Matt Groening

Matt Groening has put an end to his Life in Hell comic strip, the weekly comic that he's been drawing for 35 years. In an email to the website Poynter.org , Groening explained: "I've had great fun, in a Sisyphean kind of way, but the time has come to let Binky and Sheba and Bongo and Akbar and Jeff take some time off. " The strip, which initially described the young cartoonist's life after his move from Portland, Ore., to Los Angeles in...

"Futurama" was canceled once before, and now it's being canceled again. Comedy Central announced on Monday that the long-running animated comedy will come to a close at the end of its seventh season on Sept. 4. The 13-episode final season premieres June 19 and will feature guest voices from Larry Bird, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Adam West, Burt Ward and the man behind Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta. This isn't the first time "Futurama" has come to an end. It originally aired for four seasons on Fox from 1999 to 2003 before getting the ax. But the show's intense popularity among its fans earned it a second life on Comedy Central, which aired three seasons between 2008 and 2013.

Matt Groening condones misbehavior. Hundreds of us teachers across the nation have more humor than he ever will. What disturbs me most is that he has no appreciation for his education, which permitted him to write the strip in the first place. BOB BATH El Toro

"The Simpsons" is headed back to the big screen next weekend, but it won't be for a follow-up to the 2007 summer feature "The Simpsons Movie. " Matt Groening's yellow family is starring in the short "The Longest Daycare," playing in front of the Fox animated feature "Ice Age: Continental Drift. " In the short, the youngest Simpson, Maggie, returns to the Ayn Rand School for Tots, first seen in the classic fourth season episode "A Streetcar Named Marge. " Photos: Remembering 23 seasons of 'The Simpsons' To promote the short, Fox has put together what it's calling "the shortest trailer of the summer.

The Simpsons of Springfield, U.S.A., will mark their 500th episode as a TV family Sunday. "The Simpsons," in its 23rd season on Fox, is already the longest-running cartoon, the longest-running situation comedy and the longest-running scripted prime-time series in the history of American television. There is something especially improbable about this particular household, with their goggle-eyes and cantilevered overbites and complexions betokening an advanced case of jaundice, claiming these crowns.

"Simpsons" creator Matt Groening will be part of "Comic Art in the 90s," a panel discussion at 2 p.m. today at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. The discussion will also feature comic artists Burne Hogarth ("Tarzan"), Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez ("Love & Rockets"), Mary Fleener ("Slutburger Stories"), Dan Clowes ("Eightball"), Paul Mavrides ("Furry Freak Bros") and Jim Woodring ("Jim"). LACE is at 1804 Industrial St. Admission is free. Information: (213) 624-5650.

Matt Groening, the creator of the "Life In Hell" strip in the Los Angeles Weekly, is one of the funniest and most original cartoonists working in the comics today. Romance in the contemporary world provides the principle target for his mordant humor in this first anthology of his work. These telling examinations of modern relationships are far more accurate--and entertaining--than the old husband-and-wife-at-the-table cartoons.

What if they gave an All Tomorrow's Parties and nobody came? That's the short version of what happened to the second annual Los Angeles staging of the adventuresome rock festival of that name. The event was postponed in June because of slow ticket sales, and again in September, at which point organizers decided to move it to a new, uncharted venue, the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where it finally sees the light of day Saturday and Sunday.

Originally created for "The Tracey Ullman Show" in 1987, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson became America's favorite dysfunctional family when they got their own series in 1990. Three years later, "The Simpsons" remains the only successful prime-time animated program in more than a decade; attempts to duplicate its popularity have failed dismally. "The Simpsons" begins its fifth season at 8 tonight on Fox (Channels 11 and 6).

Matt Groening hearkens back to his days a rock music critic, his day job before creating "The Simpsons," in describing another one of his creations. "I feel about 'Futurama' the way Paul McCartney must feel about Wings," Groening says with a characteristic laugh. "It's tough to compare anything to 'The Simpsons,' but I'm incredibly proud of 'Futurama.' The show is still alive, even though it's no longer supported by its original network, Fox. It's on Cartoon Network now.

Matt Groening has put an end to his Life in Hell comic strip, the weekly comic that he's been drawing for 35 years. In an email to the website Poynter.org , Groening explained: "I've had great fun, in a Sisyphean kind of way, but the time has come to let Binky and Sheba and Bongo and Akbar and Jeff take some time off. " The strip, which initially described the young cartoonist's life after his move from Portland, Ore., to Los Angeles in...

Massachusetts, you're out. Ohio? Sorry, another loser. In the race for cultural mecca, the winner is: Oregon. That is, Oregon is the winner as far as "The Simpsons” are concerned, according to creator Matt Groening, who told Smithsonian magazine that the real-life home of his fictional characters is the Springfield in the Northwest. It was the first time that Groening had specified the place where almost anything can happen - and seemingly has in the show's 22 years on TV. Groening acknowledged that he has always avoided naming the state.

If you go to the Springfield Museum in Springfield, Ore., you can take your picture on the "Simpsons" couch sculpture with Bart and family. And you can read the plaque that says: "Yo to Springfield, Ore., the real Springfield. Your pal, Matt Groening , proud Oregonian, 2007. " So why the big buzz about the "The Simpsons" hometown being revealed Wednesday in a Smithsonian magazine interview for the May issue? Likely because it's news to the rest of us who live outside that Springfield, population around 57,000.

The Simpsons of Springfield, U.S.A., will mark their 500th episode as a TV family Sunday. "The Simpsons," in its 23rd season on Fox, is already the longest-running cartoon, the longest-running situation comedy and the longest-running scripted prime-time series in the history of American television. There is something especially improbable about this particular household, with their goggle-eyes and cantilevered overbites and complexions betokening an advanced case of jaundice, claiming these crowns.

In the early 1980s, comics were as much a part of Los Angeles alternative culture scene as independent film and punk rock. That's gone now, but here, comics historian Ben Schwartz takes a look back. None of them knew each other. They saw one another's comics in 'zines, weeklies and punk newspapers. "Yeah, there were a number of us," remembers Matt Groening, 30 years after his strip "Life in Hell" debuted in the Los Angeles Reader. "I don't think we even considered it a 'scene.

The cast of “Glee” has checked in everywhere from the White House to the set of "Oprah," and now the McKinley High crew is headed to the land of Springfield. “The Simpsons” showrunner Al Jean let the the news slip during a panel for the animated favorite Saturday afternoon. In a panel that also included creator Matt Groening, executive producer Matt Selman and supervising director Mike Anderson, Jean announced that in an episode in the show's upcoming record-breaking 22nd season this fall, the town of Springfield will be greeted by the animated likenesses of our favorite “Glee” club.

When television historians look back on the last decade of the 20th century, "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening certainly will emerge as one of the key figures. His cartoon series, currently in its 12th season, not only paved the way for a rich collection of prime-time animation shows, including "King of the Hill" and "The PJs," it also raised the bar for all TV sitcoms.

"The Simpsons" is giving one lucky contest winner the chance to make others yellow with envy by creating a character for the animated TV series. The new Springfield resident will appear in an early 2010 episode featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay as guest star. The contest, part of the Fox show's 20th-anniversary celebration, is for those 18 and older. It opened Friday and runs until Oct. 24. Online submissions at thesimpsons.com should be "pithy and funny," said executive producer Al Jean, who will help judge them along with series creator Matt Groening.