Re: Spoiler for you west coasters!!!
An "in joke" from the same episode had Bart and Milhouse getting an idea
from a fictional TV show, and they say how great writers of TV shows are.
"Whatever they're paying them, it's not enough!" *

(hey, ONE former
Simpsons writer later became a success as a performer, too, Conan O'Brien)
*--speaking of writers talking about themselves, in effect, I remember a
Sat. Night Live show with Eric Idle where he mentioned the show's script
was delayed...again. "They take too many drugs," he said, sniffing.
(Then, of course, he enters the writer's room, or what's supposed to be that
room, and it's like an opium den. Probably more than a shade of truth to that too! But at least they were funny even if they were high!
> THAT was one of the FUNNIEST things I have seen on TV in a
> long time.
> I just about fell over laughing at that!
>
> FYI, the folks on the West Coast haven't seen this episode
> yet.
>