Mar 29, 2024
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Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’

TORONTO (CP) _ For "The Simpsons," Halloween usually means all things spooky, scary and silly _ think wise-cracking zombies, ghouls and ghosts.

But this year, just in time for the mid-November U.S. congressional elections, Homer and the gang are getting political. The "Treehouse of Horror" episode, with a tentative air date of Nov. 5 on Fox-TV and Global, is a takeoff on Orson Welles’s famous radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds."

That broadcast caused widespread panic in 1938, when listeners tuned in and believed planet Earth had been invaded by aliens.

In Springfield, the radio broadcast causes such confusion that it allows Kang and Kodos, the lime-green, one-eyed aliens who show up in every eagerly anticipated "Simpsons" Halloween episode, to stage an actual invasion.

Entitled "The Day the Earth Was Stupid," the segment’s parallels to the American occupation of Iraq are surprisingly heavy-handed for the usually sly "Simpsons."

"The Earthlings continue to resent our presence," Kang says at one point to Kodos. "You said we’d be greeted as liberators!"

"Don’t worry; we still have the people’s hearts and minds," Kodos replies, then cheerfully holds up a brain and a heart.

As the two take in the smouldering ruins of Springfield, Kang deadpans the last line of the segment: "This sure is a lot like Iraq will be." The show’s executive producer, Al Jean, said recently he’s not sure if that line will be make the final cut of the show because some of the show’s writers find it too obvious.

Thanks to the uncertainties of the World Series airing on Fox, fans likely won’t be able to see this year’s "Treehouse of Horror" episode until almost a week after Halloween. No matter, though _ for those thirsting for Halloween fare on the tube, there’s plenty of more traditional, and less political, programming to be had.

On Friday night, the Halloween classic "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. "America’s Funniest Home Videos" gets in on the act on the same network Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, featuring its annual "Halloweenies" videos.

Perhaps one of the most compelling Halloween offerings is a witchy episode of ABC’s "Wife Swap," broadcast on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. A Wiccan high priestess with a houseful of friendly ghosts and an adoring husband switches places with a devoted and traditional housewife. On Tuesday night, "NCIS" on CBS airs its "Witch Hunt" episode at 8 p.m. ET, as Abby gets dolled up for a Halloween to remember while the NCIS team digs into a case of attempted murder and kidnapping.

The Comedy Network has been airing previous "Treehouse of Horror" episodes for weeks at 9 p.m. ET, culminating on Halloween with a rerun of the 15th instalment. The vignettes during the episode include Kang and Kodos cooking up the Simpsons for dinner in an attempt to please their boss, who then pukes up Bart.

On Saturday, StarTV features a "True Hollywood Story" Halloween marathon with segments on the making of Hollywood fright classics "The Exorcist" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

On the Family Channel, there’s this year’s edition of "Halloweentown." In its fourth instalment this year _ airing Friday, Sunday and Halloween night _ Marnie returns to town to attend the fabled Witch University. Debbie Reynolds reappears on "Halloweentown" as Marnie’s grandmother, the magical Aggie Cromwell.

The specialty movie channel Drive-In Classics is airing a Halloween marathon from Saturday to Halloween night. On Monday night, known as Devil’s Night in some parts of the country, the campy 1978 "Satan’s Cheerleaders" airs at 9 p.m. ET, followed by "The Brotherhood of Satan" at 10:45 ET. On Halloween at 9 p.m. ET, there’s "Francis in the Haunted House," the 1956 film starring Mickey Rooney and featuring Francis the Talking Mule.

The Space Channel also has some spooky servings up for offer. Its October frightfest has been running since the beginning of the month. On Halloween, the specialty channel has a horror film triple bill starting at 9 p.m. ET and featuring the Canadian horror classic "Black Christmas," the Virginia Madsen film "Candyman" and its sequel, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh."

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Headline, Industry News

Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’

TORONTO (CP) _ For "The Simpsons," Halloween usually means all things spooky, scary and silly _ think wise-cracking zombies, ghouls and ghosts.

But this year, just in time for the mid-November U.S. congressional elections, Homer and the gang are getting political. The "Treehouse of Horror" episode, with a tentative air date of Nov. 5 on Fox-TV and Global, is a takeoff on Orson Welles’s famous radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds."

That broadcast caused widespread panic in 1938, when listeners tuned in and believed planet Earth had been invaded by aliens.

In Springfield, the radio broadcast causes such confusion that it allows Kang and Kodos, the lime-green, one-eyed aliens who show up in every eagerly anticipated "Simpsons" Halloween episode, to stage an actual invasion.

Entitled "The Day the Earth Was Stupid," the segment’s parallels to the American occupation of Iraq are surprisingly heavy-handed for the usually sly "Simpsons."

"The Earthlings continue to resent our presence," Kang says at one point to Kodos. "You said we’d be greeted as liberators!"

"Don’t worry; we still have the people’s hearts and minds," Kodos replies, then cheerfully holds up a brain and a heart.

As the two take in the smouldering ruins of Springfield, Kang deadpans the last line of the segment: "This sure is a lot like Iraq will be." The show’s executive producer, Al Jean, said recently he’s not sure if that line will be make the final cut of the show because some of the show’s writers find it too obvious.

Thanks to the uncertainties of the World Series airing on Fox, fans likely won’t be able to see this year’s "Treehouse of Horror" episode until almost a week after Halloween. No matter, though _ for those thirsting for Halloween fare on the tube, there’s plenty of more traditional, and less political, programming to be had.

On Friday night, the Halloween classic "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. "America’s Funniest Home Videos" gets in on the act on the same network Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, featuring its annual "Halloweenies" videos.

Perhaps one of the most compelling Halloween offerings is a witchy episode of ABC’s "Wife Swap," broadcast on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. A Wiccan high priestess with a houseful of friendly ghosts and an adoring husband switches places with a devoted and traditional housewife. On Tuesday night, "NCIS" on CBS airs its "Witch Hunt" episode at 8 p.m. ET, as Abby gets dolled up for a Halloween to remember while the NCIS team digs into a case of attempted murder and kidnapping.

The Comedy Network has been airing previous "Treehouse of Horror" episodes for weeks at 9 p.m. ET, culminating on Halloween with a rerun of the 15th instalment. The vignettes during the episode include Kang and Kodos cooking up the Simpsons for dinner in an attempt to please their boss, who then pukes up Bart.

On Saturday, StarTV features a "True Hollywood Story" Halloween marathon with segments on the making of Hollywood fright classics "The Exorcist" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

On the Family Channel, there’s this year’s edition of "Halloweentown." In its fourth instalment this year _ airing Friday, Sunday and Halloween night _ Marnie returns to town to attend the fabled Witch University. Debbie Reynolds reappears on "Halloweentown" as Marnie’s grandmother, the magical Aggie Cromwell.

The specialty movie channel Drive-In Classics is airing a Halloween marathon from Saturday to Halloween night. On Monday night, known as Devil’s Night in some parts of the country, the campy 1978 "Satan’s Cheerleaders" airs at 9 p.m. ET, followed by "The Brotherhood of Satan" at 10:45 ET. On Halloween at 9 p.m. ET, there’s "Francis in the Haunted House," the 1956 film starring Mickey Rooney and featuring Francis the Talking Mule.

The Space Channel also has some spooky servings up for offer. Its October frightfest has been running since the beginning of the month. On Halloween, the specialty channel has a horror film triple bill starting at 9 p.m. ET and featuring the Canadian horror classic "Black Christmas," the Virginia Madsen film "Candyman" and its sequel, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh."

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’

TORONTO (CP) _ For "The Simpsons," Halloween usually means all things spooky, scary and silly _ think wise-cracking zombies, ghouls and ghosts.

But this year, just in time for the mid-November U.S. congressional elections, Homer and the gang are getting political. The "Treehouse of Horror" episode, with a tentative air date of Nov. 5 on Fox-TV and Global, is a takeoff on Orson Welles’s famous radio broadcast "The War of the Worlds."

That broadcast caused widespread panic in 1938, when listeners tuned in and believed planet Earth had been invaded by aliens.

In Springfield, the radio broadcast causes such confusion that it allows Kang and Kodos, the lime-green, one-eyed aliens who show up in every eagerly anticipated "Simpsons" Halloween episode, to stage an actual invasion.

Entitled "The Day the Earth Was Stupid," the segment’s parallels to the American occupation of Iraq are surprisingly heavy-handed for the usually sly "Simpsons."

"The Earthlings continue to resent our presence," Kang says at one point to Kodos. "You said we’d be greeted as liberators!"

"Don’t worry; we still have the people’s hearts and minds," Kodos replies, then cheerfully holds up a brain and a heart.

As the two take in the smouldering ruins of Springfield, Kang deadpans the last line of the segment: "This sure is a lot like Iraq will be." The show’s executive producer, Al Jean, said recently he’s not sure if that line will be make the final cut of the show because some of the show’s writers find it too obvious.

Thanks to the uncertainties of the World Series airing on Fox, fans likely won’t be able to see this year’s "Treehouse of Horror" episode until almost a week after Halloween. No matter, though _ for those thirsting for Halloween fare on the tube, there’s plenty of more traditional, and less political, programming to be had.

On Friday night, the Halloween classic "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET. "America’s Funniest Home Videos" gets in on the act on the same network Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, featuring its annual "Halloweenies" videos.

Perhaps one of the most compelling Halloween offerings is a witchy episode of ABC’s "Wife Swap," broadcast on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. A Wiccan high priestess with a houseful of friendly ghosts and an adoring husband switches places with a devoted and traditional housewife. On Tuesday night, "NCIS" on CBS airs its "Witch Hunt" episode at 8 p.m. ET, as Abby gets dolled up for a Halloween to remember while the NCIS team digs into a case of attempted murder and kidnapping.

The Comedy Network has been airing previous "Treehouse of Horror" episodes for weeks at 9 p.m. ET, culminating on Halloween with a rerun of the 15th instalment. The vignettes during the episode include Kang and Kodos cooking up the Simpsons for dinner in an attempt to please their boss, who then pukes up Bart.

On Saturday, StarTV features a "True Hollywood Story" Halloween marathon with segments on the making of Hollywood fright classics "The Exorcist" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

On the Family Channel, there’s this year’s edition of "Halloweentown." In its fourth instalment this year _ airing Friday, Sunday and Halloween night _ Marnie returns to town to attend the fabled Witch University. Debbie Reynolds reappears on "Halloweentown" as Marnie’s grandmother, the magical Aggie Cromwell.

The specialty movie channel Drive-In Classics is airing a Halloween marathon from Saturday to Halloween night. On Monday night, known as Devil’s Night in some parts of the country, the campy 1978 "Satan’s Cheerleaders" airs at 9 p.m. ET, followed by "The Brotherhood of Satan" at 10:45 ET. On Halloween at 9 p.m. ET, there’s "Francis in the Haunted House," the 1956 film starring Mickey Rooney and featuring Francis the Talking Mule.

The Space Channel also has some spooky servings up for offer. Its October frightfest has been running since the beginning of the month. On Halloween, the specialty channel has a horror film triple bill starting at 9 p.m. ET and featuring the Canadian horror classic "Black Christmas," the Virginia Madsen film "Candyman" and its sequel, "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh."

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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