An animator/musician friend emailed me this note about the new Counting Crows music video “Accidentally in Love” (see it HERE) and after taking a look at it, I’m inclined to agree with him:

Don’t know if you’ve seen this yet or not. It is absolutely the WORST music video I have ever seen. Combine shitty music from the Counting Crows with horrible animation… Absolutely a shit fest.

DREW CAREY’S GREEN SCREEN, a new series on the fall WB Network schedule, is essentially WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? with animation added behind the live-action performers. The website doesn’t have much of anything on it yet, but I’ll take this as an opportunity to say that I’m looking forward to the show. Ron Diamond’s Acme Filmworks is producing the animation, and they’ve hired a whole slew of independent animators to contribute animated segments, including the likes of Patrick Smith, Bill Plympton and Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero. It remains to be seen how well this concept will work, but at the very least, it’ll be fun to see animation in a variety of styles and techniques on primetime television.

In addition to the previously noted JOHN K. extravaganza on September 7th & 8th (which I will update further in the weeks ahead), the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood has added a few other animation screenings to their monthly schedule.On Sunday August 15th at 6pm, the Cinematheque will screen the original French version of La Planete Sauvage (aka FANTASTIC PLANET) as a tribute to its late director Rene Laloux.On Friday September 10th, a new 35mm print of Bakshi’s FRITZ THE CAT will screen around 11:30pm (it’s the second half of a double bill with Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls starting at 9:45pm).Also keep in mind that CINECON will take over the Egyptian from September 2-5 with marathon screenings (9am to midnight) of vault prints and fresh restorations of the most obscure movies in Hollywood history (including cartoons - and your last chance to see POPEYE MEETS SINDBAD with the original titles). I’ll be posting more details about CINECON in a few weeks. Till then check the Cinematheque website for more information.

I like the concept for Project Backpocket, in which eight Vinton Studios interns are given nine weeks to produce a short animated film using the studio’s resources. The interns are currently in week 7 of production, and the public can keep track of their progress at ProjectBackpocket.com where each of the interns is keeping their own personal production blog. A tip of the hat to Josh Parpan, one of the artists working on the film, for cluing me in to the proceedings. Josh is creating some really nice artwork for the hand-drawn sequence in the film, while the rest of the short is being produced in CG.

* A couple fine San Diego Comic-Con reports by Ronnie del Carmen and Scott Shaw!.

* It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned his name here, so let it be known that “America’s last untamed cartoonist” Milton Knight has updated his WEBSITE. And even if he hadn’t done that, it would still be worth a visit.

* GAPING VOID cartoonist Hugh Macleod has posted some eloquent MUSINGS on the nature of creativity and what it takes to achieve success as an artist. (via Boing Boing)