Animation Connection will be having TWO World Exclusive signing events featuring Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria (Apu, Chief Wiggum, Moe & more) and director Wes Archer (The Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill). There will be a special advance on-line exhibit with a fantastic collection of original production cels, drawings, backgrounds, storyboards and more for sale. This special advance sale is available to Simpsons fans worldwide, while the signings are good news for those living in Toronto. To find out more about these events, visit Animation Connection and click the 'Simpsons Mania' banner. Thanks to Jack Skorochod from Animation Connection for the news.

Al Jean has been busy promoting the new Simpsons DVD, and his second interview in a week, as well as a review of the new release has just been put online at IGN. The interview is an interesting read, particularly if you're wondering why the DVD releases are taking so long (Season 4 will take just as long), or if you're looking forward to a Simpsons movie. Jean also talks about how he believes the show could last twenty years if the cast and crew are still up for it. Very informative, I recommend you check it out. Read More >>>

Those are the words from Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of The Simpsons: Hit And Run, and today they have been showcased on the game's official website which is now open. This highlights the fact that the game will arrive in stores in just over half a month. The official website looks great, using a popup window and flash, it brings you details and screenshots of the game right from the game creators. If you prefer, you can also use the unofficial website (which doesn't use a hyphen in the url, spelling a nasty word) here which is still providing links to the latest reviews and screenshots.

First-day sales of "The Simpsons: Season 3" DVD doubled those of the Season 1 DVD release and were about 20% ahead of the Season 2 box, according to Fox executives. Released Tuesday, it is estimated to have already sold through about 40% of its initial shipment of about 500,000 DVD units. A half-million units is a fraction of what major theatrical titles ship to retail outlets and video rental stores, but for the TV-to-DVD niche, it is a large shipment. The industry has found that seasonal DVD releases of series' such as HBO's "The Sopranos" can be rather lucrative because each box set retails for about $50, compared with about $20 for a major theatrical release. The increased profit margins and the length of time TV-to-DVD product tends to remain selling on store shelves has made TV-to-DVD products one of the hottest growth sectors in the realm of DVD, several industry sources said.

"Emmy-Award winning executive producer/writer Al Jean has a credit on over 200 episodes of The Simspons; heralded by members of TheManRoom as one of the greatest comedies ever. Now wrapping up his fourteenth season with the show and celebrating the release of Season 3 on DVD, Al is as much a part of its success as Homer's D'oh! "I met Sam Simon who was hiring the staff for the Simpsons and my partner and I were the first writers hired. None of our friends wanted to do it since it was a cartoon. So, we were pretty much in the right place at the right time." Read the rest of the interview with Al Jean at TheManRoom, who are also giving away Simpsons DVD's with a Simpsons Soccer Player Figure.

The Complete Third Season DVD hit stores across America today, but if you're one of the unlucky ones who hasn't got their copy yet, or are strapped for cash, the internet is here to save you! Both @ N-Zone and Premiere Magazines are running separate competitions where you can win a copy of the disc, saving you fifty dollars. Make sure you read terms and conditions on the sites. Meanwhile, if you're planning to pre-order The Simpsons: Hit And Run on either Gamecube, PS2, or XBOX, make sure you do it at Ebgames.com, where with every copy ordered you'll receive a free hat (not Hat McCulloch). Thanks to Simpsons Collector Sector for the Hit And Run news.

Fans of The Simpsons living in the Los Angeles area might want to trek down to the Virgin Records Megastore on Sunset Blvd. in West Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 26 to get their season three DVD sets autographed. Harry Shearer, who provides the voices of Mr. Burns, Smithers, Flanders, Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy and Otto, together with David Silverman, the animation director of the series from the beginning, will be signing copies of The Simpsons Season Three DVDs from 7:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m.

Suffering delay after delay, The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season DVD finally arrives in North American stores this week. The disc set has been arguably the most anticipated, with the growth of DVD usage since the previous release 55 weeks ago. Arriving in stores on Tuesday, the third season will retail as much as $49.95 US, while Amazon are selling it for $32.49 with free shipping.

DVD Movie Guide have just one of the many reviews going around. If you are outside the US, more release dates can be seen on our right panel. Do not preorder a US copy unless you know it will run on your player. And now we look forward to the release of Season 4. We'll keep you posted.

Hank Azaria has snagged this year's Emmy for voiceover performance, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Monday. Azaria won for the episode "Moe Baby Blues," in which hard-boiled bartender Moe takes a shine to baby Maggie. In addition to Moe, Azaria gives voices to Simpsons characters such as Comic Book Guy and Chief Wiggum. He has won in the voiceover category twice before; he won an Emmy for his supporting performance in the ABC telepic Tuesdays With Morrie. Azaria is also up for guest actor in a comedy for his work last season on Friends. Congratulations to him on his win (and other nomination) from the staff here at The Simpsons Channel!

Vivendi has given pre-release copies of the most anticipated Simpsons video game to date to various sources, and Firing Squad are the first to deliver. "Hit & Run doesn’t stray from the underlying concept found in Road Rage – take proven gameplay and insert Simpsons DNA. Hit & Run is unmistakably recognizable as being heavily influenced by Grand Theft Auto. The missions start right away with Marge informing you that Lisa left her science project at home and that you have to beat Principal Skinner to the school to deliver it to her. After a loading screen, you hop into your family sedan and rush off to the school. After getting to the school before Skinner, you walk Homer inside to deliver the goods. Mission complete and Homer gleefully announces "I am so smart, I am so smart. S-M-R-T, I mean, S-M-A-R-T." This game is sounding better every day. Make sure you read the full three-page preview.

David Beckham is set to star in a worldwide Disney cartoon in which he displays fantastic powers on the pitch and unreal ones off it. The cartoon could be shown in 150 countries and would feature team-mates Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Raul. A club source said: "Superhero Becks has huge potential. We want it to be bigger than The Simpsons." As you may remember, Beckham was rejected a guest role on The Simpsons this season and this is apparently his payback. Will his diabolical plan work and will we be known as the "Superhero Becks Channel" a year from now? Stay TUNED!

Yoo-hoo has unveiled it's first of many Simpsons promotions which will find their way onto bottles and advertisements. The drink company has teamed up with the Simpsons to bring you the raddest sweepstakes this side of Springfield. Their official website today has been expanded to include a section about this promotion, in which you can get the chance to win some great prizes including a 2004 VW Eurovan GLS. By purchasing the products and logging onto the website, you can be in the running to win this great prize as well as various other Simpsons goodies. For more prize details and rules, visit the official Yoo-Hoo website and click on the picture of Bart Simpson. While there you can also download the exclusive Yoo-Hoo Simpsons wallpapers which cannot be found anywhere else!

From the maker of Beyond Blunderdome comes The Simpsons Site Critic, a website which reports about changes in websites and critiques them. I've had a bit of a laugh from the updates already there, so it succeeds in entertaining and reporting the news. Springfield Weekly has changed its color scheme today, but basically kept the same design as last time. An improvement, nonetheless. Homerpalooza has been redesigned, and is now much easier to use. A Home For Lenny has received its first activity since July last year, in the form of a new design. It looks quite similar to the last.

After a five season run, and over a year since the show was announced as cancelled, the time has come for Matt Groening's 'Futurama' to end. The final episode titled "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" airs tomorrow night at 7pm on Fox. This last original episode plays on Fry's long-standing crush on Leela. Hoping to win her through music, Fry determines to write an opera expressing his feelings for her. The catch: Fry can only become a virtuoso if he first strikes a bargain with the Robot Devil. Groening and the Futurama crew made this episode to be the last, and fans will be pleased that the show will end on a high. The episode guest stars The Simpsons' Dan Castellaneta and was written by Ken Keeler. Even if you were not a fan of this show, this episode shouldn't be missed. Reruns of the series can be seen on the Cartoon Network.

Currently shooting the sequel to the "Scooby Doo" movie in Vancouver, Canada, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar revealed to Extratv.com that she'll have a guest role on The Simpsons next season. That's all we know at the moment, but when we learn more details regarding this we'll let you know. Other guest stars lined up for Season 15 include Simon Cowell, Tony Blair, Ian McKellen, J.K. Rowling, Jerry Lewis, Jennifer Garner, and possibly Glenn Close & Jackie Mason reprising their roles as Mother Simpson and Rabbi Krustofsky, respectively.

"INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey: Most people would not associate the somewhat irreverent nature of the long-running sitcom, The Simpsons, with church. However, Chaplain (Maj.) Steve Schaick, 39th Air Base Group senior Protestant chaplain here, is not most people. He not only managed to create a tie between a dysfunctional cartoon family and the Bible, but in the process walked away with a National Bible Association Award. The association hands out an award every year to the chaplain from each military branch who manages to teach Biblical truth with the most innovation and creativity. Schaick, who created the Bible study "Blessed are The Simpsons," is this year’s Air Force winner. To honor award recipients, the association sponsors a New York City luncheon Nov. 18. The chaplain’s relationship with Bart, Homer and the rest of the clan began in 1989, shortly after the show debuted." Read More >>>

Duffman may be a coward, but Justin Zollitsch, a recent UW-Madison graduate, certainly isn't. Zollitsch will don a Duffman costume to pilot a Red Bull Flugtag contraption called Can in the Clouds. Flugtag is German for "flying day." Red Bull has held more than 20 worldwide, where Aircraft must be entirely human-powered. Zollitsch and friend Eric Drazkowski designed a can of Duff Beer with a 30-foot wing span and propeller. Whether he pilots or not, Zollitsch will don spandex and play Duffman for the preflight skit. "I'm gonna do flips down the runway prior to take-off to pump up the crowd. Though I might shy away from the pelvic thrusts" that are Duffman's hallmark. Red Bull Flugtag is being held in Chicago's Monroe Harbour this Saturday August 9th at 11am. To read more and see their design, click here.

Good news comes in threes for Australians this week. First up, a specialty DVD titled "The Simpsons: Risky Business" will be released on September 24th, retailing at $32.95. The DVD, which has previously been released in the UK, contains work-related episodes 'Realty Bites,' 'Homer The Smithers,' 'Deep Space Homer,' and 'Marge Gets A Job,' as well as a Chief Wiggum Featurette. Also on the DVD front, Fox Home Entertainment has finally given an Australian release date for Season 3. The set will be released on October 22nd, retailing at $84.95. Both DVD's are available for preorder at DVD Orchard.

Meanwhile, after three months without new episodes, Season 14 returns to Channel Ten at its new time of 8pm Monday starting August 11th with 'C. E. D'oh!.' The Friday slot has been modified as a 'vote for your favourite episode' contest in which great prizes can be won thanks to Chupa Chups. Watch The Simpsons every day on Ten for more details.

The Comic Mint Australia is currently running an exclusive on-line Simpsons animation art exhibition with a superb collection of original production cels and drawings for sale, with specially signed cards by the extraordinary voice artist from The Simpsons, Harry Shearer. Harry is the voice of Mr. Burns, Smithers, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner & many others! Harry has signed a limited number of the official FOX signature cards for any Simpsons cel or drawing purchased from this on-line exhibition. This offer is only valid for a short time, so order on-line to take advantage of this unique opportunity. The offer is also open to residents outisde of Australia. Harry recently appeared at the Comic Mint to meet and sign fans Simpsons items. Visit the website for further details.

"Harry Shearer has an interesting level of fame. Half of the performer's public working life is spent hidden as a radio broadcaster or voice artist on The Simpsons. He says it's one of his favourite things about the career that he's "stumbled into". It's quite hard hearing such deadly serious talk from a voice that keeps reminding you of The Simpsons. Shearer's natural tones sound more than a little like Principal Skinner's. So what's it like working on The Simpsons? "It's the most fun you can have working in weekly television. It's much more fun for me than being in a normal sitcom could ever be. I've turned down a lot of sitcoms because I never wanted to play the same part all the time, so this is perfect for me because I get to play like a dozen characters a week. Matt (Groening) is a great friend and I admire him tremendously and I think he's done a great job of trying to keep the show on course." Read More >>>

Lisa Simpson would love this college class. The brainy, introspective daughter of blue-haired Marge and loutish Homer would eat up the intellectual challenge of determining the place of pop culture in postmodern American life. Lisa Simpson is an animated TV show character, so she can’t really sign up for Southern Connecticut State University’s new class on "The Simpsons." But 25 SCSU students and a professor can’t wait for the fall semester to begin so they can begin discussing and critiquing the philosophical underpinnings of the long-running Fox-TV show. "Cartoons don’t have any deep meaning. They’re just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh," Homer Simpson once said. SCSU Professor Charlene Dellinger-Pate, who will be teaching the course — "Postmodernism, Parody, Pastiche: Deconstructing ‘The Simpsons’" — begs to differ. Read More >>>

Repost: Comics Unlimited in Westminster CA are giving you the opportunity to celebrate ten years of Bongo Comics with an in-store appearance by Bongo editor Bill Morrison and writers Batton Lash and Jesse McCann. These people are heavily involed in the creation of Simpsons Comics, and McCann was also editor of The Simpsons Beyond Forever. You'll have the opportunity to talk to the people, as well as get autographs and sketches, and meet other Bongo fans. The appearance will take place between 3 and 5pm tomorrow Saturday August 2nd, so if you live in the area or are passing by, make sure you check it out! The poster of the event can be found here, or you can find out more about Comics Unlimited at their official website.