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AWN Headline News

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.

Games Headline News

Video Games Live Returns To The Hollywood Bowl

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

Off the heels of sold-out shows around the world, videogame composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall are bringing their videogames music concert back to the Hollywood Bowl for the second time on Sept. 21, 2006. The new Video Games Live concert features music from the most popular video ames performed by top orchestras and choirs, combining exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists and interactive segments.

Headline News

Spammers Using Animated Subliminal Messages

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

Sophos, a global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, has announced that it has found spammers using animated graphics to display subliminal messages encouraging investors to buy stocks in "pump-and-dump" stock scam. Spammers have moved to using animated GIFs as an attempt to try and avoid detection by anti-spam products.

Animated Headline News

Brother Bear Sequel Tops DVD Sales Charts

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

Buena Vista Home Ent.s BROTHER BEAR 2 has landed in the top slot on the national DVD sales chart for the week ending Sept. 3, according THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. This is the second big direct-to-video animated sequel for Buena Vista this year with Februarys BAMBI 2, which still is among the top 10 DVD sellers of the year. In other animated charts toppers, Paramounts SOUTH PARK SEASON 8 DVD set ranked #8 in its first week.

Media Headline News

Kent Rice to Head Starz Animation

Kent Rice has been named ceo of Starz Animation, a division of Starz Media, to develop and produce animated feature-length movies. Rice reports to Clasen.

Rice is a 20-year vet with executive level management experience in cable operations, telecom and TV programming, both in domestic and international markets. Most recently, he had been executive adviser to Starz Ent., helping acquire the newly named Starz Media and the integration of Starz Media with Starz Ent.

Headline News

Lionel Marty Upped to Taffy Ent. President of Worldwide Distribution

Taffy Ent., the brand management company for childrens and animation company MoonScoop and U.S.-based animation studio Mike Young Prods. (MYP), has promoted Lionel Marty in its Paris office to president of worldwide distribution. In the newly created position, Marty heads television and video sales for all Taffy Ent.s library of popular kids programming worldwide, including the MYP-produced multi-award-winning JAKERS!, for which Taffy holds worldwide television distribution rights, and MoonScoops hit show, CODE LYOKO.

Television Headline News

Jim Packer to Lead MGM Worldwide Television Distribution Group

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) is restructuring its worldwide television distribution operation, hiring senior management and bringing a number of new high profile programs to buyers around the globe. Seasoned distribution exec Jim Packer assumes the new title of president and remains in charge of television distribution worldwide, including U.S. barter sales and syndication, as well as all emerging forms of television programming distribution on a worldwide basis.

Mermaid Headline News

Denver Chosen for World Premiere of Musical ‘Little Mermaid’

Denver Center Attractions 2007 season contains the world-premiere production of Disneys THE LITTLE MERMAID musical at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the summer of 2007.

This project is terribly exciting and a huge coup for Denver, said Randy Weeks, president and coo of The Denver Center for the Performing Arts. We are looking forward to taking our relationship with Disney Theatricals to a new level this season.

Headline News

New NVIDIA GeForce 7 Series GPUs Deliver Value to PC Gamers

NVIDIA Corp. redefined performance expectations for graphics cards at two of the most popular price segments for PC gamers. Available immediately, NVIDIA SLI-ready GeForce 7900 GS graphics processing units (GPUs) deliver exceptional performance and cutting-edge features at the widely accessible $199 to $249 price point. Available Sept. 14, the GeForce 7950 GT GPU brings increased performance and a 512MB frame buffer to the $299 to $349 price segment.

Artists Headline News

Digital-Tutors Releases Rendering Techniques in XSI Training

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of RENDERING TECHNIQUES IN XSI, the newest release in an expanding library of interactive video-based training for emerging digital artists. Artists will learn innovative techniques and a unique approach to rendering in XSI and compositing using the integrated FX Tree. RENDERING TECHNIQUES IN XSI provides over 2.5 hours of project-based training to increase the artist's productivity and understanding of rendering and compositing while using the powerful tools and features in XSI.

Black Headline News

Audrey Hepburn Helps ‘Keep it Simple’ in Gap Spots

Debuting Sept. 7, Gap's new KEEP IT SIMPLE TV spots juxtapose classic footage of Audrey Hepburn from the movie FUNNY FACE dancing in skinny black pants to the 1980 AC/DC hit song Back in Black."

Headline News

AMD Proceeding with Acquisition of ATI

Antitrust conditions and preliminary approvals of AMDs proposed acquisition of ATI have been cleared, and the transaction is expected to be completed during ATIs first quarter of fiscal 2007, which ends Nov. 30, 2006. The proposed acquisition remains subject to the approval of ATI shareholders, court approval of the plan of arrangement and certain other regulatory approvals.

Studio Headline News

Amy Pascal Named Co-Chair at Sony Pictures

Amy Pascal has been promoted to co-chairman of Sony Pictures Ent. (SPE) and has extended her deal with the studio to 2011.

In addition to her new title, Pascal will continue to serve in her role as chairman of the studio's Motion Picture Group. Michael Lynton, chairman/ceo of SPE, and the two will continue to report to Sir Howard Stringer, chairman/ceo of Sony Corp.

Headline News

Olivia King Canter New ER Director of Sales for Latin America & Canada

Olivia King Canter joins Entertainment Rights Plc. as director of sales for Latin America and Canada. She will be responsible for driving ERs business in these key territories and will be based in ERs New York City office.

King Canter report to Kathleen Hricik, evp/md of the United States of America, Canada and Latin America, as well as heads up ERs U.S. operations.

Digital Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

When Chris Landreth, the Oscar-winning director of RYAN, offered to cover the SIGGRAPH 2006 Electronic Theater in Boston, we were naturally thrilled. Chris has been attending the celebrated EA for 18 years and continues to find inspiration in the yearly CG offerings, though the former Maya engineer at Alias admittedly longs for more cutting edge technical demos too.

Game Headline News

Austin Game Conference Reports Online Game Market To Grow To $4.4 Billion

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

New market research detailing the growth of the online game industry will be announced at the Austin Game Conference (AGC) this week on Sept. 6-8, 2006. The fourth annual Austin Game Conference will bring together more than 2,400 game industry professionals from 20 countries representing more than 520 companies.

Headline News

Patrick Smith’s Puppet Makes LA Premiere This Week

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

New York animator Patrick Smith premieres his latest animated short, PUPPET, in Los Angeles on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7:45 pm in the Arclight Theater. PUPPET recently become eligible for the 79th Academy Awards, and has been selected to screen at more than 50 film festivals worldwide for the 2006-2007 season.

The Arclight is located at 6360 Sunset, west of Vine Street. The L.A. premiere is hosted by the 2006 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and is part of a line-up of other shorts.

Headline News

Illumitoon Partners With Westlake

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

Illumitoon Ent. Ltd., a newly formed collaboration of business and creative professionals focused on delivering customized entertainment to the North American markets, announced that it will be utilizing Westlake Ent. Inc. for home video distribution on its new acquisitions, including BEET THE VANDEL BUSTER and AM DRIVER. The announcement comes on the heels of Westlake Ent.s announcement of the companys repositioning in the marketplace to release first-run features, including theatrical and new title acquisitions in other key core categories.

Headline News

Kansas U Students Tease With Toon Prequel

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

A trio of Kansas University students has begun to drum up interest for their upcoming webtoon ZOOK MAYHEM AND THE BANDITS by releasing a short one-minute prequel at www.zookmayhem.com, reports THE KANSAN.

Having worked on the cartoon for the past seven months, creator Nolan T. Jones felt the prequel would be a great way to introduce the characters and spur interest in the series before the first episode launches in October.

Studio Headline News

Warner Bros. Television Group Creates Studio 2.0

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

The Warner Bros. Television Group is establishing a new digital production venture, dubbed Studio 2.0, which will work with creative talent and advertisers to create original live-action and animated short-form programming for broadband and wireless devices. WBTVG has tapped multi-award-winning producer and senior advertising exec Rich Rosenthal to head Studio 2.0.

Headline News

GDH Offers PAPO on Blu-ray & HD DVD, Role in Anime Series

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

GDH K.K. has announced it will release PROJECT PAPO on both next-generation high-definition formats Blu-ray and HD DVD. The Blu-ray DVD will be distributed by Sony Pictures Ent. (Japan) lnc.

PAPO is a mysterious robot that also functions as a speaker. People who become mesmerized by PAPO's mystifying music experience various bizarre but unique events. What could the true identity of PAPO be?

Imax Headline News

Happy Feet Won’t Debut in IMAX 3-D

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 6, 2006 at 12:00am

HAPPY FEET wont be dancing in IMAX 3-D just yet. Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX announced that due to time constraints the animated feature about a tap-dancing penguin from Animal Logic would open in IMAX 2-D rather than 3-D on Nov. 17. There just wasnt sufficient time to deliver the master print and then convert it to 3-D by IMAX.

A spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Pictures noted that a 3-D release of the film was still in the cards at some point.

Autodesk Headline News

Autodesk at IBC 2006

Autodesk is participating in the 2006 International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) being held in Amsterdam from Sept. 8-12. Autodesk will publicly debut new releases of its visual effects, color grading and editing/finishing systems, and showcase the recently announced versions of its 3D animation, modeling and rendering products.

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