Cynopsis: Kids!

06/22/09

Good morning. It’s Monday, June 22, 2009, and this is your first early morning Kids briefing.

Australia’s ABC TV will launch its new free-to-air kid/tween channel, ABC3, before Christmas 2009. Targeted to K6-15, with a core demographic of K8-12, ABC3 is designed to be multi-platform experience and world and will air daily 6a-9p.  ABC3 will offer programming content across genres both on-air and online (the website will also feature games, video and social interactivity.  ABC TV has launched Me On 3, a national search for hosts for the new channel – applications are due by July 17.  The end of the year will also see ABC TV shifts its daytime schedule on ABC2 to become a preschool programming block, ABCforKids, weekdays from 9a-6p and weekends from 6a-6p.  ABC1 will continue to offer programming kids including a selection of ABC3 and ABCforKids content in both morning and afternoon slots.  Focusing on Australian projects the ABC3 programming lineup will include a range of new projects:

• After School Care, a comedy pilot, which is part of the Kids360 project – a joint initiative between ABC3, Film Victoria and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
• West Coast Kids – Western Australian producers will be invited to submit their proposals for a 13-part, character driven comedy series.  This is a joint project with Screen West and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
• Dead Normal (13 eps) – a drama series that follows the adventures of three beautiful, strong-willed teen sisters, who happen to be ghosts.  The series is a co-production between Burberry Productions and Coolabi.
• News and Current Affairs – Produced by ABC TV’s Behind the News team.
• Extreme Sports and Culture – a show that explores the world of art, music and fashion centered on extreme sports.
• Dance Academy (26 eps) – Six teen dancers have one year to prove they’ve got what it takes after winning a place at the National Academy of Dance.  A co-production between ABC3 and Werner Film Productions.
• My Place  (13 eps) – an historical drama revolving around kids who live in one house in South Sydney over 130 years. Based on the book by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, the series is a co-production of ABC3 and Little Leaf Pictures.
• CJ the DJ (52 eps) – the animated series follows CJ a spirited 13-year-old disc jockey, which will also feature an online DJ component. The series is an ABC3 and Kapow Pictures co-production.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

DreamWorks Animation is moving ahead with a new untitled ghost project, which is referred to internally as Boo U. and is vying for a Q4 2010 release position, per THR.  The project, about a ghost that is bad at his job and is forced to return to ghost school, comes from writer Jon Vitti (The Simpsons Movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks movies) who is penning the screenplay with Tony Leondis (Igor, Lilo & Stitch 2) set to direct.  In keeping with the DreamWorks Animation strategy the movie will no doubt be a 3D project.

Target Entertainment is developing the new preschool CGI series Sky Babies (52×10), per C21 Media.  Written by Dave Ingham (Charlie and Lola, The Koala Brothers, Timmy Time, Roary the Racing Car) and illustrated by Bridget Appleby (Noddy, Fifi And The Flowertots), Sky Babies follows three characters and their friends that tend to the sky.  Target is looking for both broadcast partners and international co-producers for the preschool project.  Target will also distribute the series.

Warner Bros. is in the early stages of development on a re-make of the Michael J. Fox movie Teen Wolf, according to Moviehole.net.  There is no writer, director or direction set for the project as of now.  The original Teen Wolf movie was released in summer 1985 by Atlantic Releasing, and was followed by an animated series in 1986, which ran on the Saturday morning block on CBS, and the 1987 movie sequel Teen Wolf Too, which starred Jason Bateman.

MORE KIDS STUFF

Cake Entertainment makes its move into live-action production with its new mixed live-action/CG hybrid series pilot Cartoon Gene (26×30), which is a co-production with Galakids and Teletoon Canada.  The tween-targeted project revolves around Gene an average teen boy who happens to have cartoon DNA, the result of a computer generated action game star Mom and a computer geek dad.  Like all adolescents puberty changes Gene, but in his case it’s a bit more animated with various cartoon-like reactions.  Cake will also distribute the series internationally.  Cartoon Gene is created by Louis Fournier and Natalie Dumoulin and directed by Adam Weissman (iCarly, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101).  In other news, Cake recently acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the live-action Irish series Aifric (26×30) from Telegael and live-action/comedy Dead Normal (working title).

BabyFirstTV, the US-based 24/7 channel for babies, toddlers and parents, expands its Caribbean audience to include St. Lucia under a new deal with LIME (Landline, Internet, Mobile, Entertainment). The deal was brokered by TinoTV, which represents BabyFirstTV in the region.  BabyFirstTV is now available to LIME subscribers via the Extended Basic Pack on channel 23.

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MARKETING/LICENSING

Apparel retailer Aeropostale opens the first of its new tween-targeted PS from Aeropostale store in the Palisades Mall in West Nyack, NY.  The company plans to open approximately nine additional stores, primarily in the NY metropolitan area, during fiscal 2009, as well as an e-commerce site at www.ps4u.com .

STONE SOUP

Weekend Box Office Estimates for kids/tweens/teens rated G, PG or PG-13; June 19-21, 2009:
The Proposal (Buena Vista) PG-13                                   Opening Weekend $34.1m
Up (Buena Vista) PG                                                      $21.3m-4 wk total $224.1m
Year One (Sony / Columbia) PG-13                                 Opening Weekend $20.2m
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox) PG $7.3m-5 wk total $156.0m
Star Trek (Paramount) PG-13                                         $4.7m-7 wk total $239.4m
Land of the Lost (Universal) PG-13                                 $4.0m-3 wk total $43.7m
Imagine That (Paramount) PG                                        $3.1m-2 wk total $11.4m
Terminator Salvation (Warner Bros.) PG-13                     $3.1m-5 wk total $119.5m
Angels & Demons (Sony / Columbia) PG-13                     $2.8m-6 wk total $128.1m
Drag Me to Hell (Universal) PG-13                                   $1.9m-4 wk total $39.2m
Source: Rentrak (www.rentrak.com )

RATINGS

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Friday, June 18, 2009, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:         K2-11 1205; K6-11 712; TWEENS 9-14 550
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11 1200; K6-11 858; TWEENS 9-14 720
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   610; K6-11 438; TWEENS 9-14 355
DISNEY XD:               K2-11   237; K6-11 172; TWEENS 9-14 127
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:   Where is the “wettest, soggiest, dreariest place on Earth (you forgot useless). Situated directly between the United States and Canada (75 miles from International falls, in the middle of western Lake Superior), [it] had the distinction of being constantly fought over by both countries. The United States insisted it was a part of Canada, and Canada insisted it was a part of the United States.”  MOOSYLVANIA WHERE BULLWINKLE IS THE GOVERNOR AND THE OFFICIAL SPORT IS FARKLING  Kudos to: Brad Stern/Floral Park, NY; Tom Waring-Trailblazer Studios; Kendra Hull-Vtech Electronics/Chicago; Claire Wilmut-BOOMSTONE ANIMATION INC./Ottawa

Today’s Trivia Question:  Who am I?  I hate a perfect kid … my sister’s name is Myrtle … I like to watch Perry Mason on TV … go bowling and take care of this family.  Who am I?   (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: Only the second four correct answers from each time zone will be mentioned; and once you’ve been mentioned in any of the Cynopsis editions, you can’t be mentioned again that calendar week.)

Later — Gwen
 Gwen Billings for Cynopsis Kids!
06.22.09

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