Halloween 2010

Now that the festivities are over, time to get back to regular posting!

Celebrate Halloween with Warner Home Video (review & giveaway)

WARNER HOME VIDEO CELEBRATES HALLOWEEN WITH CLASSIC PEANUTS AND LOONEY TUNES TELEVISION SPECIALS AVAILABLE IN STORES SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN TO BE RELEASED ON BLU-RAY™ FOR THE FIRST TIME

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [Blu-ray]

List Price: $24.98

Actors: Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Sally Dryer, Kathy Steinberg, Ann Altieri  

Directors: Bill Melendez

Writers: Charles M. Schulz

Producers: Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson

Language: English

Number of discs: 2

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Release Date: September 7, 2010

Run Time: 25 minutes

AND

Bugs Bunny's Howl-Oween Special

List Price: $14.98

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: NR (Not Rated)

Studio: Warner Home Video

DVD Release Date: September 7, 2010

Run Time: 25 minutes

BUGS BUNNY’S HOWL-OWEEN SPECIAL IS NEWLY AVAILABLE ON DVD

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Also Available in Standard DVD Format

From the studio: Good grief, Halloween is approaching! Warner Home Video (WHV) has two irresistible treats that promise to bring consumers into the spirit of the season, starting with the all-time favorite classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which will see it’s first ever release on Blu-ray DVD. This special is also available as a Deluxe Edition on standard DVD format. The Halloween celebration continues with WHV’s hilarious Bugs Bunny’s Howl-Oween Special, which is also new to DVD. All titles will be released September 7, 2010. The Blu-ray edition of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will be a Blu-ray combo pack which includes a Blu-ray and DVD and will retail for $24.98 SRP while the standard DVD edition will retail for $19.97 SRP. Bugs Bunny’s Howl-Oween Special will retail for $14.97 SRP.


The critically acclaimed and Emmy® Award-nominated It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown will come in Blu-ray format for the first time in a deluxe re-mastered edition. Viewers can now enjoy Charles M. Schulz’s timeless classic unlike ever before, with beautiful high definition picture quality and improved audio.


It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown finds the Peanuts gang outfitted in spooky costumes, ready for trick or treating and crashing Violet’s Halloween party. Charlie Brown is in a ghost costume (with more eyeholes cut out than needed), Lucy is dressed as a witch and Snoopy is in a World War I flying ace costume. Linus however, decides to steadfastly hold vigil in the pumpkin patch to await the Great Pumpkin with Sally by his side. Will this be the year the Great Pumpkin finally makes an appearance? Linus is convinced that he will.

Originally broadcast in 1966, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown earned an Emmy Award® nomination and since then, has become a critically-acclaimed classic which airs on television annually. In addition to its new availability on Blu-ray, the special will also feature updated packaging, a bonus episode and documentary.


DVD Special Features:
1) It’s Magic, Charlie Brown – This bonus episode finds Snoopy putting on a show after he checks out a book on magic tricks from the library. With Marcie and Sally as his assistants, he performs many tricks (some that work and some that don’t) before an audience. The grand finale features the biggest trick of all, making Charlie Brown disappear. To everyone’s amazement, Snoopy makes him invisible but doesn’t know how to bring Charlie Brown back. Will Snoopy find a way to reverse the trick?


2) We Need a Blockbuster, Charlie Brown – Documentary featurette that focuses on the myth and tradition of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, which through the decades has grown to become a staple in Halloween season television programming. Through interviews with members of the Schulz family and producers, the documentary examines the challenges and pressures that arise when they attempt to follow-up an underdog hit with a bigger and better TV special.

______________________________________

A star-studded line-up of favorite Looney Tunes characters is featured in Bugs Bunny’s Howl-Oween Special, a hilarious animated adventure available on DVD for the first time. Kids and adults will delight in this wonderful tale that finds that “wascally wabbit,” Bugs Bunny making holiday rounds dressed as a witch. Witch Hazel however, thinks Bugs is a real witch who has come to intrude on her home turf and makes plans to eliminate him. Joining Bugs Bunny are his popular pals including Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzales. When Bugs and his buddies tangle with Witch Hazel’s wacky magic, they are zapped into a mixed-up menagerie of oddball monsters.


Portions of legendary Looney Tunes cartoon shorts are cleverly mixed into the plot of Bugs Bunny’s Howl-Oween Special. They include A-Haunting We Will Go, Broom-Stick Bunny, Hyde and Hare, Hyde and Go Tweet, Hyde and Hare (part two), A Witch’s Tangled Hare, A Haunting We Will Go, Claws for Alarm, Transylvania 6-5000 and Bewitched Bunny.


DVD Special Features:
1) Hair-Raising Hare – In this bonus short, Bugs Bunny is lured into the castle of an evil scientist who plans to feed him to an orange-haired, sneaker-wearing monster. Once Bugs meets up with the monster, the shenanigans begin and he uses his wisecracking ingenuity to outsmart the creature.


2) Interactive Menu-based Puzzle Game – Kids and fans will love putting the puzzle pieces together and once finished it plays a fun Looney Tunes clip.


“A legendary classic like It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, should be re-mastered and transferred onto Blu-ray disc because it’s one of pop culture’s great treasures and it’s essential we preserve precious programs like this for future generations,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. He added, “Both Looney Tunes and Peanuts are enormously successful franchises and our goal is to continue to bring forth material in fresh, new and innovative ways for consumers to enjoy. These two specials are a wonderful way to celebrate the Halloween holiday because the whole family can watch them together. We’re delighted to bring them to the public.”

My take:  My only regret with reviewing these two Halloween DVDs is the fact that I didn't get this review up before, you know, HALLOWEEN.  Gah!  I can't apologize enough for that.  The good news is (see below) you can win a copy of each and be all ready for NEXT Halloween.  Anywho...I have fond memories of watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown every year on T.V. - back when we only had 5 channels on T.V. (now THAT was true horror).  I have consistently watched this show every year at Halloween on T.V. for over 30 years now, believe it or not and I think this is the first year my kiddos were interested enough to watch too - of course, they loved this timeless classic as well as I did and we all enjoyed the extra episodes - especially the magic show tricks!

The Bugs Bunny DVD was a new show for me though - I know, it originally aired in October 1978, but we weren't allowed to watch cartoons growing up so this was all new to me.  If you have seen the show before though, this DVD combines old animation with new to create kind of a "new" story.  Regardless, it's a great show for Halloween prep - with a witch that isn't scary at all for your little ones and the always ingenious and hilarious Bugs Bunny.  The interactive puzzle in the bonus material was fun as well.  All and all, great DVDs to have in your holiday library.  ★★★★

The giveaway: One lucky winner will win his/her very own copy of each of these two movies!! (US Address only please)

To win: Leave a comment here telling me who you would watch these DVDs with, that's it!  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Monday, November 8, 2010. Good Luck!

Bonus entries: Get up to 9 extra entries for a total of 10 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

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About Warner Home Video: With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles.

This review was sponsored by The Lippin Group PR who provided the DVD for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary DVDs.

PHINEAS & FERB: A Very Perry Christmas

Phineas and Ferb: Very Perry Christmas

List Price: $19.99

Actors: Mitchell Musso, Ashley Tisdale

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Number of discs: 1

Rated: G (General Audience)

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

DVD Release Date: October 5, 2010

Run Time: 79 minutes

Product Description: Phineas and Ferb and Perry the Platypus are gonna save Christmas! Get ready for the wildest sleigh ride ever as the hilarious heroes of summer vacation launch into their merriest and “Perry-est” mission yet!  Amp up the holidays with outrageous laughs, out-of-this world fun and totally over-the-top songs—everything you need for the ultimate Christmas extravaganza experience! In an all-new, Perry-powered adventure, Phineas, Ferb and their pet platypus (aka Agent P) set out to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s “naughty” plot to ruin Christmas. Will they get everything wrapped up in time for Santa’s flyby? Find out in the coolest gift you’ll get this year—packed with festive bonus features that will have you rockin’ ’round the tree!

Five included episodes:

■Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation  – Dr. Doofenshmirtz wants to ruin the Christmas holiday for everyone. Meanwhile, the boys and their friends try to save Christmas.



■Interview with a Platypus - The boys build a device to find out if they can translate Perry’s noises. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz wants to flood the Tri-State Area.


■Oh, There You Are, Perry – Parry is re-assigned to a new villain, meanwhile the boys think that their pet platypus is missing and Candace blames herself for Perry’s disappearance.


■Chez Platypus – Phineas and Ferb open a platypus-themed restaurant. Dr. Doofenshmirtz dates a woman who is also interested in evil things.


■Perry Lays an Egg - Phineas and Ferb find an egg and think it belongs to Perry. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz wants revenge against the whales.

Bonus Features

1. Phineas and Ferb's Virtual Fireplace


2. Dr. D's Xmas Jukebox-Inator -- Your Favorite Songs On Dr. D's Latest Evil Creation


3. Christmas Perry-Oki -- Go Christmas Caroling With Perry


4. Letters to Santa -- Your Favorite Characters' Christmas Lists Revealed


5. Keep On Buildin' -- Go Behind The Scenes As The Show's Creators Compose A Song!


6. Bonus Episode -- "Doof Side Of The Moon"


7. Surprise Gift From Santa

My take:  So apparently, Phineas and Ferb has been on the air since 2007.  Who knew?  Not us, that's for sure.  We only recently discovered this show and I've got to tell you, it seems to be one of the ONLY shows my kiddos want to watch these days.  Seriously.  I had heard about it before from a blogging friend (who has no disappeared off the map so I have no way of telling her that she was right) who just loved the show so one day I turned it on for my kids and the rest, as they say, is history.  So I begged asked nicely to be able to review their new Christmas DVD.   I understand that many of the creative forces involved with the show have a musical background and it shows - there is always a musical number of some sort in each episode (which aren't bad actually - I've been known to toe-tap along).  The humor is funny without being too gross or offensive and there is nothing scary either so both my 6 and 8 year old love to watch.  This DVD was greatly appreciated - 6 new episodes in all - including the bonus episode AND some cool extras - Christmas Caroling Karaoke ("Perry-Oki") was our favorite (I love to hear my kiddos sing).  All and all, this would make a great stocking stuffer for your Phineas and Ferb fan.  Check out the clips below and see if you agree! ★★★

Trailer

Where Did We Go Wrong (film)

Really Don’t Hate Christmas (film)

Song in an Hour (bonus)

This post was written for Click Communications who provided the movie for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary DVD.

 



My Ultimate Family Vacation

Sponsored By

Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine, Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

I was asked to write about “my ultimate family vacation” so I turned to my husband to ask his opinion and at the exact same time we both said “Disney!” Great minds think alike! We have two kiddos – a 6 year old girl and an 8 year old boy and we’ve never been able to afford a Disney trip (though we talk about it constantly). If money were no object (hey, I know that’s unrealistic but this is my DREAM trip we are talking about here), I would fly my husband and kiddos to Florida and no matter how long it took, we’d go to Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, Epcot, Universal Studios, LEGO World and then, if I could tear my 8 year old LEGO fanatic away from there, I’d take the whole family for butter beer at Honeydukes in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ at Universal Orlando. Of course, that assume I could get our Princess away from Cinderella Castle in the first place (I can just see her now, all made up like a princess, having tea with all the Disney princesses). We’d go on a safari at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park, get splashed at Sea World and travel the world at Epcot. Our son would try to move into LEGO World and you’d be hard pressed to get me out of Universal Orlando before watching a game (or ten) of Quidditch. *Sigh* What dreams may come…

Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. This post was written for and compensated by General Mills and the Clever Girls Collective.

 

The Italian Tenor

The Italian Tenor

Artist:  Vittorio Grigolo

List Price: $11.98

Performer: Vittorio Grigolo

Orchestra: Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Regio di Pama

Conductor: various

Composer: Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Guiseppe Verdi

Audio CD (October 5, 2010)

Number of Discs: 1

Label: SONY MASTERWORKS

"…a charismatic performer with undeniable audience appeal" – The New York Times

From Sony:  Sony Classical proudly announces its debut release by the highly-acclaimed tenor Vittorio Grigolo. Hailed as one of the finest tenors in recent times, Grigolo’s recording of The Italian Tenor will be available on October 5 and features famous arias and lesser known discoveries. Also, on October 16, Grigolo makes his highly anticipated debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Rodolfo in La Bohème.


Grigolo purposely waited to record his first operatic solo album until he had something unique to communicate in the repertoire. According to Grigolo, “I chose arias representing the culture I come from.”

Born in Tuscany, Grigolo began his career as a young boy performing as a soloist in the celebrated Sistine Chapel Choir. His distinctive voice attracted the praise of the great Luciano Pavarotti when, at age thirteen, he starred alongside him as the Pastorello in Tosca at the Rome Opera. He went on to be the youngest tenor ever to debut at the legendary La Scala, Milan and has conquered many of the world’s great opera houses since, appearing with the finest artists and conductors of our day. Grigolo made his Chicago debut in 2008 starring in a tribute to Pavarotti in front of thousands at Grant Park. He made his Washington, D.C. debut in 2009 sharing the stage with Renée Fleming in a lauded production of Lucrezia Borgia conducted by Plácido Domingo. Recently, he triumphed in his debut at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in Massenet’s Manon.


The Italian Tenor presents arias from three great operatic composers - Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. These include Donizetti's “Una furtiva lagrima” (L'Elisir d'Amore) which was made famous by Enrico Caruso, whose famous performance of the aria paved the way for the opera's return to the repertoire after years of neglect. Equally as beautiful is “Spirto gentil” (La Favorita) in which the lead character laments the loss of his love forever.
The recording also presents Grigolo as five Verdi characters. His selection begins with “Quando le sere al placido” from Luisa Miller and continues with “Ella mi fu rapita” and “Possente amore” from Rigoletto. Verdi’s early opera Il Corsaro is rarely performed on stage today, but the young tenor triumphed in the title role at the Zürich Opernhaus earlier this year and wanted to include it on the album. The arias “Tutto parea sorridere” and “Si de’ Corsari il fulmine” demonstrate his lyrical and dramatic gifts, as does the chosen aria from Un Ballo in Maschera, - “Forse le soglia attinse....ma se m'e forza perderti”. Following the cavatina “Ah si ben mio coll’essere”, Grigolo makes a rare venture into the spinto tenor repertoire with “Di quella pira” (Il Trovatore).
The Puccini selection features a seldom heard aria from the composer's first opera, Le Villi, “Ecco la casa...torna ai felici di”. Grigolo was drawn to the unusually dark, almost Wagnerian colors of the piece. “Donna non vidi mai” (Manon Lescaut), sung at the beginning of the opera as des Grieux falls in love with the young Manon, provides a clear contrast to the despair of Cavaradossi in “E lucevan le stelle” (Tosca) as the painter awaits his execution. The aria “Firenze è come un albero fiorito” from Puccini's only comic opera, Gianni Schicchi, foreshadows the melody of the celebrated “O mio babbino caro” in its central section. Of course, no survey of the Italian tenor repertoire would be complete without the most loved aria of them all - “Che gelida manina” (La Bohème).
The Italian Tenor was recorded in the Teatro, Regio di Parma, a venue particularly associated with Verdi. It was recorded with the resident orchestra and conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi, with whom Grigolo shares a personal musical connection and admires greatly. Grigolo makes special mention of Plácido Domingo for having offered him guidance and unwavering support throughout Grigolo’s career.

My take: As many of you know, my husband is Italian.  I love all things Italy - we were blessed to take a trip to Rome, Naples and the Isle of Capri back in 2003 and I'd do just about anything to go back.  Alas, children, money and life mean I have to get my Italian fix in my music for now.  So I was delighted when Kailani let me review this debut CD from Vittorio Grigolo.  Once again though, I find myself in the position of reviewing music while not being a "real" music reviewer.  I was reading some reviews of this CD online, as well as some other opera reviews, and to be honest, I couldn't even follow what they were saying.  And I have a master's degree!  I'm guessing that many of you don't understand "real" operatic review either so let's just talk about what we do know - what is beautiful to our ears and to our hearts.  Opera, as voiced by a young tenor such as Vittorio Grigolo, is beautiful to me.  I found the entire CD to be moving and soothing to my soul - a perfect backdrop for whatever you are doing throughout the day (though not as workout music so much!)  If you love opera, or you just want to see what all the fuss is about with that genre, The Italian Tenor would be an excellent CD to have and enjoy.  Check it out today! ♥♥♥♥

This post was written for Sony Music who provided the CD for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary CD.

The review was sponsored by An Island Life;
 I am proud to be part of Kailani's review team:

KT Tunstall: Tiger Suit

Tiger Suit

Artist: KT Tunstall 

Audio CD

Original Release Date: October 5, 2010

Number of Discs: 1

Label: Virgin Records Us

From One2One: The album heralds the beginning of a new musical adventure for the multi-platinum, Scottish-born singer and songwriter. Her rollicking first single "Fade Like A Shadow" is already a Top 20 hit at radio. Check out the video here.  KT's previous hit songs include - the Grammy-nominated "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," "Suddenly I See," Other Side of the World" or "Hold On".

Song Listing:

1. Uummannaq Song
2. Glamour Puss
3. Push That Knot Away
4. Difficulty
5. Fade Like A Shadow
6. Lost
7. Golden Frames
8. Come On, Get In
9. (Still A) Weirdo
10. Madame Trudeaux
11. The Entertainer

My take: My first introduction to KT Tunstall was when I heard “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on the radio a few years ago. That rockin' song, along with her hit follow up “Suddenly I See” made me a life long fan (in fact I still have both of those songs on my workout music list - they never get old). So I was eager to hear more from her on this new CD.  Tiger Suit (see below for where the name of the CD comes from) does not disappoint.  In an interview, KT said the CD was somewhat an exploration of who and what makes her tick:   “Making the album felt a bit like an archaeological dig,” Tunstall says. “I had to dig deep to uncover what most turns me on."  I'm not a professional music reviewer, so I cannot tell you about instruments or synthesizers and whatnot but I can tell you what I enjoy listening to and what makes my foot tap and heart sing - Tiger Suit does just that.  I've been listening to this CD over and over non stop and from the "tribal song" of "Uummannaq Song" to KT's self-proclaimed anthem on confronting fear ("Push That Knot Away"), I loved every minute of Tiger Suit.  I highly recommend this one (and "Glamour Puss" is SO going on my workout list!) ★★★★

For the latest news, tour dates and more: check out KT's website, Facebook and Twitter:

* Website: http://bit.ly/KTsite
* Twitter: http://bit.ly/KTtwitter
* Facebook: http://bit.ly/KTfbook
* Link to Buy Tiger Suit on Amazon: http://amzn.to/KTamazon
* Album Preview: http://bit.ly/KTpreview

Tour dates: KT is hitting the road in November playing 17 US cities. Tickets are on sale now:

Oct 31 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
Nov 1 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC
Nov 2 The Showbox SODO Seattle, WA
Nov 4 Knitting Factory Spokane, WA
Nov 5 Knitting Factory Boise, ID
Nov 7 Knitting Factory Reno, NV
Nov 8 Warfield Theatre San Francisco, CA
Nov 11 The Music Box Los Angeles, CA
Nov 12 House of Blues San Diego, CA
Nov 16 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
Nov 18 Epic Minneapolis, MN
Nov 19 The Vogue Indianapolis, IN
Nov 21 Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
Nov 22 The Crofoot Detroit, MI
Nov 23 Phoenix Theatre Toronto, ON
Nov 25 Club Soda Montreal, QU
Nov 26 The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
Nov 27 9:30 Club Washington, DC
Nov 29 House of Blues Boston, MA
Dec 1 Terminal 5 New York, NY

About KT Tunstall and Tiger Suit:  KT Tunstall has had a recurring dream since she was a child. She sees a tiger in her garden and goes outside to stroke it. She returns indoors and is seized by the fear that she could have been killed. Over the years, it has occurred to her that the reason the tiger responds so passively is that she herself is disguised as a tiger. That she is wearing a tiger suit.
Tunstall has tapped into that childlike boldness in the making of her third album, Tiger Suit, which heralds the beginning of a new musical adventure for the multi-platinum, Scottish-born singer and songwriter.

Organic instrumentation is blended with dance-friendly textures, the results of which Tunstall has dubbed as “Nature Techno” to encapsulate the album’s collision of raw, upfront rootsiness and sleek electronic textures. “Think Eddie Cochrane meets [British electronic duo] Leftfield,” she suggests. “The songs exist in other worlds for me, and I was trying to evoke a sense of place through how they sounded. I really went out of my comfort zone and wandered off further than expected. It made me realize I can do anything. There are no rules, there are no constraints, it’s just about what you’ve got the balls to do."  READ MORE HERE...

This review was sponsored by the:

This post was written for one2one network who provided the CD for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary CD.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Diamond Edition

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Diamond Edition

List Price: $39.99

Language: English

Subtitles: French, Spanish

Number of discs: 3

Rated: G (General Audience)

Studio: Walt Disney Video

DVD Release Date: October 5, 2010

Run Time: 85 minutes

A Beloved Fairy Tale Is Restored To All New Heights On Blu-ray™!

Disney’s Academy Award®-Winning Animated Classic

Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition

On Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack – October 5, 2010

And Standard Definition DVD - November 23, 2010

From the studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) proudly announces the Blu-ray high-definition debut of Disney’s animated masterpiece, Beauty and the Beast on October 5, 2010.

Disney’s most requested film, Beauty and the Beast, arrives for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def as
the second installment to the company’s new Diamond Collection. The Blu-ray transformation reveals the magic, music and majesty of the film as never before experienced with state-of-the-art picture restoration, pristine 7.1 Digital Surround Sound and hours of additional viewing experiences that include behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, enhanced music tracks, immersive games and more.


The first of only two animated films ever to be nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture (the second is 2009’s Up), Beauty and the Beast earned six Academy Award® nominations and won two Oscars® in 1992 for Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Best Original Score.


Unavailable in any form since 2003, Beauty and the Beast will be released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, arriving on a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (2 Blu-ray Discs + DVD) October 5, followed seven weeks later with the release of a 2-Disc standard definition DVD on November 23.


The Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack has a U.S. suggested retail price of $39.99 and the 2-Disc DVD set has a U.S. suggested retail price of $29.99.

Film Synopsis: Set in and around a quaint French village during the late 18th century, Beauty and the Beast follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life, and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books. Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under the spell of an enchantress who turns him into a tormented beast, while transforming his servants into animated household objects. In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s inventor father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle and is taken prisoner, Belle comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father’s place. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.

Film Accolades:  Beauty and the Beast received two Academy Awards® for music in 1992, three Golden Globes® for Best Motion Picture, Best Original Score and Best Original Song in 1992, and two Grammy Awards in 1993. Listed as number seven on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Animated Films, Beauty and the Beast helped define Disney animation for a new generation as the second film in the “Disney Animation Renaissance” (1989-1999) which launched with The Little Mermaid and revitalized animated features by captivating mature audiences while still delighting young viewers.


Beauty and the Beast features a cast of top vocal talent. Veteran stage actress and singer Paige
O’Hara is the voice of Belle, one of Disney’s most beloved and independent heroines, and Robby
Benson (TV’s “American Dreams”) delivers a powerful portrayal of the Beast. Three-time Oscar®-
nominated screen star (The Manchurian Candidate in 1963, The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1946,
and Gaslight in 1945) and six-time Golden Globe® award winner (TV’s “Murder, She Wrote” in
1992, 1990, 1987 and 1985, The Manchurian Candidate in 1963, and The Picture of Dorian Grey in 1946), Angela Lansbury gives a bubbly performance as Mrs. Potts. The late Jerry Orbach (TV’s
“Law and Order,” “House of Mouse”) shines as the voice of Lumiere, the passionate candelabra,
and David Ogden-Stiers (TV’s “M*A*S*H,” Lilo & Stitch) is Cogsworth, the tightly-wound mantel clock who functions as the head of the household.

Beauty and the Beast was also the first Disney animated film to inspire a Broadway stage production by the same name. Highlighting the film’s music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, seven new songs were written for the stage musical. Beauty… was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 1994 and ran on Broadway for 5,464 performances until 2007, becoming Broadway's sixth-longest running production in history.

My take: When we moved this summer, to a smaller house, I reluctantly gave up my VHS collection to my niece.  Don't get me wrong, I was THRILLED to get to send her some of her favorite Disney movies (almost all of my VHS tapes were Disney, carefully purchased as they were released) but I was sad to see them go for me and my own kids.  But we had no room for them and more importantly, we no longer have a VHS player.  So now I have to wait for the Disney Vault to open again and again to rebuild my collection.  Which is why I was so excited to see Beauty and the Beast arrive on DVD - not only an award winning movie for Disney, it's one of my personal favorites.  I mean, what's not to love?  A message for girls everywhere about how beauty is only skin deep - that true beauty resides in our hearts?  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  And this collection has some great extras like 3 different versions of the film (the in-progress version shown to the New York film festival before the premier of the movie, the original release and a special edition, with an added scene and song).  Also included: a Sing Along Mode (which I may or may not have been singing along with - I'll never tell!), an alternate opening and deleted scene (both on the Blu-Ray disk), a music video sung by Jordin Sparks, and several fun games.  Well worth the wait, be sure to pick up your own Beauty and the Beast (Two-Disc Diamond Edition) today!  ★★★★★

Bonus: Here is a special coupon for $10 off the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack for this release from Disney Movie Rewards: http://www.disneymovierewards.go.com/promotions/special-offers/batblptw-coupon

Bonus 2: Download a PDF coloring & activity pages: http://tinyurl.com/BeautyActivities

Trailer


Performing Their Numbers (bonus)


Human Again (deleted song)


About Disney’s New Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection: The new Blu-ray™ Diamond Collection represents The Walt Disney Studio’s most prestigious animated classics. The Collection will be comprised with many of Walt Disney’s most treasured animated classic titles to be released through 2016. These titles represent the highest level of picture and sound, feature groundbreaking, state-of-the-art immersive bonus content, and include unprecedented levels of interactivity, personalization and customization, made possible because of Blu-ray technology.

About Disney Combo Packs (Blu-ray + DVD in a single package): To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney classics, in 2008 WDSHE pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD in a single package. Current Disney Animated Classic titles available as Combo Packs include Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

About Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, a recognized leader in the home entertainment industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc™ and electronic distribution. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.

This post was written for Click Communications and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment who provided the movie for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary DVD.

Bing "Our School Needs"

From Mom Central: From introducing us to the ABCs and arithmetic to awakening passions in academics, music, visual arts, and theater, education makes a life-long impact. As schools across the country undergo severe budget cuts, students and teachers head back to classrooms this fall to find crucial supplies lacking and entire programs cut.

In their latest philanthropic campaign supporting kids' education, Bing wants to help teachers and students by providing them with supplies and financial support needed to ensure a successful learning experience. Bing will potentially give away over $1 million dollars through their new "Our School Needs" program. This user-generated content competition easily enables students and teachers in elementary, middle and high schools to submit a request for what their school needs most by submitting a photo, essay or optional video.

Students and teachers can learn more about the contest and submit an entry on behalf of their school by visiting www.bing.com/ourschoolneeds. From now until October 22nd, you can upload photos, essays and videos telling Bing what your school needs for a chance to win up to $100,000!

My take: My kids attend a Catholic School (though we will probably start public school next year due to our own budget constraints).  Regardless, public or private, all schools are struggling to make ends meet this year (reminds me of an expression I heard recently "every time I start to make ends meet, someone moves the middle!").  Thank goodness for companies like Bing - with their "Our School Needs" contest, our schools have a chance to win up to $100,000 to help bridge that gap to make ends meet!  Now, you can view the Bing video to help explain the submission process but let me give you some more information too.  As I learned in journalism class, any good story needs a who, what, when, where and how.  Here's the low down, in that exact format, from Mom Central:

What: User‐generated content competition that will identify and fulfill the dreams of 4 schools: 1 grand prize winner and 3 first prize schools. Bing will give up to a million dollars in prizes and donations to schools in need!

Why: Every child deserves a great education. Bing enthusiastically supports the teachers, educators and parents who make it happen with products, programs and donations that help provide a great learning environment. This competition is a great opportunity to let teachers and students show everyone through essays, photographs and videos (optional) what they think their schools needs the most.

When: Students and teachers can submit entries from now until Friday, October 22nd (Winners will be announced Tuesday, November 9th)

Where: www.Bing.com/education

How: There will be 3 categories: grades k‐6, 7 – 9 and 10 – 12. . The overall grand prize winning school will receive $100,000 and each category will have a first prize of $50,000.

• Step 1: Teachers and students can create an entry for their school, including a story of what their

school needs, photos and a video (optional). Students under 18 will need a parent/guardian or

teacher submit the entry on their behalf.   Go here to enter.

• Step 2: Entries are made available for everyone to see and rate online. The 5 top rated submission in each category (15 total) is guaranteed a slot in the final panel. Top rated submissions and the top editors picks will then be turned over to a distinguished panel of judges who will determine the 15 finalists.

• Step 3: Voting begins on October 27. Stay tuned for more information about this phase of the contest! 

 
This review was sponsored by
Mom Central

(which means: “I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and received a DonorsChoose.org giving code and gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.” )

innovativeKids' Now I'm Reading

iNNOVATIVEKIDS HAS MILLIONS OF YOUNGSTERS SHOUTING:
LOOK MA, NOW I’M READING!

Now I’m Reading™ Program Ensures A Lifelong Love of Literacy

That Starts With Storybooks, Games and Plays By Award-Winning Author Nora Gaydos

 
From KidStuff PR:  Nothing pulls on a parent's heartstrings more than watching their child successfully learn how to do something new. Taking that first step, riding a bike, and reading their first book are a few huge milestones during those first few years. As parents, we owe it to our children to arm them with tools that will make success come easier. The award-winning Now I'm Reading series from innovativeKids, written by author and former teacher Nora Gaydos, does just that. The series presents kids ages 3-7 with exciting new ways to learn how to read. Through leveled books, activities, games and even plays, kids learn that reading can be fun! 

Wish you could get your preschooler to boast, “Look Mom, now I’m reading!” Do what millions of parents have successfully done: find just the right beginning reader series—from their first read-aloud book to successful independent reading, with storybooks, games and plays to reinforce essential learning skills along the way. Get in the tub with a cub or laugh along with hot dog in these silly stories with engaging colorful art. Now I’m Reading!™ by innovativeKids incorporates humor and uses a building block approach to learning to read that makes it simple for any child to master.


Get ready to act it out for “back to school:” Put on a mask, pick up your beginning reader script and put on your very own play—alone or with friends. Even the youngest of readers will be able to partake in this creative reading experience.


Finding new ways to excite kids ages 3-7 about reading has never been easier with these simple steps to reading success using the award-winning Now I’m Reading! Program. To date, over 3 million units have been sold to parents, grandparents and educators who wish to instill a lifelong love of reading with a simple to-use program that guides the grownup and child every step of the way to reading success. Now I’m Reading! program has won over a dozen industry awards and combines the best of phonics and literature based reading.


"Before your books came into our home, our son would strongly resist reading. The other day, I 'caught' him reading ... all by himself. I was so proud," wrote a parent and homeschool teacher to the innovativeKids website (www.innovativekids.com). The website not only carries dozens of testimonials but helpful hints, a blog and colorful shopping site for the vast Now I’m Reading! product line.

With more than 10 years of experience teaching kindergarten, first grade, and third grade, Gaydos has a comprehensive understanding of how beginning readers develop from pre-readers to independent readers. She’s an award-winning author, speaker, and does on-site parent and teacher workshops on reading and writing for kids– all in addition to being a mom herself. Visit her insightful blog at http://www.nowimreading.wordpress.com/.

For more information: you can find innovativeKids on Facebook, Nora Gaydos on Facebook, and you can also subscribe to Nora Gaydos' blog.

My take:  We received the following to try out and review:

Now I'm Reading™ GAMES: Go Fish Stories!

by Nora Gaydos (author) and Patrick Girouard (illustrator)

Story sequencing meets the well-loved matching game Go Fish. As kids read the book, they learn how a seed becomes an apple and flour makes a cake. Then they build essential story-sequencing skills by playing the game and building each of nine story scenes.

Age : 4-7

Pub Date : May 2008

Page Count : 24-page book plus 36 cards and 4 card stands

Trim Size : 7.00" x 7.00" x 1.00"

USD$ 9.99

When I went looking to find this product to write the review, I couldn't locate it - I eventually found it in my daughter's room - she had put it in her room, she loved it so much.  Let me tell you, that love has not abated in the last few weeks - every single day she wants to play this game.  She is an eager, emerging reader and so I talked about this game with her reading specialist who assured me that learning the sequence of stories is just as important as learning to read words and learning rules and sounds.

The stories (9 in all) in this set are too difficult for my daughter to read by herself yet so we sat down together and I read the stories to her (later, when her dad played with her, she told him, "Daddy, you need to read the stories first so you know the order!")  Then we sat down to play go fish.  It plays the same but when you get the four cards of the same set, you need to put them in order of the story in order to keep the set.   Not only did she do a great job, you can see her learning each time we play the game as she improves.  I'm thinking I'll need to check out the rest of the line for Christmas gifts!  If you have an emerging reader of your own, be sure to check out innovativeKids yourself!  ♥♥♥♥

This review was sponsored by

KidStuff Public Relations

This post was written for innovativeKids and KidStuff PR who provided the item for review. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary product (a USD $9.99 value).

Madeline’s Halloween & Other Spooky Tales

Madeline’s Halloween & Other Spooky Tales

Actors: Andrea Libman, David Morse, Stevie Vallance

Directors: John D. Wilson

Language: English

Number of discs: 1

Rated: Unrated

Studio: Shout! Factory

DVD Release Date: August 17, 2010

Run Time: 110 minutes

Suggested Retail Price: $12.99

  
From the studio: Join little Madeline, her loyal canine companion Genevieve, puckish next-door neighbor Pepito and her 11 delightful classmates from Miss Clavel’s Parisian school.  Inspired by Ludwig Bemelmans best-selling children's books, Madeline's Halloween & Other Spooky Tales follows the creepy-crawly adventures of lovable little Madeline, her dog Genevieve, 11 amazing classmates and troublesome next-door neighbor Pepito! Sit back, gasp and laugh as Madeline and her friends encounter a spooky haunted castle, a real mummy, a crazy Halloween night in New York City and more!

 

Get ready for an action-packed Halloween! Madeline’s Halloween & Other Spooky Tales contains five spooky animated episodes making their DVD debut: 

1. Madeline s Halloween
2. Madeline And The Mean, Nasty, Horrible Hats
3. Madeline And The Mummy
4. Madeline And The Haunted Castle
5. Madeline And The Spider Lady 

My take: Madeline, a character from a children's book series written by Ludwig Bemelmans in 1939 (the series continues into the modern day, written by Bemelmans' grandson John Bemelmans-Marciano), is still one of our favorite characters in our house.  As I've told you before, the DVD adaptations of the books dovetail closely to the written stories, right down to the rhyming so fans of the books will easily relate to the "big screen" version of their favorite Madeline tales.  We are also big Halloween fanatics (we spent the weekend covering the inside of our house with spiders!! - the outside already has a graveyard!!) so we have been on the hunt for some new Halloween movies to watch.  So Madeline's Halloween And Other Spooky Tales fits the bill perfectly - five new Madeline shows for us to watch - with just enough spook without being truly scary for my 6 year old girl.  It was the perfect DVD to cuddle up with her on the couch on a chilly fall weekend and see how Madeline and Pepito would get through their adventures.  If you have a Madeline fan in YOUR house, this is a must have for your collection.  ★★★★ 
 

The giveaway: One lucky winner (US or CANADIAN addresses only please) will win his/her very own copy of Madeline's Halloween and Other Spooky Tales!

 

To win: Leave me a comment telling me why you'd like to win this movie (winner will be picked at random so your actual response will not determine the winner)! Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Friday, October 22, 2010. Good Luck!

 

Bonus entries: Get up to 7 extra entries for a total of 8 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

 

• Blog about this giveaway (don't forget to leave the link in your comment)
• Twitter, Stumble or Digg this giveaway
• Follow me on Twitter (leave a comment here with your twitter id)
• Subscribe to my blog via RSS or Email (see top left sidebar)
• Add my blog to your blogroll or my button to your sidebar (leave your website address for verification)
• On Technorati - click on this link, then on Fan or Fav (or use the green link on the top left sidebar)
• Follow me on Blogger (see top left sidebar)

 

 

This review and giveaway was sponsored by:

This post was written for Shout! who provided the DVD for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary DVD.