Iran has announced a ban on dolls from The Simpsons franchise, claiming the legendary cartoon series has a morally corrupting influence on Iranian youth. Dolls of Homer, Marge, Bart and other characters from the show join the likes of Barbie, who was banned in the Islamic Republic last month.

Mohammad Hossein Farjoo is the man who leads the agency behind the ban. Farjoo, whose full title is ‘Secretary for Policy Making at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Tehran,’ told the Sharq newspaper:

“The Simpsons dolls are merchandise from an animated series, of which some episodes are even banned in Europe and America. We do not want to promote this cartoon by importing the toys.”

I’m not personally aware of any Simpsons episodes banned in the U.S. or Europe, and Farjoo didn’t expand on this. Regardless, America’s yellowest family won’t be seen on Tehran store shelves in the near future. Merchants in Tehran have confirmed that Simpsons merchandise is getting harder to obtain from wholesalers. Stores in the city, reveal the vendors, now rarely display such toys.

Barbie was banned last month because of what Iranian officials deemed to be her provocative body shape (which is actually anatomically freakish). Farjoo cheerfully pronounced at the time:

“Imports of all kinds of dolls that display full adult figures are banned because they promote Western culture.”

That said, superheroes such as Superman and Spiderman are a-okay in Iran, because they fight for the oppressed – much like the Iranian government. Or maybe not …

Iran Bans ‘Simpsons’ Dolls is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Simpsons will hit an impressive milestone on February 19th when the show celebrates its 500th episode. The longest running TV series in the United States will celebrate the milestone with a several celebrity guest appearances including Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Assange recorded his part for The Simpsons while he was under house arrest in Britain.

Simpsons executive producer Al Jean said:

“He’s a controversial figure, and there’s a good reason he’s controversial. There was discussion internally whether or not to have him on the show, but ultimately we went ahead and did it…. “there’s nothing we did that has anything to do with the legal situation that he’s in… We wanted to make sure it was satirical, and he was willing to do that.”

Jean said that there will be a few other celebrity cameos and a few old characters will return for the 500th episode. Jean says that none of the characters are as controversial as Assange.

The Simpsons is currently in its 23rd season. Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Cera, Jane Lynch, and Jeremy Irons have all appeared on The Simpsons this year.

Do you still watch The Simpsons? Will you watch the 500th episode on February 19th?

The 500th episode almost didn’t happen as the actors and producers had a contract dispute earlier this year. An agreement was eventually reached that will see the show continue for at least two more seasons. 

500th Episode of ‘The Simpsons’ to Feature Julian Assange is a post from: The Inquisitr

Woo hoo! The Simpsons will continue for at least two more seasons. Fox announced today that the longest running comedy will continue for its 24th and 25th seasons.

The new deal comes after a week of speculations about the future of the show. Fox announced earlier this week that the show would be canceled if the actors didn’t take a 45% pay cut. The actors, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright,Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, said that they would take a pay cut if they were given a share in the back-end profits.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TV Guide reports that the actors will take a cut in pay (less than the 45% requested) but will not be given a share of the profits.  The producers of the show have already taken pay cuts. 

Henry Shearer, who voices characters like Mr. Burns and Principal Skinner, said earlier that the cast was willing to cut their salaries by 70% if they were given a share of the shows profits.

Shearer said:

“Fox wants to cut our salaries in half because it says it can’t afford to continue making the show under what it calls the existing business model. Fox hasn’t explained what kind of new business model it has formulated to keep the show on the air, but clearly the less money they have to pay us in salary, the more they’re able to afford to continue broadcasting the show. And to this I say, fine — if pay cuts are what it will take to keep the show on the air, then cut my pay. … I’m willing to let them cut my salary not just 45 percent but more than 70 percent. … All I would ask in return is that I be allowed a small share of the eventual profits.”

The actors didn’t get what they wanted but they also didn’t want the show to come to an end. Under the new deal, The Simpsons will see its 25th season and its 500th episode. After that, however, we’ll likely see more arguing over money.

James L. Brooks, an executive producer of The Simpsons, wrote on  Twitter:

“Crying animated tears of joy (which actually taste pretty good).”

Do you think the actors got bullied into continuing The Simpsons for less money?

‘The Simpsons’ Will Continue For At Least Two More Seasons is a post from: The Inquisitr

In what sounds like a passable Simpsons storyline, executives at Fox have reportedly said the show will have to be closed down in the spring unless cast members are willing to take a 45% pay cut.

Dan Castellaneta probably owns the most famous Simpson voice, that of well-meaning buffoon and father Homer. Julia Kavner voices Marge, while Nancy Cartwright is tearaway son Bart. Each earns an estimated $8 million per year, yet now Fox is seeking to cut their fees. As one source from the show told the Daily Beast:

“Fox is taking the position that unless they can cut the production costs really drastically, they’ll pull the plug on new shows. The show has made billions in profits over the years and will continue to do so as far as the eye can see down the road. The actors are willing to take a pay cut of roughly a third, but that’s not good enough for Fox.”

For its part, Fox feels continuing the show without decreasing production costs is impossible:

“We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come.”

It seems neither side is willing to budge, though other solutions may be available. In past disputes, executives at the network have threatened to hire sound-a-like actors.

The cast have also offered to take a 30% cut in exchange for a percentage of the show’s profits from global syndication and merchandising, an offer Fox has turned down.

Though its last decent gag was about ten years ago, The Simpsons has played a major role in modern American culture since its debut in 1989. Currently in its 23rd season, its disappearance from screens would mark the end of an era. While it probably won’t return to the unrivaled brilliance it displayed at its peak in the ’90s, it would leave a gaping hole for many viewers.

[Via Daily Beast]

The Simpsons Could be Cancelled if Cast Refuses Pay Cut is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Simpsons premieres tonight on Fox, still going strong more than two decades after its 1989 inception.

In the intervening 23 years, there has been a vast number of Simpsons references in pop culture, and the show is rooted in popular culture for its influence on modern, adult-centric animated fare. (In fact, it spawned the now-common cliche “Simpsons did it” referring to the fact that most night-time animation has, at times, leaned heavily on the sitcom for inspiration or direct lifting.)

Although it has come under criticism many, many times for declining quality or outright creative death, the show continues to draw steady ratings and a rabid fanbase. So it’s probably not too surprising that Fox is rumored to be considering a 24-hour Simpsons channel, dedicated to Simpsons and only Simpsons fare. If it sounds a bit same-y, perhaps it is, but News Corp CEO Chase Carey indicates that the possibility is strong we’ll see some profit-wringing from the franchise:

“The point I was making, which I will reemphasize, is that this is a unique franchise…and it provides us a unique opportunity to do some interesting things with it. The Simpsons has been on the air for 23 seasons, yielding a library of programming few series could ever amass.”

The all-day, every-day Simpsons channel is certainly a possibility, but it’s not one in the very imminent future of the show. Per distribution agreements, any such arrangement would be at least a year out, if not more. Would you tune in to a 24-hour Simpsons channel, or do you think you’d tire of it relatively quickly?

‘The Simpsons’ Premieres Tonight to Talk of 24-Hour ‘Simpsons’ Channel is a post from: The Inquisitr

For a show that stopped being funny over a decade ago, The Simpsons can still turn over a buck or three. That’s probably why EA will be bringing the dysfunctional family to Facebook in September.

Alas, that’s virtually all we know for now. There’s no word on what form the game will take, though I think we can safely say microtransactions and the ability to annoy your friends with Simpsons spam will both be offered.

Simpsons videogames have a mixed track record, starting with the rather fun Simpsons Arcade Game (1991) but hitting some lows with dross like Virtual Bart (1994). If EA’s more recent The Simpsons Game (2007) is anything to go by, we can expect lots of polish at least. Either way, I hope it’s not dumbed down too much.

EA is also bringing SimCity to Facebook – an interesting idea seeing as how SimCity was a huge inspiration for Zynga’s Facebook hit CityVille.

[Via MCV]

Simpsons game coming to Facebook is a post from: The Inquisitr

So, Banksy directed one of the “couch sequence” elements for a Simpsons episode. It’s kind of “what is this I don’t even.”

The short video keeps getting yanked from YouTube, so click the link below to view it in its entirety.

[Banksy does the Simpsons]

Did you see the Banksy-directed ‘Simpsons’ couch sequence yet? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The zombies are coming (and no I don’t mean the band is reforming for a geriatric tour) and nothing is save from them. From our cartoon favorites, to our computer icons and even our children and their candy they are all now fodder for the rising horde of zombies.

Get out the chainsaws and shotguns folks – we can’t let down our guard for a moment.

via Fresh Pics

9 Cases where no-one or nothing is safe from zombies is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hey man, this is Bart Simpson, there’s aliens flying DC-9s into volcanoes. Give me all your money.

OK, so it doesn’t go exactly like that, but the voice of Bart Simpson Nancy Cartwright is heading a robo-call campaign for Scientology, delivered in Bart’s voice.

Says Bart: “I’m now auditing on New OTVII…I’ll share my many wins…”It’s gonna be a blast, man!

Here’s Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson promoting Scientology.

Creepy: Bart Simpson robo-calling for Scientology is a post from: The Inquisitr

One for Mad Men fans…and beautifully done.

(via Full Time Casual)

Simpsons parody of Mad Men is a post from: The Inquisitr

When The Simpsons Meet Futurama is a post from: The Inquisitr