Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

PBS Distribution today announced it is releasing “FRONTLINE: THE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN” on DVD. This DVD set includes five fascinating FRONTLINE programs about one of the worst economic crises in America’s history. From what caused the meltdown to the government’s plan to stabilize and fix the economy, these programs offer compelling behind-the-scenes insights. “THE ECONOMIC MELTDOWN” will be available on DVD beginning June 4, 2013. The combined run time of all five programs is 300 minutes. The programs come on two discs. The programs included in this collection are detailed below.

“Inside the Meltdown” – FRONTLINE investigates how the economy went so bad, so fast, and what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson didn’t see, couldn’t stop, and weren’t able to fix.

“Ten Trillion and Counting” – All of the measures by the feds to stem the tide in the financial meltdown have added hundreds of billions of dollars to our national debt. FRONTLINE tracks the politics behind America’s mountain of debt.

“Breaking the Bank” – FRONTLINE draws on high-profile interviews with key players to reveal the story of two banks (Merrill Lynch and Bank of America) at the heart of the financial crisis.

“The Warning” – In the aftermath of the economic meltdown, FRONTLINE looks for clues about why it happened and examines moments when it might have gone much differently.

“Cliffhanger” – FRONTLINE goes inside the epic political battle responsible for America’s fiscal cliff and debt ceiling crisis.

Disney announced the 12 finalists in the Marvel’s IRON MAN 3: Inventor and InnovatOR Fair, a nationwide science competition held in conjunction with the release of “Iron Man 3”, sponsored by Discovery Science Center, Broadcom Foundation and Marvel Studios, along with Visa Signature and the famous El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood., On the evening of May 3rd, at the 4:30pm screening of Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” Grand Prize winners will receive their awards in a special ceremony onstage at the El Capitan Theatre, hosted by Asa Kalama,  a Walt Disney Imagineer. All 12 Inventor and InnovatOR Fair finalists will have their projects on display at the El Capitan from May 3rd – June 19th.

Like Iron Man’s alter ego, Tony Stark, these young geniuses are discovering and creating the world for tomorrow.  And getting to be a finalist hasn’t been easy.  Sixth through ninth-grade girls and boys across the nation were invited to participate in MARVEL’S IRON MAN 3: INVENTOR and INNOVATOR FAIR and asked to produce innovative, inventive projects based on STEM themes from “Iron Man 3” — STEM: (science, technology, engineering and math).   The competition encouraged students to submit projects that aligned with the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering™.

Earlier this month, after judges reviewed over 300 science projects from all over the country, 30 semi-finalists were chosen. From the 30 semi-finalists, the panel of judges chose 12 finalists, who will compete for the grand prize awards.

Following are the 12 finalists and their winning projects:

Anin Sayana, Cupertino, Calif.  – “A Novel Configuration of Carbon Nanotubes to Inhibit ABCG2 and Selectively Target Chemotherapy-Resistant Cancer Stem Cells
Arjun Dhawan, Newburgh, Ind. – “Walking with Sensors”
Audrey Harris, Nokomis, Fla. – “Opening New Opportunities”
Cassie Drury, Louisville, Ky. – “Exploring Cell Signaling in Wound Healing”
Chase Lewis, Chapel Hill, N.C. – “Rescue Travois- Saving Lives”
Emma Christensen, Greenville, N.C. – “Saved by the Bug”
Galen Lee, Cottondale, Ala. – “Solar Funnel Cooler”
Justin Abrahim – Pittsburgh, Pa. – “Ouch! Helmets and Concussions”
Maya Patel, The Woodlands, Texas – “Gauging Inferno Sprawl”
Megan Swintosky, Hatfield, Pa. – “Novel Mutations in the FLCN Gene in Cases of Familial Spontaneous Pneumothoraces”
Shixuan Justin Li, Lynn Haven, Fla. – “No Mo Squites”
Stephen Coyne, Knoxville, Md. – “Robotic Prosthetics: A Hand Prototype”

Grand Prize judges for the Marvel’s IRON MAN 3: Inventor and InnovatOR Fair will be Dr. Henry Samueli, Chairman of the Board, Broadcom Corporation; Joe Adams, President, Discovery Science Center; Janet Yamaguchi, Vice President of Education, Discovery Science Center; Dr. Yannis Yortsos, Dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California; and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman and CEO, NantWorks, LLC.

The 12 finalists of the Marvel’s IRON MAN 3: Inventor and InnovatOR Fair won a trip to Southern California, provided by Visa Signature. The trip includes a meeting with Disney Imagineers, a trip to Disneyland, a visit to Discovery Science Center, a special experience at Broadcom Foundation, and more.

A million thank yous go out to every one of our donors to this campaign which supports our highly successful KIDS FIRST! Film Critics program and provide you, our readers, with access to reviews created by our youth film critics who review all the latest films rated PG-13 and younger.
Our goal was to raise $30,000 in 150 days and we raised $32,565! This program engages youth, teaches them invaluable writing and oral communication skills and gives them a voice. Our youth critics’ film reviews are seen by more than 20 million people a month through our TV, radio, print and online partners.
Parents have told us how much their kids have gotten out of the program. “With the KIDS FIRST! thorough training, our daughter now has real tools to help her formulate her opinions, communicate her thoughts and inspire others to evaluate what they are being offered in the medium,” says one parent. Another added, “This experience has definitely helped my daughter with her confidence level and has enhanced her critical thinking skills.”
Help us help kids. No couch potatoes on our watch; these kids are active media users.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critics is a project of the 21-year-old national nonprofit, Coalition for Quality Children’s Media – a 501-c-3 organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

On Saturday, April 27th, just in time for the warm weather, Variety of Colorado will donate 130 bicycles to students at Eagleton Elementary School. Each student in the 3rd and 4th grade will receive a brand new Schwinn bicycle, helmet, bike lock, tee shirt, and a personalized license plate.

Since its inception six years ago, Variety of Colorado has donated more than 600 bikes to Denver-area schools. Eagleton Elementary, this year’s winner, was chosen after submitting a plan explaining how they’d incorporate bikes into their school community. Their plan includes adding bike racks and a tire station, as well as having student council sell water bottles to pay it forward to next year’s recipients. All students were also required to write an essay on one of three topics: “I am Unique because…”, “I Keep Healthy By…”, or “I Can Show Respect By…”

Lee Rains Thomas, Assistant Principal at Eagleton Elementary is thankful for the opportunity and believes, “…Variety is an amazing organization that pulls community resources together to provide an incredible opportunity for under-privileged children. We are very honored to have been selected to receive the bikes.”

Students have been invited to pick up their bikes on Saturday, April 27 between the hours of 1:00pm– 3:00pm. They will receive their equipment, have their bikes and helmets fitted as well as participate in  bike safety training.

Families and community members can also enjoy a “Community Showcase,” hosted by Eagleton Elementary School during that time. The showcase will highlight organizations that are committed to promoting health and education in the community. Groups in attendance will include: SNAP into Health, Comcast’s low-cost internet and computer program, Trips for Kids and local rec and library summer programs. For the fourth year in a row, DJ services will be donated by Steve Robertson.

Almost one-hundred volunteers will give their time to help assemble and prep bicycles for distribution as well as ensure the entire day is a success. ViaSat Communications is providing almost two dozen volunteers and making a donation. As the corporate support of this program for the second year, ViaSat Communications has enabled Variety of Colorado to improve the quality of the bikes given to the students along with Schwinn and Campus Cycles, who provided the bicycles at cost. Comcast is also supplying sixty volunteers via its national day of service, Comcast Cares Day. They are also furnishing the bike locks, volunteer food and making a donation to Variety on behalf of their employee volunteers.

Executive Director of Variety, Anne Tengler explains the importance of the event, “Kids on the Go is about giving these children the experience of philanthropy. So many members of the community have come together make this day possible. We want the kids to know they always have enough to give back.”

Variety of Colorado was established in 1951 by a group of motion picture exhibitors. Today, VOC continues the important mission established by those pioneers: providing children, including those with disabilities, the resources to overcome their challenges, helping them reach their potential to live full, active lives. Over the years, Variety of Colorado fundraisers have raised more than $2 million for Colorado’s children. Variety of Colorado is proud of its 60-year history of serving Children in the Rocky Mountain region.

Visit http://www.varietycolorado.org  for more information.

Here’s a cool way to Celebrate Earth Day with a film screening at your local theater. Host a family-friendly, KIDS FIRST! recommended film at a theater of your choice and watch it with your friends and community.

KIDS FIRST! has partnered with Tugg.com to bring you this opportunity. Follow this link to the KIDS FIRST! portal to find out more.

This is a great, no risk way to generate revenue for your nonprofit. For every screening you promote, your group will receive 5% of the ticket sales.  You have 14 films to choose from in this Earth Day Collection – all award-winning family films with an environmental message.
How cool is that?! We plan to offer this once a month with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Independence Day selections next.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced today a public service announcement (PSA) campaign to raise awareness for wild tiger conservation in conjunction with the home entertainment release of the Academy® Award winning film Life of Pi. Fox Home Entertainment will give a portion of the proceeds from the Life of Pi Blu-ray™ and DVD to WWF’s tiger conservation efforts. The partnership will run from March 12 to June 30, 2013.

Wild tigers face a number of threats, including habitat loss from human activities such as clear cutting for agriculture and road development, climate change and poaching. Every part of the tiger – from whisker to tail – is traded in illegal wildlife markets. Illegal wildlife trade has reached unprecedented levels that WWF has not seen in its 50 year history and is jeopardizing the future for wild tigers on this planet.

“Tigers are the world’s most beloved species, yet they face an uncertain future,” said Barney Long, WWF’s Asian species expert. “With fewer than 3,200 left in the wild, WWF hopes to double the number of tigers by the year 2022. Joining together with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, we will reach new audiences, educate more people, and build support to secure a future for wild tigers.”

“Life of Pi linked the fates of one boy and one tiger together mesmerizing millions of people around the world,’’ said Mary Daily, President of Worldwide Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Our partnership with WWF creates new opportunities for us to protect the fates of an entire population of wild tigers, while at the same time celebrating at home the riveting movie experience that took our breath away.’’

“Stories like Life of Pi are inspired by nature and its magnificent wild species,” said Ang Lee, Academy® Award winning Director of the film. “While film has the power to make us believe in the unbelievable and beautifully capture a tiger’s graceful presence, in reality, the tiger’s world is far from magical. Their true story is one of fighting for survival. Losing tigers would be a tragic loss for the arts, which at its core, is about interpreting life in its grandest form. Partnering with WWF allows us to align around a shared passion – ensuring wild tigers have a permanent home so we can all continue to appreciate these animals, not only on the big screen, but in the wild where they will hopefully remain for generations to come.”

Life of Pi follows Pi Patel, a young man on a fateful voyage who, after a spectacular disaster, is marooned on a lifeboat with the only other survivor, a fearsome 450lb Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery, Pi and his majestic companion make an amazing and unexpected connection.

Visit worldwildlife.org/lifeofpi to learn more.