KIDS FIRST! Radio

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII KIDS FIRST! FILM FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH MAUI COMMUNITY COLLEGE-VITEC “COLLEGE FOR KIDS” PROGRAM TO PRESENT A FREE EVENING OF FAMILY FILM AND FUN UNDER THE STARS ON MAUI
College for Kids, offered through the Maui Community College-VITEC program, joins with the University of HawaiŒi at Manoa KIDS FIRST! Film Festival to present an evening of free family fun under the stars on Maui. The festivities include, a screening of the feature film, Alice Upside Down, and a new Wubbzy episode from Starz. In addition, there will be door prizes and information on future programs. The event has been scheduled for August 22nd and begins at 6:30 pm on the Great Lawn located at the center of the Maui Community College campus. Plenty of parking is available. Bring lawn chairs, mats and a picnic dinner. Snacks will be available for purchase from the Valley Isle Girlz 4-H club. Alice Upside Down is appropriate for children ages 8 and above.
Alice Upside Down was developed from the award-winning popular series of books by Newbery Medalist, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Alice McKinley (played with great charm by Alyson Stoner) is an endearing, 11-year-old heroine growing up without a mother. Through a series of incidents both hilarious and poignant, Alice grows from tweenship into teenship in an all male household, with her father, Ben (Luke Perry) and 17-year-old brother, Lester (Lucas Grabeel). Her mother died six years ago and her father has moved the family to a new town for a new beginning. But as the new girl in school, Alice¹s life is full of anxiety, awkward moments and overwhelming challenges. With the support of her father, a special teacher (Penny Marshall) and her new friends, Alice charges forward through the chaos and embarrassment with imagination, humor and heart.
College for Kids, offered through the Maui Community College-VITEC program, introduces children to the college environment by providing an enriching, project-oriented, interdisciplinary curriculum and a positive learning experience that is safe, creative and interactive. The University of HawaiŒi
KIDS FIRST! Film Festival is presented by UH-Manoa Outreach College, and is supported in part by the Sidney Stern Memorial Trust and Starwood Hotels & Resorts HawaiŒi.
For more information, call (808) 984-3231 on Maui.
http://maui.hawaii.edu/

The 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival hosted the Orange County Premier of Alice Upside Down featuring Alyson Stoner, Lucas Grabeel, Penny Marshall and Luke Perry will make its Orange County Premiere at the Festival. Alice Upside Down and the appearance of Alyson Stoner were courtesy of KIDS FIRST!
 

Actress Alyson Stoner, the lead in Alice Upside Down is appeared at Build-A-Bear Workshop® in Fashion Island for a one hour long autograph signing session on Saturday, April 26. Stoner is best known for her roles in Cheaper by the Dozen, Mike’s Super Short Show, Phineas & Ferb and the new upcoming Disney TV movie Camp Rock, with The Jonas Brothers.
 

The Newport Beach Film Festival 2008 Family Film series showcases a collection of innovative and entertaining family films that capture the refreshing independent spirit of filmmaking. The Festival’s family friendly slate includes feature length narratives, documentaries, short, animated and student produced films crafted to entertain and inspire festival-goers of all ages, from kindergartners to teens. Billed as Orange County’s largest celebration of independent family films, the two-day event featured film screenings, question and answer sessions with cast and crew, interactive workshops and autograph signings.
 

This is the fifth year that KIDS FIRST! has collaborated with the Newport Beach Film Festival, providing studio, independent and student films and talent for the festival.

Special Sneak Peek of Sesame Street: Dinosaurs! PHOENIX — Children and families have enjoyed a full month of screening of KIDS FIRST! films across Maricopa County during the month of April. 

The closing event is this Saturday, April 26th at the Arizona Science Center from 10am – 2pm and features the sneak peek at the new Sesame Street: Dinosaurs (for the young ones) and the incredibly realistic Prehistoric Park for the older crowd. The CGI animated dinosaurs are so life like in Prehistoric Park, that it may be too intense for the under 5 crowd. The first family film festival in the region was being held at a variety of arts and cultural organizations to give families the opportunity to expand their cultural literacy and enjoy some of the highest quality films available to children.  www.mpacarts.org   

Meet Jane and Dragon.

Jane is a medieval middleclass girl being raised as a Lady-in-Waiting, but she’s got much bigger plans for her future! Training to become a Knight is what she’s all about – good thing she’s got a 300 year-old fire-breathing dragon as a best friend. 

In the episode selected by the Children’s Museum of Houston and the Women’s Museum in Dallas, Dragon is feeling sick, very sick with a pig disease: curly tail. It is curable but the antidote is a difficult quest away. Jane volunteers for the quest and Theodore assigns Gunther to quest with her. Meanwhile, Dragon is proving to be a very difficult patient.  Also here’s your chance to get the inside scoop on all things Jane. Martin Baynton, creator of “Jane and the Dragon,” answers YOUR questions! 

http://www.qubo.com/jane_ask.asp    

 Dad’s Pet Food Joins with Governor Ed Rendell  in Honoring K-9 Officers and their Partners at the Premier of Ace of Hearts

 Dad’s, a leading pet foods manufacturer in Pennsylvania, has joined with PA Governor Ed Rendell in honoring the work of the K-9 units in our local communities. In a letter of support, the Governor has declared April 12, 2008, as “K-9 Recognition Day in Pennsylvania.”

The recognition is all part of the excitement surrounding the premier of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s feature family film, Ace of Hearts, on April 12th at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle, PA. The movie, staring Dean Cain, tells the story of Officer Daniel Harding, a distinguished member of the K-9 police unit and his K-9 partner, Ace. Ace of Hearts is part of the PA Children’s Film Festival. Admission for the full day of films is free to everyone!

Dad’s contributed over 500 lbs of dog food to be handled out to the movie goers “as a way for Dad’s to recognize the importance of both the K-9 dogs that will be honored at the screening and the family pet in our lives.” The local rescue shelter, Promises For Pets, will be on hand to distribute the pet food.

Also featured Saturday is the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie with a surprise appearance by Alvin, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy, Care Bears: Grizzle-ly Adventure, Bob the Builder: On-Site Roads and Bridges, My Senator and Me, and the Mr. Men Show.

In an effort to bring quality children’s programming to our region, the PA Film Institute, in partnership with The Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, has established the PA Children’s Film Festival. The Children’s Festival is dedicated to “promoting excellence in children’s films” and in “enhancing the opportunities for children and their families to view some of the most outstanding children’s films available anywhere.”

With our partnership, the PA Children’s Film Festival becomes part of the largest children’s film festival in the world…KIDS FIRST! Film  Festival.

Manoa’s Outreach College was honored with the Best Non-Credit Program for the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival by the Western Association of Summer Session Administrators.  The KIDS FIRST! Film Festival is the largest traveling children’s film festival in the world, providing films that are free of racial, ethnic, gender or religious bias; inappropriate content; and condescension toward children. 

Outreach College held the festival in June and July with a second festival slated for summer 2008. In March and April in honor of Women’s History Month, the festival presents the GRLS R GR8! Mini-Film-Fest celebrating the achievements, challenges and adventures of girls.   

Expand Cultural Literacy through Four Weekends of Free Family Fun and Enjoyment!
PHOENIX — Children and families are invited to enjoy the screening of KIDS FIRST! films across Maricopa County during the month of April.

The first family film festival in the region is being held at a variety of arts and cultural organizations to give families the opportunity to expand their cultural literacy and enjoy some of the highest quality films available to children.

Starting Saturday, April 5^th at the Glendale Public Library from 2:00 – 5:00 PM
 

Bugville: 78 minutes. Ages 5–12.  When Hoppity the grasshopper returns to Bugville, he finds all is not well when humans threaten the survival of this town. 

John, Paul, George, and Ben:  9 minutes. Ages 5-12.  Narrated by James earl Jones, this is a humorous and factual history of 5 lads who grew up to become Founding Fathers. 
The Prince and the Pauper.  92 minutes.  Ages 6-12.  Eddie and Torn Cole and Dylan Sprouse from TV’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody are two 14-year-olds with one thing in common: they both look exactly alike.  Kay Panabaker (TV’s Phil of the Future) co-stars in this adventure based on a story by Mark Twain. 

Saturday, April 5^th 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Glendale Public Library, 595 W. Brown St. Glendale 85302
Every weekend during the month of April, the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture

(MPAC) will partner with the Glendale Public Library, Arizona Historical Society Museum, Desert Botanical Garden and Arizona Science Center to feature entertaining kid and family-friendly films related to their current activities at no cost to movie-goers and visitors.  Door prizes and free stickers will be available at some venues.  http://www.mpacarts.org for the list of upcoming screenings.

A Wyoming short film contest was introduced at the Sundance Film Festival.
A $25,000 first prize is being awarded to the winning entry with a storyline that takes place in Wyoming, features Wyoming, or presents the state as a major character. Prize money will go toward production of the winner’s next film shot in Wyoming. “We’re trying to build a buzz. If you can get more independent, smaller filmmakers interested in Wyoming first that will help us bring in bigger projects down the line. It’s a sort of trickle up effect,” said Colin Stricklin of the Wyoming Film Office.

The ‘Film the West’ reception at Sundance in Park City, Utah on January 24th allowed filmmakers the chance to lean more about the contest and invite their participation. “A lot of people seemed interested. We spoke with both domestic and foreign producers during a four-hour concentrated effort,” Stricklin said.

Films are due before May 9 and entries must be 15 minutes or less in length. “The short film format allows for all levels of experience and expertise. Our format is wide open and the possibilities are limitless,” Stricklin noted. There is no entry fee and submissions are being accepted at: http://www.withoutabox.com The winning effort is to premier at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, June 5-9, 2008 in Jackson, Wyoming.

“This is a first-time project designed to foster film production in the state while simultaneously giving filmmakers an opportunity they might otherwise overlook. We’re very excited at the early response,” said Michell Howard, Wyoming Film Office Manager. Howard also used the Sundance setting to promote the state’s new Film Industry Financial Incentive Program which allows production companies to be reimbursed up to 15 percent on dollars spent on a Wyoming film shoot.

More information about the incentive program and the short film contest is obtainable online at: http://www.wyomingfilm.org/

WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! AND THE NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION
ANNOUNCE NEW GRANT PROGRAM FOR PRESCHOOLS
Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards will be granted to 75 winners

Burbank, CA/So. Burlington, VT  (February 6, 2008) – The National Gardening Association (NGA) and Starz Media have launched a new grant program – the Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards – sponsored by Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, a hit animated comedy television series for young children, which airs on Nick Jr. and Noggin in the U.S. The Awards will distribute 75 grants of products from NGA’s Gardening with Kids Store, valued at $1,000 each, to preschool organizations across the country.
Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards will be granted to 75 winnersBurbank, CA/So. Burlington, VT  (February 6, 2008) – The National Gardening Association (NGA) and Starz Media have launched a new grant program – the Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards – sponsored by Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, a hit animated comedy television series for young children, which airs on Nick Jr. and Noggin in the U.S.Just renewed for a second season, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! revolves around Wubbzy – an adorable, bouncy character with an expressive tail and a quest for fun – and his friends Wi­­­dget, Walden, and Daizy, who live in Wuzzleburg. Their many hilarious adventures entertain young children while reinforcing the importance of friendship. This theme dovetails perfectly with gardening, which engages kids in experiences that reinforce the value of cooperation, teamwork.
Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards will be granted to 75 winnersBurbank, CA/So. Burlington, VT  (February 6, 2008) – The National Gardening Association (NGA) and Starz Media have launched a new grant program – the Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards – sponsored by Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, a hit animated comedy television series for young children, which airs on Nick Jr. and Noggin in the U.S.Just renewed for a second season, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! revolves around Wubbzy – an adorable, bouncy character with an expressive tail and a quest for fun – and his friends Wi­­­dget, Walden, and Daizy, who live in Wuzzleburg. Their many hilarious adventures entertain young children while reinforcing the importance of friendship. This theme dovetails perfectly with gardening, which engages kids in experiences that reinforce the value of cooperation, teamwork.This sounds great to adults, but when you ask kids why they like to garden, you’ll get the message that, “Gardening is fun!” It gets them outdoors, gives them an outlet for their energy, and lets them participate in creating something beautiful that they can feel proud of. Plus, they actually like to eat the vegetables they grow!

“A child’s early years are a crucial time of development, and preschool education can significantly influence the rest of their lives,” says NGA Education Specialist Sarah Pounders. “Gardening is a hands-on project that allows children to explore at their own pace and engage in age-appropriate experiential learning. We’re very happy that Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is sponsoring this award to give more children these valuable opportunities.”

“The Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Awards are the ideal next step in our strategic partnership with the National Gardening Association, particularly since the little yellow star of the show is discovering the fun of going green in the second season that debuts later this year” says Amorette Jones, EVP Worldwide Marketing for Starz Media.  

To qualify, a preschool or day care center must submit a plan for a garden, to be planted and tended by a group of at least 10 children aged 3 to 5, during 2008. Award packages will include garden tools and garden- and nature-oriented teaching materials, plus a Wubbzy gardening activity guide for teachers. Applications must be postmarked by March 15, 2008, and awards will be shipped no later than April 15. For full details and to download an application, please visit http://www.kidsgardening.org/grants.asp

Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! is a co-production of Starz Media and Bolder Media. Since it began airing in August 2006, Wubbzy has been a hit on the air, online and in the international television market as well. Wubbzy enters the KIDS FIRST! Film Festival this spring!
 

14 Oscar Nominations for Movies Made in New Mexico
New Mexico-made movies receive 14 Oscar nominations. Governor Richardson credits aggressive marketing and incentives program for continued growth of state’s film industry.
Santa Fe, NM (Vocus) January 24, 2008 — Governor Bill Richardson applauded today’s announcement that four movies filmed in New Mexico have received a total of 14 Academy Award nominations from the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. The films include Best Picture nominee “No Country for Old Men” which tied for the lead with eight nominations.

“These nominations highlight the quality of the projects we are attracting to New Mexico,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “As importantly, they highlight the quality of our support staff, our production crews and the incredible versatility our state offers filmmakers in realizing their vision. We can say with proven certainty that New Mexico is a world-class film destination.”

Since Governor Bill Richardson took office, 90 major feature film and television projects have shot in New Mexico resulting in an estimated economic impact to the state of $1.5 billion dollars.

“The film industry is a key factor in the high-wage, prosperous economy we are building in New Mexico,” continued the Governor. “Because of our success, thousands more New Mexicans are working, and the industry is benefiting local businesses and communities across the state. Plus, with these nominations the additional exposure these films will bring to New Mexico worldwide is fantastic. I’m committed to keeping the industry thriving and to continue developing New Mexico as a full service production state.”

In addition to best picture, “No Country for Old Men” garnered nominations for best director, best supporting actor, adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound mixing and sound editing.

Many consider the film to be the lead contender for this year’s Best Picture award. The Coen Brothers drama was filmed almost entirely in New Mexico in locations such as Las Vegas and Santa Fe. It is based on Santa Fe author Cormac McCarthy’s novel of the same name. Golden Globe winner Javier Bardem is considered the front-runner for the best supporting actor award for his role as Anton Chirguh the film’s menacing psychopath.

While the film takes place in west Texas, the Coen brothers say they chose to shoot the majority of it in New Mexico because of the state’s attractive film incentives.

Three other films nominated this morning also took advantage of the state’s film incentives, skilled crew base and varied shooting locations. Tommy Lee Jones earned a Best Actor nomination for his work on “In the Valley of Elah.” “Transformers” picked up nominations for visual effects, sound editing and sound mixing. “3:10 to Yuma” also received nominations for sound editing and mixing.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Hoffman
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Tel: 505-216-0889
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Ballantines PR
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Alarie Ray-Garcia
Office of the Governor
New Mexico Governor
Bill Richardson
Office:505-476-2248