Nickelodeon UK's NickToons, Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2 Channels Premiere New Shows

From Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis:

Nickelodeon UK's Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2 channel debuted the first episode of the new series Little Green Fingers over the weekend. Created and produced by the UK-based Jam Create, the short form series focuses on the wonderment of working in the garden. Launching with 12x2' episodes in the can, additional episodes of the series will follow later this year episodes. Simultaneously, the network has launched a corresponding Little Green Fingers site at www.nickjr.co.uk/littlegreenfingers.

In other Nick UK news, bowing today on the NickToons UK at 4:30p is the 4Kids Entertainment series Viva Piñata. An interactive Viva Piñata page can be found at the channel's website www.nicktoons.co.uk .

El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera Premieres on Nickelodeon

From AWN Headline News:

Nick's El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera Premieres March 3

Nickelodeon’s newest Nicktoon, EL TIGRE: THE ADVENTURES OF MANNY RIVERA, premieres with two back-to-back all-new episodes on Saturday, March 3, 2007, 10:00-11:00 am, then will air regularly on Saturdays at 10:30-11:00 am. Nickelodeon’s first Flash animated comedy series comes from Mexican-born creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua.

EL TIGRE follows 13-year-old Manny (voiced by Alanna Ubach, MEET THE FOCKERS) who must choose whether to use his superpowers as El Tigre for good or evil. Manny is a well-meaning kid who lives with his father and grandfather in Miracle City, an urban melting pot full of colorful heroes and nefarious villains. A spin of his mystical belt buckle transforms him into the brave and powerful masked warrior, El Tigre. As El Tigre, he has the great spirit of a hero, as well as the potential to be a great villain. The storylines draw from the popular Latino telenovelas with exaggerated comedic situations and outrageous recurring characters.

“EL TIGRE is laugh-out-loud adventure from the highly imaginative husband-and-wife team Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua,” said Tom Ascheim, evp/gm, Nickelodeon Television. “It is a gorgeous blend of animation, where the spaghetti western meets ‘Day of the Dead’ Latino folk art, and brings a totally new look to our line-up of animated hits.”

“Sandra and I set out to create a world that is rich with Latino culture based on where we grew up in Mexico and the things we are passionate for and love about our heritage,” said Gutierrez. “So we decided to make Miracle City a magical place of beauty and excitement juxtaposed with a spicy underbelly of crime and villainy.”

“I did my college thesis on Flash animation, and when I discovered Jorge had a similar passion for it, we decided that our first collaborative series would be done in this medium,” said Equihua. “It gives the show more of a unique look and feel with a striking color palette and also complements the frenetic action of the stories.”

Manny's father Rodolfo (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a semi-retired superhero, known as White Pantera, who wants Manny to grow up to be good and honorable just like him. His Granpapi (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) is the retired supervillain Puma Loco who thinks Manny should join him on the dark side. While Manny remains undecided as to which path to choose, he enjoys life and has fun with his impulsive best friend Frida (voiced by Grey Delisle).

In the first part of the premiere episode, “Sole of a Hero,” Manny and Frida “borrow” Rodolfo’s super-charged Bronze Boots of Truth for a late-night spree of fun and end up wrecking the prized objects of power. They cover up the misdeed and no one is the wiser until Rodolfo tries to fight the villainous El Oso with the damaged boots and is beaten to a pulp. In the second half, “Night of the Living Guacamole,” Manny desperately wants his own laser tattoo maker, but Rodolfo won’t buy it for him. Not letting this small obstacle get in his way, Manny decides to use the money Rodolfo gave him to buy the rare and delicious “Guacamole de los Angeles” for the tattoo maker instead. And he picks up some cheap knock-off guacamole in its place. Sadly, Manny unwittingly buys the substitute guacamole from the evil Dr. Chipotle Jr. and it turns both Rodolfo and Granpapi into horrible Guacamole Monsters bent on destroying Manny.

In “Enter the Cuervo,” (premieres 10:30 am) Manny’s friendship with Frida is put to the test when he starts spending all his time wreaking havoc with Black Cuervo, a bad-girl super-villain. As Frida’s birthday party nears, El Tigre must decide whether to remain true to his best friend or to embrace the dark side of his nature with the mischievous Black Cuervo. Then, in the second part of this episode, “A Fistful of Collars,” Manny and Frida want the pricey new must-have item LuxeSkates and stumble upon the idea of finding people’s lost pets for the reward money in order to pay for the skates. But soon, Manny and Frida want more money for more pricey treats. They wind up traveling to Calavera, an impossibly tough town of banditos, to retrieve Taco, the lost dog of one of Miracle City’s richest families.

Creator/exec producers Gutierrez and Equihua both grew up in Tijuana. Gutierrez, who designs all of the male characters in EL TIGRE, has created various films, cartoons, illustrations and paintings exhibiting his love affair with Mexican pop and folk culture. He received a BFA and a MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts. There he created CARMELO, which won the 2001 Student Emmy Award in animation and has been screened at various festivals around the world. He has also done character design on many animated series, including Nickelodeon’s CHALKZONE, MUCHA LUCHA and THE BUZZ ON MAGGIE, for which he was nominated for an Annie Award in character design. He’s worked as a writer on MAYA & MIGUEL and BRANDY & MR. WHISKERS.

Equihua, who designs all of the female characters in EL TIGRE, received her BFA in graphic design at the IBERO University in Mexico. Then she discovered her true passion was in illustration. Her paintings have been exhibited in various galleries in both Mexico and the .S., including Roq la Rue, Gallery Bink, Anno Domini and Centro Cultural Tijuana. Equihua soon found herself in the animation industry working as an illustrator, voice actress and character designer on EL MACHO for Sony Pictures. She has done character design for WOW, WOW WUBZZY, MUCHA LUCHA and THE BUZZ ON MAGGIE.

EL TIGRE: THE ADVENTURES OF MANNY RIVERA is produced at the Nicktoons Studios in Burbank, California.

Nickelodeon (www.nick.com), in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the U.S. and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years.

NOGGIN Kicks Off Literacy Campaign & New Hit Pinky Dinky Doos

From AWN Headline News:

NOGGIN Kicks Off Literacy Campaign & New Hit Pinky Dinky Doos

In support of NOGGIN's "Get Ready To Read" national literacy campaign, the commercial-free, educational preschool network will feature new literacy-based programming throughout the month of March. The network will unveil new literacy segments with Isaiah Washington and Cedric the Entertainer, and premiere week of five new, half-hour episodes of the hit animated series, PINKY DINKY DOO, based on the popular book series by Jim Jinkins.

On March 2, NOGGIN's award-winning website (www.noggin.com) will premiere two new STORY TIME segments and two new literacy PSAs featuring Isaiah Washington reading "City Symphony" and Cedric the Entertainer reading "The Tortoise and the Hare" to NOGGIN hosts Moose and Zee and viewers. Beginning Monday, March 5, the spots will roll out on-air on NOGGIN. STORY TIME is NOGGIN's interstitial series that uses storytelling to help preschoolers develop language and critical thinking skills. In support of NOGGIN's partnership with First Book to generate one million new books for preschoolers in need, each PSA will direct viewers to www.noggin.com/read, where they can "click" to generate free, new books the needy.

March 26-30, NOGGIN will premiere five new, half-hour episodes from PINKY DINKY DOO, a co-production with Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza's Jinkins and David Campbell. Preschoolers and their caregivers may listen to two new PINKY DINKY DOO audio podcasts by logging onto www.noggin.com, beginning March 26. Each 10-minute podcast is derived from the two PINKY DINKY DOO stories featured in the new March 26 episode.

In support of the new PINKY DINKY DOO episodes, STORY TIME segments, and the network's early literacy campaign, www.noggin.com will feature several reading games and activities. On March 2, the site will feature the PINKY DINKY DOO "Great Big Fancy Word" game, a new Moose and Zee doodlepad activity, a 64 ZOO LANE storymaker and a "Blue's Clues Gold Challenge" game. Additional literacy-based printables will feature the "Pinky Great Big Fancy Word" coloring book, and "Words of Wonder" printables including words to the "City Symphony" poem and "The Tortoise and the Hare" story, plus lyrics to a Moose and Zee music video.

NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon, currently reaches 55 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite TV. NOGGIN, which airs from 6:00 am to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on TV, with educational programming both on-air and online at www.noggin.com.

Corus Kids Television April Highlights

From Toon Zone:

PR: Corus Kids Television April Highlights

(February 26, 2007 – Toronto , Canada ) The calendar is booked this April with fun-filled spring adventures as YTV and Treehouse bring audiences a plethora of Easter programming plus, Discovery Kids celebrates Earth Day with an eye-opening journey of our planet!

YTV APRIL 2007 HIGHLIGHTS

NEW SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!
Are you ready, kids? Aye-aye, captain! It’s time to revisit our absorbent, yellow and porous pal SpongeBob! Check out a brand new episode of SpongeBob SquarePants Wednesday, April 18 at
5:30 p.m.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: THE THING/HOCUS POCUS
In The Thing, Squidward is so unrecognizable after being covered in mud, leaves and gunk that the residents of Bikini Bottom think he is some sort of monster coming to terrorize the town. But SpongeBob thinks he’s kind of cute, so he adopts him and tries to raise him as a pet. In Hocus Pocus, SpongeBob tries to impress Squidward with his brand new magic kit. But when SpongeBob thinks he has transformed Squidward into an ice cream cone, all halibut breaks loose!

PRANK DAY
You know what the first of April means! Join YTV April 1 for a day filled with pranks, impish specials, episodes and movies. What would Prank Day be without our two favourite pranksters - Edgar and Ellen?

EDGAR & ELLEN: NOBODY’S FOOL – PREMIERE
The annual Nod’s Limbs’ All Fool’s Day celebration has arrived and Edgar and Ellen have big plans for all the sweet fools in town. When a sinister hypnotist swings into town and bends everyone to his will, the twins, Stephanie and Pet, are the only ones clever enough to break free from the enchantment. To turn the tables on this conman, Edgar and Ellen may have to sacrifice every prank in their arsenal. Edgar & Ellen: Nobody’s Fool airs April 1 at 11 a.m. (r) 8:30 p.m.

EASTER WEEKEND
This Easter weekend, dip into chocolate-coated, bunny-hopping programming on YTV. Highlights include the YTV exclusive Canadian premiere of Dr. Dolittle 3 and the 1971 all time classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

DR. DOLITTLE 3 – CANADIAN PREMIERE
In this comedy, Lisa Dolittle sends her daughter, Maya (Kyla Pratt), to the Durango Dude Ranch to find herself. While she is there, she uses her talent to talk to the animals and save Durango from being taken over by a neighbouring ranch. Tune in to watch the Canadian premiere of Dr. Dolittle 3 in 3 Hairy Thumbs Up Sunday, April 8 at 4 p.m.

WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
YTV airs the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder in the music-filled, Day-Glo version of Roald Dahl’s book. Coming to ZAPX on Sunday, April 8 at 6 p.m.

RUBY GLOOM: BAD HARE DAY
Everybody but Doom is charmed when a cute little bunny lands on Ruby’s doorstep. Not only does Doom have no appreciation for the bunny, but it also appears this new pet is something of a thief! Don’t miss Ruby Gloom: Bad Hare Day Monday, April 9 at 11 a.m.

IT’S THE EASTER BEAGLE, CHARLIE BROWN
The Peanuts gang get ready for Easter in this Emmy®-nominated special. Linus is convinced that the Easter Beagle will appear, while Snoopy replaces Woodstock ’s leaky nest with a swank bachelor pad and Peppermint Patty tries to explain to Marci how to make Easter eggs. Check out It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown Monday, April 9 at 12 p.m.

ZAPX EXCLUSIVE CANADIAN PREMIERES
This April, YTV will bring viewers two exclusive Canadian premieres hosted by ZAPX’ Simon. Titles include Spy Kids 3 and Two Brothers.

SPY KIDS 3 – CANADIAN PREMIERE
This time around, Carmen is kidnapped by the evil Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone) and imprisoned inside a virtual-reality game. Now it’s up to Juni to get into the game and save his sister from the villain’s clutches. Catch this adventure starring Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino Sunday, April 15 at 6 p.m.

TWO BROTHERS – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Not so long ago, in a distant land, twin tiger cubs – one shy and gentle, the other bold and fierce – were born among the temple ruins in the jungle. One fateful day, the brothers are separated. Reunited when they are fully grown, the brothers find themselves forced enemies, pitted against each other. Watch this amazing adventure on YTV Sunday, April 22 at 6 p.m.

MORE YTV MOVIES – FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
Attention all family members! Tune in to watch blockbuster hits and animated favourites in YTV’s themed movie blocks – 3 Hairy Thumbs Up every Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. and Saturday Night Movies every Saturday evening at 8 p.m. including ZAPX titles!

Kangaroo Jack (2003) airs Saturday, April 1 at 4 p.m.
Dennis The Menace (1993) airs Saturday, April 1 at 6 p.m.
Spiderman: The Return of the Green Goblin (1994) airs Saturday, April 7 at 4 p.m.
The Wedding Singer (1998) airs Saturday, April 7 at 8 p.m.
Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006) airs Sunday, April 8 at 4 p.m
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) airs Sunday, April 8 at 6 p.m.
Daredevil vs. Spiderman (1994) airs Saturday, April 14 at 4 p.m.
The Goonies (1985) airs Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m.
The Sandlot 2 (2005) airs Sunday, April 15 at 4 p.m.
Spy Kids 3 (2003) airs Sunday, April 15 at 6 p.m.
Spiderman: The Ultimate Villain Showdown (2002) airs Saturday, April 21 at 4 p.m.
Gremlins (1984) air Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m.
The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) airs Sunday, April 22 at 4 p.m.
Two Brothers (2000) airs Sunday, April 22 at 6 p.m.
Spiderman: The Venom Saga (1995) airs Saturday, April 28 at 4 p.m.
The Little Rascals (1994) airs Sunday, April 29 at 4 p.m.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) airs Sunday, April 29 at 6 p.m.

TREEHOUSE APRIL 2007 HIGHLIGHTS

EASTER WEEKEND
Come on a hunt or make a bonnet! From Friday, April 6 to Sunday, April 8, celebrate Easter with Treehouse. Catch your favourite Easter-themed episodes from Dora the Explorer and Wonder Pets. And be sure to check out premieres of This is Emily Yeung and Max & Ruby.

THIS IS EMILY YEUNG: EASTER EGG HUNT – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Emily Yeung is on the hunt for Easter eggs at historic Casa Loma where she searches its many secret passageways for hidden chocolate treats. She also meets a rabbit farmer who shows her how to spin fur into yarn and visits an organic farm to help collect chicken eggs. Watch this premiere episode Sunday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m.

MAX & RUBY: BONNET – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Ruby is making an Easter bonnet for the Bunny Scout Easter Bonnet contest. She’s very excited for Easter, the annual egg hunt and decorating Easter eggs, but all Max wants is a parade! Tune in to watch Sunday, April 8 at 6 p.m.

bear wake up day
Come celebrate the beginning of spring with Bear Wake Up Day Saturday, April 14. Catch the beary best spring-themed episodes from programs such as Bob the Builder and Go Diego Go. And don’t miss premiere episodes of Miss Spider and 4 Square.

MISS SPIDER: SPRING UNSPRUNG – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Squirt is one excited little spider on the eve of spring because he gets to wake up his friend Felix the frog from his long winter nap! However, Squirt’s plans go sour when winter isn’t ready to take a back-seat and Felix isn’t exactly ready to wake up! Meanwhile, Dragon is getting bored with web-testing, so he jumps at the opportunity to be a bee for a day – until he finds out that being a bee is a lot of hard work. Tune in to watch Miss Spider: Spring Unsprung Saturday, April 14 at 11:30 a.m. (r) at 6 p.m.

4 SQUARE: TILTING – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Captain Huppette and her team show how to tilt while The Beat Team create rhythms for a sunny spring. The 4 Tones and Doo Whas teach a song about a Hummingbird and Pay and Joshua teach the poem “Grubby Gert.” Don’t miss a new 4 Square Saturday, April 14 at 3 p.m.

EARTH DAY
On Sunday, April 22, Treehouse celebrates Earth Day with episodes focused on the environment, recycling and conservation. Catch episodes of Blue’s Clues, Franklin, and The Wonder Pets. Highlights include two premiere episodes of The is Emily Yeung and Go Diego Go.

THIS IS EMILY YEUNG: LEARNING ABOUT AN ECO HOUSE – CANADIAN PREMIERE
In this episode of This is Emily Yeung, Emily visits an eco-house and learns how to use the wind and the sun to power a home. Emily tours a garden before heading inside to learn some easy-to-do environmental tricks in this premiere airing Sunday, April 22 at 6:25 p.m.

GO DIEGO GO: ALICIA SAVES THE CROCODILE – CANADIAN PREMIERE
When Kyra the Crocodile is lost in a dirty city pond, Alicia sets out on her Rescue Racer to lend a hand. Together they roll down the mountain, crunch through the fallen tree branches, and swim, swim, swim to Kyra's river! Tune in to watch Sunday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.

DISCOVERY KIDS APRIL 2007 HIGHLIGHTS

EARTH DAY
On Sunday, April 22, Discovery Kids Canada recognizes Earth Day with a day full of environmentally friendly episodes, and specials such as I Survived and If the World Were a Village. Be sure not to miss the Canadian premiere of A Year on Earth.

A YEAR ON EARTH – CANADIAN PREMIERE
Three teenagers, five continents, one mission – to take the pulse of the planet and report back to their generation. Are they up to the task? A Year on Earth chronicles the story of three American teens: Jamie, 18, from Keller , Texas ; Arsen, 17, from Canyon, California ; and Tyler , 16, from Lincoln , Massachusetts . They have little in common except for a shared concern for the planet. Nominated by their respective science teachers, the teens join research projects around the globe to work with scientists supported by the Earthwatch Institute. These three teens traded a year in school for a classroom without walls where they study the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Premiering Sunday, April 22 at 6 p.m., don’t miss this environmental eye-opener!

-30-

All YTV times are ET/PT.
All Treehouse and Discovery Kids times are ET.

Taiwan goes with the MediaFlo

From C21 Media:

Taiwan goes with the MediaFlo

NEWS BRIEF: Taiwanese broadcaster TTV is running a mobile TV trial in the country using Qualcomm's MediaFlo system, the first commercial version of which was introduced in the US last week by Verizon.

TTV is working with China Network Systems (CNS), a joint venture between News Corp's Star Group and the Koos Group, on the technical trial, which is due to get under way in Taipei later this month.

Three live TTV channels and four from CNS will feature as part of the service. Verizon's eight-channel MediaFlo-based offer went live last week, offering shows from CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, MTV, NBC News, NBC Entertainment and Nickelodeon, costing US$15 per month.



5 Mar 2007
© C21 Media 2007