AWN Headline News

The World of Comedy International Film Festival has put out a call for feature film and shorts entries for its second annual event in Toronto February 11-15, 2004. In addition to the film competition, the 2004 festival will host a series of workshops and panels to foster the further development of those interested in comedy filmmaking.

Will fathers want to watch hours of cartoons or are Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon scheduling Father's Day programming marathons to keep the kids busy while dad relaxes in his easy chair? Nick plans to give dads their due on June 15, 2003 from 2-6:00 pm with a new special show of THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY NEUTRON, BOY GENIUS titled "Make Room for Daddy-O." Jimmy invents a device that alters Hugh's personality, making him the coolest dad in Retroville.

The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) decided to push back its 2004 annual Conference and Exhibition one week to January 18-20, 2004, at the adjoined Venetian Hotel and Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, according to Rick Feldman, NATPE president/ceo. The decision to change the event's dates and shorten its length by one day was made after the association determined that the requirements it held for hotel facilities and exhibition floor space for the original dates of January 13-16 could not be fulfilled.

With thousands of fans and nominees tuning in from more than 90 countries and 185 parties worldwide, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences honored the world's best Websites June 5, 2003 in the first Webby Awards announcement to take place completely online. Nick.Com, www.nick.com, won a Webby for best TV site. 2003 People's Voice Winners included CartoonNetwork.com, www.cartoonnetwork.com for Television and Disney's Toontown Online, www.toontown.com, for Youth.

Nickelodeon comes to Licensing Show June 10-13, 2003 in New York City at the Javits Center to kick off licensing programs for its latest hit show FAIRLY ODDPARENTS, the upcoming SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE and RUGRATS spin-off, ALL GROWN UP. Nickelodeon will also expand its current roster with movie licensing plans for A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS as well as the introduction of TAK AND THE POWER OF JUJU and EVERGIRL, its first off-channel properties. Nickelodeon can be found at Licensing Show booth #1317.

THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF BILLY AND MANDY returns June 13, 2003 to Cartoon Network, as a full-fledged 30-minute series at 7:00 pm and replays at 10:00 pm. The toon net obviously isn't afraid of American superstitions about Friday the 13th, considered a bad luck day by many in the U.S. Then again, this macabre yet hilarious tale had good luck when it won The Big Pick in August 2000. The toon, created by Maxwell Atoms, beat out a number of different pilots to be selected by the viewers to become a 13-episode series, launched in October 2001.

Kids' WB! launched its new gaming site, Ribbit Arena, located at www.KidsWB.com on June 10, 2003. When kids log onto the site, they will be assigned to one of four teams where they can play a variety of exciting games and accumulate points for prizes they may download.

FX entertainment president Kevin Reilly is ankling his post to join NBC as president, primetime development. In the new position, Reilly will oversee the NBC Studios division and the network's development department. Reilly worked at NBC in development in the late 1980s and early '90s. He went on to Brillstein-Grey Entertainment for six years before moving to the top programming job at FX in 2000. There he raised the channel's profile with projects such as THE SHIELD and LUCKY.