Entertainment,Arts,Fashion & Technology
Dec 14
VOLVER
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
SHERRYBABY
THE QUEEN
LITTLE CHILDREN
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
BLOOD DIAMOND
THE DEPARTED
VENUS
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
DREAMGIRLS
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
MISS POTTER
BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
KINKY BOOTS
STRANGER THAN FICTION
BABEL
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
BABEL
HOLLYWOODLAND
DREAMGIRLS
THE DEPARTED
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
BABEL
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
THE DEPARTED
THE QUEEN
THE PAINTED VEIL
THE FOUNTAIN
BABEL
NOMAD
THE DA VINCI CODE
MEDIUM
THE SOPRANOS
LOST
GREY’S ANATOMY
THE CLOSER
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GREY’S ANATOMY
DEXTER
HOUSE
BIG LOVE
24
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
UGLY BETTY
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
WEEDS
30 ROCK
SCRUBS
THE OFFICE
MY NAME IS EARL
MONK
BLEAK HOUSE
MRS. HARRIS
ELIZABETH I
PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACT
TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH
THIEF
BROKEN TRAIL
SLEEPER CELL: AMERICAN TERROR
TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH
MRS. HARRIS
GIDEON’S DAUGHTER
THE RON CLARK STORY
GIDEON’S DAUGHTER
TSUNAMI, THE AFTERMATH
GREY’S ANATOMY
STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
WEEDS
BROKEN TRAIL
ELIZABETH I
WEEDS
HEROES
ENTOURAGE
Dec 13
RAUL MALO OPENS A NEW MUSICAL CHAPTER WITH "YOU'RE ONLY LONELY"
By Wendy Newcomer
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
For more than 15 years, Raul Malo fronted The Mavericks, a Country band that garnered multiple awards - including CMA Awards for Vocal Group of the Year in 1995 and 1996 - and enjoyed mainstream success in both the U.S. and Europe. Their recipe, equal parts Roy Orbison and Hank Williams, tested the boundaries of Country Music. Malo, the son of Cuban émigré parents, further widened those boundaries with his 2001 Latin solo album, Today, and his work with super group Los Super Seven in 2005. He also produced other artists, including K.T. Oslin and Rick Trevino. One project that has long languished on Malo's to-do list is what he described as a "singer's record," an album that showcased its vocalist with songs of integrity, range and emotion.
"This is a record that I've always wanted to make, because I'm just a singer on it," explained Malo of his new CD, You're Only Lonely, on Sanctuary Records. "For me, as a vocalist, it's just paying tribute to some of my favorite songwriters and artists. It was the first time in my life that I had ever done that."
For inspiration, he didn't have to look any further than the Linda Ronstadt albums in his collection.
"To me, those records are so special," he recalled. "They are an important part of our music history. Linda covered a lot of people's material, because she wasn't a writer, per se. But there was an enormous wealth of talent around her, and all these songs were just tailor-made for her. Those records were fantastic, not only hers, but James Taylor's and of course the J.D. Souther stuff."
Enter legendary producer Peter Asher - the man at the helm of many of the Ronstadt, Souther and Taylor albums that Malo held dear. Malo and Asher met backstage last year in London at a Mavericks show, and the seeds of You're Only Lonely were sown.
"I knew of The Mavericks records because in England they had a couple of huge hits," Asher said. "So I knew who they were, and liked them. I loved the show, went backstage and met Raul. We ended up having a long conversation, and we talked about the possibility of working together at some point."
As with Ronstadt, Asher saw in Malo an opportunity to record with a singer's singer.
"Raul has an extraordinary voice," Asher praised. "It's one of those huge voices that can do anything. So what we tried to do was pick his favorite songs - songs that he enjoyed singing, in such a way that it would frame his voice. It's a vocal-based album. We tried for the singer and the song to be the center of attention, and the center of the arrangement, because his voice is unlike anybody else's. It's so beautiful."
Asher points out similarities between Ronstadt and Malo. "They both have quite amazing voices, but they also both have a very strong sense of what songs will suit them," he said. "Each track was structured, arranged and produced in such a way as best I could, to reflect the brilliance of her singing - and in this case, his singing."
If the critics have their way, You're Only Lonely will be joining Ronstadt's classic records at the top of the charts. Released on July 25, the album has generated reams of critical praise. People magazine selected the album as their "Critics Choice," describing the music as "intensely romantic." The Los Angeles Times credited Malo with "resurrecting the kind of romantic pop music that Frank Sinatra long personified." And the singer was recently invited to appear on NPR's "All Things Considered."
The list of songs on You're Only Lonely runs the gamut of musical styles and decades. Malo soars with classic standards including "Remember," "So Sad" and "Games That Lovers Play;" knowingly interprets Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground;" puts a male perspective on the oft-covered Etta James ode to romance, "At Last;" and makes the title cut - written by Souther - his own. Nestled seamlessly among these and other classics is the Malo-penned original, "For You," a joyous Latin-flavored composition.
"We listened to the original tracks as if they were demos being sent to us, not as the hit records that they were," he revealed. "It was like we were in the studio, and somebody sent us a demo and we'd just heard it. So we'd go, 'Okay, let's do this. Let's break it down and forget what orchestrations there are on the record.' And that's how we went at it."
Martina McBride joins Malo on the Randy Newman ballad "Feels Like Home." Malo jokes that he was able to get McBride's participation with "a lot of begging. Martina's a friend. George Massenburg (who mixed and mastered You're Only Lonely) had just finished working with her on something. We were looking for a duet partner for that song, and it just seemed right. I certainly knew she could sing it. It's difficult to get somebody on a record, because everybody's so busy - and she's no exception. So it just aligned. It was good timing, thankfully."
Malo toured last summer, introducing the songs on You're Only Lonely to U.S. and Canadian audiences. "The reaction was great," he said. "People know these songs, and are thrilled to hear them again in this context. I don't think they've heard them in awhile, and they're such great songs. I'm thrilled to be singing them."
But a Malo show isn't the only place you're likely to see him. Last year he was the Musical Director for several CMT productions, including the "Crossroads" episode that featured Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers and "100 Greatest Duets." "Honestly, I don't know how they came about - but I'm glad they did," he said of the musical director jobs. "I think they felt comfortable that there was an artist in the band to work with the singers.
"And I get to be a musician, which is fun for me, because I don't even read charts," he added. "It's great. I get to stand there and pretend. I mean, I've got them all there on my music stand, with a light. People go, 'Wow, look at him - man, he's bad, he can read charts.' And I can't. But I pretend like I do, and it's a lot of fun."
There's no pretending when it comes to Malo's voice. When asked how he feels to have Peter Asher describing him one of the best singers in the world, he's silent for a moment. "I mean, come on, what am I supposed to think about that?" he said humbly. "That's amazing, with the singers that he's worked with."
Asher has the final word on Malo. "There are two hallmarks of a great singer - a great voice and an ability to use it to create further greatness in the song," he said. "Raul is a huge fan of all the balladeers - Sinatra, Dean Martin. And the Country Music influence is in there, but people expect that already from a Mavericks person. So in a way, you're seeing all the other influences in Raul's musical upbringing. He may live in Nashville, but his soul is all over the place."
On the Web: www.raulmalo.com
"Intensely romantic."
***** Critic's Choice - People
Ralph Novak
"[An album] dedicated to resurrecting the kind of romantic pop music that Frank Sinatra long personified. This is all about setting the mood for candlelight, champagne and a cozy evening with the one you love - or wish to."
***1/2 - The Los Angeles Times
Randy Lewis
"Anyone in search of sophisticated make-out music should snag Malo's album, posthaste: You're Only Lonely is a perfect disc to break out (along with a bottle of red wine) once the kids are tucked into bed and fast asleep."
- The Washington Post
Shannon Zimmerman
Oscar Night® Extends Across America
Beverly Hills, CA — Providing Academy Awards® viewers across the country the opportunity to take part in an American tradition, Oscar Night America (ONA), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ grassroots program that enables charities to host glamorous Oscar® viewing parties, will kick off its 14th year in 2007.
On Sunday, February 25, 49 charities in as many cities will host official Oscar viewing parties during the 79th Academy Awards ceremony. The events will feature the live broadcast of the Awards presentation, which will be televised by the ABC Television Network.
“We created Oscar Night America to let people across the country participate in the excitement of the Academy Awards festivities,” said Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. “The fact that the viewing parties benefit local charities is an added bonus.”
For the first time, Oscar Night America will host a Latino ONA party in Los Angeles. Two other new locations have also been added to the ONA roster – Indianapolis, Indiana and Norfolk, Virginia. The other ONA 2007 locations are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Greenville, Hartford, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Omaha, Orange County (CA), Orlando, Palm Beach, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Sacramento, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, DC.
Most parties are black-tie affairs, though some are less formal. Event organizers have been known to request partygoers to dress up as famous couples, and some feature limousine arrivals, red carpets, local celebrities, photographers or “paparazzi” and press interviews with arriving guests.
To set these parties apart from the thousands of other events taking place on Oscar Night, each ONA party receives from the Academy copies of the official commemorative poster and the official Oscar show program.
Only one charity party in a given market may participate in ONA. Events are entirely produced by local nonprofit organizations, with the active participation of the local ABC-TV affiliate station.
Last year 47 charities hosted viewing parties for the 78th Academy Awards, raising nearly $2.5 million, all of it remaining in local communities. With more than 16,300 guests attending nationwide, ONA 2006 benefited such charities as the American Diabetes Association, the American Red Cross, the Miami Beach Film Society, Ronald McDonald House, Special Olympics Texas, and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation.
Since its inception in 1994, the program has generated nearly $17.5 million in funding for a wide spectrum of charitable organizations – every cent staying within the community where it was raised.
For the 14th consecutive year, Concept Marketing Development of Santa Barbara, California, will assist the Academy in coordinating the program.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be presented on February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrivals segment.
# # #
Cheryl Boone Isaacs to Chair Academy’s 2007 Governors Ball
Beverly Hills, CA — The Governors Ball, the celebration that will follow the 79th Academy Awards® telecast, will be chaired by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a governor representing the Public Relations Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In her fourth year as chair, Boone Isaacs will manage the overall planning of the decor, menu and entertainment for the Ball. “Oscar® Sunday is Hollywood’s big day,” she said. “The Ball will be a glamorous celebration that will crown the evening in grand style.”
The Ball’s 1,600 guests, which include Academy Award® winners and nominees, show presenters and telecast participants, will celebrate in the Grand Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center® immediately following the telecast.
Boone Isaacs is a partner with Target Approach, Inc., a strategic marketing company. Previously she was president of theatrical marketing at New Line Cinema, and prior to that executive vice president of worldwide publicity at Paramount Pictures.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006 will be presented on Sunday, February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network at 5 p.m. PST, beginning with a half-hour arrivals segment.
# # #
Ennio Morricone to Receive Honorary Academy Award®
Beverly Hills, CA — Composer-conductor Ennio Morricone, who has composed more than 300 motion picture scores over a 45-year career, has been voted an Honorary Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Award, an Oscar® statuette, will be given to Morricone at the 79th Academy Awards® presentation on February 25, 2007, “for his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music.”
Morricone has earned five Academy Award nominations for original score — for “Days of Heaven” (1978), “The Mission” (1986), “The Untouchables” (1987), “Bugsy” (1991) and “Malèna” (2000) — but has not previously received an Oscar.
“The board was responding not just to the remarkable number of scores that Mr. Morricone has produced,” said Academy President Sid Ganis, “but to the fact that so many of them are beloved and popular masterpieces.”
While the bulk of his work has been on Italian films, including “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “Once upon a Time in America” and “Cinema Paradiso,” Morricone has composed memorable scores for such international titles as “Bulworth,” “In the Line of Fire,” “La Cage aux Folles” and “Two Mules for Sister Sara.” His current project, “Leningrad,” has been announced for a 2008 release.
Born in Rome, Morricone was hired in 1964 by Sergio Leone and began a long collaboration with the director on what came to be known as “spaghetti westerns,” though his career has spanned most film genres from comedy to romance to horror.
Morricone’s Honorary Oscar will be presented, along with other Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2006, on Sunday, February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®. The Oscars® will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST), with a half-hour red carpet arrivals segment, “The Road to the Oscars.”
# # #
CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN CELEBRATES ITS 300TH SHOW IN A MILESTONE EPISODE PREMIERING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21
Episode Also Features Annual “Best Of” Videos Of The Year
December 13, 2006 – CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN taped its 300th show in Nashville on Tuesday, December 12. The landmark episode includes hilarious bloopers and a retrospective rewind looking back from its 2001 launch to present. This special CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN premieres Thursday, December 21 at 4:00–7:00 p.m.*
Host Lance Smith was joined in-studio by stars and pals Little Big Town and Blake Shelton for the big event. The episode also commemorates the top videos of 2006 with the annual “Best Of” show. Carrie Underwood captures the No. 1 spot for a record breaking five weeks in a row.
CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN is a three-hour weekly show hosted by CMT’s Lance Smith. Smith brings country music’s hottest artists, rising stars and biggest names as they move up the CMT video chart right into your home with interviews and world video premieres. Find out the number one country music video of the week, see all your old favorites and discover new ones on CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN each week.
The 300th episode will re-air on Friday, December 22 at 12:00 p.m.; Saturday, December 23 at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 24 at 11:30 a.m.; Monday, December 25 at 11:00 p.m.; Thursday, December 28 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, December 30 at 11:00 a.m.; and Sunday, December 31 at 11:30 a.m.
CMT TOP 20 COUNTDOWN is executive produced by John C. Feld.
CMT, America’s No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, and live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos. Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches more than 83 million households in the United States. Go to country music’s biggest web site at www.CMT.com.
*All times listed ET/PT
Tommy Lee Appears at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza to Promote People's Liberation for Tommy Lee
People's Liberation Fashion Label Creates Clothing Brand Extension With Rock Icon
Dec. 13 Rock & Roll icon, Tommy Lee will appear at Nordstrom South Coast Plaza on December 16th from 4 - 6pm, in the Savvy department. Tommy Lee will be appearing in support of his tattoo inspired limited edition collection "Peoples Liberation for Tommy Lee" (PL for TL), an exciting extension of premium lifestyle brand People's Liberation. The limited collection launched in November 2006 at select department stores and premium boutiques.
The limited collection consists of premium denim, hooded sweatshirts, and hats for both men and women. Deriving inspiration from Tommy's edgy tattoos and personal artistic taste, the collection fuses modern tailoring with an edgy, super sleek fit. Spreading his talents beyond the rock stage Tommy is intimately involved in the creative direction of the collection from graphics to fabrics to wash development.
Danny Guez, CEO of People's Liberation said, "This collection has received amazing feedback. There is nothing more exciting than creating a brand extension with a rock & roll icon. When you purchase a piece from the line, you're not only buying a great brand, you're also buying a piece of the rock n' roll lifestyle."
Tommy Lee comments, "To be involved in this project with such a great brand means a lot to me. People's Liberation has a great reputation and it's going to be great to promote the line."
ABOUT TOMMY LEE
Tommy Lee rose to stardom as a founding member of Motley Crue. One of the most successful bands in history, Motley Crue has sold over 40 million albums while also becoming the poster boys of rock star decadence. Most recently, Lee released his third solo album, Tommyland: The Ride, and announced a documentary project with award winning filmmaker Bruce Sinofsky. His candid 2004 memoir, Tommyland, landed on The New York Times best-seller list. In addition, Lee is putting together a new band CBS's ROCKSTAR called Supernova, which began airing in July.
ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIBERATION
People's Liberation, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: PPLB) designs, markets and sells high-end casual apparel under the brand names "People's Liberation" and "William Rast." The product assortment includes premium denim, knits, wovens, and outerwear for men and women. In the United States, the Company distributes its merchandise to better department stores and boutiques, such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Atrium, Fred Segal and Intermix. Internationally, in select countries, the Company sells its products directly and through distributors to better department stores and boutiques, such as Mitsukoshi in Japan and TNT in Canada. The Company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For Web site access, please log onto www.peoplesliberation.com
ABOUT NORDSTROM
Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 157 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 99 Full-Line Stores, 50 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one freestanding shoe store and two clearance stores. Nordstrom also operates 35 Faconnable boutiques in Europe. Additionally, Nordstrom serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.
Source: People's Liberation, Inc.
Star Wars Lethal Alliance(TM) for the Nintendo DS(TM) Releases to North American Stores
First Original Star Wars(R) Game for the Nintendo DS Arrives At Retail This Week For Visuals, Please Visit http://files.us.ubisoft.com/SWLAImagesPSP_DS.zip
Dec. 12, 2006 Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announces that Star Wars Lethal Alliance(TM) for the Nintendo DS(TM) has released and will be at North American retailers this week. This release follows the successful launch of Star Wars Lethal Alliance(TM) for the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system last week.
In the years between Episodes III and IV, Princess Leia proposes a dangerous quest to secure the future of the Rebel Alliance. As the deadly duo of a Twi'lek named Rianna Saren and her security droid, Zeeo, players must infiltrate Imperial-controlled planets, fight legions of evil fiends, and return with the plans for the most destructive weapon in the galaxy -- the Death Star. Together, they will battle through the galaxy as a legendary mercenary team, steal the enemy's deadliest secret, and triumph over evil in this untold Star Wars(R) epic adventure.
Key features of Star Wars Lethal Alliance for the Nintendo DS include:
One-of-a-kind collaborative fighting: Combine the elite weaponry and acrobatic skills of Rianna with the multifunctional defensive and slicing support of Zeeo to create a formidable team. Only by working together can you complete perilous missions and ultimately steal the plans for the Death Star.
Epic gameplay and cinematic action: From the chaotic planet of Coruscant to the dusty, dangerous alleys of Mos Eisley, Rianna and Zeeo must use a full bag of tricks to complete their mission. Commandeer gun turrets, master death-defying flying escapes, and battle carnivorous beasts.
Bold new Star Wars characters: Hope lies with Leia's two newest followers. You must unite Rianna and Zeeo as they fight together against oppression and evil, help save the Alliance, and defeat your lifelong enemy -- collaboration is the key to your survival and the survival of the galaxy.
Iconic environments and characters: Your mission takes you to far-flung destinations such as Mustafar, the Death Star, and Tatooine; you'll also experience never-before-seen locations on Despayre, Danuta, and Alderaan. Each new environment offers encounters with unforgettable Star Wars characters and species, including Boba Fett, Kyle Katarn, Princess Leia Organa, Darth Vader, Imperial officers, Rodians, Quarren, and of course stormtroopers.
First original Star Wars game built specifically for the Nintendo DS(TM): A full 3D game that will be one of the most visually striking games on the DS. Play each character separately and use the bottom screen to interact. Play Zeeo in first person to complete critical missions. Use a DS-only unique weapon -- the Dual Cannon. Play a large variety of mini-games using the stylus and the unlockable bonus mode. Challenge up to four players in wireless games including Droid Shootout, Hide and Seek, and more!
Star Wars Lethal Alliance for Nintendo DS ships with an ESRB rating of "E10+" (Everyone 10+), and a MSRP of $34.99.
For more information on Star Wars Lethal Alliance, please visit http://www.ubi.com.
LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd. Star Wars Lethal Alliance is a trademark of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. (C) 2006 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & (R) or TM as indicated. All rights reserved. Ubisoft, Ubi.com, and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Developed and published by Ubisoft Entertainment. "PlayStation", "PS" Family logo, and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo(TM) may be required (sold separately). TM and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. (C) 2004 Nintendo.
Las Vegas Celebrates GRAMMY(R) Season With Star-Studded Kick-Off Party
PEOPLE Magazine's Official 49th GRAMMY Kick-Off Party Only in Vegas
Hosted by Jamie Foxx With Performances by Fergie, Josh Kelley & Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik
Dec. 12 For the first time ever, the excitement surrounding this year's GRAMMY(R)s will reach new heights with a live music event in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) has partnered with PEOPLE magazine and The Recording Academy(R) to celebrate the 49th GRAMMY(R) Awards season with PEOPLE magazine's official GRAMMY Kick-Off Party Only in Vegas, which will be held on December 14, 2006 at JET Nightclub at The Mirage, one week after the GRAMMY nominations were announced in Los Angeles. The 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards will air live on CBS February 11, 2007.
Jamie Foxx, the Oscar(R)-winning actor and current three-time GRAMMY nominee, will host the event, and three of the hottest names in music will perform. Multi-platinum, GRAMMY-winning singer Fergie will headline the show with featured performances by John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting and Josh Kelley. DJ Samantha Ronson will keep the party moving into the night. Additional celebrities, musical artists and Las Vegas headliners will also join executives from the music and entertainment industries for this special night.
Las Vegas, the city that has long reigned as The Entertainment Capital of the World, continues to draw the best in music and entertainment from resident headliners such as Celine Dion, Elton John, Toni Braxton, Barry Manilow, Wayne Newton and Prince to year-around concerts and events.
"Las Vegas' music scene has always captured the world's imagination," said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the LVCVA. "People come to Las Vegas from all over not just to be a part of music events but to be a part of the entire Vegas experience."
JET Nightclub, one of the newest hotspots on the Strip and home to a rotating list of celebrity DJs and special guests, will host this premiere event. JET, which features three dance floors and four bars on multiple levels, is located at The Mirage, which will provide accommodations for the event.
mark, the beauty and fashion boutique brand by Avon, is the event's platinum sponsor. A "mark hook-up beauty bar" will showcase hundreds of mark's hottest products, as well as a "hook-up/touch-up" station where guests can have their makeup refreshed by top mark make-up artists.
Additional sponsors include Red Bull, Fiji water and Trident.
The 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Feb. 11, 2007, at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and broadcast by the CBS Television Network (8 - 11:30 p.m. ET/PT). PEOPLE is the official print media partner of The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Awards.
About the LVCVA
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With approximately 133,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and more than 9.5 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever-increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area.
About PEOPLE
PEOPLE revolutionized personality journalism in 1974 and is today the world's most successful and popular magazine. Each week, PEOPLE brings 42 million readers the latest news, inside scoops, exclusive interviews and in-depth reporting on the most compelling people of our time. In addition to its unparalleled access to and coverage of the entertainment community, the stories of real-life heroes, angels and crusaders remain an essential component of the magazine's editorial approach. With reporters across the globe, the magazine is headquartered in New York City. For more information, please visit www.people.com.
About The Recording Academy(R)
Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs -- including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download (www.WhatsTheDownload.com). For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.
Source: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority
MISS AMERICA 2007 CONTESTANTS ENROLL IN PRE-PAGEANT TRAINING
FOR CMT’S “PAGEANT SCHOOL: BECOMING MISS AMERICA”
PREMIERING FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 9:00 P.M.*
Two-Hour Special Also Premieres on MTV Sunday, January 28 at 9:00 a.m.
On VH1 Monday, January 29 at 6:00 p.m.**
And LOGO Monday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. and Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 a.m.
LOS ANGELES – December 12, 2006 – For the first time in the history of the Miss America Pageant, all 52 contestants will meet in one location, Los Angeles, for a crash course in all things pageantry in PAGEANT SCHOOL: BECOMING MISS AMERICA, premiering Friday, January 26 at 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. on CMT. The two-hour special will also premiere on CMT sister networks, MTV on Sunday, January 28 at 9:00 a.m., VH1 on Monday, January 29 at 6:00 p.m. and Logo on Monday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. and Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 a.m.
PAGEANT SCHOOL: BECOMING MISS AMERICA levels the competitive playing field by helping each contestant refine their look, sharpen their skills and bring them all one step closer to the crown. Led by pageant coach and former Miss America runner-up Erika Schwartz Wright and Miss America 2006 Jennifer Berry, the show employs a distinguished panel of experts, including Miss America 1971 Phyllis George, Miss America 2001 Angela Perez Baraquio and famed pageant coach Dale Smith Thomas, who critique the contestants and provide essential instruction for their success in the pageant. Official pageant judges Delta Burke, Michael Feinstein and Debbie Allen also drop by for a special contestant Question & Answer session.
The PAGEANT SCHOOL week consists of individual preparatory events, including pageant walk training, swimsuit and beauty competitions and a unique fitness lesson designed to build physical confidence. At the end of their training, contestants nominate three hopefuls for the title of “Miss Congeniality 2007.” Immediately following the telecast, viewers will be able to vote online at www.missamerica.cmt.com to award this title to one lucky contestant, with the winner being revealed live at the 2007 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT. The 2007 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT premieres on CMT Monday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. from The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
CMT offers fans an insider’s look at www.missamerica.cmt.com, where they can learn more about each of the competitors. The CMT website features highlights of all 52 contestants with personal photos, videos, bios and more. In January, the network’s broadband channel CMT Loaded will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and video, including excerpts from the popular talent competition.
PAGEANT SCHOOL: BECOMING MISS AMERICA is produced by Julie Pizzi and Patty Ivins at PB&J Television, with Paul Villadolid and Nicole Zien serving as executive producers for CMT. CMT will also air PAGEANT SCHOOL on Saturday, January 27 at 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. as well as Sunday, January 28 at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
The 2006 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT premiered on CMT last January and ranks as the most-watched telecast in CMT’s history.*** Since its premiere, re-airings of the Pageant have been seen by more than 27 million different viewers.
CMT, America’s No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, and live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos. Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches more than 83 million households in the United States. Go to country music’s biggest web site at www.cmt.com.
The Miss America Organization is one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. For more information, go to www.missamerica.org.
*All times listed ET/PT
**Times tentative
***total viewers, Nielsen Media Research
Six Flags Provides Game Plan for 2007
Park Sale Process Continues; Company States That If Sold, Parks Will Continue To Operate As Ongoing Concerns
, Dec. 12 -- On a call this morning with investors and analysts, Six Flags, Inc. [NYSE: SIX] President and CEO Mark Shapiro discussed new Corporate Alliances and revealed new entertainment and marketing initiatives for the Company's parks in 2007. These include:
* Thomas & Friends(TM): -- In an agreement with HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality preschool entertainment, Six Flags will build special Thomas & Friends playlands in several Six Flags parks in 2007. The themed areas will include attractions and rides featuring Thomas the Tank Engine and other friends from the Island of Sodor. In addition, Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway, will be available daily for meet & greets and photo opportunities. This deal marks the first of its kind for Thomas & Friends with a US amusement park. * The Wiggles. In an agreement with world-leading children's entertainers The Wiggles, Six Flags will build unique "Wiggles World"-themed areas in its US branded parks over the next five years. Six Flags parks will be the exclusive North American destinations to find "Wiggles Worlds," three of which will debut at Six Flags for the 2007 season, including one at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. These areas will include Wiggles-themed rides; a stage show performed by Dorothy and Friends with multiple daily performances; play areas; monitors for showing Wiggles video clips and songs; a Yummy Yummy Cafe; and kiosks to sell Wiggles merchandise. The Wiggles will also market Six Flags during their annual North American tour. * Tony Hawk. Expanding on the company's successful relationship with skateboard legend Tony Hawk, Six Flags will introduce two Tony Hawk- themed family spinning coasters in 2007. The rides will be designed as full extreme sports experiences and Tony Hawk merchandise will be available at the ride exit. The agreement calls for additional Tony Hawk rides at more Six Flags parks over the next several years. Hawk is one of the top ten most recognizable athletes in the world among 12-to- 24-year-olds and has created one of the best-selling award-winning video game franchises of all time with over $1 billion in sales. He also has his own clothing line and next year will release an animated movie. * mtvU. MTV's 24-hour college network, broadcast to more than 7 million students at over 750 institutions nationwide, will bring emerging artists bubbling up on the college music scene to five Six Flags parks for mtvU-branded concerts during Summer 2007. The concerts will feature two to three bands per show, which will include a headlining act and the area's best local college act. mtvU also will put its marketing resources behind these concerts, which will be in addition to Six Flags' previously announced weekly Summer Concert Series. * Cold Stone Creamery. Cold Stone Creamery, known for serving the highest quality, most creative ice cream experience, will become a Six Flags Corporate Alliance partner. Under this multi-year agreement, Six Flags will open and operate Cold Stone Creamery locations in its branded parks; issue in-store promotional offers at Cold Stone Creamery stores around the country; and a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream flavor will be named for Six Flags and offered at stores nationwide. * Heinz. Heinz, the most global U.S.-based food company with a world- class portfolio of powerful consumer brands, will become a Six Flags Corporate Alliance partner. Through a new multi-year agreement, Heinz will become the 'Official Ketchup of Six Flags Theme Parks,' and receive branding in the parks. Six Flags will use Heinz Ketchup and other condiments at park restaurant locations and the companies will collaborate on a number of co-branded marketing promotions, including peel-away labels on Heinz Ketchup bottles where consumers can win prizes by going online to www.sixflags.com. * Holiday in the Park. The Company will add its popular Holiday in the Park experience, where parks feature holiday and winter themed shows and events during December, to two new parks next year, Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio and Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, CA. * Expanded Dining Experiences. Six Flags will continue to diversify the park dining experience, adding Panda Express and Greek cuisine from Ted's Coney Island to its food lineup in several parks.
"This will be the first year we're able to put our 'family-friendly' stamp on a full Six Flags season, from preparation to execution. Our plans to diversify the family entertainment experience are well underway and that strategy will permeate the entire company," said Six Flags President and CEO Mark Shapiro.
"These new programs and others in development will build on the improved guest experience which is changing the way people think of Six Flags. I am optimistic all our initiatives will coalesce in 2007, making the Six Flags brand synonymous with an entertainment experience that delivers for the entire family."
Beyond the national deals, individual Six Flags parks are also planning to launch a variety of entertainment and celebratory offerings for the upcoming year, including:
* Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags Over Texas has announced that it will join with Cirque Productions to launch an original stage show, Cirque Dreams Coobrila, an acrobatic extravaganza. * La Ronde. La Ronde, the Company's Montreal-based park, will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2007 with 40 events over 40 days. * Six Flags Over Georgia. Six Flags over Georgia will mark its 40th Birthday this year, and is planning a variety of activities focused around the history of the park. * Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom announced that 2007 will mark the largest expansion in its history, a re-launch of its popular waterpark, with a new water ride featuring cutting-edge technology that will be the first of its kind in North America. * The Great Escape. The Great Escape in Lake George, NY announced a new Tornado water ride for 2007. As a special offering for the park's biggest fans, only Six Flags 2007 Season Passholders will be able to ride the Tornado on weekdays from May 28 until the park's full-time season begins on June 22, 2007. * Six Flags Great America. Operation SpyGirl, a new original live action adventure show created and produced exclusively for Six Flags by the creator of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning dramatic series "24," will launch at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL.
The Company also reiterated that it would reach a decision on potential asset sales by the end of the year and added that if the parks are sold it will be strictly as ongoing concerns.
"Whether we continue to own these parks or sell them, all nine parks under consideration will be open for business in 2007 and beyond," said Shapiro. "In fact, to reward loyal customers of Magic Mountain in California, we're announcing that each season pass purchased by the end of February will come with a free kids season pass."
In addition, Shapiro announced that single-day main gate ticket prices for all Six Flags parks will not be increased for 2007.
Six Flags, Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company. Founded in 1961, Six Flags is celebrating its 45th Anniversary in 2006. Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly-traded corporation (NYSE:SIX) headquartered in New York City.
Forward Looking Statements:
The information contained in this news release, other than historical information, consists of forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. These statements may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, Six Flags' success in implementing its new business strategy. Although Six Flags believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors, including factors impacting attendance, such as local conditions, events, disturbances and terrorist activities, risk of accidents occurring at Six Flags' parks, adverse weather conditions, general economic conditions (including consumer spending patterns), competition, pending, threatened or future legal proceedings and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from Six Flags' expectations. Reference is made to a more complete discussion of forward-looking statements and applicable risks contained under the caption "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in Six Flags' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, which is available free of charge on Six Flags' website http://www.sixflags.com/.
James Blunt Wraps Up a Beautiful Year With Five Grammy Award Nominations; Doctors Without Borders Campaign Passes $200,000
December 12, 2006 -- It has been a tremendous 2006 for Custard/Atlantic recording artist James Blunt, from the breakthrough success of his RIAA double-platinum debut, "BACK TO BEDLAM," and his first U.S. #1 single with "You're Beautiful," to an array of international honors and sold-out concerts around the world.
Last week saw the British singer/songwriter capping off the year by landing a remarkable five nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. "You're Beautiful" scored nods in the top two categories, "Song of the Year" and "Record of the Year," as well as for "Best Pop Vocal Performance." Blunt also was nominated for "Best Pop Vocal Album" (for "BACK TO BEDLAM"), and in the prestigious "Best New Artist" category.
Perhaps Blunt's proudest accomplishment, however, has been his work throughout the year raising funds for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the international medical humanitarian organization. As of this writing, Blunt has raised an extraordinary $205,000 for DWB/MSF, whose life-saving work he first encountered while stationed with the British army in Kosovo, where he served as a reconnaissance officer with the NATO peacekeeping force. One of his most powerful songs, "No Bravery," was written in response to the genocide he had witnessed while in Kosovo.
The "Back To Bedlam World Tour" allowed Blunt the unique opportunity to both increase awareness and generate much-needed monies for Doctors Without Borders/MSF. Beginning with this past spring's headline tour, a personal, one-on-one aftershow meet-and-greet with James was auctioned after each and every show -- one recent auction earned $8600 in a single night. In November, Blunt played a sold-out DWB/MSF benefit concert at Los Angeles' House of Blues, a high point of a seven-week, 35-city itinerary.
"BACK TO BEDLAM" recently celebrated its one-year anniversary on the Billboard 200 album chart. Certified double platinum by the RIAA, it is one of the top five best-selling albums of 2006 and includes the singles, "You're Beautiful," "High," and the current hit, "Goodbye My Lover." "BACK TO BEDLAM" has sold ten million units worldwide.
For more information, please visit www.jamesblunt.com and www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection Volume 2 Debuts March 27 from Warner Home Video
Dec 11, On March 27, Warner Home Video will debut five more all-time favorite films starring Errol Flynn - whose combination of natural athleticism and magnetic good looks made him one of the most popular and highly paid stars of the '30s and '40s. The films included are Adventures of Don Juan, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Dawn Patrol, Dive Bomber and Gentleman Jim. Each DVD features adventurous extras such as director/historian commentaries, Oscar(R)-nominated film shorts, classic cartoons and vintage newsreels. The titles will be priced individually at $19.97 SRP and Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection, Volume 2, a five-disc set, will be available for $49.92 SRP.
Adventures of Don Juan (1948): In the title role, Flynn is a wiser, warmer, wittier version of his earlier characters as he rescues the Spanish queen (Viveca Lindfors) from the snares of an evil duke. Oscar(R)-winning costumes and superb sets (including a knockout grand staircase) create a lavish atmosphere for dalliances with married beauties, narrow dungeon escapes and plenty of duels.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936): Inspired by history and Tennyson's poem ("Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred"), The Charge of the Light Brigade tells the tale of a band of British Lancers who challenge an army of 25,000 Russians. Errol Flynn stars as the leader of the 600 horsemen.
The Dawn Patrol (1938): Errol Flynn and David Niven take to the skies in this thrilling aerial action yarn as World War I British flyboys who, whether quaffing down beers or gunning down their German foes, unite in devil-may-care gallantry and in disdain for their commander (Basil Rathbone). But war's realities will soon tarnish their bonhomie and change their disdain to understanding.
Dive Bomber (1941): Flynn portrays a flight medical researcher and Fred MacMurray plays a squadron commander, flyboys who put differences aside and risk all to confront the problems of blackout-inducing G-forces and high-altitude sickness.
Gentleman Jim (1942): Flynn portrays dapper James C. Corbett, whose style in and out of the ring helped bring acceptability to what had been an unsanctioned, back-room sport. Raoul Walsh, director of seven Flynn films, balances bravura fisticuffs with family vignettes and flirtatious romance (Alexis Smith is Flynn's co-star).
Playboy TV Presents a Unique Look Into the Career of an Erotic Art Photographer and the Real-Life Women Who Pose for Him
NAKED HAPPY GIRLS Series Premiere January 13
Naked. Happy. Girls. What more do you need to know? On January 13 (9 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT), Playboy TV will premiere "Naked Happy Girls," a 13-episode half-hour documentary series that follows erotic photojournalist Andrew Einhorn as he traverses New York City, meeting real-life women and convincing them to pose nude for him. Based on the popular hardcover coffee table book, Naked Happy Girls, the Playboy TV series offers viewers an authentic, un-glamorized, un-idealized look into the life of a working artist as he navigates the art world with its galleries and commercial demands while maintaining his creative output and managing his personal life. Interviews with his models reveal their varied reasons for agreeing to pose nude.
"Andrew has the kind of job most men would die for, except it's really not all babes all the time. Just 9-5," stated Mark F. Mauceri, Playboy TV's Vice President, Worldwide Programming. "In between, the reality of struggling in New York City, a demanding publisher, a judgmental mother, and girlfriends who can't get comfortable with his line of work turn an otherwise perfect life upside down."
Andrew Einhorn has developed a unique photographic style that is undeniably erotic and unabashedly fun. "I'm lucky that I can make women laugh," says Einhorn, "Laughter is happy and happy is sexy and sexy is nice. I like sexy pictures. I like happy sexy pictures. Most people do." Working with women he meets on the street, his "Naked Happy Girls" series is natural, playful and cheerful -- capturing his subjects' inner beauty as much as their outer beauty. From Lower East Side Goth Girls to NYU Film Students to Upper East Side Debutantes, these are real women, with all their self-perceived "imperfections" celebrated. Employing his charm and sense of humor, Einhorn puts his models at ease, coaxing them to open up for the camera lens.
Source: Playboy Entertainment Group
Naked News in Los Angeles
Reporter, Lily Kwan takes it all off in Southern California
The world famous Naked News(TM) (www.nakednews.com, Naked News TV) is 'headed for the Hills'... the Hollywood Hills! International correspondent, Lily Kwan will be on assignment in Los Angeles, California from December 11th, 2006. The cheeky "Program with Nothing to Hide" has captivated audiences all over the globe with its truly unique and compelling content. Since its 1999 launch it has become an Internet and Television phenomenon.
In addition to seeking the latest Hollywood headlines, Kwan will oversee the Naked News Raw Talent search. Naked News will collaborate with radio stations across the US in search of additions to their cast of talented and beautiful broadcasters. Radio stations interested in participating may contact Naked News.
Kwan will be available for media interviews during her assignment in LA. Access to a full media website and further details and participation information regarding the Raw Talent Search is available on request.
Kwan has uncovered stories from locales around the world, including Canada, the USA, Tokyo, Europe and the UK. The fearless reporter has been based in London, England for the past 2 years with a focus on the city's buzzing pop culture, entertainment and lifestyle scene.
About Naked News
Naked NewsTV! is currently available on Indemand, Dish Network, TVN, and other North American broadcasters. Naked News (www.NakedNews.com) launched internationally in 1999, quickly becoming a world media phenomenon on the Internet, then Television and recently Mobile. It is the most successful crossover from the Internet to television in history. In its totally unique and irreverent manner, Naked News provides upbeat news, entertainment and fun segments to more than 172 nations daily on the Internet, Television and in hotel rooms around the world, presented by a dozen beautiful and naked broadcasters. Naked News is also broadcast via Mobile devices in nude, topless and lingerie versions. It was recently the subject of a U.K. funded Documentary entitled Inside Naked News.
Source: Naked News
Spike TV UFC Event in San Diego
Spike TV is airing a live UFC event on Wednesday, December 13 from a most
unique venue - The Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (details below). I would
like to invite you to cover the first ever major live fight in the San Diego
area for the UFC, one of fastest rising sports organizations in the world.
Undefeated Diego 'The Nightmare' Sanchez Faces Joe 'Diesel' Riggs From Marine
Corps Air Station Miramar on Spike TV Wednesday,
December 13 at 8:00 PM ET First Ever UFC Fight Card
On A Military Base Features The Ultimate Fighter
Alums Sanchez, Josh Koscheck, Shonie Carter, and Marcus Davis
Seats to Be Auctioned Off to Benefit Families of Miramar Marines Stationed in
the Middle East
NEW YORK, NY, December 11, 2006 -- Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez, undefeated (17-0) and on the cusp of a welterweight title shot, faces possibly his toughest test to date against veteran UFC fighter Joe Riggs (28-8) on Spike TV's UFC Fight Night on Wednesday, December 13 at 8:00 PM ET. Also appearing on the card are The Ultimate Fighter alumni Josh Koscheck, Shonie Carter and Marcus Davis. This special event will take place LIVE in an aircraft hangar at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA, and is the first ever live UFC event on a military base.
The audience will consist solely of three thousand United States Marines stationed at Miramar, except for five (5) pairs of seats which are being auctioned off to the general public to this incredible event. This is the ONLY way non-military will be able to gain access to this UFC Fight Night. All auction proceeds will benefit the Marine Corps Community Services Quality of Life Programs for the Marines and Families, which support the health and well-being of active duty service members and their families throughout the year.
"We are holding this fight at Miramar as our way of saluting the brave men and women of the United States Military fighting oversees in the name of freedom," said UFC President Dana White and Spike TV General Manager Kevin Kay, in a joint statement.
Sanchez, fighting out of Albuquerque, NM, has defeated many of the UFC's top welterweight contenders over the eighteen months since winning the Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale over Kenny Florian in April 2005. With wins over Karo Parisyan, John Alessio, Nick Diaz, and Brian Gassaway, a victory over the battle-tested Riggs would bring him one step closer to the title shot he craves.
At 24, Joe Riggs, fighting out of Phoenix, AZ is a UFC veteran who has tangled in the Octagon with some of the UFC's best, including welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 56, where Riggs was submitted in the first round. A recent victory over Jason Von Flue on Spike TV has put Riggs back in the mix of contenders for the UFC welterweight crown. Sanchez stands in his path back towards the top of the welterweight division.
MAIN EVENT Welterweight Bout Joe "Diesel" Riggs (28-8-0)
VS Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez (17-0-0) 6'0"/170 lbs.
5'11"/170 lbs. Fighting out of: Phoenix, AZ
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM Co-Features
Welterweight Fight Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade"
Davis VS Shonie "Mr. International" Carter (13-4-0)
(66-13-7) 5'10"/170 lbs.
5'9"/170 lbs. Fighting out of: Bangor, ME
Fighting out of: Chicago, IL Welterweight Fight
Drew "The Master" Fickett (30-4-0) VS Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (23-3-0) 5'10"/170 lbs.
5'10"/169 lbs. Fighting out of: Tuscon, AZ
Fighting out of: North Hollywood, CA Welterweight Bout
Jeff "The Inferno" Joslin (5-2-0) VS Josh "Kos" Koscheck (8-1-0) 6'0"/170 lbs.
5'10"/170 lbs. Fighting out of: Hamilton, Ontario Fighting out of: Fresno, CA
Preliminary Bouts: Middleweight Bout Logan Clark (7-0-0)
VS Steve Byrnes (6-0-0) 6'2"/185 lbs.
6'1"/185 lbs Fighting out of: Lake City, MN
Fighting out of: Kauai, HI Welterweight Bout Keita Nakamura (13-0-2)
VS Anthony "The Crush" Torres (4-0-0) 5'11"/167 lbs.
5'10"/170 lbs. Fighting out of: Tokyo, Japan
Fighting out of: Kailua, HI Welterweight Bout Dave "The Warrior" Menne (35-5-1)
VS Luigi Fioravanti (8-1-0) 5'10"/185 lbs.
5'8"/185 lbs. Fighting out of: Forest Lake, MN
Fighting out of: Orlando, FL Middleweight Bout Alan Belcher (8-2-0)
VS Jorge Santiago 6'2"/185 lbs.
6'1"/185 lbs. Fighting out of: Biloxi, MS
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL Light Heavyweight Bout
Victor "The Matrix" Valimaki VS David Heath 6'0"/205 lbs.
5'11"/205 lbs. Fighting out of: Edmonton, Alberta Fighting out of: Tulsa
Bono, Gnarls Barkley, Nelly Furtado, The Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, Sting and Others Receive Top Honors From Second Annual XM Nation Awards
Dec. 11 -- XM, the nation's leading satellite radio service with more than 7 million subscribers, today announced the winners of the Second Annual XM Nation Awards. Music fans nationwide cast their votes for nominated artists and categories selected by XM's programming staff in categories ranging from "Best Comeback of the Year" to "Least Favorite Celebrity-turned-Music Act" to "Artist Most Overlooked By FM Radio." Fans were also able to write in their choice for the artist they'd most like to have their own music show on XM.
Some of the winners include: Award Category
Winner "XMU Next" - Most Important Emerging Sufjan Stevens
Indie Artist "Off the Radar" - Artist Most The Flaming Lips
Overlooked by FM Radio "On the Rebound" - Best Comeback
Nelly Furtado of the Year "Dream Duet" - Artist Collaborations
Alice Cooper & Rob Zombie We'd Like to See "Dashboard Anthem" -
Best Sing Along "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley of 2006 "Closet Classic" -
Favorite "Guilty "Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond Pleasure" Song
"Wish You Were Still Here" - Artist John Lennon We'd Like to Have Back
"Keep Your Day Job" - Least Favorite Kevin Federline
Celebrity-Turned-Music Artist "Sound Sidetrack" - Favorite "Musical
Sting - "Songs From the Labyrinth" Departure" Album
"Live @ XM"- Favorite Live XM Andrea Bocelli
Performance "Enough Already!" - Most Played-Out
"You're Beautiful" - James Blunt Song of 2006
"Call My Agent" - Artist We'd Like to Bono See Host a Show on XM
Additionally, XM will air a four-hour XM Nation Awards special throughout New Year's Day 2007, highlighting this year's nominees and winners, along with the best musical moments of 2006. Hosted by XM on-air music programming staff, the special will debut at 12 midnight ET on January 1, 2007 on XM LIVE (XM 200), with encores airing throughout the day.
A complete list of winners is available at http://www.xmradio.com/xmnation.
Editor's Note: The full list of winners is attached to this release. About XM Satellite Radio
XM (NASDAQ:XMSR) is America's number one satellite radio company with more than 7 million subscribers. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Toronto and Montreal, XM's 2006 lineup includes more than 170 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: commercial-free music, premier sports, news, talk radio, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and the most advanced traffic and weather information.
XM, the leader in satellite-delivered entertainment and data services for the automobile market through partnerships with General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota is available in 140 different vehicle models for 2006. XM's industry-leading products are available at consumer electronics retailers nationwide. For more information about XM hardware, programming and partnerships, please visit http://www.xmradio.com/.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements in this press release include demand for XM Satellite Radio's service, the Company's dependence on technology and third party vendors, its potential need for additional financing, as well as other risks described in XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.'s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 3-9-06. Copies of the filing are available upon request from XM Radio's Investor Relations Department.
XM NATION AWARDS
2006 WINNERS XM NATION AWARD CATEGORY
WINNER XMU Next - Most Important Emerging Indie
Sufjan Stevens Artist Off the Radar - Artist Most Overlooked
The Flaming Lips by FM Radio On the Rebound -
Best Comeback of the Year Nelly Furtado Dream Duets - Good Idea
Alice Cooper & Rob Zombie Don't Duet - Bad Idea
Clay Aiken & 50 cent Dashboard Anthem -
Best Sing Along of 2006 Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Closet Classic - Favorite "Guilty Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Pleasure" song XM Exile: The Song to be Banned in the
Who Let the Dogs Out - Baha XM Nation
Men Wish You Were Still Here - Artist We'd
John Lennon like to have Back Keep Your Day Job -
Least Favorite Kevin Federline Celebrity-Turned-Music Artist
"Sound Sidetrack" - Favorite "Musical Sting "Songs From the
Departure" Album Labyrinth"
Favorite Live at XM Performance Andrea Bocelli
"Enough Already!" - Most Played-Out Song
You're Beautiful - James Blunt of 2006
XM Sports Nation, Worst Sports Moment of Zidane's head-butt
2006 XM Sports Nation: Best XM Sports Play by
Chicago White Sox win World Play Moment
Series "Call My Agent" - Artist We'd Like to See Bono
Host a Show on XM "The Supporter Cup" - Channel That
Squizz - XM 48 Inspires You To Buy The Most Music
Halo 2006 Christian Pop Artist of the Year Casting Crowns
Cherub Award - Notable New Christian Pop Sara Groves
Artist of 2006 "Most Anointed" - Award for Outstanding
Heroes - Kirk Franklin Urban Gospel Album of 2006
Favorite Classical Confidential Cecilia Bartoli
The Virtuoso Award - Favorite Classical Renee Fleming - Sacred Songs
Album Voices of Angels: Opera Singer Who Will Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Be Remembered Most Big Schtick Award - Most Popular Comedy
Craig Shoemaker "Lovemaster" Routine or Joke
Female "Stand-Up Comedy Champion" 2006
Lisa Lampanelli Male "Stand-Up Comedy Champion" 2006
Lewis Black X Country Best in Texas Award
Brian Burns Best in Grass Bluegrass Award
Rhonda Vincent Rookie Driver of the Year - Highway 16's
Carrie Underwood Top New Country Artist XM Country Superstar of the Year
Keith Urban Disco Diva of All-Time Donna Summer
Most-Powerful Mixing Machine - Best Armin Van Buuren
DJ/Mixer Savoy Suave & Permanently Cool - What's
Frank Sinatra Cool in the 40's is Cool Today
Spike Jones Award: Best Novelty Song
People Eater by Sheb of the 50's
Sheb Wooley Favorite Protest/Anti-Protest Song
Blowin' in the Wind - Peter, aul & Mary
1970's Lyrically Challenged Award for
Blinded By the Light -- the Song Hardest to Understand
Manfred Mann's Earth band (XM) Radio Killed the Video Star:
Thriller - Michael Jackson Best MTV Video
Forever Flannel - 90s song that's still Smells Like Teen Spirit - cool
Nirvana Early Reserve - Most-Anticipated Broadway Les Miserables (revival)
Show of 2006/07 Favorite Million Dollar Ticket - Favorite Wicked
Broadway Show Grossing $1 Million Plus That's Entertainment Award - The most
Pirates of the Caribbean 2 "Fun" movie of 2006
The Score for 2006 - Favorite Movie Superman Returns (John Ottman)
Soundtrack of the Year Thanks for the Material: The Events/
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie People that gave us the best stuff to
talk about in 2006 The Theater-of-the-Mind Award -
Twilight Zone Favorite Classic Radio Show Most Innovative MOJA Album of the Year
Chick Corea New & Blue -- Outstanding New Blues Guitar George Baker
Artist of 2006 Epoch Award for Favorite Contemporary Jazz The Rippingtons (20 yrs)
Band Celebrating a Milestone Anniversary Real Jazz Icon Award - Living Legends
Sonny Rollins The "Absolutely KINDIE" Award - Top Terri Hendrix
Indie Kids Artist of 2006 Ultimate Earworm Award - Year's Most
The Hampsterdance Relentlessly Catchy Kids Song
Best Latin "Make-Up" Song / Mejor Chayanne - Te Echo de Menos
cancion para pedir perdon Best Latin Drinking Song / Mejo
Valentin Elizalde - Como me Cancion Para Tragos
duele Best Latin Song To Learn To Salsa /
Marc Anthony - Que Precio Mejor Cancion para Aprender Salsa
Tiene El Cielo Reggaeton Artist with the Best Body-Ink / Daddy Yankee
Artista de Reggaeton con mas Tatuajes The Golden Spliff Award - The Artist
Beenie Man keeping it most Irie in 06 "We Believe" Award - Most Promising
The Fray New Pop Act Essential Pop Party Track of 2006
Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado "Best Strange of the Year" - Squizz's
Hinder Best New Artist 2006 Loft Artist of the Year
Neil Young Welcome to The Loft - Notable New Artist
Peter Bradley Adams of 2006 "Best Score Of The Year" - Tour that
Ozzfest "scored" the most amount of groupies
XM Cafe Appetizer of the Year - Favorite KT Tunstall - Eye to the
Adult Alternative New Release of 2006) Telescope
XM Cafe Entree of the Year - Favorite Ben Harper - Both Sides Of
Adult Alternative Album of 2006 The Gun Alt Shaker Award
Red Hot Chili Peppers Fresh Ethel Seal of Approval -- New Ethel Gnarls Barkley
Artist Most-Endorsed by the XM Nation Stage Presence with Guitar -- Best
Pete Townsend Guitar-hero Stance Teflon Vinyl Award - Album With the
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Most Worn-out Grooves
Floyd The Giant Bone - Best Hard Rock
Queensryche "One Foot in Performance
Hell" The Go 2 Hell - Best Metal Performance Slayer "Jihad"
The Golden Lougie 2006 - Best Punk Time Again "Cold Concrete"
Performance Return To Rhyme - Old school hip-hop Salt-N-Pepa
group that should reunite The "Spark" Award - The Artist who
Chris Brown brought the HEAT in 2006 Mayor of The City - The Artist who Ran
Mary J. Blige the Charts and the Streets this Year My First Phantom -
Best New Hip-Hop Artist Yung Joc Neo-Souled Out Award for the Notable
Ne-Yo New R&B Artist The Quincy Award The Greatest Soul Artist of All Time
Stevie Wonder
Source: XM Satellite Radio
Noggin Kicks Off Season Two of Jack's Big Music Show With New Lineup of Acclaimed Kids' Musicians and Regular Performances by The Laurie Berkner Band Beginning Saturday, January 6
New Season to Feature Guest Appearances by Jon Stewart and Cheryl Hines, Plus Performances by Over 20 Artists Including Lisa Loeb, Justin Roberts, Angelique Kidjo and a Collaboration by Steve Burns and Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips
*(DVD and art available upon request)
Dec. 11 A diverse new slate of acclaimed children's artists and celebrity guest stars including Jon Stewart and Cheryl Hines will make their way to Jack's clubhouse on the new second season of NOGGIN's original hit series Jack's Big Music Show. NOGGIN will kick-off season two of the half-hour preschool music show on Saturday, January 6 at 12:00 p.m. (ET), with "Snow Day" which introduces preschoolers to Hawaiian music, and features popular children's group The Laurie Berkner Band. NOGGIN will roll out new episodes from season two every Saturday and Sunday throughout January and February.
Produced by Spiffy Pictures for NOGGIN, the live-action series is hosted by Jack, a preschooler puppet and his melodious cast of friends who play everyday at Jack's clubhouse. Jack's Big Music Show is a platform for kids' music and features videos and in-studio performances by popular children's musicians every week. Season two will feature several performances by series regular The Laurie Berkner Band; a music video collaboration by indie rocker Steve Burns ("Steve" on Blue's Clues) and Steven Drozd (The Flaming Lips); plus clubhouse visits by Jon Stewart and Cheryl Hines. Musicians featured will also include Lisa Loeb, AudraRox, Nuttin' But Stringz, Angelique Kidjo, Justin Roberts, Music for Aardvarks, Anne Harris, Rebekah Jordan, The Quiet Two, Dirty Sock Funtime Band, Comic Book Heroes, Leon Thomas, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, J. Walter Hawkes, The Mighty Weaklings, Andrew Bird, Tyler Bunch and Libyah Pugh.
"I want to go to Jack's clubhouse!" said Brown Johnson, EVP, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool and General Manager of NOGGIN. "Jack makes learning about music fun and season two will introduce a new, diverse group of amazing musicians who raise the bar for quality preschool music."
NOGGIN will also roll out content from the second season of Jack's Big Music Show across the following Nickelodeon Preschool platforms:
-- Beginning December 19, a "sneak peek" clip from the second season
premiere episode "Snow Day" will be available on various wireless carriers.
-- Beginning Monday, January 8, Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.'s broadband
video service available on Nickjr.com, will feature an instant reply
of "Snow Day." -- Beginning January 8, Video On Demand windowing
of "Snow Day," plus the second season two episode ("Country Squirrel") will commence on Comcast, Charter, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and Cox.
In "Snow Day," Jack, Mary and Mel are excited to have a Hawaiian beach party in the clubhouse, filled with Hawaiian music, hula dancing, surf boards and beach balls. Of course you can't have a beach party without the beach, so Mel flips the switch on his latest invention -- the Sand Machine -- which is designed to fill the clubhouse with sand. But to everyone's surprise, snowflakes begin to shoot out from the contraption at a blizzard's pace! As Jack's clubhouse quickly transforms into a winter wonderland, the shivering gang try to save their beach party. When neighbor Prudence (Anne Harris) comes by for a visit, she leads Jack, Mel and Mary in a Hawaiian song to help melt the snow. The episode features music videos by The Laurie Berkner Band ("Mahalo") and The Quiet Two ("Polar Bear"), plus three original songs sung by Jack and his friends.
On Jack's Big Music Show, Jack takes a break everyday from his busy kid schedule to visit his favorite place in the world -- his backyard clubhouse. Here he can do what he loves best -- create and enjoy music, sing, dance and have a musical ball with his friend Mary, his faithful dog Mel and all of his other neighborhood pals. Anything can happen in Jack's clubhouse -- you never know when a baby bongo bird or The King of Swing may unexpectedly drop by the clubhouse, or an entire show might be sung in a silly opera style!
The mission of Jack's Big Music Show is to expose and foster an appreciation of music in young children. Music and musical instruments help children expand their universe and develop memory, language, literacy and reasoning skills as well as the cognitive, social and motor skills needed to excel in school. In Jack's clubhouse, music is pure joy -- no expectations and no right or wrong way. To Jack, "playing" music is just that - playing.
NOGGIN's award-winning website (www.noggin.com) will feature a variety of content to complement the second season of Jack's Big Music Show. Beginning Friday, January 5, noggin.com will feature a Jack's Big Animal Jamboree game where preschoolers will help Jack, Mary and Mel catch animals that are shooting out of Mel's Magical Music Machine to help form an animal orchestra. The site will also feature song books from the first and second season, music curriculum, character printables and new downloadable clips from the series. Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) will also launch Jack's Big Animal Jamboree game on January 5. Additionally, Nick Jr. Parents TV will stream an on-camera interview and a "Do-Together Music Making Tips" segment with featured artist Laurie Berkner.
Jack's Big Music Show is produced by Spiffy Pictures and was created and executive produced by David Rudman, Todd Hannert and Adam Rudman.
NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon, currently reaches 54 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite TV. NOGGIN, which airs from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on tv, with educational programming both on-air and online at www.noggin.com. NOGGIN and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
DC Film Critics Name Forest Whitaker Best Actor, Helen Mirren Best Actress
The King and the Queen Rule Washington, DC
United 93 Takes Best Film as Scorsese Snares Best Director in 5th Annual
WAFCA Awards Selections
Dec. 11 -- The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) today selected a movie honoring the memories of the brave heroes of September 11, the poignant United 93, as Best Film of the Year in a victory that could spur the movie's burgeoning Oscar hopes. Director Martin Scorsese was voted by the group as Best Director for his smash hit movie The Departed, while Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) was named Best Actor, and Helen Mirren (The Queen) continued her march to the Oscars as she was named Best Actress as both actors brought characters to real, and even sympathetic, life.
"What a wonderful way to celebrate our fifth anniversary by honoring this fine collection of talented films and groundbreaking performances. This year gave us true cinematic royalty with a Queen, a King and a Dreamgirl," said WAFCA President Tim Gordon.
As a sign of the strength of her performance and show stopping ability that brought ovations during screenings in DC, Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) was a two time winner awarded Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performance of the Year. In other categories, Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) was named Best Supporting Actor, Happy Feet danced away with Best Animated Feature and Pan's Labyrinth Best Foreign Language Film.
Additionally, WAFCA honored two first time feature length screenwriters as Jason Reitman walked away with Best Adapted Screenplay for the DC-based Thank You For Smoking and Michael Arndt won Best Original Screenplay for the summer's surprise indie hit Little Miss Sunshine.
The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 36 DC- based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet. Voting was conducted from December 9 - 10, 2006.
Final Results 2006 Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association Awards
Best Film United 93/Universal Best Actor Forest Whitaker -
The Last King Of Scotland Best Actress Helen Mirren -
The Queen Best Supporting Actor Djimon Hounsou -
Blood Diamond Best Supporting Actress Jennifer Hudson -
Dreamgirls Best Director Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Best Screenplay, Original Michael Arndt - Little Miss Sunshine
Best Screenplay, Adapted Jason Reitman - Thank You For Smoking
Best Foreign Film Pan's Labyrinth/Picturehouse Best Animated Feature
Happy Feet/Warner Brothers Best Documentary
An Inconvenient Truth/Paramount Classics Best Breakthrough Performance
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls Best Ensemble Little Miss Sunshine/Fox Searchlight
Best Art Direction Marie Antoinette/SONY Pictures Entertainment
AFI AWARDS 2006:OFFICIAL SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
Seventh Annual AFI Almanac Honors
10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures and TV Programs of the Year
LOS ANGELES, December 10, 2006—American Film Institute (AFI) today
announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2006, AFI’s almanac which
records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well
as significant moments in the world of the moving image.
AFI AWARDS is the only form of national recognition that honors the film and
television creative ensemble as a whole—those both in front of and behind the
camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television.
Unlike any other film or television award currently given, the AFI AWARDS
2006 selections were made through AFI’s unique 13-person jury process in
which scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees discuss, debate and
determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a
detailed rationale for each selection. Two AFI juries—one for motion pictures
and one for television—convened in Los Angeles for two days of deliberation.
The jurors have remained confidential until today. (Complete list is below.)
AFI will honor the creative ensembles for each of the honorees at a luncheon
sponsored by Hewlett-Packard on Friday, January 12, 2007 at the Four
Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
Additionally, HP has created 20 scholarships to the AFI Conservatory, one for
each of the AFI honorees. The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its
advanced training of the next generation of storytellers.
“AFI AWARDS brings the community together—not as winners or losers—but as
artists who have enriched our cultural legacy. This year, it is particularly
meaningful that our honorees will be supporting the future of this great art form
through the HP scholarships,” commented Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI’s
President and CEO.
The honorees are listed below in alphabetical order:
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
BABEL
BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR
MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
HALF NELSON
HAPPY FEET
INSIDE MAN
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
UNITED 93
AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL
SELECTIONS
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
DEXTER
ELIZABETH I
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
HEROES
THE OFFICE
SOUTH PARK
24
THE WEST WING
THE WIRE
AFI AWARDS 2006 JURORS
AFI JURY FOR MOTION PICTURES
Robert G. Rehme
Producer
AFI Board of Trustees
Chair, AFI Jury for Motion Pictures
Michael Apted
Director/Producer/Writer
President, Directors Guild of America
AFI Board of Trustees
Roger Birnbaum
Co-Chairman and CEO, Spyglass Entertainment
AFI Board of Trustees
Leo Braudy
University of Southern California
James L. Brooks
Director/Producer/Writer
Mary Corey
University of California, Los Angeles
Jane Gaines
Duke University
Elvis Mitchell
National Public Radio
Diana Ossana
Writer/Producer
David V. Picker
Producer
AFI Trustee Emeritus
Tom Pollock
Producer
Chair Emeritus, AFI Board of Trustees
Anne Thompson
The Hollywood Reporter
Kenneth Turan
The Los Angeles Times
AFI JURY FOR TELEVISON
Richard Frank
Chair, AFI Jury for Television
Vice Chair, AFI Board of Trustees
Dick Askin
President and CEO, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
AFI Board of Trustees
Steven Bochco
Producer/Writer
Kevin S. Bright
Producer/Director
Paul Brownfield
The Los Angeles Times
Michael Dinner
Director/Producer/Writer
Barry Garron
The Hollywood Reporter
Amanda D. Lotz
University of Michigan
Brian Lowry
Variety
Tara McPherson
University of Southern California
Matt Roush
TV Guide
Vivian Sobchack
University of California, Los Angeles
AFI Board of Trustees
Kristal Brent Zook
Columbia University
CRITERIA
Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in American film and television by
recognizing the creative ensembles which collaborate to create the year's
outstanding movies and television programs, all of which best advanced the art
of the moving image; enhanced the rich cultural heritage of America's art
form; inspired audiences and artists alike; and/or made a mark on American
society.
AFI will consider eligible any film that fulfills the following criteria:
FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE
Narrative fiction format, over 60 minutes in length.
AMERICAN
Motion picture with significant creative and/or production elements from the
United States. The motion picture need not be presented in the English
language if it is incontrovertibly American.
THEATRICALLY-RELEASED
Motion pictures originally released between January 1, 2006, and December
31, 2006, which have premiered in a commercial theater and screened for at
least five consecutive days in Los Angeles or New York City.
About the AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is world-renowned for its advanced professional training
designed to nurture the talents and enhance the skills of tomorrow’s leading
storytellers in the global motion picture and television professions. The
curriculum focuses on narrative, visual storytelling through hands-on
collaboration, taught by working professionals from the film and television
communities. Master of Fine Arts degrees are granted in six filmmaking
disciplines—Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design
and Screenwriting. The AFI Conservatory has trained more than 3,000 artists
since its founding in 1969. These graduates have, and will continue to have, a
major impact on the art of film, television and digital media.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the
recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and
digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-
renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI
Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in
entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12
Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON
SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los
Angeles International Film Festival—as well as year-round programming at
ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver
Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel
Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century,
honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the
year, while AFI's 100 Years . . . series has ignited extraordinary public interest
in classic American movies. And, during the past 34 years, AFI’s Life
Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film.
Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.
Plácido Domingo Announces $4 Million Fund
Including $3.25 Million Gift from Marilyn Ziering
for LA Opera to Present
Recovered Voices
James Conlon Will Conduct LA Opera’s Multi-Year Project to
Present the Work of Composers Suppressed by the Nazis
Recovered Voices to Begin with Two Special Stage Concerts
at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, March 7 and 10, 2007
December 11, 2006 Plácido Domingo, LA Operas Eli and Edythe Broad General Director, announced today that a generous $3.25 million gift from Los Angeles philanthropist and LA Opera Board member Marilyn Ziering will bring the music of composers affected by the Holocaust to the LA Opera stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in the multi-year Recovered Voices project. “Music Director James Conlon has won worldwide respect not only as a conductor, but as a longtime advocate of those composers whose lives and careers were impacted by Nazi Germany†said Mr. Domingo. “There is so much previously lost music that has now reached the stage due to his effort. I have great admiration for Marilyn Ziering, whose visionary support will give audiences today a significant opportunity to hear what the Third Reich attempted to silence. In addition to her gift, Mrs. Ziering personally raised an additional $750,000 from several leaders and supporters of the LA Opera, for a total gift of $4 million to the Company. I am proud that LA Opera will take a leading role as an important opera company presenting this magnificent music in a major venue.†All performances in the ongoing Recovered Voices project will be conducted by Mr. Conlon, and will highlight the music of such early 20th-Century composers as Alexander Zemlinsky, Kurt Weill, Viktor Ullmann, Franz Schreker, Walter Braunfels and Erich Korngold. Some of these works will receive their U.S. premieres at LA Opera, the nation’s first major opera company to address this subject.
LA Operas commitment to presenting the works of these composers will begin with two special concerts of operatic excerpts this season, and will subsequently include full-scale productions of complete operas by Zemlinsky, Ullmann, Schreker and Braunfels in future seasons, all of which will be conducted by Mr. Conlon. The diverse selections for the March 2007 concerts include excerpts from Schreker’s The Stigmatized, Braunfels’ The Birds, Ernst Kreneks Johnny Tunes Up, Ullmanns The Emperor of Atlantis, Erwin Schulhoff’s Flames and Korngold’s The Dead City. The concerts will also feature a complete performance of Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy, a one-act opera based on Oscar Wilde’s play of the same name. Mr. Conlon will conduct both evenings, as well as speak about the overall subject matter as an introduction to the project. The concerts will feature the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra in the pit, with visual art from the period projected onstage in a multimedia presentation. The soloists will be soprano Tatiana Pavlovskaya, tenors Anthony Dean Griffey and Rodrick Dixon, and baritones Donnie Ray Albert and Martin Gantner. LA Opera will present these two inaugural performances of the Recovered Voices project at 7:30pm on Wednesday, March 7 and at 7:30pm on Saturday, March 10 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Avenue.
While the operas of Richard Strauss (1864-1949) are often thought of as the final flowering of the great German opera tradition, a number of his contemporaries fell victim to the anti-Semitic and ultraconservative politics of Nazi Germany. These composers enjoyed critical and popular success during the first half of the 20th Century, but their operas are little known today. In an effort to raise public consciousness to the significance of these works of composers, Mr. Conlon has devoted himself to extensive programming of this music in North America and Europe. This repertoire also includes the works of such diverse composers as Pavel Haas, Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Bohuslav Martinů and Kurt Weill, among many others.
As Music Director of both LA Opera and of the Ravinia Festival, Mr. Conlon continues to program works of these composers with those organizations and elsewhere. At Ravinia each summer, he presents a different composer from this group with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has already highlighted works of Viktor Ullmann and Erwin Schulhoff, and will focus on Alexander Zemlinsky this coming summer. A production conceived by Mr. Conlon of Ullmanns The Emperor of Atlantis (written while the composer was interned in the concentration camp of TerezÃn) has traveled extensively since its first showing in New York. Produced in cooperation with The Juilliard School, it has since been reprised at the Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Ravinia Festival, in cooperation with the New World Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where it was performed in 2004 at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. “The Third Reich silenced two generations of composers, the greatest single rupture in what had been a centuries-long stream of German classical music, said Mr. Conlon. “The creativity of the first half of the 20th Century is far richer than we think. We have a special opportunity at LA Opera to present works recovered from oblivion and at the same time mitigate a great injustice. We can take an important step toward reviving the music of those whose lives were affected by the Holocaust or whose work was otherwise deemed offensive by that authoritarian regime.
When I heard about these composers and the beautiful music they produced, I knew that this would be an opportunity to bring to life the compositions they wrote, to give them a voice, said Marilyn Ziering, underwriter of Recovered Voices. My late husband was a Holocaust survivor. He wasnt a writer or a composer; he was a businessman. But I encouraged him to write a play about his experiences in the concentration and labor camps, and when the play was produced, it was one of the happiest occasions of his life. Performing the lost music of those persecuted and destroyed by the Nazi regime is like bringing to life the souls of these composers, and saying ‘You have not been forgotten; you have not been completely destroyed.
After the first World War, Europe saw a surge of artistic expression, said Edgar Baitzel, LA Operas Chief Operating Officer. But as the shadow of the Third Reich crept over Germany, a generation of musical promise was silenced and deprived of its place in history. LA Operas inaugural Recovered Voices concerts are an introduction to this worthy project that will enable the community to hear the beauty and power of the music by these long-neglected composers.
Tragically, the human beings whose work and lives were stolen by the Nazi regime are gone forever, said Marc I. Stern, LA Operas Chairman and CEO. But with the rediscovery of these important lost works, we have the exciting opportunity to let them live on through their music. Thanks to the vision of James Conlon and Marilyn Ziering, LA Opera will be able to present music that few have had the courage to stage. The Third Reich may have rendered these ˜lost composers silent for decades, but today we can celebrate their spirits by allowing their voices to sing out again.â€
Marilyn Ziering was senior vice president of Diagnostic Products Corporation. She holds a Masters degree from Syracuse University and a Doctorate of Human Letters honoris causa from the University of Judaism. A member of LA Operas Board of Directors since 2005, she has also served on the board of the Venice Family Clinic. She is a founder of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Other philanthropic interests include Temple Beth Am, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, the American Youth Symphony and the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic. She is president of The Ziering Family Foundation, which is administered by the Jewish Community Foundation. She is also a supporter of the Brain Cancer Research Program at UCLA.
James Conlons extensive discography includes much music by composers affected by the Holocaust. A champion of the works of Alexander Zemlinsky, he has made nine recordings of that composers operas and orchestral works with the Gürzenich Orchestra-Cologne Philharmonic for EMI. Several of these recordings individually have earned prestigious international awards, and in October 2002, the series was awarded the 2002 ECHO Classic Award for Editorial Achievement of the Year. In 1999, he received the Zemlinsky Prize, awarded only once before, for his efforts in bringing the composers music to international attention. He inaugurated a new series of 20th-Century works with Capriccio, which thus far has included a CD of works by Erwin Schulhoff, a CD/DVD of the works of Viktor Ullmann, which won the German Record Critics Award for Excellence, and recordings of works by Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Bohuslav Martinů.
Tickets to the March 7 and 10 concerts range from $15 to $125 and are on sale at the Los Angeles Opera Box Office, by phone at (213) 972-8001 or online at www.laopera.com. For disability access, call (213) 972-0777 or e-mail wehelpyou@laopera.com.
Recovered Voices is made possible by major grants from
Marilyn Ziering and The Ziering Family Foundation.
Additional generous support provided by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation,
Louis and Irma Cohen, Mark Houston Dalzell and the Marc and Eva Stern Foundation.
All programs, artists and dates are subject to change.
Top Movies Sunday December 13th 2006
1. Apocalypto
2. The Holiday
3. Blood Diamond
4. Unaccompanied Minors
5. 300
6. Deja Vu
7. Casino Royale
8. Turistas
9. The Nativity Story
10. Happy Feet
Kirk Douglas Editorial for His 90th Birthday, Saturday, December 9th
My name is Kirk Douglas. You may know me. If you don't ... Google me. I was a movie star and I'm Michael Douglas's dad, Catherine Zeta-Jones' father-in-law, and the grandparents of their two children. Today I celebrate my 90th birthday.
I have a message to convey to America's young people. A 90th birthday is special. In my case, this birthday is not only special but miraculous. I survived World War II, a helicopter crash, a stroke, and two new knees.
It's a tradition that when a "birthday boy" stands over his cake he makes a silent wish for his life and then blows out the candles. I have followed that tradition for 89 years but on my 90th birthday, I have decided to rebel. Instead of making a silent wish for myself, I want to make a LOUD wish for THE WORLD.
Let's face it: THE WORLD IS IN A MESS and you are inheriting it. Generation Y, you are on the cusp. You are the group facing many problems: abject poverty, global warming, genocide, AIDS, and suicide bombers to name a few. These problems exist, and the world is silent. We have done very little to solve these problems. Now, we leave it to you. You have to fix it because the situation is intolerable.
You need to rebel, to speak up, write, vote, and care about people and the world you live in. We live in the best country in the world. I know. My parents were Russian immigrants. America is a country where EVERYONE, regardless of race, creed, or age has a chance. I had that chance. You are the generation that is most impacted and the generation that can make a difference.
I love this country because I came from a life of poverty. I was able to work my way through college and go into acting, the field that I love. There is no guarantee in this country that you will be successful. But you always have a chance. Nothing should interfere with it. You have to make sure that nothing stands in the way.
When I blow out my candles -- 90! ... it will take a long time ... but I'll be thinking of you.
Source: Kirk Douglas
Premiere of Original Holiday Film 'CHRISTMAS DO-OVER,' Starring Jay Mohr & Daphne Zuniga, Charity Screening in Collaboration With Toys for Tots
WHAT: Regent Studios' holiday feature CHRISTMAS DO-OVER, starring Jay Mohr and Daphne Zuniga will premiere as a Charity Screening in collaboration with the Toys For Tots organization. Price of admission will be a new, unwrapped toy to be donated as part of the organization's annual holiday gift drive. Festive pre-reception will feature Santa, carolers and snacks, as well as a presentation about Toys for Tots by the United States Marines. CHRISTMAS DO-OVER, airing on ABC Family as part of its "25 Days of Christmas," is a Regent Studios original holiday film starring Jay Mohr ("Jerry Maguire," "Last Comic Standing"), playing an exec who is forced to relive Christmas Day over and over again until he makes some necessary changes to his holiday spirit and his life. The film also stars Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place," "American Dreams"), David Millbern ("Gods and Monsters," "In Her Line of Fire"), Tim Thomerson ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"), Adrienne Barbeau ("Carnivale," "Maude"), and Ruta Lee ("Funny Face"). Paul Colichman (producer, "Gods and Monsters") and Robyn Meisinger are exec producers. Catherine Cyran ("The Prince & Me", "A Cry in the Wild") directs. WHO: CONFIRMED TALENT INCLUDE: Jay Mohr ("The Groomsmen," "Go"), Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place"), David Millbern ("Gods and Monsters"), Ruta Lee ("Funny Face"), and Adrienne Barbeau ("Carnivale," "Maude"). WHERE: Regent Showcase Theater 614 N. La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036
Sponsors include: Melrose Baking Company, Mars, Larabar, Hansen's sodas, Chock full o' Nuts, Mr. Coffee, Hint Water
About Regent Media
Regent Media and its affiliates finance, produce and distribute award-winning and profitable theatrical and television content. Regent Media's properties include: Regent Studios, an award-winning full service motion picture studio; and Regent Releasing, one of the leaders in independent theatrical releasing. The decade-old company produces 30 films annually and now has a library of over 3,500 titles, including such high-profile projects as Bill Condon's Academy Award-winning Gods and Monsters, starring Sir Ian McKellen. For more information, please visit Regent's website at www.regententertainment.com.
Spike TV Announces 2006 Video Game Awards Winners
4th Annual Awards Show Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson Premieres on Spike TV Wednesday, December 13 at 10 PM, ET/PT
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Wins 'Game of the Year' Honors And Is The Evening's Most Celebrated Game With Five Awards;
Show Features Performances by Tenacious D and AFI; Appearances by 50 Cent, Eva Mendes, Sarah Silverman, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Seth Green, Brandon Routh, James Gandolfini and More; Family Guy Creator, Seth MacFarlane, Served As Voice of the VGAs
Includes The Exclusive World Premiere Of Blizzard Entertainment(R)'s Opening Cinematic Movie For World Of Warcraft(R): The Burning Crusade(TM)
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Winners were announced tonight during the 4th annual Spike TV Video Game Awards held at the University of Southern California's Galen Center in Los Angeles. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the year's biggest celebration for gamers premieres on Spike TV Wednesday, December 13 (10:00 PM-Midnight, ET/PT).
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) took home five awards, the most of the night, including "Game of the Year" and "Most Addictive." Gears of War (Microsoft/Epic Games) racked up four awards including "Studio of the Year" for Epic Games.
Spike TV's 2006 Video Game Awards featured musical performances by Tenacious D and AFI and show appearances by 50 Cent, Eva Mendes, Sarah Silverman, Seth Green, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Brandon Routh, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tony Hawk, Michael Irvin, Method Man, Maria Menounos, Tyrese, Xzibit, James Gandolfini, Kurt Angle, among others. In character as Stewie Griffin and Tom Tucker from Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane served as the voice of the VGAs.
The show also featured the World Premiere of Blizzard Entertainment(R)'s opening cinematic movie for its highly anticipated upcoming expansion set, World of Warcraft(R): The Burning Crusade(TM). The three-minute clip debuts exclusively on Spike TV. World of Warcraft is the world's most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game, with more than 7.5 million players worldwide.
The show pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of games, designers, animation, breakthrough technology, music and performances of the past year in the world of video games. The awards also provide a glimpse at the future of gaming - including exclusive sneak peeks and world premiere footage of some of the hottest and most anticipated games of 2007 and beyond.
A full list of winners is included below: GAME OF THE YEAR The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME Tony Hawk Project 8 (Activision/Neversoft) BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME NBA2K7 (2K Sports/Visual Concepts) BEST SONG "Lights and Sounds" by YellowCard in Burnout Revenge-XBOX 360 (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games) BEST SOUNDTRACK Guitar Hero II (Red Octane/Harmonix) STUDIO OF THE YEAR Epic Games (Gears of War) BEST WIRELESS GAME SWAT Force (Vivendi/KAOLink) BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN - MALE Patrick Stewart in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN - FEMALE Vida Guerra in Scarface: The World is Yours (Vivendi/Radical Entertainment) BEST CAST Family Guy (2K Games/High Voltage Software) MOST ADDICTIVE The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) CRITIC'S CHOICE The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo/Nintendo EAD) BEST DRIVING GAME AWARD Burnout Revenge-XBOX 360 (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games) BEST ACTION GAME Dead Rising (Capcom) CYBER VIXEN OF THE YEAR Alyx Vance - Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (Valve) BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) BEST FIGHTING GAME Mortal Kombat Armageddon (Midway Games) BEST PC GAME Company of Heroes (THQ/Relic) BEST RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks) BEST SHOOTER Gears of War (Microsoft/Epic Games) BEST MILITARY GAME Company of Heroes (THQ/Relic) BEST GRAPHICS Gears of War (Microsoft/Epic Games) BEST HANDHELD GAME New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo/Nintendo EAD) BEST MULTI-PLAYER GAME Gears of War (Microsoft/Epic Games) BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY WII (Nintendo) BEST GAME BASED ON A MOVIE OR TV SHOW Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (LucasArts/Traveller's Tales) BEST SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMANCE James Gandolfini in The Sopranos: Road to Respect (THQ/7 Studios) BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMANCE Rachel Leigh Cook in Kingdom Hearts II (Square Enix) GAMERS CHOICE: BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE Rosario Dawson in Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (Atari/The Collective) GAMERS CHOICE: CHARACTER OF THE YEAR "Jack Sparrow" portrayed by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (Bethesda Softworks/7Studios/Buena Vista Games)
The official sponsors of Spike TV's 2006 Video Game Awards are Burger King(R), Mountain Dew, Pontiac, Stride(TM) Gum, U.S. Air Force and Verizon Wireless.
Albie Hecht and Casey Patterson serve as Executive Producers of Spike TV's 2006 Video Game Awards. Alicia Portugal is Producer and Scott Fishman is the Executive in Charge of Production. Beth McCarthy serves as director.
Spike TV is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks is a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) .
Source: Spike TV
Wii-MARKABLE! November Sales Show Nintendo Hardware Systems Outsell All Others Combined
For video gamers, it was the month that was -- November 2006, the first time all three new home systems would be available to consumers, along with three established portable game devices.
It was a month that belonged to Nintendo.
According to independent sales data from the NPD Group, Nintendo sold 55 percent of all video game systems in November, led by the launch of the Wii(TM) home system and the incredible continuing success of the Nintendo DS(TM) portable.
In only the first seven days of availability after its Nov. 19 launch, Wii sold nearly half a million systems in the United States alone (as reported previously by Nintendo, total sales of Wii in the Americas reached 600,000 in its first eight days of availability).
While Wii sold through at a rate of more than 70,000 a day for the seven days represented in the data (substantially higher than any other game device), November's two top sellers of any type were the Nintendo DS, at almost 920,000 units, and Game Boy(R) Advance, with nearly 642,000 portables sold. With Wii and Nintendo GameCube(TM) totals included, Nintendo sold through more than 2.1 million of the 3.9 million systems purchased for the month.
The data also reveals that the Wii title The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess achieved sales of 412,000, representing 87 percent of all Wii purchasers, the highest industry rate of sale for any launch title since introduction of Super Mario(R) 64 with the Nintendo(R) 64 a decade ago.
In addition, despite the inclusion of Wii Sports software with every system sale, Wii buyers also purchased an average of two additional games, compared to approximately one game per system for the installed bases of either competing new home system.
'Multi-Platinum Recording Artist The Game and Renowned Fashion Designer Christian Audigier Donate Custom Shirts to Hands for Hope Charity'
, Dec. 8 On December 19th, fashion designer Christian Audigier (lead designer and founder of Ed Hardy clothing) and multi-platinum rapper The Game collaborated on a very special project for charity. The two united to design original limited edition Black Wall Street / Ed Hardy inspired shirts to benefit Hands for Hope, a charity based organization out of Los Angeles. The Game has partnered his Black Wall Street Foundation for this amazing charity event to kick off the holiday season.
Hands for Hope is based on the belief that enriching and rewarding experiences will challenge under-privileged students to make choices that will positively impact their careers and lives. The Game's Black Wall Street Foundation believes strongly in giving back to youths in the community and feel providing clothes to children in need is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
The custom shirts are valued collectively at over $80,000, never to be sold in stores, but to be given as gifts to foster children throughout Los Angeles and its surrounding communities. The custom shirts will be split between Hands for Hope and foster children in the Compton area in conjunction with Compton and Wateridge regional offices which is part of the D.C.F.S. (Department of Children and Family Services). A small portion of the shirts will also be auctioned off for charity on The Game's official website www.thegame360.com. Both organizations are extremely passionate about the collaboration of art, music, fashion and the ability to give back.
Reality Racing, Inc. to Air on Spike TV
-- Reality Racing, Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: RRGI) announced today that the company has signed contracts with Network Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA) , to air the 13 episode series of Reality Racing - The Rookie Challenge on Spike TV beginning in May of 2007.
The thirteen episodes of Reality Racing - The Rookie Challenge will premiere on Spike TV on May 19, 2007 and run through August 18, 2007. Each 60-minute episode of the series will begin on Saturday mornings at 9:00 A.M. Eastern Time and will be telecast in the United States, its territories and possessions, including Puerto Rico and Canada. Reality Racing, Inc. President Lee F. Schaefer said, "This is exactly the network and deal we were looking to sign from the beginning. Spike TV is a hot network and we're pleased to be on their spring schedule."
Reality Racing - The Rookie Challenge will be one of the highest anticipated new competitions. The show will feature fifteen amateur drivers competing on and off the track for a grand prize package that includes a contract with a professional racing team and a gold championship ring.
For more information, visit the company webpage at: http://www.realityracingtv.com/ .
Safe Harbor
Forward-looking statements made in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements made by Reality Racing, Inc. are not a guarantee of future performance. This news release includes forward-looking statements, including with respect to the future level of business for the parties. These statements are necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in these forward- looking statements as a result of certain risk factors that could cause results to differ materially from estimated results. Management cautions that all statements as to future results of operations are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties and events that may be beyond the control of Reality Racing, Inc. and no assurance can be given that such results will be achieved. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability to procure, properly price, retain and successfully complete projects, and changes in products and competition.
TAG Jeans
The Jean that’s Bringing Sexy Back
Los Angeles, CA – TAG Jeans are making women feel even sexier and more stylish than ever with their ultra flattering collection of jeans that fit a woman’s figure to the tee.
“I like to make a woman feel good, confident and sexy in my jeans,” says Iskander Lemseffer head designer of TAG.
In a culture where jeans have become a fashion staple and somewhat of a uniform with in our society, it is very difficult to find the most genuine fitting, stylized and figure flattering denim out there. The jean market has been saturated by hundreds of styles and fits, but it is seldom that you can find the perfect combination of the two.
TAG found that perfect combination of fit and style with their butt lifting, leg elongating, and thigh slimming shapes that come in a range of washes that are sure to make any woman look and feel sexier than ever.
“The jeans I design are made with great material that flatters a woman’s body by elongating the legs, helping them look leaner. I also added great pockets to the jeans to help accentuate the back, giving women that ‘perfect’ butt they all desire,” says Iskander.
They have a variety of pocket options and distinctive stitching details to satisfy anybody’s individual style. Whether you’re clean cut and preppy or chic and sexy, you are sure to find a style and cut that is perfect for you. There’s no question that you and your jeans are sure to get noticed!
TAG is a favorite among sexy and stylish fashionistas such as Eva Longoria, Nicolette Sheridan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Hillary Swank, Vanessa Minnilo, Pamela Anderson, and Naomi Campbell, just to name a few.
Their distribution stretches across the globe to exotic far East Asia to the fashionable streets of Europe . TAG is an international brand, but they keep their production on American soil in the heart of California ’s Fashion District, using only American denim.
TAG Jeans retail from $165 to $900 in boutiques world wide as well as Saks Fifth Avenue , Harrods, Barneys Japan and other fine retail stores.
YouTube and Coca-Cola Introduce Video Greeting Cards for the Holidays
YouTube and Coca-Cola Holiday WishCast Lets People Send Video Greetings to Their Friends and Family; Features Greetings Created by Popular YouTube Personalities
SAN BRUNO, CA and ATLANTA, GA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 08, 2006 -- YouTube, a consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos through a Web experience, and The Coca-Cola Company today launched the YouTube and Coca-Cola Holiday WishCast, allowing people to go to YouTube and the Coca-Cola.com site to create and share video greetings with friends and family.
For the first time people will be able to send their own personal videos as a holiday greeting card online. Visitors can share their holiday spirit by uploading their own videos, customizing video greetings created by popular YouTube personalities, Geriatric1927, Boh3m3, TerraNaomi, Renetto, TheWineKone and LisaNova, or sharing holiday-themed videos from Coca-Cola including clips from vintage Coke advertisements. Select video greetings that users have chosen to share with the world will be featured as part of a video playlist on Coca-Cola.com called the Holiday WishCast and will be seen by people around the world.
"The Coca-Cola Holiday WishCast gives friends and families a new way to communicate this holiday season," said Tim Kopp, Vice President of Global Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company. "It is the latest evolution in the development of Coca-Cola.com following the re-launch of the site in July 2006 that included user-generated content and the addition of digital music downloads in August. We continue to give people new ways to express themselves and connect with others online. Partnering with YouTube helps us bring creative content to a broader community. "
The YouTube and Coca-Cola Holiday WishCast is a unique way for people to connect this holiday season, whether it's helping loved ones keep in touch, creating a last-minute holiday card or allowing bands to send personalized greetings to their fans.
"This partnership with Coca-Cola gives our community the ability to send holiday wishes in a way that truly harnesses the creativity of our users," said Jamie Byrne, Director of Advertising Strategy for YouTube. "We're excited to partner with some of the top YouTube personalities to help them garner more attention and to make this a really engaging promotion for the YouTube community."
To send a holiday video greeting, people can visit either www.youtube.com/wishcast or www.coca-cola.com/wishcast.
About YouTube
Founded in February 2005, YouTube is a consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, blogs, and e-mail. YouTube has quickly become the leading destination on the Internet for video entertainment.
About Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1.3 billion servings each day.
There’s no denying it… Akon loves his
At the 2006 BILLBOARD Music Awards, Akon looks stylish and sophisticated in TAG’s “cowboy” jean. The tailored fit and signature TAG stitching compliments any well polished man.
TAG is a favorite among sexy and stylish fashionistas such as Eva Longoria, Terry Hatcher, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, Hillary Swank, Vanessa Minnilo, Madonna, Pamela Anderson, and Naomi Campbell, just to name a few.
TAG has straight leg colored denim, distressed washes, a trouser group, and a stretch cotton twill group. Whether you’re clean cut and preppy or chic and sexy, you are sure to find a style and cut that is perfect for you. There’s no question that you and your jeans are sure to get noticed!
Let the "Good Times" Roll: New Exhibit Celebrates the Life and Career of Ray Price
By John Hood
© 2006 CMA Close Up News Service / Country Music Association, Inc.
Ray Price presents one of the most interesting paradoxes in American music. He is a man who is an icon and a giant in the Country Music genre. He charted a remarkable 108 songs including such seminal hits as "Crazy Arms," "Make the World Go Away," "For the Good Times" and "Nightlife." Price's influence caused seismic shifts in the way Country Music was performed, not once, but twice. Yet, as an artist, Price doesn't have the same name brand recognition that other legendary performers do, including many that he helped along the way by giving them jobs in his band (Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Johnny PayCheck) or recording their songs (Kris Kristofferson).
"For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story," a new exhibit at The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, aims to change that. The nearly year-long exhibit (it opened August 2006 and runs through June 2007) chronicles the career of one Country Music's most influential artists. The exhibit features stage costumes, early business documents, awards, instruments, fan club memorabilia, vintage photographs, show posters and audio and video. It spans the entire spectrum of Price's 50-plus year career, from his early days touring with Hank Williams through present day.
The exhibit is presented in nine biographical panels with text to accompany artifacts and memorabilia. It's not only a showcase of Price's accomplishments; in many ways it's a snapshot of the history of Country Music in the latter half of the 20th century.
"Ray Price is a man of singular and enduring artistic vision who played a central role in the history of Country Music," said Museum Director Kyle Young. "Mentored and influenced by Hank Williams, Price's music now clearly affects the sound of contemporary artists like George Strait and Alan Jackson. At 80 years old, Price continues to make memorable recordings and inspire standing ovations in prestigious concert halls like the Ryman Auditorium and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Yet, even though he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame 10 years ago, his very important contributions to the health and welfare of Country Music are either not well-known or are too-little appreciated. We hope this exhibit will change that. The Museum approached Ray in early summer 2005, following his performance here in honor of Kris Kristofferson in May. We were thrilled when he agreed to cooperate with us in creating 'For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story.'"
Price's cooperation gives the Museum the opportunity to offer a particularly intimate glimpse into the legendary singer's history as a performer starting from the very beginning of his career as a Williams disciple. Early on he copied Williams' sound and often performed with Williams' band the Drifting Cowboys. The unique, shuffle-based honky tonk style he went on to develop is still prevalent today, but it is perhaps best exemplified by his own recording of "Crazy Arms," which hit the No. 1 spot back in 1956.
"Everybody was laughing about the song and didn't think it would do any good because it was called 'Crazy Arms,'" Price recalled. "I'm the one that came up with that shuffle beat, and we used it to do the song and it just fit like a glove. I knew that I was doing something I wanted to hear, something different, and it was the first million-seller for me."
As an established artist with a signature honky tonk sound, Price initially resisted the smoother pop sounds that were beginning to work their way into Nashville recordings by the 1960s. But with his seminal 1967 recording of "Danny Boy" - recorded with a 47-piece orchestra - Price ushered in the orchestral pop/ Country sound that dominated Country airwaves for the next decade. While it eventually brought his career and his music to new heights, Price initially was forced to deal with the rejection of both fans and radio programmers.
"It wasn't a good feeling," Price said. "Disc jockeys got on the air and said, 'I'm not ever going to play another Ray Price record.' What can you do? You can't stand still, because if you do you're never going to get anywhere, and music is the same way. I was searching for a hit. I wasn't caring how I got it; I just wanted to get one."
"For the Good Times" offers an interesting glimpse into how Price's stage costumes changed throughout the years to reflect the evolving sound of his music. The exhibit features some stunning examples of embroidered stage suits from famed designer Nudie from Price's honky tonk period. His later suits were more urbane and understated to reflect the more sophisticated sound he'd adopted. There's also a 1980s-era suit from Nashville-based clothing designer Manuel.
One of the earliest artifacts on display is a copy of Price's first record "Jealous Lies," which was released on the Bullet record label. The single dates back to 1949-50. There are also fan club newsletters from the '60s and the box that held the original tape of "For the Good Times," Price's chart-topping signature hit from 1970.
The exhibit also highlights the Texas-born star's life away from the stage. A lifelong animal lover (he attended veterinary school before becoming a professional singer), he bought a ranch in East Texas near his birthplace where he raises horses. The exhibit features photos, saddles and trophies that chronicle his life on the ranch and a variety of his other non-musical endeavors.
If Price's reaction to "For the Good Times" is any indication (he wept at the opening reception), the exhibit is doing its job of honoring and promoting a man of vision and courage who helped define Country Music.
"Well, I got to looking at 60 years of my life," Price said. "It's kind of a moving thing."
Even with all the emotion and reflection that goes along with such a comprehensive career retrospective, Price is all about living in the present and he's just as excited as ever about the future.
"I don't believe I've lost anything," Price said. "In fact, it seems like it's gotten more defined as we go along. I hear a song that plays on the radio and it grabs me, and I still get that same feeling. They put me in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame not too long ago and this year they put me in the Western Swing Hall of Fame. This is what I love to do, it's what I was born to do, and I'm going to try my hardest to do it the best I can."
On the Web: www.countrymusichalloffame.com; www.raypricefanclub.net
Green Day Receives a Grammy Nod for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
December 07, 2006 -- Grammy Award winning rock band Green Day received a Grammy Award nomination today in the Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal category for their collaboration with U2 on the song "The Saints Are Coming." The rock luminaries recorded the song to raise money to benefit the Music Rising charitable organization that replaces instruments for musicians of the Gulf Coast.
Green Day's multi-platinum album "American Idiot" was released on September 21, 2004 and debuted at Number One on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and Number One in several countries around the world. Weeks later the album returned to the Number One chart position in the US and many of the same countries across the globe. Months after the release of the album, Green Day made radio history by becoming the first rock band to reach #1 on six radio charts simultaneously with their smash "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams." Green Day won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in February 2005 with "American Idiot" and the Grammy Award for Record of The Year in 2006 with their smash "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
In the past year the band has been honored with the ASCAP Creative Voice Award and the People for the American Way's Spirit of Liberty Award. Green Day recently partnered with the NRDC to raise awareness about environmental issues via the website www.greendaynrdc.com.
ATL Is King at Grammy Nominations; 14 Atlantic Artists Score Total of 29; Blunt, Gnarls, T.I., Lupe, Death Cab Nab Multiple Nods
December 07, 2006 -- 14 Atlantic Records Group artists have received an impressive total of 29 nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, it was announced today.
Custard/Atlantic recording artist James Blunt and Downtown/Atlantic's Gnarls Barkley led the label pack, each earning five nods. Blunt's #1 smash, "You're Beautiful," received nominations in the top categories, "Song of the Year" and "Record of the Year," as well as for "Best Pop Vocal Performance." The British singer/songwriter was also nominated for "Best Pop Vocal Album" -- for his RIAA double-platinum debut, "BACK TO BEDLAM," and in the prestigious "Best New Artist" category.
Gnarls Barkley -- the combination of Grammy-winning producer Danger Mouse and superstar vocalist Cee-Lo Green -- got the nod in two top categories, "Record of the Year" -- for the history-making hit single, "Crazy," and "Album of the Year" -- for the groundbreaking "ST. ELSEWHERE." What's more, the duo picked up nominations for "Best Alternative Music Album" -- for "ST. ELSEWHERE," and "Best Urban/Alternative Performance" -- for "Crazy." And as if all that weren't enough, Danger Mouse was named in the "Producer of the Year, Non-Classical" category, marking his behind-the-board work on both "ST. ELSEWHERE" and the Rapture's "PIECES OF THE PEOPLE WE LOVE."
Atlantic artists dominated the Rap category, taking three of the five places in both the "Best Rap Song" and "Best Rap Vocal Performance" categories. The list was led by Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I., who garnered a fantastic four nominations, including "Best Rap Album" -- for his RIAA platinum-certified, #1 Billboard 200 smash, "KING," as well as "Best Rap Solo Performance" and "Best Rap Song" -- for his #1 single, "What You Know." The ATL-based superstar also received a nomination in the "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" category, for his duet with Justin Timberlake on the top-charting "My Love" (released by Jive/Zomba).
1st & 15th/Atlantic's Lupe Fiasco was the year's hip-hop breakthrough artist, taking a trio of nominations, including "Best Rap Album" -- for his acclaimed debut, "LUPE FIASCO'S FOOD & LIQUOR," along with "Best Rap Song" and "Best Rap Solo Performance" nods for his anthemic hit, "Kick, Push."
Atlantic's other Rap nominees include Goldmind/Atlantic recording artist Missy Elliott, nominated for "Best Rap Solo Performance" -- for "We Run This," and Block Enterprises/Bad Boy South's Yung Joc, nominated for "Best Rap Song" -- for his smash single, "It's Goin' Down." In addition, SwishaHouse/Asylum's Paul Wall got a nod for "Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group" -- for his teaming with Nelly on the single, "Grillz," also featuring Ali & Gipp (released by Universal).
Death Cab For Cutie were honored with two nominations, "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal" -- for "I Will Follow You Into The Dark," the third single from last year's Grammy-nominated album, "PLANS," and "Best Long Form Music Video" -- for their innovative anthology of short films, "DIRECTIONS."
Atlantic's artistic diversity was represented by a genre-spanning set of nominations. Acclaimed British duo Zero 7 was nominated for "Best Electronic/Dance Album" -- for "THE GARDEN." Eleven Seven/Atlantic rockers Buckcherry earned a "Best Hard Rock Performance" nod -- for "Crazy Bitch." Latin rap superstar Tego Calderón was nominated for "Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album" -- for his Jiggiri/Atlantic debut, "THE UNDERDOG/EL SUBESTIMADO." And four-time Grammy Award winner George Carlin was once again nominated for "Best Comedy Album" -- for "LIFE IS WORTH LOSING."
In addition, Atlantic's own Yolanda Adams received two nominations, for "Best Gospel Performance" -- for "Victory," from "THE GOSPEL - Soundtrack" (released by Verity Records), and, with the late Gerald Levert, for "Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals" for "Everyday (Family Reunion)," with Chaka Khan and Carl Thomas, from "MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION - Music From The Motion Picture" (released by Motown Records).
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on "Grammy Sunday," February 11th, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 - 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).
Viacom's MTV Networks Forms 'MTVN Entertainment Group', Focused on Adult-Directed, Male-Skewing Brands
MTVN Entertainment Group President Doug Herzog to Helm Portfolio of COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, AddictingClips.com, Atom Films, IFILM, Plus GameTrailers.com and XFire
MTVN Entertainment Group Becomes Company's Third Branded Portfolio, Joining MTVN Music, Logo and Films Group; and MTVN Kids and Family Group
Dec 7-- MTV Networks (MTVN), a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , today announced the formal creation of the MTVN Entertainment Group, a multi-platform portfolio featuring the company's adult- directed and male-skewing brands, including COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, AddictingClips.com, Atom Films, IFILM, GameTrailers.com and XFire. This combination of television, online, broadband, user-generated content and gaming platforms positions the MTVN Entertainment group to super-serve a range of adult demos and collectively deliver scale with the highly coveted Male 18-to-34-year-old demographic.
Leading the Group is Doug Herzog, President, MTVN Entertainment Group, who reports to Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTV Networks. The MTVN Entertainment Group now forms the third pillar of MTVN's targeted brand portfolio strategy, joining the MTVN Music, Logo and Films Group, led by Van Toffler; and the MTVN Kids and Family Group, helmed by Cyma Zarghami.
"The MTVN Entertainment Group creates a portfolio of television and digital brands that can collectively deliver under-served demos through killer content like comedy, gaming, video, news and information, and some classic TV, too," said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTV Networks. "Formalizing the Entertainment Group under Doug organizes us into three focused portfolio groups and highlights our overall strategy to provide the communities that form around our brands and content with immersive, multi-platform entertainment experiences."
"The individual brands in the Entertainment Group have significant growth potential in their own right, but we can now position them to aggregate and deliver men and adults across all platforms and on a scale rivaling other players in our industry," said Herzog.
The MTVN Entertainment Group brands deliver original and relevant content across television, online, and wireless to highly targeted male and adult-focused audiences. By targeting expanded demographics across its brands, the MTVN Entertainment Group offers advertisers more ways to reach their consumers, and gives MTVN the potential to establish additional revenue streams.
The MTVN Entertainment Group is strongly positioned to be a leader in delivering highly branded environments to Men 18-to-34-years-old through COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, user-generated content/short-form video sites Atom Films, AddictingClips.com, and IFILM. With a variety of male-skewing programming, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV and TV Land reaches 103 million men (M2+). The MTVN Entertainment Group also targets men with the company's two premier gaming sites, GameTrailers.com, the leading producer and aggregator of broadband video content highlighting the latest and best in the world of video games, and XFire, the fastest-growing online gaming community in the world, with more than 5.6 million registered global users. The Group also includes TV Land, the only 24-hour television network committed to super-serving America's 78 million Baby Boomers.
The roster of multi-platform brands within the MTVN Entertainment Group includes:
TELEVISION
-- COMEDY CENTRAL, television's only all-comedy network, is a 24-hour,
advertiser-supported, basic cable comedy service available to more than
90 million viewers domestically and is the #1 network in primetime
among men 18-24, as well as a consistent top 10-rated network among all
adults 18-49.
-- Spike TV is dedicated to delivering men more action, is the leading
entertainment brand for men by speaking to the fun, brazen, risk-taking
part inside of all guys through a mix of original and acquired
programming, specials, live events and movies.
-- TV Land is cable's only 24-hour home to everything television,
super-serving Baby Boomers with a program mix includes that includes
popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential
interstitial environment. The network, which began showcasing original
programming in 2003, recently announced a new programming slate
featuring several notable projects and recurring series including
Family Foreman, The Big 4-0, and the second season of Sit Down Comedy
with David Steinberg.
USER-GENERATED CONTENT/SHORT-FORM VIDEO
-- AddictingClips.com offers consumers a destination for the best clips
and user-generated video across the Web.
-- Atom Films provides on-demand viewing of more than 1,000 world-class
film and animation titles ranging from 1- to 30-minutes in length.
-- IFILM is one of the leading video-entertainment destinations on the
Web, with one of the largest collections of viral and user-generated
video, along with channels of the best short films, TV clips, music
videos and action sports.
GAMING
-- GameTrailers.com is a leader in the digital revolution through its
innovative production and delivery of broadband video-game content.
-- XFire is the fastest-growing online gaming platform and community in
the world that helps gamers play with their friends much more easily.
About MTV Networks and Viacom:
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 130 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company, with prominent and respected brands in focused demographics. Engaging its audiences through television, motion pictures and digital platforms, Viacom reaches its audiences wherever they consume content. Viacom's leading brands include the multiplatform properties of MTV Networks, including MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land, Logo and more than 130 networks around the world, as well as digital assets such as Neopets, Xfire and Atom Entertainment; BET Networks; Paramount Pictures; Paramount Home Entertainment; DreamWorks; and Famous Music. More information about Viacom and its businesses is available at www.viacom.com.
Source: MTV Networks
WWE Slams All Other Sporting Events According to TicketsNow Entertainment Index for November
Dancing with the Stars and High School Musical Challenge Wicked's #1 Spot Overall
Fan favorite World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) crashed onto the TicketsNow Entertainment Index, slamming all other sporting events in November. The wildly popular organization, led by superstars like John Cena, Batista, and Triple H, landed the #1 spot in the Sports category with 3.3% of ticket sales.
On the musical entertainment side, Dancing with the Stars, the tour based on the popular television show, and newcomer High School Musical-The Concert both challenged the consistently popular Wicked for the #1 Overall spot; each garnered an impressive 3.8% of all sales on the site. The holiday classic Radio City Christmas Spectacular came in at #4 Overall with 3.4% of sales.
"Professional wrestling has entertained generations of fans and the WWE has been a driving force in the industry. According to our Index, it continues to be one of the most popular entertainment events in sports," says Mike Stein, Senior Vice President, Marketing for TicketsNow. "Dancing with the Stars and High School Musical have shown that their television success translates very well onto the stage. These live productions provide fans the opportunity to be a part of the experience."
The Buffalo Sabres, the hottest team in hockey, have made their highest ranking in the Sports category at #5 and represent the top NHL team on the November Index with 2.3% of sales. The New York Rangers were the next highest- selling NHL team at #9 with 2%. The NFL also made a strong showing in second, third, and seventh place with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens, who accounted for 3.1%, 2.7%, and 2% of sales respectively. The NBA rounds out the top 10 with the Miami Heat at #4 with 2.3% of sports ticket sales, Los Angeles Lakers at #6 with 2.2%, Cleveland Cavaliers at #8 with 2%, and Chicago Bulls at #10 with 1.8%.
Top November Events Overall
1. Wicked 6. Bob Seger
2. High School Musical -- The Concert 7. The Lion King
3. Dancing with the Stars 8. Mary Poppins
4. Radio City Christmas Spectacular 9. Josh Groban
5. The Cheetah Girls 10. Jersey Boys
Top November Sports Ticket Sales
1. WWE World Wrestling Entertainment
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Miami Heat
5. Buffalo Sabres
Top November Concert Ticket Sales
1. High School Musical - The Concert
2. The Cheetah Girls
3. Bob Seger
4. Josh Groban
5. Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Top November Theater Sales
1. Wicked
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Radio City Christmas Spectacular
4. The Lion King
5. Mary Poppins
About the TicketsNow Entertainment Index
The TicketsNow Entertainment Index tracks proprietary secondary ticket sales on a monthly basis to provide a snapshot of entertainment trends for sports, music, and theater events nationwide.
About TicketsNow
Established in 1999, TicketsNow is the world's largest and most trusted marketplace for premium event tickets. More than 90% of all professional ticket agencies that list, buy, and sell secondary event tickets online utilize software developed by TicketsNow -- creating the most comprehensive database of secondary event tickets in the world. Named in 2006 to the Inc. 500 index of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. -- the second time in three years the company has been so honored -- TicketsNow is a premium ticket provider for USA TODAY, Fandango, and AOL; an official sponsor of the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars; an official sponsor of University of Louisville Athletics, Arizona State University Athletics, Texas Christian University Athletics, University of Cincinnati Athletics, and a corporate partner of Princeton University Athletics; a member of the Better Business Bureau; and a founding member of the NATB, which promotes the highest level of ethics in the secondary ticketing marketplace. For more information, visit http://www.ticketsnow.com/.
Rod Stewart's Newest #1 Album STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME Certified RIAA Gold
Latest Success Anticipates Jan. 12th Opening of 56-City North American Tour
STILL THE SAME ... Builds on Global Phenomenon of Grammy-winning The Great American Songbook Series, With Cumulative Worldwide Sales Over 16 Million for First Four Volumes
With the countdown on to the January 12th kick-off of his 56-city 2007 North American tour, J Records artist Rod Stewart adds a brand new gold record to his shelf, as his 4th #1 career album STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME is certified gold by the RIAA for U.S. sales in excess of 500,000 units.
STILL THE SAME is a landmark album for Rod Stewart. Released October 10th, it entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at #1 -- 35 years to the month since he charted his first #1 and first RIAA gold album Every Picture Tells A Story back in 1971 (containing his first #1 and first RIAA gold single, "Maggie May"). STILL THE SAME is Rod's 35th Billboard charting album, and his 30th album to be certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA.
STILL THE SAME was Rod's 6th Top 10 debut and his 4th consecutive studio album to enter the Billboard charts inside the Top 2. He thereby joined Garth Brooks and Jay-Z as the only artists in the Sound Scan era to have 4 (or more) albums debut in the Top 2 within a 3 year span. STILL THE SAME is Rod's first rock album to hold the #1 spot since Blondes Have More Fun in 1979. More recently, his standards album Stardust ... The Great American Songbook Volume III entered at #1 in October 2004.
This success sets the stage for the upcoming tour, which opens January 12th at BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The tour features Rod's nine piece band and his three stellar back up singers, and will showcase a rotating circular center stage -- the first time in over a decade that his stage will be designed in the round, giving fans an intimate, unfettered 360 degree view of the concert. Promoted by AEG Live, the tour is scheduled to wrap up on May 9th at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York. (Please visit http://www.rodstewart.com/ to view the complete tour itinerary.)
STILL THE SAME's RIAA gold certification is the latest emblematic feat for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart, who possesses one of the most distinctive rock voices in history, and one of the great interpretive voices in all of popular music. The new album finds Rod in strong and passionate form, taking ownership of a thoughtfully selected program of rock classics by some of the best songwriters of our time, including Bob Dylan ("If Not For You"), Van Morrison ("Crazy Love"), Bob Seger ("Still the Same") and John Fogerty ("Have You Ever Seen the Rain" which was the #1 most added single at the AC radio format for three weeks in a row).
Produced by John Shanks (winner of the 2005 Grammy award for Producer of the Year) and co-produced by Clive Davis (Grammy-winning co-producer of Santana's Supernatural), STILL THE SAME ... GREAT ROCK CLASSICS OF OUR TIME follows up the unprecedented critical and commercial success of Rod's Grammy Award-winning Great American Songbook series on J Records. To date, the first four volumes in the series -- which is now the biggest-selling ongoing series of new music recordings in history -- have cumulative sales of more than 16 million copies worldwide: It Had To Be You ... The Great American Songbook (2002, RIAA triple-platinum), As Time Goes By ... The Great American Songbook, Volume II (2003, double-platinum), Stardust...The Great American Songbook: Volume III (2004, RIAA platinum), and Thanks For The Memory... The Great American Songbook: Volume IV(2005, RIAA platinum).
RCA Music Group Artists Earn 14 Nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards
Carrie Underwood Earns First Grammy Nominations Including Best New Artist
Jamie Foxx Picks Up Three Nominations
Christina Aguilera Receives Two
Imogen Heap Is Nominated for Best New Artist and Songwriter's Award
RCA Music Group received a total of fourteen Grammy nominations earned by its artist and recordings it was announced today in Los Angeles for the 49th annual Grammy Awards. Arista Records/19 Recordings superstar Carrie Underwood earned her first nominations including Best New Artist and Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take The Wheel." The six-week #1 country single "Jesus, Take The Wheel" also receives 2 nominations: Best Country Song and Song of the Year.
J Records recording artist Jamie Foxx picked up three nominations including Best R&B Album for his platinum #1 debut Unpredictable, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Love Changes" (with Mary J. Blige), and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Unpredictable" (with Ludacris). RCA recording star Christina Aguilera earned nominations for "Ain't No Other Man" as Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and her platinum double disc Back To Basics as Best Pop Vocal Album.
Critically acclaimed RCA Victor electro-pop songstress Imogen Heap was nominated for Best New Artist. In addition, her composition "Can't Take It In," from the soundtrack of The Chronicles Of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, was nominated for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
The just certified gold holiday collection by Arista recording artist Sarah McLachlan, Wintersong, was nominated in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Superstar vocalist Luther Vandross was nominated posthumously for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Got You Home," a previously unreleased track included on the anthology The Ultimate Luther Vandross.
Firewire, the RCA Victor/Bluebird album by veteran guitarist Larry Carlton, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album. The instrumental quartet Fourplay was nominated in the same category for their RCA Victor/Bluebird album X.
Special congratulations go to Howard Benson, nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for recordings including the album Flyleaf by Flyleaf; and to Will.i.am, who was also nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for recordings including the track "I Am Somebody" from the album All That I Am by Santana.
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on the CBS network on February 11, 2007 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Source: RCA Music Group
Three Time Grammy Award Winning Recording Artist Sarah McLachlan Receives Grammy Nomination for WINTERSONG, Her #1 Best Selling Holiday Album
Nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Category
Multi-platinum selling and three time Grammy award winner Sarah McLachlan received an early Christmas gift when she received a Grammy nomination for her new holiday album WINTERSONG in the category "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album."
News of the nomination comes on the heels of her album being certified Gold and the album entering the Billboard Top 10 this week. Billboard also named WINTERSONG the "Greatest Gainer" on the album chart this week. WINTERSONG (released October 17th) is the #1 best seller on the Top Holiday Albums chart and marks her 15th release to be certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA. WINTERSONG is the first holiday album to crack the Top 10 since 2004, and the second highest ranking for a holiday album since 2001. In addition, WINTERSONG sold more copies this week than any other holiday album sold in any week last year.
Recorded at home in a relaxed Canadian setting, WINTERSONG combines traditional and standard Christmas tunes with several contemporary classics that are close to Sarah's heart, including her original new title tune composition, "Wintersong." The album opens with her version of John Lennon's timeless "Happy Xmas (War is Over)," featuring her Music Outreach Children's Choir of Vancouver (emulating the original 1971 version by John & Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band, recorded with the Harlem Community Choir). Other WINTERSONG highlights include Sarah's version of Joni Mitchell's 1971 "River" ("It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees..."), and homage to Gordon Lightfoot's 1975 "Song For A Winter's Night."
McLachlan previously has won 3 Grammy awards in the following categories/years: "I Will Remember You" -- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (1999), "Last Dance" -- Best Pop Instrumental Performance (1998), and "Building a Mystery" -- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (1998).
Source: Arista Records
Lamb of God Receive Grammy Nomination for Their Powerhouse Track 'Redneck'
American metal leaders Lamb of God have garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for "Redneck," the scorching first single from their acclaimed album Sacrament.
On their nomination, drummer Chris Adler states, "Grammy nomination? Is someone still trying to make up for that whole Jethro Tull thing? In all seriousness and regardless of the outcome, we as Lamb of God are overwhelmingly flattered to be recognized. It's truly hard to believe that we have come as far as we have, even harder to believe that we now share in the short list of some of the best in the business -- and the historical company of some of the world's greatest bands. This nomination is bigger than our band; it is a tribute to our friends and fans whose undying and intense support has helped Lamb of God become recognized in this way. Together, we are helping to create a new and heavier musical landscape for the future. No matter what the outcome may be, this is a very good sign for metal and as a fan I look forward to more doors like these continuing to open to the greatest music in the world -- heavy f--king metal!!!"
Sacrament, which was produced by Machine (Clutch, King Crimson, Pitchshifter, 18 Visions, Every Time I Die) is a stunning example of how diverse, articulate and pummeling metal can be. Entering the Billboard Top 200 at #8, with over 63,000 albums sold, Sacrament had the biggest first week album sales of all metal records released in 2006 -- outselling first week numbers from metal legends such as Iron Maiden, Slayer as well as Mastodon and Killswitch Engage.
Their sophomore Epic Records release, Sacrament has received countless accolades from critics, including being named Revolver Magazine's "Album of the Year" for 2006 and landing at #20 in Blender Magazine's Top 100 of 2006. " ... raw and passionate ... a rich, diverse sounding record. Sacrament boasts an impressive degree of sonic clarity, and the band's playing is tight and dexterous." Revolver Magazine
Having spent the summer of 2006 on two of the nations most highly touted metal tours -- the Unholy Alliance Tour with Slayer and Gigantour with Megadeth - Lamb of God have spent the last decade bringing their unrelenting sound to the masses. Hailed as heroes of new American metal by legions of fans across the country and around the world; this Richmond, VA 5-piece continues to break ground and evolve. Smart, skilled musicians, Lamb of God first came to the metal forefront with their Prosthetic Records release, As The Palaces Burn in 2003. The next year saw their major label debut, Ashes of the Wake on Epic, rise above the rest with critical acclaim. In 2005 the band released the behind the scenes live DVD Killadelphia which went gold in only a matter of weeks. Now, capping off an already astounding year with a Grammy nomination the band will continue into 2007 with a soon to be announced headlining tour.
"Kneel before this Sacrament and hear 21st-century metal in all its recombinant brutality -- a little death, a little thrash, some Southern riffing up your a**. Singer Randy Blythe avoids Cookie Monster cliche while keeping his growl somewhere south of Hades. How they managed to turn dangerously geeky prog chops into the sound of Lucifer storming heaven, well, God only knows." Spin Magazine
Natasha Bedingfield Scores Grammy Nomination
Epic recording artist Natasha Bedingfield marked another milestone in her already remarkable career today by grabbing her very first Grammy nomination. "Unwritten," the infectiously funky hit single from her debut album, Unwritten garnered the British songstress a nomination for "Best Pop Female Vocal Performance" as nominees for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards were announced at the Music Box at Fonda Theater in Hollywood.
The nomination affirms what has truly been an amazing year for the International superstar whose debut album Unwritten surpassed triple platinum status in the UK and has spawned multiple smashes around the globe. And now, the gorgeous and multi-talented singer/songwriter has added the U.S. to her list of conquered lands. When Natasha made her impressive U.S. debut with the infectious "These Words," the song ascended into the top ten on the mainstream top 40 airplay chart followed by the soaring and inspirational "Unwritten" which quickly skyrocketed to #1 and became the first #1 pop single in the U.S. by a British Female Solo artist in 19 years.
Spotlighted as one of the biggest breakout females of 2006, critical acclaim mounted and Natasha appeared everywhere from MTV's TRL and VH1, to Good Morning America, and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno just to name a few. But this is just the beginning.
Natasha recently released her long-awaited live DVD - LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY - which captured the artist's first sold-out concert in the U.S. filmed on June 8th in the heart of Times Square at The Nokia Theatre. Look for Natasha to release her highly anticipated sophomore album early 2007.
Source: Epic Records
Tony Bennett Caps Off an Outstanding Year With Three Grammy Nominations & Platinum Sales for 'TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic'
'TONY BENNETT: An American Classic' DVD & Grammy-Nominated DUETS CD Available Now
It's been a very good year for Tony Bennett, the musical icon who celebrated his 80th birthday with star-studded tributes and parties, an NBC television special, and the release of TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic, a critically-acclaimed blockbuster of an album that's already become one of the best-selling titles in a catalog that stretches back more than fifty years.
TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic was certified platinum (for sales of 1,000,000 copies) by the RIAA this week while also earning Tony three Grammy nominations. The album is up for a Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album trophy while Tony's duet with Stevie Wonder, "For Once In My Life," is contending for both the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist Grammys.
"The success of this project has always been driven by Tony's artistic integrity and passion for his music," said Danny Bennett, Tony's son and manager, who'd begun planning his father's 80th birthday tribute more than a year in advance. "He is an icon whose art resonates beyond boundary or category."
Released on September 26, 2006, TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic has become Bennett's top-selling album since he first began recording in 1950. When the album entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart at #3, with first week's sales of 201,536 copies, it marked the singer's highest-debuting and highest-peaking album in the history of the Top 200. DUETS/An American Classic has maintained exceptionally strong sales since its release, spending five straight weeks in the Top 10 (it's currently at #15). Weekly sales on the album nearly tripled after "TONY BENNETT/An American Classic," presented by Target, premiered on NBC-TV on Tuesday, November 21, kicking off the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The special may be seen on Bravo during the month of December.
A DVD version of "TONY BENNETT/An American Classic," featuring bonus footage, is currently #4 on Billboard's Top Music Video chart.
Tony Bennett's upcoming TV appearances this month will include "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (December 11), "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (December 18) and the CBS "Early Show" (December 19). Also in December, PBS will begin airing a "making of" documentary of DUETS as part of the network's winter pledge drive campaign. Bennett also performed for "Nissan's Live Sets on Yahoo! Music" which is set to air December 15.
TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic reprises some of the best-loved songs in Tony's repertoire as duets performed side by side with some of the top names in contemporary music: Bono, Michael Buble, Elvis Costello, Celine Dion, Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juanes, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, George Michael, Sting, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. A significant factor that set Bennett's duet project apart from most contemporary recordings was the fact that the album was recorded live in the studio with Tony and his musical guests.
The unprecedented promotional and marketing campaign for TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic kicked off with a star-studded party, hosted by Target, for Tony's 80th birthday on August 3rd. Tony's 80th birthday received extensive media coverage with The New York Times calling him " ... the embodiment of heart in popular music ... and a rock of integrity." The singer was featured in Time, Vanity Fair, Parade, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal among other print publications. Bennett also made television guest appearances on the nation's top-rated television programs including three appearances on "The Today Show," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Saturday Night Live," and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
The album's first single, "Just in Time," featuring Tony Bennett and Michael Buble, was released on Tony's birthday, and received significant airplay from many AC stations around the country while charting in the Top 25. The CD was launched with a direct response TV marketing ad campaign; advertising on TV, radio, print and on-line; and an aggressive retail presence with multiple point-of-purchase items, along with a variety of contests and promotions. Target, a key sponsor of the campaign, has offered the CD, with exclusive bonus duet tracks as well as a "making of" video, in their stores, all supported by an extensive national TV and print ad campaign. Starbucks, Yahoo, Amazon and iTunes all partnered as well, with print advertising and a variety of on-line promotions and added value items. During launch week TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic maintained #1 positioning at Target, Starbucks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders and was #3 on iTunes and continues to achieve top positions since its release.
CD sales were furthered with the prime-time airing of "TONY BENNETT/An American Classic," presented by Target, on NBC. Directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago" and "Memoirs of a Geisha") and his Oscar winning team the special featured Tony performing with Christina Aguilera, Michael Buble, John Legend, Elton John, Juanes, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder with narrative introductions on Tony's career were contributed by Billy Crystal, Robert DeNiro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Travolta and Bruce Willis. TV Guide critic Matt Roush observed, "This is the rare music special that looks as good as it sounds. And it sounds spectacular."
A host of tribute events also kept the spotlight on Bennett, which included an all-star tribute to Tony hosted by Paul Newman, Billy Crystal, George Clooney and Bruce Willis held on November 9th at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Most recently, Tony Bennett received this year's Billboard Century Award, in honor of his outstanding musical achievements, during a live presentation broadcast on the FOX network on December 4th from Las Vegas with an award presentation by duet partner Stevie Wonder.
Source: RPM/Columbia Records
Yu-Gi-Oh! Online USB DUELPASS Key(TM) Gets Fans Dueling Online in a Snap!
USB technology makes dueling online simple and fun
Online has already attracted thousands of fans, and The Yu-Gi-Oh! Online USB DUELPASS Key(TM) from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. transports enthusiasts straight into the world of online Yu-Gi-Oh! dueling. By simply plugging the DUELPASS Key into a computer's USB port, users are immediately immersed in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world and ready to duel.
Each DUELPASS Key comes pre-loaded with 90 Duelpoints, and includes three virtual cards which can be added to the player's online deck. There is a total of six exclusive virtual cards available. Each DUELPASS Key includes one of the randomly assorted exclusive cards. Once online, players can participate in online tournaments, as well as chat with other players in online chat rooms, meeting areas, and also during the duel itself. With the built-in translation feature, players can even chat with duelists who speak other languages!
Compatible with most Windows-based PCs, the DUELPASS Key offers an interactive entertainment experience without the need for video game consoles, making it the perfect holiday gift.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Online USB DUELPASS Key is available now at retail stores throughout North America for a suggested price of $9.99, and is recommended for Yu-Gi-Oh! fans ages 8 and up.
About Konami
Konami (NYSE:KNM) is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid(R), Silent Hill(R), Dance Dance Revolution(R) and Castlevania(R), among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. Konami Corporation is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment, Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami Corporation is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.
DUELPASS is a trademark of Konami Corporation
Source: Konami
CMP's Game Developers Conference Expands Casual Games Summit Into a Two-Day Event to Serve Veterans and Newcomers Alike
GDC Creates Casual Games Summit '101' to Educate about the Space, '201' for Deeper Discussions of Design, Licensing, Portal Relationships, Revenue Streams and More
The Game Developers Conference (GDC), CMP Technology's annual conference dedicated to the art, science and business of games, has expanded its Casual Games Summit into a two-day series of sessions to better serve the fast-growing casual games market. Sessions include programming for both casual game novices and professionals. The Casual Games Summit will take place March 5-6, 2007 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco as part of the 2007 Game Developers Conference.
Day one of the Summit, titled "Casual Games Summit 101," aims to educate those new to casual games about getting into the industry with introductory sessions on design principles, art direction, technology, business models, the key publishers and more. Day two, "Casual Games Summit 201," provides an arena for sharing and debate among casual game industry veterans on a variety of topics, including downloadable games on the consoles, the evolving relationships between developers/publishers and portals, the use of licenses, increasing revenue through international opportunities, design innovation and more.
"The casual game market has grown to be an integral part of the videogame industry, making gamers out of anyone with a PC, a mobile phone or an iPod," said Meggan Scavio, Senior Conference Manager of the Game Developers Conference. "The GDC is here to help the entirety of the game industry come together and grow, and we felt the expansion of the Casual Games Summit to be the natural step as this segment of the market matures."
The Casual Games Summit brings together all of the key players of the casual games space, from the leading developers and publishers to the biggest licensors and portals. Speakers include representatives from Adobe, Shockwave.com, Big Fish, Funkitron, Gamelab, GoPets, Her Interactive, iWin, JoJu Games, Kongregate, Oberon, Microsoft, MuddyC, Nickelodeon, PlayFirst, PopCap, Real, Reflexive, Sandlot Games, Sony Online Entertainment, Sun, Three Rings, Twofish, Wild Tangent, Yahoo and Zylom.
"Videogames are for everyone, even those who don't fall into the category we tend to think of as the traditional hardcore gamer," said John Welch, President and CEO of PlayFirst, Inc., and co-organizer of the Casual Games Summit, with Steve Meretzky of Boffo Games and Dave Rohrl of PopCap Games. "The Casual Games Summit provides a forum for everyone making -- or wanting to make -- quality games for the incredibly wide and varied casual gamer demographic. Historically, people have thought of this segment as being largely made up of women over the age of 35. While that remains a critical segment, we are seeing two major new market trends: diversification of demographics and the emergence of a segment of super-dedicated and not so 'casual' casual gamers. We'll be exploring topics like these over the two-day Summit."
The speaker line-up, session descriptions and registration for the total Game Developers Conference, including the Casual Games Summit, are available at www.gdconf.com. Press registration is also currently open.
More than 12,500 game industry professionals will convene during GDC, the world's largest games industry-only event dedicated to the advancement of resources, tools and technologies used to create interactive entertainment. The GDC features more than 300 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions on a comprehensive selection of game development topics taught by leading industry experts.
About the CMP Game Group (www.cmpgame.com)
A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the CMP Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through the Game Developers Conference, Game Developer magazine, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, the Serious Games Summit D.C., GDC Mobile, GDC Europe, the Independent Games Festival, the Game Developers Choice Awards, GDC London, the London Games Summit, GDCTV, GDCRadio, and the GDC Focus On event series. For more information, please visit www.cmpgame.com.
About CMP Technology (www.cmp.com)
CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.
Source: CMP Game Group
Starz Invites You to Pursue 'Happyness' With a Night of Will Smith on Thursday, Dec. 14
A 'Stars on Starz' Showcase of Smith's Films Also Features an Exclusive Clip and Behind-the-Scenes Look at His Latest Project The Pursuit of Happyness
Dec. 7 Join Starz for a "Stars on Starz" showcase of Will Smith films Thursday, Dec. 14 in celebration of the theatrical release of his upcoming father-son drama The Pursuit of Happyness, in theaters starting Dec. 15. The night begins with "On the Set: The Pursuit of Happyness" at 8:45 p.m. (ET/PT), followed by Hitch at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) and Enemy of the State at 11 p.m. (ET/PT). An exclusive clip from The Pursuit of Happyness will also premiere during the night.
"On the Set: The Pursuit of Happyness" provides viewers with a unique behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
Columbia Pictures' The Pursuit of Happyness stars Smith as Chris Gardner, a bright and talented but marginally employed salesman. Struggling to make ends meet, Gardner finds himself and his five-year-old son evicted from their San Francisco apartment with nowhere to go. When Gardner lands an internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm, he and his son endure many hardships, including living in shelters, in pursuit of his dream of a better life for the two of them. Directed by Gabriele Muccino. T he Pursuit of Happyness co-stars Thandie Newton and Jaden Christopher Syre Smith.
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 14.9 million and 26.6 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and Vongo(SM). Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group.
Sony Pictures Entertainment Reaches $3 Billion at Worldwide Box Office for the First Time
Milestone is Only the Fourth Time in Motion Picture History Any Studio Reaches More Than $3 Billion Globally
SPE Sets New Studio High for International B.O.; Studio is on Pace to Pass Industry-Wide Domestic Box-Office Record
Dec. 7 For the first time in its history, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) will exceed more than $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales tomorrow, December 8th. It was announced by Jeff Blake, chairman, worldwide marketing and distribution for the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group and vice chairman of SPE. This milestone achievement, reached with three weeks still to go in 2006, marks just the fourth time in motion picture history that any studio has reached the $3 billion mark in a single year.
Internationally, the studio has already realized its best year of all time, with just under $1.5 billion and counting. Domestically, the studio has already passed more than $1.5 billion and is on pace to surpass $1.573 billion, the most any studio has ever generated at the box office in a single year in North America, a record held by Sony since 2002.
2006 marks the third time in the past five years that SPE has been the #1 studio in domestic market share. As Sony finishes the year, the studio controls over 18% of all tickets sold in the United States and Canada. Led by The DaVinci Code the worldwide blockbuster that has grossed over $750 million at the box office, SPE has seen four films exceed more than $100 million in domestic box office -- including Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Click, The DaVinci Code and Casino Royale -- and five more have surpassed the $100 million worldwide threshold (Pink Panther, Monster House, Open Season, Underworld: Evolution, and Little Man).
Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, "This is the kind of year that is pretty hard to top. Hitting $3 billion in worldwide box office is an incredible accomplishment in every way. The fact that we are reaching this peak by potentially passing the domestic industry box office record while at the same time enjoying our best year ever internationally is just a staggering achievement that makes us all very proud. This isn't the result of just one film -- our entire slate really worked this year, and credit for our success goes first and foremost to the extraordinary filmmakers and actors that brought us The DaVinci Code, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Click, Casino Royale, The Pink Panther, Underworld: Evolution, Monster House, Open Season, and so many others."
Blake also credited "the remarkable talent and hard work exhibited by our production, marketing, and distribution teams. Today, we're celebrating and thanking everyone who played a part in the success of our 2006 slate worldwide."
The studio reached its landmark achievement in a year that featured a record 12 films opening at #1 and strong performances from all the labels under the Sony Pictures Entertainment banner: Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, Revolution Studios, TriStar Pictures, and co-productions in association with MGM.
SPE's year began with Screen Gems' Underworld: Evolution, which topped the box office and went on to gross more than $100 million worldwide. Two weeks later, Screen Gems' When a Stranger Calls debuted at #1, followed by Columbia's comedy The Pink Panther, which grossed over $150 million worldwide. In late April, TriStar delivered the horror hit Silent Hill, which opened #1 and went on to take in nearly $100 million worldwide, and the following week, the Robin Williams comedy RV led all releases in its first weekend and proved to have long legs at the box office by continuing to perform solidly throughout the summer, reaching $70 million domestically.
In May, Columbia produced its biggest smash hit of the year: The DaVinci Code. The highly anticipated film delivered on every level, opening to $77 million domestically, reaching $217 million in the U.S. and an additional $538 million internationally -- becoming the highest-grossing international blockbuster in Columbia's history. The studio's success continued throughout the summer, as the comedies Click and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby both opened #1 and saw strong returns at the nation's ticket booths. Also, contributing to the studio's success this summer was the animated hit Monster House, which took in more than $135 million worldwide.
Heading into the fall, the studio added three more #1 openings. First came Columbia's Gridiron Gang, followed by the animated hit Open Season, the first film from Sony Pictures Animation, which has grossed more than $160 million worldwide, and Columbia's The Grudge 2. Most recently, Columbia released the 21st James Bond adventure Casino Royale to more than $40 million -- and the film has surpassed more than $300 million worldwide after just three weeks in release.
SPE reaches the $3 billion mark with two films yet to debut in 2006: the romantic comedy The Holiday, in theaters tomorrow and The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith, set for December 15.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/.
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Taking Back Sunday 2007 Headlining Tour Dates Announced
December 07, 2006 -- Warner Bros. Records perennial rock favorites, Taking Back Sunday, will usher in 2007 with a headlining tour of North America kicking off on February 22nd in Pennsylvania. This will be the first extended tour of Canada for the band. Canadian fans will be able to purchase tickets starting today by visiting www.takingbacksunday.com, while U.S. fans will have a 24-hour presale launching tomorrow on the site. Tickets for most of the tour markets go on sale this Saturday, December 9th via Ticketmaster.
Taking Back Sunday's "Louder Now," which has been voted "Album Of The Year" by Kerrang! Magazine, skyrocketed to Number Two on Billboard's Top 200 chart a week after its April 23rd release, scanning more than 157,000 units. The RIAA gold-certified album spawned the hit single "MakeDamnSure," which was a Modern Rock Top 10 record for just under two months. The second single, "Liar (It Takes One To Know One)" is currently moving up the Modern Rock charts. On December 12th, the band will celebrate the success of "Louder Now" with the release of "Louder Now: Partone," which marks the first ever DVD component of their music.
With "Louder Now," Adam Lazzara (vocals), Fred Mascherino (guitar/vocals), Eddie Reyes (guitar), Matt Rubano (bass) and Mark O'Connell (drums), capture the intensity generated during their explosive live performances. "This is the record we have always wanted to make," says Lazzara. "We brought in every element from every influence we've ever had."
As N.M.E. declared, Taking Back Sunday "go all out to bare their rock fangs...and sharp they are too." See for yourself...
Taking Back Sunday w/ Underoath and Armor For Sleep dates are as follows*:
Thu, 2/22/07 Univ Park (Penn State), PA Bryce Jordan Center Sun, 2/25/07 Birmingham, AL Boutwell Auditorium Tue, 2/27/07 San Antonio, TX Sunset Station Thu, 3/01/07 Oklahoma City, OK Lloyd Noble Center Fri, 3/02/07 St. Louis, MO The Pageant Sat, 3/03/07 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom Sun, 3/04/07 St. Paul, MN Myth Tue, 3/06/07 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom Wed, 3/07/07 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre Thu, 3/08/07 Denver, CO The Fillmore Auditorium Fri, 3/09/07 Salt Lake City, UT Salt Air Sat, 3/10/07 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues Sun, 3/11/07 San Bernadino, CA Orange Pavilion Tue, 3/13/07 Irvine, CA UCI Bren Events Center Wed, 3/14/07 San Francisco, CA The Concourse Thu, 3/15/07 San Luis Obispo, CA SLO University Rec Center Fri, 3/16/07 Reno, NV Grand Sierra (formerly Hilton) Sat, 3/17/07 Boise, ID Taco Bell Arena Tue, 3/20/07 Edmonton, AB Northlands Agricom Arena Wed, 3/21/07 Calgary, AB Stampede Corral Thu, 3/22/07 Saskatoon, SK Prairieland Park Fri, 3/23/07 Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theater Sun, 3/25/07 Thunder Bay, ON Community Auditorium Tue, 3/27/07 Ottawa, ON Congress Centre Wed, 3/28/07 London, ON Centennial Hall Thu, 3/29/07 Toronto, ON Arrow Hall Fri, 3/30/07 Montreal, QC Theatre Olympia Sun, 4/01/07 Albany, NY Armory *more dates to comewww.takingbacksunday.com
Comments
You probably will never hear of Arunas Matelis or his film, Before Flying Back to Earth, but they are in the Oscar race for Best Foreign Film of the year! Unfortunately, the chances are slim that it will win, or even get one of the final nominations, for this film has no resources to promote it. I am writing you personally to urge you to give it any support that you can for it is a worthy film deserving of your attention.
Before Flying Back to Earth chronicles the hopes and resilience of children with leukemia in Lithuania. It is based on the observations of its Director, Arunas Matelis’ five year-old daughter who has leukemia. Her struggles with leukemia, which is a cancer of the blood, and afflicts thousands of children per year, in fact, parallels his to gain recognition for this film, and win an Oscar against undeniably improbable odds!
I provide charity services in the same children’s hospital in Lithuania where it was filmed. This film’s nomination would do much to spotlight cancer, which is the 2nd most common cause of death in young children.
Arunas Matelis, the director, is just happy that his film is even being considered for such an honor as an Academy Award. To win a nomination for for him would be a miracle, but for Arunas much less important than having his young actors recover from their illnesses!
I thank you for your consideration for this film! Dr. Ed Domanskis
Arunas Matelis is a Lithuanian Director who has won numerous awards for his Film, Before Flying Back to Earth, and can be contacted through the film’s website, BeforeFlyingBacktoEarth.com or directly at forest@nominum.lt. He is available for interviews and will be presenting his film at the upcoming Palm Springs Film Festival January 6th and 8th and in Los Angeles January 14. He will be at the Marquis Suites from January 4 until the 9th.
Dr. Edward Jonas Domanskis is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
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Posted by: E.Domanskis | January 2, 2007 11:49 AM