AWN Headline News
This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for January 16, 2006
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
From 1926 through 1997 there were a total of 51 animated features produced in Europe (most after WWII). From 1997 to 2002 Europe produced 34 animated features. It's quite obvious that production is picking up overseas. This quiz asks questions about European animated.
AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for January 16, 2006
This week in AWN's Forums, a thread on whether anime is killing a new generations view of animation is getting a lot of traffic. Equal amount of debate is raging on the topic of videogames being the most successful animation industry. A member has a question about voice-acting in England. Another member wants to know if others went to Ottawa and got the Cartoon Network pitch magnets. Theres also a thread debating the idea of bringing holographic images to the stage.
Hamilton Camp Memorial Service Set
An official Los Angeles memorial service for Hamilton Camp has been set for Jan. 22, 2006, at 2:00 pm at The Improv in Hollywood. Entitled, " Hamid Hamilton Camp: An Afternoon of Stories, Songs and Memories," the presentation will celebrate the life of performer, singer, songwriter and Smurf voice over actor Hamilton Camp (aka Bob Camp and Hamid Hamilton Camp) who died on Oct. 2, 2005, in Los Angeles, at the age of 70.
Two-time Oscar Winner Shelly Winters Dies
Shelley Winters, one of only two women to win two Oscars for Best Supporting Actress, died on the morning of Jan. 14, 2006, in Beverly Hills, California. She was 85.
For the animation community, Winters played Lena Gogan in Disneys 1977 live-action animated hybrid PETE'S DRAGON. She lent her voice to Crystal the Snowgirl (Mrs. Frosty) in the 1976 Rankin-Bass Prods. special FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND and reprised the role in the 1979 feature, RUDOLPH AND FROSTY'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY.
SCI FI Unveils '06 Production & Development Slate
SCI FI Channel unveiled its production and development slate for the new year at the Television Critics Press Tour (Jan. 12, 2006) that includes both scripted and reality projects with top Hollywood talent and production companies.
Ben 10 Premieres on Cartoon Network
BEN 10, a new 30-minute sci-fi action/adventure series, premieres on Cartoon Network Jan. 13, 2006, at 7:30 pm, before moving to its regularly scheduled time and day, Saturdays at 10:00 am.
Kids in the Hall Character Gets Animated for Gay Net
Here!, the U.S.s first gay television network, has added to its lineup the adult animated series, BUDDY'S, which is based on Scott Thompson's KIDS IN THE HALL gay bar owner character, Buddy Cole.
This new series, which aims to explore the limits of tolerance, the meaning of maturity and the importance of having the last word. The series kicks off as Buddy comes under the watchful eye of a bullying "family values" city councilman. To complicate his life even further, he suddenly finds himself a parent when his orphaned niece arrives on his doorstep.
HiTech Creations Flies WWII Skies In Combat Tour
Developer HiTech Creations has released the new expansion to ACES HIGH II, titled COMBAT TOUR. The expansion breaks new ground in online gaming by combining intense air combat simulation and military role-playing in a completely mission-based team format. COMBAT TOUR is in closed testing and release is planned for the first half of 2006.
Kellys’ Fans Have Chance to Win Trip to Daytona 500
SportsBlast, the production company responsible for THE KELLYS that is featured on NASCAR.COM, will award one lucky fan the chance to win a trip for four to the 2006 Daytona 500.
Goblet of Fire Ignites On DVD in March
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE DVD will debut on March 7, 2006, from Warner Home Video. GOBLET OF FIRE will be available on a Single-Disc DVD for $28.98 in full frame and widescreen formats. The Two-Disc Special Edition DVD will be available at $30.97 and the Harry Potter Special Edition four-pack at $73.92; both in widescreen format only. The film will also be available in UMD format for PSP.
Sarandon Dons Enchanted Crown
Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon will don the crown of the evil queen in Walt Disney Pictures' ENCHANTED, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The film has Sarandons Queen Narissa banishing a princess-in-waiting (Amy Adams) from a 2D animated world to the live-action world of New York City where the princess actually finds true love with a modern prince (James Marsden). The modern fairy is being directed by Kevin Lima from a script by Bill Kelly.
Napoleon Dynamite Star & Brothers To Develop Toons
As part of an overall first-look deal, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE Jon Heder, identical twin Dan and older brother Doug will develop animated properties for Universal Pictures, reports VARIETY. The Heder brothers shingle will be called Greasy Ent. and besides animated project will develop starring vehicles for Jon Heder.
BKN Opens A Spanish Office in Barcelona
BKN International AG has opened a subsidiary in Barcelona named BKN Kids New Media SL, headed by md Laura Tapias, to handle its activities in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Latin America.
Tapias joined BKN New Media Ltd. UK in 2004 as vp, sales & marketing, for Spanish, Portuguese and Italian speaking territories. Tapias, with a decade of international sales and marketing experience in the entertainment industry, previously served with leading Spanish TV producers and distributors.
Jeremy McCarron New Academic Director for Art Institute of Vancouver
Animator/artist Jeremy McCarron joins The Art Institute of Vancouver as academic director of Animation Art & Design. McCarron brings more than a decade of production experience as an animator, cg supervisor, art director and animation director to the school.
Dan Philips Joins Laika Ent. as VP/Head Of Production
Dan Philips joins LAIKA Ent. in Portland, Oregon, in the newly created post of vp/head of production.
NBC Adds Interactivity To Golden Globe Awards Telecast Jan. 16
Film and television fans will be able to make their opinions known and test their trivia skills during this year's telecast of the 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Monday, Jan. 16, 2006, 8-11:00 pm (ET) on NBC. For the first time the show will feature an engaging online interactive television (ITV) experience on NBC.com, which can also be accessed at www.NBC.com/The_Golden_Globes/.
SCI FI Greenlights 12-Hour Spielberg Miniseries Event
SCI FI Channel will team again with Steven Spielberg, screenwriter Les Bohem and DreamWorks Television, for the ambitious 12-hour miniseries event NINE LIVES, it was announced Jan. 12, 2006, at the Television Critics Press Tour. The group's last collaboration was 2003's groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning 20-hour miniseries, Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN. NINE LIVES is slated to air in 2007.
Asterisk Animates Sequence in White Countess
New York City-based Asterisk produced an animated sequence for the Merchant/Ivory Productions WHITE COUNTESS, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
The 40-second sequence occurs about 20 minutes into the film as a young girl stops to look at a shadowbox on the amusement pier. The glass slide in the shadowbox slowly comes to life and elegantly depicts the journey to another town shes been hoping for.
AJA Introduces KONA 3
AJA Video, a leading manufacturer of professional video interface and conversion solutions, announced KONA 3, the new top-of-the-line HD/SD video capture card. Offering 40% more processing power than the industry-leading KONA 2, the new KONA 3 is the ultimate uncompressed capture card for SD, HD and Dual Link 4:4:4:4 HD for PCI Express Apple G5 Power Macs and Apple Final Cut Pro. The new card will ship worldwide on Jan. 30.
Alias Announces Ahead of the Curve Design Competition
Since its launch at 3December, Alias' Ahead of the Curve design competition is accepting designs from students that demonstrate exceptional creativity and skill. The deadline is May 31, 2006. Three winners will be chosen in each of the following categories: Automotive Design, Product Design, Film and Video, Games Asset Development and Graphic Design/3D Illustration.
Honk, Toot and Swo-Swoosh Wins CINE Golden Eagle
HONK, TOOT AND SWO-SWOOSH, a 3D, preschool series, has been awarded a CINE Golden Eagle in the Childrens Programs category.
Winners in this round include: WGBH, A&E Network, Discovery Channel, Public Television Service Taiwan, National Geographic, Thirteen/WNET, NOVA/WGBH, CNN, History Channel, MSNBC, PBS, Oxygen Media, THE NEWS HOUR WITH JIM LEHRAR and Sesame Workshop.
Spike TV Brings Blade to TV In June 2006
Spike TV is set to bring BLADE to television with a two-hour original drama that marks the network's first foray into scripted entertainment. Produced by New Line Television, BLADE premieres on Spike TV in June 2006.
"BLADE is perfectly suited for Spike TV and its male viewers," says Pancho Mansfield, evp, original programming at Spike TV. "The new "Blade" promises to capture what men want to see: thrilling action and effects combined with an intelligent and highly creative story."
David Fincher Finds Torso Untouchable
Paramount Pictures has tapped SEVEN-helmer David Fincher to direct an adaptation of the graphic novel TORSO, which was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, reports the trades. THE RING scribe Ehren Kruger will write the adaptation, which will be produced by Pandemonium's Bill Mechanic, Angry Films' Don Murphy and comic artist Todd McFarlane.
Piranha Remake Gains Dimension
The Weinstein Co.'s Dimension Films has hooked the domestic distribution rights to PIRANHA, a remake of the 1978 cult classic, VARIETY reports. Chuck Russell will direct in spring. Dimension will handle all English-speaking territories.
Set at Arizona's Lake Havasu, a vacation spot becomes a blood bath when a savage school of piranha swims through a crack in a crater formed by a prehistoric eruption at the bottom of the lake.