Talking AI, Acting and The Simpsons with Yeardley Smith
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The Ten News: Episode 508
A Ten News Deep Dive
đ§ Yeardley Smith, aka Lisa Simpson, shares her insights on the voice-acting world. âď¸ How do The Simpsons always seem to know the future? đ¤ Plus, could AI eventually take over the jobs of our beloved animated character actors?
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Transcript:
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO - HALLWAY
<SFX footsteps>
RYAN: Hello. Ryan. NerzâŚwhat are you reading?
NERZ: Iâm reading a story about OpenAI. You know, the company behind ChatGBT. Back in May, they released a new version of their chatbot, and guess what? The voice they used sounded a lot like the famous actress Scarlett Johansson! <SFX voice clip from ChatGPT reveal>
RYAN: Oh my gosh, that sounded exactly like ScarJo. I loved her as Black Widow and would recognize her voice anywhere!
NERZ: Yup, it turns out that the CEO of OpenAI really wanted Scarlett to be the voice for their new chatbot. He had been trying to convince her for months, and even reached out days before the launch of the new ChatGPT to try to make it happen. And then it gets really juicy. When the new ChatGBT launched, it had a voice that sounded just like Scarlett, and she certainly was not happy about it.
RYAN: That is bonkers. And thatâs not the first time something like this has happened, right?
NERZ: Right. It is not the first time a company has used someoneâs voice or image without permission, and it probably wonât be the last. Hold on, let me give you a little more backgroundâŚ
MUSIC BUMPER
RYAN : Everyoneâs talking about it. Youâre probably talking about it. So letâs go ahead and talk about it.
Iâm talking about AI. What exactly is AI, you ask?
Itâs artificial intelligence. Which is a type of computer science that helps machines perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. So basically, getting robots to do human stuff.
What kind of stuff can it do? Well, who needs me. AI can answer that. Go robot go!
Cue âAI Roger Voiceover Sample #1â attached to the email.
AI ROGER: AI can do all kinds of stuff we used to think only humans can do, like learn from experience, understand language, see patterns, solve problems, and make decisions.
AI is such a game-changer, people have compared it to inventions like electricity, the light bulb, the internet, and even fruit roll ups! Which is either good or, depending on your line of work, kind of bad. Because a recent report said AI could replace a whopping 300 MILLION jobs by the year 2030.
RYAN : That was Roger. Heâs an AI voice created by Eleven Labs. On a positive note, he sounds human-ish. On a negative note, he really dropped the ball on that fruit roll up joke.
But Roger makes a point about who should maybe be shaking in their boots, job-wise. Me!
Or to be more specific, people like me in the entertainment industry. Because experts have said that Roger the Robot aka A-I could disrupt over 200,000 TV and movie jobs in the next two years.
But itâs not like we didnât see this coming. You know who predicted the machines taking over movies? The movies!
Cue clip from the Terminator. âI amâŚa machine!â
Thatâs from the movie The Terminator: Rise of the Machines. Thatâs the character played by Ahhhnold Schwarzenegger, who is sent back in time by an artificial intelligence platform called SkynetâŚto ensure that the machines take over from humans. And to be clear, right after he says heâs a machine, Ahhnold the robot throws the human through the air like a sad little ragdoll. I think thatâs called a metaphor.
The metaphor is: the machines are taking over. And one of the main jobs they may or may not be taking isâŚwell, what Iâm doing right now. Voice over. For every 100 voiceover jobs, experts say that, soon enough, there wonât be many left.
So why are the robots taking overâŚvoice over? Well, because in just a few years, AI has gone from pretty bad to really really good at imitating human voices. Take it from voice over industry expert Mike Russell:
Cue this YouTube clip, (:10 -
âThe state of the voice over industry is changing, and AI is creeping up fast. Letâs just have a listen to this sample: This is how AI voices used to sound. And this is how AI voice overs sound now. Wow. They even have breaths and emotion. Impressive.â
Impressive indeed! So you can understand why all of us voice over humans are scared. But as you might have noticed listening to Robot Roger, thereâs still a need for the special sauce that only humans have. Itâs true that entry-level voice work will probably be replaced by machine-generated vocals. But to get the right emotion, dialects and true artistry behind the craft, producers will still need to hire humans. For animated characters and high-production value shows, having human actors get the right tone and sense of humor is essential.
Just take it from Roger:
Cue âAI Roger Voiceover Sample #2â attached to the email.
AI ROGER: I don't have emotions or a sense of humor. I leave that to you, the humans. So in the end, we can all have a voice.
RYAN: That was very informative and fascinating. Thank you Ryan Nerz, I now know youâre not an AI copy of me and Iâm proud to share such a great name.
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO
SARAH: Wow, did you see that last poll?
PAM: Actually, Iâm almost 100% positive that the next President of the United States will beâ
RYAN: Ayyyyyy! Sarah Namias is in the house! Whatâs good?
SARAH: We were just talking politics.
PAM: Who do you think will win the presidential election?
RYAN: Hmmmmm, if you give me about 282 hours, I can give you a definitive answer.
PAM: Wait. Why would you need 282 hoursâ-
RYAN: Or about, 13 days, if I want to have bathroom breaks, meals and sleep in there.
SARAH: What would you do in those 13 days?
RYAN: I would watch every single episode of the Simpsons and comb for clues about the future. That show is like a delightful, animated crystal ball. So many things written in the show have happened!
PAM: They have predicted quite a few thingsâŚbut you might not need to watch every episode. Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson is stopping by todayâ
RYAN: WHAT THE WOMBAT! I-I-IâI gotta get my tuxedo on, Lisa Simpson is stopping by?!
PAM: I donât think you need a tuxedoâ
RYAN: PAM SHE WAS BASICALLY THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT. I canât wear a shirt with pop tart crumbs on it. I gotta goâ
<SFX Ryan runs>
SARAH: He moves so fast when heâs motivated. Wait, Yeardley Smith is really stopping by??
PAM: Yup! Sheâs one of my favorite actors and has been voicing Lisa Simpson since the beginning of the show!
SARAH: Ohmygosh. Can I geek out and do a quick deep dive into what voice acting is all about and how itâs shaped our favorite shows, games, and movies?
PAM: Yes you can. Break it down Sarah.
SARAH: Now that Ryan has shown us how artificial intelligence is shaking up the entertainment industry âespecially for voice actorsâletâs take a fun dive into what voice acting is all about and how itâs shaped our favorite shows, games, and movies!
Ever wonder who's behind your favorite cartoon character, or who voices the heroes in your video games? For years, voice actors have been the ones making all those voices sound awesome, using their talent to create the characters we love!
So, what exactly is voice acting? Well, voice acting is when someone uses their voice to bring a character to life. Voice actors help make characters feel real â like they have a personality, feelings, and a story to tell. And without their amazing work, the characters we love wouldnât be the same!
Think about Shrekâwould he be as hilarious without Mike Myers giving him that awesome accent? Or what about Dory from Finding Nemo? Ellen DeGeneres made her sound so lovable and funny! And who can forget Bart Simpson voiced by the legendary Nancy Cartwright.
These voices have become true icons in pop culture.
Voice acting has been around for a long time, and itâs a super important part of all the shows, movies, and games we enjoy. But now, AI can create voices too! It can copy human voices or even make up totally new ones. Some people think this is pretty cool because it opens up new possibilities for storytelling, but others are a little worried. They wonder what it means for real voice actors and the characters we loveâcould AI take their place?
To learn more about this, weâre going to chat with someone whoâs been a major voice in the entertainment industry for years â Yeardley Smith. Sheâs the voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons. Letâs dive into what she thinks about AI and how it might change the world of voice acting
SARAH: âcould AI take their place?
INT. TEN NEWS HALLWAY
<SFX Ryan pacing>
YEARDLEY: Hi there, is the snack room this way?
RYAN: Yeah. Are you� The Secret Service?
YEARDLEY: Excuse me?
RYAN: Are you the Secret Service? The bodyguard of President Simpson?
YEARDLEY: Oh! No. Iâm Yeardley.
RYAN: Hmmm, you look incredibly friendly, and I donât judge a book by its cover, so you could be incredibly dangerous. Are you a spy or something? Iâm getting secret agent vibes from youâ
YEARDLEY: If I were a secret agent, I wouldnât be able to tell you, would I?
RYAN: Ohhhhhh. Copy that, not so secret agent Yeardley. I have so many questions for youâŚ
YEARDLEY: I noticed some poptart on your shirtâŚif you show me where you got them, Iâll answer every question you have.
RYAN: Roger that. Follow me.
INT. TEN NEWS SNACK ROOM
<SFX door open>
OWEN: Hey Ryanâ
RYAN: Whatup Owen, this a new human I met, Yeardleyâ
OWEN: Yeardley Smith?! The voice of Lisa Simpson?! Hi! Iâm Owen.
YEARDLEY: Hi Owen, nice to meet you!
RYAN: Wait, youâre Yeardley, Yeardley? Like, THE Yeardley? Not just some random Yeardley?
YEARDLEY: How many Yeardleys do you know?
RYAN: Not enough, apparently. Youâre like one of the biggest celebrities Iâve ever met, you play Lisa Simpson, who was pretty much the first female president, and the Simpsons is one of the most legendary TV shows of all timeânow that Iâm saying this out loud, I think Iâm freaking outâ
YEARDLEY: Just breathe buddyâ
OWEN: Maybe Iâll start with the questions thenâŚ
YEARDLEY: Thatâs a good idea
Ryan: Okay. So, Yardley, how did you get started and what was it like getting the role of Lisa Simpson?
Yeardley: It's actually a great story. When I started out as an actor, I never wanted to do voiceover. I didn't have a voiceover agent. I had been teased pretty relentlessly as a kid for having this funny, high nasally voice.So I think I never, It never occurred to me that it could actually be a real asset. So voiceover wasn't on the radar. I had, I was gonna, I had a whole plan for world domination, not including voiceover. And then, um, I was in Los Angeles in 1986. I had only been here. I don't know, probably about a year, less than a year. And I was doing a new play, a tiny play in a tiny theater in Hollywood. I think about 17 people saw that play. But one of those people a year later would be casting the Simpsons on the Tracy Ullman show, which is where the Simpsons first showed up as tiny little shorts. And, um, this woman whose name was Bonnie Pietela, who became our casting director for 25 seasons, uh, said, I know who should play Lisa Simpson. And so I was brought in to read. I actually also read for Bart, which has sort of become this huge, kind of this like, Oh my God, you read for Bart. I'm like, yeah, yeah. But let me put that in context. They always have women do the voices of young boys because our voices don't change. So it wasn't so much like, Oh, Yardley would be great for Bart.It was more like, Oh, you're a woman. I'm going to have you read for the 10 year old boy, because that's what we do. Uh, that, that, uh, scene didn't last very long. And they said, well, Bart has a sister named Lisa, who's eight and I was like, okay, let me take a stab at that. And, um, the rest is history.
Ryan: That is amazing. And The Simpsons premiered on December 17th, 1989. And I believe has broadcast 768 episodes of the show.
Yeardley: Yes, that is, uh, it's, I mean, it's an enormous number, and we're actually, we're already recording over 800 episodes because we're, it takes so long to animate one episode, so the broadcast episodes are, we did those easily a year ago, um, and that, That premiere date that you referenced is actually when the Simpsons jumped from the little shorts on the Tracy Ullman show to the half hour show. And the first episode to air was the Christmas special called Simpsons roasting on the, on an open fire. And, uh, and then we were in for kids who really want to. Be part of the television, uh, behind the scenes. We were what's called a mid season replacement. So the rest of the episodes of which there were 12 started in January of 1990. And everybody in town, in the industry was like, This is so stupid. Haven't had a cartoon on in primetime, which is between eight and 11 on tv. Uh, since the Flintstones. This is a terrible idea. Fox has no idea what they're doing. That was the network. Um, and uh, it's gonna bomb. Ha ha ha. Here we are.
Ryan: Jokes on them.
Yeardley: That's right.
Owen: What does it feel like to be on a show that has been going on for so long and has reached so many people?
Yeardley: Uh, it feels like a gift, to be honest. It is, first of all, I love my character. When I tell you, Owen, that I think of her like, like you are a living, breathing, three dimensional little boy. I think of Lisa Simpson as a living, breathing, three dimensional little girl. She's so, um, alive and whole to me. She's so, um, So funny and complicated and, um, and, uh, has such a big heart. So getting an opportunity to play a character like that for this long, uh, I just really feel like I landed in the honey pot.
Ryan: And did you get to give feedback and ideas about the character of Lisa as well with the writers on the show?
Yeardley: No. Uh, no. It's not a, uh, collaboration like that, but I will say that once in a great while, like very, very rarely, but You know, having when you've been on television for 36 seasons, they're going to be a few times when this might happen, where I feel like the writers wrote a line for Lisa that she wouldn't say, or, or they put her in a situation where somebody is really mean to her and she doesn't have any, she doesn't have a way to sort of stand up for herself. I will always, always. Stop them and say, Hey, I don't like this. This does not feel good to me. I might not win the battle, but it's always worth fighting a fight. I got to stand up for my girl.
Ryan: I love that. Now, we've been talking about AI and the impact it has on actors. What do you think of the new technology and how has the recording process of The Simpsons changed over the years?
Yeardley: So, you know, as I think, I think of AI, like I think of the internet, I think both of them are incredible resources, uh, offer extraordinary connectivity around the world, you just wish that people with that kind of power would use it only for good. Sadly, there are always, um, bad actors and bullies in the world and who want to, uh, take advantage of that. Uh, kind of a, a, a global entity like that, like AI or the internet and take it in the wrong direction. Uh, in terms of recording for the Simpsons, AI has not impacted our process at all. Thank goodness. Uh, it, I mean, I have yet to get the call where they go, Yardley, your job is over and we're going to reproduce Lisa Simpson's voice with AI, which, They could certainly do now. Um, my feeling is that at the end of the day, you would actually be able to tell that, It's missing a human element, no matter how savvy that AI is, no matter how good it is at learning what it is that I hardly do for that character. I don't think it could ever fully replicate the nuances, um, the sort of shades of gray and color and, uh, the things I think that I hope, uh, that really make people feel connected to Lisa.
Ryan: Awesome. Thank you.
Owen: What would you tell kids interested in a voice acting career?
Yeardley: I would tell kids who are interested in a voice acting career that there's always room at the top. And that if that is really something that you love that you're into Um practice practice practice Do voices for your friends, do voices for your cat, do voices everywhere you can, record them. I think it's particularly helpful, um, in show business to have an agent and the, actually one of the great ways to get an, a voiceover agent is to make a demo tape of all the different voices that you can do, um, if you want to do ads like, You know, sell shampoo, uh, you can grab an ad off of the radio or off television and reread it yourself. Um, you know, I'm a big believer in, because I, I had no formal training as an actor. I'm a big believer in, uh, Giving people who have a passion for something a chance And people did that for me and i'll never forget it. I'm deeply grateful for it uh, I do think I mean, obviously even if you know your mom and your cat and your best friend go. Oh my god You're the best at this i've ever heard You you will you will my friend you will encounter some rejection along the way, but uh, It doesn't mean they're right about you when people say You No, you're not the one it just means you're not the one for that and for them but it is not I cannot emphasize this enough because I think coming up it was so um hard it was so I mean, it's very challenging to be told no so many times and I and I think we probably would argue, you know I've been quite successful But what you see is all the things that went right? You don't see all the stuff that didn't go, right? So Uh But what I really learned was, okay, I'm not right for this thing for that person, but it is not some sort of, um, general statement about, it's not some sort of referendum on my talent or my abilities or what my chances are when I leave the house tomorrow to go to another audition. So just keep at it, um, and surround yourself with people who, who believe in you. You know, you don't want people to lie to you, but you want people to say like, listen, we're just going to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and go on to the next, because one person is not the boss of you.
Ryan: And there's one thing that I've noticed when it comes to the long game, especially within your show and what you guys do, the Simpsons. Had its first female president with Lisa Simpson becoming madam president. And which we'll know in November, if the show once again told the future, how does it feel and what is it like being on a show that has basically predicted the future so many times and then it's happened in real life?
Yeardley: You know, it's really funny. Um, I joke that the writers have a crystal ball in the middle of their writers table Um, and and they just consult it and see what's coming. What's what's interesting is A lot of our predictions are years old So that episode where lisa becomes the first female president Is I can't remember it's got to be at least Seven or eight years old My hope is that it's probably Prescient, right? That we do have a female president this November. I think that would be, um, phenomenal. I, I think, I think it is sort of, uh, and I know I, I promised I wouldn't get political, but I, but just sort of culturally, I think it's interesting that United States has not yet had a female head of state. State, um, in that, in that way, like, you know, Europe has had them, uh, I don't know, it feels like everywhere. Um, even some countries in Africa. So, uh, anyway, so I'm, I'm excited to see, uh, if we got that right. I, I feel, and, and back to your question about predicting, I do feel like if you've been on for 36 seasons, you're bound to get something right. We also predict a lot of stuff that doesn't come true, and nobody talks about that. So, uh, but, I will say, they are kind of, the writers are oddly tapped into, I don't know, like the lepto quarks of the universe. You know what I mean? There's a, I feel like there's a, a, I do believe in a global consciousness. I believe in, in this, this unexplainable sort of indescribable exchange of energy between all of the beings on the planet, as well as maybe some that we, I mean, I, good God, there, of course there are aliens, of course there are. We can't be the only ones who are, uh, who are supposedly the smartest ones in the room. Oh, help me. That can't be true. So, uh, but I believe in that sort of collective consciousness and so I think when you've been on and you really, uh, You come from a place of integrity and passion like the writers on The Simpsons do That you're bound to get something right about what's going to happen down the line Owen.
Tracy: yeah,
Yeardley: for sure, right Owen? For sure there are aliens.
Owen: There's like, millions and millions of like, galaxies and then like, bigger galaxy clusters. Like, there has to be something else out there.
Yeardley: I completely agree. It's just an absurd notion that we are the best, most evolved beings in all of that. In, in that vastness, it's just impossible and ridiculous.
Yeardley: Yeah.
Ryan: And you guys predicted aliens back in like, the first Treehouse of Horror, right?
Yeardley: Yes, yes, yes. Kang and Kodos. So hilarious. You know what's funny is, so we have a number of, Pairings on The Simpsons. So there's Kang and Kodos who are the, the alien I don't actually know how they're related or if they are or but anyway, they come as a pair We have Sherry and Terry the twins in Bart's class.
Yeardley: Patty and Selma. Patty and Selma and Rod and Todd Flanders. And so, so Nancy Cartwright And this woman who does the voice of Milhouse, Pamela Hayden, do the [00:14:30] voices of Rod and Todd Flanders. But at some point, when we had a new head in the writer's room, a new person running the writer's room, they forgot who was who. And so those voices got flip flopped. They got swapped. And so, And same with Sherry and Terry. So it's sort of funny to me that these, that my colleagues like, Oh, I, well, I've done Rod and Todd and now I, I just, whatever's on the page, that's what I show up and do, but it's funny to me that, uh, That That the writers forget and then they just reassign like yeah, all right, we'll do it this way this time This is a little funny little inside Easter egg.
Ryan: That is awesome. Now. We have some listener questions,
Jay and Annie: How long does it take to make an episode and how did you record during covid?
Yeardley: It takes a really long time. So It takes about eight months to animate one episode of The Simpsons. And the way the process works is the writers write the script. We then, as the actors, read it through once, like all together, right? Um, On a thursday that takes about 45 minutes. It's the very first time the writers hear the script out loud. So they hear what jokes Work, uh what don't and then [00:16:00] they go back and rewrite the script based on that response Then about 10 days later, we record that script the first time. So and we used to before the pandemic we would record all together like an old radio play, which was great Then the pandemic hit and we started to do it You Individually at first from home and then we started to go into the studio one at a time We're still doing it that way. My preference is to do it all together like a radio play because You know, the way, for instance, oh, and if you ask me a question, the way you ask me that question is going to inform the way I answer that question. So, but, I will say, we've been doing it so long, you know, I pretty much have a good handle on my character, so I can do it in a vacuum. Per se, but it's not my preference. So anyway, they then cut together the best of that recording session. They assemble all of the, uh, They assemble all the voices to flesh out the whole story. They send that to the animators and then that process begins. Over the course of that eight months I will go back in probably at least once if not twice and re record some lines.That maybe even with the animation aren't as funny as they want them to be or there's, uh, They want to make a change and so and I actually don't see a Simpsons episode until you see a Simpsons episode And it airs on television like they don't invite us over for a screening before it drops and go Hey, look how great this is. No, no, you get to watch it on TV like everybody else. So Uh, it's a really, for the actors, it's a very light touch, but for the writers and the animators, it's, it's pretty much non stop.
ROSE: What comes first, the dialogue or the drawings?
Yeardley: So we record the voices first. And that helps the animators know, uh, how to draw the facial expressions. Um, we do a lot of sound effects, like, Um, a lot of laughing, laughing is Lisa Simpson is a great ab workout. It sounds like this. {laughing} So. When all of that is mixed together for the animators, then they are much better able to draw it the way we all are thinking like, oh, this is what's gonna be great.
ARCHIE: What celebrity would you want on the show?
Yeardley: Oh, I would love to have The Rock on. I really think that Lisa Simpson and Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, could be great friends. First of all, how funny to see them next to each other. You know, The Rock animated as big as he is and Lisa Simpson just a little itty bitty fantastic, uh, little eight year old. Um, but yeah, for years, years, for all, I can't remember, It's so long. I've just really thought the rock would be my dream guest. So much fun. I just, I love his, his attitude. I love the, the way he carries himself through the world. You know, the, the way he's, he's just, he seems like an extraordinarily generous. Kind, humble man.
Owen: Have you ever met anyone whose real name is Lisa Simpson?
Yeardley:I actually have. Uh, I think I've met two people who are named Lisa Simpson. One of them I met at Comic Con. We, so the Simpsons, you know, I Some of the cast will go to [00:20:00] Comic Con, and we'll do a panel for the audience, answer questions, and then we'll do an autograph signing. And this woman came up to me and said, my name is Lisa Simpson, and all I could say was, I'm so sorry. Because I feel like, in some ways, we kind of robbed her name. From her, like we, she, it's now such a famous name that I wonder if she ever feels like, how do I individuate myself? How do, how, how [00:20:30] can I be an individual with that same name? And not everybody think of this tiny little four fingered. Bright yellow girl in a red strapless dress. Um, and then there was actually a woman who worked at a 20th century Fox, the studio that produces the Simpsons, uh, named Lisa Simpson and, uh, She, I mean, I remember meeting her and, and [00:21:00] she was pretty excited to be Lisa Simpson. I think because she's part of the behind the scenes, you know, team on the show in, in, in her own way. So maybe it wasn't as traumatizing as this poor woman I met at Comic Con. It was like, I, I mean, I might as well be. I'll be Jane Doe.
Owen: Is probably in one of the plethora of episodes, but do you know if Lisa Simpson has a middle name?
Yeardley:She does. It's Marie. Lisa Marie Simpson. Yeah. And I believe they, the reference is, uh, Lisa Marie Presley. I don't know why. Uh, except that maybe at the time, you know, when they were actually giving Lisa Simpson, uh, Middle name Lisa Marie Presley was in the news or Maybe one of the writers is a [00:22:00] big Elvis Presley fan And so this was their little Easter egg nod to we're gonna name Lisa Lisa Marie
Owen: you might get in trouble for telling me this, but, has Maggie Simpson ever talked on the show?
Yeardley:Yes, actually. Um, so, back when The Simpsons was on the Tracy Ullman Show, I used to do the Maggie gurgles. And, um, I remember one day she said spaghetti. And now Nancy Cartwright, who does the voice of Bart, as well as Nelson and, uh, Kearney, uh, one of the bullies, uh, he, she also does Ralph Wiggum. She's so talented. She does so many. Um, she now does Maggie Gurgles. But, I want to say, 15 years ago, we actually had Elizabeth Taylor on the show. To do, to say one word as Maggie Simpson, and the word was Dada. And it was this huge thing where I think at the end of one season, we teased that Maggie was going to talk in the next season, so you had to wait all summer. And then this was the big reveal and it was Elizabeth Taylor. Um, Which was great, and we did actually get to meet her, and she was just lovely and gracious, and I remember she brought her little dog with her, she had a tiny little fluffy dog, the dog came, um, And she was a really, really good sport. We probably made her say da da, you know, 25 times, uh, which you just want to make sure because you're never going to get Elizabeth Taylor back to do a pickup if something went wrong technically, or you're like, Oh, let's say it this way. You're never going to get Elizabeth Taylor back. So you got to make sure you get every which way, that word, you have to get it in every possible form right out of the gate. Um, so yeah, she, uh, she actually has, uh, She has spoken.
Ryan: That's amazing.
Ryan: Yeah. Uh, Yardley. Thank you so much for stopping by. You are one of the coolest humans I have ever, and probably will ever meet.
Yeardley: Uh, I just want to say thank you so much for having me. This has really been wonderful. Such a delight. Um, and I hope, I want to say too, that I love that this, um, New generation, you know, oh, and your generation, you all are fans of the Simpsons too, because we actually have writers on the show who grew up watching the Simpsons, who thought my dream job would be to write on the Simpsons, but they won't still be on by the time I'm old enough to have that job. Well, we are. So now they write on the show and their kids watch the show. So, uh, to have a whole new, fresh, um, A crop of viewers like you guys, uh, means the world. I'm so happy about it. I'm so grateful. I love that you love it as much as I do.
Yeardley: You. Thank you. Thank you, Owen. What a pleasure to meet you.
Ryan: Is there anything else you want to say to our tenors?
Yeardley: I'm Lisa Simpson and you're listening to the 10 news.
<SFX Trivia Room door opens>
<SFX shiny sparkly magical>
OWEN: Welcome to the Trivia Room!
SARAH: Hey Owen, great interview with Yeardley!
OWEN: Thank you, Sarah! Not gonna lie, I was freaking out a little bit
SARAH: Iâll bet you learned a lot from her.
OWEN: Absolutely! In fact, she gave me an idea for todayâs trivia.
SARAH: Tell me more!
OWEN: Then Hop up on the Trivia Throne, Sarah. If you can handle itâŚ
SARAH: Bring it on!
{Insert trivia on the ten audio lead-in}
OWEN: Todayâs trivia comes straight from The Simpsons! With more than 700 episodes, the show has had a ton of wild, whacky, and weird storylines. The Simpsons has talked about a lot of current events, but the crazy part is that some of these events took place years after the episodes were written and aired. For example, an episode from 2000 talked about Trump becoming president, 16 years before it actually happened. So, Tenâners, which of these storylines was in a Simpsons episode before it happened in real life?
Elon Musk buying Twitter
The invention of the smartwatch
The sriracha shortages
SARAH: (ADLIB ANSWER)
OWEN: The answer is B, the invention of the smartwatch! In an episode from 1995 but set in the future, Lisaâs husband is shown talking on the phone, into his watch. The episodeâs version of a smart watch is basically a phone attached to a wristband so it doesnât look quite like our smartwatches now, but still really impressive considering the first smartwatch wasnât created until 2013!
SARAH: (ADLIB ANSWER)
OWEN: Thanks for playing
SARAH:
OWEN: Tenâers, if you have a great trivia question or want to sit on the Trivia Throne, leave us a message at 877-TEN-NEWS and we might have you on the show!
INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO - SNACK ROOM
<SFX Nespresso whizzing and pouring>
RYAN: Okay, robo-Nespresso machine, thank you for making me this coffee.
NO RESPONSE
RYAN: Okay, youâre just an automatic coffee machine and you canât talk⌠but Iâm thanking you JUST in case AI and robots come alive, and take over the world. So if you do that, remember that I was one of the humans that was nice to youâ
PAM: (Robotic/AI Voice) I will remember that, Ryan. And thank YOU for letting me take over as the host of The Ten NewsâŚ
RYAN: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! <SFX RUNS OUT>
PAM: Ry, RY!! Itâs me! I was just, hiding under the tableâŚ
RYAN: (in the distance) THE ROBOTS ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!
PAM: Alright, I need to go calm him down so we can finish upâŚbut before I do that, hereâs a quick note for the grownups.
[Ad Break]
RYAN: Okay, if that WAS you just doing a voice, prove it.
PAM: (robotic AI voice) Ten Things You Need to Know drops on Thursdays, and our deep dive episodes drop once a month. If you want some bonus content, you could join the Tenâers Club on our website.
RYAN: Okay, okay, I believe you. Great prank, btw. And to our grownups, if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!
PAM:âThe Ten Newsâ is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
RYAN:The Ten News creative team is still freaking out that the legendary Yeardley Smith stopped by and includes Tracey Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Kyle Murdock, Hebba Gouda and Carson Potter. Big thanks to Sarah Namias and Ryan Nerz for stopping by and to Owen for contributing to this episode.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. Iâm Pamela Kirkland.
RYAN: And Iâm Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News
