Reverend Lovejoy's Bait-and-Switch moment: Why would Lovejoy, of all aliens in fiction, talk about ET The Extraterrestrial? Well, it is very fitting given both the "Alien Mania" in Springfield and the fact that E.T. has been compared by many with Jesus himself.
Given he's the richest man in Springfield, why would Mr. Burns hire Dr. Nick Riviera of all doctors to keep him alive for another week? Simple, he's a cheap doctor, so, by hiring him, Burns saves his life with little money wasted.
How do the Simpsons know Santa's Little Helper's birthday, anyway?
Some WMG here, but since Santa's Little Helper is a former racing greyhound, it's not implausible to think they went back to the race track and looked up his history at some point.
