LevyMann Entertainment has announced a five-year joint venture with New York-based Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, to produce a new line of children’s books based on the ITTY BITTY HEARTBEATS series. The books will be released worldwide beginning with a limited release in the fall of 2004 and expanding into a full release in 2005.

Toymaker Playhut has entered the electronic toy and electronic plush market as well as expanded its offerings in slumber furnishings. The firm enters the electronic toy arena with the launch of EZ Reader, an electronic book that offers animation, narration, music and user interactivity. The initial EZ Reader electronic books will feature the company's proprietary LITTLE SIGNZ, an animated series that takes 3-7 year-old viewers into a magical urban world where traffic signs come to life to portray stories about safety, cooperation and the environment.

Infinium Labs, Inc., formerly Global Business Resources Inc., has completed the acquisition of Infinium Labs Operating Corp., and in the mix now owns Phantom Game Service. The Phantom Game Service is a next-generation gaming system that supports games on-demand, game rentals, game demos, seamless upgrades and patch management.

Franck Le Calvez, a French children's author and aquarium buff, has sued Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, claiming FINDING NEMO bears an uncanny resemblance to his illustrated book, PIERROT LE POISSON CLOWN, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled four new commemorative postage stamps on Dec. 30, 2003 that celebrate friendship as portrayed by the Walt Disney studio, honoring some of the most beloved animated characters in the history of American entertainment.

The Art of Disney: Friendship stamps feature several world-famous friends: Goofy, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; Bambi and Thumper; Simba and his father, Mufasa; and Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio. The Postal Service will issue the 37-cent, self-adhesive stamps in summer 2004.

Telefilm Canada has made a number of changes to its management structure to reflect its commitment to an asymmetrical approach to the film and television industries, based on the particular characteristics and levels of maturity of the English- and French-language markets; to its efforts to increase the synergy between core programs and international activities to ensure Canada’s competitiveness in the global market; and to offer improved client service through closer ties with the industry.

Global Entertainment Media Group, LLC (GEM Group), has acquired the film library of BMG, the worldwide music division of Bertelsmann AG. This includes all residual rights to the BMG film library that has been in existence since 1995, including free television, DVD, home video and other ancillary rights to the films.

Lost Dreams Studios’ producer/director Jeremy Evans found his dream when he decided to move his small, hometown production company from Iowa to New York City.

Comcast is expected to acquire Paul Allen's computer-info channel TechTV for about $300 million, to merge it with Comcast's fledgling G4 channel, reports VARIETY, in an effort to boost its programming assets and subscriber reach.

The merger of G4 and TechTV, would combine the best original programming of each into a videogame-focused, computer and technology-based network, reaching around 45 million subs, targeted to the highly desirable male 18-34 demo.

CINAR Corp. has rescheduled a special meeting of shareholders to approve the arrangements for the acquisition of the company by Michael Hirsh, Toper Taylor and TD Capital Canadian Private Equity Partners. The meeting, previously scheduled for Jan. 15, 2004, will now be held on Feb. 5, 2004. It was rescheduled in order to provide time to resolve certain withholding tax issues for CINAR shareholders.

Sanetta Textilwerk Gebrüder Ammann GmbH & Co. KG has acquired a worldwide license for children’s fashions featuring Greenland dragon Tabaluga from EM.TV & Merchandising AG. The NEW TABALUGA collection will appear in stores in time for autumn/winter 2004.

Marvel Enterprises Inc. has acquired the business and certain assets of New York City-based Cover Concepts, a small company specializing in the distribution of free, sponsored materials to public schools across the U.S. Cover Concepts sells advertising space on those materials, which include book covers, bookmarks, locker posters, teaching guides, health & beauty samples, calendars, stickers, notepads, folders, coloring sheets, incentive programs and growth charts. Major advertising customers have included Gatorade, McDonalds and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Durfee Foundation has announced the deadlines for the 2004 ARC grant program. ARC grants are awarded on a quarterly basis to approximately 10 Los Angeles artists. The artists can be working with any medium. Grant requests may be for up to $2,500. Applications must be postmarked on or before the following deadlines:

First Quarter: February 3, 2004
For presentations between March 4 and August 4, 2004

Second Quarter: May 4, 2004
For presentations between June 3 and November 3, 2004

Third Quarter: August 3, 2004

Delivering on its promise to expand in the arena of entertainment distribution, IDT Ent. agreed on Dec. 11, 2003, with NorthStar Entertainment Group, Inc., a subsidiary of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. (CBN) to create a joint venture that will develop, produce and distribute family friendly entertainment programming.

This came on the heels of IDT’s acquisition of DVD, home video distributor, Anchor Bay Ent. on Dec. 3 for $60 million, which became final on Dec. 11.

While NBC awaits final approval of its bid to buy Universal, the studio has promoted Mary Parent and Scott Stuber from production president to vice chairman, worldwide production, for Universal Pictures. In their newly-created positions Parent and Stuber will continue to oversee the worldwide acquisition, creative development and production of all Universal Pictures feature films, and will also oversee Universal's original made-for-video productions as well as the creative development and production of its original animation properties.

eigoMANGA has launched a new line of anime inspired clothing. Fashion designer Kayo Mitsuyama has agreed to be the exclusive licenser of clothing for eigoMANGA.

Mitsuyama said, "I had always dreamed to wake up as a foxy strong anime heroine in a great costume. I see many intersections between fashion and anime. It presents reality and non-reality. What I would like to present in my fashion is a bridge between those two worlds. A lot of people wish to be a different person or character each day and what you wear can make it happen without changing your own personality."

TokyoPop has announced that it will be the first manga publisher to have titles carried at mega-retailer Wal-Mart. The initial test will be in 100 stores across the U.S. As well department store Fred Meyer and discount chain ShopKo have agreed to sell TokyoPop titles in a select amount of their stores. This adds to the Nov. 2003 launch of special TokyoPop manga displays in Barnes & Noble and Sam Goody. This continues ceo/cco Staurt Levy’s goal of putting a TokyoPop manga in the home of every American.

Entertainment Rights announced a deal with GE Fabbri to license the rights to the animated MR BEAN series, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, for a partwork title. Partworks are a limited-run series of magazines, sold weekly or fortnightly, designed to be collected and kept. MR BEAN'S AMAZING A TO Z will have Mr. Bean help children explore the world through the use of the alphabet. GE Fabbri undertook a regional market test in September 2003, with a full U.K. National roll-out of 52 issues commencing on Jan. 7, 2004. Each issue will sell for £1.85.

Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. announced Dec. 10, 2003 that it is essentially stopping TV and movie production with the departure of entertainment group ceo Peter Sussman and Seaton McLean, the group's president, production. The company will hone its activities down to primarily specialty channel broadcasting and TV/film distribution.

Metal rocker-turned-film director Rob Zombie and author-cartoonist Steve Niles have formed a new production company, Creep Entertainment Intl, reported VARIETY. The firm already has lined-up three comicbook inspired projects -- THE NAIL with Dark Horse Comics, BIGFOOT with IDW Comics and LORDS OF SALEM. Zombie and Niles have co-written the scripts for all three films.