Blu-ray 1st July Release

Vantage Point (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / Rated PG-13
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Drama, Thriller

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox
Plot Synopsis: During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. VANTAGE POINT is a mindbending political action-thriller starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Academy Award® Winner Forest Whitaker (Best Actor 2006, The Last King of Scotland), with Sigourney Weaver and Academy Award® winner William Hurt (Best Actor 1985, Kiss of the Spider Woman).

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with Director
• 2 Featurettes: "Coordinating Chaos," "Writing the Assasination of a President"
• Cast and crew interviews
• Surveillance Tapes: Outtake
• Una Conversacion Con Eduardo Noriega
• Theatrical Trailers

HD Exclusive Content:
• GPS Tracker


Meet the Browns (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2008 / 100 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Jenifer Lewis, Rick Fox, Angela Bassett
Director: Tyler Perry

Plot Synopsis: With nothing to lose, Brenda and her son travel from Chicago to small-town Georgia to meet a previously unknown side of the family. Nothing can prepare them for the fun-loving, crass Brown clan. Angela Basset and Rick Fox star in this romantic comedy about the power of love and family - from Tyler Perry.

Disc Features:
• 4 Featurettes: "Meet the Manns," "Angela and Rick: Meet the Lovebirds," "The Browns are Born: The Story of Meet the Browns," "Jenifer Lewis: Unleashed"
• Digital Copy

HD Exclusive Content:
• 3 Featurettes: "Mr. Brown’s Fashion Breakdown," "The Music of Meet the Browns," "Bakin’ It and Shakin’ It With Mr. Brown"


Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control, (Blu-ray)

Warner Home Video / 2008 / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Larry Miller, Patrick Warburton, Masi Oka
Director: Gil Junger


Sex and Death 101 (Blu-ray)

Starz Home Entertainment / 2008 / 117 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Comedy

Starring: Simon Baker, Winona Ryder
Director: Daniel Waters

Plot Synopsis: Written and directed by Daniel Waters ('Heathers,' 'Hudson Hawk'), 'Sex and Death 101' attempts to put a existential spin on the traditional sex comedy. Simon Baker stars as Roderick Blank (note the last name -- get it?), a womanizer who's about to marry his lovely fiancee (Andrea Bowen), until he receives a mysterious list detailing all of the sex partners he's had in his life -- as well as all of those he's ever going to have (a total which, not coincidentally, totals 101). That the list goes beyond his future wife is a fact not lost on Roderick, so he promptly dumps her and goes about searching for the remaining 72 women he hasn't yet bedded.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - Writer and director Daniel Waters goes solo on this track. He's a lively, personable speaker, and wastes no time in diving right in and giving us an overview of the film, from concept to production. Unfortunately, I can't say this is ultimately a successful commentary, simply because Waters never sells me on the film. To his credit, some of his intended themes become more clear, and I can see what he was going for -- but man, is this film pretentious. However likable Waters is, I really didn't enjoy listening to this track much.
  
• Featurette: "101 Perversions" (SD, 9 minutes) - Your typical making-of featurette, with on-set interviews with Waters and the cast, including Simon Baker and Winona Ryder. Comments are all surface-level, however, and in light of how bad the film is, they seem pretty darn silly.
  
• Theatrical Trailer (HD) - Rounding it out is the film's original theatrical trailer, here in full 1080 and Dolby 5.1.

Mad Men: Season One (Blu-ray)

Lionsgate Home Entertainment / 2007 / 616 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Drama

Starring: Jon Hamm
Director: Various

Plot Synopsis: The ground-breaking new show from AMC that critics are calling "an instant Classic" is coming to Blu-ray Disc. Set in 1960 New York City, Mad Men explores the glamorous and ego-driven "Golden Age" of advertising, where everyone is selling something and nothing is ever what it seems. And no one plays the game better than Don Draper (Golden Globe-winner Jon Hamm), Madison Avenue's biggest ad man -- and ladies' man -- in the business.

Disc Features:
• Audio commentaries on all 13 episodes
• 3 Featurettes: "Establishing Mad Men," "The Desire of the American Dream," "Score Mad Men"
• Still Gallery: "Pictures of Elegance"
• Mad Men Music Sampler


Point Break (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1991 / 122 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze
Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Plot Synopsis: Young FBI agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) goes undercover at the suggestion of his partner (Gary Busey) to learn if a group of wild surfers is actually a gang of bank robbers. He soon comes under the dangerous spell of the surfers' charismatic leader Bodhi (Swyaze) a mystical mastermind who'll do absolutely anything for a thrill - and expects his followers to do the same.

Disc Features:

• Featurettes (SD, 9 minutes) - Normally, I'd separate each of these out with a bulletpoint, but it's clear that Fox produced a single documentary and just split it up into a bunch of little parts to make the back of the box look more crowded. Assembled for new (to 2006) interviews are director Kathryn Bigelow, producer Rick King, some of the stunt/surfing crew, and cast members Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, and Gary Busey. Unfortunately, none really has much to say of depth about the film's "legacy" -- let's face it, this is 'Point Break,' not 'Star Wars.' The featurettes are competently shot and edited, however, and there is a small amount of behind-the-scenes footage. The four featurettes are: "It's Make or Break" (23 minutes), "Ride the Wave" (7 minutes), "Adrenaline Junkies" (7 minutes) and "On Location: Malibu" (8 minutes).
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 10 minutes) - There are eight in all, each a character nugget or extended scene. The changes are quite pithy compared to the finished cut, and at times there is literally a line or two of different dialogue. The quality is also poor, with the source appearing to be some sort of video edit.
  
• Still Gallery (SD) - This is honestly one of the weakest still presentations I've seen lately. There are barely a dozen or so stills, and all are boring PR shots. Even the controls are basic, so there is really nothing much to see here.

In the Line of Fire (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1993 / 128 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Thriller

Starring: John Malkovich, Dylan McDermott, Clint Eastwood
Director: Wolfgang Petersen

Plot Synopsis: An assassin on the loose. A president in danger. Only one man stands between them...

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by director Wolfgang Petersen
• Documentary: "The Ultimate Sacrifice"
• 3 Featurettes: "Behind-the-Scenes with the Secret Service," "How'd They Do That?", "Catching the Counterfeiters"
• Deleted Scenes


Batman: The Movie (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1966 / 105 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Genres: Action, Comedy, Comic Book

Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Burgess Meredith
Director: Leslie H. Martinson

Plot Synopsis: The four greatest super-criminals of The United Underworld -- The Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler and The Penguin - combine forces to dispose of Batman and Robin as they launch their fantastic plot to control the entire world. Can the dynamic duo stop The United Underworld before it's too late?

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by actors Adam West and Burt Ward / Audio Commentary by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
• Isolated Score Track 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio (Lossless)
• 2001 35th Anniversary Piece Featuring Interviews with Adam West and Burt Ward
• Featurettes: "The Batmobile Revealed" • "The Batmobile Interactive Tour" 360 Degree Navigational Tour
• Fact Track: "Holy Pop-Up Trivia Track, Batman!"
• Original Teaser and Theatrical Trailers • Still Galleries: "From the Vaults of Adam West," "Interactive Pressbook," "Posters," "Production Stills," "Behind the Scenes," "Premiere"

HD Exclusive Content:
Featurettes: "Batman: A Dynamic Legacy," "Caped Crusaders: A Heroes Tribute," "Gotham City's Most Wanted"


Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Concert

Sony BMG / 2008 / 164 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: July 01, 2008

Overall Grade





Genres: Musical, Concert

Disc Features:

• Featurette: "Slow Dancing on Mulholland Drive" (HD, 4 minutes) - I'm hesitant even calling this a "featurette," as it is just an unused interstitial from the show. Mayer talks briefly about his method, then performs a short little tune.
  
• Set Select - Not sure how Sony BMG even calls this a "special feature." It's simply a chapter selection menu, allowing you to play the three acts of the show individually, or go straight to a specific tune.
  
• Collectible Booklet - Rounding it out is a 12-page booklet, with a some on-stage and behind-the-scenes photos in both color and black & white. Note that Sony has opted not to use a standard Blu-ray keepcase for 'Where the Light Is,' instead going with a sort of slim version of Warner's Digi-Book packaging -- it's thin enough that I suspect some may find it less-than-sturdy.

• Steve/Pino Cam (Bonus View) (HD) - This picture-in-picture feature requires a Profile 1.1-enabled player. Choose from two different alternate views of the song "Who Did You Think I Was," allowing you to watch (in a PIP box) from either the position of Steve Jordan (drums) or Pino Palladino (bass). Two bad more songs weren't enabled with this option.
  
• Backstage Performance (BD-Live) - Available only if you have BD-Live enabled (Profile 2.0), here you can download a bonus backstage performance of the tune "Belief." Again, a nice extra, though hopefully Sony has even more rare tracks ready for us in the future.

Wall.E Claimed The No.1 Spot At US Box Office

Another surprise hit from Pixar with 'Wall.E' gaining USD62.5Million to capture the No.1 spot for the US box office crown and also 'Wanted' unexpectedly above all the critics expectations grabbing the No.2 spot with USD51.1Million. Wow!! Those two movies are above my expectations 1) Wall.E USD50Million and 2) Wanted USD25Million. There are miles to go for Wall.E as it gets a very wide attention not only from the critics but also one of the most talk about movie as the Oscar winner for Best Animation Movie. Surpassing USD200Million will be no problem for Wall.E but it's going to be a tough task for Disney to maintain the No.1 spot next week as Will Smith hitting the theaters for the Independence Day weekend with the superhero actioner 'Hancock'. - Ibrahem.S

Metal ruled the North American box office as the robot adventure WALL•E and the assassin thriller Wanted featuring a gun-toting Angelina Jolie rocked the multiplexes hauling in an eye-popping $114M in combined ticket sales. It was the first time in history that two films opened with more than $50M each on the same weekend. Powered by the explosive openings of the pair of new releases, the weekend box office climbed to its highest point yet in 2008.

Robot love was in the air as moviegoers powered WALL•E into the number one spot with an estimated $62.5M in ticket sales. Playing in 3,992 sites, the G-rated space adventure averaged a sizzling $15,656 per theater and gave Pixar its ninth consecutive top spot debut. It was the eighth largest opening ever for an animated film and the fourth highest for Pixar after The Incredibles ($70.5M in 2004), Finding Nemo ($70.3M in 2003), and Monsters, Inc. ($62.6M in 2001). It was the third best bow for a G-rated film after (Nemo and Monsters) and WALL•E also gave Disney its biggest opening in over a year. Film critics were in awe with the computer-animated pic giving it some of the best reviews of any film this year.

Pixar's last film Ratatouille opened to $47M this weekend a year ago and was equally loved by critics, but featured a premise involving a rat cooking in a kitchen which turned off some audiences. The company's previous effort Cars bowed to $60.1M in early June 2006 and featured a better premise, but got mixed reactions from critics. This time around, WALL•E successfully delivered a story that could be universally loved and was applauded by reviewers. It even overcame the liability of having very little human dialogue. With a CinemaScore grade of A plus a major holiday weekend coming up for Independence Day, long-term prospects look solid as positive word-of-mouth is sure to spread.

The lonely robot kicked off its weekend with a potent $23.1M on Friday, Saturday sales dipped by 5% to $22M, while Sunday was estimated to drop by 21% to $17.4M. The Saturday decline was a bit unusual, but could be attributed to the upfront demand on Friday when most children were out of school. Studio research showed that 51% of the audience was female while 59% was under 25. Disney did report a high number of couples without children indicating that WALL•E is not only playing as a family film but as a date movie too.

Angelina Jolie's latest high-octane action vehicle Wanted may have settled for second place, but the Universal release scored a sensational debut that soared above all expectations. The R-rated pic launched with an estimated $51.1M over the weekend from 3,175 locations for a scorching average of $16,100 per theater.

The tale of an ordinary office worker recruited by a secret group of elite assassins was sold as a stylish action picture and was backed by a slick marketing campaign that accented the visual effects in the film. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch) put his unique stamp on the $75M production and word of Jolie's nude scene certainly did not repel any ticket buyers. According to studio research, males made up 52% of the crowd while 51% was under 30. Friday started with a bang with a $19.2M opening day, Saturday slipped 8% to $17.6M, and Sunday is projected to fall 19% to $14.3M. Wanted also generated the third best opening for an R-rated summer film behind only The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8M in 2003) and Sex and the City ($56.8M last month). [Source from: boxofficeguru.com]

#	Title	Jun 27 - 29				Weeks		Cumulative	Distributor
1	WALL•E	$ 62,500,000				1		$ 62,500,000	Buena Vista
2	Wanted	51,118,000				1		51,118,000	Universal
3	Get Smart	20,000,000				2		77,266,000	Warner Bros.
4	Kung Fu Panda	11,746,000				4		179,330,000	Paramount
5	The Incredible Hulk	9,226,000				3		115,508,000	Universal
6	The Love Guru	5,440,000				2		25,322,000	Paramount
7	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom...	5,030,000				6		299,936,000	Paramount
8	The Happening	3,850,000				3		59,063,000	Fox
9	Sex and the City	3,770,000				5		140,132,000	New Line
10	You Don't Mess With the Zohan	3,200,000				4		91,215,000	Sony

Fox Unveils 'Prison Break' Blu-ray Specs, Box Art

Fox has confirmed specs and box art for which will hit Blu-ray this August with multiple bonus features. Fox first alerted retailers to an August 26 Blu-ray bow for the third season of the hit action drama back in May.

The studio has now issued the full press materials for the Blu-ray, which will replicate past season sets with all episodes presented in 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 video and DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 Surround audio.

Extras include a pair of featurettes ("Orientation," "Breakout Episode"), additional behind-the-scenes footage with the cast, "Director's Takes" deleted material, and a bonus episode of the Fox TV series "The Unit."

Disney Bundles 'Pirates' Trilogy on Blu-ray

Disney announced plans to bundle all three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films in a six-disc Blu-ray box set, due this September.
Dubbed 'Pirates of The Carribean - 3 Movie Collection' the set features the complete blockbuster trilogy packaged together on Blu-ray for the first time. Replicating the stand-alone two-disc versions currently available, there are no new bonus features or box set exclusives. Disney also says the individual keepcase packaging will mirror the existing releases.

Wanted and Wall.E In Theaters This Week 27 June

Wanted and Wall.E battling for the box-office weekend champion this weekend, we'll see either a hot babe action starer or a CGI smart robot will get the No.1 spot. Wanted an R-Rated movie directed by Timur Bekmambetov [Day Watch & Night Watch] , acted by Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy is a full throttle action-packed movie while Wall.E is a fully animated CGI movie created by Pixar.
Angelina Jolie hasn't appeared quite a while for this kind of action since 'Mr.&Mrs.Smith' in 2005. There are still lots of her fans hunger for that kinda action flick will give a boost for 'Wanted' this weekend [I do probably hope Wanted is not 'Shoot Em' Up - you know what I mean??]. James McAvoy the new Hollywood hearttrob is gaining popularity as well after showcasing impressive performance in 'The Last King of Scotland' and 'Atonement', will be the best bet for Universal's investment this summer though.
After scoring huge in Ratatouille last year with USD390million ticket sales in U.S alone, one of the best selling DVD and Blu-ray 2008, not forgetting as well the winner for best animation in the Oscar 2008, Pixar is a company that you don't wanna mess around. Wall.E is gonna be big this year. The critics are very in favor with this movie indeed. Superb animation, creative story-line, heavy marketing campaign by Disney will be the great formula of success for 'Wall.E'
My predictions this weekend 1) Wall.E USD50Million and 2) Wanted USD25Million - Ibrahem.S

Wanted
Copyright © 2008 Universal Pictures


Based upon Mark Millar's explosive graphic novel series and helmed by the stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov--creator of the most successful Russian film franchise in history, the "Night Watch" series--"Wanted" tells the story of one invisible drone's transformation into a dark avenger. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a superhero for a new millennium: Wesley Gibson.

	June 27th, 2008
	Timur Bekmambetov
	Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan
	James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Angelina Jolie
	Universal Pictures
	Fantasy, Thriller
	wantedmovie.com
	R for for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality
	110 minutes

Wall.E
Copyright © 2008 Walt Disney Pictures


The year is 2700. WALL•E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for. From Academy Award-winning director, Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo"), "WALL•E" is the story of one robot's comic adventures as he chases his dream across the galaxy.

	June 27th, 2008
	Andrew Stanton
	Andrew Stanton
	Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Ben Burtt, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy
	Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar
	Adventure, Animation
	wall-e.com
	G
	103 minutes

Finding Amanda
Copyright © 2008 Mag Pictures

A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab.

	June 27th, 2008 (limited)
	Peter Tolan
	Peter Tolan
	Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Moira Tierney, Steve Coogan
	Magnolia Pictures
	Comedy, Drama
	magpictures.com
	R for for strong sexual content including graphic dialogue, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity
	90 minutes

DVD/ Blu-ray Chart 21st June

Top Blu-ray Sales 21st June 2008

RANK	TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR, SRP)
1	JUMPER (FOX, $39.98)
2	FOOL'S GOLD (WB, $35.99)
3	THE BUCKET LIST (WB, $35.99)
4	RAMBO (LG, $39.99)
5	NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS (DIS, $34.99)
6	MEN IN BLACK (SONY, $28.95)
7	BE KIND REWIND (NL/WB, $35.99)
8	I AM LEGEND (WB, $35.99)
9	PLANET EARTH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (BBC/WB, $99.98)
10	300 (WB, $34.99)

Top DVD Sales 21st June 2008

THIS WEEK			TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR)		RELEASE DATE	RATING
1			THE BUCKET LIST (WB, $28.98)		06/10/2008	PG-13
2			JUMPER (FOX, $29.99)		06/10/2008	PG-13
3			WITLESS PROTECTION (LG, $29.95)		06/10/2008	PG-13
4			NATIONAL TREASURE 2: BOOK OF SECRETS (DIS, $29.99)		05/20/2008	PG
5			RAMBO (LG, $29.95)		05/27/2008	R
6			THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (SONY, $28.96)		06/10/2008	PG-13
7			SEMI-PRO (NL/WB, $28.98)		06/03/2008	R
8			JOHN ADAMS (HBO/WB, $59.99)		06/10/2008	NR
9			INDIANA JONES: THE ADVENTURE COLLECTION (PAR, $59.98)		05/13/2008	PG-13
10			MEET THE SPARTANS (FOX, $29.99)		06/03/2008	PG-13
11			THE EYE (LG, $29.95)		06/03/2008	PG-13
12			THE BOONDOCKS: SEASON 2 (SONY, $49.95)		06/10/2008	NR
13			THE GREAT DEBATERS (WEINSTEIN/GENIUS, $29.95)		05/13/2008	PG-13
14			INDIANA JONES: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (PAR, $26.98)		05/13/2008	PG
15			27 DRESSES (FOX, $29.98)		04/29/2008	PG-13
16			INDIANA JONES: THE LAST CRUSADE (PAR, $29.99)		05/13/2008	PG-13
17			INDIANA JONES: THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (PAR, $26.98)		05/13/2008	PG
18			WWE: THE ROCK (WEINSTEIN/GENIUS, $34.95)		06/10/2008	R
19			THE GOLDEN COMPASS (NL/WB, $28.98)		04/29/2008	PG-13
20			RESCUE ME: SEASON 4 (SONY, $44.95)		06/03/2008	NR

Blu-ray growing, but needs better retail display

JUNE 25 | LAS VEGAS—Analysts painted a mostly rosy picture for Blu-ray Disc consumer traction at a Wednesday Home Media Expo session here, but they acknowledged such adoption hurdles as strong satisfaction with DVD and poor retail presentation of the format.

Today’s early Blu-ray owners form a limited demographic group, most likely male, under 34 and earn a relatively high income, according to Nielsen Home Entertainment. But Nielsen VP David Hoffman said he approaches the statistics with optimism, explaining that 40% of this group is over 35 and many of them have families.

“It’s not just the young, single, tech geek,” said Hoffman. “There is a broader base for this than one might think.”

Additionally, retailers would be wise to support Blu-ray in stores, Hoffman said.

Nielsen finds that Blu-ray owners buy more non-DVD items, contributing to an overall higher cash register ring than standard DVD owners. Currently, the average standard DVD basket at retail is $92.93, typically including discs as well as $19.79 worth of other store products. In contrast, the average Blu-ray basket at retail is $162.36, featuring Blu-ray discs and $61.53 in additional products.

NPD Group analyst Russ Crupnick acknowledged less than 10% of surveyed HDTV owners intend to purchase a Blu-ray player in the next six months. But even that much should be considered admirable at this early stage of the format, where software and hardware pricing is still significantly higher than standard DVD.

“Purchase intent is there, and it’s not all that horrible,” said Crupnick. “We are looking at it like the glass is half full. Trends are low, but they are going in the right direction.”

Although adoption is happening at a respectable pace, session participants admitted that adoption could be sped up at retail. Crupnick advocated for retail to set up interactive BD Live demonstrations to steer people away from better trafficked gaming sampling stations, as well as to drive home differences from standard DVD. BD Live represents the debut of networked features on home entertainment movie software, including multi-player gaming and real-time chatting.

“You can walk into a Best Buy and see people congregating around the Wii kiosk, and then you look over at the Blu-ray screen and nobody is around,” said Crupnick. “I think BD Live can be used as a differentiator [from standard DVD] and help people give Blu-ray a look.”

Tom Adams, president of Adams Media Research, hopes studios further distinguish Blu-ray from standard DVD by offering digital copy exclusively on Blu-ray copies. Currently, many studios are affixing embedded film copies on both Blu-ray and standard DVD copies.

“Digital copy is a killer app,” said Adams. “It would increase Blu-ray’s appeal above and beyond DVD.”

Patrick Wahlquist, representing a consumer perspective from his membership with the Home Theater Forum, complained about uneducated consumer electronics sales clerks. Many don’t seem to know about all the key components required to receive true high-definition video, such as the purchase of an HDMI connection cable.

“That’s what is scary to me, that customers will say it doesn’t work this way, and that will slow down” adoption, said Wahlquist.

He was also unsure about BD Live interactivity ever becoming a major selling point. Most HTF members have been so far underwhelmed by Web-enabled features included on releases.

“The studios aren’t even sure what to do with it yet,” said Wahlquist. “GPS on Cloverfield? That’s fun for about five minutes.”

Even with some consumer hesitation, the analysts were mostly upbeat that Blu-ray would prove attractive. Once early adopters start showing off Blu-ray players to friends, the technology should naturally grow in popularity.

“I think consumer word-of-mouth can do as much if not more than anything done at Best Buy,” said Crupnick. [Source from: videobusiness.com]

2008 Home Entertainment Award Winners

Category	Title	Label/Distributor
Archival TV Series of the Year	Roots the Complete Collection	Warner
Current TV Series of the Year	Grey’s Anatomy: Season Three	Disney
Direct to DVD/Limited Release of the Year from a Major Studio	Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee	HBO/Warner
Direct to DVD/Limited Release of the Year from a Independent Studio	The King of California	First Look
Documentary Title of the Year	Planet Earth	Warner
DVD Extras of the Year	The Bourne Ultimatum	Universal
Family Title of the Year	Ratatouille	Disney
Foreign Title of the Year	La Vie en Rose	HBO/Warner
High-Definition Title of the Year	300	Warner
Marketing Campaign of the Year	Transformers	Paramount
Music DVD of the Year	Across the Universe	Sony
Non-Children's Animated Title of the Year	The Simpsons Movie	Fox
Packaging of the Year	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Warner
Re-Mastered Title of the Year	Blade Runner Ultimate Collector’s Edition	Warner
Rental Title of the Year from a Major Studio	300	Warner
Rental Title of the Year from an Independent Studio	The Contract	First Look
Sell-Through Title of the Year from a Major Studio	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End	Disney
Sell-Through Title of the Year from an Independent Studio	The Nanny Diaries	Weinstein/Genius
Sleeper Title of the Year	The Astronaut Farmer	Warner
Special Interest Title of the Year	Deal or No Deal	First Look

JUNE 24 | LAS VEGAS—Warner Home Video's 300 was the sole Home Entertainment Award evening, receiving kudos for High-Definition Title of the Year and Rental Title of the Year From a Major Studio. The winners were announced tonight at a ceremony during the Entertainment Merchants Assn.'s Home Media Expo here.

Warner won the most awards of any major studio, with seven, while First Look Home Entertainment took home the most wins of independent studios, with three.

“Home video has found a place in the hearts of many homes throughout the country, speaking volumes about the exceptional quality and diversity of the products that are made available to consumers,” EMA president Bo Andersen said in a statement. “The Home Entertainment Awards are a celebration of these products, and EMA is proud to recognize and award these exceptional titles.”

EMA also added Paramount Home Entertainment's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark to the Video Hall of Fame.

“Twenty-seven years after the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark and as today’s moviegoers attend the latest iteration of Indiana Jones, we remain transfixed by this joyride of a film,” Andersen said in a statement. “This cinematic work is in a league of its own, encompassing action, adventure, drama and romance, and having amassed a worldwide fan base, which makes this an exemplary addition to EMA’s Video Hall of Fame.”

Video Hall of Fame movies, chosen by EMA members, are those that have continued to perform well in both video sales and rental over an extended period of time. Casablanca, The Godfather, Grease and Scarface also are in the Video Hall of Fame. [Source from: videobusiness.com]