NEWSMAKERS

March 14, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

NEWSMAKERS

‘Angry Birds’ series coming to television

LOS ANGELES

Rovio Entertainment is launching an animated series based on its popular “Angry Birds” game characters, which it will make available on TV, smartphones and tablets.

“Angry Birds Toons” will feature its familiar characters in a year’s worth of episodes — 52 weekly installments — starting this weekend. New shows will appear on TV on Saturdays, then become available the next day through mobile apps and video-on-demand platforms.

“Launching the channel, and partnering up with some of the best video-on-demand providers and TV networks, is an important milestone for us on our journey toward becoming a fully fledged entertainment powerhouse,” Rovio Chief Executive Mikael Hed said.

Rovio also has signed a deal with Comcast Corp. to create an Angry Birds Toons channel.

Fundraiser starts for ‘Veronica Mars’ film

LOS ANGELES

“Veronica Mars” fans eager for a movie based on the TV series have a chance to put their money where their hopes are.

Series creator Rob Thomas launched an online crowd-funding campaign Wednesday to make a big-screen version of the show. “Veronica Mars,” which starred Kristen Bell as a young sleuth, ended its three-season run in 2007.

On the Kickstarter website, Thomas said the $2 million fundraiser represents “our one shot to see a ‘Veronica Mars’ movie happen.” More than 16,000 backers had pledged more than $1.1 million within hours Wednesday.

Thomas said “Veronica Mars” owner Warner Bros. has given the project its blessing, and Bell and other cast members are ready to begin production this summer for a 2014 release. The fundraising campaign ends April 12.

Museum displaying Audubon’s watercolors

NEW YORK

The New-York Historical Society is exhibiting its entire collection of 474 bird watercolors by John James Audubon for the first time.

They’re being shown chronologically in three exhibitions over three years. The first group went on view Friday.

The collection includes 435 watercolors engraved for Audubon’s monumental “The Birds of America.” The intricately detailed, life-size renderings are the naturalist’s greatest work.

The first exhibition ends May 19.

Vindicator wire services