'The Simpsons' Writers Have a Fantasy League of Their Own

Two years ago, a new Fox executive walked into The Simpsons’ writers’ room, looked at the huge whiteboard sitting in front, and complimented the staff on having so many great episode ideas. They thanked the exec, waited until he left, and then cracked up. The whiteboard had nothing on it about Homer or Bart, or anything else related to what Fox pays them hundreds of thousands of dollars to do all day. Instead, it was a list of summer movies and how much the staff thought each was likely to gross. They call this invention the Summer Box Office Fantasy League, and it’s a very serious business.