AWN Headline News

On July 15, 2005, SCI FI Friday premieres with brand-new episodes of hit original series STARGATE SG-1 (8:00 pm), STARGATE ATLANTIS (9:00 pm) and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (10:00 pm). In addition to STARGATE SG-1's newest team member Ben Browder (FARSCAPE), Emmy winner Beau Bridges, Oscar winner Lou Gossett, Jr. and sci-fi favorite Mitch Pileggi (THE X FILES) have joined the STARGATE family. Bridges will join the cast of STARGATE SG-1 and will also appear in a several episodes of STARGATE ATLANTIS.

Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group is the pre-production stages on a sequel to Stephen Chow's KUNG FU HUSTLE, according HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Chow and his writing team from HUSTLE, including Tsang Kan Cheong, have been writing the first draft while on the 30-country Sony Pictures Releasing International press tour for the original film.

"He works well within our system," Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia md Barbara Robinson said. "He knows we love (HUSTLE); he's seen the way we've gotten behind him, and we have great distribution clout."

The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists have broken off talks with the videogame industry, which makes a strike likely, reports the trades. No agreement was reached on May 13, 2005 the last day the current contract extension which was one more extension than the actors said they would concede to. Even though a caucus of SAG and AFTRA must meet to decide if there will be a strike, insiders say it is curtain.

Melwood Pictures and Exodus Film Group announced that they have optioned the rights to world-famous magician and illusionist Nicholas Nights CG-animated/live-action feature film PAVLOVS DOG.

4Kids Ent. Inc. has acquired the worldwide licensing rights to CHAOTIC, Apex Marketing and Dracco Company Ltd.'s trading card game.

4Kids Entertainment will manage the licensing, marketing and promotional initiatives for this trading card property and will join creative forces with Apex Marketing to develop and produce an all-new children's animated series based on the property. 4Kids will jointly own the copyright to the television series, which is expected to debut on 4Kids TV in fall 2006.

Discovery HD Theater takes extraterrestrial coverage to the next level to the high definition level as it presents ALIEN PLANET on May 14, 2005 at 8:00 pm, the networks first ever simulcast event with the Discovery Channel. Continuing its out-of-this-world theme, on May 18 from 8-11:00 pm, Discovery HD Theater will present THE SCIENCE OF STAR WARS, a special that reveals various types of Star Wars-like equipment in use today and in the development stages.

Character Animation Technologies Ltd. released its latest version of CAT, the fully integrated, next-generation character animation plug-in for 3ds Max. CAT 1.4 provides animation professionals in games development, film, video and broadcast with an advanced toolset that transforms the way character animation is done, resulting in greater flexibility for the artist and much more efficient production times.

Thomson will have a leading role at the 2005 Cannes International Film festival by showcasing its advanced cinema technologies and as an official partner of the Short Film Corner at the Palais des Festivals. In addition, many of the films screened at this year's Festival were created using a variety of film and post-production services from Thomson.

Toon Boom Animation announced that its software will be use to complete Alphanims ROBOTBOY and an educational series from Sophia Hilton Foundation of Canada in collaboration with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and the Madras Craft Foundation.

Alphanim chose Toon Boom Opus for the production of ROBOTBOY, a series of 52 13-minute episodes. Co-produced with Cartoon Network Europe, France 3 and split among LuxAnimation (Luxemburg), Emation (Korea) and Monigotes (Spain), this traditional animation production is scheduled for primetime broadcast in the U.S.