AWN Headline News

The RAYEARTH series comes to a stunning conclusion on video October 31, 2000. In the third volume, with Princess Emeraude's brother, Eagle, launching a massive assault against the Magic Knights, the final battle for the survival of Earth has begun. Toshihiro Hirano, creator of ZEORAIMA and VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU, directed the RAYEARTH series. An English dubbed version will retail for US$19.95 and an English subtitled version for $29.95.

Cartoon Network Online has named Pola Changnon as its new vice president and executive producer. Based in Atlanta, she will oversee the producers and writers for CartoonNetwork.com. Previously, Changnon directed the redesign of the Cartoon Network Online Website.

R!OT has created the CGI tornado for a new spot for Chevrolet's Monte Carlo. The spot starts out with a realistic tornado traveling down an urban street. The twister final stops backs up and parks in a parking spot. After the storm cloud settles and reveals the Monte Carlo SS, Warner Bros.' animated character the Tasmanian Devil hops out of the car and drops change into the meter. "The idea was to create a realistic tornado in order to take the audience by surprise at the end," said ad agency Campbell-Ewald's executive producer Craig Mungons.

Francisco "Paco" Rodriguez is closing down his animation production-distribution house PPM Multimedia to head up the animation arm of Madrid's burgeoning content creator Filmax. He will oversee the development of animated projects, international sales, coordinating co-productions and directing services at Filmax's animation studio Bren Entertainment. Rodriguez formed PPM Multimedia in 1990 and quickly transformed the small company into a major force in the Spanish market.

After making its initial nod last weekend in second place, the bewitching comedy BEDAZZLED fell to fourth place at the U.S. box office. Coming in behind MEET THE PARENTS, the debut of BLAIR WITCH 2 and REMEMBER THE TITANS, the Elizabeth Hurley devil dance, with primary visual effects by Rhythm & Hues, grossed US$7.83 million, down 41% from its debut, thereby lifting its 10-day cume to $24.15 million. The only other F/X flick in the top ten was the premiere of THE LITTLE VAMPIRE, which flew in at #6.

A new site has been designed to connect voiceover talent with casting directors, agents, animation studios and advertising firms via the Internet. Voicebank.net will allow voiceover talent the chance to post their work or listen to demo reels by searching through a Web database. The site is set up to interconnect all aspects of the voice casting process from receiving audition requests, printing copy and spec sheets to recording, encoding, sending and receiving voice auditions, approvals and finished spots.

* Wednesday, February 7 Friday, March 16, 2001. World Wide Web. Entry Deadline: December 4, 2000

* Thursday, November 2, 2000. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

* Spring 2001. New York, New York, U.S.A.

Entry Deadline: December 22, 2000

Released on October 3, 2000, the direct-to-video SCOOBY-DOO AND THE ALIEN INVADERS will make its television debut after less than two months on video. Cartoon Network will air THE ALIEN INVADERS on November 25, 2000 at 7-9 pm in the U.S. This time around the Mystery, Inc. gang get stranded in a desert town and have a run in with less than friendly extra-terrestrials. This Thanksgiving weekend airing could help put the direct-to-video on Christmas lists around America.

Venice, California-based Blur Studio has added four artists to its creative staff -- character animator Noel McGinn, visual effects designer and 3D animator Ed Lee, animator Paul Taylor and animator Asier Hernaez. Previously, McGinn served as a character animator for Pacific Data Images. He has worked on ANTZ and the upcoming SHREK. "I wanted to join a company where I would have an opportunity to be involved in all facets of computer animation and work on a variety of projects," said McGinn.

SciFi Channel has signed writer/director John Harrison to create a sequel to his forthcoming miniseries, FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE. The sequel will be adapted from Herbert's novel DUNE MESSIAH. Harrison has hopes to adapt all of Herbert's six DUNE novels into several additional miniseries. "What I've been able to achieve with this one gives us real hope we can carry this on as a highly unusual and groundbreaking series of miniseries," said Harrison. "The DUNE epic is really a wonderful tapestry, and it would be great to see the whole thing play out. The first one turned out terrifically.