Village Gamer

TELETOON Canada Inc. has unveiled its fall 2011 lineup for TELETOON, TELETOON at Night and TELETOON Retro featuring new series and new seasons of popular returning programs on all three schedules. Launching Monday September 5, the new slate is full of comedy and action and is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with unexpected surprises all season long.

“We have something exciting in store for viewers of any age with new series premiering on TELETOON, TELETOON at Night and TELETOON Retro this fall along with a whole host of returning favourites,” said Carole Bonneau, Vice President, Programming, TELETOON Canada inc. “Our lineup of original productions continues to grow with Crash Canyon and the popular Jimmy-Two Shoes and Johnny Test. Meanwhile we’ve bolstered our schedule with acquisitions such as The Looney Tunes Show, Hole in the Wall and season four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, to name just a few.”

Some highlights of this Fall’s lineup include:

TELETOON

• The Looney Tunes Show – an all-new modern comedy series featuring all of your favourite Looney Tunes characters with fresh designs and a vivid, contemporary animation style.
• Hole in the Wall – one of the trickiest, fastest, funniest and wettest live-action game shows on the planet.
• My Life Me – follow Birch Small as she attempts to fit in as she and her friends fumble with teen angst and their identities as they navigate new social terrain at a cooperative high school in this animated series.
• Beyond Human (Working Title) – host Daniel Browning Smith scours the globe for people with unique genetic traits that translate into remarkable powers.
• Young Justice – Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis prove themselves worthy of their responsibilities as superheroes and future members of the Justice League.
• Best Ed – following the unlikely friendship between a good natured dog named Ed and a bumbling squirrel named Buddy.
• Meta Jets – an elite flying team made up of four young pilots protect the world from evil while competing for world racing supremacy on the Aerial Racing Circuit.

Returning favourites to TELETOON’s daytime lineup includes new seasons of TELETOON original productions Jimmy-Two Shoes and Johnny Test as well as new installments of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and Adventure Time with Finn and Jake. In addition to the new series and new seasons, a five-episode sneak-peek of the new TELETOON original production, Detentionaire, will air during the week of September 12 to 16.

TELETOON at Night New and returning series this fall include:

• Crash Canyon – this new TELETOON original production developed by Joel Cohen (co-executive producer of The Simpsons) follows the Wendell family as they take a life-altering turn when they drive off a cliff and land at the bottom of a canyon in Alberta. With no way out, the Wendells are forced to build a life for themselves in their new home – Crash Canyon. 
• Futurama – this epic animated sci-fi comedy from Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) returns this fall with new episodes featuring Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the Planet Express crew as they tackle life in New New York in the year 3000.
• Archer – returning for a second season, the series revolves around the spy agency known as the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work is daunting and enigmatic, every covert operation doubles as an unmitigated occasion for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gains.
• Robot Chicken – Old-school stop-motion animation and fast-paced satire are the hallmarks of this eclectic show created by Seth Green and Matt Senreich. Action figures find new life as players in frenetic sketch-comedy vignettes that skewer TV, movies, music and celebrity. Encore presentations of Robot Chicken continue to air as part of the TELETOON at Night fall lineup.

TELETOON Retro

• Jem – Jerrica Benton runs the Starlight Music Corporation and is also the lead singer of the sensational rock group Jem and the Holograms. The group romps through a series of exciting adventures while inhabiting an outrageous and glamorous world as fashion and music mix with mystery and thrills, all the while competing against the power-hungry Misfits.
• My Pet Monster – Max Smith’s best friend, Monster, happens to have blue fur and a set of fangs. Although he loves Monster dearly, Max is quick to discover that keeping his real live “pet monster” a secret is no easy task.
• Garfield and Friends – based on the comic strip characters created by Jim Davis, each episode features Garfield and his comic comrades Jon, Odie and Nermal as well as antics from Orson, Wade, Sheldon and the rest of the U.S. Acres gang.
• Batman – the classic ’60s live-action show starring Adam West and Burt Ward comes to TELETOON Retro, following the adventures of Batman and his ward, Robin, as they take on Gotham’s most fiendish villains.
• Tom & Jerry Kids – Tom & Jerry have enchanted kids for years; now see the kind of hilarious mischief they created as a playful kitten and a crafty little mouse before they grew up.
• Ned’s Newt – what happens when Ned overfeeds his four-inch-long, lethargic pet newt with Zippo Newt Food? That little, harmless newt turns into a five hundred-pound monster called Newton – the most mischievous, gluttonous, fun playmate ever.
• Looney Tunes – a collection of original theatrical cartoons featuring the hilarious antics of Warner Bros.’ classic animated characters.
• For Better or for Worse – based on the classic comic strip of the same name, the series is an anthology of animated stories featuring the instantly recognizable Patterson family drawn in Lynn Johnston’s signature style.
• King of the Hill – from the creator of Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill follows the day-to-day activities of propane salesman Hank Hill, his family and their neighbours in a suburban Texas town.

Returning to the TELETOON Retro lineup with new episodes for the fall is the classic Casper & Friends cartoon, following the adventures of everybody’s favourite little ghost as he attempts to make friends with everyone he meets. In addition, The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers continue to fight the good fight this fall with new episodes airing each week as part of the TELETOON Retro schedule.

In celebration of the release of their new game titled Big Sticky on July 26th, Big Bad Brush has deemed that its other smash hits, Big Bad Flower, Kung Fu Master and Kung Fu Santa will be free for one week, so be sure to take advantage of this rare event and download these popular titles.

Another Big Bad event that you won’t want to miss is the epic release of Big Sticky in the iTunes App Store. Featuring a purple frog prince whose bravery and heroism shines in this epic tale of love. With simple intuitive controls combined with an original gameplay experience, Sticky can propel its tongue out with only a tap to stick to objects above and swing across the screen. Using this swinging action, Sticky must get to the castle door to save the princess hidden within each level. With a total of 51 platformer puzzle levels, there’s always new obstacles and challenges to overcome. Big Sticky, will officially be available on the app store on July 26, 2011 for the iPhone, iPod and iPad, and it will be sure to enchant gamers of all ages!

Features:

– Simple intuitive controls with an original gameplay experience
– Using your spider tongue, tap to stick and swing your way through the challenges
– 51 Platform puzzle levels to overcome
– 5 Beautifully illustrated worlds to explore
– Many out of this world princesses to save within each level
– Collect roses and earn gold trophies
– Many obstacles such as fireballs, moving walls, switches and more
– Available on iPhone, iPod and iPad and requires iOS 4.2 or higher

via newsletter: The Digital Media and Wireless Association of British Columbia’s ( DigiBC) core focus is to help build a strong – globally competitive — digital media and wireless community. DigiBC has several members that are leading companies in the animation, special effects, video games, social and wireless industries. We currently have a number of initiatives underway to improve our value to all our members and sponsors in this community.

One of those initiatives include the launch of a brand new dynamic and interactive website powered by Vancouver-based SilkStart Technology Inc. This new website leverages the latest social networking technology to engage and empower our members.

Say goodbye to the old static website and say hello to a new website that will empower our members to engage and improve their connections in the digital media and wireless community. DigiBC members can now easily update their company profile for the membership directory, post relevant news and lead relevant discussions to engage the community. Other new features include:

• Members will be able to follow each other and get the latest updates on events, discussions, profiles, product updates and more. As a member you will have access to the membership directory, company profiles, events calendar, shared links, discussions, videos and documents
• Members can post their events under the discussions Community
• Integrated connections for member to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
• Dedicated space for digital media and wireless subgroups that will be able to create their own space to share within their community
• Member access to specialized industry reports
• Job board for members to post employment opportunities

In addition to the new website, DigiBC member benefits such as extended health, dental and life plan will soon be added.

The Canada Media Fund has announced a change to its Versioning Program for 2011-2012.  In that Program a project must be completed in its original language before it will be considered eligible for versioning assistance.

Previously, for television series, the CMF required the entire series to be completed before any episode of that series was eligible for versioning assistance.  There was an exception, however, for animated series. An animated series could be submitted for versioning assistance once an episode of that series was completed.

The CMF is now extending this exception to live-action series.  Starting in 2011-2012, any eligible series, whether animated or live action, can be submitted upon the completion of one of its episodes.  Please see section 3.2.1 of the Versioning Program Guidelines (PDF) for more information.

The Khronos Group has announced a 3D content development contest with a $500 cash prize for the winner. The open COLLADA format is ideal for creating compelling experiences, but a great example is worth a thousand words. This is where you come in. Help Khronos show the power of COLLADA by creating a compelling piece of 3D content the group can use as an example for its large and growing developer community.

Deadline is Sunday August 7th, 2011 at 11:59PM PST. The winner will be announced at our event at the SIGGRAPH 2011 conference in Vancouver and be awarded the $500. For full details on how to take part please read the Design Brief on the contest page.

Raindance Canada presents an intensive weekend workshop designed to give young filmmakers hands-on experience in screenwriting, producing & directing a short film. Participants in the Weekend Film Workshop For Teens will form film teams and get hands-on experience shooting a film as they take on the key creative roles in film production. A short film will be produced by each team by the end of the weekend, then screened in a mini-festival the following week.

This course is designed for aspiring young filmmakers age 14 and up interested in making films and knowing what it takes to create a viable filmmaking career. The Workshop will be held on August 13th and 14th  at the Centre for Social Innovation – Annex on Bathurst in Toronto. The cost for this workshop is $349.00 (+ tax) for non-members, or $319.00 (+ tax) for Raindance Canada members. Announced mentors for this workshop include James Cooper, Yaw Attuah, Charles M. Scott and Brian Smith.

Day One of the workshop will feature a  Hands-on Shoot Pre-production session, where participants will undertake the following:

• Writing: Participants complete a short film script using essential story structure.
• Directing: Participants practice shot composition and learn about directing style, storyboards, working with actors & shoot to edit.
• Producing: Participants prepare a script breakdown, budget & negotiate fees, crew and production requirements.

On Day Two, the groups will move on to a day of production in  Let’s Make a Movie, where, under the mentorship of industry experts, participants work with actors and a camera operator to direct a short script and bring the film in on time and on budget. By the end of the weekend, each team will have completed pre-production and production of a short film.

For students interested in documentary filmmaking, there is an opportunity to join the documentary team under the mentorship of award-winning filmmaker Chuck Scott to create a documentary project covering this creative weekend.

Participants in this weekend intensive workshop will receive mentoring from industry professionals on the art, business and discipline of a working filmmaker’s life and receive valuable insider advice on starting a viable career in filmmaking in Canada. Participants could also win a chance to be part of the crew to film Raindance Canada’s next Trailer.

After the weekend workshop, there will be a screening of all the completed short films. Each team’s film will be edited by a Film Editor and the completed films will play at an invitation-only screening party at Raindance Toronto. Parents and friends are welcome to attend this red carpet event and celebrate the work of these young filmmakers.

IndustriOS Software Inc., developer of IndustriOS manufacturing suite integrated with Sage ERP Accpac is honoured to support the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation with the IndustriOS Golf for Kids with Cancer tournament being held Wednesday September 14, 2011.

The IndustriOS Golf for Kids with Cancer tournament offers IndustriOS and Sage Software customers, partners, friends and family, with the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of fun-filled golf while raising funds for the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation.  Included with the $100 registration fee per golfer are the Green Fee, Electric Cart, Crested Tee Package, Hat, Lunch and Dinner.  Friendly competitions, prizes and a 50/50 draw round-out the day for the golfers.  Online registration is available.  This event is being hosted from 12 Noon to 8:00pm at the Turtle Creek Golf Club in Campbellville, Ontario.

In support of the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, which benefits children’s cancer charities, this tournament follows the IndustriOS Software tradition of supporting charitable organizations and events such as Tour for Kids and the Arthritis Society’s Joints in Motion, and now Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation.  This impressive charitable organization raised $4.7 million in 2010, and is the only national childhood cancer charity in Canada. All receiptable funds, obtained through initiatives and events that promote healthy living, are delegated to charities and programs supported by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation to help improve the survival and quality of life of children and their families afflicted with cancer including research, clinical care, and children’s cancer camps.

The company is proud to host the IndustriOS Golf for Kids with Cancer Tournament, and eagerly anticipates sharing this fun-filled day with IndustriOS customers and partners this autumn, and are honoured to support the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation.

The joy of choosing new school supplies doesn’t extend to all students during the back-to-school season. That’s why Staples Canada, and its customers look forward to helping children in the community receive the tools they need to learn, during the 6^thannual Back-to-School Supply Drive, which begins on July 23. Since its inception, Canada’s largest office supply retailer has helped raise over $3-million for students in need.

“When the school bell rings, not all children will have the supplies they need to succeed. Help give students-in-need the confidence to learn, by making a donation at your local Staples store,” said Steve Matyas, president of Staples, Canada.

Every Staples store in Canada will collect funds for the Back-to-School Supply Drive, and all donations collected, will remain in your local community.

“We hope Canadians keep up their good will by continuing to support the School Supply Drive,” says Matyas. “Last year, we raised over one-million dollars, and we would like to match or exceed that figure again this year. Giving back within the communities where we operate has always been important to us, and we want to continue to help support children’s education.”

Customers can make a donation from July 23 until September 6 at any Staples store, and in Quebec from July 31 until September 4.

Sirius XM Canada today revealed the winning communities for the inaugural Face the Music Summer Concert Series. After earning the highest average score within their region playing SiriusXM’s Face the Music Challenge, residents of Telkwa BC, Sault Ste. Marie ON, Baie-Comeau QC, and Sussex NB will receive an exclusive free summer concert experience in August courtesy of SiriusXM Canada.

Launched in June, the Face the Music challenge tested Canadians music knowledge for an opportunity to win an exclusive free concert experience for their hometown. The game awarded points for correctly identifying songs based on SiriusXM’s commercial-free music playlist. With more than 100,000 games played since launch, participation was strong with many Canadians taking to Twitter and Facebook to encourage their friends and neighbours to compete for their communities.

SiriusXM Canada subscribers and local game participants will be invited to the exclusive concerts. A number of select promotional tickets will be made available to area residents.

In addition, a grand prize consisting of a trip for 2 to attend the concert of the winner’s choice, spending money and a Sirius Satellite Radio with subscription will be awarded to the individual with the highest score. Nine secondary prizes will also be awarded.

The four exclusive free concert experiences include:

“We’re thrilled that Telkwa, Sault Ste. Marie, Baie-Comeau and Sussex are our Face the Music winners,” said Paul Cunningham, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, SiriusXM Canada. “It was terrific to see such strong community participation and with over 100,000 games played, it seems that everyone had a lot of fun. We’re proud to reward the winning communities with a free and exclusive concert experience from these incredibly talented Canadian artists.”

“Really looking forward to getting out to BC and rocking for you folks,” remarked John-Angus MacDonald of The Trews. “Congrats on the big win and thanks to everyone who participated. I’m sure it’ll be a grand ol’ time. Cheers!”

“From all of us in Broken Social Scene, we just want to thank the people of Sault Ste. Marie that took the time to play the game,” commented Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene. “We’re really looking forward to heading out and playing for all of our fans out there.”

“It’s cool that the Sirius Face The Music Summer Concert series puts the power in the hands of local communities to bring one of the shows of the summer to their hometown,” said Eon Sinclair of Bedouin Soundclash.  “You have to know your music, listen in, answer quickly, and rally your people online to make it happen – looking forward to sharing a wicked night of Canadian music with everyone in Sault Ste. Marie.”

“I think it’s an incredible idea to give people a chance to put their musical knowledge to use to try to win my show in their city,” says Marie-Mai.  “Rock on Baie-Comeau!”

“Congratulations to all those who played and who know their rock,” commented Alfa Rococo.  “We cannot wait to play in Baie-Comeau!”

“It’s great how many people played to get us to come to their hometown,” said Dallas Green of City and Colour. “I’m really looking forward to coming to New Brunswick and performing for everyone.”

Cambridge based software company iVenuto has launched its first business app for the Apple iPad platform. Sign In, the reception desk visitor registry app is now available on iTunes App store for the introductory price of $24.99 (regular price $28.99). This innovative app is the first of its kind, allowing users to convert their iPad device into an easy-to-use Visitor registry.

Most offices require all visitors or contractors to “sign in,” satisfying the needs of health and safety concerns providing an accurate head count in the event of an emergency. The head count is given to emergency officials when asked if everyone is present and accounted for during a fire evacuation, for example.

The problem is: most visitor registries are paper binders with a collection of illegible scribblings, purposely so to keep competitors unaware of appointments or to hide personal information when asked for an email or license plate by the host company.

The “Sign In” app addresses this problem by keeping all information private. Visitors enter their own information on a graphical interface that mimics a paper page in a book. Visitors can not see the information on previous visitors.

Data collected on each visitor is unique to each company’s policy. The data is then easily accessible to only administrative staff. A custom report writing tool allows users to quickly create instant reports. The software also has a badge printing feature – creating personalized & dated color badges for each visitor (according to the software’s FAQ, this is done via AirPrint). The software also assigns a Sign In and Sign Out time stamp, managing a dynamic “on-premises” report.