Twilight News: Twilight Saga: New Moon Debuts "On Demand" March 20

TWIHARDS: At 12:01 a.m. on March 20 Comcast Debuts The Twilight Saga: New Moon On Demand on TV...Hours Before Retail Doors Open


Director’s Commentary Exclusive to Comcast and Other Extras Also Available On Demand

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whether you’re team Edward or team Jacob, get ready for a date with Edward Cullen and Jacob Black…The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second film of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and box office blockbuster, will be available to Comcast On Demand customers and in HD beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 20 – the same day as the DVD release. Exclusive director’s commentary for true Twilighters, which can only be seen on Comcast On Demand, will also be available along with additional content.

“Twilight’s midnight release brought millions of fans together in their homes and became the most viewed movie on Comcast On Demand of 2009”

“Twilight’s midnight release brought millions of fans together in their homes and became the most viewed movie on Comcast On Demand of 2009,” said Derek Harrar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Video and Entertainment Services for Comcast. “Now we’re geared up to do it again with ‘New Moon,’ with exclusive content that can’t be seen anywhere else, except Comcast.”

Beginning March 20 at 12:01 a.m., customers can watch The Twilight Saga: New Moon On Demand with exclusive director’s commentary and a featurette, Life After Twilight, both available at the end of the film. The director’s commentary – not available anywhere else – features approximately 13 minutes of commentary from director Chris Weitz on a number of favorite ‘New Moon’ scenes such as: Bella’s birthday party, Bella’s cliff dive, Bella rescuing Edward in Italy and Bella’s first encounter with the Volturi. Life After Twilight is a cable exclusive that takes a look at how the actors' lives have changed after the phenomenal success of the first movie in the franchise. Also, Comcast customers can watch ‘New Moon’ extras On Demand including Meet the Wolf Pack, Meet the Volturi Coven and an extended ‘New Moon’ trailer beginning March 18. The Twilight Saga: New Moon and additional content will be available On Demand on television (TV) via the On Demand menu under “Movies” > “Movie Collections” > “Twilight: New Moon.” The movie is produced and distributed by Summit Entertainment.

Along with The Twilight Saga: New Moon available the same day as the DVD, a total of 16 theatrical hit movies will be available On Demand in HD the same day as the DVD release this month – the most ever in Comcast On Demand history. Comcast’s same day as DVD releases this month include:

Where The Wild Things Are (3/2)
Precious (3/9)
Pirate Radio (3/11)
Armored (3/16)
Astro Boy (3/16)
Bandslam (3/16)
Did You Hear About The Morgans? (3/16)
Ninja Assassin (3/16)
The Fourth Kind (3/16)
Brothers (3/23)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (3/23)
The Blind Side (3/23)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (3/30)
Sherlock Holmes (3/30)
Under The Sea (3/30)

These movies and others can be found On Demand via the On Demand menu under “Movies” > “All New Movies.”

These blockbuster movies are part of Project Infinity, the company’s commitment to innovation and the delivery of exponentially more quality content, including more movies. Comcast’s signature On Demand video library currently offers more than 17,000 entertainment programs and 3,000 choices in HD available over the course of a month and features everything from movies, music and top TV shows to the most popular kids, sports, lifestyle and local programs. Comcast also offers 19,000 TV shows and movies to its cable customers to watch online for no additional cost.

The company will continue to focus on increasing the number of content choices available to customers through its Xfinity service that Comcast is rolling out in markets across the country this year. With Xfinity, customers can receive new services that include 100+ HD channels, 50 to 70 foreign-language channels, On Demand video choices increasing to 20,000+ and increased broadband speeds of up to 50 -100+ Mbps. This year Xfinity services will also include new cross platform and mobile apps like the ability to program your DVR from the Internet or mobile device, Caller ID to the TV and other interactive television applications.


About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 23.6 million cable customers, 15.9 million high-speed Internet customers, and 7.6 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wachovia Center, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

MiB3 Rumored

So Bloody Disgusting is reporting that Columbia Pictures has "Men in Black 3" in some stage of development.  Sacha Baron Cohen and Josh Brolin's names are attached, but everything depends on a commitment from one of my favorite actors, Will Smith.

War of the Worlds Remake a Powerful SFX Bonanza

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 102 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

War of the Worlds (2005)
OPENING DATE: Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Running time: 117 minutes (1 hours, 57 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: Josh Friedman and David Koepp (based upon the novel by H.G. Wells)
PRODUCERS: Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski, ASC
EDITOR: Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Academy Awards nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER/ADVENTURE with elements of drama

Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Tim Robbins, Justin Chatwin, David Alan Basche, Rick Gonzalez, and Morgan Freeman

Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds is a big, giant, summer action movie that worth’s every dime paid to see it, and if you’re going to see it, you must see it on the big screen to appreciate the affect the action sequences can have on you. War of the Worlds may end up being dismissed by the Spielberg haters, but years from not, it’ll be seen as one of the great disaster movies and exceptional sci-fi films.

Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a bad father, but he’s about to find out just how much his children, teenager-with-attitude Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and his young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning), mean to him. Not long after his ex-wife, MaryAnn (Miranda Otto), and her husband, Tim (David Alan Basche), drop the children off for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down. Not long after the drop off, Ray witnesses something that will change his life and the world forever – a towering three-legged war machine emerges from deep beneath the earth, and almost immediately begins to incinerate everything in sight. Thus, a cataclysmic alien attack on earth begins, and no matter where Ray and his children run on their long journey across a ravaged countryside, they cannot find safety or refuge from the extraterrestrial army of Tripods.

War of the Worlds is certainly a Steven Spielberg film, and like all Spielberg directed action/adventure/thrillers this one delivers the goods. It’s a monumentally breathtaking, heart-pumping, heart-racing, and fear-inducing, gargantuan thrill machine. The film looks good thanks in large part to the usual Spielberg cohorts, such as cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and editor Michael Kahn. Technically brilliant, War of the Worlds is full of the Spielberg magic that can keep you on the edge of your set for about two hours or so. The effects for the alien craft and the destruction they wreak are bloody brilliant and eye-popping, even as mind-bending as something like The Matrix; the destruction is enough to make you run from your seat in the theatre because it seems as if these alien behemoths will walk right off the screen and into your lap.

Tom Cruise gives a fine performance, enough to not only give this effects-heavy (over 500 SFX shots) film some humanity, but to sell the idea that this version of War of the Worlds is about a family surviving disaster that is on an apocalyptic level. This is one time the fine young actress Dakota Fanning does not steal the show because Cruise’s performance reveals that at the core of this fabulous summer, atomic fury, joy bomb is the story of man trying to save the family he neglected. Spielberg’s combination of earthly family values and extraterrestrial fury and the heart stopping and the heartwarming is a winning combination.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Achievement in Sound Editing” (Richard King), “Best Achievement in Sound Mixing” (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, and Ron Judkins), and “Best Achievement in Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Pablo Helman, Randy Dutra, and Daniel Sudick)

Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds Arriving on Blu-ray

TOM CRUISE STARS IN A THRILLING RENDITION OF THE CLASSIC H.G. WELLS TALE DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG

ARRIVING ON BLU-RAY FOR THE FIRST TIME, WAR OF THE WORLDS

Visually-Stunning and Action-Packed Sci-Fi Thriller Debuts on Blu-ray June 1, 2010 Featuring Over Two Hours of Special Features

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. – When the Earth is suddenly invaded by menacing aliens in giant fighting machines, one family struggles for survival in the eye-popping adventure WAR OF THE WORLDS, directed by Steven Spielberg and landing on Blu-ray for the first time ever June 1, 2010 from Paramount Home Entertainment. A DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures co-production, WAR OF THE WORLDS stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a father who is desperately trying to protect his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and 10-year-old daughter (Dakota Fanning) from the relentless alien onslaught that is destroying everything in its path. Fueled by the desire to reunite the children with their mother, Ray battles to shepherd his family from New Jersey to Boston, all the while fending off the mysterious and deadly aliens.

Filled with stunning visual effects and non-stop action, the WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray features the finest picture and sound quality to further enhance this sci-fi classic. The Blu-ray also features over two hours of bonus material including in-depth production diaries following the crew from the east coast to the west coast, featurettes on H. G. Wells’ legacy, scoring the film, the characters and previsualization, multiple photo galleries and more.


WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray
The WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital along with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. Special features are presented in standard definition except where noted HD:

· Revisiting the Invasion
· The H.G. Wells Legacy
· Steven Spielberg and the Original War of the Worlds
· Characters: The Family Unit
· Previsualization
· Production Diaries
o East Coast—Beginning
o East Coast—Exile
o West Coast—Destruction
o West Coast—War
· Designing the Enemy: Tripods and Aliens
· Scoring War Of The Worlds
· We Are Not Alone
· Galleries
o Sketches by Costume Designer Joanna Johnston
o Production Stills
o Behind the Scenes
o Production Sketches
· Theatrical Teaser Trailer (HD)


About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.


WAR OF THE WORLDS Blu-ray
Street date: June 1, 2010
Pricing: $39.99 U.S.
Runtime: 117 minutes
U.S. Rating: PG-13 for frightening sequences of sci-fi violence and disturbing images
Canadian Rating: 14A

Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson Rock "Twilight"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Twilight (2008)
Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality
DIRECTOR: Catherine Hardwicke
WRITER: Melissa Rosenberg (based upon the novel by Stephenie Meyer)
PRODUCERS: Wyck Godfrey, Greg Mooradian, Mark Morgan, and Karen Rosenfelt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Elliot Davis
EDITOR: Nancy Richardson

DRAMA/ROMANCE/HORROR

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Gigandet, Ashley Greene, Christian Serratos, Anna Kendrick, Nikki Reed, Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, Jack Rathbone, Michael Welch, Gil Birmingham, Justin Chon, José Zuniga, and Edi Gathegi

The 2008 box office smash, Twilight, is based on the 2005 novel of the same name written by author Stephenie Meyer (The Host). Twilight is the story of an outsider girl who falls for a chivalrous vampire.

Isabella (prefers “Bella”) Swan has always been a little bit different and has never cared about fitting in with the trendy girls. When her mother and her new husband move to sunny Florida, Bella returns to the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Police Chief Charlie Swan (Billy Burke). Surprisingly, Bella does make a few friends at the local high school, but she finds life dull. Then, Bella spots the school’s strangest students, the Cullens, but she is most captivated by the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a boy unlike any she’s ever met.

After he saves her life, Edward is forced to reveal to Bella that he is a vampire, but he doesn’t have fangs. His family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. The intelligent, sly, and witty, Edward sees straight into Bella’s soul. Her mere presence drives him crazy, and their passionate romance is as thrilling as it is unorthodox. They’re soul mates. However, the arrival of a small pack of vicious vampires threatens the peacefulness of Forks, the Cullens’ way of life, and Bella and Edward’s happiness.

I think the secret of Twilight’s success as a film adaptation of a (wildly) popular book is that it captures the essence of The Twilight Saga (which is composed of four books – for those not in the know). Twilight may have vampires, but it is unequivocally a romance. The birth of Bella and Edwards’ love and its continual growth is so powerful that it permeates Twilight and spills over into the readers’ imaginations. These are captivating characters. Bella is an independent girl, who keeps her own counsel. Edward is chivalrous and is something of a Byronic hero.

The success of Twilight as a movie, separate from the Twilight Saga, depended on how the film depicted the intense romance of Bella and Edward. First, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg did a fantastic job adapting Twilight for the screen. Rosenberg is near-perfect at trimming the novel, creating new scenes that are true to the original text, and keeping pretty much everything from the novel that really encapsulates this story. Director Catherine Hardwicke has this deft touch at getting to the heart of what makes this story work, and she is especially good at capturing the magic of Bella and Edward as a couple. The best example of Rosenberg and Hardwicke’s storytelling is a magical sequence in which Edward puts Bella on his back and takes her on a journey through the lush forests surrounding Forks via the tree tops.

However, the biggest reasons for Twilight’s success are actors Kristen Stewart as Bella and Robert Pattinson as Edward. Stewart, who seems to have the makings of an exceptional actress, embodies the moodiness and independent streak of Bella that define the character. Kristen makes Bella seem like a real person even in the midst of Twilight’s fantastic scenario. Pattinson is simply a beautiful man, and he channels his acting through a passion for his craft; maybe, that’s why Edwards is so fierce and intense. Here, Pattinson is pitch perfect at playing the sly, tormented bad boy.

Stewart and Pattinson are so good that they are this movie. Simply put, Twilight is a winner.
8 of 10
A

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Will Mo'Nique Cash In?

Fiancial news journalist Lynnette Khalfani-Cox penned this article for AOL Black Voices Money about the financial benefits actress Mo'Nique stands to reap in the wake of her best supporting actress Oscar Sunday night.

In recent years, actors have earned high-paying gigs following both Oscar wins and nominations.  I don't know if actresses benefit as much as actors do.  And winning an Oscar has not always meant better roles - F. Murray Abraham, anyone?

"The Drawn Together Movie" to be Screened at Anaheim Comic Con

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT'S GAREB SHAMUS ANNOUNCES THE COMEDY CENTRAL® SCREENING OF "THE DRAWN TOGETHER MOVIE: THE MOVIE!" ONLY AT ANAHEIM COMIC CON

"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" Screening At Anaheim Comic Con On Saturday, April 17

From 7:00-8:00 P.M. PT With Creators, Writers And Executive Producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser

NEW YORK, NY (March 3, 2010) -- From the warped minds of creators, writers and executive producers Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, comes the most reprehensible and most guilty-pleasure movie of all time…"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" The first animated film based on the Drawn Together series will be released by COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment, to be screened for the fans on Saturday, April 17 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT at Anaheim Comic Con.

THE DRAWN TOGETHER MOVIE: THE MOVIE!, will be available on DVD on Tuesday, April 20th from Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment.


"My family and I grew up with one of the co-creators, Dave Jeser, and have known him and his family since I was a teenager," said Shamus, chairman and CEO, Wizard Entertainment. "Having Dave and Matt at our inaugural Anaheim Comic Con will be a treat both personally and professionally!"

"The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" is bigger, badder and uncensored and certainly lives up to its tainted heritage and provides the audience with a not-so-healthy heaping of what everyone has come to know and secretly love from the show. Namely, copious amounts of drunken-revelry, taboo-busting and cartoon-on-cartoon violence.

The "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" screening will be held at Anaheim Comic Con on Saturday, April 17 from 7:00-X p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center, immediately following the closing of the show floor. Join creators Silverstein and Jeser as they discuss their new film and host a Q&A with fans.

Immediately following Anaheim Comic Con, on Tuesday, April 20, "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" DVD will be released nationwide by COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. The over one hour of bonus features include the following: “Anatomy of An Animated Sex Scene,” an in-depth investigation into the genesis of the soon-to-be infamous 3-D sex scene; “Re-Animating Drawn Together: From the Small Screen to The Slightly Bigger Screen,” a technical piece focusing on the production/animation end of the project; “Drawn Together: The Legacy,” a faux-serious reflection on the show’s impact and lasting cultural relevance; “Drawn Together: True Confessionals,” the actors and co-creators discuss their favorite memories from the show; “Drawn Together Minisodes,” a fond remembrance of all the loveable characters from the series hosted by the Jew Producer; “D.I.Y 3-D Glasses,” step-by-step instructions on how to create your own 3-D glasses; and deleted scenes.

In addition, "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" will be available on Tuesday, April 20 on download-to-own platforms in HD and SD including iTunes, Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Zune, Sony PlayStation Store, and Amazon Video on Demand.

Anaheim Comic Con runs from April 16-18, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center. It is a major regional pop culture convention bringing fans the latest information on Hollywood, comics, toys, collectibles and connecting attendees with celebrity guests, artists and industry professionals.

Tickets for Anaheim Comic Con are on sale now at www.wizardworld.ticketleap.com/anaheim or at 866-882-5860.

For more updates become a fan of Anaheim Comic Con on Facebook and follow us on twitter @wizardworld .


About Drawn Together:
"Drawn Together" premiered on the network in October 2004 and aired for three seasons and 36 episodes. The series presented a world where cartoon characters from various genres of animation were brought together to live under one roof. The characters left their animated "reality" and entered a new world where their cartoon universes collide with a bang, combining different styles of animation and different personalities, all "drawn together." This was COMEDY CENTRAL's first original animated series that was drawn traditionally and in 2-D digital ink and paint animation. The eight stars/housemates represent iconic archetypes from the world of animation and include: "Captain Hero," a not-so-moral do-gooder reminiscent of the Saturday morning TV super heroes of the 70's; "Clara," a 20-year-old sweet and naive fairy-tale princess; "Toot Braunstein," a black-and-white pudgy heart throb from the 20's; "Foxxy Love," a sexy mystery-solving musician; "Spanky Ham," a foul-mouthed Internet download pig; "Ling-Ling," an adorable Asian trading card mini-monster; "Wooldoor Sockbat," a wacky Saturday morning whatchamacallit; and "Xandir," a strong young gay video game warrior. "The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!" stars the incorrigible cast of the most hilarious animated reality show ever to air on basic cable. When the mystery-solving musician, Foxxy, notices she and her fellow housemates can curse without being bleeped - something they’ve never been able to do before - they realize that their show has been cancelled. Determined to get back on the air, they venture to such far-off lands as Bedrock, a Fairy Tale Village and the fantastical Make-a-Point Land, all the while outrunning their enemies who are hell bent on keeping them off the air and are prepared to use any means necessary to do so.

About Gareb Shamus:
Gareb Shamus founded Wizard Entertainment in 1991. Today, Shamus publishes consumer magazines Wizard, ToyFare, FunFare and numerous books about pop-culture’s top talent, comic books and toys. Shamus also produces a North American Comic Con tour.

Wizard World Comic Con Tour:
March 26-28, 2010, Toronto Comic Con, Direct Energy Centre

April 16-18, 2010, Anaheim Comic Con, Anaheim Convention Center

June 11-13, 2010, Philadelphia Comic Con, Pennsylvania Convention Center

August 19-22, 2010, Chicago Comic Con, Donald E. Stephens (Rosemont) Convention Center

October 1-3, 2010, New England Comic Con, John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center

October 7-10, 2010, Big Apple Comic Con, Pier 94

October 15-17, 2010, New Jersey Comic Con, New Jersey Convention and Expo Center

November 12-14, 2010, Austin Comic Con, Austin Convention Center

Atlanta Comic Con, TBD

Cincinnati Comic Con, TBD

Cleveland Comic Con, TBD