Category: Television

Jeff Foxworthy, already a FOX staple with game show ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER, got an animation pilot greenlit from the network about a dysfunctional NASCAR family, per VARIETY.

Twentieth Century Fox TV will produce the pilot, which is yet untitled, from the comedian and Nancy Hower and John Lehr (10 ITEMS OR LESS), who will write and exec produce. Parallel Ent.'s J.P. Williams will also exec produce.

BabyTV extends its reach in Africa with a launch on DAARSAT in Nigeria on October 7.

DAARSAT, a new satellite DTH in the region, will be launched by Daar Communications who currently operate major terrestrials, Africa Independent Television and Ray Power Radio Station.

DAARSAT will be the first satellite pay TV platform offering service in Nigeria and operating wholly from Nigeria and will commence with 40 channels, amongst them BabyTV. BabyTV is already available in Africa through MyTV and TrendTV.

Nine Network Australia has commissioned the first season of Ettamogah Ent.'s animated children's program WAKKAVILLE.

WAKKAVILLE follows the adventures of Jaz: a city girl, Buzza, a wannabe surfer who's afraid of water, Martin, a farm boy with dreams of being a NASA engineer and Flick, Buzza's high octane little sister, as they explore their country town of crazy locals, solve mysteries and right wrongs.

Nicktoons Network will air RANDOM! CARTOONS episodes on Saturdays and Sundays this December, starting December 6, according to CARTOONBREW.com.

RANDOM! CARTOONS is 39 shorts for kids, all with different characters and stories and all seven minutes long. A mix of traditional, CG and Flash animation and created by Fred Seibert, the series has been delayed by Nickelodeon several times.

Shorts include ADVENTURE TIME (Pendleton Ward), GARLIC BOY (John R. Dilworth), GARY GUITAR (Bill Plympton), HORNSWIGGLE (Jerry Beck) and SOLOMON FIX (Doug TenNapel).

Digital animation and visual effects studio Keyframe Digital Productions is co-producing and creating 3D animation for 26 new half-hour episodes of PINKY DINKY DOO for the second season of the animated preschool series produced by Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza.

Keyframe co-founder Clint Green is also producer and production manager for Keyframe. Keyframe co-founder, Darren Cranford, is directing all 26 episodes, which include 52 segments and 104 games. JoEllyn Marlow is overseeing production for Sesame Workshop.

BBC America's new thriller, PRIMEVAL, from the creator of WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, is already a monster hit and the raptors haven't even arrived yet.

On September 14 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT), FOX presents a Sunday night like no other. The evening kicks off with an exclusive first look at an extended scene from the highly anticipated film THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, followed by a preview of 24: REDEMPTION, the two-hour special event airing this November on FOX.

Immediately after the exclusive previews, the series premiere of FRINGE will encore, followed by an exclusive preview of the not-to-be-missed first four minutes of the series' second episode.

NBC will air a new Muppets Christmas special this year: LETTERS TO SANTA -- A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa (THE SOPRANOS), Richard Griffiths (HARRY POTTER) and Madison Pettis will star alongside Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang.

MTV Networks International (MTVNI) has launched first international high definition service dedicated to music and kids, MTVNHD (MTV Networks High Definition). The 24-hour English-language channel will premiere on Monday, 15 September 2008 and will be available in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

DIVE OLLY DIVE!, the award-winning, environmentally-conscious preschool series from Taffy Ent. and Mike Young Productions, has expanded to five days a week on PBS KIDS Sprout as of Monday, September 1.

PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, has moved the show from its Saturday and Sunday timeslot to Sprout's popular SUNNY SIDE UP SHOW live morning programming block where it now airs at 10:30 a.m. ET Monday-Friday.

Burbank, California-based MECHnology Visual Effects Studio finished the first season of ABC Family's THE MIDDLEMAN, producing almost 400 visual effects for the series.

Based on the comic book series, written and produced by Javier "Javi" Grillo-Marxuach, the series follows Wendy Watson (Natalie Morales), a struggling artist working at a temp agenc, who is recruited by The Middleman (Matt Keeslar) and trained to be the next Middleman.

Eden FX, a Hollywood-based visual effects house for feature films, television programs and commercials, has a busy start to the fall 2008 television season.

For the upcoming Fall 2008 season, Eden FX will be creating CG visual effects for the hit TV series CHUCK, LOST, THE GHOST WHISPERER, 24, NCIS, PUSHING DAISIES, and ARMY WIVES.

In addition, the company is also currently creating visual effects for the feature films THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (December 25) and THE ROAD (November 26).