Wednesday, February 6, 2013

2013 Black Reel Award Nominations - Complete List

The Black Reel Awards annually honor African-Americans in feature, independent and television film. The awards also take notice of the work in film of people of color throughout the African Diaspora. The awards were launched in 2000, and this is the 13th year the awards will be handed out. The Black Reel Awards are now given out by the Foundation for the Advancement of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF).

The 13th Annual Black Reel Awards winners will be announced on Blog Talk Radio, Thursday, February 7, 2013, in Washington, DC.

2013 Black Reel Awards nominations (for the year in film 2012):

Outstanding Motion Picture
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Michael Gottwald, John Penn & Dan Javey (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Django Unchained
Reginald Huldin, Pilar Savone & Stacey Sher (Columbia Pictures)/(The Weinstein Company)

Flight
Laurie McDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey & Robert Zemeckis (Paramount)

The Intouchables
Laurent Zeitoun, Nicolas Duval-Adassovsky & Yann Zenou (The Weinstein Company)

Middle of Nowhere
Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes & Howard Barish (AFFRM)

Outstanding Actor
Jamie Foxx - Django Unchained (Columbia Pictures)/(The Weinstein Company)

Nate Parker - Red Tails (20th Century Fox)/(LucasFilm)

Chris Rock - 2 Days in New York (Magnolia Pictures)

Omar Sy - The Intouchables (The Weinstein Company)

Denzel Washington - Flight (Paramount)

Outstanding Actress
Halle Berry - Cloud Atlas (Warner Brothers)

Emayatzy Corinealdi  - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Viola Davis - Won’t Back Down (20th Century Fox)

Rashida Jones - Celeste and Jesse Forever (Sony Pictures Classics)

Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Mike Epps - Sparkle (Tristar Pictures)

Dwight Henry - Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)

Samuel L. Jackson - Django Unchained (Columbia Pictures)/(The Weinstein Company)

David Oyelowo - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Nate Parker - Arbitrage (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Naomie Harris - Skyfall (MGM)/ (Columbia)

Octavia Spencer - Smashed (Sony Pictures Classics)

Lorraine Toussaint - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Tamara Tunie - Flight (Paramount)

Kerry Washington - Django Unchained (Columbia)/(The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Director
Salim Akil - Sparkle (Tristar Pictures)

Ava DuVernay - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Spike Lee - Red Hook Summer (Variance Films)

Peter Ramsey - Rise of the Guardians (DreamWorks)

Tim Story - Think Like A Man (Screen Gems)

Outstanding Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
Mara Brock Akil - Sparkle (Tristar Pictures)

Ava DuVernay - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Rashida Jones & Will McCormack - Celeste and Jesse Forever (Sony Pictures Classics)

Spike Lee & James McBride - Red Hook Summer (Variance Films)

Aaron McGruder & John Ridley - Red Tails (20th Century Fox)/(LucasFilm)

Outstanding Feature Documentary
Bad 25
Spike Lee

Brooklyn Castle
Katie Dallamaggiore (Producers Distribution Agency)

The Central Park Five
Sarah Burns, Ken Burns & David McMahon (Sundance Select)

Marley
Kevin McDonald (Magnolia Pictures)

Searching for Sugar Man
Malik Bendjelloul (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Ensemble
Django Unchained
Casting Director: Victoria Thomas (Columbia)/(The Weinstein Company)

Flight
Casting Director: Victoria Burrows (Paramount)

Middle of Nowhere
Casting Director: Aisha Coley (AFFRM)

Sparkle
Casting Director: Twinkie Byrd (Tristar Pictures)

Think Like A Man
Casting Director: Kim Hardin (Screen Gems)

Outstanding Foreign Film
Elza
Guadeloupe (Autonomous Entertainment)

The Intouchables
France (The Weinstein Company)

Ties That Bind
South Africa (Image Entertainment)

Toussaint Louverture
France

Wuthering Heights
United Kingdom (Laboratories)

Outstanding Score
Terence Blanchard - Red Tails (20th Century Fox)/(LucasFilm)

Kathryn Bostic - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Bruce Hornsby - Red Hook Summer (Variance Films)

Salaam Remi - Sparkle (Tristar Pictures)

Dan Romer & Behn Zeitilin - Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Studios)

Outstanding Original or Adapted Song
“Carry It” from The Man With the Iron Fists
Performed and Written by: Travis Barker, RZA, Tom Morrello & Raekwon (Universal)

“Celebrate” from Sparkle
Performed by: Jordin Sparks & Whitney Houston; Written by: R. Kelly (Tristar Pictures)

“No Church in the Wild” from Safe House
Performed by: Jay-Z, Kanye West & Frank Ocean; Written by: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, The-Dream, Chales Nipa, Joseph Roach, Gary Wright, James Brown, Michael Dean & Phil Manzanera (Universal)

“Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” from Think Like a Man
Performed by: John Legend & Ludacris; Written: Allen Arthur, Keith Justice, Clayton Reilly, Miguel Pimental, John Legend & Ludacris (Screen Gems)

“Who Did That to You” from Django Unchained
Performed by: John Legend; Written by: John Legend & Paul Epworth (Columbia Pictures)/(The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance
Emayatzy Corinealdi - Middle of Nowhere (AFFRM)

Dwight Henry - Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Studios)

Amandla Stenberg - The Hunger Games (Lionsgate)

Omar Sy - The Intouchables (The Weinstein Company)

Quvenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Studios)

Outstanding Voice Performance
Tempestt Bledsoe - ParaNorman (Focus Features)

Dennis Haysbert - Wreck-it Ralph (Walt Disney)

Queen Latifah - Ice Age: Continental Drift (20th Century Fox)

Chris Rock - Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (Paramount)

Wanda Sykes - Ice Age: Continental Drift (20th Century Fox)

Outstanding Independent Film
Elza
Mariette Monpierre (Autonomous Entertainment)

Four
Joshua Sanchez

The Last Fall
Matthew A. Cherry (Image Entertainment)

LUV
Sheldon Candis (Indomina Releasing)

Yelling to the Sky
Victoria Mahoney (MPI Media Group)

Outstanding Independent Documentary
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Hip-Hop Drug Empire
D. Skiorski

Contradictions of Fair Hope
S. Epatha Merkerson & Rockell Metcalf

From Fatherless to Fatherhood
Kobie Brown

Justice for Sale
Femke & Isla van Velzen

Soul Food Junkies
Bryon Hurt

Outstanding Independent Short
The Bluest Note
Marques Green

Crossover
Tina Mabry

The Last/First Kiss
Andrea Ashton

Record/Play
Jesse Atlas

White Space
Maya Washington

Outstanding Television Documentary
The Announcement
Nelson George (ESPN)

Brooklyn Boheme
Nelson George and Diane Paragas (Showtime)

On the Shoulders of Giants
Deborah Morales (Showtime)

Slavery by Another Name
Samuel D. Pollard (PBS)

Uprising: Hip-Hop and the LA Riots
Mark Ford (VH1)

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
A Beautiful Soul
Noel Jones, Holly Davis Carter, Danny Green, Kimberly Ogletree & Dominique Telson (TVOne)

Let It Shine
Amy Gibbons & David Nelson (Disney Channel)

Raising Izzie
Angelique Bones & Valencia Y. Hawkins (The Gospel Music Channel)

Somebody’s Child
Keith Neal, David Eubanks & Eric Tomosunas (The Gospel Music Channel)

Steel Magnolias
David A. Rosemont (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Rockmond Dunbar - Raising Izzie (The Gospel Music Channel)

Cuba Gooding Jr. - Firelight (ABC)

Trevor Jackson - Let It Shine (Disney Channel)

Sean Patrick Thomas - Murder on the 13th Floor (Lifetime)

Michael Jai White - Somebody’s Child (The Gospel Music Channel)

Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Aunjanue Ellis - Abducted: The Carlina White Story (Lifetime)

Queen Latifah - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Keke Palmer - Abducted: The Carlina White Story (Lifetime)

Vanessa A. Williams - Raising Izzie (The Gospel Music Channel)

Lynn Whitfield - Somebody’s Child (Gospel Music Channel)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Danny Glover - Hannah’s Law (Hallmark Channel)

Louis Gossett Jr. - Smitty (The Gospel Music Channel)

Boris Kodjoe - Killer Amongst Us (Lifetime)

Harry J. Lennix - A Beautiful Soul (TVOne)

Courtney B. Vance - Let It Shine (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Adepero Oduye - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Phylicia Rashad - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Gloria Reuben - Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (CBS)

Jill Scott - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Alfre Woodard - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Outstanding Director in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
Roger M. Bobb - Raising Izzie (The Gospel Music Channel)

Vondie Curtis-Hall - Abducted: The Carlina White Story (Lifetime)

Kenny Leon - Steel Magnolias (Lifetime)

Darnell Martin - Firelight (ABC)

Bille Woodruff - Rags (Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Writing in a TV Movie or Mini-Series
David Martyn Conley - Raising Izzie (The Gospel Music Channel)

Eric Daniel - Let It Shine (Disney Channel)

Elizabeth Hunter - Abducted: The Carlina White Story (Lifetime)

Siddeeqah Powell - Somebody’s Child (The Gospel Music Channel)

Cas Sigers - A Cross to Bear (The Gospel Music Channel)

http://blackreelawards.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Walt Disney's "Peter Pan" Forever Young, Always Great

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 201 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Walt Disney’s Peter Pan (1953) - animated
Running time: 76 minutes (1 hour, 16 minutes)
DIRECTORS: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske
WRITERS: Milt Banta, Bill Cottrell, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears, and Ralph Wright; (based upon the play by J.M. Barrie)
PRODUCER: Walt Disney
EDITOR: Donald Halliday
COMPOSER: Oliver Wallace
SONGS: Sammy Fain and Frank Churchill (music); Sammy Cahn, Ed Penner, Winston Hibler, and Ted Sears (lyrics)
Cannes Film Festival awards nominee

ANIMATION/FAMILY/FANTASY/COMEDY/ADVENTURE

Starring: (voice) Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried, Bill Thompson, Heather Angel, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, Candy Candido, Tom Conway, Roland Dupree, and Don Barclay

The subject of this movie review is Peter Pan, a 1953 animated film from Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Produced by Walt Disney, Peter Pan was the 14th full-length feature animated film from Walt Disney. Walt Disney’s Peter Pan is based on the play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, written by J. M. Barrie.

Compared to the esteem given other animated films, Walt Disney’s Peter Pan may not match up, and there may be, relatively speaking, not many people who hold think so highly of this movie as do I. It is my favorite animated film of all time, so I have to admit that I am prejudiced about it.

As he had done with other famous children’s stories, Walt Disney turned J.M. Barrie’s stage play into the animated motion picture classic of the same title, Peter Pan. Peter Pan (Bobby Driscoll, the first boy to perform the part), the boy who would not grow up, takes Londoner Wendy Moira Angela Darling (Kathryn Beaumont) and her younger brothers, John (Paul Collins) and Michael (Tommy Luske), to his island home Never Never Land (which Barrie called Neverland in his play), that can be reached by flying to “the second star to the right” and then going “straight on till morning.” There, the Darling siblings meet Pan’s tribe, the Lost Boys, meet the fierce Indian tribe, the Redskins, and join Peter Pan in his on-going battle with Captain Hook (Hans Conried) and his band of pirates.

Walt Disney had his filmmakers veer quite a bit from Barrie’s original play. For one thing, the film doesn’t use Barrie’s dialogue, and while the play ended with the Lost Boys returning to London with the Darlings where they would grow up to become men, the film keeps the boys with their leader, Peter Pan, so that they can never stop playing and fighting pirates and Indians. Though the “Disneyfication” does rob the story of its subtext, symbolism, and metaphorical brilliance, it also leaves the story somewhere in the illusive realm of imagination, always reachable by children.

Peter Pan appeals to boys and to the boy still in the adult man. Part of us yearns to be with Peter forever. And heck, Walt Disney’s Peter Pan is simply a great film. The art and illustrations that make up the animation are superb, not the greatest in Disney history, but the character animation on Wendy is high art. I have a soft spot for it; Disney’s Peter Pan rules.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1953 Cannes Film Festival: 1 nomination: “Grand Prize of the Festival” (Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson)


2003 "Peter Pan" Surprisingly Quite Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 109 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux


Peter Pan (2003)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: P.J. Hogan
WRITERS: Michael Goldenberg and P.J. Hogan (based upon the play and stories of J.M. Barrie)
PRODUCERS: Lucy Fisher, Patrick McCormick, and Douglas Wick
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Donald m McAlpine (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Garth Craven and Michael Kahn
COMPOSER: James Newton Howard

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY/ROMANCE

Starring: Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Briers, Olivia Williams, Harry Newell, Freddie Popplewell, Ludivine Sagnier, Theodore Chester, Rupert Simonian, George MacKay, Harry Eden, Patrick Gooch, Lachlan Gooch, and Carsen Gray

The subject of this movie review is Peter Pan, a 2003 live-action, fantasy drama based on the Peter Pan play and novel written by J. M. Barrie. The film is a multi-national production of three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Wendy Darling (Rachel Hurd-Wood) loves to tell pirate stories to her brothers, John (Harry Newell) and Michael (Freddie Popplewell), but she doesn’t know that Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter), the boy who refuses to grow up, listens at the window every night as Wendy tells her tales. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Darling (Jason Isaacs and Olivia Williams), insist that she grow up and stop telling her tales of pirates and swordfights. Thus, when Peter offers to take her and her brothers away to his home, Neverland, where they can always play and have fun and never grow old, she’s more than happy to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. She gets more than for which she bargained when she and her brothers fall right in the middle of Peter’s ongoing war with the brutal, evil, and vicious pirate, Captain James Hook (Jason Isaacs).

The 2003 film version of Peter Pan is the first English language version in which a male actor played the part of Peter Pan, and that isn’t the only place where the film veers from stage and screens of Pan past. But that doesn’t matter; Peter Pan is a very good fantasy/adventure film. Like the original Pan tales by author J.M. Barrie, this film has a dark undercurrent, though this one is a bit darker in tone, a bit nastier in character conflict, and has a not too slight sexual undertone, as well as being more violent.

From a technical standpoint, the film is gorgeous, from its set decoration and art direction to the costume design and cinematography. I don’t know how well it will appeal to younger viewers, and I don’t think they will understand some of the adult themes, or even be interested, but it’s very good film for the older teen and adult audience that likes fantasy films. What co-writer/director P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding) has managed to do is simultaneously be true (for the most part) to the spirit of the original story and modernize it for a broader audience, both young and old. It’s one glaring weakness is that the script sacrifices the other characters for the sake of a single-minded focus on the triangle of Pan, Hood, and Wendy. Hogan, however, deals with that triangle so well that we can forgive him when his film is such a good time.

7 of 10
A-


Happy Anniversary, Jay and Megan

If my Microsoft calendar is right, this is three years.

Congratulations.

Keep going.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Directors Guild Gives Top Award to Ben Affleck for "Argo"

The winner of the Director Guild of America Award for “Feature Film” usually wins the best director Oscar. As of last year, only six DGA winners in the “Feature Film” category have not also won the best director Oscar. The last time this happened was for the year 2002. Rob Marshall was the DGA choice for Chicago, but he Oscar went to Roman Polanski for The Pianist.

That was until this year. Ben Affleck won the DGA’s “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film” award for Argo, but he did not receive a best director Oscar nomination for Argo. So…

65th Annual DGA Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film winners (for the year in film and television 2012):

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film:
BEN AFFLECK – Argo (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Mr. Affleck’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Amy Herman
First Assistant Director: David Webb
Second Assistant Director: Ian Calip
Second Second Assistant Directors: Clark Credle, Gavin Kleintop
First Assistant Director (Turkey Unit): Belkis Turan

This is Mr. Affleck’s first DGA Feature Film Award.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials:
ALEJANDRO G. IÑÁRRITU (Anonymous Content) - Best Job, Proctor and Gamble – Wieden + Kennedy

First Assistant Director: Peter Kohn
Second Assistant Director: Michelle Schrauwers
Second Second Assistant Directors: Heather Anderson, Blake Perkinson

This is Mr. Iñárritu’s first DGA Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials Award. He was previously nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Babel in 2006.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series:
RIAN JOHNSON - Breaking Bad, “Fifty-One” (AMC)

Mr. Johnson’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Stewart A. Lyons
Assistant Unit Production Manager: James Paul Hapsas
First Assistant Director: Ben Scissors
Second Assistant Director: Louis Lanni
Second Second Assistant Director: Anna Ramey
Additional Second Assistant Director: Joann Connolly

This is Mr. Johnson’s first DGA Award.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs:
BRIAN SMITH - Master Chef, “Episode #305” (FOX)

Mr. Smith’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Anna Moulaison-Moore
Stage Manager: Drew Lewandowski

This is Mr. Smith’s first DGA Award win and third nomination. He was previously nominated in this category in 2010 and 2011 for episodes “103” and “201” of Master Chef.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series
JAY ROACH - Game Change (HBO)

Mr. Roach's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Mary Kane
First Assistant Director: Josh King
Second Assistant Director: Emily McGovern
Second Second Assistant Director: Brian F. Relyea

This is Mr. Roach’s second DGA Award win and second nomination. He previously won the DGA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series for Recount in 2008.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety:
GLENN WEISS - 66th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)

Mr. Weiss’ Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Robin Abrams, Stefani Cohen, Ricky Kirshner
Stage Managers: Garry Hood, Phyllis Digilio-Kent, Peter Epstein, Andrew Feigin, Lynn Finkel, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Dean Gordon, Arthur Lewis, Jeffrey M. Markowitz, Joey Meade, Tony Mirante, Cyndi Owgang, Jeff Pearl, Elise Reaves, Lauren Class Schneider

This is Mr. Weiss’ fourth DGA Award win and ninth nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety in 2007, 2010 and 2011 for the 61st, 64th and 65th Annual Tony Awards. He was previously nominated in this category in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008, all for the 55th, 56th, 59th, 60th, and 62nd Annual Tony Awards.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials:
JILL MITWELL - One Life To Live, “Between Heaven and Hell” (ABC)

Ms. Mitwell’s Directorial Team:
Associate Directors: Tracy Casper Lang, Teresa Cicala, Michael Sweeney, Paul S. Glass
Stage Managers: Alan Needleman, Keith Greer, Tracy Casper Lang, Leah M. Weber
Production Associates: Nathalie Rodriguez, Kevin Brush

This is Ms. Mitwell’s fourth DGA Award win and ninth nomination, all for her direction of One Life to Live. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials three times for One Life to Live, “Episode #9779” in 2006, “Episode #8295” in 2000 and “Episode #6356” in 1993. She was nominated five additional times for One Life to Live episodes “Starr X’d Lovers, The Musical, Part Three” in 2010, “Episode #8691” in 2002, “Episode #8012” in 1999, “Episode #7761” in 1998, and “Episode #7285” in 1996.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs:
PAUL HOEN - Let it Shine (Disney Channel)

Mr. Hoen’s Directorial Team:
Unit Production Manager: Katie Willard Troebs
First Assistant Director: Daniel Coffie
Second Assistant Director: Todd Turner
Second Second Assistant Director: D. Scott Kirkley

This is Mr. Hoen’s second DGA Award win and sixth nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Program in 2007 for Jump In and was previously nominated in this category in 2000 for the Even Stevens episode “Take My Sister... Please,” in 2004 for Searching for David's Heart, in 2008 for Cheetah Girls: One World and in 2010 for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary:
MALIK BENDJELLOUL - Searching For Sugar Man; Sony Pictures Classics, Passion Pictures Production, Canfield Pictures & The Documentary Company, Red Box Films

This is Mr. Bendjelloul’s first DGA Award win.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series:
LENA DUNHAM - Girls, “Pilot” (HBO)

Ms. Dunham's Directorial Team:
Unit Production Managers: Regina Heyman, Ilene S. Landress
First Assistant Director: Mark McGann
Second Assistant Director: Jason Ivey
Second Second Assistant Director: Marcos Gonzalez Palma

This is Ms. Dunham’s first DGA Award win.

Lifetime Achievement and Service Awards

The recipients of the Directors Guild of America Service and Achievement Awards for 2013 are:

MILOS FORMAN - DGA Lifetime Achievement Award
Given in recognition of distinguished achievement in Motion Picture Direction.

MICHAEL APTED - Robert B. Aldrich Service Award
Given in recognition of extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and to its membership.

ERIC SHAPIRO - Lifetime Achievement in News Direction Award
Given in recognition of distinguished achievement in News Direction.

SUSAN ZWERMAN - Frank Capra Achievement Award
Given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of their career and service to the industry and the DGA.

DENCY NELSON - Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award
Given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of their service to the industry and DGA.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" App Sells Movie Tickets

APP USERS UNLOCK THE FIRST SURPRISE – “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” WILL OPEN IN THEATERS TWO DAYS EARLY AT 8:00 P.M., WITH TICKETS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE APP

APP USERS ALSO RECEIVED AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT AN EXTENDED “BIG GAME” SPOT

APP IS AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE APP STORE AND GOOGLE PLAY AT WWW.STARTREKMOVIE.COM/STARTREKAPP

Following the debut of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” TV spot in the Super Bowl, users who downloaded the film’s first-of-its kind movie app are now among the first people anywhere to unlock movie tickets for show times on Wednesday, May 15th at 8:00 p.m. – two days ahead of the film’s scheduled release on Friday, May 17th. Additionally, app users also received an exclusive look at an extended big game spot.

App users will continuously receive exciting “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” movie news, as well as exclusive content and offers, throughout the movie’s theatrical and home entertainment releases.

The app’s cutting edge technology allows users to delve deeper into the Star Trek universe by interacting directly with materials from the eagerly awaited film to auto-accomplish missions within the application. Utilizing geo-location awareness software, image recognition technology, and audio scan functions, users can collect points, see content, and work their way through the Star Trek Academy.

Highlights of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” app include:
· A geofencing function for location-based experiences such as encouraging viewers to go to the movies;

· An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;

· An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;

· New “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content, such as videos, images and wallpapers delivered directly to users’ mobile devices;

· Exclusive opportunities and special offers only available to app users.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and directed by J.J. Abrams. Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci. Jeffrey Chernov and Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake are the executive producers.

“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” opens in theaters everywhere May 17th, 2013.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.

"Wreck-It Ralph" Tops 2013 Annie Awards

by Leroy Douresseaux

At the 40th Annual Annie Awards, Wreck-It Ralph won "Best Animated Feature of 2012," and the Annie Awards' equivalent of a "best director" prize went to Wreck-It Ralph's director, Rich Moore.  After also winning the "best animated feature" at the Producers Guild Awards, perhaps, Wreck-It Ralph is the favorite to win best animated feature Oscar.

The 40th Annual Annie Awards took place on February 2, 2013 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, California.

40th (2013) Annual Annie Awards Winners:

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature
•Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Best Animated Special Production
•Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem – Illumination Entertainment

Best Animated Short Subject
•Paperman – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Best Animated Television Commercial
•NO NOMINATIONS

Best Animated Television Production For Preschool Children
•Bubble Guppies ‘A Tooth on the Looth’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Best Animated Television Production For Children
•Dragons: Riders of Berk ‘How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation

Best General Audience Animated Television Production
•Robot Chicken ‘DC Comics Special’ - Stoopid Buddy Studios

Best Animated Video Game
•Journey – Sony Computer Entertainment America

Best Student Film
•Head Over Heels – Timothy Reckart

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production
•Andy Hayes, Carl Hooper, David Lipton - Rise of the Guardians – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
•Jerome Platteaux, John Sigurdson, Ryan Hopkins, Raul Essig, Mark Chataway ‘The Avengers’ – Industrial Light & Magic

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Dan Driscoll ‘SpongeBob SquarePants: It's a SpongeBob Christmas!’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production
•Travis Knight “ParaNorman’ – LAIKA/Focus Features

Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production
•Erik de Boer, Matt Shumway, Brian Wells, Vinayak Pawar, Michael Holzl ‘Life of Pi - Tiger’ – Rhythm & Hues Studio

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Robert Valley ‘Disney Tron: Uprising: The Renegade, Part I’ – Disney TV Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
•Heidi Smith ‘ParaNorman’ – LAIKA/Focus Features

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•John Eng ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Animal House’ – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production
•Rich Moore ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•John Paesano ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: How to Pick Your Dragon’ – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production
•Henry Jackman, Skrillex, Adam Young, Matthew Thiessen, Jamie Houston, Yasushi Akimoto ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Alberto Mielgo ‘Tron: Uprising: The Stranger’ – Disney TV Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
•Steve Pilcher ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Doug Lovelace ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk: Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man’ – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
•Johanne Matte ‘Rise of the Guardians’ – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines ‘Gravity Falls: Tourist Trapped’ – Disney TV Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
•Alan Tudyk as King Candy ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Trey Parker – ‘South Park: Jewpacabra’ – Central Productions

Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production
•Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee - Wreck-It Ralph – Walt Disney Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Television or other Broadcast Venue Production
•Hugo Morales, Adam Arnold, Davrick Waeden, Otto Ferraye ‘Kung Fu Panda - Enter the Dragon’ – Nickelodeon Animation Studios

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
•Nicholas C. Smith, A.C.E, Robert Grahamjones, A.C.E., David Suther ‘Brave’ – Pixar Animation Studios

JURIED AWARDS:
Winsor McCay Award — Oscar Grillo, Terry Gilliam, Mark Henn

June Foray Award — Howard Green

Ub Iwerks Award — Toon Boom Animation Pipeline