Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is among the foreign leaders attending Donald Trump’s inauguration today as the 47th President of the United States Trump lauded Meloni as a “fantastic woman” during her visit to Mar-a-Lago underscoring their shared ideological affinity a seasoned diplomat who served as Italy’s ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2009 Meloni’s trip represents a strategic opportunity Observers speculate Meloni could act as a bridge between the Trump administration and the EU which remains wary of the US president’s approach to transatlantic relations Italy has enacted a “Buy Transatlantic” measure for public procurement of ICT and cybersecurity systems tied to critical national infrastructure.. A joint declaration was signed to commit both nations to collaborate on sustainable supply chains for critical raw materials Decode39 is a spin-off project stemming from Formiche a leading geopolitical and analytical news outlet that has been informing Italian decision-makers since 2004 We provide authoritative content and geopolitical insights taking advantage of Italy’s unique perspective as a global crossroads to reach English and Arab-speaking readers around the world authoritative content and geopolitical insights from Italy to Arabic readers around the world DECODE39 IN ARABIC> As denizens of Blockbuster Video will be able to attest the mid-1990s to early 2000s saw a massive glut of animated straight-to-video sequels and prequels to many of Disney's known animated features There were sequels to "The Fox and the Hound," "Bambi," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Lion King," "Lady and the Tramp," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire," "The Emperor's New Groove," "Mulan," "Pocahontas," "Tarzan," "The Jungle Book," and even "Brother Bear." The sequels all came when there was a change of leadership at Disney and the studio tripled-down on the mandate to make as much money as possible The only people who watched these movies were nostalgic Disney-obsessed adults who viewed them as a scientific curiosity, and sought to use them as talking points in long-form online articles the films were rented from Blockbuster by anyone who happened to be seven years old when the sequel in question was released Notable for this article are the two straight-to-video sequels to Disney's 1992 rendition of "Aladdin," based very very loosely on "One Thousand and One Nights." Rob Musker's and Ron Clements' "Aladdin" saw a rascally vagrant (Scott Weinger) being recruited by the Sultan's evil vizier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) to enter a dangerous living cave and retrieve the magic lamp inside Aladdin ends up rubbing the lamp on his own and meeting the Genie (Robin Williams) that lived inside Williams notoriously improvised a lot of dialogue and the animators had to work overtime to accommodate his hilariously anachronistic impersonations while the evil Jafar was transformed into a genie himself and imprisoned in a lamp When Disney wanted to make a DTV sequel to "Aladdin," they naturally wanted to make it about the genie version of Jafar Disney hired the amazingly talented Dan Castellaneta to play the Genie Most people likely know Castellaneta as the voice of Homer Simpson Robin Williams had long stayed away from animation partly because voice acting had a minor stigma attached to it live-action actor to lend their voice to an animated film Williams agreed to star in a "message" film called "FernGully: The Last Rainforest," a fantasy film about deforestation and environmental disaster The story goes that Disney head Jeffrey Katzenberg approached Williams about "Aladdin," having mocked up a miniature animation test using William's stand-up routines as a basis Williams loved the test and agreed to appear in "Aladdin," but only on the stipulation that he be used in less than 25% of the marketing materials Williams wanted his performance to be enjoyed outside the circle of commercial glut immediately worked around this stipulation by including the genie in almost 100% of the marketing Katzenberg also notoriously tried to buy the animation studio where "FernGully" was being made actively attempting to sabotage the project Williams was enraged by the attempted dismantling of the "message" picture he was working on, and by the misuse of his name in advertising. For a few years, he wanted nothing to do with Disney, as he confirmed in a 1993 interview with the Los Angeles Times reportedly gave Williams a Picasso painting as an apology (!) "The Return of Jafar" was already in production and it was 100% unlikely that Williams would participate Disney hired a replacement: Dan Castellaneta That led to the notable animated series "The Simpsons" which has lasted well over 12 episodes and could do a lot of wonderful celebrity impersonations and contains some of the funniest performances you'll ever see; I recommend watching him perform the title role in the 1990s animated series "Earthworm Jim," or his villain performances in "Darkwing Duck." In 1993 he was tapped to play the Genie in "The Return of Jafar," and he naturally said yes It's unlikely he knew about the beef Williams was having with Katzenberg if not quite possessing the same range of impersonations Castellaneta’s writing credits include “The Tracey Ullman Show,” “The Simpsons Comic Books” and eight episodes of THE SIMPSONS, one of which was nominated for a Writers Guild Award. His play, “A Purple Dawn,” premiered at Geneva College in northwestern Pennsylvania. Along with his wife, he founded the improv scenario group Instant Theatre in Chicago, where they wrote, directed and performed comedic one-act plays. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Best Dressed at Met Gala 2025 - Top 32 Red Carpet Looks Revealed! Rihanna Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 3 With A$AP Rocky! Every Celeb at Met Gala 2025 - See All Red Carpet Photos & Full Guest List (Updating Live All Night) Dan Castellaneta voices Homer Simpson He has an estimated net worth of $85 million LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio In "The Simpsons," voice actor Dan Castellaneta brings to life Homer Simpson and legions* of other characters Oscar Levant was an actor and a classically trained pianist who trained under Arnold Schoenberg He wrote the music for more than twenty movies and the standard Blame it On My Youth He co-starred in "An American In Paris," holding his own with Gene Kelly: Levant's intelligence and acidic wit was legendary Levant always played the wise-cracking best friend I move the piano." Levant was an very popular guest on radio and TV shows and Peter Sagal assures me he would have been a regular on "Wait Castellaneta says he knew a little about Oscar Levant from movies like "Rhapsody in Blue" and the Fred Allen Show and his wife (the actor Deb Lacusta) knew a lot more was especially struck by a passage in "Harpo Speaks!" by Harpo Marx "There's a scene where Harpo's having a dinner party and he gets a call The guy on the line says 'How do I get to your house from here?' Harpo says you musical ignoramus!' So Oscar crashed the party and ended up staying there for a year and a month I read somewhere that Oscar said it was only four months." So was born "For Piano and Harpo." "I thought this would make for a really interesting play about these two characters Whereas Harpo seems to be one of the most healthy people But they were both attracted to each other The play speaks to the darker side of Levant's life and career "He was one of the first celebrities to be open about their struggle with mental illness and drug addiction His terrible years were really after his time as a touring concert pianist.. in the late 1940s to late 1950s." He just couldn't handle performing in public When Castellaneta was researching the book he says "I spoke with a couple psychiatrists And in those days they didn't really know how to treat it; the best they could do was to try to give him sedatives to calm them down." And so in "For Piano and Harpo," Levant wakes up in the psych ward of Mt Sinai Hospital and has to deal with the demons of his past and present and characters including Jack Paar (Listen to the audio player to hear Castellaneta and Oscar and Jonathan Stark as Jack Parr run lines exclusively for Off-Ramp.) Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Mel, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby Dawnn Lewis is the voice behind Bernice Hibbert She has an estimated net worth of $4 million Grey DeLisle is the voice behind Martin Prince She has an estimated net worth of $5 million Continue » The Simpsons has been a fixture on our TV screens for as long as we can remember and the beloved series has its very talented (and wealthy) cast to thank for its success the animated series is still churning out content all the way into 2024 we got curious about how wealthy the cast was We did some digging and checked out the estimated net worth of some of the biggest stars to appear on the show there have been some very famous cameo roles over the years we limited the list to the stars who have appeared on the show at least 10 times Scroll through the slideshow to see which star from The Simpsons is worth the most… Even if he had done nothing else in his career Dan Castellaneta's place in pop culture history was well secured thanks to his singular creation of Homer J the loutish father figure on Fox's long-running animated comedy "The Simpsons" (1989- ) Castellaneta provided the voice of Homer and numerous other characters on the show lending his elastic vocal talents to a host of other animated shows and features as well If the series had not made his face a familiar one in households around the world it certainly afforded him job security and the ability to express himself in a variety of different forums Born Daniel Louise Castellaneta in Chicago Castellaneta was a shy child whose knack for comedy and voices was fostered by his father a printer and amateur actor whose collection of comedy records was a source of much enjoyment for his son He got his first taste of performing while still in grade school but pursued teaching while still a student at Northern Illinois University His skill at imitation and humorous voices was not lost on his students and they encouraged him to do something with his talent Castellaneta joined the acclaimed Second City comedy troupe and began providing voice-overs for local radio stations and advertising spots he was partnered with writer and performer Deb Lacusta Castellaneta was recommended to join the cast of "The Tracey Ullman Show" (Fox a sketch comedy series starring the UK comic actress In addition to performing on and writing for the show Castellaneta and his castmate Julie Kavner began providing the voices for a series of one-minute cartoons created by writer and cartoonist Matt Groening The animated bits were titled "The Simpsons," and Castellaneta provided the voice for the family's hot-tempered father His vocal inspiration for the character was Walter Matthau but Homer's wildly fluctuating emotions required another approach and Castellaneta eventually developed an early version of Homer's voice for these spots He also developed Homer's trademark utterance - "D'oh!" or "annoyed grunt," as it's written in the show's scripts - which he claimed was a shortened take on a pained groan used by a British comic in the 1940s "The Simpsons" was developed into a weekly half-hour series for Fox and the vocal cast featured on the Ullman show was brought on board to voice the Simpson family on a full-time basis The series became the first Fox program to break the Top 30 on the Nielsen charts and merchandise based on its characters (both authorized and bootleg) sold to the tune of $2 billion in the first 14 months of production The success of "The Simpsons" allowed Castellaneta to provide voices for numerous other animated series and films Among his many credits were "The Return of Jafar" (1993) Disney's direct-to-video sequel to "Aladdin" and the subsequent "Aladdin' series (CBS for which he replaced Robin Williams as the voice of the Genie (a movie precipitated by the studio's rift with the actor over promotional snafus) He also voiced Grandpa on Nickelodeon's "Hey Arnold" (1996-2004) offered a dead-on imitation of Christopher Lloyd for the "Back to the Future" animated series (CBS and took the lead as "Earthworm Jim" for The WB Network from 1995 to 1996 Castellaneta also voiced several characters for video games and appeared infrequently in supporting roles in television series and feature films But Homer and "The Simpsons" provided Castellaneta's main creative outlet he also wrote several episodes of the series with his wife 1986-1994) as a theme park actor who is dismissed from his role as Homer Simpson for "inappropriate behavior" in 1992 Castellaneta won three Emmys and an Annie as a performer and was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award with Lacusta a homage/parody of the Beatles' most popular songs which also featured Lacusta's vocal and comedy talents He also found time in his busy schedule to make frequent returns to the stage including a stint off-Broadway in "The Alchemist" and a one-man show "Where Did Vincent Van Gogh?" which he performed in Los Angeles and at the Aspen Comedy Festival Castellaneta and his "Simpsons" castmates began work on the long-awaited feature film version of the series (2007) while they continued voicing their characters for the series Since Castellaneta voiced about 10 characters for the TV program - including fan favorites Barney Gumble and Groundskeeper Willie - he found himself logging upwards of 20 recording sessions at a time - a considerable leap from the five or six per year that most voice talent face over the course of a single year Sign Up July 30, 2023 Homer Simpson’s reputation as a symbol of fatherhood will surely outlast all of us risky and thoughtless decision-making lies a heart of gold that usually figures it out and makes things right in the end that it’s easy to overlook the real person behind him: Dan Castellaneta delivery and ability to elicit so many different feelings — all with just his voice — that inform so much of Homer’s DNA Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox. That said, Castellaneta’s talent isn’t just confined to Homer. His vocal spirit brings countless other Springfieldians to life Also known occasionally as “Pimple-Faced Teen” or Jeremy Friedman/Steve Friedman this greasy kid — whose vocal range couldn’t be more different than Homer’s — makes for tons of great jokes Always working some entry-level position at Krusty Burger he’s often the punchline for whatever the retail scene needs While Castellaneta was initially doing a parody of the Kennedy family the sheer run of the show has allowed Mayor Quimby to evolve into a dynastic presence all his own Whether he’s going on vacation to avoid the town’s problems having a child with a random mistress or mispronouncing the name of the very city he’s mayor of he’s a perfect representation of all that’s wrong with the people who represent us in government over-the-top delivery of every single line is impossible to miss Mel is best known for being Sideshow Bob’s replacement, but he still shares certain attributes with him. Both come from an Ivy League background, both use a slide whistle and both have wild hairstyles. He might take some abuse from Krusty poodles and even won the Springfield Entertainer of the Year Award That last part must surely get under Bob’s skin the most Like many Simpsons characters, Gil, who is always a second away from falling to pieces, is a spoof of another character that he will probably outlast. Based on Shelley Levene from Glengarry Glen Ross the writers originally intended for Gil to be a one-off joke The story goes that Castellaneta was so funny with the character at the table-read that they kept finding more ways to use him We barely know Hans Moleman, but in many ways, that makes him a perfect testament to Castellaneta’s abilities — he’s incredibly memorable nonetheless. While assumed to be an elderly man, Hans claims to be only 31 and to have had his life ruined by drinking. His soft-spoken innocence is usually compounded by bad things happening to him — being eaten by alligators Aside from that, no one would have imagined him getting hit in the groin by a football would have such a lasting impression All of these things are only heightened by his strange Castellaneta makes up one-half of the Treehouse of Horror “mascots.” Like many of the characters on this list Kodos is an easy one to miss and not associate with Castellaneta the show wouldn’t be the same without Kodos and his sister Kang so it would be irresponsible not to rank him this high and you’ll never see anyone so enthusiastic about small turtles or unclogging the toilet It only makes sense for Castellaneta to voice both father and son their relationship ranging from awful to meaningful to everything in-between Castellaneta also has a special knack for voicing Grampa There are stories that an early idea for the show was for Homer and Krusty to be the same person, creating an arc about how Bart loved Krusty but resented his father — while they were secretly the same person but I like to think that an element of that idea stuck around tending to let down the ones who love them only to correct things at the buzzer Krusty’s pack-a-day voice is one-of-a-kind it’s immediately recognizable — not just as Krusty the Clown Homer Simpson will respond live to fan questions during the final three minutes of The Simpsons' May 15 As Homer, voice actor Dan Castellaneta will be "discussing topical subjects and responding to fan questions" during the live segment -- which will air live on the network's East and West Coast broadcasts, according to The Hollywood Reporter Those hoping to have their questions answered must tweet using "#HomerLive" between May 1-4 Showrunner Al Jean says the live segment is being made possible by a mocap technology that allows Castellaneta's voice and movements to be quickly translated into animation this is the first time that's been done by any animated show," said Jean new episodes of The Simpsons air Sundays at 8/7c on FOX Jordan Sirani is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @jdsirani We've heard their voices for more than 30 years but would you recognize them on the street The animation-meets-live-action crossover is a special strata of very special episodes that is even harder to pull off than the usual mashup — however, on one October evening at the end of the H.W. Bush administration, 20th Century Fox figured out a way to bring Springfield into L.A. Law in one of the weirdest meta moments of Dan Castellaneta’s career So, basically, this bizarre episode marked the crossover between L.A. Law, The Simpsons and the ugly and ongoing history of police brutality. You know, two for three of 1990s television that are still relevant today. A thin, balding man sits in the corner of the trendy Villa Sorriso restaurant. He is one of the invited guests at a party being thrown by the Fox Network. Stars from all of the network shows are in attendance. The man, who almost goes unnoticed, is actually one of the network's biggest stars. Since 1989, Dan Castellaneta has provided the voice for Homer Simpson and a host of other characters on "The Simpsons." The animated story of the family from a town named Springfield has been a top-rated Fox show for years. And now, the clan has made the leap to the big screen. "The Simpsons Movie" opens in theaters today. Castellaneta's talent to create voices for animated characters first began to emerge when he was growing up in Chicago in the '60s. "When I would watch cartoons, I was able to do some of the voices," Castellaneta says. "My father was a bit of an amateur actor and he could do accents. I would watch movies and try to do the accents." The show has certainly tested his ability to do a variety of voices. Along with his work as Homer, Castellaneta also provides the voices for numerous other "Simpsons" characters: Krusty the Clown, Grampa Simpsons, Santa's Little Helper, Barney Gumble, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Quimby, Sideshow Mel and Itchy. In the early years, the show's cast would be asked to audition to provide any new voices. Now, explains Castellaneta, the producers just know what the cast members can do and assigns them the characters. "There are times where some voices have been slotted for a guest star and then they couldn't do it. They wind up using our voices," Castellaneta says. Inspiration for the voices comes from a variety of sources. For instance, Krusty's raspy voice was inspired by the Bozo the Clown that aired on Chicago television when Castellaneta was young. Castellaneta may be the actor of 100 voices for "The Simpsons" but he becomes almost mute in regards to the new feature film. He will give up no details of the plot. The voice actor will say the only real difference for the actors between their regular small-screen duties and work for the movie was that more time was taken to record the vocals. The fact a movie has actually been made should be reason enough to shout. There has been talk of a big screen version of the TV show for years. Castellaneta says he paid no attention to the talk. He always knew a movie would be made when the time was right. "The excitement about doing the movie is the challenge of doing it and raising things up a notch for a film audience in terms of the acting," Castellaneta says. BROWSER UPDATE To gain access to the full experience, please upgrade your browser: Buyers Can Finally Snag a Deal in the World’s Most Expensive Housing Market ‘Homer Simpson’ Actor Dan Castellaneta Lists California Home Mansion Global’s daily round-up of the latest luxury real estate news from around the worldOriginally Published Feb Hong Kong is in a housing sales slump meaning thoughtful buyers can get a piece of luxury for less these days—if they know where to look Properties lingering on the market offer one opportunity—notable examples including 10B Black’s Link one of the Victoria Peak mansions owned by former Evergrande chairman Hui Ka Yan Recently priced at HK$880 million (US$112 million) it has struggled to sell in Hong Kong’s challenging market it’s browsing the city’s various areas to find the right blend of luxury property “Blue chips are always in demand and price principal and owner of Engel & Völkers Hong Kong During good economic times “[affordable] prices or even the ability to purchase a legacy property is nonexistent.” Pamper Your Pet in StyleFrom a luxury leash to a sturdy carrier to take your pet on all your adventures, these picks will make your four-legged friend feel all the love and affection. Read More Calgary’s Luxury Home Market Bucked National Slow Down Last Year Homeowners Are Staying Put for 12 Years on Average Million-Dollar Home Sales Were Rare Around Pensacola. Now They’re Everywhere. [The Wall Street Journal] Inside a Fashionable Family Home With a Grown-up Color Palette [The Times of London] The Daytona 500 Is Revving up: Let’s Take a Spin Through the Mansions of NASCAR’s Biggest Stars [Realtor.com] New-Home Construction Fell in January. Builders Are Still Gearing up for More Sales. [Barron’s] DISCLAIMER: The currency conversion is provided for illustration purposes only It is meant only as an approximation based on the latest information available and should not be relied upon for any other purposes We are not responsible for any loss that you may incur as a result of relying on these currency conversions All property prices are as stated by the listing agent The Joy of Trash: Flaming Garbage Fire Extended Edition is now available Considering how famously and understandably upset Robin Williams was that he agreed to low-key voice the Genie in Aladdin on the condition that Disney not use his presence to advertise the film and then it was sold as a Robin Williams vehicle where Robin Williams did his hilarious Robin Williams shtick in a way that would thrill Robin Williams’ millions of adoring fans I was more than a little surprised that he returned to the role for 1996’s Aladdin and the King of Thieves.  They went ahead and finished a version of Aladdin and the King of Thieves with Dan Castellaneta returning as the Genie after taking over the role in 1994’s Return of Jafar.  Return of Jafar made something like 300 million dollars in video revenue off a five million dollar budget but when Robin Williams agreed to play the Genie again for a million dollars they pulled a Shrek and tossed out Castellaneta’s voiceover and replaced it with Williams’ voice and new animation reflecting his manic ad-libs and wild often perversely kid-unfriendly improvisation.  Castellaneta is about as legendary as voiceover artists come But when you have a choice between Robin Williams and just about anybody else in the known universe you’re almost always going to go with Robin Williams.  That is particularly true if the project in question is an Aladdin sequel and you have the surreal honor of having one of the most beloved entertainers in the world reprising one of his signature roles for a low-budget direct-to-video second sequel.  Within the context of the Aladdin franchise one million dollars for a few days work strikes me as an exceedingly modest sum of money to pay someone like Robin Williams whose performance as Aladdin forever changed the art and commerce of big-name voice acting particularly considering he probably made the house of mouse hundreds of millions for his modestly compensated turn in the 1992 animated classic.  But Williams apparently had a lot of affection for the role because he gives the requisite 110 percent in an utterly delightful tour de force that finds the big blue buddy once again transcending all laws of time space and reality with a stream-of-consciousness rants overflowing with pop-culture references in-jokes and non-stop references to Disney’s storied past.  joyfully scribbling in the margins with impersonations and references guaranteed to fly over the heads of the kiddies in the audience assuming they’re not into Walter Cronkite and Ozzie Nelson impersonations or references to the Cosby-Hope road pictures and Bob Hope specials.  my opinion of Robin Williams has changed dramatically with time I used to find Williams overrated and obnoxious a fine dramatic actor but an overbearing and unfunny comic performer.  So where the old me would roll his eyes in annoyance when Williams’ Genie launches into an impersonation of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (every child’s second favorite film following the original Aladdin) or Forrest Gump or Robin Williams is doing his Robin Williams thing every moment the Genie is onscreen The pleasure he takes in his machine-gun comic inventiveness is palpable and infectious.  The problem is that the Genie is by definition a supporting character and whenever the Genie is offscreen the movie suffers terribly for his absence.  He may be the name in the title but Aladdin and the King of Thieves unfortunately highlights what a stiff Aladdin is compared to his friendly blue hype-man/wish-granter/side-kick/best friend Aladdin and the King of Thieves is consequently a curious proposition: a cheap not terribly imaginative direct-to-video video store shelf filler from the wildly lucrative if not terribly prestigious Disney sequels factory distinguished by a wonderful performance from one of the biggest and most beloved stars in the world reprising a role that defined him every bit as much as Mork from Ork or Mrs Aladdin and the King of Thieves is also distinguished Disney+ has been a real boon for Wild Disney Animation Month and the second sequel to Aladdin joins Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros in being accompanied by a warning that the movie contains negative stereotypical depictions of minorities that were not okay at the time and most assuredly are not okay now.  I understood Disney movies from the 1940s having that disclaimer but Aladdin and the King of Thieves came out a mere quarter century ago Then I remembered that Aladdin and the King of Thieves was a sequel to a movie that was pretty damn racist even after they cut the most racist parts out.  the titular forty thieves look like they could have been taken whole cloth from anti-Muslim propaganda Main bad guy Sa’luk (Jerry Orbach) in particular looks and acts like the worst nightmare of every FOX-watching Aladdin and the King of Thieves opens with its characters happy and content having accomplished all of their goals and gotten everything they’ve ever dreamed of You know a franchise is really hitting its stride when all of its conflicts have been resolved a dead ringer for handsome Hollywood movie star Tom Cruise Then the titular forty thieves descend upon the wedding and wreak havoc.  Aladdin eventually learns that his father is Cassim (John Rhys-Davies) the titular King of Thieves and the sworn enemy of the nefarious Sa’luk who sees him as weak and wants to usurp his place in the hierarchy of the forty thieves.  Aladdin and the King of Thieves gets off to a promising start with some vintage Robin Williams riffs and rants and random foolishness Then the movie makes the mistake of separating Aladdin and the Genie for long periods of time then focussing on a painfully bland hero and his by the numbers daddy issues rather than the volcanic force that is Robin Williams in this role.  King of Thieves really learns into the fantasy elements of this story with a fantastical a Hand of Midas and various other supernatural nonsense But Williams’ heartfelt and hilarious performance as the Genie is the only aspect of the movie that does not feel arbitrary.  I went into King of Thieves wondering whether or not a single voiceover performance could make a disposable bit of product like a direct-to-video second sequel to Aladdin worth watching.  I came away suitably impressed by Williams’ star turn and underwhelmed by everything surrounding it So if you miss Robin Williams and have Disney+ there are much more painful ways to spend 85 minutes than watching the late comedy icon do his Robin Williams genie thing all over again even if the film itself is patently unworthy of the Oscar-winner’s anarchic genius.  Be a part of the recently launched Indiegogo campaign for 7 Days in Ohio II: Return of the Juggalos over at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/make-7-days-in-ohio-2-return-of-the-juggalo-happen--2/x/14797497#/ and help send Nathan back to the Gathering for the EIGHTH time for more literary magic Missed out on the Kickstarter campaign for The Weird A-Coloring to Al/The Weird A-Coloring to Al-Colored In Edition? You’re in luck, because you can still pre-order the books, and get all manner of nifty exclusives, by pledging over at https://the-weird-a-coloring-to-al-coloring-colored-in-books.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders and of course you can buy The Weird Accordion to Al here: https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop AND of course you can also pledge to this site and help keep the lights on at https://www.patreon.com/nathanrabinshappyplace  “This site was founded on the conviction that if I had complete creative freedom I could create something special and rare in this crazy-making world of ours an oasis of purity in an often compromised pop culture realm It’s home to dozens of ongoing features immersing readers deep into weird and wonderful nooks & crannies of the entertainment universe Think of it as an online pop culture treehouse you’re free to visit anytime the mood strikes you The Happy Place relies 100% on its patrons to sustain Only Game of Thrones has won more Emmy Awards than Frasier With rumours rife of a revival for the sitcom all fans would no doubt love to see some of these characters come back into the show especially as they’re now all famous in their own right pub rock pioneer Elvis Costello starred in the Season 10 episode Farewell Nervosa Costello plays a coffee shop musician named Ben His rowdy folk songs and bumbling English charm was mismatched with Frasier's penchant for peaceful conversation Costello was clearly toning down the talent dial a bit as the Pump It Up singer put on a gawdy Cockney accent While Frasier felt compelled to leave the coffee shop Costello fans may also recognise the character was named after his original surname McManus with the episode also focussing on Frasier's accountant Avery McManus' affair Costello has since also appeared in the sitcoms 30 Rock and Two and a Half Men WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab) ©Future Publishing Limited Quay House England and Wales company registration number 2008885 Pictures: Colin Davey/Getty Images / Realtor.com the iconic voice of the Homer Simpson character on the long-running animated series “The Simpsons,” is selling his waterfront property in Santa Barbara 2.5-bathroom condo is listed for $6.9m (US$4.5m) The actor purchased this beachy retreat in 2015 for just over $3m so he should make out with a tidy profit if the home sells in the range of its price guide RELATED: Whisky baron’s Melbourne mansion sells for $40m Taylor Swift sells private jet just before Australian tour amid flight-tracking drama Inside Bradley Cooper’s new farmhouse close to Gigi Hadid has a neutral colour scheme and an open-plan layout and gas fireplace give the abode an upscale feel and custom cabinets fill the eat-in kitchen The single-story home also has a powder room A covered patio nearby is surrounded by green grass and palm trees MORE: How viral ‘floating’ bathtub works explained The property is secured by 24-hour guarded gates and an on-site manager There’s also a groundskeeping crew to keep the things tidy Castellaneta is one of the original “Simpsons” voice actors the comedian also voices numerous other characters “The Simpsons,” about a dysfunctional family living in the fictional town of Springfield first debuted as a stand-alone show in late 1989 and has become the longest-running animated series in the United States with season 35 kicking off in October 2023 MORE: Melburnians baffled by pink QR code billboard Opulent Sunshine North home smashes price record Victorian tenants could face weekly rents surging up to 43 per cent third parties have written and supplied the content and we are not responsible for it completeness or reliability of the information nor do we accept any liability or responsibility arising in any way from omissions or errors contained in the content We do not recommend sponsored lenders or loan products and we cannot introduce you to sponsored lenders We strongly recommend that you obtain independent advice before you act on the content realestate.com.au is owned and operated by ASX-listed REA Group Ltd (REA:ASX) © REA Group Ltd. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to our Terms of Use. When introducing himself in the classic Season 8 episode "You Only Move Twice," the pleasantly evil Hank Scorpio (voiced by Albert Brooks) throws away a pair of shoes and asks Homer if he'd ever seen someone say goodbye to a shoe before once." Some people out there are extremely convinced that Homer's answer refers to what he'd just seen Scorpio do while others are equally convinced he's referring to a previous incident the question was posed to Homer Simpson himself Albert Brooks always improvised whenever he did the show That line was a reflexive response to Albert's improvised line about seeing a man say goodbye to a shoe I probably thought it was a previous time but it is funnier if it means he saw it at that moment The world now has an answer to a question that is undoubtedly more important to society than that of how to feed the hungry and who will win the next presidential election perhaps it's somewhat-doubtedly.) Getting the answer straight from the Homer's mouth likely still won't make anyone believe that he wasn't talking about Scorpio's shoe throw but everyone else can take comfort in it while smugly flicking donut sprinkles into the faces of the more unrelenting believers Solving this mystery became the obsession of one Buzzfeed writer whose search began with a simple story post that riled people up to no end The story got to former showrunners Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein who both assumed Homer was speaking of a previous instance but both pointed out that Castellaneta improvised the line a message sent to the actors reps resulted in Castellaneta's answer rather than a refusal that left the world in the dark until the end of time in which he-as-Homer answered call-in questions from fans It seems like that would have been the absolute perfect time for the Buzzfeed writer to have posed the shoe question The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 4 Live Blog Watchalong: I'm Reacting To Isaac's Brutal Introduction, Ellie And Dina's Revealing Seattle Trip And More William Shatner Posted His Annual Star Wars Day Message, And Of Course, He Had To Reference Star Trek Big Brother Fans Are Saying Season 27 Needs One Specific Type Of Houseguest, And I Totally Agree Print Dan Castellaneta who voices America’s favorite schlub hubby Homer Simpson on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” has joined the cast of Second City’s “A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre The comedic stage production is set to begin performances on Nov will be part of an ensemble cast that includes other recognizable comedy names -- Joe Flaherty an alumnus of Fox’s “MADTv”; and Larry Joe Campbell “Twist Your Dickens” is a farcical take on the Dickens classic and is written by Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort both of whom are Second City alums and have worked for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Marc Warzech A CTG spokesman said that each actor will play multiple roles in the production Castellaneta will play Jacob Marley and other characters Castellaneta previously appeared at the Douglas in a 2006 production of the play “Nighthawks,” inspired by the Edward Hopper painting He has appeared in Southern California theaters a number of times including productions at the Geffen Playhouse and the Old Globe in San Diego he provides the distinctive belch of barfly Barney Gumble the “hey-hey” of Krusty the Clown and the Kennedy-esque ramblings of Mayor Quimby Review: ‘Nighthawks’ at the Kirk Douglas Theater John Hurt replays ‘interrupted pause’ of ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ Review: John Hurt is magnificent in Beckett’s ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ David Ng is a former Company Town reporter for the Los Angeles Times. 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Television Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Performances of the comedy — written by Second City alums Peter Gwinn (formerly of "The Colbert Report") and Bobby Mort (currently of "The Colbert Report") and directed by Second City alum Marc Warzecha — continue to Dec The cast also features Frank Caeti ("MADtv") Amanda Blake Davis (Second City Does Dallas at the Dallas Theater Center) Brian Stepanek ("The Suite Life of Zack and Cody") Jean Villepique ("Up All Night") and Ron West ("3rd Rock From the Sun") According to CTG/Second City production notes is taking the classic Charles Dickens' Christmas tale and giving it a hearty twist In addition to Scrooge (played by Ron West) the ever-morphing ensemble will bring the famous Victorian streets to frenzied life with Tiny Tim a host of anachronistic characters and hilarious improvs which will have Dickens guffawing in his grave The cast will be joined by an ever-changing stable of starry The creative team includes scenic designer Tom Buderwitz lighting designer Brandon Baruch and sound designer Cricket S The production stage manager is Kirsten Parker The Kirk Douglas Theatre is at 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA. For tickets and more information, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org Gail Kriegel's new play follows a family affected by mental illness The Tony-winning Best Musical continues at the Walter Kerr Theatre Noah Himmelstein will direct Matthew Puckett's original musical Neumann is the Tony nominated choreographer behind Hadestown and Swept Away one Tony winner is playing the trumpet while the other is channeling Mama Rose Due to the expansive nature of Off-Broadway Thank You!You have now been added to the list Blocking belongson the stage,not on websites Our website is made possible bydisplaying online advertisements to our visitors Please consider supporting us bywhitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.Thank you Actor behind Homer Simpson to play magician on the ABC Family comedy who’s best known as the voice of “The Simpsons” patriarch Homer shows he has more tricks up his sleeve on “Baby Daddy.” Castellaneta has booked a guest starring role on the ABC Family comedy, TheWrap has learned a Las Vegas magician (who prefers to be called an illusionist) who’s headlining in the showroom of a second-rate hotel on the Strip but he’s easily swayed by a pretty face Enter Bonnie (Melissa Peterman) and a pair of handcuffs and things begin to go awry Aside from voicing Homer Simpson for about three decades Castellaneta has guest-starred on FXX’s “The League,” TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland,” and NBC’s “The Office.” He also previously recurred on ABC Family’s cult hit Catellaneta joins a growing list of Season 4 “Babby Daddy” guest stars, including Reba McEntire, Aisha Dee and Kelly Monaco. In addition to Peterman, “Baby Daddy” stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Derek Theler, Tahj Mowry and Chelsea Kane. It was created and is executive produced by Dan Berendsen. Sovereign Talent Group and Forster Entertainment represent Castellaneta. Homer Simpson, voiced by Dan Castellaneta, made the declaration in a recent episode titled 'McMansion & Wife', where he offered an explanation for his tight "grip" 20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection Print Doh the voice of Homer Simpson on “The Simpsons,” bought a retreat in Santa Barbara this summer for $3.05 million The remodeled single-story unit features ocean views a wood-burning fireplace and new oak floors The eat-in kitchen is equipped with a Viking gas range stainless-steel appliances and custom alder cabinets a half-bathroom and 2,689 square feet of living space Sliding glass doors open to a covered patio with dining and lounging areas Stunning photos, celebrity homes: Get the free weekly Hot Property newsletter >> has voiced numerous other characters on the long-running animated series including Groundskeeper Willie and Krusty the Clown He has a residence in the Los Angeles area The property previously sold a year ago for $2.4 million Olesya Thyne of Goodwin & Thyne Properties handled the transaction Twitter: @LATHotProperty Tommy Lasorda gets top dollar for Orange County townhouse Home of the Day: Charming E.P. Janes Cottage in Altadena asks $619,000 Skiing champ Bode Miller lists his home in Orange County’s Coto de Caza for sale California Business Los Angeles’ Falcon Theatre and Laugh Then Think productions will present the world premiere of For Piano and Harpo, a play by Dan Castellaneta that brings the life of Oscar Levant to the stage Castellaneta will star as Levant (1906–1972) and concert pianist who appeared in such films as An American in Paris and The Band Wagon For Piano and Harpo will begin previews February 1 ahead of a February 10 opening Here’s how the Falcon Theatre outlines the new biographical world premiere: “Oscar Levant wakes up to find himself in the Psych Ward of Mt as he grapples with his demons to save his marriage and his sanity is haunted by the genius of George Gershwin Joining Castellaneta onstage will be JD Cullum Another project depicting the life of Levant is also in development No news announcements regarding its progress have been made since 2015 Tickets can be purchased online at Falcontheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (818) 955-8101 Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson host The Broadway Sitzprobe Experience why Everything is Coming Up Moses for Seth Rudetsky and where he is performing every Friday night yet "traumatic" time doing William Finn's A New Brain how the Stars in the House edition of Finn came together so quickly Hear about the time Tony Yazbeck made Arthur Laurents cry Looking back on the career of the late star Seth Rudetsky recaps the Red Bucket Follies and lets you know where you can see him live next Seth Rudetsky catches us up on all the fabulous fundraising he's been doing and where you can catch him next Seth Rudetsky shares his most treasured memories of the late actor