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Serena Williams and WWE Wrestler Mick Foley Guest Star in Avatar

Posted: Nov 14th 2007 By: mikeiles

BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon's hit series Avatar: The Last Airbender invades television screens with a new one-hour TV movie "Day of Black Sun" on Friday, Nov. 30 from 8 to 9 p.m. (ET/PT). The epic third season of the series from creators Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko continues as Aang and his rag-tag crew launch their massive attack on the Fire Nation during the solar eclipse. This special television event features the guest voices of Avatar fan and tennis pro Serena Williams as Ming (Uncle Iroh's guard) and WWE wrestler Mick Foley as The Boulder.

In "Day of Black Sun," Aang's army is unlike any force seen before, with fleets of Waterbenders and a battalion of Earthbenders (including The Boulder, one of the best-known fighters) working together to pull off one of the most bizarre and ingenious invasion plans ever imagined. With Sokka, Katara and Toph at his side, Aang is determined to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar. He and the gang hunt down the evil Fire Lord for the ultimate showdown while the solar eclipse temporarily hinders the Fire Nation's powers. But the question remains; is the Fire Lord ready for Aang?

"The tension has heightened in this third season of Avatar, and fans will be on the edge of their seats," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon Television. "An hour- long TV movie allows us the opportunity to further develop character arcs, advance the overall story and still provide the action fans love. We know they won't be disappointed."

In support of the television event, Nick.com/blacksun will feature a message board, embedded video player, link to Avatar games, collectibles, downloads, plus a sneak peek of the hour-long movie. On Monday, Nov. 19, the Avatar Game Tournament will begin, offering fans a chance to play their favorite Avatar games to boost their team's overall high score and win Nickpoints and digital prizes in the process. Additionally, a new Game of the Week, "Avatar: Black Sun Siege," will begin on Thursday, Nov. 29 where players can control squadrons of Earth and Water Nation soldiers, led by favorite Avatar characters, in a battle against the marauding Fire Nation.

Since its launch, Avatar has developed a fervent fan base, and not just with kids. The unique attributes of the show -- epic storytelling, Asian influence and film quality graphics -- have generated one of the most passionate fan bases in Nickelodeon's history. Avatar fans have built their own unique fan sites full of original fiction, storyline proposals, artwork, comics, message boards, blogs and more, all based on the property.

Fans are responsive on Nick.com as well, where the message boards hold two out of the top five spots this year on the site this year. Avatar games are also among the most popular on the site, garnering a total of 70 million game plays year to date, a 15% increase versus a year ago. The Avatar show page has generated 12 million visits, ranking within the top five properties on Nick.com. On TurboNick, the network's video broadband player, the property has generated more than 34 million streams year-to-date. On Nicktropolis, Nickelodeon's virtual world, the six rooms within the Avatar environment combined have generated 17.5 million visits-to-date (Source: Omniture Sitecatalyst).

Launched in February 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender, currently in its third season, is ranked among the top 10 properties on all of television among boys 2-11 and boys 6-11 (4Q07) and No. 4 on all of television with Boys 9-14 in 4Q07. This season, the series has reached a total of 11.4 million total viewers (persons 2+), including 5.3 million kids 2-11, 3.6 million kids 6-11 and 3.5 million Tweens 9-14. Avatar is currently syndicated to more than 105 countries around the world and is one of Nickelodeon's top rated programs across broadcast and cable in multiple markets. The series is currently ranked No. 1 on Nick in Germany, Indonesia, Belgium and Colombia.

The epic story of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the journey of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a young boy torn between fulfilling his fate as the long- awaited Avatar and just wanting to be a regular kid. Aang is called upon to lead the fight against the vicious Fire Nation to restore balance in his war- torn world. Aided by a protective teenage Waterbender named Katara (Mae Whitman) and her bull-headed warrior brother Sokka (Jack DeSena), Aang proceeds on a perilous journey to save the world while sometimes shaking off his heavy responsibilities so that he can enjoy being a kid.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko who also serve as executive producers. The series is produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, California.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA - News, VIA.B - News).

Tags: WWE, Mick Foley