Just kill the fucking series.

I can't even begin to share my problems with this: Maggie Simpson, voiced by Jodie Foster, spoke her first complete sentence during a re-worked version of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

Strangely Badass II

Last week it was Richard Branson, this week it is voice actor Billy West. Though his name sounds similar to a crappy superhero alter-ego (perhaps I am simply reminded of the name Adam West), Billy West has voiced some of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time. Here's a list of the important roles West has played:

• Doug: Doug Funnie and Roger Klotz (1991-1994, the Nickelodeon version, not the Disney version with the stupid baseball tee version of Doug);
• Ren and Stimpy: Ren and Stimpy (Stimpy 1991 until 1996; Ren from 1993-1996);
• Futurama: Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Richard Nixon's head, and Zapp Brannigan;
• Space Jam: Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd;
• Scooby Doo on Zombie Island: Shaggy (West was only the second person ever to voice Shaggy);
• Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy: Popeye (a 75th anniversary movie).

I am blown away by the range of personality types (Ren Höek and Doug Funnie???) and by the presence on West's resumé of both original and mimicked voices (Looney Tunes and Futurama???). I can't even imitate regional accents from around the USA, let alone an imitation of a specific voice.

To be a bit more direct: Billy West is strangely badass because he represents a whole bunch of animated childhood icons jammed into a body that looks somewhat like Richard Kiel (more commonly known as 'That giant guy who had a nail in his head in Happy Gilmore').

By the way, everyone should feel welcome to add some names to the Strangely Badass series.

At least I get to enjoy The Dark Knight.

This is sacrilege.

The Simpsons has a new opening sequence for the first time since 1989. Largely the changes made do not affect the order of the elements of the old introduction (e.g. Bart writes on a chalkboard, Lisa plays a sax solo, and Homer endangers his life in the family's driveway), but rather serve as a yearbook of characters and gags that have been created since the opening was last updated. Overall the changes make this feel like a bad clip show...come to think of it, that is redundant, so let's just call it a clip show.

Plumbing