UK Boy Band One Direction Greets Nickelodeon Contest Winners And Fans While Promoting Their Brand New 1D Hasbro Dolls In New York City, NY, USA; Participates In Questions And Answers Session With Nickelodeon Star Rachel Crow!

From Examiner.com:

One Direction promotes Hasbro dolls and greets fans at event in New York City

Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles Credit: AP - 8 photos; View the full slideshow
On November 26, 2012, One Direction attended a special event in New York City to promote Hasbro's latest One Direction dolls. One Direction did interviews and greeted winners of a Nickelodeon contest at the event.

As the biggest act to emerge from "The X Factor," Direction has No. 1 hits in several countries, but the group makes most of its money through touring (One Direction tours sell out in minutes) and merchandising.

View slideshow: One Direction promotes Hasbro dolls in New York City

One Direction's members (Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson) originally auditioned for "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010 as solo singers but were rejected as solo singers and put together in a group by "X Factor" executive producer Simon Cowell and other "X Factor" decision makers. Cowell was One Direction's mentor on the show. After One Direction came in third place on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010, Cowell signed the group to Syco Music, the record company that he co-owns with Sony Music. And the rest is history.

Photograph: One Direction with their dolls at a Hasbro event in New York City on November 26, 2012. Pictured from left to right: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik. Photo credit: AP

The new One Direction dolls from Hasbro are different from the One Direction dolls that went on sale in Europe in 2011. Hasbro's One Direction dolls are singing dolls that are dressed in the same outfits that One Direction wore on the group's first U.S. TV performance, which was on NBC's "Today" on March 12, 2012. Toys R Us reported that the dolls as are among the hottest-selling toys of the holiday season in 2012.

Winners from Nickelodeon's "Your Moment With 1D" contest met One Direction, posed for photos with the group, got autographed dolls and did a Q&A session with One Direction for Nickelodeon. Former "X Factor" U.S. finalist Rachel Crow (fifth place in 2011) is now a starlet at Nickelodeon, and she moderated the Q&A. In 2012, Crow and One Direction signed separate development deals with Nickelodeon.

Interview: One Direction - MTV intervew about Hasbro's One Direction dolls

J-14 magazine posted this report about the Hasbro event:

"The J-14 editors spent their first day back after Thanksgiving break in the best way possible -- hanging with One Direction! Between playing Truth or Dare, chatting about their new Hasbro singing dolls, and chilling in their Times Square hotel in New York City, we had so many awesome moments with the guys on Monday, November 26! Here are a few of our favorites:

"My favorite moment was watching the boys interact with each other. They're always feeding from one another's energy whether they're singing or chasing each other around the room. I also loved watching Liam singing a quote from my favorite holiday movie, 'Elf,' 'I'm in a store and I'm singing!' while we photographed the boys." --J-14 Photo Assistant Nicole Mazza

"I loved when Liam, Louis, and Zayn switched clothes and shoes! I even noticed that Louis was wearing socks!" --J-14 Photo Director Danielle Kepler

"My favorite part of the day was getting to sit down and chat with Niall one-on-one -- literally! He hopped off his chair right away and insisted that I sit down while we talked -- what a gentleman!" --J-14 Assistant Editor Laura Knipping

"When One Direction was ready to pose for their J-14 group picture, Niall was off to the side eating a peach yogurt. Everyone was telling him to hurry, but I said, 'He's a growing boy, he needs to eat!' He smiled, lifted up his shirt, and rubbed his bare belly. What a Niall moment -- too cute!" --J-14 Editor-in-Chief Rachel Chang

"Before interviewing Harry, he came over and gave me one of his famous hugs. It was so heartfelt, in fact, that his arm kind of pushed into my throat and I could barely sputter a 'Hi!' Talk about getting choked up!" --J-14 Deputy Editor Ashley Spencer

Nick Jr. Favourite "Yo Gabba Gabba!" Announces "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out!" Live Tour To Visit Over 50 Cities Across The U.S. In 2013

Below is a W!LDBRAIN Entertainment Press Release announcing the Nick Jr. News that the "Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! Get The Sillies Out!" tour will visit over 50 US cities in 2013 from PRNewswire:

Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! Get The Sillies Out! Tour Will Visit Over 50 Cities Across The U.S. In 2013

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26, 2012 /W!LDBRAIN Entertainment Press Release via PRNewswire/ -- The sillies are crazy little creatures that live inside of us and need to be shaken out! DJ Lance Rock and everyone's favorite cast of colorful characters are calling all fans across the U.S. to get ready to jump, shake and shimmy them out at the new live tour. The Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out! tour begins in Los Angeles at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Friday, November 23 and will visit 50 cities across the U.S. in 2013. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is touring in support of their first national beverage launch, a new line of toys, a new line of kids sportswear and a DVD/CD collectors edition.

(Download image - Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out! live tour Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120725/LA45943LOGO-b; Caption: Logo- Yo Gabba Gabba! cast: DJ Lance Rock, Brobee, Muno, Foofa, Plex, Toodee. (PRNewsFoto/W!LDBRAIN Entertainment))
Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get The Sillies Out will play to audiences in New York City at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden on November 30, December 1 and December 2. Additional dates and cities below.

For a complete list of upcoming tour dates, cities and show times, visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com.

Date - City - Venue
Fri, Nov 23 - Los Angeles, CA - NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE
Sat, Nov 24 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
Sun, Nov 25 - Oakland, CA - The Fox Theater
Fri, Nov 30 - New York, NY - The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Sat, Dec 1 - New York, NY - The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Sun, Dec 2 - New York, NY - The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Thu, Jan 10 - Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center for the Arts - Procter & Gamble Hall
Fri, Jan 11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
Sat, Jan 12 - Detroit, MI - Fox Theatre
Sun, Jan 13 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
Tue, Jan 15 - Des Moines, IA - Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
Wed, Jan 16 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
Fri, Jan 18 - St. Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theatre
Sat, Jan 19 - Rosemont, IL - Akoo Theatre at Rosemont
Sun, Jan 20 - Rosemont, IL - Akoo Theatre at Rosemont
Mon, Jan 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
Tue, Jan 22 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theatre
Thu, Jan 24 - Syracuse, NY - Crouse Hinds Theater at The Oncenter
Fri, Jan 25 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
Sat, Jan 26 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
Tue, Jan 29 - Kingston, NY - Ulster Performing Arts Center
Fri, Feb 1 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
Sat, Feb 2 - Baltimore, MD - The Lyric
Tue, Feb 5 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Theatre
Sat, Feb 9 - Wallingford, CT - The Oakdale Theatre
Wed, Feb 13 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theater
Thu, Feb 14 - Norfolk, VA - Chrysler Hall
Fri, Feb 15 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sat, Feb 16 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
Sun, Feb 17 - North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Mon, Feb 18 - Raleigh, NC - Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts
Wed, Feb 20 - Huntsville, AL - Von Braun Center Concert Hall
Thu, Feb 21 - Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Fri, Feb 22 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre
Sat, Feb 23 - Kansas City, MO - The Midland by AMC
Sun, Feb 24 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
Tue, Feb 26 - Boise, ID - Morrison Center
Wed, Feb 27 - Spokane, WA - INB Performing Arts Center
Fri, Mar 1 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
Sat, Mar 2 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
Sun, Mar 3 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
Mon, Mar 4 - Sacramento, CA - Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Tue, Mar 5 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
Thu, Mar 7 - Fresno, CA - William Saroyan Theatre
Fri, Mar 8 - Santa Barbara, CA - The Arlington Theatre
Sat, Mar 9 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Civic Theatre
Sun, Mar 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
Mon, Mar 11 - El Paso, TX - The Plaza Theatre
Wed, Mar 13 - Midland, TX - Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
Thu, Mar 14 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center
Fri, Mar 15 - Dallas, TX - Music Hall at Fair Park
Sat, Mar 16 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
Sun, Mar 17 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
Wed, Mar 20 - Orlando, FL - Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre
Thu, Mar 21 - Sarasota, FL - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Fri, Mar 22 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Sat, Mar 23 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Sun, Mar 24 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Yo Gabba Gabba! is an award-winning, live-action television series and live stage show whose unconventional formula has created a triple stacked fan base, making it one of the most popular entertainment properties among preschoolers, parents and indie music lovers alike. The television show, now in its fourth season, airs several times a day on Nick Jr. Yo Gabba Gabba! is created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz and is executive produced by Jon Berrett and Michael Polis.

Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! marks the third tour for the successful Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! concert series. The first tour, Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: There's a Party in My City!, launched with a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a performance at the White House in 2010. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! 2010 tour played to sold out venues in 60 cities. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: It's Time to Dance! enjoyed repeat success in 2011, energizing audiences across North America at over 120 shows.

Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! is a state-of-the-art production and an interactive experience that offers audiences of all ages the opportunity to witness their favorite characters come to life when DJ Lance Rock and fans say the magic words, "Yo Gabba Gabba!". Hip-hop legend Biz Markie will join the cast on stage for Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! with Biz's Beat of the Day. The show will also feature Super Music Friends and Dancey Dance guest performances. Past Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! guest performances have included Devenda Banhart, Cold War Kids, Matt Costa, Kid Koala, Moby, DMC (Run DMC), Shaggy, Snoop Dogg, Dave Grohl, Jon Heder, Talib Kweli, Mix Master Mike, Nicole Richie, Kid Sister, Keri Russell, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jason Reitman, Zac Brown and the Drive By Truckers and more, while Christina Aguilera, Jessica Alba, Jason Bateman, Travis Barker, Brendan Fraser, Heidi Klum, Chris Noth, Gwen Stefani, Brooke Shields, Dennis Quaid and others attended with their families.

About Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon in August, 2007 and ranks as one of the most popular series on television with broad appeal among preschoolers, parents, teens and adults. The award-winning series is created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz. The live tour is produced with DHX Media by S2BN Entertainment. Yo Gabba Gabba! infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons. The series and the live show stars DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colorful characters, including: Brobee, the little green one, Foofa, the pink flower bubble, Muno, the red Cyclops, Toodee, the blue cat-dragon and Plex, the yellow robot. Today's most popular names in movies, television, music and sports flock to the groundbreaking series, including series regulars Biz Markie and Mark Mothersbaugh, and guest stars such as Fred Armisen, Erykah Badu, Jack Black, Anthony Bourdain, Devo, Flaming Lips, Meta World Peace (Ron Artest), Tony Hawk, The Killers, Jack McBrayer, MGMT, Mos Def, The Roots, Andy Samberg, The Shins, Sarah Silverman, Amare Stoudemire, The Ting Tings, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Elijah Wood and Weird Al Yankovic, among others. Yo Gabba Gabba! apparel, CDs, DVDs, books and other merchandise are sold online and in mass and specialty retail stores nationwide in the U.S. The series airs several times a day on Nick Jr. and in several major international territories, including Australia, Canada, France, Israel, Latin America, New Zealand, South Africa and the U.K. Visit www.yogabbagabba.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly Kimball
310.701.7773 / k2@kkimballpr.com

SOURCE Yo Gabba Gabba!

RELATED LINKS
http://www.yogabbagabba.com.

Also, from Sound Spike:

Yo Gabba Gabba Live! to "Get The Sillies Out" on tour

Photo: Brad Moore / SoundSpike
The stars of the children's television favorite "Yo Gabba Gabba" have set out on their third tour, " Yo Gabba Gabba Live!: Get The Sillies Out!," which will visit 50 North American cities through next spring.

The award-winning tour kicked off the trip last weekend (11/23) in Los Angeles, and will continue with a three-night stand (11/30-12/2) in New York City. After the holiday break, Yo Gabba Gabba Live! will return to the stage Jan. 10 in Cincinnati, OH, and crisscross the nation over the next three months. The itinerary currently concludes with two consecutive nights (3/23-3/24) in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Ticketing information is available at the tour's website, and more dates will be announced soon.

Hip-hop legend Biz Markie will join the touring cast of the interactive experience, which will also feature Super Music Friends and Dancey Dance guest performances, according to a press release.

The Nick Jr. series, now in its fourth season, is also promoting a national beverage launch, a new line of toys, kids sportswear and a DVD//CD collectors edition.

Also, from Milwaukee Magazine:

Old Bands Playing Nu Metal and Something for the Kids
There are options for all ages this week in Milwaukee music [...]

Monday, Jan. 21: Yo Gabba Gabba! Live at Riverside Theater, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ($25-$35)

Who says that kids’ television can’t offer a bit of entertainment for adults, too? Hatched by Christian Jacobs, the singer of ska band The Aquabats, Yo Gabba Gabba! has been a staple of the Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. network since hitting the airwaves in 2007. Melding learning with noted guest stars and an indie rock undertone, the popular show has gone on the road, featuring all the beloved characters and activities along with a few special guests both young and old attendees will appreciate. (116 W. Wisconsin Ave., PabstTheater.org)

Nickelodeon's Popular Animated Original Series "SpongeBob SquarePants" And The Popular Animated Nick Jr. UK Preschool Show "Peppa Pig" Win Awards At The 2012 British Academy Children's Awards!

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced that Nickelodeon's mega-hit original animated series (Nicktoon) "SpongeBob SquarePants" has won a 2012 British Academy Children's Award for Nickelodeon UK! Nick Jr. UK's popular animated preschool series "Peppa Pig" also won a 2012 British Academy Children's Awards! Congratulations, Nickelodeon UK!

The Nickelodeon animated original series "SpongeBob SquarePants" beat of stiff competition from the popular live-action original Nickelodeon show "iCarly", the popular Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation original animated series (Nicktoon) "Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness" and Disney Channel's / Disney XD's animated show "Phineas and Ferb" to win this years 'International' British Academy Children's Award, and Nick Jr. UK's popular animated preschool show "Peppa Pig" won a 2012 British Academy Children's Award in the 'Pre-School Animation' category!:

British Academy Children's Awards Winners in 2012

[...] the full list of winners [Nickelodeon Nickelodeon UK won] [at] the British Academy Children's Awards in 2012. The ceremony took place on Sunday 25 November at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

[...]

International

WINNER: SpongeBob SquarePants
Paul Tibbitt, Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas
MTV Networks International/United Plankton Pictures/Nickelodeon UK

iCarly
Dan Schneider, Robin Weiner, Joe Catania
Schneider’s Bakery/Nickelodeon UK

Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness
Peter Hastings, Gabe Swarr, Randy Doormans
DreamWorks Animation/Nickelodeon UK

Phineas and Ferb
Production Team
Walt Disney Television Animation/Disney XD UK

[...]

Pre-School Animation

WINNER: Peppa Pig
Philip Hall, Joris van Hulzen, Phil Davies
Astley Baker Davies/Five

Rastamouse
Greg Boardman, Eugenio Perez, Derek Mogford
The Rastamouse Company/CBeebies

Timmy Time
Jackie Cockle, Liz Whitaker, David Scanlon
Aardman Animations/CBeebies

Tree Fu Tom
Daniel Bays, Adam Shaw
Plug-in Media/Blue Zoo Productions/CBeebies

You can view a full list of winners at the 2012 British Academy Children's Awards here on the official BAFTA website, bafta.org.

Also, from C21Media:

Gumball, SpongeBob win Baftas

Cartoon Network’s The Amazing World of Gumball and Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants were both triumphant at last night’s Bafta Children’s Awards in London.

Gumball, which is produced in the London development studio of Turner Broadcasting System’s Cartoon Network in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media and Studio Soi, took home two gongs, seeing off competition for a second year running in both the best animation and best writer categories.

The toon, now in its third season (40x11′), is written by Ben Bocquelet, James Lamont and Jon Foster and airs on Cartoon Network in more than 160 countries.

Meanwhile, SpongeBob SquarePants, produced by United Plankton Pictures for MTV and Nickelodeon, won again in the best international category, having first won the award back in 2007.

CBeebies series Peppa Pig repeated its success at last year’s event by picking up the preschool animation award – the third time it has won the category. CBeebies’ Justin’s House won in the live-action gong.

Blue Zoo Productions, which animates CBeebies’ Tree Fu Tom, won best independent production company and CBBC was named channel of the year and was also recognised for its Horrible Histories series, which picked up the comedy prize for the third consecutive year.

Irish prodco Jam Media won best drama for Roy, which airs on CBBC and Irish pubcaster RTÉ, while Deadly 60, recently picked up by Al Jazeera and new French family-skewing net 6ter , was beaten to the award in the factual category by My Life: Me, My Dad and His Kidney, produced by Nine Lives Media for CBBC.

For the full list of nominations and winners on the night, click here .

Nico Franks
26-11-2012
©C21Media

TAGS: Bafta
GENRES: Animation, Children's
SHOWS: Roy
PEOPLE: Ben Bocquelet, James Lamont, Jon Foster
COMPANIES: Jam Media
SECTIONS: C21Kids
COUNTRIES: UK

Also, from Broadcast:

Justin Fletcher scoops third Bafta

Kids' TV star Justin Fletcher has become the UK’s most awarded children’s TV presenter after scooping the third Bafta of his career at this week’s British Academy Children’s Awards.

He triumphed once again in the presenter category for the CBeebies show Something Special, while his programme Justin’s House scooped the award in the Pre-School Live Action category.

The awards, which celebrate the best in childrens’ TV, films, games and online media of the past year, were held at the Park Lane Hilton on Sunday night and presented by stars including Eddie Izzard, Sir David Jason and Alesha Dixon.

Horrible Histories won the Bafta for kids’ comedy for the third successive year, while Peppa Pig repeated its success at last year’s Children’s Awards by winning the Pre-School Animation Award. This is the third time it has won in this category.

The Amazing World of Gumball celebrated a double victory, winning in both the Writer and Animation categories.

A record 500,000 votes were cast in the BAFTA Kids’ Vote.

British Academy Children’s Awards winners 2012

ANIMATION
The Amazing World Of Gumball
Ben Bocquelet, Mic Graves, Joanna Beresford
Cartoon Network Europe in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi/Cartoon Network UK

CHANNEL OF THE YEAR
CBBC

COMEDY
Horrible Histories
Lion TV/Citrus Television/CBBC

DRAMA
Roy
John Rice, Alan Shannon, Mark Cumberton
JAM Media/CBBC

ENTERTAINMENT
Friday Download
Jeremy Salsby, Melony Smith, Fiona Walmsley
Saltbeef Productions/CBBC

FACTUAL
My Life: Me, My Dad and His Kidney
Rachael Smith, Cat Lewis, Helen Tither
Nine Lives Media/CBBC

INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION COMPANY
Blue-Zoo Productions

INTERACTIVE
Nightmare High
Jo Roach, Tassos Stevens, Paul Bennun
Somethin’ Else/Channel 4

INTERNATIONAL
SpongeBob SquarePants
Paul Tibbitt, Casey Alexander, Zeus Cervas
MTV Networks International/United Plankton Pictures/Nickelodeon UK

LEARNING - PRIMARY
Seeking Refuge
Andy Glynne
Mosaic Films/The Learning Zone on BBC Two

LEARNING – SECONDARY
L8R Youngers 2
John White, Derek Brown, David Watson
Actorshop Productions/The Learning Zone on BBC Two

PERFORMER
Khalil Madovi (Josh Carter) – 4 O’Clock Club
CBBC/CBBC

PRE-SCHOOL ANIMATION
Peppa Pig
Philip Hall, Joris van Hulzen, Phil Davies
Astley Baker Davies/Five

PRE-SCHOOL LIVE ACTION
Justin's House
Stephen Cannon, Anna Perowne
CBeebies/CBeebies

PRESENTER
Justin Fletcher – Something Special
CBeebies/CBeebies

SHORT FORM
Share A Story 2011
Dave Hickman, Carl Hadley, David Heslop
CiTV Creative/CiTV

WRITER
Ben Bocquelet, James Lamont, Jon Foster – The Amazing World of Gumball
Cartoon Network Europe in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi /Cartoon Network UK

Kid's vote: Television
Good Luck Charlie, Disney Channel

Website
Bin Weevils

Also, from the Big Cartoon News Blog (blog):

Gumball Gets Two British Academy Kids’ Animation Awards

Car­toon Net­work Europe series “The Amaz­ing World Of Gum­ball” was the win­ner in both the Ani­ma­tion and Writ­ing cat­e­gories Sun­day at the British Acad­emy Children’s Awards.

The show, which airs on Car­toon Net­work UK, was pro­duced in asso­ci­a­tion with Dan­de­lion Stu­dios, Boul­der Media and Stu­dio Soi.

Ben Boc­quelet, Mic Graves and Joanna Beres­ford were sin­gled out for their work in ani­ma­tion, Boc­quelet, James Lam­ont and Jon Fos­ter were hon­ored as the writers.

Other British Acad­emy Children’s Award nom­i­nees for ani­ma­tion were The Amaz­ing Adren­a­lini Broth­ers (Pesky Productions/POP), The Gruffalo’s Child (Magic Light Pic­tures in asso­ci­a­tion with Stu­dio Soi/BBC One) and The Mechan­i­cal Musi­cal Mar­vel (Chris Ran­dall and Julie Boden; Sec­ond Home Studios/THSH Birmingham).

In Pre-School Ani­ma­tion, the win­ner was Peppa Pig (Philip Hall, Joris van Hulzen and Phil Davies; Ast­ley Baker Davies/Five).

Oth­ers nom­i­nated for Pre-School Ani­ma­tion were Ras­ta­mouse (Greg Board­man, Euge­nio Perez and Derek Mog­ford; The Ras­ta­mouse Company/CBeebies), Timmy Time (Jackie Cockle, Liz Whitaker and David Scan­lon; Aard­man Animations/CBeebies) and Tree Fu Tom (Daniel Bays and Adam Shaw; Plug-in Media/Blue Zoo Productions/CBeebies).

The award in the Inter­na­tional cat­e­gory was given to Sponge­Bob SquarePants (Paul Tib­bitt, Casey Alexan­der and Zeus Cer­vas; MTV Net­works International/United Plank­ton Pictures/Nickelodeon UK).

The ani­mated Share A Story 2011 (Dave Hick­man, Carl Hadley and David Hes­lop; CiTV Creative/CiTV) won in the Short Form category.

CBBC was named Chan­nel Of The Year, defeat­ing CBee­bies, CiTV and Cyw.

Brian Cos­grove, the man behind clas­sic children’s ani­ma­tions The BFG, Count Duck­ula, Dan­ger­Mouse and many more, was hon­oured with the Spe­cial Award for out­stand­ing cre­ative con­tri­bu­tion to the industry.

Cos­grove formed Manchester-based ani­ma­tion stu­dio Cos­grove Hall with his busi­ness part­ner Mark Hall in 1975. The stu­dio quickly estab­lished itself as the lead­ing pro­ducer of ani­mated pro­grammes in the United King­dom. It cre­ated shows and films that have enter­tained mil­lions of peo­ple all over the world, includ­ing Bill and Ben, Noddy, Rain­bow and Chorl­ton and the Wheel­ies.

The Spe­cial Award was pre­sented to Cos­grove by long-standing friend and col­league David Jason.

“I had the plea­sure of work­ing with Brian Cos­grove and Mark Hall a num­ber of times, and it was always a joy. The qual­ity of the cre­ative work, the high stan­dard on which they based every detail of every project was so reas­sur­ing for one of the newer peo­ple like me,” Debra Gillett explained.

“No mat­ter how long the day, work was always fun, and felt like a fam­ily get­ting together every time we met to record the next set of episodes. Cossie, as he was affec­tion­ately known by some, knew what he wanted down to the last minute detail, and the result was won­der­ful, orig­i­nal shows which were enjoyed all over the world. I am so pleased that his work is being rec­og­nized with this well-deserved award.”

Cos­grove and the team at Cos­grove Hall were also cham­pi­ons of Manchester’s arts and cul­tural scene, so much so that mem­bers of Joy Divi­sion (Bernard Sum­ner), The Stone Roses (John Squire) and Inspi­ral Car­pets (Craig Gill) all worked under Cos­grove and Hall’s tute­lage at some point in the studio’s life.

Said Cos­grove: “After 40 years of mak­ing children’s pro­grams, it is an honor and a priv­i­lege to be receiv­ing this Spe­cial Award from BAFTA. On hear­ing I would receive the Award, I was thrilled!

“I’ve been lucky in many ways, par­tic­u­larly that I’ve spent my whole career doing what I would have cho­sen to do as a hobby, and I was for­tu­nate in find­ing the right per­son, Mark Hall, to work along­side. Together, we built a com­pany that gave work to a whole gen­er­a­tion of artists and film­mak­ers, and hope­fully, via the pro­grams we made, brought plea­sure to many gen­er­a­tions of viewers.”

In the BAFTA Kids’ Vote, the partly ani­mated The Smurfs won for Fea­ture Film.

Sunday’s cer­e­mony took place at the Lon­don Hilton on Park Lane.

Also, from Indiantelevision.com:

CBBC dominates at Bafta Kids Awards

MUMBAI: CBBC won a Bafta Award for children's channel of the year at the Bafta Awards for kids programming in the UK. The other nominees in that category were CiTV and Cyw.

CBBC also won awards for best comedy, drama, entertainment and factual show - 'Horrible Histories', 'Roy', 'Friday Donwload' and 'My Life: Me, My Dad and His Kidney'. The award for best animation show went to Cartoon Network UK's 'The Amazing World Of Gumball'.

Justin Fletcher was voted best presenter for 'Something Special' on CBeebies. The award for best international show went to Nickelodeon's 'SpongeBob SquarePants'. The award for best film went to 'The Hunger Games'. Skylanders Spyro's Adventure was adjudged the best video game.

Do Not Disturb: The Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool, UK

From the ScotsMan.com's 'Scotland On Sunday' column:

Do not disturb: The Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool

MENTION Blackpool and one of the first things that will probably come to most people's minds is that staple of any British seaside town, the shabby B&B with brassy Bet Lynch landlady at the helm.

And on our drive into the town, it was clear the traditional guest house is alive and well. However, our destination, the Big Blue Hotel, contradicted all the stereotypes, proving to be an oasis of sophistication in a place that is all about fun.

WINING AND DINING?

The hotel’s Blues Brasserie offers light lunches and à la carte meals prepared by an award-winning head chef, with the emphasis on fresh, local produce. The restaurant was fully booked for dinner when we arrived in the late afternoon, but the breakfast we had the next morning was top notch. There was a vast array of food on offer – pleasing even the fussiest of four-year-olds – from croissants and pastries to cereals, toast, fruit and cooked breakfasts. It was all of a very high quality and, although the restaurant was full, the service was quick, efficient and friendly.

ROOM SERVICE?

Ours was described as a deluxe family room. In the main area was a huge and very comfortable double bed, while tucked away round the corner were the children’s “funky bunk beds”, with two televisions, one at the height of each bunk, set into the wall. In the unlikely event they might tire of CBeebies, there was a snakes and ladder game on the wall too. Never have our daughters been so keen to go to bed. But the biggest highlight was the view from the bedroom window – we were literally feet away from the Big One, the tallest rollercoaster in the UK, so close we could almost see the raised hairs on the necks of the people riding on it.

WORTH GETTING OUT OF BED FOR?

The Big Blue is right next door to the Pleasure Beach, so you don’t have to travel far for a full day’s entertainment. The hotel will arrange wristbands to give you access to all the rides on offer, from white-knuckle to gentler ones all the family can enjoy.

The Pleasure Beach also features Nickelodeon Land, with another 12 rides and the chance to meet favourite Nickelodeon characters, from Dora the Explorer to SpongeBob Squarepants. We spent an entire day, from 11am to 7pm, at the Pleasure Beach and still didn’t manage all the rides. The children loved it. A family wristband (for two adults and two children) can be bought online for £86, or you can buy one via the hotel as part of its special package. We didn’t make it any further than the Pleasure Beach, but there are loads of other things to do: the Tower, which nowadays also features a circus and the Blackpool Tower Dungeon, plus the Sea Life aquarium, Madame Tussauds waxworks and Sandcastle Waterpark, with the world’s longest indoor rollercoaster waterslide. And for more simple pleasures, there’s always the beach itself.

BUDGET OR BOUTIQUE?

The Big Blue is a four-star hotel that likes to think of itself as a place “where chic cutting-edge design blends seamlessly with an attention to detail and a level of service that is second to none”, and we found this description accurate. But it was the quirky bunk beds and the incredible view of the rollercoaster that will stick in our minds. There definitely didn’t seem to be anywhere else like it in Blackpool.

LITTLE EXTRAS?

The hotel has its own private entrance to the Pleasure Beach, for use of guests only. When you have children desperate to experience the thrills on offer, avoiding a long queue will do wonders for your stress levels.

Guestbook Comments? This is the perfect place for families who want to experience the thrills of Blackpool during the day but retire to a serene, sophisticated, very comfortable hideaway in the evenings.

Big Blue Hotel, Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Lancashire (0871 222 4000. www.bigbluehotel.com).

B&B plus one day’s wristband, from £127 per room per night.

Nickelodeon UK Announces Plans For A SpongeBob Christmas On Nickelodeon UK!

Nickelodeon UK has announced in the following Nickelodeon UK Press Release their exciting festive plans to celebrate "Christmas On Nickelodeon UK 2012"!

It's A SpongeBob Christmas on Nickelodeon

- SpongeBob SquarePants and Friends Get Festive with the Big Advent Calendar -

London – 12th November 2012 – SpongeBob's Big Advent Calendar is back on Nickelodeon this Christmas. Following on from the success of last year, viewers can count down from Saturday 1st December until Christmas Day [Tuesday 25th December 2012] on-air and online with SpongeBob and his Nickelodeon chums. Viewers can watch daily at 8am and 4pm for an hour of special seasonal shows including new SpongeBob SquarePants, Fairly OddParents, Bucket & Skinner's Excellent Adventures [Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures], Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Winx Club and Power Rangers Samurai.

Making a special appearance during the festive hours of programming, an animated parcel will manifest on screen. Viewers can then visit nick.co.uk/spongebob to identify the present they spotted and unlock the calendar window for their chance to win that day’s gift. Prizes include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, vehicles, playsets and combat gear, SpongeBob SquarePants puzzles, voice changer and magazine subscription as well as Winx Club dolls and Victorious goodies. Plus, there is a very special gift for the calendar window on Christmas Eve – a trip for a family of four to Nickelodeon Land at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

A special part of Nickelodeon's festive programming line-up this year is the network's first-ever full-length stop-motion animation, "It's A SpongeBob Christmas." The special will air at 8am and 4pm on Sunday 2nd December, and throughout the festive period. “It’s A SpongeBob Christmas” is inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass specials (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) and the popular SpongeBob song released in 2009, "Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas)," co-written by Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob) and Andy Paley. The new half-hour episode also features John Goodman as Santa Claus.

In "It's A SpongeBob Christmas" Plankton turns everybody in Bikini Bottom from nice to naughty by feeding them his special jerktonium-laced fruitcake, all in an effort to get his Christmas wish - the Krabby Patty formula. The Nickelodeon premiere will include bonus scenes featuring a stop-motion version of the character "Patchy," also voiced by Tom Kenny.

Work began on the special in October 2011 at Screen Novelties production studio in LA, where the artists worked closely with Paul Tibbitt (Executive Producer), Steve Hillenburg (Creator) and Vincent

Waller (Creative Director) to insure the two-dimensional cartoon characters were properly translated into three-dimensional puppets. Six sets were operating at one time where 60lbs of baking soda was used as snow, 42lbs of glitter added sparkle, 22lbs of wood chips created Sandy's tree house floor and 20 boxes of breakfast cereal covered the coral rocks.

"It's A SpongeBob Christmas" is also available to buy on DVD through Paramount Home Entertainment - out now, exclusively at Asda. The DVD features exclusive content including a behind-the-scenes making of the special, "Change of Sea-nery: Getting to the Bottom of a Stop-Motion Bikini Bottom," plus interviews with the cast and crew.

For more Nickelodeon Christmas products please visit amazon.co.uk/nickelodeon

Follow all of Nickelodeon's Christmas action on twitter @NickelodeonUK using #xmasonnick

Nickelodeon has been bringing audiences in the UK and Ireland hit international and locally-produced kid’s content since 1993. Reaching 14 million homes, Nickelodeon offers a schedule packed with innovative, playful and heartfelt programming featuring top shows such as House of Anubis, SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly. Viewers can also catch Nickelodeon in high definition through Nickelodeon HD and have the opportunity to catch up with the schedule through Nick +1. Exclusive games, behind the scenes clips, show information and more are available at nick.co.uk Nickelodeon is on Sky 604, Virgin 712, through BT Vision and TalkTalk channel 315.

Nickelodeon UK comprises seven dedicated entertainment channels for kids aged 4-15 and is a joint venture between Viacom International Media Networks and BSkyB Networks. Launched in 1993, the Nickelodeon Network is a top-performing commercial kids TV network in the UK and Ireland with Nickelodeon channels available in over 14 million cable and satellite homes.

Also, from ATV Today:

SpongeBob Christmas Crackers

SpongeBob SquarePants and Friends are to get festive with the Big Advent Calendar on Nickelodeon.

Following on from the success of last year, viewers can count down from Saturday 1st December until Christmas Day on-air and online with SpongeBob and his Nickelodeon chums.

The children’s channel is to provide parents and young ones with daily seasonal shows at 8am and 4pm for an hour.

“Making a special appearance during the festive hours of programming, an animated parcel will manifest on screen. Viewers can then visit nick.co.uk/spongebob to identify the present they spotted and unlock the calendar window for their chance to win that day’s gift. Prizes include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, vehicles, playsets and combat gear, SpongeBob SquarePants puzzles, voice changer and magazine subscription as well as Winx Club dolls and Victorious goodies. Plus, there is a very special gift for the calendar window on Christmas Eve – a trip for a family of four to Nickelodeon Land at Blackpool Pleasure Beach!” Nickeloden say.

A special part of Nickelodeon’s festive programming line-up this year is the network’s first-ever full-length stop-motion animation, “It’s A SpongeBob Christmas” co-written by Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob) and Andy Paley. The new half-hour episode also features John Goodman as Santa Claus.

In “It’s A SpongeBob Christmas” Plankton turns everybody in Bikini Bottom from nice to naughty by feeding them his special jerktonium-laced fruitcake, all in an effort to get his Christmas wish – the Krabby Patty formula. The Nickelodeon premiere will include bonus scenes featuring a stop-motion version of the character “Patchy,” also voiced by Tom Kenny.

Work began on the special in October 2011 at Screen Novelties production studio in LA, where the artists worked to insure the two-dimensional cartoon characters were properly translated into three-dimensional puppets. Six sets were operating at one time where 60lbs of baking soda was used as snow, 42lbs of glitter added sparkle, 22lbs of wood chips created Sandy’s tree house floor and 20 boxes of breakfast cereal covered the coral rocks.