Simpsons ties knot with gay marriage

The feverish public debate in the US over gay marriages is to be played out in a forthcoming episode of The Simpsons, it emerged today.
The show's producers have revealed that the cartoon classic will feature an episode in which gay marriage is legalised in Springfield.
Hints about the plot line were dropped by show producer Matt Groening at a San Diego comic convention, where he revealed that Homer Simpson becomes a minister by registering online.
One early favourite is billionaire Monty Burns' ever-devoted sidekick Waylon Smithers, who has been revealed in previous episodes to have a Mr Burns screensaver and dreams of a naked Mr Burns jumping out of a birthday cake.
Other candidates include Homer's cohorts at the nuclear plant, Carl and Lenny, as well as Moe the bartender, the Reverend Lovejoy, Principal Skinner and Comic Book Guy.
The gay marriage-themed episode is scheduled to air in January.