I always thought that the Emmys weren’t announced until all the famous people put on their slinky dresses and got made fun of by Joan Rivers, but it turns out that some awards are announced prior to the televised event. Imagine! I mean, it’s almost like how many thousands of dollars of jewelry people can borrow is not actually the point. I was surprised, too.

Anyway, I am a bit behind, but last week the winners of the individual achievement in animation Emmys were announced, and Cartoon Network took plenty of the honors.

(Oh, by the way, the article also enlightened me as to the timing: “Because the awards are juried categories, there are no nominations; the categories might have one, more than one or no winners each year. There were no Emmys awarded in the voice-over performance juried area this year.”)

Check out the list of Cartoon Network honorees:

– Sue Mondt, art director for Cartoon Network’s “Camp Lazlo,” episode “Squirrel Secrets,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Dave Dunnet, background key designer for Cartoon Network’s “Good Wilt Hunting” (”Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends”), from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Narina Sokolova, background painter for Cartoon Network’s “My Gym Partner’s A Monkey,” episode “The Big Field Trip,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– David Colman, character designer for Cartoon Network’s “Class of 3000,” episode “Eddie’s Money,” from Cartoon Network Studios;

– Phil Rynda, character designer for Cartoon Network’s “Billy & Mandy’s Big Boogey Adventure” (”The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy”), from Cartoon Network Studios

Other notables include Sang-Jin Kim, an animator on Avatar: The Last Airbender (okay, that one’s with Nickelodeon, but you can’t fault a gal for being pleased at Avatar getting some recognition), and Cartoon Network animators Sihanouk Mariona and Thomas Smith pulling down awards for projects with ShadowMachine films.

On a related-but-not-really note, I keep forgetting to mention that Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix (the recent hour-long animated movie) dominated the ratings for boys ages 6-11 on its premiere night (Friday, August 10th). I wasn’t all that surprised, but the press release I received about it used lots of exclamation points and a large font, so I guess it’s even more exciting than I thought.

Clearly, Cartoon Network is on a roll. Congrats to the Emmy winners, and let’s see what you come up with next!

Yesterday marked the announcement of this year’s prime-time Emmy nominees, and so this seems like a good time to confess that I’m a total awards show junkie. Can’t get enough of ‘em. I mean, there are always shows I love which are overlooked by the awards committee(s), but sometimes the right show is recognized and there’s nothing quite like seeing something you really enjoy being recognized for the hard work that goes into it.

(The fact that you can also see a bunch of expensive dresses, outrageous hairdos, and funny commercials doesn’t hurt, either.)

Anyway, Animated News was on the scene immediately with the list of animation nominees.

Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour)
•Avatar: The Last Airbender - “City Of Walls And Secrets” (Nickelodeon Animation Studio)
•Robot Chicken - “Lust For Puppets” (ShadowMachine Films)
•South Park - “Make Love, Not Warcraft” (Central Productions)
•SpongeBob SquarePants - “Bummer Vacation / Wig Struck” (Nickelodeon Animation Studio with United Plankton Pictures, Inc.)
•The Simpsons - “The Haw-Hawed Couple” (Gracie Films with 20th Century Fox)

My take: I think Avatar deserves to win, but I don’t know that it will. There’s been a lot of buzz about Robot Chicken, and with the Simpsons movie about to come out—despite the series having been around forever—people are sort of rediscovering it. So I just don’t know.

Outstanding Animated Program (Programming One Hour Or More)
•Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends - “Good Wilt Hunting” (Cartoon Network Studios)
•Hellboy Animated: Sword Of Storms (Starz Media with Revolution Studios)
•Secrets Of The Deep (Impossible Pictures with Discovery Channel)
•Camp Lazlo - “Where’s Lazlo?” (Cartoon Network Studios)

My take: If Foster’s doesn’t win this one, my faith in a just deity will be shaken. I know I went into that one already loving Foster’s, but Good Wilt Hunting was even better than I expected it to be. To me, it’s the clear front-runner. But I don’t get to vote. (Which is a travesty in and of itself. Clearly.)

The 2007 Emmy Awards Show will air this year on Sunday, September 16th at 8:00 PM. Mark your calendars and get ready to make fun of famous people. (Oops. Did I say that last part out loud? My bad.)

If you’re not a hardcore animation buff, you might not know that last Sunday was John Polson’s Tropfest. Proudly proclaiming itself to be the world’s largest short film festival, Tropfest draws in filmmakers from all over the world to present their original works. (The fact that it’s held in Australia is just a bonus.)

Anyway, Tropfest is a big deal. And this year the big winner was one Steve Baker. Right now Baker should be basking in the glory of his win, but instead, he’s been under fire. Now, before you click on that link? Let’s see if you, brilliant reader, can figure out why.

Baker’s winning short is entitled An Imaginary Life. (A lot of people are fans of a little show called Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.)

Baker’s protagonist, pictured above, is imaginary. And his name is Andrew. He’s blue. (Fosters’ protagonist is imaginary, named Bloo, and blue.)

Baker’s piece is Flash-style animation. (Foster’s is Flash-style animation.)

It certainly sounds… coincidental… but I think film ick got it right:

There are plenty of differences between the stories, notably that Imaginary Life adopts a pseudo-documentary aesthetic (well, as far as an animated film can) which is very different to the graphic, classical stylings in Foster’s Home.

As much as I’d hate to see Craig McCracken getting ripped off, I think Baker has done so only by accident, if at all.

Tropfest officials seem to agree; their released statement said:

During the initial pre-selection period, the possibility of perceived similarities was identified by the festival but, after subsequent checks with the filmmaker, we were satisfied that An Imaginary Life was an original work that met all entry requirements.

Steve Baker, the director of the winning film, is a three-time finalist of Tropfest and a filmmaker whose integrity and body of work is respected by John Polson and the entire Tropfest team.

Congratulations, Mr. Baker. When you have some time, you might want to check out Foster’s Home. I think you’d enjoy it.

I’ve been meaning to do a round-up of a few items relating to stuff that’s been posted previously, so today seems as good a day as any to do that. Don’t you always want to read the answers to all of your burning questions before you head into the weekend? Of course you do!

We have a winnah… actually, three of them

Waaaaay back in October I brought your attention to the Design Your Destiny Yu-Gi-Oh! Contest over at 4Kids Entertainment. Remember that? Since then, people keep wandering over to that entry and leaving plaintive comments asking about the results. Well, it turns out that the folks at 4Kids have finally announced the winners and put up the winning drawings. (My son and I agree that Tongue Twister is the most deliciously disgusting of the creatures.)

More Cartoon Network Upfront announcements

The announcements about upcoming plans for Ben 10 were just a slice of all the exciting Cartoon Network plans that were revealed in New York City this week. Both Newsarama and ToonZone have been awesome with their coverage. My favorite news (besides the Ben 10 movie news, that is)? Plans for the upcoming Cartoon Network Invaded:

Foster’s Bloo will send a message out to space causing the Cartoon Network universe to be invaded by all manner of aliens. Every Friday in May, an alien will arrive in a new episode of one of that block’s group of programs to raise havoc or something else, culminating with an all-out alien invasion on Memorial Day.

(I’ve never looked forward to Memorial Day quite so much….)

Some actual animation, finally

Remember my ambivalence over Jerry’s Seinfeld’s Bee Movie? I’m warming up to it. The latest trailer may have helped; the animation is clean and I think i can now say I much prefer Seinfeld in his animated form.

Sometimes they get it right

Today is the much-anticipated opening of Bridge to Terabithia, and I peeked through my fingers while looking up the reviews. Have they done it? Did they manage to take a great book and turn it into a great movie, or did they take a great book and turn it into pulp?

I’m breathing a sigh of relief, and buying us tickets online right now. I can’t wait to see it.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

If you’re a fan of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, you may have started following the Foster’s Blog when I first mentioned it here a while back. If you do, you’ve probably noticed that they haven’t updated for a really long time, and perhaps you’ve sat at your computer, glumly refreshing and hoping for fresh Foster’s news, and perhaps even leaving whiny, fawning comments on the blog imploring Craig McCracken to please come back and update or at least delete some of the spammy comments.

Okay, maybe that last bit was just me. Ahem.

Anyway, I have a few tidbits of info to tide you over, and I share because I care.

First of all: Congratulations to Grey DeLisle—better known as the voice talent behind Frankie—on the birth of her son, Jefferson Texas! That’s a pretty small picture there on her MySpace blog, but from what I can make out, mom and baby look fantastic. Enjoy!

Second: Remember when I gushed my excitement over the “Design at Play” Cartoon Network MODA show? The exhibit is up and running, and I came across this great Flickr set of photos taken at the show. (Seriously, how did anyone ever get information before the internet?) I won’t say that’s as good as being there, but it eases the pain of missing the opening, somewhat.

And last but certainly not least: Not that there seemed to be any question of it happening, but now it’s official, at least—Foster’s has been cleared for a sixth season. My fingers are crossed that the next season will bring us another hour-long episode, too, as the kids and I really enjoyed Good Wilt Hunting.

Oh, wait. I lied. That’s not last. Because I love you all so much, here’s a special! bonus! Foster’s-themed tidbit:

Cartoon Network recently added the dumbest game ever to the Foster’s page. But oh, how my kids laugh.

I never realized that Cartoon Network was headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia until I was on a visit there and couldn’t stop laughing at the billboards. There are (or were, the last time I was there, anyway) a zillion different billboards featuring various characters from Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends doing, well, everything. And nothing. There are billboards of Bloo making funny faces and billboard of Wilt just standing there and—of course—one of Cheese declaring that he likes chocolate milk.

Anyway, that was my first introduction to the very large foothold Cartoon Network has in Atlanta. And starting on February 1st, Museum of Design Atlanta will be hosting the Design at Play exhibit, dedicated to showcasing “The High Design & Low-Brow Humor of Cartoon Network”:

This multi-media exhibit—featuring wide samples of print advertising and marketing materials, billboard executions, premium design, on-air spots, Websites and online games, each designed to support the network’s original animated programming—will spotlight the local talents of Cartoon Network’s renown team of designers, writers, animators, producers and graphic artists.

Spanning three full galleries at MODA, this first-time partnership also will explore the process of creating an animated television program from doodles and 3-D models to styleguides and storyboards. Futhermore, Design at Play will review the “holistic” approach to branding and promotion through multimedia platforms, explore product design and packaging for retail, and highlight creative examples of more traditional advertising.

Blah blah blah marketing blah blah blah design blah blah blah advertising. Dude, three entire galleries of Cartoon Network art! I know it’s a museum about design but three entire galleries of cartoon stuff? You don’t have to be a designer to appreciate that.

And AnimatedBliss told me what I wanted to hear:

The exhibition also will highlight the work of creative masterminds behind some of Cartoon Network’s most beloved cartoons, including animator Craig McCracken, who created the global cartoon sensation, The Powerpuff Girls, and the network’s current top original series, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, recently featured as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

Additional original shows that will be featured include Ed, Edd n Eddy, My Gym Partner’s a Monkey, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Camp Lazlo.

(I think I might be a Craig McCracken groupie. And I’m not even sorry, so there.)

If you can make it to MODA on February 1st (that’s next Thursday), there’s a free opening night party happening that night from 5-9. If you can’t make it for the opening, don’t worry—the exhibit will run through May 19th. Mark your calendars and check it out if you’re in the Atlanta area.

On the heels of the recent discussion of the new animation category for the Golden Globes, it seems only fitting that yesterday the full list of Annie Awards nominees was made available.

Don’t know the Annie Awards? This February will mark the 34th annual event, in spite of the fact that the trophy/statue thing looks a lot like an ugly lamp. (I kid. I think it’s supposed to look like one of those things you spin and look inside the holes to see the pictures within appear to move. That would make sense, and be topical, whereas an ugly lamp would just be mean.) The awards are designed to honor excellence in animation, obviously, and are touted as “animation’s highest honor.”

There are six production categories (as well as a slew of other individual achievement categories, and the juried awards), and they’ll be worth keeping an eye on as we move into “awards season.” Here are the ones that pique my interest:

Best Animated Feature

* Cars – Pixar Animation Studios
* Happy Feet – Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Kennedy Miller Production in association with Animal Logic Film
* Monster House – Columbia Pictures Presents an ImageMovers/Amblin Production
* Open Season – Sony Pictures Animation/Columbia Pictures
* Over The Hedge – DreamWorks Animation

No surprises there. I’m pleased to see Monster House nominated; I don’t think it’ll win, but the kids and I really like it and it’s nice to see something that’s not about wacky animals or anthropomorphized vehicles make the cut.

Best Home Entertainment Production

* Bambi II – DisneyToon Studios
* The Adventures of Brer Rabbit – Universal Animation Studios
* Winnie the Pooh: Shapes & Sizes – DisneyToon Studios

Wait… there’s a second Bambi movie? Really?

Best Animated Short Subject

* Adventure Time – Nickelodeon
* Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot – Thunderbean Animation
* No Time For Nuts – Blue Sky Studios
* Weird Al Yankovic “Don’t Download This Song” – Acme Filmworks

I am a sucker for Weird Al. I don’t know if it deserves an Annie, but the song is brilliant. (Watch it here if you haven’t seen it before.)

Best Animated Television Production

* Charlie and Lola – Tiger Aspect Productions
* Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends – Cartoon Network Studios
* King of the Hill – Twentieth Century Fox TV
* The Fairly OddParents – Nickelodeon
* Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! – Film Roman, a Starz Media Co.

Well. Foster’s, obviously. I may even cry if Foster’s doesn’t win.

Two interesting factoids about the Annies to ramp your animation geekoid meter all the way up to eleven:

1) Animated News reports that for the first time ever, all of the Annie voting will be done online. Viva technology!

2) CNN points out that “[t]he winner of the Annie Awards has gone on to claim the Oscar for animated feature every year since the Academy Award for animation was created.”

That does rather diminish the suspense a bit, though I suppose we could hope for a historical upset by the time the Academy Awards rolls around. Just for fun.

Here in the United States, our frenzied pace of life officially clicks over into the Season of Holidays starting tomorrow. Yes, first we have Thanksgiving—for which we’ll probably spend most of today cooking and preparing—and as we all know, Turkey Day is merely the gateway to the frivolity that will soon follow with the various December holidays and then New Year’s.

It’s a wonderful time to enjoy our families and friends, but not a very good time to be on a diet. Actually, even if you’re not on a diet, it can be a stressful time, too. You know the expression, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” That’s often particularly true for families.

Will you be dealing with some challenging family members tomorrow? Remember my handy mantras. I like “this too shall pass,” and also “if I refrain from jabbing my fork into this person’s skull, I can have another piece of pie.” The first one is more pithy, but you just can’t beat the second one for satisfaction.

Don’t forget that holidays can be stressful for the kids, too. Either their home is overrun with others or they’ve been carted off to someone else’s house. Routines are disrupted. Meltdowns can and will happen, so do what you can to head them off. I suggest frequent snacks and extra TLC. Or, you know, copious amounts of television.

Cartoon Network is showing a block of Xiaolin Showdown episodes from 1:00 - 5:00 pm today (eastern). If that doesn’t float your kids’ boat, over on Nickelodeon they can watch Fairly Oddparents from 2:00 - 6:00 (eastern), followed by about a billion episodes of Spongebob Squarepants.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you let your kids watch television all day long. That would be wrong and bad. And would it also make it really hard to justify watching Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends all day tomorrow, and you had better be planning to watch their new movie, Good Wilt Hunting, tomorrow night at 7:00. With some pie.

Yep, plenty to be thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends; enjoy the holiday!

Maybe shallow is deeper than me, or maybe Cartoon Network’s decision to honor National Adoption Month by ramping up Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is pure brilliance. (Yes, I’m aware there’s more to this issue than a cartoon about abandoned imaginary friends. I encourage you to click that link back there for resources about National Adoption Month, absolutely, but when you’re done being a grown-up and want to talk cartoons, come on back over here.)

So. Let’s talk Foster’s. There’s a new episode premiering every Friday night at 7:00 in November. We missed it, last Friday, but happened to catch “Bloo’s the Boss” (last week’s episode) last night.

It never fails to amaze me how hard Foster’s makes me laugh. Seriously. My kids stop laughing at the show to laugh at me, because I can’t stop laughing. And I can’t. I love this show. I may need professional help. But if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Mid-episode, Cartoon Network ran an ad for their upcoming Thanksgiving Fosterpalooza (my word; though if they want to borrow it, it’s okay with me). Thanksgiving will bring a marathon of Foster’s all day long, culminating in the premiere of the new hour-long Foster’s movie, Good Wilt Hunting:

After once again having no visitor at the Foster’s Creator Reunion Picnic, a lonely Wilt sets out across the country in hopes of reuniting with his long lost creator, in “Good Wilt Hunting.” Uncertain as to why Wilt left, Bloo and the Foster’s gang set out on a road trip to find him. Hindered by Bloo’s far-out theories and Wilt’s overly good nature, the chase takes many unexpected twists and turns and all the while we come to learn about Wilt’s mysterious past.

Word is that the movie will also introduce us to Eduardo’s creator and the scientist who first studied Coco.

I can’t wait. Er, I mean, my kids can’t wait. Ahem.

I have a confession to make. I may have just the teensiest little bit of a crush on Craig McCracken, the creator of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. It’s just such a wacky and wonderful show, with each character stranger and more enticing than the last. I even forgive him for being the reason that my children now randomly declare (on a more regular basis than I may admit) “I like cereal!” (See also: “I like chocolate milk,” “Television tastes funny!” and “It’s hot in Topeka.”)

One of the things I adore about McCracken is that he posts really fun behind-the-scenes stuff to the Foster’s blog. This past weekend he put up a bunch of beautiful hand-painted versions of the Foster’s house done by Carol Wyatt.

But by far the coolest thing posted to the blog of late is the continuing series about how the show is actually made. This is for the grown-ups (or older kids); little kids probably won’t find it all that interesting, but uber-geeks like me can’t get enough. So far McCracken is up to four parts (and I’m linking them all so that you can go read the whole thing):

Step 1: The Story Meeting
Step 2: The Outline
Step 3: The Script
Step 4: Recording

Did you know that a 22-minute show takes 4 hours to record? Neither did I, until I read about it on the Foster’s blog. And you know I’ll be working that into casual conversation sometime soon, just in case my friends didn’t already think I was some sort of loony cartoon-addict geek. Yeah. You know you wish you were as slick as me.