Focus Features is distributing this movie, which will be out at limited theaters on July 7, 2010. If this is in my area I will definitely be heading to the theater to check it out. I don’t know if it will be here, but hopefully it will. I don’t go to the movies to see many comedies, but this would be an exception. Let us know if you plan to check it out or why you’re choosing to skip this one (if you are).

In the meantime, here is the trailer and some screenshots for the upcoming, The Kids Are Alright.

Story:
The Kids Are All Right is the heartfelt new comedy from acclaimed director Lisa Cholodenko, starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. Two teenaged children (Alice in Wonderland’s Mia Wasikowska and Journey to the Center of the Earth’s Josh Hutcherson) get the notion to seek out their biological father and introduce him into the family life that their two mothers (Bening and Moore) have built for them.

Once the donor (Ruffalo) is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re—defined, and re—re—defined.

Here is the trailer for those of you that want to check out the movie:

Technorati Tags: The Kids Are Alright, Movie, Upcoming Release, Limited Theaters, Focus Features, Lesbian, Parents, Same Sex, Comedy, Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo

The show will premiere on January 24, 2010. Here are the details that I received in the following press release from Nickelodeon.

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2010 – Cancer. When children hear the word, what do they think? It may be scary, but today, a diagnosis of cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. Nick News with Linda Ellerbee explores the world of kids who are living with cancer on The Face of Courage: Kids Living with Cancer, premiering Sunday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The road these kids travel is not easy; it is pitted with fear, pain and loss. But also it is a road paved with hope, strength, courage and even humor. They have been where no kid should have to go, and they have survived to share their stories – and their courage – with the rest of us.

“All of these kids live as if the cancer were never coming back,” says Ellerbee, an 18-year cancer survivor. “Cancer is a part of my past. That’s a fact. It’s a part of my present because I choose to speak about it, and for the same reason, it will be a part of my future. But it is not who I am. It is not who any of us is.”

Alexandra, 14, lost her leg to bone cancer. “I was sitting on the bed outside the operating room…and I remember just taking a pen from one of the nurses aids and writing ‘I love you’ on (my) knee…that was the last thing I basically did for my leg,” says Alexandra. Today, her cancer is in remission and she’s made friends with her new “bionic” leg. “I think that as much as cancer hurts you and harms you, in the end…all the experiences you have gone through make you stronger, so you almost go from being too weak to being stronger than you were in the first place.”

Diagnosed with leukemia in July 2009, Diamonisha, 12, currently is in treatment and, not surprisingly, angry, confused and hopeful, all at the same time. “The hospital is not a world for kids…you don’t wanna be in there…Sometimes it makes me feel sad cause I don’t like this cancer. Sometimes it makes me feel happy because the cancer’s going away and I’m gonna be better, and I’ll have hair, finally,” she says.

While in the hospital being treated for an aggressive form of leukemia, Tatyana, 11, made a video about her experience for her friends so they could understand what it was like. She has since returned to school. “I wore a hat because I didn’t want anybody to see my baldness. I was very worried that my friends were going to treat me different. Then, once I took the hat off, I realized that they were fine with it. They didn’t really care and so…if they didn’t care, why should I?”

Going through the first of five rounds of chemo for a tumor in his abdomen, Tyler, 10, hates the mask he must wear in public to protect himself. Tyler says, “I try to ignore everybody who stares…or whispers to somebody else. I just don’t feel normal when I wear it.” As for the cancer? “It does change my view of life…because I have learned that life is full of twists and turns now.”

Hector, 14, suffers from a soft tissue cancer that affected an eye socket. “They had to remove my eye or else I was going to die. So they told me to make a choice,” says Hector. A choice a kid shouldn’t have to make. Hector worried that losing an eye would make him too different from other kids, but being in a cancer ward gave him a new perspective. “It made me realize that it wasn’t only me. The world was full with kids with cancer.”

Lexi, who is 11 and has a slow-growing brain tumor, gets a similar feeling of camaraderie at Camp Sunshine, where every kid has cancer. Lexi says, “Everybody here knows what you’re going through and you feel like a normal kid. It’s a place where I can talk to people about my cancer life and they know what I feel like.”

Bryn, 14, was diagnosed with Stage Four lymphoma nearly two years ago. Today she’s in remission and participates in a support network called Teens Living with Cancer. “I think the experience of a veteran is a lot like the experience of a cancer survivor because you are coming back from a war, you’re coming back from the fight for your life basically. You start to realize that life is very fleeting and that you want to make the most of it,” says Bryn.

Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is now in its 19th year and is the longest-running kids’ news show in television history. It has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. Nick News recently was honored with its first ever Edward R. Murrow Award for “Network News Documentary” for the documentary special, “Coming Home: When Parents Return from War,” marking the first-ever kids television program to receive the prestigious award.

Over the years, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations and recently won its seventh Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction Program for “Coming Home: When Parents Return from War.” Additional Emmy wins for Outstanding Children’s Programming include: “The Untouchable Kids of India” (2008); “Private Worlds: Kids and Autism” (2007); “From the Holocaust to the Sudan” (2005); “Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan” (2002); “What Are You Staring At?” (1998). In addition, in 1994, the entire series won the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Programming. Nick News has also received three Peabody Awards, including a personal award given to Ellerbee for her coverage for kids of the President Clinton investigation, as well as two Columbia duPont Awards and more than a dozen Parents’ Choice Awards.

Note: Photo Courtesy of Lucky Duck Productions. This article was updated to reflect a change in the date of this special.

Technorati Tags: Nickelodeon, Nick News, Stories of Courage, Kids, Childhood Cancer, Cancer, Linda Ellerbee, News for Children, Children’s Programming, Television

A brand new Dora Christmas Adventure is set to premiere on Nickelodeon. DORA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL ADVENTURE will air on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM EST. In the latest press release we received from Nickelodeon, the station had this to say about the brand new special.

Dora and Swiper explore the past, present and future of Christmas in Nickelodeon’s new hour-long primetime TV special, Dora the Explorer: “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure,” premiering Sunday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). The episode, which includes a special holiday version of the Dora the Explorer theme song recorded by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, will encore on Nickelodeon on Monday, Dec. 7, at 9 a.m. (ET/PT) and on Nick Jr. on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. (ET).

In “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure,” Swiper tries to swipe the Christmas star from Dora’s Nochebuena party and winds up on Santa’s naughty list. Dora appeals to Santa, who says that if Swiper can learn the true sprit of Christmas, he will put him back on the nice list. Believing Swiper can change, Dora accompanies him on a journey to the past, the present and the future to help him find four missing ornaments and discover the true meaning of Christmas.

“Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure” features new, original music including the special holiday version of the theme song, performed by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, an organization providing children of all socio-economic backgrounds with a unique music education and performance program. More than 1100 children participate annually through the chorus’ core after-school program and its satellite program in New York City schools, and its national affiliates in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Tenafly, New Jersey.

Nickelodeon will roll out content from “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure” across the following platforms:

+ Beginning Monday, Nov. 30, Nick Jr. Video, the broadband video service available on Nickjr.com, will begin streaming a two-minute sneak peek of “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure.”
+ A two-minute sneak peek from “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure” will be available on wireless carriers via video on demand beginning Monday, Nov. 30.
+ “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure” will be simulcast in full on Nick Mobile.
+ “Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure” and two other previously aired specials – “Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom” and “Dora Saves the Snow Princess” – will be available for purchase on iTunes beginning Monday, Dec. 14.

You and your child/children can check out the Nick Jr. website at http://www.nickjr.com. This award winning site is offering a selection of complimentary activities to coincide with the release of DORA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL ADVENTURE. These activities include a game, a riddle book and arts and crafts (Santa’s Hat, Swiper’s Christmas Card, etc.). The game on the site has Dora and Swiper delivering Christmas presents. Kids have to match present boxes with presents based on matching shapes.

You can purchase DORA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL ADVENTURE on DVD at a selection of stores including Amazon. There is also a CD, Dora’s Christmas, that you can purchase. The CD songs can be purchased through iTunes. The advantage of purchasing the DVD is that you’ll receive six additional minutes of bonus footage that will not be aired on the TV special and two music videos. The CD is a selection of 16 holiday songs sung by Dora. These are Christmas classics with a Latin flavor to them and include: “Deck the Halls,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming Aquí!”

About Nickelodeon:
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 99 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 15 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc.

Technorati Tags: Dora the Explorer, Dora Christmas Carol Adventure, Christmas CD, Latin, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. Christmas Special, Boots, TV Special

San Diego, CA – August 17, 2009 – Traveling from over 25 countries and six continents, more than 1,125 players ages 6 to 55 competed for the chance to be crowned the best Pokémon TM players in the world this weekend in downtown San Diego, CA. Hosted by The Pokémon Company International, the worldwide leader in video games and trading card games, the Pokémon World Championships gave the highest-skilled players from around the world a chance to compete for the prestigious title of World Champion, as well as travel packages, custom Nintendo game systems, trophies, and more than $100,000 in scholarships. The two-day championship event emphasized the skill, strategy, creativity and fun involved in playing the Pokémon Trading Card and video games.

The top 60 video game players from the United States, Japan and Europe earned an invitation to participate in the Pokémon Video Game World Championships by defeating hundreds of challengers in qualifying tournaments held across the globe. The top finishers in each age division (Junior and Senior) each received a grand prize that includes a custom Nintendo DSTM game system, automatic entry in and travel to the 2010 Pokémon Video Game World Championships for a chance to defend the title, and a six-day vacation package for four to Tokyo, New York City, or Oahu. The winners include:

2009 Pokémon Video Game World Champions- Junior Division (born in 1997 or later)
First Place: Jeremy Fan (Age 11) from Sante Fe, California USA
Second Place: Santa Ito (Age 9) from Japan

2009 Pokémon Video Game World Champions- Senior Division (born in 1996 or earlier)
First Place: Kazuyuki Tsuji (Age 25) from Japan
Second Place: Tasuku Mano (Age 15) from Japan

The top 350 TCG players from more than 25 countries qualified for the invite-only Pokémon Trading Card World Championships by spending countless hours preparing and battling though a season of city, state, regional and national tournaments. Each of the three first place TCG finishers received a grand prize that includes a paid trip and invitation to defend their title at the 2010 TCG World Championships, as well as a scholarship worth $7,500. In total, the value of the scholarships divided amongst the TCG participants from 1st through 16th place in all age divisions totaled more than $100,000. After two full days and over twelve hours of fierce one-on-one TCG battles, three winners were crowned in each age group, including:

2009 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Junior Division (born in 1998 or later)
First Place: Tsubasa Nakamura, (Age 9) from Japan
Second Place: Jason Martinez, (Age 11) from Glendale, California USA
Third Place: William Shand, (Age 11) from Colorado Springs, CO

2009 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Senior Division (born in 1994-1997)
First Place: Takuto Itagaki, (Age 12) from Japan
Second Place: David Cohen, (Age 14) from Kent, Washington USA
Third Place: Nicolas Fotheringham, (Age 15) from United Kingdom

2009 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Champions – Masters Division (born in 1993 or earlier)
First Place: Stephen Silvestro, (Age 20) from Citrus Springs, Florida USA
Second Place: Sammi Sekkoum, (Age 20) from United Kingdom
Third Place: Jay Hernung, (Age 20) from Madrid, Iowa USA

Over the past 13 years, Pokémon has established its prominence as one of the top children’s franchises in history. In 2009, the Pokémon animated series will be broadcast in as many as 153 countries in more than 25 languages. The Pokémon video game series has sold more than 191 million games worldwide and The Pokémon Trading Card Game is the No. 1 collectible trading card game of all-time having more than 46,000 active members worldwide.

For more information, please visit: http://www.go-pokemon.com/worlds

About Pokémon
The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website. Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996 and today is one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world. For more information, visit www.pokemon.com.

Technorati Tags: Pokemon, Trading Cards, Video Game, Japan, Champions, Worldwide, The Pokémon Company International, Pokemon World Championships

Academy Award®-nominee Pete Docter (2008, Best Original Screenplay, WALL•E; 2001, Best Animated Feature Film, Monsters, Inc.) directs one of the funniest fantasy-adventures of all time featuring a gifted voice cast that includes Ed Asner (Elf),
Christopher Plummer (Inside Man), Up co-director and writer Bob Peterson (Monsters, Inc.), Delroy Lindo (This Christmas) and John Ratzenberger (who has lent his voice to every Disney•Pixar feature film).

Up is the tenth in an unprecedented streak of critical and box office triumphs for Disney•Pixar that includes four Academy Award® winners for Best Animated Feature— WALL•E (2008), Ratatouille (2007), The Incredibles (2004) and Finding Nemo (2003)— as well as Cars, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story. Up joined each
of its predecessors in ranking #1 at the box office on its opening weekend.

BONUS FEATURES FOR UP
• Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.
• Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the
misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.” The short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.
• The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings proposed during story development.
• Partly Cloudy –The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up. Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the babies? The answer lies up in the stratosphere where the cloud Gus is a master at creating “dangerous” babies, which prove to be more than a handful for his loval delivery stork Peck. Directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor Peter Sohn.
• Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the design and story of the film.

And, only on Blu-ray Hi-Def, hours of features, and behind-the scenes bonus features, including:
• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.
• Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.
• Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs.
• Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger.
• Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and
development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.
• Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate realization in the computer.
• Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz’s dirigible presented the
filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?
• Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.
• Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
• Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game enhanced by BD-Live.

Synopsis:
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly
imaginative adventure.

Up has a suggested retail price of $39.99 SRP (US) or $44.99 SRP (Canada) for the 2- Disc DVD, and $45.99 SRP (US) or $52.99 SRP (Canada) for the 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo pack. A 1-Disc DVD is also available at SRP $29.99 (US), $35.99 (Canada)

STREET DATE: 11/10
Direct prebook: 9/1
Distributor prebook: 9/15
Pricing: 2-Disc DVD: $39.99, 4-Disc Bluy-ray Combo: $45.99
Feature run time: 96 minutes
Rated: PG
Bonus Materials Not Rated in US
Technical specifications may only apply to feature.
Aspect ratio: DVD: Widescreen 16×9
Sound: SD: 5.1 Dolby Digital, BD: Dolby Digital EX 1080P
Languages: English, Canadian French, Spanish

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.

Technorati Tags: Press Releases, News, Up, Disney, Blu-ray, Blu-Ray DVD Combo, Disney’s UP, announcement, movie, family friendly, release