Matt Groening Page 3

Some things are meant to be mixed together, even if it sounds like a shocking idea to begin with. Think peanut butter and jelly, labradors and poodles, chocolate milk and salt…all great combinations that magically enhance each other, even though your initial gut instinct may warn you against them. However, a Simpsons/Family Guy combo?

The Simpsons and the Griffins definitely won't all fit on the famous sofa

Word on the street is that an hour long episode, combining the two cartoons, is set to air this September. In the crossover episode, titled ‘The Simpsons Guy’, the Griffin family will travel to Springfield, where they become acquainted with the Simpson family. While Stewie and Bart bond over skateboards (and mischief, no doubt), Meg and Lisa will also become pals. Disgruntled wives Lois and Marge vow to abandon their household responsibilities (Thelma and Louise style, perhaps?) as their husbands initially make friends before, predictably, clashing.

Continue reading: Is 'The Simpsons'/'Family Guy' Crossover Episode Such A Good Idea?

The Simpsons is set to air its full Lego episode on Sunday (May 4, 2014), just a week after Entertainment Weekly reported the last episode of the show was the lowest rated episode in Simpsons history.

'The Simpsons' Lego Episode Airs This Sunday

On the flip side, The Lego Movie will easily be amongst the Top 10 biggest grossing movies of 2014 and the little blockheads are coming to give Bart and company a helping hand. The trailer for the upcoming episode - titled 'Brick Like Me' - hit Fox's animation domination YouTube channel. 

Continue reading: After Lowest Rated Episode, 'The Simpsons' Preps Lego Episode [Trailer]

To celebrate their recent licencing of The Simpsons, FX is turning TV sets into a continuous stream of the cartoon by playing every single episode back to back. That’s a lot of episodes – 552 to be exact, and it’ll take 12 takes to get through them all.

And, in case you were wondering, there is a precedent for this, sort of.  In February last year, Jeremiah Franco, 22, and Carin Shreve, 33, set a new record of Simpsons watching by consuming 86 hours and 37 minutes consecutively. So with FXX’s 552 stint – running from Aug. 21 through Labor Day - will someone try and beat that?

Continue reading: Will FXX's Marathon 552 Simpsons Episode Run Lead To A Certain Record Being Broken?

The death of a character in a show can be difficult to stomach. We’d love to give some examples, but the wrath of an Internet scorned through spoilers is something nobody should have to face. In the case of an animated show like The Simpsons, death becomes an even tougher pill to swallow as it almost invariably stems from the death of a real person, not simply a character on a show.

The Simpsons has been running for 25 seasons, and counting...

When the late Marcia Wallace said goodbye following a battle against cancer last October, Edna Krabappel would soon follow. Of course, any tribute within The Simpsons for Edna Krabappel is both a touching tribute to the character Wallace brought life (and consummate pessimism) to, but also a dedication to the person Wallace was.

Continue reading: Ned Flanders' Tribute To Edna Krabappel - The Third And Final Goodbye?

Life continues to be sweet for The Simpsons as it approaches its 26th season, as it has become the most expensive program to be sold to a cable service in an unspecified, multi-million dollar deal. The deal was announced on Friday, 15 November, by the Fox-owned company, who now have the rights to every episode of the longest running comedy series of all time.

The show will make the move to cable broadcast for the first time

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new deal covers all existing 24 seasons of the much-loved series, which already includes 530 episodes, with more due to be added to the rooster following the airing of the 25th and 26th seasons of the show on Fox. This will mark the first time the Matt Groening show will be given exclusive coverage on a cable channel, and also marks the first time that the series has been legally made available to stream online, when it becomes available on FXNOW.

Continue reading: FXX Wins First Ever Cable Deal For 'The Simpsons' In Huge Off-Network Deal

The Simpsons is still going strong after more than a quarter of a century, but with the threat of it growing stale (again) becoming an ever-likely possibility as the show enters season 26, the writers need to come up with something fresh to keep viewers coming back. After killing off Maude Flanders in season 11, and Homer's Vegas wife in season 16, and five other minor characters throughout the series, the Grim Reaper will be back in Springfield once again, but for who?

Jean wouldn't give much away

Al Jean revealed the morbid plans to The Hollywood Reporter this week, but refused to reveal which character the show's writers were thinking of getting rid of. He told THR, "We are doing this story for the same reason we do all others -- we think it has a good emotional through line...The story will be produced this year though it may air in season 26."

Continue reading: 'The Simpsons' Will Kill Off A Major Character Next Season, But Who?

As probably the most recognizable TV show of all time, let alone cartoon, we all know that The Simpsons is a marketable asset. Bart’s ‘Eat My Shorts’ and Homer’s ‘Doh!’ are known the world over. That’s why Twentieth Television – one of Ruper Murdoch’s television tentacles – are looking for a cool $1b for reruns of the iconic animation.

Fox aren’t just sitting on a gold mine – they tied up the Simpsons all those years ago on a promise that Groening and his buddies could mock the station at every turn – but they’re sitting on a very unusual one.

Shows usually get syndicated – farmed out to different stations for reruns, think Friends – after 100 episodes, but The Simpsons was one of the only animated shows on the market back then, and people wanted exclusivity.

Continue reading: Want Old Simpsons Episodes? That'll Be A Billion Bucks, Please

He has spent years helping to bring laughter to millions, and now the co-creator of The Simpsons, Sam Simon's actions will benefit others once again. The 58 year-old writer-producer is battling colon cancer which he has been told is terminal however he plans to spend his final days benefitting the lives of humans and animals. Exactly how much time Sam has left is not known, but he doesn't have any children to benefit from his fortune so the needy will benefit from his entire financial legacy.

Simon has revealed that he earns "tens of millions" annually from popular cartoon The Simpsons royalties plans to donate his entire fortune to charity before he passes away, he tells The Hollywood Reporter. He's selected charities he feels strongly about and will make sure they receive the money he intends for them, including a Malibu dog rescue haven, animal charity PETA, Save the Children and marine charity, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His own Sam Simon Foundation in Malibu is reportedly worth $23 million (£15m) and he feels strongly about shutting down roadside zoos and abusive animal shows. His foundation focusses attention on starving humans - who are given vegan food - and also looks after stray dogs.

Continue reading: Sam Simon, Terminally Ill 'Simpsons' Co-Creator, Donating Entire Fortune To Charity Before Death

Two of the biggest cartoon franchise will meet for the first time as The Simpsons and Family Guy crossover finally becomes a thing. The residents of Springfield have been around for a long time – longer than Peter Griffin and co – so it’s fitting that the Quahog guys visit the home of The Simpsons. “FOX hasn’t spent this much money since they took Simon Cowell tight T-shirt shopping,” said Peter in a statement, while Homer added: “Finally I can get my hands on this guy"

There's all manner of things wrong with this photo

For fans who can’t wait to see what happens when these two animated goliaths cross swords, a handy statement - given to Entertainment Weekly - reads: "Stewie becomes obsessed with Bart and his old-fashioned pranks; Lisa takes Meg under her wing and is determined to find something – anything – at which she excels; Marge and Lois ditch housework for a little bonding; and Peter and Homer fight over the best beer in town – Pawtucket vs Duff."

Continue reading: Clash Of The Cartoons: Simpsons And Family Guy's Crossover Episode

Matt Groening’s mother Margaret – the inspiration behind the popular cartoon character Marge Simpson in The Simpsons – has passed away aged 94, with the obituary revealing a whole pile of links to Groening’s family and the animated comedy which he created back in the late 80’s.

Groening died peacefully in her sleep, according to a paid obituary in The Oregonian, having had a life in which she taught high school English and proved herself a dab hand at needlework. She was one of many influences on her son Matt’s unprecedentedly successful animations; her parents were Matt and Ingeborg Wiggum, who met on a boat over from Norway to the USA – Wiggum being the name of the police chief of Springfield. The links go further too; she married classmate Homer Groening after graduating from school in 1941, while her oldest daughter Patty passed away before her. Her children’s names meanwhile include Lisa and Maggie, as well as Matt of course and Mark. We wonder what Mark did that was so wrong as to not be written into The Simpsons.

Margaret’s brother also survives. The Simpsons is the longest running animated series of all time, with the shorts running as part of the Tracey Ullman show in 1987 and going on to cover 24 seasons and 527 episodes.

Continue reading: Matt Groening's Mother And Marge Simpson Inspiration Dies

Margaret Groening – the mother of Simpsons creator Matt Groening and inspiration behind Marge Simpson – has passed away aged 94 in Portland, Oregon. Check out some of Marge’s best moments below.

“Groening, Margaret Ruth 94 March 23, 1919 April 22, 2013 Margaret Groening died peacefully in her sleep on April 22, 2013, in Portland,” reads her obituary in The Oregonian. Since her son created The Simpsons – the world’s most successful cartoon – she has become synonymous with the character of Marge, as well has many of her family members. Her husband, Homer Groening was a war veteran and cartoonist; he passed away in 1996, and his name will ring a bell to you Simpsons fans. Amongst the other recognisable names in the Groening family are his siblings: Lisa and Maggie, his late aunt, Patty and Margaret’s maiden name, Wiggum. Margaret was born on March 23, 1919, in Chisolm, Minn., and supported the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Trail Blazers and many local yarn shops; she was very skilled with a needle.

Continue reading: Marge Simpson Dies! Woman Behind Infamous Simpsons Character Passes Away

Futurama’s executive producer David X Cohen has revealed that he wasn’t surprised to learn that the show is being axed from Comedy Central. He told Entertainment Weekly “I felt like we were already in the bonus round on these last couple of seasons, so I can’t say I was devastated by the news… It was what I had expected two years earlier. At this point I keep a suitcase by my office door so I can be cancelled at a moment’s notice.”

The show has already suffered cancellations in the past, EW reports; it originally aired on Fox, between 1999 and 2003, before the network sent the show out the door. It was relaunched in 2007, with four straight-to-DVD movies, by Comedy Central, who have re-ordered shows in 2010 and then again in 2012. The show will now end its 140 episode run on September 4, 2013. The final 13 episodes will begin airing on June 19 at 10pm, meaning that season 7 will be the last for the popular 31st century comedy.

Despite having won two Emmy awards for Outstanding Animated Program (in 2002 and 2011), ratings for the show have started to slip. In 2010, the show drew in an average of 2.6 million viewers but this has now slipped to 1.7 million in 2012. Comedy Central’s EVP of Programming, Dave Bernath said that it was a “natural end” to the show. “That’s a helluva run that few shows achieve, and especially given the fact that it came back to life, it’s really an amazing story… I'm more thankful and feel a sense of gratitude toward the whole process — and that we found a way to keep going for 52 more episodes.” 

Continue reading: Futurama Exec On Show Cancellation: "I Keep A Suitcase By My Office Door"

It’s been a space-traversing ride, but it looks as if The Planet Express will be making last delivery quite soon. Yes that’s right, for the second time, Futurama has been cancelled. It happened once before, to the dismay of the show’s fans, but then Comedy Central came in and saved the day by picking up two seasons.

It didn’t work, and the all important ratings dropped despite the elation felt by the cartoon’s cult demographic. Comedy Central’s EVP of Programming Dave Bernath views the network’s decision as “the natural end” to the show’s improbable comeback. “That’s a helluva run that few shows achieve, and especially given the fact that it came back to life, it’s really an amazing story,” he says. “I’m more thankful and feel a sense of gratitude toward the whole process — and that we found a way to keep going for 52 more episodes — than I really am even thinking about the ending. It’s a blessing that it came back and lasted so long.”

Is Matt Groening annoyed? Probably not

Continue reading: Fans Of The Planet Express Ship Look Away Now – Futurama Finally Cancelled

Depressing news for fans of Futurama with the news that the show has been cancelled – again! We’re pretty sure you all remember the crushing disappointment that occurred when the Matt Groening-drawn animated comedy was pulled from the Fox network back in 2003, and then also the sheer jubilation that took place when it was announced that Comedy Central was to resurrect the series with four standalone films first heralding the return of Fry, Bender, Farnsworth, Leela and the rest of the Planet Express crew.

Sadly though, the ratings haven’t lasted for the comeback, and so Comedy Central is giving the show the boot again. Cruel. Comedy Central had ordered 26 episodes for the sixth season and another 26 for season seven, of which 12 have so far aired. But with ratings not picking up, that’ll be the last of it for Futurama, bringing to a likely end something that was a cult favorite but never really reached audiences in the same way that Groening’s The Simpsons has.

Executive producer David X. Cohen admitted that the decision was no surprise to him. “I felt like we were already in the bonus round on these last couple of seasons, so I can’t say I was devastated by the news,” he told EW. “It was what I had expected two years earlier. At this point I keep a suitcase by my office door so I can be cancelled at a moment’s notice.”

Continue reading: Matt Groening's 'Futurama' Cancelled For The Second Time