Cynopsis: Kids!
05/19/08

Good morning. It’s Monday, May 19, 2008, and this is your first early morning briefing.

MGM has purchased the feature film rights to author Jason Carter Eaton’s kid’s book The Facttracker (HarperCollins), which the studio intends to produce as a live-action movie.  David Silverman (Monsters Inc., The Simpsons Movie) is set to direct the picture from a screenplay by Carter Eaton and his writing partner Ian Lendler.  Shawn Levy’s (director, Night at the Museum) and his 21 Laps Entertainment and Marc Platt (Legally Blond franchise producer) and his Marc Platt Productions will co-produce The Facttracker, along with 21 Lap’s Tom McNulty and Platt’s Adam Siegel.  The book features illustrations created by artist Pascale Constantin.

Marathon Media and Studio 37 are adapting Marathon’s animated TV series Totally Spies! for the big screen, per THR.  With a budget of close to US$13 million, the movie will feature a mix of cel and 3D animation and is slated for a summer 2009 release.  The Totally Spies! movie is a prequel that will tell the back-story of how the three stars, teen girl from Beverly Hills, became international spies.  The Totally Spies movie has been pre-sold to films de l’Elysee (the Benelux), Mikado (Italy) and SPI (Eastern Europe).

Elsewhere in prequel land … Ruh roh!  Brain Levant (The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Are We There Yet?) will direct a made-for-TV Scooby Doo movie, according to Moviehole.com.  Set before the two most recent live-action feature films, the TV movie will take a look at life before those meddling kids were, well, those meddling kids.  According to the report, the team comes together when each applies for jobs as the school newspaper.  The project is slated to shoot in Vancouver this August.

MORE KIDS STUFF

Disney Club Penguin, the K6-14 targeted virtual community, is launching a new tool to help parents better manage more their kid’s online experience.  The new feature lets adults log on and view their kid’s account, change that child’s password and choose whether they can chat by selecting from pre-approved phrases or making their own messages.  Additionally, later this month the site will provide parents with the opportunity to set an integrated timer allowing kids to go on Club Penguin at a certain time of day and for a specific length of time.

Romania’s MediaPro Management SA acquires 50.1% of UK distributor Metrodome Group plc from TV-Loonland’s 61.7% share of the company.  With this deal TV-Loonland, coupled with its sale last week of the Hasbro Library back to Hasbro, has allowed the company to repay its outstanding debt.

MARKETING/LICENSING

Macy’s, Inc. and FAO Schwarz have inked an exclusive deal that will see FAO Schwarz will open FAO-operated shops (of varying sizes 200  3,500 square feet) within up to 275 Macy’s stores this fall 2008.  Ultimately the plan is to expand the FAO Schwarz stores to upwards of 685 Macy’s stores over the next two years.  Under the agreement, FAO Schwarz has named Macy’s the exclusive US retail store host of FAO Schwarz departments, and FAO Schwarz will be the exclusive toy department in Macy’s stores.  FAO Schwarz will continue to independently own and operate its own stores including its New York City Flagship store, its Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas and its website www.fao.com .  The pact also calls for FAO Schwarz products to be sold on www.macys.com .

Over the weekend qubo Channel supported its mission to promote healthy lifestyles for kids as well as the cable TV industry’s effort to rebuild New Orleans, by teaming with the National Cable & Telecommunication Association’s CableCares community service project, Kaboom!, the nonprofit group, along with tons of volunteers, to build a new playground at the Sarah T Reed Elementary School.  qubo Channel donated the resources as well as funding for build the playground.  The build coincides with NTCA’s annual Cable Show, taking place in New Orleans now.

EA’s Casual Entertainment Label will release the video game title Hasbro Family Game Night this fall 2008 for Wii and PlayStation 2.  Hosted by Mr. Potato Head, the title features six games including, Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Connect Four, Sorry! And the new, Sorry! Sliders.  The release also includes a customizable digital game room, as well as a party mode that gives players the option to build a custom party game by choosing their game(s), number of players and setting a time limit.

STONE SOUP

Weekend Box Office Estimates for kids/tweens/teens rated G, PG or PG-13; May 16-18, 2008:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Buena Vista) PG Opening Weekend $56.6m
Iron Man (Paramount) PG-13                                           $31.2m-3 wk total $222.5m
What Happens in Vegas (Fox) PG-13                                 $13.9m-2 wk total $40.3m
Speed Racer (Warner Bros.) PG                                        $7.6m-2 wk total $24.4m
Baby Mama (Universal) PG-13                                          $4.6m-4 wk total $47.3m
Made of Honor (Sony / Columbia) PG-13                           $4.5m-3 wk total $33.7m
The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate) PG-13                        $1.0m-5 wk total $50.3m
The Visitor (Overture Films) PG-13                                   $687,000-6 wk total $3.4m
Nim’s Island (Fox) PG                                                      $580,000-7 wk total $45.2m
Prom Night (2008) (Sony / Screen Gems) PG-13               $455,000-6 wk total $43.5m
Source: Box Office Mojo

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) appoints Shuhei Yoshida, as President, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS).  Yoshida, who has been with SCEI for 15 years, moves up to his new position from his previous role as SVP/US Studios, SCE WWS.

Target Entertainment names Helen Howells to the new position of Global Brand Director.  Howells will develop and drive commercial rights strategies for Target’s brands across all platforms.  She will work closely with Sarah Walker, Director/Marketing and Communications to develop brand messages and marketing strategies.  Additionally, she will also continue to oversee Target’s licensing and merchandising business, while working with Shelley Kerridge, Head of Licensing.

RATINGS

Live + Same Day Ratings Kids Cable Network Averages (000) for Thursday, May 15, 2008, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:          K2-11 1114; K6-11 476; TWEENS 9-14 391
DISNEY CHANNEL:     K2-11   680; K6-11 418; TWEENS 9-14 350
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   501; K6-11 293; TWEENS 9-14 199
TOON DISNEY:           K2-11   110; K6-11   53; TWEENS 9-14   38
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Yesterday’s Trivia Question:  What was the name of the short-lived series starring Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as pre-teen daughters of a single father/science professor? TWO OF A KIND   Kudos to:  Kyle Luna-Animation Insider/Tobyhanna, PA; Bob Eisenstaedt-Granite Springs Productions/Tampa, FL; Melissa Baumgart-HBO/NY; Meredith Wayne-TeleRep/NY; Brooke Carrie-Balihoo/Boise, ID

Today’s Trivia Question:  On the series Sweet Valley High, Elizabeth wrote for and was very involved with the school newspaper. What was the newspaper called?   (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!
05.19.08

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