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Mobile Headline News

NVIDIA Powers First DVB-H-Based Mobile TV Cell Phones

NVIDIA Corp. announced that its NVIDIA GoForce handheld graphics processing units (GPUs), are powering some of the world's first mobile TV production rollouts.

DVB-H, or Digital Video Broadcasting for handheld devices, delivers digital broadcast quality TV to your mobile phone. NVIDIA GoForce handheld GPUs provide hardware acceleration for Mobile TV, delivering higher quality visuals than devices using only software, and with less drain on the battery thanks to new power saving technologies employed by the GPU.

Headline News

The Covenant Leads Soft Box Office

Screen Gems horror flick, THE COVENANT (with vfx from Luma), captured the top spot at the box office in a weak weekend for the period ended Sept. 10, 2006, with $8.8M. HOLLYWOODLAND, (with vfx by Mr. X) inspired by the mysterious death of actor George Reeves (TVs SUPERMAN), bowed in second, picking up $5.9M for Focus Features. INVINCIBLE, the previous leader, slipped to third, catching $5.6M and $45.5M for Buena Vista. THE PROTECTOR, from The Weinstein Co., debuting in fourth with $5M. Lionsgates CRANK followed in fifth with $4.9M and a cume of $19.9M.

Headline News

Ojarumaru Creator Dies of Apparent Suicide

Creator of long-running Japanese children's cartoon series OJARUMARU, Rin Inumaru, has apparently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of a 14-story apartment building in Tokyo, various news sources have reported. Police have informed the press that Inumaru left suicide notes to her mother, expressing trouble with her work.

The 48-year-old cartoonist leapt from the roof on Sept. 10, 2006, landing on the roof of a five-story building below. She died of her injury shortly after the fall.

Books Headline News

Library Adds Animated Versions Of Classic Children’s Books

The Lafayette Public Library has added animated versions of classic childrens books to its website www.lafayette.lib.la.us, reports THE DAILY ADVERTISER. This new feature, called Tumble Books, includes sound, music and narration added to read-along text.

Headline News

HIT Ent. Expands Into Hong Kong

HIT Ent. is expanding with a new office servicing the Asia Pacific region in Hong Kong. HITs Asia Pacific licensing, TV sales and distribution will be handled out of Hong Kong, enabling the company to work more closely with its broadcasting partners, licensees and licensing agents.

The Hong Kong office will service Australia, Korea, South East Asia and India. HIT already operates an office in Japan.

Headline News

Animator Jan Svochak Passes on at 80

Animator Jan Svochak died of lung cancer Sept. 6, 2006, in Florida at the age of 80. J. J. Sedelmaier (J.J. Sedelmaier Prods.) relates, "Most people know Jan's work from the years he put in on the Hawaiian Punch campaign. He was the head animator from the '60s up to the early '90s.

Animation Headline News

Don’t Miss The New Acrobat Mag While Its Still Free!

The latest Acrobat edition of Animation World Magazine is now available. Its free for a limited time only! This months issue tackles the topic of comics, comic strips and illustrations. Jim Korkis uncovers the secret life of animators, who in lean times or more prosperous times have all worked in the world of comicbooks. Korkis also speaks with Floyd Gottfredson, who brought Mickey Mouse to the world via daily comic strips. Joe Strike looks into the art and artists behind classic and contemporary movie posters.

Animation Headline News

This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for Sept. 11, 2006

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Anime cartoon emotional conventions are a little different than some that we are used to in U.S. animation and comics. We will describe drawn anime visual shortcuts, all you have to do is match it to the emotion that it is associated with.

Animation Headline News

‘Little Mermaid’ Team Discusses Disney Past and Present

THE LITTLE MERMAID, which launched Disneys animation rebirth in 1989, made its digital debut last night (Sept. 7, 2006) at Hollywoods legendary El Capitan Theatre. The special limited engagement runs through Sept. 24, celebrating the Oct. 3 release of the special edition DVD from Walt Disney Home Ent.

Headline News

Midway Developing Billy & Mandy Game for Wii

Midway Games Inc. announced the development of THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY & MANDY for the Nintendo Wii. Gamers can play as one of 15 characters from one of Cartoon Networks top-rated shows in the adventure/fighting game, which is also scheduled to be available for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance this holiday season.

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Network & Adult Swim Shows Downloadable on Amazon Unbox

Turner Broadcasting System Inc. announced that programming downloads of original episodes from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are now available on Amazon.coms new digital video download service, Amazon Unbox. The new content features such favorites as Cartoon Networks FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS and Adult Swims AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE. Amazon.com has been offering Cartoon Network and Adult Swim content via DVD as well.

Available download content from Cartoon Network and Adult Swim will include the following:* JOHNNY BRAVO

Short Headline News

Indie Animated Shorts Available on iTunes

Shorts Intl, the programming and distribution arm of leading short films specialists Brit Shorts, announced that a special collection of 10 animated films from the world's hottest independent animators are available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com).

Animation Headline News

Pileated Pictures Answers All For Launch of Trivial Pursuit DVD For Kids

Pileated Pictures announced that it recently wrapped production of a dozen animated episodes to support the launch of Trivial Pursuit DVD for Kids. The team at Pileated handled all aspects of production for Parker Brothers, owned by Hasbro, including animation, design, voice-over production, video post work and DVD authoring.

Headline News

New Pokémon to Air Exclusively on Cartoon Network

The ninth season of the popular POKÉMON series POKÉMON: BATTLE FRONTIER will air exclusively on Cartoon Network, part of Cartoon Networks Saturday morning lineup of comedic and action-adventure programming. The new season kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 9:00 am (ET, PT) with a special one-hour episode. The series will air regularly on Saturday mornings at 9:30 am (ET, PT).

Headline News

Urbaniacs & Ikoncity Gamers Battle for Bragging Rights

Immersive community sites Urbanics.com and Ikoncity.com have pitted their gamers against each other in a battle for bragging rights as well as cool prizes. Members of the two sites can sign up to participate in the competition at www.ikoncity.com/battlezone10/. Top scorer will win an Urbaniacs t-shirt and the top will earn bonus Urbos, which can be used on the site to pimp out your custom Urbaniacs character.

Media Headline News

Fox Interactive Media Offers The Simpsons Premiere Peek

Fox Interactive Media (FIM) and FOX offered fans on the Web an exclusive glimpse at the new season of THE SIMPSONS series. Through a campaign sponsored by Burger King, FIM sites will offer a promotional premier look at the first episode starting Sept. 8, 2006. In a first, online fans on three FIM sites, including MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/thesimpsons), FOX.com (www.fox.com) and IGN.com's new site IGN TV (www.igntv.com) have the exclusive opportunity to see the first seven minutes of the first episode before it airs on television.

Awards Headline News

17 Scientific Achievements in Competition for 79th Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards Committee will review 17 scientific and technical achievements for 79th Academy Awards consideration, but its not too late to submit entries. Industrial Light & Magic is being considered for two achievements each.

The list of achievements is made public to allow individuals and companies with similar devices or claims of prior art the opportunity to submit their devices or claims for review as well, said Scientific and Technical Awards committee chair Donald C. Rogers.

Effects Headline News

Dennis Hoffman to Head Production at Anthem Visual Effects

Former Digital Domain vet Dennis Hoffman has been appointed vp/head of production for Vancouver-based Anthem Visual Effects Inc. Anthem was recently awarded, for the second consecutive year, production of visual effects for Starz/IDT Ent.s anthology series MASTERS OF HORROR.

Headline News

eyeon Connection with Autodesk Announced at IBC

Toronto-based compositing software developers, eyeon Software Inc., announced eyeon Connection at IBC 2006. This allows Fusion machines to directly access Autodesk's Media & Entertainment Stone file system over a LAN, giving the ability to interoperate with Inferno, Flame, Flint, Fire and Smoke systems without the need to import, export or publish media.

Effects Headline News

Luma Makes a ‘Covenant’ with VFX

Luma Pictures completed more than 75 visual effects shots for THE COVENANT, the new supernatural thriller from ScreenGems and Lakeshore Ent., and director Renny Harlin (opening Sept. 8, 2006). Included in the package are the films eerie opening sequence in which four teenage boys leap off a towering cliff, a mystical rite of passage sequence, as well as its climactic battle sequence.

Headline News

University of the Arts Students Using Intel-based Rendering Technology

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 12:00am

University of the Arts Media Arts Department have begun using an Intel Core 2 Duo processor workstation system and an Intel Pentium D processor server render farm for its students high-end animation and digital films. The new Intel processors reduce render times for UArts students who explore complex environments, dynamic character movement and dense texturing as they create their work.

Headline News

Wildform Releases New Software WildPresenter Lite

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 7, 2006 at 12:00am

Wildform, Inc. announced the release of a new, consumer priced Lite version of its popular presentation program, WildPresenter, which allows users to create Flash slide shows, flow charts, ads, online lessons and sales presentations.

Users can combine text, images, audio, artwork and shapes as well as add hundreds of animations, slide transitions and Flash features such as play controls, preloaders, links and mouse-overs. Additionally, users can import and then edit, combine and manipulate any Flash SWF and FLV file.

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