New Pokemon, "Zoroark: Master of Illusions," on DVD

ADVENTURE AWAITS POKÉMON FANS AS VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF POKÉMON—ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS ON DVD

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, will excite POKÉMON™ fans everywhere with the DVD release of the full-length feature film from the venerable kids franchise, POKÉMON—ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS. The DVD, rated ‘A’ for All Ages, was released on September 20th under the company’s VIZ KIDS imprint and carries an MSRP of $19.97 U.S. / $19.98 CAN.

As Ash and his friends journey to Crown City to join the crowds watching the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, mysterious forces are in motion that could bring untold misfortune to them all! What secrets does Zorua, a Pokémon they befriend along the way, hide? Why is the powerful Zoroark rampaging through the city, and what does the appearance of the Legendary Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune mean? All these questions and more will be answered in POKÉMON—ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS!

“We are thrilled to bring the POKÉMON—ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS DVD to Pokémon fans across the country,” says Brian Ige, Vice President, Animation. “The Pokémon community is incredibly passionate and they will be excited to add this movie to their home DVD library.”

For more information on VIZ Media’s POKÉMON manga and anime titles, please visit www.VIZ.com/Pokemon/.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like Naruto, Bleach and InuYasha, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at http://www.viz.com/.

"The Lion King" Back on Top

Disney’s The Lion King Reigns Once Again

3D Release Takes Top Spot With $30 Million Domestic Gross; Beloved Tale Continues to Captivate Global Audiences on Screen and Stage

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Circle of Life continues as The Walt Disney Studios’ The Lion King 3D opened at #1 in theaters this weekend with an estimated gross of $30 million. The Lion King is now the third highest-grossing animated film of all time at the domestic box office. This release of The Lion King marks the fifth biggest September opening in industry history, the second biggest September opening in Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures history, and the first reissue to open #1 in 14 years. The film will remain in theaters for a limited engagement ahead of its Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray 3D™ premiere on October 4.

Meanwhile, the London production of the hugely popular stage show recently celebrated its 5000th performance on September 13. The award-winning musical is also preparing to launch its Spanish premiere in Madrid, the largest stage musical ever presented in Spain. Opening October 21 at Lope de Vega Theatre, it is the first time the musical has been performed in the Spanish language. Since opening in 1997, The Lion King has been performing to sold-out crowds on Broadway with a remarkable 5,757 shows thus far.

“The Lion King has proven again and again the transcendent power of great stories and characters,” said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “From the screen to the stage, this timeless classic continues to touch the hearts of audiences of all ages around the world.”

Notable Facts:

First released in 1994, The Lion King is the third highest-grossing animated film of all time with $358.6 at the domestic box office (includes all releases), the highest-grossing traditional hand-drawn animated film of all time, and the highest-grossing film from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The Lion King is the top-performing home entertainment release ever. The Blu-ray™ debut marks the first time it has been available in any form since 2004.

The Lion King is Disney’s best-selling soundtrack. It received Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (10x platinum). Only four other soundtracks in history have been certified Diamond.

Best of The Lion King, a collection of songs from and inspired by the films and the show, is currently the #3 soundtrack on iTunes.

The Lion King has won 2 Academy Awards®, 3 Golden Globes®, 6 Tony Awards® and 3 Grammys®, among other accolades, including over 70 major theatrical honors worldwide.

The stage show has been seen by more than 60 million people worldwide, grossing over $4.6 billion in 18 productions across 14 countries, spanning 5 continents and 8 languages.

Current productions include Broadway, North American Tour, Las Vegas, London, Hamburg, Tokyo and Singapore.

The Lion King opened on Broadway in 1997 and in January 2011 became its seventh longest-running show ever; it continues to be one of the highest-grossing on a weekly basis.

The North American tour recently completed a record-breaking, sold-out, 32-show premiere engagement at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal, grossing more than $7 million – the highest-grossing theatrical production in the venue’s history.


ABOUT “THE LION KING”
An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters and award-winning music sets the stage for The Lion King, a Disney classic that follows the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who “just can't wait to be king.” But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba’s exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of “Hakuna Matata,” Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the “Circle of Life.”

The all-star vocal talents—including Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Robert Guillaume, Cheech Marin and Moira Kelly—rip-roaring comedy and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty and hope make this a timeless tale for all ages. Produced by Don Hahn and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff from a script by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton, The Lion King is rated G by the MPAA.

ABOUT THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS
For more than 85 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) was built. Today, the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under four banners: Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios; Disneynature; Marvel; and Touchstone Pictures, which includes the distribution of live-action films from DreamWorks Studios. Original music and motion picture soundtracks are produced under Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records, while Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Broadway theatrical productions, Disney on Ice and Disney LIVE!. For more information, visit http://www.waltdisneystudios.com/.

"Dude, Where's My Car?" Makes Dumb Funnier Than it Should Be

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux


Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)
Running time: 83 minutes (1 hour, 23 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language and some sex and drug-related humor
DIRECTOR: Danny Leiner
WRITER: Philip Stark
PRODUCERS: Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Gil Netter, and Wayne Rice
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Robert Stevens (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Kimberly Ray

COMEDY/SCI-FI/FANTASY

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner, Marla Sokoloff, Kristy Swanson, David Herman, John Toles-Bey, and Hal Sparks

I planned never to see Dude, Where’s My Car?, figuring my initial curiosity to be a sign of intellectual weakness. After seeing Seann William Scott in Bulletproof Monk and really digging his performance, my intellect further weakened, I decided to seek out some of his other films and came across Dude, Where's My Car? again. Scott co-stars in this outlandish comedy with Ashton Kutcher, who came to prominence in the television series “That 70’s Show.” Whatta you know: this turned out to be one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen.

Jessie Richmond (Kutcher) and Chester Greenburg (Scott) wake up one morning to find Jessie’s car missing, and they have no memory of what happened the night before except for the wild and crazy things people tell them that they did. At first, Jessie and Chester are excited and proud of the calamity and craziness they allegedly committed, but in time they come to be frustrated that they got so wasted that they can’t remember anything. And they need their memory to find the car, which is the key to a lot of weird trouble for them. They owe a transvestite strip dancer a suitcase full of cash, and people claiming to be aliens are looking for an important, universe-endangering object. Losing the car was just the beginning; you have to see the film to believe how hilarious the adventure to find the car gets.

I’m sure this film was cynically conceived and produced to cash in on the youth movie craze. Film studios figure that if they make movies starring familiar young faces from TV and pad the story with jokes about sex, bodily fluids and functions, teenage jargon, twentysomething slang, and general crassness, they’re bound to make a mint, if not in theatres then in home video and television. It’s a can’t-lose option: marrying the lowbrow, the dumb, the rude, and a bit of cultural decay.

This time the studio got lucky and the movie turned out way funny. I’d rather believe that this was a happy accident, but regardless this is funny, in the vein of Dumb and Dumber, accept that Jessie and Chester, for all their dimwittedness, tend to be a little smarter than their adversaries. You can root for these guys, by awed by their occasional show of smarts, laugh at them, and with them. Dude, Where’s My Car? comes close to being the perfect dumb-but-funny movie. Don’t take it seriously, and you’ll laugh your proverbial ass off. Don’t be stuck in the mud; see it and laugh like a madman.

7 of 10
B+

2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Winners Complete List

The Emmy Award is a television production award that is considered the television equivalent of the Academy Awards in film and the Grammy Awards in music. Winners for the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were revealed during the Sunday, Sept. 18 ceremony hosted by actress Jane Lynch (“Glee”) and broadcast live on Fox.

The full list of winners in all categories:

DRAMA

BEST DRAMA SERIES
"Mad Men"

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Margo Martindale, "Justified"

BEST DRAMA SERIES DIRECTING
Martin Scorsese, "Boardwalk Empire" - "Pilot"

BEST DRAMA SERIES WRITING
Jason Katims, "Friday Night Lights" - "Always"

COMEDY

BEST COMEDY SERIES
"Modern Family"

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

BEST COMEDY SERIES DIRECTING
Michael Alan Spiller, "Modern Family" - "Halloween"

BEST COMEDY SERIES WRITING
Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, "Modern Family" - "Caught in the Act"

TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES
"Downton Abbey"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES ACTOR
Barry Pepper, "The Kennedys"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES SUPPORTING ACTOR
Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES DIRECTING
Brian Percival, "Downton Abbey"

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES WRITING
Julian Fellowes, "Downton Abbey"

REALITY

BEST REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
"The Amazing Race"

VARIETY

BEST VARIETY SERIES
"The Daily Show"

BEST VARIETY SERIES DIRECTING
Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live" - "Host: Justin Timberlake"

BEST VARIETY SERIES WRITING
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart"

50 Cent Film, "All Things Fall Apart" Due Early 2012

Image Entertainment Acquires All Things Fall Apart Starring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Ray Liotta from Hannibal Pictures

Mario Van Peebles Directs and Co-Stars!

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB:DISK) has acquired all U.S. rights to the heart-wrenching, yet truly inspirational film, All Things Fall Apart, starring Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Ray Liotta, Mario Van Peebles and Lynn Whitfield, with Van Peebles directing. The deal was finalized shortly before the beginning of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and announced by Image Entertainment’s Chief Acquisitions Officer, Bill Bromiley. All Things Fall Apart is slated for an early 2012 theatrical release with home entertainment, VOD, digital and broadcast to follow under the company’s One Village label.

“We are thrilled to be working with Hannibal Pictures again on such a wonderful film, directed by the talented Mario Van Peebles,” commented Bromiley. “Audiences are going to be quite surprised with 50 Cent’s performance.”

Added Rionda Del Castro, “All Things Fall Apart is a strong emotional film, a labor of love for all involved. Given our superb relationship with Image Entertainment, we know they will nurture the film and help it find the audience it deserves.”

“50 lost so much weight I started calling him 25 Cent,” jokes Van Peebles. “But what impressed me was his willingness to evolve past his rap persona and totally commit to his first dramatic lead without relying on guns. No backup, this is 50 like you have never seen him.”

All Things Fall Apart tells the story of a Heisman-bound college football star whose career hits a wall when he is diagnosed with a tumor only inches from his heart. Says Rionda Del Castro, “I found the script compelling and heartfelt, and have always admired Mario Van Peebles as a director. What finally sold me was a meeting with ‘50’ during pre-production.” Rionda Del Castro arrived for the meeting and did not recognize Jackson, who had shed a reported 80 pounds in preparation for the role. “I was stunned by his dedication to the movie. At that moment, before a frame of film had been shot, I knew we had something special.”

All Things Fall Apart is produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Randall Emmett of Cheetah Vision Films. Patricia Eberle, Rionda Del Castro, Anthony Gudas, and Michael Corso are the executive producers. All Things Fall Apart marks Hannibal Pictures’ third collaboration with Cheetah Vision Films. Their previous film together, the action-packed Gun co-starring Val Kilmer, was released on DVD in early 2011 by Image Entertainment, and their next film Setup, co-starring Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillippe, will be released later this month.

All Things Fall Apart has played to packed theaters at several film festivals, including the Miami International Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, the Aruba International Film Festival and the Peachtree Village International Film Festival in Atlanta, with more than 20 foreign territories sold to-date.

Image Entertainment’s Bill Bromiley and Brett Dismuke, along with Hannibal Pictures’ Richard Rionda Del Castro, were central in finalizing the domestic deal. Martin J. Barab of Hamrick & Evans, LLP acted as legal counsel in the deal for Hannibal Pictures, the film’s worldwide sales agent.


ABOUT HANNIBAL PICTURES
Founded in 1999 by Richard Rionda Del Castro, Chairman and CEO, Hannibal Pictures finances, produces and distributes three to six motion pictures per year with budgets between $3 and $15 million. For more information about Hannibal Pictures, please go to http://www.hannibalpictures.com/.

ABOUT ONE VILLAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Launched in 2007, One Village Entertainment, a division of Image Entertainment, is devoted to the development, production and acquisition of feature films, comedy specials, stage plays, documentaries and music content targeting the African-American consumer and urban market. The programming is distributed across multiple platforms including theatrical, broadcast, Blu-ray™/DVD and digital streaming and downloading. Among the more than 50 titles that carry the One Village imprimatur are live stand-up performances featuring Kevin Hart and Charlie Murphy, documentaries 2 Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay and Soulmate, and the feature films American Violet starring Oscar-nominee Alfre Woodard and the acclaimed theatrical romantic comedy Russ Parr’s 35 & Ticking. Bestsellers in the One Village line also include the stage play productions What My Husband Doesn’t Know and Love in the Nick of Tyme by David E. Talbert, who is described by Variety as "the acknowledged kingpin of urban musicals."

ABOUT IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT
Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to http://www.image-entertainment.com/.

Happy Birthday, Cale

You're 19!  Seems like just yesterday...

Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin in Next Jason Reitman Film

PARAMOUNT AND INDIAN PAINTBRUSH TEAM WITH REITMAN, WINSLET, AND BROLIN FOR “LABOR DAY”

Paramount Pictures and Indian Paintbrush jointly announced today they will co-produce, and Paramount will distribute, Academy Award®-nominated writer / director Jason Reitman’s Labor Day starring Academy Award®-winner Kate Winslet and Academy Award® nominee Josh Brolin. Indian Paintbrush will co-finance the project, with the company’s Steven Rales and Mark Roybal executive producing.

The movie will be produced by Academy Award®-nominated producers Lianne Halfon and Russell Smith of Mr. Mudd Productions, along with Reitman and Helen Estabrook of Right of Way Films.

Adapted by Reitman and based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, LABOR DAY tells the story of an escaped convict (Brolin) who seeks shelter with a single mom (Winslet) and her young son over a long Labor Day weekend.

The film marks the fourth collaboration for Jason Reitman and Paramount. His latest film “Young Adult,” starring Charlize Theron, will hit theaters on December 9, 2011. The studio previously released his Academy-Award® nominated “Up in the Air” in 2010. Earning over $160 million world-wide, the movie earned six Academy-Award® nominations, and five Golden Globe nominations, with Reitman taking home the Golden Globe for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Indian Paintbrush, Mr. Mudd and Right of Way Films also produced the upcoming Paramount Vantage film “Jeff, Who Lives At Home,” starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms. Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, the movie is set for release in March 2012 and will have its world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are repped at CAA. WME reps Jason Reitman and Mr. Mudd.


ABOUT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. The company's labels include Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Digital Entertainment, Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., Paramount Studio Group and Paramount Television & Digital Distribution.

ABOUT INDIAN PAINTBRUSH
Indian Paintbrush, a film development/production/finance company, is currently in production on THE UNTITLED DRAKE DOREMUS PROJECT starring Guy Pearce, Amy Ryan and Felicity Jones. Indian Paintbrush and Paramount Pictures acquired Doremus' LIKE CRAZY at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize as well as a Special Grand Jury Prize for Felicity Jones and Paramount Vantage will release the film on October 28, 2011. Indian Paintbrush is in post-production on: Lorene Scafaria’s SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley to be released by Focus; Wes Anderson’s next feature, MOONRISE KINGDOM, starring Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton, also distributed by Focus; and THE UNTITLED DAVID CHASE PROJECT with James Gandolfini, Brad Garrett, Bella Heathcote, Christopher McDonald, Molly Price and Lisa Lampanelli to be distributed by Paramount. Previously, Indian Paintbrush co-financed and executive produced Anderson’s FANTASTIC MR. FOX and THE DARJEELING LIMITED.