Tagged: Paramount

Paramount Celebrates Centennial With Location Trip Sweepstakes

Paramount Celebrates Centennial With Location Trip Sweepstakes

HOLLYWOOD CA – Paramount Home Media Distribution (PHMD) announced today that it will launch a monthly sweepstakes beginning in January 2012 in honor of the studio’s centennial celebration.  Sponsored by Delta Vacations, the sweepstakes will give consumers the chance to win roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations for three nights in any of the 48 contiguous United States*.

Destinations may include cities inspired by some of Paramount’s classic films such as New York City where Francis Ford Coppola’s epic masterpiece The Godfather and the beloved classic Breakfast At Tiffany’s were filmed; Chicago, IL where Ferris Bueller had the best day off ever; San Antonio, TX, where the breathtaking drama Wings was filmed with a cast of thousands; or Hollywood, CA, setting and subject of Sunset Boulevard and home to countless film productions.  Visitors to Paramount’s Facebook page can enter every month throughout the year.

Each month, PHMD will release a classic film from the studio’s renowned library for the first time ever on Blu-ray™ under a monthly theme that celebrates Paramount’s rich cinematic history.  The year-long program will begin with “Best Picture Winners” in January, led by the winner of the very first Academy Award® for Best Picture, the 1927 World War I drama Wings, debuting on January 24th.  February’s theme will be “Love Stories” appropriately headlined by the unforgettable 1970 classic Love Story, which will make its Blu-ray debut on February 7th.

Additional titles scheduled to debut on Blu-ray include Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller To Catch A Thief on March 6th; the seminal neo-noir classic Chinatown on April 3rd; the hilarious comedy Clueless on May 1st; John Wayne’s gritty western Hondo on June 5th; the daring, futuristic adventure Barbarella on July 3rd; and the all-star comedy-mystery Clue on August 7th.

Paramount Modifies Logo for its Centennial

One of the most iconic studio logos of all time is undergoing some modifications in time for the studio’s 100th anniversary celebration. It has withstood the test of time and certainly was brought to life during the opening moments of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Here’s the formal press release:

HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 14, 2011) – Paramount Pictures today unveiled a new company logo that commemorates the studio’s 100thAnniversary in show business. The new logo can be seen on the new Tom Cruise starrer, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL. The movie will open in IMAX and on other premium large format screens on Friday, December 16th and in theatres everywhere on December 21st.

The studio’s first logo, a symbol of a rugged, snow-covered peak from the Wasatch mountain range, was created in 1916. The 100th Anniversary logo was created by Devastudios, Inc.

Paramount will use the logo throughout its centennial year in 2012. Beginning in 2013, the wordingabout the 100th anniversary will be removed from the logo, with the rest of the design remaining in use.

MIKE GOLD: Disney Does Marvel

As is well-known, the Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel Comics a little over two years ago. Marvel joined the Muppets, Pixar, ABC and ESPN as tentacles of that great evil media empire that has done so much to homogenize the American culture. After all the jokes died down, some people wondered why the Mouse wanted the House that Jack Built in the first place.

Disney is a movie company, and Marvel’s shiniest family jewels – Spider-Man and The X-Men – were in the hands of competing studios (Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox, respectively) and aren’t likely to revert any time soon. The sundry Avengers characters were in the hands of Paramount Pictures, although Disney was able to purchase a nice reversion deal here. But, still, the motion picture revenue picture was severely compromised by the Spidey and X deals, and made all the more expensive by the Paramount buy-back. So, the question “why” certainly is valid.

Nobody that big buys a publishing venture – certainly not a comic book publishing venture – for the profits it will generate on its own. The phrase “fart in a blizzard” comes to mind. Merchandising and licensing revenues can be fairly attractive and Disney/Marvel/Muppets are a good fit. But… still… why?

I think we’re beginning to see the real reason. Disney owns ABC, which includes ABC Family, the Disney Channel, Disney XD (which already carries many of the Marvel animated shows), Playhouse Disney, Disney Cinemagic, Hungama, Jetix, Radio Disney, SoapNet, WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KGO-TV San Francisco, KTRK-TV Houston, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham, and KFSN-TV Fresno, and as the various ESPN channels – possibly excluding “El Ocho.” Plus all kinda stuff overseas.

One can argue that teevee in general doesn’t have much of a future, and I might agree. But teevee programming has one hell of a great future no matter what platform we’ll be enjoying in the future: cable, satellite, computers, tablets, integrated teevee/computer systems, visors, brain implants, whatever. And that’s where the Mighty Marvel Money Machine will become the Mouse’s cash cow, true believer.

Disney already has The Hulk, Cloak and Dagger and Alias in development. Of course “Alias” has to be renamed – it’s working under the title “a.k.a. Jessica Jones” right now, and the show includes both Luke Cage and Carol Danvers. Mockingbird is also in development as a Miley Cyrus style kids show, possibly as fodder for the ABC Family network.

Step back a pace and take a look at what’s going on here.

Most of these shows are built around female superheroes. As headliners, such characters are anathema to motion picture studios. But Disney is betting heavy, heavy bucks that the distaff side will draw a sufficient audience to warrant the investment.

That’s pretty cool – and very risky. Women heroes haven’t fared much better on the small screen: Nikita was renewed by the skin of her teeth, The Bionic Woman revival flamed out, as did Charlie’s Angels redux. David E. Kelley’s Wonder Woman didn’t make it past the pilot stage. Yet Disney is developing no less than three Marvel shows built around women.

So no matter what I might feel about Disney’s predatory influence on our culture, they are showing a great deal of courage here – courage they developed by purchasing Marvel.

Interesting.

THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil

IDW Presents Jack Avarice IS The Courier

IDW Presents Jack Avarice IS The Courier All-new five-weekly miniseries coming in November

San Diego, CA (September 20, 2011) — IDW Publishing is thrilled to introduce JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER, an exciting, month-long, weekly comic series for the five-Wednesday month of November. Created, written, drawn, and lettered by rising star Chris Madden, the artist on the upcoming Danger Girl: Revolver series, this special five-part series is timed specifically to release one issue a week for each Wednesday of the month.

“When Chris Madden first presented JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER to me, I was absolutely floored,” said editor Tom Waltz. “I mean, the guy is writing, drawing, coloring AND lettering the series—and doing it at top-notch levels on all accounts! It’s a great comic book story filled with exciting and entertaining characters and distinctly fun artwork. Madden is the real deal and I’m so happy IDW gets the chance to show off his diverse talents to the world!”

This explosive miniseries tells the story of Jack Avarice, a down-on-his-luck kid who dreams of a life like the movies. His world is about to change when he’s recruited by the secretive agency called Courier and is dumped head-first into the world of international spying. Each issue will take Jack on an exhilarating new adventure, where he’ll discover that the reality of spycraft is far deadlier than any movie he could imagine. Spies, voodoo magic, deadly beauties, high-caliber thrills, and high-octane destruction, JACK AVARICE IS has it all.THE COURIER

“I can’t wait for Jack Avarice to hit stands,” creator Madden said. “And I couldn’t be happier releasing it through IDW—it’s a perfect match!”

To kick off this great comic event, IDW is offering a special 5% discount on the entire series. Plus, readers are encouraged to contact their local retailers about the special variant Madden sketch cover.

Click on images for a larger view.
JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on November 2, 2011. Diamond order code: SEPT11 0253.

IS THE COURIER #2 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on November 9, 2011. Diamond order code: SEPT11 0255.
Be careful what you ask for—it might get you! Jack Avarice has just been dumped head-first into the world of international spying, and he’s about to find out if he can swim! Recruited by the secretive Courier agency, it quickly becomes apparent to Jack that his life might not be quite as it seems. But before he can digest this revelation, he’s off on his first harrowing mission with a gorgeous new partner, and a deadly new mission—unravel the mystery of the Eyes of Fate… before they can unleash their horror upon the world!

JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #3 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on November 16, 2011. Diamond order code: SEPT11 0257.
IS ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on November 23, 2011. Diamond order code: SEPT11 0259.
IS ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on November 30, 2011. Diamond order code: SEPT11 0261.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing:::::
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; Sony’s Ghostbusters; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio; and is the print publisher for EA Comics.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com/.THE COURIER #5
JACK AVARICE THE COURIER #4
JACK AVARICE
Spies, explosions, voodoo magic, deadly beauties, high-caliber thrills, and high-octane destruction… action-adventure has a brand-new name, and it’s JACK AVARICE! The world of spies and intrigue is very much real and lies hidden just below the surface. But when a down-on-his-luck kid who dreams of a life like the movies meets the world’s greatest secret agent, he’ll discover the reality of spycraft is far deadlier and more explosive than any movie he could imagine—and he now has a starring role! The explosive five-issue miniseries starts here!

JACK AVARICE

New Trailer, One-Sheet for Hugo

Brian Selznick’s award-winning hybrid novel/graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret is being released this November 23 as Hugo, a big budget film directed by Martin Scorcese. Yes, that Martin Scorcese. Coming from Paramount Pictures, the movie adapts the novel and will be available in (ugh) 3-D and 2-D and the studio kjust released both a new trailer and one-sheet which we present here.

The film, set in early 20th Century France, tells the story of not only a boy who lives in the train station but involves a mystery leading to secrets about pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès. It’s pretty fun stuff and worth a look.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/embed/gUthyrYwXUc[/youtube]

First, check out this cast:

Asa Butterfield as Hugo Cabret

Chloë Grace Moretz as Isabelle, a friend of Hugo

Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès

Sacha Baron Cohen as the station inspector

Jude Law as Hugo’s father

Christopher Lee as Monsieur Labisse, the bookshop owner

Helen McCrory as Mama Jeanne, Méliès’ wife

Michael Stuhlbarg as René Tabard, a film historian

Marco Aponte as Julien Carette

Emily Mortimer as Lisette

Ray Winstone as Uncle Claude, Hugo’s deceased uncle

Frances de la Tour as Madame Emile, the owner of the café

Richard Griffiths as Monsieur Frick, the newspaper seller

Johnny Depp as M. Roulea

Boldly Going

I wrote a while back, lamenting over not writing much for or about Star Trek these days and it appeared that my involvement in the franchise was going to become a fading memory.

Perhaps I wrote too quickly.

Back in August, I was contacted by an editor at Voyageur Press on the recommendation of fellow Trek writer, and Voyageur employee, Scott Pearson. Grace LaBatt kindly asked if I was perhaps interested in tackling an Unauthorized History of Star Trek, tracing not only the TV series but the movies, the spinoffs, the merchandise and most importantly, the fan following that kept the dream alive.

(more…)

New TinTin One Sheet and Trailer

TinTin doesn’t open here until December but it begins to play around the world within the next few weeks. The early reviews have gone live and the general opinion is that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg have created an energetic film based on the graphic novels from Herge, Beligum’s premiere creator.

The movie blends live-action and CGI motion-capture work with kudos going once more to Andy Serkis, who this time portrays Captain Haddock. Of the actors working today, none have done more work with motion capture than Serkis, known best as Gollum and more recently as Ceasar in the latest Planet of the Apes movie.

Paramount has released a new trailer for American audiences.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teyAfaZ1FwM[/youtube]

And the production team has offered up a brand new featurette entitled Fanboys.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teAvVfZy5zA[/youtube]

Marvel Wins Summary Judgments In Jack Kirby Estate Rights Lawsuits

Marvel Wins Summary Judgments In Jack Kirby Estate Rights Lawsuits

Photo of Jack Kirby at the San Diego Comic Con...

Jack Kirby. Image via Wikipedia

Deadline reports that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has delivered a summary judgment for Disney/Marvel and other studios Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures against the Jack Kirby Estate in the matter of notice of copyright termination.

The estate of Jack Kirby, co-creator of Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, Silver Surfer and Thor, sent notices terminating copyright to publishers Marvel and Disney, as well as film studios that have made movies and TV shows based on characters he created or co-created, including Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures.

The federal judge not only granted the studios’ motions for summary judgment but also denied the Kirby cross-motion for summary judgment.

The Kirby estate is represented by Marc Toberoff, who is also currently representing the Jerry Siegel estate against DC Comics in the copyright termination case regarding Superman and Smallville.

More information as we get it.

New ‘Captain America’ Footage Released — See It Now!

To lay the groundwork for next week’s premiere, or in anticipation of San Diego Comic-Con, or simply to take some of the wind out of Harry Potter‘s sails, Paramount and Marvel released four new clips from Captain America: The First Avenger.

First how Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) got the job from General Hammond (Tommy Lee Jones) and Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci):

Then how he got the body:

Then how he got the shield:

(more…)

Win a Copy of Transformers: The Japanese Collection – Headmasters

transformers_japanese-_headmasters-_product_shot-272x450-5803484Capitalizing on the popularity of Paramount Pictures’ third installment in the live action Transformers franchises, Shout! Factory is releasing the long-awaited Japanese animated series which we talked about previously. The DVD set is coming out on Tuesday and to celebrate, we have one copy to give away to a lucky fan.

All you have to do is give us your best educated guess what the total domestic box office revenue of Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be when the theaters close at the end of business on Monday, concluding the holiday weekend. We want your guess by 11:59 Monday evening and the winning tally will be based on the finals as released by our friends at Box Office Mojo on Tuesday.

Meantime, here’s a look back at The Transformers: The Japanese Collection — Headmasters. The four disc set will come complete with Original Japnese Audio, English Subtitles, and an Art Gallery.