AWN Headline News

KING OF THE HILL writers Aron Abrams and Greg Thompson have signed a two-year, seven-figure deal with Paramount, reports VARIETY. As part of the deal, the duo will create, develop and exec produce series programming. In addition, the team will be developing a live-action CBS series for comedian Aisha Tyler. The deal is a move by new president David Stapf to strengthen the list of writers working for the studio.

TLC Industries (www.tlcind.com) and Full Sail Real World Education (www.fullsail.com) announced the opening of the NextArcade Student Showcase (www.nextarcade.com). The site is designed to bring public exposure to creative works being created by top student developers. Participating schools include Full Sail Real World Education and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

At Amusement Showcase International in Chicago, Cecropia launched a preview of its first filmgame, called THE ACT, an interactive comedy about relationships, deception and the pursuit of romance. THE ACT gives players the unique experience of playing a game that feels more like a movie. Players control the characters' emotions while they experience the interactive story. The characters' feelings are apparent through highly skilled personality-centric animation, which is being animated by Cecropia's animators -- alumni of Disney Feature Film Animation Studios.

Just months after its debut on PBS KIDS GO! in the U.S., Scholastic Ent.s new series MAYA & MIGUEL has already been sold in more than 30 countries, including to the BBC in the U.K.; Cartoon Network Latin America; NOGA in Israel; ABS-CBN in the Philippines and Luk International in Spain and Portugal. The international broadcasters have acquired all 65 half-hour episodes of the breakthrough series.

Sin Fronteras Film FestivalAlbuquerque, New MexicoApril 15-16, 2005Deadline: March 15, 2005

The Department of Latin American Studies at the University of New Mexico and SOLAS Student Association for Latin American Studies are co-sponsoring Sin Fronteras Film Festival, which will take place at the Guild Theatre. Sin Fronteras is a media festival created to showcase the works of socially conscious independent filmmakers from across the Americas.

AAA Screenplay ContestWorld Wide WebJune 1, 2005Deadline: June 1, 2005