I heard something on Howard Stern this morning that shocked me. The voice actors for The Simpsons just signed a new deal paying them each $400,000 per episode. You read that right, per episode. Thats $8.8 million dollars a year kids. They can show up in their underwear. Arte Lang said they are to the point after all these years where they know just how to deliver each line and it probably takes them less than 2 hours per week. From what I could find on Google, right now Charlie Sheen is getting $350,000 per episode and he has to actually act in front of the camera and memorize lines to get his cheddar. I'm a capitalist at heart and I say go get whatever you can and I don't blame the actors if that's what the market will pay, but isn't this just a tad out of whack? People complain about football players making too much money. Our own Big Ben Roethlisberger just signed a deal paying him essentially $10 million per year. Some people were outraged at the figure on blogs. Really? The NFL's true season is about 11 months any more with all the camps and organized conditioning. I'm not defending him making $10 million, but let's be real - look what an NFL player goes through! They get beaten up for 16 weeks plus the preseason and playoffs. They live at the facilities from camp through the pro bowl watching film, studying, lifting, running.....they could literally end up in a wheelchair on every play. The voice of Homer Simpson will earn $8.8 million (not including royalties or syndication) for delivering his lines while reading them...probably in his sleep. How crazy are the pay scales in the world? I've come across bumbling idiot big wigs at companies that make $1,000,000 easy in a year and they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. If you find out somebody makes $250,000 per year you are so impressed with that number the person must be the most skilled surgeon in the area or a pretty successful lawyer or something. We pay the President of the United States of America $400,000 per year and the cast....voice cast.... of The Simpsons gets $400,000 for a 22 minute episode. How much is that per sentence? Again, I don't blame the actors, but damn....just....damn. The teachers that are teaching our kids get 60k after they've been there a while. Policemen who have to walk up to a driver after midnight in bad parts of town not knowing what to expect get paid what? Soldiers get paid what? It seems to me when most American professionals work over 40 hours per week and the national average household income is $48,000 - a fair wage for voice talent would be....even at super star status....$100,000 per year. 19% of all US households make over $100,000 per year. I bet a lot of those are dual income families as well. People read that Simpsons blurb and it doesn't even register anymore what celebrities make. At least a stand-up comedian is on the road working it. Bands are out touring and playing, living out of buses. I'm having a hard time getting my head around these folks pulling down $400k per episode. I should have worked on my silly voices more. I can do a mean Marvin Martian......and my daughter simply cracks up when I do that caterpillar guy from Bug's Life. I guess it bugs me a little that they are doing the same thing they did in 1989 for probably $15,00 per episode...the same thing....only now it's more popular. Ok, so I'm just jealous and I don't wear it well.....leave me alone........
