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AWN Headline News

Headline News

Digital-Tutors Offers Intermediate RealFlow and Maya Training

Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION training kit, a comprehensive video-based training guide for RealFlow and its integration with Maya. INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION marks the second RealFlow training title and the latest release in a growing library of popular training resources for emerging digital artists. INTERMEDIATE: REALFLOW AND MAYA INTEGRATION provides four hours of project-driven training for creating photorealistic liquid and dynamic simulations using a variety of timesaving techniques.

Headline News

ABC Pulls Sci-Fi Threshold

ABC has pulled sci-fi/drama THRESHOLD from its sweeps lineup, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The freshman series began its run on Fridays at 9:00 pm and was later moved to the 10:00 pm slot with mild improvements. The Paramount Network TV show, which stars Carla Gugino, will be replaced by a repeat of CBS' promising new crime drama CRIMINAL MINDS for the November sweeps week.

Imax Headline News

IMAX Experiences Record Box Office Weekend

IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE and THE POLAR EXPRESS: AN IMAX 3-D EXPERIENCE registered the highest grossing weekend ever at IMAX theaters, with combined grosses of $3.1 million, each on 66 screens over the three-day period from Nov. 25-27.

Headline News

Sky High Flies on DVD

THE INCREDIBLES meets X-MEN and more in SKY HIGH (Buena Vista Home Ent., $29.99), which debuts on DVD Nov. 29, 2005. Kurt Russell stars in a cute throwback to his old Disney movies in this superhero riff (look out for Lynda Carter as the principal). Contains lots of vfx from Asylum VFX, Furious FX, Lola Visual Effects and Realscan 3D.

Bonus features include:* Alternate opening that many will find too over-the-top* Welcome to Sky High featurette

Series Headline News

ANIMANIA HD Snaps Up Two Animated Series from Monster

Monster Distributes has been busy closing sales following a successful MIPCOM, including two sales to Animania HD, a high-definition channel solely dedicated to animation, which has taken both PICME (104x5), from Irish production company Jammedia, and JUNGLE BEAT (13x5), from Zimbabwean production company Sunrise Media for U.S. high-definition broadcast.

Games Headline News

Diablo Developers Start Up Hyboreal Games Studio

A group of seasoned gaming veterans have formed Hyboreal Games as a new development studio on Nov. 28, 2005. Hyboreal Games was founded by Eric Sexton, Michio Okamura and Steven Woo, all industry veterans and former developers for Blizzard North, where their contributions were essential to the success of the highly acclaimed DIABLO franchise, which has sold well over 13 million copies worldwide. The Hyboreal Games mission is to make best-selling game franchises by applying the proven formula of mass accessibility, addictive game play and longevity through re-playability.

Headline News

Complete Animated Aeon Flux on DVD

In anticipation of next weeks release of the live-action AEON FLUX movie with Charlize Theron, AEON FLUX: THE COMPLETE ANIMATED COLLECTION (Paramount Home Ent., $38.99) recently made its DVD debut. The futuristic cult series from creator Peter Chung, which began on MTVs LIQUID TELEVISION, was a very sophisticated and adult series that didnt shy away from sex and violence. The provocative DVD cover image alone, revealing Aeons eye with a fly caught between the lashes, is enticing enough. One wonders how the live-action version will achieve a comparable impact.

Motion Headline News

RE:Vision Effects Releases 64-Bit Support for Discreet and ReelSmart

RE:Vision Effects Inc. announced 64-bit support of its Irix Discreet systems (Sparks) versions of Twixtor, its popular retiming solution, and ReelSmart Motion Blur, which adds and removes motion blur based on per-pixel calculated motion. The new releases also work within the Linux versions of Smoke and Flint and are available for Burn render farms.

Headline News

Cartoon Network Gives Merry Toons Throughout Holiday Schedule

The Christmas cartoons start arriving way early this year as Cartoon Network fills almost the entire month of December with holiday programming. Cartoon Network brings new and favorite holiday specials every Sunday-Friday at 7:30 pm all month long, beginning Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005. Highlights of Cartoon Networks holiday programming schedule are as follows, all times ET/PT:

Series Headline News

Nickelodeon’s New Heroic Super-Spy Family Takes to the Airwaves

The undercover exploits of Nickelodeons THE XS, an animated family of world-class super-spies who live incognito in suburbia, unfold in nail-biting and funny fashion on the original new Nicktoon series, premiered with a triple lineup of episodes on Nov. 25, 2005, at 8:00, 8:30 and 9:00 pm. These oddball operatives thwart dangerous evildoers without upsetting the neighbors, in this cloak-and-dagger comedy from Annie Award-winner Carlos Ramos (OH YEAH! CARTOONS). The series airs regularly on Fridays at 8:30 pm.

Headline News

Harry Connick Jr. Sings & Narrates NBC Happy Elf Special Dec. 2

IDT Ent. will celebrate the holidays with its first CG-animated special, THE HAPPY ELF, featuring narration and all new original holiday songs written by Grammy and Emmy winner Harry Connick Jr., which airs Dec. 2, 2005, 8-9:00 pm on NBC. THE HAPPY ELF tells the story of Eubie the Elf, one of Santa's helpers whose enthusiastic, rose-colored view of the holiday season is tested when he sets out to save Christmas for an entire town of naughty children in a sad little place called Bluesville.

Awards Headline News

Still Time to Enter the Promax/BDA Arabia Awards

Promax/BDA Arabia Dubai, IndiaMarch 14 15, 2006Deadline: January 20, 2006

The Promax/BDA Arabia Awards are part of the Dubai conference, awarding Gold and Silver trophies in more than 21 categories. Promax/BDA is the association for those working in broadcast promotions, marketing and design. At the conferences leading figures from around the world, as well as experts from the Arabia region, share their secrets and keep you up to date with the latest advances within the industry.

Topics include:

Award Headline News

Jakers, Peppa & Incredibles Win BAFTA Awards

The 10th British Academy Children's Film and Television Awards in association with Time Warner were held on November 27, 2005 at the London Hilton.

The Animation Award went to THE LITTLE REINDEER from Millimages UK and CiTV. The Pre-School Animation Prize went to Nickelodeon UKs PEPPA PIG.

Headline News

SCI Talks Tomb Raider 3 With Paramount

SCI, the computer games company that owns Lara Croft, along with the TOMB RAIDER franchise, has begun talks with Paramount Pictures to venture forth with a third installment in the movie franchise, reports The Business Online. Angelina Jolie is expected to return as Lara Croft, the English archaeologist/adventurer. The previous two movies have grossed more than $450 million at the box office.

World Headline News

Believe It or Not: Burton & Carrey Team on Ripley Bio-Pic

Director Tim Burton and star Jim Carrey are partnering for BELIEVE IT OR NOT!, an action/adventure loosely based on Robert Ripley, reports the trades. Alphaville's Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel will produce alongside Ken Atchity and exec producer Chi-Li Wong. Richard Zanuck, who worked with Burton on CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BIG FISH and PLANET OF THE APES, is also in talks to produce.

Headline News

Oscar-Nominated Actor Pat Morita Dies

Actor Pat Morita, best known for his iconic role as martial-arts master/handy man Mr. Miyagi in THE KARATE KID franchise, has died, reported the AP. He was 73.

There were conflicting reports regarding the cause of death. His daughter Aly Morita stated he died Nov. 24, 2005, of heart failure at a Las Vegas hospital; while longtime manager Arnold Soloway said he died of kidney failure at a hospital where he was awaiting a transplant.

David Headline News

Baraka Works Magic For Slim Jim Campaign

Baraka Post Production was appointed by Miami-based advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Outsider director James Rouse to provide pre-production expertise, on-site location advice, post production and 3D animation effects for a series of five commercials for Slim Jim.

Comedy Headline News

COMEDY CENTRAL MotherLoad Features Five Channels On Broadband

Comedy Central recently launched its first broadband-optimized video channel "COMEDY CENTRAL MotherLoad," offering exclusively new original series and content from classic Comedy Central shows such as Robert Smigel's TV FUNHOUSE. To view "MotherLoad" go to www.comedycentral.commotherload.

Disney Headline News

Irving Ludwig, Pioneering Disney Distribution Exec, Dies at 95

Irving Ludwig, former president of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, and one of the most respected and innovative executives in theatrical film distribution, passed away at his home in Santa Monica, California, from natural causes on Nov. 26. He was 95-years -old.

Headline News

Goblet of Fire Gobbles Up Box Office

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE topped the box office for the second consecutive week during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period ended Nov. 27, 2005. The fourth entry in the hugely successful Warner Bros. franchise (with vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, MPC, ILM, Cinesite, Animal Logic, The Orphanage, BUF and Rising Sun) added $81.3M for a total gross of $201M.

Software Headline News

FrameForge 3D Previs Software Available in French

Innoventive Software, Llc. announced that its previsualization and storyboarding software, FrameForge 3D Studio, is now available for Windows fully localized in French with a French Installation and Getting Started Manual included.

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