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AWN Headline News

Dark Headline News

SCI FI Channel Premieres Original Miniseries Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King

The SCI FI Channel is premiering the original two-part, four-hour hour fantasy/adventure miniseries, DARK KINGDOM: THE DRAGON KING, with Part I on March 27, 2006, and Part II on March 28 at 9:00 pm. Based upon the epic tale that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS, the miniseries rebroadcasts Part I on March 28 at 6:57 p.m. and Part II the same night at 11:00 p.m., as well as on March 29 at 1:00 am and 7:00 pm

Headline News

Autodesk FBX Now Part of DAZ|Studio

DAZ Prods. Inc., a leading developer of professional quality 3D software and models, announced that Autodesk FBX is now fully integrated with DAZ|Studio, a free, feature-rich 3D art software package. DAZ|Studios integration of the FBX file format allows users to import and export their favorite DAZ models and scenes into and out of every major 3D package on the market, and access a wealth of tools and content available through FBXs extensive partner network.

Animation Headline News

AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for March 27, 2006

This week in AWN's Forums, a student needs some advice on getting their foot in the door at an animation studio. Theres a thread discussing the future of 2D animators. A 2D student in Brazil needs some advice from the other members about his career choices. Another member describes a 3D film and wonders if anyone knows its name. Theres a junior member that wants to know if a BFA really matters. Members are talking about what sticky threads should be in the forums. And moderator Larry L has posted info on the film hes been working on.

Licensing Headline News

Cynthia Modders new SVP for DIC Worldwide Consumer Products

Licensing veteran Cynthia Modders joins DIC Ent. as svp of worldwide consumer products, responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of licensing and merchandising programs for the company's high-profile entertainment and lifestyle brands, including Horseland, McDonalds Vintage, McKids, Strawberry Shortcake, iZ, Madeline, Classic Trolls and Trollz.

Dreamworks Headline News

Judson C. Green Joins DreamWorks Animation Board of Directors

Judson C. Green, president/ceo of NAVTEQ Corp., has been elected to the DreamWorks Animation board of directors.

President/ceo of NAVTEQ since May 2000, Green has been instrumental in making NAVTEQ a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information and helped established it as a new public company.

Headline News

ARTVPS Collaborates with mental images on New Ray Tracing Solutions

ARTVPS, developers of a unique graphics processor for photorealistic ray tracing, and mental images, the developers of the globally leading, Academy Award winning high-end rendering software mental ray, have concluded agreements that will further the evolution of advanced ray tracing solutions for 3D visualization.

Work Headline News

A52 Creates All-Season VFX for Toyota Tundra Spot

A52 detailed its visual effects work for a new broadcast spot from Partizan director Olivier "Twist" Gondry, ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles and Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. The:30 spot titled THROW IT IN THE TUNDRA debuted recently in the heartland of the U.S., and will air in other regions in the weeks ahead.

Studio Headline News

Inside Man Cuts Down Vendetta

INSIDE MAN, Spike Lees smart heist film, overtook V FOR VENDETTA at the box office for the weekend ended March 26, 2006. The Universal feature debuted with $28.9M compared to Warner Bros. VENDETTA, which dropped 52% in its second week, grabbing $12.3M. With vfx by Cinesite, Double Negative and Baseblack, VENDETTA has now grossed $46.2M. Debuting at number three was Buena Vistas horror-filled STAY ALIVE, which captured $10.7M. Slipping to fourth was Paramounts FAILURE TO LAUNCH (with vfx by Lola Visual Effects), which managed $10.4M for a three-week cume of $63.5M.

Awards Headline News

MAAC Animators Win FICCI Awards

A team of young animators from Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics Ltd. (MAAC), one of India's leading animation and visual effects training academies, won two awards at the FICCI BAF Awards 2006 in Mumbai, reports THE TIMES OF INDIA.

MAAC garnered best student animation film social welfare award for TAKES YOU HIGHER?, which dealt with anti-smoking, and best visual effects in a motion picture award for Ketan Mehta's MANGAL PANDEY THE RISING.

Disney Headline News

Richard Fleischer, Director of 20,000 Leagues, Dies

Richard Fleischer, who directed almost 50 movies, died of natural causes on March 25, 2006, at the Motion Picture and Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, said his son Mark. He was 89.

Son of famed animator Max Fleischer, he would direct 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA for Walt Disney, whose named was not spoken in their home. Max told his son that the opportunity was too important to pass up.

The lavishly produced 1954 live-action adaptation of the Jules Verne adventure was a box office hit and moved Fleischer from B-movies to the big time

Channel Headline News

SCI FI Kicks Off Casting Call For Who Wants To Be A Superhero?

SCI FI Channel is partnering with legendary comic book creator Stan Lee's production company POW! Ent. Inc., and Bruce Nash's Nash Ent. to cast a six-episode, one-hour reality series that will challenge a lucky few to create their very own superhero.

Headline News

Voice Actor Papenbrook Passes Away

Voice actor Bob Papenbrook passed away on March 17, 2006, due to complications from a chronic lung condition, reports IMDB.com. He was 50 years old. Papenbrook (sometimes credited as "John Smallberries") was a frequent performer in a voice acting roles, including POWER RANGERS ZEO, TENCHI MUYO and GUNGRAVE. Extensively working on dubbing anime imports, his most recent work can be heard as Capt. Blue in the VIEWTIFUL JOE TV series. He is survived by his wife Debbie Rothstein and son Bryce Papenbrook.

Mobile Headline News

Jason Wells New SVP, Mobile Ent. for SPTI

Jason Wells joins Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) as its new svp, mobile entertainment. Wells will relocate from Los Angeles to SPTI's European headquarters in London and will lead the newly formed mobile entertainment group. He will report to both Michael Grindon, SPTI's president, and John McMahon, president/md of SPTI in Europe.

Mobile Headline News

Fox Launches Biggest Promo Campaign Ever for Ice Age 2

Twentieth Century Fox has announced that its global promotional campaign for ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN, to be released nationwide March 31, 2006, is among Fox's most far-reaching and ambitious ever.

Fox has garnered more than $100 million in promotional support, including a synergistic tie-in with the Fox Broadcasting Co. ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN's beloved Scrat character will make a special appearance on the March 26 episode of the network's popular animated comedy series FAMILY GUY, and the Sid the sloth character will host a night of programming that same evening.

Square Headline News

Kingdom Hearts II Launch See Stars

Square Enix Inc. and Buena Vista Games hosted star-studded launch party at Wolfgang Puck in the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles on March 23, 2006, to ramp up for highly anticipated release of KINGDOM HEARTS II videogame, which ships on March 28. KINGDOM HEARTS II is the sequel to KINGDOM HEARTS, one of the top 10 best-selling PlayStation 2 titles of all time in North America.

Series Headline News

Africa’s First 3D Animated Series Premieres March 25

MAGIC CELLAR, a 3D series of 20 animated shorts will premiere on the South African Broadcasting Corp. (SABC 2) on March 25, 2006. More than 300 under-privileged children will participate in one-hour nationally-televised special to launch the series.

Headline News

Wumblers Moves Back in With The Goose

The Silly Goose Cp. Llc. has reassumed all proprietary rights to THE WUMBLERS preschool television series from Peak Ent. Holdings. Peak Ent.will maintain a significant financial interest in the series.

THE WUMBLERS series combines unique storylines, original characters and imaginative fun while embracing a global perspective: "We give preschoolers the tools to make this world a better place, and we do this all through play."

Headline News

ATI Introduces FireGLT V7350

ATI Technologies Inc. announced the industry's first one gigabyte (1GB) workstation graphics accelerator, the ATI FireGLT V7350, and also a 512 megabyte configuration, the FireGLT V7300. Featuring an extremely powerful ultra-threaded parallel processing GPU, and ATI's industry leading AvivoT video and display technology, these new ultra high-end graphics cards further extend ATI's workstation graphics line, delivering better performance, more advanced features and higher image quality.

Headline News

Intel Introduces First Dual-Core Low-Voltage Intel Xeon Processor

Intel Corp. now offers the first lowvoltage Intel Xeon processor to combine dualcore technology with Intels innovative power management capabilities, helping to boost energyefficient price/performance with up to two to four times the performanceperwatt of previous Intel Xeon processors and platforms.

Animated Headline News

Hilton Sisters Want to Become Animated

Paris and Nicky Hilton want to turn their lives into an animated TV series, reports TheSuperficial.com. The show is rumored to be in the style of THE SIMPSONS. The debutante duo has convinced Interscope head Ted Fields to produce the series with hopes to air it on U.S. television.

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