The best Simpsons episode ever. Fact.

but come on people, homie the clown has the line: "they are airholes - they make the car go faster"

Sadly, in the US the syndicated episodes have bits cut out of them to allow more time for commercials. Most of files on kazaa were capped from US syndication episodes. These cuts can be very stupid sometimes, i.e. leaving in the setup for a joke but cutting out the punchline.

>I loved this episode, but I never NEVER did understand the rakes. Is >it an allusion to something else? I always just considered it a way to fill up another 10 seconds.

The rake scene was always controversial. It wasn't a refernce to anything, the point being that Bob is such a loser, he has to put up with slapstick comedy not only in his role on TV, but in real life as well. Back in the days of alt.tv.simpsons, "rake scene" was a term for a pointless time-filling bit that was likely to be cut in syndication.

and for gods sake, why didnt they ever show The Critic in the UK? i wanna see

You only move twice (CLASSIC if only for the sugar/cream scene, plus Hank Scorpion = best one off character evah)
Selma's Choice (Surly = best one off character evah)
Krusty gets Kancelled (Oh no! Bette Midler!)
Thirty minutes over Tokyo (Wink: "In America, you reward knowledge. In Japan, we punish ignorance." Homer: "Ignor-what?"; Wink: "You will now have to answer one question about Japan." Homer: "Is the answer Japan?" Wink: "Actually, it is.")
And Maggie Makes Three (very moving, AND funny)
Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment
Colonel Homer (Lurlene: "You're as smart as you are handsome!" Homer [angrily]: "Hey! Oh wait, you meant that as a compliment")
Marge vs. the Monorail
Whacking Day (look for Larry White's cameo!)
Duffless (Homer gives up drinking?!?)
Rosebud (yes, the Bobo one)
Cape Feare (Yes, the rake scene, which *was* simply to fill time)
Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadassss Song (one of the few sensitive Bart eps)
Lost Our Lisa (Lisa tries to go to museum by herself)
Trilogy of Error (the Lola Rennt parody, mit Linguo!)
The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace (Homer outdoes Edison)
They Saved Lisa's Brain (with MENSA/Stephen Hawking)
The Front
Lisa The Greek
The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular (my cousin Matt Groening in BOOTLEGGER SHOCKA)
Lisa's Substitute (really, is there any doubt that this ep is the best?)

And yes, I <3 Lisa. Here are some more words that rhyme with Cory...

Mom and Pop Art (Picasso in his crank period!)
Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One
Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy
Sideshow Bob Roberts ("He's even better!" "I like the human touch.")
Marge in Chains
Boy-Scoutz N the Hood
The Last Temptation of Homer (Zutroy!)
$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)
Homer's Barbershop Quartet (Homer hands bellhop an awards statuette. Bellhop: "Gee, thanks! Oh wait, it's a Grammy..." [tosses it over balcolny] voice: "Hey, don't throw your trash down here!")
This Little Wiggy
Marge gets a job (Tibor!)
Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes? ("It's drinking the water!" Plus, Homer sperm!)
Brother from the same planet ("Story. Gory. Allegory. Montessori.")
Homer's Triple Bypass
Mr. Plow ("Do you come with the car?")
Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie
A streetcar named Marge
Kamp Krusty
Last exit to Springfield
Dog of Death
Radio Bart (I nearly cried when I first saw this)
Like Father, Like Clown
Bart the Murderer (Bart: "Did you kill my principle?" Fat Tony: "Uh, Chinese guy with a mustache?")
Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk ("Advantage: Burns!" and the Land of Chocolate!)
Homer Alone
Three Men and a Comic Book ("Hot enough for ya?")
Bart's Inner Child (Decadent!)
Homer at Bat
Lisa's Wedding
Lemon of Troy ("For it was haunted. Now, drink your turnip juice.")
Bart Sells his Soul (Metaphysics!)
The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons (Manjula is HOTT)
King of the Hill ("Hey, Deng Xiao Ping died.")
The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
Eight Misbehavin' ("Please, call me Larry.")
Pygmoelian ("Duffman, sez A LOT of things. OH YEAH.")
Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder
Bart to the Future
Behind the Laughter
A Tale of Two Springfields ("Oh yeah? Bart, c'mere a minute!")
HOMR
Skinner's Sense of Snow ("I grow weary of your suggestive dancing. Bring the ranch dressing hose!")
Tales from the Public Domain ("I bagged a little girl! I'm the greatest Scotsman in history!" plus Trojan War and Hamlet!)

Last Tapdance in Springfield ("You are now carrying my child.")
Lisa's Sax
Lisa's Pony
Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington
Lisa the Beauty Queen

"'The Simpsons' must have heart to be good" is the most irritating party line EVER.

But when the mood is nihilistic, the show is simply cruel.

Meh. hardly classics. i could go on...

"Yeah, that Timmy is a real hero!"
"How do you mean, Dad?"
"Well, he fell down a well, and...can't...get out."
"How's that make him a hero?"
"Well it's more than YOU did!"

Yes, and cruelty is never funny.

That's because, thank god, it gets cut during syndication. You've seen it once, that's enough.

The thing about the rampant cynicism in later Simpsons is that while the jokes evoke laughter at first, they don't hold up upon repeated viewings, an important factor considering its syndication. The worst is when the jokes get old as they're being told. After the humor's worn off, all you have left is the maliciousness for the sake of being malicious. A viewer will close him/herself off to avoid identifying closely with the victim and perpetrator. You have the exact opposite when there's warmth in the telling.

(Not being mean to Nicole, who I heart, as should we all, etc.)

You just say that because you know he scares you and you can't admit to yourself.

Or maybe I should have said I will come after you with a tube of Kim's silver purple lipstick.

http://zhiphop.com/eminem/PHOTOMAIN.jpg

"No, Marc Almond ripped ME off, not the other way around! I'm gonna cry if you say otherwise!"

Nars?

http://welcome.to/nars

HVA SKJER MED NARS i 2003?

Det ser mørkt ut for NARS serien i fremtiden. Hva kommer egentlig dette av?

- Er det uviklingen av bilene?
- Er det for dårlig markedsføring?
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Total Poengstillingen 2002

All is clear. ;-)

http://www.geo.uu.nl/~nars/gifs/nars-allnew.gif

Apropos of nothing I feel compelled to quote a song that hasn't heretofore been mentioned:

Some folks'll never eat a skunk,
but then again some folk'll...
like Cletus,
the Slack-Jawed Yokel!

http://www.railshippers.com/images/header_statement.gif

almost gleefully misanthropic

Just like me after a full workday. Thank you, good night, I'm out of here! Actually I really should get some dinner...