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By Michael Lopez

This may be hard to believe, but The Simpsons are about to reach their 500th episode next Sunday. Yup, in the past 20 years, this unassuming Springfield family has changed the cultural landscape (and broken a ton of Guinness TV records). But it's also important to note that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have had some Latino help along the way.

For one thing, a ton of Hispanic celebrities have lent their voices to the show during the past 23 seasons. Jose Canseco famously played himself in 1992's "Homer At Bat" episode (making him the first official Latino guest star). Linda Ronstadt also had a memorable role early on, playing a love interest for Barney in "Mr. Plow."

And as the years added on, so did the number of Latin celebrity guests. Who can forget Oscar de la Hoya's "Treehouse of Horror" episode? Or Placido Domingo teaching Homer how to sing opera? Even last season got a boost from Cheech Marin, channeling his old stoner persona alongside Tommy Chong.

Let's not forget that The Simpsons had some Latino assistance behind-the-scenes too. Valentina Garza (who went on to write for The George Lopez Show) penned "Loan-A-Lisa" and "Four Great Women and a Manicure," which famously featured Jodie Foster as the voice of Baby Maggie.

And how about Springfield's most famous Hispanic resident? That would undoubtedly be Yaritza Burgos, better known as "Bumblebee Man." Interestingly, the writers have admitted that they based the character after Chespirito, the Mexican TV icon created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños. Now we know Bumblebee has taken some flack for being "stereotypical," but he clearly is beloved by the die-hard Simpsons fans.

Unfortunately, it looks like there won’t be much of a Latino presence for the big 500th episode, but it'll still have some memorable guests. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is scheduled to appear next Sunday, perhaps spilling secrets about Homer and Marge. There will also be a special revamped version of the theme song performed by Alison Krauss.

And as far as another possible 500 episodes go, Homer voice Dan Castellaneta isn't ruling it out.

"When we had our 200th show reading, [our producer] came in and said, 'Well, we’re halfway there.' He didn’t know how wrong he was," Castellaneta told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don’t know if we’re going to reach a second 500…but I'll go as long as the show goes."

What's your favorite Simpsons episode? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alison Krauss, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Bumblebee Man, Cheech Marin, chespirito, Dan Castellaneta, Hot Stuff, Jose Canseco, Julian Assange, Linda Ronstadt, Oscar de la Hoya, Placido Domingo, roberto gomez bolaños, Television, The Simpsons, Valentina Garza

By Michael Lopez

There is no denying that 2011 brought us some great animated flicks. There were talking cars, zany garden gnomes, and a ton of Latino characters keeping the young ones entertained. And, as the year comes to a close, several cartoon faves are being recognized for their achievements at the 39th Annual Annie Awards.

Puss In Boots proved to be one of the big Annie faves this year, scoring nominations in a host of categories. Not only did it get a nod for Best Animated Feature, Puss got recognized for Animated Effects, Character Design, Direction, and Voice Acting (for Zach Galifianakis’ Humpty Dumpty performance).

Rio also scored a host of nominations, including Best Director for Carlos Saldahna. Not surprisingly, Sergio Mendes was recognized too, for his lively Brazilian-inspired soundtrack.

Other Tr3s faves like Gnomeo & Juliet, Arthur Christmas, and Rango got nominated and not just for their artistic achievements. Their witty scripts received a ton of love in the Annie Writing categories.

And don't think the Annie's are just relegated to films. They encompass the world of TV, video games, and short subjects too. Small screen entities like Archer, The Simpsons, and Green Lantern: The Animated Series are up for the year’s Best Animated TV Series Award. And on the video game end, titles like Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, and Rayman all received nods.

The only "slight" grief is that many of 2011's most memorable animated Latinos weren't on the list. But we are grateful for the peeps that got recognized. Outside of Saldahna and Mendes, Carlos Alazraqui scored a nom for his voice work in the series Fairly OddParents and Robert Lopez’ contributions to the Winnie The Pooh soundtrack earned a Best Music nod.

You can find out exactly who takes home what, when the Annie Awards get handed out on February 4 .

What was your favorite animated movie of 2011? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Animation, Annie Awards, Archer, Arthur Christmas, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Carlos Alazraqui, Carlos Saldahna, Gnomeo & Juliet, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Movies & CineMás, Puss In Boots, Rango, Rio, Robert Lopez, Sergio Mendes, Television, The Simpsons

By Michael Lopez

They've weathered four presidents, countless timeslot changes, and a ton of protests from angry viewers, but could a salary dispute be what ultimately does The Simpsons in? Apparently the 20-year-old FOX cartoon is on the brink of cancellation because of the voice actors' paychecks.

As of right now, each member of the Simpsons’ cast makes about $8 million a year (not too shabby if you ask us). But because of budget cuts at the network, FOX is requesting that the actors lower their annual fee to $4 mil. And that isn't sitting too pretty with the squawkers behind Springfield's famous family.

The actors are refusing to budge and claim that FOX may be pulling some shady tactics to keep the costs down. They have reportedly asked to share in the franchise's back-end profits as compensation, but the network's saying no.

So as of right now, things may be at a standstill. The current season will continue to go on as planned, but if things don't get worked out soon, viewers may have to kiss Homer and company goodbye!

Do you think the Simpsons actors should take the pay cut? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Animation, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chisme, Fox, popnews, Television, The Simpsons

By Michael Lopez

Any fan of The Simpsons knows all about Duff Beer. Every week, Homer and his buddies swig down the fictional brand at their local Springfield bar, Moe's Tavern. Well, now the animated brew has made its way to Latin America, with bottles shipping out to Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile.

Fox has licensed the brand to several Latin breweries and, by the looks of things, it's become a major hit! Enrique Robles, who owns a Duff Chile franchise, said he was expecting to sell $750,000 worth of beer in 2011.

"Two generations of young people have been raised on The Simpsons," Robles told the El Mercurio newspaper. "What we have is an unsatisfied fantasy."

The question now is, why haven't we seen any Duff bottles in America? Interestingly, Fox has refused to license the brand in the U.S. It has been said that Simpsons’'creator Matt Groening is behind the halt, primarily because he believes it would lead to underage drinking.

But for now Duff seems to be doing just fine south of the border, despite the fact that it may be lacking in the taste department.

"I’m not going to tell you that this is the best beer in the world," Colombian bar owner Reynaldo Román said. "But it sells very well. When people see it they have to buy it."

Would you pick up a Duff Beer if your were traveling in Latin America? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Chisme, Cultura, Duff Beer, Hot Stuff, Latin America, The Simpsons