Following our story on Saturday, Ananova has confirmed American Idol judge Simon Cowell's Simpsons guest spot, complete with story details.

He will play a nursery school admissions officer who treats toddlers to the same withering putdowns as hapless Pop Idol hopefuls. Executive producer Al Jean says "We're talking about a story where the Simpsons are having trouble getting Maggie into nursery school. And we thought it would be funny if he played the nursery school admissions officer. Simon's very popular in the US. There's a history in American television of people we love to hate - fun villains, such as JR Ewing in Dallas - and Simon's a similar sort of character. But overall, I'd say he's liked rather than loathed. He's the only one who says what you're thinking, which is that half the people on the show are terrible" Mr Jean said Cowell's Simpsons incarnation may come complete with his trademark high-waisted trousers. "Simon has criticised other people's appearances on his show, so I think he should be open to that himself," he said. Read More >>>

Sunday's double shot of The Simpsons with Dude, Where's My Ranch? at 8pm and a rerun of Barting Over at 8:30pm has recorded some interesting figures in the Zap2it overnight ratings report. "At 8pm, the second part of the "Touched by an Angel" finale won with an 8.8/15. FOX was second with a new episode of "The Simpsons" (6.7/11) and a repeat of the yellow family (7.1/11), coming in just ahead of the finale part of ABC's "Eloise at the Plaza." On NBC, "American Dreams" was fourth with a 5.0/8." It seems that the 8:30 rerun rated better than the new episode. It will be interesting to see if similar events happen in the coming weeks.

Update: CalendarLive confirms the rerun (12.4 million) outrated the new episode (11.71), coming in at 27th and 34th place respectively for the week.

Russ Lemmon writes: "Has it come to this? We are having second thoughts about a new 'Welcome to Toledo' sign because of Homer Simpson? I can't see the 'ToledOH!' sign being anything more than an inside joke to a relatively small percentage of the population. (Do the math: About 660,000 people live in Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, and Fulton counties; about 66,000 area residents watch The Simpsons on Sunday nights.) And even if Mayor Jack Ford decides to deep-six the sign, the joke is already 'out there.'" Read More >>>

Jonathan Edwards, the record-breaking triple jumper, spoke for the first time this weekend about the Christian principles that will guide him in his new role as a television watchdog, revealing amongst other things that he doesn’t watch the Simpsons.

Speaking to the Observer he revealed; "I don't watch a massive amount of television." But he continued "I do enjoy it and obviously it is the most influential mass media." One of the most interesting revelations was that he and his family avoid The Simpsons. "We have never got into it", he said, revealing however that he the family do watch Fame Academy and Pop Idol together. Read More >>>

Mr Nasty Simon Cowell of American Idol and Pop Idol fame is in talks to star in The Simpsons. The millionaire talent spotter, famed for his barbed comments to wannabe singers, could have a cameo role turning idle pop Homer into a rock and roll sensation. Simpsons executive producer Al Jean admitted: "We thought it would be funny to include Simon in an episode. "I think he might do it. He's hysterical!" After becoming one of the most popular judges on Britain's Pop Idol, Cowell has also become a huge hit in the United States, judging acts on American Idol.

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has picked a suitable epitaph for his gravestone - his cult cartoon character Homer's catchphrase "D'oh!" Groening has accepted that the saying, which has become a world-wide catchphrase following its repeated use on the massively popular TV series, will follow him after his death - whether he likes it or not. He jokes, "Even if I don't put it on my grave, some fan will spray it on."

Vivendi Universal today announced their 2003-04 video games lineup to be showcased at next month's E3 Expo. Amongst the titles is a new Simpsons game titled "Hit And Run". The game will mostly feature driving missions, but players will also be required to complete some on-foot missions in a similar fashion to "Grand Theft Auto". All up, there will be more than 70 missions across seven huge levels. The game will feature 17 different drivers from the show, and more than 40 vehicles will be included. While not much has been said about the missions, players will be able to explore a lot of Springfield, inside and out. There are over 2,500 lines of written dialogue from the show's writers in addition to spoken dialogue from the original voice talent. The game will also feature a four-player multiplayer driving challenge mode, and will be released on Gamecube, Xbox, PS2, and PC in September this year.

The Futurama video game was also re-announced and is now said to include 30-minutes of new Futurama footage. It will release later this year.

A new episode of The Simpsons titled Dude, Where's My Ranch? airs this Sunday at 8pm on Fox. The episode features David Byrne and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as guest stars. Here's a preview:

"David Byrne, the former lead singer of the Talking Heads, will play himself on Sunday's episode of The Simpsons. When Homer writes a song about how much he hates Flanders and sings it for the guys at Moe's, Byrne offers to produce the tune. If you're wondering what David Byrne would be doing at Moe's, well, sometimes cartoons just stop making sense. "I kinda jumped up and down," Byrne says of being asked to do the show. "I thought, well my life's made now. It's all downhill from here." With Byrne's backing, "Flanders Is a Jerk" becomes a big radio hit for Homer. So much so, in fact, that the family grows to hate it. So they take a road to nowhere, escaping to a dude ranch. There, Lisa falls for a young cowboy, voiced by ex-"Home Improvement" star Jonathan Taylor Thomas."

America has celebrated, the United Kingdom has celebrated, and now it's Australia's turn. The airdate for the 300th episode of The Simpsons in Australia has been announced, and as with America, it will air back-to-back with episode 301. At the special day and time of Tuesday May 6th at 8:30pm, Channel Ten will air Barting Over and then I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can. This news comes as Season 14's schedule was put into doubt due to the arrival of Big Brother 3. We'll be sure to remind you closer to the airdate.

They are "America's real first family", according to the Glasgow Herald. They star in "the longest running primetime animated series" ever made, according to the Glasgow Evening Times and represent "the only unqualified good a Rupert Murdoch company ever gave the world", according to the Guardian. They are The Simpsons, who have just celebrated their 300th episode on British television and are to star in their own movie. In fact, The Simpsons will soon "become the longest-running television comedy series ever", said the New Statesman. The Daily Express reckoned that The Simpsons have come "about as close to world domination as it's possible to get". So, wondered the paper, why won't George Bush appear on it, when Tony Blair has agreed to. "Come on, Dubya! Do you want to be remembered as a good guy who achieved something important and worthwhile or not?" Read More >>>

"No, you don't have to call the weather service to check the temperature in Hell. It looks as if The Simpsons Season Three is on track to make its August 26th release date, and today Fox issued the official specs for the multi-disc set that'll retail for $49.98 when it hits stores in a few months." See The Specs >>>

Note: As DVD release dates for different countries become available or have been changed, we will post them in the Stickynotes box on the right.

If you are skeptical of the 'Grow Rich on Beer' plan you're clearly a cynic with a negative outlook. It is a documented fact that beer investing has produced a return of about 50,000 per cent on at least one brand over the past decade. Duff Beer, produced in South Australia (home to many attractive people) in the mid-1990s, was banned from sale in 1996 after a judge found it breached the Trade Practices Act by ripping off the brand name used on the The Simpsons. Duff was then selling for about $24 a carton. Today, you'll find cartons of Duff offered for $10,000. Duff is not for drinking – after seven years it should all have the refreshing allure of a chilled bottle of Worcestershire sauce – but Simpsons fans see it as the Holy Grail of trivia. Read More >>>

"The Simpsons doesn't write itself. It's just written so well that it seems that way. The characters are coloured and shaped with such vivid detail and personality, and their absurd version of the world sustained with such fine touches of constant creativity, that they might as well actually exist. So when Homer makes another of his fantastic anti-logical arguments --'Facts are meaningless! You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!' -- or expresses a wish to do something more dreamily fulfilling with his life, like work in a carnival 'where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is quite what it seems', you don't consciously admire the scriptwriters for their exquisite dialogue. You just laugh like a baby." Read More >>>

The Observer in the UK have posted a list of 300 reasons why we love The Simpsons. Worth a read if you have the time.

"America's most dysfunctional family celebrate their 300th episode in the UK this weekend. After more than 10 years on the air, The Simpsons take a bow on Easter Sunday for a milestone show. The episode was screened in America in February but Sky One will host its first airing in Britain. Sunday's show, Barting Over, will see Bart leave home after discovering he starred in a TV advert as a baby - and Homer squandered all the cash." Read More >>>

Simpsons' devotees drew parallels to the infamous Whacking Day as news broke on Scotland’s day of war against 5,000 hedgehogs on one of the Western Isles. According to Reuters, the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), a conservation group, "sent a six-strong team into the wilderness Monday to kill the spiky mammals..." Apparently, Sonic’s brethren have been voraciously eating the eggs of the island’s rare birds. Unfortunately, the slaughter a.k.a. "cull" of the hedgehogs has sent animal welfare groups (and Nick Laws) into a big hissy fit, who called for a less bloody mass relocation of the creatures to the mainland. However, the SNH quipped back, reporting that such an act would result in a slower, more painful death for the cute yet cuddly mammals. Reuters did not report on the latest casualty estimates from the front.

Just because Homer Simpson’s evil boss, Mr. Burns, is a cartoon character, you can’t assume he hasn’t changed over the years, says Harry Shearer. Shearer does the voice of Burns and says Burns has changed ever so slightly in the show’s 300-plus episodes. "I watch the show, but I can’t say it compares to the religiosity with which some of the fans watch it," Shearer says. "So when we returned for seasons two and three, I didn’t have what I had done" previously as a habit yet. "So I went to doing Burns as I remembered him, and that caused (the voice) to evolve a bit. Read More >>>

It's the news you've been waiting for. The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season on DVD has been given a release date. Comingsoon.net reports today that "Fox Home Entertainment has set an August 26 street date for the release of the third season of The Simpsons on DVD. The studio had originally indicated season three would be out by June, then pushed the date back to July."

The news comes from a reliable source which appear to have contacts with 20th Century Fox. "Fox has set a $49.98 suggested retail price for the four-disc collection of 24 episodes from the 1991-92 season. In addition to commentary, the set will include a discussion of animation with Matt Groening, Jim Brooks and Al Jean; outtakes from numerous episodes; audio of a table read for "Treehouse of Horror II"; an 11-song jukebox feature; and Fox promos for the show."

Overnight ratings for last night's episode Three Gays Of The Condo have just been released by Zap2It. "FOX won the night in the demographic of adults 18-49. CBS was able to hold on at 8 p.m. with the "60 Minutes" carry-over and the season finale of "My Big Fat Greek Life," which continued its ratings slide with a 6.7/11. FOX was second with a new episode of "The Simpsons" (6.1/10) and a new "Oliver Beene" (5.0/8). "American Dreams" averaged a 5.3/9 for NBC, staying well ahead of the end of "Dr. Doolittle."

Update: Calendar Live's weekly Nielsen report shows that "The Simpsons" finished #19 for the week with 12.02 million viewers. In comparison, "My Big Fat Greek Life" came in at #32 with 10.46 million.

Recently Simpsons creator Matt Groening spoke out about the hilarious South Park, which last week celebrated its 100th episode. "Matt (Stone) and Trey (Parker) are demented geniuses -- that's the highest compliment I can give them," Groening says. "Their show makes me laugh out loud. I love comedy with a strong point of view, and the satirical shocks that 'South Park' goes for are consistently hilarious. They make their cheapness a virtue, and they continue to surprise me."

Don't forget to catch new episode Three Gays Of The Condo tonight at 8pm on Fox. I have compiled a description based on several sources which contains slight spoilers, so do not proceed if you don't want to know what happens. In the episode, "Homer finds a letter that Marge wrote in the 70s that states she and Homer could never work as a couple. When Homer asks Marge if he ruined her life, she admits that he does drive her crazy at times. Upset at her revelation of marital doubt, Homer moves out of the house and into a condo with a fabulous gay couple. After the initial shock, Homer begins feeling right at home -- he's hanging out with the couple's friends, eating delicious gourmet meals and living in the tidiest dwelling he's ever seen. "Weird Al" Yankovic guest-stars as part of Marge's plan to woo Homer back home." Make sure you rate and review the episode here at its conclusion.

"Forgotten the name? Can't place the face? Don't worry, Bart Simpson and his family may be able to help you. Scots scientists have found that the best way to recall names and faces is to try and match the personality and appearance of strangers to characters in The Simpsons. Team leader Professor Mike Burton said: "Learning a face is a visual process but it helps to have a story to go with it. By convincing themselves a stranger's face fitted the part of Homer, Bart or Marge, people were able to recognise them as well as if they had been an old friend." In the Simpsons experiment, participants shown 10-second clips of complete strangers struggled to remember all the names. But another group was told they were actors being cast in a Simpsons movie, going for the parts of Marge, Homer, Lisa, Bart, Grampa Simpson, Patty, Ned Flanders, Rev Lovejoy and Principal Skinner. The pass rate shot up to between 76 per cent and 100 per cent, with those said to be playing Bart and Homer drawing the highest recognition." Read More >>>

"Tony Blair took a gamble yesterday by recording an episode of The Simpsons while Britain is still at war. But he reckons it will pay off. Downing Street sources insisted last night that Simpsons fan Mr Blair, who watches the anarchic animation with his children, agreed to appear in the show months ago. And he felt it would be ridiculous to cancel, especially as it would throw the programme’s schedule into disarray. The sources said: "He’s a big fan of The Simpsons. He knows he might get some criticism because of the timing but this was in the diary long before the war with Iraq began. We believe it will greatly benefit tourism and help bring Americans back to London." In the episode which will air in Season 15, a cartoon Blair, complete with sticking-out ears and trademark cheesy grin, will give tips on tourism to the family during their visit to London. At a press conference on Thursday, Jean claimed he had no plans to include Mr Blair in an episode. "We’d love to get him but we haven't," he said. But it appeared yesterday this was merely a ploy to prevent any danger of the hush-hush recording being called off." Read More >>>

UK: "Imagine a world without The Simpsons, which next week celebrates its 300th edition, its birthday presents including a movie deal announced yesterday. But the most profitable and probably the greatest TV series ever was originally kicked into being only by the greediness of television copyright lawyers. Cartoonist Matt Groening was meeting network executives to discuss some scribbles for a Tracy Ullman TV series. He planned to recycle characters he had established in a newspaper strip but discovered just before he went in that such a move would involve mortgaging his drawings to the studio. Forced to invent some unknowns to sell them, he scratched on a pad a family which, in haste, he gave the names of his own parents and siblings: Homer, Marge, Bart and so on." Read More >>>

Season 14 draws to a close in a little over a month, and Comics Continuum has posted the final descriptions/airdates. With Three Gays Of The Condo airing on Sunday and Pray Anything in the following week, the schedule from then on includes double features with a rerun at 7pm and a new episode at 8pm. The final airdate for Season 14 is May 18th, which is comprised of a double feature -- the second one this season:

»» Sunday April 27 - "Barting Over" and "Dude, Where's My Ranch"
»» Sunday May 4 - "I'm Spelling As Fast As I Can" and "Old Yeller Belly"
»» Sunday May 11 - "Strong Arms Of The Ma" and "Brake My Wife Please"
»» Sunday May 18 - "Bart Of War" and "Moe Baby Blues" (Season Finale)

For further info and episode descriptions, visit this page at Comics Continuum and scroll down.

ThisIsLondon.com have nabbed a sneak interview with The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean to find out what's in the pipeline for America's favourite family. Al spills the beans on numerous issues which fans may be interested in, including the Simpsons movie, Iraq-themed episodes, the past, present, and future of the show, and guest stars currently lined up to perform next season. This comes as the 300th episode "Barting Over" airs in the United Kingdom next Sunday. Read The Interview >>>

"British soccer sensation David Beckham has been kicked into touch for a cameo role on The Simpsons - because he is not famous enough. Creators of the show were planning to approach him to see if he would agree to be written into the cartoon. But executive producer Al Jean said Beckham was barely known to audiences in the United States, where the series is made. Speaking in London, Jean said "We thought about Becks but soccer isn't as big over there. He's not really famous enough. We thought about it, we didn't ask. I've heard of him because my daughter plays soccer." He was to be approached to appear in a special with Homer and co, set in London. Notable guest voices for the programme to be screened in the future include Sir Ian McKellen and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, both playing themselves." Original Story >>>

Those of our visitors who are hanging out for the complete third season of The Simpsons on DVD, set your pants to wet. No, we don't have any more info on a release date, but signs that the release is close have begun to appear. Amazon.com have just released an image of the box art for this edition. Click the image for a larger view. At this stage we have been told that the DVD will be released by July.

"Who knew, in April 1995, a clever line by an obscure character on The Simpsons would become ammunition against an entire nation? And who knew today, people who call the French "cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys" are not cartoons and they are not kidding? French bashers have turned the insult into a national bullying cry. The joke was adopted, apparently by Jonah Goldberg, a Simpsons fan who also writes columns for the National Review Online. Goldberg, who credited the show, used the phrase for many years before the recent barrage of copycats made it unfunny. Google page after Google page cites references beginning in February on weblogs, Simpsons fan sites and articles in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Time and The Washington Post. The writers of The Simpsons aren't sure who deserves credit - the joke was added during one of many rewrites to the original story." Thanks Jukka. Read More >>>

Since we're on a bit of a news drought, here's the latest in what's happening around the net: Springfield Weekly and it's sub-site Insert Caption Here have both received new designs. Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag is back online after several months downtime. Ferg's Simpsons Dedication has a great new flash design. Toons Exposed has opened. The site used to be The Simpsons Network but has now expanded to include other cartoons.

After disappearing from the net due to scheduled maintenance a couple of weeks ago, The Simpsons Top 100 is back online with a new look, exactly a year since the previous version was released. The new look was made to remove integration with the Springfield Message Board. If you were a member before, you will have to sign up again to their new login system. A list update is not ready just yet, one will arrive in the coming weeks. Check it out.

If you thought the main storyline on the episode 'Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky was far-fetched and ridiculous, listen up! "A high school student in Midlothian, Virginia, Barlow is the founder of National Dark Sky Week, which kicks off on April 1st. The week is dedicated to spreading awareness about that glaring and stress-inducing foe to astronomers everywhere: light pollution. Light pollution can most often be observed as the glowing aura of a city seen from the countryside. As our cities grow, so too does the problem of light pollution. Coincidentally, on Sunday night, the contamination of the sky was a subject on the most recent Simpsons episode. The problem was comically demonstrated when Lisa tried looking at Venus through her new telescope only to have it immediately swallowed up in a concentrated beam of light shot up from a stadium. Although the residents of Springfield, as usual, over-reacted to the problem, the episode did communicate a good point: How can society dim the light polluting our sky?" Read More >>>