'Simpsons' Stars Ready to End Run, Source Says By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - D'oh! Homer Simpson and the rest of the mustard-colored citizens of Springfield are on strike. Stars demands for more money simply can't be met do to shows decline in popularity, source says. The actors who do the talking for Homer, Bart and the rest of the cartoon stars of the long-running Fox television show "The Simpsons" are keeping their mouths shut until producers pay them more money, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday. The show's six principal voice actors, whose contracts expired several months ago, have refused to show up for script readings during the past few weeks, delaying production on the upcoming 16th season of the animated series, the source said. The show centers on the antics of a beer-guzzling, doughnut-chomping family man named Homer Simpson, his spiky-haired misfit son, Bart, and all their friends and relations in the fictional town of Springfield. There was no public comment on the salary dispute from the Fox network or the producers at sister studio 20th Century Fox Television, both units of Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Ltd. . But the source confirmed a report in Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety that each of the six cast members was demanding a salary of $360,000 per episode, or nearly $8 million for a 22-episode season. Each actor currently is paid $125,000 per episode, the source said. While that might seem like a modest sum for a program that has been a signature show for Fox and a linchpin of its Sunday schedule for years, the source said the voice actors essentially work the equivalent of one day per episode. On the other hand, producers have to wonder whether they could ever replace the familiar voices who utter such popular catch phrases as Homer's anguished exclamation "D'oh!" or Bart's "Ay, caramba." The highest-paid star on U.S. TV is Ray Romano (news), who reportedly earns between $1.7 million and $2 million per episode of his Emmy-winning series "Everybody Loves Raymond." The six "Simpsons" cast members banding together to force a settlement of their contract renewal talks are Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (news) (sister Lisa), Julie Kavner (news) (family matriarch Marge), Hank Azaria (news) (bartender Moe and Apu the convenience store clerk) and Harry Shearer (news) (Homer's tyrannical boss, Mr. Burns and Bible-toting neighbor Ned Flanders). The last "Simpsons" work dispute arose in 1998, when the actors were making $30,000 per episode. At that time, the show's producer hired casting directors in five cities to replace most of them before both sides worked out a new deal and resumed production. This season, "The Simpsons" surpassed the real-life Nelson family on "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" as the longest-running weekly comedy series on American TV. The Nelsons left ABC in 1966 after 14 seasons on the air. "The Simpsons" currently averages about 12.5 million viewers a week on Sunday nights, down from its peak ratings several years ago, but it remains a critical favorite and worldwide pop culture phenomenon seen in dozens of countries. It also is a cash cow for 20th Century Fox TV for the handsome revenues it generates in U.S. syndication. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=597&e=3&u=/nm/20040401/tv_nm/leisure
That sucks. It'd be great to be able to make $125k for what I'm sure is not more than a day's worth of work. Eight million a season when you don't even have to get in front of a camera is ridiculous.
It's just a contract dispute. The Simpsons aren't going anywhere. You see things like this all the time. The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond and 4 members of the West Wing held out for more money.
Dude that's great. But I've actually sat through episodes of the Simpsons. Lots of people like it, and so I've seen a few episodes while at peoples houses. It, sucks. It tries to be clever, it's not. It's dumb. You on the other hand are just trying to call me out. Nice work.
I wouldnt say it sucks, but i am right there with ya nomar, for some reason i can not get into the simpsons, some stuff is funny, but most of the time i sit through it and do not laugh. I like family guy a lot, but for some reason the simpsons doesnt get to me.
The Simpsons used to be controversial back in the day, back the heydey of the Series (Starting with the 4th Season) Now with shows like Southpark and Family Guy animated shows being slighty offensive is like watching tom and jerry to some. The Simpsons is the greatest show ever created.
Exactly. I hope this situation doesn't mean the end of the series... like it has for so many other shows... it's just an icon. It's the one show I could never get tired of. It's the only one from my high school days that is still on the air. Sigh... (unfortunately, it's not an April Fools thing. I've seen it on major news outlets. )
Well, you toss off comments about how the Simpsons suck and expect not to be called out? I'm sure you're a great guy and all, but The Simpsons is better than you. I'm fine with the series ending now; it's gone on too long as it is, I feel. It'd be nice at least to have a decent closing episode, but how do you sum up so many seasons in 30 minutes or an hour? I know they've been planning a movie, but that doesn't seem like such a hot idea to me, either. The show has coasted for a couple of years simply commenting on ITSELF... Now that's pervasive. Let's go ahead and let it bow out, great as it has been.
You guys see why NOMAR has zero credibility on movies and TV. He is in favor of the obscure, and is not a person I would ever want in a decision making position at an entertainment company. They would be out of business so fast.... DD
I think he has pretty good taste in movies as long as they are not really popular. The obsure movies he usually talks about are typcially damn good.
Family Guy was a one trick pony that was out of ideas before it even started. Comparing it to the Simpsons is an exercise in futility.
you don't have a sense of humor if you think the simpsons is a great show. family guy is great, futurama is great, simpsons is great, king of the hill is great. i really find it amazing you like the family guy but not the simpsons. i used to not like the simpsons that much but then i started getting into it and it is great stuff.
