Category: The Simpsons

‘The Simpsons’: 500th episode set to air February 19th

We’ve known for a while that the milestone 500th episode of “The Simpsons” would come somewhere early in 2012, but FOX has now nailed down a date for the episode: Sunday, February 19th.

The episode is called “At Long Last Leave,” and it involves the Simpsons being evicted from Springfield and taking up residence with a group of people who live off the grid outside town. Marge and Homer try to sneak back in, but they learn pretty fast that they’re no longer welcome.

FOX is marking the occasion by challenging fans to break the Guinness world record for continuous TV watching. It currently stands at just over 86 hours, but the network is hoping someone can make it all the way through the entire series of “The Simpsons” to date (which would be in the neighborhood of 183 hours, assuming 22 minutes per episode).

Information on the contest is at TheSimpsons.com and the show’s Facebook page.

The show has also firmed up airdates for some of its guest voices: “The Social Network’s” Armie Hammer lends his voice to “The D’oh-cial Network” on Jan. 15; Michael Cera is in a Valentine’s Day story in which Lisa falls in love with his character; and Lady Gaga will appear in the season finale. Glenn Close will also reprise her role as Homer’s mom, Mona, later this season.

‘The Simpsons’ renewed for two more seasons

Don’t worry, “Simpsons” fans – the longest-running comedy in TV history is coming back for at least two more seasons.

News has been swirling about a possible of cancelation of “The Simpsons” due to budget concerns, but apparently the cast has agreed to a pay cut, as FOX has officially announced two more seasons of the animated program.

Season 24 and 25 will see the show broadcast a historical 500th episode. By the time Season 25 has aired, the episode total will be up to 559. The show will return for all-new episodes on Sunday, Oct. 30 with the annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode.

In “Treehouse” XXII, Homer takes a dangerous dive into an isolated canyon on Candy Peak, which will feature venomous spider bites, a cold-blooded vigilante and an “Avatar” send-up for Bart and Milhouse.

“The Simpsons” airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

‘The Simpsons’ cast reportedly agrees to pay cut, show will keep going

The cast of “The Simpsons” is nearing a deal that would cut their salaries but ensure that the show will stay on the air past this season.

There’s no official word on a deal yet, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, cast members Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Hank Azaria, Yeardley Smith and Harry Shearer are close to a deal that reduce their salaries and allow the series — the longest-running scripted show ever in primetime — to continue.

“Simpsons” producer 20th Century Fox TV had demanded the actors take a 45 percent cut from their $400,000-plus per episode salaries to about $250,000 per episode (which would still put the cast in the upper echelon of TV pay). The HR says the actual cuts will be somewhat smaller than the studio initially asked.

The new deals will not, however, include any back-end profit participation for the cast beyond their standard residuals. Shearer said earlier Friday (Oct. 7) that he would take a 70 percent pay cut in exchange for a small percentage of profits from syndication, home video and other merchandising, but his offer was refused.

We’ll keep you posted as to any official announcement.

‘The Simpsons’ actor: Cut my salary to keep show going

NEW YORK (AP) — One of the voice actors on “The Simpsons” said Friday that he’s willing to cut his salary by 70 percent in exchange for a taste of the production’s profits in order to keep the show going beyond this season.

Harry Shearer, one of six actors who provide voices for the animated characters on Fox’s Sunday night show, said producers turned down his offer.

Negotiations over the future of “The Simpsons,” which began its 23rd season last month, have spilled out into the public. Twentieth Century Fox Television, which makes the show, says it can’t continue without cutting costs and has targeted the salaries of Shearer, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria.

Each actor makes a reported $8 million a year for their work on “The Simpsons,” and Fox said the show could not continue without pay cuts. Shearer said producers demanded a 45 percent reduction.

“If pay cuts are what it will take to keep the show on the air, then cut my pay,” Shearer said Friday. “In fact, to make it as easy as possible for Fox to keep new episodes of ‘The Simpsons’ coming, I’m willing to let them cut my salary not just 45 percent but more than 70 percent.”

But Shearer said that in return, actors want “a tiny share” of the billions of dollars in profits the show has earned through syndication and marketing. The show’s creators, Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, have profit participation but the actors have been rebuffed in efforts to join them.

Shearer said his representatives were told that there were “simply no circumstances under which the network would consider allowing me or any of the actors to share in the show’s success.”

A spokesman for Twentieth Century Fox Television, Chris Alexander, said Friday he had no comment on Shearer’s statement.

“We’ve had a great run and no one should feel sorry for any of us,” said Shearer, who conceded that his salary was “ridiculous by any normal standard.” ”But given how much joy the show has given so many people over the years — and given how many billions of dollars in profits News Corp. has earned and will earn from it — I find it hard to believe that this is Fox’s final word on the subject.”

News Corp. owns both the television studio and Fox network.

There’s some question about whether Fox and the studio want the series to continue. The Daily Beast, which first reported the salary impasse, noted that the studio is locked into its current syndication deals while new episodes continue to be made. If the show is canceled, the studio could potentially make much more lucrative deals for use of the reruns.

‘Simpsons’ producers agree to pay cuts

Several top-level producers of The Simpsons have agreed to take pay cuts to keep the long-running animated show on the air, sources confirm.

Some — though not all — of the producers of the Fox series have indicated they’re willing to have their pay reduced to continue the series beyond its current record-setting 23rd season.

The cast, however, have yet to agree to terms with the studio. As Variety reported, Simpsons studio 20th Century Fox TV has demanded a 45 percent pay cut and the voice actors countered with a 30 percent reduction, plus a piece of the back end. The studio rejected that proposal.

Fox has previously declared the iconic hit is no longer sustainable under its current deal and is demanding salary reductions in order for the series to continue.

All sides, however, strongly believe a deal will be reached. Even with reduced paychecks, there’s still plenty of money on the table. Nobody wants to see The Simpsons end its legacy without a proper series finale. And a final season would likely create considerable buzz and renewed interest in the show, which is used to launch the rest of Fox’s Sunday night animated block.

Is the end near for ‘The Simpsons’ show?

Let’s hope it’s too early to be seriously worrying, but The Simpsons might stop production after the current 23rd season ends next spring.

Why? Money, of course.

The Daily Beast is reporting the studio and the six principal actors who voice the characters have reached a negotiating impasse. While contract disputes are not out of the ordinary, what’s different here, says the Beast, is that for the first time in nearly a quarter century of contract haggling, the executives have insisted that if the cast doesn’t accept a 45 percent pay cut, The Simpsons will cease to exist as a first-run series.

Dan Castellaneta (Homer, Grampa Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and others), Julie Kavner (Marge and others), Nancy Cartwright (Bart and others), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum and Apu Nahasapeemapetilon), and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, and others) each earn about $8 million annually for about 22 weeks’ work, but they don’t get any of the ancillary money.

The Daily Beast says the ultimatum was delivered by Fox Monday in response to the actors’ proposal “to take around a 30 percent pay cut in exchange for a tiny percentage of the show’s huge back-end profits—amounting to untold billions—from syndication of the show” and merchandising of Simpsons paraphernalia.

Fox has not commented on the story.

Katy Perry Gets Raunchy on “The Simpsons”
NEW YORK (Billboard) ñ Earlier this fall concerned parents considered singer Katy Perry’s play-date re-make of “Hot and Cold” with Elmo too risque to air on “Sesame Street.”
Well, if any of those parents saw Perry’s guest spot on last the December 5 episode of “The Simpsons,” the pop star may never set foot on “Sesame Street” again.
Perry guest-starred in a live action sequence of “The Simpsons” holiday episode Monday night as Moe the Bartender’s girlfriend.
The singer appeared in a skimpy red latex dress with cleavage galore and Simpsons characters’ faces plastered on her torso.
In the short scene, Perry delivers a sensual hug to Mr. Burns to improve his usual grumpy mood, after which he says, “I kissed a girl and I liked it,” referencing Perry’s breakout single.
The whole thing ended in a “Simpsons” take on the “12 Days of Christmas.”
While Perry’s usual demographic is accustomed to the singer’s revealing wardrobe choices, things got even racier as the show’s credits rolled. Puppet-sized Moe attempts to kiss human-sized Katy on the mouth but can’t reach. Instead he settles for her belly button, but apparently that was too far as well. “That’s not my belly button” says Perry with feigned shock as Moe buries his face between her legs, “but I didn’t say stop!”
We can only hope Elmo was in bed before this aired.

Prepare for more Homer as Fox renews ‘The Simpsons’ for its 23rd season
Fox has renewed “The Simpsons” for next season, the show’s 23rd.
That means the longest-running comedy in television history will have a whopping 515 episodes in the can when the 2011-2012 season is over.
“Like many 22-year-olds, ‘The Simpsons’ is extremely happy remaining at home, on Fox, and hopes it doesn’t have to go out into the real world for many years to come,” Al Jean, executive producer, said in a statement.
Since launching on Jan. 14, 1990, “The Simpsons” has become a staple for Fox and a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.
Reruns now air around the country. The series spawned a big-screen movie, a Universal Studios ride and a seemingly endless supply of licensed products.

Petition to stop school’s lessons in The Simpsons
The school said The Simpsons was used to teach satire, irony and parody
More than 400 people have signed a petition calling for a Somerset school to stop teaching the US cartoon series The Simpsons in lessons.
The opening sequence and an episode are being covered in the media module of the course at Kingsmead Community School, in Wiveliscombe.
The school said the show demonstrated use of language in the media.
Parent Joseph Reynolds said it was not the right quality of learning material for his daughter and her classmates.
Mr Reynolds collected signatures for his petition in the local community, but the school’s governors upheld the school’s decision to continue teaching the cartoon.
‘Waste of time’
Mr Reynolds said: “I don’t think it’s strong enough content. The national curriculum actually lists a great number of authors we could use and The Simpsons is never listed.
“The school has kind of fallen back on a weaker programme here just because kids like The Simpsons.
As a media studies subject I think The Simpsons is among the best to learn fromî
“If you want to use The Simpsons once in a while as a hook to get kids interested in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or get them interested in some other stronger content, I think that’s great.
“There’s a big difference between that and actually teaching The Simpsons for six weeks and I think it’s a waste of the kids’ time.”
Andy Dunnett, the school’s assistant head teacher, said work on the cartoon took place in Year Eight as part of a “broad, balanced and diverse” curriculum.
He said: “Students are encouraged to look at the text in a critical way. Initially it’s about building up their skills as critical thinkers.
“They also learn about different aspects of the media; audience, visual narrative, presentation and stereotypes, and some quite high level thinking ideas like satire, irony and parody.
“Far from dumbing down… we believe we are giving students a really vital and important part of their general education.”
Mr Dunnett added: “Our students get a very wide diet including three Shakespeare plays over five years at Kingsmead.
“We would be doing our students a disservice if we didn’t give them the opportunity to learn about the way media products are made and the way they affect the world around them.”

Chris Martin guests on ‘Simpsons’
Remember that old Coldplay song, Yellow? Well, lead singer Chris Martin really is taking it to heart this Sunday when he gets animated on The Simpsons.
Martin will make a guest voice appearance in a new episode titled Million Dollar Maybe on Fox and Global.
After Homer wins the lottery and finds himself with lots of disposable income, he and Bart purchase front-row seats to a Coldplay concert. Theyíre so close, in fact, that they find themselves having a conversation with Martin, guest-voicing as himself.
Martin joins a long list of famous musicians who have voiced yellow Simpsons-ized versions of themselves through the years, including Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Sting, Bono, Tom Jones, Linda Ronstadt and Little Richard, among many others.