AWN Headline News

Bandai Visual USA Inc. will be highlighting its presence at the 15th annual Anime Expo being held July 1-4, 2006, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, with a rare U.S. appearance of legendary anime mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi. Bandai Visual USA will also be showcasing the anime masterpiece PATLABOR 2 THE MOVIE limited edition DVD that will be released by Bandai Visual USA and Image Ent. on July 11.

LivePitch OnStageSeattle, Washington, USAJuly 13, 2006Deadline: June 30, 2006

Sprint, Cingular and Amp'd Mobile are set to judge the first ever LivePitch OnStage game competition at the Mobile Game Conference. Game developers and publishers are invited enter their new games, demos or concepts to score an opportunity to pitch live onstage before a panel of judges who can actually make a difference in their game's future. Think of it as AMERICAN IDOL for mobile game development.

Screenwriters Challenge 2006World Wide WebSeptember 23, 2006 Deadline: July 19, 2006

All aspiring and competitive screenwriters worldwide are invited to participate in the Screenwriters Challenge 2006. Writers compete to see who can produce the best short screenplay (20 pages max.) on an assigned genre and subject in one week. Winners advance to compete for more than $14,000 in cash and prizes by writing a short script in just 24 hours.

Puzzle/Strategy games drive one-third of the total mobile game revenues, according to Telephia, the leading provider of performance measurement information to the mobile industry. The Telephia Mobile Game Report for Q1 2006 shows that four of the top five revenue-generating titles fall into the Puzzle/Strategy (casual games) category, with TETRIS, TETRIS DELUXE and BEJEWELED securing the top spots. TETRIS and TETRIS DELUXE secured 5.2 and 3.6% of the total mobile game revenue share for the quarter, respectively, while BEJEWELED posted a 2.6% share. JAMDAT MAHJONG and MS.

Twentieth Century Fox and producers John and Jordan Davis have snatched up the rights to the young adult fantasy book series by Scott Westerfeld, which starts with UGLIES, reports VARIETY.

Futuristic story finds kids labeled "uglies" until they turn 16 and get surgically transformed into the attractive "pretties," who live to the glamorous part of town. A precocious teen is threatened with being denied the procedure unless she spies on a friend who skipped the operation and joined a rebellious group.