At Film Roman

I spent the morning at the home of the Yellow Family, the big building next to the Bob Hope Airport.

And one of the employees, grinning sardonically next to his computer, pointed me to this:

The future of independent distributor Overture Films hangs in the balance as corporate parent Liberty Media led by billionaire John Malone seeks to rid itself of the unit, according to individuals knowledgeable about the company ...

The move away from film distribution is not unexpected, as John Malone’s enthusiasm for financing the independent film unit has waned with the lack of demonstrable profits in a struggling time for the industry. The two animation companies, Film Roman and Starz Animation, have lost money for the division. ...

So there is dark talk around the studio about yet another corporate hand off, which adds to the general levity as a smaller animation staff works harder on The Simpsons' high definition wide screen version.

"Most people around here figure we go one more season and that's it. I mean, next season has been greenlit, but it hasn't been officially greenlit. Nobody knows much beyond that."

My outsider's guess (based on mostly nothing) is that if the ratings are good enough, and the voice actors don't demand a lot more money, then there might be additional seasons in the show's future. But if not, not.

And at some point another Yellow Family feature will be made (hopefully not so far down the pike that people forget what the property is about), and artists will be reassembled -- assuming they haven't retired -- for One Last Fling with Homer and Marge.