Set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising® and three years before the start of Dead Rising 2, Chuck along with his young infected daughter, Katey, find themselves trapped in the zombie infested desert town of Still Creek. It’s up to Chuck to find a way out of town, and locate the Zombrex Katey must take to prevent her from joining the ranks of the undead.

Just like in the full game, players in Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will use Chuck’s handyman skills and a roll of duct tape to combine two items to create powerful combo weapons. Not only do combo weapons make killing zombie sprees more fun but they also have the added benefit of earning Chuck additional ‘Prestige Points’ which in turn result in quicker leveling up.

Players who download Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as ‘Player Level’, to a maximum of five, ‘Prestige Points’ alongside skills, ‘Combo Cards’ and a number of alternate outfits.

“With Dead Rising 2: Case Zero we had two goals: provide newcomers with an easy point of entry to the Dead Rising universe, and give fans of the series an insight into what took place after Frank West survived the outbreak at the Willamette Mall,” said Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s Head of R&D Management Group and Executive Producer for Dead Rising 2. “We have certainly achieved both of these ambitions but I am equally pleased that we are able to give gamers so much unique and entertaining content at such a great price.”

For all of you developer types with iPads, Endloop has released the newest iteration of iMockups. With lots of bug fixes, iMockups v1.08 also has loads of new features, some of which are featured in this short video:

iMockups is available now in the iTunes App Store for a very reasonable $9.99.

According to Big Stack’s last tweet, Ph03nix New Media has just launched their latest Facebook game, Solitaire and the City. I can’t find much in the way of information about the game other than an icon and its Facebook page thought, which is a little disappointing as this makes it difficult to give you any advance information you’d like to have before giving the game a try.

Mafia® II (2K Games), a title which Vancouver’s Massive Bear Studio had a hand in, will have a downloadable demo available worldwide on August 10 for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and Windows PC. Set in the fully realized and immersive 1940’s and 1950’s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay, soon all gamers will be able to experience the decadent and meticulously crafted atmosphere, intense shooting and driving gameplay, and character narrative in the M rated Mafia II that is set to be released on August 24 in North America.

The Mafia II demo invites gamers to dive into the “Buzzsaw” level, where Vito and his buddies, Joe and Henry, are sent to take out a mobster known as “The Fat Man”. While the epic game spans two decades, the Buzzsaw demo takes place during the summer of the ‘50s – a time considered the “Birth of Cool”, and with it, rock ‘n’ roll, hot rods, and rebellious attitudes. The demo showcases the type of vibrant edge-of-your-seat action, as well as a slice of the expansive city of Empire Bay in the colorful era.

Mafia II looks to be the industry’s most compelling action crime game to date. Players take control of Vito Scaletta, who is making a name for himself on the streets of Empire Bay. He’s someone who can be trusted to get a job done. Together with his buddy Joe, he is working to prove himself to the Mafia quickly escalating up the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequences… the life as a wise guy isn’t quite as untouchable as it seems.

Wavefront AC has just announced a Rogers Ventures Matchmaking Session for Canadian entrepreneurs and innovators that will be held in Vancouver on August 23rd. To reiterate the Wavefront announcement, this is a great opportunity for wireless and new media startups looking for Seed or Series A funding. On average, Rogers Ventures invests $250K-$1M in companies and investment can go larger or smaller depending on the company’s requirements and the opportunity.

Rogers Ventures will be pre-selecting companies to participate in this matchmaking session. Wavefront will notify selected companies on August 16th to coordinate meeting time and preparation details. Each participant company will have 15 minutes to pitch their idea and a 15-minute Q&A session afterward. Please see the Wavefront information page for complete details on how to apply and to see if you have what Rogers Ventures is looking for in a startup.

The incredible Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation opens at The Banff Centre on July 24, 2010, capping a six-year, $100-million capital project at the renowned Rocky Mountain arts and conference centre located in Banff National Park, Alberta.

This 21,000 sq. ft. facility will be the new hub of The Banff Centre, with three levels of learning and meeting rooms, innovative rehearsal and performance space, plus informal gallery areas, cafe/lounge and the Paul D. Fleck Library & Archives.

Building in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park has its challenges, and the architecture firm was well prepared, having already done the Banff Centre Master Plan (2004) and the Centre’s Sally Borden Building (2007). “The multi-disciplinary purposes of the Banff Centre and its setting have guided the design to ensure the protection of the natural beauty, wildlife and environment within the park”, said Jack Diamond, principal with Diamond and Schmitt Architects. The Kinnear Centre is a welcoming and inspirational space suffused with natural light that fills the atrium. Classrooms and meeting areas have floor to ceiling windows offering exceptional mountain views with balconies and exterior wood slats to mitigate glare that might otherwise disturb wildlife migration through the park. A zinc cladding resembles the extant weathered cedar of other buildings on campus.

The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, one of Canada’s premier arts libraries, is home to thousands of music scores and recordings, a rare collection of art books, and more than 75 years of historical cultural documents accumulated since the inception of The Banff Centre.

The building scheme employs a variety of sustainable initiatives including an efficient exterior building envelope, sun shading to reduce energy use and a storm water management system, all of which meets the requirements for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standards.

“The Kinnear Centre is an interdisciplinary crossroads – a meeting place where innovative arts and ideas, and creative leadership will flourish,” said Mary E. Hofstetter, President & CEO, The Banff Centre.

Dignitaries attending the opening ceremony include HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, The Honourable Donald Ethell, Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, Jeff Kovitz, Chair, Banff Centre Board of Governors, Mary E. Hofstetter, President & CEO, The Banff Centre and Jack Diamond and Donald Schmitt, principals at Diamond and Schmitt Architects.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is the latest game for the Nintendo DS family of systems. The game combines imaginative game play with social fun, setting players out on an epic adventure. Maps allow players to find otherwise inaccessible special dungeons called grottoes, which can contain rare items or enemies. In Tag Mode, treasure maps and customized greetings can be exchanged automatically by players who come within range of one another. For a complete list of participating GameStop/EB Games locations across Canada please visit the Dragon Quest product page on the GameStop web site.

Ubisoft Montreal has announced an Assassin’s Creed comic book mini-series is currently in development and due for release this fall. Developed by Eisner Award nominees and Shuster Award-winning illustrators Cameron Stewart (Batman & Robin, Seaguy and Catwoman) and Karl Kerschl (Superman and The Flash), the Assassin’s Creed comic mini-series will be unveiled during a panel to be held on July 22, 2010 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. in Room 7AB at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Moderated by G4TV’s Morgan Webb, the panel entitled “Assassin’s Creed: Behind and Beyond the Brotherhood” will include details of the new comic series and the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood video game release. Featured panelists will include Stewart and Kerschl, along with Jeffrey Johalem, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood video game scriptwriter. Stewart and Kerschl recently visited Saint Petersburg, Russia on a research trip for the upcoming project. That visit, along with the teaser video released today, will give fans an inkling on where and when the new Assassin comic series will be taking place. Additional details on the project will be revealed at the Comic-Con panel.

The new comic series is part of Ubisoft Montreal’s UbiWorkshop initiative that encompasses a number of the studio’s projects related to leveraging Ubisoft intellectual properties in entertainment mediums outside of video games, such as comic books.

“We always thought that the Assassin’s Creed universe would be perfect for transmedia initiatives like this new comic series,” said Mathieu Ferland, transmedia senior producer at Ubisoft Montreal. “We are excited to have the fantastic and acclaimed artists Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl working on the project. Ubisoft is looking forward to showing Assassin’s Creed fans what these talented artists have been up to at next week’s Comic-Con panel.”

Following last week’s news that Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, the full feature film based on Capcom’s popular video game, Dead Rising, will be distributed in Europe and North America, we are pleased to confirm more details on when and where fans can view Inafune-san’s directorial debut. Split into a number of episodes that will be distributed over a number of weeks, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, will be made available as a free download exclusively on Xbox Live from August 4th, before going live on www.deadrisingsun.com a week later. As an added bonus, certain episodes will begin with interviews featuring Inafune-san where he will provide insight into the film making process. The movie will also be available on the North American Dead Rising 2 Zombrex Edition as mentioned below.

The full schedule is as follows:

Canadian Dead Rising 2 fans will also be very happy to know that they will be able to nab the North American exclusive Dead Rising 2 – Zombrex Edition on day one of launch – September 28, 2010 – for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $79.99. Enclosed in a two-disc Steelbook case with its own special pack front, the Dead Rising 2 — Zombrex Edition will include cool collectible items and content that will dig deep into the Dead Rising 2 experience.

Available for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, there are some variations between the two editions:

PS3 Dead Rising 2 – Zombrex Edition

- Exclusive Two-Disc Steelbook case includes:
– Dead Rising 2 game disc
– Blu-Ray Disc featuring a High-Definition 24 minute “Making of” featurette
– Complete box contents include:
– Steelbook case (described above)
– Zombrex “Syringe” pen
– Zombrex “Prescription” notepad (25 pages)
– Zombrex “Safety” card
– Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure (16 pages).
– Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook (48 pages)
– Voucher for XMB Dynamic Theme

X360 Dead Rising 2 – Zombrex Edition

- Exclusive Two-Disc Steelbook case includes:
– Dead Rising 2 game disc
– High-Definition game disc with 83 Minute “Zombrex Dead Rising Sun” motion picture and 24 minute “Making of” featurette
– Complete box contents include:
– Steelbook case (described above)
– Zombrex “Syringe” pen
– Zombrex “Prescription” notepad (25 pages)
– Zombrex “Safety” card
– Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure (16 pages).
– Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook (48 pages)

ActiveState, the dynamic language experts offering solutions for Perl, Python, and Tcl, today announced a new Perl Developer Kit (PDK) designed to making it easier for developers to create, build and deploy Perl applications.

ActiveState Perl Dev Kit (PDK) provides essential tools for building and deploying Perl applications. PDK features cross-platform wrapping and application builders for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris*, AIX*, and now HP-UX* plus a suite of tools to speed development and improve code quality across teams. The comprehensive feature set includes PerlApp, PerlCtrl, PerlMSI, PerlNET, PerlSvc, PerlTray, Coverage Analyzer, Filter Builder, Graphical Debugger, PerlCritic and VBScript Converter.

ActiveState Perl Dev Kit 9 now includes:

* Support for the latest version of Perl and ActivePerl 5.12
* For ActivePerl Business, Enterprise and OEM Edition customers, PDK 9 now gives developers the ability to cross-wrap applications to HP-UX, HP’s UNIX operating system, along with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris and AIX.
* Support for 64-bit PerlNET, making it possible to build .NET components using Perl

A 21-day free trial of ActiveState Perl Dev Kit 9 is available for download. One user license pricing starts at $295 US but is being offered at introductory pricing for $245 US through August 15, 2010.

PDK 9 supports ActivePerl 5.8, ActivePerl 5.10 and the new ActivePerl 5.12. * Cross-wrapping to Solaris, AIX, HP-UX requires a minimum of ActivePerl Business Edition used in conjunction with PDK. In April 2010, ActiveState released ActivePerl 5.12 for both its Community and Business Editions. ActivePerl Enterprise Edition for 5.12 will be available before the end of 2010.

Teletoon Canada Inc. has announced its fall 2010 lineup for Teletoon, Teletoon at Night and Teletoon Retro. Launching on Monday, September 6, 2010, Teletoon’s new slate is full of comedy and action, with just the right amount of thrills, chills and belly-aching laughter.

“From kids and young adults to parents and families, we are bringing viewers of all ages more excitement and entertainment through a host of new series and returning comedy and action favourites this fall,” said Carole Bonneau, Vice President, Programming, Teletoon Canada inc. “In addition to breaking new ground with productions like Skatoony and My Babysitter’s A Vampire, we’re also bolstering our programming repertoire with a roster of new series, movies and the latest seasons of our hugely popular titles.”

The Teletoon lineup from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. consists of a wide-array of new programming, including the live-action/animation hybrid game show Skatoony, acclaimed reality-show parody Total Drama World Tour, the highly anticipated new series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, the return of fan-favourites Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and a new season of the hit series Johnny Test among other comedy and action series. Just in time for Halloween, Teletoon is also broadcasting My Babysitter’s A Vampire, the network’s first live-action feature as well the Canadian premieres of Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo and Scooby-Doo! Curse Of The Lake Monster.

Teletoon at Night, the network’s post-9 p.m. block, boasts a programming slate for young adults looking for a smart and irreverent comedy fix. This fall, the block features two new hilarious series The Dating Guy and Archer along with the unpredictable comedy of the Teletoon At Night Pilot Project and new episodes of the celebrated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken. For the nostalgic, Teletoon Retro brings back a blast from the past with returning classics such as The Smurfs, ThunderCats, The Flintstones and The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show.

Ernst and Young have selected the Cofounder, President, and CEO of ParetoLogic as a finalist for their prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award. Elton Pereira leads ParetoLogic as an expert in the security and utility software industry. The enormous growth of ParetoLogic coupled with Pereira’s commitment to charity and community earned him his position in the Information Technology category.

Also named as nominees this year for the Quebec Region are Antoine Carre, Founder & President of leading videogame quality assurance and localization services provider Laboratoires Bug-Tracker Inc. and Éric Brunelle, André d’Orsonnens, Bertrand Pelletier of Druide Informatique Inc., designers and distributors of consumer software, including the well-known program Antidote.

“Our Québec finalists are entrepreneurial leaders and visionaries who have created and built market-leading businesses,” says François Dufresne, Partner and Director of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards in Québec. “Their accomplishments have taken business excellence to new heights, helped create jobs and contributed to the vibrancy of communities across Canada.”

Nominees for the Atlantic Region include:

John Chisholm, President of Arcadia Entertainment, a television production company specializing in international factual content for National Geographic and other broadcasters that focus on ocean and expedition themes.

Michael Donovan, CEO of DHX Media Ltd., a studio with more than 28 years of experience creating, producing and marketing Canadian film and television programming.

Andrew Ayre, CEO of videogame and software developer Other Ocean Interactive, who has studios in Newfoundland as well as the USA.

SaskTel has rolled out an innovative DRM-Free music download service powered by LiveWire Mobile Inc. , a leader in managed personalization services whose head office is in Littleton, MA, with an office in Montreal.

The new service features music tracks from a broad range of major music labels. The company’s 550,000+ wireless subscribers have the option to purchase their music tracks individually or as part of a bundle with other assets ranging from wallpapers and ringtones to ringbacks and mobile apps. Consumers can browse the full range of applications and make their purchases from the SaskTel integrated online storefront, custom developed by LiveWire Mobile. The high quality downloads are available unencrypted in up to 256 Kb/s for purchase and delivery across both PC and mobile channels.

Telefilm Canada has announced that five Canadian directors will premiere at the 63rd edition of the Locarno Film Festival, held August 4 to August 14, 2010. Two features, Curling from filmmaker veteran Denis Côté and L.A. Zombie (Germany / USA / France) from director Bruce Labruce, have been accepted to the prestigious International Competition, where they will be among the 20 films from around the world competing for the “Pardo d’oro” prize (The Golden Leopard). The Festival’s official line-up was unveiled yesterday in the Italian-Swiss town of Locarno.

“Locarno has a long and important history as a hotbed for the new generation of international filmmakers,” said Sheila de La Varende, Director, National and International Business Development at Telefilm Canada. “So many Canadian productions competing on this prestigious world stage is proof of our unique voice and artistic vision.”

“Under three different artistic directions at the Festival, my work has always been encouraged and respected,” said Canadian filmmaker and Locarno veteran Denis Côté. “Without Locarno, the international visibility for my films would have been altogether different. It manifests as highly cinephile, which I am eternally grateful.”

Denis Côté has won five awards in five years at Locarno, including for the films Les États Nordiques (2005), Nos vies privées (2007) and Elle veut le chaos (2008).

Other Canadian films selected to present at this year’s Festival include:

Filmmakers of the Present Competition – competition for emerging filmmakers
Ivory Tower – Adam Traynor
Jo pour Jonathan – Maxime Giroux
You are There – Daniel Cockburn

Jeonju Digital Project (short films): Les Lignes ennemies – Denis Côté

Again this year, Telefilm organized screenings in Montreal for programmers at Locarno to present Canadian films submitted for the 2010 edition of the Festival.

Last week, from July 2 to July 10, six Canadian films were presented at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. Catherine Martin’s Trois temps après la mort d’Anna made its world premiere in the Official Selection, the only North American film featured in the Festival’s Competition this year. Meanwhile, Patrick Demers’ feature film debut Jaloux had its world premiere in the Forum of Independents Competition.

Other Canadian films at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival included:

Open Eyes – features the latest outstanding work: Les Amours imaginaires – Xavier Dolan

Horizons – featuring recent productions from around the world: Chloe – Atom Egoyan

Another View – featuring films with unusual artistic approaches: Tucker and Dale Vs Evil – Eli Craig (Canada / USA)

Focus on Belgium: Mr. Nobody – Jaco Van Dormael, (Canada / Belgium / France / Germany)

“While DeathSpank is definitely one of the funnier games out there, it’s more than a one trick pony,” said Vlad Ceraldi, Director of Game Development for Hothead Games. “We’ve built a game with fast-paced, addictive combat set in a world that has a tremendous amount of depth that is filled with dynamic characters, colorful environments and tons of cool weapons and loot. And yes, we still have ponies too — trick ponies!”

“The team at Hothead has really made the perfect experience for the summer,” said Jamil Moledina, Outreach Director, Business Development for EA Partners. “DeathSpank is a high-end and fun game, yet incredibly accessible. It’s very easy to pick up and play, both in terms of its classic arcade controls, as well as the convenience of downloading it straight to your console.”

Players who download the game, which is rated T for Teen, will be placed in the boots of the mighty DeathSpank, “Dispenser of Justice”, “Vanquisher of Evil” and “Hero to the Downtrodden”, embarking on his life long journey is to search for and find a mysterious artifact known only as, “The Artifact”. Along his journey, DeathSpank will rescue orphans, defeat a local tyrant, help an aging adventurer, and dive headfirst into an even deeper mystery. The game’s accessibility makes for a fun, addictive experience where players will find themselves solving crazy puzzles, collecting massive amounts of loot and hearing witty dialogue. For those with friends, DeathSpank also features local co-operative gameplay, allowing friends to jump in and out of fighting through this adventure on the same console as both DeathSpank and his trusty, magical sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard.

Dead Rising 2 Executive Producer, Keiji Inafune and Producer, Shinsaku Ohara, will be at Comic-Con in San Diego to unveil development stories and discuss the upcoming Zombrex Dead Rising Sun motion picture, with a Q&A session to follow. Their talk will take place on July 22 in Room 25ABC from 12:00-1:00 P.M. If you’re going to Comic-Con, Capcom will be in booth #4844, and the Capcom Store will offer items exclusive to Comic Con – including 10 of the Dead Rising 2 motorcycle jacket.

The Montreal International Game Summit has officially launched their 2010 site and confirmed November 7th & 8th as the date for its 7th annual event. Taking place at the Hilton Bonaventure in Montreal, MiGS offers over 80 sessions and activities, addressing continuing professional training needs, fueling the five main themes of the video game industry: business, arts and visual effects, design, programming and technical aspects. In addition to two keynote speakers, there will be an invited speaker for each of the themes.

Also new this year is a contest to win free admission to this year’s conference. If you want to attend quality conferences and workshops, in addition to meeting video game industry professionals, enter the Montreal Takes Control contest for a chance to win. Send a photo or a drawing on the theme Montreal takes control to Géraldine Philippin. The winner will be chosen based on originality alone. Only one photo or one drawing per participant is allowed. You have until July 27, 2010 to send in your work and your contact information. The winner will be announced August 3rd, 2010 via Facebook, Twitter, and the MiGS newsletter.

The Exhibition Zone is being renewed this year at MiGS. Divided into three distinct sections (Education, Recruitment and Demonstration) to facilitate the visit, the Exhibition Zone will also offer many activities. For this seventh edition, new activities are on the menu such as D3D (a friendly competition simulating the main stages involved in creating a video game) and an open recruitment activity (free access to over 200 students or job seekers in the field of video games, mini interviews with industry professionals). With new advantageous rates, entertainment and competitions, the Exhibition Zone will allow you to take control of your space and showcase your products and services.

Those interested in becoming show sponsors are welcome to organize a competition, activities by the heated pool or give out t-shirts bearing your corporate identity and that of MIGS. Check out the sponsorship opportunities or contact Sylvianne Pilon – customized sponsorship packages are also a possibility.

Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the launch of the Family Feud for iPad® on the App Store for $6.99. The game brings an unparalleled Family Feud game experience to iPad owners, enhanced with eye-popping new HD graphics and incorporating Multi-Touch game play.

Based on one of the most successful family game shows of all time – which premieres its 12th season in syndication with new host Steve Harvey on September 13th (check local listings), iPad owners can now play anywhere, anytime as the leader of a ‘family’ in a contest to name the most popular answers to survey questions posed to 100 people. The game features all of the favorite elements of the show as played on television, including the scoreboard, face offs, strikes, stealing and ‘fast money’ rounds. Players also can enjoy Family Feud in multiplayer mode as they challenge family and friends head-to-head, or compete solo against the computer.

“We are excited to bring the Family Feud game, one of the most popular game shows of all time, to a device as immersive as the iPad,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “This release further reinforces our cross-platform strategy of delivering high quality, family-friendly game experiences on the latest devices on which people like to play games.”

Family Feud for iPad features:

• Eye-popping HD Graphics designed and optimized for the iPad’s advanced capabilities.
• Two game modes: single and multiplayer.
• Fully customizable player avatars – choose hairstyles, clothing, accessories and more.
• Predictive text input and auto spell checker make typing answers lightning fast.
• Unlock bonus items as a reward for progress in the game.
• Authentic stage, theme music and sound effects create a true-to-show game experience.

“After more than three decades on television, the Emmy-award winning Family Feud continues to be one of the most beloved television brands,” said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FME. “We are pleased to extend the franchise to devices like the iPad so that both fans and game show enthusiasts alike can experience Family Feud in thrilling new ways.”

MaRS is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its successful Angel program, created to help its start-up clients connect with new funding sources. Since the program’s inception, more than 50% of presenting companies have received funding, with more recent participants in ongoing dialogue with interested investors.

Five MaRS Angel breakfast events have been held since June 2009 at the MaRS Centre. Clients from three practice areas – ICE (information technology, communications & entertainment), cleantech as well as life sciences and health care) are invited to pitch to a group of accredited investors. Co-Chairs Jim Meenan (MaRS Advisor), Ron Close (MaRS Advisor) and Jim Rae (a prominent life sciences executive) facilitate the company selection process and host the MaRS Angel breakfast events. The participating angel investors are highly regarded in their respective industries, with many sourced through personal networks from MaRS advisors, staff and community stakeholders.

Program feedback from both investors and companies has been very positive. “The MaRS Angel event that we attended was a huge success for us,” says Ray Newal, Founder and CEO of Jigsee. “We raised additional angel funds for our recent investment round as a direct result of being selected to present to the group. We were amazed at the high profile investors that these meetings attract. We are also grateful for the guidance and pitch coaching we received from the MaRS team in preparing for this event.”

Canaccord Genuity, the leading independent advisory and restructuring firm in Canada, was the first company to come on board in a sponsorship capacity – providing the funds to launch the program.

“The MaRS Angel program is playing a vital role in connecting entrepreneurs with qualified investors. Given the need for early-stage funding that this new generation of companies requires, we’re delighted to be a supporter of this program,” says David Kassie, Group Chairman, Canaccord Genuity.

The funds raised from angels are often the first substantial source of financing for early stage science and technology companies. “Through our Advisory Services group, MaRS has a unique window on a new generation of emerging companies,” says Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of MaRS. “We are very pleased with the feedback from respected angel investors. They appreciate that presenting companies are very well prepared for these meetings. Furthermore, they view MaRS as a valuable resource to help them grow companies over the longer term. Given the financing deals completed over the first year in a tough investing climate, it is clear this process is working.”
Absolute® Software Corporation, the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure computer lifecycle management solutions announced today that they have won an International Stevie Award for Best New Product or Service of the Year – Computer Software – New Version for Absolute Manage in The 2010 International Business Awards. The International Business Awards are the only global, all-encompassing business awards program honoring great performances in business.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala dinner on Monday, 27 September in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Winning this award demonstrates that with the new features and functionality launched this year and those we continue to develop, including support for iOS 4, Absolute Manage is a world-class computer lifecycle management solution,” said Peter Frankl, Vice President of Lifecycle Management at Absolute Software. “Absolute Manage is one of the only computer lifecycle management solutions that can truly support a PC and Mac mixed environment while helping IT reduce costs and increase efficiencies.”

Recipients of International Stevie Award trophies were selected from more than 1,700 entries received from organizations and individuals in more than 40 countries.

“Despite the harsh economic climate, entries to the IBAs actually grew a bit this year, and that illustrates the increasing importance of The International Business Awards worldwide,” said Michael Gallagher, president of The Stevie Awards, presenters of the IBAs. “We congratulate all of the Finalists and International Stevie Awards winners, and we look forward to honoring them for their achievements at our gala awards dinner in Istanbul on 27 September.”

Revolutionary On-Demand software from Markham, Ontario’s Carlton Group is able to replace the traditional and expensive legacy systems many companies have used to manage employee recognition and service awards. On-Demand software is an alternative that provides a robust yet cost-effective solution to companies large and small. Now any size company can have the power to motivate and engage their employees, sales teams and channel partners with Carlton Group’s On-Demand solution called Power2Motivate (P2M).

In the past, companies have had little choice but to use expensive, inflexible legacy software systems to manage their programs. Costly to set-up and maintain, legacy systems require additional IT programming for every change, lengthy deployment times, and significant costs to reuse or transfer client-specific updates.

With Carlton’s breakthrough Power2Motivate solution clients can now launch programs quickly, deploying as many unique programs as they want, all within a simple pricing model. All P2M solutions are built and launch-ready – no IT required. A company simply adds their employee data and they’re ready to get started.

More importantly, P2M’s On-Demand design simultaneously deploys any new features, products and enhancements to all users globally. Over the past twelve months, P2M deployed more than 200 unique upgrades alone – all at no additional cost to clients.

P2M uses a “Collaborative Development” process that links client requests with the program design team. The team develops and then deploys these enhancements universally to be shared by the entire P2M user community. The result is a more robust technology system that benefits all its users.

Toronto’s Canada Type font design studio has come to a font distribution agreement with American distributor Ascender Corporation. The design studio, which was founded by Rebecca Alaccari and Patrick Griffin in early 2004, has created a variety of high-quality typefaces popular with design professionals and creative enthusiasts. The Canada Type fonts have appeared on everything from large corporate projects to small personal design work.

“We don’t believe people should have to choose between quality and creativity when choosing a font,” said Griffin, co-founder of Canada Type. “We feel Ascender shares this belief. It is reflected in their passion for creating and licensing high quality, innovative typefaces. We look forward to seeing where Ascender can take our font collection.”

The Canada Type font collection will add a number of enhanced versions of historical typefaces and expertly-designed original fonts to Ascender’s diverse collection of fonts. This includes an impressive lineup of popular script fonts and a variety of exclusive psychedelic fonts from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Canada Type fonts are available in both TrueType and OpenType formats and can be found on the Ascender Fonts website. Ascender is also proud to offer the Canada Type fonts to its broad range of OEM/ISV customers including video game and Blu-ray publishers, software developers, web server application developers, and hardware manufacturers.

Following a recent announcement solidifying exclusive long-term distribution agreements for 10 new programs, Tricon Films & Television is pleased to let us know about the sale of three of its signature properties, Family Renovation, Marriage Under Construction and House of Bryan to leading US specialty networks.

HGTV US has picked up all three seasons of Marriage Under Construction (39 X 30), a docu-soap that follows the personal and physical struggle of a newlywed couple renovating their first home for the first time. The series is produced by Tricon Films & Television and airs on HGTV Canada.

Sold to DIY Network are Family Renovation (13×30) and House of Bryan (13 X 30). Both are currently airing on HGTV Canada. House of Bryan challenges renowned host of Disaster DIY, Bryan Baeumler, to build his own home from the ground up in just six months. The series is produced by SI Entertainment. Family Renovation, produced by Ocean Entertainment, follows one family’s home renovation experience while living through it.

These three new sales add to Tricon’s existing roster of programming sold to networks in the US and around the world, with distribution sales to-date reaching over 120 countries.

Congratulations are due to Tickle Tap Apps developer zinc Roe, the proud recipient of three Parents’ Choice Awards in the highly competitive Mobile Apps category. Sound Shaker and Sort Slider both earned Gold Awards for highest quality apps while Count Caddy was recognized with Silver Honors for excellence. These popular apps are educational iPhone games preschoolers love and parents can feel good about.

To celebrate the awards, zinc Roe will be giving away Bug Builder, the newest app in the Tickle Tap series, for free! Visit the iTunes App Store on Saturday, July 3 or Sunday, July 4 and type “Bug Builder” into the search to download your free app.

The venerable Parents’ Choice Foundation has been reviewing and recommending quality children’s media for more than three decades. This year it was inundated with entries for its new Mobile Apps category. Apps were judged based on overall ratings for how each app amused and offered new ways to learn. The judges describe Tickle Tap Apps as “a charming introduction to learning anytime and anywhere.”

“zinc Roe design offers a suite of bright and colorful apps for the youngest users,” says the Parents’ Choice Awards review of the Tickle Tap apps. “With its welcoming continuity of voice and characters, this age-appropriate playful prologue is deliciously intriguing to those eager to learn.”

Tickle Tap Apps are attractive, simple games that help kids learn about numbers, shapes and patterns. The apps are developed by child gaming experts, vetted by educational researchers and tested by kids. These portable games help transform trips, line-ups and car rides into fun, educational experiences for young children.

U.S. publisher 505 Games and Canadian developer Artificial Mind and Movement (A2M) have released the bears – Naughty Bear is now available for the Xbox 360™ and PlayStation®3 platforms. The game allows players to take on the role of the infamous Naughty Bear, who is driven to seek retribution after his fellow bears snub him one time too many times. After the other bears exclude him from Daddles’ big birthday party, Naughty Bear finally snaps and slashes a grisly path of revenge and destruction across the Island of Perfection.

Waging psychological warfare against all things cute and fluffy, as Naughty Bear, players engage in sadistic scuffles on all that crosses their path. Using a hilarious array of weapons, interactive objects and endless scare tactics, gamers create chaos on the Island of Perfection to earn Naughty Points as they inflict physical and psychological harm on Naughty Bear’s numerous enemies. This all-new scare-based points system allows players to win the most rewards for being truly deviant and maniacal. As the ill-fated bears become more difficult to harass and terrorize as the game progresses, the variety of scare-based attacks allow for a completely new experience each time players pick up a controller.

Rated by the ESRB as “T” for Teens with a “Violence” content descriptor, Naughty Bear features more than 28 single player levels to unlock as well as competitive online multiplayer modes filled with unique characteristics and weaponry encountered at every stage. Players battle an endless barrage of bears recruited to wage war against Naughty, including Soldier Bears, Ninja Bears, Robo Bears and even an Alien Bear invasion. As they scour the Island of Perfection to unleash their naughtiness, players can collect all the hidden party items locked away by the other bears to win wearable items and unlock special Achievements and Trophies.

Transgaming has just announced that Her Interactive’s title Nancy Drew: Trail of the Twister is now available on GameTree Online for Mac gamers. Download the game for only $19.99 and then go undercover as a storm chaser, immersing yourself in meteorology by studying clouds, reading Doppler data, and surviving tornadoes – all while trying to find a saboteur.

For the second time in as many weeks, Canadian rockers Nickelback have ventured into the musical game genre, this time with California-based developer Tapulous. The studio is extending its wildly popular Tap Tap Revenge franchise with the launch of Nickelback Revenge, which is available now for $4.99 in the iTunes App Store. The new game features eleven of Nickelback’s most popular all-time songs, including “Rockstar,” “This Afternoon,” and “If Today Was Your Last Day.”

“The combination of our music and Tapulous’ gameplay is very cool. We’re excited to give our fans a fun, interactive way to experience our music,” said Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.

A premium version of Tapulous’ addictive music rhythm game, Nickelback Revenge sets gameplay to the band’s biggest hits and integrates engaging Nickelback graphics and content. The game also includes a popular Bluetooth-based “battle mode” which allows players to wirelessly challenge friends to point-by-point battles for bragging rights.

“We’re thrilled to bring Nickelback to Tap Tap Revenge. Our players are always hungry for more great music, and Nickelback definitely fits the bill,” explained Tim O’Brien, VP of business development at Tapulous. “Whether measured by album sales, song downloads or concert attendance, Nickelback is huge.”

To kick off the launch, Tapulous and Roadrunner Records, Nickelback’s worldwide music label, are running a special promotion: The first 2,500 consumers to download the game will receive 25 in-game credits — good towards the purchase of more music — and a chance to win a Gibson Flying V signed by the band. In addition, players will be challenged to “Outplay Nickelback,” or beat the band members’ highest in-game scores. Players who best Chad, lead guitarist Ryan Peake, bass guitarist Mike Kroeger and/or drummer Daniel Adair will be entered to win weekly prizes, including Dark Horse tour books and premium earphones.

Consumers across the globe are embracing the Internet as a primary source of information, but Canadians are unique in their use of digital and social media. The 2010 Digital Influence Index, released in Canada today by Fleishman-Hillard in conjunction with Harris Interactive, reveals that Canadians have high online engagement but a lower level of trust in the Internet.

The study also measures several key aspects of consumers’ use of the Internet, from media consumption patterns, to the degree of adoption of various digital behaviours, to involvement in social networking. Now in its second year, the Index has expanded to include 48 per cent of the global online population, spanning the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and Canada.

“Canadian consumers are comfortable yet cautious when it comes to using the Internet,” said David Bradfield, senior partner and global chair of Fleishman-Hillard’s digital practice. “We lead the world in social networking and call the Internet our most influential source of information. There’s a gap though. While consumers migrate online, marketers aren’t making the move to digital fast enough. They need to realign their marketing and communication programs or risk irrelevance in the consumers’ mind.”

The Digital Influence Index reveals the following key insights that set Canadian consumers apart from the rest of the world:

1. Internet Most Influential Medium: The Internet is the most important and influential form of media consumed by Canadians. Compared to the 37 per cent of Canadian consumers who say that newspapers are important to their lives, 52 per cent say that the Internet is most important.
2. Canadians are Sociable: Sixty-nine per cent of Canadian consumers have a Facebook account, compared with the 47 per cent average across the seven countries. Though Canadians embrace social media, they are cautious about its use and how much they reveal about themselves.
3. Canadians Seek Accuracy: In Canada, consumers are more likely to identify and follow a couple of trustworthy sources for the most accurate information on the Internet.
4. Cautiously Trusting: Canadians are most likely to seek advice from others when making a decision and value conversations with friends, families and co-workers when it comes to decision-making.
5. Twitter Know-how: Consumers in Canada are the most knowledgeable of microblogs but have low levels of trust in companies that microblog.
6. Pay to Play Doesn’t Pay-off: Consumers call into question the truthfulness of an article written by a blogger if the blogger was given a free sample or was paid by a company.
7. Adopting Mobile Behaviours: Canada has a relatively low level of adopting many mobile digital behaviours compared with other mature markets (U.S., U.K, France, Germany and Japan).
8. Where to From Here: Although the Internet is already considered an influential medium, only 24 per cent of Canadians believe that it will have a greater influence on their decisions in the next two years.

Waterloo’s Primate Labs, developer of the cross-platform Geekbench benchmark, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of Geekbench 2 for iPhone and iPod touch on the iTunes App Store. Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a completely new interface designed for the iPhone and iPod touch, and runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 for other platforms.

“What’s great about Geekbench 2 for iPhone is that it runs the same benchmarks as Geekbench 2 on other operating systems,” says John Poole, founder of Primate Labs. “Users can not only compare their results between other iPhones and iPods, but also between iPhones, iPods, Macs, and PCs.”

Accuracy: Geekbench 2 for iPhone runs a number of different benchmarks, all of which are engineered to simulate real-world usage scenarios. Geekbench quickly and accurately measure processor and memory performance. Geekbench also displays results for each individual benchmark and an average overall score for all benchmarks, allowing users to make both broad and narrow comparisons between devices.

Ease of use: Geekbench 2 for iPhone features a simple user interface with no difficult or confusing benchmark options to set, which takes the guesswork out of producing repeatable and reliable benchmark results.

Community: Geekbench 2 for iPhone integrates with the Geekbench Result Browser. The Geekbench Result Browser allows users to upload, manage, and share their benchmark results online. Users can also compare their results to other results; with over 250,000 results from different sectors and industries (including finance, government, media, and tech) the Geekbench Result Browser provides a rich database for comparisons.

Geekbench 2 for iPhone requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4 or later, and is available today on the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

The National Film Board (NFB) of Canada, which is undergoing the complete digitization of its 70-year film and tape-based collection, has implemented American-developed Atempo Digital Archive (ADA) as the cornerstone archival solution for its preservation efforts. The organization has integrated ADA within its digitization workflow to archive and manage over 13,000 works that make up 6,000 hours of content.

In developing the NFB’s Digitization Plan, the challenge was preserving this priceless audiovisual legacy for future generations while making these collections available to all on the platform of their choice, including theatrical screenings, online streaming and on mobile devices. The new digital archive ensures the reliable long-term retention of the NFB’s collection as well as the efficient management of the exponential growth in data volumes from all new productions. With its cataloguing, indexation and search functionalities, ADA’s broad capabilities make it optimized to meet the NFB’s most critical needs. Furthermore, by seamlessly integrating with the NFB’s existing in-house asset management system, ADA helps streamline content workflows.

A special XML-ingest capability in ADA enables the archival of all digital assets along with all their metadata. In the NFB’s digitization workflow, three separate digital versions are created and archived for each production: the uncompressed Digital Source Master, the Digital Master with treatment of image and sound elements, and an unassembled, compressed mezzanine file that is used to generate copies of the production for other distribution platforms such as streaming broadband or mobile devices. At the same time, each digital version also requires the recording and archival of the film’s metadata, which include the resolution at which it was digitized, the different aspect ratios, the source type, and other content factors. For every 100 titles, the digitization process generates over 10 million metadata entries associated with 30 TB of content and 2.4 million files.

Many of the NFB’s films are repurposed or edited into new works, and ADA’s automation enables the organization to efficiently meet their repurposing mandates by providing platform- and format-specific deliverables to their customers. ADA provides an easy-to-use graphical interface that simplifies metadata searches and allows drag-and-drop archive and retrieval, which enables NFB technicians and collection managers to efficiently search and retrieve works from the archive.

Vancouver’s Maximizer Software Inc. has announced the availability of the first-ever Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and enhanced CRM 11 Entrepreneur Edition, tailored for organizations with individual or up to five networked users that primarily need contact management functionality. The new Team Edition is designed for organizations with 5-50 networked users that demand more advanced sales opportunity management and collaboration. These latest offerings complete the rollout of Maximizer CRM 11 across four editions, with Group and Enterprise Editions previously launched on March 29.

“With today’s small business landscape tougher than ever, professionals are demanding real-time access to critical customer and prospect information—as well as the ability to strategically act on sales pipeline activity—in a moment’s notice,” said William Anderson, executive vice president of technology, Maximizer Software. “Our new ‘Team’ approach to sales was developed with this in mind, as Maximizer CRM 11 enables powerful collaboration and knowledge sharing among colleagues so they can collectively focus on efficiently closing the highest priority sales opportunities, whether in the office or on the road.”

Maximizer CRM 11 offers expanded sales force automation capabilities and tools to proactively monitor and keep sales opportunities moving forward. Team edition specifically offers advanced Sales Opportunity Management, which enables companies to create Sales Teams within the system—whether domestic or international, with time zone support built into related appointments and tasks. Sales managers are able to leverage critical insight into the status of sales deals in the pipeline with real-time access into performance data by representative or sales team, to better focus resources and facilitate stronger collaboration to close key deals. Additionally, sales team members can quickly merge customer information with professional HTML email templates for timely sales outreach and follow-up activities.

Maximizer CRM 11 features a new, intuitive user interface based on Microsoft Office’s familiar “ribbon” style navigation found at the top of Microsoft Office applications. Users can optimize their customer list management by associating specific column views to catalogue searches and “favourites” lists for quicker search results.

Delivered via BlackBerry® devices, Maximizer Mobile CRM gives small business professionals instant access to information in the field, including customers’ history, leads, sales opportunities, dashboards, customer service cases, documents, and schedules. Included in Maximizer CRM 11 Team Edition and available as an add-on product for Entrepreneur Edition, new Maximizer Mobile CRM features include optimized usability, such as a redesigned interface, tighter integration with native BlackBerry applications, and more end-to-end features that enable deeper interaction with real-time customer data. Wireless synchronization is no longer required. Specific new offerings include:

* Real-time access to content, documents and e-mail attachments stored in the central Maximizer CRM database
* GPS functionality with turn-by-turn maps and navigation, which enables mobilized workforces to optimize their time on the road and get new directions on-the-fly if schedules unexpectedly change
* Multimedia support for video, voice and images that can be easily saved to a current Maximizer CRM record
* Mobile CRM multi-user support, which allows users to assign tasks, escalate cases, and assign opportunities to other colleagues without returning to the desktop application

Featuring CRM functionality specifically tailored for smaller teams, Maximizer CRM 11 Team and Entrepreneur Editions are available from Maximizer or through its global network of business partners. Team Edition is priced at $549 MSRP per license, which includes desktop and mobile access, as well as one year of inclusive upgrade assurance and technical support. Entrepreneur Edition is available for $199 MSRP and includes desktop access with the option for mobile access as an add-on product with additional license fees. Please inquire for full pricing and promotional offers valid until August 31, 2010.

Updated with link: Mattel Canada is taking the new Hot Wheels® Colour Shifters™ collection for a road trip across Canada this summer. They are stopping over at 50 Canadian community festival events between now and September. Mattel Canada’s Assistant Brand Manager Melissa Chau will officially launch the summer tour tomorrow morning at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square. The summer road trip is meant to show off the new life-size Colour Shifter Ford Mustang, and kids who attend the launch event tomorrow can help change the colour of the car, play with Hot Wheels® toys and also receive a special Hot Wheels® collector booklet, T-shirt and more.

Tickets for Interactive Ontario’s IN 2010 are now on sale, with Super Early Bird and special rates for those delegates who attended the event last year expiring on July 16th. This cross-platform, multi-stream conference about the business and ideas of interactivity will take place from September 12-14 at the Carlu in Toronto. The conference will be divided into the following streams:

Mobile: The IN Mobile stream will present sessions from case studies to discussions about the latest and greatest key developments, the current status and future development trends in wireless technology.

Social Media: Social Media at IN will focus on the creative and business opportunities in a sector which is continuously reinventing itself through user-generated content. Showcasing leading-edge projects and discussions about the newest communication platforms, these sessions will explore marketing, collaboration, information sharing, and experimental crossovers.

Games: The video games industry continues to be one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. With an eye toward intellectual property, which is exploitable along multiple entertainment verticals, this stream brings creative, production and business perspectives to the table at IN 2010. Industry veterans will discuss current trends, explore leading-edge projects and examine the challenges and opportunities that exist in crossover projects.

X-Platform: This stream focuses on the opportunities that lie in the digital media content space as it continues to grow by showcasing the interconnectedness of various interactive sectors within cultural and digital media industries. This stream highlights the potential creative and business opportunities that exist between platforms.

Visionary: The visionary stream is dedicated to showcasing thought-leaders. Made up of the innovators, originators, inventors and explorers of big ideas. These forward-thinkers share their vision and in turn, incite new ways of thinking about business models, interactivity, and technology.

A release date has been set in zombie blood for Dead Rising 2. Fans of this survival-horror title from CapCom and Blue Castle Games can assimilate the persona of motorcycle racer Chuck Greene on September 28th. Dead Rising 2 is listed at Future Shop for $59.99 (Xbox 360) and $64.99 (PS3), while Best Buy lists both versions at $59.99. Neither store lists a PC version, and the CapCom US store doesn’t yet list Dead Rising 2 at all. GameStop Canada also neglects the PC version, but it does offer the strategy guide for pre-order.

CapCom also confirmed late last week that Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, a motion picture inspired by the Dead Rising universe, will be distributed free of charge in both Europe and North America this summer. Written and directed by Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s global head of research and development, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun follows two brothers as they try to escape the zombie outbreak that has hit Japan. Exploring the darker side of human nature and filmed entirely on location in Japan, Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, both pays homage to the zombie movies of the 1960s and ‘70s and provides links with the videogame world of Dead Rising®.

Zombrex Dead Rising Sun will be released digitally in a series of eight episodes which Dead Rising and zombie movie fans can watch for free. Featuring an English voice over, the episodes will also be available as separate versions with French, Spanish and Italian subtitles.

Vancouver indie studioAll Seeing Eye Games has launched its debut title exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Drum Studio, available for 80 Microsoft Points, allows players to play, record, edit, save and playback their own song creations on their Xbox 360 drum kit. It utilizes the full potential of the drum kit to put the power of music creation in the players’ hands.

Game Designer Joel Cappelletto says, “Drum Studio takes music games to a new level with its creation and customization tools. We’re very excited to finally share it with the world.”

Drum Studio does away with playing along to pre-determined drum lines. Instead, players create their own jams on drums they’ve customized from a library of over 320 sounds. A simple & elegant recording interface allows players to layer in multiple tracks and hone their songs to perfection before they save the song, kick back, and watch an animated drummer play back their creation.

The past few years have seen the music game genre explode into a cultural phenomenon only to fizzle out in its own stagnation & over-saturation. Drum Studio aims to push the genre forward in meaningful ways with its robust customization & creation tools and re-ignite some of the passion players felt that first time they sat down at a plastic instrument peripheral.

The dev team over at Montreal’s Gamerizon Studio are celebrating as their sports title Chop Chop Tennis ™ has become the company’s third iPhone game in a row to generate over 1 million downloads on the App Store.

Chop Chop Tennis™ became the #1 downloaded sports game in over 40 countries late last week and during the weekend when it was offered free for a few days. It also reached the top 5 overall downloaded apps in most countries (including #2 in the US and #3 in China ). Chop Chop Tennis is available for a special price of $0.99 for a limited time only on the App Store.

Gamerizon’s first two iPhone games – Chop Chop Ninja™ and Chop Chop Runner™ also reached the magic number earlier this year.

“Reaching the 1 million level is in itself no small feat,” said Alex Sakiz, CEO of Gamerizon. “But when you can do it three times in a row with your first three games, it’s clear you’ve got something very special going on.”

With around 4 million downloads in the last 3 months, the Chop Chop™ series is quickly becoming one of the world’s top gaming franchises on the iPhone/iPad platforms. The next instalment in the series, Chop Chop Soccer™ is scheduled for launch towards the end of July 2010.

Manpower has launched an innovative suite of online and social media tools designed to enhance employee engagement and their overall job search experience, including video interviewing technology, candidate-centric resources, and mobile applications to access up-to-the-minute information.

“These Manpower solutions are leading the way candidates and employers interact”, says Byrne Luft, Vice President of Marketing for Manpower Canada. “The ability to recruit talent and service clients is significantly advanced with the development of these online tools”.

At the core of this innovative strategy is the introduction of Manpower’s video interviewing technology called, “Candidate Studio”. An integral part of our candidate pre-screening process, this new initiative will bring candidates to clients in a way that will change the industry’s recruitment perspective. An industry first, this innovative web-based video tool allows clients to preview candidates from any location, including their smartphones, to gain intuitive impressions in a quick and convenient way.

“Traditional recruiting programs and methodologies are often too slow, too expensive and take up valuable time, and results in higher cost-per-hire, decreased candidate quality and satisfaction, and higher turnover. This technology will address these issues, and expedite the recruitment process in an effortless way that will ultimately impact the quality of hire that we deliver to our clients”, says Luft.

Manpower is also the first staffing firm in Canada to invest heavily into search engine job optimization to attract talent to our career site. Manpower has customized landing pages for every possible search that job seekers might perform.

By shifting the focus from linear recruiting, and adopting a relationship approach, Manpower has access to larger candidate pools. Manpower’s presence within various social media networks (such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Craigslist, and Facebook) allows them to reach passive and active candidates and build more highly sustainable relationship networks.

Manpower’s talent landing pages have been created to serve as job-seeking “portals”, offering industry specific resources, and the chance to interact via “Live Chat” with an expert recruitment professional. These pages also allow access to career-building resources that ensure candidates find ideal jobs that are aligned with their goals and career aspirations.

This philosophy extends beyond Manpower’s online social communities with an interactive kiosk located at Manpower’s flagship office in Toronto, which enables individuals to research, access and apply for jobs 24 hours a day. This is yet another example of how Manpower is focused on assisting businesses and individuals in navigating through the changing world of work.

UBM TechWeb Game Network has opened the submission process for the 2011 Independent Games Festival to be held at GDC 2011 in San Francisco next March.

The longest-running and highest-profile independent video game festival, summit and showcase is now accepting entries to the 13th annual Festival, with deadlines in the Main and Student Showcase categories by October 18th and November 1st respectively, and finalists to be announced on January 2011.

All games selected as finalists will be available in playable form at the IGF Pavilion on the GDC show floor, and will compete for nearly $50,000 in prizes, including the Nuovo Award, Excellence in Design, Art, Best Student Game, the Audience Award and the $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Winners will be announced on stage at the high-profile Independent Games Festival Awards on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

GDC 2011 also includes the 2011 Independent Games Summit, which is entering its fifth year and offers two days of inspiration and practical lectures and rants from the top minds in the independent games world.

Continuing to honor the best and brightest of the indie gaming community, the Independent Games Festival is expanding in its thirteenth year to recognize the new opportunities open to mobile and handheld game developers. Responding to developer feedback, games made for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, the Android operating system, Nintendo DS/DSi, PlayStation Portable, and all handheld devices will compete in the same traditional IGF categories. They will also be eligible for a new Best Mobile Game award, honoring innovation, achievement and artistry in handheld gaming.

Other changes to the 2011 festival include an expanded focus on alternative elements in independent gaming, with the number of finalists for the IGF Nuovo Award — honoring abstract, shortform, and otherwise esoteric ‘art games’ — increasing from five to eight games in total.

The modifications continue to expand the Independent Game Festival’s global importance as the largest and most all-encompassing showcase of independent game talent across the wide spectrum of artistically- and commercially-aimed development. Notable former IGF winners include World of Goo, Braid, Castle Crashers, Everyday Shooter, Darwinia and Audiosurf, with IGF 2010 prizewinner Limbo a key game in Xbox Live Arcade’s ‘Summer of Arcade’ line-up and 2010 nominee Joe Danger a recent, acclaimed release on PlayStation Network.

Brandon Boyer, Chairman of the IGF, said of this year’s event: “Expanding the IGF to include mobile and more artistic experiences is our way of recognizing the constantly evolving landscape of indie game development, and the advancement of the expression possible in the medium itself. I’m more excited than ever to see what the indie community creates for this year’s festival, and wish all the entrants the best of luck!”

Submissions to the competition are now open to all independent game developers; important dates for IGF 2011 are as follows:

– June 28th, 2010 – Submissions are Open
— October 18th, 2010 – Submission Deadline, Main Competition
— November 1st, 2010 – Submission Deadline, Student Competition
— January 3rd, 2011 – Finalists Announced, Main Competition
— January 10, 2011 – Finalists Announced, Student Competition
— February 28 – March 4, 2011 – Game Developers Conference 2011
— February 28 – March 1, 2011 – Indie Games Summit @ GDC 2011
— March 2 – March 4, 2011 – IGF Pavilion @ GDC 2011
— March 2, 2011 – IGF Awards Ceremony (Winners Announced!)

CIX, the Canadian Interactive Exchange has sent out their annual call for showcase presentations. Submissions deadline is October 1st, so companies who “consider themselves to be the very best in the fields of ICT, Digital Media and Cleantech should complete a profile in order to be selected to present live at CIX in the showcase of Canada’s Hottest Innovative Companies.” CIX takes place at Toronto’s at MaRs Discovery District on December 7th.

Complex Games has announced that BattleBears -1, a prequel to Skyvu Pictures’ BattleBear Zombies, has been sent off to iTunes for release approval. Check out this trailer for a preview:

There are two Canadian creations out on Nintendo’s DSiWare today. First up is Puffins: Let’s Fish from Other Ocean Interactive. Available for only 500 Nintendo DSi Points, this E-rated title lets gamers dive into the deep blue sea and fill their virtual bellies with delicious fish. Puffins: Let’s Fish is an action game that has you swimming the beautiful ocean in search of a puffin’s favourite meal: the elusive capelin. However, the ocean can be a dangerous place, and you’re not the only one hunting for food. Throughout 18 underwater stages and two game modes, you’ll be avoiding sharks, jellyfish and other fearsome predators who are very interested in making you their next meal.

Today’s other new DSiWare title comes from Digital Leisure. Also available for 500 DSi Points and rated E (with cartoon violence) is Mega Words, where you need to put on your thinking cap and see how many of the hundreds of puzzles you can solve in Mega Words. Three classic puzzlers are included in this puzzle pack: Word Scrambler, Anagram Hunt and Hangman. There’s no need for erasers here! These portable editions feature extensive dictionaries to challenge novices and expert players alike. See how fast you can unscramble words, sharpen your vocabulary and stretch your mind with Mega Words.

Winnipeg-born Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks will be the new face of the NHL® 11 videogame from EA Sports™. With last year’s title featuring Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane, NHL 11 marks the first time that EA SPORTS has put back to back players from the same team on the cover of the NHL franchise. The 22 year old’s image will be on the front of all packaging when NHL 11 is available in North American retail stores this September for the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® with an MSRP of $59.99.

“I am really excited to be on the cover of NHL 11,” said Toews. “It’s been an amazing year for me and the team, and it’s nice to end it by being a part of a game I played growing up. The NHL games have always been great, so it’s an honor for me to be a part of the EA Sports family.”

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary with NHL 11, the EA Sports NHL® franchise has won 22 Sports Game of the Year awards over the past three years and is poised to raise the bar yet again. With a revolutionary real-time physics engine that brings an unprecedented amount of realism to the franchise, gameplay innovations like broken sticks and a revamped face-off system, as well as the addition of the Canadian Hockey League, NHL 11 is set to be the most complete hockey videogame ever created.

After being selected third overall in the 2006-07 entry draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Toews has emerged as one of the most skilled centers in the NHL after just two seasons. After helping lead team Canada to a gold medal win during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Toews locked up the Conn Smythe, given to the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs, after playing a crucial role in leading the Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. Toews is currently the youngest captain in the NHL, and has registered more than 65 points in each of his first two seasons.

“Jonathan Toews is one of the best centers in the NHL today,” said Jordan Edelstein, Vice-President of Marketing for EA SPORTS. “He is a great ambassador for the sport of hockey and his impact on the sport this year is undeniable. It’s great to have him in the EA SPORTS family.”

The Green Girls, a group of four web-savvy fifth grade students from Meadowvale Village Public School, are receiving top marks-and a visit from Mayor McCallion-for a website they designed as part of the Green Website Challenge, an educational competition created by Bullfrog Power®. Asking students to design a website exploring the topic of renewable energy, Bullfrog hoped to increase awareness of clean energy and conservation among young people through the Challenge. The Girls’ website, “Green energy: It’s our future now,” was selected the top site and will be linked to Bullfrog’s website as well as the City of Mississauga’s and act as a platform for educating Mississauga residents about green energy and electricity generation.

“We are very impressed by the quality of all submissions and the hard work that everyone put in to creating the websites,” said Tom Heintzman, President, Bullfrog Power. “The Green Girls developed a creative and informative site that will help more young people learn about renewable energy and how it can help us create a cleaner, healthier environment for them-and for future generations.”

Bullfrog Power and the City of Mississauga teamed up to launch the Green Website Challenge in December 2009. Over 40 students got involved in the project, submitting more than a dozen entries for consideration. Through the Challenge, students were able to learn about how energy from renewable sources compares to energy from non-renewable sources and use their web skills to help educate other Mississauga residents about conserving energy. The Challenge’s panel of judges included Heintzman and the City of Mississauga’s Manager of Energy Management, Rajan Balchandani, and Manager of the Environmental Group, Brenda Osborne.

“This is a great way to get our youth involved with our community,” said Hazel McCallion, Mayor, City of Mississauga. “Introducing these ideas to our children ensures they become invested in protecting our environment. In Mississauga we have made it a priority to lead and promote the use of technologies that help reduce our carbon footprint and preserve our natural environment.”

In recognition of their winning submission, the Green Girls and their entire class will receive a special visit from Mayor Hazel McCallion. During the visit, McCallion and Heintzman will present the Green Girls with plaques to celebrate their accomplishment. The Green Girls and their class will also receive a complimentary trip to the Ontario Science Centre where they will participate in the Action Earth program, which explores how humans are affecting the environment. All students who participated in the Challenge will receive certificates of achievement for their web design efforts.

Through its Best Buy for Kids program, Best Buy Canada has donated $50,000 to develop a Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Canada national program that is already showing great promise in select communities across the country. The new Teen Mentors Program takes a unique approach by having teens aged 15-17 become mentors for children in elementary school. Teen mentors will act as role models for the children in the program, helping them with their homework while developing a friendship with the younger students. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada’s Teen Mentors Program is a natural fit for Best Buy for Kids, developing life and leadership skills in the teen mentors while helping the elementary school children succeed and reach their full potential.

“This program arrives at a critical time for children in Canada” says Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada. “It will allow us to provide much needed mentorship to children across the country. Our teen “Bigs” will play a valuable guiding role to their “Littles”, while also developing their own skill set as volunteers.”

Some Big Brothers Big Sisters local agencies have already experienced the positive results of matching teen role models with children, and currently offer a variation of the In-School Teen Mentors Program in schools. With the funding from Best Buy, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada will expand this program across the country, reaching over 600 students.

Holland Bloorview Kids’ Rehabilitation Hospital has put out a call to budding film-makers to enter filmpossible, a unique online video contest which will showcase the possibilities for children living with disabilities. Film-makers have until Aug. 31 to submit their videos.

Using any type of video recorder, including cell phones, Holland Bloorview is challenging film-makers of all ages and abilities to show us their own creative twist on bringing visibility to disability.

“Filmpossible is a unique opportunity for film-makers to dispel myths, perhaps by showcasing achievements or showing changes we can make,” said Christa Haanstra, Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs. “By entering this contest, you can help Holland Bloorview change the way the world views childhood disability.”

Working with a class from the Claude Watson School for the Arts, two Holland Bloorview youth ambassadors, Gabriella Carafa and Crystal Chin, helped kick start the contest by creating videos promoting filmpossible. Gabriella has a neuro-muscular disorder that affects her mobility and she uses a wheelchair.

“When I was younger, I used to fear growing up. I thought my adulthood would be spent struggling to do daily tasks of living and never experiencing things that able-bodied people my age would,” said Gabriella, 21, of Toronto. “Holland Bloorview helped me to see the possibilities for people with disabilities. With this contest, we will be able to reach more people to show them what can be achieved.”

While the contest closes August 31st, entrants can increase their chances of becoming a finalist by entering early and encouraging their friends and family to visit filmpossible.ca and vote for their video. Three of the six finalists will be chosen by online public voting, open throughout the entry period. Another three finalists will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges. Winners will be determined by a final round of online public voting in October.

Films will be reviewed by a jury consisting of an eclectic mix of people who have come together to embrace this important cause, including experts from the film industry, high profile comics, a singer and an acclaimed journalist and author. First prize winner will receive $5,000; second prize is valued at $500; and third prize is valued at $300. Three honourable mention prize winners will each receive a Flip Video Camcorder donated by Cisco.

Competition judges include:

- Trevor Boris, Much Music personality
- Ian Brown, Feature Writer, The Globe and Mail and best-selling author of The Boy in the Moon, about his disabled son, Walker
- Allen Braude, Co-Director, Learning, Toronto International Film Festival, Sprockets programmer
- Justin Hines, singer /songwriter working on his fourth studio albums. He has appeared on radio and in documentaries focusing on both his successes as an artist with Larsen’s Syndrome and being a philanthropist
- Nikki Payne, award-winning comedian and actress, whose lisp and cleft lip give her an affinity with Holland Bloorview’s issues
- Tania B. Reilly, Programming Manager, Canadian Film Centre Worldwide Short Film Festival
- Karen Shopsowitz, award-winning independent filmmaker. Her most recent credit is One Summer at Camp Winston, a documentary about a camp for children with complex neurological disorders

In Canada, one in five Canadian families is raising a child with a significant emotional, behavioural or developmental disability; in Ontario alone, there are almost 230,000 kids with disabilities. However, not everyone has had the opportunity to spend time with children with disabilities. “This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings about how kids with disabilities experience life. That’s why filmpossible challenges people to create videos that bring visibility to disability,” said Haanstra. “Let’s work together to create a world where these children can live as full participants.”

Capcom and Blue Castle Games have released a new trailer for Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, which is scheduled for release on June 30th. A unique and stand alone piece of content, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will introduce players to the main protagonist, Chuck Greene, and game play features of Dead Rising 2 ahead of its release. Available exclusively to Xbox 360 owners via Xbox LIVE, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising and three years before the action of Dead Rising 2. Players purchasing Dead Rising 2: Case Zero who then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is not yet listed in the XBox Marketplace.

TransGaming, Inc. has announced the redesign of its Mac digital distribution portal, GameTreeOnline, as well as the release of exciting new Mac games. As at E3 this week and on our site yesterday, GameTreeOnline features two new Disney Interactive titles, Toy Story 3 and Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey. Both titles are available immediately and only from GameTreeOnline as digital downloads. In addition, GameTreeOnline will release Her Interactive’s first award-winning Nancy Drew franchise title for Mac on June 29, 2010.

These new releases complement two new Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games from Riot Games and LEGO®, League of Legends and LEGO Universe, respectively. The Mac enablement and deployment of high quality franchises, such as LEGO’s first ever MMO title, clearly define TransGaming’s leadership position and adds to the company’s growing collection of award-winning titles that have been enabled for the Mac community using TransGaming’s Cider Portability Technology.

“TransGaming’s announcement of these new games coming to the Mac, at this year’s E3 Conference, clearly demonstrates to the gaming community that leading publishers are pursuing the Mac platform and are focused on releasing a simultaneous PC/Mac hybrid product,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming. “We have maintained our commitment to giving Mac gamers the highest quality gaming content and we are bringing these incredible games to the Mac simultaneously with their PC counterparts, which is possible only through our portability technology. TransGaming is truly delivering on the promise of a low-touch enablement technology for simultaneous multi-platform releases.”

Disney Interactive Studios have released the E3 trailer for Propaganda Games‘ upcoming epic, action role-playing game Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned, which will give gamers an entirely new experience within the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. The game takes place before the events of the blockbuster films. Players will take on the role of a pirate and embark on epic land and sea adventures. Numerous moral and character choices will need to be made that affect their character and the original story within the world. Players will explore a massive open world while fighting enemies, mystical creatures and Mother Nature, both to gain experience and stay alive. Supernatural elements familiar to the Pirates of the Caribbean world will also affect their character’s story and influence their choices. Armada of the Damned is scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2010 for next-gen consoles and Windows PC.

“Armada of the Damned is a dynamic action role-playing game that captures all of the franchise’s excitement, unpredictability and action while delving into narrative elements never before explored within this unique universe,” said Dan Tudge, vice president and general manager, Propaganda Games. “Our team’s collective experience with industry-leading RPGs and action titles provides a strong foundation for us to create and build a compelling action role-playing title.”

Disney Interactive has also released a new and innovative E3 2010 trailer for the TRON: Evolution video game that connects the storyline of the game and the film. The piece features the voice of Bruce Boxleitner as the character TRON, who takes the player through their paces and prepares them for immersion into a world they’ve never seen.

Developed with visuals by Digital Domain, the company that is creating the effects for the “TRON: Legacy” film, this trailer does not show gameplay footage from the video game. Instead, the trailer was created as a unique piece of entertainment providing fans their first sneak peek at the video game fiction of TRON: Evolution which leads up to the events of the “TRON: Legacy” film. This trailer shows off the exciting action that fans will experience when they immerse themselves in the game, diving deep into a vast new world like no other complete with engaging narrative, complex mythology, high octane light cycle action, and high mobility combat – a unique mix of capeora, parkour and more.

Mobile Game Studios have announced that their pirate adventure The High Seas is now available in the iTunes App Store for 60% less. This new action packed game casts the gamer as global treasure hunter. Fighting against the mighty pirates, lethal castles and deadly whirlpools you sail the seas in search of treasure chests, traveling through the Caribbean and Arctic on your quest for the title of a first class treasure hunter.

The High Seas brings you into a whole new world, full of action, danger and mystery. Each level will present you with a new challenge – you are to collect the set amount of gold, but the mighty pirates will do everything in their power to protect their loot. Take a stand against your enemies with your cannons, blasting them out of the water. The seas are also against you on your quest as they put deadly towers, castles, icebergs and whirlpools in your path. The Ghost Armada will bring your skills into question along with the mystical ghost towers as it tries to foil your search for treasure. There is also a lite version of The High Seas, which is available for free.

The Canadian Film and Television Production Association is pleased to announce it is changing its name to the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) to better reflect the multi-screen world and the future of our industry.

“Independent producers create high-quality Canadian content and are at the heart of the feature film, broadcasting and content distribution system,” says Norm Bolen, President and Chief Executive Officer, CMPA. “The global shift towards digital technology and new forms of distribution means we have to change with the times. The new name embraces the opportunities for our members to create new partnerships and expand into the international market place.”

The new name also adheres to a tradition within the organization to update itself as technology advances. Founded in 1948, the Association was originally known as the Association of Motion Picture Producers and Laboratories of Canada. In 1974, it changed its name to the Canadian Film and Television Association and then in 1990 it merged with the Association of Canadian Film and Television Producers to form the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

The Board of the CMPA has appointed Tom Cox as its new Chair to lead the rebranding. Cox is managing partner of SEVEN24 Films, based in Alberta. His career spans 25 years; creating, developing, and producing dramatic features, television series and movies which have garnered over 100 awards and nominations.

“I’m delighted to be working with such a knowledgeable staff and Board of Directors to ensure that Canadian producers remain at the centre of our national cultural community and form a strong and sustainable part of Canada’s entrepreneurial sector,” says Cox.

Tom’s recent executive producer credits include Heartland for CBC, Mayerthorpe for CTV and Burn Up for BBC and Global. His co-producer credits include Brokeback Mountain and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

“Tom not only talks the talk, he walks the walk,” says John Barrack, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer CMPA. “Tom knows independent producers must develop new business models to flourish in the creative economy. SEVEN24 and Toronto-based marblemedia have recently joined forces to create DISTRIBUTION360 (D360), a forward-thinking distribution company focused on the full monetization of television and interactive content across traditional and emerging global platforms. That’s the kind of innovation we need to bring Canada to the world.”

The CMPA also thanks outgoing Chair, Sandra Cunningham, for her valuable contribution to the Association over the past three years.

“Sandra’s wealth of experience in the feature film industry, her poise and her passion for Canadian stories made her a great leader for the Association,” says Bolen. “We wish her and her company, Strada Films, all the best in the future.”

New York company MediaNet, a provider of digital entertainment content, launched today in Canada the advanced MN Open platform which provides an API and a suite of easy to install Web Components for the digital delivery of music and eBook premium content. MediaNet operates a high volume media distribution network delivering premium content in the US for application and web developers of all sizes from niche bloggers to global brands. MediaNet also opened its doors to the MN Open platform in the UK today.

Available today in all Canadian territories customers can add digital music and eBooks to any website or application. MediaNet has fast-tracked the sign-up process to make it self-serve, quick, easy and free with no coding required. MediaNet handles the commerce including credit card processing and pricing in Canadian currency, as well as a real-time reporting portal to track performance.

Alan McGlade, CEO of MediaNet, stated: “Canada has a dynamic online community that is interested in consuming digital entertainment. MediaNet can now offer web publishers, application developers and online retailers in Canada a frictionless path to integrate a deep catalog of premium content into their products and deliver it to end users.”

MediaNet’s digital music offering in Canada consists of a robust API and a suite of Web Components. With the MN Open API, customers have complete control over the user experience, functionality, e-commerce and an 8 million-plus song and music video catalog with all services delivered under their brand. The API features include:

– Integration into any website or application
— Advanced catalog search capabilities with fuzzy matching
— Customized pricing and exclusive content
— Rich metadata including bios and reviews for songs, albums, and artists
— Use of MediaNet’s e-commerce engine or integration with the customer’s existing e-commerce
— Compatibility with any programming language
— Ability to select and incorporate the features that are just right for a customer’s end users and business model
— REST-based HTTP service

MediaNet’s Web Components for digital music are easy to install and incorporate into a website with no coding required. Customers copy and paste the code snippets anywhere on their page with their branding front and center. Available in three main categories: contextual matching; commerce and discovery, Web Components features include:

Media Matcher: Automatically matches MediaNet’s catalog to existing web content
Media Links: Hyperlinks references to artists, albums and songs within existing content on page
Relevant Media Search: Integrates into site’s existing search and returns media results alongside regular search results
Media Explorer: Bios, reviews and discographies to encourage discovery and more page views
Media Charts: Charts top selling content to entice music discovery, sampling and purchases
Media Purchase: Fulfills purchases through an automatically configured and setup component which appears in its dedicated, secure window
Media Selector: Custom build a list of up to 100 songs or albums, publish it and dynamically add it anywhere on your site with your brand intact

MediaNet offers a broad catalog of eBooks including the most popular titles available through major physical and online book sellers. Offered in the popular Adobe ePub and PDF formats, they are compatible with a wide variety of devices including PC, Mac, Sony Reader, and many others.

The eBook service is accessed through the MN Open API built on top of MediaNet’s enterprise class content delivery platform. To aid adoption and ease, a versatile and intelligent download manager simplifies the acquisition and management of eBooks for end users. As with music, MediaNet’s eBook customers will have access to a sophisticated real-time reporting portal to monitor sales activity.

McGlade added: “MediaNet is delivering the next generation of premium entertainment content services. Essentially we have become a “Content Concierge” that presents the appropriate content to an online user when they are predisposed to consuming it. MediaNet’s expansion into Canada and other territories will serve to further expand the marketplace and increase consumer acceptance.”

Customers can now sign up for the MN Open Web Components and API for free and have a premium content offering with fully customizable features up and running in no time.

The TRON universe is coming to additional platforms than previous transmissions revealed. Disney Interactive Studios today announced the development of TRON video games for Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. These games complete the TRON video game portfolio this year from Disney Interactive Studios, joining the previously announced TRON: Evolution for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

Set during the era between the two TRON films, TRON: Evolution conveys a story of significant events within the TRON mythology. The game features an epic adventure across the massive digital TRON world filled with high-mobility disc-based combat and light cycle action. The TRON: Evolution games will be released in Holiday 2010 before the “TRON: Legacy” film hits theaters on December 17 in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D.

TRON Evolution – Battle Grids (Wii), TRON: Evolution (DS) and TRON: Evolution PSP are action packed games set within the combat arenas and mysterious cities of the TRON world. All game versions give fans a unique way to battle and explore the TRON universe alone or with friends and family.

“These games offer unique experiences within the TRON universe that are ideal for their individual platforms,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “TRON is an exciting, dynamic property that appeals to interactive entertainment fans of all ages.”

The TRON games for Nintendo platforms (TRON: Evolution – Battle Grids for Wii and TRON: Evolution for DS), include games and art styles appropriate for a wide audience, including families and kids. While Propaganda is the primary developer, the studio has partnered with n-Space Inc. and SuperVillain Studios, both located in the USA, to deliver this wide range of games for the new generation of TRON titles.

Propaganda’s other new title, Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned (2011) is an epic action-role playing game that lets players decide what type of pirate legend they want to become. Will they become Legendary, or Dreaded? Set before the blockbuster films, the game is a deep action-RPG that lets players carve out their own story in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. In development for the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC, Armada of the Damned casts players off on a journey where they will encounter numerous memorable characters, both original and familiar.

Transgaming has just announced that new titles for the Mac are now available at GameTree – Disney fans can now pick up Toy Story 3 and Disney Princess Enchanted Journey at GameTree Online for $29.99 and $21.99 respectively.

Here is a look at the E3 2010 trailer for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, coming to the 360 from Relic Entertainment.

A new 3D version of Assassin’s Creed will be released by Ubisoft for the just-announced Nintendo 3DS. Ubisoft has also announced that the following titles will be available when the new handheld units go on sale: Hollywood 61; Battle of Giants™: Dinosaur Strike; Driver® Renegade; Assassin’s Creed™ Lost Legacy; Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™ and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™.

As one of the top independent publishers on the Nintendo DS™ and Wii™, Ubisoft is also one of the first major publishers to invest hieavily in development for 3D. “Nintendo has created a new portable console that will allow easy and affordable access to 3D technology,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “The portability and freedom from glasses of the Nintendo 3DS™ allows our creative teams to craft unique new and immersive games for all types of gamers.”

Ubisoft’s Nintendo 3DS line-up spans different genres of video games, allowing early adopters of the new console to find the style of games that they most enjoy:

* Hollywood 61 (code name): Live the thrill of mastering tailor-made mind games and become the obsession of a criminal mastermind in the first interactive 3D movie. Solve the deadly mystery with 150 classic and 3D puzzles.
* Battle of Giants™: Dinosaur Strike: 150 million years ago, Nature’s fury was unleashed, forcing Dinosaurs to fight for their survival. Dive into spectacular battles and deal powerful blows to your worst enemies. Master your fierce dinosaur and rule the cataclysmic Jurassic world!
* Driver® Renegade: The first and exclusive action driving game on Nintendo 3DS that lets you experience the intensity of urban car chases. As former cop John Tanner, you work outside the law to fight crime in the gritty streets of New York and defeat the 5 crime lords who own the city.
* Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory™: Sam Fisher, the renowned secret agent is back in this redesigned version of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Experience one of the most acclaimed games in the Splinter Cell franchise for the first time in 3D.
* Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™: Lead the Ghosts, the most elite special forces unit in the US Army, across multiple tactical missions to prevent a war from breaking out.
* Assassin’s Creed™ Lost Legacy: Driven by curiosity and a desire to understand the origins of his Order, Ezio Auditore travels East in search of the lost castle at Masyaf, the ancient seat of the Assassins.

Ubisoft has also released more information about Shaun White Skateboarding, which will bring skateboarding to a wider audience, allowing players to transform a dull, lifeless city into their own extraordinary skating playground.

“When we started making the game, we knew we wanted to give players a sense of how skaters see the world – everything is an opportunity,” said Nick Harper, Creative Director. “What looks like a handrail to us is really a grind. A park bench is a place to trick, an alley is a quarter pipe, etc. We’ve taken that idea and expanded it. We wanted to put our own twist on the genre and craft the type of game that allows players to be creative and still have a lot of fun.”

Players begin their journey in a dull and gray city that’s stretched over massive districts. As players skate and complete challenges, the city comes to life – new areas are revealed, better skate lines are created and buildings are transformed. Players can stretch and twist handrails to dizzying heights, empty fountains to create bowls, morph streets into ramps and much more. Creativity is rewarded with points, skateboarding gear and fresh, new skating opportunities. With 80+ skate tricks hand-picked by Shaun (including a Shaun creation called the “Armadillo”), players can pull off authentic skate moves from the get-go and jump online to challenge friends in co-operative or adversarial modes.

Meanwhile, over at the Banff World TV Festival, marblemedia has announced it will produce Splatalot, a hilarious medieval-themed physical game show geared to the 8-12 year-old audience, for YTV in Canada, BBC in the U.K. and ABC in Australia. The 26-episode series features Canada’s largest extreme obstacle course with more wipe outs and spills ever imaginable. It will be shot north of Toronto this summer, and delivered spring 2011.

“We’re very excited to be working with our long-time partner, Corus Entertainment, as well as with our new partners at the BBC and ABC, on this first-time multi-broadcaster collaboration,” said Matt Hornburg, the series Co-Creator and Partner, marblemedia. “Splatalot is all about the hilarity of watching contestants get splattered, with the best spills instantly replayed in slow motion. With oversized props, cool special effects and lively characters, it’s sure to be a highly-entertaining adventure.”

Three versions of the series will be shot and customized for each of the participating countries, with two hosts selected from Canada, the U.K. and Australia respectively. Each episode will feature a different group of 12 thrill-seeking teen contestants, dubbed Attackers, competing in three cringe-inducing rounds: Cross the Moat, Storm the Castle, and Steal the Crown. The Defenders of Splatalot, an international squad of six medieval-themed gladiators, will do their best to protect the castle from the Attackers – only leaving one to be crowned Prince or Princess of Splatalot.

“Kids and their families will be in for a real treat with this new side-splitting series, and with over 300 contestants in the first 26 episodes, Splatalot gives our viewers a real chance to participate,” said Jocelyn Hamilton, Vice President, Programming and Production, Corus Kids. “We look forward to working with marblemedia and partnering with two other like-minded countries, the U.K. and Australia, on this fun show.”

Controller CBBC Damian Kavanagh said: “This should be a fantastic show with lots of humour and physical comedy, and should prove a big hit with our audience. It’s been fascinating to collaborate and share ideas with producers in other markets.”

Head of Commissioning and Development, ABC Children’s Television, Carla de Jong said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering on a series of this scale with other like-minded broadcasters. Splatalot, which will feature Australian hosts and teens, is sure to make a splash with our ABC3 audience, who we know love comedy and spectacular physical challenges.”

marblemedia is developing an interactive online environment, where the splat-stick comedy will continue with a series of flash games, taking the Splatalot experience to the next level. The website will offer games such as Master Splatter, a strategy game where players create their own sludge-filled obstacle course for an army of invaders; Splatapus, a highly addictive game with puzzle-like levels where players take on the role of Defender and wipe out the Attackers in the most splat-tastic ways possible. International distribution of Splatalot will be handled by Distribution360.

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) today released highlights from the Canadian Television Fund (CTF)’s final program year, which ended on March 31, 2010.

“The board, staff, and stakeholders spent the past year working together towards a successful transition to the Canada Media Fund,” said Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund. “While ensuring the CTF’s programs successfully delivered almost $328 million in funds to Canadian productions, we also engaged our stakeholders across the country to participate in an extensive consultation process which informed the creation of the policies and programs of the new Canada Media Fund. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who contributed their time and ideas to this process.”

The following are highlights of the CTF’s funding results from 2009-2010:

* Revenues for 2009-2010 were $325 million, with a 6% increase in the contribution from cable and satellite service distributors and a stable contribution from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
* Administrative expenses were limited to 4.2% of revenues, including costs incurred by both the CTF and the Television Business Unit at Telefilm Canada, which administers the CTF’s programs.
* Total CTF funding for all streams was 14% higher than in 2008-2009 and 23% higher than the average of the four previous years.
*Production funding was $307 million, representing an increase of 21% over the average of the four previous years.
* 476 production and 352 development television projects were funded, with total budgets of over $1 billion and $22 million, respectively; this resulted in the creation of over 2,400 hours of new Canadian programming. The ratio of CTF funding to total television budgets continues to be approximately 1:3.
* In the English market, six of the top ten programs posted average minute audiences of more than one million viewers; in the French market, the top ten programs posted average minute audiences of more than 1.1 million viewers.
* The CTF disbursed 69% of its production funding through licence fee top-ups and 31% through equity investments.
* The $10 million Digital Media Program supported 43 English and 34 French digital media projects related to CTF-funded television shows.
* The $10 million Production Incentive supported English production in Atlantic Canada (4 projects) and British Columbia and the Yukon and Northwest Territories (35 projects), where volumes had dropped significantly below their historic averages.

Stéphane Cardin, VP of Industry and Public Affairs, announced the creation of a new publication that reports on audiences to each individual show supported by the funding agency. The CMF Audience Reports launched today present data on average minute audiences to individual programs funded by the CTF that aired during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 broadcast years. These reports are available as an interactive web interface and downloadable PDFs from the CMF web site.

The CTF 2009-2010 Annual Report will be available in fall 2010. The CMF 2009-2010 Audience Report will be published in spring 2011. Ms. Creighton also mentioned that the CMF will soon announce plans for the next phase of its ongoing consultation with the industry. Details will be provided as soon as they are available.

While the Canadian entertainment and media (E&M) market declined by 2.7% in 2009, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) expects a rebound in 2010 and beyond, with growth averaging 5% compounded annually through 2014, according to the PwC report Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2010-2014, which provides forecasts and analysis on 13 major E&M industry segments in 48 countries. The global E&M industry will also grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% over the forecast period to 2014, reaching US$1.7 trillion, up from US$1.3 trillion in 2009. However, Canada will grow faster than the US with a 5% CAGR, compared with a 3.8% CAGR in the US.

- In Canada, Internet access spending at a 12% CAGR (compared to 8.8% in the US and 9% globally) and Internet advertising at a 11.7% CAGR (compared to 7.7% in the US and 11.4% globally) will be major drivers for the industry.
– TV subscriptions will grow at a 6.8% CAGR (6.5% in the US and 6.8% globally), and consumer spending on video games will increase by a 6.6% CAGR (6.4% in the US and 10.6% globally).
– Overall consumer end-user spending on media, excluding internet access spending, will increase in Canada at a rate of 4.3% CAGR (3.7% in the US and 4.1% globally), while advertising will rise at a 3.1% CAGR (2.6% in the US and 4.2% globally).

“The next five years will see digital technologies increase their dominance across all segments of entertainment and media as digital transformation accelerates says Jerry Brown, an associate partner in the Canadian Entertainment & Media (E&M) practice for PwC. “While the industry has a long history of experimenting and adding formats which have offered consumers new choices, the current advances in technologies and consumer behaviour are unprecedented in both their speed and their simultaneous impact across all segments.”

The fastest growing region throughout the forecast period is Latin America growing at a 8.8% CAGR during the next 5 years to US$77 billion in 2014. Asia Pacific is next at a 6.4% CAGR through to 2014 to US$475 billion. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) will grow at a 4.6% CAGR to US$581 billion in 2014.

Overall, global advertising will increase at a 4.2% CAGR from US$406 billion in 2009 to US$498 billion in 2014. Internet advertising will join television advertising in 2014 as the only media with spending in excess of US$100 billion.

The Canadian advertising market will continue to recover. While PwC sees growth in digital platforms, traditional media, including television and publishing continues to attract the majority of advertising spending. Indeed, TV advertising in Canada will increase at average annual growth of 3.8% to US$3.4 billion in 2014. The demise of the conventional television advertising market appears to have been exaggerated with US$2.1 billion of expected advertising revenue in 2014, increasing at a CAGR of 2.4%. Speciality television growth will be slightly stronger at a CAGR of 4.8%

“The big story in 2009 was the recession’s impact, which led to a broad pull back in advertising spending. The exception was internet advertising, which grew at a double digit pace,” says Michael Paterson, partner and Canadian co-editor of the Global Entertainment and Media Outlook at PwC. “As Canada’s economy is recovering ahead of the US economy, we expect that the Canadian advertising market will rebound more quickly. Increased demand and opportunities for Internet and mobile advertising along with sustained spending on traditional advertising platforms will drive growth.”

Global consumer/end-user spending fell by 0.5% 2009 as declines in recorded music, consumer magazines, newspapers, consumer and educational books, and business-to-business publishing offset the gains in TV subscriptions and license fees, filmed entertainment, and video games.

In Canada, consumer spending on digital media will grow quickly, complimenting spend on traditional forms of media. However, in the music, newspaper and magazine publishing industries, digital media is presenting new business challenges as overall traditional revenues are slowly declining. However, Canadian consumers will still spend over US$3.3 billion on these segments which is a substantial part of the total spend.

TV subscriptions – Subscription fees in Canada will increase at a CAGR of 6.8% to US$9.1 billion by 2014, driven by the expansion of digital cable, Video on Demand (VOD) offerings and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV).

Film – Canadian box office spending will continue to grow at a CAGR of 5.3%. Higher growth will occur in paid online rentals and digital downloads to own, which will contribute to a US$4.1 billion Canadian film entertainment market in 2014.

Video Games – After a decline in 2009, video game spending by Canadian consumers will grow at a CAGR of 6% to US$1.7 billion in 2014. The strongest growth will in online and wireless games where convenience and interactivity enhance the consumer experience.

Mobile Internet access will expand dramatically in Canada and spending will grow at a CAGR of 45% from US$238 million to over US$1.55 billion in 5 years, driven by a 48% annual increase in mobile Internet subscribers as the number of smartphones increases.

In 2014, as the proliferation of smartphones and other connected devices continues, 10 million Canadians will have access to the Internet via their mobile devices including readers such as the iPad. This will put continued pressure on providers to support all of these new data demands.

“Using the Internet is now one of the great unifying experiences of the current era for consumers everywhere-and their expectation of Internet-style interactivity and access to content will continue to expand, especially mobile content,” says Brown.

Brown concludes, “Creativity and innovation have always been associated with entertainment and media and now is the time for the industry to embrace new and emerging opportunities. However companies develop their future visions they will need to deliver an ever expanding customer experience and be flexible to capture revenues across all platforms. Those who do will be the leaders in this exciting but challenging industry.”

Calgary’s MoboVivo has partnered with San Francisco developer AppOxy to launch the first TV Everywhere app for phones and devices running Google’s Android operating system. The apps will be available from Google’s Android Market for all compatible Android mobile phones. The apps provide access to MoboVivo’s myScreens, which features a digital locker allowing users to shift screens from their mobile phone to computers, iPhones and televisions.

The TV Everywhere app is the latest addition to MoboVivo’s portfolio of TV apps available for Android, iPhone, iPad and other mobile platforms. These apps include new and innovate features which allow users to view TV shows, connect with their friends on Facebook, and obtain more information about other programs.

“The apps MoboVivo builds for broadcasters, producers and DVD distributors are paying for themselves within 4 months,” says Trevor Doerksen, the company’s CEO. “The path to revenue with our TV shows apps is obvious, and we expect others like the newly released Android TV Everywhere app and emerging opportunities on new app platforms to deliver similar return on investment for our customers.”

On the heels of its YellowPages.ca™ mobile app reaching a milestone one million downloads, Yellow Pages Group (YPG) announced today that the free app is now available for download in the iTunes App Store for the recently launched Apple iPad. YPG is the first Canadian local commercial search provider to build and customize an application for the iPad.

“Yellow Pages Group continues to provide consumers with interactive ways to shop for and find local goods and services across a number of mobile platforms,” said Stéphane Marceau, Chief Marketing Officer at Yellow Pages Group. “The iPad’s tablet format represents a new way for Yellow Pages Group to provide Canadians with access to local business information to help them with their purchase decisions.”

According to threat data collected by the Trend Micro Smart Protection Network infrastructure, cybercrime is thriving in Canada: Per million people, the country is just behind the U.S. in the number of customers targeted by malware. In addition, Canada ranks fourth in the amount of malicious files and URLs originating from the country – right behind Japan.

Trend Micro’s first Canada Threat Awareness Week, May 17-21, will raise awareness on what these data-points mean to citizens and how cybercrime is impacting Canadian businesses and consumers. Trend Micro CTO, Raimund Genes will start his tour in Quebec, where he will be speaking this evening at the Montego Resto Club in Quebec City. He will then visit Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, delving into the Canada threat landscape and sharing his investigative findings that compare how Canada sits in relation to international trends and independent security metrics.

A special bonus session that includes VMware will outline how virtualization is dramatically changing IT organizations, from small business to very large enterprise. This session will highlight the factors driving the need for virtualization security and will provide guidance on approaches that can be taken to secure today’s virtualized and cloud environments in the future.

“Trend Micro Canada is excited to introduce its first Threat Awareness Week, kicking it off with a multi-province tour to educate and raise awareness on how cybercrime is affecting our citizens,” said Ian Gordon. “Internet safety is more than just technology products – that’s only half the story. Education and awareness are key and our goal is to help the citizens of Canada get smart about online safety.”

Ubisoft has announced new DLC for Splinter Cell Conviction. The Deniable Ops “Insurgency Pack” will deliver brand-new missions for Archer and Kestrel on four additional maps for Deniable Ops modes. Achievements hunters will be glad to know that 250 new points can be unlocked in this DLC. The Insurgency Pack will be available for download on May 27th, for both the Windows® PC and the Xbox 360® versions, for 800 points or $9.99USD.

Don’t forget that Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands will hit store shelves tomorrow. Here’s a look at their launch trailer:

IUGO’s explosive hit, Implode XL, now has a custom level editor for the iPhone. Now all iDevice owners may create, share, play and rate levels built by their peers. Users will soon have thousands of levels to choose from offering virtual limitless gameplay and new content to one of the iPhone’s most addictive physics puzzlers. Implode XL is available for the iPod, iPhone and iPad on the App Store now for $2.99USD.

iStockPhoto has released a new (and free) plug-in that puts more than six million photos and illustrations at the fingertips of Microsoft Office users. The iStock Ribbon plug-in allows users to access iStockphoto images from within PowerPoint and Word, where they can select, preview, purchase and insert images directly into their documents.

“iStockphoto has been a valued image provider on the Microsoft Office web site for several years,” said Sharon Meramore, the downloadable content manager for the Office website. “We’re excited that iStock now exposes its whole collection through the user interface of Word and PowerPoint, making it easier and faster for our customers to create more compelling documents.”

The plug-in will add an iStockphoto tab to both PowerPoint and Word. From there, users can take advantage of iStockphoto’s powerful search engine to browse photos and illustrations. Those new to iStock can set up an account and buy credits to purchase images. Current customers can log into their accounts and access all the standard functionality of the iStock website. They can also make purchases using their existing credits all without leaving PowerPoint or Word.

The iStockphoto Office plug-in download page features a short video by Garr Reynolds, a popular blogger and author of the best-selling book, “Presentation Zen.” The video shows how easy it is to select and add an iStock image into a PowerPoint presentation.

“One of the most effective ways to turn a mediocre presentation into a remarkable presentation is through the use of well-chosen, high-quality imagery,” said Reynolds. “The availability of this plug-in is great for presenters and even better for their intended audiences.”

Among the game’s features are:

• Engaging Campaign spawning more than 70 levels of marble blasting madness
• Three game modes for players to choose from to suit their playing style.
• More than 10 powerups to help players redefine the game field and wreak havoc in a blink of an eye.
• 8 Exclusive Awards to boost the replay value further by throwing extra challenges at the player.
• Pre-filled Leaderboards to give the game nostalgic, old-school touch.
• Awe-inspiring 720p HD visuals with full widescreen support
• Charming sound effects to create the ambience.
• Adaptive gameplay technology for challenging and fun gaming experience for players of all ages.

“We are very excited to share the joy of Murphid with gaming community and hope everyone will have as much fun playing Murphid as we had developing it. I hope you dig it!”, says Dennis Brandis, Decapod Studios’ Managing Director.

Murphid is available on XBOX Live Indie Games channel for 240 MS points (approx $2.99) in the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

EA Sports™ is giving its fans an opportunity to create their own one-liners for the upcoming EA Sports NBA Jam videogame (no purchase necessary). Fans can submit and vote for their favorite lines to be read by the original voice of NBA Jam, Tim Kitzrow, who reprises his role as the legendary announcer.

Fans can submit their one-liners the game’s Facebook page, and 64 finalists, as chosen by the EA Sports NBA Jam team, will go head-to-head in a single elimination bracket with fan votes determining the winners. The four finalists will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their one-liners included in the game and heard by millions of people around the world. Eligibility restrictions do apply, please see the Contest Rules for complete details.

Contest Schedule:

May 13th – Contest Submissions Open
May 19th – Contest Submissions Close
May 24th – 64 Finalists Announced
May 25th – Fan voting begins
June 23rd – Winners Announced

“NBA Jam is one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made, and is widely known for its one-liners like Boom-Shaka-Laka and He’s on Fire,” says Kitzrow, the original voice of NBA Jam. “I am really excited to be a part of the remake and for fans to create the expressions that could become culturally iconic in the years to come.”

EA Sports NBA Jam revives the classic franchise with vintage NBA Jam gameplay, and all-new features that deliver a fresh new take on the game. Featuring the sights and sounds that fans of the franchise will instantly recognize, EA Sports NBA Jam mixes the old school with the new, to deliver a one-of-a-kind sports presentation on the Wii™.

G4BOX Inc. has announced that the company will team up with the World Online Gaming League for the Cross Fire North America/UK Championship. Teams will compete in tournament play for a chance at a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to compete in an international Cross Fire competition at the World E-Sports Masters held in China this October.

There will be two types of tournament play offered to Cross Fire players: a free-to-play and paid league option. Players may purchase a “Tournament Pass” which will give them access to compete in WOGL’s Professional Cross Fire League while free players will be able to register and play directly from the WOGL website. Prizes will range from in-game weapons and ZP credits to $1,000 in cash! The first place team will also win a trip to China to compete in the International Cross fire Competition at the World E-Sports Masters this October. Transportation and accommodations will be provided to the five-member team as they square off for huge prizes against Cross Fire teams from all over the world including China, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Korea. Registration opens today May 14th and closes June 14th with pre-season running until the end of June and the regular season running throughout the month of July. Playoffs will start August 7th and end no later than August 28th.

“This tournament will take Cross Fire and its fans to a whole new level,” said Howard He, Chief Executive Officer of G4BOX. “We are thrilled to team up with WOGL and think that this type of intense tournament play is exactly what Cross Fire players thrive on!”

Cross Fire is a free online military first-person shooter for Windows PCs supporting Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Players assume the role of either a Black List or Global Risk operative and compete in various modes of play including Free-for-All, Team Death Match, the exclusive stealth-action Ghost Mode, and brand-new Mutation Mode. Cross Fire includes a military ranking system, in-game friends lists, an integrated clan system, and deep character customization options. Cross Fire is part of the Z8Games platform of free-to-play games.

Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce that the Perspective Canada series will once again be held at the Cannes Film Market. During Perspective Canada, 12 Canadian feature films will be screened for international buyers attending the Market, which is part of the Cannes Film Festival running from May 12 to 21, 2010.

“Through Perspective Canada, Telefilm provides buyers and programmers from around the world with the opportunity to watch a variety of new Canadian feature films,” says Sheila de La Varende, Telefilm Canada’s Director of National and International Business Development. “Perspective Canada, at Cannes, helps the films’ creative teams strike distribution agreements with players from the international film industry, thereby helping raise the profile of our cinema on the world stage.”

Perspective Canada is among the activities organized by the Canada Pavilion, which gathers together more than 70 Canadian companies. These activities, notably, facilitate the development of international partnerships focused on co-production as well as the sales of Canadian products, and also help to promote Canadian talent.

Telefilm Canada has launched a microsite that provides information on the Canadian presence at Cannes, including details and schedules for films being shown at both the Festival and Perspective Canada, and the names and contact information of Canada Pavilion participants.

The Canada Pavilion at the Cannes Film Market is a Telefilm Canada initiative in partnership with British Columbia Film and Ontario Media Development Corporation as Principal Partners, Manitoba Film & Music as Major Partner, Film Nova Scotia, Saskfilm and Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation as Associate Partners, the Canadian Film and Television Production Association as Contributor Partner, and the National Bank of Canada as Silver Sponsor.

On a different note and as the Mom of a future Navy Cadet (my daughter will be sworn in this August), I’d like to draw your attention to an initiative by Canadian rock group The Trews. Beginning on May 18th, their song Highway of Heroes, will be available for purchase on iTunes. Net proceeds from all sales of this song will go to support The Canadian Hero Fund. I hope that you will choose to help support the great work this organization does in assisting our military families.

The Screenwriters Summit is coming to Vancouver this August 7 & 8th. Screenwriting gurus Syd Field, Linda Seger, Michael Hauge, and John Truby will provide you an unmatched depth and understanding of screenwriting and story that is ideal for screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, producers, directors and creative executives. Half-day classes taught by each of the four speakers will be followed by a half-hour Q&A session in which you’ll be able to follow-up with any questions you may have. The Summit is being held at the VanCity Theatre and will run from 9am until 6pm each day. Tickets are $395.00 and include a Saturday night social mixer.