A few nights ago the Paley Center for Media legal powerhouses David Boies and Ted Olson spoke out against the MPAA’s R rating of the documentary film BULLY, at a special screening. In front of a high-profile audience including cohost Meryl Streep and legendary activist Billie Jean King, Boies stated, “How ridiculous and unfair and damaging it is to have a film of this power and importance that is being censored by a rating system that has got simply no rational basis. You can kill kids, you can maim them, you can torture them and still get a PG13 rating, but if they say a couple of bad words you blame them. I hope, for heaven’s sake, that they find some rational basis before we have to sue them to revise the rating system.”

Olson, who served as President George W. Bush’s Solicitor General, followed Boies in agreement and stated, “Young people can be tough on one another but young people are also extraordinarily compassionate. And when they see the damage that is done to their brothers and sisters, they will speak out. They will decide to be courageous and say, ‘Don’t do that,’ or come to the defense of someone who’s being picked on. That’s why it’s important that everyone in America see BULLY to talk about it, but in particular, the young people. So Dave was right, this is an irrational decision, and I’ve heard it defended as ‘[The MPAA] really can’t do anything about it because if we make an exception here, they’ll be all sorts of people lined up wanting to have exceptions made with respect to their movies.’ What a reason for not doing something. So they better shape up, or here we come.”

The evening included appearances by Martha Stewart, Tiki Barber, Mariel Hemingway, Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, and others. Attendees came to show their support for the film, which is being distributed by The Weinstein Company, and congratulate the film’s award winning director, Lee Hirsch, and producer, Cynthia Lowen, as well as cast member Kelby Johnson and activist Katy Butler, who started the petition to change the rating on Change.org which now has almost half a million signatures: http://www.change.org/petitions/mpaa-dont-let-the-bullies-win-give-bully-a-pg-13-instead-of-an-r-rating?utm_medium=email&utm_source=action_alert

About “BULLY”: Directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. BULLY follows five kids and families over the course of a school year. Stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the often cruel world of the lives of bullied children. As teachers, administrators, kids and parents struggle to find answers, BULLY examines the dire consequences of bullying through the testimony of strong and courageous youth. Through the power of their stories, the film aims to be a catalyst for change in the way we deal with bullying as parents, teachers, children and society as a whole.

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“The Hunger Games” is out of the gate to a record-breaking start. According to studio estimates grossed around $19.7 million in midnight shows. These numbers represents the highest midnight gross for a non-sequel in history.

“The Hunger Games” will open to the general public in more than 3,000 theaters on March 23, and is on its way to gross at least $95 million in its opening weekend.

Enjoy the ‘The Hunger Games’ Premiere red carpet photos:

Jennifer Lawrence

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Jennifer Lawrence - "The Hunger Games" Los Angeles Premiere

‘Experts looking ahead to “The Hunger Games” wondering if the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel has the ability to fill “Twilight’s” massive box office shoes have a little more indication of just how big the March 23 opening looks to be.

Fandango reports that “Hunger Games” tickets, which went on advanced sale earlier this week, broke the previous first day advance ticket-seller record held by “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which was set on Friday, May 14, 2010.

“‘The Hunger Games’ is off to a fantastic start,” said Rick Butler, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fandango, in a release. “We saw the biggest first day advance ticketing sales in our company’s nearly 12-year history – which is especially impressive for a March release and a non-sequel.”

The site reports that theater owners are continuing to add new showtimes, while fans are scooping up advance tickets.

Gary Ross directs this first installment in the “Hunger Games” series, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a teenager enrolled in a futuristic survival contest. Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland co-star in the drama, which is shaping up to be a massive event.’

Excerpt by Sean O’Connell

Photos by PRPhotos and Lionsgate

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FrogAds, Inc. announced today that it held the world premier of its FrogAds.com Video News Campaign featuring Pamela Anderson via a live press conference at L’Hermitage Hotel in Hollywood, California. Pamela Anderson, the featured spokesperson of FrogAds.com, and Julian Spitari, Founder & CEO of FrogAds, Inc., addressed the media following the premier of the Video News Campaign.

In attendance at the press conference were major entertainment and business news media for print, photographic and electronic outlets including, E! Entertainment News, Fox News, Reuters, Abaca USA, Berliner, Life & Style, Film Magic, Photo Magic, Foxnews.com, Esquire, Mademan.com, WireImage, Getty Images and CelebPhoto.com, to name a few.

Feeds from the press conference are now airing on the East Coast and will be available to the rest of the country shortly. FrogAds’ media and public relations firms, Scripted Consulting, and LaunchPad Public Relations, will be disseminating B-Roll of the press conference to over 10,000 media outlets within the next 72-hours.

Dayna Zegarelli, CEO of Scripted Consulting, stated, “Pamela Anderson looked incredible today and spoke very eloquently on behalf of FrogAds, not only as the spokesperson for the Company, but also as a shareholder.”

Zegarelli continued, “Julian Spitari, Founder & CEO of FrogAds, Inc., who typically enjoys leading the Company behind the scenes, leaped out in front of the press like a seasoned veteran. It was a collaborative success.”

FrogAds.com is a free global market place for both classifieds and auction that enables you to post ads, photos and videos making them visible to the global marketplace.

If you are interested in learning more about this innovative website, please reference their stock symbol FROG or visit FrogAds.com .

Photos by PRPhotos

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Chicago will welcome 20 Nobel Peace Laureates from 17 countries around the globe this April 23 – 25, 2012, for the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, together with the 2012 Chicago Host Committee, have announced that eleven Nobel Peace Prize-winning individuals and nine Laureate organizations are currently confirmed to attend and participate in the three-day event—the first time the international peacemaking summit will be held in North America.

In addition to convening Nobel Laureates, the World Summit annually recognizes a high-profile personality making an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace. Sean Penn, actor, founder and CEO of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, will be presented with the 2012 Peace Summit Award during the summit for his work to rebuild and aid the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as well as his ongoing advocacy for peace and human rights protection worldwide.

“It’s difficult to properly respond to this while avoiding cliché,” Penn said. “But quite deliberately, I’m thrilled to receive this tribute and to represent it to the youth of Haiti, the strong women of Haiti, and of the world. Tomorrow is a new day where cynicism is for cowards, and men of virtue and agency will be true heroes to their sons. Many in my generation know cowardice well, but not the youth, and not the women. And NEVER the Haitians. This is an extraordinary honor in an extraordinary moment on Earth. I’m very grateful.”

The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is internationally recognized as among the most important annual events in the field of peacemaking, attracting Nobel Peace Laureates and high-profile leaders and organizations from around the globe. The Summit is organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates on a yearly basis in partnership with a host city.

“Chicago is honored to be the first North American city to host the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, and we look forward to welcoming distinguished guests from around the globe in April,” said Mayor Emanuel, honorary co-chair of the World Summit Host Committee. “The decision to host this event in Chicago reflects the profile of our city as an international leader in civic dialogue and community involvement. While the Summit is a global event, it will have a local impact and leave a lasting legacy on our city.”
The 12th World Summit, themed “Speak Up, Speak Out for Freedom and Rights,” will focus on peace, human rights and youth involvement. Programming will include six high-level panel discussions, including a kick-off session with five former heads of state, including President Mikhail Gorbachev, President Lech Walesa, President Frederik Willem de Klerk, President Óscar Arias and President Jimmy Carter.

Nobel Peace Laureate individuals currently confirmed to attend the 12th World Summit:

· Mrs. Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Northern Ireland (1976)
· President Lech Wa??sa, Poland (1983)
· President Óscar Arias, Costa Rica (1987)
· His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet (1989)
· President Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia (1990)
· President Frederik Willem de Klerk, South Africa (1993)
· Professor Jody Williams, United States (1997)
· President Jimmy Carter, United States (2002)
· Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Iran (2003)
· Professor Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh (2006)
· Ms. Tawakkol Karman, Yemen (2011)

Nobel Peace Laureate Organizations currently confirmed to attend the 12th World Summit:

· International Peace Bureau (1910)
· American Friends Service Committee (1947)
· International Committee of the Red Cross (1963)
· Amnesty International (1977)
· International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985)
· PUGWASH Conferences (1995)
· International Campaign to Ban Landmines (1997)
· United Nations/Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2001)
· Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007)

The World Summit is chaired by the former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev and co-chaired by former Mayor of Rome, Hon. Walter Veltroni. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will serve as the Summit’s Honorary Co-Chair. The Chicago Host Committee is co-chaired by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn; Chris Kennedy, past president of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.; Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights; Terry Mazany, president and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust; and Michael Sacks, CEO of Grosvenor Capital Management and vice chairman of World Business Chicago.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Chicagoans–and young people in particular–to start a dialogue about empowerment and inspire one another to stand up for human rights at home, in the classroom, or on the world stage,” said Kerry Kennedy. “Hundreds of students from Chicago public schools have spent part of this year learning from the Speak Truth to Power curriculum and now, thanks to the 2012 Summit, they’ll have the opportunity to hear the stories of these twenty remarkable human rights defenders firsthand.”

For more information on the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates and the Laureates who have confirmed their participation, please visit www.nobelsummitchicago.org. Follow the Summit on Twitter at @nobelforpeace and on Facebook at facebook.com/nobelforpeace.

~~~

The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates together with The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, The Chicago Community Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, City of Chicago and World Business Chicago are collaborating with to organize the 12th World Summit. Sponsors include: Grosvenor Capital Management L.P., Coventry, Vista Equity Partners, Chrysler (Jeep), The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, BMO Harris Bank, Clear Channel, DePaul University, The Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Harris Associates L.P., The Spencer Foundation, Wendy and Jim Abrams, The Joyce Foundation, Liz and Eric Lefkofsky, ASCA, The Field Museum, JW Marriott Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago Symphony Center and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Photos by PRPhotos

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Take Action tell your Representative to support new Sudan legislation.

National Day of Action for #Sudan: Today, George Clooney was arrested while protesting Sudan’s atrocities at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington D.C.

The rally’s over, but there’s still more work to be done. If you haven’t already, text SUDAN to 30644 to receive our mobile action alerts, and sign our petition to ask your representatives to support legislation for Sudan.

According to ENOUGHPROJECT.ORG “months of military attacks by the Government of Sudan on their own people have prevented crop production, causing near-famine conditions. The attacks themselves continue to kill, injure, displace and terrorize innocent civilians while the international community continues to stand by.”

On March 7, Rep. Jim McGovern introduced the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2012. It’s a strong piece of legislation that needs your support to get passed.

“We’re calling on the United States and world leaders to stop the violence and prevent hundreds of thousands of people from starving.”

Photos by ENOUGHPROJECT.ORG

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Boycott Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” show UNTIL Donald “Animal Killer” Trump Jr. is FIRED! Who wants to see a heartless, arrogant, animal killer on national television?

Congratulations to Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World, who cancelled being a sponsor of “Celebrity Apprentice,” and denounced Donald Trump Jr., who serves as a judge on the current season, for posing for photos with dead animals he killed on a hunt in Zimbabwe.

“I am totally disgusted by the hunting pics I have seen and was surprised to see them,” Lemonis told TMZ.

Animal butchery. Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, kill an elephant, leopard, and many more animals in sick African killing. It is despicable. According to TMZ.Com Donald Trump Jr. said “Yes, I Killed Those Animals… and I’m PROUD of It!” The Trump name is being tarnished. The Trump brothers should be ostracized by society at large.

So, more companies should stop any and all business activities with the Trumps until Donald Trump Jr. is FIRED. How cruel can educated and privilege young men be?

IMPORTANT NOTE: In addition, they do it in a country that is run by a murderous dictator, Robert Mugabe. So, the Trumps are helping Mugabe’s dictatorship to continue his reign of terror against his own people.

See photos of the killings at TMZ.COM

“Like all animals, elephants, buffalo, and crocodiles deserve better than to be killed and hacked apart for two young millionaires’ grisly photo opportunity. If the Trumps want to help villagers, they have plenty of resources at their disposal… Left alone, animal populations regulate their own numbers based upon the availability of food and secure habitat… The money spent on hunting fees in this case could have gone toward the building of a school or hospital or planting an orchard, any of which would have had a lasting positive effect on the villagers, rather than patronizing them and reducing them to hunting guides for spoiled, bored, visiting American millionaires,” said the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

This was the response on twitter by Don Jr. “I have no shame about the pics. I HUNT & EAT game … I’m a hunter, for that I make no apologies… You think we wasted the meat? It fed a village for a month… I’m a hunter, I won’t cower from that because of some losers… Actually the money from hunting fees preserves animals and habitat. Complaining does nothing. Bottom line is without hunters $ there wouldn’t be much left of Africa. Nothing we hunt is endangered, that’s just how it’s spun by anti-hunters.”

Photos by PRPhotos

For photos of the KILLINGS go to TMZ.com and ecorazzi.com

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“The Hunger Games” will open to the general public in more than 3,000 theaters on March 23, and is on its way to gross at least $95 million in its opening weekend.

Enjoy the ‘The Hunger Games’ Premiere red carpet photos:

Jennifer Lawrence

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Jennifer Lawrence - "The Hunger Games" Los Angeles Premiere

‘Experts looking ahead to “The Hunger Games” wondering if the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel has the ability to fill “Twilight’s” massive box office shoes have a little more indication of just how big the March 23 opening looks to be.

Fandango reports that “Hunger Games” tickets, which went on advanced sale earlier this week, broke the previous first day advance ticket-seller record held by “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which was set on Friday, May 14, 2010.

“‘The Hunger Games’ is off to a fantastic start,” said Rick Butler, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fandango, in a release. “We saw the biggest first day advance ticketing sales in our company’s nearly 12-year history – which is especially impressive for a March release and a non-sequel.”

The site reports that theater owners are continuing to add new showtimes, while fans are scooping up advance tickets.

Gary Ross directs this first installment in the “Hunger Games” series, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a teenager enrolled in a futuristic survival contest. Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland co-star in the drama, which is shaping up to be a massive event.’

Excerpt by Sean O’Connell

Photos by PRPhotos and Lionsgate

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By Beck/Smith

HollywoodNews.com: A new version of Michael Jackson’s last days will be coming to light by year’s end, with the release of Fit for a King, the first cookbook from celebrity chef Kai Chase.

We were chatting with Chase about the March 18 Drawing Hope International Gala Masquerade event in Beverly Hills, for which she is providing some of her trademark cultural fusion cuisine. (Tandoori Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Fruited Marsala Couscous, anyone?) However, the culinary master, who has cooked for luminaries including Mary J. Blige and President Obama, was also Jackson’s personal chef, and as soon as his name comes up, the conversation shifts. Chase makes it clear his impact on her life was profound.

She tells us, “When you read the book, you’ll see how things were different” as far as the portrayal of Jackson’s world. “I was feeding him and his children. He was going to rehearsals and the recording studio. He was energized, looking good, feeling good. I want to talk about the fun times — the practical jokes played on me in the house, me and the kids planting gardens. I was seeing him every day and working with him every day. He talked to me about a lot of things, as a boss and as a friend — how to move on with your career, write books, this and that.” However, “I was let go at a certain point,” recalls Chase. She was back at the mansion the day Jackson died.

Since then, her list of celebrity clients has grown, and “a lot of things are really coming to the forefront right now,” notes the beautiful chef, who listens to Jackson’s “Keep the Faith” song because “it keeps me inspired and motivated for greatness. The blessings keep pouring down. Sometimes I think he has something to do with that, and imagine him and God high-fiving.”

Chase is also offering an at-home cooking lesson to be auctioned off at the fund-raiser for Drawing Hope, which helps survivors of rape and sexual abuse in some 150 countries. Celebs excpected to be on hand for the event range from Garrett Morris to Kyle Massey to honoree AnnaLynne McCord of “90210.”

Photos by PRPhotos

To read more go to www.becksmithhollywood.com

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CALL FOR ENTRIES: 16th ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL®- OCT 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 2012

The 16th Annual HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL is now open for submissions in the follow genres: Features (drama and comedy), Docs, and Shorts.

VISIT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL TO SUBMIT
www.hollywoodfest.com/submit-hollywood-film-festival

“The ultimate networking opportunity for filmmakers looking for a break” – Variety

“Footloose”/”Hustle and Flow’s” Craig Brewer was discovered at the HFF and 2010′s winner for Best Documentary, “Garbage Dreams” made 2010 Oscar short list.

Keep up to date with the latest HOLLYWOOD NEWS – www.hollywoodnews.com

Also, please follow us on TWITTER: www.twitter.com/hollywoodnews
and FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/hollywoodfilmfest

Be DISCOVERED IN HOLLYWOOD – SUBMIT NOW!
www.hollywoodfest.com/submit-hollywood-film-festival