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Ask Futurama Star Billy West About...?
In case you haven't heard, Futurama is coming back — in like 2008, so don't go channel-flipping in hope quite yet. This is the first interview Billy West (who voices Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, Zapp Brannigan, Zoidberg, and other Futurama characters) has done since the announcement. Realize, too, that Billy has also been the voices of Ren and Stimpy and hundreds of other animated characters over the years, and old-school Howard Stern fans will remember that part of his career, too. Ask Billy about anything you like; we'll send him 10 top-moderated questions (and maybe he'll answer a few extra ones of his choice, too). We expect to post his answers Wednesday, the day after Freedom Day's 21st Century predecessor, the 4th of July (which, sadly, is not known for nude hot tub parties). Meanwhile, to tide you over, here's a little MP3 voice montage Billy did in his home studio just for Slashdot.
I can think of a lot of things I'd like to ask him. Pick which ever one seems best.
First I'll state my question in the form of a question: What do you think it is that gives Futurama such a unique kind of humor? Do you think that only a small part of the population finds Futurama funny?
More specifically, I enjoy the humor in Futurama. Maybe it's because I'm a nerd and appreciate the N-NP references or maybe it's because I read a lot and I like obscure references (or perhaps even the two are inherently married). What I can't seem to understand is why I like Futurama so much.
You do a great job on the voices and the writing is pretty good. But every so often there will just be these little "intellectual" jokes left and right that just make me laugh every time I see them. Some shows try to be scientific and just dribble the facts down the leg of their pants. It annoys me to no end. Futurama seems to manage to make fun of itself and in the process keep me entertained.
I don't want to sound like a snob but I wonder if Futurama suffers from being too genre or personality specific. Does it target only graduate level people with its nerdy humor?
--
I'd also like to ask a second question: Do you select what shows you work on by their quality?
You've been in a lot of my favorite shows as a voice actor ever since I was a kid. I've also noticed that from your IMDB entry that you really stick to some genuinely funny shows. There are some where I've never found the shows funny but that's just me. I've always wondered if you only like to do shows that you yourself find funny. Do you think that many people in your business do this? I mean, assuming you're not starving and dying for work.
--
Third question: Why do you think Futurama was cancelled?
--
Fourth Question: What were your favorite voices you've done? What were your most hated?
--
Fifth Question: When you're approached to do a voice for a show, how is the type of voice (sound, texture, pitch, etc) determined? Is there a line of people ready to do their interpretation of a character? Do you come up with your own idea based on the character's personality and then sit there refining it with the show's creators/writers? What does this process entail? Do you think of someone you know with the same personality and mimic their voice as a base for the character? If not, where do you get your ideas from?
--
Sixth Question: What made you want to do voice acting as a profession? It must not be very glamorous if the only way a fan could recognize you is by your voice, why'd you choose it?
--
Seventh Question: What exercises (if any) do you use to warm up your voice when you perform? Is it just something you're naturally good at or do you go through daily techniques and practicing like a musician or singer?
--
Eighth Question: Have you ever used computer enhancements for your voices? Does this ever occur?
My work here is dung.
What is your favourite character from Futurama to synchronize? Which one from other shows?
- kRemit
Do you have copyright permission to use the Futurama theme in that sound recording you made? ... And are you scared of the RIAA?
Leave something for the rest of us to aks. Sheesh!
[Dear Grammar/Spelling Nazis: the above misspelling is intentional and is keeping in the spirit of the article.]
my pet machine
> Realize, too, that Billy has also been the voices of Ren and Stimpy
When the studio fired the show's creator, sure. That was when it sucked. Hardly his finest hour.
freedom freedom freedom oy! Patriot's day is when they run the Boston marathon. freedom freedom freedom oy!
The link to billywest.com redirects me to http://www.billywest.com/upgrade_flash/upgrade_fla sh.html, which then gives 404. Although apparently I need to upgrade my flash.
Incidentally, IIS?! For shame!
I've always been good at doing goofy voices and what not. I was a real hit with my younger cousins and kids I babysat, and it has always been a secret dream of mine to get my name in the "With the voices of" section of a cartoon, if only once. How does one break into voiceacting? Do you have any advice for an aspiring voice actor?
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
I saw something a few months back about a project you were trying to get off the ground called "Billy Bastard - Amateur Human Being". It sounded like a great premise and promised me something better than most television. Any updates? Air dates? General info?
"You need a license to buy a gun, but they'll sell anyone a stamp." - Red Green
Who are some of your favorite voice actors to work with, obviously not limited to just the Futurama cast,
and what are your favorite moments or stories with them?
Support FSF: Stop thinking with your wallet, and think with your imagination. (cc/non-commercial)
Great clip, I laughed my ass off ...
:P
He has a very special skill. A bit weird tough
When I watched the guy who does the voice of Homer Simpson, I realized that this guy must be the funniest guy at the party. Imagine how hillarious it would be to meet someone who actually can sound like the legendary Homer. I'd donate my balls to see this guy have a conversation with the Homer guy. In real life, that is.
Full Tilt
As a voice actor, what level of input do you prefer when chosing between jobs? Do you prefer to fully understand the universe you project a character into with as much information as your clients can provide, or do you prefer to focus on just what you need to know?
How much of a role do you like to play in shaping the worlds you play a part in?
Similarly, what level of informational feedback do you think is appropriate from producers?
Ryan Fenton
Leela or Amy?
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Like really? Like that'd be like cool when it like returns...
Trolling is a art,
not that I knew who the voice guy for all my favorite cartoon characters was. But really, you must get some mad pussy with your Zoidberg voice.
Good news, everyone!
If you read Billy West's FAQ before asking a question, you won't repeat things that he's been asked before, and make us all look like a bunch of uneducated monkeys without cooling hats!
And that wouldn't be good news at all!
http://www.billywest.com/index4.htm is where you find his FAQ. I've already seen a post moderated to 5 that asked questions answered there.
Trick question. Only one of those is ever known to have happened (and most of the ice was gone within minutes of the Robot Devil getting his own hands back, anyway!)
This space intentionally left (almost) blank.
Someone posted this clip on YouTube of a Futurama promo for Al Gores new movie. Great stuff
I didn't know this but Al Gores daughter, Kristin Gore is a writer for Futurama. Fun trivia for the day!
In a cage match of you vs. Hank Azaria, who would win? How about your characters vs. Hank's characters? What if it was in jello instead of a cage?
When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
Who would win in a fight? You or Harry Shearer?
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
Yeah, that's a definite typo. Thank you for catching that and correcting me. I wrote that in haste.
I was referring to the time when they were in the closet and saw two binders sitting on the shelf. One had 'P' on its spine and the other had 'NP' referring to polynomial and non-polynomial complexity. I guess that's something I picked up in college computer science courses so not everyone's attuned to it.
I would also like to point out that it was seen floating in the "Homer 3-D" Simpson's Halloween episode.
-eldavojohn
Besides the excellent voice talent, who else is coming back for the next run? The writing was great on Futurama, and many people are concerned about the quality of the show if the writers don't return. Will most of the original writers be returning?
Billy --
We've heard a lot about the original voice actors who are returning to Futurama. This is great, and I believe it is absolutely essential to the success of the new season. However, what about the other staff? Are the writers of the Fox episodes returning for the new season? Is there anyone who isn't coming back to the show who you'll miss?
Thanks! Can't wait for the new season!! Can I be cryogenically frozen until 2008?
"Why would God give us a waist if we wasn't supposed to rest our pants on it?" - Rev. Roy McDaniels
Hey there, Thanks for doing this interview. The character of Zapp Brannigan was apparently created specifically for Phil Hartman, and the style of voice that you use for this character has a ton of similarities to how Hartman performed his Simpsons character voices. Did you purposely take on Hartman's swaggery vocal style as a tribute or something, or is it just what suited the Brannigan character the best? Thanks again.
-
Inventor of the term 'pardon my French'.
What other cartoon do you really enjoy? And what cartoon (either classic, or still being made) would you like to do voices for? And of course, why?
And keep up the good work.
Can I axe you a couple of questions ?
Did you get a chance to listen to any international version of Futurama, and what did you think of the performance of the voice actors?
Which brings me to the following question: Did you ever do voiceovers for a foreign production, say, a turkish sitcom , and if so, what kind were the challenges you were faced with?
Cheers,
Palad1,
Foreigner
How you you (not your eomployers) feel about consumers downloading episodes of Futurama and watching them on their personal computers or portable media player of choice?
In particular, I mean those that pay for cable TV, but don't enjoy being bombarded with ads interupting the shows every 5 minutes, and find major network schedules highly restrictive.
What?
How do you (and other voice actors) go about fine tuning the voices you use? The voice of the professor in the first few episodes of futurama is somewhat different than the voice that the professor had for most of the series. I imagine there was similar tweaking of other characters as well, but they aren't as noticiable to an untrained listner such as I. How do you decide what kind of tweaking is needed in the voices as a series progresses? Is it personal preference, or are you directed to change the voice based on viewer feedback?
Check out his messageboard and ask him anything you like, especially since the chance that your question will be picked as one of those ten is very unlikely?
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Have you ever personally traveled back in time and had sex with your grandmother?
If so, how was it?
Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
I have a relatively simple, but vital question for Billy:
Way back when Futurama began in 1999, did the creators and producers specify fairly specifically how they wanted your various parts to sound? Or did you maintain a relative degree of autonomy when coming up with all the great voices we know and love?
Can't wait for the new episodes; if they are nearly as good as the 3rd and 4th seasons we'll all be grateful. The simple, sardonic humor and geek references can draw on so many new phenomena of the past three years. Let's hope the cynicism is utterly dispeled and that Futurama hasn't even thought about the shark, let alone jumped it as some persons say.
When you say you recorded that mp3 in your studio, did you mean answering machine?
After calming me down with some orange slices and some fetal spooning, E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose.
Do/did you ever get to work with the writers on material, or improvise something on your own that makes it into the show? It seems like separating the inherent humor of many of the voices (Zoidberg comes to mind) and the way they speak, and the written material itself, would be hard.
Having been taken off the air and brought back years later, do you fear a decline in quality in new episodes of Futurama? (A condition known as Family Guy Syndrome?) Is it better to end a series while it is still fresh, or to risk a decline is quality in order to bring something to the fans that still has life in it? (That's not two questions, that's one question in two parts)
have you ever been dumped because your partner was irriated by you using your excessive character voices?
or, have you been approached by someone due to your voice talent?
You're one of the few actors I know of with a web site that includes the actor's involvment. How import do you think this has been in your career and continued fame? Do you think this will become important for all successful actors to have?
How important do you feel the internet has been in the success of Futurama? I know there are tons references to fan posting's and web sites on the Futurama DVD's. Do you think Futurama episodes online contributed to the continuing success of Futurama after it was cancelled? I'm sure there are plenty of people who weren't significantly exposed to Futurama until the episodes began making their way online...
Dear diary: Today I stuffed some dolls full of dead rats I put in the blender.
P.S. - I don't care if there is - crayon drawings will do if it gets to come back.
P.P.S. - Slashdot hosting an mp3? Can slashdot slashdot itself?
http://skeptobot.blogspot.com/ - A site for the Renaissance man and woman
Do you take requests from people to have you say something in a character's voice? For example, if someone asked you to say, "Good news everyone! We've been hired to deliver this giant mutant octopus to Hentai 9, the schoolgirl planet" in the voice of Professro Farnsworth, would you consider it?
So, answer the question Tress always avoids...
:)
Does being a famous, well-known, prolific voice actor get you the kudos, bennies, fame, and fortune being a live-action (TV/Movie) actor does?
You've worked with many, know many (I'm certain), and probably have a lot of exposure to the Hollywood "scene" - and no doubt have an opinion on this. In short, does being Fry get you the babes?
Seriously, that's a little tongue-in-cheek, but do you actually have a similar public life to Katey Sagal? Good - instant recognition, fan mobs, free swag, etc. - and bad - instant recognition, fan mobs, constantly being asked for autographs and free swag, etc.?
Thanks - love your work, especially the way you bring zoidberg's understated, self-deprecating humor to life with your portrayal. Glad to have you back from syndication!
"Adventure? Excitement? A Jedi craves not these things."
Dude, you're doing it all wrong. You don't put all your good dope in one single post. You gotta spread it out. You've got eight questions? That means you can get eight separately up-modded posts if you play your cards right. It pains me to see someone waste an opportunity to milk their ideas for all the karma/recognition they can get. You've obviously never been a post-doc and been under pressure to churn out N papers each year... :)
GMD
watch this
If you listen to the DVD commentaries for Futurama, Billy mentions several times how he has a crush on Amy :)
(and Natasja from Rocky & Bullwinkle for some reason)
What does your normal voice sound like? Given that you've done so many different character voices, do you ever get stuck and "forget" what your normal voice is supposed to be? Silly bonus question: if you forgot what your normal voice was supposd to be, which of the many character voices do you think you'd like to have instead?
Damien
What's the message on your answering machine?
There are 01 kinds of cars in the world. The General Lee, and everything else.
(which, sadly, is not known for nude hot tub parties)
I have had many nude hot tub parties on the 4th. Well, until I got married.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I would like to omit the fourth question or at least the first half of it as he answers on his FAQ: And he kind of answers my sixth question: What I would also like to ask him, though, is why his homepage is a bloated Shockwave interactive Flash presentation? I know it's artsy but it's expensive both in money and memory.
-eldavojohn
So here's my questions:
Have you killed the guy who set up your home studio yet?
Would you like me to kill him for you?
After I'm done, would you hire me to redo the studio with proper acoustics and gear?
What do you mean, you don't want a killer in your house?
The latest Slashdot meme.
Were you born vocally gifted, or did you start out like everyone else and practiced to achieve greatness?
Is there a voice actor bar somewhere in Hollywood where you and guys like Jim Cummings, Mark Hamill, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, and Seth McFarlane sit around, tip a few, speak in character, and mock Issac Hayes?
You might call me a karma whore but I post to add to the conversation and nothing more.
No, I only have a measily masters
-eldavojohn
Do you think you could get me Leela's communicator number? That purple hair and giant eye make me feel funny in my pants. OK, and the big tits too. Of course I'd need to find a way to was the Zapp Branigan stank off her first.
Has Howard Stern or any other representative of Sirius Satellite radio approached you about doing a show there?
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Did you really do the nasty in the past-y?
I won't admit I'm paranoid...or the people listening will know they've won.
index4.html for the FAQ page? WTF... That's like naming all of your variables var1, var2, var3, ... It always pisses me off when I try to debug something like that...
I've heard/seen such references to Futurama before, and I can only wonder, what the heck are you talking about?
I love Futurama; I laugh at Futurama; I'm exciting there will be more Futurama. But I would never describe Futurama as "intellectual" or "graduate level" humor.
Due to the setting--1000 years in the future--Futurama has a lot SciFi/advanced technical gadgetry references, but those are often along the lines of the Smell-O-Scope. Most of it is intellectually-acceptable potty humor. And I mean that in a good way.
Futurama is around the same nebulous region inhabited by Mel Brooks movies. Certainly funny stuff, but if you consider that high-brow humor, you need a brow lift.
I think Futurama is great, but I don't use it as a crutch to boost my ego. When you discuss your appreciation of Futurama as if it's some advanced skill, you don't sound like a snob. You sound like an idiot.
... when you first announced that FUTURAMA was comming back (you know, the time when it had to be retracted? ;)
:)
It almost broke my heart --- or, as they say in german: I was himmelhochjauchzend und zu tode betrübt.
But, of course all is forgiven.
sig? Oh, that sig...
I got the impression that someone at Fox was pressuring Cohen and the like to add more meaning-full plots to the show, thusly developing the relationship between Fry and Leela. This detracted from the sort of random Simpson-esque humor that made the show so great, which ultimately turned off fans resulting in Fox cancelling the show.
Is there any truth to this? Do you know if they will continue to develop Fry and Leela's relationship in the new episodes? Will Coolio be involed?
There's nothing wrong with anything - Phillip J. Fry
Via TV Squad:
Somebody go correct the Wikipedia entry.It's a kind of weird situation:
you wanted Futurama to be back
the audience wanted Futurama to be back
Yet there is a finite number of TV channels and 24hours per day... so even a profitable show can be voted of screen it there are some more profitable shows... You did consider a DVD release which I think is still on track, but should the opportunity have arisen, would you have considered:
- airing on the internet
- not being financed by a classical production company but by creating a "Futurama production" company and selling shares of that company to different investors to finance the episode creation, wages, sodas etc.
--
That guy from the 80's.
\u262D = \u5350
How much has the success of bringing back Family Guy and strong DVD sales played in the effort to revive Futurama?
Like Family Guy, I didn't really appreciate Futurama until getting the DVD's. Which leads to the related question
Do you see shows like Futurama as just better suited to DVD release than TV airing?
It seems to me that shows like Futurama appeal to a niche audiance that will pay to see all the episodes in order, at their convinience, and multiple times. They don't do so well during original TV airing, but really take off on DVD.
-Bill
I am billdar, and I approve this message.
I am interested in learning about the writing process of a typical Futurama episode. Given the obscure nature of some of the more geek-prone jokes (e.g. "Announcer: ...and horse X finishes in a quantum finish! Farnworth: No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!"), it would seem that the writers of the show were more inclined to make inside jokes for geeks than for a more mainstream audience. Was it difficult to find a balance between the two audiences? Where there producers who allowed you such leeway? What would you suggest for artists and writers who want to create things that appeal to niche audiences and yet can still be accessible to the masses?
What do you think of people who downloaded Futurama episodes?
I never watched Futurama until after it was off the air. I discovered it by downloading episodes off the internet, at which point I fell in love with the series. I bought each DVD set as they came out, but wouldn't have even looked at them had I not first downloaded Futurama episodes.
Mr. West...
:)
Loved your slashdot reel.
Please answer our questions in an MP3 using your favorite character voices
$8.95/mo web hosting
Billy, it seems that the /. crowd already asked all of the good questions, so I have the important one:
Is your ass really shiny and would you actually let other people bite it?
(and no, I am not gay, but thanks for asking.)
My question:
What advice would you give to someone who wants to do voice acting? Especially for newcomers, are there good/bad ways to get into the business? Do you have to live in LA?
We did the last interview before the announcement over on TV Squad.
</shameless plug>
Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
Billy,
Given the sound quality of that montage, it would appear that your 'home studio' is actually the voice mail on your cell phone.
But seriously. I just watched the documentary "My Date With Drew", and was treated to a nice little segment with an appearance by (I believe) voiceover artist George Del Hoyo. We get to see his home studio: a computer, a microphone, some preamps and compressors. What *is* your home studio like? Do you record at home often, or in roundtables with other actors? What microphone do you find suits your voice best? Do you have a favorite piece of recording equipment?
I've always thought it would be so much fun to be the voice of an animated character. How about providing us with a "Voiceovers for Dummies" Book??? If not, how about giving us a few tips... ?!?!?
Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of you, Billy West (you're especially good in Futurama!) and that I'm just as huge a fan of John K. We all have heard plenty of both sides of the Ren & Stimpy saga, so I won't get into that. I just ask you this: as mad as you are at him and he you (I assume), do you think there's any possibility of a Billy West-John K. reconciliation or reunion? It needn't be to make new Ren & Stimpy episodes, but to make any new John K. cartoon, such as George Liquor.
Most fans agree that the best Ren & Stimpy episodes were the first two seasons, with you and him. The later Nickelodeon episodes, as well as the John K. episodes made later for USA, though great in their own right, lacked the certain magic of the first two seasons. I believe that this must mean you two worked well together, leading to my quasi-follow up question: did you two work well together or was it some sort of freak accident that Ren & Stimpy was so great?
"The absurd is clear reasoning recognizing its limits"
-Albert Camus
Billy, Do you retain ownership of the voice characterizations you create or does that go to your employer?
Question: Billy have you contacted or been contacted by the Howard Stern Show in recent years to make an appearance recently (If they did contact you, would you be willing to make an appearance)?
NP = problems that can be solved in Polynomial time by a Nondeterministic Turing Machine.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Pazzuuuuuuuuuzzzzuuuuuuuu!!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
How has the manner in which you've approached the voicing and overall attitude of Fry changed since the series began? Five seasons later, after Fry had been through countless adventures, has the way you percieve him as a character and the approach you take to giving him life changed substantially as opposed to when he was just a thinly defined character on an upstart show?
eldavojohn, if that's his real name, is refering to things discussed here, and, wait . . . OMG, by George, right here!. Read the articles reported on so kindly by /. and you'll understand which humor he's refering to. Funny (to me at least, I'm sure not you), your post rather answers his own question well.
PS - don't call people idiots, sir. That's really really mean.
A B A C A B B
What do you do on your spare time? If you play video games, what are your favourites?
"When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
Good thing I saw this post as I was going to ask if you could be a tree, and you fell in the woods, how much of your wood could a woodchuck chuck if train A is traveling west at 47 miles per hour?
Thanks for the heads up!
Bill, where are the child support payments you promised?
1.) I saw you in "Comic Book: The Movie" and thought you did great as an on-camera actor. Will you be doing more on-camera roles in the future?
2.) What do you think of Eric Bauza's work on "Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon?"
3.) You left the Howard Stern show right after when John Kricfalusi was a guest and you had that confrontation with him. Did Howard kick you off the show because he thought you'd stab him in the back just like you did to John K. and Spumco?
I'm sure you have a professional opinion on which animated shows are done better, but are there any you don't work on but especially enjoy? Part Duex: I read an interview with Trey Parker where he got extremely insulted when the interviewer compared South Park to Family Guy. Apparently he felt Family Guy was essentially a hack (even before the new episodes). Is there a lot of that my-cartoon-is-better-than-yours in the voice acting biz?
"PC Load Letter? What the $@#% does that mean?!"
With such a gap between the cancellation of the first run of futurama shows and the current filming, how do you 'remember' the various voices that you do (Do you review tapes, record yourself and tweak, etc.)?
--pete
Do you get paid for EACH voice, or is it buffet ?
Does Phil Lamar ever do the UPS guy there ?
Why does Lela, who has one eye, nose, and mouth, have two tits?
I guess some heads (and brows) are in different places than others.
Yes, there is a lot of actual science and math thrown into Futurama scripts. But that fact doesn't negate my comments. Simply put, it's not the science and math that make the show funny. Actually, Yocto Yotta's links remind me how unfunny smart people can be. There's nothing wrong with being smart, but smart in-and-of-itself does not a joke make.
For example, they did the actual calculations to compute Fry's bank account balance after 1000 years at an average of two and a quarter percent. Accuracy is nice. But it's not funny. Funny would be, calculate the amount after 1000 years of compound interest, but leave Fry with the same 93 cents after bank fees and surcharges.
And the 1729 "joke"--come on. I guess you could say the reference was clever, but it ain't funny. (And yes, although I don't recall catching the reference during the episode, when I saw 1729 in the article I instantly thought of the Ramanujan-Hardy story.)
In one Q&A, David X. Cohen refers to the "several genuine ex-scientists on our writing staff," but then lists only one scientist. The other two guys are ex-engineers. (Yes, there is a difference. Someone who doesn't appreciate this shouldn't be making any "over-your-head gestures in my direction.)
My points are: the obscure (and not so obscure) science and math references are the garnish, not the meat, of what makes Futurama funny. (Though there is certainly much room for differences in sense of humor, so that point is weak.)
Futurama did not fail because the writers were too smart--although that does not guarantee success, either. Futurama failed because it got the worst time slot in the history of television.
Lastly, I was responding to the GP's smugness.
It did make the poster sound like a snob in regards to something I really don't think he has a place to feel snobby about, and so, IMNSHO, he came off sounding a bit idiotic. I did not say I don't understand the humor. I don't understand (or agree with) the references to "intellectual" or "graduate level" humor.PS - I didn't call the GP poster an idiot. I said he sounded like one.
PPS - Welcome back Futurama! woohoo!
Guess I can freeze myself till then.
There's been a lot of confusion over whether or not Futurama is actually coming back for some 13+ episodes on Comedy Central. Initially it was reported so, but then GotFuturama.com relayed that there was some confusion with the news reports and Comedy Central is doing nothing more than splitting up the 4 DVD movies, already in production, into 4 episodes each and showing *those*. But otherwise, no new Futurama beyond the DVD movies.
So, which is it? Can we get excited for brand new Futurama or just remain excited for the movies?
-Moses
In the earliest episodes Bender's alcoholism was portrayed as a vice rather than the necessary fuel for his power cells and Leela was portrayed as an alien rather than a mutant. The general feel of the episodes make me feel that these are two examples of unplanned morphing of the scenario - at what point was alcohol changed from vice to energy for Bender and when was it decided that Leela was to be a mutant rather than alien? What other unplanned morphs were thrown into the mix?
If the g'vt kept the data on you that google does you'd better believe you'd be calling it "doing evil"
This leads to a bigger question: does Billy actually get to work with his castmates?
Interesting that you bring up 'other castmates'. When Futurama was first developed, several other voice actors had created the sound of the different characters' voices. Then they went on strike demanding larger salaries. The producers found Billy West was versatile enough to imitate the other actors' voices for the characters, so they fired the other voice actors and hired Billy West. They had Billy and one of the other voice actors duke it out on the Howard Stern show a couple years back over this issue.
Seth
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
I noticed that Eric Bauza did the voice of Stimpy on Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon. Was that something you decided not to go back to, or were you not asked to return? Do you see yourself working with John Kricfalusi again in the future?
So, does the Honey Nut Cheerios bee have any deep, dark secrets he'd like to get out in the open? Anything to do with the fact that honey bee drones are all female?
There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
"How can I start making the big money without going through all the tedious begining steps?"
Maybe that's what I mean.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Who would win in a cage match between you, Tom Kenny and Richard Horvitz?
Bush is a cylon.
Before I ask this question, I must admit I am a HUGE Futurama fan. I can remember going into the home stretch of the series way back when it was originally airing, in 2003, and thinking that each of the last 3-4 episodes would have been a perfect way to end the series. Specifically: (In broadcast order) "Obsoletely Fabulous" where Bender becomes outdated, "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV" concluding that Bender (read: the show) should not be allowed on TV and of course; "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings". That episode finally created a relationship that most fans had hoped for.
When I heard that the series was coming back my immediate reaction was positive; however after contemplating the way the series ended I don't believe the same dynamics and tensions in the series would exist. I certainly don't want a "break the relationship, the series is on again" move. Given context, my question is this:
Why bring this series back at this time - and how do you plan on developing it to avoid mediocrity?
All too often you see shows that are aired until they loose their spark. Let this series die a natural death and refuse the urge to bludgeon it for a little more $$.
Thanks.
Proof by very large bribes. QED.
On the DVD audio commentary to "Where no fan has gone befoer" the production theme talks about how the voices were recorder.
Everyone records their lines separately, the only exception was Leonard Nimoy and Willam Shatner in that specific episode!
1) Will it be a movie in the cinema?
2) Will it be 4 movies on DVD?
3) Will it be another season on TV?
I know you have a hit-counter on your site, but is that reason enough for announcing random stuff to loyal fans?
How comfy is that t-shirt?
Not noteable, IMO a rubbish article.
Do you (Billy) share Zap's affinity for Velour?
How do you justify taking money to continue doing Ren & Stimpy after the show was taken away from John K.?