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29 March 2024

Dubai's Burj Khalifa vs Homer on latest 'The Simpsons' episode

A screen grab of the moment Homer Simpson takes on the Burj Khalifa

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

If Tom Cruise could swing it, then who better than the iconic Homer Simpson to wing it in his own erstwhile manner, as he takes on the world’s tallest building (and possibly the Hollywood superstar too) in the latest episode of the hit Fox series, 'The Simpsons'.

The Burj Khalifa, which has now found a new home in the fictitious town of Springfield, becomes too much for the beloved animated character to handle in the latest episode, titled 'YOLO', which aired Sunday in the US.

YOLO or ‘You Only Live Once’ sees a disgruntled Homer attempting to tick off his bucket list by living his childhood dreams with the aid of his Spanish pen pal Eduardo Barcelona (known in America as Eddie Miami).

In one of those seize the day moments, Eduardo talks a trepid Homer into skydiving with him.

While soaring high above the clouds over Springfield, Homer’s flight into fantasy is cut short as his bald head makes impact with an even taller structure that stands in his flightplan – the Burj Khalifa.

As for Homer, well, let's just say, while Cruise swung deftly from one facade to another, the latest skyscraper scaler simply hits the glass enclosed wall before he crashes onto one of the observation decks; and again; and again.

 ‘D’oh!’

Now in its 25th season, ‘The Simpsons’ is only the latest in a number of notable TV shows and films that has featured the Burj Khalifa on the screen, with Cruise’s ‘Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol’ being the most infamous outing for the world’s tallest building that saw the Hollywood actor scale the heights of the 830-metre tall structure in a highly publicised media blitzkrieg.

Bollywood too hasn’t been immune to the landmark’s dizzying heights, with superstar Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha also shooting for a song at Burj Khalifa’s At The Top observation deck for their last film together, ‘Dabangg 2’.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Hollywood draw has even neighbouring Abu Dhabi cashing in on its palatial landmarks, with initial filming having already reportedly commenced for the seventh instalment of the ‘Fast and Furious’, which will see stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker descend onto the capital in January.