Kent Brockman

Last updated

Kent Brockman
The Simpsons character
Kent Brockman.jpg
First appearance
Created by Matt Groening
Designed by Brad Bird
Voiced by Harry Shearer
In-universe information
Full nameBrock Kentman
GenderMale
OccupationNews anchor
FamilyDawn (sister)
SpouseStephanie (wife)
ChildrenUnnamed adult daughter
Brittany (daughter)
Walter (son)
RelativesFlower (nephew)

Brock Kentman, [1] more commonly called Kent Brockman, is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons . He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted". He is a grumpy, self-centered, pompous local Springfield news anchor.

Contents

Profile

Kent Brockman hosts the Channel 6 weekday news, as well as Smartline , a local current-affairs program (a parody of the national current-affairs program Nightline ), Bite Back! With Kent Brockman (a parody of Fight Back! With David Horowitz ), Eye on Springfield (a parody of Eye on LA), which focuses mostly on Springfield's entertainment news, the game show Springfield Squares , Springfield Action News, and has his own personal commentary segment of the 6:00 p.m. news, "My Two Cents". [2] In the episode "The Mansion Family", he co-hosted an award show with pop music singer Britney Spears.

It has been hinted that Brockman is ethnically Jewish, having changed his surname from Brockelstein; this was first indicated in a 1960s flashback featured in the episode "Mother Simpson", in which Brockman was known as Kenny Brockelstein early in his career. He can sometimes be spotted wearing the Hebrew Chai symbol on a necklace. He is seen several times attending Reverend Lovejoy's Protestant church, and in "Marge on the Lam" he states his belief in the Book of Revelation, [3] suggesting he professes Christian religious beliefs.

Brockman has a daughter, Brittany, who may have been the product of his fling with the Channel 6 weather girl. He also has a wife named Stephanie. In "Kamp Krusty", Brockman is revealed to have during his career, reported on the Vietnam War, the 1979-89 Soviet–Afghan War, and the 1991 Gulf War.

In "Dog of Death", Brockman won the multimillion-dollar ($130 million) state lottery jackpot and left the news desk while still on the air. However, he remained a news anchor because he was under contract, though he also admitted that he likes making $500,000 a year. He has an ongoing feud with traffic reporter Arnie Pye, and has been shown to criticize Pye's reporting and also even chuckles when it was thought Pye had died in a helicopter accident. When Arnie Pye took Brockman's anchor position he admitted on the air he made out with Brockman's daughter but was sure to note it was with "the grown up one" thus revealing Brockman has an adult daughter.

Brockman's penchant for using offensive language works against him in the 400th episode, "You Kent Always Say What You Want", where, after Homer accidentally spills coffee on Brockman's crotch, he shouts what Ned Flanders calls a "super swear" that shocked everyone who watched it. Brockman was demoted to weather man due to the station paying a fine to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and was soon fired when the network executives deliberately mistook a ring of Splenda in Brockman's coffee for cocaine. Brockman was later given his job back to silence him (after doing an exposé that was seen on YouTube uncovering the real reason the FCC is cracking down on obscenity in the media), with a 50% raise, making his new salary $750,000 a year.

Creation and inspirations

Brad Bird designed Brockman. Brad bird cropped 2009.jpg
Brad Bird designed Brockman.

Kent Brockman first appeared on television in the first season episode "Krusty Gets Busted", which originally aired April 29, 1990. [4] [5] The character was based on Los Angeles anchormen Hal Fishman and Jerry Dunphy. [6] The director of "Krusty Gets Busted", Brad Bird, designed the character and modeled him after anchorman Ted Koppel. [7] Another influence on the character was The Mary Tyler Moore Show 's Ted Baxter, played by Ted Knight. [8] Dunphy was proud of the fact that Brockman was based on him and would tell people that he was Kent Brockman. [6]

Cultural influence

Brockman is responsible for popularizing the snowclone "I, for one, welcome our new [fill-in-the-blank] overlords", sometimes used to express mock submission, usually for the purpose of humor. [9] Brockman's comment about believing a spacecraft was taken over by a master race of giant space ants in "Deep Space Homer" (1994), which generated the meme, is considered one of the show's classic moments. The spacecraft was carrying an ant colony, though the insects were accidentally released by Homer. This led to an ant drifting by the video feed, appearing gigantic due to its proximity to the camera, at which point Brockman contemplates if the "master race of giant space ants ... will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them" and eventually utters the line "And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords". Author Chris Turner called it "perhaps his finest hour as a journalist" [10] and said the scene is "simply among the finest comedic moments in the history of television." [11]

Variations of the phrase have been used in the media, such as New Scientist magazine, [12] the Houston Chronicle [13] and Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!: The Watson Challenge (versus Watson). [14] [15] On May 6, 2014, Stephen Colbert made direct reference to the phrase by using it as the closing line of his television program.

Reception

The author of the book Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation , Chris Turner, said that "if the institution of the News has a single iconic face on The Simpsons, it's Brockman's" [16] and that "in Brockman's journalism, we see some of the modern news media's ugliest biases", which he identifies as glibness, [16] amplification, and sensationalism. [17] MSN called Brockman one of the worst TV news anchors. [18]

"You Kent Always Say What You Want" was well received by critics. IGN called it the second best episode of the season. [19]

Merchandise

Playmates Toys created a Kent Brockman action figure for its World of Springfield toy line which was released in July 2001. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Simpson</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons

Bartholomew Jojo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening created and designed Bart while waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. Groening had been called to pitch a series of shorts based on his comic strip, Life in Hell, but instead decided to create a new set of characters. While the rest of the characters were named after Groening's family members, Bart's name is an anagram of the word brat. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for two years, the Simpson family received its own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989. Bart has appeared in every Simpsons episode except "Four Great Women and a Manicure".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krusty the Clown</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky, better known by his stage name Krusty the Clown, is a recurring character on the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He is the long-time clown host of Bart and Lisa's favorite TV show, a combination of kiddie variety television hijinks and cartoons including The Itchy & Scratchy Show. Krusty is often portrayed as a cynical, burnt-out, addiction-riddled smoker who is made miserable by show business but continues on anyway. He has become one of the most frequently occurring characters outside the main Simpson family and has been the focus of many episodes, some of which also feature Sideshow Bob.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor Quimby</span> Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Mayor Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick O'Donnell The Edge "Joe" Quimby, nicknamed "Diamond Joe", is a recurring character from the animated sitcom television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Bart Gets an 'F'". Quimby is the mayor of Springfield, and is a composite parody of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and certain other members of the Kennedy family who have entered politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marge vs. the Monorail</span> 12th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Marge vs. the Monorail" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 14, 1993. The plot revolves around Springfield's impulse purchase of a faulty monorail from a conman, and how it subsequently falls to Marge to stop the train from destroying the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krusty Gets Kancelled</span> 22nd episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Krusty Gets Kancelled" is the twenty-second and final episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 13, 1993. In the episode, a new show featuring ventriloquist Arthur Crandall and his dummy Gabbo premieres in Springfield and competes with Krusty the Clown's show. Krusty's show is soon canceled. Bart and Lisa decide to help Krusty get back on the air by staging a comeback special.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa's First Word</span> 10th episode of the 4th season of The Simpsons

"Lisa's First Word" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It was first broadcast on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 1992. In the episode, as the Simpson family gathers around Maggie and tries to encourage her to say her first word, Marge reminisces and tells the story of Lisa's first word. Maggie's first word is voiced by Elizabeth Taylor.

"Krusty Gets Busted" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States on April 29, 1990. The episode was written by Jay Kogen and Wallace Wolodarsky, and directed by Brad Bird. In the episode, Krusty the Clown is convicted of armed robbery of the Kwik-E-Mart and imprisoned. Convinced that Krusty has been framed, Bart and Lisa investigate the crime and learn that Krusty's sidekick, Sideshow Bob, is the culprit.

"Marge Simpson in: 'Screaming Yellow Honkers'" is the fifteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 21, 1999. After Homer purchases a Canyonero sports utility vehicle, he discovers he bought the model intended for women, so he gives the vehicle to Marge. Despite disliking it at first, Marge grows fond of it, and quickly develops road rage against other motorists. The episode was written by David M. Stern and directed by Mark Kirkland.

"All Singing, All Dancing" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 4, 1998. In the fourth Simpsons clip show, Homer claims he hates singing, so Marge shows family videos of musical numbers from previous seasons. The episode is in the form of a sung-through musical, featuring spoken dialogue only at the start and end of the episode. The original material was directed by Mark Ervin and written by Steve O'Donnell. It was executive produced by David Mirkin. It features guest appearances from George Harrison, Patrick Stewart and Phil Hartman, although these are all clips and none of them recorded original material for the episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Space Homer</span> 15th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Deep Space Homer" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of American animated television series The Simpsons, which was first broadcast on Fox in the United States on February 24, 1994. In the episode, NASA selects Homer Simpson to participate in a spaceflight to spark public interest in space exploration and boost low ratings of the launches. Once in space, his incompetence destroys the navigation system on board the Space Shuttle.

"Miracle on Evergreen Terrace" is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 21, 1997. Bart accidentally ruins Christmas for the Simpson family by burning down the tree and all their presents.

"Girly Edition" is the twenty-first episode in the ninth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 19, 1998. In the episode, Lisa and Bart must co-anchor a new news program, though when Bart is seen as a more successful news anchor, Lisa becomes jealous and seeks revenge. Meanwhile, in the subplot, Homer gets a monkey helper because of his laziness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart Gets Famous</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of The Simpsons

"Bart Gets Famous" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 3, 1994. In the episode, Bart gets a job as Krusty the Clown's production assistant. He replaces Sideshow Mel in one of Krusty's skits and accidentally destroys the stage props. When Bart says "I didn't do it," he instantly becomes famous for his catchphrase.

"Lisa the Beauty Queen" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 15, 1992. In the episode, Homer enters Lisa into a beauty pageant to boost her confidence. Lisa is runner-up, but gains the title of Little Miss Springfield after the original winner is injured. Little Miss Springfield's duties include being a spokesperson for Laramie Cigarettes, which causes Lisa to speak out against smoking. As a result of her anti-smoking protests, her title is taken away on a technicality.

<i>The Simpsons</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox network between December 17, 1989, and May 13, 1990, beginning with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". The executive producers for the first production season were Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Sam Simon.

Media is a recurring theme of satire on The Simpsons. The show is known for its satire of American popular culture and especially television culture, but has since its inception covered all types of media such as animation, journalism, commercials, comic books, movies, internet, and music. The series centers on a family and their life in a typical American town but the town of Springfield acts as a complete universe. The town features a vast array of media channels—from kids' television programming to local news, which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the entertainment industry.

"You Kent Always Say What You Want" is the twenty-second episode of the eighteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 20, 2007, as part of the one-hour season finale, alongside the episode "24 Minutes". It was the milestone 400th episode of The Simpsons and was written by Tim Long. The episode guest starred Ludacris as himself and Maurice LaMarche as the Fox announcer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treehouse of Horror XX</span> 4th episode of the 21st season of The Simpsons

"Treehouse of Horror XX" is the fourth episode of the twenty-first season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. The episode was directed by Mike B. Anderson and Matthew Schofield and was written by Daniel Chun. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 18, 2009.

"Trust but Clarify" is the fifth episode of the twenty-eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 601st episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 23, 2016, making it the first episode to air in October the week after the annual Treehouse of Horror. The title is based on the phrase "Trust but verify", used in relation to nuclear verification. This episode was written by voice actor Harry Shearer and directed by Mike Frank Polcino.

References

  1. ↑ "Simpsons #25: Marge Attacks!" Simpsons Comics on Parade,p. 45(May 19, 1998).Retrieved on April 14, 2024.
  2. ↑ Groening, Matt (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins. p. 41. ISBN   0-06-095252-0.
  3. ↑ "[1F03] Marge on the Lam". Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ Krusty Gets Busted, BBC.co.uk . Retrieved on December 30, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on December 31, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Groening, Matt; Jean, Al (2003). Commentary for "Homer Defined", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ↑ Bird, Brad; Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). Commentary for "Krusty Gets Busted", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  8. ↑ Woo, Stephanie (December 2004). The Scoop on The Simpsons: Journalism in U.S. Television's Longest Running Prime-Time Animated Series (PDF). pp. 5–8. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
  9. ↑ Turner 2004, pp. 293–294.
  10. ↑ Turner 2004, p. 403.
  11. ↑ Turner 2004, p. 69.
  12. ↑ "The British government welcomes our new insect overlords". New Scientist . June 5, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  13. ↑ "End food truck wars". Houston Chronicle . February 10, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  14. ↑ Melissa Maerz (February 16, 2011). "Watson wins 'Jeopardy!' finale; Ken Jennings welcomes 'our new computer overlords'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  15. ↑ Zimmer, Ben (February 17, 2011). "Is It Time to Welcome Our New Computer Overlords?". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  16. 1 2 Turner 2004, p. 400.
  17. ↑ Turner 2004, p. 402.
  18. ↑ Semel, Paul. "The Best & Worst TV News Anchors". MSN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  19. ↑ Canning, Robert. "The Simpsons: "You Kent Always Say What You Want" Review: Number 400 delivers a classic". IGN . Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Series 5". The Simpsons Action Figure Information Station. Retrieved December 31, 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.