Worst Simpson Episodes

   I have mentioned before how some Simpson Episodes are just awful, and they aren't worth the watch. Some people feel this show is so dead that it's been kicked around like a dead horse. I'll explain a few recent episodes I found to be...not worth the watch. But believe me 'Lisa goes Gaga' is still the worst.

  Clown in the Dumps- The first episode of the 26th season, God almighty, revolves around Krusty the Clown. Before the season started, they hinted a Springfield Character was going to die. Why? Well...the reason Edna died was because the voice actress died. The reason Maude died was a pay dispute with the voice actor. Who dies in this?

     Krusty's father voiced by the Jackie Mason. He dies without ever explaining if he loved Krusty's comedy or not. What do I think about this one? It's not horrible, but it seemed weak for a certain Springfield character that was barely around and does return mostly as a ghost.

The greatest story ever... D'ohed!- This episode starred Sacha Baren Cohen whose performance feels forced in this episode. Flanders tries to teach Homer how to redeem himself by bringing the Simpson family to Isreal.

  You could tell this episode makes Homer a complete asshole in this. Not only does he piss off Ned, but he does some disrespectful things in the house of the lord by sleeping in the sacred house of the lord. Ned gets banned for life as Homer doesn't even apologize. Ned forces him to do the right thing and saying sorry was not going to be one of them. I didn't care much for this episode, but it's not the worst.

Marge the LumberJill- This episode had a pretty good star-studded cast staring a non-binary actress. Props to that. Another positive was the voice actress Grey Griffin voices Martin, Sherri and Terri replacing the late Russi Taylor. That's all the pluses.

   This episode felt boring as Marge becomes a lumberjack and meets someone new. Homer feels that she has feeling for her and is going to fall in love with her. I don't really remember much of this episode. I kind of pass on it thinking...it's just a boring episode; but I give it props having non-binary voice actors in this episode.

 Every Man's dream- I might have talked about this one before, but I'll mention it again. What a poor way to start off the 27th season. I think the story was just Homer and Marge having problems in their marriage as Homer flirts with a girl (voiced by Lena Dunham). Adam Driver voices in this show too.

   It felt more like an episode of 'Girls' than it did the Simpsons, and I'm not a Lena Dunham fan. Eventually Marge and Homer reconcile as usual, Yada, yada, yada. Didn't care for this episode.

Star of the Backstage- Wow...this one is a stinker as well. Let me explain; most of the voice actors in the Simpsons are talented singers. Hank Azaria, Dan Castellaneta and many others. They decide to throw Kristen Bell as the singing voice for Marge.

   Don't get me wrong, I love Kristen Bell, but this was one of my least favorite episodes of the season. It was the first one. It's another Simpson Musical and well...it just shows how stupid it is and how pointless it is to make an episode like this. Skippable.

McMansion and Wife- This episode feels...egh. Don't hate it, but don't like it. It seems Marge and Homer befriend some neighbors that are making a huge mansion not far from where they live. However, they don't know because Homer was tricked after wanting to rid an expensive car by one of the neighbors.

  There was something positive about this. I guess it was in a dream sequence involving Homer flying and Dick Van Dyke guest voicing as himself riding a Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.

Codependence day- This episode shows how horrible of a person Homer is. First off...he drinks. Marge doesn't but soon they go to wine country and becomes addicted to wine and drinking.

   She tries to stop, but Homer believes it was best for her to just give in. Suddenly, Homer has a car accident after going to an Oktoberfest. He eventually puts Marge in the driver seat, and she loses her license. Homer is considered a horrible husband in this one. It amazes me they're still together.

Saddlesore Galactica- Wow, this one is kind of bland. I feel it's a good episode until the third act. Homer has a horse that he decides to race with Bart being a jockey. He keeps winning and well...here's where the plot falls flat.

  The Jockeys are really elves. I think whoever wrote this episode was snacking on Keebler products to think of that idea. It's an ok episode, but not one of the best. Also....Maude Flanders last one before her death.

Homer vs Dignity- Whoever wrote this episode...lost their dignity. This episode is horrible. Not only is this where Homer loses much of his but is being paid by Burns to do stupid stuff. The worst is when he has to mate with a panda. Let's just say....it happens, and they had to hide the love making scene.

   Eventually...he is told to dress as Santa and throw fish guts for almost a million dollars. He eventually comes to his senses and tells Burns he would not do it. I feel this episode is ok, but not a great one.

 Werking mom- I love RuPaul, but this is a horrible episode. Granted they do a good job with the LGTBQ+ community, but it feels forced. Marge eventually gets a job as a model...I think. She eventually loves the job; she meets a good friend who.... really is a drag queen.

  Again positive but feels forced. It's an ok episode, but I just feel this isn't needed in an episode like this. Maybe Marge befriends a drag queen, which she does, but eventually reveals how she feels about modeling.

 She does at the end, but it doesn't feel like this episode was good enough, just ok.

    These aren't the best episodes, and like I've said before, they are not great. The Simpsons have been on for so long, I wonder how many dead horses they have kicked. Well, let's just say, the episodes are not the best, but as long as they are not 'The Principal and the Pauper' or 'Lisa goes Gaga' They'll be safe....but will we?

James Earl Jones life

 

    This year, we lost a legend. James Earl Jones passed away in September leaving us amazing works. Like his acting in movies like hunt for red October, The Sandlot, Soul man, Field of dreams and much more. But he was more remembered for his voice talents.

   Born on January 17th in 1931, James Earl Jones was considered a stutterer when he was young. He didn't speak much until later in life. When he got older, he decided to try acting to help his stuttering and it seemed to work. He never even knew his father till later in life and was mostly raised by his grandparents since he was five.

 Like I said, he was mostly known for voice acting; especially his voice work in the 1970's when a certain movie by George Lucas came around. Even though he was never odically Darth Vader in suit, but his voice was known more than the actor in the suit. James Earl Jones voice cemented Darth Vader's persona in every way. Now with him gone, Darth Vadar is truly dead.

  James Earl Jones starred in two baseball movies, but one of them was more memorable than the other. Field of dreams, starring Kevin Costner, is about a man in Iowa changing his corn field into a baseball field. With the words, "If you build it, he will come." I forgot what the name of James character was, but he helped Kevin with everything as he noticed the ghost of his father appearing in the baseball field.

    What I would remember James Earl Jones the most is The Lion King. This movie is like Hamlet where one brother is killed by another. James voiced Mufasa who ends up killed by his younger brother Scar, voiced by Jermey Irons. His voice is beyond recognizable in this 1994 version, that 30 years later, his voice is more remembered in the animated one than the live action.

   Disney decided to make a live action movie of The Lion King. What did I think of it? Not as great as the original. They decided to have an 89-year-old James Earl Jones voice Mufasa and well...it wasn't as great as the original and that's why his voice sounds a lot better in the 1994 version than this one. 

  James Earl Jones has one son named Flynn with his late wife as she lived till 2016, passing away from Ovarian Cancer. His son Flynn has started to become an actor like his late father was. Haven't seen him in much, but he would often say how much of a role model James Earl Jones was to him, and I find that inspiring seeing that my father is the same way...at times.

  One more thing I wanted to say about him...He was the voice of the CNN news. Saying the words, "This is CNN" After his death, the CNN logo dimmed as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame having his star being covered with flowers.

  It'll be hard hearing his voice as a lion or a villain ever again. I even found out they're going to use his voice in future Star Wars projects. Mostly his recordings because no one, and I mean no one, can ever replace him. 

   "May the force be with him."

Underrated horror films

 

    It is now the time of month where seasons get colder, leaves fall on the ground and... horror movies become a daily thing. With some horror movies, you have SCREAM; Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street and so on and so forth. But here are some movies that feel like a horror film, but aren't mentioned much.

  

   Carrie is considered a horror film to many viewers. But there are so many versions of it, some directors want to make Carrie scarier than the original. To me...the original is the best, but the underrated version is the recent remake. It's trying to be what it can't be. All it is...is campy and not needed. You know when the scares are coming, you know who's going to get killed...so is it worth seeing the remake when the original is much better.

  The Lost Boys is an amazing movie that feels underrated to some. A story that feels as if it were written by Dean Koontz or Stephen King themselves. It's takes place in California where a newly divorced family moves. The cast is amazing, the story is pretty good, and it involves... Vampires. Corey Haim and Jason Patric end up in this strange new world when Jason becomes one of the new Vampires.

   Corey Haim gets help from two teens that hunt Vampires and well...you need to see the whole movie to find the twist which comes pretty early in my opinion.

  House of Wax has been remade so many times, that the original seems to be the only one that frightens you. About a few people trapped in a museum and they become wax mannequins near the end. I don't remember much of this movie, but they did remake that not many people would remember it. I don't, and yet... I feel the original is the one that can't be beat when it comes to fright and horror. 

   

    I've talked about this film before, and it seems very underrated. Tom Hanks lives in the suburbs with the late Carrie Fisher as his wife. He soon starts suspecting the new neighbors moving into a dilapidated frightening home. Soon, another neighbor of his disappears and he suspects it to the new neighbors.

     He eventually gets some of his friends to spy on them and the twist.... well, I'm not telling you; you have to see the movie. But...Tom Hanks was right.

   Sometimes when some of Stephen King movies and miniseries of his books happen, some are more remembered than others. Carrie, IT, Shawshank Redemption, even The Green Mile has more of an impact. The Mist...it has some sort of an impact. It has a downer ending which people would know more than the movie itself. It's about a town in Maine, of course, where there are bugs and horrifying things happening in a cloud of mist. 

   If I talk more about the movies and miniseries that feel underrated during Halloween from Stephen King, there's gonna be a long list. So, here's one more. More of a miniseries, this is another underrated horror film. Involving Jimmy Smits saving the town from aliens. People start to get smarter, others disappear, and in the end, Jimmy Smits dies.

    It's a hit and miss kind of film, but not many people talk about it since it came out in the 90's, and Stephen King has written more stories that have been made into miniseries and movies to count.

   A lot of people don't realize we take for granted Horror Movies like we do Halloween candy. We sit and enjoy a good scare or two and find out that some horror movies, like Jaws or anything made in October, can be considered a masterpiece to some, and to others...not. For me, I have a few favorites. The Burbs being one of them, and it's a perfect film to enjoy now until Halloween Arrives. Don't get too scared.

The Talking Teddy Bears-Poem

 

Ever want a bear to talk

a talking teddy bear

do you wish upon a star

like a child in their bed

if so

there is one bear

a bear that talks

a teddy bear 

that talks

swears

thinks and even

is a friend

another teddy bear

that talks

through tape

and has

his mouth open

a toy that talks

fun

or terrifying

a teddy bear,

that supposedly beeps,

in other words,

supposed to talk

only

through beeps

where did they come from

One bear,

named Ted,

created by a child

but idea

came from 

Seth McFarlane

Two movies,

and a tv show,

where a talking bear,

becomes a human,

acts human,

and befriends,

a teen,

who becomes a man,

who still acts.

like a teen

A toy,

from the 80's,

that frightened parents,

and made children,

want him,

a toy,

that tells stories

Still around,

but looks different,

less frightening,

and

 

kids,

feel this teddy bear,

is not needed

teddy bears,

some talk,

some don't,

teddy bears,

of shapes,

sizes,

and some,

still brighten,

anyone's smile

Happy birthday, Bruce Springsteen

       On September 23rd, 1949, in Northern New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen was born. But it would take many years before we would hear his greatness. Born into a poor family, we would not hear any of Springsteen's music till the 1970's

 

   He is of Dutch, Irish and Italian through both his father and mother. His mother recently passed away this year. He grew up in a Catholic household and has two younger sisters that are still with him and praise his musical genius. 

 HIs musical growth started around the 1970's. With one of his first hits being Born to Run. He also had amazing hits as well around the 70's and 80's like: 'Badlands', 'The Promise Land', 'Because the night' (which was a cover to a Patti Smith song) 'Hungry Heart' and a lot more.

   When the 80's came around, Brue was unstoppable. 

  He was starting to emerge as one of his most memorable songs would hit number one on the charts. "Born in the USA" was considered one of Springsteen's most amazing songs ever. The song was mostly a commentary on views on Vietnam war and the controversy it symbolized. Listening to the lyrics now, I can see where Bruce was talking about.

  Today, some radio stations have banned playing that song for its views. I love that song.

  In 1984, Bruce made a music video for his song 'Dancing in the Dark'. A very young Courtney Cox was in it as Bruce brought her on stage and they danced.

   The dance became famous that Alfanso Robario admitted using that dance for the 'Carlton' dance for 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' Whoever started it, that dance as well as that music video, worked great together.

  Around the 90's, Springsteen was still around and was awarded an Oscar for his hit song 'Streets of Philadelphia' for the movie Philadelphia which is about Tom Hanks having Aids and getting fired at his job because of it.

  Like the song, Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his patrial as Schindler's list won for best Picture that year.

  In the late 90's and early 2000's, Bruce was still making hit after hit. When 9/11 happened, he made an album as well as few new songs like 'The rising' as well as another song called 'Empty Sky' which talks about the tragic days of 9/11 and afterwards. 

  Losing someone in one of the towers, hearing this song helps the pain go away. As it did for many others that lost a family member that tragic day.

    When it came to politics, Bruce was a strong believer in the truth. He was for Barack Obama in the 2008 campaign. When he won, Bruce performed for the celebration. For what's about to come, he is for Kamala Harris.

   

   Bruce is still around today and performing with his E. Street Band today as he did back in the 80's. Sadly, he lost his saxophonist Clarence Clemons in 2011 to cancer. He gained a new saxophonist through Clarence's son and has been performing with Bruce ever since.

   He has been making new albums ever since. With newer songs that are becoming memorable as well as his other music that we still love to hear.

  My whole family and I are big Bruce Springsteen fans and there was a movie based on his music a few years ago that I loved called 'Badlands' which was titled after one of his songs. Oh...and one more thing, he's preferred to as The Boss. Happy Birthday to him.

Stephen King Horror

 

    Some people are considered great story tellers.... while others tell tales that give nightmares from the book to the movie.

     Stephen King is a kind of Horror author that is one of them. From his book series to novellas and much more, Stephen King has been scaring everyone ever since the 70's. Fifty years later, he's still at it.

       

   Stephen King was born on September 21st, 1947. With his birthday just around the corner, I want to talk about his life as well as his stories that changed many people from actors that portrayed his characters to people who read over 600 pgs. of his stories.

   Stephen King has written over two hundred short stories and over hundreds of Novellas.

 

    Most of his stories he has written became movies or TV Miniseries. Starting out with Carrie and giving us movies like: "Shawshank Redemption" (which is one of my favorites), "It" "Misery", "The Stand', "The Mist", "Dreamcatcher" and so much more.

    Besides Shawshank Redemption, another one of my favorites was "Stand by Me" which had a young Wil Wheaton portraying a young boy who lost his brother and hangs out with three other guys.

   They find...a dead body.

    In 1999, Stephen King's life was almost cut short when he ended up in an accident that broke his leg and injured his ribs. The guy driving did not see him walking in the dark and ended up arrested. Stephen decided to drop the charges.

    He came up with 'Dreamcatcher' right after that accident and it shows with the movie that came out afterwards.

   Most of his stories are not considered well adapted into a miniseries depending on what it is. With Langeliers, Golden Years, Tommyknockers and much more.... you might get an 'egh' kind of performance.

   It's not because of the actors or the story...it's just a lack of interest involving the direction it took.

   Some of them, like 'The Stand', which took six hours and four episodes, it worked. The acting, the story itself, the 1994 version was well liked.

 

 

   Stanley Kubrick, God rest his soul, did his own version of Stephen King's Shining. Staring the late Shelly Duvall and Jack Nicholson. Stephen...despised this movie and decided to create his own version which is longer and pointless.

   He also likes to guest star in almost every movie or miniseries based on his book.

   I loved this version of the Shining and wasn't a fan of his.

     Recently, during COVID, they decided to update "The Stand' with different actors and making it longer. What do I think about this? "Egh', Never seeing either version, I felt the original might be the superior one.

    They have good actors like Bill Sarskgard portraying the evil Randall Flagg and Whoppi Goldberg portraying Mother Abigail.

   When it comes to Activism and politics, there is one book Stephen King regrets writing. It involves a student that holds up a classroom with a gun and killing people.

    After the Sandy Hook tragedy, Stephen King swore that he would never make a miniseries or movie out of that was titled "Charlie"

    He is anit-Trump (thank God) and considers him the source of evil.

   When it comes to his book "The Stand", it is over 1,000 pgs. long and thinks if Trump wins in November... 'The Stand' would become a reality.

    He has other books that are pretty long. Some over 700pg. The book 'It', about a killer clown in Maine, is also over 1,000, has two versions of its story. First, a miniseries in the nineties that was over three hours long.

   The new version, 'It one' and "It two' were pretty long as well, one of them, the second one, is over four hours. What did I think about it? The miniseries was hit and miss while the two movies were ok.

   Today, Stephen King is still writing some short stories and Novellas with the help of his son Joe Hill. He also has another son named Owen, but it seems Joe is the one with the writing bug in the family.

     Stephen King is still active with certain views considering politics and gun violence today has he has before. It seems some of his new works might become movies for future generations to enjoy and be frightened of.