The six principal actors on The Simpsons are taking a pay cut to keep the cartoon on the air, ending a standoff with Fox, The Hollywood Reporter's Alex Ben Block and Kim Masters report. "Clearly the cast wants the show to continue," they write, though some would argue it's a bit of a surprise that Fox does. The network could make as much as $750 million selling syndication rights to the show once it's cancelled. The actors have had several tough negotiations with executives -- in 1998 Fox almost replaced them all -- and in 2008, they managed to get a salary bump up to $400,000 per episode. But ratings for the cartoon have slipped significantly in recent years, The Hollywood Reporter writes: "While it is still pulling enough viewers to deserve to remain on the air, the studio insists the deficit to make the animated shows has now risen to a point where it is unacceptable to them. That is why Fox has threatened to end the show if they can’t make a deal." Though Fox wanted to cut pay by 45 percent, the salary reduction isn't quite that big, The Hollywood Reporter says.

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Elspeth Reeve