A Star Is Burns play in the opening moments of the episode is a parody of "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. The opening of Bart's film "The Eternal Struggle" is a reference to The Amazing Criswell's narration in "Plan 9 from Outer Space". Barney's film contains references to "Koyaanisqatsi", and the music of the film, which was composed by Philip Glass. Barney's film also features musical selections from the aria "Un bel di vedremo" from Act II, pt. 1 of Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly". In its original broadcast, "A Star Is Burns" finished 57th in the ratings for the week of February
Julianna Di Giacomo Mathilde in Rossini's "Guillaume Tell" and portrayed Madame Lidoine in "Dialogues of the Carmelites" at the Pittsburgh Opera. In 2012 Di Giacomo made her first appearance with the Los Angeles Opera as Donna Anna to Ildebrando D'Arcangelo's Don Giovanni under conductor Placido Domingo. That same year she made her debut at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma in the title role of Bellini's "Norma" and sang the title role in Giacomo Puccini's "Suor Angelica" at the Teatro Real in Madrid. In 2013 she made her debut at the Opéra-Comique as Rozenn in Édouard Lalo's "Le roi d'Ys". In 2014 Di Giacomo