July 18

 Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s Cars finished first at the Entertainment Merchants Association’s Home Entertainment Awards during EMA’s 2007 conference at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

Cars won children’s title of the year, family title of the year and sellthrough title of the year from a major studio. Warner Home Video’s The Departed won two awards, taking rental title of the year from a major studio and HD DVD title of the year, while Genius Products’ Clerks II won marketing campaign of the year from an independent studio and DVD extras of the year from an independent studio.

The hall of fame award went to Warner’s Casablanca.

Eligible titles were released between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007. An EMA committee picked categories and nominees, and the winners were determined by EMA retail and distributor members. Other winners include:

Rental title of the year from an independent studio: Magnolia’s The World’s Fastest Indian -Sellthrough title of the year from an independent studio: Genius’ Lucky Number Slevin -Sleeper title of the year: Fox’s Little Miss Sunshine -Special interest title of the year: TS Productions’ The Secret -Frontiers title of the year: Fox’s 24 - Season 6 Premiere (First 4 Episodes) -Blu-ray title of the year: Sony Pictures’ Casino Royal

Entertainment Merchants Crown FunnyorDie.com with Its First

“Creative Website of the Year” Award

… Recognizing the importance of digitally delivered, user-generated content, the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) last evening bestowed its first “Creative Website of the Year” to the web sensation FunnyorDie.com. The award was presented during the Home Entertainment Awards show at EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007, being held through Thursday at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

“FunnyorDie.com crosses the best comedic talent with cutting-edge technology to provide users with a great entertainment experience,” said Bo Andersen, President of EMA. “We are thrilled to able to acknowledge this exciting new entertainment source.”

FunnyorDie.com was launched in April of 2007 and is already one of the most-visited comedy sites on the web. A key ingredient of the site’s success is its focus on a new genre of content: the raw and experimental look and feel of user-generated video, turbocharged with celebrity talent. “The Landlord,” a video featuring FunnyorDie.com founders Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, has been viewed more than 38 million times. The clips rated highest by users are labeled “chosen ones” while the poorly rated are banished to the “the crypt.” FunnyorDie embraces its name by eliminating videos that users find lack comedic value. For comedic celebrities, FunnyorDie.com is quickly becoming the “place to be seen” on the Web. For users, FunnyorDie.com is the place to go online to easily find amusing content.

AS TIME GOES BY, CASABLANCA ENTERS VIDEO HALL OF FAME

EMA’s Home Entertainment Awards to be held on July 17, 2007

 … Casablanca, one of the most beloved movies of all times, was inducted into the Entertainment Merchants Association’s Video Hall of  Fame last evening. The announcement of the induction was made during the Home Entertainment Awards show at EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007, at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

“Casablanca continues to appeal to the romantic in each of us, 65 years after its release,” declared Bo Andersen, President of the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA). “Each new generation discovers and embraces its timeless themes of love and glory, good and evil, friendship and betrayal. Its perennial popularity makes it an ideal addition to the Video Hall of Fame.”

Casablanca joins The Godfather, Grease, and Scarface 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. Casablanca is available on DVD from Warner Home Video.

Also at the Home Entertainment Awards show, Ernest Borgnine was honored for “Sustained Creative Achievement,” Jon Favreau was given the “Independent Career Achievement Award,” Katt Williams was named “Rising Entertainer of the Year,” and FunnyorDie.com was tapped as “Creative Website of the Year.” In addition, EMA announced the winners of its annual Home Entertainment Awards for outstanding home entertainment products. The show was hosted by popular entertainment reporter and game show host Todd Newton.

EMA’s Home Media Expo, sponsored by EMA and produced by Home Entertainment Events, runs through Thursday at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Entertainment Merchants Association (www.entmerch.org)

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $33 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents approximately 600 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate approximately 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs and computer and console video games and digitally distributed versions of these products. Membership comprises the full spectrum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants, and both brick and mortar and online stores), distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home entertainment industry. EMA was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA

HD DVD Outpacing All Next-Gen Formats in Sales Growth

Promotional Group announces record HD DVD hardware and software sales increases from Q1-Q2 2007

At the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) Home Media Expo 2007, the North American HD DVD Promotional Group today announced that overall HD DVD hardware sales were up 37 percent from Q1 to Q2 2007, while software sales experienced a 20 percent increase in growth. The data is based on NPD reports, Nielsen Netratings reports and point of sale data from the studios. During the same time-frame, overall Blu-ray hardware sales saw a 27 percent decline from Q1 to Q2, and Blu-ray software sales were down 5 percent.

Driven by major spring marketing efforts which brought standalone HD DVD players down to an industry first $299, dedicated HD DVD CE players experienced an astounding 183 percent quarterly increase. There are currently more than 180,000 dedicated HD DVD CE players in the market.

"The numbers are clear -- HD DVD is steadily gaining momentum and market share," said Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of HD strategic marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and co-president of the HD DVD Promotional Group. "With HD DVD CE players now at MSRP prices starting at $299 and with strong marketing campaigns around new HD DVD titles with web-enabled interactive features, we're continuing to raise the bar for the consumer experience."

Recent studies(1) have shown most consumers are basing their purchasing decisions on pricing. Benefiting from more than a decade of DVD technology advancements and improvements, HD DVD hardware pricing has already dropped from $499 to $299 since the first players were introduced last year as a result of manufacturing efficiencies, while still maintaining a consistent consumer experience.

"With the total number of titles available for each format differing by only 20-30 titles at this time, the real-world gap in content between the two formats is in actuality not as large as many would perceive," said Paul Erickson, market analyst with IMS Research. "Consumers in the US and Europe continue to show the greatest sensitivity to price, rather than content or branding, in their purchase decision for standalone high-definition players."

With titles like "300" coming later this month from Warner Home Video and "Heroes: Season 1" to be released in August from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, HD DVD owners will have close to 1,000 titles worldwide to choose from by the holidays.

About HD DVD

HD DVD is the next generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity, high definition optical discs, approved by the DVD Forum, which develops and defines DVD formats. Its more than 220 strong membership brings together leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer electronics and software. HD DVD is fast becoming the primary visual medium for the age of high-definition TV. The North American HD DVD Promotional Group, Inc. is an organization established to promote the HD DVD format and educate consumers in North America. For more information and a complete listing of HD DVD launch titles please visit http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/.

(1) CEA Market Research Report, June 2007

Source: The North American HD DVD Promotional Group, Inc.

July 17

News from EMA Keynote.

It is all about Service, Convience and Education.

 SHOUT! FACTORY ANNOUNCES HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEAL WITH VIVENDI VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT CANADA 

Los Angeles, California – Shout! Factory announced today that it has appointed Vivendi Visual Entertainment Canada (VVEC) to handle Canadian non-music video distribution duties.  Under the terms of agreements, VVEC Canada will distribute Shout! Factory’s new releases of DVD titles effective August 1, 2007. This announcement was made today by Shout! Factory’s founding partners Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos.

“We are very excited to have an aggressive Canadian distributor that complements our entrepreneurial spirit and appreciates our pop culture expertise,” said Garson Foos, President of Shout! Factory. “Now that we’ve started to work with Vivendi Visual Entertainment in the U.S, we are very pleased to expand our relationship to include Canada.  They have an experienced and motivated staff that can put concentrated focus on our products and work with us collaboratively to maximize our business in traditional and non-traditional sales channels.”

"We are delighted to have Shout! Factory joining the VVEC roster,” stated Iain Taylor, Vice President of Vivendi Visual Entertainment Canada.  “Shout's passion and dedication to providing a high quality visual product has made them market leaders and we’re looking forward to working closely with the entire Shout team."

Established in 2003, Shout! Factory has amassed a wealth of pop culture favorites, as well as compelling new material.  Founders of Shout! Factory previously launched Rhino Records, a pioneer in music compilations and retro-TV re-issues.  Since establishing Shout! Factory, they have brought the same sensibilities in creating a unique product line comprised of classic, contemporary and cult TV series, sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries.  TV/DVD box set highlights include Freaks and Geeks, SCTV, The Johnny Carson Show, Major League Baseball product line, Warren Miller franchise, Inside The Actors Studio, That Girl, McHale’s Navy, Ironside, The Electric Company and the upcoming My So-Called Life: The Complete Series. 











ABOUT SHOUT! FACTORY

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.

About Vivendi Visual Entertainment Canada (VVE Canada) is a division of Universal Music Canada (UMC). Universal Music Canada, a unit of Universal Music Group, is Canada's leading music organization maintaining a current market share of 36.5%.  For further information on Universal Music Canada please visit www.umusic.ca.

 July 3

KATT WILLIAMS TO RECEIVE RISING ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR AWARD AT EMA’S HOME MEDIA EXPO 2007
Released: Tue Jul 3,2007
Author: Grace Lee

Actor-Comedian Katt Williams will be presented with the Rising Entertainer of the Year Award by the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) at EMA’s 2007 Home Entertainment Awards. The ceremony will occur on July 17 during the Home Entertainment Awards show at EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007, to be held at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

“Katt Williams is a talented comedian and actor, and our industry will be watching his career for years to come,” said EMA President Bo Andersen. “His cutting-edge comedy and wit is like a shot of adrenaline and marks him as one of the leading comedians of his generation.”

Katt Williams’ HBO special, Katt Williams: Pimp Chronicles Pt. 1 (2006) has gone triple-platinum in DVD sales, and his 100-day “Pimp Chronicles Tour” currently is selling out in venues across the country. Pimp Chronicles Part 2 (2007), distributed by Salient Media and Vivendi Visual Entertainment, is scheduled for release later this year. Katt Williams immortalized the character “Money Mike” in his film debut Friday After Next (2002) and can now be seen rubbing shoulders with comedy giant Eddie Murphy in Norbit (2007). His burgeoning acting resume will soon include the feature film First Sunday (2008), a comedy that Williams will be starring in, about two paltry criminals plotting to rob their church.

EMA’s Home Media Expo, sponsored by EMA and produced by Home Entertainment Events, will be held July 16-19, 2007 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas,

Nevada. The event is open to trade and press only. Individuals interested in attending can register at www.homemediaexpo.com

To exhibit, please contact: Dan Donati at (714) 338-6726 or ddonati@questex.com

Entertainment Merchants Association

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $33 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents approximately 600 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate approximately 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs and computer and console video games and digitally distributed versions of these products. Membership comprises the full spectrum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants, and both brick and

mortar and online stores), distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home entertainment industry. EMA was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).

Home Media Expo Announcement:

Todd Newton To Emcee EMA’s Home Entertainment Awards

Popular entertainment reporter and game show host Todd Newton will emcee EMA’s Home Entertainment Awards Show on July 17 in at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The Home Entertainment Awards Show is part of EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007, to be held July 16-19 at the Venetian.

Newton is well known for bringing television viewers to star-studded events with his work on E! Entertainment Television. For more than a decade, he provided an all-access pass to red-carpet events, movie premieres, behind-the-scenes of television shows and celebrity interviews.

Newton has also become one of the most popular game show hosts on television, having given away nearly $20 million to date. As the host of Hollywood Showdown, Whammy!: The All New Press Your Luck, Made In The USA, Gameshow Marathon, In Search of the Partridge Family, Performing As…and Instant Millionaire, Newton has won over game show fans with his exuberant personality and passion for the genre. His recognizable voice and unique delivery have been featured in the bestselling Match Game, Press Your Luck and Family Feud video games. Currently, Newton is appearing at Bally’s Las Vegas as host of The Price Is Right Live!, a stage version of the most popular game show in television history. He can also be seen frequently hosting FOX Reality Channel’s Reality Remix and serving up entertainment news as a recurring guest on The Maury Povich Show.

EMA’s Home Entertainment Awards Show honor the outstanding DVD and video game releases of the past year and legendary and upcoming motion picture stars. This year’s honorees include Ernest Borgnine, John Favreau, and Katt Williams. The show will also feature a musical performance by actor/singer/songwriter John Schneider.

For more information about EMA’s Home Media Expo, please see www.HomeMediaExpo.com.

July 2

ACTOR-SINGER-SONGWRITER JOHN SCHNEIDER TO PERFORM AT EMA’S 2007 HOME ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS

Actor-singer-songwriter John Schneider will provide the musical entertainment at EMA’s 2007 Home Entertainment Awards, to be held on July 17 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV, show organizers announced today. Presented by the Entertainment Merchant’s Association (EMA), EMA’s 2007 Home Entertainment Awards are part of EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007, which runs July 16-19.

“John Schneider is a rare talent who has found success in many forms of entertainment and who has sustained his success for almost three decades,” noted EMA President Bo Andersen. “We are looking forward to his gifted musical performance.”

Schneider is attending EMA’s Home Media Expo to promote the DVD release of his current film, John Schneider’s Collier & Co. – Hot Pursuit! Schneider not only stars in the film, he also served as the project’s writer, producer, and director. Collier & Co. ran theatrically earlier this year in eight markets and is due out on DVD from Westlake Entertainment on September 18^th. Schneider, an active philanthropist, used proceeds from a number of the film’s theatrical dates to raise money in support of local libraries and fire departments.

Schneider, who recently appeared as John Kent, Superman’s father, in Smallville on the CW Network, became a star as one of the leads in The Dukes of Hazzard television series, which aired from 1979-1985 on CBS. Following his success on television, Schneider became a hit in another entertainment field: music. He has released 11 solo albums and has a #1 album and four #1 singles to his credit. And long before Hollywood artists routinely tried their luck on the boards of Broadway, Schneider successfully made the transition to musical theater, appearing for 487 performances in the Tony Award-winning production of Grand Hotel.

In 1983, Schneider was a co-founder, with Marie Osmond, of the Children’s Miracle Network, the non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals across North America. Since its founding, the Children’s Miracle Network has raised more than $2.7 billion for the premier children’s hospitals in the network.

EMA’s Home Media Expo, sponsored by EMA and produced by Home Entertainment Events, will be held July 16-19, 2007 at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas,

Nevada. To exhibit, please contact: Dan Donati at (714) 338-6726 or ddonati@questex.com

Entertainment Merchants Association

The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $33 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents approximately 600 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate approximately 20,000 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs and computer and console video games and digitally distributed versions of these products. Membership comprises the full spectrum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants, and both brick and mortar and online stores), distributors, the home video divisions of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses that constitute and support the home entertainment industry. EMA was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).

June 27

Leo Laporte, a leading author and broadcast journalist on technology topics, will moderate the “Power Play” segment of the Opening Session at EMA’s Home Media Expo 2007. The Opening Session will be held on Tuesday, July 17, from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m., at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The “Power Play” segment of the Opening Session Expo will feature a live focus group of voracious entertainment consumers who not only love entertainment but purchase and view it through every delivery channel. During the segment, these “Power Users” will share their views and attitudes about different entertainment content and the ways they view them, with a focus on preferences and attitudes.

Laporte hosts a technology talk radio show that airs nationally every Saturday and Sunday on the Premiere Radio Networks and “Call for Help,” a daily hour-long television show that airs in Canada and Australia. He is a frequent guest on many television and radio programs, including Live with Regis and Kelly. He also produces and hosts a number of popular technology podcasts.

Laporte has written numerous articles and books about computers and technology, including his Technology Almanacs. His reports on technology have aired on CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, and TechTV and many radio stations around the nation.

For more info about Leo Laporte, please see http://leoville.com/Main/Bio

June 25

ENCINO, CALIFORNIA (June 25, 2007) ... Academy Award winner and television icon Ernest Borgnine will be presented with the Sustained Creative Achievement Award by the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) at EMA's 2007 Home Entertainment Awards. The presentation will occur on July 17 during the Home Entertainment Awards show at EMA's Home Media Expo 2007, to be held at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

"EMA is pleased to recognize the extraordinary creative longevity and outstanding performances that make up the career of Ernest Borgnine," EMA President Bo Andersen said. "Whether as the 'heavy' in classic westerns, the lovelorn butcher in Marty, or the star of one of television's classic comedies, one fact he's gotta face is, whatever it is that audiences like, he's got it."

Best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in Marty (1955) and as the opportunistic skipper of an "8 ball" crew in McHale's Navy (1962-66), Ernest Borgnine's impressive career includes more than 100 feature films and television series. His credits include From Here To Eternity (1953), Bad Day At Black Rock (1955), The Catered Affair (1956), The Dirty Dozen (1967), The Wild Bunch (1969), and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). At the age of 90, he keeps an active pace, with his latest film Oliviero Rising set to debut later this year and a Hallmark Channel movie, A Grandpa for Christmas, scheduled to air in December. Since 1999, Borgnine has provided his voice talent to the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon as the elderly superhero Mermaid Man. Between filming, he can be found traveling throughout the country, speaking at benefits, and actively participating in numerous charities.

Season Two of McHale's Navy will be released on DVD by Shout! Factory on September 11, 2007