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Jack McBrayer is set to host a new kids series that has been ordered at Apple, Variety has learned.

McBrayer co-created the series, titled “Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show,” with Angela C. Santomero. The show is said to invite preschoolers into a world where a little act of kindness can change the world. Alongside special guest stars, McBrayer will work to inspire kids to solve problems with kindness and heart using the “Three C’s — caring, connecting, and cascading from one person to another. It will also feature original songs from Ok Go.

McBrayer is best known for his time on the hit NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” on which he played NBC page Kenneth Parcell. The role earned McBrayer an Emmy nomination in 2009. He earned three other Emmy nominations thus far in his career: two for the web series “30 Rock: Kenneth the Webpage” and another for “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell.

Amazon Prime Video has confirmed that five original shows will be debuting new episodes on the streaming service in June including the third season of the animated hit “Creative Galaxy”; the sophomore season of the thriller “Absentia; and the first installment of the Japanese drama “Final Life.” There will also be two new movies this month: the documentary “Chasing Happiness,” which chronicles the rise to fame of the Jonas Brothers; and the Idris Elba crime drama “Yardie.”

Likewise, there will be plenty of films making their first appearances on Amazon Prime Video in June including the first five films in the “Rocky” franchise and several entries in the “Rush Hour” series.

Below is the full schedule of everything that is coming to Amazon Prime Video in June 2019. Unlike Netflix, Amazon does not disclose the shows and movies leaving the service in any given month. We’ve done some digging and...

From the ages of eight to 18, children spend more than seven hours a day looking at screens. Studies indicate kids now have access to an average of 12 screens per household. And the multi-billion dollar children’s programming industry has followed the evolution of preschool programming from a few staples like “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” to a frenzy of Paw Patrols, Peppa Pigs and Dora the Explorers — with lunchboxes, action figures and myriad other merchandise to match.

Creating relevant and educational content against that level of competition and the evolving consumption habits of frazzled parents and their kiddos is no small task, especially in the preschool space. But Angela Santomero, 9 Story’s newly minted chief creative officer, may have cracked the code through a cocktail of research, interaction and education.

Santomero has an impressive resume as the creator of several established series over the span of her 25-year career.

Amazon has just announced the new titles coming to its streaming service in February, and though there aren’t a ton of high-profile additions, there are a handful of Prime originals and some solid films that you should probably watch if you haven’t already. The originals include the premiere of The Collection, which a press release calls “a gripping family drama and entrepreneurial fable” that’s “set in a post-war Paris fashion house.” There’s also Author: Jt Leroy Story, which is about the fictional literary persona created by Laura Albert, and the kid-focused Creative Galaxy Heart Day Special.

Outside of Amazon exclusives, you’ll be able to catch up on The Americans and watch 10 Cloverfield Lane, Captain Fantastic, and a good selection of James Bond movies in February.

The complete list of things that will be streaming on Amazon Prime is below.

Available February 1

Into The ...

The Grand Tour..

Amazon Prime Video has officially launched in over 200 countries, including Australia.

A subscription will set customers back $2.99Usd ($4.03Aud) a month for the first six months, and $5.99Usd ($8.07Aud) thereafter. By comparison, Netflix charges a minimum $8.99 a month and Stan $10.

Australians have been able to access Amazon Prime Video via its Us and UK websites since November — but Amazon.denied that was a soft launch.

Amazon Original series include The Grand Tour, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, The Man in the High Castle, Creative Galaxy, Gortimer Gibbon.s Life on Normal Street, Tumble Leaf and Wishenpoof..

While Stan has the Australian rights to Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle, Amazon Prime subscribers will still be able to watch past seasons..

Amazon Originals such as Woody Allen.s Crisis in Six Scenes, David E. Kelley.s Goliath featuring Billy Bob Thornton, docuseries American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story,...

Amazon is headed back to Creative Galaxy. Recently, the streaming service announced season two of the children's series will premiere in September.The animated preschool series follows "adorable alien Arty (Meesha Contreras), and his sidekick Epiphany (Kira Gelineau), as they travel around the galaxy to solve problems using various forms of art." It features the voices of Samantha Bee, Jason Jones, Cloris Leachman, Jason Priestley, and Brooke Shields.Read More…...

Amazon has renewed a quartet of their original kid shows for season seasons -- Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, and Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street.

Here's their press announcement:

Amazon Studios Greenlights Second Seasons of Original Kids Series "Tumble Leaf," "Creative Galaxy," "Annedroids" and "Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street"

Growing original kids programming slate also includes Wishenpoof! and recently greenlit series Just Add Magic and The Stinky & Dirty Show

(more…)...

House of Cards‘ Frank Underwood controls the people in his life like puppets. But what if he controlled them… like Muppets?

RelatedNetflix Responds to House of Cards‘ Accidental (?) Early Release

In honor of the Netflix drama’s impending return — Season 3 premieres Feb. 27 — Sesame Street has released a spot-on Cards parody, with the Big Bad Wolf filling Kevin Spacey’s Emmy-winning shoes.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* Amazon Studios has renewed four of its kid-focused series — Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, Annedroids and Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street — for second seasons.

* The CW has added two...

Amazon Studios is bringing back some of its current original titles for kids. The production house has greenlit the second seasons of Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, and Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street.

Amazon will debut new season two episodes for all four original children’s series sometime in the future on Prime Instant Video for Prime members to stream. According to a release, Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, and Gortimer have done well for themselves, boasting the honor of being some of the most-streamed kids’ programming on Amazon. In addition, Annedroids was honored by the Parents’ Choice Foundation.

"Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, Annedroids and Gortimer have all experienced a tremendous response from our customers and we're excited to bring them back for another season," said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming for Amazon Studios. "Working with such remarkably talented and impactful creators in both the preschool and kids six to 11 space,...

Amazon Studios has handed out its first kids series renewals, ordering second seasons of Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street and the Annie-winning Tumble Leaf. All orders match Season 1’s 13 episodes with the exception of live-action Gortimer whose pickup is for 26 episodes. This means that Amazon will be bringing back all of its existing original kids series. Creative Galaxy, Annedroids and Tumble Leaf were the first ever original kids…...

Amazon Studios has renewed four kids series for second seasons: “Creative Galaxy,” “Annedroids,” “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street” and “Tumble Leaf” (pictured above). “’Tumble Leaf,’ ‘Creative Galaxy,’ ‘Annedroids’ and ‘Gortimer’ have all experienced a tremendous response from our customers and we’re excited to bring them back for another season,” Tara Sorensen, head of Kids Programming for Amazon Studios, said on Monday. “Working with such remarkably talented and impactful creators in both the preschool and kids six-to-11 space, it’s exciting to see where the storylines and characters will take us for another season.” Also Read: Amazon Greenlights 5 Series,...

They’ve proven to be among the most popular kids series on Prime Instant Video, and all four of them were recently honored by the Parents’ Choice Foundation. Today Amazon announced that it has greenlit second seasons of its hit kids series: Creative Galaxy, Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, and recent Annie Award winner Tumble Leaf.

“Tumble Leaf, Creative Galaxy, Annedroids and Gortimer have all experienced a tremendous response from our customers and we’re excited to bring them back for another season,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming for Amazon Studios. “Working with such remarkably talented and impactful creators in both the preschool and kids six to 11 space, it’s exciting to see where the storylines and characters will take us for another season.”

Annecy International Festival and Annie award-winning series Tumble Leaf was created by Drew Hodges (Saturday Night Live, Community) and executive produced...

Get ready to watch, rate and review Amazon’s just-released pilots – a slate of 13 original comedy, drama, docuseries and kids offerings now available on Amazon Instant Video.

The pilots come from a talented creative roster that includes both newcomers discovered through Amazon Studios as well as highly-acclaimed veterans such as Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), Carlton Cuse (Lost), Randall Wallace (Braveheart), Shawn Ryan (The Shield), Brad Silberling (Jane the Virgin, Lemony Snickets…), Mark Waters (Mean Girls), Academy and Emmy Award winning director Alex Gibney (The Armstrong Lie), Angela Santomero (Blue’s Clues), and Carol Greenwald (Arthur).

Over the course of the next four weeks, viewer feedback will ultimately help to decide which of them get picked up to full series. So your opinions matter! You could help choose the next Golden Globe-winning series, after all.

Check out the synopsis of each of them below, and start watching them here today.

Get ready for our first pilot season of 2015, launching January 15th, when seven new primetime and six new kids pilots will debut on Amazon Instant Video. As with previous pilot seasons, viewers in the Us, UK and Germany will be invited to watch, rate and review them all over the course of four weeks, ultimately helping to decide which of them get picked up to full series.

The new pilots come from both highly-acclaimed and newly-discovered creators, and a legion of talented actors, directors and producers signed on to bring the pilots to life. Here’s a brief summary of each:

Primetime Pilots

The Man in the High Castle – Based on Philip K. Dick’s award-winning novel, and executive produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), The Man in the High Castle explores what it would be like if the Allied Powers had lost WWII, and Japan and Germany ruled the United States.

Amazon today announced that its second original kids series, Creative Galaxy, is now available for exclusive unlimited streaming on Prime Instant Video at no additional cost to Prime members. Creative Galaxy, comes from the creators of the hit show Blue’s Cluesand features “Arty,” an adorable alien artist, and “Epiphany,” his inspirational side-kick, on their adventures through the Creative Galaxy solving problems through art, music and dance. To give kids and parents the real-life tools they need to recreate Arty’s experience, a live-action piece at the end of each animated episode takes families through the craft project Arty showcased in the galaxy.

Created by Angela Santomero (Super Why!, Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tigers Neighborhood), Creative Galaxy features vocal talent from Christian Distefano (Paw Patrol) as “Arty,” Kira Gelineau (Dear Viola) as “Epiphany,” and guest stars Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Jason Jones (The Daily Show), Cloris Leachman (Malcolm In the Middle...

Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat may not be part of your kids’ kindergarten curriculum, but Amazon is betting they will be central characters of the next “Blue's Clues.” “Creative Galaxy,” one of Amazon's first kids’ shows, debuts on the e-commerce giant's instant video service Thursday. Amazon is trying to strike a delicate balance between education and entertainment with its kids’ programming, a combination Angela Santomero knows well. She co-created “Blue's Clues,” the Nickelodeon show about a man and his dog who solve puzzles. “Creative Galaxy” encourages kids to make art — and learn its history in the process. It stars.

Amazon is serving kids a side of education with their daily dose of TV shows. The Seattle-based tech giant launched its first slate of children's series Thursday with shows from Emmy winner Drew Hodges, “Blue's Clues” co-creator Angela Santomero and Emmy nominee Jj Johnson. Hodges’ “Tumble Leaf” and Santomero's “Creative Galaxy” are intended for pre-school aged children while the third, Johnson's “Annedroids,” is intended for kids between the age of four and seven. Each of those shows fits into a broader curriculum, a term Amazon executives use frequently that underscores their focus on educating and entertaining at the same time.

Amazon Studios today announced the premieres of its first-ever original kids series coming exclusively on Prime Instant Video. The first six episodes of each show will debut this summer, beginning with animated series Tumble Leaf on May 23, followed by Creative Galaxy on June 27, and live-action series Annedroids on July 25. Additional episodes of the shows will follow later this year.

More on the shows:

Tumble Leaf (for preschool-aged children)

Tumble Leaf debuts May 23 and comes from Emmy Award-winning director Drew Hodges and award-winning studio Bix Pix Entertainment. The preschool aged show follows Fig the Fox and his best friend Stick as they discover adventure, friendship and love around every bend. Themes found in the show promote exploration and scientific thinking through play. The talent behind the characters includes Christopher Downs as “Fig” and “Stick,” Zak McDowell as “Hedge,” Addie Zintel as “Pine,” Brooke Wolloff as “Maple,” and Alex Trugman as “Ginkgo.

Written by Angela Santomero, creator of Blue’s Clues, Creative Galaxy, and the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Super Why!, Wishenpoof! is an animated pilot that revolves around Bianca, who has “wish magic” which means if she wishes to play under the sea then— Wishenpoof! — she’s a mermaid, swimming around with the sea horses. Bianca uses her wish magic to help others and learns to solve life’s problems in her own creative way because with magic, or without, we all have the power to make good choices. This is Santomero’s second Amazon Studios pilot. Santomero’s first pilot, Creative Galaxy, is currently in production and scheduled to be available on Prime Instant Video in 2014.

Watch Wishenpoof! now and help decide if the show should be made into a series.

Kellie Martin (“E.R.,” “Army Wives”) is going to dispense some advice — and find some love — in her new project. Martin is starring in the romantic TV movie “Dear Viola,” from cable network Up. The film, which began production outside of Toronto this week, also stars Jefferson Brown (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”) Kira Gelineau (“Creative Galaxy”), Jackie Richardson, Arnold Pinnock and others. Martin is also executive producing on the film, with Entertainment One (eOne)’s John Moranyniss (“Hell on Wheels,” “Klondike”) and Ira Pincus (“Goodnight for Justice,” “Window Wonderland”). Jonathan Schwartz is the supervising producer on the film. Also read: Lea.

It didn’t take long for Amazon to show that it’s really getting behind its original programming theory. It doesn’t seem that long since we were running through the pilots and filling out polls, but Amazon is already saying it wants to see more, and continue on this road.

Five more shows aimed at children will produce pilots in the hopes of getting a series green light, and like the last set of children’s programming, these look like they’ll be great shows. From massively prestigious pedigrees in the business to someone Amazon found through their open submission process, there’s a lot to look forward to here. Amazon Studios kids shows were the best part of the initial run of pilots for me, and I think they may be aiming to make a real push into the market with these additional titles.

Of course, all of...

From outer space to “normal street,” five new series optioned by Amazon Studios will take children on journeys of wonder, laughter, and creative exploration.

Amazon Studios today announced that it will be producing five pilots for Prime Instant Video, including its first for 6- to 11-year-olds. The children’s series were created by established writers such as Duane Capizzi (Transformers Prime), as well as a newcomer discovered via Amazon Studios’ open-door development process.

The pilots will stream on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM in the U.K. for customers to watch, provide feedback, and help determine which shows should be produced as series.

“We’re very excited to be able to introduce these original ideas and their talented creators to Amazon customers. After the success of our first pilots, we look forward to getting lots more fantastic feedback from kids and parents,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. “For...