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Ninja signs with CAA as he seeks to expand from streaming to Hollywood
Streamer Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins is back on Twitch, and now he's represented by agents at CAA as he looks to expand his reach into movies and cartoons.
Some DJI Matrice 200 drones are falling out of the sky
Some DJI drones are falling from the sky and no one is sure why. The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a safety notice Friday warning that some DJI Matrice 200 model drones have lost power mid-flight without warning and dropped straight down. The Chinese drone maker acknowledged the issue and said that it is working to address the matter.
UK government is considering a drone pilot test
The UK government is considering a "knowledge or situational awareness test" for all British drone owners, similar to a driving theory examination. The proposed quiz could be voluntary, according to the Department for Transport, or mandatory as part of a new drone registration system. It was referenced in a new consultation drawn up to keep casual pilots in check, while encouraging drone research by the private sector. "The safety of other airspace users and the general public is dependent on leisure drone users adhering to the rules and understanding the risks," ministers argue.
UK government says BA plane strike probably wasn't a drone
Reports of a drone hitting a plane at Heathrow Airport may have been inaccurate. Responding to MP questions in the House of Commons, transport secretary Patrick McLouglin said: "The incident which was reported on the 17th of April, it's now thought that was not a drone incident." British Airways flight B727 was approaching the London airstrip at 12:50pm from Geneva, with 132 passengers on board. The pilot reported an object striking the aircraft, which spiralled into reports of a UAV.
Drone flights will be banned during Obama's visit to London
Drones have been banned in parts of London while Barack Obama visits the UK this week. An advisory published by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) and regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has put restrictions on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft from Thursday evening on April 21st until the morning of Sunday April 24th. It's part of Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin's "overarching security plan" to keep the US president and First Lady safe while on British soil.
'Drone' hits British Airways plane at Heathrow Airport
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is investigating an incident at Heathrow Airport after British Airways plane was hit by what is believed to be a drone. BBC News reports that the pilot of aircraft BA727, which was approaching Heathrow after flying from Geneva with 132 passengers on board, contacted police shortly after the collision at 12:50PM. The Met has yet to confirm specifics, but if it is proven to have been a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), it will likely be the first recorded incident where a drone has struck a plane.
UK pilot union wants laser pens classified as offensive weapons
Following an incident on Sunday in which a New York-bound Virgin Atlantic flight out of Heathrow had to be diverted when the first officer was blinded by a laser beam, the British Airline Pilots Association has called for the devices to be reclassified as offensive weapons. "This is not an isolated incident," British Airline Pilots Association's general secretary Jim McAuslan told BBC News. "Aircraft are attacked with lasers at an alarming rate and with lasers with ever-increasing strength."
UK 'Dronecode' aims to stop pilots from flying dangerously
If we were to create a list of "top places you shouldn't fly a drone," airports would certainly rank high. As the BBC reports, the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recorded six incidents between May 2014 and March 2015 where drones have almost collided with aircraft. In one instance, the wing of an Airbus A320 passed 6 meters below a quadcopter flying near Heathrow airport. To combat the problem and reckless drone flying in general, the CAA has created a "Drone Safety Awareness Day" and a "Dronecode" to better educate pilots. The latter is a streamlined version of its existing UAV rules: keep your drone within sight and less than 400 feet high, stay away from aircraft and airports, and use common sense to keep others safe. They're worth adhering to, otherwise you risk having your drone confiscated or, at the very least, receiving a good earful from the police.
British Airways now allows electronics use during takeoff and landing
Following the wave of US airlines that changed policy after the FAA reassessed the rules, British Airways is letting passengers keep their electronic devices switched on for the entirety of their flight. According to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, there's still no text and no calls allowed, and Brits will still be ordered to put wireless devices into flight mode, although the changes (which start today) apparently don't include laptops. "The easing of restrictions will provide an average of 30 minutes additional personal screen time," according to BA's flight training manager, Captain Ian Pringle -- enough time for half an episode of The Great British Bake Off, then. And expect more airlines to follow suit: the European Aviation Safety Agency announced earlier this month that airlines are able to introduce such changes, subject to their own assessments. Update: It's actually not the first. Apparently Scandinavian Airlines started allowing tablet and smartphone during takeoff and landing when the European Aviation Safety Agency made their announcement a few weeks back. We've updated the post to reflect this. [Thanks to everyone that sent in the news that the Scandinavians got there first!]
HDNet joins up with AEG, CAA and Ryan Seacrest to become AXS TV this summer
It held on as long as it could, but HDNet is following the path of INHD (which became Mojo before disappearing entirely) and Discovery HD Theater (now Velocity) by rebranding itself, and will see itself morph into AXS TV this summer. Of course, HDNet has always focused on "lifestyle programming" and from the looks of it the new channel (pronounced: access) will be very similar, at least for now. HDNet is bringing programming like HDNet Fights, Dan Rather Reports, its concerts and more to the joint venture, which will be combined with its partners AEG, CAA and Ryan Seacrest Media. If HDNet is currently on your programming lineup AXS TV will simply take its place when it launches, and Dish Network actually plans to increase the channel's distribution by adding it to the America's Top 120 package. If you're distressed over the future of Art Mann Presents, check out the press release after the break or a Q&A on the site for more information about what's happening to Mark Cuban's baby.
Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley starts new game studio
After helping birth the original Xbox way back in 2000, Seamus Blackley left Microsoft to get back to game development. He put that dream on hold in 2004 when his studio, Capital Entertainment Group, folded, choosing to soldier on as a talent coordinator at Creative Artists Agency. Beyond negotiating deals for famous names like BioShock creative lead Ken Levine and Flower devs thatgamecompany while at CAA, Blackley most recently helped ex-Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West navigate that debacle's dangerous waters. But now, it seems, Blackley is changing jobs once more. Variety reports that he'll be heading up his own game production company, with virtually zero details given about the move. The change is still fresh enough that Blackley has yet to alter even his LinkedIn profile, for instance. For now, the games team at CAA will now be headed up by Ophir Lupu and David Stelzer, who were already working with Blackley's command, as well as Greg Essig retaining his role as a "games agent."
Report: Writers hired for big-screen Tomb Raider reboot
The writing duo behind such films as Iron Man and the forthcoming Cowboys & Aliens have signed on to help pen the next Tomb Raider film, reports Deadline. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby are the two gentlemen who allegedly will be helping refresh Lara's life on the silver screen, with the piece noting that "a new adventure storyline" will be created for the film. As previously reported, the rebooted film franchise is expected to launch in 2013, though no details have been provided as to the film's content, or whether franchise star Angelina Jolie will be reprising the role of Lara Croft. Fergus and Ostby's talent agency, CAA, had yet to respond to request for comment as of publishing.
EA calls Activision's legal claims 'deliberate misdirection'
In light of last night's revised lawsuit announcement by Activision, Electronic Arts corporate spokesperson Jeff Brown responded on behalf of his company, characterizing the announcement to the LA Times as "a PR [public relations] play filled with pettiness and deliberate misdirection." The revised suit added EA as defendants in the case between Activision and West/Zampella, citing several alleged interactions between the ex-Infinity Ward heads and EA, a relationship said to have been fostered by talent agency CAA. Brown continued, accusing Activision of attempting to "hide the fact that they have no credible response to the claim of the two artists who were fired." He further contends that West and Zampella "now just want to get paid for their work." Unfortunately, it seems for all parties involved that this whole affair is a bit far beyond the basic reconciliation point.
Ousted Infinity Ward founders 'plan to have an announcement very soon,' lawyer says
"Since being fired by Activision, Jason and Vince have taken steps to regain control over their creative future and plan to have an announcement very soon," Robert M. Schwartz, attorney for ousted Infinity Ward studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella, told IGN. Responding to the claims made by Activision in the countersuit filed today, Schwartz described Activision's statements as "false and outrageous" and argued that, while West and Zampella did in fact hire a Hollywood agency to represent them and consider spinning off the studio, both of those actions were driven by Activision. Their rationale for hiring the Creative Artists Agency was only to "advise them in their negotiations with Activision, and not to breach their contract," and it was Activision itself who came up with the original spinoff plans for the studio, Schwartz said. Even if the claims were true, says the attorney, West and Zampella's actions haven't "had any negative affect on Activision -- none," before pointing out that "Modern Warfare 2 has been the world's most successful video game." Schwartz says that West and Zampella "would still be at Infinity Ward developing new games" if Activision hadn't "kicked them out." With plans to announce something "very soon" relating to their "creative future," we expect them to be back to developing new games. Just not at Activision, of course. And under an umbrella of legal intrigue. Full statement after the break:
Ex-Infinity Ward heads now represented by Creative Artists Agency
In the video game industry, the talent (read: game developers) are often "hired guns," if you will -- part of a developer that is either wholly owned by a publisher (i.e. Infinity Ward's relationship with Activision) or a developer that's being contracted for development by a publisher (i.e. Ruffian Games' relationship with Microsoft). Rarely, if ever, is an individual (or individuals, as is the case here) represented by a talent agency, nonetheless a fancy, bigtime Hollywood one like Creative Artists Agency. That is, however, the case for the recently let go ex-Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West, who recently inked a deal with the agency. Though a CAA representative wouldn't divulge any info on what the duo's next move is (nor the CAA's next move on their behalf), we have to imagine the pair's pedigree will help out just a bit in finding work. According to the LA Times Company Town blog report, hollywood talent agencies aren't exactly known for scooping up game developers, so this could very well mark a new option for (at very least) big name devs in search of greener pastures.
