Nickelodeon gives kids run of the schedule with ME:TV

From C21 Media:

Nickelodeon gives kids run of the schedule

Kids television network Nickelodeon has launched a TV programming block featuring user-generated content provided by US viewers, scheduled to air live on weekdays.

Nickelodeon's ME:TV, airing nightly from 17.00 to 18.00, will integrate Nick.com and the network's broadband player TurboNick, allowing American kids to programme the TV block with their own original content uploaded online.

The interactive online show will be broadcast in front of a live New York studio audience and hosted by comic actors and presenters Alexandra Gizela and Jordan Carlos, featuring live footage of kids via web cam, online voting, gaming, giveaways and celebrity guests.

Nickelodeon said the new show follows in the vein of U-Pick Live and Slimetime Live, offering kids a chance to participate in-studio or by phone, as well as via on-screen message boards and voting on Nick.com.

Tom Ascheim, executive VP and general manager at Nickelodeon Television, said ME:TV "empowers kids" by letting them programme the network for two hours every day.

"Nickelodeon's ME:TV is you TV," he said. "It gives us the opportunity to showcase the talents of our audience and give life to the content that they are creating. It is the next step in convergent entertainment for this multiplatform generation of kids."

To facilitate the new online venture, Nickelodeon is launching an ME:TV website to allow kids to submit their own original content and then watch, rate or share it on broadband player TurboNick, before featuring the best of the UGC work on-air.

The first week of ME:TV will feature appearances from musician Paula DeAnda and Bill Faggerbakke, the voice of Patrick Starfish on SpongeBob SquarePants.

Antony Reeve-Crook
20 Feb 2007
© C21 Media 2007

Viacom To Be Key Content Partner With Joost

From Viacom.com:

Viacom To Be Key Content Partner With Joost™, The World’s First Online Global TV Distribution Platform

Popular Programming From MTV Networks, BET Networks And Paramount Pictures Will Be Available For Joost’s Launch

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2007 – Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), a leading global entertainment company, and Joost™ (www.joost.com), the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service, announced today that Viacom will be a key content partner and will offer a full range of brands and programming for free to consumers on the innovative Joost distribution platform. Under the agreement, Viacom’s divisions – MTV Networks, BET Networks and Paramount Pictures – will provide television and theatrical programming on the Joost platform. Founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Joost is powered by a secure, efficient, piracy-proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for content owners and creators. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Joost will allow users to have free access to thousands of programs and channels not readily available on the Web. Through Joost, viewers can watch programming from many of Viacom’s brands on their computers through a customizable platform with advanced television viewing features such as links that lead to more information or related websites based on the content; and a variety of plug-in applications, such as instant messaging, message boards, and news tickers.

Currently available in limited beta, Joost combines the best of TV and the best of the Internet by offering viewers a unique, TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost is the first online, global TV distribution platform, bringing together advertisers, content owners and viewers in an interactive, community-driven environment. Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free.

“We’re extremely pleased to be working with Joost, and couldn’t be prouder to be a key partner in the launch of the next generation in broadband video technology,” said Philippe Dauman, Viacom President and Chief Executive Officer. “We have the number one portfolio of entertainment sites in the world and unrivaled distribution on mobile devices, but we’re determined to keep pushing and growing our digital presence and bring our programming to audiences on every platform and device that they want. In addition to strong partnerships we have with traditional distributors, we will continue to seek out partners like Joost, which has created an exciting breakthrough platform that represents not only a fantastic user experience, but one that is built on a compelling and sustainable business model that respects both content creators and consumers.”

Janus Friis, founder of Joost said, “We built this platform from the ground up, with companies like Viacom in mind. Our platform provides scalable distribution, in a completely safe environment that protects the interest of content owners and advertisers, while delighting viewers. We’re extremely excited about this partnership and look forward to enabling Viacom to reach new audiences for its new and classic programming.”

Yvette Alberdingkthijm, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition for Joost said, “Viacom’s properties are perfectly suited to Joost. We’re thrilled to be a part of Viacom’s digital strategy.”

MTV Networks will provide premier content from several of its brands for launch. MTV will offer popular shows, both past and present, including Laguna Beach, Beavis & Butthead, Real World, Punk’d and My Super Sweet Sixteen, while COMEDY CENTRAL will feature episodes from Stella, CCP’s and Freak Show. Nickelodeon, CMT: Country Music Television, MTV2, Logo, Spike TV, mtvU, and Gametrailers.com will also provide content. VH1's offerings will include episodes of Flavor of Love, Surreal Life, and I Love New York. BET’s Networks’ offerings will include some of its biggest shows, including Beef, DMX: Soul of a Man, Comic View and recent smash hit American Gangster. Also, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage and Paramount Classics will be providing full-length feature films from their catalog of classics and recent releases.

About Viacom

Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with prominent and respected brands in focused demographics. Engaging its audiences through television, motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom reaches its audiences wherever they consume content. Viacom’s leading brands include the multiplatform properties of MTV Networks, including MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, COMEDY CENTRAL, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land, Logo and more than 130 networks around the world, as well as digital assets such as Neopets, Xfire, IFILM and Atom Entertainment; BET Networks; Paramount Pictures; Paramount Home Entertainment; DreamWorks; and Famous Music. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.

About Joost™

Joost™ provides a new way of watching TV that combines the best of full-screen television entertainment with online interactive and community benefits to bring an unprecedented selection of video content to viewers anytime, anywhere. Joost is based on a state-of-the-art, secure, peer-to-peer streaming technology.

To learn more about Joost or to become a beta-tester, visit www.joost.com.

Nickelodeon UK Orders Series 2 Of Genie in the House

According to C21 Media, Nickelodeon UK has commissioned brand new episodes of it's popular live-action comedy series Genie in the House.

Nickelodeon, Canal J uncork Genie again

NEWS BRIEF: Nickelodeon UK and French broadcaster Canal J have jointly commissioned a second series of live-action comedy series Genie in the House, bringing the total number of episodes to 52.

The Moi J'aime la Télévision/Helion Pictures series has been a major success for both channels since it launched last year. It was Nickelodeon's number one live-action series at launch and continually wins its time slot for Canal J.

16 Feb 2007
© C21 Media 2007

Nickelodeon Spain (Nickelodeon España) and Nickelodeon Italy (Nickelodeon Italia) have also started to show Genie in the House. According to Nickelodeon España's Genie in the House website, the Spanish name for Genie in the House is 'Un genio en casa', and according to Nickelodeon Italia's Genie in the House website, the Italian name for Genie in the House is 'Un Genio Sul Divano'.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The X's Win Annie Awards

From AWN Headline News:

Cars Takes Feature Cup While Fosters & DreamWorks Take Home Most Annie Gold

Disney/Pixar's CARS took Best Animated Feature prize while the rest of The Annie Awards were more spread out amongst the contenders as the Cartoon Network series, FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY won the top TV category, Best Animated Television Production at 34th Annual Annie Awards held Feb. 11, 2007, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. FOSTER'S won three awards and DreamWorks projects took home the lion’s share of awards, winning in nine categories at ASIFA-Hollywood’s black-tie ceremony attended by more than 1,300 industry insiders and the public.

CARS, which had led the nominations, ended up with two awards, while fellow feature films OVER THE HEDGE won three and FLUSHED AWAY had six, including Directing in an Animated Feature Production.

Disney and Cartoon Network ended up with four awards each while Nickelodeon garnered three.

This year's presenters included many on-camera actors, voices for recent and upcoming projects and a humorous break with George W. Bush impersonator Steve Bridges. Changes in script and flow were also made when two presenters, veteran voice-actor Rob Paulsen and well-known actor/activist Edward James Olmos, were called away to family emergencies after they had already arrived at the Alex Theatre. SpongeBob voice Tom Kenny again hosted his third consecutive ceremony with his topical, political and comical comments and adlibs to keep the program running.

Kenny quipped, “Pixar did what GM and Ford couldn’t do, which was make money off of cars,” he joked, referring to John Lasseter's nominated film CARS and said he did not see Lasseter in attendance. He added, “John Lasseter’s wallet is so fat it now weighs three times Nicole Richie!”

Lasseter was present to accept the Music in an Animated Feature Production for Randy Newman, and, at the end of the ceremony, the Best Feature award. Lasseter said Newman was, “the greatest collaborator I’ve ever worked with.”

Kenny came back to lament he’d probably blown his chances to ever voice a character for Lasseter.

During Lasseter’s feature film acceptance, he said,” What a year we’ve had in animation,” calling 2006 a banner year for animated films that were entertaining and good.

When Mike Kunkel accepted his Character Design in an Animated Television Production award for THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE "Party Monsters,” he came without prepared remarks, but looked about the room and said, “Seeing all of you reminds us of how many talented people we get to work with.”

Roughly midway through the evening the on screen projection broke down due to an extension cord backstage that had caught on fire. With the dark screen behind him where the nominees had been projected, as well as the onstage business, presenter Dave Thomas said,” Is there anyone here who can draw?” He then quipped that the fire had been caused due to an AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE gizmo box exploding in the back, “Jim Sample’s parting gift to the industry.”

A few other comments were made about the longtime Cartoon Network exec's resignation following the hysteria in Boston over the Cartoon Network marketing stunt for the upcoming AQUA TEEN movie. Later, Craig McCracken, during his acceptance for Directing in an Animated Television Production on FOSTER’S, said, amongst his thank yous, Samples was instrumental in the launch of the series.

The Bush impersonator was happy to point out the commonality between himself and animators. “We have one thing in common -- we both send a lot of people overseas!” he also offered various mispronunciations of ASIFA president Antran Manoogian's name, such as Amtrak McNuclear or Anthrax Smithsonian.

Attendees mingled at a two-hour pre-reception in the courtyard and lobby areas of the Alex Theatre, while ticket holders and guests were treated to a post-show celebration dinner on the grounds behind Alex Theatre.

Animation professionals and fans comprise the voting membership of ASIFA-Hollywood that doles out the awards. For the first time in Annie history, all voting was cast online rather than by mail. For more information visit www.asifa-hollywood.org.

Following is the list of final winners:

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature
* CARS -- Pixar Animation Studios

Best Home Entertainment Production
* BAMBI II -- DisneyToon Studios

Best Animated Short Subject
* NO TIME FOR NUTS -- Blue Sky Studios

Best Animated Television Commercial
* United Airlines "Dragon" -- DUCK Studios

Best Animated Television Production
* FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS -- Cartoon Network Studios

Best Animated Videogame
* FLUSHED AWAY THE GAME -- D3 Publisher of America, Inc.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects
* Scott Cegielski -- FLUSHED AWAY -- DreamWorks Animation & Aardman Features

Character Animation in a Feature Production
* Gabe Hordos -- FLUSHED AWAY -- DreamWorks Animation & Aardman Features

Character Animation in a Television Production
* Yu Jae Myung -- AVATAR "The Blind Bandit" -- Nickelodeon

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
* Nicolas Marlet -- OVER THE HEDGE -- DreamWorks Animation

Character Design in an Animated Television Production
* Mike Kunkel -- THE LIFE & TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE "Party Monsters" -- Cartoon Network Studios

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
* Tim Johnson & Karey Kirkpatrick -- OVER THE HEDGE -- DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated Television Production
* Giancarlo Volpe -- AVATAR "The Drill" -- Nickelodeon

Music in an Animated Feature Production
* Randy Newman -- CARS -- Pixar Animation Studios

Music in an Animated Television Production
* James L. Venable & Jennifer Kes Remington -- FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS "One False Movie" -- Cartoon Networks Studios

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
* Pierre-Olivier Vincent -- FLUSHED AWAY -- DreamWorks Animation & Aardman Features

Production Design in an Animated Television Production
* Martin Ansolabehere -- FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS "Good Wilt Hunting" -- Cartoon Network Studios

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
* Gary Graham -- OVER THE HEDGE -- DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production

* Troy Adomitis - AMERICAN DRAGON: JAKE LONG "Breakout" -- Walt Disney Television Animation
* Li Hong -- THE X'S "You Only Sneeze Twice" -- Nickelodeon

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
* Ian McKellan -- Voice of the Toad -- FLUSHED AWAY -- DreamWorks Animation & Aardman Features

Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
* Eartha Kitt -- Voice of Yzma -- THE EMPEROR'S NEW SCHOOL "Kuzclone" -- Walt Disney Television Animation

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
* Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais and Chris Lloyd & Joe Keenan and Will Davies -- FLUSHED AWAY -- DreamWorks Animation & Aardman Features

Writing in an Animated Television Production
* Ian Maxtone-Graham -- THE SIMPSONS "The Seemingly Neverending Story" -- Gracie Films

JURIED AWARDS

June Foray Award - Significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation.

Stephen Worth

Winsor McCay Award - Recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation.

Bill Plympton
Genndy Tartakovski
Andreas Deja

Certificate of Merit

Bill Matthews
Michael Phallic
Mark Deckter
Eric Graff

SpongeBob Candidates Put Their Best Claw Forward in Presidential Race

From AWN Headline News:

SpongeBob Candidates Put Their Best Claw Forward in Presidential Race

Nickelodeon is encourage kids to cast their vote for president of Bikini Bottom in an online promotion with supporters to receive three all-new episodes of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS on Feb. 19, 2007, President's Day in the U.S. Top candidates are Patrick Starfish and Larry the Lobster. The “Patrick for President” programming event kicks off Monday at 5:00 p.m. with an interactive, two-hour marathon during which votes are tallied as they come in, and followed by three all-new back-to-back Patrick themed episodes (7:00–8:30 pm). An announcement of the new president-elect will cap off the premieres.

“SPONGEBOB has been the number-one animated kids’ show on television for over five years and running. And who would’ve thought that after all this time Patrick would actually run for President?” said Tom Ascheim, evp/gm, Nickelodeon Television. “It’s creative new programming events like ‘Patrick for President’ that keep it fresh and funny, with viewers coming back for more.”

Kids may pledge their allegiance and support to Patrick’s candidacy on nick.com/prezday. They can log on to read up on the latest election updates, vote for Patrick or Larry the Lobster, create their own video campaign posters and share them with friends, voice their opinion on why Patrick is a good President by submitting video testimonials, and create their own mash-ups using clips from the new Patrick themed episodes that will air on Presidents’ Day. In addition, kids will be able to sneak peek the three all-new episodes on TurboNick.com.

The marathon begins the countdown to the closest presidential race to hit Bikini Bottom. The race really heats up when Larry the Lobster leaves no shell, or starfish unturned and responds to Patrick’s promise to voters with a kelp-slinging smear campaign. Between episodes, votes are counted and the winners of various states are marked off as they are claimed by either Larry the Lobster’s Crustacean Party (in red) or the Patrick’s Invertebrate Party (in pink).

Following are details on the three all-new episodes:

7-7:30 pm -- In “Driven to Tears,” SpongeBob has failed his driving test–again. Patrick is so outraged by the injustice of it all that he storms into the testing facility and takes the test to prove that it is unfair and impossible to pass. Only Patrick does pass and earn his license. In fact, as the one-millionth customer at the DMV, Patrick is awarded a brand new car! SpongeBob tries to be happy for his pal, but watching Patrick abuse his driving privilege and disobey common driving rules is more then he can bear. Then, in “Rule of Dumb,” an oversight in a Royal genealogy document reveals that Patrick is the next in line to receive a kingly title. It’s not long before the power of the crown goes straight to the starfish’s head.

7:30-8:00 pm -- In “The Pink Purloiner,” SpongeBob’s favorite jelly fishing net is missing. Worst of all, Patrick may have been the one who stole it. But SpongeBob can’t accuse his friend of anything until he can find some hard evidence that he does indeed have the net. Then in “The Gift of Gum,” it’s Best Friends Day and SpongeBob and Patrick trade presents. SpongeBob presents Patrick with a fancy robot, and Patrick gives SpongeBob his most prized possession: an enormous ball of used chewing gum. SpongeBob is touched. He thinks this gift is the coolest thing in the world. However, once he finally fits the giant wad of gum into his house, it slowly starts to creep him out.

8:00-8:30 pm -- In “Rise and Shine/Waiting,” a glimpse into the interior of Patrick Star’s rock/home proves that his morning routine is anything but ordinary. Then, SpongeBob discovers that his breakfast cereal has an offer for a free toy. Once he responds to the offer, he must wait patiently for the toy to arrive. So SpongeBob sets up camp right next to his mailbox, determined to be present when the mailman shows up with his treasure. And, in “Sing a Song of Patrick” SpongeBob helps Patrick promote a song he wrote by securing some airtime at the local radio station.

Launched in July 1999, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS has since emerged as a pop culture phenomenon and one of the most popular series in kids’ television history. The Saturday morning play of the series currently ranks as the number-one rated program among kids 2-11. Nearly 67.2 million viewers tune into the show each month, including 24 million kids 2-11, 14.5 million tweens 9-14 and 32.9 million adults 18+. (Source: Nielsen Cume Data –November 2006). Adult viewers also continue to tune in and have increased by 106% since the premiere of the show.

The most widely distributed property in MTV Networks history, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS is syndicated in 171 markets in 25 languages and consistently rates in the top three series among kids in every major market it currently airs in across Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America and the U.S.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. The company includes television programming and production in the U.S. and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for nearly 12 consecutive years.