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Television Headline News

Schwartz Circles Back to Sony

Former Warner Bros. Animation president Sander Schwartz returns to familiar territory, but in a bigger capacity as president, international production of Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI), and becomes head of SPTI�s global production group. Before WBA, Schwartz was Sony Pictures Ent�s family entertainment group first president from 1999 to 2001. Schwartz will relocate from Los Angeles to SPTI�s European headquarters in London, England, and will report to SPTI�s president, Michael Grindon.

Films Headline News

Frantic Films Set to Debut New Software at SIGGRAPH 2007

The software division of award-winning visual effects studio Frantic Films will be demonstrating an array of new software products at SIGGRAPH 2007. Along with a new version of Deadline, the company's popular render farm solution, Frantic Films will unveil several new developments at Booth #1720 throughout the conference, Aug. 7-9, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

These new solutions designed for visual effects and animationProfessionals include:

Imax Headline News

Order of the Phoenix Bows in Record IMAX Screens

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX will cast its spell in a record 126 IMAX theaters worldwide today (July 11, 2007) and throughout the weekend.

In addition to the usual DMR live-action conversion, there is a 2-D to 3-D conversion for the final 20 minutes, marking the most elaborate live-action stereoscopic presentation thus far.

Animation Headline News

NaturalMotion Releases morpheme 1.1

NaturalMotion announced the immediate release of morpheme 1.1, the latest version of its powerful animation engine and tool chain. Featuring new network management and navigation tools, source control support and frame buffering capabilities, morpheme 1.1 is robust middleware designed to give developers and animators unprecedented creative control over the look of their final in-game animation by allowing them to author and preview blends, blend trees and transition graphs in realtime. morpheme 1.1 is available on PlayStation3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Headline News

Alex Proyas to Direct Dracula Year Zero

Alex Proyas (I, ROBOT), who was reportedly on the short list to direct BOND 22, will helm Universalâs DRACULA YEAR ZERO, reports VARIETY.

An origin tale of Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian that inspired Bram Stoker, the movie will be produced by Michael De Luca and is scripted by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The fresh take will show Vlad in his prime, fending off the Turks before desperately selling his soul to save his kingdom.

Headline News

Kevin Spacey to Return in Superman: Man of Steel

Kevin Spacey will reprise his role as Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL, VARIETY reports. After meeting with director Bryan Singer in New York, Spacey agreed to play Luthor again if it can be done in the same six-week block that was scheduled for SUPERMAN RETURNS.

Singer plans to pitch MAN OF STEEL (which is being scripted by SUPERMAN RETURNâs Michael Doughery) to Warner Bros. for a 2009 release.

Headline News

Omen's Moore Options Lost Things

Director John Moore (THE OMEN) optioned feature rights to THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, a dark fantasy by bestselling Irish author John Connolly, reports VARIETY.

Published in 2006, book centers on a 12-year-old English boy whose mother died and his father remarried. The boy encounters a portal to another world and enters a land of beasts and monsters. He then undertakes a quest to earn his way back out.

Events

MAXON/Adobe The Power Integration Tour

By Guest (not verified) | Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: July 10, 2007

MAXON Computer Inc. announced "The Power Integration Tour," a joint road show with Adobe Systems Inc. where motion graphics artists will learn how to bring their vision to life with blockbuster visual effects and compelling motion graphics for film, video, DVD, the Web and mobile devices.

Events

Life Drawing with Movement

By Guest (not verified) | Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: July 10, 2007

Central Saint Martins Innovation is hosting a one-day intensive course focusing on a better understanding of the mechanics of the human body through the study of the anatomy of movement. The one-day workshop will take place on July 10 or Sept. 14. Long and short poses will be combined with lectures and individual tutoring in the analysis of carriage, posture, body type, gesture and character, and convincing weight distribution of temporal movement and locomotion, understood from the inside out and without being static. The fee includes lunch.

Games Headline News

Fighting, RPG and Board Game Genres to Highlight Atari's E3 Roster

Games spanning multiple genres and platforms will be on-hand at the Atari booth (518 and 520) for the E3 Media and Business Summit, taking place July 11-13, 2007, at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California. The games include DRAGON BALL Z: BUDOKAI TENKAICHI 3 for Wii and PlayStation 2, THE WITCHER FOR GAMES for Windows, GODZILLA: UNLEASHED for Wii and JENGA for Wii.

Animation Headline News

Kahani World & Accel Animation Team Up For Animated Feature Films & DVDs

Kahani World Inc. in Canada and Accel Animation Studios in India have packed to produce three motion pictures and 11 direct-to-DVDs, which the parties hope to spin off into further opportunities in TV, mobile, new media & web formats. One of the largest motion picture deals in Indian animation, the parties toasted the deal at MIFA last month during Annecy, to mark the first international market where Indian animation companies had come together to present India's capabilities and accomplishments on the world stage.

Headline News

D3publisher Of America Brings Brands and Original IPs to E3 2007

D3Publisher of America Inc. (D3PA) will showcase titles for gamers of all ages at this year's E3 Media & Business Summit, taking place in the Barker Hanger, in Santa Monica, California, from July 11-13, 2007. The company's lineup includes titles based on popular entertainment brands, such as VIZ Media's hit anime series, NARUTO; and Cartoon Network Enterprises' BEN 10; as well as innovative offerings for PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii systems.

D3Publisher of America's game lineup includes:

World Headline News

Akella Announces E3 Media and Business Summit Lineup

Akella revealed its lineup of new products that will be showcased at the E3 Media and Business Summit, to take place on July 11-13, 2007 in Santa Monica, California. Akella's products will be displayed in booths # 326 and 328, Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Air Center. Six key titles include DISCIPLES III, JAGGED ALLIANCE 3, HEAVY DUTY, SHOWDOWN: SCORPION, 2025: BATTLE FOR FATHERLAND and NUMEN.

Season Headline News

FOX Announces 2007-2008 Season Premiere Dates

FOX has set the fall premiere dates for its new and returning series. Its five new shows -- K-VILLE, NEW AMSTERDAM, BACK TO YOU, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES and NASHVILLE -- join returning animated (five) and live-action favorites on the fall primetime schedule.

Animated series premiering on Sunday, Sept. 23 are THE SIMPSONS at 8:00-8:30 pm, KING OF THE HILL at 8:30-9:00 pm and FAMILY GUY with a one-hour season premiere from 9-10:00 pm.

Effects Headline News

Side Effects Launches Houdini 9 Public Beta

Side Effects Software has marked the 20th anniversary of the company with a public beta launch of its flagship product, Houdini. The new Houdini 9 offers a dramatically redesigned User Interface (UI), which, combined with the recently announced lower price point, puts the legendary creative power of Houdini within reach of everyone in the CG industry.

Games Headline News

EA Reveals First Details About Videogames With Spielberg

Electronic Arts Inc. revealed the first details surrounding two of the three new original intellectual properties in development at EA Los Angeles (EALA) in collaboration with Steven Spielberg.

"I am a gamer myself and game development has always intrigued me," said Steven Spielberg. "Now I've been able to jump in and do it, enjoying the creative collaboration with the EALA team on our first two games and I feel we have two incredibly unique projects in development."

Effects Headline News

CafeFX Swims with the Fish for Evan Almighty

Feature film visual effects facility CafeFX arguably created a scene-stealing school of CG tropical fish for Universal Pictures' EVAN ALMIGHTY.

In the film, Evan Baxter (Steve Carell), newly elected to Congress, leaves Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life is turned upside-down when he is summoned by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark.

Headline News

Disney to Present Prince Caspian and WALL*E at Comic-Con 2007

Walt Disney Pictures will offer exclusive footage and panel discussions with the filmmakers of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN and Disney-Pixar's WALL*E at Comic-Con. The presentation will be conducted on Saturday, July 28, 2007at 2:15pm in Hall H.

Game Headline News

Hellboy The Science Of Evil Part of Konami's E3 Lineup

Along with the announcement of it E3 lineup, Konami Digital Ent. Inc. revealed the full voice cast for HELLBOY THE SCIENCE OF EVIL (working title), its upcoming videogame adaptation of the smash hit entertainment property for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and PSP. In addition to Ron Perlman, who portrayed Hellboy in the 2004 feature film, Selma Blair and Doug Jones will reprise their roles from the motion picture as Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien to lend their voices to the game.

Games Headline News

SEGA Unveils Diverse Multi-Platform Lineup at E3 2007

SEGA of America Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. announced its lineup of videogames to be presented at the E3 Business & Media Summit 2007. SEGA will debut 13 titles consisting of original and high profile licensed properties developed for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In addition, SEGA continues its strong support of the PC and Games for Windows - Live, handheld systems including the Nintendo DS and the PSP, as well as the PlayStation 2. SEGA will be located in booth #313 in the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport.

Headline News

Miyazaki's Earthsea Get English Debut in U.K.

Goro Miyazaki's TALES FROM EARTHSEA is set to make its English-language debut in the U.K. The English voice cast includes Timothy Dalton (HOT FUZZ) as Sparrowhawk (Ged), Willem Dafoe (PLATOON) as Cob, Matt Levin (STARSHIP TROOPERS) as Arren, Cheech Marin (UP IN SMOKE) as Hare and Mariska Hargitay (TV's LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT) as Tenar.

Headline News

13-Year-Old VO Actor Dies in Skateboarding Accident

James Street, a voice actor for DIC's STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE series since 2004, died on July 4, 2007, after suffering injuries in a skateboarding accident close to home in Thousand Oaks, California, reports THE BIG CARTOON DATABASE. He was 13 years old.

Street's most recent voice work could be heard on TV as Pepito in MADELINE and on home video as Huckleberry Pie in STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL. Street took over the role of Huckleberry in 2004's STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: ADVENTURES ON ICE CREAM ISLAND.

Headline News

Eight New & Six Incumbents Governors Elected to AMPAS Board

Eight new governors have been elected to represent their branches on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Six incumbent governors were reelected.

Newcomers to the board are Henry Winkler, Actors Branch; Vilmos Zsigmond, Cinematographers; Richard Pearce, Documentary; and Charles Fox, Music.

Returning to the Board after a hiatus are Dede Allen, Film Editors; Curt Behlmer, Sound; Richard Edlund, Visual Effects and Frank Pierson, Writers.

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