Month: February 2010

Gary T. McCollum, new Senior Vice President/GM of Cox Virginia. (PRNewsFoto/Cox Communications) CHESAPEAKE, VA UNITED STATES

18 Feb 2010 12:00 Africa/Lagos

Gary McCollum to Lead Cox Virginia

~Janet Barnard, Former Northern Virginia SVP, Takes Reins in Cox Kansas/Arkansas ~

CHESAPEAKE, Va., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Communications has announced that Gary McCollum has been elevated to the newly created role of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cox Communications Virginia. Mr. McCollum previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cox’s Southern Virginia operations.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100218/PH56554 )

Jill Campbell, Cox Senior Vice President Eastern Operations, said, “During Gary’s 20 year career with Cox, he has demonstrated the ability to grow and maintain customers in intensely competitive environments. Gary’s attention to customer satisfaction and his past leadership experience in Roanoke, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads make him particularly well suited to this position.”

Mr. McCollum will continue to be based in Cox’s Hampton Roads office; however, he will now oversee the company’s operations in Northern Virginia and Roanoke as well as in Hampton Roads. Cox Virginia’s combined operation has the ability to offer telephone, cable television and high speed internet service to more than 1 million homes and employs approximately 2,800 employees. Cox Virginia is the second largest regional operation in the Cox family.

“Cox has a long and celebrated history in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have great products, a state of the art network and a true commitment to each of the Virginia communities we serve. But even more than that, we have a dedicated team of employees who daily strive to meet our customers’ growing and changing needs. In my new role, I look forward to strengthening Cox’s presence in Virginia as a major employer, community supporter, and important contributor to the Commonwealth’s economy,” said Mr. McCollum.

Before joining Cox, Mr. McCollum, native of Richmond, Virginia and graduate of James Madison University, served eight years on active duty as a military intelligence officer for the U.S. Army. Mr. McCollum is currently a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves. During his active duty military career, he served with the elite U.S. Army Rangers.

Also, Mr. McCollum is engaged in numerous community and industry-related activities. His community involvement includes, but is not limited to, memberships with the following organizations: Virginia Cable Telecommunications Association; Norfolk State University Board of Visitors (Vice Rector); Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce; Hampton Roads Partnership and the Boys and Girls’ Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula.

Finally, Cox’s Northern Virginia operations were previously led by Janet Barnard who recently was selected as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cox’s Arkansas/Kansas operation. She will begin this role effective February 22. During her tenure in Northern Virginia, Mrs. Barnard led her team to improved customer experience scores, increased network reliability, a reduction in field transactions and the fastest growth for a large market for Cox Business.

“Janet’s more than 22 years of operational expertise, demonstrated leadership experience, knowledge of the business and understanding of the competitive landscape will be key assets as we continue to grow our business and retain our customers in Kansas and Arkansas,” Campbell said.

For more information, contact Felicia Blow at (757) 222-8432 or Felicia.Blow@cox.com.

About Cox Communications:

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves 6.2 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising. Cox is known for pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For six years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunication; for four years, Cox has ranked among DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity; and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100218/PH56554
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Cox Communications

CONTACT: Felicia Blow APR of Cox Communications, +1-757-222-8432,
felicia.blow@cox.com; or Leigh Woisard of Cox Communications, +1-757-222-8496,
leigh.woisard@cox.com

Web Site: http://www.cox.com/hr

16 Feb 2010 23:00 Africa/Lagos

Oscar-Nominated for Best Film, ‘District 9’ Contains Unauthorized ‘No Animals Were Harmed'(R) End Credit

Treatment of Animals on the Film Set Was Not Monitored by American Humane Association, Owner of Trademarked ‘No Animals Were Harmed'(R) Assurance.

DENVER, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The film “District 9,” nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category, carries an unauthorized “No Animals Were Harmed”® end credit. The American Humane Association, the only animal-welfare organization authorized to monitor the use of animals in U.S. filmed productions — and owner of that trademarked statement which assures the public of the safe use of animals — urges members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to show their disapproval of the film’s unauthorized use of the end credit by casting their ballots for other nominated films instead.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070521/LAM095LOGO)

“American Humane has monitored the use of animals in film for the past 70 years to ensure their safety, and both the animals and the public depend on us to do that,” said Karen Rosa, vice president of American Humane’s Film & TV Unit. “We did not monitor ‘District 9.’ And the unauthorized use of that end credit on ‘District 9’ not only leaves open the questions of ‘How were the animals treated?’ and ‘Were any of them harmed or killed?’, but it’s dishonest to the public and it’s a slap in the face to the conscientious productions that have American Humane on set, meet our standards for animal safety, and have legitimately earned the right to say ‘No Animals Were Harmed.’ We encourage Academy members to cast their votes for films other than ‘District 9,’ to send the message that Hollywood cares about the safety of animals and respects intellectual property. The industry fights piracy every day and should understand that this is piracy of American Humane’s registered language.”

American Humane was contacted by Sony Pictures after the company purchased the completed film and discovered the “No Animals Were Harmed” end-credit disclaimer on it. “We informed Sony that American Humane’s Certified Animal Safety Representatives(TM) had not monitored ‘District 9’ and that it should not carry that statement,” Rosa said. “However, we were told that the film was ‘locked’ and that Sony was thus unable to remove the credit. We have subsequently reached out to Peter Jackson, co-producer of ‘District 9,’ to explain American Humane’s process for monitoring films, as well as our position regarding the unauthorized use of our disclaimer. We hope Mr. Jackson will be receptive to discussing this issue and following the proper process for keeping animals safe on the set in future productions.”

American Humane takes the accountability for the disclaimer statement very seriously and, therefore, screens films and verifies reports from the on-set monitors before awarding the disclaimer. In a subsequent instance, for Jackson’s film “The Lovely Bones,” the production added American Humane’s “No Animals Were Harmed” disclaimer to the credits. Although American Humane supervised the use of the animals in that film, the production used a registered disclaimer from the film “King Kong” instead of the authorized disclaimer that would have been available. The distributor, Paramount, was unable to correct that error and the fraudulent use of the registered credit, not only on the theatrical release, but also on the upcoming DVD release. “We are hoping that Mr. Jackson is simply unaware of the errors, rather than dismissive of our work and mission,” said Rosa.

When American Humane’s end credit is earned by a film, it signifies that American Humane was on the set, monitoring the use of animals and ensuring that the organization’s “Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media” were followed. American Humane can then attest to the treatment of the animals on set and explain to the public exactly how the animal action was safely achieved. When a production disregards this process for ensuring the safety of animals and uses an unauthorized end credit, there is no accountability and no meaning behind the words “No Animals Were Harmed” on that film. And in the case of films shot outside the U.S., as “District 9” was, there is no telling how the animals were treated, since standards for the treatment of animals vary from country to country.

“We urge the viewing public to voice their concern about ‘District 9’ and let Sony know they don’t want this to happen again,” Rosa said.

American Humane encourages filmmakers to work with the organization and for distributors to verify the legitimacy of the “No Animals Were Harmed” credit before approving and finalizing any film prints for theatrical release or DVD distribution. Viewers, too, should always look for the “No Animals Were Harmed” end credit and logo. They can check American Humane’s website, www.americanhumane.org/film to see what rating was assigned to films, based on their use of animals, and to find out how the animal action was achieved on films that American Humane monitored.

About American Humane

Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, American Humane develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link® between violence to people and violence to animals, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. American Humane’s office in Los Angeles is the authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”® end-credit disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington, D.C., is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels. The American Humane® Certified farm animal program is the nation’s original independent certification and labeling program for humanely raised food. American Humane meets the strong, comprehensive standards of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, has been awarded the Independent Charities of America’s “Best in America” Seal of Approval, has met the stringent standards for financial efficiency and accountability required by the American Institute of Philanthropy to qualify as a Top-Rated Charity, and has received a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator. Visit www.americanhumane.org to learn more.
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070521/LAM095LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: American Humane Association

CONTACT: Heather Black of the American Humane Association,
+1-720-873-6771, heatherb@americanhumane.org

Web Site: http://www.americanhumane.org/

Valentine’s Day Poster

Many new movies have been released and Valentine’s Day is already pulling crowds, because we are celebrating the Valentine and it is the natural romantic movie to see.

Opening This Week

The Wolfman
22 Reviews (18% Rotten)

Valentine’s Day
18 Reviews (17% Rotten)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
14 Reviews (64% Fresh)

October Country
2 Reviews

Videocracy
2 Reviews

American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
1 Review

To Die for Tano
1 Review

Order of Chaos

My Name is Khan

Barefoot to Timbuktu

6 Feb 2010 15:57 Africa/Lagos

Joan Collins: Legendary. Timeless. Classical. Beautiful.

NEW YORK, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Joan Collins will be returning to the silver screen in a delicious, dark independent movie entitled “Fetish,” filming this week in New York City.

A fearless actress, Joan has always been a risk taker with her career.

In this movie she will be working with a fresh and talented group of new filmmakers.

Joan accepted the role recognizing that the wave of the future is entrusting your career outside of the studio system with maverick filmmakers and accepting great roles where you can find them.

The screenplay for “Fetish” was written by Charles Casillo, who is the author of the novels “The Fame Game” and “The Marilyn Diaries.”

The story revolves around an iconic actress on the skids, making a play for a comeback with a late night talk show host.

In an interview with Liz Smith, Joan has described the project as “Twilight Zone” meets “Sunset Boulevard” meets “David Letterman.”

She will be appearing opposite Charles Casillo, who also wrote and acted in the independent feature film “Let Me Die Quietly” which was met with much acclaim in last year’s film festival circuit.

“FETISH” is directed by 30 year old director Matt Pellowski, in association with his production company Red Line Studios.

“FETISH” offers a provocative storyline and meaty characters, a role that Joan can really sink her teeth into. Although a far cry from the big budgets of the “Dynasty” television series, Ms. Collins will wear fashion designs by Mark Zunino, a protege of Nolan Miller, the preeminent Hollywood trendsetter of the 1980’s.

“Fetish” will be a welcome treat for Joan Collins many fans who enjoy seeing her in stylish, dramatic roles.

Facebook: Let Me Die Quietly
Twitter: @letmediequietly
www.letmediequietly.com/fetish

Source: LMDQ LLC

CONTACT: Kelvin Dale, Executive Producer, LMDQ LLC, +1-808-280-0059,
Kelvin@letmediequietly.com

Web Site: http://www.letmediequietly.com/