So is it just a rumour? That seems not to be the case after a KFC promotion for The Simpsons Ride is giving away the Twentieth Season DVD as runner up prizes. And when is that contest drawn? November 2009. So it seems as if Fox have been keeping this one under their hats, but a Christmas release is almost certain. We’ll give you more details as soon as we ‘re told!

In a recent conference call, Al Jean spoke about what we can expect to see from both season 20 of The Simpsons and the show’s future in general. Jean spoke about the possible return of Plopper the Pig from The Simpsons Movie, writing for the character of Ned Flanders, another Simpsons movie which may be in the works, The Simpsons Ride and even the possibility of the Simpson kids ever growing up. Read our summary of the entire call below.

On Plopper, the Spider Pig

• Spider pig might be coming back! But he was definitely made for the movie. Plopper might show up in the show for a cameo.

On science fiction spoofs

• In March, Homer, while buying poison to kill some rats (they look like Ratatouille), leaves Maggie on a convent porch, turning the episode into a Da Vinci and National Treasure spoof. 3D Homer again? Perhaps.

On going into Season 20

• Yes, we do keep track of other shows and how long they’ve gone. After season 20, there will be more than 500 episodes in the can.

A Simpsons spin-off?

• Yes, there has been talk of it, but it would be very difficult to attempt to do both and still concentrate on the show. We like the big universe of the show as it exists.

On Ned Flanders

• We love to write for him because he’s so much fun. In an upcoming episode where the Simpson’s house gets foreclosed, Ned buys it and rents it back to them.

On another Simpsons movie

• Will there be a follow-up? Perhaps if there was a good script, but the first one took four years. My preference would be that it would air after the series itself has finished, of which there are no plans any time soon.

On other animated shows

• Other cartoons have followed the Simpsons – does Family Guy appeal to the lowest common denominator? How does The Simpsons rise above that?
• From the beginning, Sam Simon said we would write a show for adults, as smart and as connected with human emotion as possible. It’s the golden age for TV animation right now. We’re outrageous, but we’ve tried from the beginning to intelligently depict family challenges.

Are there “phases” of the show?

• Not really, we’ve won a ton of awards lately, but there are no eras, we just try to keep the show’s standard as high as possible.

Upcoming guest stars

• The Simpsons go to Ireland. Homer and Grandpa go to a bar and attempt to purchase it. Kenneth Branagh will have a cameo as the pub owner.

On the Simpsons ride

• Simpsons ride in Orlando and Hollywood exceeded expectations; longest wait time for any ride at Universal, lots of writers worked on those rides.

Will the Simpson kids ever grow up?

• Will the kids ever grow up? While the Simpson kids should have become teenagers long ago, in terms as the basic template for the show, no.

Source: Stewie’s Playground

The Simpsons Ride officially opened Thursday at the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. Riders are swept into Krustyland, Krusty the Clown’s new theme park, just as maniacal Sideshow Bob escapes from prison and takes control of the park to exact his revenge on Krusty and the Simpson family. Hand-picked by Krusty to be the first to ride his newest attraction, you are thrust into the middle of the action.

“I take with all due sense of mission and humility the opportunity to spray water and spritz baby powder at Universal patrons,” Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks said in a statement. “For 20 years I’ve been dreaming about this, and here it is – a wild, thrilling Simpsons Ride put together by a huge number of talented artists and amusement-park maniacs,” added creator Matt Groening.

SOURCE: UPI

The Simpsons Ride is opening this Spring at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is a motion simulator ride that tilts, pitches, dips, and twists in sync with action projected onto a towering 80 foot dome. Today, the official website promoting the ride has gone live. At SimpsonsRide.com, you can view more information about the attraction, purchase tickets, play games, and enter competitions, with downloads coming soon. Check it out!

SOURCE: The Simpsons Ride

The original title of this Imax format film was to be the “Simpsons: Sprint Through Springfield.” Apparently, some of the suits at Universal Orlando must have gotten convinced that people not fervently and fanatically tied to the show wouldn’t understand that Springfield is the town in which the show takes place. There’s no word yet on the actual “plot” of the film that will be used in the ride. And if you’re planning on heading down to Orlando this summer to find out, your wait will be slightly longer than the usual wait at the Jaws ride. If the columnists rumors are to be believed, the ride will open in Summer 2008.

SOURCE: AP

Sources close to theme park website ‘Screamscape’ tell them that a new Simpsons themed ride was confirmed to be the replacement for Back To The Future. This has apparently been a very hush-hush project in the works for a while now (much like the Simpson’s film) and the two companies are said to be working on big plans to connect the hype for the film and new ride next summer. News is only sketchy at the moment, but keep your eyes on Screamscape, who are investigating the issue at great length.

SOURCE: Screamscape