This book looks at The Simpsons place in the pop culture firmament, from inspirations like Mad magazine to its critical role in the renaissance of animated television. The author recounts the birth of the show, discusses its remarkable merchandising success, and examines the show’s popularity as the longest running episodic program in TV history.

The Sequel Superior By: Edward K. Eckhart-Zinn Edward K. Eckhart-Zinn believes strongly that the age of internet criticism has led to a new path of viewing film and television, or by the encompassing terminology, “screen work”. A healthy array of screen work subjects are covered in The Sequel Superior, from the serialization of film through franchises like Star Wars or the MCU, to the overlooked impact your personal life has on any constructed artworks, exploring just how massive and engaged that link is. This book is equally for creators and critics alike, bringing new light to conceptually finding “objective factors” in “subjective artistry”. Screen works of all kinds are heavily dissected on this figurative operating table, such as Rick and Morty, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, and the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The modern screen work climate is anatomically deconstructed to render an almost scientific schematic, breaking down elements such as tropes, hype, plot threads, plot holes, the fairly new presence of the internet, fandom, fan fiction, fanfare, the benefits of an animated medium, rosy retrospection, nostalgia, and all of their respective effects to generate the take o the current-day media environment. Instead of retreading the continued deconstruction of such antique masterpieces like Casablanca or The Shining, we instead immerse ourselves in the less respected yet extremely popular “popcorn movie” and attempt to understand why the highest grossing films for the last ten years have all been sequel installments. This book posits that there truly are right ways and wrong ways of making this artwork, and the consumer, critic, and creator can all benefit greatly from its perspectives.

The Simpsons, Matt Groening's animated sitcom, is arguably the greatest show in TV history. To its critics, the dysfunctional family embodies the decline of wholesome values. To its fans, the show provides a window into America's soul, with each new season seeing the Simpsons spiral into ever-increasing levels of craziness, reflecting the nation's blurring of parody with reality. For more than 30 years, and across nearly 750 episodes, an entire generation has been shaped by some of the most influential and memorable characters on TV: Homer, the classic, middle-class anti-hero; Bart, the lovable brat eternally trapped inside the body of a 10-year-old who questions everything; Lisa, talented and gifted, the voice of reason prepared to stand up and make herself heard; and Marg, overworked and underappreciated, with endless amounts of forgiveness for Homer. It may only be a cartoon on the surface, but The Simpsons resonates with viewers on a much deeper level. Offering charm, humor, and life lessons, it's perfect TV that has stood the test of time. "Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers." Homer Simpson In 1998, the 10 year-old Bart Simpson was named as one of the 'Most Influential People Of The Century' by TIME Magazine.

Get ready to embark on a nostalgic journey through the beloved world of The Simpsons with "The Ultimate Ranking of The Simpsons' Best Episodes: From Joyful to Heartrending." This meticulously curated collection takes you through the most memorable and iconic episodes of the legendary animated series. From hilarious moments that will leave you in stitches to heartrending stories that tug at your emotions, we've compiled the ultimate guide to the very best episodes that have captured the hearts of millions. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the show, this ranking is a must-have for any Simpsons enthusiast. Rediscover the joy, laughter, and heartfelt moments that have made The Simpsons an enduring cultural phenomenon.

"Dives headfirst into getting the most out of Google: finding rather than just searching, performing useful tasks to get a job done and using the Google API to automate complicated or repetitive tasks." - cover.

The boundary between ‘high’ culture and ‘popular’ culture is neither hermetic nor stable. A wide-spread mechanism of a reception strongly influenced by structuralism and post-modernism has led to the amplification and acceleration of cultural production between these two poles. Relying on a decidedly theoretical approach, this volume offers a broad perspective transgressing linguistic, cultural, temporal, and media borders. Reflections and perspectives on the relationship between ‘high’ and ‘popular’ culture are the subject of the thirteen articles collected here. Side by side with theoretical approaches, case studies covering classical and Heavy Metal music, TV series and pornographic films, zombies and ‘Creature Features’, philosophically infused comics and popular lexicography, professional wrestling and hypertext literature pave the way to a contemporary aesthetics.

Hermione’s bottomless bag; Paddington’s hard stare; Nanny McPhee’s mysterious and magical personality; Yondu’s flying arrow. These seemingly unrelated characters, personality traits and magical belongings all merge under Mary Poppins’s umbrella. Australian-born P. L. Travers’s iconic English governess has been entertaining readers worldwide since 1934. Over time, the audience for Mary Poppins has only grown as a result of various film and stage adaptations (e.g., Disney’s Mary Poppins in 1964 and 2018). This book aims to inform those professionals who are eager to discover more about the connection between popular culture and children’s literature concerning Mary Poppins. It is the first to collect and introduce films, sitcoms and other books that have adapted Mary Poppins’s most characteristic personality traits (such as her bitter-sweet ironic mood), unusual teaching methods, and her use of magical accessories (such as her umbrella and carpet bag).

Forever known for its blazing cinematic image of General George S. Patton (portrayed by George C. Scott) addressing his troops in front of a mammoth American flag, Patton won seven Oscars in 1971, including those for Best Picture and Best Actor. In doing so, it beat out a much-ballyhooed M*A*S*H, irreverent darling of the critics, and grossed $60 million despite an intense anti-war climate. But, as Nicholas Evan Sarantakes reveals, it was a film that almost didn't get made. Sarantakes offers an engaging and richly detailed production history of what became a critically acclaimed box office hit. He takes readers behind the scenes, even long before any scenes were ever conceived, to recount the trials and tribulations that attended the epic efforts of producer Frank McCarthy—like Patton a U.S. Army general—and Twentieth Century Fox to finally bring Patton to the screen after eighteen years of planning. Sarantakes recounts how filmmakers had to overcome the reluctance of Patton's family, copyright issues with biographers, competing efforts for a biopic, and Department of Defense red tape. He chronicles the long search for a leading man—including discussions with Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, and even Ronald Reagan—before settling on Scott, a brilliant actor who brought to the part both enthusiasm for the project and identification with Patton's passionate persona. He also tracks the struggles to shoot the movie with a large multinational cast, huge outlays for military equipment, and filming in six countries over a mere six months. And he provides revealing insider stories concerning, for example, Scott's legendary drinking bouts and the origins of and debate over his famous opening monologue. Drawing on extensive research in the papers of Frank McCarthy and director Franklin Schaffner, studio archives, records of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, contemporary journalism, and oral histories, Sarantakes ultimately shows us that Patton is more than just one of the best war films ever made. Culturally, it also spoke to national ideals while exposing complex truths about power in the mid-twentieth century.