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AWN Headline News

Online Headline News

AnimationMentor.com Begins Winter Term

With a redesigned and re-engineered website that takes e-learning to the next level, online animation school AnimationMentor.com begins its winter 2006 term. Four hundred-nineteen students from 37 countries will study character animation with 45 of the industrys top working professionals from studios such as Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks and Blue Sky. They will experience a virtual campus supported by new technologies that deepen the educational experience and that incorporates the best of online social networks to enhance the schools community.

Work Headline News

Deadline Nears for SIGGRAPH 2006 Art Gallery

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:00am

SIGGRAPH 2006 Art GalleryBoston, Massachusetts, USAJuly 30 - August 3, 2006Deadline: January 27, 2006

The SIGGRAPH 2006 Art Gallery is accepting submissions for artwork, which uses digital technology in creative/innovative ways and explores new territories and crosses traditional boundaries.

Deadline is Jan. 27, 2006, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

The SIGGRAPH 2006 Art Gallery is considering (but not limited to) the following types of work:

Film Headline News

Crossroads Film Fest Gives a Down Home Call

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:00am

Crossroads Film Festival 2006Jackson, Mississippi, USAMarch 30 April 2, 2006Deadline: January 20, 2006

The Crossroads Film Society presents the 7th annual Crossroads Film Festival with entries from Mississippi and around the world. More than 50 films, which range from two minutes to two hours, will be shown at Parkway Place Regal Cinema in Flowood, Mississippi.

Headline News

MIPTV Featuring MILIA Launches Content 360 Competition

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:00am

Content 360Cannes, FranceApril 3-7, 2006Deadline: February 14, 2006

MIPTV featuring MILIA 2006 has launched "Content 360" a new international competition to commission innovative, interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband. The winning projects will receive a share of a minimum 75,000 development fund.

Production Headline News

Adobe Unveils Production Studio

Adobe Systems Inc. has launched Adobe Production Studio, an extension of the Adobe Creative Suite family of products. One of the most complete post-production software solutions available, Adobe Production Studio combines full new versions of Adobe's world class video and graphics applicationsAdobe After Effects 7.0, Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, Adobe Audition 2.0, Adobe Encore 2.0 and the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Illustrator CS2with time-saving innovations such as Adobe Dynamic Link that deliver a highly efficient workflow experience.

Headline News

John Singleton Takes On Clancy Without Remorse

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:00am

John Singleton has inked a deal with Paramount Pictures to write and direct an adaptation of Tom Clancys spy thriller, WITHOUT REMORSE, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Troubled former agent and Disney exec Michael Ovitz, who owns the rights to the property, will produce. Ovitz once represented both Singleton and Clancy.

Production Headline News

Madsen Last Minute Draw for Number 23

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 12:00am

With production starting Jan. 23, 2006, New Line has hired Virginia Madsen to replace Elisabeth Shue in the thriller THE NUMBER 23, which also stars Jim Carrey, reports VARIETY. The film is being directed by Joel Schumacher and also stars Danny Huston and Rhona Mitra. Contrafilms Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson are producing from a screenplay by Fernley Phillips.

The story follows a man who becomes obsessed with a book, featuring the number 23 throughout, which seems to mirror his life, except that it ends with a murder.

Visual Headline News

VES Presents SHOW AND TELL 2006

The Visual Effects Society (VES) will offer SHOW AND TELL 2006, its version of the Academy vfx Bake-Off, on Jan. 21, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, at Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, 90049).

The event is free for VES members and open to the public at $20 per ticket. Tickets available by calling the VES office in advance at (310) 822-9181.

Company Headline News

Borders To Head PDI/DreamWorks as Burke Transitions to Consult

Gloria Borders joins DreamWorks Animation as head of PDI/DreamWorks, the studios Redwood City, California, campus. Borders is taking over for Patti Burke, who transitions into a senior consultant role at the company. Borders will oversee all production and operations at PDI/DreamWorks.

Cartoon Headline News

Cartoon Network New Saturday Morning Lineup Favors Int'l Toons

Cartoon Networks new Saturday 9-11:30 am lineup, launched Jan. 14, 2006, includes three new shows produced outside of the U.S. New series include BEN 10, ROBOT BOY, DRAGON HUNTERS and ZIXX, along with the second season of hit series, THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE.

Headline News

Klasky Csupo Signs Michael McGahey, SVP Feature Film Development

Michael McGahey joins Klasky Csupo as svp, feature film development.

Klasky Csupo founders Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo jointly stated, We are thrilled to have someone of Michaels knowledge and expertise join our company at this time. He comes to us with excellent taste for the commercial market and he will work with our current development team on our features projects in development with Viacom.

Headline News

4Kids Ent. Licenses Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New Season to ITV

4Kids Ent. Inc. has finalized a broadcast agreement with ITV Network for Season 4 of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, one of the most successful action brands in global kids TV entertainment. Season 4 of 26 animated episodes is expected to launch on ITV Network in early 2006.

Services Headline News

Nelvana & British Telecom Partner on TV over Broadband

Nelvana has inked a video-on-demand agreement with British Telecommunications Inc. (BT) in the U.K. Coming on the heels of recent North American partnerships with Comcast and Rogers (along with preschool broadcaster Treehouse), this deal widens the scope of Nelvana's on-demand initiatives to include Europe.

MAGGIE AND THE FEROCIOUS BEAST, LITTLE BEAR, BABAR, MAX & RUBY and THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS are among the initial family entertainment programs Nelvana will make available to BT's next-generation TV offering, slated to launch by late summer/fall 2006.

Film Headline News

Herbig To Animate Spoof of Rural Melodramas

German director Michael "Bully" Herbig is planning a 3D animated spoof of German "Heimat" films rural melodramas popular in the years following World War II, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Titled LISSI UND DER WILDE KAISER (LISSI AND THE WILD KAISER), the film is particularly parodying the Austrian SISSI trilogy of the 1950s, which starred Romy Schneider as a teenage princess caught between love and royal responsibilities.

Animated Headline News

Pixel Pinkie Set to Become Tasmania's Biggest Animated Endeavor

Hobart, Tasmania-based animation firm Blue Rocket Prods. is planning a $9 million, 26-part animated series based on the character Pixel Pinkie, reports ABC.net. If the project gets off the ground it would be Tasmania's biggest film or television production.

The State Government has already ponied up $500,000 towards the series, which has attracted interest from the Nine Network.

The series follows tween Nina as she gets into crazy situation after crazy situation when she discovers that a digital being named Pixel Pinkie lives inside her new mobile phone.

Animation Headline News

ADV Films Releases Five New Anime Titles on Jan. 17

ADV Films is releasing five titles on Jan, 17, 2006, beginning with the 10th and final volume of GANTZ! Other Jan. 17 releases include the first volume of KALEIDO STAR: NEW WINGS, new volumes of AREA 88 and GODANNAR and the new thin-packed GRAVION COMPLETE COLLECTION.

Headline News

KromA Creates Heavenly VFX for Hospital Food Video

KromA delved inside a delightfully unbalanced mind in providing CG and visual effects services for the new David Gray music video HOSPITAL FOOD taken from the acclaimed LIFE IN SLOW MOTION on Ato Records.

The studio created a fantasy sequence that occupies the central part of the video, in which a patient at a mental institution is overwhelmed by heavenly visions. The sequence features a wild mix of 2D and 3D animation and live-action elements representing a day-glo world of angels in hospital gowns, smiling suns and lavender space ships.

Headline News

Glory Road Edges Hoodwinked in Final Tally

When the final box office results were tabulated for the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend (ended Jan. 16, 2006), GLORY ROAD from Buena Vista nudged past HOODWINKED from The Weinstein Co: $16.92M vs. $16.87M. Nonetheless, the fractured riff on LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD exceeded all expectations as the first 3D-animated feature released in 06, with a record dozen or so to come in a single calendar year.

Headline News

Ballistic Publishing Releases Painter

Ballistic Publishing is now offering PAINTER, showcasing a collection of the world's finest digital artwork created with the natural media painting program, Corel Painter. PAINTER exhibits 209 works by 135 artists across diverse categories such as Portraits, Concept Art, Fantasy, Editorial Illustration and Abstract art. PAINTER is presented in a high quality volume consisting of 192 pages and is available in a leather-bound Special Edition and Soft Cover.

Media Headline News

Walden Media Acquires Rights to Cold Trilogy

Walden Media has acquired the rights to the Isabel Allende trilogy featuring young adventurer Alexander Cold, which marked the famed author's first foray into young adult literature. CITY OF THE BEASTS, the first book, will be produced by Barrie Osborne (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy). David Rothenberg (MODOC) will adapt from Allende's novel and co-produce. The books are published by HarperCollins, which partnered with Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures on the successful launch of the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA film franchise.

Headline News

iMac Features ATI's Radeon X1600

Apple is offering ATI's award-winning Radeon X1600 for the iMac, introducing an impressive consumer platform with state of the art discrete graphics. With increased efficiency and power, the Radeon X1600 enables users to get the most out of not only the extensive feature set of the iMac, but to leverage all the capabilities of the Mac OS X Tiger, including Core Image and ATI's Avivo technology to deliver superior display quality.

Entertainment Headline News

BCI Gets DVD Distribution to ER’s Filmation Catalog in North America

BCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corp., has licensed the long-term distribution rights in the U.S. and Canada to Entertainment Rights Plcs (ER) Filmation portfolio of 230 hours of programming. This follows BCIs recent success as U.S. distributor of ERs HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, which recently received the 2005 TV DVD Award for Best 1980s Series.

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