Seville", is the second episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 2007. In ...
", but instead of Marge saying "What took you so long?" after Homer comes home, she says "Did you bring the milk?". Another season 19 episode, "
Mona Leaves-a
"Mona Leaves-a" is the nineteenth and penultimate episode of the nineteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 11, 2008. The episode features the ...
", has the original line, "What took you so long?".
Reception
Robert Canning praised this episode, calling it clever, ingenious, and one of the most memorable of the season.
The episode scored a 9.0 on TV.com, an equivalent to a "superb" rating.
The episode was referenced in the 2010 documentary, ''
Teenage Paparazzo'', directed by
Adrian Grenier
Adrian Sean Grenier (born July 10, 1976) is an American actor, producer, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of Vincent Chase in the television series ''Entourage'' (2004–2011). He has appeared in films such as ''Drive Me ...
.
References
External links
*
{{The Simpsons episodes, 18
The Simpsons (season 18) episodes
2007 American television episodes
Evolution in popular culture