AWN Headline News

The Voice Over Group meets Monday, July 12, and every second Monday of themonth at Monday, July 12, 7 pm in Burbank, California, USA. Contact MJLallo at (818) 980-6576 or Murel Whitaker at (310) 412-2719.

Disney Consumer Products has named Stephen De Kanter, a 10-year veteran ofDisney Consumer Products, president of Global Licensing, a new organizationthat will oversee Disney's worldwide merchandise-licensing operations. DeKanter has led Disney Consumer Products Latin America since 1989. In hisnew role, de Kanter will be responsible for planning, strategy, andlicensee management for all Disney licensing activities. Walt DisneyInternational has responsibility for the performance of The Walt Disney Co.

The soundtrack for Willis O'Brien's stop-motion masterpiece, KING KONG, isbeing released by Turner Classic Movies Music/Rhino Movie Music. Composedby Max Steiner, the collection includes music cues from the 1933 RKO film'smost memorable moments, featuring a nearly 25-minute suite consisting ofpreviously unreleased material. The liner notes includes an introduction byDanny Elfman (of the band, Oingo Boingo, and composer of many soundtracks,including EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, BATMAN, and SLEEPY HOLLOW), and notes by

Infogrames and DreamWorks will release ANTZ for Game Boy Color this fall inthe US. Based on the animated film, the game will star the famous ant Z, aninsecure little bug who has high hopes of finding Insectopia, a mysticalworld where food is plentiful and all insects live in peace. ANTZ allowskids to jump into the action. Ant-oriented hazards presented to theminiature heroes include acidic termites, out-of-control water droplets,gum-soled shoes and, the sun-filled, magnifying glass. Infogrames is a

Disney's TARZAN, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs character, finishedfourth, grossing an estimated $11.3 million at the US weekend boxoffice tobring its total to $129.5 million. This puts it on the list of 100top-grossing films of all-time in North America. It has already surpassedDisney's previous animated feature, MULAN, which grossed $120.5 million.Warner Bros.' WILD WILD WEST, with digital effects by ILM, finished second,grossing an estimated $16.7 million for a total of $76.4 million; STAR WARS

MTV Films and Paramount Pictures has signed creator Eric Fogel to write,direct, and produce a CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH feature. The feature will bebased on the TV series which premiered on MTV in 1998, and features clayanimated caricatures of celebrities who fight each other in wrestlingmatches. Bouts have pitted Marilyn Manson against Charles Manson, HillaryClinton against Monica Lewinsky, and Richard Simmons against DavidLetterman. Before CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH, Fogel directed a short film, THEMUTILATOR, and another MTV series, THE HEAD.

India-based Graphiti Multimedia has completed a :20 spot for Wimpy's FastFood (New Delhi, India). The spot features a jolly and plump animated manwho entices viewers by wielding his fork around live footage of a Wimpy'scheeseburger and fries. Graphiti used Cambridge Animation Systems' Animosoftware. Puneet directed for production company Chaitra Leo Burnette(Delhi).

The five members of rock band Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, vocals; Joe Perry,guitars; Brad Whitford, guitars; Tom Hamilton, bass; and Joey Kramer,drums, have teamed with Walt Disney Imagineering to create a high-speedthrill ride for Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, called Rock'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. It debuts this summer at Disney-MGMStudios. The indoor roller coaster features a high-speed launch of 0-60 mphin 2.8 seconds, three inversions, rock-concert lighting and a specially

The WIA Writers' Seminar Group meets Thursday, July 8, 7:30 pm at SabanEntertainment, 10960 Wilshire Blvd. at the corner of Midvale in LosAngeles, California, USA. Brian Casentini from Saban Development will beguest speaker. He'll discuss the development process at the Fox FamilyChannel, pitching, and what you should include in a presentation bible.Admission: $5 at the door. RSVP required to Jean Wright at 818-360-8321.

The ABC network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., has ordered asix-hour miniseries based on the first two installments of James Gurney'sfantasy book series, DINOTOPIA which is about a world in which humans andhighly-evolved dinosaurs live together in harmony. With the exception ofStephen King projects THE SHINING and STORM OF THE CENTURY, DINOTOPIA marksABC's biggest miniseries time commitment since 1988's 30-hour WAR ANDREMEMBRANCE which starred Robert Mitchum. Some sources estimate the cost at

Dream Quest Images, the feature film visual effects division of The WaltDisney Company, has wrapped production on more than 300 visual effectsshots for INSPECTOR GADGET, Walt Disney Pictures' live-action version ofthe '80s Saturday morning cartoon. The film follows the escapades ofInspector Gadget, the bumbling bionic detective, played by MatthewBroderick and his nemesis, the villainous Claw, played by Rupert Everett.The film is directed by David Kellogg and produced by Jordan Kerner, Roger

DreamWorks SKG, the Hollywood film studio co-founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, pulled out of a deal to build a new $250 million studio on July 1, 1999 because it could not reach a financing agreement. DreamWorks said it was unable to reach a financing deal that "makes good business sense." The closely held company also cited rising construction costs and tougher financing terms due to the rebound in the Los Angeles real estate market. Last year DreamWorks signed a deal with developer Playa Capital Co.