Warner Bros. Animation's High Voltage
Series "Static Shock" Begins Electrifying 4th Season
on Kids' WB! January 17 at 10:30 am PT/11:30 am ET
Season Powers Up With Special Episodes
Featuring Batman and Robin, The Green
Lantern
Hip-Hop Sensation B2K & NBA All-Stars!
CYNTHIA TURNER'S CYNOPSIS
Kids! 01/15/04
Good morning. It's
Thursday, January 15, 2004,
and this is your early morning
Kids!
briefing.
Paramount Pictures and TVN Entertainment, a provider of on
demand TV programming, management and delivery services, yesterday
announced a long-term non-exclusive agreement for
Video-On-Demand and Pay-Per-View distribution. New
releases that will be made available include School of Rock and Timeline,
as well as library titles such as the first six Star Trek pix, U2: Rattle
and Hum and some classics like Chinatown. Movies making their
premiere on Cable VOD and PPV are Rugrats Go Wild, Lara Croft Tomb
Raider: The Cradle of Life.
Beginning today Disney Channel rejoins the programming line-up for
DirecTV Latin America’s basic distribution. With this move
Disney Channel will be available to 1.3 million subscribers in the region
excluding Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which gets the Disney
Channel US. In March 2003, DirecTV Latin America, LLC, a US
company, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11, followed by a request
to restructure six of its agreements with key programming suppliers (HBO
Ole, Distribution I, A.V.V.; MTV Networks Latin America, LLC; LAPTV
Atlanta Partners; TBS Latin America, Inc.; ESPN, Inc; and Discovery Latin
America, LLC.) as well as scrapping certain pending contracts deemed to
be economically unfavorable in the long run, including Buena Vista
International for Disney Channel Latin America. In November 2003
DirecTV Latin America went forward with restructured deals with the
programming suppliers and as well as inking new deals with Buena
Vista/Disney Channel Latin America, Music Choice, and rights to broadcast
the 2006 FIFA World Cup (soccer).
Following in the footsteps of FAO Schwarz, KB Toys, Inc. and 69 of
its affiliated entities yesterday filed for Chapter 11 reorganization
protection. KB Toys said in a release that its financial
challenges following holiday 2003 are, “primarily due to competitor
prices wars.” Simultaneously KB announced that, to fund its restructuring
and continuing operations, it has secured from a lending group led by
Fleet Retail Group, Inc., a $350 million senior secured
debtor-in-possession financing and it plans to emerge from chapter 11
before holiday 2004. KB Toys, which was established 82 years ago,
is owned by Bain Capital, a private equity group
Judy Harris, EVP/Businesses & Development, PBS announces today
that Paramount Home Entertainment will be PBS Home
Video'snew video distribution partner for the US &
Canada. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its PBS DVD/VHS
line of titles nationwide beginning April 5, 2004. The deal
includes PBS Kids titles such as Caillou, Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat
and Teletubbies.
NBC was up to bat yesterday at TCA in Burbank. Jeff
Zucker announced NBC will premiere the CGI animated movie Shrek on
Sunday, February 15, 9p. The broadcast will include never before
seen footage from the movie that was also NOT included on the DVD
release.
Warner Bros. yesterday unveiled its plans to join in all the video
game fun by establishing a video game arm, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment Inc. (WBIE). WBIE will be responsible for
‘creating, managing and monetizing the Studio’s long-term interactive
gaming goals and business objectives and leveraging the brand across all
platforms (e.g. console, MMPOG, PC-based gaming and wireless options like
N-Gage).’ WBIE will house Warner Bros. Games a division that will
focus game development, production and distribution under the Warner
Bros. Games brand. Several reports, including Reuters, make note of
the fact that movie companies DreamWorks and Fox Entertainment Group’s
movie group both sold off their interactive gaming businesses.
Of course where there is a new business there is a new leader, and Warner
Bros. finds one in Jason Hall who has been named SVP/WBIE,
reporting to both Kevin Tsujihara, EVP/Corporate Business Development
& Strategy, WBE, and Dan Romanelli, President/ Worldwide Consumer
Products, Warner Bros. Prior to joining WBIE Hall was CEO/Monolith
Productions, Inc., a game development co., which he founded, and worked
on Warner Bros. multi player online interactive game, based on The Matrix
movies.
Video game software publisher Electronic Arts and Sony Music
Entertainment have entered into a cross promotional marketing
agreement for the ‘in-game’ soundtrack for EA’s upcoming game NFL Street
(rated E for Everyone), available beginning today for PlayStaion2,
GameCube and Xbox. Under the agreement the in-game soundtrack
features an original score from X-ecutioners (a band), as well as
licensed tracks from Sony Music artists including Korn featuring NAS,
Killer Mike, Baby D featuring Bonecrusher and Dru, Jakk Frost, Lil Flip,
X-ecutioners featuring Good Charlotte and others. Two of the tracks
from the in-game soundtrack will be made into music videos that will
feature gameplay footage from NFL Street, and Making of the Game: NFL
Street a special featuring artist interviews will air on MTV and
MTV2. Together EA and SME have plans for cross promotional efforts
such as Sony artists performing at NFL Street promo events like the NFL
Street After Party following the EA Sports Madden Bowl at the Super Bowl
later this month, in addition to several joint web, retail and local
gorilla marketing promotions.
MTV has officially kicked of its 12th annual Choose or Lose
2004 campaign with its mission to inform young adults (18-30) about
the political process and the issues at hand, get them registered to vote
in the 2004 presidential election and encourage them to express their
opinions. Choose or Lose 2004 has also taken on the subtitle ‘20
Million Loud’, which represents the 20 million undecided votes for
election 2004 and Dave Sirulnick, EVP/New & Production MTV explains,
“will serve as a call to action to prove that young people are not
apathetic and actually vote in large numbers for candidates from both
parties. This is a group of voters that can swing elections and
must be taken seriously in 2004.” MTV's Choose or Lose strategic
partner organizations include the Youth Vote Coalition, the Hip Hop
Summit Action Network, Smack Down the Vote, Meetup.com, Project Vote
Smart, National Council of La Raza, Black Youth Vote, Youth Service
America, the New Voters Project, Youth Venture, CIRCLE Research, the
NAACP, Harvard University Institute of Politics, and more than 100 other
youth voting organizations. Also, MTV and Rock the Vote continues their
long-standing partnership this year with Rock the Vote serving as the
online and voter registration partner. Cingular Wireless is the
primary sponsor of Choose or Lose 2004 and MTVs PRE-Lection allowing
viewers to vote online and via wireless device this fall 2004, prior to
the election.
In celebration of Black History Month (February) General Mills’
Wheaties brand is honoring San Antonio Spurs David ‘The Admiral’
Robinson with a special edition Wheaties box introduced yesterday.
Robinson one of the top centers ever to play basketball has received
numerous NBA honors for his performance over the years and has led his
team to two NBA titles. Robinson is also well known for his
philanthropic endeavors including his $9 million commitment toward the
construction and operation of The Carver Academy, an independent school
for San Antonio students from a culturally diverse community.
Robinson stands 7’ 1’’ tall. Now that is a big box of
Wheaties.
Upper Deck Entertainment, the trading card game publisher and
distributor, the Konami Corporation, 4Kids Entertainment Inc.
and Mirage Licensing, Inc. will release Turtles
Unleashed, a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trading card
game next month. The Turtles Unleashed 2-player starter set
includes 2 card decks of 40 cards each, a game mat and the game
rules. An entire set consists of 55 ‘common cards’ and 100 foil
cards (aka shiny cards to many kids), of the foil cards there are 10
super rare cards and 10 ultra rare cards. Booster packs will
include 9 cards, with 2 themed booster sets (total of 100 cards each)
rolling out throughout the year; Swift as the Wind (May) and Sill as the
Forest (September). The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated
series currently airs Saturday mornings on Fox Box. Konami Corp.
created the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.
Warner Bros. Publications and consumer karaoke machine
developer/distributor The Singing Machine Company have signed a
distribution deal, whereby the music publisher will distribute Singing
Machine’s line of karaoke music software CD+Graphics. I’m thinking
interactive sing-along video games, you with me? Okay, never
mind.
Quiksilver, the surf and snow apparel and equipment company, has
joined with Forever Films and Studio Canal to introduce
Riding Giants, a non-fiction film that charts the evolution of big
wave to tow-in surfing, which will open the 2004 Sundance
International Film Festival. Written, directed and produced by
Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys, 2001) and featuring some of the most
celebrated surfers, Riding Giants also has the distinction of being the
first non-fiction picture to open Sundance. Riding Giants is
executive produced by renowned surfer Laird Hamilton, Franck Marty and
Nathalie Delest, the release of the movie will be supported through
Quiksilver’s stores around the world. Quiksilver manufactures
apparel for young men & women under the labels Quiksilver, Roxy,
Raisins, Radio Fiji; for boys under Quiksilver Boys Hawk Clothing; girls
(Roxy Girl, Teenie Wahine and Raisins Girls; men labels Quiksilveredtion
and Fidra; and women’s label Leilani swimwear. Surf and snow
equipment and accessory labels include Lib Technologies, Gnu and Bent
Metal.
Super Bowl halftime show talent update: Joining previously
announced Janet Jackson are P. Diddy, Kid Rock, and Nelly. The
Super Bowl and the AOL Top Speed Super Bowl Halftime Show will be carried
live on CBS, February 1, from Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. Don’t you
just love it when they bunt?
Lu and the Swamp Ghost is the title of political consultant and
author James Carville’s first picture book, written with
children's book author Patricia C. McKissack and features the work of
illustrator David Catrow. Slated for publication by Anne Schwartz
Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon &
Schuster Children's Publishing, in September 2004, Lu and the Swamp Ghost
was inspired by an episode in the life of Carville’s mother, who grew up
in rural Louisiana during the Depression. McKissack’s kids books
for include Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award); The Dark
Thirty (a Newbery Honor Book & Coretta Scott King Award winner); and
Mirandy and Brother Wind (Caldecott Honor Book & Coretta Scott King
Honor Award winner). Other books illustrated by Catrow include,
Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs and I'm Still Here
in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs, written by Alan Katz.
Additionally, Catrow is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist
whose work appears in 900+ newspapers including the NYT, LA Times, and
Chicago Sun-Times.
Kids Cable Network
Averages in thousands (000) for
Wednesday January 14,
2004 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:
K2-11 1234; K6-11 575; TWEENS 9-14 334
DISNEY CHANNEL:
K2-11 680; K6-11 403; TWEENS 9-14 303
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11 599; K6-11 332; TWEENS 9-14
246
ABC
FAMILY:
K2-11 124; K6-11 110; TWEENS 9-14 144
TOON
DISNEY:
K2-11 116; K6-11 43; TWEENS 9-14
15 Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data
A MESSAGE FROM CYNOPSIS
Kids!
psst!
what are you waiting for?
Answer to yesterday's Trivia
Question:After a few seasons of dancing
around, she eventually became the coaches wife, but she began her
television career as the daughter of what two parents? SHELLY FABARES
FIRST APPEARED ON THE DONNA REED SHOW, DAUGHTER OF DONNA AND DR. ALEX
STONE. Kudos to: Lee Childs-WTWC/Tallahassee; Julie
Caracciolo-Active Media Services/NY; Joe Swaney-Cartoon Network/Atlanta;
Judy Williams-Cox Target Media/Largo FL; Jim Smith-Healing Touch
Massage/Dallas; Deborah Arakelian-Axium Int'l/LA; Eric
Covert-Disney/Burbank; Tracey Hill-Sony Pictures Television/LA; Kimberly
Luce-Disney Channel/Burbank.
Today's Trivia
Question: Selma Diamond was the disembodied voice of
whose electronic diary? (To answer the trivia,
click hereand
please remember to include your name, company, city and time zone.
Only the second four from each time zone will appear in tomorrow's
kudos list.)
Later -- Gwen
Gwen Billings for Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis Kids!
Publisher/Editor Cynthia Turner
01/15/04 5:54am Free
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