Fraudcast News

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The Simpsons episode
"Fraudcast News"
Lisa's newspaper versus Burns Media.
Episode no. 335
Prod. code FABF18
Orig. airdate May 23, 2004
Written by Don Payne
Directed by Bob Anderson
Couch gag The family members fly in dressed as popular anime characters (Bart as Astro Boy, Homer as Ultraman, Lisa as Sailor Moon, Marge as Princess from Battle of the Planets and Maggie as Pikachu from Pokémon) and land on a bench with "シンプソンズ" on it, Japanese for "Simpsons".
Season 15
November 2, 2003 – May 23, 2004
  1. "Treehouse of Horror XIV"
  2. "My Mother the Carjacker"
  3. "The President Wore Pearls"
  4. "The Regina Monologues"
  5. "The Fat and the Furriest"
  6. "Today I Am a Clown"
  7. "'Tis the Fifteenth Season"
  8. "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays"
  9. "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot"
  10. "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife"
  11. "Margical History Tour"
  12. "Milhouse Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
  13. "Smart and Smarter"
  14. "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner"
  15. "Co-Dependent's Day"
  16. "The Wandering Juvie"
  17. "My Big Fat Geek Wedding"
  18. "Catch 'Em if You Can"
  19. "Simple Simpson"
  20. "The Way We Weren't"
  21. "Bart-Mangled Banner"
  22. "Fraudcast News"
List of all The Simpsons episodes

"Fraudcast News" is the 22nd and last episode of The Simpsons' fifteenth season, first aired on May 23, 2004 in the United States on FOX. The Writers Guild of America gave this episode a 2005 WGA Award, winning the Paul Selvin Award, which honors works that focus on First Amendment issues.

Contents

[edit] 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 (a parody of the Old Man of the Mountain collapse on May 3, 2003), 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.

The episode is a satire of the FCC's new rules on media ownership, as well as containing blatant criticisms of Rupert Murdoch, the ultimate owner of Fox.

[edit] Cultural references

[edit] Soundtrack

  • "Incense and Peppermints" — The Strawberry Alarm Clock song is played during Skinner's flashback.
  • "Spinning Wheel" — A band performing at the Geezer Rock dedication plays the Blood, Sweat and Tears song.
  • "Wannabe" — the Spice Girls song is played on Homer's radio after Burns turns off the power in the Simpson's home, the second time Homer has played the song on the show, following "Maximum Homerdrive".

[edit] Trivia

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Burns mentions that lack of indoor plumbing killed his mother. His mother was last seen in Homer the Smithers.
  • This episode marks the first time that a character has been grounded, since Marge Be Not Proud in Season 7.
  • The episode is also noted for featuring the first ever time the swear word "shit" was said on the show. In this instance, it is said by Willie when he is announcing that he also has made his own newspaper, and in it he reviews tractors. "They're all shite!" he informs everyone.
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