• “Up” is the 10th film from Pixar Animation Studios, and the first Disney-Pixar film to be presented in Disney Digital 3D™.
• Nearly 70 animators worked on “Up” during the peak of production.  A crew of nearly 375 at Pixar had a hand in creating the film.
• Supervising Technical Director Steve May and his team created a canopy of 10,297 balloons to float Carl’s house throughout much of the film.  That number more than doubles to 20,622 for the dramatic scene in which the house lifts off from its foundation for the first time. May and his team calculated that about 26.5 million balloons would be needed to lift a real house.
• Paradise Falls, Carl’s dream destination in the film, is based on Angel Falls in Venezuela (the tallest waterfall on Earth at 3300 feet).  In the film, for artistic reasons, Paradise Falls is far taller at 9700 feet.
• Director/Screenwriter Pete Docter, Co-Director/Screenwriter Bob Peterson, and other key members of the “Up” production team took a research trip to Venezuela to explore the “lost world” of the Tepui tabletop mountains.  The crew climbed one mile straight up to the top of Mount Roraima (the highest and most famous of the 115 mesas), and were then helicoptered to Kukenan.  The intrepid Pixar explorers encountered deadly ants, poisonous snakes, scorpions and miniature frogs during the trip.
• John Ratzenberger is the only actor to voice a role in all 10 of the Disney•Pixar films. In addition to his latest role as Construction Foreman Tom in “Up,” he provided the voice of the charming and witty Hamm the piggy bank in “Toy Story” (reprised in “Toy Story 2” and the upcoming “Toy Story 3”), P.T. Flea in “A Bug’s Life,” Yeti the snow monster in “Monsters, Inc.,” a school of Moonfish in “Finding Nemo,” a philosophical character named Underminer in “The Incredibles,” a Mac-truck in “Cars,” Mustafa, the head waiter in “Ratatouille,” and John, a human living aboard the spaceship Axiom in “WALL•E.”
• Carl is the most complex human character ever created by Pixar.  His design is symbolically and literally square, three heads high.  In contrast, Russell is basically egg-shaped and round. 
• Russell has more layers of clothing than any other Pixar character — a shirt, a sash covered with badges, a neckerchief and a backpack.  
• More than 450 kids read for the part of Russell. Jordan Nagai, the voice of Russell, had not planned on auditioning for the role.  He accompanied his brother, an actor with some commercial and TV credits, and was asked to try out on the spot. 
• Kevin was the hardest character for Character Supervisor Thomas Jordan and his team to design.  This 13-foot flightless bird is covered with beautiful iridescent feathers, which required a new approach to hair technology.  The team approached feathers as hair growing on splines, which basically react much like hair itself. 
• Pete Docter voices some of the bird noises for Kevin in “Up.”
• Director Pete Docter’s daughter Elie Docter provides the voice of young Ellie in the movie.  At age 7, Elie was tapped to do the scratch recording for the character.  While many other voices were considered, filmmakers ultimately cast Elie in the role.
• Ellie’s presence in the film remains constant throughout with a special musical theme (written by the film’s acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino), and the color magenta, which came to represent her.
• When Russell and Carl are served dinner by Muntz, Carl is actually served the scallop dish from “Ratatouille.”
• The average amount of time required to render a single frame of film for “Up” was between five and six hours.  Some complicated frames took up to 20 hours.  For every second of film, 24 frames are required.
• The film’s production and character design called for “Simplexity,” a simplified approach to complicated caricatures.  For example, Carl has no nostrils, skin pores or holes in his ears. 
• Co-Director/Screenwriter Bob Peterson provides the voice of Dug, Charles Muntz’s misfit dog who befriends Carl, Russell and Kevin.  He also is heard in the film as Alpha, the leader of the pack whose collar translates his thoughts into speech.  Peterson previously voiced Roz, the sluggish dispatcher in “Monsters, Inc.,” and Mr. Ray, the determined teacher in “Finding Nemo.”
• Stereoscopic Supervisor Bob Whitehill, who oversaw the 3D aspects of “Up,” views the film as one of the greatest 3D films of all time.  Using a “depth budget,” the 3D team worked to match the filmmakers’ “point of interest” with the “point of convergence” to give the film another visual cue to tell the story, while adding excitement and dimension to the adventure.   The film’s climactic airship battle, complete with dogs in biplanes, is one of the most exciting uses of 3D.
• The number A113, which refers to John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton’s former classroom at CalArts, makes an appearance in every Pixar film. In “Up,” A113 is the courtroom number where Carl makes his court appearance.
• In the sequence where Carl’s house first lifts off, the ball from short film “Luxo Jr.” can be seen sitting on the floor of the girl’s bedroom as the house goes by her window.
• The Pizza Planet Truck, which first made an appearance in “Toy Story,” has made a cameo in nearly every Pixar film.  In “Up,” the Pizza Planet truck can be seen at the intersection when Carl’s house flies over the town. It’s also in the Fentons Creamery parking lot at the end of the film.
• Russell’s favorite ice cream parlor in the movie is named after the real Fentons Creamery in Oakland, Calif. Director Pete Docter and Producer Jonas Rivera live nearby and frequent the restaurant and ice cream parlor with their families.
• Pete Docter, who began his career as an animator, managed to find time to animate the last scene of the film where Carl and Russell are sitting on the curb eating ice cream together.  Pete handled the animation of Carl.

Director Pete Docter named Disney storyman and writer Joe Grant in the film’s dedication to the “real life Carl and Ellie Fredricksens who inspired us to create our own Adventure Books.” Grant was part of the 1937 team that created “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and wrote “Dumbo” and “Fantasia.” The mentor, friend and source of inspiration to Docter and countless others continued to work at the Walt Disney Animation Studios up until his death in 2005, one week shy of his 97^th birthday.

For their tenth computer-animated feature release since the company’s inception, Pixar literally goes sky high with the comedy action-adventure Up, about 78-year-old retired balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.  But Carl discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip:  an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

Just as Carl’s journey takes him to unexpected and magnificent places, Pixar Animation Studios has been taken to places well beyond its creators’ imaginings…and it all began with the release of the first full-length computer-animated feature in 1995, Toy Story. 

Nine movies later, Pixar continues to create films that mark ‘firsts’:  Up will be not only the first film from Pixar in the medium of 3D (Disney Digital 3Dä, to be exact), but it is also the first animated feature to kick off the prestigious, internationally renowned Cannes Film Festival…not bad for the little film company whose first release viewed the world from about eight inches off the ground. 

Let’s take a quick look back at the amazing titles that comprise Pixar’s nine previous feature-film releases. 

Toy Story (1995)

Pixar’s premiere release broke ground simply by being made—the first animated feature completely realized in a computer.  (It took 300 networked Sun workstations approximately 800,000 hours of computing time to complete the film—each sixteenth of a second frame contains about 300 megabytes of information.) 

The film looked inside a young boy’s bedroom at a group of toys, who led quite surprising lives once they were left alone by Andy, their owner.  The film garnered international acclaim and awards, including three Academy Award^® nominations, as well as earning more than 10 times its cost in global box office.  John Lasseter, the film’s director and story writer, picked up a special Oscar^® “…for the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film.” To infinity, and beyond!    

A Bug’s Life (1998)

For their next release, the studio took a journey inside the world of bugs in an Epic of miniature proportions.  When a misfit worker ant’s colony is threatened by grasshopper destruction, the ant sets out to recruit a collection of bugs to help deflect the grasshopper attack…but it turns out the bugs he recruits are actually members of an insect circus.  The film again racked up big international business and an Academy Award^® nomination.  Clever and full of imaginative jokes at the expense of the human race, A Bug’s Life represented another first for Pixar:  the DVD version was the first ever all-digital video transfer. 

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Back to Andy’s bedroom for Pixar’s next film, which marked the return for Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the other beloved characters who had been given life in the original film.  The feature picked up a Golden Globe for Best Picture Musical or Comedy, a Grammy for Randy Newman’s “When She Loved Me,” an Oscar^®  nomination for Best Original Song and earned just shy of one-half-of-a-billion dollars at the worldwide box office.  It took more than 250 film artisans to create the film, which boasted 18 different sets. 

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

The tale of blue-collar monsters and best friends, Sulley and Mike, scared up more than $500 million in global business—the first Pixar release to do so.  When their jobs and their very world are threatened by the unexpected appearance of a human child (monsters believe all children are toxic), the duo go to great lengths to return the little girl, and encounter one adventure after another.  After 16 previous nominations, singer/songwriter Randy Newman won an Oscar^® for the film’s song “If I Didn’t Have You,” and the film garnered three more nominations.  And another first for studio:  Pixar shattered every DVD-era home entertainment sales record when 11 million DVD/VHS copies of the film were sold during its first week of release.  (Only The Lion King, released before DVDs, sold more units when it debuted on VHS in 1995.) 

Finding Nemo (2003)

From the imaginary world of monsters to the real world of aquatic creatures along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Pixar’s fifth release followed an anxious father clownfish going the distance (and great distances) to find his lost son, Nemo, and bring him home.  The film brought home the Academy Award^®  in the newly created category of Best Animated Feature, and garnered three additional nominations.  The trip undersea for Pixar also netted an astounding $865 million in global box office. 

The Incredibles (2004)

What do you get when a family of superheroes attempts to live unnoticed in a suburban neighborhood, but ends up being called into action when a megalomaniac threatens the world with destruction?  Pixar’s sixth release, The Incredibles.  The double Oscar^® winner (Best Animated Feature Film, Best Sound Editing) also gathered two additional nominations (Original Screenplay, Sound Mixing).  Some incredible facts:  two of Disney’s famed Nine Old Men, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, lent their voices to the film (in cameos near the end); the film’s jazz-inspired so)

Pixar’s seventh release zoomed around the globe in 2006 and picked up two Oscar^® nominations on its way.  The customary care with which the Pixar artists build the onscreen world was plainly evident in the cars themselves, which were derivations or representations of actual racing cars.  Instead of placing the cars’ eyes in their headlights, Lasseter suggested putting them on the autos’ windshields, which is an idea taken from his one of his favorite Disney cartoons, “Susie the Little Blue Coupe.”  The film brought home the first Golden Globe in the newly created category of Best Animated Feature.   

Ratatouille (2007)

Even the short concept sounds funny:  Remy, a rat, wants to be a chef in Paris.  The colorful tale of the rodent with culinary aspirations won the Oscar^® for Best Animated Feature and received four additional nominations.  Director Brad Bird had previously won the Best Animated Feature statuette for The Incredibles.  The truth-seeking animators not only observed several pet rats in action to prepare for creating Remy and his pack, but they also worked with esteemed chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller, to make sure the layout and workings of the French kitchen rang true.   

Wall•E (2008)

Packing an artistic and box office wallop (Best Animated Feature Oscar^® and more than $500 million worldwide), Wall•E also managed to slip in some sly social messaging about rampant consumption.  The stunningly beautiful film created its own representation of photo-realism, and filmmakers even consulted with prolific and legendary live-action cinematographer Roger Deakins to create some of the most atmospheric and sophisticated lighting schemes ever seen in a computer-animated film.     

From the floor of a little boy’s bedroom to the furthest reaches of space, Pixar has taken countless moviegoers on nine unforgettable rides—so now, for their tenth release, the only way to go is Up.

Soniq Awakens Your Senses with an Elegant Multimedia Speaker System

The new Soniq iM600k provides users with all the essential features of an iPod docking station paired with a patented sleek design, and it’s not as expensive as it looks.

Sydney, Australia – December 14, 2009 – Soniq, through their commitment to offer affordable and user-friendly lifestyle consumer electronics, is fast becoming a household name in Australia and New Zealand. Today the company launched the new, ultra modern, iM600K iPod docking station.

The iM600K features a patented motorised loading dock and is the only of its kind on the market. Its unique loading mechanism stylishly lowers the iPod and encases it safely behind a modern transparent finish all with the touch of a button. The sleek look is topped off with an aluminium border that frames and complements the modern shape.

Designed for those who demand quality on a budget, the iM600K features the latest technologies at an affordable price. A full function remote control and electronic volume control allows users to change selections remotely while entertaining, cleaning or relaxing by the pool. The fashionable iM600K also includes a digital PLL AM/ FM radio for when users exhaust their playlist and a dual alarm system to take you from the weekend through to workday wake up.

Sound quality without the expensive price tag is important to consumers on a tighter budget searching for an affordable multimedia speaker system. The iM600K fully integrates with the user’s iPod enabling them to customise their experience through its multiple sound and play modes. Consumer can expect their music to be delivered through a highly capable sound system with a built-in subwoofer.

The iM600K is perfect for students, flatmates and young families. Delivering in price, value and design it has the added convenience of charging the users iPod while docked and allows effortless entertainment.

Product Summary
Vendor: Soniq
Model:  iM600K
RRP:  AU $149
Website: http://www.soniqav.com/index.html
Distributors:  JB Hi-Fi nationwide
Customer Care Hotline: 1300765663
Availability: Now

About Soniq
SONIQ is a manufacturer and distributor of consumer electronics. Headquartered in Melbourne Australia and established in 2003, the company experienced great success in selling affordable yet quality products for the mainstream buyer. Sold nationwide through JB-HiFi stores, Soniq has gained a reputation as the “affordable technology” giving access to the buying public an unprecedented range in products unrivalled in its segment. The reliability of SONIQ products has ensured that they are now part of the everyday lives of many Australians – from AV products such as Plasma and LCD TVs, DVR recorders, Set Top Boxes through to lifestyle products such as iPod dock speakers and portable DVD players. The SONIQ brand has had great response from consumers through retail partner JB-Hifi. Over the years, SONIQ have been working hard to fine tune their products with dedicated R&D and manufacturing facilities in line with market trends, to ensure they continue to provide quality products that are affordable and technology that is accessible to all.

SBS DVD series’ take home top afi AWARDS

MELBOURNE, Monday, 14 December 2009 – SBS DVD series’ have picked up several major awards in the television and documentary categories at the 2009 Samsung Mobile AFI Industry and Ceremony Awards. 

The second season of Sydney-based multicultural crime drama EAST WEST 101 (starring Don Hany and Susie Porter) scored three key 2009 AFI Awards at Saturday evening’s ceremony – Best Television Drama, Best Direction in Television (Episode 13, Peter Andrikidis) and Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama (Susie Porter). 

In the documentary category, SBS series CRACKING THE COLOUR CODE won for Best Cinematography in a Documentary (Episode 2, ‘Making the Colours’), whilst breakthrough historical series FIRST AUSTRALIANS was recognised with the award for Best Documentary Series. 

Nominations for SBS series’ were  abundant in several other categories, including EAST WEST 101, Season 2, Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama (Don Hany) and Best Screenplay in Television (Episode 13, ‘Atonement’), CRACKING THE COLOUR CODE, Best Editing in a Documentary (Episode 2, ‘Making the Colours’), FIRST AUSTRALIANS Best Direction in a Documentary (Episode 4, ‘There Is No Other Law’) and DEATH OF THE MEGABEASTS for the AFI Visual Effects Award.

Thanks to Fiona Martin from Apple, Impulse Gamer were given a sneak peak at the new direction of their App Store and more specifically, the next generation of apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Needless to say, the developers of third party applications for these devices have truly thought outside the box that has even impressed Apple themselves.

With over 100,000 different apps available via the App Store which is growing every day, Apple have carefully broken down the categories into 20 different sections from shopping to gaming and the like, ensuring that there is an app available for almost anything. Best of all, many of these applications are quite affordable due to the lack of packaging, no CD’s or distribution charges which will definitely change the way we work, play and live.

Travel

Stan Ng from Apple eloquently informed Impulse Gamer that the three main categories which developers have been targeting include travel, shopping and gaming which is the fastest growth category. A number of major brand such as Qantas, The Hilton and Four Seasons have created apps to assist the end-user from flight details to booking hotels via your iPhone or iPod Touch and the experience could not be any simpler. Local developers have also noted that potential of these smart devices and one developer has created the perfect app to assist travellers in finding flights and even hotel bookings.

Simply by selecting your destination, you can find the cheapest airflights and hotels which allow you to book directly from the app and really frees you up from being tied to your computer. Of course once you have found your perfect holiday destination, your itinerary and packing is another issue but once again, some clever developers have created two little neat apps called TravelTracker and Plan.Pack.Go. Basically, itinerary removes the need for multiple pieces of paper and allows you to store all your travel information in one small application, removing the need for multiple e-mails and printouts. This definitely makes travelling light a possibility.

Plan.Pack.Go assists with the dilemma of packing and features a variety of templates and suggestions of what to pack such as toiletries, sunglasses and suitcases. What stood out for us in Plan.Pack.Go is that once you have packed certain items in your suitcase, you simply just shake your iPhone or iPod Touch and it will refresh the list of what’s next. Definitely a fun and useful app.

As the iPhone has GPS capabilities, TomTom have released an app to assist while driving or walking and once you have purchased the product, that’s all you need. However, those clever folks at TomTom have created a cradle that retails for around $149 which allows you to put your iPhone or iPod Touch into the device. If you’re using the device with your iPhone and a call comes through, the product supports a built-in microphone and Bluetooth that allows the call to go through.

Local developers have also created a considerable amount of local context such as weather apps, apps to display cricket scores, surfing apps for the waves, train schedule apps and even specific function apps such as the Sydney Festival. Of course, where the development of apps shine above others is through the new category of augmented reality apps that take advantage of your camera, GPS and compass in the iPhone which allows it to contextualise the information of what’s around you.

Shopping

The shopping experience on these smart devices have transcended traditional shopping apps and one such app called GetPrice is the perfect application for finding the best deal when looking for a variety of products. Simple type digital camera for example and this app will search over 30 stores for the lowest price which is perfect while you’re shopping. Lasso is another app that will definitely be a must have application on your device which collects together the best sales, promotions and catalogues from around Australia as you search for brands, retailers and price. Perfect for while you’re shopping!

International companies such as Gucci, Channel and Hugo Boss have highlighted the future potential of shopping with the iPhone or iPod Touch. Hugo Boss for instance allows access to their wide range of clothing and their app has a great function that assists in matching up clothing or finding that right item. For example, take a picture of the colour of your jeans and this app will attempt to suggest what would be a good match such as a shirt, hat or clothes. Yeager, a luxury watch company have created an app that is extremely interactive and not only displays their impressive line-up of watches but you can even mix and match bands. They even go one step beyond traditional shopping apps by including video clips of how to put a watch together and it encourages you to put it back together via a mini-game. Programs such as these definitely take advantage of these smart devices and assist the user in interacting with their brand.

Of course it’s easy to see why gaming has grown so rapidly on the iPhone & iPod Touch and with over 20,000 games currently available, many developers are targeting the innate features of these devices such as the built-in accelerometer. Best of all, these games target everyone from casual gamer to hardcore, children to adults and a plethora of different genres. Developers are setting a new standard for apps with a key facet being ease of use and of course multiplayer capabilities. With the built-in capabilities of Bluetooth and WiFi, games take on a new form when you’re playing with friends or enemies. The current game releases boast some incredible 3D environments with detailed characters, movies, textures and lighting which are all seen on high-end consoles.

One game in particular that uses both the accelerometer and the multiplayer functions of these devices is Harry Potter that is an official app from Warner Bros that assists in reaching out to its fans and is the perfect tool to build some hype before the next movie. In the game, you play a student at Hogwarts that allows you to cast spells at your opponents through the accelerometer capabilities of the smart device and simply by moving your device in a particular shape, it will cast a certain spell at your opponent. With offensive and defensive spells, there is no limit to the games that you will play but best of all, it supports both local and online multiplayer fun. It even boasts online leader boards for your house at Hogwarts, global rankings and even the ability to post your scores on FaceBook. At $5.99AUD, it’s definitely value for money, so ready your wands… err… iPhones and iPod touches.

Feel like some music? Why not give Rock Band a go which is almost identical to the home console version that allows you to play music by matching up the colours with the notes on your multi-touch display. By hitting the notes at the correct time, it will play a correct note on your instrument but best of all, it supports WiFi and Bluetooth so you can really start your own rock band. It even boasts crowd meters and overdrive to “rock out” for more points or save a failing band member. No wires needed but just great portability and if you need additional music, why not download some songs from the App Store. Great value for money at $8.99!

Sneak Peeks for the Holiday Season

Apple hinted at some of the games you should be looking out for during the holiday period which include NOVA (Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance), Need for Speed Shift, Skies of Glory and Avatar with all four games showcasing the power and capabilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch. The first game that we saw was NOVA, a first person shooter developed by GameLoft which is quite reminiscent of Halo and if you’re a third person shooter fan, than this is the game to get.

As you defend humanity against aliens, you have a variety of weapons up your sleeve and changing them is casually done by the swipe of a finger. Controlling your character takes a little getting use to but the d-pad on the multi-touch display works quite well. With detailed graphics, a smooth frame rate, NOVA has a plethora of varied gaming environments. With that said, it seems like this game may be the new template for upcoming first person shooters.

EA’s latest Need for Speed game Shift is another title about to be available on the App Store that promises gamers a variety of official cars and some impressive gameplay. Having a little play of this game, I was surprised at how more engaging it was compared to the previous game and the accelerometer and touch screen worked surprisingly well. As you point your device down to speed up or hold it left or right to turn, a new feature was the ability to use gears or play “stick” and simply by flicking your finger up on the gearstick image, it allowed you to change gear which is perfect for sliding around corners. Once again the developers have aimed at not just the casual gamer but also the hardcore gamer.

Skies of Glory is another upcoming game, however it’s a free app and if you enjoy flight simulator games than you definitely should try it out. And then, if you enjoy the game, additional planes and campaigns can be purchased as you dodge bullets from friends and the AI via Bluetooth and WiFi. The developers have put in some thought about this game as each plane is different and you can even get statistics, helping you with your choice. Lastly, the graphics were pure bliss from detailed terrains, gorgeous lighting, especially the sun and some highly detailed planes . The controls do take some time getting use but the accelerometer works well in conjunction with the multitouch display as you touch paddles on the screen to move left and right and of course fire your bullets. Even though it’s very sensitive, it suits this genre perfectly. Very realistic.

Lastly, we have James Cameron Avatar that ties in with the movie and helps draw the viewer into this wondrous universe. At it’s core, it’s an action adventure game that pays homage to those great platform games and contains a plethora of well designed levels. Set 20 years before the movie, it could be considered a prequel to the upcoming movie and it boasts amazing 3D environments as you run, jump and attack your way to victory. It’s a fun game that features some of the best graphics that I have seen on the iPhone and iPod Touch which appears to be very reminiscent of the movie trailers. Definitely something to keep your eye on.

Andrew Bistak, Editor

iconic aussie films’ sweep the 2009 afi AWARDS

SAMSON & DELILAH wins 7 AFI awards

BALIBO wins 4 AFI awards

MELBOURNE, Monday, 14 December 2009 – The Madman ICONIC AUSSIE FILMS range of releases have garnered a major sweep of awards at the 2009 Samsung Mobile AFI Industry and Ceremony Awards. 

The talk of the Australian Film Industry in 2009, SAMSON & DELILAH took out Best Film, Best Direction (Warwick Thornton), Best Original Screenplay and a shared AFI Young Actor Award for Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson at Saturday evening’s ceremony, as well as Industry Awards for Best Cinematography (Warwick Thornton), Best Sound and the AFI Member’s Choice Award. 

Making major headlines at home and abroad, and recently controversially banned in Indonesia, Robert Connelly’s BALIBO also picked up a number of major awards, including Best Lead Actor (Anthony LaPaglia), Best Adapted Screenplay (David Williamson, Robert Connolly), Best Supporting Actor (Oscar Isaac), and an AFI Industry Award for Best Editing (Nick Meyers ASE). 

GLASS: A PORTRAIT OF PHILIP IN TWELVE PARTS – Scott Hicks’ study of internationally acclaimed composer, Philip Glass, also picked up a 2009 ceremony award for Best Feature Length Documentary.

ABOUT MADMAN ENTERTAINMENT

MADMAN is Australia’s leading independent home entertainment and theatrical distribution and rights management company. Madman proudly showcases the best in collectable and special interest genres including Australian film, world cinema, TV kids’ content and Japanese animation, (anime). Other rights management activities include online distribution, licensing for television as well as VOD, hotel and airline.

Put simply, Madman is mad for entertainment.

Madman is owned by Funtastic Limited, one of Australia’s largest wholesalers of consumer products into retail outlets and an Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) listed company.

LucasArts Announces Star Wars^®: The Force Unleashed^™ II 

Sydney, Australia. – December 14, 2009 – The Star Wars^® Saga continues in 2010 with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, a sequel to the blockbuster videogame developed by LucasArts. 

Released in 2008, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed remains the fastest-selling Star Wars game ever, with sales of nearly seven million units worldwide. The action game garnered numerous accolades including the WGA Award for outstanding achievement in writing for videogames.

 With Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, the epic story continues as players once again assume the role of the devastatingly powerful Starkiller – Darth Vader’s secret apprentice set during the largely unexplored era between Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. 

“Executive Producer Haden Blackman and his team have been able to build on the core foundation of the award-winning original and create a powerful combination of engrossing story-telling and intense action. The Force Unleashed II gives fans an opportunity to wreak havoc on an even greater scale in the Star Wars universe,” said LucasArts’ President Darrell Rodriguez.  

More information about the game can be found at the official website, www.unleashed2010.com, which will continue to release details throughout the year. 

About LucasArts

LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Will Publish the Rocksteady Studios Sequel Worldwide
Sydney, Australia – December 14, 2009 –

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that it will be the worldwide publisher of the sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum™, one of the year’s most highly reviewed and top selling video games. The sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum is currently in development with Rocksteady Studios and is based on DC Comics’ core Batman property. Fans can visit www.arkhamhasmoved.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game.

“We are thrilled to build a global game franchise from Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is receiving an incredible response from gamers and Batman fans around the world,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Rocksteady has taken Batman to a new level in the video game space and we are committed to delivering a sequel the fans will love.”

“Getting the opportunity to create Batman: Arkham Asylum and seeing its success hasbeen a dream come true for the team,” said Sefton Hill, Game Director, Rocksteady Studios. “We are honored to create the next chapter in this compelling story and promise to deliver another game worthy of the DARK KNIGH.”

About DC Comics DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English?language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as SUPERMAN, BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN and the SANDMAN. These DC SUPER HEROES and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live?action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics’ Web site is located at www.dccomics.com

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC?based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Software © 2009 Eidos Interactive Ltd. Developed by Rocksteady Studios Ltd. Co published by Eidos, Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. Rocksteady and the Rocksteady logo are trademarks of Rocksteady Studios Ltd. Eidos and the Eidos logo are trademarks of Eidos Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

BATMAN and all characters, their distinctive likenesses, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics © 2009. All Rights Reserved. WBIE LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

UFC UNDISPUTED 2010 was revealed this weekend on the Spike VGA awards. That’s right – the World’s Best MMA game is going to get even better. The first ever trailer including gameplay footage featuring some of the awesome new content in 2010 is now available (more than a few reveals in the trailer, so watch closely).

Free Version of Well-Reviewed Puzzle Game on the App Store Now!

Gothenburg, Sweden & Tampere, Finland – December 11th, 2009 – Legendo Entertainment and Innogiant today announced that a lite version of its original falling block puzzler Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! is available on the AppStore now.

The full game has already garnered favorable feedback from within the iPhone community:

• App-reciation Reviews awarded the game a solid 5/5 and said “…a fresh new challenge built on a unique concept that makes it stand out from the rest.”
   
• Ve3tro.com recently reviewed the game awarding it 9.5/10 while saying “…if someone owns an iPhone and doesn’t pick up Spooky Spirits—well they’re doing themselves a disservice.”
   
• TouchMyApps awarded the game their Grab It rating and said “This is what happens if you cross Ghostbusters and Tetris.”

Watch the trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/legendoentertainment#p/u/0/PXFnZ5tKnOI

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! offers a unique twist on the classic falling block and “match-2” gameplay format. In the game, players build and expand stacks of Spookies in any direction and in any amount.

Features:

• In the Panic Mode, players must clear each level by catching an appropriate amount of Spookies before the screen overfills.
   
• Puzzle Mode is a relaxed mode with no stress – players must outsmart the Spookies’ clever puzzles and beat them in their own game using only a limited number of blocks.
   
• Eternity Mode is a Tetris-inspired exhaust mode that just keeps going for as long as players can keep it at or reach the max-score of 9,999,999 points (that’s A LOT of Spookies to catch!).
   
• Swipe the screen to control the game, left and right selects blocks, up swaps them and down drops them!

Search “spooky spirits” on the AppStore to download and try the Lite version now! The full game is on sale for $1.99 (£1.19 or €1.59).

About Legendo Entertainment
Legendo Entertainment is an independent publisher and developer of computer and video games based on myths, legends, classic novels and historical events. Though its headquarters are located in Sweden, Legendo uses a distributed development model employing top talent from across the world. Legendo currently publishes and develops for the PC, Nintendo’s Wii system and Apple’s iPhone / iPod Touch.

About Innogiant
Innogiant is a newly founded games outfit located in Tampere, Finland. The studio specializes in developing downloadable games for handheld devices with its first title being Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! for Apple’s iPhone / iPod Touch.