Simpsons disputes

[anth0ny]

Report: 'Simpsons' stars in work stoppage

Actors involved in contract talks

Thursday, April 1, 2004 Posted: 7:33 AM EST (1233 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- The actors who provide the voices for the cartoon characters on the long-running TV show "The Simpsons" have stopped work in a bid to force a settlement of lengthy contract renewal talks, Daily Variety reported in its Thursday edition.

The Hollywood trade paper said the six actors have not shown up for two script readings in the past few weeks, holding up production on the hit satire's upcoming 16th season.

It quoted insiders as saying each cast member is asking for about $360,000 an episode, or $8 million for a 22-episode season. Each member currently earns $125,000 an episode. The highest-paid star in TV is Ray Romano, who reportedly earns between $1.7 million and $2 million per episode of his Emmy-winning series "Everybody Loves Raymond."

The three-year contracts for Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Hank Azaria (Moe, Apu, Comic Book Guy), Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns and others), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Julie Kavner (Marge) and Nancy Cartwright (Bart) expired several months ago, and their representatives have been negotiating new ones to no avail, Daily Variety said.

The last "Simpsons" work dispute was in 1998, at a time when the actors were making $30,000 per episode. The show's producer, Twentieth Century Fox TV, hired casting directors in five cities to replace most of them before both sides worked out a new deal and resumed production.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/...reut/index.html
say it aint so

[redgopher]

Not like it matters. As much as I hate to say it, The Simpsons should have been cancelled at least three years ago. It has been a shitty fucking show for so long....

Instead, Fox cancels Dark Angel, Family Guy and Greg the Bunny. What the fuck.

[vshekar]

I really, really, really hate to say this, but I also think the show should end soon. I don't think it's been "shitty," but I'm commonly disappointed or annoyed. The funny thing is that it still has high ratings, and the kids that watch it today weren't even alive when it started. I want them to go out on a semi-high note, rather than waiting til Season 20 when they finally decide they've run out of ideas.

[daphatty]

About damned time. South Park is way better anyway.

[Doylerulez]

The show may not be as great as it once was, but it's still one of the only shows I make sure to watch anymore. It's one of those things that has been around for so long, that if it's taken away, there would be withdrawl pains. Not a day goes by when the Simpsons aren't referenced or quoted in everyday life, it helps to have dorky friends too. I'll admit they should end it soon though.

[tyecko]

do u think its just a april fools joke?

[WhipSmartBanky]

If this isn't an April Fools, it'd be hysterical if fox replaced everyone with completely new and oddball voices with no explanation. That'd make me watch again, that's for sure.

[vshekar]

The show may not be as great as it once was, but it's still one of the only shows I make sure to watch anymore. It's one of those things that has been around for so long, that if it's taken away, there would be withdrawl pains. Not a day goes by when the Simpsons aren't referenced or quoted in everyday life, it helps to have dorky friends too. I'll admit they should end it soon though.


It will definitely be weird when it ends. I've been watching it the majority of my life (age 9 - 23) and I still make sure I see it every week. I can't stop now. I'll see it through to the end, whenever that comes.

[alongx]

new voices might spice things up. however, i have to agree with the general consensus here - the simpsons' time is over.

[jt2k3]

I have to agree in the past few years it has not been as funny as it was during the Simpsons/X-Files era. Thats when Simpsons was in its prime, IMO.

Its still clever, and I still watch it, but I feel bad it might stale soon.

If they replace everyone's voices, I prob wont watch anymore. It deff wont be the same.

[evilmax17]

I think it's funny that there's a large group of people that say "well, it may not be as good as it once was" and use that as some sort of justification. For the past 4 or so years, it's been an absolutely TERRIBLE show. There i said it. The simpsons get a tennis court? Comicbook guy goes out with Mrs. Skinner?

The reason is that while it was once a realistic show with some witty satire thrown in, it is now completely non-realistic, and relies too heavily on satire that only half of it's audience "gets", and it's not that good to begin with.

I agree with whoever said it, South Park is a MUCH better show. Their recent parody of Anime shows that they still know how to do really great/accurate satire (the best was the 2000 election). I'll say that the Simpsons in it's prime was better than SP in it's prime, but SP has been consistantly good since it's inception, something that the Simpson's cannot say. They should've ended it 4 years ago, while the getting was still good.

[suprsaiyanMAX]

Yeah except South Park is about half as old as the Simpsons, so it is easy for it to be witty still. I feel that the Simpsons has lost it luster a lot, but it's still funnier than any other show on the weekends in broadcast television. I thought the episode where they went to Britain was damn funny and that premeired like a month or two ago. I love South Park too and I'm glad they are still doing original and creative stuff, but in another 8 or 9 seasons my guess is they will start to grow stale as well.

[CaseyRyback]

South Park won't grow stale because of how short the animation period is and they always use current events for most of their premises.

[danh920]

I want to see the show continue, the people who do the voices deserve a raise, they're getting paid peanuts compared to alot of other stars

[x0thedeadzone0x]

No not really, 360$,000 an episode for EACH character is a bit much, especially if they were getting 125,000$ an episode before that. that's almost TRIPLING their salary. yeah, thats a tad outrageous. I mean, simpsons is famous and all, but honestly, I don't think that those people deserve that much. I mean, ask for some less fucking money. You're already rolling in it, simpsons character voice people w/e.

[jdpimp]

The following quote from the article is what really infuriates me:

The highest-paid star in TV is Ray Romano, who reportedly earns between $1.7 million and $2 million per episode of his Emmy-winning series "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Why is that ass making that much money for a boring retarded masogenistic crappy ass show? (And I'm holding back here). You know what other retard makes a ton of money: Kelsey Grammer for the elitist pompous moronic show Frasier. What a waste.

As far as the Simpsons go, I think their time is near, and a voice over person should not make any where near a quarter of a million dollars.

[CaseyRyback]

The following quote from the article is what really infuriates me:

The highest-paid star in TV is Ray Romano, who reportedly earns between $1.7 million and $2 million per episode of his Emmy-winning series "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Why is that ass making that much money for a boring retarded masogenistic crappy ass show? (And I'm holding back here). You know what other retard makes a ton of money: Kelsey Grammer for the elitist pompous moronic show Frasier. What a waste.

As far as the Simpsons go, I think their time is near, and a voice over person should not make any where near a quarter of a million dollars.


And thats not even the hella large money they get from synacation.

[danh920]

I think a quarter mil an episode is deserving of the job they've done over the years, especially compared to the rest of the market

I don't think they need to stop making the episodes yet, the material is still funny stuff and pretty original

[x0thedeadzone0x]

360K is quite a lot to have ONE of the simpson characters have their voice in the show... like the bartender for example. does he deserve almost 400K per episode? noo. sure he's good. but not that much, that's a bit much. Maybe 220,000$ per episode would be OK. but no more then a quarter of a mil.

[SneakyPenguin]

simpsons is horrible in recent years. i used to almost cry when i missed an episode. now i forget to watch it because im starig at a wall. i just dont care anymore. at least fow is bringing family guy back.

[Quackzilla]

There are like a million people that can impersonate the simpsons characters.

And besides, that show sucks. It always has sappy endings, WHY?

[guessed]

360K is quite a lot to have ONE of the simpson characters have their voice in the show... like the bartender for example. does he deserve almost 400K per episode? noo. sure he's good. but not that much, that's a bit much. Maybe 220,000$ per episode would be OK. but no more then a quarter of a mil.

The money is per actor, not per character. The actor who voices the bartender (Moe) you mentioned, for example, also voices Apu, The Comic Book Guy, Professor Frink, and myriad other characters.

There is no way Ray Romano deserves $1.7 - $2 million per episode for his show. I can put on an annoying nasal whine too, and I don't make nearly that much.

[bfg9k]

360K is quite a lot to have ONE of the simpson characters have their voice in the show... like the bartender for example. does he deserve almost 400K per episode? noo. sure he's good. but not that much, that's a bit much. Maybe 220,000$ per episode would be OK. but no more then a quarter of a mil.

Hank Azaria, who voices Moe also provides the voice for Apu and other characters.

[CaseyRyback]

FOX really treats its best series pretty badly. look at the way married with children ended. pay them and move on, it is still the show that has the most name recognition for fox

[jmcc]

FOX really treats its best series pretty badly. look at the way married with children ended. pay them and move on, it is still the show that has the most name recognition for fox

Pffffft, whatever. No Pants Island and Fart Date are clearly more household names.

[guessed]

FOX really treats its best series pretty badly. look at the way married with children ended. pay them and move on, it is still the show that has the most name recognition for fox

Pffffft, whatever. No Pants Island and Fart Date are clearly more household names.

I thought those were on the WB.

[punqsux]

WB is still around? i thought it merged with upn to provide the ultimate in crappy shows

[CaseyRyback]

WB is still around? i thought it merged with upn to provide the ultimate in crappy shows

punqsux is a closet gilmore girls fan. He also loved Felicity before Keri Russell cut her hair

j/k

[vshekar]

360K is quite a lot to have ONE of the simpson characters have their voice in the show... like the bartender for example. does he deserve almost 400K per episode? noo. sure he's good. but not that much, that's a bit much. Maybe 220,000$ per episode would be OK. but no more then a quarter of a mil.

No offense, but thinking that each character is a separate voice actor is hilarious........

Supposedly The Simpsons is Fox's highest rated scripted show (i.e. not including American Idol, etc.)

But what works against the voice actors is that they only work 2 half-days a week, or about 6-7 hours per episode. $360,000 for 6-7 hours work is a lot of money.

[Advocatus]

I don't understand the mentality of some of the people posting... Simpsons doesn't NEED to end... look if you don't like the show, your TV most likely has a remote control. That control allows you to change the channel. Utilize it.

I'm looking forward to seeing more Family Guy episodes if that happens.

[thatstoobad]

the simpsons is different now compared to how it used to be, but it has been different in the various eras of the show. seasons 1 and 2 aren't like seasons 7 and 8 (for example). the important thing is that i can watch the simpsons and it still makes me laugh. that's all that matters.

if they replace the voice actors, though, that's a different story. i would rather the show end than have different voices on the show (it doesn't matter how close they may sound to the real thing, because they won't be the real thing).

as far as the life of the show, it should stay on as long as it manages to stay funny.