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AWN Headline News

Show Headline News

David Tench Becomes First Virtual Host

On Aug. 17, 2006, at 8.30 pm (AEST), Australias Network Ten will launch DAVID TENCH TONIGHT, a new talk show featuring an animated talk show host, reports SMH.com. The show was created by ENOUGH ROPE presenter Andrew Denton and his production company, Zapruder's Other Films.

Using motion capture and digital enhancement technologies, digital host David Tench will interview real people in realtime. Like other talk show hosts, viewers will watch Tench perched behind a desk, interviewing his guests live in a studio.

Headline News

Disney Offers Two New Learning With Pooh DVDs

Two new Disney Learning Adventure titles were released earlier in August: WINNIE THE POOH: SHAPES AND SIZES and WINNIE THE POOH: WONDERFUL WORD ADVENTURE (Walt Disney Home Ent., $19.99). Developed by Disney and leading educators, the DVDs help build fundamental skills for kids prior to entering pre-school or kindergarten. Featuring Winnie the Pooh and his friends, the DVDs integrate entertaining stories with cognitive learning- based themes to help educate young audiences.

Headline News

Buena Vista Worldwide Home Ent. Launched

Details of the previously announced restructuring of the Buena Vista Home Ent. division were revealed, as BVHE and Buena Vista Home Ent. International are integrated into one global division: Buena Vista Worldwide Home Ent. (BVWHE).

Explained BVWHE president Bob Chapek: "With the rapidly changing landscape facing the home entertainment industry, we need to embrace not only new technologies but the global nature of our business as well. This new organization addresses the need for global strategies and allows for market customization."

Home Headline News

M:i:III Offered Day-and-Date on all DVD Formats

On Oct. 30, M:I:III hits shelves on DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD with high-definition bonus features for the HD presentations from Paramount Home Ent. Starring Tom Cruise and Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman, M:I:III is directed by J.J. Abrams (ALIAS and LOST), with vfx from ILM.

Headline News

Talladega Nights Still in First

The Will Ferrell NASCAR comedy, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY, kept its box office lead for the weekend ended Aug. 13, 2006. The Sony release (with vfx from Digital Dimension) scored $22.1M with a two-week cume of $90.3M. Debuting in second and third were Buena Vistas STEP UP, with $20.6M, and Paramounts WORLD TRADE CENTER (with vfx from Double Negative and Animal Logic) with $18.7M for a five-day cume of $26.5M.

Animation Headline News

This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for Aug. 14, 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.

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival is the largest animated film festival held each year. The 2006 edition produced a new crop of winners. Are you aware of some of the strongest films out there right now (at least according to the Annecy juries)?

Story Headline News

My Dog Tulip Barks Up Acting Trio

Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave and Isabella Rossellini will provide voices for the independent animated feature, MY DOG TULIP, based on J.R. Ackerleys 1956 British novel, reports VARIETY.

Brian Murray, Paul Hecht, Peter Gerety and Euan Morton fill out the rest of the voice cast. The story follows a 14-year friendship between Ackerley and his German Shepherd, Tulip, after the scribe rescued the dog.

Animation Headline News

China Bans Foreign Cartoons From Primetime

Chinas State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) has issued a new notice stating that no TV stations will be allowed to broadcast foreign cartoons before 8:00 pm, starting from Sept. 1, 2006, reports various news sources. Chinas primetime programming hours are 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

The notice was not published on SARFT's website, but staff at Southwest China's Guizhou Provincial Television Station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CHINA DAILY that they received it more than two months ago.

Headline News

Sealed By A Kiss Sneaks into L.A. Theaters

L.A.-based Indican Pictures quietly released the 2D animated feature, ROMEO AND JULIET: SEALED BY A KISS in L.A. theaters over the past weekend.

Produced by Phil Nibbelink Prods., the story retells the Shakespeare play casting seals as the star-crossed lovers. When Juliet's father gives her hand in marriage to the monstrous elephant seal named Prince, Juliet, with the help of friends Friar Lawrence and Kissy the kissing fish, must fake her death in order to be reunited with Romeo. Phil Nibbelink (AN AMERICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST) wrote and directed the film.

Comics Headline News

Virgin Comics Sets Up Animation Shop In Bangalore

Virgin Comics has set up an animation studio in Bangalore where artists work on themes with a strong eastern influence. Reports NDTVPROFIT.COM.

"Bangalore is the true R&D centre for Virgin animation," said Suresh Seetharaman, president, Virgin Comics & Virgin Animation. "It creates all the content, be it art, content and works with a complete network of people abroad who help us put it all together."

Mobile Headline News

Gameloft Secures Mobile Gaming Rights To Lost & Desperate Housewives

Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of games for mobile phones, has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with Touchstone Television to develop, publish and distribute mobile games based on the award-winning series LOST and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, which air on ABC-TV in the U.S. The games are scheduled for release in early 2007.

Animation Headline News

Nicktoons Network Animation Festival Winners

Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeons 24-hour animation network, and Frederator Studios announced award winners from Nicktoons Network Animation Festival during the festivals first two-day live event at the Nick Toon Studio lot in Burbank, California. Keith Dawkins, gm, Nicktoons Network, emceed the presentation of the awards plus a sneak peak at the shorts to be broadcast.

The winners and prizes are as follows:Student Award Winner LIBRARYHEAD by David Bazelon, Los Angeles

Star Headline News

All Five Captains to Voice Star Trek: Legacy Videogame

Bethesda Softwork has secured all five actors who portrayed the STAR TREK series captains William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Scott Bakula, Avery Brooks and Kate Mulgrew to provide voiceovers in the STAR TREK: LEGACY videogame. The collaboration marks the first time the five actors have participated in a single STAR TREK project together.

Artists Headline News

Raid Projects Needs Artist In Residency

Raid Projects is looking for an artist to fill the September, October and November Artist In Residency space. Previously approved artists will get priority, but all artists are encouraged to apply.

For periods of three or six months residents are provided with living accommodations, a studio and during the last month of their stay a well-publicized solo exhibition. During the residency Raid facilitates residents to establish working professional links in the L.A. art world and to bring curators, critics and collectors to see the solo show privately.

Headline News

Lunar Jim Is Dining At Zellers

Alliance Atlantis Intl Content Distribution and Hudson's Bay Co. (Hbc) announced that they are partnering to bring consumers an exclusive meal program and unique meet and greet opportunities, developed around Alliance Atlantis' preschool stop-motion animated property, LUNAR JIM. This two-phased initiative heralds the launch of the LUNAR JIM line of Fisher-Price toys, hitting Canadian shelves beginning August 2006 and marks the first children's property product tie-in at Zellers restaurants.

Disney Headline News

Disney Unveils Two Fashion Brands For Infants

Designed to appeal to trend-forward parents and discerning gift-givers, the Classic Disney and Walt Disney Signature collections of apparel and infant gifts were unveiled at the ENK Intl Children's Trade Show in New York City. Featuring scenes from Disney's stories, characters and art portrayed in an understated fashion, the collections will offer cashmere blankets, hooded robes and mittens, bibs and burp cloths, organic cotton tees, cardigans and casual separates.

Headline News

Jennifer Bresnan New Alternative Programming SVP at The CW

Jennifer Bresnan joins THE CW as svp, alternative programming, to supervise the on-going production of the network's reality franchises, including AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL, BEAUTY AND THE GEEK and the midseason series, THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT PUSSYCAT DOLL, as well as the development of all future alternative and reality series.

Games Headline News

Re-Named F.E.A.R. Multiplayer Available for Free Aug. 17

Sierra Ent. has renamed the multiplayer component from the award-winning PC title, F.E.A.R. (FIRST ENCOUNTER ASSAULT RECON) to F.E.A.R. COMBAT, and will be made available to the public as a free download on Aug. 17, 2006.

F.E.A.R. COMBAT is the complete multiplayer component of F.E.A.R., and includes all the updates, additional official maps and additional official game modes all in one downloadable file. F.E.A.R. COMBAT users may play against the owners of the retail version of F.E.A.R., as well as the other F.E.A.R. COMBAT users.

F.E.A.R. COMBAT features:

Visual Headline News

VES to Honor Dennis Muren for Lifetime Achievement

The 5th Annual VES Awards, presented by the Visual Effects Society (VES), will be held for the first time at the Kodak Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, on Feb. 11, 2007, with ILMs Dennis Muren receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards ceremony has been previously held at the Hollywood Palladium.

Headline News

GameTap Gets More Animated With Computer Lab & CN Cartoon Series

GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS), has added content for its animation channel, featuring an original series entitled, "Computer Lab," and select animation content from the Cartoon Network and the Anime Channel. COMPUTER LAB is the 12th original series to debut only on GameTap.

Animation Headline News

NaturalMotion Announces morpheme

NaturalMotion Ltd. recently announced morpheme, a powerful new animation engine for next-generation game development. Featuring a flexible and unique 3D authoring tool chain, morpheme is designed to give animators unprecedented creative control over the look of their final in-game animation by allowing them to author and preview blends, transitions and logic in realtime. morpheme will be available in October 2006 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Effects Headline News

fxphd Announces Second Term Lineup

Building upon a successful first term with students from more than 65 countries worldwide, online visual effects training site fxphd announces their course offerings for Term Two 2006. Registration is now open at www.fxphd.com and classes begin the week of Aug. 26, 2006. To celebrate, fxphd is offering a scholarship for the most imaginative pitch for a visual effects shot. The best pitch will be selected and provide the winner with a full term membership to fxphd and a chance to learn Flame, Shake, da Vinci color grading or any of the others courses offered.

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