J.J. Abrams Announces "Star Wars: Force of Change"

Fans Have a Chance to Be in Star Wars: Episode VII

J.J. Abrams Announces “Force for Change” Campaign to Benefit UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and Programs

Beginning Today (May 21, 2014), Visit Omaze.com/StarWars to Enter for a Chance to Win

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today in a special video message from the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, director J.J. Abrams announced the creation of Star Wars: Force for Change, a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm in collaboration with Bad Robot dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Innovation Labs and its innovative programs that are benefiting the world’s most vulnerable children.

    “UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to help the world’s most vulnerable children and young people identify solutions and create change”

Disney has committed US $1 million to support the launch of Star Wars: Force for Change. Fans can now contribute directly at Omaze.com/StarWars for a chance to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII. For each $10 contribution made through the Omaze fundraising platform, eligible participants will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The campaign runs from 12:01am PST on May 21stth until 11:59pm PST July 18th.

The Star Wars: Force for Change Grand Prize includes:

1.  Airfare and accommodations to London for one winner and a guest
2.   Behind-the-scenes access on the closed set of Star Wars: Episode VII as VIP guests of J.J. Abrams
3.  Winner will have the opportunity to meet members of the cast
4.  Winner and their guest will then be transformed by makeup and costume teams into a Star Wars character and filmed for a scene in Star Wars: Episode VII

"The Star Wars fans are some of the most passionate and committed folks around the globe,” says director J.J. Abrams. “We’re thrilled to offer a chance to come behind the scenes as our VIP guests and be in Star Wars: Episode VII. We’re even more excited that by participating in this campaign, Star Wars fans will be helping children around the world through our collaboration with UNICEF Innovation Labs and projects."

Star Wars continues to inspire generations of dreamers and doers to use their creativity to accomplish great things. Star Wars and Lucasfilm were built on the belief that in uniting creativity with innovation, you can make the impossible possible.

“The Star Wars films were made through George Lucas's adventurous combination of technology and creativity,” says Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “We wanted to honor and carry on that positive spirit as we start production on Episode VII and use Star Wars to make a difference in the world. Star Wars: Force for Change will help us do that, letting us give back to the fans who keep Star Wars alive, and raising much-needed funds for programs like UNICEF's Innovation Labs.”

By pledging support for Star Wars: Force for Change, fans are helping UNICEF create a brighter tomorrow for kids and families around the world. Through its global network of Innovation Labs, UNICEF helps create sustainable solutions to major issues facing children in the areas of nutrition, water, health, and education. The Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will help fund innovative, life-changing projects in communities around the globe.

"UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to help the world’s most vulnerable children and young people identify solutions and create change,” says Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Senior Advisor on Innovation and co-Lead of the Innovation Unit. “We work together with the greatest technologists and designers of our time to create open-source solutions that help millions of people. The support from Star Wars: Force for Change will help to bind these innovators together on a mission to solve the world’s most pressing problems, and create a better future.”

Visit StarWars.com/ForceForChange to learn more about this new charitable initiative and the work of UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and programs, and be sure to enter through contribution or free entry for your chance to win at Omaze.com/StarWars.

May the Force be with you!

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when zero children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org. Find us on Twitter: @unicefusa; join us on Facebook: UNICEF-USA.

Star Wars: Force for Change Program: Restrictions and Limitations
No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age or the age of majority in your domicile, to enter and a resident of Argentina, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, USA, or the UK, and not a resident of Belgium, Italy, Malta, Singapore, or Thailand. Residents of Australia, Brazil, China and the Republic of Korea are not prohibited from participating, but local rules and laws may restrict or prohibit the award of certain prizes or impose additional restrictions on participation.

Rewards are separate from sweepstakes prizes. Rewards are limited in quantity. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. For free entry: (i) send post card to Sponsor at PO Box 3190, 1217 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, California 90408 by applicable mail date; or (ii) visit www.Omaze.com/StarWars. Entrants may receive additional entries via Facebook. Maximum number of entries: 10,000 per Entrant. Travel and accommodations are at Sponsor’s discretion and subject to availability and change. Winner and Guest may be required to pass a background screening or security check, to receive the prize and/or reward. Visa conditions may apply. All taxes are Winner’s responsibility. Not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook®. Residents of certain territories may be required to successfully complete a trivia question to qualify. For full entry requirements, details, limitations and restrictions see Official rules at www.Omaze.com/StarWars. Sole Sponsor: Omaze, Inc., PO Box 3190, 1217 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90408.

Review: "Balls of Fury" is Funnier Than it Looks (Happy B'day, Maggie Q)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Balls of Fury (2007)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Robert Ben Garant
WRITERS:  Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant
PRODUCERS:  Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, and Thomas Lennon
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Thomas E. Ackerman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  John Refoua
COMPOSER:  Randy Edelman

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring:  Dan Folger, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, James Hong, Maggie Q, Thomas Lennon, Aisha Tyler, Jason Scott Lee, Diedrich Bader, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, David Koechner, and Robert Patrick

The subject of this movie review is Balls of Fury, a 2007 sports comedy film from the team of co-writer/director Robert Ben Garant and co-writer Thomas Lennon.  The film follows a down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenom recruited by an FBI agent for a secret mission that may also lead the former child star to his father’s killer.

Balls of Fury takes place in the unsanctioned, underground, and unhinged world of extreme ping pong where the competition is brutal and the stakes are deadly – sort of like the way Dodgeball portrayed the mean world of professional dodge ball.  But we get the joke!

A ping pong professional as a child, Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler), spiraled downwards after an embarrassing loss at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  Cut to the present.  Randy is down on his luck and on his game, and he’s performing at a nightclub when FBI Agent Ernie Rodriguez (George Lopez) recruits him for a mission to spy on one of the FBI’s most wanted men, the faux-Asian crime lord Feng (Christopher Walken).  Randy has some incentive to do take the assignment because Feng was responsible for the death of Randy’s father.

“Operation Ping Pong” requires Randy to get an invite to Feng’s underground ping pong championship tournament.  To do that, Randy will have to get his game back into shape.  With the help of a blind ping pong sage, Master Wong (James Hong), and his niece, Maggie Wong (Maggie Q), an expert ping pong trainer, Randy gets in winning form and gets an invite to Feng’s jungle compound where the tournament is being held.  Now, Randy will have to face a raft of formidable players en route to the prize, including his arch-nemesis, German Olympic ping pong god, Karl Wolfschtagg (Thomas Lennon), and still take down Feng.

Balls of Fury is a parody/remake of the 1973 Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon, by way of Dodgeball and Comedy Central’s television series, “Reno 911.”  In fact, Balls of Fury co-writer/director Robert Ben Garant and co-writer/actor Thomas Lennon are part of the brain trust behind “Reno 911,” and the kind of sheer absurdity that marks that hit comedy series is much in evidence in Balls of Fury.

This film is sometimes shamefully in poor taste, and its lack of political correctness often borders on bad taste.  Still, it’s fun; Balls of Fury takes a look at sports and competition and pokes numerous holes in the gas bags that are elite athletes, secretive trainers, and arcane rules.  Then, the movie skewers so many sports movie stereotypes, from the sage-philosopher mentors to the sad sack underdogs.  Balls of Fury may look like a bad movie (and sometimes it truly is), but it is a comedy that delivers laughter.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Updated:  Thursday, May 22, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Untitled Superman/Batman Movie is Now Named "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"

Cameras Roll on Director Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” from Warner Bros. Pictures

Principal photography is underway in Metro Detroit, Michigan

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filming is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the highly anticipated action adventure from director Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from “Man of Steel,” Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Principal photography will take place on location at Michigan Motion Picture Studios and on location in and around Detroit, Michigan; Illinois; Africa; and the South Pacific.

Set to open worldwide on May 6, 2016, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, Batman characters created by Bob Kane, and Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment.

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New "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Collection Due in July 2014

The wait is over! Five years after Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill first brought their famous League of Extraordinary Gentlemen series to the trans-Atlantic partnership of Top Shelf (US) & Knockabout (UK), we're officially opening pre-orders for our most requested item: the collected "Century"!

This 256-page hardcover, scheduled to stores in July 2014, will collect all three installments of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. III: Century. Spanning the League's adventures in 1910, 1969, and 2009, this metafictional epic sees Mina Murray and her dwindling allies race across time to prevent an apocalyptic conspiracy, while the world they once knew crumbles around them. Woven throughout, of course, are countless colorful characters from 100 years of British popular culture, from Marxist opera to reality television, pulp fiction to experimental film, and even a touch of rock 'n' roll.

Discover the saga CBR called "arguably one of the greatest comics of all time"!

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Vol III): Century - HARDCOVER
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
-- 256-page full-color hardcover with dust jacket
-- 6 5/8" x 10 3/8"
-- ISBN 978-1-60309-329-3
-- Diamond order code: MAY14-1615
-- For mature readers (18+)
-- $29.95 (US)
-- Co-published by Top Shelf Productions (US) and Knockabout Comics (UK)
-- Pre-order now for release in July!

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Production Begins on Ava DuVernay's Film, "Selma"

PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND PATHÉ ANNOUNCE THE START OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON “SELMA”

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 20, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Pathé today announced that principal photography has commenced on “SELMA,” directed by Ava DuVernay (“MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.”) The film is shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, and Montgomery and Selma, Alabama.

The screenplay was written by Paul Webb (“Four Nights in Knaresborough”). Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce through their Plan B banner (“WORLD WAR Z,” “12 YEARS A SLAVE”), with Christian Colson through his Cloud Eight Films (“127 HOURS,” “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”), and Oprah Winfrey (“THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY,” “BELOVED”) through her Harpo Films. Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes, Cameron McCracken and Nan Morales are executive producing.

“This story will resonate deeply with not only those brave men and women who fought for voting rights alongside Dr. King, but also the countless millions of people who continue to fight against discrimination in voting today,” said Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. “This talented group of filmmakers, led by Brad Pitt and his team at Plan B, Oprah Winfrey and Christian Colson, and of course our director Ava DuVernay, are a formidable force to help bring this significant story to the big screen.”

“SELMA” is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a dangerous and terrifying campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Paramount is handling the film’s domestic distribution, Pathé will distribute in the UK and France and Pathé International will handle sales to the rest of the world.

The film stars David Oyelowo (“INTERSTELLAR,” “LEE DANIEL’S THE BUTLER”) as Martin Luther King Jr., Carmen Ejogo (“ALEX CROSS,” “PRIDE AND GLORY”) as Coretta Scott King, Tom Wilkinson (“THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL,” “MICHAEL CLAYTON”)as Lyndon Baines Johnson, Andre Holland (“42,” “1600 Penn”) as Andrew Young, Omar J. Dorsey (“DJANGO UNCHAINED,” “THE BLIND SIDE”) as James Orange, Tessa Thompson (“Heroes,” “Veronica Mars”) as Diane Nash, and Colman Domingo (“LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER,” “42”) as Ralph Abernathy.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes cinematographer Bradford Young (“MOTHER OF GEORGE,” “MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”), production designer Mark Friedberg (“THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2,” “Mildred Pierce”), and costume designer Ruth E. Carter (“AMISTAD,” “MALCOLM X”).

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, ParamountVantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Pathé
Pathé is one of the leading European film production and distribution companies with offices in both Paris and London.  It is involved in all aspects of filmmaking, from development and production through to international sales and distribution. Films produced/distributed by Pathé range from THE QUEEN to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and from THE IRON LADY to PHILOMENA.  Pathé’s upcoming releases include Matthew Warchus’ PRIDE starring Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton; and Sarah Gavron’s SUFFRAGETTE starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson and Meryl Streep.