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AWN Headline News

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.

Headline News

Fox Signs J-Horror Producer Taka Ichise

Twentieth Century Fox has signed Japanese producer Taka Ichise (THE GRUDGE) to a new three-year, first-look deal. The pact, which covers English-language projects, is Taka's first American overall studio deal. The pact will enable Fox to tap his formidable talents as one of the leading figures in the Japanese horror genre.

The deal will also allow for Fox to finance specific Japanese-language projects through Taka's Tokyo-based production company, OZ Co., Ltd. Taka also operates L.A.-based OZLA Pictures Inc.

Headline News

Feds Drop Shrek 2 Probe

The Securities and Exchange Commission's L.A. office recommended on May 4, 2006, that a probe into DreamWorks Animation cease with no enforcement action, according to various business reports.

With the recommendation, the SEC will most likely rule not to sanction DWA for failing to warn investors, before first-quarter earnings were announced last year, that returns on the SHREK 2 DVD were running much higher than anticipated, causing the company to miss guidance.

However, there are still several shareholder lawsuits still pending over the matter.

Film Headline News

Batman Begins Director Develops Prestige

Director Christopher Nolan (BATMAN BEGINS) is well into development on his next project, a supernatural period film called THE PRESTIGE, reports SCI FI WIRE.

"It's a film about two magicians in turn-of-the-century London," Nolan said. "And they enter into a deadly rivalry. And it's the story of how the two of them essentially try and sabotage each other's careers over the years."

Headline News

Quinte Hotel Wins Golden Gate Award

The 49th San Francisco International Film Festival wrapped up its 2006 event on May 4, 2006, with presentation of its Golden Gate Awards. In the animated short category, Canadian Bruce Alcocks AT THE QUINTE HOTEL won the prize. The filmmaker will receive a $1,500 cash prize. For more information on other winners, visit www.sfiff.org/festival.

Headline News

Academy Announces Finalists for 2006 Student Academy Awards

Finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 33rd annual Student Academy Awards competition include 34 students from 19 colleges and universities.

Gold, silver and bronze medals, along with accompanying cash prizes of $5000, $3000 and $2000, may be awarded in each of the four categories. Winning filmmakers will participate in a week of industry-related and social activities, culminating in the presentation ceremony on June 10, 2006.

The animation finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title within category):

Animation

Game Headline News

Eidos and TT Games Announce New LEGO Adventure Game

Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, and TT Games, the makers of LEGO STAR WARS, announced a new LEGO adventure, BIONICLE HEROES, will be released in fall 2006 on PlayStation 2, PC, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and NINTENDO GAMECUBE (NTSC only).

Headline News

Sony Online Ent. to Offer SOE Comic Book Creator

Fans of Sony Online Entertainment's highly acclaimed Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games EVERQUEST, EVERQUEST II and PLANETSIDE, will now be able to share their online experiences with fellow guild members and friends by creating personalized digital comicbooks starring their online avatars using the SOE Comic Book Creator.

Disney Headline News

CG-Animated Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Premieres May 5

MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE, the first Mickey Mouse series created specifically for preschoolers, premieres in the U.S. during a special primetime presentation May 5 at 7:30 pm on Disney Channel and, in its regular timeslot, May 6 9:00 am during the learning-focused Playhouse Disney programming block. The half-hour series also premieres in a coordinated global launch, on 22 Disney Channels and five Playhouse Disney channels across North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Japan reaching some 100 countries.

Disney Headline News

Disney Completes Pixar Acquisition

Disney has completed its acquisition of Pixar animation Studios as Pixar shareholders approved the takeover of the company today (May 5, 2006) in an all-stock deal valued at more than $7.4 billion as 2.3 Disney shares will be issued for each Pixar share. The vote was taken at a special meeting of shareholders in San Francisco presided over by Pixar cfo Simon Bax.

Cancer Headline News

Lara Croft New Spokesmodel for Skin Cancer Awareness

Not that she gets out in the real sun much, but gaming legend Lara Croft has been chosen to be the spokesmodel for the Skin Cancer Awareness Foundation of Minden, Nevada. Lara's image will be used to educate and place skin cancer awareness information in the hands of teens across the country via the Sun Smart Teen Program, starting in November of 2006.

Series Headline News

Jetix Adopts Robot Dog Series from Doctor Who Team

Jetix Europe has teamed with Park Ent. and the DOCTOR WHO creative team of Bob Baker and Paul Tams to develop K-9 ADVENTURES, a 26 x30 comedy/fantasy series featuring Doctor Whos famous robot dog. The show will employ state of the art CGI animation mixed with live-action, to give K-9 a sleek new look for the series that is set in space.

Star Headline News

Original Version of Star Wars Trilogy Coming to DVD

In response to overwhelming demand from STAR WARS fans, Lucasfilm Ltd. and 20th Century Fox Home Ent. will unveil individual two-disc DVD sets of STAR WARS: EPISODE IV A NEW HOPE, EPISODE V THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and EPISODE VI RETURN OF THE JEDI. Making these DVDs truly special is the inclusion, as special bonus material, of the original versions of the movies as seen in theaters in 1977, 1980 and 1983, respectively.

Festival Headline News

City Paradise Wins Nashville Film Festival

Gaelle Denis' British short CITY PARADISE won Best Animation at the 37th Nashville Film Festival. Honorable mention in the toon category went to EMELIA THE FIVE YEAR OLD GOTH GIRL, by Derek Flood.

As for the Best College Student Animation, SHE SHE SHE SHE'S A BOMBSHELL, by Ben Levin took home the prize with Ramon Paris and Maria Castillos EL PAGUEY receiving an honorable mention.

Headline News

Actors Know Where the Wild Things Are

Warner Bros. and Playtone have tapped Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Michelle Williams, Catherine O'Hara, Tom Noonan and Michael Berry to voice the creatures in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, an adaptation of the Maurice Sendak childrens classic, reports VARIETY and confirmed by a WB spokesperson. Spike Jonze is directing the film, which will combine live-action, animation and puppetry.

Production Headline News

Rush Hour 3 To Lens This Fall

New Line Cinema has officially greenlit RUSH HOUR 3 with stars Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan and director Brett Ratner returning. The film will start production this fall for a planned 2007 release.

Tucker and Chan will reprise their respective roles as LAPD detective James Carter and Chinese Chief Inspector Lee in the film, which will feature the action comedy duo traveling to Paris to battle a wing of the Chinese organized crime family, the Triads.

Series Headline News

Popetown Toon Airs in Germany Despite Protests

MTV Germany was able to air the controversial BBC cartoon series, POPETOWN, in Germany, despite the protests of the German Catholic Church, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

In a last minute move Wednesday, May 3, 2006, the bishops from Pope Benedict XVI's home state of Bavaria filed an injunction against MTV Germany to stop the network from airing a single episode of the animated series, which features the good-hearted Father Nicholas and his trials with his boss a squat, obnoxious, gun-toting Pope.

Animation Headline News

Sony Pictures Imageworks to Offer fmx/06 Presentation

Sony Pictures Imageworks will present a behind-the-scenes look at the technical artistry from MONSTER HOUSE and OPEN SEASON at fmx/06, the 11th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Realtime and Content, taking place May 3-6 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Media Headline News

IDT Names DeBevoise & Campbell to Key Exec Positions

IDT Ent. has appointed Marc DeBevoise svp, business development & strategy and Paul Campbell has joined the company as svp, publicity and promotion. Both execs will be based at IDT Ent.s east coast headquarters in Newark, New Jersey.

DeBevoise will be responsible for the generation, evaluation and execution of business development and growth opportunities, especially related to emerging digital content and distribution platforms.

Film Headline News

First Flight Short to Screen Before Over the Hedge

DreamWorks Animation will debut a new animated short film, FIRST FLIGHT, on May 19, 2006, exclusively in select New York and Los Angeles theaters, with the opening of the studio's upcoming animated comedy, OVER THE HEDGE.

Written and directed by Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson, FIRST FLIGHT is a computer-animated short film about a fastidiously organized businessman, whose perspective on life is forever changed through an unexpected encounter with a tiny fledgling bird.

Advertising Headline News

DIC Sets Advertising Sales Division For CBS Saturday Morning Block

DIC Ent. has created an in-house division to oversee all broadcast and new media advertising sales initiatives for the launch of the new childrens programming block, CBSs Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party, premiering Sept. 16, 2006. This team of industry veterans and new media experts will implement the broad-line advertising strategy for the block, which integrates television, online and new media, offering advertisers the opportunity to effectively reach kids across all three platforms.

Headline News

Polhemus Announces VisionTrak Desktop 300

Polhemus has introduced the VisionTrack Desktop 300. Designed by ISCAN Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, the VisionTrak Desktop 300 is a remote binocular eye tracking system that is used to collect pupil size, eye movement parameters and eye point of regard data from human subjects.

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