"Gravity," "Game of Thrones" Among 2014 Art Directors Guild Winners

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) announced winners of its 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, Presented by Kohler (sponsor), on Saturday, February 8, 2014.  The winners were announced in ten categories of film, television, commercials and music videos during the black-tie ceremony in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

According to an ADG press release, the 2014 ADG Awards ceremony (for the year in film and television 2013) took place before an audience of more than 800, including guild members, industry executives and press. ADG Council Chair John Shaffner presided over the awards ceremony with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.

Martin Scorsese received the Guild’s prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award, which was presented to him by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, the stars of Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (currently nominated for five Academy Awards®).

Production Designer Rick Carter was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award was presented by Kohler, which created a special award for the occasion, and ADG President Mimi Gramatky and Production Designer Robert Stromberg participated in the presentation to Carter.

Robert Clatworthy, Harper Goff, and J. Michael Riva were the 2014 Hall of Fame inductees.

ADG awards recognition always goes to the Production Designer, Art Director, Assistant Art Director and their team for each nominated and winning project.

2014 / 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards (for the year in film and television 2013):  A complete list of winners follows:

WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2013:

Period Film: THE GREAT GATSBY
Production Designer: Catherine Martin

Fantasy Film: GRAVITY
Production Designer: Andy Nicholson

Contemporary Film: HER
Production Designer: K.K. Barrett

WINNERS FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION FOR 2013:

One-Hour Single Camera Television Series: GAME OF THRONES
Production Designer: Gemma Jackson - Episode: Valar Dohaeris

Television Movie or Mini-Series: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA
Production Designer: Howard Cummings

Half-Hour Single Camera Television Series: VEEP
Production Designer: Jim Gloster - Episode: Helsinki

Short Format, Live Action Series: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD & CHROME
Production Designer: Brian Kane - Episode: Pilot

Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series: PORTLANDIA
Production Designer: Tyler B. Robinson - Episode: Missionaries

Awards, Music, or Game Shows: THE 67th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS
Production Designer: Steve Bass

Commercial, PSA, Promo, and Music Video: CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS
Production Designer: Todd Cherniawsky - Episode: Epic Night Out

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ADG Awards Sponsors: Presenting and Lifetime Achievement: KOHLER; Title Sponsor:Paramount Pictures; Platinum: LBI Entertainment, Steven Spielberg; Gold: Fox Studios Productions, ICM Partners, NBC/Universal Operations Group, United Talent Agency; Silver: Astek Wallcovering, The Bridgeman Art Library Ltd., Fox Searchlight, The Skouras Agency, Warner Bros. Studio Facilities, Walt Disney Pictures, The Weinstein Company, WME Agency; Media: The Hollywood Reporter, SHOOTMagazine/SHOOTonline, and Variety. ADG Awards are open only to productions, when made within the U.S., by producers signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions.

About the Art Directors Guild:
The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) represents nearly 2,000 members who work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film, television and theater as Production Designers, Art Directors, and Assistant Art Directors; Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists; Illustrators and Matte Artists; and Set Designers and Model Makers.

Established in 1937, ADG’s ongoing activities include a Film Society; an annual Awards Banquet, a creative/technology community (5D: The Future of Immersive Design) and Membership Directory; a bimonthly craft magazine (Perspective); and extensive technology-training programs, creative workshops and craft and art exhibitions.

The Guild’s Online Directory/Website Resource is at www.adg.org.
Twitter: @ADG800, #ADGawards

About Kohler:
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of more than 30,000 associates. With more than 50 manufacturing locations worldwide, Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier furniture, cabinetry and tile; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Kohler Website: http://www.us.kohler.com/us
Kohler Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kohler
Kohler Twitter: @Kohler, #OnlyKohler

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"Captain Phillips," "American Hustle" Lead 2014 ACE Eddie Awards

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of motion picture editors founded in 1950.  According to the group’s website, film editors are voted into membership on the basis of their professional achievements, their dedication to the education of others and their commitment to the craft of editing.  Since 1962, ACE has given its own annual award of merit, the Eddie Award.

The winners at the 2014 ACE Eddie Awards were announced at a ceremony on Friday, February 7, 2014.

2014 / 64th Annual ACE Eddie Award winners (for the year in film 2013):

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
Captain Phillips - Christopher Rouse, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
American Hustle - Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Crispin Struthers & Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E.   


BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Frozen - Jeff Draheim

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):

20 Feet from Stardom - Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber & Jason Zeldes

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):

The Assassination of President Kennedy - Chris A. Peterson

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
The Office: “Finale” - David Rogers & Claire Scanlon

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Breaking Bad: “Felina” - Skip MacDonald A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Homeland: “Big Man in Tehran” - Terry Kelley, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
Behind the Candelabra - Mary Ann Bernard (Steven Soderbergh)

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Tokyo - Nick Brigden

BEST STUDENT EDITING
Ambar Salinas, Video Symphony

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2014 Art Directors Guild Nominations - Complete List

by Amos Semien

[Editor's note: Forgot to post this]

Established in 1937, the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) represents nearly 2,000 members.  Those ADG members work throughout the United States, Canada and the rest of the world in film, television and theater as Production Designers, Art Directors, and Assistant Art Directors; Scenic, Title and Graphic Artists; Illustrators and Matte Artists; and Set Designers and Model Makers.  ADG’s ongoing activities include the ADG Awards, an annual Awards Banquet,

The film nominations are broken down into three categories: period film, fantasy film and contemporary film.  The TV nominations are broken down into the following categories: One-Hour Single Camera Television Series; Television Movie or Mini-Series; Half-Hour Single-Camera Television Series; Short Format, Live Action Series; Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series; and Awards, Music, or Game Shows.

The 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, with comedian Owen Benjamin as the host.

At the 2014 ADG Awards, Martin Scorsese will receive the Cinematic Imagery Award, Rick Carter will receive the Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Robert Clatworthy, Harper Goff and J. Michael Riva will be inducted into the ADG's Hall of Fame.

2014 / 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards (for the year in film and television 2013):  A complete list of nominees follows:

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM IN 2013:

Period Film:
AMERICAN HUSTLE - Production Designer: Judy Becker
THE GREAT GATSBY - Production Designer: Catherine Martin
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS - Production Designer: Jess Gonchor
SAVING MR. BANKS - Production Designer: Michael Corenblith
12 YEARS A SLAVE - Production Designer: Adam Stockhausen

Fantasy Film:
ELYSIUM - Production Designer: Philip Ivey
GRAVITY - Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Production Designer: Dan Hennah
OBLIVION - Production Designer: Darren Gilford
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS - Production Designer: Scott Chambliss

Contemporary Film:
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY - Production Designer: David Gropman
BLUE JASMINE - Production Designer: Santo Loquasto
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS - Production Designer: Paul Kirby
HER - Production Designer: K.K. Barrett
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - Production Designer: Bob Shaw

NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION FOR 2013:

One-Hour Single Camera Television Series:

BOARDWALK EMPIRE
Production Designer: Bill Groom
Episode: Old Ship of Zion

BREAKING BAD
Production Designer: Mark Freeborn
Episode: Felina

DOWNTON ABBEY
Production Designer: Donal Woods
Episode: 7

GAME OF THRONES
Production Designer: Gemma Jackson
Episode: Valar Dohaeris

MAD MEN
Production Designer: Dan Bishop
Episode: The Better Half

Television Movie or Mini-Series:

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN
Production Designer: Mark Worthington
Episode: Bitchcraft

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA
Production Designer: Howard Cummings

BONNIE & CLYDE
Production Designer: Derek R. Hill
Episode: Night 1 & Night 2

MOB CITY
Production Designer: Gregory Melton
Episode: A Guy Walks Into A Bar, Reason To Kill A Man

PHIL SPECTOR
Production Designer: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series

Half-Hour Single Camera Television Series:

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Production Designer: Dan Butts
Episode: The B. Team

CALIFORNICATION
Production Designer: Ray Yamagata
Episode: The Unforgiven

MODERN FAMILY
Production Designer: Richard Berg
Episode: The Wow Factor

PARKS AND RECREATION
Production Designer: Ian Phillips
Episode: London

VEEP
Production Designer: Jim Gloster
Episode: Helsinki

Short Format, Live Action Series:

10,000 DAYS
Production Designer: Mimi Gramatky
Episode: Salvation or Destruction

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: BLOOD AND CHROME
Production Designer: Brian Kane
Episode: Pilot

BLUE
Production Designer: Rachel Myers
Episode: The Truth Hurts

DAYBREAK
Production Designer: Stuart Blatt
Episode: 5

H+: THE DIGITAL SERIES
Production Designer: Andres Cubillan
Episode: Visions Of Whats To Come

Multi-Camera, Variety, or Unscripted Series:

THE BIG BANG THEORY
Production Designer: John Shaffner
Episode: The Bakersfield Expedition

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Production Designer: Steve Olson
Episode: The Light House

PORTLANDIA
Production Designer: Tyler Robinson
Episode: Missionaries

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Production Designers:
Akira Yoshimura
Eugene Lee
Keith Ian Raywood
N. Joseph Detullio
Episode: Justin Timberlake/Justin Timberlake

THE VOICE
Production Designers:
Anton Goss
James Pearse Connelly
Episode: Live Playoffs, Part 1

Awards, Music, or Game Shows:

THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 2013
Production Designer: Joe Stewart

2013 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS
Production Designer: Brian Stonestreet

THE 65th PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS
Production Designer: Brian Stonestreet

THE 67th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS
Production Designer: Steve Bass

SUPERBOWL XLVII HALFTIME SHOW
STARRING BEYONCE
Production Designer: Bruce Rodgers

Commercial, PSA, Promo, and Music Video:

ARCADE FIRE
Production Designer: Anastasia Masaro
Episode: Reflektor

CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS
Production Designer: Todd Cherniawsky
Episode: Epic Night Out

DIEHARD
Production Designer: Tom Wilkins
Episode: The Getaway

INFINITI
Production Designer: Christopher Glass
Episode: Factory of Life

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FT. JAY Z
Production Designer: Richard Bridgland
Episode: Suit & Tie

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http://www.adg.org/

Oscar Nominees Luncheon is Today

Oscar® Nominees to be Honored at Academy Luncheon

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — More than 150 Oscar® nominees will come together at noon on Monday, February 10, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.

Among the Lead Actor and Actress nominees, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Meryl Streep are expected to attend the pre-Oscars® event. Supporting Actor and Actress nominees Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Jonah Hill, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb also will join in the celebratory lunch.

All five nominees in the Directing category, Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese, are expected to attend as well.

Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

John Ridley Wins USC Libraries Scripter Award for "12 Years a Slave"

[USC Libraries 2014 Scripter Award winner John Ridley with Dean of the USC Libraries Catherine Quinlan and Scripter Literary Achievement Award winner Robert Towne. (Photo Credit: Ron Murray) and courtesy of Busineswire.]

"12 Years a Slave" Wins USC Libraries Scripter Award

John Ridley and Solomon Northup take the 26th-anniversary honor

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Screenwriter John Ridley joined family members of nineteenth-century author Solomon Northup to receive the 26th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for “12 Years a Slave.” Selection committee co-chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at the black-tie event on Saturday, Feb. 8, at USC’s Doheny Memorial Library.

“Until I read Solomon’s memoir, I didn’t know what being a writer was all about,” Ridley said in his acceptance speech. “The way that Solomon wrote, the clarity with which he wrote, and more importantly, the strength of his character, what he went through without bitterness, without hate—that really taught me something.”

“12 Years a Slave’s” Scripter win adds to the growing number of awards for the Fox Searchlight film, including best motion picture in the drama category at last month’s Golden Globes. The film is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Scripter, established by the Friends of the USC Libraries in 1988, honors the screenwriter of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. Scripter is the only award of its kind that recognizes authors of the original work alongside the adapting screenwriters.

Ridley based his adaptation on Northup’s memoir, a bestseller when published in 1853 by Derby & Miller. In the 20th century, the work lapsed into obscurity until Louisiana State University Press issued an annotated version in 1968, following work by two Louisiana researchers to verify the story’s details.

USC Libraries Dean Catherine Quinlan welcomed the attendees gathered in the Los Angeles Times Reference Room of USC’s historic Edward L. Doheny Memorial Library.

“A library does more than collect ambitious life stories, more than make certain the great literary, philosophical, and scientific thinkers live on to inspire endless generations of discoverers,” Quinlan said. “An excellent library also creates experiences for students that inspire them to seek meaning in their studies, their careers, and their lives.”

Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC screenwriting professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the Scripter selection committee chose “12 Years A Slave” from a field of 86 eligible films.

The USC Libraries also honored Robert Towne with the Literary Achievement Award for his contributions to the art of adaptation throughout his career. His daughter, Chiara Towne, presented the honor.

“The truth is, there are no shortcuts to great screenplays about the past,” she said. “But growing up, the thing I noticed that set my father’s writing apart was the extraordinary, unending amount of research that goes into his films.”

Towne, a native of Southern California, has set much of his work there, including his scripts for Ask the Dust, which Towne adapted from the 1939 novel by John Fante, and the Depression-era Chinatown, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1975. He is currently working as a writer on the final season of AMC’s television series “Mad Men.”

In receiving the award, Towne credited the guidance and inspiration he has received from writers and other artists throughout his career, “They have given me the advantage of their perspective and given it to me truthfully. What I am standing on is their advice and help.”

Ridley and Rodman in their remarks acknowledged Towne’s work as inspiration to them and the community of screenwriters. “I’m not sure this room has been filled with more wisdom than when Robert Towne stood here alone,” Rodman said.

This year’s event featured a silent auction, the proceeds of which support the renovation of USC’s Leavey Library. Donors to the auction included AOC, Arthur Murray Santa Monica, At Your Side Private Exercise, Bennett Farms, Bouchon Beverly Hills, Coravin Wine Access System, The Chopra Center For Well Being, Dancing with the Stars, The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Jay and Kristine Eagan, Fess Parker Inn, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, Fred Segal Salon, The French Reflection, Rachel Galey Make-up, The Geffen Playhouse, The Grammy Museum, Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, Kinara Spa, The Kitchen For Exploring Foods, Knock Knock, LA Saddlery, The Los Angeles Clippers, The Los Angeles Lakers, The Los Angeles Opera, Lafond Winery, Lux Dog Daycare, Metropolitan Fine Arts, The Montage Beverly Hills, Neiman Marcus, The NFL, Christine Ofiesh, OPI, OSEA Malibu, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Picca Restaurant, Bob and Betty Plumleigh, Poseidon Stand Up Paddleboards, Victor Raphael / Clayton Spada, Rivera Restaurant, The San Diego Chargers, SBE Restaurant Group, Stephen’s Hay & Grain, Terranea Resort, Total Wine and More, The Voice, WEN by Chaz Dean, and Wilshire Dental Center Group & Dr. Brent Kaplan DDS.

In-kind sponsors this year included John and Dana Agamalian and Blue Ice Vodka; Esquire Bar & Lounge of Pasadena, Calif.; Penguin Group; and the Wine of the Month Club.

scripter.usc.edu

Review: "House of Flying Daggers" is a Martial Arts Spectacle (Happy B'day, Ziyi Zhang)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 71 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Shi mian mai fu (2004)
International English title: House of Flying Daggers
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  China/Hong Kong; Language: Mandarin
Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of stylized martial arts violence and some sexuality
DIRECTOR:  Zhang Yimou
WRITERS:  Feng Li, Bin Wang, and Zhang Yimou
PRODUCERS:  William Kong and Zhang Yimou
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Xiaoding Zhao
EDITOR:  Long Cheng
COMPOSER:  Shigeru Umebayashi
Academy Award nominee

MARTIAL ARTS/DRAMA/ROMANCE/FANTASY

Starring:  Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, and Dandan Song

The subject of this movie review is Shi mian mai fu, a 2004 Chinese and Hong Kong wuxia film that is known in English as House of Flying Daggers.  A romantic drama and martial arts-fantasy, the film is directed by Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern).  House of Flying Daggers follows a police captain and the beautiful member of a rebel group he breaks out of prison.

China, 859 A.D. – it is near the end of the Tang Dynasty, and corrupt leaders rule over the country.  However, a revolutionary faction known as the Flying Daggers challenges authority, robbing from the rich to give to the poor.  Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau), two police detectives, believe Mei (Ziyi Zhang), a blind dancer, is a member of the group.  They hatch a plan for Jin to pretend to be a rebel-of-sorts who rescues Mei from jail.  He then accompanies her to the north country in the hopes that she will take him to the House of Flying Daggers.  However, Mei’s beauty bowls over Jin, and he finds himself determined to protect her on their perilous journey; on the other hand, it seems as if no one is who he or she says he or she is.

As a follow up to his internationally acclaimed film known as Hero (2002, but released wide theatrically to U.S. audiences in 2004), director Zhang Yimou once again delves into China’s legendary martial past in Shi mian mai fu or House of Flying Daggers.  House of Flying Daggers is similar to the 2002 film except that House is more like a musical poem with romantic trappings, with romance having both the modern connotations and its 19-century literary and artistic meanings.  Hero was an epic tale of espionage, romance and revenge that looked at China’s mythical past as a celebration of Chinese nationalism.  Flying Daggers is more emotional; the stunning cinematography (by far the best of 2004), the luxuriant costumes, the abundantly colorful back drops are meant to evoke feelings more than to get the viewer to think about the film’s surprising plot twists and turns.

Action choreographer Tony Ching Siu-Tung, who worked with Yimou on Hero, once again turns in some delicious fight scenes that are different from his work in Hero and meant to fit the mood and impressionistic flavor of Flying Daggers.  The cast is also quite good, and it’s a shame that Ziyi Zhang was once again ignored by Oscar, as she was for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  She has a wonderful talent for playing dualities:  coy to aggressive, innocent to beguiling, weak to strong, and helpless to fully capable.  Her face is a small mask, capable of a seemingly endless array of subtle shifts that embellish both the character and the story.  Takeshi Kaneshiro, who almost gets lost next to Ziyi Zhang, plays Jin with his heart on his sleeve and his soul open for the audience to see the conflicting emotions within him, a performance that really drives this film’s tricky plot.

House of Flying Daggers is a visually arresting film (frame after frame of breathtaking, mind-bending beauty), maybe more so than Hero.  However, the film does seem to dry up on several occasions, and the script is careless with some of the character motivation.  Still, the film’s intense and overwhelming visual beauty makes it a must see for lovers of cinema, and fans of Asian cinema and hot martial arts will also certainly like this.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Updated: Sunday, February 09, 2014


NOTES:
2005 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Xiaoding Zhao)

2005 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film (Hong Kong)

2005 BAFTA Awards:  9 nominations: “Best Film not in the English Language” (William Kong and Yimou Zhang), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Ziyi Zhang), “Best Cinematography” (Xiaoding Zhao), “Best Editing” (Long Cheng), “Best Production Design” (Tingxiao Huo), “Best Costume Design” (Emi Wada), “Best Sound” (Jing Tao and Roger Savage), “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Angie Lam, Andy Brown, Kirsty Millar, and Luke Hetherington), and “Best Make Up/Hair” (Lee-na Kwan, Xiaohai Yang, and Siu-Mui Chau)

2005 Image Awards: “Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film”

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

"Naruto Shippuden" Episdoe 349 on Hulu and VIZAnime

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE DEBUT OF THE NEWEST NARUTO SHIPPUDEN ANIME ARC ON HULU AND VIZANIME.COM

Don’t Miss The Launch Of An Exciting New Story Arc Focusing On The Mysterious Past Of Kakashi And His Role In The Third Great Shibobi War

San Francisco, CA, February 7, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delights fans of the fans of the action-packed NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series as it announces the debut of the sagas’ newest installment – Episode 349 – on the Hulu Plus Video-On-Demand subscription service, with new episodes simulcast each Thursday. The episode launches a brand new story arc focusing on a previously untold Kakashi backstory.

North American users of the free streaming VIZAnime.com platform and the free, ad-supported Hulu service will be able to catch the new NARUTO SHIPPUDEN segments a week after their initial run on Hulu Plus. Hulu Plus subscribers can also access NARUTO SHIPPUDEN content anytime with the Hulu Plus App on internet-connected TVs, smartphones, game consoles, set top boxes and additional devices, in HD (when available). Additional details on Hulu Plus enabled devices can be found here.

All new subtitled episodes in the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series will also be available the day after they premiere on Hulu Plus for Download-To-Own purchase thru Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, XboxLive, and PlayStationNetwork (Episode 349 is now available for purchase).

In the latest story arc of the venerable anime action series, the untold story of Kakashi during his years as a member of the ANBU Black Ops is brought to light. The Third Great Ninja War has left many shinobi physically and emotionally scarred, including Kakashi, who lost his friend Obito in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, and soon after Rin, whom Kakashi was forced to kill. Haunted by the deaths of his loved ones, a guilt-ridden Kakashi begins to stray from his peers and mentors. Concerned, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, appoints Kakashi to the ANBU Black Ops, an elite team of shinobi who are under the direct command of the Hokage, so he can keep a close eye on his former student. And so begins Kakashi’s life as a member of the ANBU, living within the shadows of darkness…

“Kakashi’s hidden past has long been shrouded in mystery and fans will finally get to see the devastating effects the Third Shinobi World War had on him,” says Charlene Ingram, Senior Marketing Manager, Animation. “This episode begins a very important story arc in the continuing NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime saga and we’re very excited to bring the latest installment to North America on the same day as its Japanese counterpart. We look forward to everyone tuning in for this special anime simulcast!”

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He's done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense training that will push him to his limits. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks – except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi… well he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily becoming of a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

More information on NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN is available at www.Naruto.com.

Additional information on titles available from VIZ Media is available at www.VIZ.com.