{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = Homerazzi.png | image_size = 200 | caption = Promotional artwork for "Homerazzi". In the photos, top to bottom: the tabloid editor, Enrico Irritazio and Betty White. | season = 18 | episode = 16 | director = [[Matthew Nastuk]] | writer = [[J. Stewart Burns]] | production = JABF06 | airdate = {{Start date|2007|03|25}} | guests = * [[Jon Lovitz]] as Enrico Irritazio * [[J. K. Simmons]] as Tabloid editor * [[Betty White]] as Herself | blackboard = "[[Global warming|Global Warming]] did not eat my homework" | couch_gag = [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] goes from prehistory to modern history as he starts out as a unicellular being and evolves into many creatures until he finally reaches the modern day and evolves into the present Homer. When he comes in the house, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] asks Homer, "What took you so long?" and Homer sighs in exhaustion. | commentary = * [[Al Jean]] * J. Stewart Burns * [[Michael Price (writer)|Michael Price]] * [[Tom Gammill]] * [[Max Pross]] * [[David Silverman (animator)|David Silverman]] * [[Yeardley Smith]] | prev = [[Rome-Old and Juli-Eh]] | next = [[Marge Gamer]] }}
"'''Homerazzi'''" is the sixteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 18|eighteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on March 25, 2007. The episode was written by [[J. Stewart Burns]] and directed by [[Matthew Nastuk]].
In this episode, Homer becomes a celebrity photographer until they seek revenge by photographing him on his worst behavior. [[J. K. Simmons]] guest starred as the tabloid editor, and [[Jon Lovitz]] guest starred as Enrico Irritazio. [[Betty White]] appeared as herself. The episode received positive reviews.
==Plot== After failing to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, an exhausted [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] falls asleep on the cake, igniting his party hat. The burning house is saved by the Springfield Fire Department, and [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] purchases a fire-proof safe to protect the family's valuables, including the family photo album, as a precaution. Each family member places one item in the safe, but after it is closed, the items combine to start a fire that destroys both them and the safe. Refusing to accept the loss of all their memories, Marge restages all the family photos. One shot captures a celebrity sex scandal in the background, and Homer sells the photo to a [[tabloid journalism|tabloid]]. Tasting success and seeing money to be made, Homer takes to the streets as one of the [[paparazzi]].
Homer begins taking photos of celebrities going about their daily lives. He and [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] provoke several local celebrities to commit embarrassing or criminal acts, and then he takes pictures of them. He insults [[Drederick Tatum]] and photographs him as Tatum punches him. Homer receives praise for selling the photos to the tabloid. He turns [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]]'s bedroom into a [[darkroom]] to develop photographs. Marge asks Homer to stop exploiting celebrities but admits to liking the tabloid stories. Later, he invades the secluded wedding of [[Rainier Luftwaffe Wolfcastle]] and Maria Shriver-Kennedy Quimby, prompting Wolfcastle to swear revenge.
Wolfcastle gathers the celebrities and says he has hired top paparazzo Enrico Irritazio to photograph Homer on his worst behavior. After photos of Homer are published in the tabloid, he gives up the paparazzi business. As the celebrities celebrate their victory in a nightclub across the street from [[Moe's Tavern]], [[Lenny Leonard|Lenny]] and [[Carl Carlson|Carl]] persuade Homer to resume his work using a camera that [[Moe Szyslak|Moe]] had hidden in the ladies' room. Homer bursts in on the celebrities and takes many compromising photos. Wolfcastle asks Homer what he plans to do with the pictures. Homer says that he will not make them public if the celebrities start treating their fans with more respect and stop taking them for granted. Wolfcastle agrees and, in a show of good faith, invites the Simpsons to a barbecue at an offshore "party platform" he owns. Here, Marge shows Wolfcastle a screenplay she has written but turns her down. Later, she and Homer find that Wolfcastle has stolen the idea and turned it into a movie. Marge does not mind the theft because the movie got produced.
==Casting== Recurring actor [[Jon Lovitz]], who has played several characters in the series, guest starred as Enrico Irritazio. [[J. K. Simmons]] guest-starred as a tabloid editor.<ref name="Canning2007"/> Simmons guest starred earlier in the season in the episode "[[Moe'N'a Lisa]]" as [[J. Jonah Jameson]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Sherlock|date=May 24, 2022|title=10 Best Marvel References In The Simpsons|url=https://screenrant.com/simpsons-marvel-jokes-references/|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=September 13, 2024|archive-date=July 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731065903/https://screenrant.com/simpsons-marvel-jokes-references/|url-status=live}}</ref> Actress [[Betty White]] appeared as herself.<ref name="Canning2007"/> White previously appeared in the [[The Simpsons season 11|eleventh season]] episode "[[Missionary: Impossible]]".<ref>{{cite web|first=Brian|last=Rabadeau|date=January 27, 2022|title=Betty White's 9 Funniest Performances, Ranked|url=https://www.cbr.com/betty-whites-funniest-performances/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=September 13, 2024|archive-date=September 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915223147/https://www.cbr.com/betty-whites-funniest-performances/|url-status=live}}</ref> Actor [[Harry Hamlin]] and musician [[Peter Wolf]] were announced as guest stars but did not appear.<ref>{{cite web|title=Episode Title: (SI-1806) "Homerazzi"|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20070302fox17/|website=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date=September 13, 2024|archive-date=September 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915223224/http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20070302fox17/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Reception == ===Viewing figures=== The episode earned a 2.5 rating and was watched by 6.97 million viewers, which was the 43rd most-watched show that week.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] Medianet|date=March 27, 2007|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=032707_04|title=Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 19-25)|access-date=June 10, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081202043621/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=032707_04|archive-date= December 2, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Critical response=== Robert Canning of ''[[IGN]]'' praised this episode, calling it clever, ingenious, and one of the most memorable of the season.<ref name="Canning2007">{{cite web |last=Canning |first=Robert |title=The Simpsons: "Homerazzi" Review |date=26 March 2007 |url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/775/775729p1.html |website=[[IGN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906145702/http://tv.ign.com/articles/775/775729p1.html |archive-date=2007-09-06 |accessdate=2007-08-23}}</ref>
Adam Finley of ''[[TV Squad]]'' thought the episode had many sight gags but said the episode could have been better. He wrote that it was a "silly episode with no serious point" and the long couch gag indicated that the episode would be shorter.<ref>{{cite web|first=Adam|last=Finley|date=March 25, 2007|title=The Simpsons: Homerazzi|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/25/the-simpsons-homerazzi/|website=[[TV Squad]]|access-date=September 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515025933/http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/25/the-simpsons-homerazzi/|archive-date=May 15, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>
On ''Four Finger Discount'', Guy Davis and Brendan Dando enjoyed the episode and thought the quality matched the episodes of the classic ''Simpsons'' era of the 1990s. They also felt it could not have been made in that era due to the perception of paparazzi at the time.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title=Homerazzi (S18E16)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=January 25, 2024|url=https://www.spreaker.com/episode/homerazzi-s18e16--58444171|time=5:30|access-date=September 14, 2024|archive-date=September 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914193011/https://www.spreaker.com/episode/homerazzi-s18e16--58444171|url-status=live}}</ref>
The couch gag was one of the longest in the history of the series.<ref name="Susman2007">{{cite web|last=Susman |first=Gary |title=The Evolution of Homer Simpson |date=27 March 2007 |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2007/03/simpsons_evolut.html |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429140737/http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2007/03/simpsons_evolut.html |archive-date=2007-04-29 |accessdate=18 August 2007}}</ref> In 2015, ''[[IGN]]'' named it the second-best couch gag in the history of the series.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jesse|last=Schedeen|date=January 14, 2015|title=The Simpsons: The Top 25 Couch Gags|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/15/the-simpsons-top-25-couch-gags|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=September 13, 2024|archive-date=September 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914192855/https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/15/the-simpsons-top-25-couch-gags|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, ''[[Comic Book Resources]]'' named it the third-best couch gag.<ref>{{cite web|first=Benny|last=Clewes|date=July 11, 2022|title=10 Best Simpsons Couch Gags, Ranked|url=https://www.cbr.com/best-simpsons-couch-gags-ranked/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|access-date=September 13, 2024|archive-date=August 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230819194439/https://www.cbr.com/best-simpsons-couch-gags-ranked/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Themes and analysis=== Sergio Yagüe-Pasamón wrote that this episode demonstrates that the stereotypical male role in Western society is public-facing while the female role is hidden in private. When Marge's photos are destroyed in the safe, she "cried over the loss of the family album of photographic memories. The symbolic importance of the photo collection is noteworthy, as Marge acknowledges it to integrate 'a record of my accomplishments' and compares it to the 'resumé of a man.'"<ref>{{cite book|first=Sergio|last=Yagüe-Pasamón|page=118|date=2023|title=Supremachist Linguistic Construction of Gender Narrations: From conceptual representation to socio-political projection|publisher=Publicacions de la Universitat de València|isbn=978-84-1118-268-3|url=https://roderic.uv.es/rest/api/core/bitstreams/a5e5db93-e398-46a6-873e-45a7c9e69907/content|access-date=September 14, 2024|archive-date=September 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915223146/https://roderic.uv.es/rest/api/core/bitstreams/a5e5db93-e398-46a6-873e-45a7c9e69907/content|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_18#Homerazzi|"Homerazzi"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *{{IMDb episode|0918864}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|18}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 18 episodes]] [[Category:2007 American television episodes]] [[Category:Evolution in popular culture]] [[Category:Television episodes written by J. Stewart Burns]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Matthew Nastuk]]