From the groundbreaking TV series “Your Show of Shows” to landmark films like ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘Young Frankenstein’, Mel Brooks has been one of the most influential voices in comedy. Now, this entertainment legend looks back on his remarkable career in “Mel Brooks Strikes Back!,” debuting Monday, December 10 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Appearing onstage with Alan Yentob, creative director for the BBC, at the Geffen Theater in Westwood, Cal. before a live audience, Brooks reviews his career as a writer, director, actor, producer, composer, failed ballet dancer and comedian. The special looks at the Brooklyn native’s early life, show-business influences, early career and ascension as one of Hollywood’s most successful writers and directors.

“Mel Brooks Strikes Back!” also features clips from some of his classic movies and TV work, including “Your Show of Shows,” featuring Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner, one of Brooks and Reiner’s “2000 Year Old Man” routines and the movies ‘The Producers’, ‘Blazing Saddles’ and ‘High Anxiety’. Brooks also takes questions from the audience, discussing his experiences in World War II and the origins of the song “Retreat,” which he performs in a clip with longtime collaborator Ronny Graham.

“Mel Brooks Strikes Back!” marks his second appearance on HBO in recent years, following 2011’s Emmy-nominated special “Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again.”

Among Brooks’ other classic comedy films as director, writer, producer and/or actor are ‘History of the World Part 1’, ‘Silent Movie’, ‘Spaceballs’ and ‘Robin Hood: Men in Tights’. ‘Blazing Saddles’, ‘The Producers’ and ‘Young Frankenstein’ all appear on the AFI’s list of Funniest American Films. He also produced the Oscar-nominated drama ‘The Elephant Man’, as well as ‘My Favorite Year’ and ‘The Fly’, among other Brooksfilms movies, and co-created, with Buck Henry, the hit TV series “Get Smart.”

Mel Brooks is one of the few artists who have received an Oscar, a Grammy, an Emmy and a Tony. He won an Oscar for writing the 1968 film ‘The Producers’, a Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album in 1999 for “The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000” and two other Grammys in 2002, for Best Musical Show Album for the Soundtrack of ‘The Producers’ and Best Long Form Music Video for the DVD “Recording the Producers – A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks.” Brooks has won four Emmys, one for Outstanding Writing Achievement for a Sid Caesar special and three consecutive awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for “Mad About You.” He won three Tony Awards for the 2001 musical “The Producers,” for Best Musical, Best Original Musical Score and Best Book of a Musical. Overall, the show received 12 Tony Awards, a record for a musical.

On November 13, the DVD/CD box set ‘The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy’ will be released by Shout! Factory. The set is a veritable treasure trove of all things Brooksian, a laugh-filled celebration of his illustrious career that includes special tributes, memorable performances and rare archival TV footage.

“Mel Brooks Strikes Back!” is a Brooksfilms Production; produced by Steve Haberman and Rudy DeLuca.

Image Courtesy : Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

The article Mel Brooks: Legend in Conversation with Alan Yentob on HBO appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

HBO received 81 Primetime Emmy nominations, the most of any network for the 12th year in a row, for the upcoming 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, which were announced in Los Angeles.

‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’ led all HBO nominees with 15 nominations, while “Boardwalk Empire” and ‘Game Change’ received 12 nominations apiece, and “Game of Thrones” received 11 nominations.

HBO’s Emmy nominations this year include:

• 15 nominations for ‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Clive Owen), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Nicole Kidman), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (David Strathairn) and Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Philip Kaufman).
• 12 nominations for “Boardwalk Empire,” including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi) and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Tim Van Patten).
• 12 nominations for ‘Game Change’, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Woody Harrelson), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Julianne Moore), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie (Ed Harris), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie (Sarah Paulson), Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Jay Roach) and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Danny Strong).
• 11 nominations for “Game of Thrones,” including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage).
• 6 nominations for “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” including Outstanding Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming (Martin Scorsese).
• 5 nominations for “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Larry David), Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Michael J. Fox) and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Robert B. Weide).
• 5 nominations for “Girls,” including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham) and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham).
• 3 nominations for “Veep,” including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
• 2 nominations for “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” including Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking and Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming (Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky).
• 2 nominations for “Real Time with Bill Maher,” including Outstanding Variety Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.

Other HBO nominees include “Bobby Fischer Against the World,” “Entourage,” “Game of Thrones Season Two – Enhanced Digital Experience,” “Gloria: In Her Own Words,” “Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again,” “2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” “The Weight of the Nation” and “The Weight of the Nation for Kids: The Great Cafeteria Takeover.” The CINEMAX series “Strike Back” also received an Emmy nomination.

The Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced September 23.

The article HBO Receives Most Emmy Nods for the 12th Straight Year appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, leaving 15,372 people confirmed dead and 7,762 reported still missing. In the wake of the largest earthquake in the country’s history, some people drew the courage to revive and rebuild from cherry-blossom season, which began within weeks of the tragedy.

Oscar-nominated this year for Best Documentary Short Subject, ‘The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom’ shows how nature can be a rejuvenating – as well as a destructive – force when it debuts Monday, July 16 (10:00-10:40 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Directed by Lucy Walker (the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “Waste Land”), this poignant film debuts immediately after the debut of the SXSW Film Festival hit “Birders: The Central Park Effect,” which offers a different look at how nature touches people.

HBO Documentary Films presents another weekly series this summer, debuting provocative new specials every Monday through July 30. Other July films include: “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (July 9); “Birders: The Central Park Effect” (July 16); “Vito” (July 23); and “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” (July 30).

‘The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom’ is a stunningvisual poem about the ephemeral nature of life, and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower. The nation is transfixed by cherry blossom season, which runs from late March through April, with many people tracking the blossoms’ short lifecycle and attending “hanami,” or viewing parties, with family and friends.

Walker had originally planned to visit Japan to make a film about cherry-blossom season, but on March 11, 2011, while she was making final preparations for her trip, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck, triggering tsunami waves of up to 133 feet on Japan’s northeastern coast. Initially unsure whether to continue, she flew to Tokyo with a small film crew and headed north to the Tohuku region, where she captured both the utter devastation and stoic resolve of survivors, many of whom had lost family members and friends.

‘The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom’ opens with harrowing home-video footage, shot from a hill, of a huge wave destroying the town below. A month later, a young woman stands on the same hill, remembering how she “watch[ed] people being consumed by the tsunami.” An older man tells how he tried and failed to save his oldest friend, proclaiming, “I don’t want a house. I don’t want clothes. I don’t want anything. I just want his life back.”

Others tell their stories of survival, escaping in their slippers and seeing whole houses rush toward them on a wave of black water. One couple living at a community center returns to the ruins of their house, hoping to rebuild. Their town is within the 30km exclusion zone around the Fukushima power plant, and many people wear cotton masks as protection from radiation.

Amidst the despair in the days following the tsunami comes a glimmer of hope in “sakura” (cherry blossom), a harbinger of spring in Japan and a national symbol of renewal. One man explains how the cherry blossom reflects the Japanese character, saying, “Each flower is tiny, and you can’t see one individually. But it’s beautiful when you see lots of flowers together. Japanese people see themselves that way too.”

Out of respect for the victims, many viewing parties were cancelled this year, but people still visit the blossoms and take pictures. A man who lost his house shows where new plant shoots have sprouted on the beach, commenting that if plants can hang in there, humans can too. A young woman looking at the cleanup and construction adds, “Every year that the trees bloom, they’ll give us the courage to keep going.”

In addition to its Oscar nomination, ‘The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom’ received the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and BFI London.

For more information on the documentary, please visit: Facebook: facebook.com/hbodocs; and Twitter: @HBODocs #tsunamiblossom.

The article ‘The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom’ to Show on HBO appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Revealing sobering and often shocking realities behind America’s relationship with dogs, “One Nation Under Dog: Stories Of Fear, Loss & Betrayal” takes an unflinching look not only at how far some dog lovers will go for their pets, but also how far the nation must still go before all dogs are treated humanely. The documentary explores the conflicted and passionate relationships between dogs and humans, and the daunting odds that face millions of unwanted shelter dogs, when it debuts Monday, June 18 (9:00-10:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, launching the HBO Documentary Films summer series.

This program contains some graphic footage. HBO will present a version edited for daytime audiences at the times indicated by *.

Other HBO playdates: June 22 (7:30 a.m.*), 27 (10:00 a.m.*, midnight) and 30 (8:15 a.m.*), and July 8 (4:00 p.m.*) and 16 (5:15 p.m.*)

HBO Documentary Films presents another weekly series this summer, debuting provocative new specials every Monday from June 18 through July 30. Other films include: “Me @The Zoo” (June 25); “Marina Abramović The Artist Is Present” (July 2); “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (July 9); “Birders: The Central Park Effect” (July 16); “The Tsunami & the Cherry Blossom” (July 16); “Vito” (July 23); and “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” (July 30).

Americans have always had a love affair with canines, but lost amidst the pampering are unpleasant truths about dog ownership, care and commerce. “One Nation Under Dog: Stories Of Fear, Loss & Betrayal” offers an eye-opening, three-part portrait of America’s complex relationship with dogs.

“Part One – Fear”: In the opening segment, Dr. Robert Taffet is taken to court by neighbors after several bite incidents involving his Rhodesian Ridgebacks in suburban New Jersey. Despite the severity of some of the attacks, he is deeply committed to his pets and wins his cases, including one in which a three-year-old girl’s ear was bitten off. Eight months later, after the same dog bites a teenager, Dr. Taffet puts him down.

“Part Two – Loss”: The second section focuses on people coping with the loss of beloved pets. This segment features a group of mourners sharing deep grief over recently deceased dogs in a pet-loss support group at the San Francisco SPCA; two women laying their dog to rest in the oldest pet cemetery in the U.S.; and a couple attempting to replace a beloved dog by cloning him. Also featured is Julie Adams, whose own love and loss of dogs has inspired her rescue work; with no shelters in her rural area, she’s taken it upon herself to care for and shelter more than 100 stray and abandoned dogs.

“Part Three – Betrayal”: The final section explores issues of overpopulation, shelters, rescuing, spaying and neutering. Approximately two million dogs are destroyed in animal shelters each year. This segment features three minutes of graphic footage shot by a film student showing dogs and puppies being euthanized.

Many people do not know that 25% of dogs in shelters are actually purebreds, and many pet store dogs come from mass breeding operations known as puppy mills. For many dogs from mills and animal shelters, rescue is the only hope of survival. This segment follows volunteers saving some 200 puppy mill dogs from these dire conditions, including rescuer-trainer John Gagnon, who rehabilitates aggressive, difficult-to-adopt dogs and works with an organization to find them good homes, and Shawn South-Aswad, who raises money to rescue dogs and place them with foster families.

The article HBO “One Nation Under Dog” Shows Harsh Realities appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

“Marina Abramović  The Artist Is Present,” new documentary to play on HBO this month, includes extensive archival footage and images of her life in the year leading up to the MoMA extravaganza. Revisiting her controversial beginnings in the early 1970s, the film features documentation of her earlywork, including video of Abramović driving a van around a public square while shouting numbers from a megaphone, taking psychoactive drugs to challenge social attitudes towards female mental illness, and mutilating and flagellating herself.

The MoMA retrospective exhibit occupies several floors of the museum, most of them dedicated to earlier chapters in Abramović’s career, with images and videos of installations, many involving fellow performance artist and former romantic partner Ulay. She also trains 41 young artists to “re-perform” some of her early installations. For example, in “Imponderabilia,” two artists stand face-to-face, completely naked on opposite sides of a doorway, which others can only squeeze through by brushing against the couple’s naked flesh, a piece originally performed by Abramović and Ulay.

In the new exhibit, Abramović sits in a chair under bright spotlights opposite an empty chair, where members of the public can sit as long as they want, gazing into her eyes. A seemingly endless number of people line up for the opportunity to sit with her, many sitting multiple times on different days, several for as long as ten hours, some even after waiting all night. It is the longest-duration solo work of her career, and by far the most physically and emotionally demanding one she has ever attempted. When she conceived it, Abramović says she knew instantly it was the right piece, because the mere thought of it “made me nauseous.” Exceeding the museum’s and the artist’s own expectations, the exhibit becomes a blockbuster, must-see event.

One of the most emotional scenes occurs when Ulay, the man with whom she shared an intense and colorful history spanning more than 12 years, occupies the seatopposite Abramović. The two lived in a van in Europe and performed together before their relationship ended in suitably dramatic fashion: They walked from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China, met in the middle after covering over 1,500 miles apiece, and then said good-bye.

Sitting opposite each other in the MoMA exhibit, neither can hold back tears. Eventually, to cheers from the crowd, she reaches across and extends her hand to touch him, something none of the other sitters are permitted to do, and they hold each other. This moving moment highlights the two sides of Marina Abramović — the flesh-and-blood woman and the art-world icon — who is driven by passion, hungry for admiration and riven by contradictions.

“Marina Abramović The Artist Is Present” received the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival. It will open at the Film Forum in New York City on June 13 and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles on June 15, courtesy of HBO Documentary Films and Music Box Films.

Matthew Akers was the producer and a lead cinematographer on the series “Circus,” a producer and camera operator on the Emmy-winning series “Carrier,” and a producer and camera operator on the Peabody-winning series “Nimrod Nation.” His previous HBO credits as cinematographer include “Back in the Hood: Gang War II,” “Heir to an Execution” and “Elaine Stritch at Liberty.”

Image Courtesey of  Andrew Russeth

The article Marina Abramović Doc: Life of an Artist appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Seductive, fearless and outrageous, Marina Abramović has been redefining the meaning of art for nearly 40 years. Using her own body as a vehicle, pushing herself beyond her limits, and at times risking her physical safety, she creates performances that challenge, shock and move.

From first-time director Matthew Akers, “Marina Abramović The Artist Is Present” follows “the grandmother of performance art” as she prepares for a major retrospective of her work at Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 2010, highlighted by a new exhibit that is breathtaking in its simplicity: two chairs facing each other, with Abramović sitting in one and audience members taking turns sitting in the other, gazing into each other’s eyes in silence. In true Abramović style, she remains in the chair for seven and a half hours each day – every day the museum is open for three months – without eating, drinking or moving, a feat of mental and physical endurance that is challenging even for a veteran of such performances.

“Marina Abramović The Artist Is Present” debuts Monday, July 2 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, as part of the HBO Documentary Films summer series. The film had its world premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Other HBO playdates: July 5 (12:45 a.m.), 10 (12:30 a.m.) and 18 (2:45 a.m.)

Other July films in the summer series include: “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (debuting July 9); “Birders: The Central Park Effect” (July 16); “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” (July 16); “Vito” (July 23); and “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” (July 30).

Known for her extreme performance-art installations, many involving nudity and punishing bodily deprivation, Marina Abramović is one of the few artists of her generation still active in the field. A glamorous art-world icon, a lightning rod for controversy and a myth of her own making, she’s tired of the “alternative” label after four decades of skepticism, and happy that the retrospective is the crowning achievement of her career, providing her the best opportunity to put performance art on the mainstream map. “Performance art has never been a regular form of art,” she says. “It’s always been alternative since I was born, so I want it to be a real form of art and respected before I die.”

In addition to Abramović herself, the film features interviews and scenes with collaborators, art commentators, friends and fans, including: art critic Arthur Danto; Chrissie Iles, curator of the Whitney Museum of American Art; Abramović’s gallerist, Sean Kelly; writer Tom McEvilley; illusionist David Blaine; and actor James Franco.

Image Courtesey of  Andy Miah

The article HBO Presents Marina Abramović Documentary appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

HBO is partnering with VICE on an innovative news magazine show to be hosted by VICE founder Shane Smith, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. The weekly series will be executive produced by Bill Maher, Shane Smith and Eddy Moretti, VICE’s chief creative officer, with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria serving as consultant.

“VICE has emerged as a premier new media brand through a savvy combination of irreverence, smarts and fearlessness,” said Lombardo. “We are excited to offer a forum for their groundbreaking style of news coverage and look forward to a show that’s like nothing else on TV.”

Titled VICE, the HBO series will showcase a mix of stories from around the globe. Among the segments in production for possible inclusion in the show are: Taliban child suicide bombers; North Korean slave labor camps; New York’s underground voodoo heroin clinics; Somalian pirates; and Satanic dentists in the Pacific Northwest.

VICE is a leading youth entertainment company operating in over 34 countries, and includes vice.com, the world’s premier original online video destination; an international network of digital channels; a television production studio; a print magazine; a record label; an in-house creative services agency; and a book publishing division. VICE’s digital channels include: The Creators Project, dedicated to arts and creativity; Motherboard, covering cultural happenings in technology; and Noisey, a music discovery channel.

Image Courtesy of   pamlau

The article HBO, VICE Magazine Announce Collaborated News Show appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

HBO has renewed ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ for its 11th and 12th seasons, it was announced recently by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO programming. Currently in its tenth season, the talk show has been picked up through 2014 as part of Maher’s new three-year deal with the network.

“Bill Maher’s irreverent wit and fearless insights make him the perfect observer for these unpredictable times,” noted Lombardo. “I’m delighted that we can continue to offer an uncensored forum for his original and thoughtful humor.”

Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ debuts new editions on Friday nights (10:00-11:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT). The show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests, and was hailed as “hands down the funniest show on TV” in Rolling Stone by “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane, who added, “It surprises me more than any other show I watch.” At 4.1 million viewers per episode this season, ‘Real Time With Bill Maher’s gross audience is the highest for the series in three years.

Bill Maher has been favorite of subscribers since his first special on the network in 1989, starring in nine solo specials, including the hour-long presentations “Bill Maher…But I’m Not Wrong,” “The Decider” and “I’m Swiss” (both nominated for an Emmy^® in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special category), “Victory Begins at Home,” “Be More Cynical,” “The Golden Goose Special” and “Stuff That Struck Me Funny,” and two half-hour stand-up specials, plus the specials “30 Seconds Over Washington” and “Comic Relief VI™.”

He was the creator and host of “Politically Incorrect,” which was produced by HBO Downtown Productions and debuted on Comedy Central in 1993. The series moved to ABC in 1997 and ran through 2002.

His latest book, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass,” was published in November and made the New York Times bestseller list. Maher’s 2006 book, “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” also made the New York Times list, as well as bestseller lists across the country.

He is also author of the books “When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect” and the novel “True Story.” Maher produced and starred in the 2008 feature film “Religulous,” the seventh most successful documentary of all time.

‘Real Time With Bill Maher’ will continues its tenth season Friday, April 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT), exclusively on HBO, with an instant replay at 11:00 p.m. following the live presentation. Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests.

The roundtable guests this week are political strategist Paul Begala, columnist S.E. Cupp and journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin; political scientist Charles Murray and veterans’ affairs advocate Paul Rieckhoff are interview guests.

Image Courtesy of  Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

The article Bill Maher Talk Show Will Continue Another Two Years appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Fans were excited to learn this months that HBO has renewed ‘Game of Thrones’ for a third season, as announced by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

“Series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss raised our expectations for the second season – and then surpassed them,” said Lombardo. “We are thrilled by all the viewer and media support we’ve received for the series, and can’t wait to see what Dan and David have in store for next season.”

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series by George R.R. Martin, ‘Game of Thrones’ is an epic drama set in the world of Westeros, where ambitious men and women of both honor and ill-repute live in a land whose summers and winters can last years. The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning fantasy series began its ten-episode second season Sunday, April 1, with other episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time.

Among the early critical praise for the second season, Newsday called ‘Game of Thrones’ “the best show on television,” while the Los Angeles Times termed the series “a cinematic feast” and “masterful.” The Wall Street Journal hailed the show as “magnificent” and USA Today called it “near perfection.” Below are the May episodes:

Episode #16: “The Old Gods and the New”

Sunday, May 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT): Theon (Alfie Allen) completes his master stroke. In King’s Landing, the Lannisters send Myrcella (Aimee Richardson) from harm’s way in the nick of time. Arya (Maisie Williams) comes face to face with a surprise visitor; Dany (Emilia Clarke) vows to take what is hers; Robb (Richard Madden) and Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) receive crucial news; Qhorin (Simon Armstrong) gives Jon (Kit Harington) a chance to prove himself.

Episode #17: “A Man Without Honor”

Sunday, May 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m.): Jaime (Nicolaj Coster-Waldau) meets a distant relative; Dany receives an invitation to the House of the Undying; Theon leads a search party; Jon loses his way in the wilderness; Cersei (Lena Headey) counsels Sansa (Sophie Turner).

Episode #18: “The Prince of Winterfell”

Sunday, May 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m.): At Winterfell, Theon receives a visitor and holds down the fort. Arya calls in her final debt with Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) in a way that displeases him. Robb is betrayed. Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Varys (Conleth Hill) find common ground. Dany ignores Jorah’s (Iain Glen) advice. Stannis (Stephen Dillane) and Davos (Liam Cunningham) approach their destination, and Davos is offered a reward.

Episode #19: “Blackwater”

Sunday, May 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m.): Tyrion and the Lannisters fight for their lives as Stannis’ fleet assaults King’s Landing.

The article ‘Game of Thrones’ Renewal Excitement and May Episodes appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In an effort to increase awareness of the obesity epidemic which could very well cripple the health of Americans, HBO, in an unprecedented collaboration with the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is showing a special documentary series across all their services called ‘The Weight of the Nation’. On May 14, part 1 and part 2 will show the first facets of the rapidly developing health crisis. The third and fourth part will air on the following day.

Part 3: ‘Children in Crisis’ – Tuesday, May 15 (8:00-9:10 p.m.)

America’s children may be the first generation in history to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Approximately 32% of America’s young people are overweight or obese.

‘Children in Crisis’ tells the heart-wrenching stories of young people struggling with excess weight and facing serious medical complications at an early age, and takes a hard look at the marketing practices of the food and beverage industry, which often undermine efforts of parents and others committed to keeping children healthy.

“If you were told your child is at risk for cancer, that would get your attention,” comments NIH director Collins. “If you were told your child is at risk for some sort of brain disease, that would get your attention. Well, obesity ought to be on that list.”

While the food and beverage industry has voluntarily made some progress in improving the nutritional value of the products it markets to children, an ongoing debate over the definition of good nutrition continues among industry, researchers and government. ‘Children in Crisis’ highlights efforts to persuade policymakers to do more to protect children.

“Government has a responsibility to act, but they’re not the whole answer,” says Margo Wootan, DSc, director of Nutrition Policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We also need companies to step up, to reformulate their products, to change their marketing practices and to make healthy options available in restaurants.”

Families face an uphill battle in getting their children to be physically active and eat the right amount of healthy foods. Dr. Elsie Taveras, MD, who runs the One Step Ahead Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, says that “more and more research is showing actually that children are exposed to pretty toxic advertising.”

This advertising, combined with little advertising for fruits and vegetables, fuels cravings for sugary food and beverages. Sodas and fruit drinks are the largest sources of added sugar in the diets of American children and adolescents.

America’s schools are a great place to set strong examples about healthy eating and living, but a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) study found that 94% of schools served a lunch that failed to meet their own standards for healthy school meals. Students have access to a variety of foods and beverages high in calories, added fats and sugars at school. Furthermore, most U.S. school districts have eliminated physical education programs, while there is no federal law requiring physical education.

Part 4: ‘Challenges’ – Tuesday, May 15 (9:10-10:15 p.m.)

Some experts project that by 2030, between 32% and 52% of American adults may be obese. ‘Challenges’ examines the driving forces behind the obesity epidemic, including agriculture, economics, evolutionary biology, racial and socioeconomic disparities, physical inactivity and the strong influence of the food and beverage industry. “In the future, it wouldn’t surprise me if people look back on the early part of the 21st century and call this the obesity era,” says Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City’s health commissioner.

The film shows how food is produced and marketed, which can have severe consequences for the nation’s health. For example, national farm policies, including subsidies for corn and soy, have contributed to an abundance of processed foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients.

However, fruit and vegetable farmers get little support, and only 3% of American crop land is used for fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, the vast majority of Americans fall short of meeting recommendations for daily servings of fruits and vegetables. High-calorie food is often much cheaper than vegetables and fruit.

‘Challenges’ also reveals that the industry’s emphasis on taste and cost has resulted in large, low-price, high-calorie portions, fostering a culture of excess and contributing to the spread of obesity.

Philip Marineau, former president of the Quaker Oats Company, Pepsi-Cola North America comments, “Food companies are trying to sell more today than they did yesterday. And if they don’t, then they’re not considered successful. And ultimately, if we are going to be successful in reducing obesity, people are going to consume less. And that’s the conundrum.”

Experts draw a compelling comparison with the fight against tobacco companies in the interest of public health. “If the tobacco industry can be taken on successfully by the public health world, then I don’t see any reason why the food industry can’t be the same,” says Kelly Brownell, PhD, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.

Refusing to accept what many call the new normal of obesity, individuals and communities across the nation are rising up to meet the challenge.

Stories include: the company-wide wellness program of the largest commercial construction company in Nabholz, Ark., which lowered employees’ pre-diabetes rates 13.4% in three years; Good Natured Family Farms, an alliance of 150 farms in the Kansas City area created to more effectively reach consumers with “wallet-friendly” produce; and Nashville mayor Karl Dean, who leads an innovative effort that leverages the city’s own resources to make it a healthier place to live, constructing more sidewalks, bike trails and greenways.

CDC director Frieden closes the film on a note of optimism, observing, “We are seeing changes. They’re not going to be overnight, they’re not quick, but they’re happening. And they are going to help control the weight of the nation.”

For more information on ‘The Weight of the Nation’ and the screening kits, please visit hbo.com/theweightofthenation.

The article ‘The Weight of the Nation’ Explore US Obesity Epidemic on HBO appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has worked together to show an unprecedented series of documentaries, aimed at raising awareness of the dire situation for millions of Americans, suffering under the weight of their own obesity. ‘The Weight of the Nation’ will show the harsh realities of America, starting on May 14 with two out of four films.

Part 1: ‘Consequences’ – Monday, May 14 (8:00-9:10 p.m. ET/PT)

America is on the brink of a public health crisis that affects not only individuals, but the entire society. With more than 68% of American adults overweight or obese, ‘Consequences’ examines the scope of the obesity epidemic and explores the serious health consequences of being overweight or obese.

Obesity can lead to such health problems as: heart disease; type 2 diabetes; many cancers; high blood pressure; stroke; joint problems; sleep apnea; kidney, gallbladder and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; infertility; and depression.

“Today, there are almost 26 million Americans with diabetes – seven million of whom don’t even know they have it – and more than 79 million Americans are pre-diabetic,” says Anthony Iton, MD, JD, MPH, senior vice president of the California Endowment. “A child born in 2000 has a one in three lifetime chance of having diabetes. If that child is African-American or Latino, it’s one in two.”

America’s collective weight has risen dramatically since the 1980s, with adult obesity rates more than doubling. All Americans pay the price in one way or another, from higher insurance premiums and lost productivity to higher taxes and unemployment.

‘Consequences’ includes a look at a community in Bogalusa, La, which is home to the historic NIH-funded Bogalusa Heart Study, the first investigation to link early childhood weight problems with adult heart disease. The film also profiles Sam Klein, MD, who is conducting a novel study looking at the negative impact of excess weight on liver function at Washington University, and explores the work of David Nathan, MD as he explores the risks and dangers of weight gain and diabetes at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“This is preventable,” comments Jack Shonkoff, director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. “This is not one of those unfortunate acts of nature that we just have to accept as reality. This is not the product of a tsunami.”

Part 2: ‘Choices’ – Monday May 14 (9:10-10:25 p.m.)

Obesity is commonly thought of as simply a matter of lifestyle and personal choice, but there are many factors that contribute to the problem – and many solutions are needed to fix it. In the meantime, millions of overweight and obese Americans struggle to lose pounds and keep them off. ‘Choices’ provides “the skinny” on fat, sharing scientific insights into how to lose weight, and explores what needs to change in people’s lives, including where they work, eat, learn and play, while spotlighting individuals who are waging those battles successfully.

“Fad diets — diets that haven’t been scientifically tested and that promise miracles — shouldn’t be trusted, because there really isn’t such a thing as a miracle here,” says Kelly Brownell, PhD, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University.

Scientists understand that maintaining weight loss is about more than willpower –bodies and brains sometimes work against such efforts. Why and how this happens is still being studied. Highlighting the work of Rudy Leibel, MD, co-director of the New York Obesity Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center, ‘Choices’ examines the “set point” theory, which suggests that after an individual gains weight, the body establishes a new set point that it considers its new weight, or “new normal.”

According to the set point theory, because bodies fight to maintain the highest weight, or set point, it’s necessary to consume fewer calories and burn more just to keep that weight off.

‘Choices’ also spotlights: weight-loss tips from a supervised program at Washington University; the history and myths of dieting; the benefits and drawbacks of bariatric surgery, which can reduce stomach size; and the importance of losing weight, even just a little, to prevent or reverse diabetes.

The film also looks at how stress can affect eating habits and contribute to obesity. “It’s really not just about what we’re eating, but it’s about what is eating you,” says Elissa Epel, co-director of the Center for Obesity Assessment, Study & Treatment at the University of California, San Francisco. “We have an epidemic of obesity. We also have an epidemic of stress. And the two are feeding each other.”

For more information on ‘The Weight of the Nation’ and the screening kits, please visit hbo.com/theweightofthenation.

The article ‘The Weight of the Nation’ Exposes Obesity on May 14 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

HBO Documentary Films’ Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, the conclusion of the award-winning trilogy that spawned a world-wide movement to free three convicted men – Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley – known as The West Memphis 3, tells the complete story of one of the most notorious child murder cases in U.S. history.

Provocative and timely, the film chronicles stunning new developments, culminating in the startling and unexpected conclusion just a few months ago, when Echols, who was on death row, and Baldwin and Misskelley, who were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, were finally freed from prison after more than 18 years.

“Almost 20 years and three films ago, HBO’s Sheila Nevins sent us on this journey to document the terrible murders of three innocent boys and the subsequent circus that followed the arrests and convictions of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley,” says filmmaker Joe Berlinger. “To see our work culminate in the righting of this tragic miscarriage of justice is more than a filmmaker could ask for.”

On May 5, 1993, the bodies of three eight-year-old boys were found next to a muddy creek in the wooded Robin Hood Hills area of West Memphis, Ark. A month later, teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were arrested and later convicted of brutally raping, mutilating and killing them.

Following trials fraught with innuendoes of satanic worship, emotionally charged statements and allegations of coerced confessions, the defendants were convicted, despite a lack of physical evidence linking them to the crime.

With the support of HBO, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have followed the story for almost two decades.  Arriving on the scene just days after the arrests, the filmmakers assumed they were making a film about guilty teenagers, as the local media was reporting an open-and-shut case.

They embedded themselves in the community for seven months prior to the 1994 trials and came to question the guilt of The West Memphis 3. By the time the trials were over, Berlinger and Sinofsky were convinced they had witnessed a modern-day witch-hunt.

Their first film, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996), shocked audiences around the world with its portrayal of a rush to judgment, and was followed by Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000), which revealed a flawed appeals process. The two films fueled a public and legal battle, raising awareness of the case and helping spark the worldwide movement Free The West Memphis 3, supported by celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks.

Encouraged by the growing international support movement, HBO and the filmmakers began production on Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory in 2004. Says director and producer Berlinger, “We tried to make the film a self-sufficient viewing experience, so that you don’t have to have seen the previous films to fully comprehend this complicated case.”

Adds co-director Sinofsky, “We re-tell the early days of the case with footage we have never used before, so fans of the first two films will be viewing past events with a fresh perspective.”

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory reveals recent DNA and other forensic evidence (unavailable at the time of the murders), as well as other troubling developments, including allegations of juror misconduct, that suggest the trio did not receive a fair trial.  The film includes new interviews with Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, who are now in their 30s, and many of the subjects of the first two documentaries, including John Mark Byers and Terry Hobbs, stepfathers of two of the victims and frequent targets of the media (and each other).

Besides drawing on 150 hours of footage shot since 2004, the filmmakers pored over hundreds of hours of original video and 16 mm footage from the first two productions, discovering compelling full-length scenes with new relevance.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory also contains rarely seen news footage that is no longer available to the public, but had been meticulously archived by the filmmakers, as well as previously unseen photographs taken by Berlinger and director of photography Bob Richman over the course of 18 years.

The documentary ends with a stunning denouement, when Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley entered rarely used Alford pleas and were finally released from prison on Aug. 19, 2011, agreeing to plead guilty while asserting their innocence in order to secure their freedom, and most urgently, to get Echols off death row.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory had its world premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival in its original form, and was subsequently updated and lengthened by 12 minutes to include The West Memphis 3’s remarkable release.

On Oct. 10, 2011, the three men, together in public for the first time since they left the Arkansas courthouse, were greeted with a standing ovation and the thunderous applause of 1,200 filmgoers at the conclusion of the world premiere of the longer version at the New York Film Festival.

The article Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – HBO Premieres Award-wining Documentary appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.