To avoid a direct conflict with Disney/Pixars THE INCREDIBLES on November 5, 2004, DreamWorks has moved up the release of its underwater mob comedy, SHARKSLAYER, to Oct. 1. DreamWorks had originally staked out the Nov. 5 date, until Disney/Pixar laid claim to it as well in a teaser trailer for the Brad Bird film that accompanied FINDING NEMO.
Movie icon Robert Evans will star in and exec produce an eight-episode animated series, KID NOTORIOUS, premiering on Comedy Central October 22, 2003 at 10:30 pm. The adult series features the real-life and fictional adventures of Evans as he charms Hollywood, battles global corruption and, of course, always gets the ladies.
The World of Comedy International Film Festival has put out a call for feature film and shorts entries for its second annual event in Toronto February 11-15, 2004. In addition to the film competition, the 2004 festival will host a series of workshops and panels to foster the further development of those interested in comedy filmmaking.
The Comedy Central test of showing via a series of interstitial spots pulled from the HOUSE ARREST pilot worked as the cablenet has given the show a greenlight for 13 half-hours to premiere in 2004. The new animated show, from comic Denis Leary and Jim Serpico's Apostle studio, started airing as spots at 9:58 pm on May 1, 2003.
Viacom has reached an agreement with AOL Time Warner to buy AOL's 50% interest in Comedy Central, the only all-comedy network in the U.S., for a total of $1.225 billion. The transaction is expected in the second quarter of 2003, whereby Comedy Central will be wholly owned by Viacom and join MTV Network's line-up of basic cable channels. Viacom is well positioned to do so, having just announced a 26% increase in net earnings in the first quarter of 2003. Viacom posted net income of $443M, or 25 cents a share, compared with a loss of $1.11 billion in 2002, or 63 cents a share.
As SOUTH PARK approaches it's 100th episode on April 9, 2003, the demented duo who create and exec produce the Comedy Central hit animated series for adults have re-upped with the cable channel through the end of 2005 with an option for an additional year. The deal has Trey Parker and Matt Stone making 15 episodes of SOUTH PARK each year, giving them time to work on other projects during a summer hiatus. If they exercise their option in 2006, that would stretch SOUTH PARK to a 10th season, making it the longest-running primetime comedy series in basic cable history. A pretty long stretch for two guys who claim they never wanted to do animation and don't particularly like it. But it pays the bills and given them a certain cache to go after live-action dreams in their quest to become the next Monty Python. Anne Garefino, exec producer of the series since the beginning, renewed her deal with the network as well. Comedy Central president/CEO Larry Divney claims SOUTH PARK is a huge part of Comedy Central's current and future success. He said, "I really love working with Matt and Trey. They are brilliantly creative producers and I'm just thrilled to have them commit to continuing our relationship well into the future. It's great for our viewers, our affiliates and our advertisers." Parker and Stone's deal was negotiated by their attorney Kevin Morris of Barnes, Morris, Klein & Yorn and agents Mike Simpson and Gaby Morgerman of the William Morris Agency. Garefino's deal was also negotiated by WMA and she is represented by Chris Silbermann of the Broder, Webb, Chervin, Silbermann firm. Comedy Central is the only all-comedy network seen in more than 82 million homes in the U.S. The cabler is owned by Comedy Partners, 50-50 joint venture of Time Warner Entertainment Co. and Viacom, visit www.comedycentral.com.
Jean Ann Wright finishes her series on writing for television animation with some tips on how to add comedy and gags to your script.
Comedy Central has made a big move toward more adult-oriented animation fare by purchasing four animated series that had previously failed on U.S. television in primetime. According to VARIETY, the network has acquired DILBERT (30 half-hours), CLERKS (6 half-hours), GARY & MIKE (13 half-hours) and UNDERGRADS (13 half-hours). This move will be a special treat for Kevin Smith fans, as original network ABC yanked CLERKS after just two episodes. Comedy Central will air a CLERKS marathon on Sunday, December 22, 2002, including the four never-seen episodes.
Giggleshorts International Comedy Film Festivalis being hels in Toronto Canada Aug 20-26.
Calling for entires of comedy: films, videos, animations, sketches, commercials, bizarre projects etc. one criteria is that they must be comedy in nature and 15 minutes or less. Entires to be on VHS Video (good quality) and deadline is July 10 2002 see web site for more info.
All entries are free of charge to everyone and entries are accepted from all over the world.
There will be separate prizes for different catagories.
Internet animation provider Mondo Media has entered into a contentagreement with cable network Comedy Central for "Cartoon of the Day,"featuring the best of Mondo Mini Shows on comedycentral.com. Theshows will be culled from Mondo Media's library of over 3,000 minutesof original animation, including series such as THE GOD & DEVIL SHOW,HAPPY TREE FRIENDS and HEAVY METAL GUY. As part of the agreement,Mondo will also supply Comedy Central with the best material fromother third-party Internet animation creators, including several
Toronto Giggleshorts International Comedy Film Festival.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Tuesday, August 20 - Monday, August 26, 2002.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday, July 10, 2002.
New Yorks Funny Garbage, a worldwide leader in interactive design and creative content, announced the launch of its redesign for ComedyCentral.com. The new site embodies the high level of engaging entertainment that has made the Comedy Central TV Network a leading popular culture brand for television comedy. Funny Garbage developed the site using Dynamo Control Center with Interwoven TeamSite to create an experience that was modular and flexible enough to support next generation applications like wireless and interactive television, yet still appeal to todays Web surfers.
Image Courtesy of iXL Digital Video Group
One more avenue for Web content to make the jump to TV is dead. ABC has pulled the plug after only one airing of the series DOT COMEDY, which aired comedic shorts from the Internet. The Friday, December 8 broadcast scored a 2.8 rating/5 share -- one of the worst ratings for a regularly scheduled program in ABC history. The show's immediate replacement until January will be repeats of the live-action comedy TWO GUYS AND A GIRL, then the fourth installment of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE will take the slot.
On Wednesday, December 6,
2000, Comedy Central will start an eight-week run of comedian Robert
Smigel's TV FUNHOUSE, a live-action satire of 1950s children's shows
including twisted cartoons. Animated shorts include "Wonderman," a
superhero who uses his super powers to line-up dates for his alter
ego and "The Baby, The Immigrant and the Guy on Mushrooms," each of
whom always says, "Ahhhhhh." "I get a lot of pleasure out of writing
things that maybe I couldn't have WRITTEN when I was 10 years old,
Comedy Central and iN DEMAND have struck a deal that will provide 25 episodes of SOUTH PARK on a pay-per-view basis. IN DEMAND executive VP entertainment Mark Sonnenberg said that the pact illustrates that video-on-demand is vibrant. "It's not just movies," Sonnenberg said. "It's everything consumers want -- movies, library products, TV series, local programming." Both companies plan to work together in the future to bring other Comedy Central content to PPV, like uncut stand-up shows.
Comedy Central has promoted advertising executive Larry Divney to president and chief executive. Hereplaces Doug Herzog, who left the channel last month to become chief ofFox Broadcasting. Divney has directed Comedy Central's advertising salessince the network's inception in 1991, and has worked at CNN, MTV and theA&E Network. With Herzog's initiative, the network has found tremendoussuccess with original animated programming like SOUTH PARK, BOB ANDMARGARET and DR. KATZ: PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST.
UPN has renewed the animated comedy, DILBERT, for a second season of 22episodes to air in the 191999/2000 television season. In the three episodesthat have aired so far, DILBERT has been UPN's top new comedy this seasonin household ratings and all key adult and male demographics. "This pickuporder rewards the ratings' promise Dilbert has shown, with strongdemographics and a bull's-eye for our target of young male viewers," statedTom Nunan, UPN Entertainment President.
In the show's first outing on Monday, January 25, "Dilbert" delivered UPN's highest-rated telecast of a comedy in adults 18-49 (3.3 rating/9 share) and 18-34 (3.7/11). The show's performance among total viewers (4.2/6) more than tripled UPN's season averages in the 8:00 p.m. Monday time slot and was UPN's best household rating for a comedy since a February '97 airing of "Moesha."
Comedy Central is helping animation fans ring in the New Year with a four-episode "South Park" marathon running from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., followed by a countdown to midnight from "South Park." The four "kick ass" episodes are fan favorites chosen by viewers through Comedy Central's web site. Alternately, animation fans in the U.K. can celebrate with BBC2's line-up of animated New Year's programming. Two episodes of Aardman Animations' "Rex the Runt" will air New Year's Eve (December 31) at 2:20 and 2:30 p.m. followed by the "The Old Lady and the Pigeons" at 3:20 p.m.
