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AWN Headline News

Headline News

Warner Bros. Signs Download Day-and-Date Deal With BitTorrent

Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group (WBHEG) signed a significant agreement with BitTorrent Inc. to leverage the company's peer-assisted delivery system for the electronic sell through of movie and TV content in the U.S. With this deal, Warner Bros. becomes the first major studio to provide legal video content via the BitTorrent publishing platform.

Headline News

PlayStation 3 Details Unveiled

Sony Computer Ent. America (SCEA) announced that it would release PlayStation 3 (PS3) in North America on Nov.17. There will be two versions: The low-end model (with 20GB internal hard drive but no HDMI output) will retail for $499; the high-end model (with 60GB internal hard drive) will retail for $599). Both models will take advantage of the new Blu-ray disc platform for the next-generation in high-def DVD home entertainment.

Headline News

Live-Action Warcraft Movie Coming to Theaters

Blizzard Ent. Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced that they have entered into an agreement to develop a live-action film based on Blizzard's award-winning WARCRAFT universe. Based on the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the movie rights for the best-selling game universe, and both companies are now focused on translating the world to the big screen.

Headline News

Weinsteins Acquire Knight Rider Rights

The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights to develop and produce a feature film based on the original hit television series, KNIGHT RIDER. The rights were purchased from Glen A. Larson (KNIGHT RIDER, MAGNUM P.I., FALL GUY, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), the original creator of the television show, and he will write the script and exec produce the project through his production company Glen A. Larson Prods. David Price brought the project to The Weinstein Co.'s attention and will co-produce it.

Channel Headline News

Web Surfers Pick Final Slot for Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

As the nationwide casting call for SCI FI Channel's new reality series WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO? comes to a close, one contestant spot remains unfilled. For the first time ever, SCI FI Channel is letting America choose a reality show contestant a worthy superhero in the making. Log onto www.scifi.com/superhero before midnight (EST) on Friday, May 12, 2006, to vote for the 11th and final contestant for WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO?, the new SCI FI Channel original series premiering Wednesday, July 26, at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

Headline News

Act-3D Hosts Quest3D Version 3.5 Competition

Quest3D Version 3.5 CompetitionWorld Wide WebJune 12, 2006Deadline: June 12, 2006

Act-3D is hosting a competition to celebrate the release of Quest3D 3.5. The contest has no specific theme. Entries will be judged on graphics, animation, interaction, originality and fun factor. The final judgment will be based on the entry as a whole and how it displays the entrees skills. For more information, visit www.quest3d.com.

Film Headline News

FIKE 2006 Wants Your Shorts

FIKE 2006 6th Évora International Short Film FestivalÉvora, PortugalNovember 17-25, 2006Deadline: July 1, 2006

FIKE 2006 is an independent film festival, organized by University of Évora Film Society and SOIR Joaquim Antonio de Aguiar, two non-profit cultural associations that promote cinema as an art form and a unique cultural expression. The event promotes social and cultural improvement and through culture the economical development of the town and region. Please check out www.fikeonline.net for more information.

Award Headline News

fmx/06 Announces Awards

fmx/06, the 11th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Realtime and Content from May 3-6, 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany, announces its prizes. With more than 5,000 international visitors 40% more than last year fmx/06 included 350 speakers from all over the world presented more than 300 lectures, demos, workshops and screenings about creation, production and distribution in all forms of digital content.

Digital Headline News

Animation Training Starts In Primary Schools in Ireland

Philip Flynn, chief executive of the Digital Hub Development Agency, said that Irish and international animation companies should take advantage of Irelands highly skilled workforce that has experience in producing digital animation from primary school, reports THE IRISH EXAMINER.

Flynn made his comments at the debut of the Liberties Claymation Festival in the Digital Hub in Dublin. The festival, which is running over three days, will feature more than 30 animation films produced and directed by children 8-16-from schools based in the Liberties.

Headline News

Cenega Publishing Brings El Matador & UFO: Afterlight To E3

Cenega Publishing, a central European publisher presents its titles for E3.

EL MATADOR, a third person action game developed by Plastic Reality Technologies, puts players in South America and lets them experience the Drug Enforcement Agencys war on drugs. Given the role of a special DEA agent, codename Matador, players will be given an task to crush a strong drug cartel operating in Colombia. With some 30 weapons to choose from, the title is supported by the latest technologies.

Headline News

SNK Playmore USA Corp. Brings 5 Titles to E3

SNK Playmore USA Corp., the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK Playmore Corp., announced that they will premiere five new games for the Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance at E3, to be held May 10-12, 2006, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. SNK will showcase its titles in the Concourse, Suite #153A.

Debuting at this year's E3 are THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2006 for the PlayStation 2, METAL SLUG ANTHOLOGY for the Wii and PSP, METAL SLUG for the Game Boy Advance and SNK VS CAPCOM CARD FIGHTERS DS for the Nintendo DS.

Special Headline News

El Capitan Celebrates 80th Anniversary with Dumbo

Hollywood's legendary El Capitan Theatre kicks off its 80th anniversary with a special two-week engagement of Disney's Oscar-winning animated classic, DUMBO, from May 25 - June 7. DUMBO is celebrating its 65th birthday this year, and a new deluxe BIG TOP EDITION DVD release of the film is scheduled for June 6th.

Headline News

M:i:III Leads But Under Performs at the Box Office

Paramounts MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (with vfx by ILM) debuted with a less than stellar $47.7M, but still managed to lead the box office for the period ended May 7, 2006. Sonys RV, last weeks leader, slipped to second place with $11M and a two-week cume of $30.9M. Freestyles AN AMERICAN HAUNTING bowed in third with $5.7M. Buena Vistas STICK IT followed in fourth with $5.4M and a two-week cume of $17.9M. Universals UNITED 93 (with vfx from Double Negative) fell 53% in its second week to fifth place with $5.3M and a $20.1M tally.

Headline News

Troika Provides VFX Splash for HGTV Sweepstakes Promo

Troika Design Group and its live-action production division recently collaborated with longtime client HGTV to conceive, design, direct, animate and finish an effects-intensive spot for HGTVs Big Backyard Splash sweepstakes. The sweepstakes gives one lucky HGTV viewer the chance to win $100,000 to transform their backyard into a splashy setting built for outdoor entertaining, as well as the opportunity to win a tropical vacation for two. The :30 promo broke May 1, 2006.

Studios Headline News

Golden Age Premieres on Comedy Central's Motherload

Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of Augenblick Studios' GOLDEN AGE, the first adult animated series to be produced by a major television network for broadband. The series premiered May 8, 2006 and will show weekly on its broadband channel, Motherload (www.comedycentral.com/motherload).

This animated dark comedy reveals the shocking true stories of the worlds strangest cartoon characters. Each episode uses a blend of mixed media to satirize classic cartoons from the past.

Universal Headline News

Laws to Run New Universal Studios Consumer Products Group Mobile Entertainment

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group has formed a moble entertainment division to be run from a day-to-day perspective by Universal veteran Jeremy Laws, who has been promoted to svp. Laws will oversee all aspects of licensing and promotions in the wireless arena, as well as actively pursue and manage licenses from creation to consumption. He will lead a team of sales executives based around the world, including major media markets as Los Angeles, London and Tokyo.

Headline News

Activision Wins James Bond Video Game License

MGM Interactive and EON Productions Ltd. have awarded Activision Inc. the rights to develop and publish interactive entertainment games based on the James Bond license through 2014.

Since the initial release of DR. NO in 1962, JAMES BOND films have grossed more than $3.6 billion theatrically worldwide and approximately 30 million units of videogames based on the world of James Bond have been sold to date.

International Headline News

Scotland Showcasing its Creative Services Talent at E3

Learn more about Scotland's thriving gaming industry by visiting the Scottish Development International Pavilion, West 2400, at E3, May 10-12, 2006. Demo the latest games from top developers, such as Genuine Games and OuterLight and meet with key industry players from this part of the world, including execs from Real Time Worlds, F4G Software, and TPLD.

Headline News

American Pie Helmer Retakes Golden Compass

After dropping out as director of the adaptation of Philip Pullman's sci-fi novel THE GOLDEN COMPASS, AMERICAN PIE director Chris Weitz is again taking the helm of the film as Anand Tucker (SHOPGIRL) steps down, reports VARIETY. Weitz stepped down from the first installment in the HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy due to his concern with never having dealt with daunting technical effects challenges. New Line states that Tucker has left the project due to "differences in creative direction."

The film is still set to lens this fall in the U.K. and hit theaters in November 2007.

Games Headline News

Mutant Chronicles Adds to Cast

Stephen Rea (THE CRYING GAME), Ron Perlman (HELLBOY) and German actor Benno Furmann (JOYEUX NOEL) are joining Thomas Jane and John Malkovich in the sci-fi action thriller THE MUTANT CHRONICLES, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Director Simon Hunter plans to begin shooting this summer.

Award Headline News

Overtime Wins Two Awards at Stuttgart

Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film wound up its 2006 event on May 2, with the awarding of its coveted prizes. OVERTIME from Oury Atlan, Damien Ferrié and Thibault Berland took home the International Promotion Award and the Best Student Film prize. Other big winners included Aardmans ANGRY KID and OLIS CHANCE by Johannes Weiland and Saschka Unseld.

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