AWN Headline News

Headline News

EA Says Cowabunga to Simpsons Gaming Rights

Electronic Arts, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Gracie Films announced a long-term deal that grants EA development rights to multiple videogame titles based on the FOX hit series THE SIMPSONS. Working closely with the television studios Licensing and Merchandising division, show producers Gracie Films and THE SIMPSONS writers, EA will create original SIMPSONS game content for next generation videogame systems. This deal between Fox and EA is the first development deal between these two entities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Films Headline News

TCM Announces Ghibli Studio Tribute Lineup

In January, Turner Classic Movies will be highlighting the work of Japans top animation house, Studio Ghibli. Each Thursday, TCM will devote its evening programming to two films from the famed production company. Kicking off the tribute on Jan. 5, 2005, the network will broadcast Hayao Miyazakis masterpieces PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY. On Jan. 12, the channel will turn its attention to Miyazakis aerial adventures NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND and CASTLE IN THE SKY. Next, on Jan.

In Television, Television | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Nickelodeon Headline News

Nicktoons Characters Unite for THQ Videogame

THQ Inc. and Nickelodeon announced NICKTOONS UNITE! for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance has shipped to retail outlets throughout North America. NICKTOONS UNITE! allows players to interact with the stars from some of the most popular Nickelodeon TV shows, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Timmy Turner (from THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS), Jimmy Neutron and Danny Phantom.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, Australia, Europe

Short Headline News

Asian Filmmakers Still Have Time to Enter Short Shorts Fest

The Short Shorts Film Festival 2006Various Cities, JapanJune 3-11, 2006Deadline: December 20, 2005

The Short Shorts Film Festival is Japans largest festival for short films. The Academy Award accredited festival takes place in nine cities and 13 venues including Yangon, Myanmar and across Japan; Tokyo, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Osaka, Hakodate, Nagoya and Matsumoto.

In Call for Entries, Call for Entries | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Software Headline News

NVIDIA and DAZ Team Up on CG Christmas Book

Artists at DAZ Prods., a developer of professional-quality 3D software and models, have applied state-of-the-art graphics technology from NVIDIA Corp. to the process of illustrating a new book for the holiday season.

In Books, Books | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Europe

Home Headline News

Warner Home Video Joins UMD Format

Warner Home Video (WHV) will release THE DUKES OF HAZZARD as the first new Universal Media Disc (UMD) release title on Dec. 6, day-and-date with the DVD. Also available on that date will be AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE VOLUME 4 from Cartoon Network.

This will be followed by WHVs second wave of UMD titles on Dec. 20: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BATMAN BEGINS, CONSTANTINE, HOUSE OF WAX, THE MATRIX, T3 and ENTER THE DRAGON.

In Home Entertainment, Home Entertainment | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Star Headline News

Sith Completes the Circle on DVD

REVENGE OF THE SITH, the last of the STAR WARS prequels, hits DVD shelves in a two-disc set Nov. 1, 2005 (Fox Home Ent., $29.98). EPISODE III, with stunning vfx from ILM 1,269 shots and more CGI than many animated features is a reference quality disc, thanks to its dense, beautiful, digital imagery.

In Home Entertainment, Visual Effects, Home Entertainment, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Creative Headline News

Noodlesoup Founder to Stir up Creative Juices at The Creative Group

Jeff Nodelman, the award-winning director and animator responsible for founding and building Noodlesoup Prods. into a leading independent animation studio in New York City, has joined NYC-based The Creative Group as creative director in charge of animation. Nodelman is charged with the formation of an animation studio infrastructure to develop, produce and market original animated brands for television, film and DVD.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Media Headline News

Michael J. Wolf New MTV Networks President/COO

Michael J. Wolf has been named president/coo of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. In this newly created senior executive position, Wolf will lead the company's business and technology operations, including Advertising Sales, Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Business and Strategy Development, Business and Legal Affairs, Finance, Information Systems and Technology, and Production Operations. He will also help set and implement MTVs evolving multiplatform strategy to serve its audiences across all screens with the most compelling content.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Films Headline News

2005 American Film Market Sets 44 Films For Public Preview Screenings

The 2005 American Film Market (AFM) has set 44 independent feature films to be featured in the Public Previews screening program that offers free badges to all individuals working in the entertainment industry, as well as Santa Monica, California residents.

In Event, Event | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Headline News

AJA Ships KONA LHe For New Power Mac PCI Express G5

AJA Video, a leading manufacturer of professional video interface and conversion solutions, has begun shipping KONA LHe, the first PCI Express HD capable device for the new Power Mac PCI Express G5s. AJA is now shipping a total of four products that support the PCIe G5 systems: the award-winning Io family of video converters, Io, IoLA, IoLD along with KONA LHe. Underscoring its commitment to future-safe products, the AJA Io product line has been compatible with the last three generations of Mac G4, G5 and PowerBooks systems.

In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Maps Headline News

Pixologic Adds Displacement Exporter and Multi-Displacement 2

Pixologic Inc., makers of the award-winning modeling, texturing and painting application, ZBrush, announced the release of two new plug-ins: Displacement Exporter and Multi-Displacement 2.

In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Universal Headline News

Universal Joins Christie/AIX Digital Alliance

Universal Pictures became the third major movie studio to support digital distribution with Christie/AIX, following similar agreements with Twentieth Century Fox and The Walt Disney Co.s Buena Vista Pictures.

Universal will make its future feature films available to the DCI-compliant digital projection systems deployed by Christie/AIX, the subsidiary of Access Integrated Technologies Inc. (AccessIT), which is launching a nationwide rollout of 4,000 systems. Christie/AIX expects to install the first 150 systems in multiple exhibitor locations by Dec. 31.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Headline News

Saw II Powers Past Zorro

Lions Gates SAW II (with vfx from C.O.R.E.) carved up a surprising $31.7M at the box office for its Halloween weekend bow ended Oct. 30, 2005. Sonys THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (with vfx from Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope) debuted in a distant second with $16.3M. Universals PRIME followed in third, as another newcomer, with $6.2M. Slipping to fourth was DreamWorks DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY (with vfx by Hammerhead), which brought in $6.1M for a two-week cume of $17.3M.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Kids Headline News

Ken Olshansky to Tap U.S. for Granada Kids

Ken Olshansky joins Granada Kids as vp, creative affairs: kids, responsible for developing pre-school and animation programming with a specific focus on the U.S. market.

He will be based in New York and travel frequently to London to work with the teams based there.

Olshanskys extensive experience includes serving as svp at Scholastic, overseeing CLIFFORDS PUPPY DAYS (PBS) and the Emmy Award-winning I SPY (HBO). Previously he was vp, creative affairs, at Sunbow Ent., and was the creative force behind THE CRAMP TWINS (Cartoon Network, BBC).

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

Asian Ministers Meet To Promote Films, Animation

Leaders from Asian countries gathered for a high-level seminar which opened Oct. 28, 2005, in Tokyo to enhance Asia-wide cooperation to produce animated movies, games and other cultural products, reports KYODO NEWS. Ministers from Japan, China, South Korea, India and the 10 members of the Assoc. of Southeast Asian Nations are gathered to recognize the importance of movies and animation produced and widely circulated in the region.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Comics Headline News

Stephen King Turns Dark Tower Into Comic At Marvel

Stephen King and Marvel Comics have joined forces to launch a new comicbook series adapted from King's magnum opus, THE DARK TOWER. Kings first foray into comics will begin its first issue April 2006.

In Books, Books | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Game Headline News

Spike TV’s Video Game Awards Announces Nominees

Spike TV has announced the nominees for the Video Game Awards 2005 (VGA), hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, who was a winner at last year's show for GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vin Diesel, The Rock, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Carmen Electra, Xzibit and Ozzy Osbourne are also set to appear at the third annual awards event.

The Spike TV "Video Game Awards 2005" takes place on Nov. 18 at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles with the two-hour "games vs. games" extravaganza premiering on Spike TV Saturday, Dec. 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

In Awards, Awards | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Animation Headline News

Get the New Animation World Magazine Acrobat Online Now!

Animation World Magazine readers can now download the latest Acrobat edition of the publication. For July AWM focused its attention on comics, comic strips and illustration. With the digital comics world continuing to grow, Janet Hetherington explores the exciting new breed of digital comics creators and publishers. Also Hetherington takes a look at why graphic novels are leaping from comic shops and bookstore shelves to big screens across North America and beyond.

In Headline News | Special Events: SIGGRAPH | Geographic Region: All, Europe

Headline News

Comcast Buys Susquehanna Communications

Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. and Comcast Corp. announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to sell Susquehanna Communications (SusCom), the cable television and broadband services division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, to Comcast. Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff announced earlier this year that it would sell the business, citing changes in corporate and family circumstances.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Frederator Headline News

Frederator Studios Launches Channel Frederator for Cartoon Podcasts

Frederator Studios founder Fred Seibert has launched Channel Frederator, the world's first cartoon video podcast created expressly for distribution of world-class content on portable video devices, such as the Apple iPod and the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP).

Episodes released weekly will contain several shorts from original and vintage cartoons submitted by producers from around the world, packaged into 10- to 15-minute episodes by the Channel Frederator programming team.

In Flash, Interactive, Flash, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

Animation Guild Posts Latest Peg-Board Newsletter

The Animation Guild has posted the October issue of their newsletter, The Peg-Board, on their website, which is hosted by Animation World Network.

In Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for October 31, 2005

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.

In Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for October 31, 2005

This week in AWN's Forums, a junior member poses the question why is Disney so popular?

In Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Home Headline News

Bionicle 3 Now on DVD

BIONICLE 3: WEB OF SHADOWS is the third in the series of CG-animated features made for DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). With one final duty to fulfill before they can build their new home on the island of Mata Nui, six great Toa heroes return to Metru Nui and find their once-glorious city shrouded in shadows and overrun by a sinister army of spidery, web-slinging Visorak.

In Home Entertainment, Home Entertainment | Headline News | Geographic Region: All