From an AP story on the 16th season of The Simpsons:
“Absent is Hank Azaria, who was in New York rehearsing a new musical. Azaria’s characters, including convenience store owner Apu and police Chief Wiggum, are voiced for now by another actor.”
That’s never good. I know at least five people who can do a dead-on Apu impression, and Wiggum is generic Edward G. Robinson…still, the difference will wind up being glaring.
Yow! That’s a shock. Hank Azaria’s voice is one of the last remaining reasons I still tune in to the Simpsons. I doubt anyone else will do Moe to my satisfaction!
It’s a loss to The Simpsons to be sure, but he’s rehearsing for the role of Sir Lancelot in Spamalot.
I wonder if they’ll write the characters out of the show until Azaria returns?
Maybe they’ll pull a Maggie: the character is about to speak and is silenced for some silly season.
Perhaps a bunch of “hey, you sound funny” jokes.
I’m not convinced it’ll be glaring. I’m sure a bunch of people will listen and overanalyze and conclude that it’s glaring, but we’ll see. First episode is this Sunday.
This is the kind of news that could make me effin’ cry!
That’s bizarre. Why can’t they get him in a booth in New York and record him long-distance? Surely it doesn’t take more than a few hours per episode.
He was on Conan O’Brian last night (I don’t think it was a repeat) and he did the voices, including Comic Book Store Guy. I didn’t hear him say anything about not doing them this season, but I wasn’t paying close attention.
I thought this sounded strange, so I went out and found the article.
The article is about a table read for an episode that will air next season. The temp-Hank was just for the table read. The real Hank will do the actual record.
Oh, good. I can’t see him giving up that big and steady a paycheck for a hugely uncertain B’way musical! Besides, as carterba said, he could literally phone it in.
Sorry for the false alarm! But you have to admit it was a pretty good thread title, anyway . . .
Eve, I could give you such a pinch.
Here’s a link to the article, by the way. A fun read!
Since seeing Mystery Men, I can no longer hear him as anyone else but The Blue Rajah.
You’d think that, but remember the Fox pinheads canned Maggie Roswell (and therefore killed Maude Flanders) simply because they wouldn’t pay her airfair…
I’m sure if necessary they will contact Aussie Keith Scott who did Bullwinkle for the movie. Last I heard he did over 500 different voices.
It’s worse for me. Ever since The Birdcage, I can only see him as the thong-clad Guatemalan houseboy.
A great part, but still…
It’s amazing they’ve had such continuity with the voice actors. I mean the only person they’ve lost is, who, the woman who played Maude?
I guess she’d be the only living voice actor they’ve lost. Some of her roles are now done by other people, I think.
Thank you, come again!
But wouldn’t that sound all scratchy, with the high and low frequencies cut out?