• TYPO SENDS ZETA SERIES TO THE CAN
  
  Production has been scrapped on the Batman Beyond spinoff series, ZETA, on account of a misunderstanding, according to a Warner Bros press release. Apparently, a misspelling of the show's title caused overseas studio TMS to develop an action-adventure series about "Ziti", a form of Italian pasta. Nine episodes were completed before the typo was discovered.
  
  "We had to ditch everything," says Alan Burnett, ZETA's producer. "It's a major setback. Six months of work and we have nothing to show for it. TMS's animation was excellent, as always, but a show about spaghetti superheroes? Who the hell would watch it?"
  
  The source of the misspelling was traced back to none other than production designer, Bruce Timm. "Well, they shouldn't blame me," Timm said in a press conference. "I'm an artist, not a writer - that's [Paul] Dini's job."
  
  In spite of the error, however, Saban Entertainment has announced an interest in purchasing the discarded episodes.

• ANIMATED DCU GETS GREEN-LIGHT
  
  After the astounding success of THE BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND, Warner Bros has announced plans to revive the comic book series, ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE in an animated format. The series is tentatively titled, Adventures in the DC Universe Adventures and will air on weekends after BATMAN BEYOND.
  
  Every episode will consist off two segments focusing on individual heroes, with a rotating cast of characters including members of the JLA, TEEN TITANS WEST, YOUNG HEROES IN LOVE and THE SUPER PETS.
  
  ADCUA will sport a blockbuster voice cast, including Kevin Conroy as Batman, Joshua Jackson as the Flash, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Troia/Donna Troy and Rosie O'Donnell as Beppo the Super Monkey.
  
  Series creator, Hilary J. Bader says of the show, "We're very excited about the new series, especially the Super Pets! We feel they've been sorely neglected in the DC Universe and in the cartoons. We plan to bring them back in full force.
  
  "We're ready to raise the bar for the animated super hero genre. We're going to simplify the character designs in an effort to cut production costs and make the animation process easier. This will be the next big thing in streamlining... stick figures."
  
  Though only preproduction sketches of the series are currently available, critics are already saying the drawings are just too crude for mainstream animation. Bader claims that's the look they're going for. "We rented 100 chimpanzees from the Los Angeles Zoo and they're doing outstanding work. Just outstanding. They do a much better job than those Howler monkeys I had writing for me on BATMAN. Monkeys work really cheap, you know."
  
  Warner Bros executives are so pleased with how far under budget ADCUA has been to date that they've ordered 120 episodes.

• POKEMON TV SEQUEL ANNOUNCED
  
  Knowing how quickly kids lose interest and move from one fad to another, Warner Bros has teamed with Viz Communications and Nintendo of America to develop a new TV spinoff of Pokémon for spring, 2001. "The concept will be the same with many of the same characters involved," said Weena Mercator, spokesperson for Nintendo, "but on a much larger scale. The characters will be a bit older too - going into middle school, just about the time the show's fans are entering that age and will be earning higher allowances from their parents."
  
  The plot of new series, tentatively titled, MONEYMON, revolves around the cast being given twenty "pokébills" at the start of each episode, after which they must "spend them all" as quickly as possible. The more useless and wasteful the objects are that they purchase with the "pokébills", and the quicker they spend them, those individuals stand to achieve the status of a "Moneymon Waster".
  
  "There will also be a new interactive element to the show" says Mercator, "It will allow viewers to go online to visit the official MONEYMON website where they can purchase official "pokébills" using their parents' credit cards. These in turn will have the value of a whole US dollar to be used toward any official MONEYMON merchandise either online or in stores both in the US and overseas."
  
  It is not known at this time if, in the new series, Ash will ever repay Misty for wrecking that stupid bike.

• MARK HAMILL DROPS BATMAN
  
  Halfway through recording the dialog for the upcoming Batman Beyond movie: BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER, it has been announced that Mark Hamill will be leaving the cast. Hamill, the voice of the Joker since BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES first premiered, has had to drop out of the cast after developing serious vocal problems. He is on permanent voice rest until his surgery next month.
  
  His sudden departure caused panic among the movie's production staff, especially from producer, Paul Dini, who was quoted as saying, "[Mark Hamill] is irreplaceable. Period." To keep production on-schedule, Warner Bros CEO Jaime Kellner offered a solution to the problem: "Why don't we just get another Star Wars actor?"
  
  The only actor available on such short notice was Ahmed Best, also known as the voice of Jar-Jar Binks in STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE. Recording has already resumed with Best replacing Hamill as the voice of The Joker. CEO Kellner says of Best's performance so far, "He brings a lot of his Star Wars acting to our movie and it adds a whole new dimension to The Joker's character. We believe viewers will be pleased with the results."
  
  Paul Dini has declined comment.

• PREQUEL PLANNED FOR X-MEN CHILDREN
  
  In the wake of several changes for the upcoming X-Men animated series where the mutants are teenagers rather than their adult selves (or set in the future), Saban has made another sweeping change, hoping to lure all those who left production back in with the new concept, offering instead a pre-prequel as X-BABIES: TODDLERS IN CRISIS.
  
  In the new series, the mutants are in nursery school, coping with everyday problems of pre-adolescence: diaper rash; rug burns; rubber buggy bumpers and the like.
   
  Surprisingly, Bob Skir and Marty Isenberg have returned as story editors. "At first, I couldn't believe they'd come up with something so preposterous," Skir said in a recent interview, "Then I realized the story potential and how much unexplored character development there is in a world where the danger is greater because the mutants are smaller. There's only one direction this can go from here."
  
  Sources say if the series is successful, there will be yet another prequel/spin-off series in the fall of 2001, featuring an action-adventures series with the X-Men in their pre-embryonic state.

• SCOOBY-DOO, 24 HOURS A DAY - 8 DAYS A WEEK
  
  Scant months after the announcement of BOOMERANG, a network devoted to older Hanna-Barbara Cartoons, Turner Broadcasting has announced plans for another "retro" network--The Doo Channel, which will air Scooby-Doo cartoons 24 hours a day.
  
  "We feel that Scooby-Doo hasn't been getting enough exposure lately," commented Rick Bergstrom, Vice President of programming for Turner Broadcasting. "The market is ripe for more Scooby."
  
  Though the bulk of TDC's programming will consist of Scooby-Doo reruns, there will also be some original programming produced. "Mystery Rave" will feature old Scooby-Doo chase scenes accompanied by music from modern artists (N' Sync, Lou Bega, and Freddie Prinze, Jr. are among those said to be contributing), "Scooby-Doo, Where are you Now?" will show Scooby Doo episodes dubbed in other languages such as Spanish, German, Hindi, and Tagolog for foreign markets, and "Scooby Jive" will be old Scooby-Doo episodes with dialogue re-recorded by celebrities. One "Jive" will showcase Regis Philbin as Shaggy, Drew Carey as Scooby, Robert Stack as Freddie, Madonna as Daphne, Oprah Winfrey as Velma and Clint Eastwood as The Guy in the Monster Suit.
  
  When asked if the addition of TDC to the Turner line-up will cause the Cartoon Network to cut back the 20 hours per week of Scooby Programming it currently shows, Bergstrom responded, "Why?"
  
  TDC is set to premiere in November.

• THIS JUST IN--PAUL DINI LEAVES WARNER BROS!!!
  
  Citing creative differences on the production of the upcoming BATMAN BEYOND movie, writer/story editor/producer Paul Dini has announced that he is leaving Warner Bros to pursue a hidden passion he's had since the early 1990's: writing pop music for teenage bands, solo artists and other one-hit wonders.
  
  Staying true to his fans, Dini has promised not to leave WB animation entirely, but will be cleverly inserting references from cartoons and comics he's written into the lyrics.
  
  Already, Dini has sold some of his previously unpublished lyrics dealing with co-dependency and teenage obsession to pop icon, Britney Spears. Her next album is said to include three of Dini's works: 
  "Help Me, Baby, I'm Hopeless Without You";  "My Brain's Exploding All Over The Wall With Crazy-Crazy-Crazy- Insane-Mad-Love For You", and "Baby,Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, If You Don't Love Me Now I'll Stalk You Forever And I Know You're Hiding In That Closet So Come Out And Face Me Like A Man".
  
  Dini has also been contracted by the manager for the boy band, The Backstreet Boys, to write a song for them that's "very cool, catchy and hip and sounds a lot like all their other songs".
  
  In related news, Bruce Timm and Tom Ruegger have also decided to leave Warner Bros to pursue other interests - their first project will be a collection of sad clown paintings.

• FREAKAZOID: THE MOVIE!!!
  
  Years after Freakazoid! fans have all but given up hope, Warner Bros. Corporate surprises once again, with the promise of a Freakazoid! movie.

Jean MacCurdy was quoted as saying, "Following the widespread success of the Animaniacs direct-to-video motion picture, starring the Wakko Brothers and their lovable sister Dit, we have renewed faith in our comedy division, and feel that a Freakazoid! feature has definite possibilities."

The tale begins when Ingmar, Freakazoid's mute (former) butler, returns to the Freakalair. He has eaten some bad ham, and now is deathly ill. Freakazoid, afraid for his old friend's condition, consults Cosgrove on what he should do. But Cosgrove's suggestion of bacon-flavored yogurt only serves to complicate matters.

As a last resort, our hero turns to the Lawn Gnomes, where Baffeardin, the group's leader advises him: "Go to the farthest reaches of the Alaskan peninsula. There, far beyond the reach of Coriolanus and the kingdom of Richard III; past the land of the Knights Who Say Ni; over the mythical island of Kahoolawe, and left at Albuquerque; there, I say, you shall find the Sacred Pine, whose sap can cure all ills. Not to mention tasting swell on pancakes."

The Freak sets his heart, then and there, on curing his not-so-faithful former manservant. So he, along with Steff, Cosgrove, Prof. Jones, Lord Bravery, the Huntsman, Roddy, Mo-Ron, Fan Boy, Mr. Chubbikins, and Our Beloved Announcer, set out to find this Sacred Pine, enduring lots of trials and tribulations along the way, including Cosgrove's evil twin brother, Roy, who is intent on destroying the tree, because he's evil.

Executive producer Stephen Springblush also has high hopes for the film, and in fact hand-picked the cast himself. Rather than round up all the original cast members, the execs believed ticket sales would increase if they used a host of popular actors. The cast features such world-renowned stars as British actor Tim Roth as Freakazoid, pop singer Vitamin C as Steff, Coach's Craig T. Nelson as Cosgrove, the WB's own David Boreanaz as Lord Bravery, modern-day Renaissance Man and really boring guy Ben Stein as Prof. Jones, Adam Sandler as Mo-Ron, Bernie Kopell as the Huntsman, Jeff Goldblum as Fan Boy, Robert Morse as Roddy, Bob Dole as Mr. Chubbikins, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Ingmar Freakazoid's Mute Butler, Steve Allen, Don Rickles, Fred Savage, and Bea Arthur as the Lawn Gnomes, and Graham "Cameo Boy" Stark as Emmitt Nervend!

Stay 'tooned for news of progress!

• Where is Brian Cruz?!?!?! As all of you know, it's been a long time since Brian's page has been updated. Well, we're happy to report a Brian sighting! Brian has been seen touring across the globe with The Who! They let him play the triangle... behind the stage. We miss you, Brian! Keep on rocking!
  
  

This April Fool's Day joke has been brought to you by Ouchies the Sharp, Prickly toy you bathe with!

These gag news items were put together by Craig "Gookie" Crumpton, Harley, Craig Marinaro, the Mad Hatter, Romey and Brian Cruz. 

Here are the credits for each gag:

• Typo Sends Zeta Series to the Can (Gookie)
• Animated DCU Series Gets Green Light (Harley)
• Pokémon TV Sequel Announced(Gookie)
• Mark Hamill Drops Batman (Gookie)
• Prequel  Planned for X-Men Children (Gookie)
• Scooby-Doo, 24 Hours a Day - 8 Days a Week (Hatter)
• Paul Dini Leaves Warner Bros!!! (Gookie)
• Freakazoid - The Movie!!!(Craig M.)
• Brian Cruz Tours With The Who (Brian Cruz and Harley)