
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 1990                   TAG: 9007240203
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: Los Angeles Daily News
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

A MORE AUDACIOUS `SIMPSONS'

Homer Simpson's male secretary at the nuclear plant will become enamored of his new boss in an upcoming episode of the Fox series "The Simpsons," according to creator Matt Groening.

In the episode, Homer will use a drug that gives him a "shoulder-length mane of hair," said producer Sam Simon.

This gets formerly blue-collar Homer promoted to the fast track, where he is given his own secretary, whose voice will be supplied by Harvey Fierstein, the gravelly voiced gay playwright who created and starred in "Torch Song Trilogy."

The producers say there will be an "unrequited attraction between the two." Groening said the secretary has "a little crush" on his boss.

Other episodes include a flashback of Marge and Homer falling in love in high school and Marge leading a protest against the kids' favorite cartoon show because of the violence.

"If anything, the show should be more audacious," Groening said. "We're not only trying not to repeat other shows, we're trying not to repeat ourselves."

And could a Bart Simpson movie be far behind? Groening isn't pooh-poohing the idea of either a feature film or comic strip for his cartoon family, but he has to have a good concept in mind before either comes to fruition.

by CNB