Mmmmm Scarlet Johansson UHHHhhhhhh

There are only a couple fantasies of mine that don't include Scarlet Johansson. One is to attend a final four, which I've wanted to do forever and the other is to sit in the corner of the room during a writing session of the Simpsons. The Final Four, because of the excitement, the glamour and the competition. The Simpsons gig for some of the most intelligent, thought provoking humor I have ever seen or heard.

I truly believe Homer Simpson's life is one of those that men everywhere dream about. No, it's nothing we want to admit and we certainly want to keep it in the most private places in our mind, but let's just look at the basics. A wife whose love is utterly and completely unconditional. A job that seemingly pays all the bills and allows his wife to stay at home and take care of the house and three kids. The local bar being his home away from home where yes, everybody knows his name and the ability to stay consistently drunk with little or no consequences, and best of all, a conscience that only shows up every three or four months. Homer is never really held accountable for anything he does, whether at home or at work.

Though there is never an episode that in some way doesn't involve the church, for Homer, religion is just a crutch to use in times of absolute crisis. So uninvolved in a belief in a higher power is he, that when he realizes that the plane he is on is taking him to be a missionary he screams "Help me Jebus". No, that's not a typo.

When the Simpsons first went on the air as a series, Bart was the main character and the show was about a 10 year old boy who was every parents nightmare. The Producers and Writers, I believe wisely, saw that there was only so much to be done with those story lines and moved the focus of most of the show to Homer and his imbecilic ways. These episodes started around season four and continue to this day, well into season 18.

The series has just been extended another two seasons, which will make it the longest running series in television history. What this tells me is that I'm not alone in my appreciation of the show. If you're a fan, you know of what I speak. If not, I think you may be missing something. The writing is topical and consistently biting. It also follows my credo of nothing is sacred when it comes to humor.