Editing New Kids on the Blecch

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{{Icons||FE}}
{{EpisodePrevNext|Day of the Jackanapes|Hungry, Hungry Homer}}
{{quote|Bart's a rebel. And that's what I need for my new band, the "Party Posse".|[[L.T. Smash]]}}
{{Episode
|image=New Kids on the Blecch promo 1.png
|number=262
|season=12
|snumber=14
|prodcode= [[Production season CABF|CABF12]]
|airdate=February 25, [[2001]]
|blackboard="I will not buy a presidential pardon"
|couchgag=The family (dressed in prison clothes) are being chased by police searchlights as they tunnel to the couch and sit as normal.
|guests=[['N Sync]] as {{Chs|'N Sync|themselves}}
|showrunner1= Mike Scully
|writer=[[Tim Long]]
|director=[[Steven Dean Moore]]
|DVD features=yes
}}

"'''New Kids on the Blecch'''" is the fourteenth episode of [[Season 12|broadcast season 12]] of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and the two hundred sixty-second episode overall. It originally aired on February 25, [[2001]]. The episode was written by [[Tim Long]] and directed by [[Steven Dean Moore]]. It guest stars [['N Sync]] as {{Chs|'N Sync|themselves}}.

== Synopsis ==
{{Synopsis|When a [[Classified Records|talent agency]] creates the musical abilities of [[Bart]], [[Nelson]], [[Milhouse]], and [[Ralph]], it sets them up as the next big boy band sensation, the [[Party Posse]]. However, they later find out that their songs contain subliminal messaging to get people to join the navy.}}

== Plot ==
[[File:New Kids on the Blecch promo 2.png|thumb|left|Alternate promo image]]
After watching ''[[Great Moments in Olympic History]]'', [[Homer]] becomes inspired to run in the [[Springfield Marathon]]. During the final leg of the race, [[Bart]] puts on a costume and runs into the lead and wins. During the prize ceremony, a bird takes Bart's fake mustache off his face, revealing the ruse to everyone. The crowd gets angry and approaches Bart as [[L.T. Smash]] arrives in his car and tells Bart to get in. Bart decides to go with the stranger rather than face the angry mob and they get away to Bart's house.

At the Simpson house, L.T. Smash reveals that he's putting together a boy band, the [[Party Posse]], and he wants Bart as part of it because of his bad boy behavior. Whilst Bart and Homer agree, [[Marge]] is reluctant until Bart and Homer pressure her to agree. Bart then goes to [[Classified Records]] with Smash where he meets his fellow band members; [[Milhouse]], [[Nelson]] and [[Ralph]]. Bart is initially surprised to find that his other band members are people from his school but he accepts it quickly. The Party Posse then begins to have dance lessons and records their first song, "[[Special Girl]]". During the recording, L.T. Smash turns on a voice enhancer to improve their singing voices.

The Party Posse holds their first live show at the [[Springfield Elementary School]] during an assembly. After this show, they meet {{Chs|'N Sync}} who heard about them and wanted to meet them and deliver them a gift basket. Later, Bart is getting a massage whilst the rest of the family watch the TV for the Party Posse's first music video, "[[Drop Da Bomb]]". [[Lisa]] found the video and song weird and started to look into it, finding that it was full of subliminal messaging to get people to join the Navy. Lisa then goes to tell L.T. Smash about this, only to find that he was actually Lieutenant Smash of the Navy and he was behind it. As Smash tells Lisa that she can't leave, Lisa walks out the building.

Lisa tells the family all about Smash's subliminal messaging as they go to the Party Posse concert onboard the [[USS Sea Spanker]]. The band starts to sing a song, "[[Let's Re-Up Tonight]]", when a [[Navy admiral]] tells Lt. Smash that he's shutting down the boy band project as ''{{ap|Mad|magazine}}'' magazine were about to publish an issue mocking the Party Posse and this would ruin the Party Posse's reputation and recruiting power. Angry at this, Smash takes control of the Sea Spanker and sets course for [[New York City]] to destroy [[Mad Magazine Headquarters]]. Upon arriving, 'N Sync catch up in a speed boat and start to teach the Party Posse a song and dance routine to diffuse the situation. However, Lt. Smash blows up the building before they can finish. After this, Smash is arrested and taken away.

At the end of the episode, 'N Sync talk about the Navy and how they protect people and ask for people to sign up, saying that they signed up J.C. yesterday. J.C. is then taken away. Over the end credits, live footage of 'N Sync recording their lines is shown off.

== Production ==
The idea of the episode came about because [[Mike Scully]] said that the writers weren't coming up with enough ideas for episodes. So [[Tim Long]] came back after the weekend with this episode idea. When Long pitched the story, he also said that they should get 'N Sync in there too. When the table read was done, none of the songs were written so the cast had to make up the tunes.<ref name="Long">{{Com|Long, Tim|New Kids on the Blecch|Twelfth|(2009).}}</ref> [[Chris Kirkpatrick]] of 'N Sync said that all the members agreed to go on the show almost immediately, with Chris being on vacation at the time of being asked.<ref name="Kirkpatrick">{{Com|Kirkpatrick, Chris|New Kids on the Blecch|Twelfth|(2009).}}</ref> [[Justin Timberlake]] recorded separately as he had been at a funeral at the time.<ref name="Long"/> L.T. Smash's voice was based on what [[Hank Azaria]] thought a marine trying to sound hip and cool would be like.<ref name="Azaria">{{Com|Azaria, Hank|New Kids on the Blecch|Twelfth|(2009).}}</ref> The singing voices of the band were chosen to be different from their regular voices because it would have been too hard on [[Nancy Cartwright]] who voices three of the four members.<ref name="Scully">{{Com|Scully, Mike|New Kids on the Blecch|Twelfth|(2009).}}</ref> They ended up going with three members from the band {{W2|Natural|band}}; [[Ben Bledsoe]], [[Marc Terenzi]] and [[Michael "J" Horn]]. The fourth singing voice is [[Tony Battaglia]], who wrote the songs.<ref name="Long"/>

Justin Timberlake didn't want to say "word".<ref name="Long"/> He would laugh and say that he would never say that word when asked to record it. In editing, they then thought it would be funny to use the take of him saying "word" over and over again at the end of his lines.<ref name="Scully"/> [[Chris Clements]] animated a lot of the 'N Sync scenes. To get the ball walking animation right, the animators got an exercise ball and walked on it. [[Gerald Clifford Rey]] animated the scene of [[Mad Magazine Headquarters]] getting blown up.<ref name="Moore">{{Com|Moore, Steven Dean|New Kids on the Blecch|Twelfth|(2009).}}</ref> The ending credits had live action scenes of 'N Sync in the recording studio which [[Michael Bridge]] helped put together.<ref name="Scully"/>

== Reception ==
In its original broadcast, "New Kids on the Blecch" was viewed by 18.1 million viewers with a 9.7 rating.<ref>[https://www.awn.com/news/us-primetime-tv-ratings-week-february-19-25-2001 Animation World Network - "U.S. Primetime TV Ratings For The Week Of February 19 – 25, 2001"]</ref> As of October [[2019]], the episode has a 7.2 rating on {{W|IMDb}}<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701190/ IMDb - "New Kids on the Blecch"]</ref> and a 8.0 rating on {{W|TV.com}}.<ref>[http://www.tv.com/shows/the-simpsons/new-kids-on-the-blecch-21168/ TV.com - "New Kids on the Blecch"]</ref>

In May [[2014]], a conspiracy theory started circulating that the Syrian rebellion was a foreign plot because the Syrian flag seen in the "Drop Da Bomb" video resembled the flag adopted by the Syrian opposition in the {{W|Syrian Civil War}}. However, the flag in the episode was actually the Independence flag.<ref>[https://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/egyptian-tv-cites-simpsons-episode-as-proof-arab-spring-was-foreign-plot/?hp The New York Times - "Egyptian TV Cites 'Simpsons' Episode as Proof Arab Spring Was Foreign Plot"]</ref>

== In other languages ==
{{LanguageBox
|de=yes
|deName=Die sensationelle Pop-Gruppe
|deTrans=The sensational pop group
|es=yes
|esName=Los nuevos chicos del ¡puaf!
|esTrans=The new kids of the ugh!
|la=yes
|laName=Ídolos
|laTrans=Idols
|fr=yes
|frName=Bart et son boys band
|frTrans=Bart and his boy band
|qu=yes
|quName=Les New Kids On The Bart
|quTrans=New Kids On The Bart
|it=yes
|itName=Party Posse: musica e follia
|itTrans=Party Posse: music and madness
|jp=yes
|jpName=イン・シンクに気をつけろ!
|jpTrans=Watch out for 'N Sync!
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Images|ep=yes}}
{{Season 12}}
{{Production Season CABF}}

[[Category:2001]]
[[Category:Bart episodes]]
[[Category:Milhouse episodes]]
[[Category:Nelson episodes]]
[[Category:Ralph episodes]]
[[Category:Musical episodes]]
[[Category:Military-themed episodes]]
[[Category:Music-themed episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Tim Long]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Steven Dean Moore]]

[[sv:New Kids on the Blecch]]