AWN Headline News

New York University hosts a symposium on The National Film Board of Canadain honor of the NFB's 60th anniversary. The event takes place Thursday,November 11 - Sunday, November 14 in New York, New York, USA. For moreinformation Tel. (212) 596-1660.

Imagine Entertainment, a film and television production company formed in1986 by producer Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard, and DreamWorks SKG,which was formed by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen,are joining forces to create a new internet entertainment company calledPOP.com. The new company is an equal partnership, to be funded by VulcanVentures, Inc., the investment organization of DreamWorks investor Paul G.Allen. Launching in Spring 2000, POP.com is an independent digital

Fox has removed Saban Entertainment's SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED, the futuristicSpider-Man series, and Columbia/TriStar Television's BIG GUY AND RUSTY THEBOY ROBOT, which was based on the Frank Miller/Geoff Darrow comic bookabout a little Astro Boy-like robot and his Gigantor-like pal, from the FOXKids line-up. Both series debuted in September. They have been replaced bySaban Entertainment's THE AVENGERS, and additional time slots for BKN(Bohbot Kids Network)'s MONSTER RANCHER and Toei Animation Co.'s DIGIMON:DIGITAL MONSTERS.

The annual Best Of Banff Television Festival is a traveling showcasefeaturing highlights of the 20th Banff Television Festival, which tookplace June 13 - 19 in Banff, Canada. The program will make its Ottawa,Canada stop at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull on November 17,1999. S4C/BBC's GOGS: GOGWANA, winner of this year's Banff's Best AnimationProgram Award, and NFB of Canada/Channel Four's SNOW CAT, a nominee forBest Animation Program at Banff, will be the featured animated programs.

The Women In Animation Shorts Fest 2 is a showcase for short animatedfilms made by WIA members and other filmmakers from around the world. Thisevening's program includes LIFE, the hilarious new animated jam sessionfrom Mo Willems and 32 other animators from New York, including TissaDavid, George Griffin, Yvette Kaplan, Candy Kugel and Bill Plympton.Admission is FREE and open to the public. The event takes place Friday,November 12, 1999 at 7:00 pm at Santa Monica College, Academy of

London-based HRA has completed "Eddie Spaghetti," a :30 for Heinzspaghetti and agency Leo Burnett, Chicago. The spot depicts the journey ofa piece of spaghetti from plate to boy's mouth, inside of which a party isin progress. The ad, directed by Kim Burdon, features 3D computeranimation, traditional cel animation, live-action, and puppetry.

North Hollywood, California-based Film Roman has begun production on THE OBLONGS, a television series that will be distributed by Warner Bros. Television on The WB Network for the 2000 season. THE OBLONGS is the second animated prime-time series, after Howard Stern's DOOMSDAY for UPN, that Film Roman has added for the 2000 television season.

The Savannah College of Art and Design will host animators Bill Plymptonand Larry Lauria during the week of November 8, 1999 at the Savannah FilmFestival in Savannah, Georgia. On Monday, November 8, Bill Plympton willtalk about "Life as an Independent Animator and Filmmaker" at 11:00 am inthe City Lights Theater. Plympton will discuss his work and show footagefrom past and recent works. On Friday, November 12, Larry Lauria will givea "Character Design Workshop" at 9:00 am in SCAD's Trustee Theater. Lauria,

Disney's TARZAN premiers on video and DVD on February 1, 2000, and a TARZANCOLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD will be released on March 21, 2000. TARZAN willfeature the "Strangers Like Me" music video by Phil Collins, and the DVDwill be DVD-ROM-enabled (with internet links) and loaded with excitingextras for all the family, including a never-before-seen recording sessionby Phil Collins and guests, a Read-Along, a Trivia Game, various sneakpeeks and many other features. Spanish and French versions of the video

The Moondance International Film Festival has announced the selection ofthe quarter-finalists for its first competition, Moondance 2000. Thefestival takes place in Boulder, Colorado, January 14-16, 2000 as part ofthe Sundance Film Festival. Entries were welcome from women screenwritersand film-makers from any country. For more information e-mail:mermaid7cs@aol.com; or write: Moondance International Film Festival, 970Ninth Street, Boulder, CO 80302, USA. The following films arequarter-finalists in the animation film category:

The fourth stamp in the Looney Tunes series, which will be releasedsometime next year by the US Postal Service, will feature two characterscreated by Chuck Jones for Warner Bros., Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.The Bugs Bunny stamp began the series in 1997, followed by the Sylvesterand Tweety stamp in 1998 and the Daffy Duck stamp in 1999. The lucklessgenius inventor, Wile E. Coyote, and his speedy nemesis, the Road Runner,have appeared together in more than forty cartoons since their debut film,FAST AND FURRY-OUS, was released in 1949.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and TechnicalAwards Committee has announced nineteen scientific or technicalachievements to be considered for 1999 Academy Awards. The Sci/Techcommittee selected the achievements for their outstanding impact on themotion picture industry, and although this is just an initial list (the 19products/developments will undergo vigorous investigation by the committeebefore being short-listed for nomination), it is exciting news for many in