Troubled star Britney Spears looks set to be immortalized as a cartoon character - in hit TV show The Simpsons. The pop singer is in the frame to be the next target for bosses of the award-winning animated series. And despite all the bad press of recent months, it seems the singer's problems will be presented in a uniquely positive light.

Actress Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson, says, "Britney is ripe for the picking. But we have to do it well - I don't want to be cruel." The idea is reportedly for Spears to be spoofed at Bart's school, Springfield Elementary, in a nod to her famous first video for 1999 hit ...Baby One More Time.

A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "There are talks ongoing and it's hopeful it will happen. The appearance would be a positive one. Never mind what's happening in her private life, Britney is big again."