Wednesday, August 8, 2012

"SPARTACUS" BATTLES AT THE ACADEMY

 
Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a new 70mm print of the 1960 historical drama "Spartacus" for the final screening in its series "The Last 70mm Film Festival" on Monday, August 13, at 7 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening also will welcome actor and producer Kirk Douglas, who played the title character in the film, and Pete Hammond as moderator for the onstage discussion.

Based on the novel by Howard Fast, the film tells the story of the historical figure Spartacus, a slave-turned-gladiator who leads a rebellion against the Romans, going head to head with Crassus, played by Sir Laurence Olivier. The film won four Academy Awards®, including Actor in a Supporting Role (Peter Ustinov), Color Art Direction (Alexander Golitzen, Eric Orbom; Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman, Julia Heron), Color Cinematography (Russell Metty), and Color Costume Design (Valles, Bill Thomas). It also received nominations for Film Editing (Robert Lawrence) and Music – Music score of a dramatic or comedy picture (Alex North).

Tickets for "Spartacus" are now sold out. A standby line will form on the day of the event, and standby numbers will be assigned starting at approximately 5:30 p.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins. Ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the event to ensure a seat in the theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For the latest pre-show details call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

SOURCE The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

UPDATE: Creative Powerhouse Actor/Producer/New Media Maven STEPHANIE THORPE Delivers at GeekGirlCon 2012

Why Stephanie Thorpe is one of the "Most Dangerous Women" in the Creative Web Space.


UPDATE: Los Angeles, CA – Stephanie Thorpe is iconic in Pop Culture and it is easy to see why. With grace and style, she has managed to become the name and face synonymous with the Geek Girl Culture.  Always inclusive, very engaging, and never missing a beat, Stephanie is very much the voice of what it is to be a Vanguard in the Creative Web Space.



Between her engagements at the Comic-Cons, with the most current one taking place August 11-12, 2012 - GeekGirlCon 2012, working on "Legendary: A Tale of Blood and Steel," "Shelf Life," and more, and managing her brand, TheStephanieThorpe, she graciously made time to talk with The "IN" Show.

Stephanie is truly breaking down gender barriers in the Geek Space and is creating new opportunities through various creative projects to encourage the ever growing voice of women, young and old, now and for the future.

You can find Stephanie online at TheStephanieThorpe.com, on Twitter at @TheStephThorpe, and on Facebook at Stephanie Thorpe Fan Page. Also, be sure to support her most current Crowdsourcing Campaign (for "Shelf Life" - only 9 days left!) and her current works: "Legendary: A Tale of Blood and Steel," "Shelf Life," "Weird Girls," "The Ladies & The Gents," and "SlumberCon" which will be coming soon.  Lastly, in all you do, be sure to do as Stephanie says and does....Just Go For It!



Los Angeles, CA – The ‘most dangerous woman’ at San Diego’s Comic-Con Actor/Producer/New Media Maven STEPHANIE THORPE brings the evolution of the ‘geek girl’ into the forefront, returning to Seattle as a panelist at the 2nd Annual GeekGirlCon 2012 on Sunday, August 12, 2012.

“Geek Girls Creating Their Own Films and Shows” pulls together a panel of female creators who took their love of the geek life and turned it into a career. Thorpe will be joined by: Kristen Nedeopak (THe Skyrim Parodies, Fight Class), Bonnie Burton (SFX Magazine) and Christa Charter (The Sleepless Nanny).

“Geek Girls in Popular Culture” takes an in-depth look at how the landscape has changed over the years and what it looks like now. Thorpe will be joined by: Amy Berg (Eureka, Person of Interest), Cecil Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts, Boy Proof), Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), Sarah Watson (The Middleman, Parenthood) and Sarah Kuhn (One Con Glory, Chicks Dig Comics).

Thorpe has proven herself a driving force in numerous web projects, including the highly acclaimed fan-made, non-profit trailer “ElfQuest: A Fan Imagining.” Based on the classic comic book series by Wendy and Richard Pini, Thorpe directed, co-produced and starred in the project which has since won several film festival and web awards, including the Silver Prestige Award at the Prestige Film Award Festival, and been the focus of a highly successful panel at SDCC 2011.

Just announced, Thorpe is joining the cast of “Legendary: A Tale of Blood and Steel” as Kiera Duende, the Elven High Priestess, a mysterious and powerful protector of the Elven race in the forests of Lavornia. The transmedia project comes from creator J. Lee (Embers of War), executive producer Guido Orio (Golden Summit Digital Media) and writer/director Barry Morgan (Koldcast original thriller “Arcana”) and begins production in Oregon this fall.

Thorpe also co-stars and co-produces the wildly successful live-action comedy web series “Shelf Life,” alongside Yuri Lowenthal (Legion of Superheroes) and Tara Platt (Afterworld), about toys on a shelf. The project is directed by Paul Jenkins (Eisner Award-winning comic book artist) and is currently in its third season. Thorpe is developing an Untitled Andrew Erin TV series and a Teen Thriller series, is in pre-production for the new series “Weird Girls,” and will be starring in and producing two new projects she's created: “The Ladies/The Gents” and “SlumberCon.”

An expert on New Media, Thorpe is a celebrated panelist and speaker and has been featured at numerous conventions around the country including Comic-Con, WonderCon, Sag Conservatory and VidCon. Thorpe has been nominated twice to the Board of Directors for IAWTV, hosted 4 events for the non-profit organization Celebrate the Web and is a founding member of The League of Extraordinary Ladies.

Recent press honors for Stephanie Thorpe:
The international website Pop Culture Monster named Thorpe as one of their top "Geeks and Nerds of 2011" (http://popculturemonster.com/index.php/2011/the-geeks-and-nerds-of-2011/);
Placevine Studios labeled her as one of the “Top Ten Emerging Web Series Stars of 2012” (http://www.placevine.com/blog/2012/03/09/web-series-news-placevine-studios-top-ten-emerging-web-series-stars-of-2012-part-two/);
and Thorpe was included in the “Who's Who Geek Edition” of geek-industry website International House of Geek (http://ihogeek.com/2012/05/03/stephanie-thorpe/).

Where:
GeekGirlCon 2012 – Seattle Conference Center, Seattle, WA

Panel 1:
“Geek Girls Creating Their Own Films and Shows” – Sunday, August 11th at 12:30pm / Room 303

Panel 2:
“Geek Girls in Pop Culture” – Sunday, August 11th at 1:30pm / Room 301/302

For Information About STEPHANIE THORPE visit: www.TheStephanieThorpe.com

Follow Her on Twitter @thestephthorpe .

SOURCE Spotlight PR

Friday, August 3, 2012

TRAVEL CHANNEL TO PREMIERE NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “TOY HUNTER” ON

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 10:00 P.M., ET/PT
May The Force Be With Toy Dealer Jordan Hembrough As He Hunts Down The Most Sought After Star Wars Collectibles, Batmans, Barbies And More
Weekly Half-Hour Show Reveals the High Stakes of Toy Dealing

CHEVY CHASE, MD (June 25, 2012) – This is not your ordinary child’s play! Travel Channel reveals the big business of buying and selling toys and collectibles in the new original series “Toy Hunter,” premiering with a special one-hour season opener featuring back-to-back episodes on Wednesday, August 15 at 10:00 p.m., ET/PT (regular time slot at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT beginning Wednesday, August 22).

This weekly half-hour series follows acclaimed toy dealer Jordan Hembrough, founder of Hollywood Heroes, a New Jersey-based vintage and modern collectibles company, as he travels across the country hunting for the most sought after pieces. For this toy hunter, poking through cramped attics and rummaging around dirty garages to score vintage items is all in a day’s work!

“Toy Hunter’ takes viewers on the ultimate adventure across America,” said Andy Singer, General Manager, Travel Channel. “Our viewers will not only accompany Jordan on his passionate search for toys, but they will see items from their own childhoods that are sure to make them reminisce. They’ll be amazed at how much these old toys are worth today.”

In each of the eight episodes, Hembrough strategically maneuvers around reluctant sellers, abates budgets and avoids the unforeseen roadblocks as he tracks down the rarest pieces. With many collectible items valued in the thousands of dollars, Hembrough will travel the country on the ultimate toy quest searching for the holy grail items he and his clients yearn for. Some of those rare toys (and the year they hit the shelves) include:
  • “The Six Million Dollar Man” Venus Space Probe (1977)
  • GI Joe: “Pimp Daddy” Destro (1997)
  • Jurassic Park Prototypes (1994)
  • Luke Skywalker Telescoping Lightsaber (1977)
  • Care Bears Treat Heart Pig (1982)
  • Barbie #1 in box (with brunette hair) (1959)

Armed with his encyclopedic knowledge of toy history and savvy skills of negotiation, Hembrough meets with amateur and professional collectors alike. Throughout his travels on the series, he crisscrosses the country encountering a diverse group of enthusiasts including former Kenner toy designers in Ohio, flea market pickers in Ashville, North Carolina and vintage toy store owners in Austin, Texas. Some notable moments include meeting specialized collectors like the Batman collectors in Biloxi, Mississippi, a Spiderman collector in San Francisco, and Los Angeles mask collector and designer/sculptor Jordu Schell (also featured in Travel Channel’s “Making Monsters”). Hembrough also connects with a toy comrade in New Jersey, to sell horror collectibles at the Chiller Theater Expo – the largest horror toy and comic convention in the country.

“Toy Hunter” is produced by Sharp Entertainment for Travel Channel. For Sharp Entertainment, the executive producer is Matt Sharp. The executive producer for Travel Channel is Stone Roberts.

TRAVEL CHANNEL
(http://www.travelchannel.com) is a multiplatform travel lifestyle brand with the core mission of providing inspiring and compelling programming that takes viewers beyond their everyday destinations, making the unfamiliar familiar, whether it's around the world or around the block. A dual feed network that is also available in HD, Travel Channel is the world’s leading travel media brand, and is available in over 94 million U.S. cable homes. Owned and operated by Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), Travel Channel has offices in Chevy Chase, MD, and New York, NY. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI) also owns and operates HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Great American Country.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Creative Powerhouse Actor/Producer STEPHANIE THORPE Delivers at GeekGirlCon 2012

Geek Vanguard Returns for 2nd Annual Convention in August


Los Angeles, CA – The ‘most dangerous woman’ at San Diego’s Comic-Con Actor/Producer/New Media Maven STEPHANIE THORPE brings the evolution of the ‘geek girl’ into the forefront, returning to Seattle as a panelist at the 2nd Annual GeekGirlCon 2012 on Sunday, August 12, 2012.

“Geek Girls Creating Their Own Films and Shows” pulls together a panel of female creators who took their love of the geek life and turned it into a career. Thorpe will be joined by: Kristen Nedeopak (THe Skyrim Parodies, Fight Class), Bonnie Burton (SFX Magazine) and Christa Charter (The Sleepless Nanny).

“Geek Girls in Popular Culture” takes an in-depth look at how the landscape has changed over the years and what it looks like now. Thorpe will be joined by: Amy Berg (Eureka, Person of Interest), Cecil Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts, Boy Proof), Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Middleman, Lost), Sarah Watson (The Middleman, Parenthood) and Sarah Kuhn (One Con Glory, Chicks Dig Comics).

Thorpe has proven herself a driving force in numerous web projects, including the highly acclaimed fan-made, non-profit trailer “ElfQuest: A Fan Imagining.” Based on the classic comic book series by Wendy and Richard Pini, Thorpe directed, co-produced and starred in the project which has since won several film festival and web awards, including the Silver Prestige Award at the Prestige Film Award Festival, and been the focus of a highly successful panel at SDCC 2011.

Just announced, Thorpe is joining the cast of “Legendary: A Tale of Blood and Steel” as Kiera Duende, the Elven High Priestess, a mysterious and powerful protector of the Elven race in the forests of Lavornia. The transmedia project comes from creator J. Lee (Embers of War), executive producer Guido Orio (Golden Summit Digital Media) and writer/director Barry Morgan (Koldcast original thriller “Arcana”) and begins production in Oregon this fall.

Thorpe also co-stars and co-produces the wildly successful live-action comedy web series “Shelf Life,” alongside Yuri Lowenthal (Legion of Superheroes) and Tara Platt (Afterworld), about toys on a shelf. The project is directed by Paul Jenkins (Eisner Award-winning comic book artist) and is currently in its third season. Thorpe is developing an Untitled Andrew Erin TV series and a Teen Thriller series, is in pre-production for the new series “Weird Girls,” and will be starring in and producing two new projects she's created: “The Ladies/The Gents” and “SlumberCon.”

An expert on New Media, Thorpe is a celebrated panelist and speaker and has been featured at numerous conventions around the country including Comic-Con, WonderCon, Sag Conservatory and VidCon. Thorpe has been nominated twice to the Board of Directors for IAWTV, hosted 4 events for the non-profit organization Celebrate the Web and is a founding member of The League of Extraordinary Ladies.

Recent press honors for Stephanie Thorpe:
The international website Pop Culture Monster named Thorpe as one of their top "Geeks and Nerds of 2011" (http://popculturemonster.com/index.php/2011/the-geeks-and-nerds-of-2011/);
Placevine Studios labeled her as one of the “Top Ten Emerging Web Series Stars of 2012” (http://www.placevine.com/blog/2012/03/09/web-series-news-placevine-studios-top-ten-emerging-web-series-stars-of-2012-part-two/);
and Thorpe was included in the “Who's Who Geek Edition” of geek-industry website International House of Geek (http://ihogeek.com/2012/05/03/stephanie-thorpe/).

Where:
GeekGirlCon 2012 – Seattle Conference Center, Seattle, WA

Panel 1:
“Geek Girls Creating Their Own Films and Shows” – Sunday, August 11th at 12:30pm / Room 303

Panel 2:
“Geek Girls in Pop Culture” – Sunday, August 11th at 1:30pm / Room 301/302

For Information About STEPHANIE THORPE visit: www.TheStephanieThorpe.com

Follow Her on Twitter @thestephthorpe .

SOURCE Spotlight PR

ACADEMY PAYS TRIBUTE TO INDEPENDENT ANIMATORS JOHN AND FAITH HUBLEY

Beverly Hills, CA – The husband-and-wife team of John and Faith Hubley, who brought a humanistic perspective and a distinctly modern style to postwar American animation, will be honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday, September 14, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Oscar®-winning animator and renowned animation historian John Canemaker will host this in-depth look at these two iconoclastic artists.
The films the Hubleys made, together and independently, earned seven Academy Award® nominations and two Oscars®. The Hubleys took home Oscars for "The Hole" (Cartoon Short Subject, 1962) and "Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature" (Cartoon Short Subject, 1966) and were nominated for "Windy Day" (Cartoon Short Subject, 1968), "Of Men and Demons" (Cartoon Short Subject, 1969), "Voyage to Next" (Animated Short Film, 1974) and "The Doonesbury Special" (Animated Short Film, 1977, with Garry Trudeau). John Hubley also earned an Oscar for "Moonbird" (Cartoon Short Subject, 1959), and Faith served as producer on the film.

At the time of their marriage in 1955, John Hubley had been in the industry for 20 years, first at Disney, then Columbia/Screen Gems, and later as creative director and production chief at UPA. Faith Elliott had worked in Hollywood since the early 1940s as a music and film editor and script supervisor at Columbia and Republic Pictures. After John’s careers in Hollywood were derailed by the blacklist, they decided to marry and relocated to New York and embarked on a personal and professional partnership that revolutionized independent animation and influenced a generation of filmmakers.

The Hubleys resolutely maintained their artistic freedom, taking on commercial projects in order to fund their personal films. They tackled controversial themes such as environmental pollution, race relations, war and overpopulation, as well as celebrated the joy of children at play and young people in love. Following John’s death in 1977, Faith continued making films until her death in 2001.

Canemaker will showcase four of John Hubley’s UPA shorts and a selection of TV commercials; Faith’s favorite of her solo shorts; and six shorts produced by John and Faith Hubley together, including a newly discovered fragment of animation from Façade, William Walton’s musical setting of poems by Edith Sitwell.

Tickets for "An Academy Salute to John and Faith Hubley" will go on sale Monday, July 30. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with valid ID. They may be purchased online at Oscars.org, by mail, or in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the program when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit Oscars.org.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

AIRING LATER THIS SEASON ON “FEMME FATALES”

ONE MAN’S DEATH

Airdate: July 27, 2012
Written & Directed by Mike Hurst
After the death of her husband, a politician’s wife finds an unlikely ally in an attempt to solve her late husband’s murder, his mistress. CASPER VAN DIEN (Starship Troopers), JES MACALLAN (Mistress) and SADIE ALEXANDRU (Mad Men) star.

HELL HATH NO FURIES
Airdate: August 3, 2012
Written & Directed by Darin Scott
A woman is brought into Cuesta Verde Precinct 13 on Christmas Eve and is interrogated by Assistant District Attorney Chris Wade who believes she knows the identity of the mysterious, El Jefe, a feared crime lord who has their eyes set on taking over Cuesta Verde. KRISTEN DELUCA stars.

LIBRA(Special ONE HOUR Season Finale)

Airdate: August 10, 2012
Story by Bob Layton

Teleplay by Buckaroo Zang
Directed by Robert Meyer Burnett

A woman creates her own superhero identity to avenge the death of her mother at the hands of her gangster father. Created and featuring exclusive artwork from Iron Man writer/artist BOB LAYTON. JEFF FAHEY (Machete, Lost), ILIA VOLOK (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and BETSY RUE (My Bloody Valentine 3-D) star.