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Games Headline News

BAFTA’s Third Arm Goes To Games

The growing importance of videogames to entertainment culture has been recognized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), which has elevated the sector to become an equal to those for Film and Television. Champions of the moving image, BAFTA seeks to reward artistic and creative innovation within videogames, as one of the principal contemporary art forms.

Festival Headline News

Nicktoons Festival Issues 2006 Call for Shorts

The third season of THE NICKTOONS NETWORK ANIMATION FESTIVAL for 2006 has issues a call for entries. Frederator Studios and the Nicktoons Network are again producing the festival. Shorts must be received by 5:00 pm (PST) on May 31, 2006.

The Festival runs six nights (five original screenings plus the best-of) beginning on the Nicktoons Network on August 26, 2006.

This year, the festival will expand with live screenings as well as distributing the shows through a variety of digital outlets.

Headline News

Isaac Hayes Leaves South Park Over Religious Issues

Isaac Hayes, who voiced Chef since the shows inception, has left the cast of SOUTH PARK, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said. "Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

Headline News

Brad Bird Takes Over Ratatouille

Revealed at the Walt Disney shareholders meeting last week, Brad Bird will take the creative reins of Pixar Animation Studios' RATATOUILLE. Developed in-house for several years, Oscar-winning short-film director Jan Pinkava (GERI'S GAME) was long attached to the project as its helmer, but officially no director has been chosen yet.

The story follows a skinny rodent who views himself a gourmand, living in a Parisian restaurant.

A sneak peek of the film was introduced by John Lasseter and shown to attendees at Friday's meeting.

Headline News

Eyetronics Hits Home Run for Major League Baseball Players

Eyetronics has successfully completed the scanning of over 1,200 Major League baseball players and coaches for the Major League Baseball Players Assn. (MLBPA). The announcement was made by Nick Tesi, vp of operations for Eyetronics in the U.S., who helped supervise the scanning operation that rolled out in spring training camps in Florida and Arizona.

April Headline News

Humanitas Deadline April 1

Time is running out to submit scripts from TV and film productions for The Humanitas Prize, which affirms human values in entertainment. Cash prizes of $145,000 will be awarded to writers who entertain and enrich the viewing public. Over the past three decades, more than $2.5 million in prize money has been awarded to writers who challenge and inform their audiences. Prizes for animated theatricals and children's TV shows will total $50,000 this year.

Game Headline News

DreamWorks & THQ Release Let's Ride: Dreamer Videogame

THQ Inc. has released LET'S RIDE: DREAMER INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY for the Game Boy Advance. Published by THQ's ValuSoft division, LET'S RIDE: DREAMER INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY, based upon the DreamWorks movie, is rated "E" for Everyone and is available at retail outlets throughout North America for $19.99 SRP.

Studio Headline News

Failure to Launch Succeeds at Box Office

Newcomers won the weekend box office race as FAILURE TO LAUNCH (with vfx by Lola Visual Effects) netted success for Paramount, debuting in the top spot with $24.4M over the weekend ended March 12, 2006. Buena Vistas The Shaggy Dog (vfx from Tippett Studio and Stan Winston Studio) captured the second spot in its debut with $16.3M while yet another newcomer, THE HILLS HAVE EYES from Fox SearchLight Pictures (vfx by Rez-Illusion) placed third, posting $15.7M. Warner Bros. 16 BLOCKS (with vfx by LairdFX and Mr. X) slipped to fourth, taking in another $7.4M for a $22.8 cume.

Animation Headline News

Shrek Producer to Head Framestore Feature Animation

Framestore CFC has announced the formation of Framestore Feature Animation. Heading the new venture will be David Lipman, who joins the company as managing partner after eight years at DreamWorks Animation, where his roles included producer on SHREK 2 and co-exec producer on SHREK.

Headline News

George Lucas Inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (SFM) announces its inductees for 2006's Hall of Fame celebration. George Lucas, DUNE author Frank Herbert, THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN writer Anne McCaffrey and book cover illustrator Frank Kelly Freas will be honored during SFM's annual induction ceremony at the museum June 17, 2006. Best-selling author and filmmaker Neil Gaiman will host the evening's events.

Headline News

Oscar-Winning Actress Maureen Stapleton Dies

Maureen Stapleton, who won an Academy Award in 1981 for her supporting role as anarchist activist Emma Goldman in Warren Beatty's REDS, died March 13, 2006. She was 80. The longtime smoker died from chronic pulmonary disease in Lenox, Massachusetts, in the Berkshire hills, where she had been living, son Daniel Allentuck said.

Cartoon Headline News

Wallace & Gromit & Gebeka Win Cartoon Movie Tributes

The 8th edition of Cartoon Movie concluded in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany on March 11, 2006, with industry tributes awarded to directors Nick Park and Steve Box producing studio Aardman Animation for WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT while the distributor honor went to Gebeka Films of France. Every year the animation professionals at the Potsdam gathering offer their three tributes to producers, distributors or directors who have worked for the development and increased prestige of European animated film.

Mobile Headline News

NVIDIA Introduces First HD Integrated Graphics Processor for Notebooks

NVIDIA Corp. launched the company's first integrated graphics processor (IGP) core-logic solution for notebooks. Comprised of the NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 graphics processing unit (GPU) and the NVIDIA nForce Go 430 media and communications processor (MCP), the new mobile IGP solution is the first with hardware accelerated H.264 high-definition (HD) video playback.

Disney Headline News

Pixar Deal Cheered at Disney Annual Shareholders’ Meeting

The mood was a lot more upbeat at The Walt Disney Co.s 2006 annual shareholders meeting today (March 10) at the Anaheim Pond, according to trade reports. The $7.4 billion Pixar deal (which will close in late April or early May) stole the show, Roy Disney was greeted with thunderous applause, John Lasseter wowed with a promise to revitalize Disney Feature animation and the introduction of new president/ceo Robert Iger was met with enthusiasm.

Million Headline News

DreamWorks Animation Dumps Tortoise & Tusker, Reports 2005 Slump

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ending Dec. 31, 2005.

Within the release, DreamWorks officially nixed past projects TORTOISE AND THE HARE and TUSKER. Both films were written off for book purposes in 2003. Because DreamWorks Animation plans to abandon the rights to these films in 2006, it receives the associated tax benefit at this time. This has resulted in an increase to net income of approximately $28.0 million, or $0.27 per share, in the fourth quarter.

Headline News

Second Life Machinima Film Bells and Spurs Premieres at SXSW

Linden Lab, creator of the virtual world SECOND LIFE, announced the release of BELLS AND SPURS, a machinima film based on the cowboy poem "Silver Bells and Golden Spurs" and created entirely within SECOND LIFE. The film will have its real world premiere Saturday, March 11, 2006, during the Screen Burn Beta Festival at the 13th annual SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin. To see the film and tour the virtual back lot where Bells and Spurs was filmed, visit www.bellsandspurs.com.

Films Headline News

Walerian Borowczyk, Surrealist Auteur, Dies

Walerian Borowczyk, an internationally known surrealist filmmaker, died of heart trouble on Feb. 3, 2006, in Paris, where he had resided since the late 1950s, reports THE NEW YORK TIMES. He was 82.

Originally trained as a painter and graphic artist, he made several dozen films, both animated and live-action, in the decades after World War II. Terry Gilliam, Jan Svankmajer and the Brothers Quay site him as an influence.

Headline News

Weinsteins Plan More Crouching Tiger In Theaters & On Stage

Bob and Harvey Weinstein are developing a stage version of martial arts Oscar winner CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON as well as the five books into a TIGER film franchise of three prequels and a sequel, reports VARIETY.

The Weinstein Co. have gained the worldwide rights to develop and produce a stage adaptation of Chinese author Wang Du Lu's CRANE IRON PENTALOGY, a series of books the fourth installment being CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

Short Headline News

John Cusack Booked for Stephen King’s 1408

John Cusack will headline in the theatrical adaptation of Stephen King's short story 1408 for DERAILED director Mikael Hafstrom, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dimension Films, reports VARIETY. The script was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (ED WOOD).

Cusack will play a debunker of paranormal occurrences who encounters real horror when he checks into notorious Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel.

1408 debuted in the King audio book, BLOOD AND SMOKE, and was later included in King's 2002 short story collection, EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL.

Production Headline News

Corpse Bride Upsets at British Animation Awards

CORPSE BRIDE upset favorite WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT and THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE to win Best European Animated Feature at this years British Animation Awards hosted by the comedian Jeremy Hardy and held at the Shaw Theatre in London. Aardmans BBC-3 special ANGRY KID: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE walked off with the Best TV Special award and Hat Trick and Decodes BROMWELL HIGH Baby Boom won the Best Comedy Award.

Headline News

Microsoft Unveils Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers

Microsoft offered details for Ultra-Mobile Personal Computers (UMPCs), a new category of mobile computing devices that features small, lightweight, carry-everywhere hardware designs coupled with the full functionality of a Microsoft Windows-based PC and a choice of input options, including enhanced touch-screen capabilities. Much like a pocket PC, it will be ideal for gaming and for creating 3D models while on the go.

Mobile Headline News

NAB2006 Introduces Web & Mobile Development Conference

The Web & Mobile Development Conference will be launched at NAB2006 on April 25-26, 2006, in Las Vegas. This new educational technology conference, targeted toward professional Web designers, developers and content providers, will debut as part of the NAB2006 MultiMedia World Conference package.

Animation Headline News

AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for March 6, 2006

This week in AWN's Forums, a member needs some help on their first attempt with stop-motion. Another member vents about a bad freelance gig. Theres a thread debating color theory. Others are asking for business partners. A thread celebrates avatar fanart. A student member from India continues to get advice on studying classical animation in the States. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

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