Difference between revisions of "Fraudcast News"

Revision as of 15:11, September 2, 2008

"Fraudcast News"

Episode Information Showrunner: [[{{{showrunner}}}]]

Plot

Springfield holds a ceremony dedicating their newest national park, Geezer Rock, a rock formation which resembles a face in profile. As Lisa prepares to read a poem there, Homer notices that there is a small tree growing in the eye of the rock, and pulls it out, believing he is doing the right thing. Unfortunately, this causes Geezer Rock to fall apart, and everyone runs for their lives—except for Mr. Burns, who winds up in a landslide. Smithers fears he has lost Mr. Burns.

Lisa is saddened that no one ever heard her poem, and she publishes it on Marge's suggestion. Meanwhile, it turns out that, Burns survived the horrible landslide—through slithering his way out—but nobody except Smithers has missed him. To improve his image, he decides to acquire every media outlet in Springfield.

Lisa distributes the very first issue of her newspaper, The Red Dress Press, which is well-received. She enlists the help of Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson, among others, to publish her newspaper's second issue.

Burns acquires all media outlets in Springfield except Lisa's newspaper. His views are even promoted on Itchy & Scratchy (which he now writes and directs). Lisa is saddened that all the others left her, but is relieved when Bart decides to stay and help Lisa publish more issues. Later, Burns tries to bait Lisa with ponies in an attempt to acquire her newspaper, but she will not give up. Burns gets back at Lisa by cutting off the Simpsons' power. Lisa writes her next issue through an old mimeograph Skinner used in Vietnam. Mr. Burns has a talk with Homer (and even drugs him) so he can dish some dirt on Lisa. Lisa writes her final "I Give Up" edition and gives up, but Homer responds by creating his own newspaper, and other people also create their own newspapers to help her.

Burns ultimately decides that acquiring all media outlets is not so great, so rather than conceding defeat (in which he hates), he goes out on a shopping spree with Smithers.

Cultural References

The title of the episode is a play on the name of James L. Brooks' 1987 film, Broadcast News. Brooks is also a co-developer and producer of The Simpsons. The Squeaky Voiced Teen jumps off Geezer Rock, depressed due to the cancellation of Futurama, a show created by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. The collapse of Geezer Rock is a reference to when the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in 2003. The title of the Itchy and Scratchy short, What's Nuked, Pussycat? is a play on What's New Pussycat? The episode's title is also a reference to the Darkwing Duck episode of the same name. This is the second episode of the series to have the hit song from the Spice Girls, Wannabe (song) to be played, the first was from Maximum Homerdrive.