Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

NBA star LeBron James teams with Nickelodeon’s The Big Green Help campaign this summer in a new online mini-game, LeBron James: Worldwide Big Green Bike-a-thon! The game asks players to help the bike-riding James (an avatar version of him at any rate) deliver green tips around the world to earn points and make their way to the next level. Available at http://www.biggreenhelp.com/ , the game will also be featured in public service announcements airing on the network this summer.

The show premieres on Nickelodeon on April 22, 2008, on the same day as Earth Day. The show focuses on how the world can be a better place to live on by recycling and reusing recyclables. Kids can get information about the show and/or sign up to participate at the show’s website. In addition, Kids can upload and send in their videos on how to help the environment.

Stated at the 2008 Kids’ Choice Awards, Cameron Diaz wants the kids to make the world a better place to live on. Diaz informs the kids that they will change the future of the Earth, so it can be a better place to live on. Diaz is taken part of helping the environment to make it a better place for the kids to live on.

Some sample issues are:
Big Green Help Theme #1: Grow It Green

What Your Family Can Do:

Make friends with your environment by spending time outside with your child. Help her take photos of the things you each find interesting, and then look at the pictures together and discuss them.

What to Say to Kids:

What kinds of animals do you think could live in these places? What kinds of plants?

It’s a good idea to keep these outside places clean so they will be safe and comfortable for plants and animals to live and grow.

What Your Family Can Do:

Visit an aquarium, wildlife preserve, or zoo in your area and make a point of checking out the environmentally themed exhibits with your child.

What to Say to Kids:

The people who take care of wild animals have to know everything about what they need in order to live. What kinds of things do you think different animals need?

Why do people care about making sure places like forests or ponds stay clean?

What Your Family Can Do:

Take a walk around the neighborhood with your child and collect fallen leaves and flowers that you can identify when you get home with the use of field guides or online resources. (Remind your child not to touch plants without your or another adult’s permission.)

What to Say to Kids:

Do you think these plants (or flowers or trees) were planted by people or grew wild?

Plants and trees in the neighborhood are pretty, and some can be shady in summer. Which ones do you think are pretty? Do you think any birds, animals, or bugs eat the plants and leaves? Do you think any of them might be used for a home?

What Your Family Can Do:

Does your child have a favorite vegetable or flower? Create a special garden patch either outside or on a windowsill where you can plan a small garden for your child to tend. This is an opportunity to talk about the needs of growing plants and observe the growing process.

What to Say to Kids:

We care for our flower garden just like we try to care for the world around us, everywhere.

You water your plants because they must have water in order to live and grow. What do we drink?

What Your Family Can Do:

As a family you can find Earth Day activities to participate in, such as park clean-ups and tree and flower bulb plantings.

What to Say to Kids:

We’re helping keep the park clean so everyone can enjoy it.

We’re planting bulbs so in the spring there will be flowers growing here.

Ask kids how they think planting a tree helps the earth. Preschoolers can come up with their own answers, and you can suggest others, such as: trees are homes for birds and other animals; trees give us shade in the summer; people use trees to make things like paper, so it’s good to plant new trees to replace the ones we use.

If Your Child Asks: Why are we helping to clean the park?

You Can Answer: We’re helping keep the park clean so everyone can enjoy it.

If Your Child Asks: Why is it good to plant trees and other things?

You Can Answer: Trees are homes for birds and other animals, and trees give us shade. Flowers and plants are pretty and help keep the air clean.

For more ideas, go to http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/parenting_features/big-green-help/big-green-talk/earth-day-family-guide.jhtml

This stunning film, an official KIDS FIRST! Film Festival selection will be playing at the Santa Fe Film Center (Santa Fe, NM) beginning the Fourth of July weekend. Directed and Narrated by Anna Wilding who commented, “My film is a joyous and an apolitical film. However, I hope that with the film screening now, people will gain a greater insight and understanding into the lives of monks throughout Asia and the rest of the world, many of whom are going through a difficult and turbulent time right now.”

Ms Wilding cited Sri Lanka, Tibet and Myanmar as regions where there has been much recent civil unrest and injustice to Buddhist monks — places where “there could be peace.” Ms Wilding added that what is also of import, but a matter that does not appear to be discussed or bought up in negotiations, is the history of Buddhism and its various branches and how they were formed within countries. Ms Wilding says that perhaps it is now time for the Buddhist monastic community to pull together and support each other as one, and also look at issues within their own communities.

Anna Wilding spoke on an industry panel at the American Pavillion in Cannes 2008 on the topic “Can you be green and proper in show business.” While there she also met with monks direct from Myanmar who were holding press junkets. Ms Wilding’s film features monks from Thailand and Sri Lanka.

“Buddha Wild Monk in a Hut” was shot partly in New Zealand on a remote monastery and produced by Carpe Diem Films LLC. Wilding worked with Emmy Award winning composer Charles David Denler on the music. The “inspiring and fascinating” film was selected into the Kids FIRST Film Festival, selected for the International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Cultures held in India-IFFTAC, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation Screening Series, the Calgary Buddhist film series and cinemas in Los Angeles and New Zealand.

“Buddha Wild” has been called “beautiful” by Moving Pictures Magazine 2008, and “a must see film” by Splash Magazine 2008. It garnered critics pick in LA Weekly Magazine 2007, and Union Jack Newspapers said, “Anna Wilding Captures Our attention.” Moonrise Movies Magazine in Canada said it was “delightfully sweet and accurate.”

Ms Wilding combined with Rialto Cinemas Australia to give the proceeds from the first public rough cut screenings to the Tsunami Relief Appeal in Thailand. The film has been welcomed at temples in the USA and elsewhere. The film is in early limited release stages.
“Unpretentious,” providing an “affectionate glimpse” and a well-judged mixture of “seriousness and humor” into the cultural and monastic lives of missionary monks, the film explores the tenets of Buddhism, celibacy, politics, the role of women in Asian society and the day-to-day lives of Theravadin monks.

“Buddha Wild” has the tag line “Wild to be one with Nature.” Ms. Wilding’s career spans over a decade in Hollywood, UK and Australia as writer, actress, producer and director. In 2007 Ms Wilding was thanked through her lawyers in New York for her humanitarian work on all three Lord of the Rings movies by Mark Ordesky, former CEO of New Line. http://www.buddhawild.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/ Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzF9ZcV6ccc

To Book Anna Wilding as speaker go to http://www.buddhawild.com/

Nickelodeon celebrates military families July 4th weekend with the debut of the Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special episode, Coming Home: When Parents Return from War, Sunday, July 6 at 9 pm. The episode features kids whose parents have been deployed and discuss what life might be like when the return, will kids expectations meet with the reality of a mom and/or dad’s return home. Additionally, the show also features kids who have lost a parent in war.

In partnership with University of Hawaii’s KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Actress Kay Panabaker will be at the Sheraton Waikiki to take questions, sign autographs and hang out during her movie, “Moondance Alexander.”

This is our first partnership with the Sheraton Waikiki and it promises to deliver great family fun for ages 8 and up – complete with an outdoor BBQ and plenty of food. Bring your suit and watch the movie from inside the pool!

Sunday, June 29, 2008 – 5:30 P.M to 9:00 P.M.
Poolside, Oceanside at the Sheraton Waikiki

The curiously named, Moondance Alexander is a spirited teen living with her eccentric mother. She is faced with another uneventful summer until she discovers a lost pinto pony named Checkers who has jumped out of his paddock. Although Moondance returns the horse to his rightful owner, the gruff and mysterious Dante Longpre, she is convinced that Checkers is a champion jumper in disguise and is determined to help him realize his full potential.

Kay Panabaker is an award-winning actress who is a veteran of television, stage, and film, and at just 18-years-old is also a UCLA graduate! Teenagers will recognize Kay from her role as angst-filled teen Nikki Westerly on the drama “Summerland,” for which she won the Young Artist Award for “Best Performance by a Leading Young Actress in a TV Series – Comedy or Drama.”

Younger fans know her from her work on Disney Channel, including the film “Read It and Weep” in which she starred alongside her sister, Danielle, and guest appearances on “Phil of the Future” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”

Kay currently plays Lindsay Willows, daughter of Marg Helgenberger’s character on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” while her guest appearances include “Medium,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Boston Legal,” “Two and a Half Men,” “ER,” “Angel” and “7th Heaven,” as well as others.

Last summer, Kay was seen on the big screen playing best friend George to girl sleuth “Nancy Drew” in the Warner Brothers feature film adaptation of the classic book series, and later on the small screen, in Lifetime’s “Custody,” alongside Rob Morrow and James Denton. She plays the title character in “Moondance Alexander,” an award-winning family film which also stars Lori Loughlin and Don Johnson, and for which she learned to ride and jump horses. That role earned her the Dixie Film Festival’s award for “Outstanding Actor/Actress in a Film.” She was also recognized in 2007 for her performance in the Dylan and Cole Sprouse film “A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper,” receiving the inaugural “Rising Star Award” at the Temecula Valley International Film Festival.

Extraordinarily focused, Kay has been able to accommodate a rigorous academic schedule in addition to her work, graduating as valedictorian of her high school at the age of 13, and then completing her undergraduate work in history at UCLA in March 2007, at the age of 17. That made her the youngest graduate on record for the UCLA History Department – which is ranked 9th in the nation. It was an elementary school teacher who made learning exciting that inspired Kay’s love of education, and she wants to pass that enthusiasm on to others, hoping to eventually teach 4th or 5th grade herself. Until she has the opportunity to teach in the classroom, however, Kay is content working with young people as a hands-on volunteer with different children’s charities including The Young Storytellers Foundation, Starlight Starbright, and Children’s Hospital.

Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP owns the three Sheraton Hotels in Waikiki and the Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort, as well as the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali, Maui. Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP is one of Hawaii’s largest employers, with nearly 3,000 hotel associates in its workforce. The hotels are a part of the 11-hotel group of Starwood-managed properties in Hawaii.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 890 properties in more than 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft(SM), and Element(SM). Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit http://www.starwoodhotels.com/.
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