Sweet relief from Gingerbread is finally here for HTC Thunderbolt owners who haven't jumped ship or upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich without Verizon's blessing. Big Red's finally approved Android 4.0.4 laced with Sense 3.6 for the device and is serving it up for download. In addition to souping up the hardware with increased stability and the features you've come to expect with ICS, the upgrade removes the Verizon, BlockBuster, Rhapsody, and Mobile IM apps from the smartphone. Ready to welcome your lightning rod for bad luck phone to 2011? Mosey over to your handset's system update section to check for the fresh build.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Verizon green-lights HTC Thunderbolt's Ice Cream Sandwich update
Amazon green-lights five kids shows, assures that parents will never see their Kindle Fires again
Prime Instant Video Greenlights Its First Children's Pilots for Production
Amazon Studios, the original movie and series production arm of Amazon.com, announced today that five children's test pilots have been greenlit for production. This announcement comes on the heels of the first pilot production commitment in December, which greenlit six comedy pilots, bringing the total number of Amazon Studios pilots currently in production to 11.
"Production is already underway for the first set of comedy pilots we announced last month, and now we are excited to add even more pilots to the list-five amazing preschool children's series"
Once completed, all 11 pilots will be posted on Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video, Lovefilm UK and Lovefilm Germany for Amazon customers to watch for free. Viewer feedback will help determine which series Amazon Studios should produce.
"Production is already underway for the first set of comedy pilots we announced last month, and now we are excited to add even more pilots to the list-five amazing preschool children's series," said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. "Our children's series come from industry luminaries with credits such as Blue's Clues, Sid the Science Kid and Dino Dan. We think parents-and our very youngest customers-are going to love the magical combination of entertainment and learning that they'll discover in these children's series."
"We are thrilled to be working with Amazon Studios on our pilot and can't wait to soar into a creative arts curriculum with Creative Galaxy," said Angela C. Santomero (Blue's Clues), creator and executive producer of the debut series, which is one of five children's series to receive a pilot order. "We know that art can have a powerfully positive effect on children, and through our proven signature approach to preschool television, we will actively help young viewers learn how to think creatively in their own lives. Working with Amazon Studios has been fantastic, and we look forward to jumping into the production process."
Children's pilots include:
Creative Galaxy
Creative Galaxy is an animated interactive art adventure series, designed to inspire kids' creative thinking through crafts, story, music and dance. The series was created by Angela Santomero, creator of Super Why!, the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Blue's Clues and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Oz Adventures
In this innovative problem solving series, Dot, Dorothy's daughter, goes off to Oz everyday with the children of the beloved characters from L. Frank Baum's classic book, The Wizard of Oz. In each episode, the yellow brick road leads Dot to a new magical location where she solves problems alongside her Oz friends.
Teeny Tiny Dogs
Produced by The Jim Henson Company (Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train) and created by Howard Baker (Rugrats), Teeny Tiny Dogs follows Butch, Butterfly, Dinky and Polly as they help one another navigate the big world despite their teeny, tiny, small size. This series promotes happiness through friendship, learning, growing and developing a strong sense of self as seen through the eyes of canine friends.
Tumbleaf
Tumbleaf was created by Drew Hodges and Bix Pix Studios, an award-winning stop motion studio. The series, aimed at preschoolers, is set in a whimsical land where a small blue fox named Fig plays each day and discovers adventure, friendship and love around every bend in the path. Children will be enriched by narratives that promote play through exploration and cognitive reasoning.
The Untitled J.J. Johnson Project
The Untitled J.J. Johnson Project revolves around Anne, a young scientist, who creates three robot helpers to assist her scientific experiments in the back of her dad's junkyard. This science-based series from creator J.J. Johnson (Dino Dan, This is Emily Yeung) aims to introduce kids to science and technology in a fun, new way.
These five new pilots join the six comedy pilots already in production: Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, The Onion Presents: The News, Supanatural and Those Who Can't.
About Amazon Studios
Since its launch in November 2010, more than 14,000 movie scripts and 2,500 series pilot scripts have been submitted to Amazon Studios. The original series announced today will be added to the Amazon Studios series development slate, which currently boasts 20 additional projects.
Amazon Studios continues to invite series creators to upload their proposals for comedy and children's programming at http://studios.amazon.com/getting-started/series or submit them privately via Amazon Studios.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Amazon greenlights 6 original comedy pilots for Prime users
That smiling Amazon logo will soon be laughing, as six original comedy pilots were announced today for its Prime Instant Video service in the U.S. and Lovefilm in the U.K.
The online store touted its open-door development process in picking the six comedies, having crowdsourced 12,000 movie scripts and 2,000 series pilots over a two-year period.
"Since launching our original series development effort, we have received more than 2,000 series ideas from creators around the world with all different backgrounds," said Director of Amazon Studios, Roy Price, in a press release.
"We are extremely excited to begin production on our very first set of pilots."
Most of the crowdsourced creators with "different backgrounds" have one thing in common - you've probably seen their work before.
Alpha House was written by Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau and follows four senators living together in a rented Washington, D.C. house. This political satire's pilot may or may not end in a fiscal cliffhanger.
Big Bang Theory co-stars Kevin Sussman and John Ross Bowie also successfully submitted a pilot, the animated Dark Minions. It's being produced by Reno 911's Principato-Young Entertainment.
The Daily Show's Kristen Schaal will join Butter scriptwriter Jason Micallef in producing a second animated pilot for Amazon, Supernatural. It's about two mall-working divas defending humanity against - what else - the supernatural.
Another Daily Show writer, 12-time Emmy-winner David Javerbaum, is penning Browsers, a musical comedy set at a news site and directed by 30 Rock's Don Scardino.
The Onion, the satirical news source (and sometimes "official" news source dubiously picked up by Iran and North Korea), will create The Onion Presents: The News. It's supposed to be a smart, fast-paced scripted comedy that goes behind the scenes of the network and its "journalists."
Pilot Those Who Can't and writers Andrew Orvedahl, Adam Cayton-Holland and Benjamin Roy are the biggest beneficiary of Amazon's open-door process.
Their original comedy is described as being about "three juvenile, misfit teachers who are just as immature, if not more so, than the students they teach."
When the free comedy pilots appear on Amazon Instant Video, the site's customers will be able to provide feedback to determine which series the studio will produce in full.
Adding to the Amazon Prime perks, completed seasons will be exclusive to paying members of the expedited shipping and Instant Video service.
The online retailer said that the six original comedy pilots announced today are in addition to 14 projects that were submitted to Amazon Studios and have already optioned for development.
"Amazon has been so innovative and successful in so many realms," said Doonesbury and Alpha House creator Garry Trudeau. "It's impossible not to get excited about its new venture into online programming."
So, unlike Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, it appears as if Trudeau doesn't think Amazon's online video service is a confusing mess and wasting money on streaming.
