D'oh! Castellaneta wins another Emmy for 'Simpsons'

LOS ANGELES — Ask Dan Castellaneta to describe how he sounds off-screen and this is what he offers: sort of deadpan, shy of nasal, with a standard Midwestern tilt.

But like a plain brown bag filled with surprises, here's what he's pulled out of that voice in his years with "The Simpsons": Homer Simpson, Krusty the Clown, Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble, groundskeeper Willy and more.

Castellaneta's delivery of the grand Homeric syllable of exasperation — "D'oh!" — was enough to land it in the dictionary. He's also gotten more traditional honors, including another Emmy.

It's his third trophy for the animated series but still welcome, especially since it's been 10 years since the last one. His award for outstanding voice-over performance was in a category announced before the Sept. 19 Emmy ceremony.

Given that Castellaneta routinely creates vocal magic, bringing alive lovable lug Homer, befuddled Grampa and hellish clown Krusty, what did it take for TV academy voters to listen up again and take notice?

He speculates it was particularly sparkling writing on the episode for which he won — and maybe the fact that two of the characters he voices, Homer and Krusty, were featured.

In one story line, Herschel Krustofsky, a k a Krusty, is stunned to learn he's ineligible for the Springfield Jewish community's walk of fame because he's never had a bar mitzvah.

Castellaneta happily re-creates Krusty's raspy lament: "All this time I thought I was a self-hating Jew, and now I'm just an anti-Semite!"

That's the wicked wit routinely found on "The Simpsons," even deep into the life of the series. Cast member Harry Shearer, another multivoiced wonder (including imperial Mr. Burns), may be a bit less enthralled: He recently said he was unhappy with the show's quality compared to years past.

"In a nutshell, I don't agree," Castellaneta said. But he acknowledges the series based on executive producer Matt Groening's characters has changed over the years. It begins its 16th season Nov. 14.

There's slightly less running time (standard for TV shows as commercials and promotions have increased) and more characters to accommodate, Castellaneta said.

"Instead of just being in the Simpson's world, it's expanded out to Springfield," he said, and the reality envelope, such as it is with a family that's bright yellow, has been pushed a bit more.