Category: Television

Solange, teamed with Destiny's Child and Baha Men, has agreed to record theme songs for Disney Channel's two upcoming animated series, THE PROUD FAMILY and STANLEY. Gary Marsh, executive vice president, original programming, Disney Channel, said, "Great music, performed by uniquely talented artists and integrally linked to our award-winning original programming, is a key component of our programming strategy.

In a pledge of support for its fledging network, Viacom has agreed to let UPN air episodes of MTV's clay-animated series CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH as a compliment to GARY & MIKE. So far UPN has the rights to 7 choose reruns of DEATHMATCH with an option for 13 more. As part of the arrangement, MTV and UPN will cross-promote each other's airings of DEATHMATCH and MTV is considering a broadcast of GARY & MIKE after it nods on UPN. "It's great to be a part of Viacom," UPN COO Adam Ware said.

Oscar-winning director/actor Billy Bob Thornton is teaming with Acme Productions on a new TV animated series. The currently untitled series is based on an idea by Thornton about a father who has been in a garage band for the past twenty years. The SLINGBLADE director will team with Emmy-winning SIMPSONS writer, Ron Hauge, on developing the project. Thornton will also voice the main character. Acme Production is the six-month-old production company formed by former 20th Century Fox executives Mindy Schultheis and Michael Hanel.

One more avenue for Web content to make the jump to TV is dead. ABC has pulled the plug after only one airing of the series DOT COMEDY, which aired comedic shorts from the Internet. The Friday, December 8 broadcast scored a 2.8 rating/5 share -- one of the worst ratings for a regularly scheduled program in ABC history. The show's immediate replacement until January will be repeats of the live-action comedy TWO GUYS AND A GIRL, then the fourth installment of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE will take the slot.

Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. and Studio B Productions have announced their first co-development project for television entitled SURF N TURF. The traditional cel and CGI animated series is a multiple segment comedy property created by Amanda Connor and Jim Palmiotti. In 1991, Palmiotti began his career with Marvel Comics and has since worked for DC Comics and Fleer on such titles as SUPERMAN, BATMAN THE MOVIE and KID DEATH AND ASH, which has been optioned for a feature film by DreamWorks SKG. Connor's work can be seen in MAD MAGAZINE, THE NEW YORK TIMES and BARBIE FASHION.

On Wednesday, December 6,

2000, Comedy Central will start an eight-week run of comedian Robert

Smigel's TV FUNHOUSE, a live-action satire of 1950s children's shows

including twisted cartoons. Animated shorts include "Wonderman," a

superhero who uses his super powers to line-up dates for his alter

ego and "The Baby, The Immigrant and the Guy on Mushrooms," each of

whom always says, "Ahhhhhh." "I get a lot of pleasure out of writing

things that maybe I couldn't have WRITTEN when I was 10 years old,

Fox's THE SIMPSONS scored increased numbers this past week with a 9 rating/13 share in a five way tie for 28th place. Specials ruled the animated field with CBS' broadcast of the Rankin/Bass classics FROSTY THE SNOWMAN and FROSTY RETURNS. The December 3 8 pm airing of FROSTY THE SNOWMAN garnered a 5.9 rating/11 share with the 8:30 follow-up broadcast of FROSTY RETURNS also pulling a 5.9 rating but with a 10 share. ABC's Sunday night animated specials were close behind with the 7:30 broadcast of TANGERINE BEAR: HOME IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS receiving a 5.8 rating/9 share.

Toonz Animation India has announced that they have signed a production deal with Rainbow Animation Italy on a new animated TV series. The untitled toon tells the story of an 8-year-old boy named Tommy whom, along with his friend Yukari and a nervous alien, uses his uncles strange inventions to defeat the evil Caesar. Toonz Animation India CEO Bill Dennis said, "Toonz Animation is very eager to start the new project with Rainbow. The story is very fun and entertaining, but also has many important themes and lessons that are important for younger audiences.

Nickelodeon has ordered 26 additional episodes of their popular new preschool show DORA THE EXPLORER. The English/Spanish toon broke Nick Jr. debut records in August and has averaged 1.1 million viewers daily. "DORA THE EXPLORER was an instant success for both Nick Jr. and CBS," said Nick executive vice president and general manager Cyma Zarghami. "We are very proud to have created a strong Latina preschool role model that has been overwhelmingly embraced by our audiences."

ABC has decided to redesign its Disney's One Saturday Morning line-up starting December 9, 2000. Instead of airing three half-hour series and interstitials during a two-hour programming block, they will air four half-hour episodes. This move will secure start times for all four series, which up until now floated around the two-hour window depending on the length of the various animated and live-action interstitials. Until their new series LLYOD IN SPACE joins the block in 2001, ABC will air TEACHER'S PET, WEEKENDERS and two episodes of RECESS.

THE SIMPSONS came in 39th place with an 8.5 rating and a 13 share. At #65, KING OF THE HILL earned a 6.2 rating and a 10 share. On the WB, THE PJS only grabbed a 1.4 rating and a 2 share in its Sunday 7:30 pm time slot. These ratings and shares represent primetime TV in the U.S. on broadcast networks for the week starting Monday, November 13 through Sunday, November 19, 2000. A rating is the percentage of households that tuned into the program in the entire universe of TV homes. The universe estimate for the 2000-2001 television season is 102.2 million TV homes.

KING OF THE HILL creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge have teamed to develop a live-action series based off of the series' TV preacher Monsignor Martinez. Jim Dauterive, a supervising producer on KING, is set to produce the new show. Martinez is a recurring character on a TV soap that Peggy Hill and the rest of her family watch religiously. The spinoff would chronicle the vigilante adventures of the rough and tough priest. Insiders say that Fox TV is close to placing a script order for the series.