BREAKINGS NEWS!!! CHARLIE SHEEN/TWO AND A HALF MEN LEAKED FINALE!!!!

[mama]

[GOD]

[mama]

The ratings of the Itchy & Scratchy Show segment of the Krusty the Clown Show fall dramatically. Krusty gives the cartoon's producer Roger Meyers, Jr. an ultimatum: come up with a way to fix the sagging ratings, or else Itchy and Scratchy will be replaced by a Chinese cartoon program. Meyers decides to commission a focus group to determine the reason why Itchy and Scratchy have lost their popularity.

Bart and Lisa participate in the study after wandering away from Marge at the mall, watching cartoons and answering questions. However, things do not go very well, with the children contradicting themselves when suggesting what they want. Lisa points out that there was nothing wrong with Itchy and Scratchy to begin with; rather, the characters had simply lost the impact they once had with their audience. Meyers thanks Lisa for "saving" Itchy and Scratchy, and decides that a new character is what is needed to salvage his cartoon. He tells Krusty and his team of writers that this new character should be a dog with attitude, and it is decided his name is to be Poochie.

Bart and Lisa insist Homer give voice acting a try when they read there will be open auditions. Homer auditions to read for Poochie's voice, and gets the part. He and June Bellamy, his fellow voice actor, make several publicity stops to promote Poochie, where Homer confronts the show's hardcore fans. Homer invites all of his friends and relatives to the screening of the first Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show. However, the cartoon is full of clichés and inane antics, and by emphasizing Poochie, contains none of the show's trademark violence. Homer is the only one who liked the cartoon, while everyone else is unimpressed. Meyers is forced to admit that Poochie's debut was a dud, and he decides to retire the character before he does any further “damage”. Homer learns that Poochie will be killed off and is resolved to keep Poochie alive. At his next recording session, rather than reading from the script, he implores the audience, through lines he himself wrote, to give Poochie a fair chance. The writing team is impressed with Homer's statement, and he is led to believe that the comments will be in the next cartoon. Instead, Meyers dubs the correct line—"I have to go now. My planet needs me."—into the dialogue, and the animation cel containing Poochie is yanked out of view. A statement attesting to the dog's demise (he died on the way back to his home planet) is hurriedly edited into the cartoon; the in-studio audience cheers wildly as Krusty promises that Poochie is gone for good. Homer feels betrayed but, after realizing he never got paid for his efforts, chalks things up to the nature of show business.

[GOD]

FOREX

[Bas]

Must be a side effect of that "Charlie Sheen" drug I keep hearing about.

[chalupa]

[Bas]

I wish I wasn't so enthralled by these, but...