| The entire cast of the popular television show The Simpsons is holding out for more money in negotiations for a new contract. The six lead actors involved in The Simpsons, and who provide voices for many, many characters, are insisting on a raise. They actually have not shown up for work in a month, which has stalled production of the 16th season of The Simpsons. With each passing week, producing the 16th season becomes even more problematic. It take a total of nine months after the voice recordings are complete to send the soundtracks overseas where the animation is done. Chances are good at this point that the next season will be shortened from the usual 22 new episodes. The lead actors of The Simpsons are demanding a new salary of $360,000 per episode, up from $125,00 per episode that they were paid under their last contract. Of course, not bad wages for what averages out to be a day's worth of work. The current situation is not the first time that The Simpsons' cast demanded a raise in this manner. They actually went on strike back in 1988 to boost their salary from $30,000 each episode. The Simpsons remains the most valuable television asset owned by 20th Century Fox. The show brings in $2.5 billion annually. |
