Author: Ryan Ball

Ricky Sprocket ‘ Showbiz Boy, a new animated series from Snowden Fine Prods., Studio B Prods. and distributor Bejuba! Ent. Inc., has been picked up by Nickelodeon channels in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Scandinavia for air in the fall of 2007. In the U.S., the show will join the lineup on Nicktoons Network. Canadian broadcast partner TELETOON was involved in the early production stage, and is planning to launch the series in the fall of 2007 as well.

Mega-superstar child actor Ricky Sprocket seems to live the glamorous life of a world-famous celebrity, but at home he’s just a regular kid with an annoying sister, too much homework and other typical childhood issues. The 26×22 series is created by Alison Snowden and David Fine, who won an Academy Award in 1995 for their animated short, Bob’s Birthday, which spawned the 1998 Nelvana toon series Bob and Margaret.

‘Nickelodeon channels around the world and Nicktoons Network in the U.S. have embraced Ricky Sprocket from the moment they saw it,’ says Tatiana Kober of Bejuba! Ent. ‘The series will strike a chord in children around the world as Ricky is a real kid living every child’s dream.’

Bejuba also handles Pesky Animation’s The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers!, Coneybeare Stories’ Monster Warriors, Tandem Films’ short films and ZDFE’s children’s programming.

After pulling it out of rotation, Comedy Central is reportedly planning to re-air the South Park episode ‘Trapped in the Closet,” which mercilessly skewers actor Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology. The controversial, Emmy-nominated installment is scheduled to make its comeback on July 19.

In the episode, Stan signs up to join the Scientologists, who believe him to be the reincarnation of founder L. Ron Hubbard. He then finds himself visited by celebrity Scientologists, including John Travolta and Cruise. When Stan tells cruise what he thinks of his acting, the Mission Impossible star locks himself in a closet and refuses to budge, despite constant pleading for him to ‘come out of the closet.’

Though Comedy Central claims the episode is on a normal rotation schedule, it’s reported that the network was pressured to yank it by parent company Paramount and the star of its big-budget summer flick, Mission: Impossible III. Matt Stone, who created South Park with Trey Parker, told Daily Variety, “If they hadn’t put this episode back on the air, we’d have had serious issues, and we wouldn’t be doing anything else with them.”

Stan Lee, the creative force behind Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men and Fantastic Four comic-book franchises, is introducing a brand-new superhero to television audiences. The live-action feature LightSpeed will premiere on SCI FI Channel on July 26 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

The latest in a series of projects spilling forth from Lee’s POW! Ent., LightSpeed stars Smallville’s Jason Connery (son of Sean Connery) as Daniel Leight, a government agent who survives a deadly mishap and realizes he has the power to run at the speed of light. Harnessing this new skill, Leight becomes LightSpeed and takes on the villainous Python, the half-man, half-snake result of an experiment gone awry. Former Baywatch babe Nicole Eggert and The Six Million Dollar Man star Lee Majors turn in supporting performances.

A production of FWE Picture Company, LightSpeed is directed and shot by veteran camera operator Don E. FauntLeRoy and exec produced by Jeff Franklin (Stuart Little). Steve Latshaw (Curse of the Komodo, Raptor Island 2: Raptor Planet) and John Gray wrote the screenplay.

Lee formed POW! Ent. (Purveyors of Wonder) with award winning producer Gill Champion and intellectual property specialist Arthur Lieberman esq. The compay is also bringing the reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero to SCI FI on July 27 at 9 p.m. In addition, POW! is developing an animated TV special titled Stan Lee’s Superhero Christmas, and is working with Celebrities in Action to produce The Fantasy Zone, a series of home video releases starring well-known public figures living out their superhero fantasies.

Major independent studio Lionsgate is venturing into television syndication with the acquisition of TV distributor Debmar-Mercury LLC, which owns rights to Comedy Central’s hit animated series South Park. Debmar-Mercury principals Mort Marcus will contunue to run the company as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lionsgate.

The purchase also puts Lionsgate in possession of syndication rights its own TV drama series The Dead Zone, as well as Sci-Fi Channel’s Farscape series, produced by Hallmark Ent. and the Jim Henson Co. Debmar-Mercury has also been shopping House Of Payne, a new series from comedian Tyler Perry, whose successful features Diary Of A Mad Black Woman and Madea’s Family Reunion were released theatrically by Lionsgate.

Last October, Lionsgate began self-distribution of its library through the acquisition of UK-based distributor Redbus, which is now Lionsgate U.K. The Debmar-Mercury acquisition will afford the company an additional level of independence as it syndicates its own television programming and feature film packages while creating a new television distribution revenue stream from third-party franchise properties. Lionsgate’s 2007 production slate includes nine prime time television series.

DIC Ent. plans to get some positive messages out through Promise Media Prods, a new venture with independent production company Thomopoulos Prods. The new shingle will develop, market and distribute both animated and live-action family content for the faith-based and secular markets. Initial projects on the slate an animated version of Black Beauty, an animated remake of the gladiator classic Ben Hur and an original live-action theatrical production titled Angel Flight for Life.

In addition to developing original content, Promise Media will acquire existing brands for distribution across film, television, home entertainment, new media and consumer products platforms. The venture is looking to properties that incorporate virtues such as faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. The goal is to offer parents a safe environment by avoiding gratuitous sex and violence.

“We know there is a vast demand for content that showcases positive values and celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, and we plan to apply our entertainment and consumer products expertise to promote positive values for kids,” says DIC chairman and CEO Heyward.

“The multi-billion dollar market for positive values entertainment continues to rapidly grow, and Andy and I recognized a tremendous opportunity in this underserved marketplace to create and deliver high-quality product that resonates with faith-based values,” adds Tony Thomopoulos, president of Thomopoulos Prods.

Renowned clinical psychologist, author and leadership consultant Dr. Henry Cloud is among the media experts and educators taking part in Promise Media Prods.’s advisory board, which will develop program guidelines that ensure positive values are incorporated into the content. As president of Cloud-Townsend Resources, Dr. Cloud has produced and conducted hundreds of public seminars around the country speaking on marriage, parenting, personal growth and spirituality.

Promise is mainly looking to literary sources for its current production slate, employing animation to adapt the classic novels Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Ben-Hur, A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Also in the works is a toon series titled The Animated Adventures of Sophie and Sam, based on the illustrated children’s book by Tori Cloud and rooted in the principles of the bestselling book, Boundaries, by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Valuable life lessons and music education will be brought to life with CG animation in The Jammies of Harmonyville, a new TV series produced in association with Believe Ent., and a biblical tale will get a hip, new twist with the animated comedy-adventure, Noah’s Hope. In the show, Noah will be a nineteen-year-old scientist who travels America with his animal pals in an eco-bus to seek out real-life conservationists who are making a difference in their communities. Among the live-action offerings in development are a feature film titled Angel, Flight for Life and a DVD series titled Zakland, which showcases the talents of award-winning musical performer and writer Zak Norman.

Thomopoulos previously served as president of ABC Broadcast Group and was chairman of United Artists Pictures, where he supervised the production of such films as Rain Man and entries in the James Bond franchise. From 1991 to 1995, he was president of Amblin Television, a division of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Ent., and was responsible for the original placement of NBC’s long-running hit, ER. He later joined International Family Entertainment Inc. (IFE) and oversaw all aspects of programming for The Family Channel.

North American fans of Japanese animation will soon have another source for getting their anime fix with the formation of Illumitoon Ent., a privately held distribution venture established by former FUNimation execs Barry Watson, Stephanie Giotes and Richard Ray. The company will compete with FUNimation, Central Park Media and others in acquiring anime and tailoring it for audiences in the U.S.

In addition to tweaking titles for mass-market appeal, Illumitoon will offer original Japanese audio tracks to appease serious anime fans, according to Watson, who serves as the company’s president and CEO. Giotes fills the role of COO and general counsel, while Ray handles exec VP duties. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, the triumvirate will operate out of a 43,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility that Illumitoon shares with CRM Prods.

Illumitoon’s first major acquisition is Toei Animation’s 78-episode series, Beet the Vandel Buster, known to Japanese audiences as Bouken Oh Beet. Based on a popular Shonen Jump manga, the show is currently airing in Japan and has a merchandising program in place with Bandai.

‘We’re obviously very excited about launching with this title,’ Watson comments. ‘It’s an extraordinary work from Toei Animation. We think it picks up where the Dragonball Z series left off.’

According to Watson, Illumitoon plans to release its first DVDs as early as January 2007. More information can be found at www.illumitoon.com.

As comic-book fans get set to descend upon San Diego next week for Comic-Con, PBS will offer a rare look at a classic European comic and its creator when its P.O.V. series presents filmmaker Anders ‘stergaard’s Tintin and I. Airing on Tuesday, July 11, at 10 p.m., the documentary will feature previously unaired interviews with late Belgian Cartoonist Herg’ (a.k.a Georges Remi), who discusses the political and psychological forces behind the creation of his legendary boy hero.

Appearing from 1929 to 1982, The Adventures of Tintin followed the globetrotting and sometimes otherworldly adventures of a determined and resilient Boy Scout who confronts all sorts of danger, treachery and political machinations. Though lesser known in the U.S., Tintin was as recognizable to Europeans as Superman or Mickey Mouse. But rather than providing fantasy escapism, the series reflected the very real 20th century dangers associated with war, colonialism, oppression, criminal conspiracies and the darker side of technology. Herg’ himself was arrested and blacklisted for continuing to work under German occupation during WWII. Tintin was on the verge of a major revival a few years ago when Steven Spielberg expressed interest in developing a live-action feature based on the comic.

‘stergaard’s film is built around 14 hours of audio interviews that French journalist Numa Sadoul recorded with the reclusive Herg’ in 1971. The prodution also features images of the cartoonist and some of his most famous Tintin panels, which have been made into 3D animations which provide new insight into Herg’s art. Andy Warhol and other prominent artists also express their appreciation for Herg’s work in archival footage.

Tintin and I is a production of Angel Production (Denmark) and Moulinsart Production (Belgium) in co-production with Periscope Prods. (Belgium), Dune (France), Leapfrog (Switzerland), RTBF (Belgium), Avro (Netherlands) and in association with France 2, VRT, DR TV, France 5, Suisse Romande, SVT, NRK, YLE-FST and RUV. PBS’s P.O.V. is American television’s longest-running independent documentary series.

Alfred Haber Distribution Inc. (AHDI) has signed on as the international distributor of Spike TV’s 2006 Scream Awards, the first annual televised kudo fest celebrating horror, sci-fi and fantasy productions. The event is slated to air in Spike in October, with AHDI handling worldwide distribution with the exception of the U.K. and Canada.

Spike TV Scream Awards will honor both genre legends and the newest horror, sci-fi and fantasy sensations in film, television, comic books and music. The two-hour event will also feature several fan-favorite categories as a host of celebrities make appearances and major label recording artists perform.

‘It’s hard to imagine that the multi-billion dollar male-driven horror, sci-fi and fantasy industries have not been recognized in a big mainstream way until now,’ says Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior VP of event production and talent development for Spike TV.

A division of MTV Networks, Spike TV recently scored with its own original comic-book adaptation, Blade: The Series, which gave the network its most-watched premiere to date. Following the demise of its toon block, The Strip, Spike is also taking another stab at animation with Afro Samurai. Starring the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, the anime action series is in production at famed Japanese animation studio GONZO and is slated to debut sometime this year.

Canada’s YTV has commissioned DECODE Ent.’s Urban Vermin, an new CG-animated action-comedy series about raccoon siblings who try to outdo one another in their quest to mine garbage gold. A YTV original production, the 26×22 series was developed internally by DECODE’s interactive department as a prototype game for console systems and has been shaped to fit YTV’s prime-time animated comedy lineup.

Described as a classic battle of good versus evil, Urban Vermin follows the misadventures of Abe and Ken, brothers who each lead a rag-tag band of critters in a turf war to end all turf wars. At stake is a smorgasbord of trash-can takeout. In addition to the series, DECODE is producing ancillary digital materials that will accompany the television launch, making the property a multi-platform endeavor.

DECODE and Aardman Animations have begun production on a second season of their animated sketch comedy series, Planet Sketch. The new slate of 26 11-minute episodes has been commissioned by TELETOON in Canada and CITV in the U.K.