Mike Reiss worked on The Simpsons for 30 years. He was head writer during the period when The Simpsons won four Emmy Awards. Springfield Confidential is a mashup of memoir and “How To Write a Great Comedy Script.” Reiss shows how the episodes were put together: it takes 23 steps to produce a finished episode–about nine months. He shares a lot of writing tips. Reiss provides a personal history of The Simpsons with insider information–like why the Simpsons are yellow. Mike Reiss also wrote children’s books: How Murray Saved Christmas, Santa Claustrophobia, and The Boy That Looked Like Lincoln.. If you’re a fan of The Simpsons you’ll love this book! If you’re a casual watcher of the program, there’s enough humor and information here to keep you interested. Do you have a favorite episode of The Simpsons? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
FORWARD by Judd Apatow xiii
Opening credits.
Burning question: Where is Springfield? — 5
Act one.
It begins … ; 9
A brief history of me ; 23
Funny for money — 37
Act two.
Meet the writers ; 51
Simpsons songs : who writes them, how are they written, and why are there so goddamn many? ; 89
Meet the showrunners ; 91
Meet the characters ; 99
Meet the cast ; 111
Burning question: Do you read what fans post on websites? ; 139
Four episodes that changed the world (kinda) ; 141
Burning question: What do you think of Family Guy? ; 161
Meet the fans ; 163
Burning question: What do you say to people who say the show has gone downhill? ; 175
Seeing the world with The Simpsons ; 177
Burning question: Why has the show lasted so long? — 191
Act three.
On comedy ; 197
How Krusty became The Critic ; 209
Burning question: What’s the biggest reason The Critic failed? ; 221
A development deal with the devil ; 223
Burning question: What is the secret of The Simpsons’ success? ; 229
Doing animated films for cash (not credit) ; 233
The sleazy, nasty world of children’s books ; 241
Gay for pay ; 247
Writing for humans again! ; 255
Back to the old tire fire — 261
The tag.
It never ends … ; 275
The final burning question: Why are the Simpsons yellow? 279
CLOSING CREDITS
Glossary 283
Answers to NPR Puzzles 289
Acknowledgements 291
Image Credits 295
About the Authors 297

Robert Silverberg is known for his prolific career writing science fiction. Silverberg was also a masterful editor of science fiction collections. One of these SF collections from 1975 is Strange Gifts. In this themed anthology, each story presents a “gifted” character that disrupts the status quo. For example, in Philip K. Dick’s “The Golden Man,” mutants are hunted down by a Government agency. But some humans try to help the mutants survive. The Golden Man presents a huge problem for the Government because of his powers. Alfred Bester’s “Oddy and Id” follows the pattern with children with awesome powers. Silverberg’s own “To Be Continued” explores what it would be like to be able to live thousands of years. What problems would a vastly increased life-span present? The most surreal story in Strange Gifts is “Humpty Dumpty Had A Great Fall” where a child is able to tap into alternate dimensions. Kris Neville’s “Bettyann” explores what it would be like for an alien child to be raised as a human. All in all, I enjoyed these stories of strangeness. Perfect Summer reading material! GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Robert Silverberg. Introduction 11
Dick, Philip K. The golden man. (IF, April 1954) 13
Dickson, Gordon R. Danger-human! (Astounding Science Fiction, December 1957) 49
Lafferty, R. A. All the people. ( Galaxy Magazine, April 1961) 71
Bester, Alfred. Oddy and Id. (Astounding Science Fiction, August 1950) 84
Gold, H. L. The man with English (STAR SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, 1953) 102
Silverberg, Robert. To be continued. (Astounding Science Fiction, May 1956) 113
Long, Frank Belknap. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. (Startling Stories, November 1948) 128
Neville, Kris. Bettyann. ( New Tales of Space and Time, 1951) 158

Paul Rudd returns as ex-convict Scott Lang (aka, Ant-Man). Scott is serving a sentence at home wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. Scott has a strange dream and contacts his former associates, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly). Pym believes his missing wife of 30 years, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), is communicating through Scott. She’s stuck in the Quantum Void. Pym has a plan to rescue his wife, but his plan is disrupted by another quantum casualty, Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and a group of gangsters who want the quantum technology. Plenty of micro and macro special effects power this funny and involving movie. If you’re looking for something better than the average super-hero movie, give Ant-Man and The Wasp a try. GRADE: A-

I’m a fan of caper novels and Lionel White was one of the great practitioners of a “heist gone wrong.” Hostage for a Hood (1957) starts with a perfect crime: stealing $250,000 from an armored truck. The gang’s scheme goes awry when part of the crew crash into another car. The gang takes the woman and her little dog hostage. The clean escape blows up and the gang hunkers down while the police dragnet increases. The woman’s husband figures out his wife has been kidnapped and takes action. The suspense in Hostage for a Hood ratchets up until the explosive conclusion.

The Werriweather File (1959) centers around a wife who believes someone is trying to kill her. She hires a lawyer to protect her life (he’s skeptical about the death threat but agrees to represent her). But when a body shows up in the trunk of the family car, this twisty novel picks up speed and tension. Lionel White is a master of clever plotting and The Merriweather File puts unpredictable events on display. If you’re in the mood for fast-paced suspense both of these novels deliver. You can read my reviews of STARK HOUSE’s editions of Lionel White’s Marilyn K/The House Next Door here and The Snatchers/Clean Break here. GRADE: B+

Kathleen Kent, best known for historical novels, shows some gritty chops in The Dime (2017) where Detective Betty Rhyzyk investigates the Mexican drug cartel. Rhyzyk grows up in New York City in a “cop” family. She moves to Dallas with her girl friend and finds a job on the Narcotics Squad. Rhyzyk’s lesbianism causes friction with her male colleagues. Shootouts with the cartel thugs, personal threats, and a surprising twist in the plot halfway into the book keep The Dame moving fast. My only quibble is the number of flashbacks Kathleen Kent uses to fill in Rhyzyk’s back story. GRADE: B

Nick Offerman plays a widowed father named Frank who was former musician who now owns a vinyl-only record store in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Frank faces several problems. His record store is failing. His mother (Blythe Danner) shows signs of dementia. Frank’s daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is headed for UCLA to become a doctor and Frank doesn’t know where he’s going to find the tuition money. Frank’s bartender friend, Dave (Ted Danson), tries to help him. Leslie (Toni Collette), Frank’s landlady, offers some romantic opportunities. Sasha Lane provides some romantic opportunities for Sam. The gimmick in Hearts Beat Loud is that Frank and Sam write a song and record it in their home studio. Frank uploads the song to Spotify and it becomes a hit. That success gives Frank hope that music might save him from the disasters growing around him. My problems with Hearts Beat Loud center around the music and the plot. The music is bland. The plot is predictable. With a good cast like this, Director Brett Haley should have produced something special. Ted Danson and Toni Collette pretty much just stand around. Marc Basch’s script holds no surprises. GRADE: B-

Gregg Easterbrook, who admits from being from Buffalo, provides evidence (the Real Facts) to counteract the constant barrage of messages that America (and the world) is going down the tubes. In fact, people are living longer. More people are surviving diseases that used to be fatal. Food is plentiful. If people are starving, it’s because of logistics not food shortages. Equality world-wide is increasing as education and healthcare improve. Gregg Easterbrook also points out that our Economy is growing as unemployment shrinks. Technology improves with each generation and tends to be more safe to use.

Of course politicians love to claim the Past was better (it wasn’t) and today the world faces “carnage.” People tend to vote when they’re afraid. Yet most of the outlandish claims that American is going to Hell are false. Sure, the opioid epidemic is real. But conspiracies of “child actors” at the border, that the Wall will solve the immigration problem, and the Space Force will protect us gain traction because of technology. Facebook and Tweets and social media of all sorts create the illusion that these fantasies are facts. Many of our problems are self-created. If you’re looking for a book to counteract all the negativity and “Fake News” I highly recommend It’s Better Thank It Looks.” GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface: Optimism Goes Out of Style xi
PART I: Why the World Refuses to End
One: Why don’t we starve? 3
Two: Why, despite all our bad habits, do we keep living longer? 23
Three: Will nature collapse? 41
Four: Will the economy collapse? 64
Five: Why is violence in decline? 104
Six: Why does technology become safer instead of more dangerous? 140
Seven: Why don’t the dictators win? 164
PART II: The Arrow of History
Eight: How declinism became chic 197
Nine: The “impossible” challenge of climate change 226
Ten: The “impossible” challenge of inequality 245
Eleven: We’ll never run out of challenges 266
Twelve: And it will never be too late 282
Acknowledgements 287
Notes 289
Index 319

My old ResMed Model 9 CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine gave me an error message: MOTOR LIFE EXCEEDED. PLEASE CONTACT SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. I called up Apnea Care and Rachel, my Service Representative, told me, “You qualify for a new CPAP.” I scheduled an appointment and a few days later the new ResMed AirSense 10 was mine. The AirSense 10 motor is super-quiet! It automatically adjusts if you need more or less pressure for comfortable and safe breathing during sleep. The AirSense 10 keeps track of sleeping patterns and notifies you if your mask is leaking air.

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea back in 1995. I’ve had four CPAP machines since then and now the ResMed AirSense 10 is my fifth. My first CPAP looked like a Macintosh computer and weighed over 20 pounds. Diane said it sounded like a lawn mower. Each new CPAP got smaller, quieter, and smarter. This new ResMed AirSense 10 looks like a clock radio and weighs a couple of pounds. Without these CPAP machines, I probably wouldn’t be here today.

My eyes misted up a couple times while watching Won’t You Be My Neighbor? This wonderful documentary captures the essence of Fred Roger’s magic in reaching out to children and helping them deal with Reality. When Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, Fred Rogers addressed the issue. Later, Rogers produced theme weeks on topics like divorce, war, violence, and death. He never talked down to kids. He never sugar-coated his messages. Fred Rogers was a visionary. And, back in 1969, Fred Rogers saved the Public Broadcasting System with a stellar performance at a Congressional hearing (another highlight of this documentary). Right-wing commentators attacked Fred Rogers and his philosophies. He was accused of being a homosexual (he wasn’t). His belief that all children are special became the “gateway” for creating “snowflakes” according to conservatives. Despite these savage assaults, Fred Rogers continued to help children and promote his message of love and kindness in a hostile world. If you go to Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, bring some Kleenex. GRADE: A