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Spot Headline News

Ocean's 13 Leads the Box Office

Warner Bros.' OCEAN'S 13, the latest all-star heist escapade from Steven Soderbergh, seized the number one spot at the box office with $36.1M for the weekend ended June 10, 2007. Dropping to second place with $21.1M was PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (with more cutting edge vfx from ILM). After its third weekend, AT WORLD'S END has captured $253.4M for Buena Vista. Universal's romantic comedy, KNOCKED UP, scored the third spot with $19.6M and $65.8M. Debuting in fourth with $17.6M was SURF'S UP from Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures.

Television Headline News

Warner Bros. Animation Exec Lewis Moves up to WB Domestic TV Distribution

Veteran Warner Bros. Ent. business operations exec Andy Lewis has been named evp/general administrative manager at Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD), overseeing all business operations, including finance, administration, planning and analysis for WBDTD, one of the leading distributors of first-run and off-network programming in the domestic television marketplace. Lewis comes to WBDTD after a decade at Warner Bros. Animation (WBA).

Game Headline News

Videogame Unites Politicians & Reform Groups to Combat at Gerrymandering

Researchers from the University of Southern California, joined by members of Congress and key political reform groups, will debut THE REDISTRICTING GAME, a free, online videogame, on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2007, at 10:00 am. Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-318, Washington, D.C.

Global Headline News

Handcranked Prods. Joins Global Mechanic Roster

Handcranked, otherwise known as the veteran animation director team of Bryan Papciak and Jeff Sias, will join Global Mechanic to be represented for commercial production worldwide, it was announced by Global Mechanic exec producer Matthew Charde. Global Mechanic produces commercials, television series and films in all media, working with directors internationally and studios on both coasts of North America.

World Events

Banff World Television Festival 2007

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

The four-day Banff World Television Festival combines a prestigious international program competition, the Banff World Television Awards, with a comprehensive conference agenda. Within this festival, production deals are secured and advanced, new business relationships are formed and future trends in the industry are identified and examined.

Animation Events

UCLA Animation Workshop Festival of Animation Prom 2007

By Guest (not verified) | Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: June 9, 2007

The UCLA Animation Workshop is hosting an end of the year screening. All films that have been completed by workshop students within the last year are shown to the populace. There are two screenings at 5:30 and 8:45 pm. For more information, go to www.tft.ucla.edu/festival2007.

Books Events

Good Business is the Best Art: How to Succeed in Fine Art without Really Starving

By Guest (not verified) | Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: June 9, 2007

Otis Continuing Education is hosting a panel titled, "Good Business is the Best Art: How to Succeed in Fine Art without Really Starving." Distinguished Los Angeles creators Anthony Ausgang, Coop, Amy Kim Ganter, Camille Rose Garcia, Mark Todd, and Esther Pearl Watson ignore the boundaries of high and low art, as they give into pop culture as well as take from it. Their paintings and sculptures often imply hidden narratives, and are frequently inspired by TV, advertising, cartoons and other mass media sources.

Visual Events

2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects

By Guest (not verified) | Friday, June 8, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: June 8, 2007

The 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects will take place the weekend of June 8-10 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.

The VES defines most influential as "those films that have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process."

The VES Festival is open to the public; information on programs and tickets will be released in upcoming months.

Digital Events

nextMEDIA 2007

By Guest (not verified) | Friday, June 8, 2007 at 11:00am
Begins: June 8, 2007

Running in conjunction with Banff World Television Festival 2007, nextMEDIA: The Future of Digital Content is a three-day event, featuring compelling keynotes, international panels, best practices, case studies, as well as pitching and networking events -- all focusing on the future of digital content. The two events are dedicated to the innovation and development of television content creation and will feature synergized programs and linked schedules to capitalize on the harmonies between the traditional and advanced media sectors.

Blogs

The power of The Force and 41 cents will get your letter mailed

Saw those 'Star Wars' stamps at the PO, featuring the real-life likenesses of (along with Alec Guiness) Mark Hamill, Carrie Fischer and Harrison Ford. Excuse me, but I always heard that you had to be dead for ten years to get on a stamp.

Well, maybe the PO was looking at their careers.

Blogs

Triumph of the Penguin Will

Not Chilly Willy, but that totalitarian dude Mumble. In last year's Oscar winner Happy Feet this guy waddles along and forces an entire penguin community to give up their generations-old tradition of covering a pop song to seduce a potential mate. Yes, individuality and free will are tossed off the ice floe so that they can all dance in absolute, fascistic lockstep. This is the message the Academy of MP A&S thinks worthwhile of conveying to our children? Well fie and fiddlesticks, I say! (Actually, I say 'fie and fiddlesticks' several times a day)

Seriously, am I the only one who had problems with this film? Mumble returns from his Quest to the Human World, and in about 30 seconds of screen time bends a few million exquisitely rendered digital penguins to his will. COMBINE singing and dancing like in an old-time musical, synthesizing the old and the new? I guess that idea never occurred to George Miller. That 10-second scene in the ice cave where Mumble converts his clinically-depressed dad to his cause? Phony, phony, phony; they probably realized it was time to wrap up the picture toot-sweet.

Film Headline News

What's Up With Pixar's Up and Narnia 3?

The Internet was abuzz with Walt Disney's announcement of a new Pixar film for 2009. The film titled UP will hit theaters June 12, 2009, making it the House that Lasseter Built's follow-up to WALL-E, which hits theaters June 27, 2008. The project is the next film for Pete Docter, who will co-direct with writer Bob Peterson. The story follows a 70-year-old man who meets a wilderness ranger and the duo battle beasts and villains. Inspiration for the lead character came from Disney legend Joe Grant.

Company Headline News

James Collins Joins Guava

Visual effects studio Guava has signed seasoned animator and designer James Collins to its roster. He recently completed a spot for GMC via Lowe Worldwide with Guava. He comes from Click 3X, where he rebuilt the CG department and headed the team.

"In addition to providing an environment that is conducive to creativity, Guava offers a very talented staff," said Collins. "I am eager to contribute my skills while also learning from the experienced artists here. At Guava, I hope to help clients nurture their ideas and solve their creative needs."

Effects Headline News

Mr. Brooks Marks Theatrical VFX Debut for SWAY

SWAY studio marked its theatrical film debut with the June 1 release of MR. BROOKS. SWAY's team of talented visual effects artists created realistic bullet wounds, exploding plaster, wood debris and blood spray, adding a precise element of photorealism to more than 85 shots within the Kevin Costner drama.

Headline News

33rd HUMANITAS Prize Finalists Announced

HUMANITAS Prize announced that 28 writers were named finalists in eight categories for the 32nd HUMANITAS Prize. The writers will be competing for $145,000 in prize money to be handed out at the annual luncheon, which will be held on June 26, 2007, at the Hilton Universal Hotel. The HUMANITAS Prize was created 32 years ago to reward great writing for television and film.

Finalists in the Children's Animation Category competing for $25,000 are:

JAKERS! THE ADVENTURES OF PIGGLEY WINKS: "The Gift" Written by Sindy McKay, Dennis Haley & Marcy Brown (PBS)

Headline News

Max & Ruby to Tour U.S.

Nelvana Enterprises' much-loved bunny siblings, MAX & RUBY, will star in an off-Broadway musical stage show in December that will also tour the U.S. this fall and next spring.

Produced by TheatreworksUSA, MAX & RUBY will play at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York City from Dec. 12, 2007, to Jan. 13, 2008. Tickets go on sale in September. Two touring companies will bring the show to 210 cities, to be seen by an estimated half a million preschool and school-aged children.

Kids Headline News

McDonald's Happy Meals Catch Surf's Up Wave

McDonald's and Sony Pictures Animation are treating McDonald's youngest guests to the characters from the SURF'S UP movie, beginning June 8, 2007, in McDonald's Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. On the opening day of the new animated movie, from Sony Pictures Animation, through July 5, with the purchase of a Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal, young guests will receive one of eight SURF'S UP surfing-action toys, while supplies last.

Channel Headline News

Broadcast Digital Channel Awards Names Disney Channel Best Children's Channel

Disney Channel won the award for the Best Children's Channel at the Broadcast Digital Channel Awards held June 6, 2007, in London, as it beat off competition from CBeebies, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and CITV, which were also short listed for the award.

Headline News

Breach Director Writing Westworld Remake

Billy Ray is now at work on a script re-envisioning Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi film, WESTWORLD, for Warner Bros, reports SCI FI WIRE.

The BREACH and SHATTERED GLASS director commented to the website, "There is no director attached. I would resist the idea of directing it myself, not that they've offered it to me, because I don't want the pressure of that kind of a budget sitting on my shoulders."

Ray added that he's interested in the idea of "how sometimes machines can behave like humans while humans can sometimes behave like machines."

Headline News

City of Heroes Visiting a Theater Near You

TRANSFORMERS producer Tom DeSanto has acquired the screen and TV rights to NCsoft and Cryptic Studio's videogame CITY OF HEROES, according to VARIETY. DeSanto plans to launch the franchise on film first then move it to television.

The MMORPG follows the superheroes of Paragon City, who must unite to thwart an alien invasion.

Since its debut in 2004, CITY OF HEROES has already spawned a sequel game, CITY OF VILLAINS and a Top Cow comicbook series.

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