Posted at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3

Homer Simpson vs. Marshal Matt Dillon. It’s a duel Homer and “The Simpsons” are sure to win.

Fox on Tuesday ordered a 20th season of “The Simpsons,” which ties the animated comedy series with Dillon’s “Gunsmoke” as the longest-running series in the history of prime time TV. The 20th season is expected to only include 20 rather than the usual 22 episodes.

Matt Groening’s creation currently is the longest-running prime time animated series in history and the longest-running comedy series currently on TV, according to Fox. In 2007, “The Simpsons” aired its 400th episode.

Apparently Fox plans on keeping the show around to best “Gunsmoke’s” numbers. The voice talent for the show—Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe) and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns)—agreed to a new four-year contract with 20th Century Fox TV. It will earn the actors nearly $400,000 per episode, according to industry trade papers.

Posted at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 7

“Star Wars” fans should tune into to one of five Turner networks on Thursday.

At 7:58 p.m. in all time zones, The world premiere trailer for the animated movie “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” debuts simultaneously on Cartoon Network, TNT, TBS, CNN and Boomerang.

The film, of course, was made by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Animation. The trailer airing on TV Thursday will be shown in theaters on Friday along with the first poster for the movie, shown here. It also will be posted at the official Star Wars Web site at starwars.com.

Here’s how a TBS press release describes the film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”:

On the front lines of an intergalactic struggle between good and evil, fans young and old will join such favorite characters as Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, along with brand-new heroes like Anakin’s padawan learner, Ahsoka. Sinister villains—led by Palpatine, Count Dooku and General Grievous—are poised to rule the galaxy.

Stakes are high, and the fate of the “Star Wars” universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights. Their exploits lead to the action-packed battles and astonishing new revelations that fill “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

The film opens nationwide on August 15, and tells a new story that leads directly into this fall’s premiere of a weekly, animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” TV series on Cartoon Network, followed by airings on TNT.

Posted at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 19

Britney Spears recently finished filming an episode of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother.” She’s on Wednesday’s “South Park,” but she didn’t set foot near a Comedy Central microphone.

In the episode airing at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Stan and Kyle get caught in the frenzy that follows Britney wherever she goes after they run into the (former?) pop star in the mountains near South Park.

She’s headed to the hills to get out of the spotlight. Well, we know this episode is pure fiction.

According to Comedy Central, the boys help Britney get to the North Pole, where they “discover the shocking secret behind her popularity.”

I have a few ideas what that could be, but best to keep my thoughts to myself. Not wanting any lawsuits here. Here’s a very short teaser to the new episode showing Kyle and Stan pretending to be Britney's boys:

PHOTO: Jungle-eating bugs carry George away in "George of the Jungle."

I kind of hate bagging on a cartoon, seeing how I’m not really in the target audience.

But when it comes to “George of the Jungle,” which gets a 26-episode remake beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday on Cartoon Network, I feel I can say something. I’ve enjoyed the original 1960s ’toon (not that I’m that old, mind you) and Brendan Fraser’s live-action version.

The new “George” doesn’t hold up for me.

Nevermind that George and his co-horts don’t look the same. That’s fine. But the ’toon itself is actually, and I can’t believe this is possible, dumbed down. Because of its hipster edge, the original played well to animation fans young and old.

The humor here is more slapstick, relying on colorful animation over clever lines. Which I guess is fine—if you’re under 10 years old.

Posted at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28

I have to admit that I was a bit of a Scrooge when I first watched ABC's new Christmas special "Shrek the Halls."

How could Shrek compete with such classic Christmas characters as the Grinch, Rudolf or Charlie Brown? He can't, but that doesn't really matter.

"Shrek the Halls" may rely too heavily on current references and popular music to feel fresh year after year, but for this Christmas it's just fine.

Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) gets his first warning about Christmas from Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who tells him there "are only 159 days until Christmas."

"I don't care about Christmas," the grumpy green ogre tells him.

"You mean you haven't trimmed your stockings or hung your chestnuts or roasted the tree," Donkey screams.

When Shrek finds out that Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) is looking forward to their triplets' first Christmas, he has a change of heart and leaves the swamp for a last-minute stop at a book store.

"I have to make a Christmas and I have no idea what it is or how to do it," he tells the clerk. She hands him the book "Christmas for Village Idiots," and explains the final step for a perfect holiday.

"The telling of the Christmas story says 'I have created the perfect Christmas for my perfect family perfectly,'" she says.

Shrek decorates the house in a way only the swamp king could (a toliet seat as a wreath) and settles in with the family for their Christmas. Then Donkey, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) and the fairyland gang bust in, redo all the ogre-centric decorations and generally wreak havoc on the house--and Shrek's perfect holiday.

Each character tells his version of who Santa is--which leads to some of the show's best gags.

Donkey tells the story of a Christmas parade complete with a roasted turkey that dances to "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)." He doesn't snap out of his own story until he inadvertently licks Shrek's leg as he imagines that Santa's a giant made of waffles.

Puss sees Santa as "a hot Latin cat, a real Santa ... Claws." As Puss explains that Santa has a cute fuzzy thing hanging from his hat, he becomes mesmerized, cat-like, with an ornament hanging above him.

Gingerbread Man has the best tale, however. He recounts a horrific holiday when Santa ate his gingerbread date.

When the party gets out of control (There's disco dancing, spilled food, fires and Gingerbread Man throws up a tasty chocolate kiss), a fed-up Shrek tosses everyone out into the snow. Fiona scolds her hubby and follows the gang out the door, teaching Shrek a valuable lesson:

There's no such thing as a perfect Christmas. The holiday is a crazy time of high hopes and low disappointments, so all you can do is embrace your family and the madness of the season.

As Donkey says to the gang, "Christmas isn't Christmas until somebody cries."

I'm not sure kids will absorb the message, but for adults who have spent any holiday with their own family dysfunction this may be the smartest moral of any Christmas story ever told.

Posted at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1

Seth MacFarlane’s comedy “Family Guy” finds a way to offend nearly everyone in its 100th episode.

Yet I laughed.

I looked around the room to make sure no one could hear what I was laughing at, but still, I laughed.

The episode, which airs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, is the first of a two-parter that has little Stewie gunning down his mother Lois for her “matricidal tyranny.” After the shooting—and falling down—he cries “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy” before realizing, “Oh, that’s right.”

By the end of the episode, Peter’s on trial for his wife’s murder but Brian is sniffing out the real killer. He knows its Stewie and has to find a way to prove it. I won’t spoil the cliffhanger, you’ll have to watch.

I’ve noticed many critics beat up on “Family Guy,” saying its brand of humor is too raunchy and unfunny. I couldn’t disagree more.

It may be super juvenile at times, but as far as I’m concerned it has just the right mix of witty jokes and low-brow gags. Yes, I think poop jokes can be funny.

WATCH FOR IT

Is that Stick Figure, the sweet little guy you’ve seen on RedEye’s sports pages, on Sunday’s “Family Guy”? Whoever it is, he turns in a hilarious cameo as one of Peter’s dates.

Posted at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7

After nearly two years away, Cartoon Network's "The Boondocks" is as subversive as ever.

The animated series satirizes black culture and racial prejudices through its three main characters--grade-school radical Huey Freeman, his rap-loving brother Riley and their grumpy Granddad.

Monday’s funny Season 2 premiere doesn't quite have the heavy political or social satire of the past. Still, creator Aaron McGruder hasn't lost his bite.

It begins with a parody of the comedy "Soul Plane," which starred Snoop Dogg and Mo'Nique as employees of the party-happy black airline NWA. They reprise those roles on "Boondocks."

The Freemans see a preview for the film's sequel that shows a black airport security officer too distracted by booty to notice a cache of weapons in carry-on bags. “Come see why black incompetence is our funniest weapon in the war on terror,” the preview says.

The episode focuses on the Freeman family's misadventures at a local theater when Granddad sneaks them into the sequel without paying.

It's not quite the heavy political or social satire of past "Boondocks" episodes. Still, creator Aaron McGruder hasn't lost his bite.

Before they see the film, Huey tells Granddad that the original "Soul Plane" was "as funny as a lynching."

"I've seen funny lynchings," Granddad barks back. "Roscoe Patterson’s lynching was funny." McGruder then shows viewers Roscoe being chased by whites before his 1800s lynching.

You won't see that on TV every day. Expect more controversy as the 15-episode season includes storylines involving Usher, Hurricane Katrina, a rapper named Thugnificent, reality TV and even an episode called "The N-Word."