Reports of Ducky's departure have been premature. In an update on the 'NCIS' cast dispute that we reported the other day, David McCallum is signed for next season. That's right, his manager told TV Guide that the previous stories had incorrectly put him in the same boat with Michael Weatherly, Sean Murray and Pauley Perrette.

McCallum's manager explained, "I'm sure some of the others are negotiating, but he's not affected by it. He falls into the Mark Harmon/Rocky Carroll category. He's signed on for additional seasons. He's excited to be coming back to the show and can't wait to see everybody."

It took just a few weeks, but the trouble is over. The two sides have met and negotiated a fair arrangement. No, I'm not referring to the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama camps and the Florida and Michigan delegates. No, the news is more animated than that. The powers that be at 20th Century Fox TV have re-signed the actors who voice the The Simpsons.

The principals are signing new four-year deals in which the talent will receive substantial increases in salary. They had been getting $360,000 per episode and were looking for a bump up in that fee to $500,000 per. The negotiated compromise amount is about $400,000 per show. And as expected, instead of a 22 episode season commencing next fall, there'll be 20 shows in the year ahead.