BET Chronicles Hip Hop in "The Message" 4-Part Documentary

BET Networks Celebrates Black Music Month with the Launch of “The Message,” a Four Part Hip Hop Documentary Exploring the Evolution of Hip Hop Culture and Music over the Past 40 Years

Features Hip Hop Heavyweights Including Russell Simmons, Ice Cube, Birdman, Pharrell, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, MC Lyte, Master P and More

Premieres June 4 at 10PM ET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks launches “THE MESSAGE,” a provocative documentary showcasing the influence of Hip Hop and how its sheer power has changed the sociopolitical landscape of America as well as the world. The four part narrative explores the factors behind its longevity and covers more than 40 years of this uniquely urban voice born in the streets of the South Bronx. “THE MESSAGE” examines the digital boom that transformed the sound, face and business of Hip Hop over the last 15 years and explores the expansion of the genre throughout the U.S, and the impact each region had on its collective voice. “THE MESSAGE” premieres on BET Networks on Wednesday, June 4 at 10:00 pm ET, followed by new episodes every Wednesday throughout the month of June.

    “Hip Hop is a seed planted and nourished amongst the “broken glass everywhere”

“Hip Hop is a seed planted and nourished amongst the “broken glass everywhere” of mid-seventies New York. It has grown to be a worldwide phenomenon and the dominant culture of at least one generation. This exciting series examines the origin and the path of the music and message taking care to objectively analyze its factions and movements,” said Stephen Hill, President of Music Programing and Specials, BET Networks.

“THE MESSAGE” features intimate first person testimonies from Hip Hop’s most influential contributors including Russell Simmons, Ice Cube, Birdman, Pharrell, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, MC Lyte, Master P, LL Cool J, Big Boi, Bun B, 2 Chainz, Eve, Angie Martinez, Funkmaster Flex, Luther Campbell, Clive Davis, Mona Scott-Young, Questlove, A$AP Rocky, E-40, David Banner, Fab Five Freddy, Nelson George, Big Tigger, Sway and many more including Chris Lighty’s final on-air interview.

“THE MESSAGE” will be broken down into four, one hour episodes:

Episode 1 – The Birth and Proliferation of Hip Hop – The premiere episode traces the roots of Hip Hop from its birth in New York and spread to California with limited support from the mainstream media. Watch your favorite rappers reminisce on the first time they heard Hip Hop and be transported to the block parties, DJ Kool Herc’s sound system and the infectious rhymes of the Universal Zulu Nation and Grandmaster Flash. Premieres June 4 at 10:00 pm

Episode 2 – Trials and Tribulations – Will Hip Hop be able to grow up in a world that is no longer just about peace, love, unity and having fun? Hip Hop faces its first roadblocks with violent realities and extreme opposition from those who disagree with its messaging. Meanwhile, a new voice begins to form. Premieres June 11 at 10:00 pm

Episode 3 – Women, Cash, Clothes - Hip Hop explores a new reality of lasciviousness, wealth and entrepreneurship characterized by fast cars, big jewelry, the birth of the video vixen and the start of popular clothing lines including Rocawear, Sean Jean and Wu Wear. Premieres June 18 at 10:00 pm

Episode 4 – The Digital Revolution – The Internet creates new opportunities for Hip Hop to change the face of America. From the rise of the first major Internet superstar rapper Soulja Boy to the infamous 360 deals, this episode explores the future of Hip Hop. Premieres June 25 at 10:00 pm

Narrated by Joe Budden, “THE MESSAGE” is produced by Sam Walker II, Director of Music Specials and Productions, BET Networks, Keith Clinkscales and The Shadow League Media. For more information, visit www.bet.com/themessage and join the conversation on social media with #TheMessage.

About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIA, VIAB), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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VIZ Media Premieres "Blood Lad" at 2014 Anime Central Convention

VIZ MEDIA RETURNS TO ANIME CENTRAL WITH SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSIONS, ANIME PREMIERES, AND A HOST OF FUN BOOTH GIVEAWAYS

VIZ Media marks its return to Anime Central (ACen), the Midwest’s largest anime convention, as it announces a weekend full of unique booth giveaways, informative panel discussions, exclusive anime screenings, and other fun activities. Fans can look forward to some very special and big announcements from the company during the show.

The 2014 Anime Central convention takes place May 16th to 18th in Rosemont, IL, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and the adjacent Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, located less than 30 minutes from downtown Chicago. VIZ Media will be located in Booth #126. Complete details on Anime Central are available at: http://www.acen.org.

Stop by the VIZ Media booth throughout the convention for a host of special giveaways including RANMA ½ postcards, full-color collectable posters for NARUTO, ONE PIECE, RANMA ½ and more, along with free manga samplers featuring a range of popular characters and bestselling titles from the North America’s leading publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime.

VIZ Media also invites Anime Central attendees to discover its Neon Alley 24/7 anime channel. Fill out a short survey form in the booth expressing your manga and anime preferences and get a free durable Neon Alley drawstring backpack (while supplies last)!

Neon Alley is available anytime, anywhere on the web for FREE and across major digital platforms, including PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku, Chromecast, and most mobile devices through the subscription-based Hulu Plus Video-On-Demand service. Neon Alley offers the hottest in subbed and dubbed digital series, simulcast world premieres, exclusive on-demand access, and a massive legacy catalog of new as well as classic favorites (in HD when available).

VIZ Media’s Anime Central Panels Include:

Friday May 16th

5:00 – 6:00PM    VIZ Media Industry Panel (Panel Room 1) – Special Announcements at Panel!

Join the VIZ Media staff for an insightful presentation and Q & A session about the latest in manga and anime! We will be talking about the latest news, upcoming releases and other noteworthy announcements from the publishing and animation teams. Fans will definitely want to stick around until the end for some special announcements and an exclusive giveaway item (while supplies last)!

Saturday May 17th

5:00 – 6:00PM    VIZ Media Featuring Neon Alley Animation Panel (Panel Room 1)

A fun and unique panel about all things anime! Join VIZ Media and the Neon Alley team as they discuss all the new and exciting news and new titles including what's coming up on DVD, Blu-ray and the newly expanded anime streaming service, Neon Alley.

Love of all things anime is one of the foundations of Anime Central and VIZ Media is pleased offer fans and attendees a wide range of special premieres and screenings throughout the duration of the convention. Catch the must-see World Dub Premiere of BLOOD LAD, Episodes 1 & 2, on Saturday, May 17th beginning at 8:00pm in the Lambert Room at the Hyatt. Fresh from the recording studio, fans won’t want to miss this premiere of the top-rated English cast for this dark comedy series about a vampire that falls for a high school girl who becomes a ghost.

Also don’t miss special convention screenings of other acclaimed VIZ Media anime titles including COPPELION, BERSERK THE GOLDEN AGE ARC III THE ADVENT, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, ACCEL WORLD, K, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN and RANMA ½ in High Definition. Specific screening times and dates will be listed in the official convention program guide.

Additional information on Neon Alley is available at: www.NeonAlley.com.

For more information on anime titles from VIZ Media, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

Zack Snyder Presents Batman/Superman's Batmobile

Batman and the Batmobile or Batcar.

Zack Snyder, director of the untitled Superman/Batman film, posted a series of preliminary developmental images related to the pre-production of the film.  These are personal images and are not official from Warner Bros.

Zack Snyder Presents Batman/Superman's Ben Affleck-Batman

Zack Snyder, director of the untitled Superman/Batman film, posted a series of preliminary developmental images related to the pre-production of the film.  These are personal images and are not official from Warner Bros.

Zack Snyder Presents Ben Affleck as "Batman"

Zack Snyder, director of the untitled Superman/Batman film, posted a series of preliminary developmental images related to the pre-production of the film.  These are personal images and are not official from Warner Bros.

Imagine Dragons Composes Original Song for "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

MICHAEL BAY’S “TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION”  TO FEATURE AN ORIGINAL SONG BY THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING BAND IMAGINE DRAGONS

THE BAND CONTRIBUTED CREATIVELY IN THE SCORING PROCESS WITH THE FILM’S COMPOSER STEVE JABLONSKY

WILL PERFORM LIVE AT THE FILM’S WORLD PREMIERE IN HONG KONG ON JUNE 19th

HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 13, 2014) – Director Michael Bay, film composer Steve Jablonsky and Paramount Pictures are collaborating with the Grammy Award-winning band IMAGINE DRAGONS to feature the band’s original music in the upcoming film “TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION,” one of the most anticipated movies of the summer.

Following an early footage screening of the film, IMAGINE DRAGONS wrote the original song “BATTLE CRY,” which Bay used in critical points in the film. Additionally, the band contributed original music during the scoring process by recording cues with Jablonsky, the film’s composer, and Hans Zimmer, who assisted in the process. The collaboration resulted in added depth to the sound of the film.

“We’re incredibly lucky that Dan, Wayne, Ben and Daniel were available to work with us,” says director Bay. “I remember being drawn to the emotion of ’Demons’ and ’Radioactive’ the first time I heard those songs, and I knew I wanted that same energy and heart for this movie.  They’ve created a really epic, otherworldly sound for ’Battle Cry.’”

“The TRANSFORMER franchise has set the bar for cinematic innovation over the years,” says Alex Da Kid, label head at KIDinaKORNER records. “We are excited to collaborate with Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures and view this as an incredible global platform.”

IMAGINE DRAGONS will perform its new single live at the film’s worldwide premiere in Hong Kong, one of the locations in the film, on June 19th. Fans can tweet using #TransformersPremiere for a chance to win a trip for two (2) to Hong Kong to be among the first to see “TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION” and IMAGINE DRAGONS at the world premiere. Open to U.S. residents ages 18+. Enter by May 30, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. PDT. No purchase necessary. For official rules and promotional details, visithttp://www.transformersmovie.com/TwitterSweeps/OfficialRules.pdf

Grammy Award-winning rock band IMAGINE DRAGONS is one of 2013’s breakout artists, having played to sold-out audiences in North America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Their debut full length album, Night Visions,  (KIDinaKORNER/ Interscope Records) arrived on the Billboard Top 200 at #2 with the best first-week sales for a full-length debut by a new rock band in over six years.

Certified multi-platinum selling over 4 million copies worldwide, the album was propelled by the success of the multi-platinum single, “It’s Time,” with follow-up singles “Radioactive”  selling over 10 million globally and “Demons,” which has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.  Rolling Stone proclaimed Imagine Dragons “the biggest breakout of the year” and Entertainment Weekly called 2013 the “Year of the Dragons.”

IMAGINE DRAGONS are Dan Reynolds (vocals), Wayne Sermon (guitar), Ben McKee (bass), and Daniel Platzman (drums).

“TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION” is the fourth film in director Michael Bay’s global blockbuster franchise. Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Li Bingbing , Kelsey Grammer, Sophia Myles, T. J. Miller, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor and Titus Welliver star. The film begins after an epic battle that left a great city torn, but with the world saved. As humanity picks up the pieces, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history… while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from a new cast of humans, Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet. In an incredible adventure, they are swept up in a war of good and evil, ultimately leading to a climactic battle across the world.

Produced By Don Murphy & Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce.

Based on Hasbro’s Transformers™ Action Figures. Written By Ehren Kruger. Directed By Michael Bay.

“TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION” opens in theaters on June 27, 2014.

Review: "Jumanji" Holds Onto its Charms (Happy B'day, Joe Johnston)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jumanji (1995)
Running time:  104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)
MPAA – PG for menacing fantasy action and some mild language
DIRECTOR:  Joe Johnston
WRITERS:  Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain; from a screenstory by Chris Van Allsburg, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain (based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg)
PRODUCERS:  Scott Kroopf and William Teitler
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Thomas Ackerman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Robert Dalva
COMPOSER:  James Horner

FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY with elements of action and comedy

Starring:  Robin Williams, Jonathan Hyde, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt, Bebe Neuwirth, David Alan Grier, Patricia Clarkson, Adam Hann-Byrd, and Laura Bundy

The subject of this movie review is Jumanji, a 1995 fantasy adventure and family film directed by Joe Johnston.  The film is based on the Caldecott Medal-winning children’s picture book, Jumanji, which was first published in 1981 and was written and drawn by author Chris Van Allsburg.  This was the first of three films based on Van Allsburg’s books (as of this updated review).  Jumanji the movie focus on two children who must help a strange man finish playing a magical board game.

In 1969, Alan Parrish (Adam Hann-Byrd) and his friend Sarah Whittle (Laura Bundy) find an old board game, a jungle adventure called Jumanji, in Alan’s attic.  After rolling the dice, Alan somehow unleashes some kind of magical force and is sucked into the board game.  In 1995, two other children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter Shepherd (Bradley Pierce) find the cursed board game and play it, unwittingly releasing the man-child, Alan (Robin Williams).

However, the game Alan began 26 years ago must be finished.  Also, from the bowels of Jumanji’s magical board, comes a stampeding horde of jungle creatures and a fearsome huntsman, Hunter Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde), who has stalked Alan for decades.  Now, Alan joins the adult Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) in a magical adventure to save the town and end the game.

Even back in 1995, the computer generated images (CGI) for the film Jumanji seemed too obviously fake.  Many of the film’s scenes required animals of various sizes (giraffes, elephants, rambunctious monkeys) to run through, run over, and destroy the streets, homes, and buildings of a small township.  Getting that many live animals to cooperate would have been a logistical nightmare and likely impossible, so CGI animals were used.  The artificial animals all have a bluish tint on their bodies, heightening the sense of unreality.  The glitch was perfect; that the animals look so artificial could be taken to imply that the animals are part of a fantastical and magical nightmare.

Otherwise, the film is a fairly well directed and well-acted comic fantasy/adventure.  Robin Williams is, of course, his usual manic self, but this time it’s the franticness of an almost-action hero, rather than that of some attention-seeking clown.  It’s a fun family picture full of inspired zaniness, with very good performances from the entirety of the supporting cast, especially from the young cast.  I’ve seen it several times.  It’s silly, and the script bounces from one scene to another, but I recommend it as an excellent adventure film for the young and young at heart.

6 of 10
B

Updated:  Tuesday, May 13, 2014


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