The voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (among countless others), Eric Bauza, will host this Saturdays 3rd Annual Childrens & FamilyEmmy Awards (CAFE). Now in its third year, this standalone competition spotlights the pinnacle of creativity and innovation in childrens entertainment. The ceremony will be streamed live onwatch.theemmys.tvand through The Emmysapps (apps.theemmys.tv). Note that the Creative Arts CAFE ceremony recognizing excellence in behind-the-scenes and technical achievements, will take place at 8:00 PM PT and will not have a host.The nomination list is incredibly extensive; it includes I Am Groot, Marvels Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Orion and the Dark, Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie, and The Tiny Chef Show. Announced last December, the animation, visual effects and related nominees can be found on AWN here. Puppeteer and actorDave Goetz(The Muppets) will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to previously announced honoree, Emmy Award-winning performerFran Brill. Additional presenters for CAFE and the Creative Arts CAFE ceremonies include:Ella Bright(Darrell Rivers inMalory Towers),Noah Cottrell(Simon inThe Spiderwick Chronicles),Lucia Cunningham(Jessica Williams inJessicas Big Little World),Terrence Little Gardenhigh (voice of John Patrick Pat Patterson inFright Krewe),Duff Goldman(host,Kids Baking Championship),Jack Griffo(Max inThe Thundermans Return),Mykal-Michelle Harris(as Alice Baxter onRavens Home),Paul Walter Hauser(voice of Dark inOrion and the Dark),Leah Sava Jeffries(Annabeth Chase inPercy Jackson and the Olympians),Kiersten Kelly(voice of Brooklyn inJurassic World: Chaos Theory),Donna Kimball(Emmy nominee performer "Mokey Fraggle," fromFraggle Rock: Back to the Rock),Kira Kosarin(Phoebe Thunderman inThe Thundermans Return),Amanda Lawrence(Matron Shipley onMalory Towers),Amanda Martinez(voice of Abuela inRosie Rules),Arianna McDonald(Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-KindMarcie),Bobby Moynihan(FormerSaturday Night Livecast member, voice of Bobby Boots inPupstruction),Walker Scobell(Percy Jackson inPercy Jackson and the Olympians),Aryan Simhadri(Grover Underwood inPercy Jackson and the Olympians),Cree Summer(voice of Lizard & DeeDee inSpirit Rangers),John Tartaglia(Emmy nominee "Sprocket the Dog" (Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock),Jacob Tremblay(voice of Orion inOrion and the Dark) andIzaac Wang(Sam Wing inGremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai).Nominees and guests expected to attend the ceremonies includeBob Bergen(voice of Porky Pig in Looney Tunes Cartoons),Leslie Carrara-Rudolph(Abby Cadabby & Tango onSesame Street),Adam Copeland(Ares onPercy Jackson and the Olympians, WWE wrestler Edge),Ben Feldman (voice of Tylor Tuskmon inMonsters At Work),Eric Jacobson(Bert, Oscar the Grouch & Grover onSesame Street),Elizabeth Mitchell(Carol Calvin/Mrs. Claus onThe Santa Clauses),Maximilian Lee Piazza(One Piece),Sarah Rafferty(Donna inSuits; Katherine in My Life with the Walter Boys),David Rudman(Cookie Monster & Baby Bear onSesame Street),Eric Stonestreet(Cameron Tucker onModern Family, Magnus Antas aka The Mad Santa inThe Santa Clauses),and Kari Wahlgren(voices of Magda, Granny Catherine, Whiskers inSuperkitties). Bauza is a veteran Looney Tunes voice actor who most recently earned him two Childrens and Family Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice Performance in an Animated Program first in 2022 for his performance of Bugs Bunny in Looney Tunes Cartoons and again in 2023 for his performances of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, and Marvin the Martian inBugs Bunny Builders. Bauza is the voice of both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck inThe Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Moviecoming out in theaters on March 14, 2025. Bauza began his career in animation as a character designer working with production studios in Hollywood. It was this introduction to the animation world that led him to a successful career as one of the most in-demand voiceover artists in town.He received Emmyand Annie Award nominations for his work as the title character inThe Adventures of Puss in BootsandMuppet Babiesas well as for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes Cartoons. His other television credits includeTiny Toons Looniversity,Unikitty,Archibalds Next Big Thing,The Rocketeer,Ballmastrz: 9009,Rise of the Teenage Mutant Turtles,Star vs. The Forces of Evil,Breadwinners,Uncle Grandpa,Atomic Puppet,The Powerpuff Girls,The Fairly Odd Parents,Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production,Ultimate Spider-Man,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Guardians of the Galaxy,Transformers: Robots in Disguise,Sanjay and Craig,Mighty Magiswordsand the voice of Fozzie Bear, the big-hearted comedian, in Disney Juniors reimaginedMuppet Babiestelevision series.On the big screen, Bauza voiced Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, and Marvin the Martian inSpace Jam: A New Legacy. He has voiced characters inThe Book of LifeandThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, as well as Woody Woodpecker in theWoody Woodpeckerfeature film for Universal. He has also voiced characters in commercials such as Lucky the Leprechaun for Lucky Charms cereal, Trix Rabbit for Trix cereal and Marvin the Martian for Nike and Walmart.Hes been vewwy, vewwy busy!Source: NATAS Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.

Leading VFX and animation studio Framestore had the recent good fortune of working from previs to postvis to final on Jon M. Chus award-winning hit musical adventure, Wicked. On the film, Framestore Pre-Production Services devised the camera angles and movements for sequences involving Nessarose Thropps levitating wheelchair, Elphaba taking flight, and Doctor Dillamond.The chorography is similar, from action scenes through to musical numbers, notes Christopher McDonald, Visualization Supervisor, Framestore. A great starting point is to look at storyboards to get a representation of whether its a set or location and then block out the action literally from a top-down perspective. Thats a strong basis because its always something you can refer back to once youve got that basic blocking in place. On Defying Gravity, in particular, we worked quite closely with the stunt team, which had a bunch of tests that were done with the various rigs. They had all of these concepts for movements that Elphaba was going to perform at certain points during the song. Then it was a case of figuring out how do we fit this in? How is it going to look? How are we going to shoot it? Those are the building blocks for scenes like that.Previs is about imagining the possibilities. The challenge with previs in a lot of cases is its that first swing of ideas, remarks McDonald. What you hope is at every point its going to progress. Previs is informative to the point where you can get everyone on the same page as to where its going to go from there. Seeing the stuff that came through from the postvis, it was rewarding to see how those ideas evolved into what they eventually became.Postvis revolves around getting the best out of what has already been established. Its like, So they shot this. How are we going to make this work? laughs Maike Fiene, Visualization Supervisor, Framestore. This is where it comes in handy to see all of the previs work and to have a notion of, These were the ideas that we discussed. Because quite often, films are still in their early stages of development when it comes to environments, set extensions, or characters. When the postvis starts, nothing is set and final. There is still some room to go, How can we improve from what has been done in previs and work together alongside the film team to see in which direction theyre developing things? You know how long things are going to be. Although, that being said, there were a lot of transition shots and shot extensions that were explored in postvis. For instance, the transition from the Ozdust Party through the ceiling with the fish and then onto Shiz University. There was a bit more of that kind of creative figuring out of what that might look like. In the opening sequence, Glinda is on the bubble platform and starts to look back at the school. The camera pushes past her, and you transition into this river, underwater environment. They played it nicely with the music as well because the sound cue was coming a bit before the visual transition at that point, so you knew something was going on. There was this wonder of awe of Where are we going next? The creative and technical processes were streamlined by doing everything in-house. What was useful with it being so end to end at Framestore, between the art department right through to the final visual effects, is we are able to stay in touch with everybody at every stage, states McDonald. Doctor Dillamond interacts with a lot of specific tools, like a projector and a teapot contraption. While we were doing the previs, Framestore animation is also figuring out how is he going to interact with the world and use these various contraptions. We can see those animation tests that theyre working on and incorporate them into our previs and postvis. It all weaves and knits together. An animation test might be great but then to be able to see it in the context of a shot or scene gives it a different dimension. At least once a week the postvis team communicated with the animation and visual effects supervisors. Were seeing where things are developing and where we can share assets to make sure that were not showing something completely different to the director as to where the final is headed, remarks Fiene. For previs as well as postvis, there are certain technical limitations that are never going to push into the realm of looking like the final stuff. There is a point where it doesnt become efficient to continue developing assets. Having massive practical sets were extremely helpful, especially the Plaza of Emerald City and Shiz University. Trying to build on top of those felt like extending a painting, states Fiene. It was lovely to have that starting point.Unlike in an action scene, a musical numbers duration is determined by the length of song. Its a different type of challenge, states Fiene. At least it gives you those couple of points and notes that you know youre going to have to hit. Essentially, it makes your guesswork shorter. Even for the previs, there was a temp audio to work with already that put it into the ballpark of the length of the musical number. Throughout the postvis, we always had temp mock-ups of songs to accommodate the edits.One of the first sequences that Framestore worked on was Nessarose Thropps levitating wheelchair. There were a lot of conversations early on about how they were going to depict the gravity aspect, remarks McDonald. It was about having it feel grounded, not mystical. This is this first time that youre seeing those powers in that way, so its about setting the tone. The weight of the wheelchair had to be taken into consideration. There were quite a few people involved, from animation to the director and visual effects supervisor, all trying to wrap their minds around making that work, recalls Fiene. It came down to tests. Lets try something similar to the previs and see if it hits the right tone. Is it too much? It was critical that it shouldnt feel magical. Its gravity but in the other direction! She has not developed her full powers at that point so theres a certain limitation to how high everything reaches. The wheelchair is floating. Its not stable or frozen in any way. Theres always some sort of movement because its at a fine balance level at that point. Elphaba takes flight for the first time during the Defying Gravity scene. According to Fiene, You have an idea of what style of movie this is going to be. With previs and postvis, its about iterating quickly on ideas, testing them out and seeing if they land. With Elphaba flying, there were all kinds of different poses with the broomstick because there are numerous moments where shes holding it and levitating. There is also traditional riding a broomstick stuff. We iterated on different poses and various styles of movement. Its about what fits with what youre trying to do in a scene and moment. In the meetings, director Jon M. Chu would stress being respectful to the source material. He didnt want to do anything that would deviate in a strange direction and possibly alienate the fans of the musical. Defying Gravity was shot entirely against bluescreen. There was little reference for how big the loops should be that shes actually flying, how much do we stick to the camera and her screen position, what are the physical limitations of shooting this, and how do you make it work on the big screen? notes Fiene. With the layout of Emerald City coming together, there was a bit of discovery to be done. We needed to determine where do you have a good moment or angle for a big panoramic view to show off the city, but also her progression throughout the sequence. The further you get into the song, the more epic the shots get, and it becomes more like that action sequence where you can see her taking control over her flight path and embracing her powers. At the end, shes spiraling, twirling, and looping over backwards. There are small movements you can do while filming this, but how do you scale that into this huge environment and make that backdrop with the broom going back down onto the Emerald City? What feels crazy enough at that point?Increasing Framestores workload on the project is that Wicked has been divided into two feature films. It is a huge scope across both movies and were working on them back-to-back, states Fiene. We postvis somewhere around 900 plus shots in the end for the first movie, which is a good chunk of everything from small window views to huge numbers of animals plus transition shots. It required lots of different environments, various effects, capes, broomsticks, and set extensions.As usual on a project like this, the major challenges are always about exploring ideas. Thats the biggest thing with previs because what works in a storyboard and looks great doesnt necessarily work once you start getting into the specifics of the scene or story, remarks McDonald. You have to iterate on the ideas and bounce back and forth with visual effects, stunts, and everybody else. You work with all of them to solve those problems. Seeing those scenes come together was incredibly rewarding. Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.

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Severe weather is expected in the Southeast Saturday and Sunday.NOAA and NWSA looming tornado outbreak this weekend has meteorologists like me on very high alert. Weather experts are concerned because all of the ingredients needed for severe weather are lining up. Here are three things that you need to know right now.What To Expect and WhenThe National Weather Service and its Storm Prediction Center have issued a rare high" day 2 risk for parts of the southeastern U.S. The high risk is the highest category on a scale ranging from 1 to 5. This rating means that widespread severe storms with tornadoes, high winds, and hail are expected. Those storms could also be particularly intense and sustained. Candidly, I get concerned when an enhanced or moderate risk is identified. As you can see in the graphic above, a substantial portion of the South is in the category 3 to 5 range on Saturday and early Sunday.Severe storm categories NOAA and NWSAccording to the Weather Prediction Center, Severe thunderstorms (are) expected to impact the Midwest to the much of the Mississippi Valley tonight (Friday), across the Deep South later on Saturday, and possibly the East Coast by Sunday A significant low pressure system and associated cold front are the culprits. The low pressure system has already produced winds in excess of 80 mph across parts of the Great Plains and is now tracking towards the Great Lakes. An array of hazards is expected including:Friday: An outbreak of thunderstorms in the Midwest and fire danger in the Plains due to extremely high winds.Saturday: Flash flooding in the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and heavy snow or possible blizzard conditions in the upper Midwest.Saturday Night into Sunday Morning: A potent tornadic outbreak in the Southeast with potentially heavy rainfall. By Sunday afternoon, severe weather and gusty winds transition to the East Coast.Powerful storm in the center of the United States will feature multiple hazards and a potentially ... [+] dangerous tornado outbreak in the South by Saturday evening.Tropical Tidbits website and NOAAWhy Meteorologists Are Particularly ConcernedWe just dont see a day 2 high risk indicator. If I am remembering correctly, this is only the third time in the past almost twenty years that a high risk has been issued on a day 2 Storm Prediction Center outlook. Some meteorologists are saying it is possibly only the third in the history of SPC issuing such outlooks.SPC explicitly calls for numerous significant tornadoes that could be violent and track over long distances. According to SPC, the most vulnerable locations for this tornado outbreak include, Eastern Louisiana and Mississippi during the late morning to afternoon (Saturday), spread across Alabama late day into the evening, and reach western parts of the Florida Panhandle and Georgia.Outlook probabilities for each risk category. Parts of the South are in a "high" designation ... [+] Saturday and Sunday morning.NWSThe model indicators of severe weather also have many of us alarmed. One factor that I am watching is Significant Tornado Parameter. Whats that? Significant Tornado Parameter attempts to capture all of the ingredients necessary for tornadoes (changes in wind speed/direction, potential spin in the lowest part of the atmosphere, how likely a volume of air will rise if pushed upward and is there a "lid" preventing rising motion) and represent them in one number. Just like with a cake, slight changes in the amount or type of ingredients results in different cake flavor, texture or look. Its the same with tornadoes. Check out some of the values expected after midnight Saturday into early Sunday) below. While tornadoes get much of the press, the likelihood of damaging winds and hail threat should not be overlooked. The ingredients are certainly there for all phases of a severe weather threat.Significant Tornado Parameter near midnight Sunday.College of Dupage/NWSHow to PrepareTornadic storms in the South often happen in lines of convection. These Quasi-Linear Convective Systems are frequently nocturnal, and this system will be no different. That makes them even more dangerous because people are often sleep, enjoying nightlife, or otherwise distracted. The National Weather Service provides important guidance below on how to receive critical information and develop an appropriate storm plan.Now is the time to plan if you are in potentially impacted areas.Severe weather planning.NWS

For the last few years, Amazons low-cost 4K LEDs have offered buyers a cost-effective means of achieving good picture quality and a ton of apps for less than the rest. And, as luck would have it, we came across an excellent promo on an Amazon set while vetting through Amazon deals:Right now when you purchase the Amazon 43-inch Fire TV 4-Series 4K LED youll only pay $210. The full MSRP on this model is $370, so thats a $160 discount. This is the lowest price this TV has ever dropped to, so you dont want to miss it.Why you should buy the Amazon Fire TV 4-SeriesFirst and foremost, wed like you to know that every size (43, 50, and 55 inches) of the Amazon 4-Series 4K LED is on sale today. In terms of the 43-inch version, this is the lowest price weve ever seen it! With its traditional LED lighting and 4K panel, the Amazon 4-Series delivers good picture quality. Theres enough SDR brightness to watch TV in a brightly lit room without glare issues, and the TV throws a little extra illumination when watching (or playing) HDR content. While the image tends to degrade the farther off-center you sit, this is pretty normal for most LED LCDs in this price range.RelatedThe 4-Series has four HDMI ports, so youll have no issue hooking up all your go-to AV components, including game consoles and PCs. This Amazon TV actually has very low input lag, which makes it a fantastic choice for PS5 and Xbox devotees. And thanks to Fire TV OS and the included Alexa Voice Remote, youll have access to apps like Netflix and YouTube, plus hours of free live TV content and smart home control.Were not sure how long this sale is going to last, but we wouldnt wait too long. Save $160 when you purchase the Amazon 43-inch Fire TV 4-Series 4K LED today, and be sure to have a look at our lists of the best TV deals and best soundbar deals for even more discounts on top AV tech!Editors Recommendations

HP laptop deals are an excellent source of bargains if youre on the hunt for a new device, and weve found an offer that would be hard to refuse. The HP Pavilion 16t, which is originally sold for $1,000, is currently on sale with a $530 discount from HP that more than halves its price to just $470. Were not sure how long youve got to buy this laptop at 53% off, but youre going to want to hurry with your purchase if you dont want to miss out on this bargain because it may get taken down at any moment.The HP Pavilion 16t is a dependable laptop that will help you get through your daily workload with its 13th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. These specifications arent as powerful as the latest model of the HP Pavilion 16, but theyll be more than enough for regular tasks such as doing online research and creating reports. The laptop will also serve as a fine entertainment device for whenever you take a break, as its equipped with a 16-inch screen with WUXGA resolution for sharp details and vivid colors.Youll have plenty of storage space for all of your apps and files on the HP Pavilion 16ts 512GB SSD, and with Windows 11 Home pre-installed, you can start using the laptop right after you power it on for the first time. If youll often be working while on the go, HPs Fast Charge technology will make sure that youll never run out of battery as just 30 minutes of being plugged in replenishes 50%.RelatedIn one of the most attractive laptop deals that you can buy today, HP slashed the price of the HP Pavilion 16t from $1,000 all the way down to only $470, for huge savings of $530. This is a steal any way you look at it, and a lot of other shoppers are probably thinking the same thing. Before stocks run out, secure your own HP Pavilion 16t laptop for less than half-price by completing your transaction for it as soon as possible.Editors Recommendations

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Finish line in sight Crew-10 launches, finally clearing the way for Butch and Suni to fly home Crew 9 could return as early as next Wednesday. Eric Berger Mar 14, 2025 8:15 pm | 1 Before Crew 10 launched the rocket and spacecraft were treated to a lunar eclipse. Credit: SpaceX Before Crew 10 launched the rocket and spacecraft were treated to a lunar eclipse. Credit: SpaceX Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA Falcon 9 rocket launched four astronauts safely into orbit on Friday evening, marking the official beginning of the Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station.Although any crew launch into orbit is notable, this mission comes with an added bit of importance as its success clears the way for two NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to finally return home from space after a saga spanning nine months.Friday's launch came two days after an initial attempt was scrubbed on Wednesday evening. This was due to a hydraulic issue with the ground systems that handle the Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A in Florida.There were no technical issues on Friday, and with clear skies NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov rocketed smoothly into orbit.If all goes well, the Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying the four astronauts will dock with the space station at 11:30 pm ET on Saturday. They will spend about six months there.A long, strange tripFollowing their arrival at the space station, the members of Crew-10 will participate in a handover ceremony with the four astronauts of Crew-9, which includes Wilmore and Williams. This will clear the members of Crew 9 for departure from the station as early as next Wednesday, March 19, pending good weather in the waters surrounding Florida for splashdown of Dragon.Originally, prior to launching last June, Wilmore and Williams expected to spend about eight days in space. But things went sideways on their journey to space, and it's been a series of surprises since then:Wilmore and Williams launch on the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5, 2024During Starliner's flight to the International Space Station, the vehicle has thruster issues and helium leaksIn August, NASA announces Starliner will return to Earth uncrewed due to unresolved technical issuesCrew 9 mission launches with just two astronauts, NASA's Nick Hague and Russia's Aleksandr Gorbunov, in late SeptemberWilmore and Williams join Crew 9, extending their flight from eight days to more than eight monthsAfter SpaceX experiences a development issue with a Crew Dragon, Crew 9's return is delayed a month more, to MarchIn February 2025,Elon Musk and Donald Trump politicizeWilmore and Williams' long-duration stayWhen a European astronautcalls Musk outfor his "lie" about this,Musk replies, "You are fully retarded."Musk recommends the space station be deorbited as soon as 2027, three years ahead of schedule.NASA officials undermine Musks claims about stranded astronauts.And now, they're finally coming home.NASA has not announced plans for the arrival of Crew-9 back in Houston next week, but there may be a ceremony with officials from the White House, possibly including President Trump. So perhaps the politics of this particular flight are not over yet.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 1 Comments