Surv. Series webcast, WWF press releases Submitted by William Martinez on Monday, November 19, 2001 at 8:38 PM EST
The feeling backstage last night at the Survivor Series was that both Jerry Lawler and Ric Flair would be on Raw tonight.
The Survivor Series webcast reportedly went very well. Those who bought it said it was like watching it on television. It only cut out briefly a few times for those with dial up connections.
Credit: 1wrestling.com
The WWF sent out the following press releases:
WWFE joins the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The WWFE will have a float in the 75th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 22. The float's theme is Get R.E.A.L., the name of our educational program for senior and junior high schools. It is designed to highlight the four tenets of Get R.E.A.L.-Respect, Education, Achievement and Leadership. Accompanying the float along the parade route will be WWFE Chairman Vince McMahon, WWFE CEO Linda McMahon, and other WWFE Superstars.
You can see the WWFE float and the parade on NBC from 9:00 a.m. to Noon in all time zones on Thursday, November 22, 2001. The WWFE float is scheduled to appear between 10:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
WWF SmackDown! makes its PlayStation 2 debut with "WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It"
THQ Inc. and JAKKS Pacific Inc. announced the release of their newest World Wrestling Federation licensed video game, "WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It," for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. "As the third title in the SmackDown! series and the first on PlayStation 2, `WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It' delivers the unparalleled World Wrestling Federation excitement that players expect on a next-generation system," stated Jeff Lapin, vice chairman and COO, THQ. "`WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It' is loaded with thousands of moves, authentic Titan Tron entrances and the feature everyone has been waiting for -- exclusive play-by-play commentary with Tazz and Michael Cole."
"This is the most realistic World Wrestling Federation branded video game to date. THQ and JAKKS have done an excellent job at capturing the feel of the show and implementing it into `WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It' for PlayStation 2. They truly understand our unique form of entertainment, and I believe that our fans will be excited with the end result," said Donna Goldsmith, senior vice president of Consumer Products, WWFE.
WWF Fans in the new Harry Potter movie!
NBC Today Show co-host Katie Couric recently sat down with Chris Columbus, the director of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the following excerpt, Columbus answers Couric's question what it was like working with 300 child actors in some of the movie's scenes. Columbus' answer illustrates that even though the kids were filming one of the most anticipated movies of this year, WWF was never far from their thoughts.
"At times we had 300 kids...The key was getting these kids focused in--in the performance. It's not a situation where you can walk up to an actor and say, `Can you do it this way? By the time I would walk back to the monitor, these kids were talking about football or WWF. So I had to...start the cameras rolling--literally start the cameras rolling and talk them through it and then say, `Action' immediately."
The Rock and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates Launch Xbox at WWF New York
On Wednesday, November 14, World Wrestling Federation Superstar The Rock and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates kicked off the retail launch of Xbox at WWF New York. Fans packed WWF's Times Square entertainment complex to see The Rock and Bill Gates demo a game on the new Xbox videogame system as they waited for their chance to be first in the world to purchase an Xbox at the new Toys"R"Us in Times Square.. Later that evening, WWF Superstars DDP and Torrie Wilson led the first group of gamers over to Toys "R" Us to purchase the Xbox systems. The two Superstars stayed long enough to chat with some of those in line and greet Bill Gates.
World Wrestling Federation Entertainment is playing a significant role in the launch of the Xbox video game system, with Microsoft committing to a major partnership for advertising and promotion on the company's television, Pay-Per-View and online assets. The multi-integrated Xbox sponsorship with WWFE also includes product placements and product sampling at live events. The agreement runs through March 2002.
"Weakest Link" with WWF Superstars a hit in Canada
On Monday, November 12, CTV (Canadian Television) ran a special edition of The Weakest Link featuring eight WWF Superstars playing for their favorite charity. This special edition, which aired at 8 p.m., found the same success as the special edition that aired in U.S.
Since the Weakest Link began airing on CTV back in April 2000 (through November 11, 2001), the Weakest Link had an average telecast audience of 1,132,000 viewers (Adults 2+, Total Canada). The WWF Superstars Weakest Link episode on CTV averaged 2,142,000 viewers, more than 1 million viewers than the average episode! The highest Weakest Link telecast prior to November 12 was the episode staring the cast of "The Brady Bunch" on September 24, 2001. "The Brady Bunch" episode had an audience of 1,508,000. In the U.S., the special edition of "Weakest Link" with World Wrestling Federation Superstars was broadcast on November 12. Fans found The Weakest Link on NBC from 8:00 -9:00 PM EDT. Males 12-17 followed the lead of the World Wrestling Federation and helped The Weakest Link deliver a 4.0 rating in that demographic, which is up an astounding +100% (+2.0 rating points) from its Monday installment season-to-date delivery (9/24/01-10/29/01) . In fact, increases of +22% to +122% were seen in all key demographics. Additionally, the 5.7 rating achieved among Persons 18-49 was the highest delivery for all episodes of The Weakest Link since July.
Overall, The Weakest Link delivered a 7.8 rating / 11 share in 8,228,000 TV households; up +11% (+0.8 rating points) from its Monday installment season-to-date average of a 7.0 household rating. This was the second highest Weakest Link episode on a Monday night this season (highest was a 7.9 on 9/24/01). Based on its success, NBC plans to rerun the WWF Superstar edition of The Weakest Link on Sunday, Nov. 25. ***Source: Nielsen Media Research
WWF Get R.E.A.L. essay contest ends November 30!
With 11 days to go, WWFE has already received 1,700 essays from children throughout the U.S. on what the Get R.E.A.L. tenets--Respect, Education, Achievement and Leadership--mean to them. Get R.E.A.L. is the name of WWFE's national education program focused on senior and junior high schools.
WWFE, along with KB Toys, is sponsoring this national essay contest where contestants are asked to write an essay of 150 words or less based on one or more of the Get R.E.A.L. tenets and what it/they mean to them. Three grand-prize winners will be selected, one in each of the following categories: Under 12 years old, 12-15 years old and 16+ years old. Each grand prize winner will receive a visit to his/her school by a selected WWFE Superstar for a Get R.E.A.L. assembly.
Grand prize winners will be chosen by a celebrity panel whose names will be released next week. To enter the contest, please visit http://www.wwfeparents.com
