On February 14, 2000, the GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB Website launched to promote
the new series which debuts on NBC on Thursday, March 9, 2000 at 8:30 pm.
The series is produced by Carsey-Werner, the creators of 3RD ROCK FROM THE
SUN, THAT '70S SHOW and COSBY. GOD THE DEVIL AND BOB, created by Matthew
Carlson, centers around Bob Alman, a Detroit auto plant worker who has been
chosen by God to prove the world is worth saving after God and the Devil
Entertaindom.com, Time Warner's on-line entertainment destination, has
picked up 17 additional episodes of its smash hit, THE GOD & DEVIL SHOW
from Mondo Media, a leading creator and distributor of serial-based
animated content. THE GOD & DEVIL SHOW, an animated weekly "talk show"
launched on Entertaindom in November. Each week the show features hosts God
and the Devil interviewing then deciding the eternal fates of various
"celebrity" guests (including impersonations of Keith Richards, Bill Gates,
Disney's Go Network has inked a 4-year agreement with eBay making it the
exclusive on-line auction site for Walt Disney's Web properties. Under
terms of the deal, eBay and the Go Network will create two co-branded
auction sites -- one to provide person to person transactions, the other
merchant to consumer sales, featuring goods from Disney's properties and
ESPN, among others. Disney will market the two sites through its Go
Network, a portfolio of Web sites that includes Disney.com, ABC.com and
After UPN put DILBERT on an indefinite hiatus which starts March 14, the
producers of the cartoon series announced it would broadcast an episode of
the show along with rare outtakes on the Net. The 22-minute previously
aired episode entitled "The Merger" will air commercial-free on the Web
from February 17 - 29, 2000. Columbia/TriStar, who produces the show, will
become only the second major studio to enter into the Netcasting arena. In
November of 1999, Warner Bros. simulcast parts of an episode of "The Drew
Sega of America announced that LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC has
become a new third party publisher for the Sega Dreamcast. Scheduled to
ship Spring 2000, STAR WARS: EPISODE I RACER will be the first LucasArts
title to hit Dreamcast. LucasArts is committed to providing additional
titles in the future, adding to Sega's long list of third party publishers
and developers for Sega Dreamcast. Taking advantage of Dreamcast's Internet
capabilities, STAR WARS: EPISODE I RACER will allow gamers to post high
The 3DO Company has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with U.S.
Major League Baseball's 1999 Man of the Year, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago
Cubs. Sosa will help in the development and marketing of 3DO's baseball
franchise, SAMMY SOSA HIGH HEAT BASEBALL. In the February 2000 issue of
COMPUTER GAMING WORLD MAGAZINE, SAMMY SOSA HIGH HEAT 2000 was named "Best
Sports Game Of The Year" and PC GAMER MAGAZINE even went as far as to call
it "The Best Baseball Game Ever." "I agree with the gaming magazines that
Joe Cartoon Company has filed a lawsuit against two entities, John
Zuccarini and Cupcake City, for the violation of the newly enacted
Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. The lawsuit is one of the first
cases filed under the anticybersquatting statute in the U.S. The act
outlaws the unauthorized use of an Internet domain name that is
"confusingly similar" to another name, for the purpose of intercepting
users of the pre-existing domain. Filed with United States District Court,
On February 29, 2000, comic book artist Marc Silvestri, creator of
WITCHBLADE, CYBER FORCE and DARKNESS, will be teaching fans and aspiring
artists how it's done through the first semester of on-line classes offered
at Eruptor.com. Silvestri will present a live, three-part series on
Eruptor's Web-based university, Eruptor College, to help students learn how
to produce layouts, refine characters and develop stories for comic books
of their own. The real-time class will allow Silvestri to answer questions
On February 1, 2000, Cartoon Network announced a broad expansion of
CartoonNetwork.com, the network's entertainment destination on the Web.
Kicking off the expansion is a heavy increase in original, interactive
entertainment. Over the next year, CartoonNetwork.com will more than double
production of its Web Premiere Toons. In addition, CartoonNetwork.com will
triple the number of games on the site; add functionality including
shopping and advanced search functions; and create a safe community aspect.
Tim Burton, creator of NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, has inked a deal to
bring a series of animated shorts featuring his Stainboy character to
shockwave.com. Viewers will be able to download the charcoal-drawn
superhero's first five-minute short sometime in Spring 2000. Under the
terms of the deal, Burton will keep full artistic control over the
characters and properties. The William Morris Agency brokered the deal
which allows for the cross over to TV if the shorts become a hit on the
Hitting the U.S. market April 2000, Humongous Entertainment will bring
families their new CD-ROM, PAJAMA SAM 3: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT FROM YOUR
HEAD TO YOUR FEET. Pajama Sam is back to uncover the mysterious
disappearance of four Peace Delegates who have not arrived at the Food
Pyramid for a Peace Conference. The suggested retail price will be $24.99.
On December 27, 1999, Activision, Inc. shipped VIGILANTE 8: SECOND OFFENSE
for the Sega Dreamcast. In this new adventure, players must stop the Coyote
terrorist gang that has traveled back through time in an attempt to change
the course of events that will allow evil to dominate the world. Developed
by Luxoflux Corp., the game features multiple modes of play -- single
player quest, arcade and survival mode, two-player versus, cooperative and
On January 3, 2000, Activision, Inc. and id Software released QUAKE III
ARENA for Macintosh. The on-line multiplayer game features 26 deathmatch
and four capture-the-flag levels. The title is available at a suggested
retail price of $49.99. id Software offers such titles as Wolfenstein 3D,
DOOM, DOOM II, QUAKE and QUAKE II.
On January 5, 2000, Acclaim Entertainment started shipping their SOUTH PARK
RALLY for PlayStation with Nintendo 64, PC and Sega Dreamcast to follow
shortly. Developed by Tantalus Interactive, the kart-style racing adventure
features mission-based game modes and 27 characters from the Comedy Central
series. All versions of South Park Rally will include multiplayer modes
that feature races and cooperative game modes, including the multiplayer
Disney/Pixar's TOY STORY 2 is coming to Sega Dreamcast. In March 2000,
Activision, Inc., in collaboration with Disney Interactive, will release
Disney/Pixar's TOY STORY 2: BUZZ LIGHTYEAR TO THE RESCUE for Sega
Dreamcast. The new release will be a third-person free-roaming adventure
game that uses 3D animation to deliver a unique mix of gameplay elements.
As Buzz Lightyear, players take on five big bosses in a quest to save Woody
from a toy collector over 15 levels.
Film.com has teamed-up with Troma, the production company responsible for
THE TOXIC ADVENGER, to bring the stop-motion clay characters of CRAPSTON
VILLAS to the Net. Set in Slumington, a fictional London neighborhood, this
ebony comedy is a wild soap opera spoof. The British down-to-Earth
blue-collar domestic drama features the voices of Jane Horrocks (Bubble in
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and Little Voice in LITTLE VOICE) and Alison Steadman
(LIFE IS SWEET). The show originally aired on Britain's Channel 4 and won
Entertaindom, the Time Warner on-line broadcasting channel, has exercised
its option with Brilliant Digital Entertainment, Inc. to add 15 additional
new 5-8 minute "Webisodes" for the 3D animated MULTIPATH ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN. This extends the first season of SUPERMAN to a full 30 Webisode
commitment. Entertaindom has also agreed to give distribution to Brilliant
Digital's new 3D animated series based on the character XENA: WARRIOR
PRINCESS, plus eight Webisodes of a new series entitled KISS IMMORTALS
MeTV.com, a new Internet video on demand company, has commissioned
Sonalysts Studios to produce original broadband promos, trailers and
interstitial material for the MeTV.com Web site. The original broadband
material will appear as full-motion video on PCs with Internet
connections of 350kps or higher running Microsoft MediaPlayer.
Viz Communications, a leading U.S. publisher of Japanese animation and
comics (anime and manga), including titles such as POKEMON, DRAGON BALL
Z, and Hayao Miyazaki's NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND, announced new
Internet partnerships and the relaunch of their chief Web sites.
www.viz.com will provide the latest news and information on anime and
manga series. www.j-pop.com will feature reviews on the latest in
Japanese pop culture including anime, manga, games, music and film.
The Jim Henson Company's MuppetWorld Web site will celebrate its first Yuletide with Kermit the Frog lighting an on-line Christmas tree. MuppetWorld offers a compelling interactive environment, allowing fans to play with their favorite Muppet characters. Fans may purchase Muppet merchandise, take cooking lessons from the Swedish Chef who offers weekly culinary masterpieces in the "What's Cooking?" location, and be able to tune into their favorite Muppet clips.
shockwave.com, a leading Internet entertainment site, announced new holiday additions to its award-winning site. The additions include new creative applications Toonmaker and Puzzlemaker; new festive greeting cards; and an improved Shockmachine experience. These free on-line gifts can be sent to friends and family. Toonmaker enables users to create personal cards and cartoons using well known characters such as the kids from South Park. Puzzlemaker allows users to turn their own photos into puzzles, add messages and then send them to friends.
shockwave.com, One Infinity and Madlab Creative have produced Why2k@large which uses Flash 4 animation and MP3 streaming audio technologies to present an animated, multimedia series focusing on the approach of the year 2000. Live interviews were collected on the streets of New York City, New Orleans and San Francisco featuring what the American public thinks about the approaching Millennium.
Brazil's Justice Ministry has banned six video games it considers too
violent for the public. This ruling comes on the heals of last month's
deadly shooting rampage in a movie theater by a medical student. "The games
are considered violent and [are] affecting people who play them,
particularly children," a ministry spokeswoman said. "As for DUKE NUKEM,
the ministry regulation says its virtual world may have motivated Mateus da
Costa Meira to stage the cinema shooting on November 3 in Sao Paulo." All
"Spike & Mike" fest organizers, Mellow Manor Prods. has teamed up withNetcaster IFilm to bring its twisted toon vault exclusively to Cyberspace.The two year deal will allow Net surfers the chances to see animationshorts only previously showcased at the "Spike & Mike's Classic Festival ofAnimation" and "Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation."BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD-creator Mike Judge, SOUTH PARK's Trey Parker and MattStone, TOY STORY's John Lasseter, and the NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS'
Harvey Entertainment Company has inked a deal with San Francisco-basedSpunky Productions, Inc., a digital media company, to produce anddistribute Richie Rich Web cartoons. The new toons will be available onboth SpunkyTown.com and the Harvey site. Spunky will adapt early comic bookadventures of the world's richest kid into 2 - 5 minute episodes to startairing during the holiday season. Product tie-ins will be developed by bothcompanies to be sold on both of their Web sites. Dan March, Director of New
