Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A Classic Series, Retooled and Swingin’

Not only has television changed in four decades, so too has the audience that watches cartoons. Both those realities are being addressed by the Cartoon Network cable channel and its partners when they introduce on Friday a new version of “George of the Jungle.”

The 21st-century George and his show are being promoted on their own Web site (georgeofthejungle.tv), where visitors can watch clips, listen to the theme song and retrieve digital trinkets like wallpapers, buddy icons, screen savers and downloadable desktop mascots.

The George-centric Web site, created by Special Ops Media in New York, is in addition to material on the Web site of Cartoon Network (cartoonnetwork.com), where visitors can play a game called Swingin’ Kingdom.

To help build viewership for the new series, the original series is being released on DVD on Feb. 12. A video game, “George of the Jungle and the Search for the Secret,” will follow a month later. And employees at the Applebee’s restaurant chain will wear stickers advertising the show and give away free activity books to young customers.

The show, too, is being retooled. This time, George and his friends are teenagers instead of 20-somethings. There are additional characters, including another lead female. The animation is Flash rather than pen and ink. And the vintage theme song is reworked to sound more contemporary.

It still, however, ends with the admonition “Watch out for that tree!”

The changes are indicative of the significant shifts in the media and marketing landscapes in the 41 years since “George of the Jungle” made its debut on ABC. (Disney produced a live-action movie version of the series in 1997 and a sequel, made for video, six years later.)

“Kids are consuming media across all types of platforms,” said Dennis Adamovich, senior vice president for marketing at Cartoon Network in Atlanta, part of the Tiffany NUMERIC OPEN BAR Pendant Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner.

“The best way to reach out to every kid in America,” he added, is to consider television just one way to publicize the show, along with the Internet, the Applebee’s promotion, the DVDs, the online and video games, commercials in movie theaters, spots on radio and commercials on the screens in 43 cities that compose the CNN Airport Network.

And more is to come, including podcasts and episodes that could be watched on video-on-demand services on local cable systems.

“It’s all about playground currency,” said Nicole Blake, senior vice president for marketing at Classic Media in New York, a division of Entertainment Rights that teamed up with Jay Ward Productions, the creator of the original “George,” for the revival.

“Kids use entertainment as currency on the playground,” Ms. Blake said. “It’s their version of the water cooler.”

“Our goal, through our multitiered marketing program, is to generate excitement and buzz for the new show among kid ‘influencers,’ who will pass it on to their friends,” she added.

Classic Media and Ward are partners in a joint venture, Bullwinkle Studios, that is producing the new series for Cartoon Network along with Studio B Productions, a unit of DHX Media of Canada. A Canadian cable network, Teletoon, began running the new Tiffany NUMERIC OPEN BAR Pendant “George of the Jungle” last year.

Cartoon Network is giving the show what in retailing is known as a soft launch. First came “A George of the Jungle Christmas” on Dec. 21, offering a preview of the new look and characters. Then viewers got a sneak peek at the first episode of the new series last Friday, after a showing of the 1997 movie.

The regular time slot for the new series is 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays, with two 30-minute episodes back to back. Cartoon Network has placed an initial order of 26 episodes.

“This is the first new animated series of Ward characters in 40 years,” said Tiffany Ward, president at Ward Productions and Bullwinkle Studios in Costa Mesa, Calif., as well as an executive producer of the new series.

“To say we’re thrilled is understating it,” she added.

Ms. Ward is the daughter of Jay Ward, who produced cartoons with classic characters like Bullwinkle J. Moose, Rocket J. Squirrel (better known as Rocky) and Dudley Do-Right, a stalwart Mountie. He subsequently made commercials for products like Cap’n Crunch cereal.

George “is such a great character,” Ms. Ward said of the jungle gymnast, who was created by her father and Allan Burns as a spoof of Tarzan.

“My job, my legacy, is to keep these characters alive and out there,” Ms. Ward said. “Good cartoon characters are eternal, but you need to refresh them because kids are maturing faster.”

Ms. Ward has made “a couple of pitches” to networks and marketers, she said, about bringing back characters that accompanied George in the 1967 series: Tom Slick, a race car driver, and Super Chicken, a, well, superhero chicken.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Interpol President to resign for corruption

South African police chief resigned from Sele over the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organization. He was suspected of corruption allegations.

Sele than that, he did not want his prosecution would Interpol good reputation to be affected.

He allegedly from a convicted offender has received 170,000 US dollars of money. However, he alleged that corruption was denied.

It is said that South African President Thabo Mbeki has been trying to appeal dismissal of police chief refused the request. Mbeki said that he saw all the evidence before the allegations, he will not take any measures.

Interpol stressed that the South African authorities over allegations of Saile with him in the post within the organization has no relationship, but the organization said that the crime of corruption is a police officer can be accused of the most serious crimes.

Sele than in the 2004 election to the International Criminal Police Organization, for a period of four years. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors will indict him.
South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that the President of South Africa, the State Attorney Wuxipikeli on the 20th issuing a warrant. Pretoria Supreme Court also signed a decree to allow the relevant law enforcement agencies launched a search.

Teladi State Attorney spokesman declined to comment, he said: "The South African Broadcasting Corporation reports, we do not comment on them."

Selebi's spokeswoman Salibeier said: "I am a day and Selebi together, he has not been arrested. With him, I just (Selebi), he is an arrest warrant without the know. "the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that, on the 24th Piccoli President Thabo Mbeki was suspended, may lead to Selebi has not yet been arrested.

But Reuters reported that a spokesman for the South African government said on the 25th, Selebi "might" will be in connection with crime syndicates involved was investigated.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Karaoke from Portugal

To China two months, the language issue was very distressed to karaoke. Her name is very long, near-empty know how she is, but her coach sources and the names of "the karaoke map," and finally she called her "karaoke" Since then she has a more useful only in China the name of the. Karaoke humility and hard work, a short period of two months time to establish a team in the main position, a team defense Guangdong Haiyin indispensable backbone. She said: "In fact I am very grateful to teammates and coaches, they did not know English, but to help me. Training at the competition, they also tried and I speak simple English, I am more easily adaptable team life, I learn to speak Chinese began a. "she section of the Chinese Institute is a" refueling ", and" Thank you. " "Because of mutual encouragement and appreciation are very important."

"I was not here eating habits, climate, but I really like playing in the team." Although she does not like to eat Chinese food, "but I was forced to eat their own, because competition need energy." One time, She and the team will go to the supermarket to buy food. "Guangzhou great, I can buy all the favorite food, such as cookies ah, ah watermelon. Right, the watermelon was here and Portugal is the same as the flavor of watermelon, the same delicious!" Karaoke Dengzhe eyes, surprised the reporter described her discovery. She also told reporters that she wants to please teammates time to taste Portuguese cuisine.