PBS Unleashes Martha for Vocab Help

(NEWSER) - SpongeBob SquarePants is 10 years old, and the “happy nonsense” of the show is “as popular as ever,” Alessandra Stanley writes in the New York Times. What’s more, the wacky, uncynical cartoon has managed to do it “without having disclosed any higher meaning to Bikini Bottom.” Sure, “adults have been trying to detect some sort of subtext”—most famously a homosexual agenda—but no dice. “The mystery lives on.” More»

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»

Network wants voice actors to take 45% pay cut

(NEWSER) - Has Moe polished his last glass? Has Homer slammed his last Duff’s? Has Krusty made his last small child cry? It’s all possible. Fox is threatening to pull the plug on history’s longest-running sitcom after the current season—its 23rd—if its core voice actors won’t accept a whopping 45% paycut, sources tell the Daily Beast . The cast had offered to take a 30% cut in exchange for some of the show’s massive backend profits, but Fox demurred. More»

'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood' will feature original characters

(NEWSER) - Fred Rogers died in 2003, but Mister Rogers' Neighborhood will live on. PBS announced a new animated spin-off yesterday: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood will follow the four-year-old son of the series' original Tiger. The show will take place back in the familiar Neighborhood of Make Believe, and four-year-old Daniel Tiger will be joined by other preschool-aged children of the original series' now-grown characters, according to the Hollywood Reporter . More»

Sponsor spots to appear in 'Nature' and 'Nova' this fall

(NEWSER) - The days of uninterrupted programming at PBS may be numbered. Officials have notified member stations that PBS plans to start placing corporate sponsor spots and promotional messages in breaks during certain programs instead of between them, reports the New York Times , which notes that break-free programming has been one of PBS' most distinctive selling points for decades. The new model—which some fear will cause viewers and supporters to rebel—will be tested starting this fall in the science series Nova and Nature. More»