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Disney Branded Television has promoted four executives in its original movies division.

Amee Dolleman and Charles Pugliese have been elevated to the roles of vice president of original movies, while Mahita Penke and Jennifer Dubin have been upped to executive director of original movies.

“Amee, Charles, Mahita and Jen have exceptional taste and fantastic relationships with top creative talent,” executive vice president of live-action and alternative series Charlie Andrews and senior vice president of original movies Lauren Kisilevsky said in a joint statement Tuesday. “They are each passionately dedicated to uplifting and expanding the Disney legacy by developing movies that delight and inspire audiences all over the world. The team continues to deliver tent pole and event movies with humor, heart and adventure to kids, families and young adults everywhere for whom Disney magic knows no bounds.”

Penke reports to Dolleman and Pugliese, while Dolleman, Pugliese and Dubin report to Kisilevsky.

Evelyn Sakash, an Emmy-winning production designer, was found dead at her New York City home on Tuesday. She was 66.

According to the Associated Press, Sakash was “known to be a hoarder” and was found under a pile of garbage. The cause of death is currently unknown, but will be determined by the New York City medical examiner’s office.

Sakash was found by her sister and a cleaning crew, who were hired to clear out Sakash’s home and look for her. She had previously been reported missing and was last seen alive on Sept. 30, 2020.

Sakash was a production designer and art director, having worked on films like 1990’s “Mermaids” and 2014’s “Still Alice.” In 2003, Sakash took home a Daytime Emmy for art direction for the children’s series “Between the Lions.” According to Sakash’s IMDb page, she first worked as an art director on two episodes of the...

Evelyn Sakash, a veteran production designer and scenic artist who won a Daytime Emmy for PBS’ Between the Lions and worked on films, including Still Alice and Mrs. Winterbourne, was found dead Tuesday at her New York City home. She was 66.

The Associated Press reported that Sakash was a known hoarder and was found lying on her kitchen floor under a pile of garbage. The body was discovered by her sister, who told police she had hired a cleaning crew to clear the home in Queens and to look for Sakash. The medical examiner’s office will work to determine the cause of death.

A missing-persons report filed with the NYPD said Sakash hadn’t been seen since September 30.

Along with her Daytime Emmy win in 2003, she picked up another nom for the live-action/puppetry series Between the Lines the following year. Her other TV credits include all episodes of the 1994-97 Nick Jr.

TV writer and producer, Tom Whedon, father of TV and screenwriter Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Angel, Firefly, Marvel's The Avengers), musician and writer Jed Whedon (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog), and writer Zack Whedon (Deadwood, Halt and Catch Fire), died on March 23, 2016, at the age of 83. Jed announced the news late yesterday, on Instagram.

A producer on It's a Living, Benson, Maggie, The Golden Girls, and The Sinbad Show , Mr. Whedon's TV series writing credits includes those shows and many more. His professional career began on the Captain Kangaroo TV show, in the 1950s. Other TV credits include Music Scene, The Dick Cavett Show, The Electric Company (on which he was head writer), All's Fair, United States, The Two of Us, and the children's series, Between the Lions, for which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

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Amazon has some new kids’ show pilots for its subscribers to consider greenlighting into full series. The streaming video platform has picked up six new animated pilots for its fall 2015 pilot round of children’s programming, with all the pilots set for release on November 5, 2015.

The first two pilots Amazon will release, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Numberlys, are aimed at preschool-aged children. Written and developed by Ken Scarborough (Arthur) and based on the book by the same name, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie follows the story of Mouse and Oliver as they start an adventure in one place and eventually end up back home after a flurry of twists and turns. The Numberlys is based on the titular book, app, and short film, and tells the story of five friends who manage to turn a sprout into a tree in their city. The Numberlys...

Last night, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gave out its Creative Arts prizes for the 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, and long-running children's series "Sesame Street" was the top winner overall, nabbing six trophies. "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was the top talk show with five wins. And "The Bold and the Beautiful" is off to a good start with four prizes, leading all soaps going into Sunday's webcast of the top winners. -Break- 'Days of Our Lives,' 'Young and Restless,' 'Dr. Oz' will nab Daytime Emmys "Sesame Street's" six prizes included yet another win for Best Pre-School Children's Series. It has now won the category 19 times and in fact has only lost once (2009 to "Between the Lions") in the 20 years the category has existed. Before that, "Sesame Street" received multiple wins for...

Emily Squires, a six-time Daytime Emmy Award winner for directing episodes of Sesame Street, died Nov. 21 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York of unknown causes. She was 71. Squires penned and directed episodes of another PBS series, Between the Lions, and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for co-producing the 1994 children's special All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2012  Squires directed more than two dozen episodes of Sesame Street, the first one in 1982. The bulk of her work on the kids show came in the years 2005 through

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Sesame Street team member Emily Squires, who directed multiple episodes of the show and worked on soap operas including The Guiding Light and As the World Turns, died Wednesday at Mount Sina Hospital in New York City. She was 71 and her husband Len Belzer said today the cause of death has not been determined. Squires also directed several Sesame Street TV specials as well as other children’s programs such as the PBS show Between the Lions, which promoted reading and learning. She also was a scriptwriter for soap operas including Search for Tomorrow and The Secret Storm. Squires earned 15 Daytime Emmy nominations for Writing in a Drama Series, Drama Series Writing Team and Directing in a Children’s series.

New York -- A longtime "Sesame Street" director who also worked on soap operas including "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" has died. Emily Squires was 71.

She died Wednesday at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.

Squires' husband, Len Belzer, said Friday that the cause of death hasn't been determined.

Squires directed the "Sesame Street" children's television series from 1982 to 2007 while also writing for the program.

She directed several "Sesame Street" TV specials as well as other children's programs such as the PBS show "Between the Lions," which promoted reading.

She also was a scriptwriter for soap operas including "The Guiding Light," "Search for Tomorrow," "The Secret Storm" and "As the World Turns."

Squires later directed documentaries including "Visions of Perfect Worlds," a conversation with the Dalai Lama.

New York -- A longtime "Sesame Street" director who also worked on soap operas including "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" has died. Emily Squires was 71.

She died Wednesday at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.

Squires' husband, Len Belzer, said Friday that the cause of death hasn't been determined.

Squires directed the "Sesame Street" children's television series from 1982 to 2007 while also writing for the program.

She directed several "Sesame Street" TV specials as well as other children's programs such as the PBS show "Between the Lions," which promoted reading.

She also was a scriptwriter for soap operas including "The Guiding Light," "Search for Tomorrow," "The Secret Storm" and "As the World Turns."

Squires later directed documentaries including "Visions of Perfect Worlds," a conversation with the Dalai Lama.

Artist, producer, and director Michael Sporn is in production on Poe, a feature length animated film about the life of the legendary American writer wrapped around four of his most famous tales. Sporn has had his hand in television, film, and print for decades now, lending his skills to everything from Reading Rainbow, to animated adaptations of Harold And The Purple Crayon and Goodnight Moon, and in 1984 his animated short Doctor Desoto was nominated for an Academy Award. Poe was written by Maxine Fisher and has an animation team made up of Matthew (Between The Lions) Clinton and Tissa (Simple Gifts) David.

Below you will find a wealth of concept art and storyboards (which feature art by Jason McDonald). The film is set for release on June 6, several months after the John Cusack-starring The Raven (covered in our next issue) whets our appetite for Baltimore’s somber best.

Sources: IMDb,...

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the nominees for the 38th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards.   General Hospital lead the pack with 21 nominations.

Nominations by Show:

    General Hospital    21

    The Young and the Restless    20

    Sesame Street    16

    The Bold and the Beautiful    14

    All My Children    13

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show    12

    One Life To Live    12

    Penguins of Madagascar    8

    The Electric Company    7

    Today Show    6

    Transformers Prime    6

    The View    6

    Days of Our Lives    5

    The Oprah Winfrey Show    5

    84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade    4

    As the World Turns    4

    Between the Lions    4

    Private Sessions    4

    The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear    4

    Biz Kid$    3

    Disney Kick Buttowski    3

    Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse    3

    The Doctors    3

    Fanboy and Chum Chum    3

    Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman    3

    Giada At Home    3

    Live with Regis and Kelly    3

    Rachael Ray    3

    SciGirls    3

    Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee    3

    The Wendy Williams Show    3

    America's Test Kitchen    2

    Back at the Barnyard    2

    Cash Cab    2

    The Cat in the Hat...

Benjamin faced many problems. His mom tells how he brought her peace of mind. In this week's Newsweek, an excerpt from Priscilla Gilman's The Anti-Romantic Child traces her gradual realization that her child was "different" from other kids, and then how his development was markedly off track.

After a quick hello, the admissions director got right to business: "We have some concerns about how Benjamin did at his visit," she said. "Really?" I replied. "We thought he did well. He had a good time." She paused. "No. He didn't do well."

Related story on The Daily Beast: Top 20 Baby Names of 2010

"What was the problem?" I asked. After some pausing and sighing, she finally came out with: "He seemed fixated on the magnetic letters and numbers. He didn't answer the teachers' questions appropriately or respond to the other children. We think he might do better in another school setting."

I...

Any fan of Damages is probably well aware that the show is now on Directv. Premiering last night, Directv's Channel 101 will be running the first three seasons of the award-winning thriller commercial-free Wednesdays at 10pm, leading up to the new season which will kick off later this year.

As you might imagine, they're gearing up in big ways for the show, including offering up a great sweepstakes. You can enter to win an all-expenses-paid, 4-day trip to New York for you and a friend, which includes VIP access to the filming of a new episode of the show, and $1,000 cash. Follow the link to enter. Directv Damages Facebook sweepstakes

They've also put together a great Damages website, filled with character profiles and tons of other information to help you get into the show as you watch the first seasons. I'll include some videos below, but you can browse around...

When it comes to shows aimed at the seriously young, there aren’t many that stand out for me. One of the few is Between the Lions, a show my kids love, and I love that they love. New episodes are coming your way, and I wanted to give a shout out to the show by including a lot of information from a recent press release.

Make sure you’re tuning in September 20th for some great new installments of the adventures of your favorite Lions, and all their friends.

On the heels of exceptional research results released by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication*, the Emmy(r) Award-winning series Between the Lions heads into its 10th anniversary season with many reasons to celebrate! The study demonstrates that Between the Lions, when combined with teachers who are equipped with curriculum materials and who have received training, has...

PBS Kids. big fall premieres begin with The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That premieres Labor Day, September 6. Voiced by award-winning actor Martin Short and based on the acclaimed The Cat in the Hat.s Learning Library book series, Dr. Seuss.s The Cat in the Hat guides friends Sally and Nick on fun-filled adventures where they make natural-science discoveries. "Curious George" also launches its 5th season on Labor Day. Courtesy of PBS · September 6: Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That · September 6: Curious George · September 13: WordGirl · September 20: Between the Lions · September 27: Sesame Street · October 4:...

f I can just step back from the pseudo-serious role of film and television critic for a minute, and put forward the somewhat more serious that I'm actually a stay-at-home-dad, I've got to tell you that I love Between the Lions. I want to make sure that as many people as possible know that the Fourth Annual Roadshow of Between the Lions is kicking off April 30th, and believe me, you want to go. Theo and Leona will be at incredible live performances in Atlanta and Macon, Ga; Columbia, Sc; and Charlotte, Nc. Make sure you check out all the details below, but before we get to that, I got a chance to interview Theo and Leona (seriously) and get their take on the event. As you might imagine, it was a bit informal, but the lions were very excited about their upcoming tour. If you know the lions (especially...

WASHINGTON -- The full Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to restore funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, agreeing to give $400 million to the service in fiscal 2008. In an effort to keep politics out of public broadcasting, the CPB is funded two years in advance. In addition, the committee agreed to add $35 million next year for CPB to assist stations in the switch to digital television and $40 million for the replacement of public TV's aging satellite interconnection system. The committee also appropriated $25 million for Ready to Learn and $11 million for Ready to Teach, a pair of Education Department programs that help pay for such shows as Arthur and Between the Lions. "Without this victory, our stations would have been in a severe financial bind," said John Lawson, president and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations.

NEW YORK -- The Disney Channel has launched its first subscription video-on-demand package with Cablevision. Priced at $4.95 per month, Disney Channel on Demand will allow subscribers to the cable operator's digital offering iO: Interactive Optimum to access Disney programming including Lizzie McGuire, The Proud Family and Playhouse Disney shows like Stanley. "The kids area was an area where we really wanted to make some inroads," said Kristin Dolan, vp digital product management at Cablevision. "Disney is a great brand to do that." While this will be Disney's first branded SVOD venture, its programming is not new to the platform; Disney series are available on Insight Communications' Kids Unlimited package along with child-friendly programming from other top cable brands. Disney Channel on Demand marks the sixth SVOD service on Cablevision's iO platform, the industry's largest SVOD provider. Other networks available include Fox, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax and Playboy. In other news related to kids programming on VOD, InDemand will launch a virtual channel for PBS Kids on Demand on its free VOD platform. Eighty episodes of PBS series including Barney, Between the Lions and Calliou will be made available.