​The Simpsons' 500th episode is upon us. As tempted as I am to write about my favorite minor characters, couch gags, and guest stars, I suspect you're getting your fill of bloggers' opinions. Instead, I've collected comments from the show's writers, artists, and crew (past and present) about us, the fans and the general public. What are the weirdest questions we've asked them? What are the oddest comments we've made? What strange misconceptions do we have about their jobs? Find out!

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Fox

​Behold! The Simpsons' 500th episode is upon us! The show, titled "At Long Last Leave," entails the Simpson family being evicted from Springfield. When Marge and Homer try to sneak back into town, they're shunned by former neighbors and friends. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stars as himself, and Alison Krauss sings a special theme song for the landmark moment. 

With 23 seasons in the making, the show is bound to bring out the super-fan in countless bloggers who will list, dissect, and debate their choices for best episode, greatest musical guest, and most hilarious Homer quotations. Here, artists, writers, and crew (past and present) talked about their favorite personal contributions to our beloved Simpsons (the show, the Movie, even the comics).

The Simpsons airs its 500th episode on Sun., Feb. 19, 8 p.m. on Fox.

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(Alt-pop four-piece the New Limb went on tour for the first time EVER, so they're sending Heard Mentality missives from the road. They've taken turns guest blogging; keyboardist and vocalist Lauren Salamone sends us the latest. Read their first entry here, their second one here, the third one here and their latest--where their laptops get stolen--here. --Ed.)​I'm at Cafe Coda in Chico right now and the venue is packed and sweaty. We just finished playing, and I'm on my 30th glass of water. The show is going so well, everyone loved the songs. More »

(Alt-pop four-piece the New Limb went on tour for the first time EVER, so they're sending Heard Mentality missives from the road. They've taken turns guest blogging; keyboardist and vocalist Lauren Salamone sends us the latest. Read their first entry here, their second one here and their third one here.--Ed.) More »

(Alt-pop four-piece the New Limb went on tour for the first time EVER, so they're sending Heard Mentality missives from the road. They're going to take turns guest blogging; on their fifth day on the road, drummer Adam Chavez talks. Read their first entry here and their second one here.--Ed.)

Adam Chavez, drummer of the New Limb

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Day 5: Portland
Woke up in Portland. It started with pancakes, made without eggs but had  bananas instead, and Greek yogurt topped with honey. Weird start, but delicious. We proceeded out the door of my high school friends' place. While there, we passed through a beerfest and I thought it would be a bad way to start the day. Instead, I consumed a breakfast sandwich that took 20 minutes to make and came from a 50-year-old trailer painted a flat blue.
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(Alt-pop four-piece the New Limb went on tour for the first time EVER, so they're sending Heard Mentality missives from the road. They're going to take turns guest blogging; on their third and fourth days on the road, Dan Perez and Lauren Salamone give us the scoop. Read their first entry here.--Ed.)

Day 3: Redding, Calif.

Dear Portland,
I've heard so much about you, but have never met you. My friends have spent time with
you, some have even grown up with you. I, however, don't know you. I still have about
eight hours until I reach you. I'm leaving Redding, Calif., right now. This is going to be the
longest stretch of our tour, and if I didn't have you to look forward to, I don't think I would
survive it. I've heard about VooDoo doughnuts, The New Limb will actually be playing
next door to it tonight. I've also heard about your movie theaters that have couches
and beer. I've seen pictures of your rivers and forests. You make this drive worth it.
Enough about you, let's talk about me.
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​(Alt-pop four-piece the New Limb went on tour for the first time EVER this week, so they're sending Heard Mentality missives from the road. They're going to take turns guest blogging; first up is lead singer/guitarist Joey Chavez about Santa Cruz and San Francisco--Ed.)

These past two days have been memorable the way my trip to Europe was. Day one was spent mostly in the car. We picked up our bassist Dave E. Berg in Bakersfield from another band on their Northwest tour. He was elated to be heading back instead of roasting with the rest of SoCal. We didn't have a show that day, but we played and sang songs late into the night with our friends, Keith and Jamie, who let us stay in their communal house in Santa Cruz. Keith is a cooking prodigy and spent hours preparing an entirely organic BBQ feast for us. He also made specialty drinks with spices, tequila, honey and jalapenos!

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From left: Robert Pavlovich, Richard Bivens, Dylan Kato, Anthony Chu

Editor's Note: Fullerton rock four-piece Regrets & Brunettes are playing Thursdays this month at Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest. Bassist/vocalist Robert Pavlovich shares his thoughts on last week's performance--and looks forward to Feb. 25.

Our third residency night picked up right where we finished up last week, with our slogan continuing to be "Don't just come to see us, these other bands are great, too." Moostache kicked things off, and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the residency. They're four talented young guys from Huntington Beach who have a "shut up and play" attitude, producing a refreshing brand of rock where nothing in their sound seems to get lost or muddled. Cutting vocals, treble-rich bass, and plenty of guitar hooks certainly help the cause. Most impressive might have been their Zombies cover, "Tell Her No," which they pulled off without a hitch. Suffice it to say, these guys are definitely on my radar now.

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Adam Kleifield

Regrets & Brunettes perform tonight at Gypsy Lounge, Lake Forest (and it's free!)

Editor's Note: Fullerton rock four-piece Regrets & Brunettes are playing Thursdays this month at Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest. Bassist/vocalist Robert Pavlovich shares his thoughts on last week's performance--and looks forward to today's.

It's only been a week, but I'm pretty sure this is a show that we'll all remember. Something we addressed before we started playing shows in support of our recently released debut full-length At Night You Love Me was about putting in extra effort in meeting more bands and trying to set up more interesting shows. In that respect, night two at Gypsy Lounge definitely met and exceeded any expectations we had of putting together quality lineups. All of the bands put on truly remarkable shows and they wound up making it a great night for everyone who attended.

Arrows got things started with an invitingly mellow and introspective sound. On stage they sported all the standard rock gear with the addition of a synth and a Mac, and singer/guitarist Austin Nicolai has a casual, self-deprecating stage demeanor. The growing crowd was definitely appreciating their easy on the ears, Smiths-inspired tunes. According to Nicolai, they're planning to start work on some new recordings--definitely interested to hear what they come up with in the studio.

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Editor's Note: Fullerton rock four-piece Regrets & Brunettes are playing Thursdays this month at Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest. Bassist/vocalist Robert Pavlovich shares his thoughts on last week's performance--and looks forward to today's. 

From left: Robert Pavlovich, Richard Bivens, Dylan Kato, Anthony Chu

Over the years, we've developed a growing affection for Gypsy Lounge, and couldn't have picked a better spot in Orange County to continue promoting our debut LP, At Night You Love Me, and to start debuting new material (including covers).

The first night of our residency was planned around playing with bands that we're most familiar and cool with. That description certainly fits with Foreign Press, who are a five piece made up of close friends, some of which who have played with us in previous incarnations of our band, and who are taking it upon themselves to perform and record many of Richard Bivens' songs that would've otherwise been shelved. Whenever we see Foreign Press play, we're always amazed at what they've been able to do with some of these songs, and last Thursday was no exception. Highlights were the jazz/punk/lounge groove of "Jesus Loved the Hell out of Me", and the spirited soulful rocking of "White Flight".

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