Do you hear that noise? It’s the collective sound of adolescent boys screeching in delight as they anticipate the arrival of what could be the best (yeah, I said it), summer movie of 2007. The Simpsons’ cinematic debut is less than 3 days away ladies and gents! Let’s all do the Bart Man—I know, you know how!

After 18 years of near pitch perfect satire and sitcom genius (more so in the early ’90s when the series still employed actual “story arch”), Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the Springfield gang take on their biggest challenge yet: winning over your hard-earned cash.

It’s not like they haven’t tried to get into our wallets before. Less we forget, there was a time when Bart Simpson was so powerful he went mano e mano with Bill Cosby, and toppled The Cosby Show from the top of the ratings. The Simpsons were everywhere: plastered on t-shirts, stuck onto lunch boxes, included in happy meals and even blasting from the radio. It was during these early years that the Kamp Krusty episode aired, a story that was shortened to fit into the half-hour time slot, but one creators always believed could become a viable stab at the feature-length format. The seed was planted, but the idea was shelved. The years went by, the days grew colder and, celluloid aspirations were lost to time.

Fast-forward to the new millennium and the Simpsons movie is finally a reality. But, the real question remains: will audiences dish out money to see the lovable stupidity of a bunch of four-fingered, chinless animated types when they can watch them at home for free? I say, in a climate where Optimus Prime can transform an opening weekend into a $67 million pay day for Dreamworks, the yellow crew need not have a cow.

And, just in case you’re on the fence about this serious bid for an acting career, the marketing machine has gone into serious overdrive. View, if you will, the August 2007 issue of the somewhat stodgy, yet well-respected fashion magazine, Harper’s Bazaar. It is, if I may be so base, my wet dream come to life! Two of my great loves—fashion and comedy—together at last. There's only one thing to do at a moment like this: strut!