is there any plans to.....

animate the story's from the bongo comic's, I mean if there running out of ideas on the show, they might as well take storys from there comics. Japanese animation does it all the time.

Also i think they should have a futurama \ simpsons cross over...how? i.....have no clue, but maybe it can be like homer's watching futurama and it gets cancelled so he ( as mr.x ) makes an online pention to save it. or not i dont know iam verry board right now :(

Groening said there won't be any cross-over. He also said that "The Simpsons" is a cartoon on TV in Futurama's world.

if the japanese do it, do the fans consider that going downhill?

nope not at all, do you ever wounder why there are so many series's (?) for an Japanese cartoon for example, Dragonball Z & Dragonball GT

its because one is an original show the other is taken directly from the comic, eh the japanese are wierd people.