A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM DISNEY ABC KIDS NETWORKS

CYNTHIA TURNER’S
Cynopsis: Kids!

02/06/06

Good morning. It’s Monday, February 6, 2006 and this is your first early morning Kids! briefing.

On Friday President Bush selected Robert M. McDowell, an attorney and lobbyist for the telecommunications industry, to fill the vacant seat on the Federal Communications Commission. If approved by the Senate, McDowell will weigh the FCC in favor a Republican majority by 2-3.  McDowell would fill the seat left empty when Kathleen Q. Abernathy’s term ended last year.

NEW PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

CBS has commissioned Aardman Animations, Ltd. to produce an American version of the hit British TV series Creature Comforts.  Based on the Oscar winning short film created by Nick Park and Aardman, Aardman Animations will produce the half hour stop-motion animated series in LA and at its Bristol, England studios.

In other Aardman news … DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Features are currently working together on the CG-animated comedy Flushed Away, set for release in November 2006.  Flushed Away takes place in the world below the streets of London.  Meanwhile Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is set for release on DVD/VHS in North America tomorrow, February 7 and rolling out across the world including in the UK on February 20.

MORE KIDS STUFF

MTV will provide its annual Grammy Awards coverage including MTV News: All Up in the Grammys (60m), an official pre-show for the awards, updates on MTVNews.com, and a post show broadband special and newscast on MTV Overdrive.  Beginning this week MTV will also provide daily pre-Grammy audio and video podcasts (M-F) as well as weekly MTV News Raw video and audio. Highlights from All Up in the Grammys and backstage coverage will be available via Amp’d Mobile and other wireless carriers.  Hosted by MTV News reporters Sway Calloway, John Norris and SuChin Pak, All Up in the Grammys will air live on MTV February 8, 7p, and will feature red carpet arrivals and interviews, a sneak peek at Madonna’s new video and the world debut of Kanye West’s music video.

Raven Moon Entertainment, Inc. is set to launch 13 new episodes of its Gina D’s Kids Club preschool targeted TV series on PBS beginning June 2006.

MARKETING/LICENSING

I don’t know how much your heart-strings can take, but Ken (as in the doll) is trying to make amends and win back his former longtime girlfriend Barbie.  You’ll recall the two broke up about two years ago.  This Thursday Mattel will unveil Ken’s makeover, which was conducted by Hollywood stylist Phillip Bloch in tandem with Mattel’s design team.  I’m not sure what to expect but I was personally fond of skier Ken, both Sun Valley Ken and Gold Medal Ken, and of course Mod Hair Ken, though I’d say the best was when he donned the brown/white checked jacket, white turtle neck dickey and tan pants.

Atari, Inc. will release Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai for the PSP handheld entertainment system in March 2006, marking the developer/publisher’s first title released for the PSP.  Shin Budokai features both single player and wireless multiplayer game-play modes.  Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai is being developed by Dimps, the same team behind the previous three Dragon Ball Z Budokai games for PS2.

STONE SOUP

Over the weekend in the International Animation Film Society handed out its 33rd annual Annie Awards for excellence in animation for film, TV, commercials, video games and home entertainment.  The big winner of the evening was DreamWorks Animation SKG and Aardman Animation’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit walked away with ten Annie Awards in the feature film categories including as best animated feature, beating out co-Oscar nominees Howl’s Moving Castle and Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.  Wallace & Gromit’s other Annie wins include bests in both character animation and design, directing; voice acting (Peter Sallis as Wallace), and writing.  Winners in a selection of other categories, nominees and winners available at http://annieawards.com/33rdannieawardwinners.htm.

Weekend Box Office Estimates for kids/tweens/teens rated G, PG or PG-13; February 35, 2006:
When a Stranger Calls (Sony / Screen Gems) PG-13   Opening weekend $22.0m
Big Momma’s House 2 (Fox) PG-13                               $13.4m-2 wk total $45.4m
Nanny McPhee (Universal) PG                                       $9.9m-2 wk total $26.6m
Hoodwinked (Weinstein Company) PG                          $5.3m-8 wk total $44.1m
Something New (Focus Features) PG-13                     Opening weekend $5.0m
Annapolis (Buena Vista) PG-13                                     $3.5m-2 wk total $12.9m
Walk the Line (Fox) PG-13                                            $3.4m-12 wk total $110.7m
Glory Road (Buena Vista) PG                                        $3.0m-4 wk total $39.0m
The Chronicles of Narnia (Buena Vista) PG                  $2.9m-9 wk total $281.8m
The New World (New Line) PG-13                                $1.7m-7 wk total $10.4m
Source: Box Office Mojo

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Disney Channel has upped Adam Bonnett to SVP/Original Series. Congrats Adam.  In addition Jeff Brustrom has been named VP/Development Live-Action Series and Mike Moon will join the group as VP/Animated Series.  Bonnett will continue to report Gary Marsh, President/Entertainment, Disney Channel Worldwide, while Brustrom and Moon will report to Bonnett.  He will oversee all program development and current series for the channel and the Jetix block. Most recently, Bonnett was VP/Original Series.  Prior to this Brustrom was Director/Live-Action programming and Moon was a member of the Disney TV Animation group.

Vivendi Universal Games has undergone a reorganization of its global sales structure in an effort to better support sales of Blizzard and Sierra titles.  Pascal Brochier, former Managing Director/VU Games Australia, moves up to the new position of EVP/Global Sales, based in LA.  He will also be responsible for the retail business in Asia.  Brochier will report to CEO Bruce Hack.  Reporting to Brochier is the existing global sales team:
Bob Brown, VP/Regional Sales, South and Brad Beegle, VP/Regional Sales, West, in North America
Xochilt Balzola-Widmann, EVP/Europe (Germany/France/Italy) and Adam Roberts, EVP/Europe (UK/Scandinavia/Spain) sales in Europe.

Phil O’Neil, President/North America and COO, exits Vivendi Universal Games to explore opportunities.

RATINGS

Kids Cable Network Averages in thousands (000) for Thursday, February 2, 2006, 6am-11pm, ranked by K2-11:
NICKELODEON:            K2-11 1177; K6-11 557; TWEENS 9-14 362
DISNEY CHANNEL:       K2-11   842; K6-11 543; TWEENS 9-14 454
CARTOON NETWORK: K2-11   552; K6-11 352; TWEENS 9-14 250
TOON DISNEY:              K2-11   186; K6-11   80; TWEENS 9-14   41
Source: MTVN Research from Nielsen Media Research Data

Answer to Friday’s trivia question: Before lead paint was considered a bad thing, the paint company National Lead Company hired an artist to create a new logo – a portrait of a 9 year old boy, wearing coveralls and carrying a paint can. The company’s slogan:  Save the Surface and You Save All.  This line of paint from the National Lead Company was more commonly known as what?   DUTCH BOY   Kudos to: Lenore Lynn Fulcher-CSI Sports/Staten Is. NY; Deborah Duncan-WIVT/WBGH/Binghampton NY; David Danowski-Disney ABC Kids Network/NY; Dave Marcou-Zoom Media/NY; Rosemary Cunningham-MMT/Chicago; Sue Barrett-Determined Productions/Chicago; Rita Illig-RBI Associates/Grenada Hills CA; Dean Lavine-Disney Channel/Burbank; Anthony Dente-DPS Film Roman/N. Hollywood; Karen Lavin-The WB 100+ Station Group

Today’s Trivia Question: This ’70s children show focused on a  rock-n-roll band with bug wings, who lived in a magical forest and always on the run from Benita Bizarre. What show was this? (click here 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 Cynthia Turner’s Cynopsis Kids!
02.06.06
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