Studio Quality Music and Artist Promotion

"WALL-E" AND "THUNDER" TOP DVD CHARTS
[Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 11/28/08]
A small, waste-collecting robot has captured the hearts of DVD consumers, much as it did in theaters earlier this year. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment's "WALL-E" was the top seller and No. 2 renter on the home entertainment charts, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and scoring a strong second-place finish on Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ended November 23, 2008. "WALL-E" also was the week's No. 1 Blu-ray Disc seller. Fellow new release "Tropic Thunder," from Paramount, debuted at No. 2 on the overall home video sales chart and the Blu-ray sales chart. But in rental stores the comedy, which earned $110.5 million at the domestic box office, saw the most action during the week, bowing at No. 1 on Home Media Magazine's rental chart. "WALL-E" finished not far behind, with 83.2 percent as much rental activity, a strong showing for an animated family title geared toward the sell-through market. A third theatrical film making its DVD debut, Warner Home Video's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," bowed at No. 5 on the sales chart and No. 6 on the rental chart. The previous week's top seller, Paramount/DreamWorks' "Kung Fu Panda," slipped to No. 3 on the overall home video sales chart, and the previous week's top renter, Universal Studios' "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," fell to No. 4 with a 37 percent drop in rental demand.

DVR USAGE MAKING BIG CHANGES IN TV VIEWING
[AP, 11/24/08]
DVRs make it harder for new shows like NBC's just-canceled "My Own Worst Enemy" to get established. Given the choice of trying something new or watching a recorded version of a favorite show, the DVR usually wins out. "I call the DVR our frien-emy," said Alan Wurtzel, NBC's chief research executive. Time-shifting has played a prominent part in the decline of the 10 p.m. time slot, where a powerhouse like NBC's "ER" ruled television not too long ago. Only three of Nielsen's top 20 prime-time shows a week ago started at that hour, all of them on CBS.

MAFIA DISTRIBUTES PIRATED "GOMORRAH" DVDs
[CBC, 11/24/08]
Bootlegged DVDs of the Italian mob film Gomorrah are being circulated by the notorious Camorra crime syndicate, which has threatened the author of the book on which the movie is based. Directed by Matteo Garrone, "Gomorrah" DVDs are already on the streets in Naples, three weeks ahead of the movie's official DVD release in Italy. Poor-quality copies of the film are selling for the equivalent of $9.50 in shops in the southern Italian city. Despite its objections to the flick, for the Camorra Mafia it appears to be business as usual, with the crime syndicate likely profiting from a highly anticipated DVD release. The film, based on a book by Roberto Saviano, exposes the ruthless activities of the Camorra, as the Neapolitan Mafia is known. Saviano has been under 24-hour police protection since the book came out in 2006. It has become a massive bestseller in Italy and been translated into 42 languages. The 28-year-old writer told the daily La Repubblica in October that he's planning to flee the country after reports surfaced that the Camorra has stepped up its plans to assassinate him by Christmas. "I want a life. I want a home. I want to fall in love. I want to [be able to] drink a beer in public, go to a bookshop and choose a book after browsing the back cover," said Saviano, who hails from Naples. "I want to go for a walk, enjoy the sun, walk in the rain and see my mother without fear — and without frightening her." "Gomorrah" is Italy's entry in the foreign film category of the Oscars.

WARNER PULLS KOREAN DVD SALES ORGANIZATION
[Reuters, 11/12/08]
Warner Bros, facing rampant online piracy, will close its DVD marketingand distribution operation in South Korea and hand over that business to a local licensee, the company said on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. The division of Time Warner Inc said in a statement it will make the transition in the coming weeks. Warner Bros announced in September that it would become the first Hollywood studio to release movies in South Korea through video-on-demand, two weeks before their release on DVD. The company said its commitment to the South Korean market remains strong. But its decision to shift business to a licensee signals the challenges with piracy that Hollywood studios face in a country where more than 94 percent of households have broadband connections.

"HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY" COLLECTOR SET
[Aceshowbiz, 11/10/08]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment will make available a special collector's set of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Offering more, the special set bids 3-disc DVD, excerpts from the journal of director Guillermo del Toro, a poster and limited edition golden army statue with its certificate of authenticity. Coming out at the same time the DVD and Blu-ray version of the action fantasy movie hit the shelves, the particular set also offers lots of bonus features from a two-and-a-half hour long documentary on the making of the action adventure movie to set visit featurettes. Meanwhile, some of the bonus features the DVD has to offer have been making their way out. In addition to the six previously released videos, two more have been found. The second "Hellboy" movie, "The Golden Army" follows the red-skinned superhero and his BPRD team as they travel between the human world and the realm of magical creatures to stop an evil elf prince from destroying human using the unstoppable and merciless army. Debuted on July 11 in the North America, the movie starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones.

JOKE OF THE DAY: An 85-year-old man went to his doctors office to get a sperm count. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow. The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctors office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day. The doctor asked what happened and the man explained: Well, doc, its like this - First I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, and still nothing. We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit and she even tried squeezin' it between her knees, but still nothing. The doctor was shocked! You asked your neighbor? The old man replied, Yep! And no matter what we tried, we still couldn't get the jar open. [Source: YardFlex.com]

GAMES 'TO OUTSELL' MUSIC AND VIDEO
[BBC, 11/9/08]
UK sales of games will outstrip music and video for the first time in 2008, says a report from Verdict Research. A huge shift in consumer attitudes has turned video games into the UK's most popular form of entertainment, say the retail analysts. It predicts spending on games will rise by 42% to £4.64 Billion in 2008, with sales on music and video at £4.46 Billion. In the last five years the video games market has more than doubled in value, while music sales have stagnated. The good news for game makers in the report was balanced by grim tidings for high street retailers. "The music and video market is not just suffering from a slowing of growth but a massive transfer of spend to online," says Malcolm Pinkerton of Verdict Research. It is online sales of CDs and DVDs that have grown rapidly, rather than digital downloads, which still only account for around 4% of music and video sales. In contrast, video games spending has enjoyed explosive growth, with the launch of major new titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV and FIFA 08, and the Nintendo Wii continuing to broaden the appeal of games. But retailers warn that the Verdict report may not provide a completely accurate picture. "There is no doubt that the games sector is having a fantastic year," says Steve Redmond of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), "but these figures overstate that by including games hardware." The ERA's most recent figures for 2007 show sales of games software at £1.7 Billion, compared to £1.4 Billion in music sales and £2.2 Billion for video revenues. "Our prediction is that games will overtake video by the end of this year," says Mr Redmond, "but not music and video combined." High street music retailers are diversifying as sales of CDs continue to fall. Malcolm Pinkerton of Verdict says firms such as HMV and Zavvi are changing store layouts: "They're cutting back on space in music and re-allocating it to more lucrative areas such as MP3 players, books, clothing and video games."

NEW DVD RELEASES
[AP, 10/31/08]
Selected home-video releases: "Get Smart": Steve Carell steps into Maxwell Smart's shoe-phone and Anne Hathaway takes over as Agent 99 in the hit update of the 1960s TV spy comedy. Inheriting the roles created by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, Carell and Hathaway do an origins story for the duo as Max, a desk-jockey analyst for the spy outfit "Control", gets his shot at field operations and is paired with skeptical 99, a star agent who doubts her new partner's abilities. Single-disc DVD and two-disc DVD versions and the Blu-ray release have alternate scenes. Other extras on the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions include a handful of behind-the-scenes segments and a digital copy of the movie. Single-disc DVD, $28.98; two-disc DVD set, $34.99; Blu-ray, $35.99. (Warner Bros.)
"A Christmas Story": The studio puts new wrapping on one of Hollywood's best holiday flicks, an adaptation of Jean Shepherd's hilarious tale of a 1940s family Christmas featuring a lovably blustery dad (Darren McGavin), a doting mom (Melinda Dillon) and a boy (Peter Billingsley) who is desperate to find a Red Ryder air rifle waiting for him under the tree on the big morning. Marking its 25th anniversary, the movie is repackaged in a collector's edition tin case that comes with Christmas cookie cutters shaped after key objects in the film, along with a chef's apron and a book of recipes inspired by the flick. The Blu-ray collector's edition comes with a string of Christmas lights in the shape of the gaudy leg lamp McGavin's character wins as a prize. The film also comes in a separate release with just the Blu-ray disc. DVD collector's edition, $39.99; Blu-ray release, $28.99; Blu-ray collector's edition, $49.99. (Warner Bros.)
"The Gregory Peck Film Collection": Six Peck classics are gathered in a boxed set, led by previously available DVD releases of "To Kill a Mockingbird," with Peck as a compassionate widower raising two children while defending a black man accused of raping a white woman, and "Cape Fear," in which he's a lawyer terrorized by a psychotic criminal (Robert Mitchum). Making their DVD debuts in the seven-disc package are the Middle Eastern mystery "Arabesque," the thriller "Mirage," the wartime tale "Captain Newman, M.D." and the seafaring saga "The World in His Arms." DVD set, $59.98. (Universal)
"Planet of the Apes": Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans become lords of the primates again as the franchise marks its 40th anniversary with a Blu-ray boxed set packing all five movies released from 1968-73. The five-disc set is led by the original tale, "Planet of the Apes," starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut stranded on a strange world where humans are mute animals ruled by talking simians. The set also packs "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," "Escape From the Planet of the Apes," "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" and "Battle for the Planet of the Apes." Many of the extras were previously available on DVD releases, but the Blu-ray set packs new segments featuring scientists discussing the possibilities of apes turning the tables on humanity and tracing how the story evolved from Pierre Boulle's novel to the screen. Blu-ray set, $159.98. (20th Century Fox)
TV on DVD: "Shrek the Halls" — The not-too-jolly green ogre muddles through his first family Christmas with this special that first aired last year, featuring "Shrek" voice stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas. The DVD includes holiday singalongs with cartoon creatures from "Madagascar" and its upcoming sequel. DVD, $19.99. (Paramount)
"Spin City: The Complete First Season" — "Family Ties" star Michael J. Fox returned to TV comedy with this series that debuted in 1996, playing top aide to a New York City mayor who's a political handful. A four-disc set packs the first 24 episodes, plus interviews with Fox and his collaborators and commentary. DVD set, $39.99. (Shout)
"Futurama: Bender's Game" — The animated idiots of the 31st century return in the third feature-length tale that follows their weekly series. This time, the delivery crew of the future face an energy crisis and steer their spaceship to the heart of the galaxy's prime fuel source. Series creator Matt Groening and some of the voice cast offer commentary. DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)

HOLLYWOOD FEELING THE PINCH AMID ECONOMIC WORRIES
[AP, 10/26/08]
When Paul Hodges lost his job as a newspaper librarian this summer, he cut back on junk food, canceled his Netflix subscription, went back to his old DVDs and tried to stop buying new ones. "I had to scale back like everyone," said Hodges, a 35-year-old homeowner in Coral Springs, Fla. "It forced me to prioritize things." In past downturns, Hollywood earned a reputation for being "recession-proof" as U.S. consumers' movie spending kept growing steadily. This time, the industry is coming off three years of nearly flat spending, and there are cracks in its armour: Home video sales slipped this month as consumer confidence fell again amid rising unemployment and a crashing stock market. But studios — which profit more from distributing a movie on DVD than they do from its theatrical release — are faring better than other companies dependent on discretionary spending. And many Hollywood executives remain optimistic. "The bottom hasn't fallen out of it," said Steve Feldstein, a vice president at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, owned by News Corp. "Historically, home entertainment has withstood economic downturns. Most folks would rather watch a movie than watch the stock market." In fact, Fox plans a massive marketing push before "Horton Hears a Who!" is released on DVD Dec. 9, 2008, including a balloon in New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The brightest ray of hope appears to be Blu. Blu-ray disc sales are up 320 percent in September to 1.05 million units in the U.S., as the equipment gets into more homes, according to Redhill Group Inc. And there's something about superhero movies that brings out the best in consumers. Hodges busted his spending restraints to see "The Dark Knight," and after finding a new job at Strayer University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., last month, he turned his Netflix account back on. He even bought "Iron Man" on DVD. "A recession is a recession, but you still have to be a human being," he said. "You can't turn into a monk and just sit in a room with a chair."

U.S. JUDGE HALTS SALES OF REALNETWORKS DVD SOFTWARE
[Reuters, 10/10/08]
A U.S. federal judge temporarily halted sales of RealNetworks Inc's RealDVD software, which allows users to copy DVDs, after Hollywood studios sued the company over copyright issues, court documents showed. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the Northern District of California on Tuesday, October 7 extended a temporary restraining order issued last week after the company and studios went to court. The judge plans to schedule a hearing on whether to turn the order into a more permanent ban. RealDVD, a software product from RealNetworks subsidiary RealNetworks Home Entertainment Inc, allows users to create a copy of a DVD for their computer's internal or portable hard drive. The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents Hollywood's major film and TV studios, says the software illegally bypasses copy-protection measures intended to prevent duplication of DVDs. "We are confident that the Court will determine that RealDVD complies with the DVD CCA (DVD Copy Control Association) license agreement, and that it is not in violation of any copyright laws," RealNetworks said on its website. The Motion Picture Association of America could not be immediately reached for comment.

"KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL" RELEASE ON DVD
[AP, 10/10/08]
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull": The summer blockbuster reunites Harrison Ford's Indy with the love of his life, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, reprising her "Raiders of the Lost Ark" role), and introduces Shia LaBeouf as the couple's love child, who tags along on a quest involving aliens from another dimension. Extras include extensive behind-the-scenes material on visual effects, stunts, makeup and the far-flung locations where the movie was shot. The two-disc DVD set also comes in a "Complete Adventure Collection" that includes previously available single-disc releases of the first three Indy flicks. Two-disc DVD set, $39.99; two-disc Blu-ray set, $39.99; "Complete Adventure" DVD set, $99.98. (Paramount)

NEW DVD RELEASES
[AP, 10/10/08]
Selected home-video releases: "Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection": Eight of the suspense master's tales are gathered in a boxed set, led by Hitchcock's best-picture Academy Award winner "Rebecca," starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, the Ingrid Bergman classics "Spellbound," co-starring Gregory Peck, and "Notorious," with Cary Grant. Also included are "Lifeboat," featuring Tallulah Bankhead; "The Paradine Case," with Peck; "Sabotage," adapted from Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Agent"; and the murder mysteries "The Lodger" and "Young and Innocent." The eight-disc package comes with a 32-page booklet with background on Hitchcock, while each film has commentary from cinema historians and a mix of featurettes and vintage interviews with the director. Some of the movies also are accompanied by radio dramatizations that aired in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, and the set features an American Film Institute tribute to Hitchcock. "Rebecca," "Spellbound" and "Notorious" also are available separately. DVD set, $119.98; "Rebecca," "Spellbound," "Notorious" DVDs, $19.98 each. (20th Century Fox)
TV on DVD: "That '70s Show: The Complete Series Stash Box" — Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher and their pals from the decade of disco and bell-bottoms return with this massive set packing all 200 episodes of the comedy series. The 32-disc set has dozens of background segments, along with commentary and a booklet with cast interviews, photos and a copy of the series finale script. DVD set, $199.98. (20th Century Fox)
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — The Eighth Season" — William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger lead the Vegas team in the flagship series of the forensics franchise. Season eight's 17 episodes come in a five-disc set. DVD set, $84.98. (Paramount)
"The Unit: Season 3" — Dennis Haysbert stars as the leader of a U.S. military strike force carrying out top-secret missions. The three-disc set has the third year's 11 episodes, most accompanied by cast and crew commentary. The package also has deleted scenes and a handful of featurettes. DVD set, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)
"Nash Bridges: The First Season" — Don Johnson and Cheech Marin are San Francisco cops in the crime series that debuted in 1996. A two-disc set has the first eight episodes, plus commentary and interviews with Johnson and Marin. DVD set, $42.99. (Paramount)
"The Partridge Family: The Complete Third Season" — Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey and the family that sings together return with a three-disc set packing all 25 episodes from year three. DVD set, $29.95. (Sony)
"The Universe: The Complete Season Two" — The science series explores space travel, supernovas, black holes, the possibility of alien life and other cosmic matters. The second season's 18 episodes are included in a five-disc set. DVD set, $44.95. (A&E)
Other new releases: "War, Inc." — John Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, Hilary Duff and Marisa Tomei star in a satire about the business of war that centers on a U.S. operative who goes undercover in a corporate overseas job to carry out the assassination of a foreign oil minister. DVD, $28.98; Blu-ray, $34.98. (First Look)
"Chaplin" — Robert Downey Jr. stars as comedy legend Charles Chaplin in Richard Attenborough's film biography, which gets a DVD makeover in a 15th-anniversary edition that includes two featurettes and a home movie on Chaplin. Attenborough also contributes fresh recollections about the film. DVD, $19.98. (Lionsgate)

9/11 DOCUMENTARY TARGETS DISNEY, CLINTON
[Reuters, 10/9/08]
If Cyrus Nowrasteh wants to work for Disney again, he's got a funny way of showing it. Nowrasteh wrote the ABC miniseries "The Path to 9/11," but in a new documentary he scolds the network and its parent company for allowing powerful politicians to effectively censor the show. And therein lies a main premise of "Blocking the Path to 9/11," the straight-to-DVD movie that hits Blockbuster, Best Buy, Netflix and Amazon.com on Tuesday, October14, and is also available for $19.95 from the movie's Web site www.blockingthepath.com: Why is a documentary about a popular ABC miniseries hitting store shelves while the miniseries itself is unavailable on DVD? The documentary makes the case that Disney CEO Bob Iger bowed to pressure from President Clinton and the Democratic Party not only to alter parts of the miniseries before it aired in 2006 but also to make sure the DVD never sees the light of day. It also suggests that Disney isn't interested in selling the rights to "Path to 9/11" to another company -- perhaps Lionsgate -- that would release it on DVD. Iger, in fact, took heat from a shareholder at its annual meeting in March for not attempting to recoup some of the $40 million Disney spent to make the miniseries, which aired without commercials. Nowrasteh said that 25 million people watched "Path to 9/11" over two nights, and the controversy it engendered over scenes that Disney cut would practically guarantee its success on DVD. The documentary was bankrolled by Citizens United, a conservative nonprofit group run by David Bossie, a former chief investigator into Clinton's alleged involvement in the Whitewater scandal. Bossie called the documentary "a remarkable tale of pressure from the Clinton attack machine." Disney declined comment for this report, but Nowrasteh says in the documentary that president of Disney-ABC Television Group Anne Sweeney told him, "There is nothing that Disney or ABC has ever done that is better" than "Path to 9/11." Nowrasteh also said ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson thought the miniseries so good that he wanted to show it annually. The documentary stars its writer-director, John Ziegler, a former talk-radio host at KFI-AM Los Angeles. Ziegler said many top Disney executives -- more than were portrayed in the documentary -- were upset that Disney caved to political pressure.

FILM STUDIOS, REALNETWORKS BATTLE OVER DVD COPYING
[Reuters, 10/1/08]
Technology company RealNetworks and major film studios on Tuesday, September 30 squared off in a legal battle over a new product allowing consumers to make computer copies of DVDs that the studios claim is illegal. RealDVD, a software product from RealNetworks subsidiary RealNetworks Home Entertainment Inc, allows users to create a copy of a DVD for their computer's internal or portable hard drive. RealNetworks said RealDVD gives consumers the ability to do with movie or TV show DVDs what they already do with music CDs, and RealDVD eliminates the hassle of searching for a missing DVD or dealing with a scratched and unplayable disc. The company also said its product allows customers to view DVDs while traveling with a computer. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents Hollywood's major film and TV studios, disagreed and its member companies sued RealNetworks seeking a temporary restraining order to stop it from selling RealDVD software. "RealNetworks knows its product violates the law and undermines the hard-won trust that has been growing between America's movie makers and the technology community," he said. But the company argues RealDVD has built-in encryption to prevent saved copies of DVDs from being shared or stolen. The Seattle, Washington-based company said it planned to file its own lawsuit on Tuesday seeking a declaratory judgment against DVD Copy Control Association Inc, Disney Enterprises Inc, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp, NBC Universal Inc, Warner Bros Entertainment Inc and Viacom Inc, in U.S. District Court in northern California." RealNetworks seeks a ruling that RealDVD complies with its DVD Copy Control Association's license agreement. The MPAA's suit accuses RealNetworks of violating the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act by circumventing the copyright protection technology built into DVDs. The MPAA contends the law supersedes fair-use protections that RealNetworks said apply to its RealDVD. Disney Enterprises is part of The Walt Disney Co, Twentieth Century Fox is owned by News Corp, NBC Universal is run by General Electric Co, and Warner Bros Entertainment Inc is part of Time Warner Inc.

"BABY MAMA" WINS DVD RACE BY NARROW BERTH
[Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, 9/18/08]
The Tina Fey comedy "Baby Mama" topped the national home video sales and rental charts in its first week in stores, according to data issued Wednesday, September 17. The action film "The Forbidden Kingdom" came in a close second on both charts, and debuted at No. 1 on the Blu-ray Disc sales chart. Both films performed similarly at the box office, with a slight edge going to "Baby Mama" at $60.3 million compared with $52 million for "Kingdom." The two films were among five new releases snagging the top five spots on the Nielsen VideoScan sales chart for the week ending September 14. The direct-to-video "Barbie and the Diamond Castle," debuted at No. 3. A pair of TV season sets -- the fourth season of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and the seventh-season set of the CW's "Smallville" -- bowed at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. The previous week's top seller, Season 4 of NBC's "The Office," slipped to No. 6. On Home Media Magazine's video rental chart, "Baby Mama" and "Kingdom" pushed the previous week's top renter, "What Happens in Vegas," to No. 3. On the Blu-ray Disc chart, "Kingdom" bumped the incumbent champ "Transformers," to No. 2, but sales demand remained strong for the film, which was initially released a year ago on DVD and HD DVD only. In its second week, "Transformers" still managed to sell 80% as many copies as "Kingdom."

"KUNG FU PANDA" SEQUEL COMING OUT ON DVD
[Aceshowbiz, 9/15/08]
"Kung Fu Panda" DVD edition will be getting a direct-to-video companion film when it is available in stores. Making the announcement are Paramount Home Entertainment which points out further that the film will be entitled "Secrets of the Furious Five" and will be bundled with the original film as part of a "Pandamonium Double Pack". Though its slug-line "The Kung Fu Panda story continues" may lead to the speculation that it is a sequel, The Hollywood Reporter explains that the storyline will be dealing with the back stories of the characters from the original film. Additionally, it is unclear whether this is the same film as the earlier reported sequel planned by DreamWorks. Still, Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman will lend their voice once again. The release of "Furious Five" with "Panda" on Sunday, November 9 will mark the first time a new release arrives in stores on Sunday instead of its usual Tuesday outing. Furthermore, since it is being released on the same day "Panda" home video hits the shelves, it signified the first time a direct-to-video sequel to major theatrical hit film gets the same release date as the original. Released in theaters on June 6, "Panda" opened atop the North American box office with $60.2 million during its weekend screening and has since collected $611.6 million worldwide. Voiced also by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Seth Rogen, it tells the story of Po, a clumsy and fat panda aspiring to be a Kung Fu master one day.

DVD AND BLU-RAY VIDEOS OF "IRON MAN"
[Aceshowbiz, 9/10/08]
Paramount Home Entertainment have presented three brand new clips from the "Iron Man" upcoming DVD. The clips reveal how the filmmakers of the hit superhero flick worked on bringing the man in iron suit armor into life from the evolving design of the hero's costume and how to make him fly to the molding of the suit's prototype using Robert Downey Jr.'s chest as the guideline. The DVD and Blu-ray versions of "Iron Man" will be hitting the shelves on September 30, 2008. They will be outed in the type of a single-disc edition, two-disc special edition and Blu-Ray edition. From them, fans can get the feature film as well as deleted/extended scenes. Furthermore, disc two will contain more features from "I Am Iron Man" to "Friends and Foes" and from "Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man" to "Image Galleries". Additionally, at a special screening of "Iron Man" at the Santa Monica Aero theater, director Jon Favreau and surprise guest Downey Jr. have come out with an interesting tidbit for "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 2". Film Crush reported that the movie has various scenes which hint at both upcoming films, stating that the S.H.I.E.L.D. logos pointed at "Avengers", while reference to the sequel came from the terrorist cell which is one branch of Mandarin's group. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the Jon Favreau-directed action fantasy centers its story on Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and master engineer who builds an iron-suit body armor and becomes the technologically advanced superhero known as Iron Man. Released on May 2, it has since collected as much as $571.5 million worldwide.

New Books & Reviews

Studio Quality Music and Artist Promotion