Simpsons Season 6 DVD box set

Jeez. Give them an "A" for effort. Not content with the standard square DVD box set, The folks at the Simpsons have released a crazy contraption shaped like Homer's head, inside which are the DVDs and booklets.

The clamshell head is swathed in a clear plastic sleeve that more or less conforms to the shape of the head. Once you take off the sleeve and pry open the head, out tumbles a mess of crap. The inside opens yet again to reveal the pocket for the booklets and the DVDs, which are housed in a book-like collection of pages. This is a beautifully designed piece of collectible art but a really crappy practical design. The plastic is thin and cheesy and the access to everything is unbelievably awkward. I respect them for trying new designs, but this one doesn't work. Unfortunately, the next 4 seasons will be similar.

Good news is that there's a card inside, calling me a big whiner and telling me to call an 800 number to get a stupid, normal, square box instead. I finally figured out they meant 888, not 800, and got a recording directing me to a website. The website is www.simpsonsbox.com. They make a big joke out of us jerks wanting stupid boring boxes. It's actually quite funny. But they let you buy a new square normal box for $3.00 shipping. Not a bad deal I guess. It's not like you have to send them your old one.

The artwork inside is all based on "Who Shot Mr. Burns," the final cliffhanger episode of this season. It was a great episode, no question, but to base the whole design of a season on it? I felt it was a little much. The menus are similarly mystery-themed, but design-wise very much like season 5's menus. The episodes are pretty outrageously good. Season 5 was a fantastic season and this one is possibly better. The extras are somewhat thin at this point, but the ever-present audio commentaries are always welcome and appreciated!

Overall a great addition to the collection. I'll keep you posted about the replacement box.

THE MUPPET SHOW!

The Muppet Show was one of my favorite TV shows growing up. I distinctly remember watching it with my family at 8:00 on CBS. I want to say it was Monday nights, but I could be wrong. Anyway, The Muppet Show and the Charlie Brown specials were the only programs I remember that distinctly getting ready for with anticipation.

They released a whole bunch of "Best-Ofs" on DVD, but they were incomplete selections and too sloppily done for my taste, so I never bought them. FINALLY, entire seasons of the Muppet Show with bonus features are being released with the love and care the show deserves.

First of all, the box is lined with imitation muppet skin to simulate Kermit. It's cute, but a little weird when you really think about it. The discs are packaged sort of awkwardly inside. They overlap each other, so if you want dic 4, you have to remove disc 3 to get it.

But the shows look great. The first episode has guest star Juliet Prowse, who I never heard of, but apparently she was very well known dancer in the 70s. Each guest star has a few backstage interaction with the muppets, a show piece on stage and an interview with Kermit. The episode had its usual zaniness and slapstick, but Juliet's show piece was a ballet with muppets. The muppets were full-sized gazelle-like abstract creatures who danced with Ms. Prowse. It was beautiful and artful and not at all funny. To me that was what the show was all about. There were explosions and puns and sitcom-type jokes, but there was also a real intelligence and literary mind behind the show. I remember Harry Belafonte's episode (not on this set) and he did a few African-inspired numbers that, again, were not funny at all, but artistic and beautiful.

The extras are of varying interest, but there are two priceless additions: The original pitch and original pilot. The pitch is merely a muppet talking to the camera, explaining to the network execs why they should buy the Muppet Show. It's totally off-the-wall and clearly for adults and not for TV broadcast. It's not dirty, but it shows a version of muppetry clearly aimed at adult men, not families. Also, the pilot is similar yet way different than the eventual Muppet Show we know now. It's way more chaotic and detailed. It's clearly inspired by Monty Python and Laugh-In, with its jumpcutting and random non-sequitors. It has bits of absolute genius in it and the quality of the tape is pristine.

My only complaint is that the DVD reminds me of when I saw these shows on TV at 8:00 on CBS. Now I can watch them whenever I want and it sucks a little bit of the magic out of it. There's definitely something about watching a TV broadcast that is lost with a videotape or DVD. Maybe I'll finish watching these and realize that they don't live up to my own memories, but I can't pass up the opportunity to find out. So far I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

JOHN BOLTON

Click on the picture to see what our new ambassador to the United Nations had to say about the United Nations back in 1994. This is the man who represents you to the rest of the world.