Friday Lists: For Your Consideration

This Friday, three lists currently making the rounds of pop culture sites and e-mail boxes are summarized below:

25 Movies with Real Impact
In their ongoing series of 25th-anniversary lists, the USA Today staff has compiled a list of the most important movie moments from the last quarter-century. I'm on board with the list-topping "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but "The Cable Guy," "Total Recall" and -- I kid you not -- "The Bodyguard?"

100 Days That Changed Music
Blender magazine says that without these 25 watershed musical moments, we'd have "no mp3s, no LSD, no hip-hop, no soul-sucking corporate rock." Everything from January 31, 1955 (RCA demonstrates the first synthesizer) to November 16, 1985 (the day Starship's "We Built This City" reached No. 1). Don't worry -- this comprehensive list includes "Pet Sounds," the iPod, the Sex Pistols and the Sugarhill Gang. I think we approve.

Springfield's Best
Kudos to Vanity Fair for recognizing the genius that is "The Simpsons" with their take on the 10 funniest "Simpsons" episodes ever. A good list, but sadly lacking my favorite episode: "In Marge We Trust," which features a tear-inducing hilarious Japanese ad character named Mr. Sparkle ("I'm disrespectful to dirt!"), who bears a striking resemblance to Homer. (And don't miss the related link to VF's interview with former "Simpsons" writer/producer Conan O'Brien.)

Thoughts? Corrections? Additions? Praise? Share 'em below.

By Liz |  July 6, 2007; 10:43 AM ET  | Category:  Friday Lists
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Every issue of USA Today is a fresh reminder that one's birds need not have their cages lined with a plain old black-and-white newspaper.

Posted by: byoolin | July 6, 2007 11:03 AM

If you go to Vanity Fair, be sure to check out the associated Simpsons article, "Simpsons Family Values."

Posted by: Boutros | July 6, 2007 11:05 AM

Should have checked my grammar before I posted that. What I meant was:


Every issue of USA Today is a fresh reminder that one's birds need not have their cages lined with plain old black-and-white newspapers.

Posted by: byoolin | July 6, 2007 11:05 AM

Pretty Woman, Passion of Christ, and Mission Impossible III film that have impact, are you kidding me. This is proof that s USA Today serves no greater purpose and should stop publishing.

Posted by: Lisa1 | July 6, 2007 11:23 AM


79. April 1, 2032
Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy released
Weeks after Axl's death in a tragic tanning-bed accident.

What's that all about? Past isn't enough?! We Have to speculate now!?

Posted by: Van | July 6, 2007 11:55 AM

On the Blender list, #79 is my fave:

79. April 1, 2032
Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy released
Weeks after Axl's death in a tragic tanning-bed accident.

I also enjoyed their lists of Rock Stars Who've Caught Fire Onstage & the 25 Biggest Wusses Ever! & the 50 Worst Things to Ever Happen To Music & I must say I agree w/the majority of them.

Posted by: Bored @ work | July 6, 2007 12:08 PM

Hi byoolin. For Wats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvjm6Vzd_lc
Baby Spice:Emma Bunton:Prego commercial

Posted by: omni | July 6, 2007 12:09 PM

Also missing from the Simpsons list are any of the Halloween episodes, which would probably account for at least half of my own personal top 10.

Posted by: Jaybob | July 6, 2007 12:11 PM

How can the VF article forget "A Fish Called Selma"? One of Phil Hartman's greatest performances on the show. The episode had a musical version of The Planet of the Apes, sheer genius.

Posted by: michael | July 6, 2007 12:31 PM

VF left out "22 short stories about Springfield" (Professor Frink, Professor Frink, he makes you laugh, he makes you think) and the "Fallout Boy" episode where Rainier Wolfcastle crys out, "My eyes! The goggles! They do nothing!"

Also, I think they should have included (or at least given a nod to) the episode where the Simpson's befriend a gay man. Funny, plus slightly ahead of its time.

Posted by: Julie | July 6, 2007 12:44 PM

It is a shame that none of the Simpsons Halloween episodes were mentioned, Jaybob. My personal favorite is when the Simpsons go on the Jerry Springer show to discuss Maggie's biological father, Kang. The audience and Jerry get vaporized. Good stuff

Posted by: Renee | July 6, 2007 12:45 PM

What about the one where Colonel Klink is Homer's conscience?

Posted by: other liz | July 6, 2007 1:04 PM

Simply put, this list is no good. It's really not even worth holding up to debate.

First of all, no episode made since 2000 should be on that list.

Episodes that definitely shouldn't be on that list that are:
* The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show
* The President Wore Pearls
* Homer's Enemy

Episodes that definitely should be on that list, but aren't:

* Last Exit To Springfield (Homer is Union chief, Lisa gets braces) - this is the best ever episode. Brilliant writing and commingling of two well-developed plots.

* You Only Move Twice: Hank Scorpio (Homer helps James Bond get killed)

* Homer's Phobia: Homer: "It's a miracle!" John Waters: "No, ultra suede is a miracle. This is just good timing."

Posted by: Julius Orange | July 6, 2007 1:20 PM

Ahhh, yes, the Planet of the Apes musical was genius.

"Dr. Zaius, Dr. Zaius" to the tune of "Amadeus, Amadeus."

So good.

Posted by: Liz | July 6, 2007 1:23 PM

These 'list' events always seem to coincide with the release of a film or an album. GO USA - Even our nostagalgia for the past is manipulated for commercial purposes. (Treehouse of Horror VII - Kang - 'We must go forward, not backward. Upward, not forward. And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!' - tell me you dont hear that every time you hear a W State of the Union)

Top 25 movie milestones in the last 25 years... hmmm... soo many ways to become a milestone arent there. I'm going to suggest Ishtar - since it destroyed the big budget comedy for 2 decades.

Posted by: Quintilius Varus | July 6, 2007 1:31 PM

Silly Liz, USA Today is for kids.

Posted by: drea | July 6, 2007 1:37 PM

If I can think of an item that should be on a 100 DAYS THAT CHANGED MUSIC list and isn't, you KNOW it's a lame list.

What about: the summer day in 1953 that Elvis Presley walked into the Memphis Recording Service and paid $3.98 to make a record of "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" for his mama? The secretary at the service heard him singing, taped a little of it, played the tape for the owner of the company (Sam Phillips), who also owned Sun Records. Less than a year later, he was recording "That's All Right" and basically invented rock and roll.

I'm not even going to ARGUE about John Lennon meeting Paul McCartney being 20-some places BELOW the raid at Neverland. How is the day that a pedophile pop star getting busted more important than the day the two main Beatles MET? The former is the sad, inevitable outcome of a long skeevy decline, while the latter is a serendipitous collision that really really changed the course of music and pop culture.

My husband didn't help me type ANY of this.

Posted by: Margo | July 6, 2007 1:39 PM

Ditto the above commenter's citation of "Last Exit to Springfield." Abso-freaking-lutely brilliant episode.

My top 10 also includes "A Streetcar Named Marge," "Bart's Friend Falls in Love" (with fantastic B-story about Homer's subliminal vocabulary tapes), "I Love Lisa," "Mr. Plow" and "Flaming Moe's"

Posted by: Rick | July 6, 2007 1:55 PM

What about Feb. 3rd 1959....The Day The Music Died? I did not see that one on the list! And they put that stupid Lazy Sunday video on there???? WTF?

Posted by: Burke | July 6, 2007 2:07 PM

USA Today is a total joke of a newspaper...represents the dumbing down of society. MI:III???? Give me a break. Did they actually see that movie? The movie stinking had nothing to do with Tom Cruise's behavior. It stinks on its own merits. The Bodyguard? Are you kidding?

My dog cage is too good to be lined with that rag!

Posted by: moodring | July 6, 2007 2:15 PM

But we LOVE USA Today!!

Posted by: Birds & Dogs everywhere | July 6, 2007 2:23 PM

The Blender list is apparently so offensive that the firewall here at the office has blocked it. I can only vicariously share your outrage.

I presume Celine Dion's decision to begin caterwauling in Vegas is somewhere near the top of the list.

Posted by: byoolin | July 6, 2007 2:49 PM

My favouritE line from that Planet of the Apes musical number on the Simpsons:

"I hate every ape I see
From Chimpan-A
To Chim-pan-Zeeeee"

Favourite Simpson quotes:

Homer:
"I like my drinks like I like my homos.......flaaaaming"

Ralph Wiggum:
"I bent my Wookie!"
"My cats breath smells like cat food!"

Bart:
"Rod, Tod, this is God."
"Do you want a happy God or a vengeful God?" to which Rod & Tod quickly reply "HAPPYGOD!!HAPPYGOD!!"

Posted by: Bored @ work | July 6, 2007 3:11 PM

fave simpsons episode: cape fear

when the family has to go into the witness protection program and they're trying to get Homer to respond to Mr. Thompson. "I think he's talking to you"

Posted by: not bluto | July 6, 2007 3:15 PM

B@w, the brilliance of that song transcends the "chimpan-a to chimpan-zee" part. Please to demonstrate:

I hate every ape I see
From chimpan-a to chimpan-zee
No, you'll never make a monkey out of me.

What is this, I was wrong,
It was Earth all along,
Oh, you've finally made a monkey out me.


Great stuff.

Posted by: Bored-er @ work | July 6, 2007 3:42 PM

I don't really fave episodes, but I loved some of the quotes from the "Brother from Another Series" one (Sideshow Bob's brother Cecil).

Bob: "Those four years at clown college..."
Cecil: "I'll kindly ask you not refer to Princeton that way."

Bob: "Bart, for once I'm not trying to kill you. I don't like it anymore than you do."

And of course, who doesn't love the Shining parody from the Treehouse of Horror?

Posted by: dgc | July 6, 2007 4:13 PM

I will echo the support for "Last Exit to Springfield" as the greatest Simpsons episode ever and defend it for having the greatest lines ever and the greatest one-off character ever, the Dentist:

"Why must you turn this office into a house of lies?"

"Let's take a look at the big book of British smiles."

Posted by: Chris | July 6, 2007 4:29 PM

That USA Today is crap. Did they let the interns write for their first summer assignment?

They missed the Harry Potter series, The Matrix, Blade Runner, Little Mermaid (which brought back Disney animation), Princess Mononoke, Mullholland Dr., O Brother Where Art Thou, Brazil, Spiderman, Trainspotting, A Christmas Story, and Office Space.

Posted by: Mikopedia | July 6, 2007 4:40 PM

Liz - Your Tony Danza piece totally got ink and a link on TMZ! Your interview is making waves! I can't believe you didn't boast of this on today's morning mix :)

Your interview with Danza was great and made him seem like a very likable guy but of course TMZ tries to trash him and make him look like a hypocrite... though I don't think that's true of him in this case - CNN is supposed to bring us the real news, talk shows like his are supposed to entertain and are expected to deal with pop-culture and celebrities!

http://www.tmz.com/2007/07/06/tony-danza-on-paris-whos-the-hypocrite/

Posted by: seattle | July 6, 2007 6:39 PM

Say Chowdah...

Posted by: Sigh | July 6, 2007 9:12 PM

How could they forget "Homer: Bad Man" where he picks a Gummi Venus off the babysitter's butt, or "King-Size Homer," where he gains weight to go on disability?

"8:58. First time I've ever been early for work. Except for all those Daylight Savings days, lousy farmers."

"I wash myself with a rag on a stick."

I agree with "Last Exit to Springfield," too:

"Dental plan...Lisa needs braces!"

Posted by: VF Idiots! | July 9, 2007 9:22 AM

No Prohibition episode? Only the greatest one! And, of course, Fox around here never shows it...

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