The action sequence at the candy convention is based on every Bruce Willis movie ever made.
Homer's imagination of living underwater is a parody of the song "Under the Sea" from the Disney film The Little Mermaid. David Mirkin says he thought the sequence would be funny because Homer would eat all of the characters from the film.
The news coverage showing Homer knocked out in the bathroom with the shower curtain draped over him, and the voice-over saying he slept in an oxygen tent believing it would enhance his sexual powers, is a reference to widespread tabloid rumors saying that Michael Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in an attempt to slow the aging process.
When Rock Bottom does a story on Groundskeeper Willie, the producers dub him "Rowdy Roddy Peeper," a reference to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, the stage name of a professional wrestler who adopted a Scottish persona in the ring.
Trivia
Originally, the episode was supposed to center around Lisa and Homer arguing over how men and women get away with certain things in society ("the double standard"), but David Mirkin thought it would be funnier to make fun of how the media likes to sensationalize news stories in the name of ratings, as the O.J. Simpson murder trial was occurring around the same time as this episode's premiere.
Goofs
Marge didn't have her purse when she got to the trade show, so how did she sneak in a celery? She could've had the purse in one of her pockets.
Marge is really quick when it comes to run with all that candy. She is a fast runner.
Rock Bottom Corrections
After the revelation of Homer's innocence, Rock Bottom broadcasts a list of corrections to various claims the show has made. The list can only be read in freeze-frame or slow motion. Rock Bottom's corrections are as follows: