Thursday, February 28, 2013

HANDS ON A HARDBODY

Cult-Classic Documentary HANDS ON A HARDBODY Remastered and Re-Released On DVD / Streaming

LOS ANGELES, CA (MMD Newswire) February 26, 2013 -- Fans of the critically lauded and impossible-to-find Hands On A Hardbody are in luck. After a decade of $100 to $400 asking prices on Amazon and EBay, a remastered version of the movie Time Out New York Magazine called, "...nearly Shakespearean" will be released April 1st, 2013. The Boston Society of Film Critics named S.R. Bindler's gripping portrait of small-town Texans vying for their piece of the American dream one of the best documentaries of the decade.

"... Hands on A Hardbody is a classic piece of Americana, a down-home documentary that not only produces gales of laughter but also manages, by the end, to come together as a highly unlikely metaphor for the rigors of human existence." -- Todd McCarthy, Daily Variety

Originally released in 1997 in a hundred theaters, Hands On A Hardbody ran for a historic 16 months in Austin, Texas but the film went out of print and has been unavailable for 15 years. The DVD and Download has been completely remastered and features 86 minutes of never-before-seen material from the movie. The DVD ($25) and download ($10) will be available at HandsOnAHardbodyTheMovie.com with other platforms forthcoming.

"Packs a punch most big budget blow-outs would be hard pressed to match." -- Village Voice

The contest featured in the film is one of endurance and sleep-deprivation - whoever can remain standing the longest (contests have lasted more than 100 hours) with one hand on the truck will get to drive it home. Capturing several days of lunacy, laughter, struggle and heartbreak, Hands On A Hardbody is a fascinating study of competition, camaraderie, faith and determination.

"...it left me stunned. It's quite an ingenious film; it transcends its campy, Americana subject [the competition itself] to become a universal meditation on competition and desire." -- (Pulitzer-winning writer) Doug Wright -- Quills, Grey Gardens

Over the years, the documentary attracted the attention of notable filmmakers like Robert Altman (who was adapting the documentary as a feature film at the time of his death) to Richard Linklater, whose recent film Bernie pays tribute to the film. Profiled by NPR's Ira Glass and The New York Times, the movie has been adapted for the musical stage by Pulitzer-winning writer Doug Wright, opening on Broadway in late March at the Brooks Atkinson Theater. The film will tour theatrically throughout Texas in April and will start a national Tugg.com theatrical campaign in the summer of 2013. For a film made for less than the cost of the pick-up at the heart of the movie, Hardbody keeps trucking.

"Fascinating... Accomplished."-- The New York Times


Website: www.HandsOnAHardbodyTheMovie.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/handsonahardbody

MULTIPLAY TOURNAMENTS


RAZER LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CUP REVEALED FOR 2013

Razer backs the fastest growing MOBA tournament with yearlong, multi-event support at the UK’s largest LAN events; iSeries.

HAMBURG – Feb. 27, 2013 – Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, has today announced its headline-sponsorship of the hugely anticipated League of Legends tournament throughout all of the Multiplay iSeries events through 2013. The tournament, which will be known as “Razer League of Legends Cup”, demonstrates Razer’s commitment to supporting gamers at every level. This already massively popular League of Legends tournament attracts gamers of all abilities and they will be given a chance to win a much sought after suite of Razer gear by entering.
Teams who sign up for the League of Legends tournament at i48 will be entered into a draw for an awesome live pre-qualifier. The teams will be invited to the exclusive Razer Bunker in London's Tottenham Court Road PC World where they will play for over £2,000 worth of prizes for their team; including free team entry to Multiplay i48 series and the Razer League of Legends Cup and incredible suite of high-end Razer gaming peripherals to give the team the extra edge in the tournament.
“We are thrilled to be sponsoring the iSeries and to put the Razer name to the League of Legends tournament. We know so many of the players and teams are already huge Razer fans and we are thrilled to be able to show our support and commitment to gamers of every level and the competitive teams out there." said Darren Roberts, Razer UK Sales Director.
"Razer products are designed with the gamer in mind and we are delighted to be able to offer a team a completely unfair advantage by giving them the chance to win a suite of peripherals at the pre-qualifier to take with them to the tournament!” Roberts concluded.
The pre-qualifier will see all the teams then head to i48 to compete in the Razer League of Legends Cup where, in addition to the £2,500 prize pool for the tournament winners, Razer will be offering up plenty of spot prizes throughout the tournament for moments of gaming excellence or sheer good luck – so even if teams don’t get through to the finals they can still walk away with some amazing Razer gear.
"Multiplay are over-the-moon to have Razer as our headline sponsor for the League of Legends tournament. The tournament is one of the most popular and has team entries of all levels. To have the added pre-qualifiers to the event will be massively popular too as the teams have a chance to win some amazing Razer gear for the tournament. We are expecting an influx of entries for this tournament and teams are encouraged to enter as soon as possible so as not to miss the draw for the pre-qualifiers." Said Craig Fletcher, Multiplay CEO.
About the Razer Group:
Razer is the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems. Founded in 1998, with its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, the company has offices in nine cities around the globe. Used by the most demanding professional gamers who compete in global tournaments, Razer provides gamers with the unfair advantage of cutting-edge technology and award-winning design. We live by our motto: For Gamers. By Gamers.™
For more information, please visit http://www.razerzone.com/.

NYF Television & Film Awards


New York Festivals Honors CBS News Senior Executive Producer, Susan Zirinsky with 2013 TV & Film Lifetime Achievement Award

New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards™ will honor CBS News Senior Executive Producer Susan Zirinsky with its 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Zirinsky, the Senior Executive Producer of CBS News’ broadcast 48 HOURS, will be honored on Tuesday, April 9th at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards ceremony taking place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The NYF Television & Film Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders whose accomplishments and contributions have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry. The organization is now in its 56th year of honoring the World’s Best TV Programs & Films™.

“By selecting Susan Zirinsky as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, New York Festivals honors a woman whose commitment to broadcast journalism has been paramount, covering the major domestic and international stories of our time,” said Rose Anderson, NYF Television & Film Awards Executive Director. “She’s a producer’s producer whose body of work is an inspiration.”

In addition to her work on 48 HOURS, now in its 25th full season, Zirinsky routinely is the Senior Executive Producer of breaking news specials events for CBS News, including the Aurora, CO theater shooting and the murders at a Newtown, CT elementary school. She has also produced special projects for CBS Entertainment, the CW and Showtime.

Her extensive journalism career has provided her with a front seat to some of the iconic moments in TV news history including the Falklands War, the student uprising in Tiananmen Square, the Gulf War, the invasion of Panama, the election of President Barack Obama, 9/11, The Presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan George H. Bush and World Summits in Moscow, Russia Helsinki, Finland; Malta and Iceland.  Zirinsky’s vast body of work includes producing documentaries on fashion, music and the occasional “Person to Person” newsmaker profile specials.

Zirinsky was also the executive producer of CBS News’ historic and award-winning “9/11” broadcast, a riveting documentary that included the only picture of the first plane going into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as well as video footage inside the Towers capturing first responders who would ultimately die in the buildings’ collapse. The documentary garnered an Emmy, a George Foster Peabody Award, A Christopher Award, a Writers Guild of America Award, a Radio-TV News Directors award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence.   Zirinsky has won multiple Emmy Awards for her body of work.

She is a journalist at heart. Zirinsky began at CBS News as a production clerk and during her tenure at the network, her journalism career has taken her around the world and included everything from politics and sports, celebrities and murders. She has also worked on such broadcasts as the CBS MORNING NEWS, the CBS EVENING NEWS and the newsmagazine EYE To EYE. She has been the Executive Producer of 48 HOURS since 1996.

“We are pleased to be in our third year, hosting NYF's prestigious Television & Film Awards ceremony at NAB Show,” said NAB Executive Vice President, Conventions and Business Operations, Chris Brown.  “This partnership illustrates NAB Show's commitment to the content community across all genres and platforms.  News production is a core component of NAB Show and we are thrilled to welcome Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Susan Zirinsky to our program.  We know her extensive knowledge of international production in both the news and entertainment arenas will be an inspiration for the thousands of creative professionals and amateurs who attend each year.”

The New York Festivals Awards ceremony will shine the spotlight on the 2013 World’s Best TV & Films, as well as present the Lifetime Achievement Award, Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, and United Nations Department of Public Information Awards. Award winners and ceremony attendees will have access to the 2013 NAB Show. For more information or to order tickets please visit: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/nabshow2013/nyf_show.html

The official media sponsor of the 2013 NYF Television & Film Awards is Production Hub.

RASPBERRY PI CONTEST



The Design Museum, London, U.K.,  is asking the public to enter their home-made
Raspberry Pi inventions into a competition to go on display in the
forthcoming exhibition Designs of the Year.

One of the most amazing things about this cheap and tiny single-board
computer is its ability to be modified, hacked and adapted. Raspberry Pi is
nominated for the Design Museum Designs of the Year 2013. The complete
set of 100 nominees, across seven categories, will go on display at the
Design Museum from 20 March.

As part of the Raspberry Pi display in the exhibition, the Design Museum is
calling for entries from the public of interesting, intriguing and generally cool
creations made from Raspberry Pi. Images and films of the best entries will
then go on display in the exhibition.

The $25 single-board computer was designed to make computer
programming more affordable and accessible for students but its low cost,
small size and low power requirements makes it a perfect starting point for
many home projects. Just a look at the RaspberryPi.org Blog shows the
vast possibilities of projects enabled by Raspberry Pi; from robots and toy
tanks to a keyboard made from beer cans, a Raspberry Pi super computer
to a retro arcade game player, and a home-brew system to a USB
controlled toy rocket launcher.

Raspberry Pi users are asked to send pictures and films of their
creations to pi@designmuseum.org by 5pm GMT 4 March 2013.

@DesignMuseum
@Raspberry_Pi
#Raspberry_Pi

Friday, February 01, 2013

NETFLIX MAKES FIRST EPISODE OF HOUSE OF CARDS



AVAILABLE TO NON-MEMBERS FOR ONE MONTH
BEGINNING 1 FEBRUARY, 2013

 
Highly-Anticipated and Critically-Acclaimed, Original Series Starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright
and Kate Mara Premieres In all Netflix Territories Today



(Beverly Hills, CA – 1 February, 2013) – Netflix is making available to everyone in all Netflix territories the first episode of the highly-anticipated, critically-acclaimed drama series “House of Cards” to enjoy for one month, beginning 1 February, at netflix.com/houseofcards.


“The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we’re proud to present to Netflix members today, said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they’ll want more.”


Current Netflix members are now able to watch the entire 13-episode first season of the drama programme, in territories where Netflix is available – U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Brazil and the Nordics.


From director David Fincher (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Social Network”), who directed the first two episodes; award-winning playwright and Academy Award® nominated screenwriter Beau Willimon (“Farragut North,” “The Ides of March”) and Academy Award® winner Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump,” “Munich”), “House of Cards” is based on the BBC miniseries of the same name. This wicked political drama starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.


An uncompromising exploration of power, ambition and the American way, the programme orbits Francis Underwood (Spacey), the House Majority Whip. Underwood is the politician’s politician – masterful, beguiling, charismatic and ruthless. He and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Wright) stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy. In addition to Spacey, Wright and Mara, the series stars Corey Stoll (“Midnight in Paris”), Kristen Connolly (“The Cabin in the Woods”), Michael Kelly (“The Adjustment Bureau”) and Sakina Jaffrey (“Definitely Maybe”).


“House of Cards” is executive produced by Fincher, Willimon, Joshua Donen, Eric Roth, Spacey, Dana Brunetti, Andrew Davies, Michael Dobbs and John Melfi. The one-hour drama is produced by Donen/Fincher/Roth and Trigger Street Productions, Inc. in association with Media Rights Capital for Netflix.