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AWN Headline News

Team Headline News

Underdog Flies with NASCAR

The No. 37 R&J Racing Dodge Charger has joined forces with UNDERDOG for two of NASCAR's most high profile races, the Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28, 2005. The No. 37 racecar will be fueled by the "speed of lightning and roar of thunder" in its all-new red, white and blue UNDERDOG paint scheme.

In recent months the team has been referred to as the 'underdog' of Nextel Cup. Beginning with a 9th place finish in the Daytona 500, the team has sought week after week to qualify and race in every Nextel Cup event on the schedule thus far.

Headline News

Winkler Wins Daytime Emmy for Voice Performance in Clifford’s Puppy Days

Henry Winkler won an Outstanding Performer In An Animated Program Daytime Emmy for his performance as Norville in CLIFFORD'S PUPPY DAYS, which was the only animation trophy awarded on camera during the televised 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards May 20, 2005, during the 9-11:00 pm telecast on CBS. The televised ceremony was basically for live-action shows and performances only.

Series Headline News

PorchLight Taps Mark Young to Head Animation Production Studio & Post Facility

Celebrating its 10th year as a global producer/distributor of award-winning childrens and family programming, PorchLight Ent. has signed animation veteran Mark Young to the newly created post of svp, animation production, to run its just opened new 4000-square-foot animation studio and post facilities in Sherman Oaks, California. Corporate offices will remain in west Los Angeles.

Headline News

Voice of Fred Flintstone Goes Silent

Henry Corden, the second voice of Fred Flintstone died May 19, 2005, of emphysema at AMI Encino Hospital, at the age of 85, according to his longtime agent Don Pitts. Corden's wife of nine years, Angelina, was with him at the time.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Corden moved to New York City as a child and came to Hollywood in the 1940s. His first acting role was in the 1947 Boris Karloff film, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. With his dark hair, bearded face and deep voice, Corden often played villains and heavies.

Film Headline News

Winners Selected for 2005 Student Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced 12 student winners in its 32nd annual Student Academy Awards competition. These 12 winners, from 11 different colleges and universities, will participate in a week of industry-related activities and social events culminating June 12, 2005, with the awards presentation ceremony at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater, which is free and open to the public. One film student from Germany also has been selected to receive this year's Honorary Foreign Film Student Award.

Game Headline News

Feature Film Talent Reprise Roles in Activision's Fantastic 4 Game

The five leading actors from the upcoming Fantastic 4 film(Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Studios) -- based on the Marvel comicbook series -- will also perform their roles in Activision Inc.'s upcoming FANTASTIC 4 videogame. Jessica Alba (DARK ANGEL, SIN CITY), Emmy award-winner Michael Chiklis (THE SHIELD), Chris Evans (THE PERFECT SCORE, CELLULAR), Ioan Gruffudd (KING ARTHUR) and Julian McMahon (CHARMED, NIP/TUCK) will portray Sue Storm, The Invisible Woman; Ben Grimm, The Thing; Johnny Storm, The Human Torch; Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic and Victor Von Doom, Dr. Doom, respectively.

Game Headline News

Alias to Join SCE Middleware Program for PS3

Alias announced its intention at E3 to join the Sony Computer Ent. Inc.'s Tools and Middleware Program for PlayStation 3 (PS3) when it launches in spring of 2006. This will enable Alias to tailor the roadmap for software products such as Maya, Alias MotionBuilder and Alias|HumanIK middleware to the needs of developers working on Sonys PS3 titles. These three Alias products are development musts for the leading current-generation console titles.

Film Headline News

Weinstein Co. Gets Investment, Distribution and Hoodwinked!

Bob and Harvey Weinsteins new Weinstein Co. will get equity investment and debt financing from Goldman, Sachs & Co. Specific terms of the transactions were not disclosed. The two firms will work closely together over the coming months to officially launch The Weinstein Co. in October 2005.

Headline News

Sith a Midnight Reaper with Estimated $17M

The Force is already with REVENGE OF THE SITH, as EPISODE III of the STAR WARS saga grossed an estimated $17M for the special midnight screenings on Thursday. Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution for Twentieth Century Fox, told THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, "It seems like the industry got kick started last night at midnight."

REVENGE OF THE SITH began playing midnight shows in 2,900 theaters in North America. Snyder could not give a firm screen count, but noted that it could be significantly higher because of interlocking prints.

Headline News

Rendercore Integrates LightWave 8.3 to Increase Remote Rendering Capability

Rendercore Inc. has integrated the latest version of LightWave 8.3 on Rendercore's state-of-the-art render farm based in downtown Los Angeles.

We integrated Newteks latest version of LightWave 8.3 to our proprietary remote rendering management tool RenMan so that clients can upload files automatically for job submission and monitoring remotely and efficiently, from anywhere, anytime said Brian Kim, senior developer at Rendercore.

Game Headline News

Winx Club Joins Cartoon Network's Miguzi Lineup & NICKELODEON UK

It must be in the cards that the month of May is a good time for fairies as the WINX CLUB joined Miguzi's Monday-Friday lineup on May 16, 2005 and now airs on the Cartoon Network afternoon adventure block at 5:00 pm. The action-packed series features teenaged fairies and witches use magical powers for both good and evil. The series also premiered this month (May 2) on Nickelodeon UK, as well as a trading card game at Toys "R" Us stores.

Production Headline News

VFX Artist/Editor Robert Lopuski Joins UVPHACTORY

In a continuation of their recent expansion, New York-based design and production company UVPHACTORY has added editor/vfx artist Robert Lopuski to its staff roster.

Robert reflects the creative vibe of this place and is a logical extension of our continued growth. He has the UVPHACTORY sensibility creativity, savvy and humor and he is a natural at what he does, technically and creatively, explained co-founder Scott Sindorf.

Headline News

Airbus Germany Acquires Multiple Vicon Motion Capture Systems

Airbus Germany has recently purchased a second Vicon motion-capture system for tracking human interaction with virtual models of proposed new planes, including the Airbus 380. Airbus Germany's Virtual Reality department is using both Vicon VCam (0.3 million pixel camera with powerful strobes) and SVCam (low-impact, unobtrusive small format camera) systems to enable engineers to interact with new planes before building practical prototypes. This is the same motion-capture system used on THE POLAR EXPRESS, TROY and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

Headline News

Alias Offers New Maya/MotionBuilder Learning Tools

Alias now offers two new Learning Tools: PIPELINE TECHNIQUES|MAYA AND ALIAS MOTIONBUILDER and MAYA TECHNIQUES|MAYA FLUID EFFECTS examine areas of Maya relatively unexplored by Learning Tool authors prior to now. Both tools further complete a full range of Learning Tools that offer 3D professionals, students and enthusiasts a collection of books and DVDs for self-paced learning.

Animation Headline News

Scott Tolmie Joins Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

Expression College for Digital Arts has appointment Scott Tolmie as director of Industry Relations/Career Development Visual.

Before joining Expression, Tolmie was animation art director at LeapFrog, where he led the creative development of new characters for the LEAPSTER educational gaming platform. He was also exec producer with Way Out West Animation, where he developed Flash animation and interface design for medical clients, including Heartbeat Digital.

Effects Headline News

Reactor & STEELE Team Up Heroic Popsicle Ads

Director Thor Freudenthal of Reactor Films/SM teamed with STEELE to produce an effects driven package of spots for Popsicle. An homage to the kitschy, low-budget special effects of 1950s Hong Kong cinema and 1960s TV, the Freudenthal/STEELE collaboration makes Popsicles seem not only tasty but heroic. This campy campaign, via Campbell Mithun/MN, features a superhero The Man of Popsicle whose motto is, If its Popsicle, its possible!

Headline News

Screen Gems Fights with Tekken & Werewolf by Night

Steven Paul's Crystal Sky and Sony's Screen Gems are set to adapt videogame classic TEKKEN into a feature film, reports VARIETY. Budgeted at $50 million, the film is scheduled to start production this fall. For Crystal Sky, this is one of two properties picked up in turnaround from Dimension. The second begins with Marvel's WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, which Paul will produce with Marvel Studios' Avi Arad.

Headline News

Dick Tracy Heads to TV, Beatty Sues

When one thought that Dick Tracy had hung up his badge for good, the yellow-cloaked detective is now in the news again with a possible TV deal as well as a lawsuit.

Dick Tracy comicstrip owners Tribune Co. have struck a deal with Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Outlaw Prods. Partners Bobby Newmyer and Scott Strauss to bring DICK TRACY to the small screen, reports VARIETY.

However, this deal flies in the face of Warren Beatty's lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. Superior Court seeking damages against Tribune and a declaration that Beatty owns the Tracy rights.

Entertainment Headline News

Sony Sets Date for PS3

At a press conference held in Los Angeles, California, today (May 17, 2005), Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) revealed the outline of its PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, incorporating the world's most advanced Cell processor with super computer like power. Preparations are under way for launch of PS3 and new generation software in the spring of 2006. Prototypes of PS3 will also be showcased at E3, the world's largest interactive entertainment exhibition held in Los Angeles, from May 18-20.

Game Headline News

Microsoft Highlights Xbox 360 at E3

At E3 2005 in Los Angeles, Microsoft Corp. announced it will release a free software update to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 that will enable customers to take advantage of the Media Center Extender technologies built into Xbox 360 gaming systems to access and enjoy digital entertainment anywhere in the home. Every Xbox 360 will have Media Center Extender functionality built in and available out of the box.

International Headline News

TV France International Showcase in Italy

Seventeen French TV companies are attending the seventh meeting of French and Italian distributors and producers organized by TV France International, which will be held in Rome on May 19, 2005 at the Intercontinental Hotel and on the following day in Milan at the Sheraton Diana Majestic Hotel.

Italy is Frances second largest market for television productions, buying 10.64 million euros worth of French programs in 2003. Italy ranks sixth amongst countries participating with France in co-productions and presales in 2003.

Effects Headline News

VES-VFX Festival Lineup Announced

This years 2005 VES-VFX Festival of Visual Effects kicks off June 24-26 at the newly renovated Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California, with a lineup that includes behind-the-scenes looks at STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, BATMAN BEGINS, MADAGASCAR, SIN CITY, BEWITCHED, LORDS OF DOGTOWN, CSI, LOST and ALIAS.

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