MyToons.com -- now in HD -- have launched their latest contest for animators all over the world.

Get with the Times! is an HD animation contest that will send one grand prize winner to New York City to see their animation played on a Clear Channel billboard, powered by Adobe Flash technology, in Times Square. Animators are invited to submit their HD animations at MyToons.com/contests/TimesSquare.

The 35th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Daytime Emmy Awards were presented Friday at a black-tie gala at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in the Time-Warner's Columbus Circle complex in New York City.

More than 1,000 performers, producers and craftspeople involved in daytime television, including drama, talk shows, children's programs, game shows and lifestyle programs from both the East and West Coast congregated at a single ceremony to honor the winners.

Outstanding Children's Animated Program
CURIOUS GEORGE (PBS)

Los Angeles-based ColdHardFlash.com, a source for high-quality, animated films produced with Flash, has named the winner of the Flash Animation 10: Best Animated event, which is sponsored by MyToons.com.

Channel Frederator, the largest Internet cartoon network in the world and one of the founding networks of Next New Networks, today announced the winners of the Channel Frederator Awards, recognizing extraordinary talents in animation and the Internet.

The Second Annual Channel Frederator Awards is available to watch online at www.channelfrederatorawards.com.

Kim Cattrall has signed on as the voice of Dee in the highly anticipated animated sitcom PRODUCING PARKER, slated to premiere in spring 2009 on E! in Canada. The announcement was made Thursday by Kevin Gillis, Ira Levy and Peter Williamson, the Executive Producers at Breakthrough Animation.

Australian Effects & Animation Awards
Sydney, Australia
November 11-13, 2008
Deadline: October 1, 2008

An international competition now in its 12th year, the AEAF Awards attract entries from around the world. The awards give recognition and reward excellence and creativity in 10 categories of competition:

Commercials Animation
Commercials VFX
Titles, Idents & Stings
Short Film
Student
Music Video
TV Series
Flash Animation
Feature Films, Animation
Feature Films, VFX

J. J. Sedelmaier Productions has completed three new spots for satellite broadcasting giant XM Radio, focused on the benefits to drivers of XM NavTraffic, XM's real-time traffic information service.

The spots are the first collaboration between JJSP and Washington, D. C.-based Brand-Aid, which worked closely with XM's in-house creative team on the integrated campaign.

Digital-Tutors released Flash and Maya Integration -- the newest release in a growing library of interactive training for emerging digital artists using Flash, an advanced authoring environment for creating interactive content for digital, Web, and mobile platforms, and Maya, the award-winning 3-D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering solution.

This week in AWN's Forums, members are discussing SKUNK FU and Flash TV series in general. A thread compares the success of GRAND THEFT AUTO IV to IRON MAN. Others are discussing the controversy surround Aniboom's Radiohead "In Rainbows' contest. What are your thoughts on the idea that "It's all about the story?" Members continue to post their picks for their favorite new toon series. Tried and true debates on 2D continue to have steam in the forums. Folks are still discussing the underuse of the Internet as a platform for animators.

On Thursday, May 8, Imaginary Forces Director of Experience Design Tali Krakowsky will be presenting at the 13th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Digital Media in Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart, Germany. This session is part of the flashconference forum of the event.

MyToons.com will mark its first anniversary by collaborating with Adobe to deliver content to Adobe Media Player. High-quality, member-created animation from MyToons.com, along with video from television broadcasters and leading content publishers, will now be available on Adobe Media Player.

PBS KIDS Sprout is making viewers the stars of its new original afternoon block, THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW.

Launching on May 5, 2008 in the 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. ET timeslot previously occupied by THE LET'S GO SHOW (which is moving to weekend afternoons), THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW will be hosted by a group of fun and loveable hand puppets who will showcase viewer-submitted videos featuring preschoolers showing off their talents and "Look what I can do!" moments.

Attention animators! San Diego Asian Film Festival 2008 will once again be showcasing animated short films produced by animators of Asian ethnicities in a 90-minute all-animation program. All forms of animation (traditional, claymation, stop-motion, flash, CGI, etc) will be accepted for consideration into this competitive festival. Films by all animators pertaining to Asian issues and themes will also be considered. Only VHS and DVD (preferred) formats are accepted for consideration. A Best Animated Short Film Award will be awarded with prizes to be determined.

Emmy award-winning Toon Boom Animation announced the release of Toon Boom Studio Express 4. With this release, Studio Express 4 increases your ability to easily create eye-catching animation, all within a more user-friendly interface.

Feature highlights include:

*New flexible docking user interface
*Calligraphic line styles for a unique animation look
*Feather edges for creating blurs and glows
*Vectorization using textures for bitmap integration

Cosgrove Hall Films, Europe's largest and most prolific animation company is set to unveil an exciting slate of programming at MIP TV 2008.

New programming launching at the market includes innovative home-grown animation; ROGER TO THE RESCUE, EDDIE RETRACTORHEAD and MY NEIGHBOUR IS AN EVIL GENIUS!

Created in-house in Toon Boom Harmony, ROGER TO THE RESCUE is a 52 x 10 minute series aimed at the 3-6 year old demographic.

This week in AWN's Forums, pitching an idea to Cartoon Network is still a popular thread. Questions have arrived regarding animation basics, Flash and Photoshop. Others are adding to the discussion on the pros and cons of modeling your own CG characters or purchasing models. There's more talk on internships. EL TIGRE has a continuing thread. Members are still writing their thoughts about the influence of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax had on their lives.

New licensing deals continue to pour in as Speed Racer Enterprises prepares for the launch of the new animated television series SPEED RACER: THE NEXT GENERATION on Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network, on May 2, 2008.

The following companies are joining the blue-chip roster of licensees for both SPEED RACER: THE NEXT GENERATION and the classic SPEED RACER animated television series:

Bringing children "a wonderful world of cultural discoveries," the award-winning former executive producer of Disney's BABY EINSTEIN and former vice president of Disney Interactive Studio's -- Learning is launching Global Wonders.

Global Wonders is a new children's multicultural education and entertainment brand to introduce children to the customs, music, languages and lifestyles of friends next door and around the world.

This week in AWN's Forums, a member has questions about adding voiceover tracks in Flash. Discussion fails to cease on pitching to Cartoon Network. More people write in on internships and what's the best PC for animation. Wacom vs. pencils is still a hot topic. While other members are sharing their recent work for others to critique. Plus, new members are introducing themselves weekly. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand-new stuff to check out in show and tell!

The visually explosive music video promotion for Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice 2008 Awards currently leaping off the small screen features animation and visual effects by Los Angeles studio Roger.

Comic actor and Kids' Choice host Jack Black stars in the video singing "Jack is Back" to AC/DC's famous rock anthem and taking viewers on a journey of wild imaginings that plunges Jack into a fully animated gooey world.