Category: Television

Comedy Central plans to celebrate America's birthday on July 4, 2003 with a 1:00 am broadcast of SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT, uncensored by the cablenet with encore presentations July 5 and 6 at 1:00 am. The feature film based upon the hit series by Trey Parker and Matt Stone grossed more than $52 million in the U.S. and won both New York and L.A. Film Critics awards. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, "Blame Canada."

For the past three weeks, members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have been coming home to mysterious packages set upon their doorsteps as networks, TV producers and their public relations firms vie to get their vote for the Primetime Emmy Awards. Some of the gimmicks are so arresting that AWN decided to look into who is responsible for these bizarre campaigns and what is involved. The votes to nominate productions, talent and craft people were due June 20, 2003, so a bit of disclosure should not sway results.

Bravo! NewStyleArtsChannel got animated with the world premiere of the new sitcom HEY JOEL on June 3, 2003 at 10:30 pm. Produced by Blueprint Entertainment and Curious Pictures in association with CHUM Television, this half-hour, 13-part adult-themed cartoon series depicts the adventures of Joel Stein, the host of a daily three-minute rock star interview show on the music channel VH1, and offers an irreverent behind-the-scenes look at the recording industry.

Spike Lee has temporarily prevented Viacom from relaunching its TNN channel as Spike TV in a branding campaign that was supposed to roll out June 16, 2003. The New York Supreme Court in Manhattan granted the filmmaker a preliminary injunction to stop the name change. Lee and his lawyer, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., argued that the network is trying to capitalize on his celebrity status and that he does not wish to be associated with male-oriented programming, which includes the upcoming adult animated series STRIPPERELLA and GARY THE RAT. Viacom is seeking an immediate stay of the injunction.

Does an animated star like Johnny Bravo flub a line? What happens when an anvil does not fall the right way? Cartoon Network digs through the archives of animated outtakes for a one-hour special that delivers some goofy goof-ups during CARTOON NETWORK BLOOPERS AND OTHER EMBARRASSING MOMENTS, airing Friday, June 6, 2003 at 7:00 pm (ET/PT). We're not talking bad paint jobs and characters floating off their baseline, but hilarious mess-ups like live-action pros do. Tom Kinney, the animated voice of SpongeBob SquarePants and The Mayor in THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, hosts the special. Included will be the funniest blown lines, a cavalcade of mishaps starring Wile E. Coyote and shots to the groin. Among the stars contributing outtakes are Ed, Edd and Eddy, The Flintstones, Samurai Jack, Foghorn Leghorn and The Jetsons. For more on Cartoon Networking programming go to CartoonNetwork.com (AOL Keyword: Cartoon Network).

The Ink Tank has wrapped on a new stylized documentary for PBS entitled FASHIONATION. The 30-minute program takes a tour of the high fashion world using animation, archival material, runway footage and original interviews with curators and designers Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel and Christian Lacroix.

The Comedy Central test of showing via a series of interstitial spots pulled from the HOUSE ARREST pilot worked as the cablenet has given the show a greenlight for 13 half-hours to premiere in 2004. The new animated show, from comic Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Apostle studio, started airing as spots at 9:58 pm on May 1, 2003.

Dick Clark Productions is setting up a children's division, Dick Clark Kids, which already has an animated/live-action preschool series, THE CANBEES, scheduled for home video markets in 2004, according to VARIETY. Dick Clark's daughter, Cindy, and marketing exec Kelly Sole Holscher will acquire and develop projects for the kids arm located in Burbank, California. Holscher will also oversee marketing and distribution opportunities for Dick Clark Kids. The pair reports to Jules Haimovitz, vice chairman of DCP and coo Fran LaMaina.

4Kids Entertainment, who handles the Saturday broadcast programming for Fox, has announced their FOX BOX line-up for the 2003-04 season. New to the schedule is 4Kids' first original animated series, CUBIX, as well as SONIC X, SHAMAN KING and FUNKY COPS. Returning to the Saturday morning block will be TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!, THE CRAMP TWINS and ULTIMATE MUSCLE: THE KINNIKUMAN LEGACY.

NBC and DreamWorks Television have announced their star-studded cast for the upcoming CGI primetime toon, FATHER OF THE PRIDE. Heading up the cast will be John Goodman (ROSEANNE), along with Orlando Jones (EVOLUTION), Emmy-winner Carl Reiner (THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW) and Cheryl Hines (CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM). The comedy series will chronicle the lives of a pride of white lions that perform in Siegfried & Roy's famous Las Vegas act. The show is set to debut in Fall 2004. Goodman will play Larry, a hard-working lion in the magic act with Hines playing his wife Kate. Reiner will voice Sarmoti, Kates father, who couldn't be more different than Larry. Jones will play Larry's comical best friend Snack, a prankish gopher. CGI versions of Siegfried & Roy will also make appearances in the series. Siegfried & Roy's show is the longest-running act on the Vegas Strip and has sold out every performance for 11 years. Executive producers will be Jonathan Groff (LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN OBRIEN), DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg, Peter Mehlman (SEINFELD) and Jon Pollack (JUST SHOOT ME). The show will be produced by DreamWorks Television and NBC will retain domestic syndication rights.

MEGAMAN: NT WARRIOR premieres on the U.S. airwaves May 17, 2003 on Kids' WB! following a special preview at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles May 1416, 2003 where CAPCOM was showcasing the game series. Based on the popular comic book series, MEGAMAN: NT WARRIOR is set in the not-so-distant future during the Cyber Revolution of the year 200X, where virtually all technology is linked to a central computer system. Citizens of ACDC Town interface with this network using their personal "NetNavis" (Net Navigators) via their portable terminals (PETs). The anime/adventure series follows the discoveries and exploits of fifth-grader Lan, whose NetNavi - and alter ego- is a blue-suited, virus-fighting, virtual superhero named Mega Man. Lan and his friends plug in different powerchips to change their personal NetNavis' gadgetry and defense capabilities. These net-warriors unite to expose the darkness within their digital universe. For the latest shows on Kids' WB! check out www.kidswb.com.