Life on the Fast Lane
Encyclopedia
"Life on the Fast Lane", also known as "Jacques To Be Wild", is the ninth episode of The Simpsons
first season
, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder
and directed by David Silverman
. Albert Brooks
guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling
instructor, with him being credited as "A. Brooks". The episode deals with how Homer's
thoughtlessness precipitates Marge's
infatuation with her bowling instructor Jacques, leading to a marriage crisis between her and Homer. In the original plan for the episode, Brooks (who improvised much of his dialogue) was to voice a Swedish tennis
coach called Björn, with the episode to be titled "Björn To Be Wild". The episode features a parody of the film An Officer and a Gentleman
and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
in 1990.
forgets Marge
's birthday, and rushes out to buy her something at the last minute. He finds a bowling ball
and decides to buy it for her. That night at her birthday dinner, Marge is happy with the kids' presents of "French" perfume
from Bart
and a macaroni
and glue
card from Lisa
. However, she is offended by Homer's gift — not only has she never gone bowling
in her life, the ball is inscribed with his name.
Realizing that Homer only bought the ball so that he could use it himself, she is determined to learn how to bowl to spite him. She has no idea what she is doing until she meets a handsome "French" bowling instructor named Jacques, who offers to give her lessons. Jacques proves to be a patient and charming instructor - the opposite of Homer in every way. When he asks about the name inscribed on her ball, she tells him that Homer is the ball's name, neglecting to mention that she is married. Homer is faintly aware that something is wrong, but is unsure what is happening. After several bowling lessons, Jacques asks Marge to meet him for brunch. She accepts the invitation.
Their brunch goes well until they run into town gossip Helen Lovejoy, who seems delighted to find Marge with a man who is not her husband. After deflecting Helen's interest by pretending to discuss bowling theory, Jacques asks Marge to meet him the next day away from the gossips of the world, at his apartment. This invitation causes Marge to faint, and she falls into a romantic fantasy where she dances with Jacques in his luxurious, bowling-themed apartment. When she comes to, she accepts the invitation.
At home, Homer finds the personalized bowling glove given to Marge by Jacques and realizes he may be losing her. It isn't long until Bart realises that Lisa's suspicions are proving to be true about their parents drifting apart and offers Homer some advice in keeping his mouth shut so it doesn't get worse. At work the next day, he cannot bring himself to eat the sandwich she made for him, saying that it is all he has left of her. Marge leaves for her meeting with Jacques, but finds herself reminded of lifetime commitment throughout the drive. She comes to a fork in the road, one way leading to the nuclear plant, the other to Jacques' apartment. After an agonized hesitation at the crux of the decision, she surprises Homer at the plant and kisses him warmly. An ecstatic Homer abandons his work post to carry Marge away in his arms. His co-workers want to know what to tell the boss. To the sound of their cheers, he says to say that they are going to the backseat of his car and won't be back for ten minutes.
and directed by David Silverman
. When the episode was originally planned, it called for Albert Brooks to voice "Björn", a Swedish
tennis
instructor, but Brooks thought it would be funnier to make the character French and so the change was made. The title was originally to be "Bjorn to Be Wild", thus accounting for the episode's alternate title "Jacques to Be Wild". Brooks improvised almost all of his dialogue, producing over three hours of material. Marge's laugh during her bowling lesson was an ad-libbed, natural laugh by Julie Kavner
, who was laughing at something Albert Brooks has just said. The line "four onion rings!" was one the many lines that Brooks ad-libbed and when saying it, Jacques loses his French accent. An extended audio clip of Albert Brooks' unused dialogue was made available on Disc Three of The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD.
The episode features the first appearance of the bowling alley Barney's Bowlarama. The original backstory for Barney's Bowlarama was that it was owned by Barney Gumble
. Over time it changed to Barney just being an employee, as the writers could not imagine Barney owning anything. It was later revealed that Barney's uncle was the owner. The exterior of the Bowlarama was designed by No Doubt
member Eric Stefani
. The episode also marks the first appearances of Lenny Leonard and Helen Lovejoy.
The sequence when the family throws the pizza box away was specifically designed by John Swartzwelder to look surreal, with the family panning into each other. The moon was designed to resemble a bowling ball in the scene in which Jacques drops Marge home. The restaurant that Jacques and Marge attend is called "Shorty's"; it was originally intended that a chef's hat would be shown moving around in the background, implying that the owner was short, but the concept was dropped as it seemed to be too much of a silly idea. The episode's conclusion is a reference to An Officer and a Gentleman
, which David Silverman had to watch first, so that he knew how to set the scene out. Homer's line, "too exciting", when he sees the lingerie store was written by James L. Brooks
. During Marge's phone conversation with Patty and Selma
, Maggie can be seen sucking her pacifier repeatedly, a concept dropped in later episodes as it was deemed too much of a distraction from the dialogue.
. The end scene, in which Marge walks into the power plant
, and Homer carries her away, is a reference to the film An Officer and a Gentleman
, and features the same music, "Up Where We Belong
."
of 17.5, equivalent to approximately 16.1 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating Married... with Children
. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "A very good, very assured episode that has seen some viewers (particularly female ones) tearing out their hair at the conclusion." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
praised the episode, stating: "There would be many funnier and faster episodes of The Simpsons but few can match "Life on the Fast Lane" for emotional depth and characterization." IGN.com named Albert Brooks' guest performance in this episode, along with his four other appearances, the best guest appearance in the show's history. In a DVD review of the first season David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 4/5, placing it as, along with "Homer's Night Out
", his favorite of the season. Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that it was "another good but not great episode" and added that "Albert Brooks seriously enlivened “Life [on the Fast Lane]” ... Jacques becomes funny not so much due to the lines themselves; it’s Brooks’ readings that make them work." Another DVD review from The Digital Bits
called it "one of the first season's best loved episodes".
This episode won an Emmy Award
for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1990, defeating fellow Simpsons episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
", and becoming the first The Simpsons episode to win the award. In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly
article, Matt Groening
ranked this episode as his second favorite episode of all time, behind "Bart the Daredevil
". Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twenty-first on their top 25 The Simpsons episode list, calling it "a showcase for the series' bedrock of character and heart." The Orlando Sentinel
s Gregory Hardy named it the fifteenth best episode of the show with a sports theme. The episode's reference to An Officer And A Gentleman was named the 23rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film
' s Nathan Ditum.
column was pulled, as it had emerged that one of the letters was a fake. A newspaper editor noticed that the problem cited in the letter was identical to the plot of "Life on the Fast Lane". Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Universal Press Syndicate
stated that "It did sound too similar not to be a hoax".
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...
first season
The Simpsons (season 1)
The Simpsons first season originally aired between December 17, 1989 and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The show runners for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L...
, which originally aired on March 18, 1990. It was written by John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
guest starred as Jacques, a French bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
instructor, with him being credited as "A. Brooks". The episode deals with how Homer's
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...
thoughtlessness precipitates Marge's
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...
infatuation with her bowling instructor Jacques, leading to a marriage crisis between her and Homer. In the original plan for the episode, Brooks (who improvised much of his dialogue) was to voice a Swedish tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
coach called Björn, with the episode to be titled "Björn To Be Wild". The episode features a parody of the film An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
in 1990.
Plot
HomerHomer 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...
forgets 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...
's birthday, and rushes out to buy her something at the last minute. He finds a bowling ball
Bowling ball
A bowling ball is a spherical ball made from plastic, reactive resin, urethane or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. Ten-pin bowling balls generally have a set of three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle finger, and one for the thumb;...
and decides to buy it for her. That night at her birthday dinner, Marge is happy with the kids' presents of "French" perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
from 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...
and a macaroni
Macaroni
Macaroni is a variety of moderately extended, machine-made, dry pasta made with durum wheat. Macaroni noodles do not contain eggs, and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes; however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made...
and glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
card from Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
. However, she is offended by Homer's gift — not only has she never gone bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
in her life, the ball is inscribed with his name.
Realizing that Homer only bought the ball so that he could use it himself, she is determined to learn how to bowl to spite him. She has no idea what she is doing until she meets a handsome "French" bowling instructor named Jacques, who offers to give her lessons. Jacques proves to be a patient and charming instructor - the opposite of Homer in every way. When he asks about the name inscribed on her ball, she tells him that Homer is the ball's name, neglecting to mention that she is married. Homer is faintly aware that something is wrong, but is unsure what is happening. After several bowling lessons, Jacques asks Marge to meet him for brunch. She accepts the invitation.
Their brunch goes well until they run into town gossip Helen Lovejoy, who seems delighted to find Marge with a man who is not her husband. After deflecting Helen's interest by pretending to discuss bowling theory, Jacques asks Marge to meet him the next day away from the gossips of the world, at his apartment. This invitation causes Marge to faint, and she falls into a romantic fantasy where she dances with Jacques in his luxurious, bowling-themed apartment. When she comes to, she accepts the invitation.
At home, Homer finds the personalized bowling glove given to Marge by Jacques and realizes he may be losing her. It isn't long until Bart realises that Lisa's suspicions are proving to be true about their parents drifting apart and offers Homer some advice in keeping his mouth shut so it doesn't get worse. At work the next day, he cannot bring himself to eat the sandwich she made for him, saying that it is all he has left of her. Marge leaves for her meeting with Jacques, but finds herself reminded of lifetime commitment throughout the drive. She comes to a fork in the road, one way leading to the nuclear plant, the other to Jacques' apartment. After an agonized hesitation at the crux of the decision, she surprises Homer at the plant and kisses him warmly. An ecstatic Homer abandons his work post to carry Marge away in his arms. His co-workers want to know what to tell the boss. To the sound of their cheers, he says to say that they are going to the backseat of his car and won't be back for ten minutes.
Production
The episode was written by John SwartzwelderJohn Swartzwelder
John Swartzwelder is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons, as well as a number of novels. He is credited with writing the largest number of Simpsons episodes by a large margin...
and directed by David Silverman
David Silverman
David Silverman is an animator best known for directing numerous episodes of the animated TV series The Simpsons, as well as The Simpsons Movie...
. When the episode was originally planned, it called for Albert Brooks to voice "Björn", a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
instructor, but Brooks thought it would be funnier to make the character French and so the change was made. The title was originally to be "Bjorn to Be Wild", thus accounting for the episode's alternate title "Jacques to Be Wild". Brooks improvised almost all of his dialogue, producing over three hours of material. Marge's laugh during her bowling lesson was an ad-libbed, natural laugh by Julie Kavner
Julie Kavner
Julie Deborah Kavner is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. Noted for her role as Marge Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, she also voices other characters for the show, including Jacqueline Bouvier, and Patty and Selma Bouvier.Born in Los...
, who was laughing at something Albert Brooks has just said. The line "four onion rings!" was one the many lines that Brooks ad-libbed and when saying it, Jacques loses his French accent. An extended audio clip of Albert Brooks' unused dialogue was made available on Disc Three of The Simpsons The Complete First Season DVD.
The episode features the first appearance of the bowling alley Barney's Bowlarama. The original backstory for Barney's Bowlarama was that it was owned by Barney Gumble
Barney Gumble
Barnard "Barney" Gumble is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The character is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the town drunk and Homer Simpson's best friend. His capacity for...
. Over time it changed to Barney just being an employee, as the writers could not imagine Barney owning anything. It was later revealed that Barney's uncle was the owner. The exterior of the Bowlarama was designed by No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
member Eric Stefani
Eric Stefani
Eric Matthew Stefani is an American musician, composer, writer and animator, best known as a former member of the pop rock band No Doubt. He is the older brother of Gwen Stefani and is also a former animator on the animated sitcom The Simpsons.-Biography:Stefani attended Loara High School in...
. The episode also marks the first appearances of Lenny Leonard and Helen Lovejoy.
The sequence when the family throws the pizza box away was specifically designed by John Swartzwelder to look surreal, with the family panning into each other. The moon was designed to resemble a bowling ball in the scene in which Jacques drops Marge home. The restaurant that Jacques and Marge attend is called "Shorty's"; it was originally intended that a chef's hat would be shown moving around in the background, implying that the owner was short, but the concept was dropped as it seemed to be too much of a silly idea. The episode's conclusion is a reference to An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
, which David Silverman had to watch first, so that he knew how to set the scene out. Homer's line, "too exciting", when he sees the lingerie store was written by James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
. During Marge's phone conversation with Patty and Selma
Patty and Selma
Patty and Selma Bouvier are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. They are twins and are both voiced by Julie Kavner. They are Marge Simpson's older twin sisters, who both work at the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles, and possess a strong dislike for their...
, Maggie can be seen sucking her pacifier repeatedly, a concept dropped in later episodes as it was deemed too much of a distraction from the dialogue.
Cultural references
Marge's dream resembles a dance number from The Gay DivorceeThe Gay Divorcee
The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 American film based on the musical play Gay Divorce written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein, with screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners...
. The end scene, in which Marge walks into the power plant
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
, and Homer carries her away, is a reference to the film An Officer and a Gentleman
An Officer and a Gentleman
A Officer and a Gentleman is a 1982 American drama film that tells the story of a U.S. Navy aviation officer candidate who comes into conflict with the Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant who trains him. It was written by Douglas Day Stewart and directed by Taylor Hackford...
, and features the same music, "Up Where We Belong
Up Where We Belong
"Up Where We Belong" is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings, it was performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.-Charts and awards:...
."
Reception
In its original broadcast, "Life on the Fast Lane" finished 11th in ratings for the week of March 12-19, 1990, with a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 17.5, equivalent to approximately 16.1 million viewing households. It was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, beating Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, the authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, called it "A very good, very assured episode that has seen some viewers (particularly female ones) tearing out their hair at the conclusion." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
praised the episode, stating: "There would be many funnier and faster episodes of The Simpsons but few can match "Life on the Fast Lane" for emotional depth and characterization." IGN.com named Albert Brooks' guest performance in this episode, along with his four other appearances, the best guest appearance in the show's history. In a DVD review of the first season David B. Grelck gave the episode a rating of 4/5, placing it as, along with "Homer's Night Out
Homer's Night Out
"Homer's Night Out" is the tenth episode of The Simpsons first season, and originally aired on March 25, 1990. It was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore. In the episode, Bart orders a mail-order spy camera, which he uses to secretly take a photograph of Homer dancing with an exotic...
", his favorite of the season. Colin Jacobson at DVD Movie Guide said in a review that it was "another good but not great episode" and added that "Albert Brooks seriously enlivened “Life [on the Fast Lane]” ... Jacques becomes funny not so much due to the lines themselves; it’s Brooks’ readings that make them work." Another DVD review from The Digital Bits
The Digital Bits
The Digital Bits is a DVD-related website, established in 1997 by editor Bill Hunt. It includes frequent news updates about upcoming DVD releases, images of upcoming DVD cover art, and DVD reviews....
called it "one of the first season's best loved episodes".
This episode won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) in 1990, defeating fellow Simpsons episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
", and becoming the first The Simpsons episode to win the award. In a 2000 Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
article, Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
ranked this episode as his second favorite episode of all time, behind "Bart the Daredevil
Bart the Daredevil
"Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons second season and aired on December 6, 1990. It was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky and directed by Wes Archer. In the episode, the Simpsons go to a Monster truck rally that features famous daredevil Lance Murdock. Bart...
". Entertainment Weekly placed the episode twenty-first on their top 25 The Simpsons episode list, calling it "a showcase for the series' bedrock of character and heart." The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. As of 2005, the Sentinel’s president and publisher was Kathleen Waltz; she announced her resignation in February 2008...
s Gregory Hardy named it the fifteenth best episode of the show with a sports theme. The episode's reference to An Officer And A Gentleman was named the 23rd greatest film reference in the history of the show by Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
Legacy
The March 15, 2004 edition of the Dear AbbyDear Abby
Dear Abby is the name of the advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigail Van Buren and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name....
column was pulled, as it had emerged that one of the letters was a fake. A newspaper editor noticed that the problem cited in the letter was identical to the plot of "Life on the Fast Lane". Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for the Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
stated that "It did sound too similar not to be a hoax".
External links
- "Life on the Fast Lane" at The Simpsons.com
- "Life on the Fast Lane" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...