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Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Crash, Madagascar, and Madden NFL 06 carried the 2006 Home Entertainment Awards by winning two awards each at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

The Home Entertainment Awards are presented by the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) in recognition of outstanding achievement in home video.

"This year's Home Entertainment Award recipients are the most diverse selection of titles to date," said EMA President Bo Andersen. "Among the recipients are network and cable television shows, entertainment that the entire family can enjoy together, and two of the most successful movie and video game franchises ever created."

The list of Home Entertainment Awards is as follows:

The hit television series Lost received two 2006 DVD Technical Awards for Best Commentary and Best Overall Presentation­Television Release and the Special Collectors Edition of the epic film Titanic won for Best Video Transfer From a Non-Digital Source and Best Supplementary Material at this evening's VSDA Awards Show at Home Entertainment 2006.

"The DVDs available today feature an unprecedented amount of visual and audio quality as well as interactivity and special features for the die-hard movie fan," said Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainment Merchants Association. "DVDs of Lost and Titanic allow viewers to have a richer experience than when watching the programs on television or pay-per-view, and the features that are included give legitimate retailers a huge advantage over pirated copies."

VSDA's 2006 DVD Technical Awards honor DVD titles that have demonstrated the most innovative and entertaining features through the use of the latest DVD technology.

The winners of the 2006 VSDA Technical Awards were:

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) inducted Grease, the 1978 movie musical about summer love and the senior year in high school starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, as the third entry in the Video Hall of Fame.

After a summer at the beach and discovering that "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing," high schoolers Danny Zucko (Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Newton-John) meet again in the halls of Rydell High School after Sandy's parents decide to extend their stay in America. Complications arise when Sandy starts to hang out with the Pink Ladies and learns that Danny is the leader ofthe leather jacket-wearing T-Birds. Surrounding these two lovers' struggle to be true to themselves and each other is a National Bandstand Television dance contest, a car race between the T -Birds and the rival Scorpions, and plenty of singing. Stockard Channing, Frankie Avalon, Sha-Na-Na, Frankie Valli, and others round out the cast of one of the most popular and successful musical movies of all time.

John Travolta was previously honored by the home entertainment industry as Video Star of the Year in 1997.

Grease joins Scarface and The Godfather in the Video Hall of Fame. The Video Hall of Fame recognizes movies that have continued to perform well in both video sales and rental over an extended period of time. Home entertainment retailers and distributors that are members of EMA select inductees to the Video Hall of Fame.

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) announced the recipients of the 2006 Retailer of the Year awards during the Opening Session of VSDA's Home Entertainment 2006. The Retailer of the Year awards are given annually to recognize successful video store operators.

"The annual Retailer of the Year awards recognizes companies that have prospered in the face of changing trends and formats by innovating ways to best serve customers," said Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainment Merchants Association. "These retailers are among the very best at serving their customers and are a credit to the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the industry."

The award recipients are as follows:

George Atkinson Award (Single Store) - named in honor of the late George Atkinson, who founded the video rental industry when he opened the world's first video store in 1977.

Movie Merchants, Sonoma, CA Video Quest, Joliet, FL
Video Zone, South Deerfield, MA

5+ Stores
Backstage Video, Bridgewater, VA

iDEA Chairman's Award - awarded on behalf of the Independent Dealers of Entertainment Association (iDEA) to an independent video retailer for specific accomplishments of a store or store operation such as specific category development, sell-through initiatives, tanning, games, and online.

Entertainment Specialist - selected from merchants that specialize in the retailing of entertainment hardware and software.

Non-Traditional Retailer - awarded to retailers who employ unique business models for the rental or sale of DVDs.

Online Retailer - designated for retailers that sell or rent DVDs online.

Rental Specialist - honors businesses that specialize in renting DVDs among public companies or chains of 100 or more stores.

VSDA's Home Entertainment 2006, presented by the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), brings together retailers, distributors, and suppliers of DVDs and video and computer games to learn about upcoming releases and industry developments and to celebrate the $32 billion home entertainment industry.