Simpsons postage stamps ready

"Simpsons" fans can get the first peek at stamps featuring Homer, Marge & Co. -- and vote for their favorite -- when the U.S. Postal Service unveils the designs Thursday morning.

The stamps will be available nationwide on May 7.

"This is the biggest and most adhesive honor 'The Simpsons' has ever received," said creator and executive producer Matt Groening.

Executive producer James Brooks quipped, "We are emotionally moved by the Post Office Department's selecting us rather than making the lazy choice of someone who has benefited society."

The Postal Service is encouraging people to vote for their favorite "Simpsons" character on its Web site (http://www.usps.com). Fans also can preorder the 44-cent first-class stamps on the site and register for a sweepstakes for a limited-edition "Simpsons" poster signed by Groening.

Elie Dekel, executive vice president at 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising, said the previously announced stamps are a key part of the show's 20th anniversary celebration. "'The Simpsons' is more than just a television show, it's an American institution," he said. "These stamps help solidify this legacy."

David Failor, U.S. Postal Service executive director of stamp services, also predicted a benefit for his organization. "Issuing 'The Simpsons' stamps, which includes known philatelist Bart Simpson, will serve as a great opportunity to interest youngsters in stamp collecting."

http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE5382TZ20090409

"The Simpsons" to clinch television record

Fox said on Thursday it has ordered two more seasons of animated comedy "The Simpsons," ensuring the show that started in 1989 will surpass "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running prime-time U.S. television series.

"The Simpsons" will start its 21st season in the fall, after last year tying the longevity record of "Gunsmoke," which ended in 1975 after 20 seasons. Its second season in the two-year deal will come in 2010.

The cops and courts show "Law & Order" on network NBC has run for 19 prime-time seasons, starting in 1990.

"The Simpsons" has won 24 Emmy Awards and was already the longest running animated series on prime-time television in the United States. It was created by cartoon artist Matt Groening.

The Simpsons are a family of five made up of dull-witted father Homer, good-intentioned mom Marge and kids Bart and Lisa and Maggie, who all live in a town called Springfield that serves as a microcosm of the United States.

It has featured the voice work of major celebrities in guest starring roles, from Paul McCartney to Elizabeth Taylor, and it casts a comedic glance at weighty issues, including racial discrimination, world affairs and religion.

In 2007, "The Simpsons Movie" hit theaters and went on to make more than $527 million worldwide.

"Gunsmoke," a western about straight-shooting lawman Matt Dillon, began in 1955 during TV's black and white era, and later switched to color. Sam Peckinpah, who went on to make the 1969 western classic "The Wild Bunch," was among the many directors on "Gunsmoke," which starred James Arness as Dillon.

http://www.reuters.com/news/entertainment