Betty,Homer and Crazy Horse

From the what-is-that-about file: lately I have seen a couple of vehicles – an SUV and a pickup – with plush toys (Betty Boop and a teddy bear, respectively) tied to the center of the grilles. I would happily entertain possible explanations.

A recent Travel Channel program about the Black Hills, specifically the segment about the Crazy Horse monument project, reminded me of a comment a friend once made that carving up a mountain doesn’t seem consistent with the Native American ethos of respect for nature. Again, I will listen to counterpoints.

The Simpsons Movie was on FX the other night, and I enjoyed it more than when I saw it in the theater, which I find interesting. I imagine part of it is being familiar enough with the plot this time to pay more attention to the details that are always incorporated into a Simpsons production. But I think another form of familiarity came into play: the viewing environment. All the years of watching them on TV have honed the responses to the rhythm of the show, so that it seemed more natural and comfortable to see it there. The movie itself also seemed to belong on TV; I didn’t notice any loss in the transition from the big screen. Homer may have been hitting closer to home than the producers intended when he belittled moviegoers at the beginning for paying to see something they could watch at home for free - well, apart from paying for cable in this case.

Speaking of that, I wonder why Fox didn’t air it on the main broadcast network. I know they like to use FX for more risqué material, but I don’t recall anything in the movie that they hadn’t done in the series, apart from Bart’s comic frontal nudity (which was edited on FX) and perhaps Otto’s brief drug scene. Perhaps they wanted to give FX a boost with something that would draw a bigger audience than their usual fare.