Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman | |
---|---|
The Simpsons character | |
First appearance |
|
Created by | Matt Groening |
Designed by | Brad Bird |
Voiced by | Harry Shearer |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Brock Kentman |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | News anchor |
Family | Dawn (sister) |
Spouse | Stephanie (wife) |
Children | Unnamed adult daughter Brittany (daughter) Walter (son) |
Relatives | Flower (nephew) |
Brock Kentman,
Profile
Kent Brockman hosts the
It has been hinted that Brockman is ethnically
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 "
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
Kent Brockman first appeared on television in the
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 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]
"
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
References
- ^ "Simpsons #25: Marge Attacks!" Simpsons Comics on Parade, p. 45 (May 19, 1998). Retrieved on April 14, 2024.
- ISBN 0-06-095252-0.
- ^ "[1F03] Marge on the Lam". Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Krusty Gets Busted, BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on December 30, 2008.
- ^ "Krusty Gets Busted". The Simpsons.com. Retrieved on December 31, 2008.
- ^ a b Groening, Matt; Jean, Al (2003). Commentary for "Homer Defined", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Bird, Brad; Wolodarsky, Wallace (2001). Commentary for "Krusty Gets Busted", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Turner 2004, pp. 293–294.
- ^ Turner 2004, p. 403.
- ^ Turner 2004, p. 69.
- ^ "The British government welcomes our new insect overlords". New Scientist. June 5, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ "End food truck wars". Houston Chronicle. February 10, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ Melissa Maerz (February 16, 2011). "Watson wins 'Jeopardy!' finale; Ken Jennings welcomes 'our new computer overlords'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
- ^ Zimmer, Ben (February 17, 2011). "Is It Time to Welcome Our New Computer Overlords?". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
- ^ a b Turner 2004, p. 400.
- ^ Turner 2004, p. 402.
- ^ Semel, Paul. "The Best & Worst TV News Anchors". MSN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ Canning, Robert. "The Simpsons: "You Kent Always Say What You Want" Review: Number 400 delivers a classic". IGN. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- ^ "Series 5". The Simpsons Action Figure Information Station. Retrieved December 31, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- Bibliography