Tuesday, May 13^th

9:00pm e/p

“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Recycle” 

Recycling efforts have come a long way since the bottle bills of the 1970s - a good thing, since the U.S. produces 400 MILLION tons of garbage per year. Individuals and organizations are taking on the challenge of recycling everything from computers to medicine bottles to handbags.  The methods can be can be as simple as re-use, or as technologically sophisticated as chemically transforming one discarded material to create another.

9:35pm e/p

Burning the Future: Coal in America - Directed by David Novack.  This timely documentary takes us to the Appalachian Mountains of southern West Virginia to explore the political, economic and environmental issues surrounding coal, the source of more than half of U.S. electricity.  At particular issue is the controversial above-ground mining technique known as mountaintop removal, which is defended as safe by the coal industry but opposed by a growing number of residents who believe it is a threat their land, their health and their unique way of life.  Burning the Future offers a penetrating portrait of the hidden cost of coal as it follows the efforts of those trying to halt mountaintop removal, including an ecology professor and a working mother whose Appalachian roots stretch back to the 1700s.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Hiya, Kids!! A ‘50s Saturday Morning — the 4-DVD box set is packed with 21 complete episodes culled from some of America’s iconic television classics, including Kukla, Fran And Ollie, Howdy Doody, Lassie, Annie Oakley, Flash Gordon, Time for Beany, The Paul Winchell Show, The Roy Rogers Show, Captain Z-RO, The Rootie Kazootie Club, Winky Dink And You, Super Circus, Andy’s Gang, The Cisco Kid, Sky King, The Magic Clown, Kids And Company, Junvenile Jury, The Pinky Lee Show, and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.  Each DVD from Hiya, Kids!! is designed like a Saturday morning programming block from the era, with shows for the very young first on the menu.  As the older siblings “wake up,” the programs become more and more “sophisticated.”

Hiya, Kids! sound like a fun set to play for the kids. They won’t be sharp cuts and blow ups, but pure, unadulterated, in the clear, and childlike entertainment.   

Check out the trailer: Hiya, Kids!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tuesday, May 6^th

9:00pm e/p

“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Fashion”

Environmental consciousness has hit the fashion world in a big way; from T-shirts and jeans to haute couture, style is coming to mean sustainable fabric and earth-friendly manufacturing practices.  In this episode, we’ll meet several men and women who are bringing green to fashion, clothing stores and to the dry cleaners, too.  

9:35pm e/p

Escape from Suburbia - Directed by Gregory Greene.  Will the American lifestyle - epitomized by the single family home and two-car garage - remain tenable as we advance into an age of declining oil supplies and rising prices?  Escape from Suburbia considers the possibilities as it examines the burgeoning grass-roots movement to “power down” from energy-intensive habits.  Mixing the stories of ordinary citizens with expert analysis, the film offers an inspiring look at how people are changing their lives and their communities by pulling up stakes, organizing conferences, and even re-thinking local economies.

Popularity: 1% [?]

A&E Network has announced the launch of  THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, a highly interactive, robust, animated minisite created in conjunction with award-winning interactive agency Big Spaceship. The site launch comes six weeks in advance of A&E’s four-hour original television event, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, which infects the airwaves when it premieres in High Definition on Monday, May 26 from 9-11 PM ET/PT and Tuesday, May 27 from 9-11 PM ET/PT.

A key component of the minisite is a four-week long serial game, that brings users into the top secret Wildfire bio-defense labs, where they must investigate, treat and contain unknown biological threats before they become global catastrophes. The game features four levels, with a new virus revealed each week starting May 5. In order to unlock the final level- The Andromeda Strain itself - on May 27, players must answer three questions correctly, based on clues found in the first night’s premiere. Also featured on web site are online photos and bios, downloadable wallpapers, AIM avatars and movie posters, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast members and film makers. Based on the best-selling novel from Michael Crichton, the miniseries stars Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack, Ricky Schroder, Andre Braugher, Christa Miller, Daniel Dae Kim and Viola Davis.

In THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, a U.S. military satellite crashes in a small town and unleashes a deadly plague killing all but two survivors. As the military quarantines the area, a team of highly specialized scientists is assembled to find a cure to the pathogen code-named “Andromeda,” and a reporter investigates a government conspiracy only to discover what he is chasing wants him silenced.

Don’t forget to enter Screenheads’ THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN contest as well.

Popularity: 1% [?]

 ”Living Proof,” an original movie for Lifetime, is starring Harry Connick Jr., Zellweger’s co-star in the upcoming feature “Chilled in Miami.”

“Proof,” from Sony Pictures TV, focuses on the true story of Denny Slamon (Connick), a UCLA doctor who developed the breast cancer drug Herceptin 2, and his relentless battle to keep the drug trials afloat and save the lives of thousands of women. It’s based on a book by NBC medical correspondent Robert Bazell.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the caliber of talent involved in the film represents the evolution of network’s original-movie strategy under Lifetime Networks president and CEO Andrea Wong and president of entertainment Susanne Daniels.

Daniels said that when she joined the network in September 2005, she became aware of the “loyalty and passion” viewers had for the network’s original films.

Stars of recent and upcoming Lifetime movies include Emily Watson, Kim Basinger, Dermot Mulroney and Shirley MacLaine.

“Proof,” which will be shot in Connick’s hometown of New Orleans, is set to air in October as the “programming centerpiece” of Lifetime’s 14th annual public awareness campaign “Stop Breast Cancer for Life.”

Popularity: 1% [?]

Share your inspired green-friendly solutions with Sundance Channel’s “What’s The Big Idea?” contest!! Sundance Channel invites consumers to share their inspired eco-solutions in the second annual national contest entitled “What’s The Big Idea?” presented by Lexus Hybrid Living. 

What is really great about this contest is that it deals with actual application of eco-solutions.

The contest, in which consumers submit a short film or photo essay demonstrating how they work green, play green, eat green or live green, helps to kick off season two of Sundance Channel’s original series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet,” which launched on April 1 as part of The Green, Sundance Channel’s weekly destination focusing on environmental topics.  The winner will be awarded a cash prize of $10,000 to help make their “Big Idea” a reality as well as a private green audit by “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” subject Current Energy - creator of the world’s first energy efficiency store  - which appears on season two of “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” Four runners up will receive a Sundance Channel Green VIP Bag.

Contestants will submit their one-minute short film or photo essay featuring their “Big Idea” via Big Ideas Contest Overview between April 1 and May 20.   Sundance Channel will select the top 25 entries to be viewed and voted on by users between May 27 and June 24. The five proposals to receive the most votes will be reviewed by a panel of environmental experts who will pick the winner.  Pieces will be judged on creativity, overall theme, feasibility and presentation.   The winner will be announced the week of July 7^th.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Congratulations Lesha!!! You are the winner of “Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites” Giveaway!!!! Just send me your mailing address and the DVD is yours. “Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites” DVD contains six episodes, Sing Along with Johnny & the Sprites and Original Shorts.

I have another kiddy one — Winnie the Pooh DVD. Please visit again soon to enter the giveaway!

Popularity: 1% [?]

 Variety has an inspirational article about Sean Combs shifting careers from hi-hop “P. Diddy” to serious actor on Broadway and in Hollywood.   

Combs is an encouragement to those who want to make an impact while following their dream to be what they want to be. 

The article reinforces the concept that you need to give it all if you want to pull off a great success in your life. Hard work and honesty make the success we want to achieve. 

After reading this article, I can see how Combs will become a role model for many young people, and I hope he makes the right choices with huge success as an actor.  

Popularity: 1% [?]

Even though Steven Soderbergh next project is with Matt Damon called “The Informant,” the innovative director is setting up his next film, “The Girlfriend Experience,” a feature that centers on the world of prostitution from the vantage point of a $10,000-a-night call girl.

“Girlfriend” is the second film after of his six picture deal he made to direct low-budget films distributed simultaneously in theatrical, on cable TV and on DVD. His first film was “Bubble.”

Soderbergh prefers an adult film actress versus star power to play the lead role. “Bubble” used mainly non-pros.  

As some may recall Soderbergh breakthrough film “sex, lies & videotape.”  Speculation is that “Girlfriend” will be an exploration of sexual relationships like “sex, lies & videotape.”

Another speculation is that, like “Bubble,” “Girlfriend” will be shot partly improvisational by working out the beats of the film. “Girlfriend” is predicted to be shot within 14 days this fall.

The title refers to a phenomenon in which wealthy men pay not just for the quality of a sexual encounter but also for a woman who will play the role of a perfect girlfriend. The arrangement apparently involves more intimacy than the usual prostitution relationship. It appears Soderbergh did extensive research to hit the reality of the interior look at a woman who makes $1 million a year in the business.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Here are the next episodes for “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” I hope we see more programs like this one on other cable stations. Sundance Channel is sure setting the path to a more environmentally educational program. Let’s all be green a little bit more tomorrow for our planet’s future.

Tuesday, April 29^th

9:00pm e/p

“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Food” 

Loss of biodiversity, water depletion, topsoil erosion, carbon emissions: when it comes to conventional farming and industrial food production, the cost goes beyond the supermarket bill.  This episode explores the different ways professionals and ordinary people are trying to nourish us with environmentally friendly food and wine.   

9:35pm e/p

All in This Tea - Directed by Les Blank and Gina Leibrecht.  This documentary immerses viewers in the rich world of Chinese tea while profiling the affable Californian importer who has made it his mission to introduce Americans to the brew’s many pleasures.  David Lee Hoffman founded Silk Road Teas tea after spending much of 1970s living among the nomadic tribes and Buddhist monks of Asia, for whom tea is a way of life.  All In This Tea looks at the history, traditions and intricacies of tea and joins Hoffman on a buying trip to China, where he seeks out small, artisanal growers and tries to persuade Chinese officials to turn away from industrial production in favor of handcrafted, environmentally sustainable tea farming.  This is the most recent film from the award-winning documentarian Blank (Burden of Dreams).

Popularity: 1% [?]