Jodie Foster Provides First Words for Simpsons Baby

Some producers agree to pay cuts; no word yet from actors

(NEWSER) - Don't say sayonara to the Simpsons just yet: Sources say several top-level producers will take pay cuts in order to keep the show on the air. Not all of the producers are on board, and cast members have not yet agreed to any terms. Variety notes that any money saved from a producer pay cut likely does not come close to the amount that would be saved if the actors agreed to the 45% reduction demand. But, as Entertainment Weekly points out, all sides believe something will be worked out, because no one wants to see the 23-season-long series end without a real finale. A final decision is expected tomorrow. More»

From 'Star Wars' to 'Arrested Development,' something's not quite right

(NEWSER) - It's taboo and generally creepy, but sometimes—under the right cinematic circumstances and with the knowledge that nobody's actually related—incest can be, well, hot. Willa Paskin of New York rounds up fictional couples who have real chemistry:

• Cathy and Chris Dollanganger, Flowers in the Attic: "Nothing can stop the teenage sex drive, not even arsenic poisoning."

(NEWSER) - In honor of tonight's 20th-anniversary celebration of The Simpsons, Washington Post comics columnist Michael Cavna offers his list of the top 20 Homer Simpson quotes. Of course, No. 1 is "D'oh!" Selected other gems:

• "Oh, everything looks bad if you remember it."
• "I'm going to the back seat of my car, with the woman I love, and I won't be back for 10 minutes!"

When it comes time for the holiday episode, don't expect a surprise

(NEWSER) - Christmas “takes over the airwaves as comprehensively as it does malls, office lobbies, and public service announcements”—but unfortunately, the Christmas TV plotline always falls into one of three categories, writes Torie Bosch for Slate :

• Money woes: “A holiday season without gifts doesn't really feel like a holiday at all,” so when Christmas bonuses are denied, tragedy ensues. But, as Bart Simpson said in one such situation, “If TV has taught me anything, it's that miracles always happen to poor kids at Christmas.”

A fond farewell to the 'character-driven whimsy' of King of the Hill

(NEWSER) - That an animated series from the creator of Beavis and Butthead would be one of the last champions of good-hearted American values is odd but true, Don Aucoin writes in the Boston Globe. As King of the Hill prepares to bow out tomorrow night, Aucoin offers a eulogy for “a particular kind of middle-age Everyman we don’t see much of anymore on television”—Hank Hill. More»