Julian Assange to guest star on "The Simpsons"

Julian Assange to guest star on "The Simpsons"
Tue, Jan 31 2012

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the High Court in London December 5, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/Files

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:03am IST

(Reuters) - Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be a guest character and voice on animated TV comedy "The Simpsons," playing a neighbor of the family after they move from their home in fictional Springfield.

Assange's "brief" guest starring role will be on the show's February 19 program, which marks the 500th episode of "The Simpsons," said Antonia Coffman, a spokeswoman for the show airing on the Fox television network in the United States.

In the episode, the Simpsons -- Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and their pets -- leave home and move to a rugged and isolated area where the find themselves living next to Assange, who portrays himself.

Simpsons executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly magazine that the show's creative team realizes Assange is "controversial," but that in putting together the show they avoided delving into his "legal situation." Instead, the writers made sure the appearance was satirical. Assange recorded his lines remotely from Britain.

Assange is currently under house arrest outside London and due to appear before Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday to appeal his extradition to Sweden where he has been accused of sexual misconduct by two former WikiLeaks volunteers.

He angered U.S. officials in 2010 when WikiLeaks, in partnership with major newspapers, published a trove of leaked diplomatic cables that exposed the candid views of American officials and their allies about a wide range of topics including the wars in Afghanistan and, at the time, Iraq.

Assange and his supporters are concerned that if he is extradited to Sweden, U.S. officials might attempt to have him brought to the United States where possibly he could be charged for crimes related to the leaked documents.

Last week, Kremlin-funded English language channel Russia Today revealed it had given Assange his own television talk show. Assange will interview noteworthy figures on a show dubbed "The World Tomorrow," the channel said.

"The Simpsons," which debuted in 1989 on Fox, is the longest running primetime, scripted television series.

This is pretty dumb, I've stopped watching the Simpsons a long time ago, but can't they find someone better to guest star than this piece of trash?

I never watched the Simpson's - the only "episode" I ever saw was taking my younger son (he's a huge fan) to a table read at Fox Studios in LA (I knew someone on the cast and was working with her on another project). I have to say, I laughed my ass off. I never knew Hank Azaria (or however it's spelled) did or could do so many voices!

As for Julian, I hope they toss his ass in a deep, dark hole and let him rot there!

The Simpsons really does kind of play the American nuclear family as being simple, if not grossly ignorant. But then again, we should be able to laugh at ourselves.

I do not care for the politics the show scripts in... and while the writers of The Simpsons and South Park have regularly trashed Christianity, they never touch Islam...

The Liberals love to claim free speech and equality, so long as the freedom is bashing somebody else and the equality works in their favor.

As for Assange? I was... initially at least, torn. I like the idea of a place where whistle blowers can go to expose government corruption in front of the public. But as time has gone by, Assange seems more like a play-pretty boy... a store manager for something much less honorable.

South Park did make fun of islam and they got death threats for it. I think I know why people shy away from making fun of islam, since Christians don't cut people's heads off. lol.

Bashing conservatives and the religious is fair game. Don't you know that?

South Park has and still does make fun of Islam. As does Family Guy, for that matter.