The overnight ratings for the episode 'Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky are in. "CBS stayed strong at 8 p.m. with quality results for "My Big Fat Greek Life" (8.9/14) and, to a lesser extent, "Becker" (6.2/9). On NBC, "American Dreams" was second with a 6.3/10. FOX was narrowly third for the hour with the combined efforts of "The Simpsons" (6.6/10) and "Oliver Beene" (5.3/8). ABC with fourth with the conclusion of "Disney's The Kid." On The WB, "Charmed" scored a 4.7/7." So it wasn't the best week in the ratings, but at least the show fared better than Mike Scully's "The Pitts". Fox came fourth in the 9pm hour which was comprised of the premiere of this show, as well as an episode of "Malcolm In The Middle". You can rate and review the new Simpsons episode here in the "Bash Mike Scully" forum at the No Mods Club.

"Monty Python trouper Eric Idle is bringing his distinctly British voice to Springfield, USA. Idle will guest-star on Sunday's episode of The Simpsons ('Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky), playing a British filmmaker who decides to shoot a documentary at Springfield Elementary. He's the first Python to lend his voice to the long-running FOX show. "The Simpsons is great because it's like doing a radio show," Idle says. "Everybody does funny voices, and it's really good fun."

In the episode (spoilers follow), Idle plays Declan Desmond, a director whose latest project is an in-depth study of Krustyburger. He gets permission to film at Springfield Elementary, which causes problems for Bart when cameras capture him getting hit in the head with a clod of dirt. Desperate to save face, Bart imitates Nelson, who's become the focus of Desmond's film, and steals a hood ornament from a car. Unfortunately for him, the car belongs to mobster Fat Tony." Read More >>>

Fans of The Simpsons will know Mike Scully. Whether they think of him with high regard may be another issue, given he was responsible for the seasons of The Simpsons that many people consider the worst. Al Jean is in, and Scully is out, moving onto other projects. If you'd like to know what he's up to these days, stay tuned to Fox this Sunday, because following Malcolm In The Middle at 9:30pm is a show titled "The Pitts", created by the husband-and-wife team of Mike Scully and Julie Thacker -- another Simpsons writer. Scully tells TV Guide "It's a live action show, but cartoony in some aspects. It's really designed for the Simpsons audience". Thanks for thinking of us, but the show has already sparked the kind of press forseeing that it will live up to its namesake: MyInKy.com says "It's odd that they've created a series The Simpsons would have a heyday mocking". We'll see what viewers think after the pilot, this Sunday on Fox.

"Matt Groening hearkens back to his days a rock music critic, his day job before creating The Simpsons, in describing another one of his creations. "I feel about Futurama the way Paul McCartney must feel about Wings," Groening says with a characteristic laugh. "It's tough to compare anything to The Simpsons, but I'm incredibly proud of Futurama. The show is still alive, even though it's no longer supported by its original network." In many ways, Futurama was a more difficult program to create than The Simpsons. Groening and some of the other artists involved in the series discussed the challenges recently. The Simpsons centers on a family of more or less human characters in a suburban setting. Futurama demanded much more extensive design work. The artists had to create a world that spoofed the clichés of the sci-fi genre and preserved the look of Groening's original drawings, but in which things were still recognizable." Read More >>>

The brits have had their say! A poll conducted by The Mirror asked 2000 children and Nick Laws who they believed was the nation's favorite fictional mom. Marge Simpson didn't quite make the top spot, but was slotted in second with 21% of the votes. Kat Slater of the British soap "Eastenders" came out on top with 30% of the votes. Josa Young, from internet provider AOL who carried out the survey, said: "We were surprised Kat Slater topped the bill. But she is loving and loyal and fits the bill as a 'cool' mum." The opinion of The Simpsons Channel is that had a similar poll been conducted in the USA, Marge would have come up the winner by far! Read More >>>

To his friends, he was James Miller, gentle and fun-loving, passionate about hiking, mountain climbing and, above all, flight. To boxing fans, he had another identity: The Fan Man. In 1993, before a nationally televised audience, Miller paraglided into an outdoor heavyweight fight in Las Vegas between Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe and proceeded to get pummeled unconscious by Bowe's entourage. His stunt was memorialized in a way James could appreciate: Fan Man made an appearance in a 1996 episode of The Simpsons.

Miller's love for adventure, humor and the outdoors came to an end in September. Wracked by pain, deep in debt from medical bills, he drove to a remote trail head and took one last hike. He chose a spot where he was not likely to be found, attached a nylon strap to a tree and then his neck and leaned against it, killing himself by asphyxiation. His body was found by hunters March 9, devastating his many fans such as Britain's Nick Laws. Read More >>>

It was enough to make Matt Groening yelp "D'oh"! Last year, after an interviewer asked The Simpsons creator how long his animated juggernaut could go on, it was reported around the world that Homer was about to scarf down his last donut. "But it looks like we're going to be on forever. That's my new line." Groening tells the Sun. The same isn't true for his other cartoon comedy, the space-age Futurama. For that, Groening squarely blames Fox. "The people at Fox didn't ever support the show and it wasn't to their taste and, in my opinion, they're out of their minds. But they don't like The Simpsons either. The idea of a TV show that they haven't gotten their greasy fingers all over creatively drives them nuts. That's why almost everything else is so lousy." And as any Simpsons fan knows, Groening and his writers relish the chance to mock the once-fledgling fourth network. "I love the strength of The Simpsons -- that we can get away with so much. They don't like it. We took jabs at Fox News and we were told not to, so we decided to do it more." Read More >>>

Much of the same continued in the Sunday ratings this week, with the only notable difference being that NBC came out on top for the night. "At 8 p.m., CBS stayed in the lead with the comedy pair of "My Big Fat Greek Life," which continued its minor ratings ebb at 8.4/13, followed by the 7.4/11 brought in by "Becker." A new episode of "The Simpsons" in which Homer took ownership of the power plant scored a 7.4/12 and was followed by a decent showing for "Oliver Beene" (6.5/10) to give FOX second for the hour. With a 6.2/10, NBC's "American Dreams" was third, followed by ABC's conclusion of "The Emperor's New Groove." On The WB, "Charmed" conjured up a 2.9/4. Read More >>>

"If you've ever wanted your cell phone to say "D'oh!" when someone calls, you'll soon have the chance. Twentieth Century Fox on Monday said it has licensed The Simpsons to the wireless division of video game publisher THQ Inc. to be developed into games, ring tones, screensavers and messaging tools around the world. "The fact that (the show) is in so many countries and so many languages, we think this will be pretty successful for us," Doug Dyer, the general manager of THQ Wireless, told Reuters. THQ would like to begin releasing wireless products based on the show in the third quarter of this year. He also said the company plans to develop "channels" of Simpsons content, so wireless carriers could offer their subscribers games, sounds and logo packages based on themes from the show. Jim Beddows, for wireless entertainment at Fox, said the company waited to license "The Simpsons" because it is "one of the top-tier properties of the 20th Century Fox Co." and they wanted wireless technology, like color phone screens and high-speed networks, to develop further."

"The Simpsons, believe it or not, now grace the syllabus of at least one course at Cal, one of the country's most prestigious public universities, home to Nobel Prize winners, renowned scientists and more famous authors than there are hemp clothing sellers on Telegraph Avenue. This two-unit course, called 'Simpsons and Philosophy,' is part of the university's De-Cal program, student-sponsored initiatives in cooperation with UC Berkeley faculty meant to 'broaden the education, and the university experience, of all Cal students.' A word of advice to all of those doubting academic highbrows out there. To quote that animated miscreant Bart Simpson, 'Don't have a cow, man!' This actually is an academically rigorous class, not a dumbing down of either philosophy or 'The Simpsons.'" Read More >>>

Bridget Fonda won't be a single white female much longer — she's engaged to film composer Danny Elfman. Elfman, 49, is best known for his work on such Tim Burton films as "Batman," "Beetlejuice" "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and "Sleepy Hollow," but our visitors will know him as the composer of the theme song for the "The Simpsons." For Fonda, star of films such as "Single White Female" and "A Simple Plan," it will be her first marriage, and the second for Elfman, the former Oingo Boingo lead singer. Read More >>>

With Fox keeping somewhat quiet in regard to the release of The Simpsons Season 3 DVD, we have to rely on other sources to bring us a piece of news that all of our visitors are demanding an answer to. Latest developments tell us that we could be waiting a little longer for the third season release. While we previously reported that May was to be the release date, May is just around the corner and it is seeming more unlikely that Fox will be able to deliver. Most recently, TVShowsOnDVD.com has reported that the third season of The Simpsons will be released in early July. While it has been a long wait, they know the set will be a quality release. Now stop emailing me.

"Children can now start collecting any one of the five Simpsons magnets found in some of Kellogg’s cereal packs. These are Ricicles, Rice Krispies, Honey Loops, Frosties, Coco Pops Crunchers, Coco Pops, Frosties Chocolate, and Corn Pops. This promotion will last till the end of March. Each magnet features one of the comical members in the Simpsons family. All five magnets when collected and connected together make up one long picture of the Simpsons family sitting on the couch with their pets." Read More >>>

"Sales of tv shows on DVD have become the fastest-growing segment of the home entertainment business, generating an estimated $800 million to $1 billion a year. When the digital disc format debuted five years ago, most studio executives figured that there would be little interest in shows from the small screen. Not so with the digital format. "TV DVDs are white-hot," said Peter Staddon, senior vice president for marketing at Fox Home Video. "Everyone is rushing out DVD releases of their TV shows." It's no surprise that hits still on the air, such as The Simpsons and The Sopranos, are top sellers. But nostalgia also is fueling the trend.

The Simpsons helped Fox reap more than $100 million last year from DVD sales of TV shows. "We're doing audio commentaries for every episode, much to the chagrin of Fox Home Video," said Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons." "They want us to put this show out much faster than we're able to crank out these audio commentaries." Although things are going much faster these days, Groening joked, "we've run out of things to say, and we're just like whistling and doing little songs and stuff." Read More >>>

The White Stripes' drummer Meg White has been feted by the likes of Drew Barrymore and The Rolling Stones - but what she really wants is a guest slot on The Simpsons. "A guest appearance would be amazing," stated Meg. "I wouldn't want to be in a Lisa episode. They're kind of boring. Maybe a Homer one would be better."

The star, whose band release their new album 'Elephant' on March 31, admits the band's meteoric rise has seen them meet a lot of famous people, some making more of an impression than others. Read More >>>

"Vivendi Universal Games and Fox Interactive have announced a new agreement that gives VU the right to publish and distribute all Fox video games currently in development. The agreement, which grants VU the ability to publish games based on The Simpsons and Buffy, expands a smaller co-publishing deal the two companies signed in 2001. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Though we've had great success over the years with both home-grown and acquired properties, this deal presents terrific opportunities and the best business model for our content," said Fox Interactive president Steve Bersch. "We feel certain that our games, and the Fox properties they are based upon, will be best served through this expanded relationship with Vivendi Universal. We have some fantastic games coming and believe this is the right step toward helping them reach their greatest potential in the marketplace. With this deal, Fox Interactive will join VU's already expansive line of publishing labels, which includes Blizzard, Sierra, Black Label and Universal Interactive." Read More >>>

Last week saw new CBS series "My Big Fat Greek Life" triumph over The Simpsons in the national ratings. This week was much of the same. While both "My Big Fat Greek Life" (9.0/14) and "Becker" (8.0/12) were down from last week, both still held on to their half hours. FOX was again second with a new episode of "The Simpsons" (7.8/12) in which Krusty was elected to congress; while the heavily touted premiere of "Oliver Beene" scored a decent 7.2/11 opening. NBC was third with "American Dreams" earning a 5.7/9, followed by the conclusion of "Tarzan" on ABC. "Charmed" brought in a 3.1/5 on The WB. Read More >>>

Bet you thought you'd heard the end of the 300th episode madness, but the rest of the world is yet to screen the episode, and it's quite normal for them to make a big deal out of the event when it does arrive. SKY|one in the United Kingdom will air the 300th episode of The Simpsons, Barting Over on Sunday 20th April at 9:30pm. Leading up to this event, SKY|one will be showing "The Simpsons Golden D'ohnut Awards", a celebration of 300 episodes consisting of 12 episodes to be shown over the Easter weekend (18th - 20th April). Viewers will vote for their favourite episode from 12 different categories, and the 12 winning episodes will be shown. To view more information, check out the United Kingdom episode listings at The Simpsons Archive.

"After 13 years as one of the few regularly watchable shows on television, there are only two questions worth asking about The Simpsons. Is it still funny? And is it time it was put to sleep? On the evidence of this episode in the latest series, the answer in both cases is, paradoxically, yes. As a downcast Bart remarks mid-way through this episode, called Helter Shelter, "Is it just me, or are you guys getting sick of these crazy adventures?"

The sad truth is that The Simpsons is a victim of its own greatness, and has become an entertainment institution. History shows that such as transformation always means the death of creativity and risk-taking. Those two qualities, of course, were defining characteristics of the show in its first seven years or so, as it showered a grateful audience with an astounding cast of characters imitating life in Springfield, USA, and proving once and for all that the Americans can do irony. Without those key elements we are left with a cast of familiar characters and a stream of better than average jokes." Read More >>>

You've heard us talk about Rick Miller's show "MacHomer" before. In this two hour, one-man show, Miller presents the tragedy of "Macbeth" through the eyes of one of America's most beloved families, The Simpsons. But how many of you have actually had the opportunity to see it? Don't fret. Dateline Alabama has uploaded video clips from the opening act of the show, plus an audio interview with Miller himself. Read More >>>

In an article relating to a celebration of Classic TV, a number of points were raised, including the addition of sex gags and cutting the runtime for more commercials in today's television shows. The article features quotes of Matt Groening having his say.

"In recent times, networks have shaved back the length of sitcoms to make room for more advertising. Carl Reiner, creator of the Dick Van Dyke show recalls, "We had 27 minutes (to do 'Dick Van Dyke'), and I remember we howled when it was cut to 26 1/2. Now, it's closer to 20 minutes.' And Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, is feeling the pain. "When the time you have to entertain the audience is cut for more commercials, what you lose are the free-form jokes, which are some of the funniest jokes in a sitcom, whether it's The Simpsons or another show," he says. "It's hurt the show -- I'll say, it's made the show more difficult to write." Read More >>>

"Matt Groening is a proud papa. The Simpsons just celebrated its 300th episode, but he's especially pleased to see his other animated child, Futurama, get its day in the sun. A first-season DVD will be out March 25, new fans are finding reruns on Cartoon Network, and a few fresh episodes remain to run on Fox, even though the sci-fi satire has ended production. "I've gotten more response since it's been on Cartoon Network than in its years on Fox," Groening says. "It's so refreshing to have a network that appreciates the show." As The Simpsons heads toward its 15th season, Futurama faces early retirement because of inconsistent scheduling and, Groening says, a lack of promotion. The DVD ($31.98 Preorder) includes commentary on the first 13 episodes by Groening, executive producer David X. Cohen, West and DiMaggio. "They're wild parties, these commentaries," Groening says. "Billy and John sing along with the theme and make up their own lyrics and talk in their characters' voices." Read More >>>

Fans of the new Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team didn't want to take a chance with their tickets. About a half-dozen fans camped out all night Monday to get the first choice for their seats when the ticket office opened at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. By 6 a.m., about two dozen stood in the cold for the premium seats at the new stadium. The AAA Pacific Coast League team, formally known as the Calgary Cannons, got its name from an episode of The Simpsons. Read More >>>

CBS took a gamble this week by moving its new show "My Big Fat Greek Life" to 8pm Sundays, to compete against The Simpsons. So how did the shows fare? The gamble paid off in its first week, as The Simpsons ratings were a far cry from a fortnight earlier in which it celebrated its 300th episode. "CBS took 8 p.m. thanks to the strong 'premiere' of My Big Fat Greek Life. After a strong debut after Everybody Loves Raymond on Monday night, the Nia Vardalos sitcom showed legs with a 10.6/16, boosting ratings for Becker, 8.6/13, as well. FOX finished second with two episodes of The Simpsons. The new episode, 'A Star Is Born-Again' with guest voice Helen Fielding, scored a 7.7/12, while a repeat landed a 7.4/11." Still, second place isn't bad, nor is it a new position for The Simpsons to be in. But with a new show, nobody can be too sure what is to come in future weeks.

Electronic Media have compiled this years list of the Most Bankable Stars in Syndication. Bart and The Simpsons came in at #4 on their list, following Jerry Seinfeld and just missing out on #3 by the cast of Friends. "Coming in at No. 4 is TV's longest-running comedy series and longest-running animated show in prime time. Don't have a cow, but it remains a cash cow for the Fox Network. Neither double nor triple runs seem to be able to slow down its success. Simpsons still holds its own but fans have been upset to learn the writers are mulling an end to the prime-time run two or three years down the road, even if it will play on in syndication forever. Still, young and old alike continue to flock to Springfield. "Bankable because not since Dennis the Menace has America identified so warmly with a yellow-haired troublesome child. It seems that every family has a little Bart running around," said one panelist." The Simpsons came in at #5 last year. Read More >>>

"Local women's college officials reacted with humor to the national attention Smith and Mount Holyoke received in a recent episode of The Simpsons. Lisa Simpson was tempted to cheat in a spelling bee and lose to win a scholarship to one of the Seven Sisters colleges. "Lisa Simpson is welcome to apply to Smith - and she doesn't need to throw a spelling bee to strengthen her case," said Laurie Fenlason, Smith's media relations director. "She's smart, witty, talented and independent. She'd be in good company here." Jane Brown, vice president for enrollment at Mount Holyoke, commented, "We say bravo to Lisa for refusing to throw the spelling bee, even though her scruples cost her a free college education. "Lisa sounds like the kind of bright, talented, principled, independent young women who thrive at Mount Holyoke," Brown added. "We would certainly consider her for early admission -- or, in her case, early, early, early admission." Read More >>>

"If you saw the Simpsons' episode where Homer is sent off to Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp and thought "that would be cool" well good news, it is real. Promoter Paul Fishof is holding the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in New York City from June 18-22. Confirmed for this year's bootcamp are Roger Daltrey (The Who), Ace Frehley (Kiss), Markie Mark (The Ramones), Simon Kirke (Bad Company), Bret Michaels (Poison), Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad) as well as members from the bands of Billy Joel, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Hall and Oates. The camp attracts everyone from dentists to homemakers. It's not cheap. Registration for this years event is currently $US5,995 and that doesn't include getting there." You can check out more at the official site, or Read More >>>

"It's worth remembering that the America which has produced Texas fundamentalism is also producing The Simpsons, which has become so much a part of popular culture that most people have absorbed more of the show's sensibilities than they may realise. The Simpsons is the rock on which Rupert Murdoch built his American TV empire. This empire is now being used in support of the war effort. Twelve years ago, CNN ruled the Gulf War and Fox News didn't even exist. Now it is outmuscling CNN in America and changing the ideological landscape. So strong are its ratings that Fox News is rivalling The Simpsons as Murdoch's American media jewel, but the cartoon, which mocks the tabloid values of Fox, shows no sign of losing its iconic status or its brilliant edge. It is probably the most important entertainment in the world." Read More >>>