New Kids on the Blecch
Encyclopedia
"New Kids on the Blecch" is the fourteenth episode from the twelfth season
of The Simpsons
. In the episode, a music producer selects Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph to be members of the next hit boyband, who record subliminal songs about joining the Navy.
The episode was written by Tim Long
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
. The episode's title is a play on the boyband New Kids on the Block
. The episode has received positive reviews from critics and was watched by almost 10 million viewers.
in the 1984 Summer Olympics
on TV, Homer
decides to participate in the Springfield
marathon to prove to Marge
that he is fit. In the end though, Bart
comes out as a surprise winner, by entering from a side alley near the end, wearing a stereotypical
Italian
costume as a disguise. Unfortunately, while receiving the trophy, a bird
rips off Bart's fake moustache
, causing an angry mob
to chase after him. Cornered, he accepts a ride from a stranger to escape. The stranger introduces himself as 'L.T. Smash', who happens to be a music producer. Smash offers Bart a career as a member of a boyband
known as "The Party Posse", as his stunt showed he has the right bad boy attitude. Bart accepts, and becomes the Party Posse's fourth member, joining Nelson
, Ralph
and Milhouse
. The Party Posse quickly ascend to stardom, albeit using complex voice enhancers
built by NASA
. They perform at Springfield Elementary to high applause.
The band releases a single video, directed by Ang Lee
, titled "Drop Da Bomb", which contains the suspicious lyric, 'Yvan eht Nioj'. Lisa's growing suspicion around The Party Posse eventually results in her discovering
the line is a subliminal
recruiting message to join the Navy
, as 'Yvan eht Nioj' is 'Join the Navy
' written backwards. Lisa sees that Otto
has decided to join the Navy, and so goes to find L.T. Smash, where she discovers that he is actually Lieutenant
Smash ('Lt.' being the abbreviation for the Navy rank of Lieutenant). He says he is working to recruit people for the United States Navy
, and that bands have often been used for recruiting. Lisa points out her discoveries to Homer and Marge, but they dismiss her accusations as jealousy of Bart. The events come to a head when The Party Posse perform at a concert on an aircraft carrier
, which only increases Lisa's suspicion towards the band. During the first song (which also contains subliminal messages), Smash learns from his superior officer that Mad
Magazine's next issue will lampoon The Party Posse, calling them 'The Potty Posse', and thus the band will no longer have any recruiting power.
Smash's superior officer also explains the new administration is having 'Project Boy Band' shut down and turns off the band's voice enhancer, exposing the group's mediocre singing voices, and causing the concert to fail. Aggravated by his superior officer's actions, Smash goes insane and threatens to send the carrier out to sea. When Smash completes his threat, a terrified audience leaves the carrier. Smash sails the ship to New York City
in an attempt to destroy Mad Magazine Headquarters. Despite the attempts of boyband 'N Sync
to stop Smash, he destroys the Mad Headquarters with the ship's missiles, although the Mad workers manage to survive. After Smash's criminal actions, he is arrested and the potential of the fraudulent Party Posse remains unfulfilled. However, the Posse is upset they did not appear on the cover of Mad.
The episode ends with 'N Sync talking about the Navy, saying that it is out there every day protecting them from Godzilla
, pirates
and jellyfish
. Lance Bass
then reveals that the band has signed JC Chasez up for the Navy and two navy MP
's drag Chasez off screaming.
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
. Mike Scully was angry that they had not pitched enough story ideas, so he pitched this episode, along with "Trilogy of Error
." During the pitch session, he suggested that *NSYNC guest star on one of the pitched episodes. The decision to add a government conspiracy came late, an idea which was pitched by George Meyer
. At the table read for the episode, the cast ad-libbed the lyrics and music.
'N Sync
instantly said yes to being asked to guest star, although Justin Timberlake
had to record his lines separate from the rest of the band due to a family death. During the recording session, the staff brought their kids along to meet the band. Tom Hanks
, who was filming Cast Away
in the same studio, wanted to meet them and came by. The song that introduces 'N Sync every time they walk in is "No Strings Attached". Justin was reluctant to say "Word" since he swore it was something he would never say, so as a joke the editing team reused the one take where he said "Word" after nearly every line.
Annie Alleman of The Herald News
named the episode her fourth favorite Simpsons episode. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said "When it parodies boy bands, “Blecch” has its moments. Granted, it’s tough to really mock boy bands, as they always bordered on self-parody; the Party Posse tunes sound a lot like the real thing. Still, the show works pretty well until it gets to the Navy side of things. Then it just becomes dopey and lacks the moderate bite of the earlier scenes. The show also becomes unintentionally eerie when it features an attack on New York". Judge Mac McEntire said the best moment of the episode was the irate choreographer.
The Simpsons (season 12)
The Simpsons 12th season began on Wednesday, November 1, 2000 with "Treehouse of Horror XI".The season contains four hold over episodes from the season 11 production line. The show runner for the twelfth production was Mike Scully. The season features three episodes that were produced for the...
of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. In the episode, a music producer selects Bart, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph to be members of the next hit boyband, who record subliminal songs about joining the Navy.
The episode was written by Tim Long
Tim Long
Tim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. The episode's title is a play on the boyband New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
. The episode has received positive reviews from critics and was watched by almost 10 million viewers.
Plot
After watching 38-year old Carlos LopesCarlos Lopes
Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes, GCIH, is a former Portuguese long-distance athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1984 Summer Olympics, in Los Angeles. He brought home Portugal's first ever Olympic gold medal along with a new Olympic record - 2:09.21.Born in Vildemoinhos, near Viseu, Portugal,...
in the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
on TV, Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
decides to participate in the Springfield
Springfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
marathon to prove to Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
that he is fit. In the end though, Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
comes out as a surprise winner, by entering from a side alley near the end, wearing a stereotypical
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
costume as a disguise. Unfortunately, while receiving the trophy, a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
rips off Bart's fake moustache
Moustache
A moustache is facial hair grown on the outer surface of the upper lip. It may or may not be accompanied by a type of beard, a facial hair style grown and cropped to cover most of the lower half of the face.-Etymology:...
, causing an angry mob
Ochlocracy
Ochlocracy or mob rule is government by mob or a mass of people, or the intimidation of legitimate authorities.As a pejorative for majoritarianism, it is akin to the Latin phrase mobile vulgus meaning "the fickle crowd", from which the English term "mob" was originally derived in the...
to chase after him. Cornered, he accepts a ride from a stranger to escape. The stranger introduces himself as 'L.T. Smash', who happens to be a music producer. Smash offers Bart a career as a member of a boyband
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
known as "The Party Posse", as his stunt showed he has the right bad boy attitude. Bart accepts, and becomes the Party Posse's fourth member, joining Nelson
Nelson Muntz
Nelson Mandela Muntz is a fictional character and bully from the animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Nelson was introduced in Season 1's "Bart the General" as a bully but later turned into a friend of Bart Simpson, who is best identified by his signature laugh .-Role...
, Ralph
Ralph Wiggum
Ralph Wiggum is a recurring fictional character on the animated series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. The son of Police Chief Wiggum and a classmate of Lisa Simpson, Ralph is best known as the show's resident oddball, and is noted for his non sequiturs and erratic behavior...
and Milhouse
Milhouse Van Houten
Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Pamela Hayden. He is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class at Springfield Elementary School....
. The Party Posse quickly ascend to stardom, albeit using complex voice enhancers
Pitch correction
Pitch correction is the process of correcting the intonation of an audio signal without affecting other aspects of its sound. Pitch correction first detects the pitch of an audio signal , then calculates the desired change and modifies the audio signal accordingly...
built by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. They perform at Springfield Elementary to high applause.
The band releases a single video, directed by Ang Lee
Ang Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
, titled "Drop Da Bomb", which contains the suspicious lyric, 'Yvan eht Nioj'. Lisa's growing suspicion around The Party Posse eventually results in her discovering
Backmasking
Backmasking is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward on to a track that is meant to be played forward...
the line is a subliminal
Subliminal stimuli
Subliminal stimuli , contrary to supraliminal stimuli or "above threshold", are any sensory stimuli below an individual's threshold for conscious perception. The large majority of research has found that subliminal messages do not produce strong or lasting changes in behavior...
recruiting message to join the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, as 'Yvan eht Nioj' is 'Join the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
' written backwards. Lisa sees that Otto
Otto Mann
Otto Mann is a fictional character on the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. He is the school bus driver for Springfield Elementary School...
has decided to join the Navy, and so goes to find L.T. Smash, where she discovers that he is actually Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Smash ('Lt.' being the abbreviation for the Navy rank of Lieutenant). He says he is working to recruit people for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and that bands have often been used for recruiting. Lisa points out her discoveries to Homer and Marge, but they dismiss her accusations as jealousy of Bart. The events come to a head when The Party Posse perform at a concert on an aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, which only increases Lisa's suspicion towards the band. During the first song (which also contains subliminal messages), Smash learns from his superior officer that Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
Magazine's next issue will lampoon The Party Posse, calling them 'The Potty Posse', and thus the band will no longer have any recruiting power.
Smash's superior officer also explains the new administration is having 'Project Boy Band' shut down and turns off the band's voice enhancer, exposing the group's mediocre singing voices, and causing the concert to fail. Aggravated by his superior officer's actions, Smash goes insane and threatens to send the carrier out to sea. When Smash completes his threat, a terrified audience leaves the carrier. Smash sails the ship to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in an attempt to destroy Mad Magazine Headquarters. Despite the attempts of boyband 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
to stop Smash, he destroys the Mad Headquarters with the ship's missiles, although the Mad workers manage to survive. After Smash's criminal actions, he is arrested and the potential of the fraudulent Party Posse remains unfulfilled. However, the Posse is upset they did not appear on the cover of Mad.
The episode ends with 'N Sync talking about the Navy, saying that it is out there every day protecting them from Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
, pirates
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
and jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
. Lance Bass
Lance Bass
James Lance Bass , best known as Lance Bass, is an American pop singer, dancer, actor, film and television producer, and author. He grew up in Mississippi and rose to fame as the bass singer for the American pop boy band 'N Sync. 'N Sync's success led Bass to work in film and television...
then reveals that the band has signed JC Chasez up for the Navy and two navy MP
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
's drag Chasez off screaming.
Production
The episode was written by Tim LongTim Long
Tim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
and directed by Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore
Steven Dean Moore is an animation director who has directed 35 episodes of The Simpsons, in addition to several episodes of the long running Nicktoon programme Rugrats...
. Mike Scully was angry that they had not pitched enough story ideas, so he pitched this episode, along with "Trilogy of Error
Trilogy of Error
"Trilogy of Error" is the eighteenth episode of the twelfth season, and the 266th overall, of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was originally aired on April 29, 2001 by the Fox Broadcasting Company...
." During the pitch session, he suggested that *NSYNC guest star on one of the pitched episodes. The decision to add a government conspiracy came late, an idea which was pitched by George Meyer
George Meyer
George A. Meyer is an American producer and writer. Raised in Tucson, Arizona in a Roman Catholic family, Meyer attended Harvard University. There, after becoming president of the Harvard Lampoon, he graduated in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. Abandoning plans to attend medical school, Meyer...
. At the table read for the episode, the cast ad-libbed the lyrics and music.
'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
instantly said yes to being asked to guest star, although Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
had to record his lines separate from the rest of the band due to a family death. During the recording session, the staff brought their kids along to meet the band. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, who was filming Cast Away
Cast Away
Cast Away is a 2000 drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks as a FedEx employee stranded on an uninhabited island after his plane crashes in the South Pacific. The film depicts his successful attempts to survive on the island using remnants of his plane's cargo, as well as his...
in the same studio, wanted to meet them and came by. The song that introduces 'N Sync every time they walk in is "No Strings Attached". Justin was reluctant to say "Word" since he swore it was something he would never say, so as a joke the editing team reused the one take where he said "Word" after nearly every line.
Censorship
After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, syndicated versions of this episode cut the part where the missile from the aircraft carrier launches and decimates the MAD Magazine office building (with all of the writers coming out of the explosion okay). For a period of time the scene was only available on the season 12 DVD, however the scene once again appears in syndicated versions of the show.Reception
In its original American broadcast, "New Kids on the Blecch" was viewed by 9.9134 million viewers with a 9.7 rating/15 share making it the top rated animated show of the week.Annie Alleman of The Herald News
The Herald News
The smaller of the two main newspapers in Massachusetts' South Coast, The Herald News is a daily newspaper based in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA...
named the episode her fourth favorite Simpsons episode. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide said "When it parodies boy bands, “Blecch” has its moments. Granted, it’s tough to really mock boy bands, as they always bordered on self-parody; the Party Posse tunes sound a lot like the real thing. Still, the show works pretty well until it gets to the Navy side of things. Then it just becomes dopey and lacks the moderate bite of the earlier scenes. The show also becomes unintentionally eerie when it features an attack on New York". Judge Mac McEntire said the best moment of the episode was the irate choreographer.
External links
- "New Kids on the Blecch" at The Simpsons.com
- Party Posse Lyrics
- MAD Magazine appearances in The Simpsons