Animation World News - Internet & Interactive

Internet & Interactive
(continued from Internet & Interactive page 2)

Cyber Bytes: Entertaindom.com, Time Warner's on-line entertainment destination, has picked up 17 additional episodes of its smash hit, The God & Devil Show from Mondo Media, a leading creator and distributor of serial-based animated content. The God & Devil Show, an animated weekly "talk show" launched on Entertaindom in November. Each week the show features hosts God and the Devil interviewing then deciding the eternal fates of various "celebrity" guests (including impersonations of Keith Richards, Bill Gates, Chris Rock, Martha Stewart, George Lucas and Mahatma Gandhi). . . .Want to learn more about Mondo Media? Then read Lee Dannacher profile in the March 2000 issue of Animation World Magazine. . . .On February 14, 2000, the God The Devil And Bob Web site launched to promote the new series which debuted on NBC on Thursday, March 9, 2000 at 8:30 pm. The series is produced by Carsey-Werner, the creators of 3rd Rock From The Sun, That '70s Show and Cosby. God The Devil And Bob, created by Matthew Carlson, centers around Bob Alman, a Detroit auto plant worker who has been chosen by God to prove the world is worth saving after God and the Devil debate over the value of the little blue planet. The show's cast includes James Garner (Rockford Files), Alan Cumming (Cabaret), French Stewart (3rd Rock From The Sun), Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons) and Kath Soucie (Rugrats). Designed by A.D.2, the site opens with an ethical question which will determine whether the visitor goes to heaven or hell. The visitor will then be guided to God's Mail Bag where they can speak with God, the Devil's lair, information on the show, how an animated scene is put together from start to finish, and e-cards for their friends. . . .Want to know about events in Italy? Then visit ASIFA Italia's re-designed Website at www.asifaitalia.org. The Italian-languaged site is a growing destination for animation in Italy. The site features ASIFA events and other information regarding the Italian animation organization. . . .On Tuesday, February 29, 2000, Shockwave and sponsor Cyberworld launched a Stan Lee premiere, live on shockwave.com. The star-studded event was hosted by Dick Clark. The celebrities on the attendee list were Tom Hanks, Keanu Reeves, Michael Jackson, Richard Dreyfus, John Travolta, Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo Dicaprio. Excerpts from the event also were televised internationally on ET and other entertainment news broadcasts. On Wednesday, March 1, Stan Lee/Cyberworld content will launch on their site at www.stanlee.net. . . .The Oscar shortlisted The Indescribable Nth has been picked up for distribution on the Net at AtomFilms. The deal between Nth's creators Character Builders and AtomFilms covers domestic and foreign television showings as well as airline programming and Internet distribution. The film follows the story of a boy and his understanding of the indescribable feeling called love. . . .Read Maureen Furniss' review of The Indescribable Nth and the other short listed films in Animation World Magazine. . . . Former Time-Warner chairman and CEO Robert A. Daly has signed a check for an undisclosed million-dollar figure to animation Netcaster Shockwave.com. As part of the investment, Daly joins the board of the San Francisco-based company, which broadcasts games, animation and music programming on-line for free. Since leaving Time-Warner, Daly has been focusing on his chairman and CEO post overseeing all operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. At Shockwave, he will help sign up big name talent to produce original programming for the site. Current heavyweights bringing original shows to Shockwave are Tim Burton, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and comic book legend Stan Lee. The site is said to be close to a deal with David Lynch, as well. Daly left Time-Warner in October 1999 along with chairman and other co-CEO Terry Semel, who pumped $2 million into Gen Y Netcaster Digital Entertainment Network one month ago. Oh, what boys wonít do when they have money in their pockets. . . . Manga Entertainment has announced the launch of the official X Web site. X is the latest anime hit from Japan to be released in U.S. theatres. The supernatural thriller was designed by the all-female studio, Clamp. The film is directed by Rintaro, who has been working in anime for over 30 years and is best known in the U.S. for directing the TV series Kimba The White Lion and Astro Boy. The site will feature a live streaming video trailer courtesy of sputnik7.com for both Real Player and Windows Media Player and an official movie poster giveaway to the first 100 entrants. Manga Entertainment is the leading distributor of anime outside of Asia and has brought such titles as Ghost In The Shell to the States. . . . Shockwave.com, a leading Internet entertainment destination, announced it has signed a deal with Joe Shields, the creative mind behind www.joecartoon.com. Shields is known for his popular Webisodes, including Frog Bender 2000 (a.k.a. Frog In A Blender) and Micro-Gerbil 2001. Shields will produce 10 new original animated properties to debut exclusively on shockwave.com. . . .The classic animated character Elmo Aardvark is making a come-back on the Web. The new weekly animated series, Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective!, debuted in March on renegadecartoons.com. The new Elmo adventures feature voice talent from June Foray (Rocky & Bullwinkle), Diane Michelle (Ally McBeal), Corey Burton (Dudley Do-Right), Phil Lollar (Adventures In Odyssey), Keith Scott (Rocky & Bullwinkle: The Movie) and Will Ryan, grandson of Elmo Aardvark creator Terwilliger Ryan. The series follows the space-capades of the ukulele-playing marsupial. The show is sponsored by The Planet Earth.