THE BORE
General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Stoney Mason on October 04, 2011, 07:17:37 PM
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(CBS) Could we be saying goodbye to "The Simpsons" this spring? The Daily Beast is reporting that 20th Century Fox and the voice talent are butting heads over a new contract.
"Fox is taking the position that unless they can cut the production costs really drastically, they'll pull the plug on new shows," a source close to "The Simpsons" told the Daily Beast. The show is currently in its 23rd season.
"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," the source told the Daily Beast.
According to the insider, FOX is asking that the staff take a 45 percent cut in salary. Judging from the fact that the main cast makes about $400,000 an episode, this means they'll have to take home a little over $200,000. Still, it's not too shabby considering there's over 20 episodes in a season.
The voice talent -- which includes Dan Castallaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, and Hank Azaria -- reportedly countered with a 30 percent cut and a small percentage of backend profits from syndication and merchandise, but that was shot down, according to the Daily Beast.
Without directly pointing fingers, FOX commented on the matter through a statement. "Twenty-three seasons in, 'The Simpsons' is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world. 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."
To further confirm the rumor, Shearer tweeted "Don't tell me, tell Fox," when a fan asked him on Twitter if the rumors were true.
In 1998, FOX almost replaced the staff with a similar-sounding new cast over contract disputes. A similar thing almost happened when news came out that the "Futurama" cast was going to be cut for cost (which thankfully didn't happen). Viewers did not take kindly to this news. Luckily, they worked it out back then.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/04/the-simpsons-money-dispute-may-shut-down-fox-tv-s-long-running-hit.html
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the main cast makes about $400,000 an episode
fuck
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Not the first time, but they'll work it out. Makes too much money not to.
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Who watches it? I havent watched the show in years. Who watches American Dad? The Cleavelands? wtf merica!
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they probably have so many sound bites from each actor on file that they could continue to make new episodes for years
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american dad is a good show plz dont clump it up with garbage
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american dad is a good show plz dont clump it up with garbage
All MacFarlane shows are :poop
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american dad is a good show plz dont clump it up with garbage
All MacFarlane shows are :poop
cosign
The Simpsons will end when it ceases to be profitable. The powers that be made that decision somewhere around the 8th or 9th season.
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Who watches American Dad?
*raises hand*
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Being better than Family Guy isn't exactly a high bar to surpass, but American Dad is actually legitimately quite good.
the main cast makes about $400,000 an episode
fuck
Some ex-writer for the show said that a junior writer, as in a writer simply starting off, makes $250k.
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Who watches it? I havent watched the show in years. Who watches American Dad? The Cleavelands? wtf merica!
You're right, Great Rumbler. They're all terrible shows.
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Youre thinking of some other dog with glasses
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Youre thinking of some other dog with glasses
MAF WHY ARE YOU COPYING MY AVATAR
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Never seen it
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I'm your co-worker. We need to stay late tomorrow night- big case.
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HELLO? YES, THIS IS DOG.
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Being better than Family Guy isn't exactly a high bar to surpass, but American Dad is actually legitimately quite good.
Damn straight.
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I'm your co-worker. We need to stay late tomorrow night- big case.
Oh, big case? Yes, I see. Please have report done by six o'clock.
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I'm on it.
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Come by watercooler tomorrow. I have important news.
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sounds like someones about to break in their new desk :hump
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Those dogs are awesome
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Whether the stars take a salary cut or not, there won't be many more new adventures in the town of Springfield.
Fox executives told The Wrap on Wednesday that even if the voice actors behind the iconic animated show "The Simpsons" take a massive pay cut, the show is no longer profitable as a first-run series and will end after next season. If the actors don't agree to a cut, this season, the show's 23rd, will be its final batch of new episodes.
The Daily Beast reported Monday that the actors were facing a 45% cut from their $440,000 per episode salary, which would take them down from $8 million to just over $4 million; they countered with an offer of a 30% cut but with a small slice of the show's backend, which includes merchandise, syndication and DVD sales. The executive told The Wrap that any agreement would only be for one more season.
Producers for the show have already taken a pay cut to keep the show going. Fox released a statement about the show's tenuous financial situation on Monday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/06/the-simpsons-next-season-last_n_998418.html
:D :D :D
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Its kind of sad, but I struggle to give a fuck. I'm hoping the last episode is good, but I doubt it.
(http://www.abload.de/img/simpsons2ot0.gif)
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edit: Whoops. Posted the same thing Himuro did because I didn't bother to look at the last few posts.
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Aren't they supposed to replace this with the new revival of The Flintstones or something?
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Aren't they supposed to replace this with the new revival of The Flintstones or something?
I would be in favor of a Flintstones revival if it weren't headed by Seth McFarlane.
I would be ectastic if it were similar to Flintstones: On the Rocks
[youtube=560,345]dOP76UyeDJM[/youtube]
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Seth MacFarlane to take over Fox's animation block confirmed.
Not quite, Jonah Hill's got that shitastic looking Allen Gregory coming out! Then you'll only wish you were watching a Seth MacFarlane show.
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meh
I don't want a post modern ironic Flintstones.
Real Talk. My user name was a Flintstones references I made up.
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meh
I don't want a post modern ironic Flintstones.
Real Talk. My user name was a Flintstones references I made up.
I know. Your first avatar on gaf was barney rubble.
Flintstones On The Rocks is not ironic. It's a more adult take on the formula with Wilma and Fred's relationship at an impasse.
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Don't worry, guys, Fox has a couple of great new shows to fill the void:
[youtube=560,345]7xUlfno9QTM[/youtube]
[youtube=560,345]dQ0uUdbsIxY[/youtube]
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Man, I wonder who thought pitching a Napoleon Dynamite cartoon would be a good idea
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http://tv.ign.com/articles/119/1199000p1.html
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:lol
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goddamit
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Even if the The Simpsons ends sometime this century, Fox will just start back at Season 1. And it's been running for so long that most people won't even realize they're watching old episodes, they'll just think it's new episodes with a weird style.
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Even if the The Simpsons ends sometime this century, Fox will just start back at Season 1. And it's been running for so long that most people won't even realize they're watching old episodes, they'll just think it's new episodes with a weird style.
16 year old hipster kid: I used to like The Simpsons when it was funny and drawn decently. Now it's trying to be retro
and thus the cycle repeats until the end of time
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Jonah Hill is never, ever, funny. Who greenlit that garbage show? Is this what Willco left the board for?
Napoleon Dynamite could be cool.
I don't watch TV either way.
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In summary, demi has nothing to contribute to TV threads.
Not like I do either, though. I barely watch TV, too. TVs are for GAMES.
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My only curiosity at this point is whether they will replace the voice cast with sound alikes when they start dying off ala Looney Tunes.
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I bet they'll drag it out for a 25th season and then end it.
And if you don't like the new stuff, don't watch it. I haven't watched new Simpsons in probably 4 or 5 years.