Variety.com - How long can 'The Simpsons' go?

MAGGIE IS WALKING BY HERSELF, LISA GOT STRAIGHT A'S, AND BART . . . WELL, WE LOVE BART: After reaching 400 episodes on Sunday, is there any limit to how long "The Simpsons" might air? Variety says no.

Is there anything left to be said about the show that brought animation and subversion back to prime time, and pop culture savvy and real self-awareness into it for the first time? "Seinfeld", "M*A*S*H" and "Cheers" were good shows that lasted a long time, but none changed and influenced the culture the way "The Simpsons" has. "The Simpsons" basically built a whole tv network, and whatever else Rupert Murdoch may have done to ruin America, well, supporting this show through all the early controversy around it is a hell of a mitigating factor.

[Damn. Just thinking of how long it go it was that the show was controversial just reminds me of how long it's been on the air. Half the episodes have aired since Homer ran for trash commissioner against Mr. Steve Martin. Put another way, all the episodes which aired from the time the show started until I was in practice for a year just constitutes half the show's run so far.]

STILL LOOKING FOR A REALTOR WHO CAN SELL US A COTTAGE IN STARS HOLLOW: I finally got around to watching the Gilmore Girls finale tonight, and I will unabashedly admit that the tears were plentiful. Although the basic concept is a little dubious -- Rory's been away at Yale for four years, and yet her "departure" was treated as though she hadn't left Stars Hollow for more than 10 minutes at a time since 1986 -- the execution was handled quite beautifully.

Sure, the whole thing sped by quickly, but every character got an opportunity for a glory note reminding us why we love every quirky resident of the greater Stars Hollow metropolitan area (which I define to include Hartford). Tears when I realized why Emily was so fixated on the Dragonfly getting a spa or a tennis court. Tears upon tears when I realized what the heck Luke was doing with his tackle box. (While I haven't cared about Luke since shortly after the "I'm all in" speech of a couple years ago, every aspect of his role in the finale was beautiful and -- unusually -- believable.) A minor flood when Rory and Lorelei drove up and saw the tent. I hope that someday Amy Sherman-Palladino will tell someone what the last line of the finale was supposed to be, but David Rosenthal has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to how he wrapped this puppy up in its last couple of hours. (Oh, and I'm so glad they managed to pull off the final cameo appearance.)

There are shows and there are shows, but only one can claim that it made me want to be a mother. Bon voyage to the Gilmores, one and all.

ANOTHER MEANING OF "BSG": This marks the ten-year anniversary of Bill Simmons' sports column. I would have to say that he is among the most consistently entertaining writers on the planet.

HALF MAN, HALF ANIMAL, ALL MANIMAL: The fine folks at Best Week Ever offer a list of the 10 Greatest Completely Insane Television Shows Of All Time. Of course, they manage to omit The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, everyone's favorite "drunk Lincoln" sitcom. I'm sure there are others you can come up with--do so.

Law Blog - WSJ.com : A Campaign to Change "Attorneys General" to "Attorney Generals"

WHOPPERS JUNIOR: The WSJ Law Blog is leading a campaign to change the plural of "attorney general" from "attorneys general" to something ludicrously wrong. In the Comments, pledge your support for holding the line and resisting this silly change.

MY SALARY IS PAID IN STANLEY NICKELS: There is clearly demand for an Office thread, and we oblige where we can. Discuss inappropriate plastic surgery, visits to gastropubs, breakups, get-togethers, and, yes, Creed Thoughts, below.

SPANISH FLEA: Turns out that boys who are 2 3/4 years old haven't a trace of irony. Mrs. Earthling was out with the girls and the Little Earthling and I ran around the house all night with Herb Alpert blazing away in the background. He loved it. Me, too.