Brian Damage
03-29-2009, 11:47 PM
We'd love to have Barack on the show. No president has agreed to do it yet but we'll keep asking.
Simpsons executive producer Al Jean
Barack Obama could make yet more history by becoming the first US president to lend his voice to The Simpsons.
The executive producers of the popular show, James L. Brooks and Al Jean, are hoping President Obama will agree to lend his voice to an episode of the series.
"We'd love to have Barack on the show," said Jean. "No president has agreed to do it yet but we'll keep asking."
But while there hasn’t been an actual US President on the show – George W Bush and Bill Clinton were imitated by voice actors – former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has appeared as himself, and former Vice President Al Gore has been included in Simpsons creator Matt Groening's Futurama.
Weight was added to the rumour of Obama's possible inclusion in the series when bookmaker Paddy Power opened odds at 4-1 that Obama will be part of the show, following his appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show last week.
The President made TV history with that interview, being the first President to be included in the line-up of a late night television chat show.
However, while his chat with Leno made television history, it also caused controversy after he made a joke which made reference to the Special Olympics.
Mentioning to Leno that his bowling average had reached only 127 since his Presidential inauguration, he quipped that it was “like Special Olympics or something."
His comments attracted outrage, including a response from former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who labelled the remarks “disgusting”.
Obama promptly contacted Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologise for the remarks.
http://www.livenews.com.au/Portals/entertainment/barack-obama-could-make-simpsons-appearance/2009/3/24/200592
Simpsons executive producer Al Jean
Barack Obama could make yet more history by becoming the first US president to lend his voice to The Simpsons.
The executive producers of the popular show, James L. Brooks and Al Jean, are hoping President Obama will agree to lend his voice to an episode of the series.
"We'd love to have Barack on the show," said Jean. "No president has agreed to do it yet but we'll keep asking."
But while there hasn’t been an actual US President on the show – George W Bush and Bill Clinton were imitated by voice actors – former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has appeared as himself, and former Vice President Al Gore has been included in Simpsons creator Matt Groening's Futurama.
Weight was added to the rumour of Obama's possible inclusion in the series when bookmaker Paddy Power opened odds at 4-1 that Obama will be part of the show, following his appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show last week.
The President made TV history with that interview, being the first President to be included in the line-up of a late night television chat show.
However, while his chat with Leno made television history, it also caused controversy after he made a joke which made reference to the Special Olympics.
Mentioning to Leno that his bowling average had reached only 127 since his Presidential inauguration, he quipped that it was “like Special Olympics or something."
His comments attracted outrage, including a response from former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who labelled the remarks “disgusting”.
Obama promptly contacted Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologise for the remarks.
http://www.livenews.com.au/Portals/entertainment/barack-obama-could-make-simpsons-appearance/2009/3/24/200592