The Simpsons Panel

Show creator Matt Groening, executive producer Al Jean, supervising producer Mike Anderson and Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) were at the San Diego Comic-Con The Simpsons panel this year, which was moderated by series' producer, David Mirkin. In light of the recent discovery of the elusive Higgs boson particle, the audience was treated to a segment of the up and coming Treehouse of Horror segment where Springfield ends up creating a miniature black hole. While Lisa is able to keep the black hole safe and small by keeping it in the basement, when the family starts to feed the black hole, it reaches critical mass and begins to suck everything in. The question is, what will they find on the other side?

This was followed by a short Q&A session where Matt Groening was asked if he could do any of the characters voices (he can do Maggie's pacifier and Barney's burp, though not on command) and he was asked by a young girl if he had built his initials into the side of Homer's head. Groening had a drawing board brought out where he drew Homer's head and when he finished it off with Homer's ear and side hair, it was obvious that they were his initials. As a reward for such a good question, Groening signed and dated the drawing and gave it to her.

The group was also asked if anything would be changed in the show that would last longer than an episode. The panelists pointed out that Lisa was still a vegetarian, which was apparently one of Paul and Linda McCartney's stipulations for guest starring in that episode, but Groening also said that Bart would once again be celebrating his 10th birthday even though the show is starting its 24th season.

When asked about the possibility of other work outside of the show itself, Groening said that he had at one point considered having Homer do an audio book of "Homer's Odyssey" and "Homer's Iliad," which seemed to meet with great approval by the 4,000+ fans that filled the hall.

The panel wrapped up with a short cartoon called "The Longest Daycare" which will be shown in 3D in front of the CG-animated movie Ice Age: Continental Drift. This short features Maggie being dropped off at the Ayn Rand School for Tots where she is sorted and categorized along with her nemesis, the Unibrow Baby. She sees her nemesis treating butterflies rather cruelly, and when Maggie befriends a caterpillar and learns what it will become, she then spends the rest of the day protecting it while it is in its cocoon.