World Screen

NEW YORK: Logo, MTV Networks’ channel dedicated to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender audience, is ramping up its original programming, with four new shows given the greenlight. The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi looks at the celebrity-filled, high-stress …

LONDON: The Walt Disney Company EMEA has released some of the findings of what it is calling the biggest-ever pan-European survey of tweens, exploring the media habits of more than 3,000 8- to 14-year-olds in six key markets. The research …

NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE: Former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is heading to Fox News to serve as a regular commentator. According to the network, Palin has signed a multiyear deal to offer commentary and analysis on Fox News, …

NEW YORK: The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop has announced the inaugural Cooney Center Prizes for Innovation in Children’s Learning, a competition recognizing innovative ideas in children’s digital media and learning. The program will annually award cash prizes …

PARIS/HANOI: Following its partnership with pubcaster VTV last June, Canal+ Group has launched the K+ channel package in Vietnam, offering up more than 50 local and international services. In June 2009, Canal+ and VTV inked a deal to launch a satellite-delivered pay-TV …

NEW YORK: The new six-episode docu-soap Harry Loves Lisa, featuring Lisa Rinna and husband Harry Hamlin, is set to join the lineup of TV Land’s prime-time programming block, TV Land PRIME, this fall. Rinna, known for her roles on Melrose …

SCOTTSDALE: A new report by In-Stat sees strong potential for 3D viewing in the home, with 64 percent of consumers indicating an interest in the technology, while the number of 3D TV shipments worldwide is set to reach 41 million …

NEW YORK: The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is now accepting entries for the 2010 International Emmy Awards competition, with a deadline of February 5. Eligible submissions must have been created and initially distributed outside the U.S. The …

LOS ANGELES: Simon Cowell has confirmed that he will leave American Idol at the end of this season, focusing his efforts instead on launching The X Factor in the U.S. on FOX, which is slated for fall 2011.  Cowell will …

This article originally appeared in the MIPCOM ’09 issue.   As a former speech therapist with a passion for theater, Andrew Davenport has always been fascinated with language, drawing and the use of comedy as a universal tool for communicating. …