ION Media Networks announced that it will undertake innovative advertising and media initiatives for its qubo and ION Life digital networks aimed at improving children's health and reducing the rates of childhood obesity in the U.S.
Aviator and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson announced that Virgin Comics will be bringing legendary superhero Dan Dare out of retirement with an all-new comic book series. The monthly series, to be written by legendary comic author Garth Ennis (PREACHER, THE BOYS, HITMAN, JOHN WOO'S SEVEN BROTHERS), will premiere in November 2007.
In honor of the Oct. 2 release of the 40th Anniversary Platinum Edition DVD of THE JUNGLE BOOK, the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will screen the animated classic during an exclusive engagement Sept. 7-23.
To help customers in the manufacturing, architecture, building and construction markets benefit from the advantages of 3D software, Autodesk Inc. has introduced the Preferred Industry Partner Program. The new program recognizes select third-party software developers for their innovative, industry-focused solutions. Designated Preferred Industry Partners create applications that complement Autodesk 3D products and help customers simulate their ideas early in the design process as well as reduce time and cost in manufacturing or construction.
Dark Horse Indie has tapped Cleve Nettles to pen the script for WAR MONKEYS, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Mike Richardson is exec producing.
Based on a story by producer Chris Patton, the horror comedy finds a janitor locked in an underground military research lab with assassin Rhesus monkeys.
Nettles is the associate producer of Imagi Ent.'s CAT TALE.
Walt Disney Co. is being sued by comedy writer Buddy Sheffield, who alleges he was never paid for coming up with the idea for the teen TV series, HANNAH MONTANA, reports VARIETY. In a suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 23, 2007, Sheffield is claiming breach of contract, breach of confidence, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.
Keanu Reeves will play the noble alien Klaatu in 20th Century Fox's remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, VARIETY reports. Michael Rennie's distinct performance in the original is so revered that finding the right actor to take the role has been one of the chief reasons the remake has been in development for so long.
In signing their latest deal with Comedy Central, SOUTH PARK creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have secured a precedent making agreement to share online ad revenues 50-50 with the network. The overall deal worth $75 million will see Stone and Parker overseeing the new online incubator SouthParkStudios.com, which will develop new ways to exploit SOUTH PARK characters as well as develop original IPs. Additionally, the deal reups the TV series through 2011. The demented duo will see big salaries increases as well as advances against back-end profits.
Veteran production and development executive Tracy Katsky has been appointed to the newly created post of SVP of development and original programming at Nickelodeon, KIDSCREEN reports. Katsky will oversee all of the station's ongoing live-action and animation program development, live-action series production on the West Coast, and new series development for Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite.
Before joining Nickelodeon, Katsky served as SVP of development for HBO Independent Productions and earlier was SVP of comedy for Fox Broadcasting.
Sony's SUPERBAD pulled in $18M in its second weekend for a cume of $68.6M to retain the top spot at the box office for the period ended Aug. 26, 2007. Moving up a notch back to second place with $12.4M was Universal's THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (with vfx from The Senate, Lip Sync Post and Snow Business). The third BOURNE has pulled in a four-week take of $185.2M. New Line's RUSH HOUR 3 (with vfx from ILM, Halon Ent. and Element FX, among others) was bumped to third place with $11.7M for a three-week cume of $108.4M. Debuting in fourth, fifth and six were Universal's MR.
When Disney-Pixar's RATATOUILLE arrives Nov. 6 on DVD ($29.99) and Blu-ray Disc ($34.99) from Walt Disney Studios Home Ent., it will feature the all-new animated short, YOUR FRIEND THE RAT, with a new adventure starring Remy and Emile.
Other DVD bonus features include:
* Deleted Scenes - With introductions by screenwriter/director Brad Bird.
Activision has selected REALVIZ Movimento as its facial capture solution of choice for a forthcoming movie-based game. Movimento is a state-of-the-art video-based motion capture solution, "Powered by SMART," REALVIZ' automatic 3D tracking engine.
REALVIZ Movimento offers the capability to capture the motion of any non-rigid object (humans, animals) in post-production, from synchronized image sequences with total flexibility:
* Starting from two cameras to as many as required* Cameras can be fixed or moving.
The Egyptian Theater is hosting a 7:30 pm screening of 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954, Disney, 127 min.). Director Richard Fleischer's most beloved film captures both the childlike sense of awe and the more sober nature of Jules Verne's classic novel: James Mason is the perfect Captain Nemo, an idealistic intellectual, but fanatical anti-war crusader using his futuristic submarine to sink the battleships of every nation.
This modern REAR WINDOW riff with high-tech gadgets is tightly written for two acts shying away from typical teen movie boo moments and illogical twists in exchange for old-fashioned thrills. Lead Shia LaBeouf (HOLES) has this entire film for himself and sets himself up to become a real star. He has an effortless charm that puts him in the ranks with Tom Hanks. Even when the movie begins to spell things out for the illiterate film viewer, we like LaBeouf's character enough that we still care about what he cares about.
After a recent tragedy, 17-year-old Kale (LaBeouf) becomes a troubled young man, which leads to another violent outburst that lands him under house arrest. His mother Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss, THE MATRIX) cuts off his Xbox Live and iTunes, leaving him very bored confined in his house. So he starts spying on the neighbors, especially his pretty new neighbor Ashley (Sarah Roemer, THE GRUDGE 2) and the creepy Mr. Turner (David Morse, THE GREEN MILE). When signs start piling up that might link Turner to a recent murder, Kale, his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo, ROCKET SCIENCE) and Julie begin to stake out the man, which becomes more and more dangerous at every turn.
I haven't loved any of Will Farrell's film where he's starred, but I have enjoyed everyone that I've seen. Ferrell is one of the funniest men working in films currently. He has great timing and delivery. That's what makes TALLADEGA NIGHTS the most disappointing film he has made. A major part of the disappointment comes from the hints of greatest that lie everywhere, which are never carried out to their full potential rather replaced by lazy improv.
From a very young age, Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) wanted to "go fast." When he gets his first shot on the NASCAR circuit, he makes a big impression. He, along with his best friend and teammate Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly, BOOGIE NIGHTS), quickly raises the ranks of pro racing. He gains the American Dream — fame, money, a hot wife. He becomes obsessed with being #1, due to his deadbeat father's statement — If you ain't first, you're last. Then the dumb, cocky racer meets his toughest challenge — Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen, BORAT), a gay, French, Formula One racer who Bobby's team owner Larry Dennit Jr. (Greg Germann, TV's ALLY MCBEAL) wants to make the next face of NASCAR. After a crash during his first race against Girard, Bobby fears racing again and soon loses everything in his life.
NYICFF is hosting a program of animated and experimental shorts for kids 4-8, which includes audience and jury favorites cherry-picked from the past ten years of the festival, with works from Japan, Brazil, Germany, Israel, UK, France, Canada. Films include THE DOG WHO WAS A CAT INSIDE, 2CV, SHAUN THE SHEEP: "Bathtime," FIELD GUIDE TO SNAPPING, TOM AND THE STRAWBERRY MOUSE, HAPPY HORSE AND THE MONSTER, DRIVING ALONE, LAUGHING MOON, BIG CAT LITTLE CAT, FOWL PLAY, MARBLES and MONTROSE AVENUE. For more information, visit gkids.com.
With 18 seasons behind them on TV, The Simpsons have moved from "what is wrong with America" to an American icon. The show is now the longest running sitcom in U.S. TV history with no end in sight. Now the adventures of everyone's favorite dysfunctional family have been transported to the big screen. The canvas of the story is bigger, but it's still THE SIMPSONS with a colossal mess-up by Homer as the center of the story.
Homer (Dan Castellaneta, who also voices Barney, Grampa, Krusty) adopts a pig, but really doesn't know how to care for it. With Harry Plotter (that's the pig's second name) grabbing his attention, Bart (Nancy Cartwright, who also voices Ralph, Nelson) wishes he had a father who actually paid attention to him, leading him to bond with uber-good-doer Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer, THIS IS SPINAL TAP). When Marge (Julie Karvner) tells Homer to get rid of the silo of pig waste in the backyard, Homer cuts corners in an effort to get free donuts and dumps the silo in Springfield Lake, which pushes the already putrid waters over the edge. This spurs EPA head Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks, DEFENDING YOUR LIFE) to convince President Arnold Schwarzenegger (Shearer) to put a dome around the town of Springfield and plan to turn it into the new Grand Canyon. So in an effort to save himself and his family from an angry mob of Springfield townfolk, Homer packs up Marge, Bart, Lisa (Yeardley Smith, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) and baby Maggie (Cartwright) and heads off to Alaska. But as things get worse in Springfield, can Marge motivate Homer to become a hero?
Started by videogame-oriented comic strip creators Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins in 2004, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is a three-day, round-the-clock celebration of games and game culture. It includes an exhibition floor filled with playable demos of upcoming games, a conference program of game-industry speakers on gaming topics, music concerts, game tournaments and more. PAX is the largest gaming festival in North America, representing tabletop, console and PC gaming.
JORDAN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2007 OPEN FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS
The 3rd session of the Jordan Short Film Festival (JSFF'07) is now accepting film entries.
WEB: http://JordanFilmFestival.com
FESTIVAL DATES: 24 - 30 August 2007
FILM ENTRY DEADLINE: 25th July 2007
COMPETITIONS & AWARDS:
* International & Arab Short Film Competition: 3000 EUR (appx. 4000 USD) divided between two winners.
* Yaris-AFC Jordan Mobile Movie Competition: 3000 Euro (appx. 4000 USD) divided between 15 winners.
Egyptian Theatre is hosting a 7:30 pm triple feature. First up is a screening of new 35mm print of THE WEREWOLF, (1956, Sony Repertory, 79 min.). Fred F. Sears (EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS) directed this compact, nightmarish chiller full of remarkable atmosphere. Steven Ritch (who co-wrote as well as appeared in the noirs PLUNDER ROAD and CITY OF FEAR) gives a nuanced performance as an amnesiac traveling salesman who has been experimented on by two ruthless scientists after he's been in a car accident.
Focus Features is accepting the NC-17 rating issued to Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION by the MPAA, reports the trades. The erotic spy thriller will make its debut at the Toronto Film Festival, before hitting New York theaters on Sept. 28, then expanding on Oct. 5.
Adapted by Focus CEO James Schamus and Wang Hui Ling from Eileen Chang's short story, the film follows a shy Chinese drama student who is pulled into plot to assassinate a Japanese collaborator during WWII. Mr. X is handling the visual effects on the project.
Stephen Sommers (THE MUMMY) has signed on to direct a live-action feature version of G.I. JOE for Paramount Pictures, reports the trades. The studio is aggressively looking for a screenwriter and hopes to start production in February, eyeing summer 2009 for a release.
VARIETY reports that Sommers was hired in the room after pitching his version of the film to Paramount chairman/CEO Brad Grey and production president Brad Weston Wednesday night.
CartoonNetwork.com hit an all-time high in July, with visitors to the site spending an average of 77 minutes per person according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Site visitors enjoy full length episodes and clips of Cartoon Network shows, plus more than 170 free online games based on popular Cartoon Network characters and shows, including BEN 10 and FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS. Also, CartoonNetwork.com ranked 26th among all U.S. domains in total time spent in July.
SWAY studio brings liveliness and precision to the newest Subaru Impreza commercial titled PEEL OUT, currently airing nationwide. SWAY's team of vfx artists utilized a series of high-end animation and photorealistic techniques to bring life to cars, living room spaces, magazine pages and people.
Entity FX created vfx for RUSH HOUR 3, including 3D backdrops, digital matte paintings and screen composites that helped back up the action in several different interior and outdoor locations.
One challenge involved digitally adding a moving elevator to enhance suspense in an interior chase scene. Elevator elements as well as the character of Soo Young (actress Jingchu Zhang) were tracked in to seamlessly integrate live-shot material with digital matte painting elements.
