Third Benchmark Met in "Waiting for 'Superman'" Campaign

Press release:

50,000 PEOPLE PLEDGE TO SEE WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN"

First Book and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Donate 250,000 New Books to Schools and Programs in Need - Third Benchmark Met on WaitingForSuperman.com "Pledge Progress Meter"

HOLLYWOOD, CA (September 3, 2010) - Paramount Pictures, Participant Media and Walden Media announced today 50,000 people have pledged to see the award-winning documentary film WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN" when it opens this fall, making it the third goal reached on the campaign's "Pledge Progress Meter." As a result, First Book and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are teaming up to distribute 250,000 new books to schools and programs in low-income communities across the country. The books will be generously provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and distributed through First Book's award-winning book distribution channels. In addition, the duo will donate an additional $100,000 worth of new books once the "Pledge Progress Meter" reaches 60,000.

"We are thrilled that by pledging to see the film, 50,000 people have already started an important dialogue about addressing the needs of America's students," said Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book. "First Book's mission is to provide the access to educational resources that is proven to be vital in literacy development. We are honored to have the opportunity to celebrate this pledge milestone by distributing 250,000 new books to students who need them most."

WAITING FOR "SUPERMAN" directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") will be released under the Paramount Vantage banner and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It examines the crisis of public education in the United States through multiple interlocking stories. Designed to start a national conversation, the movie and corresponding "Take the Pledge" campaign aim to inspire everyone to create innovative and long-term solutions to help change the course of our kids' lives for the better.

The "Pledge Progress Meter" launched in May as a way for non-profits, foundations and corporations to match individual pledge levels with powerful action items aimed at helping both students and public schools. First Book was the first organization to take the pledge.

The film opens in New York and Los Angeles on September 24, nationwide in October.

The film is produced by Lesley Chilcott, with Participant Media's Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann serving as executive producers. It is written by Davis Guggenheim & Billy Kimball.

For more information about the movie, or to take the pledge go to http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/ or text "PLEDGE" to 77177

To join the conversation visit us on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/WaitingForSuperman
What does your school need? Tell us by Tweeting #MySchoolNeeds at http://www.Twitter.com/WaitingSuperman


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, 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 Worldwide Television Distribution.

About Participant Media
Participant Media is a Los Angeles-based entertainment company that focuses on socially relevant, commercially viable feature films, documentaries and television, as well as publishing and digital media. Participant Media is headed by CEO Jim Berk and was founded in 2004 by philanthropist Jeff Skoll, who serves as Chairman. Ricky Strauss is President.

Participant exists to tell compelling, entertaining stories that bring to the forefront real issues that shape our lives. For each of its projects, Participant creates extensive social action and advocacy programs, which provide ideas and tools to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Participant's films include The Kite Runner, Charlie Wilson's War, Darfur Now, An Inconvenient Truth, Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, Standard Operating Procedure, The Visitor, The Soloist, Food, Inc., The Informant!, The Cove, The Crazies, Oceans, Furry Vengeance, CASINO JACK and the United States of Money, Countdown to Zero and Waiting for "Superman."

About Walden Media
Walden Media specializes in entertainment for the whole family. Past award-winning films include: "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Nim's Island" and "Charlotte's Web." Upcoming films include the third installment in the Narnia series "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

About First Book
First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy - access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed 70 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.firstbook.org.

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K-12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

Review: Inventive "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" is Sadly Sad

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 180 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – R for non-stop violence, language, and some nudity
DIRECTOR: Alexander Witt
WRITER: Paul W.S. Anderson
PRODUCERS: Jeremy Bolt, Don Carmody, and Anderson
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Derek Rogers and Christian Sebaldt
EDITOR: Eddie Hamilton

ACTION/HORROR with elements of sci-fi

Starring: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr, Thomas Kretschmann, Sophie Vavasseur, Raz Adoti, Jared Harris, Mike Epps, Sandrine Holt, Matthew G. Taylor, and Zack Ward

After barely surviving the zombie infestation/lab tragedy in Resident Evil, Alice (Milla Jovovich) wakes up in a Raccoon City hospital. Outside, Raccoon City is now a city of the stalking dead, as the T-virus that turned man and beast into the flesh-eating ghouls of the first film has escaped from the Hive into the city, and most of the residents are now zombies. Alice and a band of survivors of the new outbreak must find the daughter of a Hive scientist if they want his help to escape the city. However, Alice must also face Nemesis (Matthew G. Taylor), a creature/super soldier created by Hive scientists using the T-virus as a catalyst. They apparently also experimented on Alice in between her escape from the Hive and her waking up in a hospital. And now, Alice is quite the super girl, but will it be enough to save her and the other survivors?

Resident Evil: Apocalypse is not nearly as good as the first film, and it almost falls into the category of awful movies based upon video games. However, Apocalypse is what the first film was: a very scary zombie movie that might make someone jump from his seat. The creatures are quite effective. Who knew that a little makeup would make so many actors and extras be such convincing flesh-eating ghouls. The action scenes are warmed over video game sequences and retread action movie clichés. It is, however, nice to see Milla Jovovich and her stunt doubles flying around and kicking behinds, and the Nemesis character is actually pretty cool. Luckily, the genuinely funny Mike Epps is on hand to add some really nice comic relief. Would that he performed more house calls like this for many lame action movies.

4 of 10
C

TV is Dreaming of "The Sandman"

"Heat Vision," a blog at The Hollywood Reporter's website, is reporting that "The Sandman," the beloved comic book series written by Neil Gaiman, is in the early stages of being developed as a television series.

The blog entry also notes that Eric Kripke, the creator of The CW television series, "Supernatural," is the top name on the list of writer/producers Warner Bros. TV is considering to adapt the DC Comics/Vertigo comic book to the small screen.

Review: "Dreamgirls" a Delightful Spin on Music History (Happy B'day, Beyonce)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dreamgirls (2006)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for language, some sexuality, and drug content
DIRECTOR: Bill Condon
WRITER: Bill Condon (based upon the original Broadway Production Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen)
PRODUCER: Laurence Mark
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tobias Schliessler
EDITOR: Virginia Katz, A.C.E.
Academy Award winner

MUSICAL/DRAMA

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Sharon Leal, and Hinton Battle

Writer/director Bill Condon wrote the screenplay that brought the famous musical Chicago to the screen in 2002, and the film went onto to win six Academy Awards including "Best Picture" in 2003. Condon, who won an Oscar for writing his 1998 film Gods and Monsters, takes on the movie musical again with Dreamgirls, a film adaptation of the beloved 1981 Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. Condon uses music (featuring the score of Henry Krieger, who also scored the original musical) and song to drive this film into a memorable musical experience that recreates a particular period in American music.

In 1960's Detroit, an African-American singing trio, the Dreamettes - Deena Jones (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose), and lead singer Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), are trying to make it to the big time. They arrive at a big talent show in their cheap wigs and homemade dresses. The Dreamettes perform songs written by Effie's brother, C.C. (Keith Robinson), who also choreographs their dancing.

They get their big break when they meet Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jaime Foxx), an ambitious car salesman determined to make his mark on the music industry. He wants to form his own record label and get its music heard on mainstream radio stations - meaning white-owned - in a time when the Civil Rights movement is still struggling to get a foothold and when black recording artists are mostly marginalized. He sees the Dreamettes as the right angle to make that move to the mainstream. They've got the right talent and could be the right product to sell - if Curtis can shape it all the way he sees fit.

Curtis talks the girls into allowing him to become their manager, and he gets them a gig singing backup for James "Thunder" Early (Eddie Murphy), a pioneer of the new Detroit sound that blends soul music and rock 'n' roll. Early, however, is stuck singing on the "Chitlin' Circuit," which, at the time, meant mostly black-owned clubs. Curtis promises Early to move him into the mainstream, replacing Early's original manager, Marty Madison (Danny Glover), but that's not the only changes Curtis plans on making. He changes the Dreamettes name to the Dreams, and moves to replace Effie as the lead singer. As a new musical age dawns and Curtis' new sound takes hold, some people are fading away and others are finding that their dreams have come true, but at a high price.

Dreamgirls is indeed a movie musical, pretty much in the fine tradition of Hollywood musicals, except that its major characters are all black. It's an absolutely lovely film. In terms of the film's creative staff (art direction, costumes, cinematography, etc.), Dreamgirls is as good as any in recent memories, and the Dreams' costumes seem right out of a musical dream. Tobias Schliessler's cinematography creates a crystal clear heavenly aura of color that mixes the hyper-reality of the music world with the harsh reality of failure and betrayal.

The acting is quite good, but the singing is what makes these performances so memorable. As an actress, Jennifer Hudson isn't yet as skilled as some she beat out for the Oscar she earned for this film, but film performances aren't always built just on dialogue and physical movement. What put her over the top were those extraordinary pipes. Watching this film, it's easy to see why she amazed people with both her powerful, booming voice and her ability to interpret songs. Coming from a novice actress, she impressed enough awards voters to win all the big prizes.

In fact, so much of this movie's narrative and characterization is done through song. Jaime Foxx and Beyoncé Knowles who are professional singers sound better than they ever have. Eddie Murphy who has recorded albums using a voice that imitated other singers, but was on its own not distinctive, sounds better than I thought it was possible. Anika Noni Rose, as Lorrell, is a classically trained actress, Broadway veteran, and Tony Award winner, and she sounds great in a part that puts her character in the shadow of Knowles and Hudson's.

Condon deserves so much of the credit for bringing actors singing and singers acting together to create an ensemble cast that brings this colorful fantasy to life. Dreamgirls is a musical, but it is also a musical revue and music-filled overview of a time when African-American music was trying to break into the mainstream. In that, Dreamgirls is an intimate look at the lives of black artists, entertainers, musicians, singers, composers, and businessmen. The songs may unite the audience, but the experience of the African-American struggle to be accepted in the wider society and culture may seem foreign to so many. Still, Condon's colorful song-filled, dreamy myth making of real musical history will delight many for a long time to come.

10 of10

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 2 wins: "Best performance by an actress in a supporting role" (Jennifer Hudson) and "Best achievement in sound mixing" (Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, and Willie D. Burton); 6 nominations: "Best performance by an actor in a supporting role" (Eddie Murphy), "Best achievement in art direction" (John Myhre-art direction and Nancy Haigh-set decorator), "Best achievement in costume design" (Sharen Davis), and 3 nominations for "Best achievement in music written for motion pictures, original song" ("Listen" Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler-music and Anne Preven-lyrics; "Love You I Do" Henry Krieger-music and Siedah Garrett-lyrics; and "Patience" Henry Krieger-music and Willie Reale-lyrics)

2007 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Jennifer Hudson); 1 nomination: “Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music” (Henry Krieger)

2007 Golden Globes: 3 wins: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Eddie Murphy), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Jennifer Hudson); 2 nominations: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Beyoncé Knowles, Henry Krieger, Anne Preven, and Scott Cutler for the song "Listen"), and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Beyoncé Knowles)

Review: Steve Martin is His Usual Self in 2006 Version of "The Pink Panther" (Happy B'day, Beyonce)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 45 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Pink Panther (2006)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – PG for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language
DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy
WRITERS: Len Blum and Steve Martin; from a story by Len Blum and Michael Saltzman (based on characters by Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin)
PRODUCER: Robert Simonds
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jonathan Brown
EDITORS: George Folsey, Jr. and Brad E. Wilhite

COMEDY/CRIME with elements of mystery

Starring: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Beyoncé Knowles, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Henry Czerny, Roger Rees, Jason Statham, and William Abadie

In the 2006 version of The Pink Panther, France’s greatest soccer coach, Yves Gluant (Jason Statham), is murdered in front of tens of thousands of people during a match, but no one knows who the murder is, and to make matters worse, his world famous diamond ring, The Pink Panther, is missing. Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) wants to solve the case without the interference of the press, so he promotes small town policeman, Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin), to inspector.

However, Dreyfus wants the new Inspector Clouseau watched, so he assigns a veteran officer, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), to keep an eye on Clouseau. Meanwhile, the bumbling Clouseau has taken on the case of Gluant’s murder as if he were France’s best officer of the law. He questions all of Gluant’s rivals and shady associates (usually asking the dumbest questions), but he falls under the spell of Gluant’s beautiful girlfriend, an international pop singer named Xania (Beyoncé Knowles). Could Xania be Gluant’s murderer, and does she have the Pink Panther? Clouseau is willing to follow her to America to find out.

What’s the point of another Pink Panther film, especially since Peter Sellers, the actor who originated the character in the 1963 film, The Pink Panther, and defined him in A Shot in the Dark, is long dead? Well, the grave was already desecrated long ago when Pink Panther franchise director Blake Edwards had Roberto Benigni try to fill Sellers shoes by playing Inspector Clouseau’s illegitimate offspring in Son of the Pink Panther (1993). When the announcement came last year that Steve Martin would become the new Inspector Clouseau, there was some excitement among movie fans and the entertainment press, but I was wary. But in this new film, also entitled The Pink Panther, Martin is his reliably funny and silly self. He doesn’t deliver the kind of comedy he did from the 1970’s to the mid-80’s, but that was decades ago; regardless of style and content changes, he’s wild and funny (if not as crazy) guy. All that matters is that in this movie, he is damn funny.

If you put Sellers’ Clouseau out of your mind (and it’s possible to do), you will find Martin’s take on the character to be exceedingly silly and amazingly funny. Martin, a very talented actor and comedian never lets up in this film, and he can run the gamut of emotions and make the audience feel them. I laughed at Martin’s Clouseau, was annoyed by him, felt for him, thought he was cool, and ultimately cheered his slyly hidden intelligence. In a movie plagued by a pitiful script and absent direction, Martin made The Pink Panther live. This is a solid Steve Martin vehicle in spite of the dead air that stifles this remake.

And while Martin sparkles, his supporting casts works well with him. Although they start off cold, Kevin Kline (always game) and Jean Reno (looking a bit worn here) are fine straight guys for Martin’s relentless goofy and dense Clouseau. Kline is usually dead on as the straight guy, and here he plays the frustrated foil with self-confidence that is above this poorly constructed movie. Reno has a few good moments, though his character Ponton is just a sounding board for Martin’s craziness. However, he really gives a Clouseau/Ponton dance sequence a professional’s touch. He does it the way a good actor should – like he has to sell the performance both to the audience and to a guard who stands in the way of Clouseau and Ponton. There is actually some sexual tension and chemistry between Martin’s Clouseau and Nicole, played in a nice comic turn by Emily Mortimer. It would have been good to see more of that pairing in the film. Although she is a poor actress and it’s never more obvious than in this movie, Beyoncé Knowles is fine and pretty to look at, and that must count for something, right?

In the final analysis of The Pink Panther, Steve Martin makes this thoroughly mediocre film his star vehicle with a little help from his supporting cast. Here, as Martin so often does, he gets the hard laughs – sometimes bringing me to tears.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, February 27, 2006

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Review: "The Fighting Temptations" Has Good Music and a Good Message (Happy B'day, Beyonce)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 148 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fighting Temptations (2003)
Running time: 123 minutes (2 hours, 3 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual references
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Lynn
WRITERS: Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson; from a story by Elizabeth Hunter
PRODUCERS: David Gale, Loretha C. Jones, Benny Medina, and Jeff Pollack
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Affonso Beato
EDITOR: Paul Hirsch

COMEDY/MUSIC

Starring: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Beyoncé Knowles, Mike Epps, Steve Harvey, Angie Stone, Wendell Pierce, Ann Nesby, Faith Evans, Melba Moore, LaTanya Washington, Lou Myers, James E. Gaines, Rev. Shirley Ceasar, Rue McClanahan, Dave Sheridan, Faizon Love, and Eddie Levert, Sr.

Many, many movies are so hackneyed and contrived that you can see the contrivances minutes and if not hours ahead of the actual arrival time. Painfully predictable are the ideas and woefully stereotypical are the characters, but sometimes the movie is so absolutely entertaining and hilarious that it gives a bit of a jolt to the tired term “feel good movie.” Director Jonathan Lynn’s The Fighting Temptations is one that breaks away from the worn mold of which it was created. It is so awe-inspiring and uplifting that it just might have feet tapping for years to come.

Darrin Hill (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is a fast-talking junior level advertising executive who gets canned from his job for lying on his resume. He gets notice that his Aunt Sally (Ann Nesby) has died, so he returns to his hometown of Monte Carlo, Georgia for the funeral, a hometown he and his mother Maryann Hill (Faith Evans) left decades ago when Maryann was kicked from the church choir for singing secular music in a juke joint. Aunt Sally has left Darrin a small fortune ($150,000 in stocks), but to get it he has to direct the local church choir and take them to the annual Gospel Explosion music contest in Atlanta. Darrin, however, faces a stiff challenge for control of the choir from a self-righteous Christian hypocrite (LaTanya Washington). Of course, Darrin also finds a love interest in Lilly (Beyoncé Knowles), a single mother, and she mistrusts Darrin whom she sees as a slick conman.

It would be easy to point out how predictable The Fighting Temptations is, but the truth of the matter is that none of that matters. It’s a wonderful fairy tale full of toe-tapping music that takes the tried-and-true movie formula and uses it con mucho gusto to make TFT like an entirely new song. It’s almost impossible to dislike a movie that so immerses itself in Southern and “down home” stereotypes without demeaning the South. It shows that the eccentricities that are familiar to the South aren’t a bad thing, but are what makes living in the dirty worth it in spite of the bad things.

The music and singing, so big-hearted and full-throated, is what makes this film so special. The humor, however, is tart, tangy, sharp, and occasionally very edgy (especially the running commentary and satire of church people and Christian hypocrites) is also what separates it from being a paint-by-numbers R&B/gospel-flavored film. It’s so much fun, and so damn special.

The acting is pretty good, and Ms. Knowles carries herself quite well despite what previews (with scenes taken out of context) might show, plus the girl can sing down the roof with those awesome pipes. Cuba has seen better days (Jerry Maguire and As Good as it Gets), but he’s purportedly seen worse. Most of the time, he seems a bit stiff and over-compensating, but the truth of the matter is that when he’s allowed to let some of his boundless energy and sharp wit out, he’s absolutely fascinating; he just doesn’t do maudlin drama (and there’s some in this film) well.

It would be nice if a wide audience embraces this film, although early indications are that white folks are staying away. It’s a pity since The Fighting Temptations would probably entertain Southerners of all backgrounds as well as audiences who like My Big Fat Greek Wedding because TFT has a good message about love of family and home. And the music’s so damn (Lawd, forgive me) good.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2004 Black Reel Awards: 2 wins: “Best Song” (Beyoncé Knowles and Walter Williams Sr. for "He Still Loves Me") and “Film: Best Soundtrack;” 3 nominations: “Best Actress” (Beyoncé Knowles), “Film: Best Screenplay-Original or Adapted” (Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson), and “Film: Best Theatrical”

2004 Image Awards: 1 win for “Outstanding Motion Picture” and 1 nomination: “Actress in a Motion Picture” (Beyoncé Knowles)

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FOX Picks Jamie Foxx

BET.com's "Stay Tuned..." blog is reporting that FOX has picked up "The Jamie Foxx Project" as a mid-season replacement series.  FOX has also ordered 12 episodes of the proposed sketch comedy series, described as being in the vein of "In Living Colour," which also featured Jamie Foxx.

The blog quotes Deadline: Hollywood and details that the show will feature sketch comedian Affion Crockett, an alumnus of "The Boondocks."  One of the series writers, Carl Jones, is also an alumnus of "The Boondocks."