ScreenSavers is sponsored by Lincoln LS   A L S O_.T O D A Y Blue Glow PBS's new "Mystery!": Mischief in Kenya; Debbie Harry profiled ___________________ Embrace a darker vision of the world -- buy Matt Groening's books at barnesandnoble.com ___________________   Y E S T E R D A Y Canuck yuks By Sarah Vowell When it comes to American humor, Canada is comedy central (01/27/99)   R E C E N T_. M O V I E S Playing by Heart Reviewed by Charles Taylor Trite take on love and relationships leaves a bad aftertaste (01/22/99) My Name is Joe Reviewed by Andrew O'Hehir British filmmaker Ken Loach returns to working-class Glasgow in his dark masterpiece (01/22/99) Teacher's pet By Chris Lee "Rushmore" director Wes Anderson talks about his first "collaborative" writing effort, his recent pilgrimage to the home of Pauline Kael and New York telephone booths (01/21/99) Home Movies By Charles Taylor Dino De Laurentiis' much-maligned "King Kong" improves on the original by making it a comedy of epic sexual frustration (01/18/99) Penned in By Paul Sherman Sean Penn talks about the hurly-burly of Hollywood and why, despite his recent spate of great films, he wants to quit acting -- again (01/14/99)   BROWSE THE MOVIE ARCHIVES COLUMNS FEATURES REVIEWS INTERVIEWS

___________[__S C R E E N__S A V E R S__] _______MOVE OVER, Y2K -- IN MATT GROENING'S ____BRAVE NEW WORLD, IT'S THE YEAR 3000 WE SHOULD ____________________ BE WORRIED ABOUT. BY DAVID WALLIS | As we stumble toward the millennium, there's a palpable sense that the world is leaderless. Can you imagine schoolmarmish Al Gore or George W. Bush (aka "the little bland one") rallying the troops? Fortunately for humanity, Matt Groening will soon step into the void, offering an animated blueprint of what's to come. Groening's new series, "Futurama," which debuts on Fox this spring, is set in a new New York City (an alien attack previously destroyed much of Manhattan) in the year 3000. Unlike "The Simpsons" and "The Jetsons," "Futurama" doesn't revolve around a Space Age dysfunctional family. Instead it focuses on the mishaps of Fry, a Rip Van Winkle-like fellow who thaws out after a long deep-freeze; Leela, his cyclops gal pal; and Bender, a curmudgeonly robot with a flair for cooking. "'Futurama' is about people without a family who want a family," explained Groening during a recent telephone interview in which he chatted about his show, his kids, his "mostly male" anxieties and Rupert Murdoch. What's your new show about? What I told Fox was that it would be just like "The Simpsons," and they jumped up and down. And when I showed them what I came up with they said, "This isn't like 'The Simpsons.'" I said, "Yeah it is. It's new and original, just like 'The Simpsons.'" In the future, is democracy the form of government or have the powers that be come up with something better? We have a galaxy-wide conglomeration called DOPE: Democratic Order of Planets. It's very much like right now. We try to justify violent action based on New Age spirituality, just like "Star Wars." Most Americans describe themselves as patriotic. Why do you think only about 20 percent of us would sign a petition to support a cause we believed in? Because they know they are going to get inundated with magazine subscription offers. Someone tried to get me to sign a petition today against genetically altered food, and I agree with the cause, but I didn't feel like getting more Sharper Image catalogs. Feeling overwhelmed by consumerism? One of the most enjoyable things about "Futurama" is that we're able to have fun with the commercialism going on right now. If you look at most science fiction, there are utopias and dystopias. There is no description of the future which features thousands of blow-in subscription cards for instance. In our version of the future, there is a lot of advertising. The No. 1 TV show is "The Mass Hypnosis Hour," where consumers are sold products through dreams and subliminal advertising pillows. Your dreams will actually have sponsors in the future. It's very convenient, though. You wake up and you know exactly what you need to buy. Why do you change the channel when "South Park" comes on in the Groening household? There is a lot of mean-spirited stuff on TV, which I'm troubled by. I was watching "The Simpsons" with my kids, and during the commercial break they announced, "Coming up on the news at 10, a 3-year-old shot in his bed." My kids didn't need to see it. There is a lot that bugs me about TV. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - N E X T+P A G E+| Why the Simpsons never explained the Lewinsky scandal to their kids - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Become a Salon member. Click here.