Printed from www.digitalmediafx.com
Digital Media FX - The Power of Imagination
Digital Media FX News Archives
Saturday
- October 6, 2001
- Gloria Foster, Another Matrix Star,
Dies
- Friday Box Office Results
- Mark Fleischer Named President of
Mainframe U.S.A.
- News Link of the Day -
Ousted Cinar Founders Strike Back
Gloria
Foster, Another Matrix Star, Dies
(by digitalmediafx.com) The Matrix set was stunned by the death
of a second cast member, following the untimely death of Aaliyah just
two months ago.. Gloria Foster, who played The Oracle in The Matrix
died from diabetes complications last Saturday. She was an intricate part
of both The Matrix Reloaded and the follow-up sequel.
Like with Aaliyah, most of Foster's scenes for the second sequel were complete, but not for the third sequel. Both Aaliyah and Foster played roles in the third sequel with Foster's role being a "pivotal role".
Warner Bros. has refused to comment on the filming of either cast member. Warner Bros. was criticized earlier this year for keeping quiet at the passing of William Hanna and for refusing to release an obituary press release honoring Hanna even while releasing Pokemon 3 press releases.
The Matrix
sequels have been plagued with problems since production started. One
of the initial problems, that has been investigated by Digital Media FX
for several months without enough evidence to support a full-fledged article,
revolves around a massive dispute with Marcus Chong who played the character
of Tank in The Matrix. The dispute was so heated that the producers
apparently refused to recast Chong in the sequels and have instead replaced
him for Tank's character.
Friday Box Office
Results
(by digitalmediafx.com) There were no major animated or visual effects
films in the top 10 on Friday.
Here are Friday's Top 5 Movies
1. Training Day -
$7.5 Million
2. Serendipity - $4.4 Million
3. Zoolander - $2.8 Million
3. Don't Say a Word - $2.7 Million
5. Hearts in Atlantis - $1.4 Million
Mark Fleischer
Named President of Mainframe U.S.A.
(by digitalmediafx.com) Brett Gannon, newly appointed president and
COO of Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. has announced the appointment of
Mark Fleischer as President of its Los Angeles-based subsidiary, Mainframe,
U.S.A. In this newly created position, Fleischer will spearhead the expansion
of the company's presence in Los Angeles, with the goal of positioning
Mainframe to more effectively pursue opportunities within the Hollywood
creative, production, and business community.
"We needed a stronger presence in Hollywood and Mark Fleischer is the person to help us accomplish this goal," Gannon said. "We think it is especially fitting that the grandson of the great animation pioneer, Max Fleischer, take the reins of our Los Angeles based animation studio. As a rare third generation member of the entertainment community, Mark is very well connected and highly regarded. Through his highly developed skills and relationships, we will continue to expand both our production and distribution opportunities."
Fleischer first began working with Mainframe in his capacity of President of Fleischer Studios, Inc. in Los Angeles. The two companies recently joined forces to develop and produce a new animated television series based on the Fleischer Studios-owned classic cartoon icon Betty Boop, a creation of Max Fleischer's.
"Mainframe's
superb creative, production, and management team, together with the extraordinary
creative and production flexibility made possible by computer generated
animation, has uniquely positioned Mainframe for major growth," says
Fleischer. "The company's history of great success will serve as
a solid platform for a dramatic expansion of its position in the marketplace.
I feel very privileged to have been invited to be a part of this."
> Return to the top of page
News Link of the
Day - Ousted Cinar Founders Strike Back
According to the National Post:
"Ousted Cinar
Corp. co-founders Micheline Charest and Ronald Weinberg formally launched
their counterattack against the troubled animation company yesterday,
alleging the company owes them $8-million. They further claimed any financial
losses or damages suffered by the company "are the sole result of
the action" of former chief financial officer Hasanain Panju..."
Click here for the full story.
> Return
to the Top of the Page
> Return to Today's
News
> Return to the Digital
Media FX Front Page
These news articles and all digitalmediafx.com content are ©copyright 2001 by Joe Tracy and may not be reused for any purpose without expressed written consent of the author and Digital Media FX. All rights reserved.
