Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

On  February 17, 2009 the era of analog broadcast television in the United States will end as the nation’s full power* television stations complete their transition to an all-digital system. While this change will mark the end of the traditional analog method of broadcasting over-the-air television, it won’t signal the end of free broadcast television, and your favorite broadcast programs and local television stations will still be available.

If you currently receive analog television over the air or via an antenna, you’ll need to take action to continue watching your favorite stations. TVs accessing “pay” television service such as cable or satellite aren’t likely to be affected by the switch.

What, why & how? Information and resources are available at http://www.dtvtransition.org/ to help ensure that you’re prepared for the digital TV transition and that you’ll continue to receive free broadcast television in the digital age.

What You Need To Know – TV sets that currently receive programming through cable or satellite are not likely to be affected by the transition to digital. However, TV sets that rely on “over the air” broadcasting with an antenna (set-top or rooftop) to receive a signal will be affected by the cutoff of analog broadcasts in 2009. You will need to consider one of the following options:

Purchase a digital-to-analog converter box that plugs into an existing television. The boxes, which are expected to cost between $40 – 70 will be available for purchase in 2008. Beginning in February 2008, U.S. households can request up to two coupons valued at $40 each. Each coupon can go toward the purchase of a single set-top converter box that will allow you to continue watching FREE “over-the-air” television on an analog set.

Subscribe to a cable, satellite or telecommunications service provider if all desired local broadcast stations are carried by that service.

Purchase a new television set with a built in digital tuner.

Any of these steps will ensure that “over-the-air” television consumers will continue to receive programming.

The DTV transition from analog to digital television shouldn’t affect cable subscribers at all. But that’s not stopping cable companies from using the increasingly well-publicized and misunderstood transition to encourage potential customers to cough up more money. For more info, go to http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10005884-1.html?tag=bl

Fat Albert—the 70s Saturday morning sensation—is back, just in time for Halloween.

A combination of live-action and animation, the classic “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” series is both comedic and educational and stars Bill Cosby in an Emmy® Award-winning performance as the series’ live host, as well as the voice for many of its lovable characters. Featuring music by Oscar®-winning composer Herbie Hancock, the popular series received two Emmy Award nominations and most recently, Fat Albert ranked 12 on TV Guide’s list of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.

Synopsis – After a night filled with more tricking than treating, Rudy and his friend, Devery, plan one last prank for spooky Mrs. Bakewell. But when two of the kids disappear into the old widow’s house, Fat Albert and the crew set out to find their missing friends. Will Halloween fun turn into a fright for the Cosby Kids?

Bonus Episodes – “The Prankster” and “The Jinx.”

Screenvision has partnered with KOCH Vision to present the national premiere of the heartwarming family drama, “Ballet Shoes.” The film, based on the classic novel by Noel Streatfeild, stars Harry Potter’s Emma Watson and features an inspiring story that will make audiences believe “dreams really do come true.” Limited Engagements begin August 26, Visit http://www.balletshoesmovie.com/ for theaters and showtimes.

Continuously in print since first being published in 1936, Streatfeild’s novel, subtitled “A Story of Three Children on the Stage,” has delighted generations of young girls with its message that dreams really do come true. Directed by Sandra Goldbacher (Me Without You, The Governess), the Ballet Shoes feature-length adaptation was produced by Granada for the BBC. North American home video rights were acquired by KOCH Vision from Granada International.

“We’re thrilled to work with Screenvision,” said Michael Rosenberg, President, KOCH Vision. “Their ability to provide a nationwide platform for audiences to enjoy Ballet Shoes on the big screen has played a key role in creating awareness for this property prior to its release on DVD.”

KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children’s Media are proud to partner with KOCH Vision in support of Ballet Shoes. Look for the “Approved by Kids First!” logo on-screen before theatrical presentations of Ballet Shoes and on the Ballet Shoes movie poster, now on display in theater lobbies across America!

Watch charismatic and precocious Bornean orangutans get a second chance to live in the wild on “Orangutan Island” Season 1. Following the dramatic and engaging format of Animal Planet’s top-rated Meerkat Manor, “Orangutan Island,” takes an up-close and personal look at rescued orangutans. Orphaned and homeless, these red-haired “children of the forest” were brought to the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center where they were enrolled in Forest School 103. After learning important survival skills to prepare them for life in the wild, 35 of the primate graduates were released on a protected island in Kalimantan, Indonesia and challenged to form their own society and learn how to live free. Lone Droscher-Nielsen is co-founder of the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project, and together with her team has created the largest primate rescue project in the world. Follow the precious primates – from feisty Daisy, the four mischievous trouble makers known as the “The Bandit Boys,” femme fatale Jasmine and moody Chen Chen, to name a few – who, unlike mostly solitary wild orangutans, are trying to live together in a community. Fascinating, entertaining and educational, “Orangutan Island” Season 1 DVD includes 13 episodes.

A desperate struggle for survival is raging deep in the heart of Borneo’s forests. Illegal logging is rapidly destroying the Bornean orangutans’ last stronghold in the wild — leaving hundreds of orangutan babies orphaned and homeless. Meet the 35 classmates of Forest School 103 at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. These precocious red-haired “children of the forest” will get the opportunity to live wild on a protected island. Watch their journey to adulthood as they struggle to form their own society and learn how to live free on Orangutan Island.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

5th Annual Big Apple Film Festival, Tribeca Cinemas, NYC, November 19-22.

Named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee”. Submission deadline: September 1st (postmark). Features special NYC premieres, panel discussions and networking events, nightly parties, closing night awards ceremony. To submit go to http://www.bigapplefilmfestival.com/.

Video Prospector launches revolutionary new “Try Before You Buy” online tool that allows website designers and owners to place Online Video Actors and Web Video Spokespersons of their choice directly onto their own websites. This unique tool is free to use as often as needed, allowing web designers and website owners to view and assess every Video Actor in the portfolio. tool is as simple as typing in your website name, clicking on the name of the Actor you want to preview, then moving the Actor wherever you want them. .

Media Pros Plus, Inc., an Orlando-based Internet Marketing company selling products and services under the Video Prospector brand name, announced its new “Try Before You Buy” online tool designed to assist potential clients who may be considering placing a Video Web Actor or Video Spokesperson on their own websites. By providing the URL of the client’s website and selecting any of the Actors Video Prospector currently has in its online portfolio, the selected Actor will immediately appear on the client’s website, giving the client a much better idea of how any specific Actor would look as his or her Video Spokesperson. In addition, by doing a “click and drag,” the Actor in the video can be moved anywhere on the client’s website to determine the optimum placement. Access this feature at http://www.videoprospector.com/vp/actors.htm.

Online Video Actors or Web Video Spokespersons, as they are sometimes called, are increasingly being used by all types of businesses worldwide. By providing a “human” element in welcoming visitors to their website, visitors can receive a quick summary of what the website has to offer without making the visitor wade through a lot of text. The Spokesperson can appear on the website in a variety of manners, such as fading in and then fading out, but the most popular method has been to have the Actor walk onto the website from the side of the computer screen when a new visitor arrives. The Actor then presents a 30 to 60 second script (jointly developed by the website owner and Video Prospector’s marketing department) before walking back off the side of the screen. The Actor can play a variety of roles. For instance, the Actor can speak as the website owner (such as acting out the role of a business owner, lawyer, real estate agent, etc.) and summarizing his or her credentials. Another effective strategy has been for the Actor to identify with and build a relationship with the visitor by indicating that they, too, had a need for a specific product or service and that the website they are on solved and met that need.

Video Prospector has a large portfolio of professional Actors, both male and female, whose acting backgrounds allow them to convey the look, emotion, and body language the website owner wants portrayed. The website owner has full control over how the Actor represents his or her company, from the clothes the Actor wears to the tone of the voice. Video Prospector currently has Actors that speak American English, UK English, Russian and several idioms of Spanish. Actors speaking other languages can be contracted upon request. Website owners can utilize Actors on their websites from anywhere in the world as there are no international restrictions and no local hosting requirements.

According to Mr. David Fonseca, president of MPP, “We now have a free tool our prospective clients around the world can use to actually see how an Actor of their choice would look on their own website. Even though all of our existing clients have been thrilled with the response they have received by placing a Video Prospector Spokesperson on their own website, previously they had to wait until we finished shooting and editing their Actor before they could see how they would appear. Well, not anymore. Our exclusive “Try Before You Buy” tool is as simple as typing in your website name, clicking on the name of the Actor you want to preview, then moving the Actor wherever you want them. It’s easy to use, fun, and very powerful.”

Video Prospector has developed a variety of services and products that generate leads; direct new prospects to a client’s website; use professional Actors to educate, entertain, and keep prospects on the website longer; then immediately contacts every prospect that indicates an interest through our unique Instant Contact system that calls prospects while they are still on the website! If the visitor call volume grows to a point that a website owner chooses not to handle the calls themselves, Video Prospector’s 24/7 multi-language call center is staffed with trained agents who can ask “qualifying” questions for the owner. The owner instantly receives a recording by email as soon as the call ends, allowing the owner to listen and determine which visitors are “hot” prospects requiring a speedy follow up.

By using Video Prospector products and services, our client’s website visitors receive immediate attention and live assistance exactly when they are thinking about buying, while website owners get to pick out the real buyers to contact immediately, without the need to call every person who requests information. An outline of which Video Prospector products are best for certain types of businesses can be found at http://www.videoprospector.com/cgi/d.cgi/vp/forum.htm.

For more information, go to http://www.videoprospector.com/

Fly Me To the Moon, from Summit Entertainment is the first 3D animated feature film. One wonders what took so long; it is such a natural for a kids’ movie, which is exactly what this is. And, I have to say – it’s fabulous. I enjoyed watching this film this weekend with a five and an eight-year-old boy. After the film, we talked a lot about the space program and President John Kennedy. The storyline is based loosely on the Apollo 11 space mission in 1969 which landed a man on the moon. In this story, three teen-age flies (Trevor Gagnon, Philo Daniel Bolden and David Gore) stow away on the spacecraft and we experience the adventure from a fly’s point-of-view. The teens think they’re off on a flight that will end in a few minutes and are surprised to find out they will be in space for a week – a bit long for kids who have never spent a night away from home. Once onboard, they have an awesome time experiencing weightlessness, finding droplets of Tang to gobble up, and even rescue the mission from a possible electrical failure. At one point, mission control discovers the flies in the video feed and insists the astronauts capture them. Once captured, they are placed in a test tube and we see their world from inside the test tube. Thanks to a shaky moon landing, the test tube falls and breaks and they escape just in time for the big event – the moon landing – and Nat is chosen as the one fly to accompany the astronauts’ walk on the moon. As they venture out onto the surface of the moon, we hear those famous words of Neil Armstrong’s, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” After the movie, I had to tell my young friends what those words meant to the world in 1969.

Based on actual transcripts and blueprints from NASA, the historical content alone is reason to take your kids or grandkids to this. The visuals are stunning, from the space craft to the minute detail on the flies’ space suits. Even the choice of music during the flight is reminiscent of the era – Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, the theme song from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Some of the visuals are just precious such as when the flies get accidentally trapped in the astronaut’s lunchbox and we see the world from the point-of-view of a fly inside a lunchbox. Later, once in space, the flies get captured and are placed in a test tube and again, we see their world from inside the test tube.

The film’s theme song is Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to The Moon,” which is so appropriate both to the time frame of the film and the subject. The animated fly extended family is simply adorable and who would have thought you’d find a fly cute. From the three teen explores, to the parents, to Grandpa (Christopher Lloyd), and of course, the larvae – the facial expressions are outstanding. Each character is unique in both look and dialogue. History is interwoven throughout, not just the NASA scenes but also as Grandpa’s retells his tale about flying with Amelia Earhart. There are definitely some gross scenes such as Grandpa flying up Emilia’s nose only to be sneezed out along with a large bugger. Yuck. Nadia is drawn in a rather suggestive manner, emphasizing her large bosom and waspish waist. There are some word choices that some won’t appreciate when the Mom says “Lord of the Flies” more than once and there are the fight scenes with the spy flies at the end, but overall – this is a great to film for families. I highly recommend it for ages 5 – 12 as well as baby-boomers.