Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Toy Story 3 welcomes Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (voice of Tim Allen) and gang back as Andy prepares to depart for college and his loyal toys find themselves in… day care! These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it’s all for one and one for all as plans for the great escape get underway. More than a few new faces—some plastic, some plush—join the adventure, including iconic swinging bachelor and Barbie’s counterpart Ken (voice of Michael Keaton), a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants (voice of Timothy Dalton) and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (voice of Ned Beatty). Directed by Lee Unkrich (co-director of Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo), produced by Pixar veteran Darla K. Anderson (Cars, Monsters, Inc.) and written by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine), Toy Story 3 is a comical new adventure! DVD. 103 min.; Ages 8-18. Disney Home Entertainment.

The Sound of Music 45th Anniversary Edition. Starring Oscar winner Julie Andrews in one of her most memorable roles, the film adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical follows Maria, a spirited young woman who leaves a convent and becomes a governess to seven unruly children. Her charm and songs soon win the hearts of the children and their father but when Nazi Germany unites with Austria, Maria is forced to attempt a daring escape with her new family. DVD. 175 min.; $34.99; Ages 5-18. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls start your engines. You’re about to take an incredible ride with one of the most wonderful family films of all time! Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has never looked or sounded better. Dick Van Dyke stars as eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts, who creates an extraordinary car called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It not only drives but also flies and floats as it leads him, his two children and his beautiful lady friend, Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), into a magical world of pirates, castles and endless adventure. DVD. 145 min.; Ages 5-18. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

The Goonies (25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition). From the imagination of Steven Spielberg, The Goonies plunges a band of small heroes into a swashbuckling surprise-around-every corner quest beyond their wildest dreams! Following a mysterious treasure map into a spectacular underground realm of twisting passages, outrageous booby-traps and a long-lost pirate ship full of golden doubloons, the kids race to stay one step ahead of a family of bumbling bad guys…and a mild mannered monster with a face only a mother could love. Blu-ray. 114 min.; Ages 8-12. Warner Home Entertainment.

White Christmas (Two-Disc Holiday Edition). Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are song-and-dance men who hook up, romantically and professionally, with a “sister” act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) to put on a Big Show to benefit the struggling ski-resort lodge run by the beloved old retired general (Dean Jagger) of their WWII Army outfit. DVD. 120 min.; Ages 8-12. Paramount Home Video.

The Happy Elf. Based on the Grammy-winner Harry, Jr.’s original song, The Happy Elf will be sure to ring in the season with loads of holiday laughter. This delightful animated adventure is the story of Eubie, one of Santa’s helpers whose overly optimistic outlook is put to the test when he decides to bring Christmas joy to a sad little town called Bluesville. Will Eubie’s unbridled enthusiasm be too much for the town’s austere authority? Featuring the voice and brand-new holiday songs of Harry Connick, Jr. and the voice talents of Carol Kane, Lewis Black, Rob Paulsen and Mickey Rooney. Adult Juror Comments: Very encouraging. Happy Elf breaks the rules in order to do what is right for the townspeople, but it’s the only way to accomplish his goal. Good ending, especially when we learn that Bluesville changes its name. 45 min.; DVD. 45min.;Ages 5-12. Anchor Bay.

Families of Afghanistan. Meet Zamora, 13, who lives in the country with her parents, three sisters, two brothers and two uncles. An early riser, Zamora has chores to complete before breakfast, including tending to the cows and chickens.  She shows us how the homes in her village are built around a common courtyard to help protect them and their vegetable gardens from the elements.  At meals, she often helps feed her uncle, who lost his arms and eyesight to a land mine. She attends religion class, where she studies the Koran, and performs her daily prayers (five times a day). Twelve-year-old Madina lives in Kabul with her parents, two sisters, uncle and cousin. Unlike Zamora, who attends school in the afternoon, Madina’s classes are in the morning and include studies in math, science, language, history and sports. She also tutors another student twice a week in computers. After school and the midday meal she shares with her family, Madina helps with household chores like vacuuming and ironing, then enjoys an afternoon snowball fight before doing her homework, eating supper and playing games. DVD. 30 min.; Ages 5-12. Master Communications. 

 We all love when one of our favorite classic family movies is re-released in Blu-Ray. I just learned last week that one reason Blu-Ray is so popular with families is that the discs cannot be scratched. Or so I’ve been told. That makes paying a bit more well worth the investment.

In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, families everywhere can experience “fantasmagorical” adventures, legendary sing-alongs and magical moments like never before in this all-new remastered version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Blu-ray.  Enjoy the fun of this family classic for the first time on Blu-ray disc with upgraded audio and new interactive games.  An original version of the film on DVD will accompany the all-new remastered Blu-ray.

Based on the children’s book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, the film tells the story of an eccentric professor (played by Dick Van Dyke) who invents wacky machinery, but can’t seem to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested in it, and resorts to skullduggery to get their hands on it.   The all-time family classic evolves from there and viewers are taken on a magical ride with the professor and loveable motorcar.

Special features include:

DISC ONE (Blu-ray):
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang remastered feature film
• Newly upgraded 7.1 audio
• All-new “Toot Sweet Symphony” melody maker – the Toot Sweet Toots Musical Maestro
• All-new “Chitty’s Bang Bang Driving Game”
• Remembering Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Dick Van Dyke
• “A Fantasmagorical Motorcar” featurette
• Sherman Brothers’ Rare Demos of the film’s most popular songs
• Vintage Featurettes including, “The Ditchling Tinkerer,” “Dick Van Dyke Press Interview,” and “The Potts Children’s Featurette”
• Photo Gallery
• Vintage Advertising Gallery including English and French versions of the theatrical trailer and several television spots
• Sing-a-long version of the film
• Music Machine

DISC TWO (DVD):
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• Sing-a-long version of the film

Wow Wow Wubbzy: Wubbzy Goes Boo. Wubbzy and his friends are back just in time for the fall season! Watch as Wubbzy, Widget and Walden clean up a crazy mess with Moo Moo’s magic wand, try to collect the very last leaf of autumn, pick the perfect pumpkin and create the spookiest Halloween costume of all. There’s singing, dancing, trick or treating and kickity-kick ball too, plus plenty of positive values like creativity, patience and responsibility. It’s all here in the Emmy winning Nick Jr./Noggin hit that’s so much fun it’s scary! DVD. 70 min.; $16.98; Ages 2-5. Anchor Bay Entertainment.

The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: There is Nothing to Fear in Here. Scare up some fun this Halloween with the Cat in the Hat in three spine-tingling, never-before -released episodes themed for Halloween. In “There Is Nothing To Fear In Here,” the grumpy Grinch gets a taste of his own medicine when the Seussville folks give him a scare. Then in “The Blag-Bludder Beast,” the people of Troomph are thankful when Yertle unknowingly “conquers” a frightening mystical creature. And finally, Binky shares a dark tale about the adventures he has had with his goldfish in “Norval The Great.” DVD. 72 min.; $14.98, Ages 5-8. Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: Scared Silly. Join the Fraggle gang in three frightfully delightful episodes full of mystery and magic. From Wembley accidentally wandering into the cursed “Terrible Tunnel,” Boober discovering what makes Fraggle tails flare when they get startled, and Ma and Pa Gorg leaving Junior alone in the castle on a dark and stormy night, Fraggle Rock: Scared Silly is bursting with Halloween fun! DVD. 74 min. Ages 5-8. $14.98. Lionsgate.

Scholastic Storybook Treasures: The Halloween Stories Collection. 18 not-so-scary stories in a 3 DVD collection. From the kid-friendly Halloween stories A Very Brave Witch and By the Light of the Halloween Moon, to family favorites The Teacher From the Black Lagoon and Where the Wild Things Are, kids and parents delight watching their favorite books spring to life on DVD. Includes: Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Alligators All Around, One Was Johnny, Chicken Soup with Rice, Pierre, A Very Brave Witch, By the Light of the Halloween Moon, A Dark, Dark Tale, Georgie, The Witch in the Cherry Tree, The Three-Legged Cat, The Three Robbers, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain. DVD 175 min.; $24.95 Ages 4-9. New Video Group

Goosebumps: The Blog That Ate Everyone and Go Eat Worms. Making their DVD premiere, these haunting Goosebumps adventures include such spooky mysteries as an antique typewriter that makes every terrifying word come to life, a creepy piano teacher hiding a frightening secret, a magician with a horrifying bag of tricks and a group of sinister lawn gnomes terrorizing the neighborhood. Plus, fans won’t be able to escape the story of the hungry and horrible blob that traps everyone in sight, not to mention the invading hoard of squirming worms that turn up in the most unlikely places. DVD. min.; $14.98; Ages 8-12. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Scholastic Media and HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the nation, announced today the winners of its second annual “BE BIG in Your Community Contest,” a signature component of the ongoing Clifford The Big Red Dog® BE BIG!™ campaign sponsored by American Family Insurance. 

Sixteen-year-old Tucson student Jennifer O’Neal’s BIG idea to create a hospital classroom for young cancer patients at Diamond Children’s at University Medical Center – has been awarded the $25,000 grand prize grant from the BE BIG Fund.  The Arizona student will see her idea come to life with the support of Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona, an affiliate of the HandsOn Network. 

The national contest invited participants to submit a BIG idea that demonstrates Clifford’s Big Ideas (Share, Help Others, Be Kind, Be Responsible, Play Fair, Be a Good Friend, Believe in Yourself, Have Respect, Work Together and Be Truthful) for a chance to win a community grant to be used toward implementing the winning proposals. Since its inception, the contest has brought in over 1,500 entries from over 40,000 children, parents, teachers and community leaders ranging in age from 2 to 70. 

O’Neal was inspired to apply for a BE BIG grant after her sister was hospitalized at the University Medical Center in Tucson in 2009. During her sister’s stay, O’Neal learned that children face substantial challenges keeping up with their school work while being treated, and falling behind in school is one of many young patients’ chief concerns. With help from two members of Girl Scout Troop 484, Sharon Fass and Lauren Evans, O’Neal developed the idea to create a study room to help reduce young patients’ stress.

“Jennifer and her team drew from personal inspiration to develop a BIG idea that will meet the needs of their community for years to come,” said Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. “Clifford’s BIG Ideas are inspiring people of all ages to embrace civic engagement; Scholastic is delighted that so many children and families are committing to improve the lives of others in innovative ways, while taking pride in service to their communities.”

“The BE BIG program continues to inspire and help equip children and families to adopt a tradition of service” said Michelle Nunn, CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder, HandsOn Network.  “We are extremely pleased to partner with Scholastic Media in providing a way for a new generation, exemplified by Jennifer and the other award-winners, to make its mark on the world and realize its power to make a difference.”

“Every great idea has a starting point,” said Lisa Bacus, vice president of marketing for American Family Insurance. “These incredible ideas started in the hearts and minds of people of all ages and from various walks of life. American Family Insurance is proud to help provide the framework for these ideas to become reality in improving the lives of others.”

Ten additional contest entries have been selected as First Place prize winners; each will be awarded a $2,500 community grant.  Nineteen Second Place prize winning ideas – one from each of American Family Insurance’s 19-state business territory also will receive grants totaling $25,000. The ten First Place prize winners are below.

·         Will Lourcey, age 7, and his team from Fort Worth, Texas will work with Volunteer Center of Texas to organize local area little league baseball players against hunger in the “Hits Against Hunger” project.

·         Erika Ferguson, age 17, of Northfield, New Jersey will work with United Way of Atlantic County’s Volunteer Center on her BIG Idea for the “ACRM Farm Project” to grow and harvest food for the poor.

·         Mackenzie Bearup, age 17, of Alpharetta, Georgia will work with HandsOn Atlanta to expand the reach of her “Shelter Libraries” book donation initiative.

·         Lindsay Hyde, age 28, and her team from Miami will work with HandsOn Miami to double the size of the “Strong Women, Strong Girls” volunteer mentor program in her community.

·         Leigh Pruden, age 17 of Houston will work with Volunteer Houston to keep a refugee education initiative thriving through a high school community service program.

·         Milan Patel, age 15, of Clearwater, Florida will work with HandsOn Tampa to expand the “Teen Music Hospice Program” that plays bedside music for patients in his community.

·         Jenny Chen, age 19, of North Potomac, Maryland will expand her “Connect Through Comics” mentor program into the Washington, D.C. community with DC Cares.

·         Sandy Warrick, age 55, and her kindergarten students in Albuquerque, New Mexico will work with generationOn to support the “Kids Babyfood Drive” initiative for a local food bank.

·         Shelley Sellwood-Davis, age 24, and her team from Lexington, Kentucky, will work with United Way of the Bluegrass Volunteer Center to expand the “Build-A-Bed” initiative to include 2000 volunteers in more communities.

·         Rohan Chandra, age 15, of Fremont, California will work with generationOn to start his “Earthquake Kits/Emergency Preparedness” project for seniors in his community.

Nearly 1,000 entries comprising more than 25,000 community members of all ages were submitted for the 2010 contest. This represented an 82 percent increase in the number of entries over 2009 and more than a 50 percent increase in community members.

The 11 top-winning BIG Ideas were selected by a panel of judges based on four criteria — feasibility, creativity, sustainability and impact.

The Clifford BE BIG campaign (scholastic.com/cliffordbebig) is a fully integrated cause marketing program that invites everyone to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford’s BIG Ideas can make the world a better place.  Its mission is to recognize and reward others for their BIG actions, to catalyze change in local communities, and to provide resources for everyone to share BIG ideas. The initiative is sponsored by American Family Insurance, an organization with a long tradition of community sponsorships and involvement, contributing to organizations that improve the quality of life for those in need, particularly children.  A complete list of finalists, and profiles about their BIG ideas, can be found at www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig.

Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life is a global literacy campaign launched as part of Scholastic’s 90th anniversary celebration that underscores the importance of reading to better prepare children who will need strong literacy skills to survive and succeed in the 21st century. Scholastic is asking EVERYONE, its partners, publishers, educators, business leaders, nonprofits, parents, caregivers and students — to work together to bring reading and deeper understanding to all children around the globe. The Reading Bill of Rights, the foundation of the campaign, includes eight “beliefs” that affirm every child’s right to read and what that means in the 21st century… from access to books and great stories to the ability to analyze, interpret and understand information in the digital age.

The Read Every Day initiative is comprised of several elements, including:

    * The Reading Bill of Rights the Bill of Rights is available on the website and will also be handed out at noted sites around the world on October 22, Scholastic’s official anniversary.
    * Reading Action Steps, ways we can all encourage and help kids read
    * Celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Bates, Keke Palmer, and the NFL’s Justin Tick, will support Read Every Day through public service announcements, while noted kid’s illustrators, including David Shannon, Mark Teague, Norman Bridwell, and Barbara McClintock, have created special posters for the campaign
    * Scholastic has also created the social network site You Are What You Read (http://www.youarewhatyouread.com/), where people can post the five books that changed their lives and connect with others through shared “Bookprints,” and discover new books.  The site also features “Bookprints” of noted people such as Bill Gates, Eva Mendes, Tony Hawk, Jodi Picoult, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Malcolm Gladwell.  The site launches October 22. Taylor Swift will participate in a live webcast exclusively for schools to celebrate Read Every Day.  Read Now! with Taylor Swift will include an interview with the artist about how reading is part of her life and she will perform.  Hosted by Nick Cannon, the event will take place October 27, 2010.  Teachers can get more information and register at scholastic.com/readeveryday

Veggie Tales: It’s a Meaningful Life.  Jimmy Stewart fans get ready for a new version of It’s a Wonderful Life. An asparagus has taken over the leading role. Stuart’s life is falling apart, and he focuses his life on event where he failed in the past. He boards the “What if Express” and finds out what life would have been like if he became famous when he was younger. The same lessons as the classic tale still shine through, along with a message of God’s love for the person you are, not what you might have been. It also clearly demonstrates that God has a plan for you, even if you don’t know what it is. Adults and children alike will laugh together as the beloved Veggie Tale gang sings, dances, and teaches importnat lessons about life. See how many Christams stories you spot as you watch this deligthful story. We saw, It’s a Wonderful Life,   The Polar Express, a bit of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Carol. Child Juror Comments: I loved this movie because it had a great lesson that God loves you, and even if something happened that you didn’t want, He has a plan for you. I think the cinematography was pretty good. It’s not the best in the world, but is still pretty good. They were nice to each other. When the main character was in trouble, someone would come along and help him. I think my friends would love this DVD becasue they love Veggie Tales, and they would love the lesson learned in this. May favorite part was when they went on the train ride, and he saw what his life would be like if he caught the football. 97 min.; $14.97; Ages 5-12. Big Idea Entertainment.