Thursday, November 12, 2015

Chris Evans (Captain America) to Appear at Wizard World New Orleans

"Captain America" Chris Evans to Make Wizard World Comic Con Debut in New Orleans, January 9, 2015

Fellow ‘Cap’ Standouts Jeremy Renner, Hayley Atwell, Frank Grillo, Directors Anthony And Joe Russo Also To Appear; ‘First Avenger,’ ‘Avengers’ Star To Meet Fans, Sign Autographs, Pose For Photo Ops, Conduct Live Q&A In Rare Appearance At Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chris Evans, who has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors for both big budget and independent features, will make his Wizard World Comic Con debut at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Saturday, January 9, 2015. The Hollywood heavyweight will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct a live Q&A session in this extremely rare appearance.

    'Cap' stars @ChrisEvans, @Renner4Real, @HayleyAtwell, @FrankGrillo, Russo brothers to attend #wizardworld New Orleans, Jan. 9-10

Evans will be joined at the event by fellow Captain America franchise stars Jeremy Renner (“Clint Barton/Hawkeye”), Hayley Atwell (“Peggy Carter”), and Frank Grillo (“Brock Rumlow”), as well as directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Renner will also attend on Saturday, while Atwell, Grillo and the Russos are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 9-10, 2015.

Evans can next be seen in Captain America: Civil War, the third installment of Marvel’s Captain America franchise. He also starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the sequel to the highly successful Captain America: The First Avenger which was released in 2011. In each film, Evans reprises his role as the famed Marvel Comics character, “Steve Rogers,” who transforms into Captain America after volunteering for a top secret research project in hopes of defending America’s ideals. Both films grossed over $713 million each at box offices worldwide.

Recently, Evans starred in Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer opposite Octavia Spencer, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Ed Harris. Set in a world covered in snow and ice, the film follows a train full of travelers who struggle to co-exist.

“The addition of Chris Evans brings the already stacked Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans guest list to a new level for our attendees,” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “Captain America is one of the world’s great franchises, and Chris has been its face for several huge blockbusters. Fans will want to take advantage of this extremely rare opportunity to meet this superstar.”

“We are excited to head down to New Orleans to meet our fans,” said directors Anthony and Joe Russo, “and are incredibly proud to be able to share the stage with the film’s talented stars Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Hayley Atwell and Frank Grillo."

Two-time Academy Award® nominee Renner also reprised his role as William Brandt in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. His nominations have come as Best Actor for The Hurt Locker in 2008 and Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Town.

Atwell, who plays the lead in the ABC TV series "Agent Carter," a spin-off featuring her role in the Captain America franchise, has appeared in numerous other TV shows both in the U.S. and U.K., and is an accomplished stage actress, having completed several long runs in leading British theatres.

Grillo is also known for his roles in Warrior, The Grey, End of Watch and The Purge: Anarchy. His TV work includes recurring spots in "The Shield," "Prison Break," "The Gates" and "Blind Justice."

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have produced and directed many critically acclaimed TV shows including “Arrested Development,” “Community,” and “Happy Endings.” They received an Emmy for helming the “Arrested Development” pilot. The Brothers most recently directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier for Marvel. They are currently in post-production on Captain America: Civil War and will direct Avengers Infinity War Part I and II after that.

Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB:WIZD) opens its 2016 schedule with its sixth trip to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center at Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, January 8-10. In addition to Evans, Renner, Atwell and Grillo, other headliners on the celebrity roster include the “Doctor Who” trio of Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Jenna Coleman, “The Walking Dead” standouts Chandler Riggs and Steven Yeun, Ben McKenzie (“Gotham,” “The O.C.”) and William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”).

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The first event scheduled on the 2016 Wizard World calendar, New Orleans show hours are Friday, January 8, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, January 9, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, January 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, visit http://wizd.me/NewOrleansPR.


About Wizard World (OTCBB:WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (http://www.wizardworld.com) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ:CIDM), and ComicConBox™, a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The 2015-16 Wizard World Comic Con schedule is available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve certain risks and uncertainties. The actual results or outcomes of Wizard World, Inc. may differ materially from those anticipated. Although Wizard World, Inc. believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any such assumptions could prove to be inaccurate. Therefore, Wizard World, Inc. can provide no assurance that any of the forward-looking statements contained in this letter will prove to be accurate.

In light of the significant uncertainties and risks inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this letter, such information should not be regarded as a representation by Wizard World, Inc. that its objectives or plans will be achieved. Included in these uncertainties and risks are, among other things, fluctuations in operating results, general economic conditions, uncertainty regarding the results of certain legal proceedings and competition. Forward-looking statements consist of statements other than a recitation of historical fact and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "intend," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "estimate" or "continue" or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Because they are forward-looking, such statements should be evaluated in light of important risk factors and uncertainties. These risk factors and uncertainties are more fully described in Wizard World, Inc.'s most recent Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading entitled "Risk Factors." Wizard World, Inc. does not undertake an obligation to update publicly any of its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Amazon Announces All-Star Guest for "Transparent" Season 2

Anjelica Huston and Cherry Jones to Guest Star in Second Season of the Multi-Golden Globe and Emmy Award-Winning Amazon Original Series Transparent

The Pfeffermans take family dysfunction to a whole new level in the highly anticipated second season which premieres December 11 on Prime Video

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston (Medium) and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones (24) are among the guest stars joining the second season of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series Transparent. Premiering December 11, 2015 exclusively on Prime Video in the US, UK, Germany and Austria, Transparent will also guest star Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation), Rob Huebel (I Love You, Man), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Alexandra Billings (Socket), Tig Notaro (One Mississippi), Alex MacNicoll (Peace of Mind), and Trace Lysette (Bloody Mary). Emmy Award-winner (Transparent) Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) returns to the series as well as Melora Hardin (The Office), Michaela Watkins (Wanderlust), and Emily Robinson (A New York Fairy Tale).

    “Season two is wild! Now that the bubble wrap is off, it's time for the whole family to transition”

Season two of Transparent begins with a big, white wedding for Sarah and Tammy—but is it happily ever after? Post nuptials, Sarah gets in touch with her deeper desires, which isn’t always comfortable. Now out of the closet, Maura discovers the hardest part of her transition is still ahead, and faces some tough personal decisions about her future. Josh and Rabbi Raquel navigate their new relationship, and the complexity of being an instant family for Josh’s recently returned son, Colton. Ali zeroes in on her future, captivated by a new connection with Syd and a prolific feminist mentor.

Continuing their journey towards their authenticity, the entire Pfefferman family returns for the second season of Transparent. Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) stars as Maura, Judith Light (The Exes) as Shelly, Amy Landecker (Louie) as Sarah, Jay Duplass (Togetherness) as Josh and Emmy nominated Gaby Hoffmann (Girls) as Ali. The second season of Transparent is executive produced by Jill Soloway (Six Feet Under) and Andrea Sperling (Like Crazy).

"Season two is wild! Now that the bubble wrap is off, it's time for the whole family to transition,” said Soloway, the Emmy Award-winning creator of Transparent. “Our Pfeffermans realize they must give up their disguises, unspoken arrangements and secrets. By exploring their shared history and legacy, they come to understand that you can't go forward without knowing where you come from. Ultimately, everyone will open their hearts, advertise their desires, and test those notoriously wobbly boundaries as each Pfefferman tries their hardest to come out – as themselves."

Transparent is a half hour novelistic series that explores family, identity, sex, and love. The first season followed Maura Pfferman’s journey to being her true self. When she reintroduced herself to her family, everyone else’s secrets finally came out. This included her ex-wife Shelly, and their adult children—meandering Ali, record producer Josh, and sexually conflicted Sarah. Each family member spun into different directions as they figured out who they aren’t. The series has been renewed for a third season which is scheduled to air in 2016.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video includes tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes available on Prime Video at no additional charge to Prime members, as well as access to hundreds of thousands of titles to buy or rent. Amazon Video is the only service in the world that brings customers both of these options in one place.

Prime Video, available on Amazon Video, lets Prime members enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning series Transparent, Red Oaks, Hand of God, Bosch, Catastrophe and Mozart in the Jungle as well as hit series like Sex and the City, Veep, Girls, The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Wire. Prime Video also offers members blockbuster movies such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, among others. Prime members have access to a collection of kids shows including Amazon Original Series Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, and Wishenpoof, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue’s Clues.

Prime members can look forward to new original series premiering this year such as the much anticipated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle premiering on November 20 along with Mozart in the Jungle premiering later this year. Coming in 2016 will be the second seasons of Bosch and romantic comedy Catastrophe, along with the debut season of The New Yorker Presents and Mad Dogs.

Amazon Video can be accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. Prime Video titles can also be downloaded for offline enjoyment—the only subscription streaming service to offer this functionality. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at Amazon.com/prime.

Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $99 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 16 metro areas, unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, more than one million songs, more than one thousand playlists and hundreds of stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than 800,000 books to borrow with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. In addition, Prime members in select cities receive one and two hour delivery through Prime Now on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app. Not a member? Start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

New "Zoolander 2" Poster - Stiller and Wilson


ZOOLANDER 2 is in theaters February 12, 2016

#Zoolander2

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ZoolanderMovie/

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2015 British IIndependent Film Award Nominations Announced

In 1998, Raindance created the British Independent Film Awards to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking.  The awards also honor new talent and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, the nominations for The 2015/18th Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced in London.  The winners will be announced at The Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at Old Billingsgate. The event will be live streamed on www.bifa.film.

The 2015 Moët British Independent Film Awards nominations:

Best British Independent Film sponsored by Moët & Chandon
  • 45 YEARS Tristan Goligher, Andrew Haigh
  • AMY James Gay-Rees, Asif Kapadia
  • EX MACHINA Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Alex Garland
  • THE LOBSTER Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos
  • MACBETH Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Laura Hastings-Smith, Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie, Justin Kurzel

Best Director
45 YEARS Andrew Haigh
AMY Asif Kapadia
EX MACHINA Alex Garland
THE LOBSTER Yorgos Lanthimos
MACBETH Justin Kurzel

Best Screenplay sponsored by BBC Films
45 YEARS Andrew Haigh
BROOKLYN Nick Hornby
EX MACHINA Alex Garland
HIGH-RISE Amy Jump
THE LOBSTER Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Best Actress sponsored by MAC
MARION COTILLARD Macbeth
CAREY MULLIGAN Suffragette
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING 45 Years
SAOIRSE RONAN Brooklyn
ALICIA VIKANDER The Danish Girl

Best Actor sponsored by Movado
TOM COURTENAY 45 Years
COLIN FARRELL The Lobster
MICHAEL FASSBENDER Macbeth
TOM HARDY Legend
TOM HIDDLESTON High-Rise

Best Supporting Actress
HELENA BONHAM CARTER Suffragette
OLIVIA COLMAN The Lobster
ANNE-MARIE DUFF Suffragette
SIENNA MILLER High-Rise
JULIE WALTERS Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
LUKE EVANS High-Rise
BRENDAN GLEESON Suffragette
DOMHNALL GLEESON Brooklyn
SEAN HARRIS Macbeth
BEN WHISHAW The Lobster

Most Promising Newcomer sponsored by The London Edition
AGYNESS DEYN Sunset Song
MIA GOTH The Survivalist
ABIGAIL HARDINGHAM Nina Forever
MILO PARKER Mr Holmes
BEL POWLEY A Royal Night Out

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director) sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
THE HALLOW Corin Hardy
KAJAKI: THE TRUE STORY Paul Katis
NINA FOREVER Chris & Ben Blaine
SLOW WEST John Maclean
THE SURVIVALIST Stephen Fingleton

The Discovery Award sponsored by Raindance
AAAAAAAAH! Andrew Starke, Steve Oram
BURN BURN BURN Daniel-Konrad Cooper, Tim Phillips, Charlie Covell, Chanya Button
ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING Jeanie Finlay
THE RETURN Oliver Nias
WINTER Tilly Wood, Paula Crickard, Heidi Greensmith

Best Documentary
  • AMY James Gay-Rees, Asif Kapadia
  • DARK HORSE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF DREAM ALLIANCE Judith Dawson, Louise Osmond
  • HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD Bous De Jong, Al Morrow, Jerry Rothwell
  • PALIO James Gay-Rees, John Hunt, Cosima Spender
  • A SYRIAN LOVE STORY Elhum Shakerifar, Sean McAllister

Producer of the Year
TRISTAN GOLIGHER 45 Years
JAMES GAY-REES Amy
PAUL KATIS, ANDREW DE LOTBINIERE Kajaki: The True Story
CECI DEMPSEY, ED GUINEY, YORGOS LANTHIMOS, LEE MAGIDAY The Lobster
DAVID A HUGHES, DAVID MOORES The Violators

Outstanding Achievement in Craft
ADAM ARKAPAW Cinematography – Macbeth
MARK DIGBY Production Design – Ex Machina
CHRIS KING Editing – Amy
FIONA WEIR Casting – Brooklyn
ANDREW WHITEHURST Visual Effects, Ex Machina

Best British Short Film
  • BALCONY Tom Kimberly, Ali Mansuri, Toby Fell-Holden
  • CRACK Joseph Taussig, Peter King
  • EDMOND Emilie Jouffroy, Nina Gantz
  • LOVE IS BLIND Lizzie Brown, Dan Hodgson
  • MANoMAN Kamilla Kristiane Hodøl, Simon Cartwright

Best International Independent Film
  • CAROL Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Christine Vachon, Phyllis Nagy, Todd Haynes
  • FORCE MAJEURE Erik Hemmendorff, Marie Kjellson, Philippe Bober, Ruben Östlund
  • GIRLHOOD Bénédicte Couvreur, Céline Sciamma
  • ROOM Ed Guiney, David Gross, Emma Donoghue, Lenny Abrahamson
  • SON OF SAUL Gábor Sipos, Gábor Rajna, Cara Royer, László Nemes

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Monday, November 9, 2015

Review: "Justice League: Gods and Monsters" Recalls "Justice League" Roots

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015) – Video
Running time:  76 minutes (1 hour, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence throughout and suggestive content including nudity
DIRECTOR:  Sam Liu
WRITERS:  Alan Burnett; from a story by Bruce W. Timm and Alan Burnett
PRODUCER: Alan Burnett
EDITOR:  Christopher D. Lozinsk
COMPOSER:  Frederik Wiedmann
ANIMATION STUDIO:  Moi Animation

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/FANTASY

Starring:  (voices) Benjamin Bratt, Michael C. Hall, Tamara Taylor, Paget Brewster, C. Thomas Howell, Jason Isaacs, Dee Bradley Baker, Grey Griffin, Penny Johnson Jerald, Tahmoh Penikett, Bruce Thomas, Carl Lumbly, Taylor Parks, Richard Chamberlain, Yuri Lowenthal, and Andrea Romano

Justice League: Gods and Monsters is a 2015 straight-to-video animated superhero film from Warner Bros. Animation.  It is the 23rd film in Warner's line of DC Universe original animated movies.  The film focuses on an alternate version of DC Comics' ultimate superhero team, the Justice League.  This film also marks the return of fan-favorite writer-producer, Bruce Timm, to DC Universe films.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters is set in an alternate universe and features a different version of DC Comics's “Trinity” – Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman.  This different version of Superman is Hernan Guerra (Benjamin Bratt), not Clark Kent.  Superman's origin is still the planet, Krypton, but his biological father is General Zod (Bruce Thomas), not Jor-El.  On Earth, baby Kal-El is found and raised by a family of honorable and hardworking Mexican migrant farmers (instead of the Kansas farming couple, Ma and Pa Kent).  The troubles Hernan experienced living as an undocumented immigrant in the United States with his parents has made Superman short-tempered and withdrawn from humanity.

This alternate version of Wonder Woman is not Diana Prince from Paradise Island.  She is Bekka (Tamara Taylor), a New God, living in exile from Apokolips on EarthBatman is not Bruce Wayne.  He is Dr. Kirk Langstrom (Michael C. Hall), a scientist transformed by experimentation into a vampire-like man who feeds on criminals to satisfy his thirst for blood, which eats away at his humanity.  In Gods and Monsters, this Justice League operate outside the law, which makes it easy for them to be framed for the murders of several prominent scientists.

As Justice League: Gods and Monsters, the Justice League acts as the brutal force that maintains order on Earth.  The League has very little accountability and maintains a wary alliance with the United States government and with President Amanda Waller (Penny Johnson Jerald).  However, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of three prominent scientists seem to point to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman as the murderers.  Now, authorities plan to use, “Project Fair Play,” the pet project of these murdered scientists, to hold the Justice League accountable for murders that they did not commit.  So who did?

Viewers that are familiar with the characters, comic books, and mythologies of DC Comics will find Justice League: Gods and Monsters a delight.  The better your grasp on what has been changed and how it has been changed, the more entertaining this film will be.  Still, the themes of justice and unity preside over the story.  The heroes, dark as they are, still undergo a journey to their better selves, striving to embrace their better natures.  Different though they may be, they are still superheroes.  They are still the Justice League.

In terms of the animation, character design, and art direction, Justice League: Gods and Monsters looks like the dearly DC Universe animated films.  In terms of action and drama, Gods and Monsters is also similar to the “Justice League” (2001-2004) animated television series and other animated series for which this film's writers, Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, are known.  That's a good thing; that's a very good thing.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters is a welcomed return of a classic Justice League cool.  I hope that Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett reunite for more.

8 of 10
A

Friday, November 6, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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16 Films Vie for "Best Animated Feature" at 88th Oscars

16 ANIMATED FEATURES SUBMITTED FOR 2015 OSCAR® RACE
Sixteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 88th Academy Awards®.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Anomalisa”
“The Boy and the Beast”
“Boy and the World”
“The Good Dinosaur”
“Home”
“Hotel Transylvania 2”
“Inside Out”
“Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet”
“The Laws of the Universe - Part 0”
“Minions”
“Moomins on the Riviera”
“The Peanuts Movie”
“Regular Show: The Movie”
“Shaun the Sheep Movie”
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water”
“When Marnie Was There”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run.  Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.  At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.  In any year in which 16 or more animated feature films are eligible, a maximum of five motion pictures may be nominated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

Amazon Adds Three Kids Series and One Special

Amazon Orders Three Original Kids Series—Dino Dana, The Kicks and Lost in Oz—and Orders Half-Hour Special Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas

Two series greenlit from previous kids pilot season, including Amazon’s first original animated series for kids ages 6 to 11, Lost in Oz and live-action series The Kicks, based on Alex Morgan’s book series

Additional pick-ups include a follow-up to the Emmy award-winning Dino Dan and a half-hour special following up the Shaun the Sheep series and recent hit movie

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon today announced it has ordered three new Amazon Original Kids SeriesDino Dana, The Kicks and Lost in Oz—as well as half-hour special, Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas to debut on Prime Video. The new series come from creative talent including Aardman Animations, Bureau of Magic’s Mark Warshaw, Abram Makowka, Darin Mark and Jared Mark (East Los High, Smallville), novelist James Frey (I Am Number Four), and J.J. Johnson (Dino Dan, Annedroids). All three series will be available for Prime members in the US, UK, Germany and Austria and will debut next year. Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas will make its world debut for Prime members in the US on November 13.

    “We’re excited to offer our Prime members a beautifully reimagined world in our first original kids 6-to-11 animated series and bring to the screen Alex Morgan’s successful book series with an inspirational role model at the core”

“We’re excited to offer our Prime members a beautifully reimagined world in our first original kids 6-to-11 animated series and bring to the screen Alex Morgan’s successful book series with an inspirational role model at the core,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “Aardman and Sinking Ship are award-winning producers and we’re excited to debut Dino Dana and Shaun the Sheep on Prime Video.”

A follow up to the 2015 Emmy award-winning series Dino Dan, Dino Dana is a preschool program that takes viewers on a whole new level of dinosaur encounters. The series will feature 16 new prehistoric creatures, an adopted baby dino and, for the first time, two sisters. After a chance encounter with Trek and his Dino Field Guide, Dana, a “paleontologist in training,” and her teenage sister Emily, begin to see dinosaurs all around them, leading to plenty of action and adventure. Created and directed by J.J. Johnson (Dino Dan, Annedroids), the series will be executive produced by Sinking Ship partners Johnson, Blair Powers and Matt Bishop, co-executive produced by Christin Simms (Dino Dan) and written by Johnson and Simms.

In The Kicks, a live-action series for children ages six to 11, Devin Burke (played by newcomer Sixx Orange) was the star player on her soccer team back home until her family moved to California midway through the school year. Now, Devin has to rise to the challenge after discovering that her new school team has been on a losing streak over the last few months and is badly in need of a leader to rally the team together. Based on a book series by US Olympic Gold Medalist and current US Women’s National Team soccer player Alex Morgan, the project is Executive Produced by Full Fathom Five’s novelist James Frey (I Am Number Four) and Todd Cohen (Lumen), as well as Andrew Orenstein (Malcolm in the Middle). The series also stars E’myri Crutchfield (Vacation) as Zoe Hanson, Gabe Eggerling (Even Angels Cry) as Bailey Burke, Sophia Mitri Schloss (Desert Cathedral) as Emma Gelbaum, Monica Lacy (Hawaii Five-0) as Sharon Burke, and Tim Martin Gleason (New Girl) as Tom Burke.

Lost in Oz is an animated, action-adventure comedy for children ages 6 to 11 set in a modern, metropolitan Emerald City. Stranded in this spectacular world, 12-year-old Dorothy Gale befriends West, a young, street-smart witch grappling with dark temptations, and Ojo, a giant munchkin. With Dorothy’s dog Toto, this unlikely crew embarks on an epic journey, seeking out the magic Dorothy needs to get back to Kansas. The challenge for Dorothy, and everyone else in this world, is that Oz is facing the greatest magic crisis in eons. Developed and produced by Bureau of Magic’s Mark Warshaw, Darin Mark, Jared Mark, and Abram Makowka (East Los High, Smallville), this contemporary re-imagining of L. Frank Baum’s extraordinary universe is designed by Flaunt Productions (Under Siege, Project Spark), music by Adam Berry (The Penguins of Madagascar) with theme music by Mark Mothersbaugh (The Lego Movie).

In Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer’s Llamas, the Farmer and Bitzer go to a Country Fair and Shaun accompanies them intent on causing mischief. Shaun spies an auction of three exotic and very crafty Llamas and cleverly gets the unwitting Farmer to buy them. At first everything’s great fun, but soon their new Llama roommates get a bit too comfortable in their new home. When things spiral out of control, Shaun is forced to take action to oust the intruders and save the farm. The Aardman Animations special is written by Lee Pressman (Peter Rabbit), Richard Starzak (Shaun the Sheep movie) and Nick Vincent Murphy (Moone Boy), directed by Jay Grace (Shaun the Sheep, Creature Comforts) and produced by Paul Kewley & John Woolley (Shaun the Sheep).

Amazon Original Series are available for Prime members to stream and enjoy through the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/originals, at no additional cost to their membership. Customers who are not already a Prime member can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. The new series will also be available as part of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, the all-you-can-eat subscription service designed from the ground up for kids. FreeTime Unlimited is available exclusively on Amazon devices including Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets, and a year-long subscription is included with every Fire Kids Edition.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video includes tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes available on Prime Video at no additional charge to Prime members, as well as access to hundreds of thousands of titles to buy or rent. Amazon Video is the only service in the world that brings customers both of these options in one place.

Prime Video, available on Amazon Video, lets Prime members enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning series Transparent, Red Oaks, Hand of God, Bosch, Catastrophe and Mozart in the Jungle as well as hit series like Sex and the City, Veep, Girls, The Sopranos, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Wire. Prime Video also offers members blockbuster movies such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek Into Darkness and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, among others. Prime members have access to a collection of kids shows including Amazon Original Series Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, and Wishenpoof, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue’s Clues.

Prime members can look forward to new original series premiering this year such as the much anticipated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle premiering on November 20 along with Mozart in the Jungle premiering later this year. Coming in 2016 will be the second seasons of Bosch and romantic comedy Catastrophe, along with the debut season of The New Yorker Presents and Mad Dogs.

Amazon Video can be accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. Prime Video titles can also be downloaded for offline enjoyment—the only subscription streaming service to offer this functionality. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at Amazon.com/prime.

Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $99 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 16 metro areas, unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, more than one million songs, more than one thousand playlists and hundreds of stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than 800,000 books to borrow with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. In addition, Prime members in select cities receive one and two hour delivery through Prime Now on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app. Not a member? Start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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