9780062850706
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Springfield Confidential audiobook

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Springfield Confidential Audiobook Summary

In celebration of The Simpsons thirtieth anniversary, the show’s longest-serving writer and producer offers a humorous look at the writing and making of the legendary Fox series that has become one of the most revered artistic achievements in television history.

Four-time Emmy winner Mike Reiss–who has worked on The Simpsons continuously since episode one in 1989–shares stories, scandals, and gossip about working with America’s most iconic cartoon family ever. Reiss explains how the episodes are created, and provides an inside look at the show’s writers, animators, actors and celebrity guests. He answers a range of questions from Simpsons fans and die-hards, and reminisces about the making of perennially favorite episodes.

In his freewheeling, irreverent comic style, Reiss reflects on his lifetime inside The Simpsons–a personal highlights reel of his achievements, observations, and favorite stories. Springfield Confidential exposes why Matt Groening decided to make all of the characters yellow; dishes on what it’s like to be crammed in a room full of funny writers sixty hours a week; and tells what Reiss learned after traveling to seventy-one countries where The Simpsons is watched (ironic note: there’s no electricity in many of these places); and even reveals where Springfield is located! He features unique interviews with Judd Apatow, who also provided the foreword, and Conan O’Brien, as well as with Simpsons legends Al Jean, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and more.

Like Cary Elwes’ As You Wish, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong’s Seinfeldia, and Chris Smith’s The Daily Show: An Oral History, Springfield Confidential is a funny, informational, and exclusive look at one of the most beloved programs in all of television land.

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Springfield Confidential Audiobook Narrator

Mike Reiss is the narrator of Springfield Confidential audiobook that was written by Mike Reiss

Mike Reiss has won four Emmys and a Peabody Award during his twenty-eight years writing for The Simpsons. He ran the show in Season 4, which Entertainment Weekly called “the greatest season of the greatest show in history.” In 2006, Reiss received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Animation Writers Caucus. Reiss has written jokes for such comedy legends as Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Garry Shandling…and Pope Francis! For his comedic contributions to the charitable group Joke with the Pope, in 2015 Pope Francis declared Reiss “A Missionary of Joy.”

 

About the Author(s) of Springfield Confidential

Mike Reiss is the author of Springfield Confidential

More From the Same

Subjects

The publisher of the Springfield Confidential is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Celebrity & Popular Culture, HUMOR, Topic

Additional info

The publisher of the Springfield Confidential is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062850706.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Richard

March 13, 2020

Despite wandering away from their contemporary adventures, The Simpsons is important to me. Not just me, but most people from my generation. Rarely a day goes by without at least one quote deliberately or unconsciously slipping its way into an unrelated conversation. A show so fiendishly clever in its in-tric-acies. See, there I go.At any rate, we owe much of it to this feisty feline Mike Reiss. Taking us through his time before The Simpsons, during the The Simpsons, after The Simpsons, and back again at The Simpsons, Reiss never misses an opportunity to drop a pun into proceedings. He's like a kid in some kind of store. Yet the book remains entertaining, informative, and most of all, funny. Reiss is generous with his compliments to other creators ("If you want dirt, dig a hole"), his insights into the world of writing comedy, and the 9-month process of creating 22 minutes of television is perfect for process junkies. Regular junkies too![Sidebar: at one point, Reiss refers to himself as "the office girl" because he's not into sports. I know what he means, but it's a rare sour note in an otherwise terrific bit of self-deprecation and self-awareness].Alongside never-before-heard anecdotes - and Reiss' thoughts on critics, Hollywood, and the cutthroat world of children's books - two things come across most clearly: being funny full-time takes dedication, and Reiss is someone who loves what he does. All grumbles are (mostly) tongue-in-cheek, and all Gumbles are Barney.

Adam

April 27, 2019

Review of the audiobook narrated by the author.The Simpsons is my favorite show that I haven't watched in a decade. At one point I had the DVD box sets for the first 13 seasons of the show (maybe I still have them... I don't know anymore now that everything is streaming). I used to watch each episode and then watch them again with commentary. So, I had listened to Mike Reiss many times before in those commentaries (season 1-4 and occasionally afterwards) and listening to him narrate this book brought back some fun memories.This book is both an autobiography and a collection of nerdy Simpsons insights for super-fans. It reminded me of an episode of the Simpsons, in that Mr. Reiss constantly crams in as many jokes as possible. I enjoyed the parts about the author the most and his constant jokes make the story of his already interesting career even more entertaining. For the most part the Simpsons "trivia" parts of the book are successful, except for the many lists (and even a series of riddles), which are neat but don't translate well to the audiobook medium. Mike Reiss always sounds like he's on the verge of laughing, which is a whole lot less annoying than you may think. It's just the way he talks - and is actually quite endearing. Overall a very entertaining listen.Final verdict: 4 star story, 5 star narration, 4 stars overall

Andrew

July 26, 2018

Shopkeeper: Take this object, but beware it carries a terrible curse!Homer: Ooh, that's bad.Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free frogurt!Homer: That's good.Shopkeeper: The frogurt is also cursed.Homer: That's bad.Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of toppings.Homer: That's good!Shopkeeper: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.[Homer looks puzzled]Shopkeeper: ...That's bad.Homer: Can I go now?Boo-Urns! Everything's coming up Milhouse! It was the best of times it was the BLURST of times?!? The kids can call you Hoju!Sorry. Had to get that out of my system.The book?Oh yeah. It's fun. Mike is funny. He names names. I wish he was a bit more honest with himself (and the readers) about the show being mediocre for over 20 years. He's basically like "the show has been on forever, look how many stories we've done! It's super popular, you guys!!" But where did the heart go? Why all the celebrity focused episodes? Why jerk-ass Homer?! Not a terrible show by any means, just not all that good. Oh, a bit too much humble bragging as well. Otherwise, this sure beats a football to the groin.

M.

July 09, 2018

It’s exactly the kind of book you’d expect a writer for The Simpsons to write but it has some truly funny and insightful moments and it makes me want to watch the show again.

Sharon

July 17, 2018

I confess, I am not a big fan of the Simpsons, Homer tends to annoy me too much to be able to watch the show religiously. I am though a fan of trivia and behind the scenes information and this book certainly delivers. Brilliantly fascinating read, with a author who is not afraid of voicing his opinion, without any shame or disclaimers. Quite refreshing really.

Jaime

July 12, 2020

D’oh, it got me laughing from beginning to end. I love the Simpsons and always will. And you better read it fast before Mr. Burns releases the hounds on you. Afterwards, a well deserve Duff beer is in order and if you don’t agree, you can eat my shorts.

Josh

August 06, 2018

Springfield Confidential by Mike Reiss is a book that takes you behind the scenes of one of the longest running shows in American television history, The Simpsons. Springfield Confidential is hilarious. The book is fast paced, irreverent and packed with jokes, similar to a Simpsons episode. While the book does have confidential in the title, and Reiss does give you a behind the scenes look at how the show is made, there is little attention paid to any of the juicy drama between the producers, writers and cast of the show. Another non sequitur about Springfield Confidential is that despite making a living making fun of and criticizing others under the guise of comedy, Reiss has a thin skin when it comes to receiving criticism. Springfield Confidential is a great summer read for not just Simpsons fans, but anyone looking for a good laugh.

Maxi

March 17, 2021

Sin dudas es un libro que todo fan de Los Simpson debería leer. Mike Reiss, con su característico sentido del humor (la primera vez que un libro me hace reír tanto), nos va narrando su propia vida, y a su vez, un montón de historias y curiosidades acerca de uno de los mejores programas de televisión del mundo. Es la primera vez que leo un libro acerca de un comediante y me llamó la atención su pasión y dedicación que lleva trabajar para un programa de este estilo. Desde escribir los chistes, revisar guiones, ideas, lidiar con las productoras, etc. Contar chistes es genial pero...hay que saber inventarlos y escribirlos

Peter

April 11, 2019

I somehow missed rating this one. Probably because I was moving at the time.An audiobook is a great friend when you're moving. Because you basically have a lot of time to perform a lot of boring tasks. My life fantasy will always be gaining enough wealth to have a move go like this:1. I tell my Alfred that we're moving. 2. I pick out a house on Zillow, hire someone to check it out for me.3. I tell Alfred my moving dates.4. I leave on vacation for a week.5. I return to my new home where everything is placed as though it's been there for a decade.I'd give my right nut for that. Or left. I don't really think either is better than the other. I don't know why it's necessary to specify when it comes to that. It's not like most people know whether they're "right-nutted."

Colin

December 05, 2018

A fun little memoir filled with lots of great little behind-the-scenes anecdotes and also inside opinions on stories I had already heard. It was well placed and never dwelled on any one subject for too long, so I found it really easy to read through quickly. Reiss packs a bunch of little joke asides in constantly and for the most part they are pretty funny, but one problem I had (which I'm sure Reiss would find hilarious) is that sometimes I couldn't tell if something actually happened or was just a joke. There are so many strange things that have happened on The Simpsons (such as Michael Jackson appearing as a guest star, yet bringing a voice impersonator to do his singing parts) and Reiss also throws in statements that are clearly not true for laughs (stating that a Feng Shui expert ensures the animation is in harmony before the show is aired), that when he makes an aside about something strange that I hadn't heard of before I have no idea if its true. Anyways, I'm going to go watch some classic Simpsons episodes now.

ShandellMarie

April 29, 2019

A solid 4.5 stars. Can’t quite give 5, because although Mike Reiss is an excellent writer, I’m pretty sure Jesus was the only perfect Jew. See what I did there? That’s the kind of witty one-liner you’ll expect to find throughout this book and these are the kind of quips the Simpsons writers have used throughout the series, rendering it both endearing and ENDURING. (Although Reiss’ jokes are much funnier and this book actually made me chuckle. OUT LOUD). Reiss’ homage to Springfield’s favourite family is replete with insider information, never-before-told tales from the writer’s room and answers to burning questions. “Why are the Simpsons yellow?” And “What do you REALLY think of Family Guy?” Well, read the book, friends, because I’m not spoiling it here. One thing I will say though, is if you think this book is the final word on television’s longest running series, think again. As the show itself sang “They’ll never stop The Simpsons, have no fears, we’ve got stories for years...” I’m looking forward to that episode where Marge becomes a robot.

Brandon

October 24, 2018

Mike Reiss is funny, like really funny. This book was an absolute delight, and if you're more than a casual fan of the Simpsons, you're sure to love it. It's a story of Reiss's journey through three decades with the Simpsons, complete with inside stories and little nerd trivia and tidbits along the way. And all throughout, the book is really genuinely funny. Little witty quips throughout, and you can really see how sharp-witted and smart and humorous a writer like Reiss must have to be to write for the Simpsons for 30 years.If you love the Simpsons, you'll love the book. The pages flew by and I smiled or laughed just about every page.

Alex

October 23, 2020

Went in expecting a funny indepth look of the behind the scenes process of making the Simpsons back when the show first started and I mostly got that. This was much more of an autibiography of Mike Reiss that I was expecting and honestly that’s fine. The guy is funny and interesting enough that even reading about the years where he left the Simpsons is still entertaining to read. If your as big a Simpsons fan as I am then I very much reccomend this book. Full of lots of fun behind the scenes stuff and details the origins of the show is a joy to read and Reiss writes it in such a way that it feels very easy and quick to read.

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