The Devil Wears Nada
Encyclopedia
"The Devil Wears Nada" is the fifth episode of the twenty-first season
of The Simpsons
. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States
on November 15, 2009. In the episode, Marge
and a group called the "Charity Chicks" pose for a history-oriented calendar in hopes of raising money for charity, but Marge becomes the talk of the town due to the erotic poses she made after a few drinks of red wine. Meanwhile, Carl is chosen as the newest supervisor
at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and hires Homer
to be his personal assistant.
The episode was written by Tim Long
and directed by Nancy Kruse
. It was broadcast soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of Playboy
, though there was no connection between the episode and the cover; the idea for the episode was conceived first, and Marge's appearance was due to an unrelated offer from Playboy. Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics. It was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers during its original broadcast. Clips showing the satirical appearances of French president Nicolas Sarkozy
and his wife Carla Bruni
in the episode became Internet hits in France, with hundreds of thousands of views on Dailymotion
and YouTube
.
, Lenny, and Carl are celebrating their freedom from supervision, plant owner Mr. Burns
arrives and chooses Carl as the new supervisor (after quickly deducing that he is the only semi-competent employee of the three). Meanwhile, in an effort to raise money, Marge
and her "Charity Chicks" philanthropic group decide to follow the Springfield Police Department's lead and pose for a history-themed "sexy" calendar. At the photo studio, however, Marge (portraying Babe Zaharias
in the calendar) does not want to show any skin. The photographer loosens her up with red wine, and she ends up revealing more than she planned. Marge and her erotic poses are soon the hottest talk in town.
Back at the plant, Carl makes Homer his new executive assistant. That evening, Marge's libido
—pumped up by the male population's positive feedback on her calendar—is running high, but Homer is too overworked and exhausted to satisfy her. This becomes an unhappy trend, and Marge feels ignored. Homer tries to make up for it by taking Marge out to a hotel. After the couple has had a romantic night together, Homer receives a phone call from Carl who tells him they are going to Paris on a business trip. When Homer leaves the Simpsons' house
the next morning, a frustrated Marge throws a croquet mallet after his retreating taxicab. She accidentally knocks out neighbor Ned Flanders
instead, and invites him and his children over for a family dinner by way of apology.
In Paris, Carl is having a great time flirting with a beautiful Frenchwoman, and he reveals to Homer that he plans to extend their stay indefinitely. Homer is devastated, and walks forlornly through Parisian streets where everything reminds him of Marge. Back in Springfield, Bart
and Lisa
bail on Marge's dinner, and Ned shows up alone because Rod and Todd have been grounded. The innocent dinner soon turns romantic, and Marge and Ned nearly kiss, until Marge catches sight of her wedding photo in Ned's glasses and realizes that it would be wrong. Homer, meanwhile, has forced Carl to give him his old job back by revealing that the woman Carl has been flirting with is actually Carla Bruni
, wife of Nicolas Sarkozy
, President of France, and threatening to tell Sarkozy everything
. Homer arrives home just as Marge is bidding Ned goodnight, and Homer and Marge have sex, undisturbed at last.
and directed by Nancy Kruse
. It is partly based on the film The Devil Wears Prada
, especially the scenes that feature an overworked and over-utilized Homer. The episode aired soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of the real-life adult magazine
Playboy
. Executive producer Al Jean
told the Toronto Sun
that this episode was "a little bit of a reference to Marge's recent encounter with Playboy." Jean explained, though, that the writers came up with the storyline for "The Devil Wears Nada" over a year before the episode aired and they did not know back then that Marge would become a Playboy cover girl
. Jean said that was "an independent offer from Playboy. But we thought, to be smart, we should probably have the episode and Marge's cover come out around the same time." In regards to Marge's explicit plotline in the episode, Jean commented that the Simpsons staff is "always a bit nervous when we push the boundaries or do something unusual and I usually think that's where we do our best stuff, and this episode is definitely one of those cases."
, which received a 5.3 rating and 15.1 million viewers.
Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics. AOL TV
's Jason Hughes was positive about it, commenting that "everything about the episode worked, from Marge's sexy calendar to Ned Flanders' role in the final moments." He added that he thought the episode featured "the heart I felt was missing all season. The love between Homer and Marge dominated this episode, coming in equal strength from both sides." Hughes concluded that "The Devil Wears Nada" featured "good moments for humor" and that it was "perfectly balanced, written and executed."
Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
was less positive, giving the episode a C+ rating. He commented that because there have already been so many episodes about Homer and Marge's marital troubles, it becomes more difficult every time to make the episodes emotional. VanDerWerff added that "while the flip side of the usual husband/wife sexual dynamics had a few promising jokes in it and while there were the usual funny sight gags and one-liners, the entirety of the episode felt stale. [...] There's no way Homer or Marge will ever cheat on each other, and that makes a story like this essentially boring." IGN
's Robert Canning gave the episode a rating of 6.2 out of 10, calling it disappointing. He commented that he enjoyed the first act of the episode because it had a lot of potential storylines, but it went downhill from there and became boring. Canning added: "This was another case of the series returning to familiar storylines. It's tough to get away from this one — trouble in the bedroom — as they are a married couple and this is, essentially, a sitcom. Unfortunately, 'The Devil Wears Nada' doesn't give the story anything new." Similarly to VanDerWerff, Canning did not find the episode enjoying because it was obvious that Marge and Ned would not have a "a night of passion" since "Marge is too loving a wife and Ned is too good a Christian".
, the official residence of the president, where she tells him that she wants "to make love, right now." Homer later reveals to Carl that the woman he has been seeing is Bruni, and threatens to tell Sarkozy if he does not get his old job back. Carl does not believe Homer will tell, so Homer calls Sarkozy (who is seen eating cheese and drinking red wine in his office with Bruni). Sarkozy answers the phone saying "You're getting cosy with Sarkozy." At this point, Carl gives in, and Homer hangs up the phone.
Unlike other high-ranking politicians such as Tony Blair
, who have guest starred on The Simpsons, the couple did not actually lend their voices to the show and the appearances were made without their permission. Agence France-Presse
wrote that as a result, it was a "harsher" parody in comparison to the parodies on the show of people that have provided their own voices. The Daily Mail
described Bruni's portrayal in the episode as a "sex-mad femme fatale
" and "chain-smoking man-eater
", and the French newspaper Le Figaro
said she was characterized as "a nymphomaniac with an exaggerated French accent." Bruni had previously attracted media attention in the United States because of her many reported partners and lovers. A reporter for The Times
in Paris, Charles Bremner, wrote that her "sulphurous former image as the girlfriend of rock stars and celebrities was mocked by [the episode]."
Clips on YouTube
and Dailymotion
showing Sarkozy's and Bruni's appearances were viewed hundreds of thousands of times in France, becoming Internet hits. According to Agence France-Presse, the cameos "passed largely unnoticed in France until Friday [November 22], when news websites started linking to pirated clips of the episode, creating a buzz which saw more than 117,000 fans linking to the DailyMotion site alone." As of Saturday November 23, the Dailymotion clip had received 440,000 hits. Reactions to the clips were mixed from the French viewers. The Daily Mail wrote that a spokesman working for the Élysée Palace said in November 2009 that "they had no comment to make on the latest mockery of their first couple." Bruni's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment either, but Bremner reported that Bruni "laughed when asked about the programme."
The French news website Rue 89
commented that the episode provided the writers with a good opportunity to mock all the French clichés, including the accent, the cheese, the cheek kissing
between men, and the supposed nymphomania. This was not the first time that France had been made fun of on The Simpsons. For example, the writers had previously come up with the derogatory phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys
" as a description of the French people.
The Simpsons (season 21)
The Simpsons twenty-first season aired on Fox from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010. It was the first of two seasons that the show was renewed for by Fox, and also the first season of the show to air entirely in high definition....
of The Simpsons
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...
. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on November 15, 2009. In the episode, 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...
and a group called the "Charity Chicks" pose for a history-oriented calendar in hopes of raising money for charity, but Marge becomes the talk of the town due to the erotic poses she made after a few drinks of red wine. Meanwhile, Carl is chosen as the newest supervisor
Supervisor
A supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, and hires Homer
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...
to be his personal assistant.
The episode was written by Tim Long
Tim Long
Tim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
and directed by Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She started working on the show during the first season as a background clean-up artist. After that she did background layout and character layout for several years on the show before becoming an assistant director...
. It was broadcast soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, though there was no connection between the episode and the cover; the idea for the episode was conceived first, and Marge's appearance was due to an unrelated offer from Playboy. Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics. It was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers during its original broadcast. Clips showing the satirical appearances of French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and his wife Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
in the episode became Internet hits in France, with hundreds of thousands of views on Dailymotion
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Plot
The episode opens at a retirement party for the current Sector 7G supervisor at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, Ted. Just as 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...
, Lenny, and Carl are celebrating their freedom from supervision, plant owner Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
arrives and chooses Carl as the new supervisor (after quickly deducing that he is the only semi-competent employee of the three). Meanwhile, in an effort to raise money, 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...
and her "Charity Chicks" philanthropic group decide to follow the Springfield Police Department's lead and pose for a history-themed "sexy" calendar. At the photo studio, however, Marge (portraying Babe Zaharias
Babe Zaharias
Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was an American athlete who achieved outstanding success in golf, basketball, and track and field...
in the calendar) does not want to show any skin. The photographer loosens her up with red wine, and she ends up revealing more than she planned. Marge and her erotic poses are soon the hottest talk in town.
Back at the plant, Carl makes Homer his new executive assistant. That evening, Marge's libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
—pumped up by the male population's positive feedback on her calendar—is running high, but Homer is too overworked and exhausted to satisfy her. This becomes an unhappy trend, and Marge feels ignored. Homer tries to make up for it by taking Marge out to a hotel. After the couple has had a romantic night together, Homer receives a phone call from Carl who tells him they are going to Paris on a business trip. When Homer leaves the Simpsons' house
742 Evergreen Terrace
742 Evergreen Terrace is the fictional street address in Springfield of the Simpson family home in the animated television series, The Simpsons and in the feature film The Simpsons Movie. In the series the house is currently owned by Homer Simpson...
the next morning, a frustrated Marge throws a croquet mallet after his retreating taxicab. She accidentally knocks out neighbor Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
instead, and invites him and his children over for a family dinner by way of apology.
In Paris, Carl is having a great time flirting with a beautiful Frenchwoman, and he reveals to Homer that he plans to extend their stay indefinitely. Homer is devastated, and walks forlornly through Parisian streets where everything reminds him of Marge. Back in Springfield, 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 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...
bail on Marge's dinner, and Ned shows up alone because Rod and Todd have been grounded. The innocent dinner soon turns romantic, and Marge and Ned nearly kiss, until Marge catches sight of her wedding photo in Ned's glasses and realizes that it would be wrong. Homer, meanwhile, has forced Carl to give him his old job back by revealing that the woman Carl has been flirting with is actually Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
, wife of Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, President of France, and threatening to tell Sarkozy everything
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
. Homer arrives home just as Marge is bidding Ned goodnight, and Homer and Marge have sex, undisturbed at last.
Production
"The Devil Wears Nada" was written by Tim LongTim Long
Tim Long is a comedy writer born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Tim calls Exeter, Ontario, Canada his home town and has written for The Simpsons, Politically Incorrect, Spy Magazine and The Late Show with David Letterman. Currently credited as a consulting producer on The Simpsons, Long was - until...
and directed by Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse
Nancy Kruse is a former animation director on The Simpsons. She started working on the show during the first season as a background clean-up artist. After that she did background layout and character layout for several years on the show before becoming an assistant director...
. It is partly based on the film The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
, especially the scenes that feature an overworked and over-utilized Homer. The episode aired soon after the character Marge had appeared on the cover of the real-life adult magazine
Pornographic magazine
Pornographic magazines, sometimes known as adult magazines, sex magazines or top-shelf magazines are pornographic magazines that contain content of a sexual nature. Adult magazines are mainly aimed towards men, and in some parts of the world, many men's first sight of a naked woman has been in an...
Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. Executive producer Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
told the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
that this episode was "a little bit of a reference to Marge's recent encounter with Playboy." Jean explained, though, that the writers came up with the storyline for "The Devil Wears Nada" over a year before the episode aired and they did not know back then that Marge would become a Playboy cover girl
Cover girl
A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a magazine....
. Jean said that was "an independent offer from Playboy. But we thought, to be smart, we should probably have the episode and Marge's cover come out around the same time." In regards to Marge's explicit plotline in the episode, Jean commented that the Simpsons staff is "always a bit nervous when we push the boundaries or do something unusual and I usually think that's where we do our best stuff, and this episode is definitely one of those cases."
Reception
During the episode's original broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 2009, it was watched by approximately 9.04 million viewers. In the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 4.2 rating (up 2% from the previous episode) and a 10% share. It was the second-highest rated television series in the 8:00 p.m. timeslot, following Football Night in AmericaFootball Night in America
Football Night in America is the studio pregame show usually preceding NBC's broadcasts of Sunday night and Wild Card Saturday National Football League games starting in the 2006 National Football League season...
, which received a 5.3 rating and 15.1 million viewers.
Since airing, "The Devil Wears Nada" has received mixed reviews from television critics. AOL TV
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's Jason Hughes was positive about it, commenting that "everything about the episode worked, from Marge's sexy calendar to Ned Flanders' role in the final moments." He added that he thought the episode featured "the heart I felt was missing all season. The love between Homer and Marge dominated this episode, coming in equal strength from both sides." Hughes concluded that "The Devil Wears Nada" featured "good moments for humor" and that it was "perfectly balanced, written and executed."
Todd VanDerWerff 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...
was less positive, giving the episode a C+ rating. He commented that because there have already been so many episodes about Homer and Marge's marital troubles, it becomes more difficult every time to make the episodes emotional. VanDerWerff added that "while the flip side of the usual husband/wife sexual dynamics had a few promising jokes in it and while there were the usual funny sight gags and one-liners, the entirety of the episode felt stale. [...] There's no way Homer or Marge will ever cheat on each other, and that makes a story like this essentially boring." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Robert Canning gave the episode a rating of 6.2 out of 10, calling it disappointing. He commented that he enjoyed the first act of the episode because it had a lot of potential storylines, but it went downhill from there and became boring. Canning added: "This was another case of the series returning to familiar storylines. It's tough to get away from this one — trouble in the bedroom — as they are a married couple and this is, essentially, a sitcom. Unfortunately, 'The Devil Wears Nada' doesn't give the story anything new." Similarly to VanDerWerff, Canning did not find the episode enjoying because it was obvious that Marge and Ned would not have a "a night of passion" since "Marge is too loving a wife and Ned is too good a Christian".
Reaction in France
"The Devil Wears Nada" features the satirical appearances of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni. In the episode, Carl is approached by Bruni at a reception at Élysée PalaceÉlysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic, containing his office, and is where the Council of Ministers meets. It is located near the Champs-Élysées in Paris....
, the official residence of the president, where she tells him that she wants "to make love, right now." Homer later reveals to Carl that the woman he has been seeing is Bruni, and threatens to tell Sarkozy if he does not get his old job back. Carl does not believe Homer will tell, so Homer calls Sarkozy (who is seen eating cheese and drinking red wine in his office with Bruni). Sarkozy answers the phone saying "You're getting cosy with Sarkozy." At this point, Carl gives in, and Homer hangs up the phone.
Unlike other high-ranking politicians such as Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, who have guest starred on The Simpsons, the couple did not actually lend their voices to the show and the appearances were made without their permission. Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
wrote that as a result, it was a "harsher" parody in comparison to the parodies on the show of people that have provided their own voices. The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
described Bruni's portrayal in the episode as a "sex-mad femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
" and "chain-smoking man-eater
Man-eater
Man-eater is a colloquial term for an animal that preys upon humans. This does not include scavenging. Although human beings can be attacked by many kinds of animals, man-eaters are those that have incorporated human flesh into their usual diet...
", and the French newspaper Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
said she was characterized as "a nymphomaniac with an exaggerated French accent." Bruni had previously attracted media attention in the United States because of her many reported partners and lovers. A reporter for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in Paris, Charles Bremner, wrote that her "sulphurous former image as the girlfriend of rock stars and celebrities was mocked by [the episode]."
Clips on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and Dailymotion
Dailymotion
Dailymotion is a video sharing service website, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement, Paris, France. According to Comscore, Dailymotion is the second largest video site in the world after YouTube....
showing Sarkozy's and Bruni's appearances were viewed hundreds of thousands of times in France, becoming Internet hits. According to Agence France-Presse, the cameos "passed largely unnoticed in France until Friday [November 22], when news websites started linking to pirated clips of the episode, creating a buzz which saw more than 117,000 fans linking to the DailyMotion site alone." As of Saturday November 23, the Dailymotion clip had received 440,000 hits. Reactions to the clips were mixed from the French viewers. The Daily Mail wrote that a spokesman working for the Élysée Palace said in November 2009 that "they had no comment to make on the latest mockery of their first couple." Bruni's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment either, but Bremner reported that Bruni "laughed when asked about the programme."
The French news website Rue 89
Rue 89
Rue89 is a French news website. It was officially launched on 6 May 2007, on the day of the second round of the French presidential election. Its news editor is Pascal Riché, former Op-ed editor of Libération, and its chief editor...
commented that the episode provided the writers with a good opportunity to mock all the French clichés, including the accent, the cheese, the cheek kissing
Cheek kissing
Cheek kissing is a ritual or social gesture to indicate friendship, perform a greeting, to confer congratulations, to comfort someone, to show respect, or to indicate sexual or romantic interest....
between men, and the supposed nymphomania. This was not the first time that France had been made fun of on The Simpsons. For example, the writers had previously come up with the derogatory phrase "cheese-eating surrender monkeys
Cheese-eating surrender monkeys
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys", sometimes shortened to "surrender monkeys", is a derogatory description of French people that was coined in 1995 by a writer of the television series The Simpsons. The phrase has since entered two Oxford quotation dictionaries...
" as a description of the French people.
External links
- "The Devil Wears Nada" at The Simpsons.com