Los Angeles, CA
Article by Suzanne Philips
Photos by Ruby Argumedo

Actor Viggo Mortensen made an appearance at the 2009 AFI Fest to premiere his latest film “THE ROAD”. Based on the Pulitzer Prize Winning book by Cormack McCarthy, the film tells the story of a man and his son fighting to survive after an apocalyptic event.

“THE ROAD” is beautifully directed by John Hillcoat (THE PROPOSITION) and features amazing shots by cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe (NEW MOON).

A very moving and thought-provoking story, the film features fantastic performances from Viggo Mortensen and young Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee as the boy. While the film does feature hard and disturbing subjects, it is such a beautiful film that it should find it’s audience and be nominated for some statues come awards season.

“THE ROAD” opens nationwide on November 25th.

Jane Fonda by Rachel Schmeidler

Artwork copyright Rachel Schmeidler
Photo and Article by Suzanne Philips

Please join multimedia artist Rachel Schmeidler and celebrity guests Zachary Quinto and other celebs (and their pet dogs) for an evening enjoying a new exhibition of 3D modern artwork and fundraising for animals in need. The “Hollywood Least Wanted 3D” exhibit is Schmeidler’s latest work in 3D and will feature anaglyphic 3D photographs of dogs and cats “behind bars” in an effort to raise public awareness and support for the animals. Also featured at the exhibit are 3D versions Schmeidler’s “Hollywood Most Wanted” series of celebrity mugshots. Schmeidler’s work has been featured on CNN, Access Hollywood and US Weekly Magazine.

Zachary Quinto

Hollywood Least Wanted 3D is catered to raise funds for the City of Los Angeles’ Animal Services Department as well as to serve as an animal adoption fair. A required donation of $20 includes one raffle ticket to several prize drawings if you order online at: http://www.hollywoodleastwanted.com/buy-raffle-ticket.php.
Raffle prizes will drawn one day before the event on November 20, 2009. In addition to the donation, 50% of the proceeds from the sale of artwork will go towards the Department of Animal Services of the City of Los Angeles.

The event will be held Saturday, November 21, 2009 at Rivera & Rivera in downtown Los Angeles.

At 4 pm the Red Carpet Dog Walk will start with the Reception following at 5pm. An after party will be held starting at 7pm.

The gallery is located at:

Rivera & Rivera
1100 S. Hope Street
Los Angeles, California 90015

Please RSVP at http://www.hollywoodleastwanted.com/buy-raffle-ticket.php. There is limited space to this event.

Before Arachnophobia and Eight Legged Freaks…there was Kingdom of the Spiders.

While sophisticated digital effects have made it possible for swarms of beetles, bees and other insects to rampage across movie screens throughout the last decade, back in the Seventies filmmakers had no such tool. If you wanted to have scores of bugs invade the set, many of them had to be real or it looked hokey. Films about nature seeking revenge were all the rage thirty years ago, and the 1977 cult film Kingdom of the Spiders starring William Shatner pulled no punches – those were live tarantulas crawling all over the set…and the cast!

On January 19, 2010, Shout! Factory will unleash the Kingdom of the Spiders Special Edition on DVD. Featuring all-new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film, this Special Edition DVD release contains an all-new interview with William Shatner; an in-depth commentary featuring director John Bud Cardos, producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler Jim Brockett and cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by HOSTEL producer Scott Spiegel and Lee Christian; rare behind-the-scenes footage; “Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler” featurette; poster gallery and the original theatrical trailer. The collectible Kingdom of the Spiders Special Edition DVD is priced to own at $19.99.

SYNOPSIS

William Shatner stars as veterinarian “Rack” Hansen in this cult film about an Arizona town infested with a horde of arachnids that turn on the humans whose insecticides have depleted their natural food supply. After livestock belonging to Rack’s friend, rancher Walter Colby (Woody Strode), fall victim to a spider attack, entomologist Diane Ashley (Tiffany Bolling) arrives and tries to help Rack deal with the crisis — but with the big county fair fast approaching, Mayor Connors (Roy Engel) refuses to let them quarantine Colby’s ranch. Soon the remaining residents of the town must barricade themselves at lodge of Emma Washburn (Lieux Dressler) lodge in an effort to save themselves from the eight-legged invaders in the ultimate man versus spider showdown.

Directed by John Bud Cardos and written by Richard Robinson and Alan Caillou, Kingdom of the Spiders was released in 1977, grossing a respectable $17 million against a $500,000 budget.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

All New Interview with William Shatner
Audio commentary by Director John Bud Cardos, Producer Igor Kantor, spider wrangler
Jim Brockett and Cinematographer John Morrill, moderated by HOSTEL producer

Scott Spiegel and Lee Christian

Jim Brockett: Spider Wrangler Featurette.
-Rare Behind the Scenes Footage
Poster Gallery
Original Theatrical Trailer

About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.

SPIKE TV’S “VIDEO GAME AWARDS 2009” PLANS GLOBAL DOMINATION

7TH ANNUAL EVENT WILL BE BROADCAST

IN MORE THAN 180 COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES WORLDWIDE

Two-Hour Event Premieres LIVE On Saturday, December 12 At 8:00 PM ET

Halo: Reach To Exclusively Premiere At VGAs, Plus Spectacular First Looks At

Never-Before-Seen Titles Set To Rock Gaming Consoles In 2010 And Beyond

Nominees And Categories Honoring The Best In Video Games Announced With Sony’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Topping List With Eight Nominations

Voting Begins Today At VGA.Spike.Com

New York, NY, November 18, 2009 – Spike TV today announced the nominees and categories for the biggest world-wide event ever to celebrate the video game industry, the 2009 “Video Game Awards.” The seventh annual “VGAs” will be a global event, broadcasting in over 180 territories and countries and gathering megastars from the worlds of video games, Hollywood, music, sports and more to honor the outstanding achievements within the video game industry during the past year. The two-hour event, taking place in Los Angeles, CA, will premiere LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, December 12 at 8:00pm, ET/PT (tape delay west coast). Beginning today, fans can vote for their favorite nominees at VGA.Spike.Com.

The 2009 “Video Game Awards” will reveal blockbuster global premieres of never-before-seen titles and break international news with announcements of new games from the industry’s leading publishers. Game companies contributing exclusive new content to the VGAs include 2K, Activision, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, LucasArts Entertainment, Microsoft Game Studios, THQ, Ubisoft, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, with more to be announced in the coming weeks..

This year VGA viewers will get a sneak peek at Halo: Reach with the debut of an exclusive, world premiere video from the opening of the game. Halo: Reach is an all-new prequel to the massively popular Halo trilogy from developer Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios which launches in the fall of 2010 exclusively on the Xbox 360.

“The global appetite and response from the fans internationally has been astounding,” said Casey Patterson, executive producer and senior vice president, Event Productions Spike TV. “Video games, like movies and music, are a universal language and Spike is thrilled that we will now be showing gamers all over the world a glimpse into their future with more than 12 mind-blowing world premieres.”

For additional information about other “VGA” world exclusives and announcements, fans can log onto VGA.Spike.com as well as get updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Spike_TV.

Leading the way with eight nominations this year, including nods for Game of the Year and Studio of the Year, is Naughty Dog’s cinematic adventure Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios’ dark and gritty Batman game, racked up seven nods, including Game of the Year as well as Best Voice for Mark Hamill’s portrayal of The Joker. Infinity Ward’s military shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Valve’s zombie thriller Left 4 Dead 2 each landed six nominations.

Nominees for Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards” were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the most well-respected experts in the industry of leading game media outlets such as GameTrailers.com, Game Informer, USA Today, Wired, Penny Arcade, GameSpot and IGN. Games released between December 2, 2008 and November 23, 2009 were eligible for nomination.

Following are several of the nominees and categories for Spike TV’s 2009 “Video Game Awards.” For a full list, please go to VGA.Spike.Com.

GAME OF THE YEAR

· Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ubisoft / Ubisoft Montreal)

· Batman: Arkham Asylum (Eidos Interactive – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Rocksteady Studios)

· Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Activision Publishing / Infinity Ward)

· Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve)

· UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves (Sony Computer Entertainment / Naughty Dog)

STUDIO OF THE YEAR

· Infinity Ward

· Naughty Dog

· Rocksteady Studios

· Valve

BEST MUSIC GAME

· DJ Hero (Activision Publishing / FreeStyleGames)

· Guitar Hero 5 (Activision Publishing / Neversoft Entertainment)

· LEGO Rock Band (MTV Games – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Traveler’s Tales Games – Harmonix)

· The Beatles: Rock Band (MTV Games / Harmonix)

The band Seven, named after the Seven Deadly or Cardinal sins Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth Wrath Envy and Pride was formed six years ago. After a few changes in the lineup they became the musical force you hear on their self titled CD.
The CD takes you through tight, adrenaline-fueled tunes. Seven has the components to make good music with good guitar riffs with drummer Eric “Gluttony” Souza hammering the music home!
Rob “Envy” Hunter has the vocal chords to carry off the songs the way metal should be sung. He can quickly change from screams to growls to melodic signing while maintain the fast pace of the songs.
Seven brings strong song writing and catchy melodies to their CD. For me the stand out is “I Hate Myself” it is crisp, clean with a tight rhythm section that demands you move to the music.
This CD moves smoothly through the tunes with a mix of metal and a touch of techno on the side. Check out their music on MySpace.

Be a part of the Circle of Eight, the supernatural series where nothing is as it seems. Jessica, a newcomer to the City of Angels, has just moved into a loft on the eighth floor of The Dante, a historic and eerie downtown building filled with friendly twenty-something neighbors who eagerly welcome her into their bohemian world. Or do they? As Jessica races to unravel the mystery behind a chain of horrifying deaths that only she seems to see, she’ll come face-to-face with the chilling truth behind her connection to The Dante. Join her and neighbor, Evan, in ten intense episodes that offer multiple levels of interaction, including hidden clues, mobile content, an online game and exclusive material that builds the back story of the characters and their relationships and gives the audience the chance to affect their futures. Paramount Digital Entertainment brings you Circle of Eight, starring DJ Qualls (Road Trip, All About Steve), rising stars Austin Highsmith and Ryan Doom and a sizzling cast of the industry’s newest talent. Welcome to the circle, the compelling experience where the fate of the story and the possible redemption of its characters is in your hands. Find the clues, unlock the mystery and choose wisely… or people will die.

Circle of Eight, stars DJ Qualls (Road Trip, All About Steve) and rising stars Austin Highsmith (roles in CSI Miami and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Ryan Doom (roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation).

Experience Circle of Eight: http://www.myspace.com/circleof8