AWN Headline News

Manga Entertainment will release the entire STREET FIGHTER II series in a four DVD set. The first two volumes will be released on February 27, 2001, followed by the final two on March 27, 2001. The DVDs include seven episodes (volume 4 has eight), three language options English-dubbed, Japanese and Japanese with English subtitles - trailers and theme song remixes. In the series, while traveling the globe, Ken, Ryu and Chun Li search out the best fighters to compete against while honing their skills. The DVDs will retail for US$29.95 each.

Urban Vision Entertainment is set to release a special edition DVD of PET SHOP OF HORRORS on February 27, 2001. The film is a collection of four tales revolving around an exotic pet shop and its strange creatures each holding a tale of lost love, second chances and redemption. Toshio Hirata directed the film and the character design was done by VAMPIRE HUNTER D's Hisashi Abe. The DVD will feature audio commentary by English director and cast, deleted material and two language options English and Japanese. The DVD will sell for US$29.95.

Black Logic has wrapped on a new five spot campaign for the Nasdaq Stock Exchange: "Qualcomm" uses the modem port on a laptop computer as the entrance to a visual world of digital communications; "Immunex" uses transparent CG human forms and brightly colored double helixes to introduce the world of advanced immunology; "Amazon" portrays that company's familiar Website interface to show how it created online commerce; "Biogen" opens with a group photo of the scientists who broke the human genetic code; and "Yahoo" develops the company's groundbreaking search engines, as a road map through a maz

Goodspeed & Associates, Inc. has promoted Patrick Bennett to the newly created position of design director. Formerly a designer with the company, Patrick will be responsible for the daily overseeing of all creative work. Before joining Goodspeed over a year ago, Patrick held a variety of creative positions in graphic design, Web design and consulting for several magazines and cultural institutions, such as ESQUIRE, VANITY FAIR and Dia Center for the Arts. "Patrick has proved an invaluable asset for our rapidly growing company," said agency owner Bill Goodspeed.

While HANNIBAL took a strong hold around the international box office, Disney's THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE danced its way to number one in Sweden. In Italy, HANNIBAL reclaimed the top spot with a gross of $3.47 million, elevating its cume to $9.12 million. At #5 in Italy, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON floated another $820,649, pushing its total to $1.97 million. In Australia, HANNIBAL retained the #1 slot, grossing $3.29 million, thus escalating its cume to $3.54 million. At #2, CAST AWAY foraged $755,639, lifting its Australian cume to $10.39 million.

Terra Networks' chief operating officer Abel Linares has stepped down from his post and Stephan J. Killeen has been hired as U.S. president. Linares' departure comes only three weeks after chief executive officer, Bob Davis, stepped down over disputes with global president Joaquim Agut on who would control Terra after the US$6.5 billion merger with Lycos was completed. Linares' quitting was not a surprise. He was supposed to become head of special projects, which he viewed as a demotion.

The Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists, Local 839 IATSE, has won their organizing election at Bohbot Kids Network (BKN), a German-owned animation studio with offices in Los Angeles. The ballot tally was 38 in favor of union representation versus 3 against, with six challenged ballots. The original vote took place in June 1999, but was delayed by BKN attorneys' legal challenges over the election procedures. However, in late January 2001, the National Labor Relations Board overruled BKN's suit. The union hopes to negotiate a contract with BKN in the near future.

In its first pre-Oscar ceremony, the Orange British Film Academy Awards were handed out on Sunday, February 25, 2001. Michael Dudok de Wit's lyrical ode to a girl's love for her father over the passing of time, FATHER & DAUGHTER, took home the prize for best animated short. For best British film, Aardman Animations/DreamWorks' CHICKEN RUN was defeated by the live-action ballet picture, BILLY ELLIOT. Visual flare was a big winner in the U.K.

The Discovery Channel Networks enlisted the talents of ViewPoint Studios to develop a promotional package for their Wings and Civilization Channels. ViewPoint filmed the live-action footage of a mock air battle on location in Laage, Germany. Avid editorial transformed the footage into dramatic sequences and then turned it over to the design and Flame teams. The main title and supporting text elements were developed along with further enhancements of color treatments and lighting effects.