- The end will come at some point, but not any time soon for
the longest-running scripted television series in American history. “The
Simpsons” has been renewed for another two seasons by Fox, meaning that the
animated sitcom, now midway through its 28th season, will be returning for 29th
and 30th seasons. With that extension, the show will surpass the record 635-episode
run of Western drama “Gunsmoke” to become the longest-running scripted series
in U.S. history. “Take that Gunsmoke! You lost a race you didn’t even know you
were running!” the patriarch of the Simpsons clan, Homer, said in a statement
released by Fox. Actual human beings associated with the show also chimed in. “This
is yet another record-setting moment for what is truly a landmark series,” Fox
CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman said in a statement. “The Simpsons has meant
so much to the network, the studio and everyone at Fox, and its continued
cultural impact around the globe is a testament to the combined brilliance of
[executive producers] Matt, Jim and Al.” Jim would be executive producer James
L. Brooks, who was recently asked about the possibility of making a second movie
based on the show, which by the end of its 30th season will have racked up a
whopping total of 669 episodes. “Fox very much wants us to do another one, and
maybe we will and maybe we won’t – that’s where it is,” Brooks said. “How do we
divide our labors, and do we believe in the idea we have? We may go into a more
active exploration of a second movie soon.” It definitely appears that Fox is
looking to squeeze as much life - and revenue - as possible out of this
franchise, so go ahead and assume another movie will happen………
- It’s amazing how bold a man can be when he’s a firmly
entrenched despot who rules his country with an iron fist. South African
President/dictator Jacob Zuma is facing increased heat from critics who say he
should resign because of scandals involving alleged corruption, but he’s
beating his chest and standing his ground in the face of this wholly legitimate
criticism. Zuma wants the world to know that he is not afraid of going to jail,
a statement he made while firmly entrenched behind the proverbial tall walls in
his political stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal province. Zuma noted that he has
already spent time in prison, referring to the decade he spent behind bars as
an anti-apartheid activist during South Africa's white minority rule, which
ended in 1994. That may be true, but this is a different story entirely. Now,
he’s trying to deal with the fallout from a report released last week by a
state watchdog agency indicating possible government corruption linked to Zuma
and some associates, and recommending that a judicial commission investigate.
Predictably, Zuma ripped the report, claiming he wasn't given a chance to
provide "meaningful input" in the investigation. In other words, he
wasn’t allowed to control it and shape it in his favor like he does with most
everything else in his country in order to ensure that he stays in power and
the extent of his corruption isn't seen by the world. Unfortunately for you,
Jake, this is one of those times you don’t get to silence the justified criticisms against you.......
- That didn’t take long. The Chicago Cubs were busy
celebrating their first championship in 108 years with about 5 million of their
closest friends in downtown Chicago on Friday, but not everyone was feeling the
love. Catcher Miguel Montero was on hand for the festivities and after driving
in what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the 10th inning in
the deciding game, an 8-7 victory, one would think he’d be excited to attend
the championship parade. Instead, a guy who had just 12 at-bats the entire
postseason, including four in the World Series, sounded more than a little
bitter while the entire city celebrated around him."It was different for
me," Montero said. "It was a different emotion because I didn't get a
chance to play. I was a little disappointed, to be honest, because I felt like
I did a good job in the regular season but was left out a little bit. It made
me feel a little like not important or maybe not as good to be in this
lineup." Montero was upset not only that manager Joe Maddon gave rookie
Willson Contreras the bulk of the playing time behind the plate during the
playoffs, but that the team didn’t sit him down and explain why. "I think
the toughest part for me is they never communicated with me," Montero
said. "I'm a veteran guy. They talk about veteran leadership. I have 11
years in the game and two All-Star [appearances]. I expected to be treated a
little better.” Lamenting not knowing what your role is going to be makes
sense, but making those comments so soon after an historic, memorable and
awesome title run makes it seems like Montero is all about himself………
- Bushy tailed rats are making their mark this week in
America. First, a squirrel got into a power station and caused an outage that
disrupted early voting in Miami County, Ohio, and now, a much angrier member of
the species has caused all manner of chaos at a senior center in Deltona,
Florida. The renegade squirrel attacked three people at the senior center,
prompting a witness to call 911 and report the havoc. “It’s jumping on people
and biting them and scratching them,” the caller told the 911 operator. “It’s
still in there and people are bleeding.” A voice in the background can be heard
saying, “I feel light-headed. I don’t feel good,” with the call going on for
more than three minutes. “I don’t know if we need an ambulance, but we need
some care for people here,” the caller said. “ … The people are bleeding.”
Somehow, the squirrel was able to gain entry to the building - damn lax senior
center security standards - and cause terror for several minutes before it was
eventually evicted from the premises. According to the caller, everyone inside
was eventually able to get safely away from the angry squirrel by fleeing to
the office and lobby, but no one is quite sure how all of this came about.
According to the Florida Department of Health, an animal bite expert followed
up on the victims the next day in an effort to determine what happened, but no
one has yet contacted the department to report symptoms of rabies. All three victims
refused medical attention at the scene, while senior center officials refused
to comment on the incident. The squirrel remains at large at this point, so
those in the area can attend events at the senior center at their own risk……….
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