Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB and VIA), the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand, has announced in a press release that on Thursday, November 14, 2013, it will issue financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ending September 30, 2013. The Company will conduct a conference call at 8:30 a.m. (ET), following the release of its earnings announcement. A live audio webcast of the call will be available on the home page of Viacom's website, www.viacom.com, beginning at 8:30 a.m. (ET) on November 14. The conference call can also be accessed by dialing (888) 632-5006 (domestic) or (913) 312-1429 (international). Please call five minutes in advance to ensure that you are connected prior to the call. The audio webcast replay will be available beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on November 14 in the events/webcasts section of Viacom's website. A replay of the call will also be available beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on November 14 at (888) 566-0808 (domestic) or (402) 220-9387 (international). The earnings release and any other information related to the call will be accessible from the home page of Viacom's website.
Starz Digital Media has announced in a press release the next step in its mission to deliver quality programming across multiple platforms with the launch of its new entertainment and comedy YouTube channel, "Union Pool." Brought to life by the company behind the web series sensation "How It Should Have Ended," "Union Pool" will offer a unique variety of animated and live-action series, with new episodes launching every Tuesday and Thursday beginning today at www.youtube.com/unionpool. Initial programming will include pop culture animated mashup "Tvoovies," acting school spoof "Hollywood Acting Studio," and the award-winning puppet animation adventure "Captain Cornelius Cartoon's Cartoon Lagoon." For "Captain Cornelius Cartoon's Cartoon Lagoon", Nickelodeon and DC Comics alumni Manny Galán and Pat Giles of Pat-Man Studios serve as Executive Producers. The show is an award-winning animated adventure that follows seafaring puppets on their underwater quest aboard the "Manta Ray". This cartoon-retrieving vessel commanded by Captain Cornelius dives deep into Cartoon Lagoon in search of the best and the worst cartoons ever made. Meanwhile, a motley crew spoofs PSAs and retro animated favorites, including the original "Casper The Friendly Ghost," "The Underwater Adventures of Captain Nemo," and "Popeye the Sailor Man." Celebrated by Amazon Studios with the 2012 New York Television Festival Audience Award, this magical salute to Saturday morning cartoons unites "MAD TV" and "Robot Chicken" scribe Steve Borst with a lineup of veteran and breakthrough talent from The Disney Channel, Nick Jr., The Jim Henson Company, Marvel Comics, Archie Comics, WB Animation, MTV, Spike TV, "Bear in the Big Blue House," and "Avenue Q." Cartoon Lagoon Studios founders Manny Galán and Pat Giles know their cereal, commercial and cartoons. They have been in the pop culture business for years with a long pedigree in children's television. Giles previously served as the art director for Disney's "Stanley" series on The Disney Channel, and worked on hundreds of episodes on six other TV shows, including "Disney's Doug," and MTV's "Daria". Giles also co-founded the indie-comics publisher Monkeysuit Press, featuring his TPB comic collection "The Big Problem With Marshall." Galán has worked at Marvel, DC Comics, Archie Comics and Nickelodeon, first in their consumer products division and later in the On Air department where he wrote and directed hundreds of shorts, including the legendary "Nickmas" series, "Captain Nick", and "How Angelica Stole Christmas." Galán's toy line "Dookie-Poo" is an award-winning collection of designer vinyls and plush, and featured in indie-comics collection Combination Platter. Go for a dive into the Lagoon with the Captain, Wet Willy Jones and Axel Rod McGee to discover what new cartoon gems they discover at: www.cartoonlagoonstudios.com.
Nickelodeon at Sea: Oceans TV, a leading provider of on-screen entertainment to cruise lines, has announced in a press release it is providing Royal Caribbean International with a selection of TV packages across three of its territories. While sailing in Asian territory, passengers have a wide selection of TV channels to choose from whilst on-board Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas cruise ships. Channels such as CCTV4, MTV China, Nickelodeon SEA (South East Asia) and CCTV News (English) can all be enjoyed in every stateroom. The European package is available across four classes of Royal Caribbean's fleet, including Navigator of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas whist sailing in European waters. Passengers can enjoy a rich mix of multi lingual content from the BBC, Sky, RAI, Mediaset Italia, RTL 9, TF1, TVE Internacional and RTL Germany. For journeys within Scandinavian waters, passengers on board Vision of the Seas have access to a selection of Norwegian, Danish and Swedish channels including NRK1, TV 2 Lorry (Denmark) and SVT 1 and 2 respectively. Additionally, Eurosport is available on the Swedish and Danish channels. As well as satellite TV channels, Oceans TV supplies cruise lines with live TV events, international movies, promotional videos, safety films and portable entertainment systems such as the iPad.
The Hub Network has announced in a press release that Classic Nickelodeon Star Kenan Thompson ("All That", "Kenan & Kel", "Good Burger", "iParty") will be the host of their "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash", one-of-a-kind star-studded special celebrating the best of Halloween with a nationwide 50-state costume competition judged by a panel of celebrity presenters, including Halloween-expert Martha Stewart, will be broadcast Saturday, October 26, 8–10 p.m. ET/5–7 p.m. PT.
Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. ("Zoey 101, "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide", "Roxy Hunter") has announced in a press release that the studio and Mattel, Inc. have partnered to develop the live-action, feature-length film "Max Steel" based on Mattel's franchise property of the same name. The film will be produced by Dolphin Films, a newly-formed subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment. Open Road Films will distribute "Max Steel" in the U.S. as the first of a multi-picture agreement with Dolphin Films. The film will be given a wide release in theaters in the fourth quarter of 2014. "Max Steel" tells the story of teenager Maxwell McGrath and alien companion Steel who can combine special turbo-energy powers to generate sensational superhero Max Steel. The storyline centers on bringing a positive and relatable hero to kids, drawing upon turbo-charged teamwork, laughter and friendship. Dolphin Entertainment and Mattel's "Max Steel" movie will be written by Christopher Yost, who most recently rewrote and did the production work on "Thor: The Dark World" for Marvel and director Alan Taylor, and will be directed by Stewart Hendler ("H+", "Halo: Forward Unto Dawn", "Whisper" and "Sorority Row"). NickToons UK currently airs the "Max Steel" animated series.
To celebrate and promote her brand new Nickelodeon Original TV Movie, "Swindle", Nick Star Jennette McCurdy recently wrote a very special article for the Wall Street Journal about life growing up on the hit Nickelodeon show, "iCarly". In the article, called "I Was a Teenage Hashtag", Jennette discusses the ups and downs of being famous, the positives and negative media attention, and how much she loves acting for a living. Jennette also talks about how social media changes the way celebrities think, and about the paparazzi taken her picture. You can view Jennette's article in full here on the WSJ. Source: Nickutopia.
AppAnnie mobile stats, which track the top 10 paid educational apps in the US for both the iPhone and iPad, is reporting that Nickelodeon Preschools "Team Umizoomi Math: Zoom into Numbers" educational app recently reached the #1 chart position in the Education category of Apple's App Store!
Digital Spy is reporting the fantastic news that Ariana Grande has topped digital music charts worldwide when her debut album, "Yours Truly", featuring the Nickelodeon Stars first collection of songs peaked at number one on over 30 iTunes charts (around 35) around the world, plus ClizBeats.com is reporting "Yours Truly" reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Overall Top Albums Chart in the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Hong Kong, to name few. Meanwhile, it opened at #2 in the UK and Top 5 in 20 other countries including Mexico, Norway, Ecuador, Chile, Portugal and more. 10 more territories including Belgium, Poland, and Costa Rica have seen it go Top 10. Congratulations, Ariana!! The album still remains on top of the daily US iTunes sales chart, while it has so far peaked at number three on the UK equivalent. Ariana's new album "Yours Truly" features her hit single 'The Way', which she released in March 2013, was certified Platinum by the RIAA in June 2013. You can view the track list for Ariana's new album, "Yours Truly", here on NickALive!, plus listen to Ariana Grande's "Yours Truly" now on Spotify via DS, and buy "Yours Truly" on iTunes today!
Yahoo! OMG UK is also reporting the very exciting news that Ariana Grande made her UK chart debut when "Yours Truly" reached No.7 in the UK Album charts last week (Monday 2nd-Sunday 8th September 2013), with the Nickelodeon star outpacing Disney upstarts Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato in the chart peak stakes (Selena's Stars Dance made No14; Demi's Demi bowed at No10)!! You can read more here on the Official Charts Company.
DropOutUK.com is reporting that, following the release of her debut album, 'Yours Truly', Ariana Grande has opened up about the inspiration behind the LP. Speaking to MTV News, the Nickelodeon star admitted that her album documents some important times in her life: "I feel like some of the most important years of my life have been captured in this album and some of my most important experiences like relationship-wise." The 20 year-old added: "So many things I've learned I'll remember when I listen back to these songs. It's just such a special thing for me. I can't wait for my fans to hear it." Grande also expressed her excitement at how people will be able to see her as a real singer now as well as an actress and discussed how she balances her music ambition with her acting work on the hit Nickelodeon comedy series "Sam & Cat": "People got to know me first as an actress, but my mum said I'm a singer who acts on the side, but now they are gonna get to know Ariana the little brunette girl from Boca [Raton, Florida] who loves music more than anything. [...] And that's very exciting to me and it's very relatable. A lot about boys, a lot about love, a lot about romance. I'm a hopeless romantic."
To celebrate the release, the singer and actress appeared on NBC's The Today Show, performing her platinum-selling smash “The Way” featuring Mac Miller and the heartfelt ballad “Tattooed Heart” to a packed audience [Watch it here!]. Meanwhile, she also made an appearance on "Live! with Kelly and Michael" September 5 performing “Almost Is Never Enough” with Nathan Sykes of The Wanted. This morning, Ariana appeared on "The Today Show" again and recently guest starred on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" for a skit. Critical acclaim continues to pour in for "YOURS TRULY" as well. US Weekly wrote, “[the] starlet is being heralded as the next Mariah Carey – and the lofty comparison isn’t that far off”, Entertainment Weekly called it “one of the most purely enjoyable albums of the year” and bestowed an A- rating upon it, and Elle extolled her as having the “vocal chops of a world-traveled diva”. Meanwhile, she’s been featured by Rolling Stone, Complex, Grammy.com, MTV, and many more publications.
Nick celebrity Ariana Grande also recently performed at Style Awards 2013 at New York's Lincoln Center on Wednesday 4th September 2013, where model Kate Upton was awarded the title of 2013 Model of the Year. You can view a selection of photos and videos of Ariana at The 10th Annual Style Awards here on the Daily Mail. The ceremony will be shown on television on Saturday 14th September 2013 at 7 p.m. EST on CNN.
Complex is reporting that Ariana Grande believes she was born to play the role of the Nickelodeon character Cat Valentine in "Sam & Cat" and "VICTORiOUS": "I didn’t do any other musical theatre after 13, and then I went to L.A. and I auditioned for Victorious. I loved Nickelodeon growing up and I wanted to audition for a Nickelodeon show as soon as I found out that they were doing them. I think that Cat is a role that I was meant to play. There are roles that people are just right for and I think Cat is mine."
You can also find reviews about Ariana Grande's debut album, "Yours Truly", here on Yahoo! OMG UK, Digital Spy, Yahoo! Canada's music blogger Dave DiMartino, who says "In a world where every possible Disney-fied teen female can make an album, become a pop star, and reach her career peak on the VMAs, how refreshing that young teens from that other network—and that would be Nickelodeon—can actually make albums that sound like albums, not product, and can sing without the help of a choir of studio consoles", and JS Online's Tap column, who praises Ariana as a "pretty good singer", plus, Cosmopolitan Australia asks, 'Who is Ariana Grande?', and Billboard offers a Track-by-Track review of each song on Ariana Grande: 'Yours Truly'!
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande has also released her long-awaited, much anticipated music video for her new song, "Baby I", which you can watch below! In the video, Ariana is seen dancing through the streets. Since being released on Friday 6th September 2013, has already gotten over 2,712,500 views!
Licensing.biz is reporting that the "Miffy" brand will undergo a complete relaunch in February 2014, after Simon & Schuster revealed that it has come on board as the classic children's property's new UK publisher. For the first time in 50 years, the English translations of the classic "Miffy" stories - written and illustrated by Dutch graphic artist, Dick Bruna - will be updated to appeal to a modern British audience. The books were first published in the UK in 1963. A variety of new, novelty and activity formats will also be published alongside the traditional "Miffy" hardback books. The S&S publishing programme will launch in February 2014 with three "Miffy" stories in the small, square hardback format (which Bruna adopted for all his picture books in the 1960s as he believed that this was the ideal shape for small hands). An animated preschool series based on the "Miffy" books called "Miffy and Friends" used to air on Nick Jr. USA.
C21Media is reporting that Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) are launching their Paramount Channel in France. The channel – available via Canal+ pay-TV platforms, Numericable and other IPTV and digital operators from today – will carry content from the Paramount Pictures Library, and will mix classic movies with locally produced magazine shows. The schedule will be made up of classic films and blockbusters across the action, family, comedy, crime, sci-fi, romance, horror and drama genres. Throughout the networks first month on-air the channel will celebrate the films of Steven Spielberg and air hits including "Minority Report", "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and "The Terminal". The channel also plans to air two locally produced magazine programmes "Le Buzz", featuring news from the film industry, and "Paramount Stories" which will provide anecdotes from some of the most iconic Paramount films and their stars. It's the fourth channel launched by VIMN in France, joining MTV, Nickelodeon and Game One, and follows a similar launch in Spain in April 2012.
Nickelodeon Alumni News
Former ABC Kids programmer Deirdre Brennan is returning to the Australian public broadcaster as controller of children’s TV. Brennan, who starts her new job in the New Year, is currently director of content, Australia and New Zealand, for BBC Worldwide (BBCWW). She joined BBCWW as director of television in 2010, managing production, programming, acquisitions, on-air promotions and presentation for the local portfolio of channels including UKTV, UKTV NZ, BBC Knowledge, BBC Knowledge NZ and CBeebies. At the ABC, she will take over from Tim Brooke-Hunt who announced in June he would step down in September after six years with the broadcaster. Barbara Uecker, currently head of programming and acquisitions at ABC children’s TV, will be acting controller until Brennan is released by BBCWW. Brennan joined the BBC from Nickelodeon Australia, where she was director of programming from 2007 to 2010. Via C21Media.
A+E Networks UK has appointed a former Viacom and Fox Kids executive as its senior director of broadcast operations. Remi Abayomi is joining the company, a joint-venture between A+E Networks in the US and British satcaster BSkyB, which already operates channels including History and Crime & Investigation and will launch Lifetime in the UK this autumn. In the new role, Abayomi will be responsible for A+E Networks UK’s expanding broadcast operations and infrastructure across the company’s channels in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will work closely with the operations groups at A+E Networks and BSkyB. Abayomi has 20 years of experience specialising in broadcast operations, engineering and IT. Previously, he held executive positions at Viacom, MTV, Nickelodeon and Fox Kids Europe, before starting his own consultancy. He will report to Tom Davidson, MD of A+ E Networks UK. Via C21Media.
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