A festering stalemate in contract negotiations between the stars of “The Simpsons” and Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Television is threatening to kill the 16th season of the wildly successful animated sitcom. The six top actors who voice the characters of “The Simpsons” – Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Harry Shearer have joined in a united front to demand a huge raise from the network. Fox has flatly refused their demands – which Azaria rep Stan Rosenfield yesterday said was simply “to be paid their fair share.” The six (who have been earning less than $1 million each per season) want in excess of $8 million per season to stay on the show – which has conservatively earned Fox hundreds of millions of dollars. The six actors have not shown up for two script readings in the past few weeks, holding up production on the upcoming 16th season.
Ratings: The Wandering Juvie
The Simpsons double once again proved fairly successful for the Fox network. The Wandering Juvie at 8pm peaked at 10.5 million viewers, while the 8:30pm rerun of The Regina Monologues scored 11.4 million. Fox tied with NBC this Sunday for first place in the 18 – 49 demographic. Fox looks set to pack new episodes into the May sweeps period to ensure big ratings. With evidence that the show pulls its best ratings at 8:30pm, the network has held back My Big Fat Geek Wedding till April 18th and replaced it with a rerun this weekend. This leaves an incredibly short time for Fox to air the remaining Season 15 episodes, which means we’ll either a short season, or a May packed with double new features. We’ll keep you updated in our panel on the right.
The Wandering Juvie Airs Tonight
Sarah Michelle Gellar is the latest guest star to hit Springfield in tonight’s new episode titled ‘The Wandering Juvie.’ A description follows. “When Bart gets busted for stealing wedding presents, Judge Harm (guest star Kaczmarek) sentences him to six months in Springfield Juvenile Correctional Facility. While in the clink, Bart befriends tough girl Gina (Gellar), and the two devise a scheme to break out of “juvie.” Earlier reports suggest the episode will act as a parody of ‘The Defiant Ones.’ Following this episode is a rerun of last years ‘The Regina Monologues,’ in which The Simpsons visit England and Homer has a run-in with Queen Elizabeth. Catch an hour of The Simpsons from 8 on Fox tonight.
Matt Groening Gets Animated
After 15 seasons of The Simpsons, creator Matt Groening finally gets a guest spot in the episode ‘My Big Fat Geek Wedding’ airing next Sunday, April 4. “The writers wrote it in as a goof. I thought, ‘I’ll show them. I’ll do it,'” he says. He has supplied a couple of sounds; Maggie’s pacifier, a Ned Flanders scream — but this time Groening plays himself. He’s identified as the creator of Futurama. (He couldn’t be the creator of The Simpsons on The Simpsons or “the whole universe would implode.”) Though Groening didn’t draw his picture, it’s closer to real life than one earlier depiction as “an eyepatch-wearing, head-shaved, right-wing gun nut.” In the episode, Edna Krabappel runs off with Comic Book Guy to a comic convention, where Groening is autographing robot dolls of Futurama’s Bender. Read More >>>
Season Four Box Art Released
Get excited, this is what will appear on the box you’ll be able to hold in your hands on June 15th. The Complete Fourth Season DVD box art was released to online retailers today, and as you can see, it’s stuck to the same style as the previous three sets. Dark blue (I like to think of it as simpsonschannel blue) is the color of this set, while Barney, Ralph, Santa’s Little Helper, and Snowball II appear on the box in addition to the family members, giving us an idea of how they’ll combat cover similarities in the future. 83 days to go. Keep on counting, it’ll arrive in no time.
Ratings: Co-Dependent’s Day
Fox’s comedy lineup finally bounced back out ahead Sunday after the network dropped some dead weight. With redesigned 7pm and 8pm hours, Fox placed first among adults 18-49 for the night. NBC was second, ABC third, with CBS coming in fourth. Positions were switched overall, however, with CBS in first place and Fox in fourth, but both are great results for the networks in their own way. The new episode of The Simpsons titled ‘Co-Dependent’s Day’ was once again outrated by the 8:30pm repeat of ‘Milhouse Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ which came in at #20 for the week with 11.8 million viewers. The new 8pm schedule is a permanent fixture (for now), with The Bernie Mac Show being shifted to Mondays.
Co-Dependent’s Day Airing Tonight
An hour of The Simpsons kicks off tonight on Fox from 8pm, beginning with an all new episode titled ‘Co-Dependent’s Day’. In the episode, Marge looks for an activity for Homer that doesn’t involve beer and naively takes him to an Oktoberfest celebration. Then when Homer gets drunk, Marge winds up taking the fall for his Driving Under the Influence and is sent to rehab. The episode is followed by a rerun from earlier in the season, ‘The Fat And The Furriest’, in which Homer is attacked by a bear at the tip and becomes the laugh of the town, so he builds a bear-fighting suit. It’s highly likely that the rerun will get the higher ratings for the night, as is usually the case. Catch both of these episodes tonight on Fox!
The New Slim, Healthy Homer
Homer Simpson, watch out. The health-nanny tendency, having achieved only partial success in changing the eating habits of three-dimensional people, is now targeting two-dimensional characters. A team of nutritionists from an American university have made a study of the dietary intake of Homer, Barney and police chief Wiggum and detected that they seem to shift an awful lot of doughnuts and beer. The researchers, led by Professor Carol Byrd-Bredbenner of Rutgers University, analysed 63 episodes of the show for health-related messages. Their conclusion? “Fats, sweets and alcohol, particularly beer, doughnuts and salty/fatty snacks accounted for 52 per cent of all foods eaten in this programme,” they say. “Homer also was portrayed eating food more often (he alone accounted for 21% of all actions showing food being eaten) and ate greater quantities than other characters.”
Maxim-Mom Marge Simpson!
Marge Simpson has hit the cover of mens magazine ‘Maxim’, and we have a shot of the cover for you. The issue (April 2004) is available at newsstands right now. Buyers will have the choice of buying two covers, one with Paris Hilton in a revealing outfit, or Marge Simpson oozing out oomph in a sexy low-cut dress while scrubbing the floor. I know which one I’ll be picking up. “She’s every man’s ideal wife: curvy, wild-haired, and willing to accept a fat, balding, drunk loser as her knight in shining armor, till death—or Patty and Selma—do them part. Mmm…Marge.”
Marge Simpson Voted Top Mom
UK: Marge Simpson has been voted a top role model for mothers, beating Britain’s First Lady Cherie Blair and celebrity Victoria Beckham. Sky News reports that the star of the Simpsons TV cartoon series was chosen by young people as a good example of motherhood. Over 400 people were questioned in the Mothers’ Union poll, an Anglican charity dedicated to promoting marriage and family life. Marge reportedly claimed 23 percent of the vote. The poll found that youngsters especially admired her down-to-earth approach and advice, such as telling her three children to “listen to your heart, and not the voices in your head”, said the report.
Ratings: Ziff Who Came To Dinner
Fox continues to under-perform in the ratings on Sunday nights, but not thanks to The Simpsons. The Ziff Who Came To Dinner received 10.6 million viewers nationwide, a far cry from its best efforts but a decent figure all the same, and enough to come first place for the hour in the 18 – 49 demographic. The show came last in all demographics combined, with Cold Case on CBS coming first, ABC’s Extreme Makeover in second, and NBC’s American Dreams in third. Even with 60 Minutes down slightly, CBS’ freshman drama Cold Case was able to keep its numbers up, ranking as Sunday’s most watched show and pushing the network to an overall victory for the night. Three more weeks of new Simpsons episodes are guaranteed so far.
The Ziff Who Came To Dinner
Season fifteen continues tonight with a brand new episode titled ‘The Ziff Who Came To Dinner.’ Here’s a description: “When Artie Ziff (guest star Jon Lovitz) loses his dot.com fortune, he begs Homer and Marge to let him move in, as Marge is the closest thing he has ever had to true love. Marge reminds him that they only had one date and he misbehaved throughout. But Homer agrees when Ziff bribes him with a suitcase filled with pizza bagels. Later on, in a friendly game of poker, an out-of-cash Ziff wagers 98 percent of the outstanding shares of ZiffCorp stock. Homer wins the hand and moments later the S.E.C bursts into the room to investigate Ziff for criminal accounting irregularities. When Homer proudly announces he is the majority shareholder, the agents place him under arrest.” Catch it tonight on Fox!