Oricon Music Charts (Top 10 CD Single and Album Daily Charts in Japan): Hey! Say! JUMP takes the #1 spot on the Singles Charts, Tokyo Jihen takes the #1 spot on the Album Charts (06.29.11)

It’s new release Wednesday! Which artist or band took the #1 spot for Japan’s Oricon CD Single Daily Charts and Oricon Album Daily Charts?

Buy the #1 CD Single & Album from CDJAPAN or YesAsia.com:

 

ARIA Music Charts (Top 10 Singles & Albums in Australia): Adele takes the #1 spot on the singles chart and Adele stays at the #1 spot on the album charts (June 20, 2011)

The following are the top 10 songs in Australia from the Aria Top 50 Singles Charts:

NOTE: Adele takes the #1 spot, LMFAO at #2 and Pitbull at #3.

1. Adele – Someone Like You
2. LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennet & GoonRock – Price Tag
3. Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything
4. Adele – Rolling in the Deep
5. Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (TGIF)
6. Christina Perri – Jar of Hearts
7. Jason Derulo – Don’t Wanna Go Home
8. Havana Brown – We Run the Night
9. Marvin Priest – Own This Club
10. Stan Walker – Loud

The following are the top 10 albums in Australia from the Aria Top 50 Albums Chart:

NOTE: Adele takes the #1 spot, Bon Iver at #2 and Bad Meets Evil takes #3.

1. Adele – 21
2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
3. Bad Meets Evil – Hell: The Sequel
4. Lady Gaga – Born This Way
5. Pitbull – Planet Pit
6. City and Colour – Little Hell
7. Seeker Lover Keeper – Seeker Lover Keeper
8. Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops & Hooligans
9. Adele – 19
10. Jessie J – Who You Are

 

A SENTIENT FIGHTER PLANE FACES ITS MOST DANGEROUS MISSION IN GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE, NEW FROM VIZ MEDIA’S HAIKASORU IMPRINT

The Second Novel In The YUKIKAZE Series Blends Imaginative Hard Science Fiction Of Interstellar War With Reflections On Humanity’s Relationship With Technology

San Francisco, CA, June 29, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, brings the next chapter of author Chōhei Kambayashi’s YUKIKAZE space war saga to North American readers with the publication of GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE, by the company’s Haikasoru imprint, on July 19th. The new novel will carry an MSRP of $15.99 / $18.99 CAN. The digital book edition will also be available simultaneously.

Haikasoru publishes some of the most compelling contemporary Japanese science fiction and fantasy stories for English-speaking audiences. The imprint is the first to launch in North America with a dedicated focus on Japanese science fiction.

In GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE, the alien JAM have been at war with humanity for over thirty years…or have they? Rei Fukai of the FAF’s Special Air Force and his sentient plane Yukikaze have seen endless battles, but after declaring “Humans are unnecessary now,” and forcibly ejecting Fukai, Yukikaze is on her own. Is the target of the JAM’s hostility really Earth’s machines? And have the artificial intelligences of Earth been acting in concert with the JAM to manipulate Yukikaze? As Rei tries to ascertain the truth behind the intentions of both sides, he realizes that his own humanity may be at risk, and that the JAM are finally about to make themselves known to the world at large.

“Chōhei Kambayashi’s philosophical approach to military science fiction is extremely methodical – he tangles with the alien mind, the human personality, the impact of the social world on the individual and even questions of theology,” says Nick Mamatas, Haikasoru’s Editor. “The YUKIKAZE series also has plenty of aerial assaults and frightening set pieces as well. The books were national bestsellers in Japan, where the book series spawned two popular anime series. Chōhei Kambayashi has been called the Philip K. Dick of Japanese science fiction. Come discover why!”

Author Chōhei Kambayashi was born in 1953. In 1979 he won the 5th Hayakawa Science Fiction contest with his debut work, Dance with a Fox. He followed that with his first novel, May Peace Be on Your Soul. His numerous long and short series have won him the prestigious Seiun Award four times, and in 1999 he also won the 16th Japan SF award.

For more information on GOOD LUCK, YUKIKAZE and the Haikasoru imprint, please visit the dedicated website at www.haikasoru.com.

 

CRUNCHYROLL ANNOUNCES MORE GUESTS TO ITS LIVE STREAMING EVENT AT ANIME EXPO 2011

CRUNCHYROLL ANNOUNCES MORE GUESTS TO ITS LIVE STREAMING EVENT AT ANIME EXPO 2011

Elevating the guest list even higher, Crunchyroll adds on popular voice actors, celebrities and exclusive interviews

San Francisco, Calif. (June 28, 2011) – Crunchyroll set the stage last week to feature the breathtaking cosplayer Linda Le from vampybit.me <http://blog.vampbeauty.com/> , Patrick Macias from Otaku USA magazine and the ladies of K-On.  Now, it prepares to blow off the roof with the addition of the Japanese band Kalafina, voice actors Tony Oliver and Kyle Herbert, and the beautiful Yaya Han at Crunchyroll’s live streaming event at this year’s Anime Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 1-4. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com <http://www.crunchyroll.com/> .

Perfect World Entertainment – an online games publisher – will also be teaming up with Crunchyroll to showcase its latest game: Rusty Hearts (rustyhearts.perfectworld.com <http://www.rustyhearts.perfectworld.com/> ). Viewers and attendees will be treated to exclusive footage and game play, as well as prizes to those in attendance.

Kalafina is the chart-topping, female Japanese pop trio who produced hits such as “Kara no Kyoukai” from The Garden of Sinners,  “Kuroshitsuji” from Black Butler, and “Magia” from PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA.

Tony Oliver is an American voice actor and producer, most notably known for his roles as Ulquiorra in BLEACH, Hiromu Shinbo in CHOBITS and Rick Hunter in ROBOTECH. From his experience on platforms such as ABC Family/Disney, the Sci-Fi Channel and the 4Kids Channel, Tony is a well versed in the entertainment industry. More information can be found on: http://tonyoliverentertainment.com/

Kyle Herbert is an American voice actor and podcaster known for his portrayals of the adult Gohan in DRAONBALL Z, Sosuke Aizen from BLEACH and Kamina from GURREN LAGANN. More information can be found on: http://www.kylehebert.com/

Yaya Han is one of only few cosplayers in the world to build a business in this hobby-ist community, but even after a decade of success, she strives to stay true to what got her into this field originally – fun and creativity. To this day, Yaya has made a myriad of costumes in the genres of anime/manga, video games, sci-fi and of course from her own original designs. More information can be found on: http://yayahan.com/

Located at booth 301 right in the front of the entrance in the exhibit hall, attendees will be treated to four (4) full days of special guests, cosplay showcases, exclusive interviews and announcements from Crunchyroll and its partners and special performances!

More guests and events will be announced early next week on Crunchyroll’s site leading up the commencement of Anime Expo.  Once the convention has ended, users will be able to watch selected programming on site, as well as view pictures from all four (4) days of the convention.

Episodes can be accessed from Crunchyroll.com, the free iPad and iPhone application, the Android application, Roku, Boxee, Vizio VIA, WD TV Live and additional set-top channels, and affiliate partners.

Crunchyroll premium members will have access to the largest anime and drama selection, same-day access for simulcasted titles, no advertisements and can be viewed in 480p-to-720p quality on selected titles. More information about the Crunchyroll membership plan can be found at: http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial/

About Crunchyroll, Inc.

Crunchyroll is a leading global video network and developer of social media applications for Japanese anime and Asian media. Through applications like Crunchyroll for iPad, Android and Naruto Shippuden Official, set top boxes, affiliate websites and its own streaming site, Crunchyroll delivers officially-licensed content from leading Asian media producers directly to consumers.

Crunchyroll has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Tokyo, Japan, and is a member of the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) and Licensing International Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). Founded in 2006, Crunchyroll is funded by leading venture capital firm, Venrock, Japanese entertainment giant TV TOKYO, digital publishing leader Bitway and a group of angel investors representing some of the brightest and most successful entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com <http://www.crunchyroll.com/> .

 

PITH-ROCK ARTIST, RACHEL TAYLOR BROWN TO RELEASE SEVENTH STUDIO ALBUM, WORLD SO SWEET, NATIONALLY ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Look up “pithy” and “pith.”  The thesaurus reads: “succinct, concise, compact, to the point, epigrammatic, crisp, significant, meaningful, expressive, telling.”  ”Pith” means “essence, fundamentals, heart, substance, core, crux, gist, meat, kernel, marrow, weight, depth, force.”  ”Pith-rock” is a weird and awkward moniker for Portland, Oregon-based Rachel Taylor Brown’s music, and maybe a little too close to “piss” said with a lisp.  But, it fits, especially when you put on her seventh full-length, World So Sweet (Penury Pop), which will  be released nationally on September 20, 2011.

“I can never come up with anything pithy when someone asks me that. I hate when people ask me that,” grumbles Taylor Brown, when asked to describe her music.  ”As a joke, I sometimes say pith-rock; sharp ‘n’ pointy!  Or spongy and permeable!  Or maybe pith ‘n’ vinegar rock!  No, wait: there’s that horrible thing they do to frogs in a lab, that’s pithing.  Maybe igneous-rock is better.”

Talk to those who know her music, though, and other descriptions come up. “Unsettling but addictive.” “Good stories.” “Unpredictable.” “Arresting.”  ”Dark, funny, sweeping, panoramic, pretty, ugly, complex, moving.”  And, “You can dance to it.”

But to fully grasp and understand World So Sweet and Rachel Taylor Brown, you have only to listen to the record.

“I realized in retrospect how dark these songs may come off. I wish I could explain better how they make me feel hopeful,” explains Taylor Brown.  ”I always feel better when dark things are out in the open instead of hidden away.  Looking at the scary stuff makes me more appreciative of the beauty in the world, makes me feel like my feet are on the ground.” She continues, “I think it helps that you can dance around to many of them. I can see someone getting down to one of these songs and never knowing what the hell I’m singing about.  I like that the songs can be enjoyed on that level–it makes me feel sneaky.  Lyrics are very important to me but I know a lot of people don’t listen to them, especially now.  It’s interesting to see who notices the words and who doesn’t.”

It’s that love of life, humor, curiosity, basic compassion, and a healthy dose of skepticism that fuels Taylor Brown. It’s heavily reflected in everything she does, including the thirteen tracks found on World So Sweet.

“I love the people I love, and the beautiful world,” she continues.  ”I’m fortunate.  There was a time I didn’t want to be around.  Now that I do, it’s sweet, every day; even when it’s horrible.  There are birds.  The world is sweet, even though it’s awful.  That prayer I had to say when I was a kid: ‘Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing, thank you, God, for everything.’  I’ve always loved that prayer, even though I don’t believe in the God part anymore.  I love anything that reflects even some little awareness that we’re living with a whole lot of other creatures and that we’re just one bit of the whole thing.”

Rachel Taylor Brown might best be described as a dubious but hopeful observer who watches the world and the people of the world destroy and create beauty daily, just one witness who can tell a story through song.

“These songs are about the usual mundane things that seem to preoccupy me; how great and how awful people are and how beautiful and ugly the world is,” she says.  ”There’s huge scope in that.  I know I have a comfort level with some of the things I write about that others may not have, due in large part to my own history.  I’m not thinking of how it may hit anyone else when I’m writing.  I’m usually surprised when my husband or some other listener points out that it’s maybe hard to hear.  I really believe in letting a song be what it wants, though.  And I guess some (ok, a lot) of my songs want to be peppy tunes about the worst of human nature.  I have to say, though, I find that contradiction very satisfying.”

It all starts to make sense when you push play.  From the opening of “Intro/Sweetness on Earth,” Taylor Brown will stop you in your tracks and make you think about what it is your hearing.  Never one to play to convention, she’s made an intro that some friends and colleagues urged her against but that she went ahead with anyway.

Resulting from a last minute call, fifty-eight people showed up at a downtown Sherman Clay piano showroom to simultaneously play fifty plus pianos, which engineer/co-producer Jeff Stuart Saltzman (with whom she’s recorded her last five albums) recorded.  The group turned out to be a great pick-up choir as well.

What you hear is tension as fifty pianos sound off, building and building until you feel it’s going to end, then continuing on, always tugging at you, as you restlessly and anxiously await to see where it’s all leading.

“I was told by some people that I should consider shortening the intro.  But I tried chopping it and it didn’t work,” she says.  ”The thing I like about it at the length it is is that, if you let it, it can put you in a kind of trance state.  I think each unique brain will make something different of what it picks out and hears in all that sound.  I hear little bits of melody pop out but I’m guessing someone else will hear something different according to their own personal library in their noggin.  I like to imagine it’s different for everybody and (potentially) different every time you listen, just because of your own magical brain!  I’m also aware some people will just hate it and think I’m being self-indulgent.  Which I am, but now I’ve told you why.”

That mindset, that unwavering, uncompromising dedication to her music, making sure it translates as well on tape as it does in her head, is what makes Rachel Taylor Brown and thus World So Sweet such an interesting experience.  It’s the type of record where, if you only casually spin it, it will leave you missing out on nuances, intricacies and rewards that can only come with closer acquaintanceship.

For all the hurt and pain in the world, like all of us Rachel Taylor Brown goes on.  Creating music that is equally pretty and haunting, sometimes simple but sometimes epic, the perfect strange cocktail of darkening doubt, lightening hope and “it’s got a good beat, you can dance to it.”  Music that’s meaningful but catchy, a paradox of everything the world has to offer.  With World So Sweet she brings to the surface good and evil, creating an album that is as rich as it is sparse, dense as it is airy.

 

RARE AUCTION OF POP/ANIME ART BY YOSHITAKA AMANO NEXT WEEK AT NEW PEOPLE

RARE AUCTION OF ORIGINAL POP/ANIME ART BY YOSHITAKA AMANO TO RAISE FUNDS FOR ONGOING JAPAN DISASTER RELIEF AT NEW PEOPLE NEXT WEEK

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN Features Auction Of 3 New Bush Works By The Acclaimed Artist In A Special Auction Event On July 9th

San Francisco, CA, June 28, 2011 – Don’t miss a rare opportunity to own an original artwork by pop and anime artist Yoshitaka Amano as NEW PEOPLE presents Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN, a very special art exhibition and auction event at the venue’s SUPERFROG Gallery to fund ongoing Japanese disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts. The special auction event is scheduled for Saturday, July 9th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Guests must RSVP here to attend. NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post St. in San Francisco’s Japantown. Additional details are available at: www.newpeopleworld.com/arts/yoshitaka-amano-for-japan .

Yoshitaka Amano has donated three striking new brush works on canvas to be auctioned for the tsunami and earthquake victims of Japan. Fully 100% of all proceeds will be received by the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund by JCCCNC (www.jcccnc.org ).

All bidders must pre-register to participate. Bidders may register online here or also on-site at the SUPERFROG Gallery. Credit Card information will be attained via phone after registration, along with a Bidder Number that will be used for identification during the auction Bidding will be open to on-site as well as text bidding beginning at 12:00pm (PST) on Saturday, July 9th. Bid amounts will be updated LIVE on NEW PEOPLE’s TWITTER page.

Yoshitaka Amano: FOR JAPAN will further exhibit a range of the acclaimed artist’s works that were originally created as a testament to his childhood love for American pop culture, comics, and automobiles. Reinterpreted with his signature manga and anime-influenced graphic style, these breathtaking and vibrant pieces are boldly coated in auto paint and metallic glitter.

Legendary artist Yoshitaka Amano is widely acclaimed for his work in animation and video games. He is also renowned for designing the characters for the hit video game, Final Fantasy, as well as for anime films including Vampire Hunter D, Guin Saga, Final Fantasy, and Front Mission.

For more information on NEW PEOPLE, please visit www.newpeopleworld.com .

 

Hottest band, Galileo Galilei’s film “Control Tower (Kanseitou)” to be premiered at JAPAN CUTS, theme song to be released in the US!

Galileo Galilei – Most remarkable upcoming band in Japan

Hailing from Wakkanai, Hokkaido, their first original song “Control Tower (Kanseitou)” has been adapted to a feature film under the same name, which is now confirmed to have its New York special screening at JAPAN CUTS – Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema.

Concurrently, their first full album “Parade” which includes the theme song “Kanseitou (acoustic)” will be digitally released in the US, Canada, and in the UK on July 19 through iTunes and Amazon.

Galileo Galilei / Parade
Release Date： July 18, 2011
Available at iTunes, Amazon

※Official Website: http://www.galileogalilei.jp/

●Galileo Galilei Profile
4-piece band consisting Yuuki Ozaki （Vo & Gtr）、Fumito Iwai （Gtr）、Hitoshi Sakou（Ba）、Kazuki Ozaki （Dr）.

This young band (current average age at 19) was formed in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, the northernmost city in Japan.
In 2008, the band made its sensational major debut after winning the teenage audition festival called “Senkou Riot”.

Their debut song “Hanamasu no Hana” released in 2010 marked over 1 million downloads, and their first full album “Parade” released in February 2011 marked top 5 on the Oricon weekly chart. Selling out their recent SHIBUYA-AX show in literally seconds, Galileo Galilei has rapidly gained popularity and is one of the bands attracting the most attention in the Japanese music scene.

And now, their first original song “Kanseitou (acoustic)” has been readapted into a film, set in their home town Wakkanai, Hokkaido. The film will make its US premier at New York’s JAPAN CUTS on July 19.

On the same day, their first full album “Parade” including song “Kanseitou (acoustic)” will be digitally released through iTunes and Amazon.
This album will be available in the US, Canada, and in the UK.

●About JAPAN CUTS – Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

JAPAN CUTS is the one and only contemporary Japanese film festival curated by Japan Society.
Entering its 5th year, 32 titles including “Battle Royale”, “Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha: The Great Departure”, and “Gantz” are scheduled to be screened.
The film festival runs from July 7, 2011 until July 22, 2011
Official website: http://www.japansociety.org/japancuts

■“Control Tower (Kanseitou)” will be screened on July 19 (Tue) 9:30pm（＊NY Time）
URL: http://www.japansociety.org/japancuts

●About film “Control Tower (Kanseitou)”

2011. 68 min., HD Cam SR, in Japanese with English subtitles.
Directed by Takahiro Miki. With Kento Yamazaki and Ai Hashimoto.

Featuring the hottest-looking teenagers of this year’s line-up, and inspired by a song of the same name by the rock band Galileo Galilei, director Miki’s (Solanin) latest is the distilled, purest essence of Japanese teenage romance: Kento Yamazaki plays a bored (but handsome) 15-year-old boy named Kakeru who’s trying to figure out where he belongs against the backdrop of the spectacular winter frost in Wakkanai, Hokkaido. One day, he meets a transfer student named Mizuho (Ai Hashimoto, Confessions) and through their common love of music, they communicate and find something that makes their young hearts beat faster.
(From Japan Cuts website)

 

Morinaga America to Share New HI-CHEW Flavor at Anime Expo

HI-CHEW King to Greet Visitors with a Taste of Peach in Booth 1129/1131

Los Angeles, California (June 28, 2011) – Morinaga America, Inc. (www.hi-chew.com <http://www.hi-chew.com/> ), marketing and distribution channel for HI-CHEW in the U.S., will entertain Anime Expo 2011 visitors with a taste of its new Peach flavored fruit chews in Booth 1129/1131.  The HI-CHEW King will give away samples of the popular candy and pose with HI-CHEW fans in a photo booth during the Anime Expo being held in Los Angeles on July 1-4.

“Anime Expo is widely attended by supporters and practitioners of anime (film/video animation) and manga (comic books).  The theme of this year’s event -‘Year of the Fan’ – gives Morinaga the perfect opportunity to treat its large and rapidly growing U.S. fan base of HI-CHEW lovers to its new Peach flavor,” said Toshiya Yasuda, President of Morinaga America.  “Morinaga supports the anime and manga artistic movement by featuring the works of these talented artists on company websites and in marketing materials.”

HI-CHEW has been the top selling candy in Japan and the Far East for decades.  The demand for HI-CHEW in North America has experienced exponential growth since its introduction a few short years ago.  HI-CHEW comes in Strawberry, Green Apple, Melon, Mango, Banana and two new fruit-filled flavors — Grape and Peach.

Anime Expo 2011 is being held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on July 1-4, 2011.  The largest anime and manga event in North America, Anime Expo is sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA).  The mission of the non-profit organization SPJA “is to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga.”

(Note: Journalists can always request free HI-CHEW via mail.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us and check this Asian favorite yourself.)

Japanese confectionary company Morinaga launched the current version of HI-CHEW in 1975, and it has gained a near-cult following not only in Japan but throughout the Far East.  Distributed in the U.S. by Morinaga America (www.hi-chew.com <http://www.hi-chew.com/> ), the fruit chews are primarily available on the West and East Coasts in 7-Eleven, Costco, am-pm/ARCO and Ralphs, among others.  Los Angeles-based Matrix Consultants is the agency of record supporting Morinaga America in expanding the HI-CHEW Fruit Chew brand across the U.S.

About Morinaga America, Inc.
Morinaga America, Inc., is a subsidiary of Morinaga & Co., Ltd., one of the world’s largest confectionary companies.  It launched in Irvine, California, on August 15, 2008, with the goal of delivering “value and inspiration to American customers through HI-CHEW.”  HI-CHEW is the #1 selling soft candy in Japan.  Morinaga & Co., Ltd., was originally established in 1899 by Taichiro Morinaga, who had a pioneer spirit and the dream of offering nutritious, good-tasting snacks to Japanese children.  It was the first Western-style confectionery manufacturer in Japan.  During the past 110 years, Morinaga has carried out its corporate operations guided by the vision, “We offer Good Health with Delight and Taste. We now aim to extend our vision to people all over the world.”  For more about the company’s product line, go to www.hi-chew.com <http://www.hi-chew.com/> .

 

Q&A media session with Joey Lawrence: ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey” (J!-ENT Interviews & Articles)

Joey Lawrence plays the character of Joe Longo on ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey” (Image courtesy of ABC FAMILY)

Woh!

Millions of Americans grew up with actor Joey Lawrence as he was a familiar face as a child actor in popular ’80s shows such as “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Silver Spoons”.

But for the most part, he is one of the few actors who have worked in popular TV series that aired for three decades.

Most notably for the TV series “Gimme a Break!” (1983-1987), “Blossom” (1990-1995), Lawrence would also star in “Brotherly Love” (1995-1997), “American Dreams” (2002-2003), “Run of the House” (2003-2004), “Half & Half” (2005-2006) and “CSI:NY” (2007).

The multi-talented star who also had a music career (and is still involved in music along with acting) has continued to keep busy with TV films, voice acting for animated series and most recently starring in a new TV series for ABC Family titled “Melissa & Joey” with actress Melissa Joan Hart.

In the half-hour comedy series, Melissa Burke (played by Melissa Joan Hart) is a former wild child of a political family and now, having grown up, she has aspirations to become a politician.

But a scandal hits the family when her sister ends up in prison and her brother-in-law flees. So now, Melissa must take care of her teenage niece Lennox and her nephew Ryder.

And its difficult enough to focus on politics and taking care of two teenagers and desperately needing help, she hires Joe Longo (played by Joey Lawrence), who moves in with the family to become the family’s nanny… or “manny”.

Now, the second season of “Melissa & Joey” is set to premiere on Wednesday, June 29th and recently a Q&A media session was held with Joey Lawrence who talked about the second season, life, family, cooking and much more!

Here is a transcript from the media Q&A:

Moderator What is it about the show that you think keeps people tuning in to Melissa & Joey?

J. Lawrence Well, I don’t know—we just tried to come up with a half-hour comedy that people could relate to, about two young people that are just trying to make life work under unique circumstances and I think that, sort of, basing it in a time of relevance as to what people are going through as of today.  We just try to make it lighthearted and funny and let people kind of tune in and escape for a half hour and kick back and laugh.  Hopefully if we keep doing our job, people will keep tuning in.

 

Moderator You’ve had quite the life – have you ever thought of writing a memoir?

J. Lawrence You know, that’s something that I would love to do like in my eighties, if I’m lucky enough to get there.

 

Moderator How do you think the relationship between Melissa and Joey has evolved since episode one?

J. Lawrence Well I think that where we find them now is that they’re sort of getting into a groove of living together and kind of working together in this cohabitating type of relationship that they have.  I think that they’ve developed a real affinity toward each other.  There may be a little sexual tension there but I think that they both try to deny that and fight that.  I think that that sort of underlying sexual tension is sort of what keeps the show going.  Hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to further explore that and see  how things progress.

 

Moderator I was reading in a future episode you speak Japanese.  How much did you really know and how much was memorized?

J. Lawrence Well I knew none but I had to learn a lot – in about four days.  You know, I got to a point where—you know, I mean I guess my teacher said that I picked up the inflection of the language very well, actually, which is hard to do because Japanese is pretty specific; it’s nothing like—it isn’t like speaking Spanish or anything like that.  It’s very unique unto itself, and it’s quite difficult to do, but I had like full scenes with four, five pages of dialogue in Japanese, so it took a lot of studying and listening to tapes over the course of three or four days in order to get that.

 

Moderator Melissa mentioned in a recent call that you each did one shout-out, I guess you could say, to your former characters and shows.  She said yours was one word – that was her phrasing.  So, of course, any fan of yours knows what it will be.  Is that something you still get asked to do a lot by fans?  Like for me any time I hear it from anyone, your face and voice are the ones that come to mind.

J. Lawrence Right.  Yes, you know – I do, and it’s something that I actually look back on fondly, you know?  It was a great period of time in my life and I get asked every single day.  I mean it’s pretty amazing when you do something like that and it just transcends time and generations – and we did it as a joke.  I mean it was one night, the line that they had written wasn’t working and they told me to kind of make up something in place of it to hopefully get a laugh, and I don’t know where that came from.  I just came up with it and they—the audience laughed their rear ends off and all of a sudden, like overnight, it just exploded.  It’s kind of crazy.

 

Moderator Yes, and it’s been so many years now that everybody knows.  Everybody still knows it and knows you.

J. Lawrence I know.  I know.  I had not said it on network television in about—well since ’97, so 13 years, and there was an opportunity in the script where it sort of made sense without doing it—the character doesn’t do it on purpose like that, it just sort of comes out of just a reaction.

 

Moderator Right.

J. Lawrence And it just made sense, so I did it and of course you know that’s the one they use in all the promos and stuff because ABC’s not stupid.  But yes, it’s—you know, look – I think that things that we do in our past that are successful are the reasons why we are where we are today, so to say—you know I don’t ever get these people that do things that are successful, and then when they go on and do better things they don’t want to talk about the things that got them to where they are.  That seems sort of crazy to me.  So, for me it was a fun, amazing time of my life and I have no problem that people still want to talk about it.  It’s kind of cool.

 

Moderator Well, that’s great.  My follow-up isn’t really a question but more of a statement.  I have a 13-year-old son, so he wasn’t alive, of course, when I was watching Blossom, but it’s nice to be able to sit down with him and have him see you in this role because it’s a show that the whole family can watch, and I just absolutely love that.  I think it’s great.

J. Lawrence Oh, cool!  Well thank you very much.  That’s kind of what we wanted to do.  We sort of set out to make something that obviously is for the adults.  I mean, the humor is for the adults; it’s not for the kids.  But it’s something that your kids—if they’re in the room or they want to tune in as well it’s not going to be crazy offensive or anything that’s completely inappropriate for them to watch.  And that was sort of the goal of kind of what we wanted to do, kind of bring back that, just have a romantic comedy that doesn’t offend, just kind of fun.

 

Moderator So word has it that your brothers, Matt and Andy, will be making an appearance in this upcoming season.  How was it to work, again, with them?

J. Lawrence They will.  It was great.  It was something that we wanted to do, that I purposely wanted to do.  We’ve been getting a lot of Twitter response and stuff saying, “You gotta have your brothers on.  You gotta have your brothers on.”  So it’s definitely something that we wanted to do and we found kind of a unique way, an interesting way, to sort of bring them both into the show in different episodes, and I think it worked out great.  So I’m very excited about it.

 

Moderator You’ve been involved in a ton of different projects over the years.  What would you say you’ve learned and taken away from this show, in particular?

J. Lawrence Every project you do is an opportunity for growth.  I think that you should get better with every project that you do, and that’s something that I try to do.  This project, I’m wearing a couple of different hats as executive producer and stuff.  I was able to write the theme song for it, which was kind of cool.  Because I got a brand new record coming out this summer as well, and actually my first single will be available on ABC Family.com June 29^th, this Wednesday exclusively just for a week.  I’m going to give it away to all the fans that want to download it.  And it’ll be up on iTunes and everywhere else for the rest of the world July 6^th.

But I think it just gives an opportunity to just kind of wear a bunch of different hats and continue improving, which is what we need to do as actors.  I mean every job that we do we should get better.  That’s kind of what it’s all about.

Moderator In just about every episode you are cooking a good meal in the kitchen.  Do you think it’s important to portray healthy eating on TV?

J. Lawrence Well sure.  I’m a big fan of healthy eating.  I make sure that my daughters eat healthy.  You know I think that it’s not hard to cook healthy.  Not that kids shouldn’t have Mickey D’s every now and then, and ice cream, and—you know they’re kids.  And you know what, I’m guilty of having those things as well every now and then, but I think the majority of the time, sure we’ve got to try to eat good.  That’s what it’s all about.  I make it a point on the show for Joe to be cooking good food, not for it to be fast food or anything like that, and so far, so good.

 

Moderator Melissa was saying that you really have an interest in cooking, that you don’t just kind of play with the props but you kind of plan it out.  Can you tell me more about that?

J. Lawrence Well I love to cook, personally.  It allows me the opportunity to sort of talk to the food chefs about it and we make sure that we always prepare something that sounds real tasty.

 

Moderator Well it’s fun to watch and definitely tempts us all to get cooking.

J. Lawrence Sweet.  It is too—I mean it actually tastes good too because we have these chefs that come in and really cook the food, and then I just prepare it in the scene, but it smells great.  It smells great, so—

 

Moderator Megan Hilty plays your ex-wife, and both of you are talented musicians.  Can we expect any collaboration in the future?

J. Lawrence Well I don’t know about that, but I’ve got a brand new record coming out in August and my first single in 11 years that I co-wrote with Matthew Gerrard, who’s a big time music pop guy; worked with everybody from Justin Timberlake to Kelly Clarkson.  He and I collaborated on my whole record.  And the first single will be available exclusively on ABC Family.com for the first week, and then it will be up everywhere on iTunes and TuneCore and all that stuff for the rest of the world.  But music is something that I’ve always loved.  I know that she does too.  You never know about a collaboration, but certainly for me I’m really excited about getting a single out there for the first time in a long time, and also to have my full record coming out in August.  And I hope people like it.  It’s going to be great.

 

Moderator Do you have a guilty pleasure favorite TV show that you wouldn’t mind telling us about?

J. Lawrence A guilty pleasure?  Well I don’t know if it’s guilty.  I mean I’m a big fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm – I love that show and I’m so excited for the new season to get started.  I don’t really have any guilty pleasures.  Every now and then—you know my wife is obsessed with the Kardashian stuff so that’s on TV and I have to sit through it every now and then.  But no, for me it’s like Curb Your Enthusiasm and then news and then sports, you know?  That’s about it.

 

Moderator How do you manage to stay so grounded and positive while being a child actor?

J. Lawrence Well you know, I’ve got a great life.  Look, I’ve had to work my rear end off for everything that I’ve ever gotten, but for me it’s always been about the work and about continuing to be able to work and continuing to be able to do what I love in an industry that that’s sometimes very difficult to do.  So I am excited just about the opportunity to continue to do what I love to do.  That’s really what it’s all about and hopefully I’ll be able to do it for many, many more years, you know?

 

Moderator Now that you do have daughters are you considering doing more Disney movies?

J. Lawrence We’re actually talking the animated side of things – the feature side and the animation department, trying to see what makes sense.  But, sure – I mean Disney’s a great company to work for and there are several opportunities there that we’re kind of talking about.  But doing something that my little girls can go see would be great, you know?  Actually, I did one of the very first animated movies that Disney did back in this new generation, back in ’89, when Katzenberg first took over; it was called Oliver & Company and I was the voice of Oliver.  But that’s really the last thing that I’ve done on the feature side for them.  We just had a big meeting about hopefully changing that soon.

 

Moderator Sounds wonderful, and I remember that movie.  What was it about this character that made you want to take on the role?

J. Lawrence Well it was a character that I sort of came up with.  This is sort of a guy that I wanted to play on TV, in the half hour comedy world anyway.  He’s sort of a guy’s guy.  I think he can be brutally honest at times, but I sort of loved that about him.  He shouldn’t be able to get away with some of the things that he says, but he does because there’s nothing under it other than just him being straightforward and honest.  And that’s a guy that you sort of want to hate, but you can’t help but like him, you know?  I mean he really is the kind of guy that if … came up to him and said, “Does this dress make me look fat?”  He would probably say, “Well it doesn’t make you look thin.”  You know?  And initially you’d go, Oh my God, that was so rude!  But at the end of the day you go, it’s kind of refreshing that he was being honest.  He wasn’t being mean.  He was like, look, you’re an attractive lady and I’ve seen you wear things that look hotter on you.  You’d almost kind of want that, weirdly enough.  Instead of stuff like, “Oh no, baby.  You look amazing.  You look incredible.  Everything you wear is incredible.”  You know?

 

Moderator Yes.

J. Lawrence I love the fact that he’s a financial wizard and that he’s sort of a fiscally conservative guy.  This is a character that doesn’t exist on TV and it’s sort of fun for me to portray him a little bit.  He’s a little Bruce Willis; he’s a little Alex P. Keaton; he’s a little—he’s like all those things, and that guy isn’t really on TV right now and that’s kind of why I sort of wanted to play him.

 

Moderator What are any similarities or differences that you have with your character?

J. Lawrence We’re both a little OCD.  We both love to cook.  He’s a big sports guy; so am I.  I’m not a financial wizard but I enjoy making money, so we share that in common.  There are things.  I think as an actor you always try to bring as much personal experience to the role.  That’s kind of important.

 

Moderator That’s great.  Thank you.  I can’t wait to see the show.

J. Lawrence Oh yes, check it out.  Also check out the new single, too, my first single coming out in like 12 years.  It’ll be available on ABCFamily.com exclusively for the first week.  It’s called “Rolled” and then it’ll be up on iTunes, and then the whole record comes out in August.  But it’s really a great pop record so check it out, alright?

 

Moderator I’ve been a fan since Gimme a Break.

J. Lawrence Wow.  Sweet.

 

Moderator What made you decide to grow your hair back?

J. Lawrence Yes, so that was it, honestly just I like to change it up every now and then.  I had long hair, shaved it all off, worked a lot, and then after a while people were—I got a lot of tweets about will I ever grow it back and stuff, and then I said, “Oh I can grow it back a little bit.”  So, you know, I decided to grow it back.  It’s as simple as that.

 

Moderator On your new album, are any of the songs dedicated to your little girls?

J. Lawrence You know, they’re not, because it’s not about that.  I write them songs all the time and I perform at home and they’re just for them … and that’s what it’s about.  I don’t need to do that on a record.  The record thing is kind of its own life.  Honestly, the record’s for my fans because it was fan driven.  The last year and half they’ve been tweeting me every day, all day long, about doing it and teamed up with Matthew Gerrard and we actually wrote the theme song to the show and from that developed this great relationship and we started to write, and tune after tune started turning out great and then he said, “Man, you’ve got to release this.”  So that’s what we’re doing.  The first single’s called “Rolled” and it’s available exclusively at ABCFamily.com for a week; I’m going to give it away to everybody.  And then it’s up on iTunes after that and the whole record will be out in August, and we’re going to tour next year and it’s going to be great.  I’m really excited about it.  It’s a really good record.

 

Moderator What was it like to work with Melissa Joan Hart again?

J. Lawrence Oh, it was great.  It was great.  You know we have a really good sort of working relationship and a rapport, and I think that’s sort of what got us excited about working together again, sort of in a larger capacity on a TV show.  So, that’s what we did and we put together something and developed it, and it turned out great.  We had a big vote of confidence from the network who picked us up for 30 episodes, which is, like unheard of in a first season, and here we are.

 

Moderator Since you like to cook, what is one of your favorite things to cook?

J. Lawrence What is one of my favorite things to cook?  I cook a lot of Italian stuff, but I’m good at fish, too.  But I do like—I do a baked manicotti and the stuffed shells, and I do a vegetable lasagna.  I do lemon Dijon chicken with sort of this risotto that’s really good.  A lot of different stuff, you know?

Moderator Do you have a favorite scene in an upcoming episode that you might be able to tell us a little about?

J. Lawrence Favorite scene, well, I’ve got a couple of favorite scenes.  I’ve got a great scene with my brother, Matthew, coming up that I’m excited about, where we get into this fight; it’s really funny.  I’ve got a great scene with Andrew coming up where we get into a—he plays a teacher on the show and he’s an incredible guitar player and a musician, but he’s a teacher that my character does not like at all so we get into this heated conversation and he starts to play me this song that he wrote, and it’s really funny.  I’ve got a great scene with Melissa coming up where Joe gets an opportunity where he may or may not move out of the house, and they have this real kind of heart-to-heart moment, which is sort of neat.  And another great scene I have is with Lennox coming up where she’s going to her first like overnight kind of sleepover-party type thing, and we have this real sort of like older brother moment with me and her in the car and it’s just sort of one of those scenes that I really liked a lot.

 

Moderator Is there anyone who hasn’t yet been scheduled that you’d really love to work with as a guest star on the show?

J. Lawrence There’s been talk about us trying to get Danny DeVito on there, because his daughter, Lucy DeVito is one of our supporting cast, who does a fantastic job for us.  So that would be awesome; I’m a huge fan of Danny DeVito.  Who else?  I don’t know – the list is large.  But Danny, I think, is probably at the top of it.  I think it’d be a lot of fun to have him on.

 

Moderator Your character had a great business career until the rug was pulled out from him by the underhanded, the “illegal dealings of one man.”  That was his wording.  Over the last few years, the country has had to deal with hard economic times, coupled with similar situations to Joe Longo’s. Do you think that people being able to identify with your character in that respect is part of what’s making the show so successful?

J. Lawrence I think so.  I mean that’s what we wanted to do is come up with something—get these characters into it in a timely fashion,  somehow get them involved in the show, let them feel like these characters are sort of where everyone else is, because we’re all going through tough times.  I mean that’s what it’s all about.  So yes, I think that that’s part of it, for sure.  For sure I do.  And that was sort of an on purpose type of thing that we wanted to do.

 

Moderator Twitter seems to be an important part of your relationship with your fans.  Can you talk a little bit more about how you got into that and what your favorite parts are and all that?

J. Lawrence Well, you know it’s just one of those things.  It’s part of kind of what we do now, it truly is.  Part of the landscape of being an entertainer is having that one-on-one sort of relationship with your fans, and you’ve either got to get on the train or it’s going to leave the station without you.  So, we’ve opened up a whole social media wing to the company, which is me, and it’s been working out great.  For instance, you know I’ve got my brand new single coming out for the first time in 11 years, it’s called “Rolled,” it will be off my brand new record coming out in August, and we’re making it available exclusively at ABCFamily.com for the first week coming up here starting Wednesday and then it’ll be up on iTunes and everywhere on July 6.  I tweeted that; it was driven by the fans,  every day thousands of tweets about the music, and I tweeted that it’s coming out and literally my Twitter account’s been—it’s 1,200 an hour have been tweeting about this day and the countdown to it and how they’re so excited about it.  So right there is a perfect example of how you can reach them instantly, and that’s what it’s all about – it’s about getting the products to the fans to see if they like it, because that’s what we do this for.

 

Moderator Well I enjoy following you on Twitter and see you tweet all the time, and I think it’s great.  I love when actors do that; it just makes you seem like you really care about your fans, which I think is a great thing.

J. Lawrence You know, that’s really what it’s all about.  We work for them.  Our commodity is us and we work for them and you’ve got to have an understanding about that.  The product that you’re selling is yourself, and the product that you want to sell, you’ve got to get to them.  And that’s the best way to get it to them.  And if it wasn’t for them, as cliché as it is, 30 years later I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.  It just would not happen.

 

Moderator We are going to have your new single, “Rolled” on our Website on Wednesday.  So can you just tell us a little bit about the single, and how you came up with the song and the title and the lyrics and that?

J. Lawrence Yes.  It’s sort of an expression that me and my friends used to throw around a lot in our mid-20’s, because honestly, I know it’s tough to—believe me, it’s tough find good guys that are out there, but it’s also tough to find good ladies that are out there, too, especially in this town.  And one of the things, especially if you’re a successful guy, it’s sort of tough to figure out whether they’re in it for the right reasons or whether they’re in it because they think you can buy them a big house and a big diamond ring and the whole thing.  So there’s an expression that we sort of came up with and it’s called rolled and it’s like, “Dude, did that girl just roll you?”  Which means that basically she used you for what she needed to, and then as soon as there was a better offer or something, a more successful guy on the table, she dumped you like yesterday’s trash and you got rolled.  Do you know what I mean?

So this thing took off for us and it became sort of this saying, so I wrote a song about that.  And that’s kind of what the song’s about.  It’s about a guy that is into this girl that sort of rolled him, and all of his friends were telling him that that’s not what he should have done and he knows now that he should have listened but he couldn’t help it because she was just so hot.  And it’s sort of a fun take on that, but it’s sort of a mid-tempo pop tune and the whole record is sort of a feel good record.  This one’s sort of one of the edgier songs, but I really love the way it turned out.  That’s why I wanted to lead with it.

 

Moderator Are you influenced by any other music genres and types?  Or do you have any favorite songs?

J. Lawrence Well musically I’m influenced from everybody from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, George Michael, Prince, Dave Matthews.  I have a very eclectic sort of music taste, but I’m a big fan of Michael, and Prince, and then George Michael.  So it’s definitely in that vein.

 

Moderator I saw the screener of the new episode and they used more of your theme song, which I love.  I was wondering, whose decision was it to give it more air time?

J. Lawrence It was a network decision, but it was definitely something that I championed over there because I just didn’t like the trend of these shows that had like three seconds of opening and then they went right into the show.  It just felt weird to me, so I was championing hard for them to put it full—kind of opening title, sort of like—you know like they have on Friends or anything else, and finally they thought it would be a good idea, too.  We had always had a full length version of the song, but they only were using like three seconds of it, so now I feel like at least people can hear a good 25-30 seconds of it.  It’s actually a really good tune, it’s got a bridge and everything to it.  It’s actually what—sort of my relationship working with Matthew Gerrard, who I collaborated on that song with, is what led to my record sort of happening.  And that’s why they’re releasing the first single too on ABCFamily.com, exclusively this coming Wednesday; it’s called “Rolled” – it’s really good.

 

Moderator Well I’m really looking forward to it.  I love your music.

J. Lawrence Oh, sweet.  Well you’ve definitely got to check this new tune out.  The full record will be out in August and then we’re going to tour next year.  But it’s a really cool tune if you like pop music.

 

Moderator Are you considering coming out with a cookbook?

J. Lawrence I have not like really thought about that a lot but it’s something that I certainly could do.  And you know if the opportunity presents itself, I just might.  It certainly is a passion of mine; that’s why I sort of made the character do it on the show.  And I’m good at it, you know?  People like my food, so I might.  I might.

 

Moderator We saw Mark Ballas guest star earlier in the season.  Are we going to see Edyta guest star at any point?

J. Lawrence I don’t know about on the show.  Edyta might be in one of my music videos, though.  We’re sort of working on that with her.  But I don’t know about the show.  Maybe.  But definitely in one of my music videos coming up, so that’ll be fun.

 

Moderator As part of the Disney Family, a voice actor, and a fan of the Disney parks, do you have a particular attraction that you and your family enjoy riding?

J. Lawrence Let’s see, well, it’s sort of hard to say because I like so many and for different reasons, but Pirates has always just been such a juggernaut for so many years.  It’s a classic.  It never disappoints.  I’m sort of old school; I like the Peter Pan rides because that’s one of my favorite movies.  I know it’s like 30 seconds long, but I just love it.  And then I sort of like what they did with Space Mountain, and I like Big Thunder Mountain for  something a little bit quicker.  So there’s different reasons why you like different attractions, you know?  I could name the whole park for you but then it’d just be like, “Well I like the whole park.”  But it’s a blast.  I mean, I got married in Disney World.

 

Moderator Oh, wow.  That’s cool.  Now having said that, obviously with your association with Oliver & Company and doing the voiceovers and such, if Disney were to redo an animated classic movie to a live action movie, is there a particular character that you could see yourself portraying?

J. Lawrence That’s a good question.  One of the ones that I’d love to see them redo – I don’t know whether there’d really be a role in it for me unless I played like the mean knight that sort of took advantage of young Arthur, but that would be Sword and the Stone.  I loved that movie.  I loved that film.  I think it’s a great animated movie, with Merlin and the whole thing.  It’s fantastic.    But there’s the knight of the King or whatever—the guy that young Arthur works for, he’s sort of like, whatever he is, the Duke and his Knight, he just keeps calling him Wart.  He’s a really, kind of mean character.    And at the end of the movie when he becomes large and he becomes King and pulls the sword from the stone there, it—I don’t know, it’s just a great film.  I think it’d lend itself to a fantastic live action movie.

 

Moderator Can you tell us about a time in your career where maybe things weren’t progressing or maybe you were losing confidence, or maybe things were just slow, and what that was like?

J. Lawrence This whole career is—I mean being an entertainer is about up and down, that’s what the whole thing’s about.  So there are going to be tons of moments when things are not going the way you want.  I mean I’m still not where I want to be, you know?  I think after doing this for 30 years and being my age now it’s—I’m excited because I feel like the guys that I look up to like Bruce Willis and George Clooney, they didn’t even get started really until they were 35.  George Clooney got ER at 36, so this is really just the beginning; even though I’ve been doing this for 30 years.  But feature film is where I want to go and those opportunities are starting to present themselves and it’s kind of exciting.

But I’ve always been positive, because you sort asked a two part question there.  But I’ve always been positive, always.  Where there’s a will there’s a way.  That’s my motto.  I don’t take no for an answer because if there is three or four dead ends I’ll find the one road that gets me there.    But there’s been a lot of ups and downs; that’s what it’s all about so you better have real thick skin and try not to take anything personally, because you won’t get most of the things that you want to get.  It’s about celebrating the 400 no’s on that journey to find the one yes.

 

Moderator Do you do voices to your daughters?

J. Lawrence Sure.  Sure, yes.  I do a lot of the Sesame Street ones and I’m good at those.  And I can certainly make any of the voices from the characters that they really like, so, yes, we have a lot of fun doing that stuff.  As a matter of fact, I just took my daughter to see Cars 2 for the second time this weekend because she’s obsessed, and she was playing Holley Shiftwell and I was playing Finn McMissile who is Michael Caine; we were doing that all day yesterday.  As a matter of fact, I had to wear all grey to be Finn and she had to wear all purple to be Holley – so there you have it.

 

Moderator Question about the set: Do your daughters play with Melissa Joan Hart’s sons?

J. Lawrence They do every now and then, yes.  When it makes sense they do.

 

Moderator Do they watch the show?  Or do they watch any of your old work?

J. Lawrence Not really.  I mean Charli does.  She’s starting to get into it a little bit.  She’s come to a couple tapings and she sits through it.  She’s an amazing little girl.  But my 14-month-old, no; not yet.

J. Lawrence Tweet me at Joey Lawrence.  Alright?

Catch “Melissa & Joey” on Wednesday nights (8/7c) on ABC Family! Second Season premiere is on June 29th!

 

Wargaming.net and DAVA Join Forces

London, UK and San Francisco, CA (30th June, 2011) — Wargaming.net, the award-winning videogame developer and publisher behind the world-famous franchises (World of Tanks, Massive Assault series and Order of War) along with DAVA Consulting, LLC, a highly-acknowledged developer of mobile games and applications, announce today their strategic partnership and signing of a long-term co-development agreement.

Partnership with DAVA gives Wargaming.net the exclusive opportunity to step into the rapidly-growing market of mobile games and applications while expanding their business model to new distribution channels and searching for the opportunities on a yet unexplored field of electronic entertainment.

“Having known the DAVA team for some time, we are thrilled to have them spearhead our efforts in the mobile games and applications development,” said Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi. “We are looking forward to establishing a strong presence on the mobile market and DAVA is the best partner to assist us.”

“We are honored to be working with such a world-renowned developer and publisher,” said Oleksandr (Alex) Fomenko, Founder of DAVA Consulting, LLC. “The strategic partnership with Wargaming.net is an excellent opportunity for us to develop innovative content on a global scale and we are extremely excited about it.”

About Wargaming.net®

Wargaming.net® is an award-winning strategy game specialist, incorporated in the UK. Its 220-strong development team is located in Minsk, Belarus. Since 1998, the company has shipped 13 titles, including acclaimed Massive Assault series, Order of War RTS published by Square Enix, and three add-ons for Blitzkrieg II. Wargaming.net’s® Operation Bagration RTS was awarded the Best Strategy Game of 2008 at Russian Game Developers Conference (KRI). At KRI 2009 and 2010 Wargaming.net® was named The Best Developer Company from ex-USSR. At KRI 2011 the company was awarded Industry Prize and World of Tanks® won “Best Game” Award.

Official web site: www.wargaming.net <http://www.wargaming.net/>

About DAVA Consulting, LLC

DAVA Consulting, LLC is the mobile software development company with headquarter in California, USA.  The company covers applications and games design for different platforms such as iOS and Android.  Founded in 2008, DAVA started working since the first day of App Store launch and keeps on releasing games and applications heading the App Store top lists till now. Within 3 years only, the company has leveraged its expertise by working with the world-known publishers including Electronic Arts, iWin and Freeverse. The company’s portfolio includes the highly popular games such as Jojo’s Fashion World and Jewel Quest Mysteries. DAVA’s most popular application Modern Weapons Encyclopedia has been downloaded more than 2 million times and still remains leader in its category. All in all, more than 10 million people around the world have downloaded DAVA’s products.

Official web site: www.davaconsulting.com <http://www.davaconsulting.com/>

 

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