Pair build wacky fun on cartoon

It’s not too often that parents and kids can sit and watch television together. Sporting events, maybe some of the tamer reality shows like American Idol or Dancing With the Stars (sans Lil’ Kim’s near wardrobe malfunction).
But Phineas and Ferb can get the whole family laughing on the couch. The show, which premiered in 2007 and is now on Disney XD, is the creation of Dan Povenmire (Family Guy) and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh (Rocko’s Modern Life), who met while work-ing on The Simpsons. Their joint venture has all the craziness of their more adult shows, but it replaces the ribaldry with a secret agent pet platy-pus and floating baby heads. Trippy!
On the occasion of a new episode premiering today on the Emmy-nominated show, we had a chance to chat with Povenmire and Marsh about the show :
How does a guy who worked on the cutting-edge Family Guy wind up doing a show on Disney?
Povenmire: Well, I also worked on SpongeBob SquarePants and I like to think that Phineas and Ferb is the exact artistic midpoint between Fam-ily Guy and SpongeBob. I’m not even sure what that means, but it does seem true.
What’s the difference between do-ing a show like Family Guy and doing Phineas and Ferb?
Povenmire: Well, the language, of course. But the actual biggest differ-ences are the budget and schedule. Prime time animation like Family Guy just has a lot more time to spend on a project. At Phineas and Ferb, we do in a week what would take months when I was on Family Guy so we’re sort of going full steam ahead con-stantly.
Will there be a Star Wars take off on P&F like there was on Fam-ily Guy?
Marsh: We’ve got an episode com-ing up that lampoons a few of our favorite sci-fi films. There are more than a few Star Wars references, but it’s definitely not a full “take-off.” We got Lorenzo Lamas to do a voice for it!
What’s up with the giant floating baby head that appears from time to time?
Povenmire: That came from one board panel drawn by Mike Diederich and one of our directors, Rob Hughes, thought it was hilarious and made a whole bit about it. Now it shows up all the time.
Marsh: We try not to think too much about the floating baby head. It makes us laugh. ‘Nuff said.

The United States Postal Service is jumping on the bandwagon of one of America's favorite families. No, not the one in the White House.

A new set of stamps scheduled to debut next month will feature all five members of the Simpsons, the cartoon family that has been making us laugh -- sometimes guiltily -- for 20 years.

And in an interactive feature similar to the one that accompanied the "Star Wars" stamps in 2007, Americans are being invited to vote for their favorite Simpson online at usps.com/simpsons. The voting will conclude May 14, with participants 18 and older eligible to win a poster signed by Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons."

The 44-cent stamps, designed by Groening, feature Homer, Marge, Bart ("a known philatelist," according to the Postal Service), Lisa and Maggie. They will be available in booklets of 20 and on stamped postal cards. The stamps and packets of 20 cards can be ordered in advance. The postal cards will feature the artwork from the 44-cent stamps, with four cards of each stamp image selling for $14.95. The Postal Service also is selling a number of related items, including framed posters.

The first day ceremony will be held May 7 at Fox Studios in Los Angeles.

The Simpsons were selected from among about 50,000 suggestions for stamps that the Postal Service receives each year. The longest-running comedy in TV history, it is the only television program to be featured on a stamp while still in production.

Groening and James L, Brooks, executive producer of "The Simpsons," reacted with typically irreverent humor.