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AWN Headline News

Studio Headline News

Sony Pictures Flexes Box Office Muscle

Sony Pictures Ent. has surpassed the $1 billion mark in box office receipts for calendar year 2006, making it the fifth year in a row the studio has reached that milestone at the box office, a feat matched only by Warner Bros.

Animation Headline News

One Rat Short Gets ‘People’s Choice’ Nod at SIGGRAPH

After receiving Best of Show honors, ONE RAT SHORT by Alex Weil of Charlex was the winner of the SIGGRAPH 2006 People's Choice Award. This short film follows a New York City rat from his own gritty world to the interior of a futuristic laboratory. Along his journey, the main character experiences love, danger and his fate.

For the second year, attendees were able to vote for their favorite selection from the Electronic and Animation Theaters within the Computer Animation Festival.

Studios Headline News

Zoic BC Launches in Vancouver

Award-winning visual effects house Zoic Studios has opened Zoic BC. The Canadian-based company is being launched to service Zoic Studios' ever-diversifying client base, and has proven to be a natural step in the company's evolution. Zoic BC has already completed the feature film PATHFINDER for Twentieth Century Fox and is working on two episodics: EUREKA for SCI-FI Channel and BLADE for Spike TV, both of which have proved to be successful for their respective networks.

Animation Headline News

Uli Meyer Animation’s MonsterMania! Goes Into Production

Uli Meyer Animation has started production on MONSTERMANIA!, a fully computer-animated feature film comedy featuring the classic movie monsters.

Scripted by award-winning British horror writers Michael Marshall Smith and Stephen Jones, based on an idea by Uli Meyer, Stephen Jones and Michael Marshall Smith, MONSTERMANIA! has been in active development for the past three years at the companys London-based animation studios.

Headline News

ADV Releases Papuwa, Farscape Starburst, Chance Pop Session

ADV Films will release the first volume in the new series PAPUWA, a new FARSCAPE STARBURST Edition and a thin-pack collection of CHANCE POP SESSION on Aug. 8, 2006. Additionally, ADV released the complete collections of CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL and EXCEL SAGA.

Headline News

Apple Unveils New Mac Pro Featuring Quad 64-bit Xeon Processors

Apple launched the new Mac Pro, a quad Xeon, 64-bit desktop workstation featuring two new Dual-Core Intel Xeon processors running up to 3.0 GHz and a new system architecture that delivers up to twice the performance of the Power Mac G5 Quad. The introduction of the Mac Pro marks the completion of a rapid and seamless transition for Apple, with the entire Mac family now using Intel's latest processors.

Ratings Headline News

Metalocalypse Strikes Cord on Adult Swim Premiere

Adult Swims newest original series, METALOCALYPSE, which premiered Aug. 6, 2006 at 11:45 pm, earned the networks best premiere delivery and ratings to date in 2006, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research. The animated satire on extreme rock bands ranked #1 in its time period among adults and men 18-24 and men 18-34. The premiere also charted strong double-digit delivery and ratings gains among all targeted young adult demos.

Series Headline News

BBC & Nicktoons Onboard for Collingwood O’Hare’s The Secret Show

BBC Worldwide has acquired global program distribution, merchandising and DVD rights to U.K. independent Collingwood OHare Ents new series, THE SECRET SHOW. BBC Worldwide Americas sales team has already licensed 26 episodes to Nicktoons Network, the 24-hour animation network owned by Nickelodeon, in the U.S. The series airs on Nicktoons Network in January 2007 following its broadcast on CBBC.

Commissioned by the BBC, THE SECRET SHOW will be aired on the BBCs pre-teen digital channel CBBC.

Media Headline News

Andrew Perlman New Classic Media Digital Media VP

New York-based family entertainment company Classic Media has named industry veteran Andrew Perlman to serve as its new vp of Digital Media, responsible for managing the mobile and online content distribution strategy for the companys diverse library and characters, consisting of more than 3,000 titles, which also includes its subsidiary, Big Ideas VeggieTales brand.

Headline News

Michael Gersh New ReelTime VP Corp. Communications

ReelTime Rentals Inc., the first broadband network offering a true full screen, DVD quality, "point, click and watch" online television experience, announced Michael Gersh is onboard as vp of corporate communications. Gersh is responsible for ReelTimes website, the writing and production of sales and promotional pieces, media and investor relations, as well as serving as in-house press spokesman.

Headline News

NVIDIA Announces Fellowship Award Recipients

NVIDIA Corp., a worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies, announced the recipients of the prestigious NVIDIA Fellowship award for the 2006-2007 academic year. The students were selected by a review committee headed by NVIDIA chief scientist David Kirk. Each winner receives a $25,000 grant.

Games Headline News

Sierra Ent. Sets Star-Studded Voice Talent for TimeShift Videogame

Vivendi Games' Sierra Ent. has secured top Hollywood talent to provide voices for the characters featured in the videogame, TIMESHIFT, scheduled to release for the Xbox 360 and PC this September. Dennis Quaid, Nick Chinlund and Michael Ironside will add their voices to the original first-person shooter videogame offering unprecedented time-control technology that allows players to slow, stop or reverse time in order to overcome difficult scenarios and defeat challenging enemies.

Series Headline News

Curious Pictures' Codename: Kids Next Door Movie to Debut

The first feature-length CODENAME: KIDS NEXT DOOR movie, titled OPERATION Z.E.R.O., set to debut on Cartoon Network on Aug. 11, 2006 at 7:30 pm on Cartoon Network. The series and feature are produced by New York-based animation production company, Curious Pictures.

Short Headline News

Cars Races to DVD

Disney/Pixars CARS, the summers second biggest hit thus far at $237.5M, debuts Nov. 7 on DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99). Unlike the fully loaded two-disc extravaganzas for past Pixar animated features, though, CARS will be a single-disc release available in both anamorphic widescreen and fullscreen versions.

Disney Headline News

Robert Zemeckis Bound for Disney

Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis is in negotiations, according to TMZ, to move his ImageMovers production company from DreamWorks Pictures to The Walt Disney Co., where his preferred performance capture format (created by Sony Pictures Imageworks) will expand the 3D slate for Pixar/Disney Animation studios under John Lasseters leadership. Disney would not confirm.

Zemeckis followed THE POLAR EXPRESS with MONSTER HOUSE (which he exec produced) and is currently directing BEOWULF for release on Nov. 16, 2007.

Media Headline News

Fox and Walden Media Announce Joint Venture

Fox Filmed Ent. and Walden Media have joined forces with the mandate of marketing and releasing family films.

Walden Media, whose recent success includes the worldwide blockbuster THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, is bringing its future feature development slate to the joint venture. Fox will also contribute a number of current and newly developed projects. Walden Media's previously announced films at other studios would remain in place.

Awards Headline News

Crystal Reel Awards Celebrates the Best in Florida Filmmaking

17th Annual Crystal Reel AwardsOrlando, Florida, USANov. 11, 2006Deadline: Sept. 15, 2006

The Florida Motion Picture and Television Association (FMPTA) is hosting the Crystal Reel Awards (CRA). The Crystal Reel Awards have been compared to Floridas version of the Oscars and the Emmys with many different categories (behind and in front of the camera) from students to professionals. Entries are limited to work produced in the State of Florida between Jan. 1, and Dec. 31, 2005.

Headline News

Viewers Program YTV ZAPX In August

In August 2006, YTVs programmers are taking a summer break, allowing viewers to help decide what movies to air on YTVs popular movie block ZAPX, hosted by Simon every Sunday at 6:00 pm. Kids can vote online at www.YTV.com for the movies they want to see. Each week YTV offers kids a new themed block of movies to vote for including: ZAPX Prankster Movies on Aug. 13, ZAPX Summer Phreakend Movies on Aug. 20 and ZAPX Teen Queen Movies on Aug. 27.

Star Headline News

TOKYOPOP Goes Where No Manga Has Gone Before — Star Trek

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of STAR TREK, TOKYOPOP and CBS Consumer Products have joined forces to produce STAR TREK: THE MANGA, based on the original STAR TREK TV series. Like the television classic, these new journeys venture into the terrain of social politics, personal reflection and bare-knuckled brawls between Captain Kirk and the galaxy's most cunning alien species.

Animation Headline News

AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for August 7, 2006

This week in AWN's Forums, theres a new thread dedicated to good podcasts about animation. A member is getting advice on how to turn his big Flash bummer into an animation success. Others discuss why drawing is important. Theres a thread discussing racist imagery in classic cartoons. A member has a question about copyrighting scripts. Others are posting their work or equipment for sale. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

Film Headline News

Romero Travels to Solitary Isle

Co-financing partners, Hyde Park Ent. and Kadokawa Pictures, have hired George A. Romero to write and direct the thriller SOLITARY ISLE, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Based on a short story by Koji Suzuki (THE RING, DARK WATER), the $20 million-budgeted film will follow an expedition to a deserted island, which turns deadly as the explorers face an unknown force.

The film most likely will be distributed by 20th Century Fox, where Hyde Park has a five-year, first-look deal. Hyde Park Intl holds the foreign rights.

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