TV show 'The Simpsons' ditches using white voices for characters of color

LOS ANGELES - Animated TV comedy "The Simpsons" is ending the use of white actors to voice characters of color, producers said on Friday.

"Moving forward, 'The Simpsons' will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters," they said in a brief statement.

The statement did not elaborate but the move follows years of public pressure about the Fox television show's Indian convenience store character Apu, who is voiced by Hank Azaria.

Azaria said earlier this year that he would no longer play the character, which has been criticized as a negative portrayal of Indian-Americans.

Azaria has also voiced the Simpsons characters of Black police officer Lou and the Mexican-American Bumblebee Man. Harry Shearer has played Dr. Hibbert, who is Black.

Friday's statement did not say whether Apu or the other characters would remain on the series.

Bumbling Homer Simpson, housewife Marge, troublemaker Bart, prodigy Lisa and baby Maggie, have captured the changing face of America for more than 30 years in the longest-running scripted show on US television.

"The Simpsons" is syndicated in more than 100 countries.

Friday's announcement comes amid a widespread reckoning for US pop culture about racism following mass protests this month over the killings of Black Americans by police.

Other white actors, including Mike Henry of animated series "Family Guy" and Kristen Bell of "Central Park," have also said they would no longer voice characters of color.

"It's been an honor to play Cleveland on 'Family Guy' for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role," Henry said on Twitter on Friday.

-reuters-

D'oh! Homer and Marge to split on 'The Simpsons'

D'oh! Will Homer and Marge split after more than 25 years together on "The Simpsons"? Or are their creators just teasing us?

The hit cartoon comedy's writers appeared Wednesday to damp down divorce speculation, despite the executive producer announcing the couple's separation in an interview.

In a link on the show's Twitter feed, Al Jean said it will emerge at the start of the show's 27th season in September that their relationship has been strained for some time.

"In the premiere, it's discovered after all the years Homer has narcolepsy (a sleep disorder) and it's an incredible strain on the marriage," he told industry journal Variety.

"Homer and Marge legally separate, and Homer falls in love with his pharmacist, who's voiced by ("Girls" creator and star) Lena Dunham," he added in the comments, published earlier this week but not widely picked up on.

But the tweet did urge readers to "read more about what @AlJean is teasing for #TheSimpsons."

And maybe "teasing" was the operative word because five hours later they tweeted a picture of Bart Simpson in a school classroom, writing, "Homer and Marge are not breaking up" repeatedly on a blackboard.

"RT and stop the rumors!" read the new tweet.

The Homer-and-Marge-split tease was not the only dramatic "Simpsons" news announcement of recent days.

At the weekend Entertainment Weekly reported that Homer and Marge's adventure-prone son Bart will be killed during the next season, which premieres on September 27.

Sideshow Bob -- Krusty the Clown's evil former sidekick -- will finally fullfil his long-held dream of dispatching Bart, it said.

"I (hate) frustration comedy so we'll scratch that itch," Jean told EW.

But fear not: the execution will take place in the annual Halloween episode -- which by Simpsons tradition doesn't fit into the usual format of the show, meaning Bart can subsequently be revived.

"The Simpsons" -- which first aired in December 1989 -- averages 7.7 million viewers on television and online in the United States. Millions more enjoy the show in foreign markets, according to US parent network Fox.

Last month, Fox announced that it had renewed the series for two more seasons, reinforcing the cartoon sitcom's status as the longest-running scripted series in American primetime television history.

In his Variety interview, the executive producer said one advantage of the show being renewed is that its main star can vote in next year's US presidential elections.

"We're definitely going to have Homer vote in 2016. One aspect of the pickup (by Fox) that made me happy is that Homer can vote again," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Now you can visit the home of The Simpsons

HOLLYWOOD – Fans of the longest running American sitcom 'The Simpsons' can now join their favorite animated television family in real life.

Filipinos can now travel to the animated town of Springfield. Universal Studio has unveiled a taste of Springfield, a real life replica of the Simpsons hometown.

With popular Simpsons' character running around, the section is complete with store fronts and booths, patterned after the animated city.

Some of the Simpsons' creative team and voices joined the opening festivities.

For Filipino-American comedian Rembrant Sabelis the chance to travel through a real Springfield was a childhood dream come true.

"I got to meet the cast and the voices. I grew up on this stuff. It's exciting," Sabelis said.

Universal Studio has operated a Simpsons ride for the past several years and was also the home to TFC's One Kapamilya Go celebration in 2011.

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source: www.abs-cbnnews.com