"The Simpsons" may be going strong in its 25th season, but a major character from the long-running animated series will soon meet his or her maker.

In a recent conference call with reporters, executive producer Al Jean revealed plans to kill off a character in the season ahead. "We're actually working on a script where a character will pass away," Jean said. "I'll give a clue that the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won't say who it is."

"Simpsons" fanatics will know that this hint doesn't exactly narrow things down: Nearly every member of the core ensemble of voice-over performers has won one.

Death has come to Springfield in the past, most recently with the untimely passing of Maude Flanders, wife of the Simpsons' preternaturally cheerful next-door neighbor Ned, who fell off a racetrack grandstand.

The 25th season of "The Simpsons" premiered Sunday night with a "Homeland" spoof guest-starring Kristen Wiig. In the press call, Jean also teased some other highlights in the season ahead, including a "Futurama" crossover episode set to air sometime in May and a wedding, officiated by Stan Lee, for Comic Book Guy.

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Will

George Will to leave ABC for Fox News

George Will, who has been a conservative presence on ABC News for more than three decades, is leaving for the Fox News Channel, the cable news network announced Tuesday. Will has been best known as a voice on ABC's Sunday morning political discussion show, "This Week," going back to its origin in 1981, when David Brinkley was the host. He has also been a regular commentator on ABC's political and election coverage. In its announcement, Fox News said Will, who is 72, would be added to the commentary panels on many of the network's regular programs like the daily "Special Report With Bret Baier" and "Fox News Sunday."

Hunger strike ends: An imprisoned member of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot ended her nine-day hunger strike on Tuesday, but her husband said she has vowed to restart it if she is not moved to another prison.

Pyotr Verzilov said that his wife, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, was in stable condition after protesting working conditions in the women's prison where she is serving a two-year sentence.

curtains for opera: New York City Opera said Tuesday it is shutting down and filing for bankruptcy protection. The company needed to raise $7 million by the end of September. Spokeswoman Risa Heller said about $2 million had been raised, plus another $301,019 pledged online.

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