New Voice of Dora to Hit TV This Fall

Nick Jr.’s “Dora the Explorer” will kick off its upcoming season with a week of episodes featuring an all-new voice-over cast, marking the first time since the show’s inception in 2000 that the cast has been altered.

“The motivation was practical more than anything else,” Teri Weiss, senior vice president of production and development for Nickelodeon Preschool TV, told the Daily News. “Our cast has just gotten too old for their parts. We feel lucky that the show has been such a success that we had to find new kids.”

New Jersey-born newcomer Caitlin Sanchez is set to fill the role of Dora.

“When I first found out I was going to be Dora, I couldn’t believe it,” Sanchez, 12, said. “I loved watching ‘Dora’ when I was younger, and my little sister watches it now. She can’t wait to watch the new episodes in September.”

Sanchez will be joined by Regan Mizrahi as Boots, Alexandria Suarez as Backpack, Jean Carlos Celi as Tico, Matthew Gumley as Benny and Lenique Vincent as Isa.

Weiss doesn’t feel the new voices will affect “Dora’s” viewership (it’s the No. 1-rated preschool program on commercial television). In fact, she doesn’t think audiences will even notice the difference, and the experts agree.

“I think it will be indistinguishable,” said Bill Carroll, Katz Media television group’s vice president of programming. “Given that it’s a huge franchise show for them, they’re going to do everything to protect it. I would anticipate that unless you started out listening to the former voice and then [Sanchez's], you probably won’t even be able to tell the difference.”

Season five of “Dora the Explorer” will premiere Monday, Sept. 15, at 10:30 a.m., with new episodes through Thursday.

On Friday, Nick Jr. will air a five-hour marathon, including all four new episodes as well as “Dora” movies and specials from previous years.

Though the voices may be changing, the “Dora” format will remain the same, with one exception. In every new episode, Dora will meet a new friend from a different cultural background who will teach her a special skill inherit to that culture. Also this season, Dora will use more math to solve problems and will teach preschoolers multiword phrases in Spanish.

In addition to the new episodes, Nickelodeon will release a new CD, “Dora the Explorer Party Favorites CD,” featuring Sanchez’s vocals, on Sept.9.

“The CD contains popular children’s songs like ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ and ‘London Bridge,’ but they’re more moderned up so kids can sing along, too,” Sanchez said. “My favorite is ‘London Bridge’ because I love the beat on it.”

Source: NY Daily News

Unite For Strength Aims to Merge SAG and AFTRA

Isn’t it a lovely day for a merger, dear?

How many times have you heard people say that they wish the performers unions SAG and AFTRA would merge?

The Screen Actors Guild is in the midst of electing a number of new members to the SAG Board of Directors, and fortunately for those in favor of merger, there is a slate of 31 television stars, journeymen, background performers, stunt performers, and voice over artists who are gunning for just that as they run for seats on the Screen Actors Guild Board of Directors.

Unite For Strength desires to unite performers at the bargaining table once and for all.

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Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Voice Cast Announced

During a press conference at Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced the all-star ensemble cast featured in this holiday’s highly anticipated real-time strategy video game Command & ConquerTM Red AlertTM 3. Starring in the Command & ConquerTM franchise’s trademark live-action movie sequences, the diverse group includes a host of award-winning actors, action stars, science fiction legends, up-and-coming starlets from around the globe and even mixed martial artists.

The (voice) cast of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 follows (in alphabetical order by last name): Gemma Atkinson (the UK’s Hollyoaks), Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October), Andrew Divoff (LOST), Kelly Hu (X2, The Scorpion King), Jenny McCarthy (Scream 3, former Playboy Playmate of the Year), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean), J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, Juno), Autumn Reeser (The OC), Peter Stormare (Prison Break, Armageddon), George Takei (Star Trek, Heroes), and two of the most recognizable names in competitive mixed martial arts Randy “The Natural” Couture (former UFC Heavyweight champion) and Gina “Conviction” Carano (Undefeated Elite XC fighter, American Gladiators).

“This is by far the most exciting cast we have in over 13 years of shooting live-action movies for Command & Conquer,” said Chris Corry, executive producer at EALA. “The caliber of the performances we received, both individually and collectively, have really raised the storytelling bar for the franchise. We are really excited that we will be delivering such a high quality production that is on par with movies and television shows.”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came in to work on a video game,” said Jenny McCarthy from the set of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, while playing Tanya, Allied commando and the most beloved heroine in the history of the Command & Conquer universe. “What I realized is Red Alert 3 is not just a video game, it’s absolutely an interactive movie. This is where the people at home get to move the story forward, and where seeing the plot thicken is a reward for a job well done. And that’s really cool.”

“I think video games are one of the new frontiers for actors and using live action is just another way to connect more easily to the gamer rather than CG or animation techniques,” said J.K. Simmons from the set of the game, who is playing the anti-Communist U.S. President Howard T. Ackerman. “To be in a groundbreaking game like Red Alert 3 where we are using full on shooting of live actors and to be with Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry and Peter Stormare, it was a great opportunity for a character actor like me to have some fun.”

Source: Electronic Arts

McCain Political Voice “Joan” a Corporate Secret

The company producing John McCain’s political ads is refusing to reveal the identity of the narrator used in the campaign’s most recent commercials. The Politico newspaper reports chairman of the company Strategic Perception Fred Davis III says, “We consider that a corporate secret.”

The woman who narrates the now-famous McCain ad “Celeb” has also been used in three other commercials attacking Barack Obama. Her voice is described by some at the company as “pleasant to listen to” and “an every-woman’s voice.”

What is known is that her first name is Joan and that she began doing political voice-overs about a year ago. The Politico reports the business is desperate for new and unfamiliar voices and that is why the company is so tight-lipped about Joan’s identity.

Source: Fox News

Voice Actors Add Humanity to Obituaries Online

When Stan Crumley’s father passed away two and a half years ago, Crumley found himself facing one of life’s milestones—writing his father’s obituary.

Crumley went through the process of trying to sum up his father’s life for the standard newspaper death notice. Afterward, though, he felt unsatisfied. “I wanted more from it,” Crumley says. “You read it and you say, ‘I wonder what the rest of the story is of this guy’s life?’”

So Crumley decided to put his 35 years of experience in television-news broadcasting to a new purpose—creating lasting video tributes to the recently deceased. A former WLOS-TV advertising salesman, he created Stan Crumley Productions Inc. and started a new business, dubbed OB-TV, which stands for “Obituary Television.” Crumley has teamed up with two other former WLOS colleagues—former reporter Deborah Potter and former producer Ernie Sigmon—to produce broadcast-quality video segments out of offices on Hendersonville Road.

The goal, according to Crumley, is to “put together mini-stories that tell the story of what that person meant to you.”

Creating the video tribute starts with the family electronically sending OB-TV 15 to 20 photographs. There’s an online form that allows family members to provide a variety of background information. Writers then put together a script for a one-and-a-half, two-and-a-half or three-and-a-half minute video. A selection of graphics can be added, and Crumley says he can draw from a group of professional voice actors to read the script.

Once the video’s completed, the family receives three DVDs to save or share, and the video will be posted to the OB-TV Web site (http://www.ob-tv.com). The service costs between $400 and $500, and the company requires a copy of a death certificate before it will produce a video.

James T. “Tommy” Rice Jr. of Anders-Rice Funeral Homes in Asheville says he’s seen Crumley’s presentation and sample video, but declined comment because he says he hasn’t had enough experience with the service.

Using the Internet to memorialize the dead is becoming more common. Legacy.com, a Web site that hosts the obit sites of more than 500 newspapers, allows people to view photos, leave written or audio comments, and combine photos and music for a tribute.

“The Internet is such a terrific tool for presenting people who have left us,” says Alana Baranick, obituary writer for the The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, which uses Legacy.com. Combining the multimedia elements allows for richer storytelling, Baranick says.

“Many of the major newspapers are doing more justice to the folks who are dead. Rather than a resume of the life, obituaries are explaining what made them tick. It tells you more about us as human beings,” says Baranick, the chief author of the book Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers (Marion Street Press, 2005). Baranick also runs a blog about obituaries called the Obituary Forum and is part of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers. Families who see the online obituaries “are thrilled,” she says.

Crumley says he doesn’t know of another company offering professionally produced video tributes, and he has high hopes for his business. The goal is to provide video tributes to anyone across the United States. Locally, Crumley says he’s reached out to a number of funeral homes to educate them about OB-TV and its services.

“We want to make it a celebration of life,” he says. “Something that represents the person they love and something that can be handed down for generations.”
Source: Mountain Express News

R.S. Bailey Featured on NewFiction.com

R.S. Bailey, award-winning theatrical director and producer, is featured on three multi-voice recordings of new novels on the new literary website, NewFiction.com. All audio books on the website are multi-voice recordings featuring professional voice actors from Los Angeles and around the country.

Bailey previously directed the multi-voice recording for the audiobook of Samuel Beckett’s novel, “Murphy”, starring Fionnula Flanagan and Colm Meany, the first Beckett novel approved for audio release by Samuel Beckett’s estate.

For NewFiction.com he adapted, produced, and read the principal voice of David in “I Betcha”, by Louis Abramson. He reads the principal voice of the Fat Cowboy for, “Apologia of the Fat Cowboy”, by Rod Miller; and performs a featured voice in “Word Lotto”, by Broadband General.

“I enjoy the multi-voice format for audio books much more than the single voice approach. It flows more and holds the ear of the listener. It’s a much more accessible format that’s easier to follow.” Says R.S. Bailey. “There’s far less confusion about which character is speaking. The production details are much more complex but the result is worth it.”

“I Betcha” is the story of a Wall St. foreign securities trader who makes a bet that he can write a hit rap song. He gets a lot more than he bargained for when he finds himself caught in the middle of an east coast/west coast rap music shooting war. “Apologia of the Fat Cowboy’ is another comic offering in which the Fat Cowboy, a Republican fund raiser, tries leverage his political connections to illegally corner the market on the world’s rarest fur.

Other novels now available by subscription on Newfiction.com are “Senate Parking” by Skeeze Whitlow; “Venus de Milo” and “Jake and Jamokies”, both by Dennis Manuel. Also featured on the new website is “iSoap” a modern version of the old-time radio drama. For access and a free subscription to one novel go to www.NewFiction.com.

Source: Tz Entertainment

5 CD Set on How To Make Money in Voice-Overs (even if you’re not in N.Y. or L.A.)

What’s the hardest thing to do in voice over if you’re not in New York or Los Angeles?

Making money, honey!

All across the board, the single most challenging aspect of pursuing voice over as a professional is making a consistent amount of money to call a living, and in Julie Williams’ third edition of “How To Make Money in Voice-Overs”, listeners will learn how to do just that with this comprehensive course in voice over marketing for talent who want to compete in the global voice over marketplace, regardless of where they live.

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