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Geographical Region: Europe

Rocket Headline News

Finalists For $50,000 Shaw Rocket Prize Announced

The Shaw Rocket Fund announced the 2005 finalists for the $50,000 Shaw Rocket Prize. The four finalists were selected by an international jury of leaders in childrens TV from the U.K., U.S., Australia, Germany and Canada. The finalists are:

* DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION Produced by Epitome Pictures Inc., Toronto A topical live-action youth drama airing on CTV, the characters deal with real life challenges of becoming an adult.

* FRANNYS FEET Produced by DECODE Ent. Inc., Toronto

Game Headline News

Connery Back as Bond — For Videogame

Sean Connery will reprise his role as James Bond for Electronic Arts' forthcoming videogame version of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The first Bond actor will provide his voice and likeness as is was in the 1963 MGM classic. Original characters from the film included in the game will be Q (Desmond Llewelyn), Donald "Red" Grant (Robert Shaw), Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi), Kerim Bay (Pedro Armendariz) and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell).

Kids Headline News

Incredibles & SpongeBob Top Slime at Kids’ Choice Awards

On April 2, Nickelodeon hosted its 18th annual Kids Choice Awards, which was hosted by Ben Stiller. For favorite cartoon, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS took home the prize. Winning favorite movie was Brad Birds superhero send-up THE INCREDIBLES. Will Smiths performance in DreamWorks SHARK TALE earned him the favorite voice from an animated movie. Though SHREK 2 lost out in the favorite movie category, the game SHREK 2 took home favorite game.

Headline News

Betty Cohen New President/ceo of Lifetime Entertainment Services

Betty Cohen, former head and founder of Cartoon Network, has been named president/ceo of Lifetime Entertainment Services. In her new position, which she officially assumes April 26,2005.Cohen will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the media brand for women, including, advertising sales, affiliate sales, research, programming, strategic planning and operations.

Creative Headline News

Autodesk Goes Toxik

Autodesk Inc. introduced Toxik, collaborative compositing software for the creation of digital visual effects. Featuring advanced creative tools as well as integrated, enterprise-level collaboration, Toxik brings new capabilities to feature film production a market that is demanding increasingly sophisticated levels of creativity, collaboration and image processing quality. Redefining the way visual effects are created, managed and shared, Toxik will be shown publicly at the National Assn. of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) in Las Vegas, April 18-21, 2005.

Film Headline News

Kairo Remake Gets American Stars

Kristen Bell (TV's VERONICA MARS) and newcomer Steve Talley will star in long in development remake of Japanese supernatural horror film KAIRO titled PULSE, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Making his feature debut will be commercial director Jim Sonzero. The film will be produced by Neo Art & Logics Mike Leahy and Joel Soisson. Production is set to begin early this summer in Romania. The story centers on a website run by an evil force whose takes control of web surfers lives. Wes Craven was originally attached to helm the project.

Friends Headline News

Happy Tree Friends Get Mobile

Mondo Media has finalized a series of wireless licensing deals that will blanket Europe with its internationally popular HAPPY TREE FRIENDS animated characters. Via its new wireless licensing agreements brokered by its western European agent Celebrities Ent., the HAPPY TREE FRIENDS characters are now available in five basic configurations Java games, episode download, spot download, image based content and true tones/sound tones.

Animation Headline News

Damage DAM Software Launched with Valiant

The Eureka Initiative in the U.K., dedicated to strengthening European competitiveness with innovative technology, developed the Damage software tool to track and manage digital assets for VALIANT, the regions first 3D-animated feature and the maiden project from Vanguard Animation and London-based Ealing Studios.

Now that VALIANT has been released in the U.K. and will bow in mainland Europe in July and Aug. 19 in the U.S. (through Disney), it is hoped that Eureka project E! 3062 Damage will now open up a while new global market for the European animation industry.

Interactive Headline News

Warner Bros. & Midway Announce Gaming Deal for Happy Feet

Warner Bros. Interactive Ent. and Midway Games Inc. announced the signing of a multi-territory publishing agreement to develop videogames based on HAPPY FEET, a comedy adventure written and directed by George Miller (the BABE movies, LORENZO'S OIL, the MAD MAX trilogy), scheduled for release in November 2006. The multi-platform deal includes games for console, handheld and PC platforms.

Effects Headline News

fmx/05 Adds Programs, Speakers

fmx/05, a key event in animation, visual effects, games and other 3D content, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year (April 27-30 in Stuttgart, Germany) by continuing to offer a holistic, cinematic and integrated approach to the booming CGI industry.

Rocket Headline News

Shaw Rocket Prize Announces International Jury

The Shaw Rocket Fund, founder of the $50,000 Shaw Rocket Prize, has announced the 2005 Shaw Rocket Prize Jury, which includes: Deirdre Brennan, ABC Kids programmer, Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC TV), Australia; Frank Dietz, head of acquisitions and co-productions, Super RTL, Germany; Michelle Henderson, president, The Childrens Group, Canada; Bob Higgins, svp programming & development, Cartoon Network, U.S.; and Theresa Plummer-Andrews, managing director, Plum Trees TV Ltd., U.K.

Toon Headline News

Corel Painter IX and Toon Boom Studio Offer Joint Savings

Toon Boom Animation Inc. and Corel Corp. are now offering special pricing, until May 31, 2005, to customers who purchase both Corel Painter IX and Toon Boom Studio v2.5, a natural pairing for professional animators to create traditional, hand-drawn animation.

Digital Headline News

NAB2005 Announces Fourth Annual Digital Cinema Summit

NAB is joining forces again with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Ent. Technology Center at USC (ETC-USC) to present the fourth annual Digital Cinema Summit. The two days of speakers, panels and new product announcements center on the now complete Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) specifications; the issues faced in implementing them through SMPTE standards; and the impact of digital cinema on entertainment, technology and theatrical exhibition worldwide. The Digital Cinema Summit will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, April 16 and 17, 2005.

Headline News

Vanguard’s Valiant to Fly in August

In the latest jostling for prime release dates, Disney has pushed back Vanguard Animations VALIANT, the U.K.s first 3D-animated feature, from April 15 to Aug. 19, 2005. Vanguards debut feature, produced at the revitalized Ealing Studios, bowed March 25 in the U.K. With Disneys own CHICKEN LITTLE now flying the coop Nov. 4, this highly anticipated story of a World War II carrier pigeon should fill the bill nicely.

Headline News

Liguori New President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting

Quick on the heels of the news earlier this week that Fox Broadcasting Co. entertainment chief Gail Berman ankled her post at the network to become a top creative player at Paramount Pictures, comes the announcement that Peter Liguori has been named to replace her as president, entertainment. Liguori will be responsible for all FOX program development and scheduling, as well as marketing, business affairs and promotions.

International Headline News

Hulbert to Head Hallmark International Channel Network

Ex-Disney TV Intl chief David Hulbert has found a lovely new home to head as chief exec of Hallmark International Channel network. The network itself is taking up a new home with Sparrowhawk, the media group that is in the process with Providence Equity Partners and 3i of buying the Hallmark Intl Channel from Crown Media Holdings.

The Hallmark International Channel network has more than 60 million subscribers worldwide, the international rights to more than 580 titles in the Crown Media library and a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Denver, Colorado.

Headline News

Powell to Direct BVITV Sales in U.K. & Ireland

Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has promoted Catherine Powell to sales director, U.K. & Ireland. She will be responsible for leading the U.K. free and pay TV distribution of BVITV s portfolio of entertainment, which includes drama and comedy network series such as DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and LOST, Disney branded kids content, movies (such as the upcoming THE HITCHHIKER S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY) and ABC News programming. BVITV also services the distribution of the Jetix portfolio of programming.

Headline News

Escape Studios & Post Houses Team Up

CG training facility Escape Studios has joined forces with some of the U.K.'s biggest post-production facilities to develop a course that will provide the houses with new talent. Cinesite, Double Negative, Framestore CFC, Glassworks, the Mill and The Moving Picture Company (MPC) have been working closely with Escape to develop an intensive seven-month program called the VFX | Production Grade. The course comprises five months of full-time training along with a two-month work placement.

Disney Headline News

James Neal Named VP, Programming, Disney Channel UK

Walt Disney Branded Television has promoted James Neal to vp, programming, Disney Channel UK, responsible for leading the programming teams for Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney and Toon Disney. Neal will also oversee the program planning of general entertainment channel abc1.

Million Headline News

Apax to Buy HIT Entertainment for $934 Million

On March 21, 2005, HIT Entertainment Plc. agreed, to take a £489.4 million ($934 million) cash takeover offer from U.K. venture capitalists Apax Partners.

HIT, the kids entertainment company behind such characters at BOB THE BUILDER, THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE and BARNEY THEPURPLE DINOSAUR, made the announcement as it revealed disappointing financial results for the six months ending Jan. 31.

Lucas Headline News

Bird, Lucas & Katzenberg Shine at ShoWest

STAR WARS creator George Lucas was presented with the Galactic Achievement Award at the closing night ceremony of ShoWest 2005, March 17, 2005, in Las Vegas at the Paris Hotel. Lucas, whose sixth STAR WARS movie, STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH, opens May 19, acknowledged the one-time special honor while Animation Director of the Year honor was given this year to Brad Bird, director of THE INCREDIBLES.

Animation Headline News

Weekly Animation Screening Launched in Moscow

Moscow's Central House of Business, which houses the 35MM cinema, will start its Animation Project on April 3, 2005, with screenings of five cartoons by the city's Animos cartoon studio, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Each weekend the theater will screen homegrown toons.

The first program includes Maria Muat's 13-minute PRO MISHONKA (ABOUT A MOUSE), which was voted Russia's best children's cartoon at the 10th Open Russian Animation Festival in Suzdal.

Animation Project was created due to the success of 10 hours of new animation screened at the Suzdal festival.

International Headline News

DIC Ups Gagerman in International Consumer Products

DICs Growing Worldwide Consumer Products Division has promoted 10-year DIC veteran Ryan Gagerman to vp, International Consumer Products for DIC Entertainment. It also named Lorne Bloch, director of Licensing and Stephanie Mente, manager of International Consumer Products.

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