World Screen

LOS ANGELES: Former Fox Filmed Entertainment chief Bill Mechanic and Hairspray director Adam Shankman have signed on to produce the 82nd Academy Awards, airing March 7, 2010, on ABC. Mechanic, previously chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, is the …

BURBANK: Starz Media’s The Dog Who Saved Christmas has been slated for ABC Family’s Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming event. The two-hour originally movie will make its worldwide premiere on ABC Family on November 29 at 8 p.m. …

NEW YORK: The Mirage Group has sold the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise to Nickelodeon for $60 million, ending its long-running licensing and production partnership with 4Kids Entertainment, which received $9.75 million for the early termination of its contract. 4Kids Entertainment’s contract …

NEW YORK: Comedy Central has secured an agreement with Twentieth Television for the exclusive basic cable syndication rights to the FX comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in a multi-year deal that kicks off in summer 2010. Following the …

ABU DHABI: twofour54 ibtikar: creative lab has been set up to provide grant funding for projects across all platforms from young Arabs in the media and entertainment sector. twofour54 ibtikar, the media industry funding and support pillar of twofour54 Abu Dhabi, …

MADRID/NEW YORK: Spain’s PRISA, whose assets include Cuatro, Digital+ and Portugal’s TVI, has acquired a 12-percent stake in U.S. Hispanic broadcaster V-me, with a view to taking majority control within the next 12 months. The 24-hour digital-broadcast service, presented by …

LOS ANGELES: From Reveille, the producers of The Biggest Loser, comes a new series for NBC that features fitness and wellness expert Jillian Michaels as she helps inspire families to live healthier lives.  Losing It with Jillian will focus on a …

ENGLEWOOD: Starz Entertainment is to launch five additional HD channels, rolling them out in phases beginning early to mid-2010.  Starz In Black HD and Starz Cinema HD will round out the complete Starz channel lineup in high definition. IndiePlex HD …

LONDON: Sky1 has commissioned CPL Productions to produce a 30-minute pilot for A League of Their Own, a new panel show in which celebrity contestants compete to determine who has the most in-depth sporting knowledge. Gavin & Stacey star James Corden will …

LOS ANGELES: Barbara Wellner has been named VP of programming for Metan Development Group. Wellner was part of the team that developed and launched FX. As senior producer, she was involved in the development and production of live, original programming. She went …