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09 Oct 2011 11:17

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Culture: The Simpsons gets a longer lifespan, but the voice actors lose out

  • whoo-hoo After a few weeks of tense negotiations with the show’s voice actors, “The Simpsons” will have two more full seasons before it finally goes into syndication heaven — making for 25 full years.
  • d’oh The negotiations centered on a fight over giving the voice actors back-end profits, which appears to be something they weren’t able to get. Also, fans of the show may just want to see it end. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Oct 2011 10:18

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Culture: Will “The Simpsons” end due to a salary fight? Quite possibly, kids.

  • what “The Simpsons” is facing some significant budgetary issues, and Fox is trying to figure out a way to cut costs so the show remains profitable. If it can’t, the 23-year-old show, which predates every other scripted show on the prime-time schedule, will face cancellation.
  • why The big problem is that the voice actors on the show, who fought for higher wages (and won) many times, are being asked to take significant cuts in salary (they make $8 million per year), which they’re fighting. Also, it probably doesn’t help that ratings are down. source
  • » Putting the D’oh out to pasture? The Simpsons is still widely-regarded, but with roughly 500 episodes under its belt, Fox may be ready for the next step in the “Simpsons” phenomenon — its own cable network. It’d be interesting if the salary battle is really an excuse to end “The Simpsons” outright.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Sep 2011 12:18

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Culture: Fox considering creating an all-Simpsons cable network

  • They certainly have enough episodes to pull it off. One of News Corp.’s greatest pieces of entertainment could eventually become a franchise all its own. With the series likely to pass the 500-episode mark with its upcoming 23rd season, Fox is reportedly talking about a long-term plan for the franchise, involving a cable network of its own. Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to do this right away — most of the series is embedded in long-term syndication deals — but once those expire, a single network approach might prove to be more financially sound as the series reaches its point of quarter-life crisis. So how would this work, anyway? Let’s do a quick number breakdown:
  • 245 length, in hours, of the series’ current 486 episodes, plus “The Simpsons Movie,” with commercials
  • 10.2 number of days that would manage to fill up, including commercials, before you’d run into a show repeat
  • 35.7 number of times the network would cycle through every single episode, plus a movie, in a single year source
  • » So, what do you guys think? Is a network built around a single show, even one as diverse and far-reaching as “The Simpsons,” something you’d watch? Or would it be like the original MTV — where everyone loved the idea of it, but didn’t necessarily stick with it? We’re not sure, but there are probably some pretty killer OWN Network jokes they could make if Fox did this.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2010 09:58

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Culture: With latest renewal, “The Simpsons” will clear 500 episodes

  • 23 the number of seasons “The Simpsons” will have after its latest renewal by Fox
  • 515 the number of episodes the long-running show will have at that point, which is kind of a lot source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2010 10:47

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Culture: Vatican not familiar with The Simpsons’ recent decline in quality

  • Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic.
  • An article in the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano • Making the claim that Homer J. Simpson is a Catholic whether he likes it or not. The article bases its analysis on a 2005 episode of the show where Homer and Bart convert to Catholicism at the suggestion of a priest played by Liam Neeson. Yeah, you read that right. A 2005 episode. Which means that it’s not canon and you don’t need to care about this analysis. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Oct 2009 21:41

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Offbeat: Otto the bus driver is a real guy. Except he’s British. And evil.

  • This massive prick (real name: Kerry Callard) decided it would be hilarious to splash a bunch of kids waiting for the bus to come. This is a total Otto the bus driver move. The only thing he’s missing is a bus. And a conscience. He could get fined for his general prickery.source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 May 2009 20:13

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Offbeat: Awesome Simpsons obscuro: Gummi Venus de Milo

Homer once sparked sexual harassment drama after grabbing an animated version of one of these off a young woman’s pants. Now, they’re real. Whoa. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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