A Star is Burns

A Star is Burns was the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 5, 1995. In the episode, Springfield decides to hold a film festival, and famed critic Jay Sherman is invited to be a judge. Homer, feeling that Marge does not respect him, asks that he be put on the jury panel and ends up voting for the stupidest movie.

The story involves a crossover with the short-lived animated series The Critic. Jay Sherman was the main character on the show. The Critic was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously written for The Simpsons but left following the fourth season, and produced by James L. Brooks, who was also a producer for The Simpsons. The show had premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network in January 1994 but was canceled despite positive critical reception. The series was switched over to Fox, and put in the timeslot directly after The Simpsons. Brooks pitched a crossover episode as a way to promote The Critic and decided that a film festival would be a good way to introduce Sherman.

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, reacted negatively when he heard about this episode, feeling that it was just an advertisement for The Critic, and that people would incorrectly associate the show with him. When he was unsuccessful in getting the program pulled, he had his name removed from the credits and went public with his concerns, openly criticizing James L. Brooks and saying the episode "violates the Simpsons' universe." In response, Brooks said "I am furious with Matt, [...] he's allowed his opinion, but airing this publicly in the press is going too far. [...] his behavior right now is rotten."

The episode was directed by Susie Dietter and was the first episode to be written by Ken Keeler. Jon Lovitz, the star of The Critic, guest stars as Jay Sherman, while Maurice LaMarche (who was also a regular on The Critic) has a few minor roles. Sherman later became an infrequently recurring character on The Simpsons. The episode received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom felt the crossover was out of place on the show although Barney's film festival entry was well received.

Plot
News anchor Kent Brockman reports that Springfield is the least cultural city in the United States. In response, a town meeting is held to decide a course of action, where Marge proposes that Springfield host a film festival showcasing films made by the townspeople. Marge is made the head of the festival's judging panel, and invites New York film critic Jay Sherman to be a special guest critic. Upon his arrival, Sherman stays with the Simpson family, which becomes problematic as his popularity with the family makes Homer feel inadequate and overshadowed. Fearing that nobody respects his intelligence, Homer persuades Marge to put him on the festival's judging panel. Meanwhile, when Mr. Burns learns that his profits have dropped due to his bad image, Smithers informs him of the film festival, and Burns decides that an epic biographical film will endear him to the people. He hires Steven Spielberg's "non-union, Mexican equivalent," Señor Spielbergo to direct, deciding to play himself in the film.

The film festival commences at the Aztec Theatre, with entries including Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's Bright Lights, Beef Jerky (security footage from the Kwik-E-Mart), Moe Szyslak's musical number, Moe Better Booze (little more than a song-and-dance advertisement for Moe's Tavern), Bart's The Eternal Struggle (a home video of Homer attempting to squeeze into a pair of undersized pants), Ned Flanders' film about Moses, and Hans Moleman's, Man Getting Hit by Football, which features Moleman getting hit in the groin by a football. Festival attendees are particularly touched by Barney Gumble's artistic introspective film about alcoholism, Pukahontas, which Jay foresees to be the eventual winner. Burns' film, A Burns for All Seasons, is screened last, and is met by a negative audience reaction.

In the judge's room, Jay and Marge vote for Barney's film, while Mayor Quimby and Krusty the Clown vote for Burns' movie after heavy bribes. Left with the tie-breaking vote, Homer quickly and enthusiastically votes for Man Getting Hit by Football. Marge tries to convince him to change his vote, and a conflicted Homer later views Pukahontas again while reflecting on the two films' qualities. At the awards ceremony, Jay announces that Barney is the grand prize winner, and Marge tells Homer that he voted for the right film.

Flashing forward six months, Burns is at the Academy Awards, where despite having "bribed everyone in Hollywood," he loses out on an Oscar to George C. Scott in a remake of Man Getting Hit by Football.

Controversy
Groening: "The two reasons I am opposed to this crossover is that I don't want any credit or blame for The Critic and I feel this (encroachment of another cartoon character) violates the Simpsons' universe, The Critic has nothing to do with the Simpsons' world. [...] [I'm] not criticizing The Critic. But cartoons have their own style and I really have nothing to say about The Critic. Through all the years of The Simpsons we have been careful about maintaining their uniqueness. Sure, there have been other cartoons who visit, but it's usually just one scene, often for a sight gag."

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, was a critic of the episode when it was first released. He felt that the crossover was a thirty-minute advertisement and blamed James L. Brooks, calling it an attempt to get attention for one of his unsuccessful shows. After unsuccessful attempts to get the episode pulled, he decided to go public with his concerns shortly before the episode aired. He stated that his reasons for doing so were that he hoped Brooks would have a change of heart and pull the episode, and that "articles began to appear in several newspapers around the country saying that [Groening] created The Critic.'" Groening had his name removed from the credits, so he does not receive his normal "created by" and "developed by" credits that air at the end of the opening sequence.

In response, James L. Brooks said "I am furious with Matt, he's been going to everybody who wears a suit at Fox and complaining about this. When he voiced his concerns about how to draw The Critic into the Simpsons' universe he was right and we agreed to his changes. Certainly he's allowed his opinion, but airing this publicly in the press is going too far. [...] He is a gifted, adorable, cuddly ingrate. But his behavior right now is rotten."

Al Jean and Mike Reiss, creators of The Critic, had previously worked on The Simpsons and had executive produced the third and fourth seasons. Brooks said, "for years, Al and Mike were two guys who worked their hearts out on this show, staying up until 4 in the morning to get it right. The point is, Matt's name has been on Mike's and Al's scripts and he has taken plenty of credit for a lot of their great work. In fact, he is the direct beneficiary of their work. 'The Critic' is their shot and he should be giving them his support." Reiss stated that he was a "little upset" by Groening's actions and that "this taints everything at the last minute. [...] This episode doesn't say 'Watch The Critic all over it." Jean added "What bothers me about all of this, is that now people may get the impression that this Simpsonsepisode is less than good. It stands on its own even if 'The Critic' never existed." Groening was criticized for going public with his complaints. Ray Richmond of the Los Angeles Daily News wrote "who's right? Well, Groening is probably correct in judging this an integrity issue. It's a fairly tacky bit of promotion, the kind generally beneath The Simpsons. But it's also true that little is accomplished by taking a gripe like this public. Quietly erasing his name from the credits would have been sufficient. [...] I admire the man's standing up for his creative rights. But I question the way he's gone about it."